Sensitivity analysis of complex coupled systems extended to second and higher order derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, Jaroslaw

1989-01-01

In design of engineering systems, the what if questions often arise such as: what will be the change of the aircraft payload, if the wing aspect ratio is incremented by 10 percent. Answers to such questions are commonly sought by incrementing the pertinent variable, and reevaluating the major disciplinary analyses involved. These analyses are contributed by engineering disciplines that are, usually, coupled, as are the aerodynamics, structures, and performance in the context of the question above. The what if questions can be answered precisely by computation of the derivatives. A method for calculation of the first derivatives has been developed previously. An algorithm is presented for calculation of the second and higher order derivatives.

Pulse transmission receiver with higher-order time derivative pulse generator

DOEpatents

Dress, Jr., William B.; Smith, Stephen F.

2003-08-12

Systems and methods for pulse-transmission low-power communication modes are disclosed. A pulse transmission receiver includes: a front-end amplification/processing circuit; a synchronization circuit coupled to the front-end amplification/processing circuit; a clock coupled to the synchronization circuit; a trigger signal generator coupled to the clock; and at least one higher-order time derivative pulse generator coupled to the trigger signal generator. The systems and methods significantly reduce lower-frequency emissions from pulse transmission spread-spectrum communication modes, which reduces potentially harmful interference to existing radio frequency services and users and also simultaneously permit transmission of multiple data bits by utilizing specific pulse shapes.

Integrated molecular, biochemical, and physiological assessment unravels key extraction method mediated influences on rat neonatal cardiomyocytes.

PubMed

Jensen, Leonardo; Neri, Elida; Bassaneze, Vinicius; De Almeida Oliveira, Nathalia C; Dariolli, Rafael; Turaça, Lauro T; Levy, Débora; Veronez, Douglas; Ferraz, Mariana S A; Alencar, Adriano M; Bydlowski, Sérgio P; Cestari, Idágene A; Krieger, José Eduardo

2018-07-01

Neonatal cardiomyocytes are instrumental for disease modeling, but the effects of different cell extraction methods on basic cell biological processes remain poorly understood. We assessed the influence of two popular methods to extract rat neonatal cardiomyocytes, Pre-plating (PP), and Percoll (PC) on cell structure, metabolism, and function. Cardiomyocytes obtained from PP showed higher gene expression for troponins, titin, and potassium and sodium channels compared to PC. Also, PP cells displayed higher levels of troponin I protein. Cells obtained from PC displayed higher lactate dehydrogenase activity and lactate production than PP cells, indicating higher anaerobic metabolism after 8 days of culture. In contrast, reactive oxygen species levels were higher in PP cells as indicated by ethidium and hydroxyethidium production. Consistent with these data, protein nitration was higher in PP cells, as well as nitrite accumulation in cell medium. Moreover, PP cells showed higher global intracellular calcium under basal and 1 mM isoprenaline conditions. In a calcium-transient assessment under electrical stimulation (0.5 Hz), PP cells displayed higher calcium amplitude than cardiomyocytes obtained from PC and using a traction force microscope technique we observed that PP cardiomyocytes showed the highest relaxation. Collectively, we demonstrated that extraction methods influence parameters related to cell structure, metabolism, and function. Overall, PP derived cells are more active and mature than PC cells, displaying higher contractile function and generating more reactive oxygen species. On the other hand, PC derived cells display higher anaerobic metabolism, despite comparable high yields from both protocols. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reprogramming Methods Do Not Affect Gene Expression Profile of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PubMed

Trevisan, Marta; Desole, Giovanna; Costanzi, Giulia; Lavezzo, Enrico; Palù, Giorgio; Barzon, Luisa

2017-01-20

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are pluripotent cells derived from adult somatic cells. After the pioneering work by Yamanaka, who first generated iPSCs by retroviral transduction of four reprogramming factors, several alternative methods to obtain iPSCs have been developed in order to increase the yield and safety of the process. However, the question remains open on whether the different reprogramming methods can influence the pluripotency features of the derived lines. In this study, three different strategies, based on retroviral vectors, episomal vectors, and Sendai virus vectors, were applied to derive iPSCs from human fibroblasts. The reprogramming efficiency of the methods based on episomal and Sendai virus vectors was higher than that of the retroviral vector-based approach. All human iPSC clones derived with the different methods showed the typical features of pluripotent stem cells, including the expression of alkaline phosphatase and stemness maker genes, and could give rise to the three germ layer derivatives upon embryoid bodies assay. Microarray analysis confirmed the presence of typical stem cell gene expression profiles in all iPSC clones and did not identify any significant difference among reprogramming methods. In conclusion, the use of different reprogramming methods is equivalent and does not affect gene expression profile of the derived human iPSCs.

Symmetry reduction and exact solutions of two higher-dimensional nonlinear evolution equations.

PubMed

Gu, Yongyi; Qi, Jianming

2017-01-01

In this paper, symmetries and symmetry reduction of two higher-dimensional nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) are obtained by Lie group method. These NLEEs play an important role in nonlinear sciences. We derive exact solutions to these NLEEs via the [Formula: see text]-expansion method and complex method. Five types of explicit function solutions are constructed, which are rational, exponential, trigonometric, hyperbolic and elliptic function solutions of the variables in the considered equations.

An Expansion Formula with Higher-Order Derivatives for Fractional Operators of Variable Order

PubMed Central

Almeida, Ricardo

2013-01-01

We obtain approximation formulas for fractional integrals and derivatives of Riemann-Liouville and Marchaud types with a variable fractional order. The approximations involve integer-order derivatives only. An estimation for the error is given. The efficiency of the approximation method is illustrated with examples. As applications, we show how the obtained results are useful to solve differential equations, and problems of the calculus of variations that depend on fractional derivatives of Marchaud type. PMID:24319382

Chemical modification, antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activities of corn silk polysaccharides.

PubMed

Chen, Shuhan; Chen, Haixia; Tian, Jingge; Wang, Yanwei; Xing, Lisha; Wang, Jia

2013-10-15

Water-soluble corn silk polysaccharides (CSPS) were chemically modified to obtain their sulfated, acetylated and carboxymethylated derivatives. Chemical characterization and bioactivities of CSPS and its derivatives were comparatively investigated by chemical methods, gas chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, scanning electron microscope, infrared spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy, scavenging DPPH free radical assay, scavenging hydroxyl radical assay, ferric reducing power assay, lipid peroxidation inhibition assay and α-amylase activity inhibitory assay, respectively. Among the three derivatives, carboxylmethylated polysaccharide (C-CSPS) demonstrated higher solubility, narrower molecular weight distribution, lower intrinsic viscosity, a hyperbranched conformation, significantly higher antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory abilities compared with the native polysaccharide and other derivatives. C-CSPS might be used as a novel nutraceutical agent for human consumption. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wet refractivity tomography with an improved Kalman-Filter method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Yunchang; Chen, Yongqi; Li, Pingwha

2006-10-01

An improved retrieval method, which uses the solution with a Gaussian constraint as the initial state variables for the Kalman Filtering (KF) method, was developed to retrieve the wet refractivity profiles from slant wet delays (SWD) extracted by the double-differenced (DD) GPS method. The accuracy of the GPS-derived SWDs is also tested in this study against the measurements of a water vapor radiometer (WVR) and a weather model. It is concluded that the GPS-derived SWDs have similar accuracy to those measured with WVR and are much higher in quality than those derived from the weather model used. The developed method is used to retrieve the 3D wet refractivity distribution in the Hong Kong region. The retrieved profiles agree well with the radiosonde observations, with a difference of about 4 mm km-1 in the low levels. The accurate profiles obtained with this method are applicable in a number of meteorological applications.

A Universal Platform for Identification of Novel Lung Cancer Biomarkers Based on Exosomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

yield ~4–1000-fold higher than that with UC, and EV-derived protein and microRNA levels are well- correlated between the two methods. Moreover, we...derived protein and microRNA levels are well- correlated between the two methods. Moreover, we demonstrated that ExoTIC is a modular platform that can...linear correlation between EV number and media volume. The TEM Figure 1. Schematic illustration of ExoTIC device for extracellular vesicle isolation

Deriving site-specific clean-up criteria to protect ecological receptors (plants and soil invertebrates) exposed to metal or metalloid soil contaminants via the direct contact exposure pathway

PubMed Central

Checkai, Ron; Van Genderen, Eric; Sousa, José Paulo; Stephenson, Gladys; Smolders, Erik

2014-01-01

Soil contaminant concentration limits for the protection of terrestrial plants and soil invertebrates are commonly based on thresholds derived using data from laboratory ecotoxicity tests. A comprehensive assessment has been made for the derivation of ecological soil screening levels (Eco-SSL) in the United States; however, these limits are conservative because of their focus on high bioavailability scenarios. Here, we explain and evaluate approaches to soil limit derivation taken by 4 jurisdictions, 2 of which allow for correction of data for factors affecting bioavailability among soils, and between spiked and field-contaminated soils (Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals [REACH] Regulation, European Union [EU], and the National Environment Protection Council [NEPC], Australia). Scientifically advanced features from these methods have been integrated into a newly developed method for deriving soil clean-up values (SCVs) within the context of site-specific baseline ecological risk assessment. Resulting site-specific SCVs that account for bioavailability may permit a greater residual concentration in soil when compared to generic screening limit concentrations (e.g., Eco-SSL), while still affording acceptable protection. Two choices for selecting the level of protection are compared (i.e., allowing higher effect levels per species, or allowing a higher percentile of species that are potentially unprotected). Implementation of this new method is presented for the jurisdiction of the United States, with a focus on metal and metalloid contaminants; however, the new method can be used in any jurisdiction. A case study for molybdate shows the large effect of bioavailability corrections and smaller effects of protection level choices when deriving SCVs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:346–357. PMID:24470189

Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of new higher amino acid Schiff base derivatives of 6-aminopenicillanic acid and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özdemir (nee Güngör), Özlem; Gürkan, Perihan; Özçelik, Berrin; Oyardı, Özlem

2016-02-01

Novel β-lactam derivatives (1c-3c) (1d-3d) were produced by using 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA), 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) and the higher amino acid Schiff bases. The synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H/13C NMR and UV-vis spectra. Antibacterial activities of all the higher amino acid Schiff bases (1a-3a) (1b-3b) and β-lactam derivatives were screened against three gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Acinetobacter baumannii RSKK 02026), three gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 07005, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633) and their drug-resistant isolates by using broth microdilution method. Two fungi (Candida albicans and Candida krusei) were used for antifungal activity.

Determination and importance of temperature dependence of retention coefficient (RPHPLC) in QSAR model of nitrazepams' partition coefficient in bile acid micelles.

PubMed

Posa, Mihalj; Pilipović, Ana; Lalić, Mladena; Popović, Jovan

2011-02-15

Linear dependence between temperature (t) and retention coefficient (k, reversed phase HPLC) of bile acids is obtained. Parameters (a, intercept and b, slope) of the linear function k=f(t) highly correlate with bile acids' structures. Investigated bile acids form linear congeneric groups on a principal component (calculated from k=f(t)) score plot that are in accordance with conformations of the hydroxyl and oxo groups in a bile acid steroid skeleton. Partition coefficient (K(p)) of nitrazepam in bile acids' micelles is investigated. Nitrazepam molecules incorporated in micelles show modified bioavailability (depo effect, higher permeability, etc.). Using multiple linear regression method QSAR models of nitrazepams' partition coefficient, K(p) are derived on the temperatures of 25°C and 37°C. For deriving linear regression models on both temperatures experimentally obtained lipophilicity parameters are included (PC1 from data k=f(t)) and in silico descriptors of the shape of a molecule while on the higher temperature molecular polarisation is introduced. This indicates the fact that the incorporation mechanism of nitrazepam in BA micelles changes on the higher temperatures. QSAR models are derived using partial least squares method as well. Experimental parameters k=f(t) are shown to be significant predictive variables. Both QSAR models are validated using cross validation and internal validation method. PLS models have slightly higher predictive capability than MLR models. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical Manifold Method for the Forced Vibration of Thin Plates during Bending

PubMed Central

Jun, Ding; Song, Chen; Wei-Bin, Wen; Shao-Ming, Luo; Xia, Huang

2014-01-01

A novel numerical manifold method was derived from the cubic B-spline basis function. The new interpolation function is characterized by high-order coordination at the boundary of a manifold element. The linear elastic-dynamic equation used to solve the bending vibration of thin plates was derived according to the principle of minimum instantaneous potential energy. The method for the initialization of the dynamic equation and its solution process were provided. Moreover, the analysis showed that the calculated stiffness matrix exhibited favorable performance. Numerical results showed that the generalized degrees of freedom were significantly fewer and that the calculation accuracy was higher for the manifold method than for the conventional finite element method. PMID:24883403

Ion pair-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography as a new method for determining five folate derivatives in foodstuffs.

PubMed

Nojavan, Yones; Kamankesh, Marzieh; Shahraz, Farzaneh; Hashemi, Maryam; Mohammadi, Abdorreza

2015-05-01

A novel technique for simultaneous determination of five folate derivatives in various food matrices was developed by ion pair-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (IP-DLLME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the proposed method, N-methyl-N,N-dioctyloctan-1-ammonium chloride (aliquat-336) was used as an ion-pair reagent. Effective variables of microextraction process were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the method yielded a linear calibration curve ranging from 1-200 ng g(-1) with correlation coefficients (r(2)) higher than 0.98. The relative standard deviation for the seven analyses was 5.2-7.4%. Enrichment factors for the five folates ranged between 108-135. Limits of detection were 2-4.1 ng g(-1). A comparison of this method with other methods described that the new proposed method is rapid and accurate, and gives very good enrichment factors and detection limits for determining five folate derivatives. The newly developed method was successfully applied for the determination of five folate derivatives in wheat flour, egg yolk and orange juice samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Higher-order methods for simulations on quantum computers

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

Sornborger, A.T.; Stewart, E.D.

1999-09-01

To implement many-qubit gates for use in quantum simulations on quantum computers efficiently, we develop and present methods reexpressing exp[[minus]i(H[sub 1]+H[sub 2]+[center dot][center dot][center dot])[Delta]t] as a product of factors exp[[minus]iH[sub 1][Delta]t], exp[[minus]iH[sub 2][Delta]t],[hor ellipsis], which is accurate to third or fourth order in [Delta]t. The methods we derive are an extended form of the symplectic method, and can also be used for an integration of classical Hamiltonians on classical computers. We derive both integral and irrational methods, and find the most efficient methods in both cases. [copyright] [ital 1999] [ital The American Physical Society

Pulse transmission transmitter including a higher order time derivate filter

DOEpatents

Dress, Jr., William B.; Smith, Stephen F.

2003-09-23

Systems and methods for pulse-transmission low-power communication modes are disclosed. A pulse transmission transmitter includes: a clock; a pseudorandom polynomial generator coupled to the clock, the pseudorandom polynomial generator having a polynomial load input; an exclusive-OR gate coupled to the pseudorandom polynomial generator, the exclusive-OR gate having a serial data input; a programmable delay circuit coupled to both the clock and the exclusive-OR gate; a pulse generator coupled to the programmable delay circuit; and a higher order time derivative filter coupled to the pulse generator. The systems and methods significantly reduce lower-frequency emissions from pulse transmission spread-spectrum communication modes, which reduces potentially harmful interference to existing radio frequency services and users and also simultaneously permit transmission of multiple data bits by utilizing specific pulse shapes.

On analytic design of loudspeaker arrays with uniform radiation characteristics

PubMed

Aarts; Janssen

2000-01-01

Some notes on analytical derived loudspeaker arrays with uniform radiation characteristics are presented. The array coefficients are derived via analytical means and compared with so-called maximal flat sequences known from telecommunications and information theory. It appears that the newly derived array, i.e., the quadratic phase array, has a higher efficiency than the Bessel array and a flatter response than the Barker array. The method discussed admits generalization to the design of arrays with desired nonuniform radiating characteristics.

Solitons, Lie Group Analysis and Conservation Laws of a (3+1)-Dimensional Modified Zakharov-Kuznetsov Equation in a Multicomponent Magnetised Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xia-Xia; Tian, Bo; Chai, Jun; Sun, Yan; Yuan, Yu-Qiang

2017-11-01

In this paper, we investigate a (3+1)-dimensional modified Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation, which describes the nonlinear plasma-acoustic waves in a multicomponent magnetised plasma. With the aid of the Hirota method and symbolic computation, bilinear forms and one-, two- and three-soliton solutions are derived. The characteristics and interaction of the solitons are discussed graphically. We present the effects on the soliton's amplitude by the nonlinear coefficients which are related to the ratio of the positive-ion mass to negative-ion mass, number densities, initial densities of the lower- and higher-temperature electrons and ratio of the lower temperature to the higher temperature for electrons, as well as by the dispersion coefficient, which is related to the ratio of the positive-ion mass to the negative-ion mass and number densities. Moreover, using the Lie symmetry group theory, we derive the Lie point symmetry generators and the corresponding symmetry reductions, through which certain analytic solutions are obtained via the power series expansion method and the (G'/G) expansion method. We demonstrate that such an equation is strictly self-adjoint, and the conservation laws associated with the Lie point symmetry generators are derived.

Black holes in higher derivative gravity.

PubMed

Lü, H; Perkins, A; Pope, C N; Stelle, K S

2015-05-01

Extensions of Einstein gravity with higher-order derivative terms arise in string theory and other effective theories, as well as being of interest in their own right. In this Letter we study static black-hole solutions in the example of Einstein gravity with additional quadratic curvature terms. A Lichnerowicz-type theorem simplifies the analysis by establishing that they must have vanishing Ricci scalar curvature. By numerical methods we then demonstrate the existence of further black-hole solutions over and above the Schwarzschild solution. We discuss some of their thermodynamic properties, and show that they obey the first law of thermodynamics.

Increasing Accuracy in Computed Inviscid Boundary Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyson, Roger

2004-01-01

A technique has been devised to increase the accuracy of computational simulations of flows of inviscid fluids by increasing the accuracy with which surface boundary conditions are represented. This technique is expected to be especially beneficial for computational aeroacoustics, wherein it enables proper accounting, not only for acoustic waves, but also for vorticity and entropy waves, at surfaces. Heretofore, inviscid nonlinear surface boundary conditions have been limited to third-order accuracy in time for stationary surfaces and to first-order accuracy in time for moving surfaces. For steady-state calculations, it may be possible to achieve higher accuracy in space, but high accuracy in time is needed for efficient simulation of multiscale unsteady flow phenomena. The present technique is the first surface treatment that provides the needed high accuracy through proper accounting of higher-order time derivatives. The present technique is founded on a method known in art as the Hermitian modified solution approximation (MESA) scheme. This is because high time accuracy at a surface depends upon, among other things, correction of the spatial cross-derivatives of flow variables, and many of these cross-derivatives are included explicitly on the computational grid in the MESA scheme. (Alternatively, a related method other than the MESA scheme could be used, as long as the method involves consistent application of the effects of the cross-derivatives.) While the mathematical derivation of the present technique is too lengthy and complex to fit within the space available for this article, the technique itself can be characterized in relatively simple terms: The technique involves correction of surface-normal spatial pressure derivatives at a boundary surface to satisfy the governing equations and the boundary conditions and thereby achieve arbitrarily high orders of time accuracy in special cases. The boundary conditions can now include a potentially infinite number of time derivatives of surface-normal velocity (consistent with no flow through the boundary) up to arbitrarily high order. The corrections for the first-order spatial derivatives of pressure are calculated by use of the first-order time derivative velocity. The corrected first-order spatial derivatives are used to calculate the second- order time derivatives of velocity, which, in turn, are used to calculate the corrections for the second-order pressure derivatives. The process as described is repeated, progressing through increasing orders of derivatives, until the desired accuracy is attained.

Low rank approach to computing first and higher order derivatives using automatic differentiation

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

Reed, J. A.; Abdel-Khalik, H. S.; Utke, J.

2012-07-01

This manuscript outlines a new approach for increasing the efficiency of applying automatic differentiation (AD) to large scale computational models. By using the principles of the Efficient Subspace Method (ESM), low rank approximations of the derivatives for first and higher orders can be calculated using minimized computational resources. The output obtained from nuclear reactor calculations typically has a much smaller numerical rank compared to the number of inputs and outputs. This rank deficiency can be exploited to reduce the number of derivatives that need to be calculated using AD. The effective rank can be determined according to ESM by computingmore » derivatives with AD at random inputs. Reduced or pseudo variables are then defined and new derivatives are calculated with respect to the pseudo variables. Two different AD packages are used: OpenAD and Rapsodia. OpenAD is used to determine the effective rank and the subspace that contains the derivatives. Rapsodia is then used to calculate derivatives with respect to the pseudo variables for the desired order. The overall approach is applied to two simple problems and to MATWS, a safety code for sodium cooled reactors. (authors)« less

Strain and culture medium optimization for production enhancement of prodiginines from marine-derived Streptomyces sp. GQQ-10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xueping; Zhang, Guojian; Zhu, Tianjiao; Li, Dehai; Gu, Qianqun

2012-09-01

A mutant (GQQ-M6) of a Sponge-Derived streptomyces sp. GQQ-10 obtained by UV-induced mutation was used for producing prodiginines (PGs). Single factor experiments and orthogonal array design (OAD) methods were employed for medium optimization. In the single factor method, the effects of soluble starch, glucose, soybean flour, yeast extract and sodium acetate on PGs production were investigated individually. In the subsequent OAD experiments, the concentrations of these 5 key nutritional components combined with salinity were further adjusted. The mutant strain GQQ-M6 gave a 2.2-fold higher PGs production than that of the parent strain; OAD experiments offered a PGs yield of 61mg L-1, which was 10 times higher than that of the initial GQQ-10 strain under the original cultivation mode.

T-duality constraints on higher derivatives revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohm, Olaf; Zwiebach, Barton

2016-04-01

We ask to what extent are the higher-derivative corrections of string theory constrained by T-duality. The seminal early work by Meissner tests T-duality by reduction to one dimension using a distinguished choice of field variables in which the bosonic string action takes a Gauss-Bonnet-type form. By analyzing all field redefinitions that may or may not be duality covariant and may or may not be gauge covariant we extend the procedure to test T-duality starting from an action expressed in arbitrary field variables. We illustrate the method by showing that it determines uniquely the first-order α' corrections of the bosonic string, up to terms that vanish in one dimension. We also use the method to glean information about the O({α}^' 2}) corrections in the double field theory with Green-Schwarz deformation.

Mixture IRT Model with a Higher-Order Structure for Latent Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hung-Yu

2017-01-01

Mixture item response theory (IRT) models have been suggested as an efficient method of detecting the different response patterns derived from latent classes when developing a test. In testing situations, multiple latent traits measured by a battery of tests can exhibit a higher-order structure, and mixtures of latent classes may occur on…

An Empirical Method for Deriving Grade Equivalence for University Entrance Qualifications: An Application to A Levels and the International Baccalaureate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Francis; Vignoles, Anna

2012-01-01

We present a method to compare different qualifications for entry to higher education by studying students' subsequent performance. Using this method for students holding either the International Baccalaureate (IB) or A-levels gaining their degrees in 2010, we estimate an "empirical" equivalence scale between IB grade points and UCAS…

Synergistic Increase of Serum BDNF in Alzheimer Patients Treated with Cerebrolysin and Donepezil: Association with Cognitive Improvement in ApoE4 Cases

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Irene; Iglesias, Olalla; Crespo, Ignacio; Figueroa, Jesus; Aleixandre, Manuel; Linares, Carlos; Granizo, Elias; Garcia-Fantini, Manuel; Marey, Jose; Masliah, Eliezer; Winter, Stefan; Muresanu, Dafin; Moessler, Herbert

2016-01-01

Background: Low circulating brain derived neurotrophic factor may promote cognitive deterioration, but the effects of neurotrophic and combination drug therapies on serum brain derived neurotrophic factor were not previously investigated in Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: We evaluated the effects of Cerebrolysin, donepezil, and the combined therapy on brain derived neurotrophic factor serum levels at week 16 (end of Cerebrolysin treatment) and week 28 (endpoint) in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease patients. Results: Cerebrolysin, but not donepezil, increased serum brain derived neurotrophic factor at week 16, while the combination therapy enhanced it at both week 16 and study endpoint. Brain derived neurotrophic factor responses were significantly higher in the combination therapy group than in donepezil and Cerebrolysin groups at week 16 and week 28, respectively. Brain derived neurotrophic factor increases were greater in apolipoprotein E epsilon-4 allele carriers, and higher brain derived neurotrophic factor levels were associated with better cognitive improvements in apolipoprotein E epsilon-4 allele patients treated with Cerebrolysin and the combined therapy. Conclusion: Our results indicate a synergistic action of Cerebrolysin and donepezil to increase serum brain derived neurotrophic factor and delaying cognitive decline, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease cases with apolipoprotein E epsilon-4 allele. PMID:27207906

A simple modification of the separation method reduces heterogeneity of adipose-derived stem cells.

PubMed

Griesche, Nadine; Luttmann, Werner; Luttmann, Arlette; Stammermann, Thekla; Geiger, Helmut; Baer, Patrick C

2010-01-01

High hopes are put into the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various approaches for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs are derived from different tissues with only small differences in their phenotype or their differentiation potential, but higher differences in the cell yield. Since fat is easily accessible and contains a high amount of MSCs to be isolated, adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are very promising for clinical approaches. ASCs are not a completely homogeneous cell population. Our study was initiated to explore an easy and convenient method to reduce heterogeneity. We tested different isolation methods: (1) the standard isolation method for ASCs based on plastic attachment, (2) the standard method with an initial washing step after 60 min of adherence and (3) immunomagnetic isolation by 4 typical markers (CD49a, CD90, CD105 and CD271). Cells isolated by these methods were evaluated using quantitative PCR and flow cytometry as well as by their differentiation potential. Washing led to a significantly lower expression of desmin, smA and six2, and a higher expression of the stem cell markers nestin, oct-4 and sall-1, compared to standard isolated cells, while the immunomagnetically isolated cells showed no significant changes. All cells independent of the isolation method could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts. Our study demonstrates that a simple washing step reduces heterogeneity of cultured ASCs according to PCR analysis, whereas the immunomagnetic isolation only showed minor advantages compared to the standard method, but the disadvantage of significantly lower cell yields in the primary isolates. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Dressed soliton in quantum dusty pair-ion plasma

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

Chatterjee, Prasanta; Muniandy, S. V.; Wong, C. S.

Nonlinear propagation of a quantum ion-acoustic dressed soliton is studied in a dusty pair-ion plasma. The Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation is derived using reductive perturbation technique. A higher order inhomogeneous differential equation is obtained for the higher order correction. The expression for a dressed soliton is calculated using a renormalization method. The expressions for higher order correction are determined using a series solution technique developed by Chatterjee et al. [Phys. Plasmas 16, 072102 (2009)].

For numerical differentiation, dimensionality can be a blessing!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderssen, Robert S.; Hegland, Markus

Finite difference methods, such as the mid-point rule, have been applied successfully to the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations. If such formulas are applied to observational data, in order to determine derivatives, the results can be disastrous. The reason for this is that measurement errors, and even rounding errors in computer approximations, are strongly amplified in the differentiation process, especially if small step-sizes are chosen and higher derivatives are required. A number of authors have examined the use of various forms of averaging which allows the stable computation of low order derivatives from observational data. The size of the averaging set acts like a regularization parameter and has to be chosen as a function of the grid size h. In this paper, it is initially shown how first (and higher) order single-variate numerical differentiation of higher dimensional observational data can be stabilized with a reduced loss of accuracy than occurs for the corresponding differentiation of one-dimensional data. The result is then extended to the multivariate differentiation of higher dimensional data. The nature of the trade-off between convergence and stability is explicitly characterized, and the complexity of various implementations is examined.

Monitoring the chemical production of citrus-derived bioactive 5-demethylnobiletin using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Zheng, Jinkai; Fang, Xiang; Cao, Yong; Xiao, Hang; He, Lili

2013-01-01

To develop an accurate and convenient method for monitoring the production of citrus-derived bioactive 5-demethylnobiletin from demethylation reaction of nobiletin, we compared surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) methods with a conventional HPLC method. Our results show that both the substrate-based and solution-based SERS methods correlated with HPLC method very well. The solution method produced lower root mean square error of calibration and higher correlation coefficient than the substrate method. The solution method utilized an ‘affinity chromatography’-like procedure to separate the reactant nobiletin from the product 5-demthylnobiletin based on their different binding affinity to the silver dendrites. The substrate method was found simpler and faster to collect the SERS ‘fingerprint’ spectra of the samples as no incubation between samples and silver was needed and only trace amount of samples were required. Our results demonstrated that the SERS methods were superior to HPLC method in conveniently and rapidly characterizing and quantifying 5-demethylnobiletin production. PMID:23885986

RESISTANCE TO INNOVATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION, A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLORATION FOCUSED ON TELEVISION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT. THE JOSSEY-BASS SERIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EVANS, RICHARD I.; LEPPMANN, PETER K.

FOR THIS CASE STUDY, 80 PERCENT (319) OF THE FACULTY AT THE URBAN UNIVERSITY RETURNED A QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY VALUES, PERSONALITY TRAITS, AND ATTITUDES TOWARD INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION (ITV) AND 14 TEACHING METHODS. AN HYPOTHESIS DERIVED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH WAS--ACCEPTANCE OF INNOVATION VARIES DIRECTLY WITH THE PERSONALITY ATTRIBUTE…

Comparison of methods for the detection of gravitational waves from unknown neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, S.; Pitkin, M.; Oliver, M.; D'Antonio, S.; Dergachev, V.; Królak, A.; Astone, P.; Bejger, M.; Di Giovanni, M.; Dorosh, O.; Frasca, S.; Leaci, P.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Miller, A.; Palomba, C.; Papa, M. A.; Piccinni, O. J.; Riles, K.; Sauter, O.; Sintes, A. M.

2016-12-01

Rapidly rotating neutron stars are promising sources of continuous gravitational wave radiation for the LIGO and Virgo interferometers. The majority of neutron stars in our galaxy have not been identified with electromagnetic observations. All-sky searches for isolated neutron stars offer the potential to detect gravitational waves from these unidentified sources. The parameter space of these blind all-sky searches, which also cover a large range of frequencies and frequency derivatives, presents a significant computational challenge. Different methods have been designed to perform these searches within acceptable computational limits. Here we describe the first benchmark in a project to compare the search methods currently available for the detection of unknown isolated neutron stars. The five methods compared here are individually referred to as the PowerFlux, sky Hough, frequency Hough, Einstein@Home, and time domain F -statistic methods. We employ a mock data challenge to compare the ability of each search method to recover signals simulated assuming a standard signal model. We find similar performance among the four quick-look search methods, while the more computationally intensive search method, Einstein@Home, achieves up to a factor of two higher sensitivity. We find that the absence of a second derivative frequency in the search parameter space does not degrade search sensitivity for signals with physically plausible second derivative frequencies. We also report on the parameter estimation accuracy of each search method, and the stability of the sensitivity in frequency and frequency derivative and in the presence of detector noise.

Semistrict higher gauge theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurčo, Branislav; Sämann, Christian; Wolf, Martin

2015-04-01

We develop semistrict higher gauge theory from first principles. In particular, we describe the differential Deligne cohomology underlying semistrict principal 2-bundles with connective structures. Principal 2-bundles are obtained in terms of weak 2-functors from the Čech groupoid to weak Lie 2-groups. As is demonstrated, some of these Lie 2-groups can be differentiated to semistrict Lie 2-algebras by a method due to Ševera. We further derive the full description of connective structures on semistrict principal 2-bundles including the non-linear gauge transformations. As an application, we use a twistor construction to derive superconformal constraint equations in six dimensions for a non-Abelian tensor multiplet taking values in a semistrict Lie 2-algebra.

Aerosol characteristics inversion based on the improved lidar ratio profile with the ground-based rotational Raman-Mie lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Hongzhu; Zhang, Yinchao; Chen, Siying; Chen, He; Guo, Pan

2018-06-01

An iterative method, based on a derived inverse relationship between atmospheric backscatter coefficient and aerosol lidar ratio, is proposed to invert the lidar ratio profile and aerosol extinction coefficient. The feasibility of this method is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Simulation results show the inversion accuracy of aerosol optical properties for iterative method can be improved in the near-surface aerosol layer and the optical thick layer. Experimentally, as a result of the reduced insufficiency error and incoherence error, the aerosol optical properties with higher accuracy can be obtained in the near-surface region and the region of numerical derivative distortion. In addition, the particle component can be distinguished roughly based on this improved lidar ratio profile.

Comet brightness parameters: Definition, determination, and correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meisel, D. D.; Morris, C. S.

1976-01-01

The power-law definition of comet brightness is reviewed and possible systematic influences are discussed that can affect the derivation of m sub o and n values from visual magnitude estimates. A rationale for the Bobrovnikoff aperture correction method is given and it is demonstrated that the Beyer extrafocal method leads to large systematic effects which if uncorrected by an instrumental relationship result in values significantly higher than those derived according to the Bobrovnikoff guidelines. A series of visual brightness parameter sets are presented which have been reduced to the same photometric system. Recommendations are given to insure that future observations are reduced to the same system.

An assessment of two-step linear regression and a multifactor probit analysis as alternatives to acute to chronic ratios in the estimation of chronic response from acute toxicity data to derive water quality guidelines.

PubMed

Slaughter, Andrew R; Palmer, Carolyn G; Muller, Wilhelmine J

2007-04-01

In aquatic ecotoxicology, acute to chronic ratios (ACRs) are often used to predict chronic responses from available acute data to derive water quality guidelines, despite many problems associated with this method. This paper explores the comparative protectiveness and accuracy of predicted guideline values derived from the ACR, linear regression analysis (LRA), and multifactor probit analysis (MPA) extrapolation methods applied to acute toxicity data for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Although the authors of the LRA and MPA methods advocate the use of extrapolated lethal effects in the 0.01% to 10% lethal concentration (LC0.01-LC10) range to predict safe chronic exposure levels to toxicants, the use of an extrapolated LC50 value divided by a safety factor of 5 was in addition explored here because of higher statistical confidence surrounding the LC50 value. The LRA LC50/5 method was found to compare most favorably with available experimental chronic toxicity data and was therefore most likely to be sufficiently protective, although further validation with the use of additional species is needed. Values derived by the ACR method were the least protective. It is suggested that there is an argument for the replacement of ACRs in developing water quality guidelines by the LRA LC50/5 method.

Second-order variational equations for N-body simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rein, Hanno; Tamayo, Daniel

2016-07-01

First-order variational equations are widely used in N-body simulations to study how nearby trajectories diverge from one another. These allow for efficient and reliable determinations of chaos indicators such as the Maximal Lyapunov characteristic Exponent (MLE) and the Mean Exponential Growth factor of Nearby Orbits (MEGNO). In this paper we lay out the theoretical framework to extend the idea of variational equations to higher order. We explicitly derive the differential equations that govern the evolution of second-order variations in the N-body problem. Going to second order opens the door to new applications, including optimization algorithms that require the first and second derivatives of the solution, like the classical Newton's method. Typically, these methods have faster convergence rates than derivative-free methods. Derivatives are also required for Riemann manifold Langevin and Hamiltonian Monte Carlo methods which provide significantly shorter correlation times than standard methods. Such improved optimization methods can be applied to anything from radial-velocity/transit-timing-variation fitting to spacecraft trajectory optimization to asteroid deflection. We provide an implementation of first- and second-order variational equations for the publicly available REBOUND integrator package. Our implementation allows the simultaneous integration of any number of first- and second-order variational equations with the high-accuracy IAS15 integrator. We also provide routines to generate consistent and accurate initial conditions without the need for finite differencing.

Satellite-derived methane hotspot emission estimates using a fast data-driven method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchwitz, Michael; Schneising, Oliver; Reuter, Maximilian; Heymann, Jens; Krautwurst, Sven; Bovensmann, Heinrich; Burrows, John P.; Boesch, Hartmut; Parker, Robert J.; Somkuti, Peter; Detmers, Rob G.; Hasekamp, Otto P.; Aben, Ilse; Butz, André; Frankenberg, Christian; Turner, Alexander J.

2017-05-01

Methane is an important atmospheric greenhouse gas and an adequate understanding of its emission sources is needed for climate change assessments, predictions, and the development and verification of emission mitigation strategies. Satellite retrievals of near-surface-sensitive column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of atmospheric methane, i.e. XCH4, can be used to quantify methane emissions. Maps of time-averaged satellite-derived XCH4 show regionally elevated methane over several methane source regions. In order to obtain methane emissions of these source regions we use a simple and fast data-driven method to estimate annual methane emissions and corresponding 1σ uncertainties directly from maps of annually averaged satellite XCH4. From theoretical considerations we expect that our method tends to underestimate emissions. When applying our method to high-resolution atmospheric methane simulations, we typically find agreement within the uncertainty range of our method (often 100 %) but also find that our method tends to underestimate emissions by typically about 40 %. To what extent these findings are model dependent needs to be assessed. We apply our method to an ensemble of satellite XCH4 data products consisting of two products from SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT and two products from TANSO-FTS/GOSAT covering the time period 2003-2014. We obtain annual emissions of four source areas: Four Corners in the south-western USA, the southern part of Central Valley, California, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. We find that our estimated emissions are in good agreement with independently derived estimates for Four Corners and Azerbaijan. For the Central Valley and Turkmenistan our estimated annual emissions are higher compared to the EDGAR v4.2 anthropogenic emission inventory. For Turkmenistan we find on average about 50 % higher emissions with our annual emission uncertainty estimates overlapping with the EDGAR emissions. For the region around Bakersfield in the Central Valley we find a factor of 5-8 higher emissions compared to EDGAR, albeit with large uncertainty. Major methane emission sources in this region are oil/gas and livestock. Our findings corroborate recently published studies based on aircraft and satellite measurements and new bottom-up estimates reporting significantly underestimated methane emissions of oil/gas and/or livestock in this area in EDGAR.

Legal Teaching Methods to Diverse Student Cohorts: A Comparison between the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraal, Diane

2017-01-01

This article makes a comparison across the unique educational settings of law and business schools in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand to highlight differences in teaching methods necessary for culturally and ethnically mixed student cohorts derived from high migration, student mobility, higher education rankings…

Continuous-flow retro-Diels-Alder reaction: an efficient method for the preparation of pyrimidinone derivatives.

PubMed

Nekkaa, Imane; Palkó, Márta; Mándity, István M; Fülöp, Ferenc

2018-01-01

The syntheses of various pyrimidinones as potentially bioactive products by means of the highly controlled continuous-flow retro-Diels-Alder reaction of condensed pyrimidinone derivatives are presented. Noteworthy, the use of this approach allowed us to rapidly screen a selection of conditions and quickly confirm the viability of preparing the desired pyrimidinones in short reaction times. Yields typically higher than those published earlier using conventional batch or microwave processes were achieved.

The functional equation truncation method for approximating slow invariant manifolds: a rapid method for computing intrinsic low-dimensional manifolds.

PubMed

Roussel, Marc R; Tang, Terry

2006-12-07

A slow manifold is a low-dimensional invariant manifold to which trajectories nearby are rapidly attracted on the way to the equilibrium point. The exact computation of the slow manifold simplifies the model without sacrificing accuracy on the slow time scales of the system. The Maas-Pope intrinsic low-dimensional manifold (ILDM) [Combust. Flame 88, 239 (1992)] is frequently used as an approximation to the slow manifold. This approximation is based on a linearized analysis of the differential equations and thus neglects curvature. We present here an efficient way to calculate an approximation equivalent to the ILDM. Our method, called functional equation truncation (FET), first develops a hierarchy of functional equations involving higher derivatives which can then be truncated at second-derivative terms to explicitly neglect the curvature. We prove that the ILDM and FET-approximated (FETA) manifolds are identical for the one-dimensional slow manifold of any planar system. In higher-dimensional spaces, the ILDM and FETA manifolds agree to numerical accuracy almost everywhere. Solution of the FET equations is, however, expected to generally be faster than the ILDM method.

Downslope transport does not explain higher 230Th inventories in the Panama Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, A. K.; Marcantonio, F.; Lyle, M. W.

2009-12-01

Mass accumulation rates (burial fluxes) in the Panama Basin calculated using oxygen isotope age models differ from those calculated using the 230Th normalized flux method. During the Holocene and the last glacial, the 230Th-derived MARs are consistently lower than age-model-derived MARs. Most importantly, using both methods, glacial MARs are always significantly higher than Holocene MARs. The discrepancy in the calculated MARs may be due to deep-ocean sediment redistribution processes, specifically downslope transport of sediments from nearby topographic highs [1]. We test this hypothesis by analyzing sediment from shallower sites throughout the Panama basin (from 712-2870 meters) and, specifically, from the tops of ridges surrounding the basin (e.g., Carnegie and Cocos Ridges). Based on 230Th methodology we determine ridge-top focusing factors (FF) that are as high as, or higher than those in the deeper parts of the basin, as determined by us or others [1]. The excess inventories of 230Th are also proportionally higher during the glacial versus Holocene in all but one of the nine new sites we have analyzed. If the source of the higher-than-predicted inventory of 230Th is topographic highs in the region, one would expect to see a correlation between 230Th and depth. We find no such correlation. Although our data suggest that within-basin topographic highs are not the source of higher 230Th inventories in the region, extrabasinal sources cannot be ruled out. In addition, there is the possibility that MARs can be underestimated using the 230Th method in Panama Basin sediments. [1] Kienast et al. 2007, Paleoceanography 22, 2213.

Confirmed Transmission of Bacterial or Fungal Infection to Kidney Transplant Recipients from Donated After Cardiac Death (DCD) Donors in China: A Single-Center Analysis.

PubMed

Wan, Qiquan; Liu, Huanmiao; Ye, Shaojun; Ye, Qifa

2017-08-03

BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate blood and urine cultures of donated after cardiac death (DCD) donors and report the cases of confirmed (proven/probable) transmission of bacterial or fungal infection from donors to kidney recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-eight DCD donors between 2010 and 2016 were included. Sixty-one DCD donors underwent blood cultures and 22 episodes of bacteremias developed in 18 donors. Forty-three donors underwent urine cultures and 14 donors experienced 17 episodes of urinary infections. RESULTS Seven of 154 (4.5%) kidney recipients developed confirmed donor-derived bacterial or fungal infections. Inappropriate use of antibiotics in donor was a risk factor for donor-derived infection (p=0.048). The use of FK506 was more frequent in recipients without donor-derived infection than those with donor-derived infection (p=0.033). Recipients with donor-derived infection were associated with higher mortality and graft loss (42.9% and 28.6%, respectively), when compared with those without donor-derived infection (4.8% each). Three kidney recipients with donor-derived infection died; one death was due to multi-organ failure caused by Candida albicans, and two were related to rupture of the renal artery; two of them did not receive appropriate antimicrobial therapy after infection. CONCLUSIONS Our kidney recipients showed high occurrence rates of donor-derived infection. Recipients with donor-derived infection were associated with higher mortality and graft loss than those without donor-derived infection. The majority of recipients with donor-derived infection who died did not receive appropriate antimicrobial therapy after infection.

Collocated electrodynamic FDTD schemes using overlapping Yee grids and higher-order Hodge duals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deimert, C.; Potter, M. E.; Okoniewski, M.

2016-12-01

The collocated Lebedev grid has previously been proposed as an alternative to the Yee grid for electromagnetic finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. While it performs better in anisotropic media, it performs poorly in isotropic media because it is equivalent to four overlapping, uncoupled Yee grids. We propose to couple the four Yee grids and fix the Lebedev method using discrete exterior calculus (DEC) with higher-order Hodge duals. We find that higher-order Hodge duals do improve the performance of the Lebedev grid, but they also improve the Yee grid by a similar amount. The effectiveness of coupling overlapping Yee grids with a higher-order Hodge dual is thus questionable. However, the theoretical foundations developed to derive these methods may be of interest in other problems.

Influence of Production Method on the Chemical Composition, Foaming Properties, and Quality of Australian Carbonated and Sparkling White Wines.

PubMed

Culbert, Julie A; McRae, Jacqui M; Condé, Bruna C; Schmidtke, Leigh M; Nicholson, Emily L; Smith, Paul A; Howell, Kate S; Boss, Paul K; Wilkinson, Kerry L

2017-02-22

The chemical composition (protein, polysaccharide, amino acid, and fatty acid/ethyl ester content), foaming properties, and quality of 50 Australian sparkling white wines, representing the four key production methods, that is, Méthode Traditionelle (n = 20), transfer (n = 10), Charmat (n = 10), and carbonation (n = 10), were studied. Méthode Traditionelle wines were typically rated highest in quality and were higher in alcohol and protein contents, but lower in residual sugar and total phenolics, than other sparkling wines. They also exhibited higher foam volume and stability, which might be attributable to higher protein concentrations. Bottle-fermented Méthode Traditionelle and transfer wines contained greater proportions of yeast-derived mannoproteins, whereas Charmat and carbonated wines were higher in grape-derived rhamnogalacturonans; however, total polysaccharide concentrations were not significantly different between sparkling wine styles. Free amino acids were most abundant in carbonated wines, which likely reflects production via primary fermentation only and/or the inclusion of nontraditional grape varieties. Fatty acids and their esters were not correlated with foaming properties, but octanoic and decanoic acids and their ethyl esters were present in Charmat and carbonated wines at significantly higher concentrations than in bottle-fermented wines and were negatively correlated with quality ratings. Research findings provide industry with a better understanding of the compositional factors driving the style and quality of sparkling white wine.

Diesel engine performance and emissions with fuels derived from waste tyres.

PubMed

Verma, Puneet; Zare, Ali; Jafari, Mohammad; Bodisco, Timothy A; Rainey, Thomas; Ristovski, Zoran D; Brown, Richard J

2018-02-06

The disposal of waste rubber and scrap tyres is a significant issue globally; disposal into stockpiles and landfill poses a serious threat to the environment, in addition to creating ecological problems. Fuel production from tyre waste could form part of the solution to this global issue. Therefore, this paper studies the potential of fuels derived from waste tyres as alternatives to diesel. Production methods and the influence of reactor operating parameters (such as reactor temperature and catalyst type) on oil yield are outlined. These have a major effect on the performance and emission characteristics of diesel engines when using tyre derived fuels. In general, tyre derived fuels increase the brake specific fuel consumption and decrease the brake thermal efficiency. The majority of studies indicate that NOx emissions increase with waste tyre derived fuels; however, a few studies have reported the opposite trend. A similar increasing trend has been observed for CO and CO 2 emissions. Although most studies reported an increase in HC emission owing to lower cetane number and higher density, some studies have reported reduced HC emissions. It has been found that the higher aromatic content in such fuels can lead to increased particulate matter emissions.

Delay differential analysis of time series.

PubMed

Lainscsek, Claudia; Sejnowski, Terrence J

2015-03-01

Nonlinear dynamical system analysis based on embedding theory has been used for modeling and prediction, but it also has applications to signal detection and classification of time series. An embedding creates a multidimensional geometrical object from a single time series. Traditionally either delay or derivative embeddings have been used. The delay embedding is composed of delayed versions of the signal, and the derivative embedding is composed of successive derivatives of the signal. The delay embedding has been extended to nonuniform embeddings to take multiple timescales into account. Both embeddings provide information on the underlying dynamical system without having direct access to all the system variables. Delay differential analysis is based on functional embeddings, a combination of the derivative embedding with nonuniform delay embeddings. Small delay differential equation (DDE) models that best represent relevant dynamic features of time series data are selected from a pool of candidate models for detection or classification. We show that the properties of DDEs support spectral analysis in the time domain where nonlinear correlation functions are used to detect frequencies, frequency and phase couplings, and bispectra. These can be efficiently computed with short time windows and are robust to noise. For frequency analysis, this framework is a multivariate extension of discrete Fourier transform (DFT), and for higher-order spectra, it is a linear and multivariate alternative to multidimensional fast Fourier transform of multidimensional correlations. This method can be applied to short or sparse time series and can be extended to cross-trial and cross-channel spectra if multiple short data segments of the same experiment are available. Together, this time-domain toolbox provides higher temporal resolution, increased frequency and phase coupling information, and it allows an easy and straightforward implementation of higher-order spectra across time compared with frequency-based methods such as the DFT and cross-spectral analysis.

Human adipose stem cell and ASC-derived cardiac progenitor cellular therapy improves outcomes in a murine model of myocardial infarction

PubMed Central

Davy, Philip MC; Lye, Kevin D; Mathews, Juanita; Owens, Jesse B; Chow, Alice Y; Wong, Livingston; Moisyadi, Stefan; Allsopp, Richard C

2015-01-01

Background Adipose tissue is an abundant and potent source of adult stem cells for transplant therapy. In this study, we present our findings on the potential application of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) as well as induced cardiac-like progenitors (iCPs) derived from ASCs for the treatment of myocardial infarction. Methods and results Human bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells, ASCs, and iCPs generated from ASCs using three defined cardiac lineage transcription factors were assessed in an immune-compromised mouse myocardial infarction model. Analysis of iCP prior to transplant confirmed changes in gene and protein expression consistent with a cardiac phenotype. Endpoint analysis was performed 1 month posttransplant. Significantly increased endpoint fractional shortening, as well as reduction in the infarct area at risk, was observed in recipients of iCPs as compared to the other recipient cohorts. Both recipients of iCPs and ASCs presented higher myocardial capillary densities than either recipients of BM-derived stem cells or the control cohort. Furthermore, mice receiving iCPs had a significantly higher cardiac retention of transplanted cells than all other groups. Conclusion Overall, iCPs generated from ASCs outperform BM-derived stem cells and ASCs in facilitating recovery from induced myocardial infarction in mice. PMID:26604802

Low-derivative operators of the Standard Model effective field theory via Hilbert series methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehman, Landon; Martin, Adam

2016-02-01

In this work, we explore an extension of Hilbert series techniques to count operators that include derivatives. For sufficiently low-derivative operators, we conjecture an algorithm that gives the number of invariant operators, properly accounting for redundancies due to the equations of motion and integration by parts. Specifically, the conjectured technique can be applied whenever there is only one Lorentz invariant for a given partitioning of derivatives among the fields. At higher numbers of derivatives, equation of motion redundancies can be removed, but the increased number of Lorentz contractions spoils the subtraction of integration by parts redundancies. While restricted, this technique is sufficient to automatically recreate the complete set of invariant operators of the Standard Model effective field theory for dimensions 6 and 7 (for arbitrary numbers of flavors). At dimension 8, the algorithm does not automatically generate the complete operator set; however, it suffices for all but five classes of operators. For these remaining classes, there is a well defined procedure to manually determine the number of invariants. Assuming our method is correct, we derive a set of 535 dimension-8 N f = 1 operators.

Estimating human exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids via solid food and drinks: Implementation and comparison of different dietary assessment methods.

PubMed

Papadopoulou, Eleni; Poothong, Somrutai; Koekkoek, Jacco; Lucattini, Luisa; Padilla-Sánchez, Juan Antonio; Haugen, Margaretha; Herzke, Dorte; Valdersnes, Stig; Maage, Amund; Cousins, Ian T; Leonards, Pim E G; Småstuen Haug, Line

2017-10-01

Diet is a major source of human exposure to hazardous environmental chemicals, including many perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Several assessment methods of dietary exposure to PFAAs have been used previously, but there is a lack of comparisons between methods. To assess human exposure to PFAAs through diet by different methods and compare the results. We studied the dietary exposure to PFAAs in 61 Norwegian adults (74% women, average age: 42 years) using three methods: i) by measuring daily PFAA intakes through a 1-day duplicate diet study (separately in solid and liquid foods), ii) by estimating intake after combining food contamination with food consumption data, as assessed by 2-day weighted food diaries and iii) by a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). We used existing food contamination data mainly from samples purchased in Norway and if not available, data from food purchased in other European countries were used. Duplicate diet samples (n=122) were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to quantify 15 PFAAs (11 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates and 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates). Differences and correlations between measured and estimated intakes were assessed. The most abundant PFAAs in the duplicate diet samples were PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS and the median total intakes were 5.6ng/day, 11ng/day and 0.78ng/day, respectively. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were higher in solid than liquid samples. PFOS was the main contributor to the contamination in the solid samples (median concentration 14pg/g food), while it was PFOA in the liquid samples (median concentrations: 0.72pg/g food). High intakes of fats, oils, and eggs were statistically significantly related to high intakes of PFOS and PFOA from solid foods. High intake of milk and consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as food in paper container were related to high PFOA intakes from liquid foods. PFOA intakes derived from food diary and FFQ were significantly higher than those derived from duplicate diet, but intakes of PFOS derived from food diary and FFQ were significantly lower than those derived from duplicate diet. We found a positive and statistically significant correlation between the PFOS intakes derived from duplicate diet with those using the food diary (rho=0.26, p-value=0.041), but not with the FFQ. Additionally, PFOA intakes derived by duplicate diet were significantly correlated with estimated intakes from liquid food derived from the food diary (rho=0.34, p=0.008) and estimated intakes from the FFQ (rho=0.25, p-value=0.055). We provide evidence that a food diary or a FFQ-based method can provide comparable intake estimates to PFOS and PFOA intakes derived from a duplicate diet study. These less burdensome methods are valuable and reliable tools to assess dietary exposure to PFASs in human studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity of Hydroxytyrosol Alkyl-Carbonate Derivatives.

PubMed

Fernandez-Pastor, Ignacio; Fernandez-Hernandez, Antonia; Rivas, Francisco; Martinez, Antonio; Garcia-Granados, Andres; Parra, Andres

2016-07-22

Three procedures have been investigated for the isolation of tyrosol (1) and hydroxytyrosol (2) from a phenolic extract obtained from the solid residue of olive milling. These three methods, which facilitated the recovery of these phenols, were chemical or enzymatic acetylation, benzylation, and carbomethoxylation, and subsequent carbonylation or acetonation reactions. Several new lipophilic alkyl-carbonate derivatives of hydroxytyrosol have been synthesized, coupling the primary hydroxy group of this phenol, through a carbonate linker, using alcohols with different chain lengths. The antioxidant properties of these lipophilic derivatives have been evaluated by different methods and compared with free hydroxytyrosol (2) and also with the well-known antioxidants BHT and α-tocopherol. Three methods were used for the determination of this antioxidant activity: FRAP and ABTS assays, to test the antioxidant power in hydrophilic media, and the Rancimat test, to evaluate the antioxidant capacity in a lipophilic matrix. These new alkyl-carbonate derivatives of hydroxytyrosol enhanced the antioxidant activity of this natural phenol, with their antioxidant properties also being higher than those of the commercial antioxidants BHT and α-tocopherol. There was no clear influence of the side-chain length on the antioxidant properties of the alkyl-carbonate derivatives of 2, although the best results were achieved mainly by the compounds with a longer chain on the primary hydroxy group of this natural phenolic substance.

Chloroplast-derived enzyme cocktails hydrolyse lignocellulosic biomass and release fermentable sugars

PubMed Central

Verma, Dheeraj; Kanagaraj, Anderson; Jin, Shuangxia; Singh, Nameirakpam D.; Kolattukudy, Pappachan E; Daniell, Henry

2009-01-01

Summary It is widely recognized that biofuel production from lignocellulosic materials is limited by inadequate technology to efficiently and economically release fermentable sugars from the complex multi-polymeric raw materials. Therefore, endoglucanases, exoglucanase, pectate lyases, cutinase, swollenin, xylanase, acetyl xylan esterase, beta glucosidase and lipase genes from bacteria or fungi were expressed in E. coli or tobacco chloroplasts. A PCR based method was used to clone genes without introns from Trichoderma reesei genomic DNA. Homoplasmic transplastomic lines showed normal phenotype and were fertile. Based on observed expression levels, up to 49, 64 and 10,751 million units of pectate lyases or endoglucanase can be produced annually, per acre of tobacco. Plant production cost of endoglucanase is 3,100-fold and pectate lyase is 1,057 or 1,480 fold lower than the same recombinant enzymes sold commercially, produced via fermentation. Chloroplast-derived enzymes had higher temperature stability and wider pH optima than enzymes expressed in E. coli. Plant crude-extracts showed higher enzyme activity than E. coli with increasing protein concentration, demonstrating their direct utility without purification. Addition of E. coli extracts to the chloroplast-derived enzymes significantly decreased their activity. Chloroplast-derived crude-extract enzyme cocktails yielded more (up to 3,625%) glucose from filter paper, pine wood or citrus peel than commercial cocktails. Furthermore, pectate lyase transplastomic plants showed enhanced resistance to Erwina soft rot. This is the first report of using plant-derived enzyme cocktails for production of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. Limitations of higher cost and lower production capacity of fermentation systems are addressed by chloroplast-derived enzyme cocktails. PMID:20070870

Modification of a successive corrections objective analysis for improved higher order calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Achtemeier, Gary L.

1988-01-01

The use of objectively analyzed fields of meteorological data for the initialization of numerical prediction models and for complex diagnostic studies places the requirements upon the objective method that derivatives of the gridded fields be accurate and free from interpolation error. A modification was proposed for an objective analysis developed by Barnes that provides improvements in analysis of both the field and its derivatives. Theoretical comparisons, comparisons between analyses of analytical monochromatic waves, and comparisons between analyses of actual weather data are used to show the potential of the new method. The new method restores more of the amplitudes of desired wavelengths while simultaneously filtering more of the amplitudes of undesired wavelengths. These results also hold for the first and second derivatives calculated from the gridded fields. Greatest improvements were for the Laplacian of the height field; the new method reduced the variance of undesirable very short wavelengths by 72 percent. Other improvements were found in the divergence of the gridded wind field and near the boundaries of the field of data.

Tensor Spectral Clustering for Partitioning Higher-order Network Structures.

PubMed

Benson, Austin R; Gleich, David F; Leskovec, Jure

2015-01-01

Spectral graph theory-based methods represent an important class of tools for studying the structure of networks. Spectral methods are based on a first-order Markov chain derived from a random walk on the graph and thus they cannot take advantage of important higher-order network substructures such as triangles, cycles, and feed-forward loops. Here we propose a Tensor Spectral Clustering (TSC) algorithm that allows for modeling higher-order network structures in a graph partitioning framework. Our TSC algorithm allows the user to specify which higher-order network structures (cycles, feed-forward loops, etc.) should be preserved by the network clustering. Higher-order network structures of interest are represented using a tensor, which we then partition by developing a multilinear spectral method. Our framework can be applied to discovering layered flows in networks as well as graph anomaly detection, which we illustrate on synthetic networks. In directed networks, a higher-order structure of particular interest is the directed 3-cycle, which captures feedback loops in networks. We demonstrate that our TSC algorithm produces large partitions that cut fewer directed 3-cycles than standard spectral clustering algorithms.

Tensor Spectral Clustering for Partitioning Higher-order Network Structures

PubMed Central

Benson, Austin R.; Gleich, David F.; Leskovec, Jure

2016-01-01

Spectral graph theory-based methods represent an important class of tools for studying the structure of networks. Spectral methods are based on a first-order Markov chain derived from a random walk on the graph and thus they cannot take advantage of important higher-order network substructures such as triangles, cycles, and feed-forward loops. Here we propose a Tensor Spectral Clustering (TSC) algorithm that allows for modeling higher-order network structures in a graph partitioning framework. Our TSC algorithm allows the user to specify which higher-order network structures (cycles, feed-forward loops, etc.) should be preserved by the network clustering. Higher-order network structures of interest are represented using a tensor, which we then partition by developing a multilinear spectral method. Our framework can be applied to discovering layered flows in networks as well as graph anomaly detection, which we illustrate on synthetic networks. In directed networks, a higher-order structure of particular interest is the directed 3-cycle, which captures feedback loops in networks. We demonstrate that our TSC algorithm produces large partitions that cut fewer directed 3-cycles than standard spectral clustering algorithms. PMID:27812399

Effect of chondrocyte-derived early extracellular matrix on chondrogenesis of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

PubMed

Park, Yong-Beom; Seo, Sinji; Kim, Jin-A; Heo, Jin-Chul; Lim, Young-Cheol; Ha, Chul-Won

2015-06-24

The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cells contains a variety of proteins that provide structural support and regulate cellular functions. Previous studies have shown that decellularized ECM isolated from tissues or cultured cells can be used to improve cell differentiation in tissue engineering applications. In this study we evaluated the effect of decellularized chondrocyte-derived ECM (CDECM) on the chondrogenesis of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPDMSCs) in a pellet culture system. After incubation with or without chondrocyte-derived ECM in chondrogenic medium for 1 or 3 weeks, the sizes and wet masses of the cell pellets were compared with untreated controls (hPDMSCs incubated in chondrogenic medium without chondrocyte-derived ECM). In addition, histologic analysis of the cell pellets (Safranin O and collagen type II staining) and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of chondrogenic markers (aggrecan, collagen type II, and SOX9) were carried out. Our results showed that the sizes and masses of hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM were significantly higher than those of untreated controls. Differentiation of hPDMSCs (both with and without chondrocyte-derived ECM) was confirmed by Safranin O and collagen type II staining. Chondrogenic marker expression and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels were significantly higher in hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM compared with untreated controls, especially in cells precultured with chondrocyte-derived ECM for 7 d. Taken together, these results demonstrate that chondrocyte-derived ECM enhances the chondrogenesis of hPDMSCs, and this effect is further increased by preculture with chondrocyte-derived ECM. This preculture method for hPDMSC chondrogenesis represents a promising approach for cartilage tissue engineering.

Magnetic field of longitudinal gradient bend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiba, Masamitsu; Böge, Michael; Ehrlichman, Michael; Streun, Andreas

2018-06-01

The longitudinal gradient bend is an effective method for reducing the natural emittance in light sources. It is, however, not a common element. We have analyzed its magnetic field and derived a set of formulae. Based on the derivation, we discuss how to model the longitudinal gradient bend in accelerator codes that are used for designing electron storage rings. Strengths of multipole components can also be evaluated from the formulae, and we investigate the impact of higher order multipole components in a very low emittance lattice.

Continuous-flow retro-Diels–Alder reaction: an efficient method for the preparation of pyrimidinone derivatives

PubMed Central

Nekkaa, Imane; Palkó, Márta; Mándity, István M

2018-01-01

The syntheses of various pyrimidinones as potentially bioactive products by means of the highly controlled continuous-flow retro-Diels–Alder reaction of condensed pyrimidinone derivatives are presented. Noteworthy, the use of this approach allowed us to rapidly screen a selection of conditions and quickly confirm the viability of preparing the desired pyrimidinones in short reaction times. Yields typically higher than those published earlier using conventional batch or microwave processes were achieved. PMID:29507637

Determination of angle of light deflection in higher-derivative gravity theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chenmei; Yang, Yisong

2018-03-01

Gravitational light deflection is known as one of three classical tests of general relativity and the angle of deflection may be computed explicitly using approximate or exact solutions describing the gravitational force generated from a point mass. In various generalized gravity theories, however, such explicit determination is often impossible due to the difficulty in obtaining an exact expression for the deflection angle. In this work, we present some highly effective globally convergent iterative methods to determine the angle of semiclassical gravitational deflection in higher- and infinite-derivative formalisms of quantum gravity theories. We also establish the universal properties that the deflection angle always stays below the classical Einstein angle and is a strictly decreasing function of the incident photon energy, in these formalisms.

Interactive Learning: The Casewriting Method as an Entire Semester Course for Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Brent D.

This guide explains the reasons for employing the case method as a tool in the academic discipline of aviation. It promotes the use of case writing as a unique opportunity to derive even further benefits from case analysis. The benefits to students of using case writing as a learning strategy include a focus on the strategy of a real situation;…

Solid-state one-way photoisomerisation of Z,E,Z-1,6-(4,4'-diphenyl)hexa-1,3,5-triene dicarboxylate examined using higher-order derivative spectra and powder XRD patterns.

PubMed

Sonoda, Yoriko; Goto, Midori; Ichimura, Kunihiro

2018-03-14

Higher order derivative spectra were applied at first to one-way ZEZ-to-EEE photoisomerisation of dimethyl ester (ZEZ-DPH1) of the titled compound in a methylcyclohexane solution. Many common crossing points emerged in UV-induced derivative-spectral changes to reveal the direct ZEZ-to-EEE photoisomerisation without the transient formation of an intermediate to suggest the bicycle-pedal mechanism. The solid-state photoisomerisation was subsequently monitored by tracing changes in the fourth-order derivatives of absorption spectra of a thin crystalline layer of ZEZ-DPH1 prepared by the drop-casting method, because the distortion of absorption spectra due to light scattering is cancelled. It was suggested that the solid-state photochemical event consists of three steps: fast ZEZ-to-EEE photoisomerisation, a subsequent slow ZEZ-to-EEE photoisomerisation and very slow disappearance of the EEE-isomer. Studies on powder XRD were also carried out for a drop-cast solid layer of ZEZ-DPH1 to disclose the coexistence of a crystal form other than the original one, and the former exhibited faster ZEZ-to-EEE photoisomerisation when compared with the original crystal form. The results revealed by XRD analysis are in line with those obtained by higher-order derivative spectra, confirming the solid-state one-way photoisomerisation to take place through the bicycle-pedal process.

The fates of 15N-labeled fertilizer in a wheat-soil system as influenced by fertilization practice in a loamy soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhaoming; Wang, Huoyan; Liu, Xiaowei; Lu, Dianjun; Zhou, Jianmin

2016-10-01

Appropriate fertilization practice is crucial to achieve maximum wheat grain yield with minimum nitrogen (N) loss. A field 15N micro-plot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of application methods [split application (SA) and band application (BA)] and N rates (60, 150 and 240 kg ha-1) on the wheat grain yield, urea-15N fate and N efficiency in Jiangyan County, China. At high N rates, wheat grain yield was significantly higher for SA than BA treatment, but there was no difference at the lower N rates. Plant N derived from fertilizer was higher in SA than in BA treatment. The high N fertilizer application increased total N uptake by wheat derived from fertilizer, but wheat plant N derived from soil was not affected by the N rate. Fertilizer-N recovery in SA treatment was higher than in BA treatment. Residual N recovery in the 0-80 cm soil layer was 31-51%, which decreased with increasing N rate. The highest N loss was found for BA treatment at the N application of 240 kg ha-1. The one-time BA of N fertilizer, especially for higher N rates, led to reduced wheat grain yield and N efficiency, and increased the N loss.

Higher-order kinetic expansion of quantum dissipative dynamics: mapping quantum networks to kinetic networks.

PubMed

Wu, Jianlan; Cao, Jianshu

2013-07-28

We apply a new formalism to derive the higher-order quantum kinetic expansion (QKE) for studying dissipative dynamics in a general quantum network coupled with an arbitrary thermal bath. The dynamics of system population is described by a time-convoluted kinetic equation, where the time-nonlocal rate kernel is systematically expanded of the order of off-diagonal elements of the system Hamiltonian. In the second order, the rate kernel recovers the expression of the noninteracting-blip approximation method. The higher-order corrections in the rate kernel account for the effects of the multi-site quantum coherence and the bath relaxation. In a quantum harmonic bath, the rate kernels of different orders are analytically derived. As demonstrated by four examples, the higher-order QKE can reliably predict quantum dissipative dynamics, comparing well with the hierarchic equation approach. More importantly, the higher-order rate kernels can distinguish and quantify distinct nontrivial quantum coherent effects, such as long-range energy transfer from quantum tunneling and quantum interference arising from the phase accumulation of interactions.

Entropy method of measuring and evaluating periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yanshuo; Turitsyn, Konstantin; Baoyin, Hexi; Junfeng, Li

2018-06-01

This paper presents a method for measuring the periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories by applying discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to the trajectories and analyzing the frequency domain within the concept of entropy. Having introduced the concept of entropy, analytical derivation and numerical results indicate that entropies increase as a logarithmic function of time. Periodic trajectories typically have higher entropies, and trajectories with higher entropies mean the periodicities of the motions are stronger. Theoretical differences between two trajectories expressed as summations of trigonometric functions are also derived analytically. Trajectories in the Henon-Heiles system and the circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP) are analyzed with the indicator entropy and compared with orthogonal fast Lyapunov indicator (OFLI). The results show that entropy is a better tool for discriminating periodicity in quasiperiodic trajectories than OFLI and can detect periodicity while excluding the spirals that are judged as periodic cases by OFLI. Finally, trajectories in the vicinity of 243 Ida and 6489 Golevka are considered as examples, and the numerical results verify these conclusions. Some trajectories near asteroids look irregular, but their higher entropy values as analyzed by this method serve as evidence of frequency regularity in three directions. Moreover, these results indicate that applying DFT to the trajectories in the vicinity of irregular small bodies and calculating their entropy in the frequency domain provides a useful quantitative analysis method for evaluating orderliness in the periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories within a given time interval.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells from liposuction and resected fat are feasible sources for regenerative medicine.

PubMed

Schneider, Sandra; Unger, Marina; van Griensven, Martijn; Balmayor, Elizabeth R

2017-05-19

The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in research and in regenerative medicine has progressed. Bone marrow as a source has drawbacks because of subsequent morbidities. An easily accessible and valuable source is adipose tissue. This type of tissue contains a high number of MSCs, and obtaining higher quantities of tissue is more feasible. Fat tissue can be harvested using different methods such as liposuction and resection. First, a detailed isolation protocol with complete characterization is described. This also includes highlighting problems and pitfalls. Furthermore, some comparisons of these different harvesting methods exist. However, the later characterization of the cells is conducted poorly in most cases. We performed an in-depth characterization over five passages including an investigation of the effect of freezing and thawing. Characterization was performed using flow cytometry with CD markers, metabolic activity with Alamar Blue, growth potential in between passages, and cytoskeleton staining. Our results show that the cells isolated with distinct isolation methods (solid versus liposuction "liquid") have the same MSC potential. However, the percentage of cells positive for the markers CD73, CD90, and CD105 is initially quite low. The cells isolated from the liquid fat tissue grow faster at higher passages, and significantly more cells display MSC markers. In summary, we show a simple and efficient method to isolate adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells from different preparations. Liposuctions and resection can be used, whereas liposuction has more growth potential at higher passages.

Accurate, rapid identification of dislocation lines in coherent diffractive imaging via a min-max optimization formulation

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

Ulvestad, A.; Menickelly, M.; Wild, S. M.

Defects such as dislocations impact materials properties and their response during external stimuli. Imaging these defects in their native operating conditions to establish the structure-function relationship and, ultimately, to improve performance via defect engineering has remained a considerable challenge for both electron-based and x-ray-based imaging techniques. While Bragg coherent x-ray diffractive imaging (BCDI) is successful in many cases, nuances in identifying the dislocations has left manual identification as the preferred method. Derivative-based methods are also used, but they can be inaccurate and are computationally inefficient. Here we demonstrate a derivative-free method that is both more accurate and more computationally efficientmore » than either derivative-or human-based methods for identifying 3D dislocation lines in nanocrystal images produced by BCDI. We formulate the problem as a min-max optimization problem and show exceptional accuracy for experimental images. We demonstrate a 227x speedup for a typical experimental dataset with higher accuracy over current methods. We discuss the possibility of using this algorithm as part of a sparsity-based phase retrieval process. We also provide MATLAB code for use by other researchers.« less

Accurate, rapid identification of dislocation lines in coherent diffractive imaging via a min-max optimization formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulvestad, A.; Menickelly, M.; Wild, S. M.

2018-01-01

Defects such as dislocations impact materials properties and their response during external stimuli. Imaging these defects in their native operating conditions to establish the structure-function relationship and, ultimately, to improve performance via defect engineering has remained a considerable challenge for both electron-based and x-ray-based imaging techniques. While Bragg coherent x-ray diffractive imaging (BCDI) is successful in many cases, nuances in identifying the dislocations has left manual identification as the preferred method. Derivative-based methods are also used, but they can be inaccurate and are computationally inefficient. Here we demonstrate a derivative-free method that is both more accurate and more computationally efficient than either derivative- or human-based methods for identifying 3D dislocation lines in nanocrystal images produced by BCDI. We formulate the problem as a min-max optimization problem and show exceptional accuracy for experimental images. We demonstrate a 227x speedup for a typical experimental dataset with higher accuracy over current methods. We discuss the possibility of using this algorithm as part of a sparsity-based phase retrieval process. We also provide MATLAB code for use by other researchers.

Method of ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R. Bruce; Smith, John F.; Lee, Seung S.; Li, Yan

1993-10-12

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improves reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet.

Method of ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R.B.; Smith, J.F.; Lee, S.S.; Taejon Ch'ungmam; Yan Li.

1993-10-12

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improves reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet. 9 figures.

Asymptotic matching by the symbolic manipulator MACSYMA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lo, L. L.

1985-01-01

The delegation of the labor of calculating higher-order terms in singular perturbation (SP) expansions to a computer by the use of MACSYMA is considered. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is studied in detail for two model SP problems: a model resembling the boundary layer equation with a small parameter multiplying the highest derivatives; and a turning-point problem. It is shown that MACSYMA has successfully performed the higher-order matching in both problems.

Confirmed Transmission of Bacterial or Fungal Infection to Kidney Transplant Recipients from Donated After Cardiac Death (DCD) Donors in China: A Single-Center Analysis

PubMed Central

Wan, Qiquan; Liu, Huanmiao; Ye, Shaojun; Ye, Qifa

2017-01-01

Background We aimed to investigate blood and urine cultures of donated after cardiac death (DCD) donors and report the cases of confirmed (proven/probable) transmission of bacterial or fungal infection from donors to kidney recipients. Material/Methods Seventy-eight DCD donors between 2010 and 2016 were included. Sixty-one DCD donors underwent blood cultures and 22 episodes of bacteremias developed in 18 donors. Forty-three donors underwent urine cultures and 14 donors experienced 17 episodes of urinary infections. Results Seven of 154 (4.5%) kidney recipients developed confirmed donor-derived bacterial or fungal infections. Inappropriate use of antibiotics in donor was a risk factor for donor-derived infection (p=0.048). The use of FK506 was more frequent in recipients without donor-derived infection than those with donor-derived infection (p=0.033). Recipients with donor-derived infection were associated with higher mortality and graft loss (42.9% and 28.6%, respectively), when compared with those without donor-derived infection (4.8% each). Three kidney recipients with donor-derived infection died; one death was due to multi-organ failure caused by Candida albicans, and two were related to rupture of the renal artery; two of them did not receive appropriate antimicrobial therapy after infection. Conclusions Our kidney recipients showed high occurrence rates of donor-derived infection. Recipients with donor-derived infection were associated with higher mortality and graft loss than those without donor-derived infection. The majority of recipients with donor-derived infection who died did not receive appropriate antimicrobial therapy after infection. PMID:28771455

Novel pyrazolyl-s-triazine derivatives, molecular structure and antimicrobial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Anamika; Ghabbour, Hazem; Khan, Shams Tabrez; de la Torre, Beatriz G.; Albericio, Fernando; El-Faham, Ayman

2017-10-01

A new series of pyrazole-containing s-triazine derivatives were synthesized by reaction of the corresponding s-triazinyl hydrazine derivatives with acetylacetone in the presence of HClO4 or DMF/TEA. The former method allowed the preparation of the target products with higher yields. All compounds were fully characterized. X-ray single crystal diffraction for two representative compounds (4-(4,6-bis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)morpholine and N-benzyl-4-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-6-(piperidin-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine) was studied and the molecular structures were optimized using the DFT/B3LYP method. The structures were found to be in agreement with X-ray structures. The antimicrobial and antifungal activity of the prepared compounds were tested against the growth of several microorganisms.

The influence of the great inequality on the secular disturbing function of the planetary system.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musen, P.

1971-01-01

This paper derives the contribution by the great inequality to the secular disturbing function of the principal planets. Andoyer's expansion of the planetary disturbing function and von Zeipel's method of eliminating the periodic terms is employed; thereby, the corrected secular disturbing function for the planetary system is derived. The conclusion is drawn that the canonicity of the equations for the secular variation of the heliocentric elements can be preserved if there be retained, in the secular disturbing function, terms only of the second and fourth order relative to the eccentricity and inclinations. The Krylov-Bogoliubov method is suggested for eliminating periodic terms, if it is desired to include the secular perturbations of the fifth and higher order in the heliocentric elements. The additional part of the secular disturbing function derived in this paper can be included in existing theories of the secular effects of principal planets.

Comparison of three methods to identify the anaerobic threshold during maximal exercise testing in patients with chronic heart failure.

PubMed

Beckers, Paul J; Possemiers, Nadine M; Van Craenenbroeck, Emeline M; Van Berendoncks, An M; Wuyts, Kurt; Vrints, Christiaan J; Conraads, Viviane M

2012-02-01

Exercise training efficiently improves peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak) in patients with chronic heart failure. To optimize training-derived benefit, higher exercise intensities are being explored. The correct identification of anaerobic threshold is important to allow safe and effective exercise prescription. During 48 cardiopulmonary exercise tests obtained in patients with chronic heart failure (59.6 ± 11 yrs; left ventricular ejection fraction, 27.9% ± 9%), ventilatory gas analysis findings and lactate measurements were collected. Three technicians independently determined the respiratory compensation point (RCP), the heart rate turning point (HRTP) and the second lactate turning point (LTP2). Thereafter, exercise intensity (target heart rate and workload) was calculated and compared between the three methods applied. Patients had significantly reduced maximal exercise capacity (68% ± 21% of predicted V˙O2peak) and chronotropic incompetence (74% ± 7% of predicted peak heart rate). Heart rate, workload, and V˙O2 at HRTP and at RCP were not different, but at LTP2, these parameters were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher. Mean target heart rate and target workload calculated using the LTP2 were 5% and 12% higher compared with those calculated using HRTP and RCP, respectively. The calculation of target heart rate based on LTP2 was 5% and 10% higher in 12 of 48 (25%) and 6 of 48 (12.5%) patients, respectively, compared with the other two methods. In patients with chronic heart failure, RCP and HRTP, determined during cardiopulmonary exercise tests, precede the occurrence of LTP2. Target heart rates and workloads used to prescribe tailored exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure based on LTP2 are significantly higher than those derived from HRTP and RCP.

An object programming based environment for protein secondary structure prediction.

PubMed

Giacomini, M; Ruggiero, C; Sacile, R

1996-01-01

The most frequently used methods for protein secondary structure prediction are empirical statistical methods and rule based methods. A consensus system based on object-oriented programming is presented, which integrates the two approaches with the aim of improving the prediction quality. This system uses an object-oriented knowledge representation based on the concepts of conformation, residue and protein, where the conformation class is the basis, the residue class derives from it and the protein class derives from the residue class. The system has been tested with satisfactory results on several proteins of the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank. Its results have been compared with the results of the most widely used prediction methods, and they show a higher prediction capability and greater stability. Moreover, the system itself provides an index of the reliability of its current prediction. This system can also be regarded as a basis structure for programs of this kind.

MO-A-BRD-05: Evaluation of Composed Lung Ventilation with 4DCT and Image Registration

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

Du, K; Bayouth, J; Reinhardt, J

Purpose: Regional pulmonary function can be derived using fourdimensional computed tomography (4DCT) combined with deformable image registration. However, only peak inhale and exhale phases have been used thus far while the lung ventilation during intermediate phases is not considered. In our previous work, we have investigated the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of lung ventilation and its dependence on respiration effort. In this study, composed ventilation is introduced using all inspiration phases and compared to direct ventilation. Both methods are evaluated against Xe-CT derived ventilation. Methods: Using an in-house tissue volume preserving deformable image registration, unlike the direct ventilation method, which computes frommore » end expiration to end inspiration, Jacobian ventilation maps were computed from one inhale phase to the next and then composed from all inspiration steps. The two methods were compared in both patients prior to RT and mechanically ventilated sheep subjects. In addition, they wereassessed for the correlation with Xe-CT derived ventilation in sheep subjects. Annotated lung landmarks were used to evaluate the accuracy of original and composed deformation field. Results: After registration, the landmark distance for composed deformation field was always higher than that for direct deformation field (0IN to 100IN average in human: 1.03 vs 1.53, p=0.001, and in sheep: 0.80 vs0.94, p=0.009), and both increased with longer phase interval. Direct and composed ventilation maps were similar in both sheep (gamma pass rate 87.6) and human subjects (gamma pass rate 71.9),and showed consistent pattern from ventral to dorsal when compared to Xe-CT derived ventilation. Correlation coefficient between Xe-CT and composed ventilation was slightly better than the direct method but not significant (average 0.89 vs 0.85, p=0.135). Conclusion: More strict breathing control in sheep subjects may explain higher similarity between direct and composed ventilation. When compared to Xe-CT ventilation, no significant difference was found for the composed method. NIH Grant: R01 CA166703.« less

Forest fuel treatment detection using multi-temporal airborne Lidar data and high resolution aerial imagery ---- A case study at Sierra Nevada, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Y.; Guo, Q.; Collins, B.; Fry, D.; Kelly, M.

2014-12-01

Forest fuel treatments (FFT) are often employed in Sierra Nevada forest (located in California, US) to enhance forest health, regulate stand density, and reduce wildfire risk. However, there have been concerns that FFTs may have negative impacts on certain protected wildlife species. Due to the constraints and protection of resources (e.g., perennial streams, cultural resources, wildlife habitat, etc.), the actual FFT extents are usually different from planned extents. Identifying the actual extent of treated areas is of primary importance to understand the environmental influence of FFTs. Light detection and ranging (Lidar) is a powerful remote sensing technique that can provide accurate forest structure measurements, which provides great potential to monitor forest changes. This study used canopy height model (CHM) and canopy cover (CC) products derived from multi-temporal airborne Lidar data to detect FFTs by an approach combining a pixel-wise thresholding method and a object-of-interest segmentation method. We also investigated forest change following the implementation of landscape-scale FFT projects through the use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and standardized principle component analysis (PCA) from multi-temporal high resolution aerial imagery. The same FFT detection routine was applied on the Lidar data and aerial imagery for the purpose of comparing the capability of Lidar data and aerial imagery on FFT detection. Our results demonstrated that the FFT detection using Lidar derived CC products produced both the highest total accuracy and kappa coefficient, and was more robust at identifying areas with light FFTs. The accuracy using Lidar derived CHM products was significantly lower than that of the result using Lidar derived CC, but was still slightly higher than using aerial imagery. FFT detection results using NDVI and standardized PCA using multi-temporal aerial imagery produced almost identical total accuracy and kappa coefficient. Both methods showed relatively limited capacity to detect light FFT areas, and had higher false detection rate (recognized untreated areas as treated areas) compared to the methods using Lidar derived parameters.

New method for GC/FID and GC-C-IRMS Analysis of plasma free fatty acid concentration and isotopic enrichment

PubMed Central

Kangani, Cyrous O.; Kelley, David E.; DeLany, James P.

2008-01-01

A simple, direct and accurate method for the determination of concentration and enrichment of free fatty acids in human plasma was developed. The validation and comparison to a conventional method are reported. Three amide derivatives, dimethyl, diethyl and pyrrolidide, were investigated in order to achieve optimal resolution of the individual fatty acids. This method involves the use of dimethylamine/Deoxo-Fluor to derivatize plasma free fatty acids to their dimethylamides. This derivatization method is very mild and efficient, and is selective only towards free fatty acids so that no separation from a total lipid extract is required. The direct method gave lower concentrations for palmitic acid and stearic acid and increased concentrations for oleic acid and linoleic acid in plasma as compared to methylester derivative after thin-layer chromatography. The [13C]palmitate isotope enrichment measured using direct method was significantly higher than that observed with the BF3/MeOH-TLC method. The present method provided accurate and precise measures of concentration as well as enrichment when analyzed with gas chromatography combustion-isotope ratio-mass spectrometry. PMID:18757250

New method for GC/FID and GC-C-IRMS analysis of plasma free fatty acid concentration and isotopic enrichment.

PubMed

Kangani, Cyrous O; Kelley, David E; Delany, James P

2008-09-15

A simple, direct and accurate method for the determination of concentration and enrichment of free fatty acids (FFAs) in human plasma was developed. The validation and comparison to a conventional method are reported. Three amide derivatives, dimethyl, diethyl and pyrrolidide, were investigated in order to achieve optimal resolution of the individual fatty acids. This method involves the use of dimethylamine/Deoxo-Fluor to derivatize plasma free fatty acids to their dimethylamides. This derivatization method is very mild and efficient, and is selective only towards FFAs so that no separation from a total lipid extract is required. The direct method gave lower concentrations for palmitic acid and stearic acid and increased concentrations for oleic acid and linoleic acid in plasma as compared to methyl ester derivative after thin-layer chromatography. The [(13)C]palmitate isotope enrichment measured using direct method was significantly higher than that observed with the BF(3)/MeOH-TLC method. The present method provided accurate and precise measures of concentration as well as enrichment when analyzed with gas chromatography combustion-isotope ratio-mass spectrometry.

A hierarchical generalization of the acoustic reciprocity theorem involving higher-order derivatives and interaction quantities.

PubMed

Lin, Ju; Li, Jie; Li, Xiaolei; Wang, Ning

2016-10-01

An acoustic reciprocity theorem is generalized, for a smoothly varying perturbed medium, to a hierarchy of reciprocity theorems including higher-order derivatives of acoustic fields. The standard reciprocity theorem is the first member of the hierarchy. It is shown that the conservation of higher-order interaction quantities is related closely to higher-order derivative distributions of perturbed media. Then integral reciprocity theorems are obtained by applying Gauss's divergence theorem, which give explicit integral representations connecting higher-order interactions and higher-order derivative distributions of perturbed media. Some possible applications to an inverse problem are also discussed.

A new assessment method of pHEMT models by comparing relative errors of drain current and its derivatives up to the third order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobeš, Josef; Grábner, Martin; Puričer, Pavel; Vejražka, František; Míchal, Jan; Popp, Jakub

2017-05-01

Nowadays, there exist relatively precise pHEMT models available for computer-aided design, and they are frequently compared to each other. However, such comparisons are mostly based on absolute errors of drain-current equations and their derivatives. In the paper, a novel method is suggested based on relative root-mean-square errors of both drain current and its derivatives up to the third order. Moreover, the relative errors are subsequently relativized to the best model in each category to further clarify obtained accuracies of both drain current and its derivatives. Furthermore, one our older and two newly suggested models are also included in comparison with the traditionally precise Ahmed, TOM-2 and Materka ones. The assessment is performed using measured characteristics of a pHEMT operating up to 110 GHz. Finally, a usability of the proposed models including the higher-order derivatives is illustrated using s-parameters analysis and measurement at more operating points as well as computation and measurement of IP3 points of a low-noise amplifier of a multi-constellation satellite navigation receiver with ATF-54143 pHEMT.

Use of landsat ETM+ SLC-off segment-based gap-filled imagery for crop type mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maxwell, S.K.; Craig, M.E.

2008-01-01

Failure of the Scan Line Corrector (SLC) on the Landsat ETM+ sensor has had a major impact on many applications that rely on continuous medium resolution imagery to meet their objectives. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cropland Data Layer (CDL) program uses Landsat imagery as the primary source of data to produce crop-specific maps for 20 states in the USA. A new method has been developed to fill the image gaps resulting from the SLC failure to support the needs of Landsat users who require coincident spectral data, such as for crop type mapping and monitoring. We tested the new gap-filled method for a CDL crop type mapping project in eastern Nebraska. Scan line gaps were simulated on two Landsat 5 images (spring and late summer 2003) and then gap-filled using landscape boundary models, or segment models, that were derived from 1992 and 2002 Landsat images (used in the gap-fill process). Various date combinations of original and gap-filled images were used to derive crop maps using a supervised classification process. Overall kappa values were slightly higher for crop maps derived from SLC-off gap-filled images compared to crop maps derived from the original imagery (0.3–1.3% higher). Although the age of the segment model used to derive the SLC-off gap-filled product did not negatively impact the overall agreement, differences in individual cover type agreement did increase (−0.8%–1.6% using the 2002 segment model to −5.0–5.1% using the 1992 segment model). Classification agreement also decreased for most of the classes as the size of the segment used in the gap-fill process increased.

Ultrasound mediated, iodine catalyzed green synthesis of novel 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives.

PubMed

Tabassum, Sumaiya; Govindaraju, Santhosh; Khan, Riyaz-ur-Rahaman; Pasha, Mohamed Afzal

2015-05-01

An efficient synthesis of a novel series of twelve substituted 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives was achieved by a one-pot three-component cyclocondensation reaction of heteroaryl aldehydes, malononitrile and active methylene compounds catalyzed by iodine in aqueous medium under ultrasound irradiation. In comparison with conventional methods, our protocol is convenient and offers several advantages, such as shorter reaction time, higher yields, milder conditions and environmental friendliness. We have herein successfully demonstrated the synergistic outcome of multi-component reaction (MCR) and sonication to offer a facile route for the design of these derivatives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Discrete Probability Function Method for the Equation of Radiative Transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sivathanu, Y. R.; Gore, J. P.

1993-01-01

A discrete probability function (DPF) method for the equation of radiative transfer is derived. The DPF is defined as the integral of the probability density function (PDF) over a discrete interval. The derivation allows the evaluation of the PDF of intensities leaving desired radiation paths including turbulence-radiation interactions without the use of computer intensive stochastic methods. The DPF method has a distinct advantage over conventional PDF methods since the creation of a partial differential equation from the equation of transfer is avoided. Further, convergence of all moments of intensity is guaranteed at the basic level of simulation unlike the stochastic method where the number of realizations for convergence of higher order moments increases rapidly. The DPF method is described for a representative path with approximately integral-length scale-sized spatial discretization. The results show good agreement with measurements in a propylene/air flame except for the effects of intermittency resulting from highly correlated realizations. The method can be extended to the treatment of spatial correlations as described in the Appendix. However, information regarding spatial correlations in turbulent flames is needed prior to the execution of this extension.

Hawking radiation from rotating black holes and gravitational anomalies

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

Murata, Keiju; Soda, Jiro

2006-08-15

We study the Hawking radiation from Rotating black holes from the gravitational anomalies point of view. First, we show that the scalar field theory near the Kerr black hole horizon can be reduced to the 2-dimensional effective theory. Then, following Robinson and Wilczek, we derive the Hawking flux by requiring the cancellation of gravitational anomalies. We also apply this method to Hawking radiation from higher dimensional Myers-Perry black holes. In the appendix, we present the trace anomaly derivation of Hawking radiation to argue the validity of the boundary condition at the horizon.

Antioxidant Activities of Cinnamaldehyde Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryanti, V.; Wibowo, F. R.; Khotijah, S.; Andalucki, N.

2018-03-01

The modification structures of cinnamaldehyde, which was isolated from cinnamon oil, has been carried out. The synthesized compounds were tested their antioxidant activity by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and the IC50 was done by spectrophotometric assay method compared with standard vitamin E. The cinnamaldehyde derivatives, e.g. cinnamic acid 2, methyl cinnamate 3 and cinnamyl alcohol 5 had significantly higher antioxidant activity than that of their starting materials, cinnamaldehyde. However, although cinnamic amine 5 had a hydroxyl group, it gave no antioxidant activity possibly due to its bulky structure.

Thermodynamic integration of the free energy along a reaction coordinate in Cartesian coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

den Otter, W. K.

2000-05-01

A generalized formulation of the thermodynamic integration (TI) method for calculating the free energy along a reaction coordinate is derived. Molecular dynamics simulations with a constrained reaction coordinate are used to sample conformations. These are then projected onto conformations with a higher value of the reaction coordinate by means of a vector field. The accompanying change in potential energy plus the divergence of the vector field constitute the derivative of the free energy. Any vector field meeting some simple requirements can be used as the basis of this TI expression. Two classes of vector fields are of particular interest here. The first recovers the conventional TI expression, with its cumbersome dependence on a full set of generalized coordinates. As the free energy is a function of the reaction coordinate only, it should in principle be possible to derive an expression depending exclusively on the definition of the reaction coordinate. This objective is met by the second class of vector fields to be discussed. The potential of mean constraint force (PMCF) method, after averaging over the unconstrained momenta, falls in this second class. The new method is illustrated by calculations on the isomerization of n-butane, and is compared with existing methods.

Analysis of O-glycans as 9-fluorenylmethyl derivatives and its application to the studies on glycan array.

PubMed

Yamada, Keita; Hirabayashi, Jun; Kakehi, Kazuaki

2013-03-19

A method is proposed for the analysis of O-glycans as 9-fluorenylmethyl (Fmoc) derivatives. After releasing the O-glycans from the protein backbone in the presence of ammonia-based media, the glycosylamines thus formed are conveniently labeled with Fmoc-Cl and analyzed by HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS after easy purification. Fmoc labeled O-glycans showed 3.5 times higher sensitivities than those labeled with 2-aminobenzoic acid in fluorescent detection. Various types of O-glycans having sialic acids, fucose, and/or sulfate residues were successfully labeled with Fmoc and analyzed by HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS. The method was applied to the comprehensive analysis of O-glycans expressed on MKN45 cells (human gastric adenocarcinoma). In addition, Fmoc-derivatized O-glycans were easily converted to free hemiacetal or glycosylamine-form glycans that are available for fabrication of glycan array and neoglycoproteins. To demonstrate the availability of our methods, we fabricate the glycan array with Fmoc labeled glycans derived from mucin samples and cancer cells. The model studies using the glycan array showed clear interactions between immobilized glycans and some lectins.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, James Terry

1998-01-01

An apparatus and method for generating homogenous electromagnetic fields within a volume. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented mirror symmetrically about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially canceling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, James T.

1998-01-01

An apparatus and method for generating homogenous electromagnetic fields within a volume. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially canceling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, James T.

1997-01-01

An apparatus and method for generating homogenous electromagnetic fields within a volume. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented mirror symmetrically about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially cancelling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set.

Frequency weighting derived from power absorption of fingers-hand-arm system under z(h)-axis vibration.

PubMed

Dong, Ren G; Welcome, Daniel E; McDowell, Thomas W; Wu, John Z; Schopper, Aaron W

2006-01-01

The objectives of this study are to derive the frequency weighting from three vibration power absorption (VPA) methods (finger VPA, palm VPA, and total or hand VPA), and to explore whether these energy methods are better than the currently accepted acceleration method. To calculate the VPA weightings, the mechanical impedance of eight subjects exposed to a broadband random vibration spectrum in the z(h)-axis using 18 combinations of hand couplings and applied forces was measured. The VPA weightings were compared with the frequency weighting specified in ISO 5349-1 [2001. Mechanical Vibration--Measurement and Evaluation of Human Exposure to Hand--Transmitted Vibration--Part 1: General Requirements. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland]. This study found that the hand and palm VPA weightings are very similar to the ISO weighting but the finger VPA weighting for the combined grip and push action is much higher than the ISO weighting at frequencies higher than 25 Hz. Therefore, this study predicted that the total power absorption of the entire hand-arm system is likely to be correlated with psychophysical response or subjective sensation. However, if the ISO weighting method cannot yield good predictions of the vibration-induced disorders in the fingers and hand, the hand and palm energy methods are unlikely to yield significantly better predictions. The finger VPA is a vibration measure between unweighted and ISO weighted accelerations. The palm VPA method may have some value for studying the disorders in the wrist-arm system.

New steroid derivative with hypoglycemic activity

PubMed Central

Lauro, Figueroa-Valverde; Francisco, Díaz-Cedillo; Lenin, Hau-Heredia; Elodia, García-Cervera; Eduardo, Pool-Gómez; Marcela, Rosas-Nexticapa; Bety, Sarabia-Alcocer

2014-01-01

Data indicates that some steroid derivatives may induce changes on glucose levels; nevertheless, data are very confusing. Therefore, more pharmacological data are needed to characterize the activity induced by the steroid derivatives on glucose levels. The aim of this study was to synthesize a new steroid derivative for evaluate its hypoglycemic activity. The effects of steroid derivative on glucose concentration were evaluated in a diabetic animal model using glibenclamide and metformin as controls. In addition, the pregnenolone-dihydrotestosterone conjugate was bound to Tc-99m using radioimmunoassay methods, to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of the steroid derivative over time. The results showed that the pregnenolone-dihydrotestosterone conjugate induces changes on the glucose levels in similar form than glibenclamide. Other data showed that the biodistribution of Tc-99m-steroid derivativein brain was higher in comparison with spleen, stomach, intestine liver and kidney. In conclusion, the pregnenolone-dihydrotestosterone conjugate exerts hypoglycemic activity and this phenomenon could depend of its physicochemical properties which could be related to the degree of lipophilicity of the steroidderivative. PMID:25550906

Carbon with hierarchical pores from carbonized metal-organic frameworks for lithium sulphur batteries.

PubMed

Xi, Kai; Cao, Shuai; Peng, Xiaoyu; Ducati, Caterina; Kumar, R Vasant; Cheetham, Anthony K

2013-03-18

This paper presents a novel method and rationale for utilizing carbonized MOFs for sulphur loading to fabricate cathode structures for lithium-sulphur batteries. Unique carbon materials with differing hierarchical pore structures were synthesized from four types of zinc-containing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). It is found that cathode materials made from MOFs-derived carbons with higher mesopore (2-50 nm) volumes exhibit increased initial discharge capacities, whereas carbons with higher micropore (<2 nm) volumes lead to cathode materials with better cycle stability.

Evaluation of Smoking Prevention Television Messages Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Brian S.; Worden, John K.; Bunn, Janice Yanushka; Connolly, Scott W.; Dorwaldt, Anne L.

2011-01-01

Progress in reducing youth smoking may depend on developing improved methods to communicate with higher risk youth. This study explored the potential of smoking prevention messages based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to address these needs. Structured evaluations of 12 smoking prevention messages based on three strategies derived from…

Optimal variable-grid finite-difference modeling for porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xinxin; Yin, Xingyao; Li, Haishan

2014-12-01

Numerical modeling of poroelastic waves by the finite-difference (FD) method is more expensive than that of acoustic or elastic waves. To improve the accuracy and computational efficiency of seismic modeling, variable-grid FD methods have been developed. In this paper, we derived optimal staggered-grid finite difference schemes with variable grid-spacing and time-step for seismic modeling in porous media. FD operators with small grid-spacing and time-step are adopted for low-velocity or small-scale geological bodies, while FD operators with big grid-spacing and time-step are adopted for high-velocity or large-scale regions. The dispersion relations of FD schemes were derived based on the plane wave theory, then the FD coefficients were obtained using the Taylor expansion. Dispersion analysis and modeling results demonstrated that the proposed method has higher accuracy with lower computational cost for poroelastic wave simulation in heterogeneous reservoirs.

Coherent vector meson photoproduction from deuterium at intermediate energies

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

Rogers, T.C.; Strikman, M.I.; Sargsian, M.M.

2006-04-15

We analyze the cross section for vector meson photoproduction off a deuteron for the intermediate range of photon energies starting at a few giga-electron-volts above the threshold and higher. We reproduce the steps in the derivation of the conventional nonrelativistic Glauber expression based on an effective diagrammatic method while making corrections for Fermi motion and intermediate-energy kinematic effects. We show that, for intermediate-energy vector meson production, the usual Glauber factorization breaks down, and we derive corrections to the usual Glauber method to linear order in longitudinal nucleon momentum. The purpose of our analysis is to establish methods for probing interestingmore » physics in the production mechanism for {phi} mesons and heavier vector mesons. We demonstrate how neglecting the breakdown of Glauber factorization can lead to errors in measurements of basic cross sections extracted from nuclear data.« less

Chiral lactic hydrazone derivatives as potential bioactive antibacterial agents: Synthesis, spectroscopic, structural and molecular docking studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noshiranzadeh, Nader; Heidari, Azam; Haghi, Fakhri; Bikas, Rahman; Lis, Tadeusz

2017-01-01

A series of novel chiral lactic-hydrazone derivatives were synthesized by condensation of (S)-lactic acid hydrazide with salicylaldehyde derivatives and characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic studies (FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy). The structure of one compound was determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. Antibacterial activity of the synthesized compounds was studied against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as bacterial cultures by broth microdilution method. All of the synthesized compounds showed good antibacterial activity with MIC range of 64-512 μg/mL. Compounds (S,E)-2-hydroxy-N-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzylidene)propanehydrazide (5) and (S,E)-2-hydroxy-N-((3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-4-yl)propanehydrazide (7) were the most effective antibacterial derivatives against S. aureus and E. coli respectively with a MIC value of 64 μg/mL. Bacterial biofilm formation assay showed that these compounds significantly inhibited biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa. Also, in silico molecular docking studies were performed to show lipoteichoic acid synthase (LtaS) inhibitory effect of lactic hydrazone derivatives. The association between electronic and structural effects of some substituents on the benzylidene moiety and the biological activity of these chiral compounds were studied. Structural studies show that compound with higher hydrogen bonding interactions show higher antibacterial activity. The results show chiral hydrazone derivatives based on lactic acid hydrazide could be used as potential lead compounds for developing novel antibacterial agents.

Relations between stellar mass and electron temperature-based metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a wide mass range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wei-Bin; Liang, Yan-Chun; Shao, Xu; Liu, Xiao-Wei; Zhao, Gang; Hammer, Francois; Zhang, Yong; Flores, Hector; Ruan, Gui-Ping; Zhou, Li

2014-07-01

We select 947 star-forming galaxies from SDSS-DR7 with [O III]λ4363 emission lines detected at a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5σ. Their electron temperatures and direct oxygen abundances are then determined. We compare the results from different methods. t2, the electron temperature in the low ionization region, estimated from t3, that in the high ionization region, is compared using three analysis relations between t2 - t3. These show obvious differences, which result in some different ionic oxygen abundances. The results of t3, t2, O++/H+ and O+/H+ derived by using methods from IRAF and literature are also compared. The ionic abundances O++/H+ are higher than O+/H+ for most cases. The different oxygen abundances derived from Te and the strong-line ratios show a clear discrepancy, which is more obvious following increasing stellar mass and strong-line ratio R23. The sample of galaxies from SDSS with detected [O III]λ4363 have lower metallicites and higher star formation rates, so they may not be typical representatives of the whole population of galaxies. Adopting data objects from Andrews & Martini, Liang et al. and Lee et al. data, we derive new relations of stellar mass and metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a much wider stellar mass range: from 106 Msolar to 1011 Msolar.

Preparation and characterization of 5-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzyl)-3-phenyl-2-thiohydantoin, the phenylthiohydantoin derivative of 3-nitrotyrosine.

PubMed

Lilova, A; Kleinschmidt, T; Nedkov, P; Braunitzer, G

1986-10-01

The phenylthiocarbamoyl derivative of 3-nitrotyrosine was synthesized according to the known Edman method and then converted to its phenylthiohydantoin derivative [5-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzyl)-3-phenyl-2-thiohydantion] by incubation in 0.5M HCl for 24 h at room temperature. After drying over P2O5 the chromatographically pure substance could be obtained by double recrystallization from hot acetic acid. It could be established that a shorter incubation time leads to an incomplete conversion and higher temperatures cause polymerization of the product. The compounds could be characterized by thin-layer and high-performance liquid chromatography, melting point, elemental analysis as well as NMR- and absorption spectroscopy.

Semi-automatic for ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R. Bruce; Smith, John F.; Lee, Seung S.; Li, Yan

1990-02-13

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improved reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, J.T.

1997-06-24

An apparatus and method are disclosed for generating homogeneous electromagnetic fields within a volume. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented mirror symmetrically about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially canceling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set. 26 figs.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, J.T.

1998-05-05

An apparatus and method are disclosed for generating homogeneous electromagnetic fields within a volume. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially canceling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set. 55 figs.

Generating highly uniform electromagnetic field characteristics

DOEpatents

Crow, J.T.

1998-02-10

An apparatus and method for generating homogeneous electromagnetic fields within a volume is disclosed. The homogeneity provided may be for magnetic and/or electric fields, and for field magnitude, radial gradient, or higher order radial derivative. The invention comprises conductive pathways oriented mirror symmetrically about a desired region of homogeneity. A corresponding apparatus and method is provided for substantially canceling the electromagnetic field outside of the apparatus, comprising a second set of conductive pathways placed outside the first set. 39 figs.

Porous polymeric materials for hydrogen storage

DOEpatents

Yu, Luping [Hoffman Estates, IL; Liu, Di-Jia [Naperville, IL; Yuan, Shengwen [Chicago, IL; Yang, Junbing [Westmont, IL

2011-12-13

Porous polymers, tribenzohexazatriphenylene, poly-9,9'-spirobifluorene, poly-tetraphenyl methane and their derivatives for storage of H.sub.2 prepared through a chemical synthesis method. The porous polymers have high specific surface area and narrow pore size distribution. Hydrogen uptake measurements conducted for these polymers determined a higher hydrogen storage capacity at the ambient temperature over that of the benchmark materials. The method of preparing such polymers, includes oxidatively activating solids by CO.sub.2/steam oxidation and supercritical water treatment.

Porous polymeric materials for hydrogen storage

DOEpatents

Yu, Luping; Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Yang, Junbing

2013-04-02

A porous polymer, poly-9,9'-spirobifluorene and its derivatives for storage of H.sub.2 are prepared through a chemical synthesis method. The porous polymers have high specific surface area and narrow pore size distribution. Hydrogen uptake measurements conducted for these polymers determined a higher hydrogen storage capacity at the ambient temperature over that of the benchmark materials. The method of preparing such polymers, includes oxidatively activating solids by CO.sub.2/steam oxidation and supercritical water treatment.

Semi-automatic for ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R.B.; Smith, J.F.; Lee, S.S.; Li, Y.

1990-02-13

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improved reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet. 9 figs.

Subatmospheric vapor pressures for fluoromethane (R41), 1,1-difluoroethane (R152a), and 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (R143a) evaluated from internal-energy measurements

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

Duarte-Garza, H.A.; Magee, J.W.

1999-09-01

Vapor pressures were evaluated from measured internal-energy changes {Delta}U{sup (2)} in the vapor + liquid two-phase region. The method employed a thermodynamic relationship between the derivative quantity ({partial_derivative}U{sup (2)}/{partial_derivative}V){sub T}, the vapor pressure p{sub {sigma}}, and its temperature derivative ({partial_derivative}p/{partial_derivative}T){sub {sigma}}. This method was applied at temperatures between the triple point and the normal boiling point of three substances: fluoromethane (R41), 1,1-difluoroethane (R152a), and 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (R143a). In the case of R41, vapor pressures up to 1 MPa were calculated to validate the technique at higher pressures. For R152a, the calculated vapor pressure at the triple-point temperature differed from a directmore » experimental measurement by less than the claimed uncertainty (5 Pa) of the measurement. The calculated vapor pressures for R41 helped to resolve discrepancies in several published vapor pressure sources. Agreement with experimentally measured vapor pressures for R152a and for R143a near the normal boiling point (101.325 kPa) was within the experimental uncertainty of approximately 0.04 kPa (0.04%) for the published measurements.« less

Lower Oncogenic Potential of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Cord Blood Compared to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Foroutan, T.; Najmi, M.; Kazemi, N.; Hasanlou, M.; Pedram, A.

2015-01-01

Background: In regenerative medicine, use of each of the mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow, cord blood, and adipose tissue, has several cons and pros. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from cord blood have been considered the best source for precursor transplantation. Direct reprogramming of a somatic cell into induced pluripotent stem cells by over-expression of 6 transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, lin28, Nanog, and c-Myc has great potential for regenerative medicine, eliminating the ethical issues of embryonic stem cells and the rejection problems of using non-autologous cells. Objective: To compare reprogramming and pluripotent markers OCT4, Sox-2, c-Myc, Klf4, Nanog, and lin28 in mesenchymal stem cells derived from cord blood and induced pluripotent stem cells. Methods: We analyzed the expression level of OCT4, Sox-2, c-Myc, Klf4, Nanog and lin28 genes in human mesenchymal stem cells derived from cord blood and induced pluripotent stem cells by cell culture and RT-PCR. Results: The expression level of pluripotent genes OCT4 and Sox-2, Nanog and lin28 in mesenchymal stem cells derived from cord blood were significantly higher than those in induced pluripotent stem cells. In contrast to OCT-4A and Sox-2, Nanog and lin28, the expression level of oncogenic factors c-Myc and Klf4 were significantly higher in induced pluripotent stem cells than in mesenchymal stem cells derived from cord blood. Conclusion: It could be concluded that mesenchymal stem cells derived from human cord blood have lower oncogenic potential compared to induced pluripotent stem cells. PMID:26306155

Efficient generation of integration-free human induced pluripotent stem cells from keratinocytes by simple transfection of episomal vectors.

PubMed

Piao, Yulan; Hung, Sandy Shen-Chi; Lim, Shiang Y; Wong, Raymond Ching-Bong; Ko, Minoru S H

2014-07-01

Keratinocytes represent an easily accessible cell source for derivation of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells, reportedly achieving higher reprogramming efficiency than fibroblasts. However, most studies utilized a retroviral or lentiviral method for reprogramming of keratinocytes, which introduces undesirable transgene integrations into the host genome. Moreover, current protocols of generating integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes are mostly inefficient. In this paper, we describe a more efficient, simple-to-use, and cost-effective method for generating integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes. Our improved method using lipid-mediated transfection achieved a reprogramming efficiency of ∼0.14% on average. Keratinocyte-derived hiPS cells showed no integration of episomal vectors, expressed stem cell-specific markers and possessed potentials to differentiate into all three germ layers by in vitro embryoid body formation as well as in vivo teratoma formation. To our knowledge, this represents the most efficient method to generate integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes. ©AlphaMed Press.

Apparatus and method for pumping hot, erosive slurry of coal solids in coal derived, water immiscible liquid

DOEpatents

Ackerman, Carl D.

1983-03-29

An apparatus for and method of pumping hot, erosive slurry of coal solids in a coal derived, water immiscible liquid to higher pressure involves the use of a motive fluid which is miscible with the liquid of the slurry. The apparatus includes a pump 12, a remote check valve 14 and a chamber 16 between and in fluid communication with the pump 12 and check valve 14 through conduits 18,20. Pump 12 exerts pressure on the motive fluid and thereby on the slurry through a concentration gradient of coal solids within chamber 16 to alternately discharge slurry under pressure from the outlet port of check valve 14 and draw slurry in through the inlet port of check valve 14.

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of azoic dyes based on pyrazolone derivatives catalyzed by an acidic ionic liquid supported on silica-coated magnetite nanoparticle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isaad, Jalal; El Achari, Ahmida

2018-02-01

Novel family of azoic dyes pyrazolone based were prepared by an efficient and rapid methodology through diazotization reaction of different pyrazolone amine derivatives, in the presence of acidic ionic liquid supported on silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles as acidic catalyst at room temperature and under solvent-free conditions. The attractive advantages of the present process include short reaction times, milder and cleaner conditions, higher purity and yields, easy isolation of products, easier work-up procedure and lower generation of waste or pollution. This catalyst was easily separated by an external magnet and the recovered catalyst was reused several times without any significant loss of activity. Therefore, this method provides improved protocol over the existing methods.

Properties of gasification-derived char and its utilization for catalytic tar reforming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Kezhen

Char is a low-value byproduct of biomass gasification and pyrolysis with many potential applications, such as soil amendment and the synthesis of activated carbon. The overall goal of the proposed research was to develop novel methods to use char derived from gasification for high-value applications in syngas conditioning. The first objective was to investigate effects of gasification condition and feedstock on properties of char derived from fluidized bed gasification. Results show that the surface areas of most of the char were 1--10 m 2/g and increased as the equivalence ratio increased. Char moisture and fixed carbon contents decreased while ash content increased as equivalence ratio increased. The next objective was to study the properties of sorghum and red cedar char derived from downdraft gasifier. Red cedar char contained more aliphatic carbon and o-alkyl carbon than sorghum char. Char derived from downdraft gasification had higher heating values and lower ash contents than char derived from fluidized bed gasification. The gasification reactivity of red cedar char was higher than that of sorghum char. Then, red cedar char based catalysts were developed with different preparation method to reform toluene and naphthalene as model tars. The catalyst prepared with nickel nitrate was found to be better than that with nickel acetate. The nickel particle size of catalyst impregnated with nickel nitrate was smaller than that of catalyst impregnated with nickel acetate. The particle size of catalyst impregnated with nickel acetate decreased by hydrazine reduction. The catalyst impregnated with nickel nitrate had the highest toluene removal efficiency, which was 70%--100% at 600--800 °C. The presence of naphthalene in tar reduced the catalyst efficiency. The toluene conversion was 36--99% and the naphthalene conversion was 37%--93% at 700--900 °C. Finally, effects of atmosphere and pressure on catalytic reforming of lignin-derived tars over the developed catalyst were investigated. An increase in reaction temperature led to an increase in removal of most tar components except naphthalene. High pressure promoted the catalytic conditioning of lignin tar. Hydrogen promoted the conversion of lignin into non-condensable gas.

Radiation-reaction force on a small charged body to second order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moxon, Jordan; Flanagan, Éanna

2018-05-01

In classical electrodynamics, an accelerating charged body emits radiation and experiences a corresponding radiation-reaction force, or self-force. We extend to higher order in the total charge a previous rigorous derivation of the electromagnetic self-force in flat spacetime by Gralla, Harte, and Wald. The method introduced by Gralla, Harte, and Wald computes the self-force from the Maxwell field equations and conservation of stress-energy in a limit where the charge, size, and mass of the body go to zero, and it does not require regularization of a singular self-field. For our higher-order computation, an adjustment of the definition of the mass of the body is necessary to avoid including self-energy from the electromagnetic field sourced by the body in the distant past. We derive the evolution equations for the mass, spin, and center-of-mass position of the body through second order. We derive, for the first time, the second-order acceleration dependence of the evolution of the spin (self-torque), as well as a mixing between the extended body effects and the acceleration-dependent effects on the overall body motion.

Measuring Age-Dependent Myocardial Stiffness across the Cardiac Cycle using MR Elastography: A Reproducibility Study

PubMed Central

Wassenaar, Peter A; Eleswarpu, Chethanya N; Schroeder, Samuel A; Mo, Xiaokui; Raterman, Brian D; White, Richard D; Kolipaka, Arunark

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess reproducibility in measuring left ventricular (LV) myocardial stiffness in volunteers throughout the cardiac cycle using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and to determine its correlation with age. Methods Cardiac MRE (CMRE) was performed on 29 normal volunteers, with ages ranging from 21 to 73 years. For assessing reproducibility of CMRE-derived stiffness measurements, scans were repeated per volunteer. Wave images were acquired throughout the LV myocardium, and were analyzed to obtain mean stiffness during the cardiac cycle. CMRE-derived stiffness values were correlated to age. Results Concordance correlation coefficient revealed good inter-scan agreement with rc of 0.77, with p-value<0.0001. Significantly higher myocardial stiffness was observed during end-systole (ES) compared to end-diastole (ED) across all subjects. Additionally, increased deviation between ES and ED stiffness was observed with increased age. Conclusion CMRE-derived stiffness is reproducible, with myocardial stiffness changing cyclically across the cardiac cycle. Stiffness is significantly higher during ES compared to ED. With age, ES myocardial stiffness increases more than ED, giving rise to an increased deviation between the two. PMID:26010456

Ghost-Free Theory with Third-Order Time Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motohashi, Hayato; Suyama, Teruaki; Yamaguchi, Masahide

2018-06-01

As the first step to extend our understanding of higher-derivative theories, within the framework of analytic mechanics of point particles, we construct a ghost-free theory involving third-order time derivatives in Lagrangian. While eliminating linear momentum terms in the Hamiltonian is necessary and sufficient to kill the ghosts associated with higher derivatives for Lagrangian with at most second-order derivatives, we find that this is necessary but not sufficient for the Lagrangian with higher than second-order derivatives. We clarify a set of ghost-free conditions under which we show that the Hamiltonian is bounded, and that equations of motion are reducible into a second-order system.

E-Portfolio Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study of an Instructional Leadership Program's Assessment System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardin, James; Wright, Vivian H.

2017-01-01

Institutions of higher education face demands to provide evidence of institutional and student achievement. Many institutions utilize standards-based e-portfolio assessment practices to meet these demands. The assessment data derived from the studied program's e-portfolio process were not originally intended to serve as a data source for…

Semisynthetic Phenol Derivatives Obtained from Natural Phenols: Antimicrobial Activity and Molecular Properties.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Patrícia Fontes; Menini, Luciana Alves Parreira; Bernardes, Patrícia Campos; Saraiva, Sérgio Henriques; Carneiro, José Walkimar Mesquita; Costa, Adilson Vidal; Arruda, Társila Rodrigues; Lage, Mateus Ribeiro; Gonçalves, Patrícia Martins; Bernardes, Carolina de Oliveira; Alvarenga, Elson Santiago; Menini, Luciano

2018-01-10

Semisynthetic phenol derivatives were obtained from the natural phenols: thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, and guaiacol through catalytic oxychlorination, Williamson synthesis, and aromatic Claisen rearrangement. The compounds characterization was carried out by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and mass spectrometry. The natural phenols and their semisynthetic derivatives were tested for their antimicrobial activity against the bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica, and Bacillus cereus. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were determined using concentrations from 220 to 3.44 μg mL -1 . Most of the tested compounds presented MIC values ≤220 μg mL -1 for all the bacteria used in the assays. The molecular properties of the compounds were computed with the PM6 method. Through principle components analysis, the natural phenols and their semisynthetic derivatives with higher antimicrobial potential were grouped.

A new family of high-order compact upwind difference schemes with good spectral resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qiang; Yao, Zhaohui; He, Feng; Shen, M. Y.

2007-12-01

This paper presents a new family of high-order compact upwind difference schemes. Unknowns included in the proposed schemes are not only the values of the function but also those of its first and higher derivatives. Derivative terms in the schemes appear only on the upwind side of the stencil. One can calculate all the first derivatives exactly as one solves explicit schemes when the boundary conditions of the problem are non-periodic. When the proposed schemes are applied to periodic problems, only periodic bi-diagonal matrix inversions or periodic block-bi-diagonal matrix inversions are required. Resolution optimization is used to enhance the spectral representation of the first derivative, and this produces a scheme with the highest spectral accuracy among all known compact schemes. For non-periodic boundary conditions, boundary schemes constructed in virtue of the assistant scheme make the schemes not only possess stability for any selective length scale on every point in the computational domain but also satisfy the principle of optimal resolution. Also, an improved shock-capturing method is developed. Finally, both the effectiveness of the new hybrid method and the accuracy of the proposed schemes are verified by executing four benchmark test cases.

Productive vs non-productive infection by cell-free Varicella zoster virus of human neurons derived from embryonic stem cells is dependent upon infectious viral dose

PubMed Central

Sloutskin, Anna; Kinchington, Paul R.; Goldstein, Ronald S.

2013-01-01

Varicella Zoster virus (VZV) productively infects humans causing varicella upon primary infection and herpes zoster upon reactivation from latency in neurons. In-vitro studies using cell-associated VZV infection have demonstrated productive VZV-infection, while a few recent studies of human neurons derived from stem cells incubated with cell-free, vaccine-derived VZV did not result in generation of infectious virus. In the present study, 90%-pure human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons were incubated with recombinant cell-free pOka-derived made with an improved method or with VZV vaccine. We found that cell-free pOka and vOka at higher multiplicities of infection elicited productive infection in neurons followed by spread of infection, cytopathic effect and release of infectious virus into the medium. These results further validate the use of this unlimited source of human neurons for studying unexplored aspects of VZV interaction with neurons such as entry, latency and reactivation. PMID:23769240

High-order flux correction/finite difference schemes for strand grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Aaron; Work, Dalon

2015-02-01

A novel high-order method combining unstructured flux correction along body surfaces and high-order finite differences normal to surfaces is formulated for unsteady viscous flows on strand grids. The flux correction algorithm is applied in each unstructured layer of the strand grid, and the layers are then coupled together via a source term containing derivatives in the strand direction. Strand-direction derivatives are approximated to high-order via summation-by-parts operators for first derivatives and second derivatives with variable coefficients. We show how this procedure allows for the proper truncation error canceling properties required for the flux correction scheme. The resulting scheme possesses third-order design accuracy, but often exhibits fourth-order accuracy when higher-order derivatives are employed in the strand direction, especially for highly viscous flows. We prove discrete conservation for the new scheme and time stability in the absence of the flux correction terms. Results in two dimensions are presented that demonstrate improvements in accuracy with minimal computational and algorithmic overhead over traditional second-order algorithms.

Asymptotic safety of higher derivative quantum gravity non-minimally coupled with a matter system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, Yuta; Yamada, Masatoshi

2017-08-01

We study asymptotic safety of models of the higher derivative quantum gravity with and without matter. The beta functions are derived by utilizing the functional renormalization group, and non-trivial fixed points are found. It turns out that all couplings in gravity sector, namely the cosmological constant, the Newton constant, and the R 2 and R μν 2 coupling constants, are relevant in case of higher derivative pure gravity. For the Higgs-Yukawa model non-minimal coupled with higher derivative gravity, we find a stable fixed point at which the scalar-quartic and the Yukawa coupling constants become relevant. The relevant Yukawa coupling is crucial to realize the finite value of the Yukawa coupling constants in the standard model.

Extension of the method of moments for population balances involving fractional moments and application to a typical agglomeration problem.

PubMed

Alexiadis, Alessio; Vanni, Marco; Gardin, Pascal

2004-08-01

The method of moment (MOM) is a powerful tool for solving population balance. Nevertheless it cannot be used in every circumstance. Sometimes, in fact, it is not possible to write the governing equations in closed form. Higher moments, for instance, could appear in the evolution of the lower ones. This obstacle has often been resolved by prescribing some functional form for the particle size distribution. Another example is the occurrence of fractional moment, usually connected with the presence of fractal aggregates. For this case we propose a procedure that does not need any assumption on the form of the distribution but it is based on the "moments generating function" (that is the Laplace transform of the distribution). An important result of probability theory is that the kth derivative of the moments generating function represents the kth moment of the original distribution. This result concerns integer moments but, taking in account the Weyl fractional derivative, could be extended to fractional orders. Approximating fractional derivative makes it possible to express the fractional moments in terms of the integer ones and so to use regularly the method of moments.

Synergies from using higher order symplectic decompositions both for ordinary differential equations and quantum Monte Carlo methods

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

Matuttis, Hans-Georg; Wang, Xiaoxing

Decomposition methods of the Suzuki-Trotter type of various orders have been derived in different fields. Applying them both to classical ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and quantum systems allows to judge their effectiveness and gives new insights for many body quantum mechanics where reference data are scarce. Further, based on data for 6 × 6 system we conclude that sampling with sign (minus-sign problem) is probably detrimental to the accuracy of fermionic simulations with determinant algorithms.

Hydrodynamics beyond Navier-Stokes: exact solution to the lattice Boltzmann hierarchy.

PubMed

Ansumali, S; Karlin, I V; Arcidiacono, S; Abbas, A; Prasianakis, N I

2007-03-23

The exact solution to the hierarchy of nonlinear lattice Boltzmann (LB) kinetic equations in the stationary planar Couette flow is found at nonvanishing Knudsen numbers. A new method of solving LB kinetic equations which combines the method of moments with boundary conditions for populations enables us to derive closed-form solutions for all higher-order moments. A convergence of results suggests that the LB hierarchy with larger velocity sets is the novel way to approximate kinetic theory.

Preceptor use of classroom assessment techniques to stimulate higher-order thinking in the clinical setting.

PubMed

Davidson, Judy E

2009-03-01

The purpose of this article is to provide examples of learning activities to be used as formative (interim) evaluation of an in-hospital orientation or cross-training program. Examples are provided in the form of vignettes that have been derived from strategies described in the literature as classroom assessment techniques. Although these classroom assessment techniques were originally designed for classroom experiences, they are proposed as methods for preceptors to stimulate the development of higher-order thinking such as synthesizing information, solving problems, and learning how to learn.

A relation between deformed superspace and Lee-Wick higher-derivative theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, M.; Ferrari, A. F.; Palechor, C. A.; Senise, C. R., Jr.

2015-07-01

We propose a non-anticommutative superspace that relates to the Lee-Wick type of higher-derivative theories, which are known for their interesting properties and have led to proposals of phenomenologically viable higher-derivative extensions of the Standard Model. The deformation of superspace we consider does not preserve supersymmetry or associativity in general, but, we show that a non-anticommutative version of the Wess-Zumino model can be properly defined. In fact, the definition of chiral and antichiral superfields turns out to be simpler in our case than in the well known N=1/2 supersymmetric case. We show that when the theory is truncated at the first nontrivial order in the deformation parameter, supersymmetry is restored, and we end up with a well-known Lee-Wick type of higher-derivative extension of the Wess-Zumino model. Thus, we show how non-anticommutativity could provide an alternative mechanism for generating these higher-derivative theories.

Three-dimensional image technology in forensic anthropology: Assessing the validity of biological profiles derived from CT-3D images of the skeleton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia de Leon Valenzuela, Maria Julia

This project explores the reliability of building a biological profile for an unknown individual based on three-dimensional (3D) images of the individual's skeleton. 3D imaging technology has been widely researched for medical and engineering applications, and it is increasingly being used as a tool for anthropological inquiry. While the question of whether a biological profile can be derived from 3D images of a skeleton with the same accuracy as achieved when using dry bones has been explored, bigger sample sizes, a standardized scanning protocol and more interobserver error data are needed before 3D methods can become widely and confidently used in forensic anthropology. 3D images of Computed Tomography (CT) scans were obtained from 130 innominate bones from Boston University's skeletal collection (School of Medicine). For each bone, both 3D images and original bones were assessed using the Phenice and Suchey-Brooks methods. Statistical analysis was used to determine the agreement between 3D image assessment versus traditional assessment. A pool of six individuals with varying experience in the field of forensic anthropology scored a subsample (n = 20) to explore interobserver error. While a high agreement was found for age and sex estimation for specimens scored by the author, the interobserver study shows that observers found it difficult to apply standard methods to 3D images. Higher levels of experience did not result in higher agreement between observers, as would be expected. Thus, a need for training in 3D visualization before applying anthropological methods to 3D bones is suggested. Future research should explore interobserver error using a larger sample size in order to test the hypothesis that training in 3D visualization will result in a higher agreement between scores. The need for the development of a standard scanning protocol focusing on the optimization of 3D image resolution is highlighted. Applications for this research include the possibility of digitizing skeletal collections in order to expand their use and for deriving skeletal collections from living populations and creating population-specific standards. Further research for the development of a standard scanning and processing protocol is needed before 3D methods in forensic anthropology are considered as reliable tools for generating biological profiles.

Dietary patterns derived with multiple methods from food diaries and breast cancer risk in the UK Dietary Cohort Consortium

PubMed Central

Pot, Gerda K; Stephen, Alison M; Dahm, Christina C; Key, Timothy J; Cairns, Benjamin J; Burley, Victoria J; Cade, Janet E; Greenwood, Darren C; Keogh, Ruth H; Bhaniani, Amit; McTaggart, Alison; Lentjes, Marleen AH; Mishra, Gita; Brunner, Eric J; Khaw, Kay Tee

2015-01-01

Background/ Objectives In spite of several studies relating dietary patterns to breast cancer risk, evidence so far remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate associations of dietary patterns derived with three different methods with breast cancer risk. Subjects/ Methods The Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), principal components analyses (PCA) and reduced rank regression (RRR) were used to derive dietary patterns in a case-control study of 610 breast cancer cases and 1891 matched controls within 4 UK cohort studies. Dietary intakes were collected prospectively using 4-to 7-day food diaries and resulting food consumption data were grouped into 42 food groups. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for associations between pattern scores and breast cancer risk adjusting for relevant covariates. A separate model was fitted for post-menopausal women only. Results The MDS was not associated with breast cancer risk (OR comparing 1st tertile with 3rd 1.20 (95% CI 0.92; 1.56)), nor the first PCA-derived dietary pattern, explaining 2.7% of variation of diet and characterized by cheese, crisps and savoury snacks, legumes, nuts and seeds (OR 1.18 (95% CI 0.91; 1.53)). The first RRR-derived pattern, a ‘high-alcohol’ pattern, was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.00; 1.62), which was most pronounced in post-menopausal women (OR 1.46 (95% CI 1.08; 1.98). Conclusions A ‘high-alcohol’ dietary pattern derived with RRR was associated with an increased breast cancer risk; no evidence of associations of other dietary patterns with breast cancer risk was observed in this study. PMID:25052230

Vibration of initially stressed carbon nanotubes under magneto-thermal environment for nanoparticle delivery via higher-order nonlocal strain gradient theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farajpour, M. R.; Shahidi, A. R.; Tabataba'i-Nasab, F.; Farajpour, A.

2018-06-01

In this paper, the forced vibration of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) under a moving nanoparticle is investigated based on the higher-order nonlocal strain gradient theory. The SWCNT is subjected to thermo-mechanical stresses and an external longitudinal magnetic field. The influences of higher-order stress gradients in conjunction with the strain gradient nonlocality are taken into account. Using Hamilton's principle and Maxwell's equations, the higher-order differential equations of motion are derived. An analytical solution is obtained for the dynamic deflection of SWCNTs using the Galerkin method. Furthermore, the governing differential equation is solved numerically using the precise integration method. The results of the two solution procedures are compared and an excellent agreement is found between them. Finally, the influences of various scale parameters, the velocity of the moving nanoparticle, the initial axial stress, the temperature change and longitudinal magnetic field on the dynamic response of SWCNTs are investigated.

Phospholipid-derived fatty acids and quinones as markers for bacterial biomass and community structure in marine sediments.

PubMed

Kunihiro, Tadao; Veuger, Bart; Vasquez-Cardenas, Diana; Pozzato, Lara; Le Guitton, Marie; Moriya, Kazuyoshi; Kuwae, Michinobu; Omori, Koji; Boschker, Henricus T S; van Oevelen, Dick

2014-01-01

Phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) and respiratory quinones (RQ) are microbial compounds that have been utilized as biomarkers to quantify bacterial biomass and to characterize microbial community structure in sediments, waters, and soils. While PLFAs have been widely used as quantitative bacterial biomarkers in marine sediments, applications of quinone analysis in marine sediments are very limited. In this study, we investigated the relation between both groups of bacterial biomarkers in a broad range of marine sediments from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. We found a good log-log correlation between concentrations of bacterial PLFA and RQ over several orders of magnitude. This relationship is probably due to metabolic variation in quinone concentrations in bacterial cells in different environments, whereas PLFA concentrations are relatively stable under different conditions. We also found a good agreement in the community structure classifications based on the bacterial PLFAs and RQs. These results strengthen the application of both compounds as quantitative bacterial biomarkers. Moreover, the bacterial PLFA- and RQ profiles revealed a comparable dissimilarity pattern of the sampled sediments, but with a higher level of dissimilarity for the RQs. This means that the quinone method has a higher resolution for resolving differences in bacterial community composition. Combining PLFA and quinone analysis as a complementary method is a good strategy to yield higher resolving power in bacterial community structure.

Horseradish-Peroxidase-Catalyzed Tyrosine Click Reaction.

PubMed

Sato, Shinichi; Nakamura, Kosuke; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

2017-03-02

The efficiency of protein chemical modification on tyrosine residues with N-methylluminol derivatives was drastically improved by using horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the previous method, based on the use of hemin and H 2 O 2 , oxidative side reactions such as cysteine oxidation were problematic for functionalization of proteins selectively on tyrosine residues. Oxidative activation of N-methylluminol derivatives with a minimum amount of H 2 O 2 prevented the occurrence of oxidative side reactions under HRP-catalyzed conditions. As probes for HRP-catalyzed protein modification, N-methylluminol derivatives showed much higher efficiency than tyramide without inducing oligomerization of probe molecules. Tyrosine modification also proceeded in the presence of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH, H 2 O 2 -free conditions). © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Host-guest chemistry of cyclodextrin carbamates and cellulose derivatives in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Guo, Xin; Jia, Xiangxiang; Du, Jiaojiao; Xiao, Longqiang; Li, Feifei; Liao, Liqiong; Liu, Lijian

2013-10-15

Supramolecular polymer micelles were prepared on basis of the inclusion complexation between cyclodextrin carbamates and cellulose derivatives in aqueous media. Cyclodextrin carbamates were synthesized by microwave-assisted method from cyclodextrin and urea. The urea modified cyclodextrin shows the higher yield than the physical mixture of urea/cyclodextrin in the micellization with cellulose derivatives. The supramolecular structure of the core-shell micelles was demonstrated by (1)H NMR spectra, TEM images, and fluorescence spectra. The drug release behavior of the supramolecular polymer micelles was evaluated using prednisone acetate as a model drug. The drug loaded micelles showed steady and long time drug release behavior. With these properties, the supramolecular polymer micelles are attractive as drug carriers for pharmaceutical applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond velocity and acceleration: jerk, snap and higher derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eager, David; Pendrill, Ann-Marie; Reistad, Nina

2016-11-01

The higher derivatives of motion are rarely discussed in the teaching of classical mechanics of rigid bodies; nevertheless, we experience the effect not only of acceleration, but also of jerk and snap. In this paper we will discuss the third and higher order derivatives of displacement with respect to time, using the trampolines and theme park roller coasters to illustrate this concept. We will also discuss the effects on the human body of different types of acceleration, jerk, snap and higher derivatives, and how they can be used in physics education to further enhance the learning and thus the understanding of classical mechanics concepts.

A Mixed-Methods Examination of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Overweight and Obese South Asian Men Living in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Emadian, Amir; Thompson, Janice

2017-03-27

South Asian men living in the UK have higher rates of central obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) compared with their white British counterparts. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) are important risk factors for the development of T2DM. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure PA, ST, and to explore the factors influencing these behaviours in this high-risk population. A mixed-methods cross-sectional research design was employed, including the quantification of PA and ST using the self-report International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-long form and accelerometry in overweight and obese UK South Asian men (n = 54), followed by semi-structured interviews in a purposive sub-sample to explore the factors influencing PA and ST (n = 31). Accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were 298.9 ± 186.6 min/week and 551.4 ± 95.0 min/day, respectively. IPAQ-derived MVPA was significantly lower than accelerometer-derived MVPA (p < 0.001). IPAQ-derived ST was significantly higher than accelerometer-derived ST (p < 0.001). Lack of time and family commitments were identified as the main barriers to being more physically active, with group exercise identified as an important facilitator to being more active. A cultural norm of focusing on promoting education over sport participation during childhood was identified as an important factor influencing long-term PA behaviours. Work commitments and predominantly sedentary jobs were identified as the main barriers to reducing ST. Healthcare professionals and researchers need to consider the socio-cultural factors which affect PA engagement in overweight and obese South Asian men living in the UK, to ensure that advice and future interventions are tailored to address the needs of this population.

A Mixed-Methods Examination of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Overweight and Obese South Asian Men Living in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Emadian, Amir; Thompson, Janice L.

2017-01-01

South Asian men living in the UK have higher rates of central obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) compared with their white British counterparts. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) are important risk factors for the development of T2DM. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure PA, ST, and to explore the factors influencing these behaviours in this high-risk population. A mixed-methods cross-sectional research design was employed, including the quantification of PA and ST using the self-report International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-long form and accelerometry in overweight and obese UK South Asian men (n = 54), followed by semi-structured interviews in a purposive sub-sample to explore the factors influencing PA and ST (n = 31). Accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were 298.9 ± 186.6 min/week and 551.4 ± 95.0 min/day, respectively. IPAQ-derived MVPA was significantly lower than accelerometer-derived MVPA (p < 0.001). IPAQ-derived ST was significantly higher than accelerometer-derived ST (p < 0.001). Lack of time and family commitments were identified as the main barriers to being more physically active, with group exercise identified as an important facilitator to being more active. A cultural norm of focusing on promoting education over sport participation during childhood was identified as an important factor influencing long-term PA behaviours. Work commitments and predominantly sedentary jobs were identified as the main barriers to reducing ST. Healthcare professionals and researchers need to consider the socio-cultural factors which affect PA engagement in overweight and obese South Asian men living in the UK, to ensure that advice and future interventions are tailored to address the needs of this population. PMID:28346386

Conditioning biomass for microbial growth

DOEpatents

Bodie, Elizabeth A; England, George

2015-03-31

The present invention relates to methods for improving the yield of microbial processes that use lignocellulose biomass as a nutrient source. The methods comprise conditioning a composition comprising lignocellulose biomass with an enzyme composition that comprises a phenol oxidizing enzyme. The conditioned composition can support a higher rate of growth of microorganisms in a process. In one embodiment, a laccase composition is used to condition lignocellulose biomass derived from non-woody plants, such as corn and sugar cane. The invention also encompasses methods for culturing microorganisms that are sensitive to inhibitory compounds in lignocellulose biomass. The invention further provides methods of making a product by culturing the production microorganisms in conditioned lignocellulose biomass.

Systematic evaluation and optimization of modification reactions of oligonucleotides with amines and carboxylic acids for the synthesis of DNA-encoded chemical libraries.

PubMed

Franzini, Raphael M; Samain, Florent; Abd Elrahman, Maaly; Mikutis, Gediminas; Nauer, Angela; Zimmermann, Mauro; Scheuermann, Jörg; Hall, Jonathan; Neri, Dario

2014-08-20

DNA-encoded chemical libraries are collections of small molecules, attached to DNA fragments serving as identification barcodes, which can be screened against multiple protein targets, thus facilitating the drug discovery process. The preparation of large DNA-encoded chemical libraries crucially depends on the availability of robust synthetic methods, which enable the efficient conjugation to oligonucleotides of structurally diverse building blocks, sharing a common reactive group. Reactions of DNA derivatives with amines and/or carboxylic acids are particularly attractive for the synthesis of encoded libraries, in view of the very large number of building blocks that are commercially available. However, systematic studies on these reactions in the presence of DNA have not been reported so far. We first investigated conditions for the coupling of primary amines to oligonucleotides, using either a nucleophilic attack on chloroacetamide derivatives or a reductive amination on aldehyde-modified DNA. While both methods could be used for the production of secondary amines, the reductive amination approach was generally associated with higher yields and better purity. In a second endeavor, we optimized conditions for the coupling of a diverse set of 501 carboxylic acids to DNA derivatives, carrying primary and secondary amine functions. The coupling efficiency was generally higher for primary amines, compared to secondary amine substituents, but varied considerably depending on the structure of the acids and on the synthetic methods used. Optimal reaction conditions could be found for certain sets of compounds (with conversions >80%), but multiple reaction schemes are needed when assembling large libraries with highly diverse building blocks. The reactions and experimental conditions presented in this article should facilitate the synthesis of future DNA-encoded chemical libraries, while outlining the synthetic challenges that remain to be overcome.

Generating relevant kinetic Monte Carlo catalogs using temperature accelerated dynamics with control over the accuracy

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

Chatterjee, Abhijit; Voter, Arthur

2009-01-01

We develop a variation of the temperature accelerated dynamics (TAD) method, called the p-TAD method, that efficiently generates an on-the-fly kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) process catalog with control over the accuracy of the catalog. It is assumed that transition state theory is valid. The p-TAD method guarantees that processes relevant at the timescales of interest to the simulation are present in the catalog with a chosen confidence. A confidence measure associated with the process catalog is derived. The dynamics is then studied using the process catalog with the KMC method. Effective accuracy of a p-TAD calculation is derived when amore » KMC catalog is reused for conditions different from those the catalog was originally generated for. Different KMC catalog generation strategies that exploit the features of the p-TAD method and ensure higher accuracy and/or computational efficiency are presented. The accuracy and the computational requirements of the p-TAD method are assessed. Comparisons to the original TAD method are made. As an example, we study dynamics in sub-monolayer Ag/Cu(110) at the time scale of seconds using the p-TAD method. It is demonstrated that the p-TAD method overcomes several challenges plaguing the conventional KMC method.« less

Optimized AVHRR land surface temperature downscaling method for local scale observations: case study for the coastal area of the Gulf of Gdańsk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chybicki, Andrzej; Łubniewski, Zbigniew

2017-09-01

Satellite imaging systems have known limitations regarding their spatial and temporal resolution. The approaches based on subpixel mapping of the Earth's environment, which rely on combining the data retrieved from sensors of higher temporal and lower spatial resolution with the data characterized by lower temporal but higher spatial resolution, are of considerable interest. The paper presents the downscaling process of the land surface temperature (LST) derived from low resolution imagery acquired by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), using the inverse technique. The effective emissivity derived from another data source is used as a quantity describing thermal properties of the terrain in higher resolution, and allows the downsampling of low spatial resolution LST images. The authors propose an optimized downscaling method formulated as the inverse problem and show that the proposed approach yields better results than the use of other downsampling methods. The proposed method aims to find estimation of high spatial resolution LST data by minimizing the global error of the downscaling. In particular, for the investigated region of the Gulf of Gdansk, the RMSE between the AVHRR image downscaled by the proposed method and the Landsat 8 LST reference image was 2.255°C with correlation coefficient R equal to 0.828 and Bias = 0.557°C. For comparison, using the PBIM method, it was obtained RMSE = 2.832°C, R = 0.775 and Bias = 0.997°C for the same satellite scene. It also has been shown that the obtained results are also good in local scale and can be used for areas much smaller than the entire satellite imagery scene, depicting diverse biophysical conditions. Specifically, for the analyzed set of small sub-datasets of the whole scene, the obtained RSME between the downscaled and reference image was smaller, by approx. 0.53°C on average, in the case of applying the proposed method than in the case of using the PBIM method.

Extension of local-type inequality for the higher order correlation functions

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

Suyama, Teruaki; Yokoyama, Shuichiro, E-mail: suyama@resceu.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: shu@a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp

2011-07-01

For the local-type primordial perturbation, it is known that there is an inequality between the bispectrum and the trispectrum. By using the diagrammatic method, we develop a general formalism to systematically construct the similar inequalities up to any order correlation function. As an application, we explicitly derive all the inequalities up to six and eight-point functions.

TGF-β2, a Protective Intestinal Cytokine, Is Abundant in Maternal Human Milk and Human-Derived Fortifiers but Not in Donor Human Milk

PubMed Central

Reeves, Aaron A.; Johnson, Marney C.; Vasquez, Margarita M.; Maheshwari, Akhil

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective: This study compared cytokines (in particular transforming growth factor [TGF]-β2) and lactoferrin in maternal human milk (MHM), human-derived milk fortifier (HDMF), and donor human milk (DHM). Materials and Methods: MHM was randomly collected from breastfeeding mothers who had no infectious illness at the time of milk expression. HDMF and DHM were products derived from human milk processed by Holder pasteurization. MHM samples were collected at different times (early/late) and gestations (preterm/term). Lactoferrin was analyzed by western blotting, and cytokines were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Significance was determined using analysis of variance. Results: In the 164 samples analyzed, TGF-β2 concentrations in HDMF and preterm MHM (at all collection times) were fivefold higher than in DHM (p<0.05). Early preterm MHM had levels of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-18, 11-fold higher than DHM (p<0.05). IL-6 in DHM was 0.3% of the content found in MHM. IL-18 was fourfold higher in early MHM versus late MHM regardless of gestational age (p<0.05). Lactoferrin concentration in DHM was 6% of that found in MHM. Conclusions: Pasteurization decreases concentrations of most cytokines and lactoferrin in DHM. TGF-β2, a protective intestinal cytokine, has comparable concentrations in HDMF to MHM despite pasteurization. PMID:23869537

A higher order numerical method for time fractional partial differential equations with nonsmooth data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yanyuan; Yan, Yubin

2018-03-01

Gao et al. [11] (2014) introduced a numerical scheme to approximate the Caputo fractional derivative with the convergence rate O (k 3 - α), 0 < α < 1 by directly approximating the integer-order derivative with some finite difference quotients in the definition of the Caputo fractional derivative, see also Lv and Xu [20] (2016), where k is the time step size. Under the assumption that the solution of the time fractional partial differential equation is sufficiently smooth, Lv and Xu [20] (2016) proved by using energy method that the corresponding numerical method for solving time fractional partial differential equation has the convergence rate O (k 3 - α), 0 < α < 1 uniformly with respect to the time variable t. However, in general the solution of the time fractional partial differential equation has low regularity and in this case the numerical method fails to have the convergence rate O (k 3 - α), 0 < α < 1 uniformly with respect to the time variable t. In this paper, we first obtain a similar approximation scheme to the Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative with the convergence rate O (k 3 - α), 0 < α < 1 as in Gao et al. [11] (2014) by approximating the Hadamard finite-part integral with the piecewise quadratic interpolation polynomials. Based on this scheme, we introduce a time discretization scheme to approximate the time fractional partial differential equation and show by using Laplace transform methods that the time discretization scheme has the convergence rate O (k 3 - α), 0 < α < 1 for any fixed tn > 0 for smooth and nonsmooth data in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous cases. Numerical examples are given to show that the theoretical results are consistent with the numerical results.

Testing the application of Teflon/quartz soil solution samplers for DOM sampling in the Critical Zone: Field and laboratory approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolan, E. M.; Perdrial, J. N.; Vazquez, A.; Hernández, S.; Chorover, J.

2010-12-01

Elizabeth Dolan1,2, Julia Perdrial3, Angélica Vázquez-Ortega3, Selene Hernández-Ruiz3, Jon Chorover3 1Deptartment of Soil, Environmental, and Atmospheric Science, University of Missouri. 2Biosphere 2, University of Arizona. 3Deptartment of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, University of Arizona. Abstract: The behavior of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil is important to many biogeochemical processes. Extraction methods to obtain DOM from the unsaturated zone remain a current focus of research as different methods can influence the type and concentration of DOM obtained. Thus, the present comparison study involves three methods for soil solution sampling to assess their impact on DOM quantity and quality: 1) aqueous soil extracts, 2) solution yielded from laboratory installed suction cup samplers and 3) solutions from field installed suction cup samplers. All samples were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations. Moreover, DOM quality was analyzed using fluorescence, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopies. Results indicate higher DOC values for laboratory extracted DOM: 20 mg/L for aqueous soil extracts and 31 mg/L for lab installed samplers compared to 12 mg/L for field installed samplers. Large variations in C/N ratios were also observed ranging from 1.5 in laboratory extracted DOM to 11 in field samples. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices of DOM solutions obtained for the laboratory extraction methods showed higher intensities in regions typical for fulvic and humic acid-like materials relative to those extracted in the field. Similarly, the molar absorptivity calculated from DOC concentration normalization of UV-Vis absorbance of the laboratory-derived solutions was significantly higher as well, indicating greater aromaticity. The observed differences can be attributed to soil disturbance associated with obtaining laboratory derived solution samples. Our results indicate that laboratory extraction methods are not comparable to in-situ field soil solution extraction in terms of DOM.

Development of T m -shift genotyping method for detection of cat-derived Giardia lamblia.

PubMed

Pan, Weida; Fu, Yeqi; Abdullahi, Auwalu Yusuf; Wang, Mingwei; Shi, Xianli; Yang, Fang; Yu, Xingang; Yan, Xinxin; Zhang, Pan; Hang, Jianxiong; Li, Guoqing

2017-04-01

To develop T m -shift genotyping method for detection of cat-derived Giardia lamblia, two sets of primers with two GC-rich tails of unequal length attached to their 5'-end were designed according to two SNPs (BG434 and BG170) of β-giardin (bg) gene, and specific PCR products were identified by inspection of a melting curve on real-time PCR thermocycler. A series of experiments on the stability, sensitivity, and accuracy of T m -shift method was tested, and clinical samples were also detected. The results showed that two sets of primers based on SNP could distinguish accurately between assemblages A and F. Coefficient of variation of T m values of assemblage A and F was 0.14 and 0.07% in BG434 and 0.10 and 0.11% in BG170, respectively. The lowest detection concentration was 4.52 × 10 -5 and 4.88 × 10 -5  ng/μL samples of assemblage A and F standard plasmids. The T m -shift genotyping results of ten DNA samples from the cat-derived G. lamblia were consistent with their known genotypes. The detection rate of clinical samples by T m -shift was higher than that by microscopy, and their genotyping results were in complete accordance with sequencing results. It is concluded that the T m -shift genotyping method is rapid, specific, and sensitive and may provide a new technological mean for molecular detection and epidemiological investigation of the cat-derived G. lamblia.

Performance of local optimization in single-plane fluoroscopic analysis for total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Prins, A H; Kaptein, B L; Stoel, B C; Lahaye, D J P; Valstar, E R

2015-11-05

Fluoroscopy-derived joint kinematics plays an important role in the evaluation of knee prostheses. Fluoroscopic analysis requires estimation of the 3D prosthesis pose from its 2D silhouette in the fluoroscopic image, by optimizing a dissimilarity measure. Currently, extensive user-interaction is needed, which makes analysis labor-intensive and operator-dependent. The aim of this study was to review five optimization methods for 3D pose estimation and to assess their performance in finding the correct solution. Two derivative-free optimizers (DHSAnn and IIPM) and three gradient-based optimizers (LevMar, DoNLP2 and IpOpt) were evaluated. For the latter three optimizers two different implementations were evaluated: one with a numerically approximated gradient and one with an analytically derived gradient for computational efficiency. On phantom data, all methods were able to find the 3D pose within 1mm and 1° in more than 85% of cases. IpOpt had the highest success-rate: 97%. On clinical data, the success rates were higher than 85% for the in-plane positions, but not for the rotations. IpOpt was the most expensive method and the application of an analytically derived gradients accelerated the gradient-based methods by a factor 3-4 without any differences in success rate. In conclusion, 85% of the frames can be analyzed automatically in clinical data and only 15% of the frames require manual supervision. The optimal success-rate on phantom data (97% with IpOpt) on phantom data indicates that even less supervision may become feasible. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generalized Lie symmetry approach for fractional order systems of differential equations. III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singla, Komal; Gupta, R. K.

2017-06-01

The generalized Lie symmetry technique is proposed for the derivation of point symmetries for systems of fractional differential equations with an arbitrary number of independent as well as dependent variables. The efficiency of the method is illustrated by its application to three higher dimensional nonlinear systems of fractional order partial differential equations consisting of the (2 + 1)-dimensional asymmetric Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov system, (3 + 1)-dimensional Burgers system, and (3 + 1)-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. With the help of derived Lie point symmetries, the corresponding invariant solutions transform each of the considered systems into a system of lower-dimensional fractional partial differential equations.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives at room temperature using recyclable alumina-supported heteropolyoxometalates.

PubMed

Ruiz, Diego M; Autino, Juan C; Quaranta, Nancy; Vázquez, Patricia G; Romanelli, Gustavo P

2012-01-01

We report a suitable quinoxaline synthesis using molybdophosphovanadates supported on commercial alumina cylinders as catalysts. These catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. The catalytic test was performed under different reaction conditions in order to know the performance of the synthesized catalysts. The method shows high yields of quinoxaline derivatives under heterogeneous conditions. Quinoxaline formation was obtained using benzyl, o-phenylenediamine, and toluene as reaction solvent at room temperature. The CuH(2)PMo(11)VO(40) supported on alumina showed higher activity in the tested reaction. Finally, various quinoxalines were prepared under mild conditions and with excellent yields.

A robust direct-integration method for rotorcraft maneuver and periodic response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Brahmananda

1992-01-01

The Newmark-Beta method and the Newton-Raphson iteration scheme are combined to develop a direct-integration method for evaluating the maneuver and periodic-response expressions for rotorcraft. The method requires the generation of Jacobians and includes higher derivatives in the formulation of the geometric stiffness matrix to enhance the convergence of the system. The method leads to effective convergence with nonlinear structural dynamics and aerodynamic terms. Singularities in the matrices can be addressed with the method as they arise from a Lagrange multiplier approach for coupling equations with nonlinear constraints. The method is also shown to be general enough to handle singularities from quasisteady control-system models. The method is shown to be more general and robust than the similar 2GCHAS method for analyzing rotorcraft dynamics.

Assessment of higher order structure comparability in therapeutic proteins using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Amezcua, Carlos A; Szabo, Christina M

2013-06-01

In this work, we applied nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to rapidly assess higher order structure (HOS) comparability in protein samples. Using a variation of the NMR fingerprinting approach described by Panjwani et al. [2010. J Pharm Sci 99(8):3334-3342], three nonglycosylated proteins spanning a molecular weight range of 6.5-67 kDa were analyzed. A simple statistical method termed easy comparability of HOS by NMR (ECHOS-NMR) was developed. In this method, HOS similarity between two samples is measured via the correlation coefficient derived from linear regression analysis of binned NMR spectra. Applications of this method include HOS comparability assessment during new product development, manufacturing process changes, supplier changes, next-generation products, and the development of biosimilars to name just a few. We foresee ECHOS-NMR becoming a routine technique applied to comparability exercises used to complement data from other analytical techniques. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Tremaine-Weinberg Method for Pattern Speeds Using Hα Emission from Ionized Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckman, J. E.; Fathi, K.; Piñol, N.; Toonen, S.; Hernandez, O.; Carignan, C.

2008-10-01

The Fabry-Perot interferometer FaNTOmM was used at the 3.6-m CFHT and the 1.6-m Mont Mégantic Telescope to obtain data cubes in Hα of 9 nearby spiral galaxies from which maps in integrated intensity, velocity, and velocity dispersion were derived. We then applied the Tremaine-Weinberg method, in which the pattern speed can be deduced from its velocity field, by finding the integrated value of the mean velocity along a slit parallel to the major axis weighted by the intensity and divided by the weighted mean distance of the velocity points from the tangent point measured along the slit. The measured variables can be used either to make separate calculations of the pattern speed and derive a mean, or in a plot of one against the other for all the points on all slits, from which a best fit value can be derived. Linear fits were found for all the galaxies in the sample. For two galaxies a clearly separate inner pattern speed with a higher value, was also identified and measured.

Transplantation of Human Chorion-Derived Cholinergic Progenitor Cells: a Novel Treatment for Neurological Disorders.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Alireza; Maleki-Jamshid, Ali; Sanooghi, Davood; Milan, Peiman Brouki; Rahmani, Arash; Sefat, Farshid; Shahpasand, Koorosh; Soleimani, Mansoureh; Bakhtiari, Mehrdad; Belali, Rafie; Faghihi, Faezeh; Joghataei, Mohammad Taghi; Perry, George; Mozafari, Masoud

2018-03-16

A neurological disorder is any disorder or abnormality in the nervous system. Among different neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is recognized as the sixth leading cause of death globally. Considerable research has been conducted to find pioneer treatments for this devastating disorder among which cell therapy has attracted remarkable attentions over the last decade. Up to now, targeted differentiation into specific desirable cell types has remained a major obstacle to clinical application of cell therapy. Also, potential risks including uncontrolled growth of stem cells could be disastrous. In our novel protocol, we used basal forebrain cholinergic progenitor cells (BFCN) derived from human chorion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hC-MSCs) which made it possible to obtain high-quality population of cholinergic neurons and in vivo in much shorter time period than previous established methods. Remarkably, the transplanted progenitors fully differentiated to cholinergic neurons which in turn integrated in higher cortical networks of host brains, resulting in significant improvement in cognitive assessments. This method may have profound implications in cell therapies for any other neurodegenerative disorders. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

DNA extraction methods for detecting genetically modified foods: A comparative study.

PubMed

Elsanhoty, Rafaat M; Ramadan, Mohamed Fawzy; Jany, Klaus Dieter

2011-06-15

The work presented in this manuscript was achieved to compare six different methods for extracting DNA from raw maize and its derived products. The methods that gave higher yield and quality of DNA were chosen to detect the genetic modification in the samples collected from the Egyptian market. The different methods used were evaluated for extracting DNA from maize kernels (without treatment), maize flour (mechanical treatment), canned maize (sweet corn), frozen maize (sweet corn), maize starch, extruded maize, popcorn, corn flacks, maize snacks, and bread made from corn flour (mechanical and thermal treatments). The quality and quantity of the DNA extracted from the standards, containing known percentages of GMO material and from the different food products were evaluated. For qualitative detection of the GMO varieties in foods, the GMOScreen 35S/NOS test kit was used, to screen the genetic modification in the samples. The positive samples for the 35S promoter and/or the NOS terminator were identified by the standard methods adopted by EU. All of the used methods extracted yielded good DNA quality. However, we noted that the purest DNA extract were obtained using the DNA extraction kit (Roche) and this generally was the best method for extracting DNA from most of the maize-derived foods. We have noted that the yield of DNA extracted from maize-derived foods was generally lower in the processed products. The results indicated that 17 samples were positive for the presence of 35S promoter, while 34% from the samples were positive for the genetically modified maize line Bt-176. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct evaluation of radiobiological parameters from clinical data in the case of ion beam therapy: an alternative approach to the relative biological effectiveness.

PubMed

Cometto, A; Russo, G; Bourhaleb, F; Milian, F M; Giordanengo, S; Marchetto, F; Cirio, R; Attili, A

2014-12-07

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) concept is commonly used in treatment planning for ion beam therapy. Whether models based on in vitro/in vivo RBE data can be used to predict human response to treatments is an open issue. In this work an alternative method, based on an effective radiobiological parameterization directly derived from clinical data, is presented. The method has been applied to the analysis of prostate cancer trials with protons and carbon ions.Prostate cancer trials with proton and carbon ion beams reporting 5 year-local control (LC5) and grade 2 (G2) or higher genitourinary toxicity rates (TOX) were selected from literature to test the method. Treatment simulations were performed on a representative subset of patients to produce dose and linear energy transfer distribution, which were used as explicative physical variables for the radiobiological modelling. Two models were taken into consideration: the microdosimetric kinetic model (MKM) and a linear model (LM). The radiobiological parameters of the LM and MKM were obtained by coupling them with the tumor control probability and normal tissue complication probability models to fit the LC5 and TOX data through likelihood maximization. The model ranking was based on the Akaike information criterion.Results showed large confidence intervals due to the limited variety of available treatment schedules. RBE values, such as RBE = 1.1 for protons in the treated volume, were derived as a by-product of the method, showing a consistency with current approaches. Carbon ion RBE values were also derived, showing lower values than those assumed for the original treatment planning in the target region, whereas higher values were found in the bladder. Most importantly, this work shows the possibility to infer the radiobiological parametrization for proton and carbon ion treatment directly from clinical data.

Higher derivative couplings in theories with sixteen supersymmetries

DOE PAGES

Lin, Ying -Hsuan; Shao, Shu -Heng; Yin, Xi; ...

2015-12-15

We give simple arguments for new non-renormalization theorems on higher derivative couplings of gauge theories to supergravity, with sixteen supersymmetries, by considerations of brane-bulk superamplitudes. This leads to some exact results on the effective coupling of D3-branes in type IIB string theory. As a result, we also derive exact results on higher dimensional operators in the torus compactification of the six dimensional (0, 2) superconformal theory.

Two-Loop Gell-Mann Function for General Renormalizable N = 1 Supersymmetric Theory, Regularized by Higher Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevtsova, Ekaterina

2011-10-01

For the general renormalizable N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, regularized by higher covariant derivatives, a two-loop β-function is calculated. It is shown that all integrals, needed for its obtaining are integrals of total derivatives.

Characterization of shallow ocean sediments using the airborne electromagnetic method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Won, I. J.; Smits, K.

1986-01-01

Experimental airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey data collected in Cape Cod Bay are used to derive continuous profiles of water depth, electrical depth, water conductivity, and bottom sediment conductivity. Through a few well-known empirical relationships, the conductivities are used, in turn, to derive density, porosity, sound speed, and acoustic reflectivity of the ocean bottom. A commercially available Dighem III AEM system was used for the survey without any significant modification. The helicopter-borne system operated at 385 and 7200 Hz; both were in a horizontal coplanar configuration. The interpreted profiles show good agreement with available ground truth data. Where no such data are available, the results appear to be very reasonable. Compared with the shipborne electrode array method, the AEM method can determine the necessary parameters at a much higher speed with a better lateral resolution over a wide range of water depths from 0 to perhaps 100 m. The bottom sediment conductivity that can be measured by the AEM method is closely related to physical properties of sediments, such as porosity, density, sound speed, and, indirectly, sediment types that might carry broad implications for various offshore activities.

Skin delivery of antioxidant surfactants based on gallic acid and hydroxytyrosol.

PubMed

Alonso, Cristina; Lucas, Ricardo; Barba, Clara; Marti, Meritxell; Rubio, Laia; Comelles, Francesc; Morales, Juan Carlos; Coderch, Luisa; Parra, José Luís

2015-07-01

The aim of this study has been to investigate the dermal absorption profile of the antioxidant compounds gallic acid and hydroxytyrosol as well as their derivatives, hexanoate (hexyl gallate and hydroxytyrosol hexanoate) and octanoate (octyl gallate and octanoate derivative) alkyl esters (antioxidant surfactants). Previously, the scavenging capacity of these compounds, expressed as efficient dose ED50, has also determined. The percutaneous absorption of these compounds was obtained by an in vitro methodology using porcine skin biopsies on Franz static diffusion cells. The antiradical activity of compounds was determined using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical method. The percutaneous penetration results show the presence of antioxidants in all layers of the skin. The content of the cutaneously absorbed compound is higher for the antioxidant surfactants (ester derivatives). This particular behaviour could be due to the higher hydrophobicity of these compounds and the presence of surface activity in the antioxidant surfactants. These new antioxidant surfactants display optimum properties, which may be useful in the preparation of emulsified systems in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations because of their suitable surface activity and because they can protect the skin from oxidative damage. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

An irregular lattice method for elastic wave propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Gareth S.; Bean, Christopher J.

2011-12-01

Lattice methods are a class of numerical scheme which represent a medium as a connection of interacting nodes or particles. In the case of modelling seismic wave propagation, the interaction term is determined from Hooke's Law including a bond-bending term. This approach has been shown to model isotropic seismic wave propagation in an elastic or viscoelastic medium by selecting the appropriate underlying lattice structure. To predetermine the material constants, this methodology has been restricted to regular grids, hexagonal or square in 2-D or cubic in 3-D. Here, we present a method for isotropic elastic wave propagation where we can remove this lattice restriction. The methodology is outlined and a relationship between the elastic material properties and an irregular lattice geometry are derived. The numerical method is compared with an analytical solution for wave propagation in an infinite homogeneous body along with comparing the method with a numerical solution for a layered elastic medium. The dispersion properties of this method are derived from a plane wave analysis showing the scheme is more dispersive than a regular lattice method. Therefore, the computational costs of using an irregular lattice are higher. However, by removing the regular lattice structure the anisotropic nature of fracture propagation in such methods can be removed.

Strain energy release rate analysis of the end-notched flexure specimen using the finite-element method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salpekar, S. A.; Raju, I. S.; O'Brien, T. K.

1988-01-01

Two-dimensional finite-element analysis of the end-notched flexure specimen was performed using 8-node isoparametric, parabolic elements to evaluate compliance and mode II strain energy release rates, G sub II. The G sub II values were computed using two different techniques: the virtual crack-closure technique (VCCT) and the rate of change of compliance with crack length (compliance derivative method). The analysis was performed for various crack-length-to-semi-span (a/L) ratios ranging from 0.2 to 0.9. Three material systems representing a wide range of material properties were analyzed. The compliance and strain energy release rates of the specimen calculated with the present finite-element analysis agree very well with beam theory equations including transverse shear. The G sub II values calculated using the compliance derivative method compared extremely well with those calculated using the VCCT. The G sub II values obtained by the compliance derivative method using the top or bottom beam deflections agreed closely with each other. The strain energy release rates from a plane-stress analysis were higher than the plane-strain values by only a small percentage, indicating that either assumption may be used in the analysis. The G sub II values for one material system calculated from the finte-element analysis agreed with one solution in the literature and disagreed with the other solution in the literature.

Strain-energy-release rate analysis of the end-notched flexure specimen using the finite-element method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salpekar, S. A.; Raju, I. S.; Obrien, T. K.

1987-01-01

Two-dimensional finite-element analysis of the end-notched flexure specimen was performed using 8-node isoparametric, parabolic elements to evaluate compliance and mode II strain energy release rates, G sub II. The G sub II values were computed using two different techniques: the virtural crack-closure technique (VCCT) and the rate of change of compliance with crack length (compliance derivative method). The analysis was performed for various crack-length-to-semi-span (a/L) ratios ranging from 0.2 to 0.9. Three material systems representing a wide range of material properties were analyzed. The compliance and strain energy release rates of the specimen calculated with the present finite-element analysis agree very well with beam theory equations including transverse shear. The G sub II values calculated using the compliance derivative method compared extremely well with those calculated using the VCCT. The G sub II values obtained by the compliance derivative method using the top or bottom beam deflections agreed closely with each other. The strain energy release rates from a plane-stress analysis were higher than the plane-strain values by only a small percentage, indicating that either assumption may be used in the analysis. The G sub II values for one material system calculated from the finite-element analysis agreed with one solution in the literature and disagreed with the other solution in the literature.

CMB internal delensing with general optimal estimator for higher-order correlations

DOE PAGES

Namikawa, Toshiya

2017-05-24

We present here a new method for delensing B modes of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) using a lensing potential reconstructed from the same realization of the CMB polarization (CMB internal delensing). The B -mode delensing is required to improve sensitivity to primary B modes generated by, e.g., the inflationary gravitational waves, axionlike particles, modified gravity, primordial magnetic fields, and topological defects such as cosmic strings. However, the CMB internal delensing suffers from substantial biases due to correlations between observed CMB maps to be delensed and that used for reconstructing a lensing potential. Since the bias depends on realizations, wemore » construct a realization-dependent (RD) estimator for correcting these biases by deriving a general optimal estimator for higher-order correlations. The RD method is less sensitive to simulation uncertainties. Compared to the previous ℓ -splitting method, we find that the RD method corrects the biases without substantial degradation of the delensing efficiency.« less

On solvability of boundary value problems for hyperbolic fourth-order equations with nonlocal boundary conditions of integral type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Nikolay S.

2017-11-01

Solvability of some initial-boundary value problems for linear hyperbolic equations of the fourth order is studied. A condition on the lateral boundary in these problems relates the values of a solution or the conormal derivative of a solution to the values of some integral operator applied to a solution. Nonlocal boundary-value problems for one-dimensional hyperbolic second-order equations with integral conditions on the lateral boundary were considered in the articles by A.I. Kozhanov. Higher-dimensional hyperbolic equations of higher order with integral conditions on the lateral boundary were not studied earlier. The existence and uniqueness theorems of regular solutions are proven. The method of regularization and the method of continuation in a parameter are employed to establish solvability.

Graft copolymers of ethyl methacrylate on waxy maize starch derivatives as novel excipients for matrix tablets: physicochemical and technological characterisation.

PubMed

Marinich, J A; Ferrero, C; Jiménez-Castellanos, M R

2009-05-01

Nowadays, graft copolymers are being used as an interesting option when developing a direct compression excipient for controlled release matrix tablets. New graft copolymers of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) on waxy maize starch (MS) and hydroxypropylstarch (MHS) were synthesised by free radical polymerization and alternatively dried in a vacuum oven (OD) or freeze-dried (FD). This paper evaluates the performance of these new macromolecules and discusses the effect of the carbohydrate nature and drying process on their physicochemical and technological properties. Grafting of EMA on the carbohydrate backbone was confirmed by IR and NMR spectroscopy, and the grafting yields revealed that graft copolymers present mainly a hydrophobic character. The graft copolymerization also leads to more amorphous materials with larger particle size and lower apparent density and water content than carbohydrates (MS, MHS). All the products show a lack of flow, except MHSEMA derivatives. MSEMA copolymers underwent much plastic flow and less elastic recovery than MHSEMA copolymers. Concerning the effect of drying method, FD derivatives were characterised by higher plastic deformation and less elasticity than OD derivatives. Tablets obtained from graft copolymers showed higher crushing strength and disintegration time than tablets obtained from raw starches. This behaviour suggests that these copolymers could be used as excipients in matrix tablets obtained by direct compression and with a potential use in controlled release.

Structure and evaluation of antibacterial and antitubercular properties of new basic and heterocyclic 3-formylrifamycin SV derivatives obtained via 'click chemistry' approach.

PubMed

Pyta, Krystian; Klich, Katarzyna; Domagalska, Joanna; Przybylski, Piotr

2014-09-12

Thirty four novel derivatives of 3-formylrifamycin SV were synthesized via reductive alkylation and copper(I)-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. According to the obtained results, 'click chemistry' can be successfully applied for modification of structurally complex antibiotics such as rifamycins, with the formation of desired 1,2,3-triazole products. However, when azide-alkyne cycloaddition on 3-formylrifamycin SV derivatives demanded higher amount of catalyst, lower temperature and longer reaction time because of the high volatility of substrates, an unexpected intramolecular condensation with the formation of 3,4-dihydrobenzo[g]quinazoline heterocyclic system took place. Structures of new derivatives in solution were determined using one- and two-dimensional NMR methods and FT-IR spectroscopy. Computational DFT and PM6 methods were employed to correlate their conformation and acid-base properties to biological activity and establish SAR of the novel compounds. Microbiological, physico-chemical (logP, solubility) and structural studies of newly synthesised rifamycins indicated that for the presence of relatively high antibacterial (MIC ~0.01 nmol/mL) and antitubercular (MIC ~0.006 nmol/mL) activities, a rigid and basic substituent at C(3) arm, containing a protonated nitrogen atom "open" toward intermolecular interactions, is required. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Topics in Higher-Derivative Supergravity and N = 2 Yang-Mills Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindawi, Ahmed Abdel-Ati

1997-09-01

In Part I of the thesis we discuss higher-derivative theories of gravity. We start by discussing the field content of quadratic higher-derivative gravity, together with a new example of a massless spin-two field consistently coupled to gravity. The full quadratic gravity theory is shown to be equivalent to a canonical second-order theory of a massive scalar field, a massive spin-two symmetric tensor field and gravity. It is shown that flat-space is the only stable vacuum, and that the spin-two field around it is always ghost-like. We give a procedure for exhibiting the new propagating degrees of freedom in a generic higher-derivative gravity, at the full non-linear level. We show that around any vacuum the elementary excitations remain the massless graviton, a massive scalar field and a massive ghost-like spin-two field. In Part II of the thesis we extend our investigations to the realm of supergravity. We consider the general form of quadratic (1, 1) supergravity in two dimensions. It is demonstrated that the theory possesses stable vacua with vanishing cosmological constant which spontaneously break supersymmetry. We then consider higher-derivative N=1 supergravity in four dimensions. We construct two classes of higher-derivative supergravity theories. They are found to be equivalent to Einstein supergravity coupled to one or two chiral superfields and have a rich vacuum structure. It is demonstrated that theories of the second class can possess a stable vacuum with vanishing cosmological constant that spontaneously breaks supersymmetry. We then proceed to show how spontaneous supersymmetry breaking in the vacuum state of higher-derivative supergravity is transmitted, as explicit soft supersymmetry-breaking terms, to the effective Lagrangian of the standard electroweak model. In Part III we use central charge superspace to give a geometrical construction of the N=2 Abelian vector-tensor multiplet consisting, under N=1 supersymmetry, of one vector and one linear multiplet. We derive the component field supersymmetry and central charge transformations, and show that there is a super-Lagrangian, the higher components of which are all total derivatives, allowing us to construct superfield and component actions.

Characteristic point algorithm in laser ektacytometry of red blood cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, S. Yu.; Ustinov, V. D.

2018-01-01

We consider the problem of measuring red blood cell deformability by laser diffractometry in shear flow (ektacytometry). A new equation is derived that relates the parameters of the diffraction pattern to the width of the erythrocyte deformability distribution. The numerical simulation method shows that this equation provides a higher accuracy of measurements in comparison with the analogous equation obtained by us earlier.

Higher derivative theories for interacting massless gravitons in Minkowski spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Dong; Xing, Yu-Hang

2018-07-01

We study a novel class of higher derivative theories for interacting massless gravitons in Minkowski spacetime. These theories were first discussed by Wald decades ago, and are characterized by scattering amplitudes essentially different from general relativity and many of its modifications. We discuss various aspects of these higher derivative theories, including the Lagrangian construction, violation of asymptotic causality, scattering amplitudes, non-renormalization, and possible implications in emergent gravitons from condensed matter systems.

The prevalence of deoxynivalenol and its derivatives in the spring wheat grain from different agricultural production systems in Lithuania.

PubMed

Janaviciene, Sigita; Mankeviciene, Audrone; Suproniene, Skaidre; Kochiieru, Yuliia; Keriene, Ilona

2018-02-22

Deoxynivalenol (DON) together with two acetylated derivatives, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON) occurs in cereal grains and their products. Co-occurrence of DON and acetylated derivatives in cereal grain is detected worldwide. Until now, DON and its derivatives have been considered equally toxic by health authorities. In this study, we analysed 103 samples of spring wheat grain, originating from the fields of different production systems in Lithuania, for the co-occurrence of type-B trichothecenes (DON, 3-ADON, 15-ADON). The samples were classified according to the production system-organic, sustainable and intensive. Mycotoxin levels in the spring wheat grain samples were determined by the HPLC method with UV detection. The type-B trichothecenes were found to be present at higher concentrations in the grain from the intensive production system. Eighty-one percent of the spring wheat grain samples from the intensive production system were co-contaminated with a combination of DON+3-ADON+15-ADON, 1% with DON+3-ADON. Additionally, DON+15-ADON and DON were found in 5% and 10% of the tested samples, respectively. Two percent of the samples were free from mycotoxins. In the grain samples from the sustainable production system, DON and a combination of DON+3-ADON showed a higher incidence - 47% and 23%, respectively. The samples with a combination of DON+3-ADON+15-ADON accounted for 18%. Completely different results were obtained from the analyses of organic grain samples. A large number of the organic spring wheat grain samples were contaminated with DON+3-ADON (55%) or DON (36%). The combination of DON+3-ADON+15-ADON was not present, while DON+15-ADON was present in 9% of the samples tested. The production systems did not lead to significant differences in mycotoxin levels, although a trend toward higher incidence and higher contamination was observed for the samples from the intensive and sustainable production systems.

Electrochemical Study of Hydrocarbon-Derived Electrolytes for Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noorden, Zulkarnain A.; Matsumoto, Satoshi

2013-10-01

In this paper, we evaluate the essential electrochemical properties - capacitive and resistive behaviors - of hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes for supercapacitor application using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrolytes were systematically prepared from three hydrocarbon-derived compounds, which have different molecular structures and functional groups, by treatment with high-concentration sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at room temperature. Two-electrode cells were assembled by sandwiching an electrolyte-containing glass wool separator with two active electrodes of activated carbon sheets. The dc electrical properties of the tested cells in terms of their capacitive behavior were investigated by CV, and in order to observe the frequency characteristics of the constructed cells, EIS was carried out. Compared with the tested cell with only high-concentration H2SO4 as the electrolyte, the cell with the derived electrolytes exhibit a capacitance as high as 135 F/g with an improved overall internal resistance of 2.5 Ω. Through the use of a simple preparation method and low-cost precursors, hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes could potentially find large-scale and higher-rating supercapacitor applications.

Theoretical Study of the Electronic Spectra of a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Naphthalene, and its Derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Du, Ping; Salama, Farid; Loew, Gilda H.

1993-01-01

In order to preselect possible candidates for the origin of diffuse interstellar bands observed, semiempirical quantum mechanical method INDO/S was applied to the optical spectra of neutral, cationic, and anionic states of naphthalene and its hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives. Comparison with experiment shows that the spectra of naphthalene and its ions were reliably predicted. The configuration interaction calculations with single-electron excitations provided reasonable excited state wavefunctions compared to ab initio calculations that included higher excitations. The degree of similarity of the predicted spectra of the hydrogen abstraction and derivatives to those of naphthalene and ions depends largely on the similarity of the it electron configurations. For the hydrogen addition derivatives, very little resemblance of the predicted spectra to naphthalene was found because of the disruption of the aromatic conjugation system. The relevance of these calculations to astrophysical issues is discussed within the context of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon models. Comparing the calculated electronic energies to the Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs), a list of possible candidates of naphthalene derivatives is established which provides selected candidates for a definitive test through laboratory studies.

Osteogenic Performance of Donor-Matched Human Adipose and Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Cells Under Dynamic Culture

PubMed Central

Wu, Wei; Le, Andrew V.; Mendez, Julio J.; Chang, Julie; Niklason, Laura E.

2015-01-01

Adipose-derived mesenchymal cells (ACs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells (BMCs) have been widely used for bone regeneration and can be seeded on a variety of rigid scaffolds. However, to date, a direct comparison of mesenchymal cells (MC) harvested from different tissues from the same donor and cultured in identical osteogenic conditions has not been investigated. Indeed, it is unclear whether marrow-derived or fat-derived MC possess intrinsic differences in bone-forming capabilities, since within-patient comparisons have not been previously done. This study aims at comparing ACs and BMCs from three donors ranging in age from neonatal to adult. Matched cells from each donor were studied in three distinct bioreactor settings, to determine the best method to create a viable osseous engineered construct. Human ACs and BMCs were isolated from each donor, cultured, and seeded on decellularized porcine bone (DCB) constructs. The constructs were then subjected to either static or dynamic (stirring or perfusion) bioreactor culture conditions for 7–21 days. Afterward, the constructs were analyzed for cell adhesion and distribution and osteogenic differentiation. ACs demonstrated higher seeding efficiency than BMCs. However, static and dynamic culture significantly increased BMCs proliferation more than ACs. In all conditions, BMCs demonstrated stronger osteogenic activity as compared with ACs, through higher alkaline phosphatase activity and gene expression for various bony markers. Conversely, ACs expressed more collagen I, which is a nonspecific matrix molecule in most connective tissues. Overall, dynamic bioreactor culture conditions enhanced osteogenic gene expression in both ACs and BMCs. Scaffolds seeded with BMCs in dynamic stirring culture conditions exhibit the greatest osteogenic proliferation and function in vitro, proving that marrow-derived MC have superior bone-forming potential as compared with adipose-derived cells. PMID:25668104

Correlated histogram representation of Monte Carlo derived medical accelerator photon-output phase space

DOEpatents

Schach Von Wittenau, Alexis E.

2003-01-01

A method is provided to represent the calculated phase space of photons emanating from medical accelerators used in photon teletherapy. The method reproduces the energy distributions and trajectories of the photons originating in the bremsstrahlung target and of photons scattered by components within the accelerator head. The method reproduces the energy and directional information from sources up to several centimeters in radial extent, so it is expected to generalize well to accelerators made by different manufacturers. The method is computationally both fast and efficient overall sampling efficiency of 80% or higher for most field sizes. The computational cost is independent of the number of beams used in the treatment plan.

Higher-order jump conditions for conservation laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oksuzoglu, Hakan

2018-04-01

The hyperbolic conservation laws admit discontinuous solutions where the solution variables can have finite jumps in space and time. The jump conditions for conservation laws are expressed in terms of the speed of the discontinuity and the state variables on both sides. An example from the Gas Dynamics is the Rankine-Hugoniot conditions for the shock speed. Here, we provide an expression for the acceleration of the discontinuity in terms of the state variables and their spatial derivatives on both sides. We derive a jump condition for the shock acceleration. Using this general expression, we show how to obtain explicit shock acceleration formulas for nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. We start with the Burgers' equation and check the derived formula with an analytical solution. We next derive formulas for the Shallow Water Equations and the Euler Equations of Gas Dynamics. We will verify our formulas for the Euler Equations using an exact solution for the spherically symmetric blast wave problem. In addition, we discuss the potential use of these formulas for the implementation of shock fitting methods.

Antibiotic resistance monitoring in Vibrio spp. isolated from rearing environment and intestines of abalone Haliotis diversicolor.

PubMed

Wang, R X; Wang, J Y; Sun, Y C; B L Yang; A L Wang

2015-12-30

546 Vibrio isolates from rearing seawater (292 strains) and intestines of abalone (254 strains) were tested to ten antibiotics using Kirby-Bauer diffusion method. Resistant rates of abalone-derived Vibrio isolates to chloramphenicol (C), enrofloxacin (ENX) and norfloxacin (NOR) were <28%, whereas those from seawater showed large fluctuations in resistance to each of the tested antibiotics. Many strains showed higher resistant rates (>40%) to kanamycin (KNA), furazolidone (F), tetracycline (TE), gentamicin (GM) and rifampin (RA). 332 isolates from seawater (n=258) and abalone (n=74) were resistant to more than three antibiotics. Peaked resistant rates of seawater-derived isolates to multiple antibiotics were overlapped in May and August. Statistical analysis showed that pH had an important effect on resistant rates of abalone-derived Vibrio isolates to RA, NOR, and ENX. Salinity and dissolved oxygen were negatively correlated with resistant rates of seawater-derived Vibrio isolates to KNA, RA, and PG. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of hollow fiber culture for large-scale production of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived hematopoietic stem cells.

PubMed

Nakano, Yu; Iwanaga, Shinya; Mizumoto, Hiroshi; Kajiwara, Toshihisa

2018-03-03

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to differentiate into all types of blood cells and can be transplanted to treat blood disorders. However, it is difficult to obtain HSCs in large quantities because of the shortage of donors. Recent efforts have focused on acquiring HSCs by differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. As a conventional differentiation method of pluripotent stem cells, the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) is often employed. However, the size of EBs is limited by depletion of oxygen and nutrients, which prevents them from being efficient for the production of HSCs. In this study, we developed a large-scale hematopoietic differentiation approach for mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells by applying a hollow fiber (HF)/organoid culture method. Cylindrical organoids, which had the potential for further spontaneous differentiation, were established inside of hollow fibers. Using this method, we improved the proliferation rate of mouse ES cells to produce an increased HSC population and achieved around a 40-fold higher production volume of HSCs in HF culture than in conventional EB culture. Therefore, the HF/organoid culture method may be a new mass culture method to acquire pluripotent stem cell-derived HSCs.

Nonlinear dynamics of contact interaction of a size-dependent plate supported by a size-dependent beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awrejcewicz, J.; Krysko, V. A.; Yakovleva, T. V.; Pavlov, S. P.; Krysko, V. A.

2018-05-01

A mathematical model of complex vibrations exhibited by contact dynamics of size-dependent beam-plate constructions was derived by taking the account of constraints between these structural members. The governing equations were yielded by variational principles based on the moment theory of elasticity. The centre of the investigated plate was supported by a beam. The plate and the beam satisfied the Kirchhoff/Euler-Bernoulli hypotheses. The derived partial differential equations (PDEs) were reduced to the Cauchy problems by the Faedo-Galerkin method in higher approximations, whereas the Cauchy problem was solved using a few Runge-Kutta methods. Reliability of results was validated by comparing the solutions obtained by qualitatively different methods. Complex vibrations were investigated with the help of methods of nonlinear dynamics such as vibration signals, phase portraits, Fourier power spectra, wavelet analysis, and estimation of the largest Lyapunov exponents based on the Rosenstein, Kantz, and Wolf methods. The effect of size-dependent parameters of the beam and plate on their contact interaction was investigated. It was detected and illustrated that the first contact between the size-dependent structural members implies chaotic vibrations. In addition, problems of chaotic synchronization between a nanoplate and a nanobeam were addressed.

Higher derivatives in Type II and M-theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimm, Thomas W.; Mayer, Kilian; Weissenbacher, Matthias

2018-02-01

The four- and five-dimensional effective actions of Calabi-Yau threefold compactifications are derived with a focus on terms involving up to four space-time derivatives. The starting points for these reductions are the ten- and eleven-dimensional supergravity actions supplemented with the known eight-derivative corrections that have been inferred from Type II string amplitudes. The corrected background solutions are determined and the fluctuations of the Kähler structure of the compact space and the form-field back-ground are discussed. It is concluded that the two-derivative effective actions for these fluctuations only takes the expected supergravity form if certain additional ten- and eleven-dimensional higher-derivative terms for the form-fields are included. The main results on the four-derivative terms include a detailed treatment of higher-derivative gravity coupled to Kähler structure deformations. This is supplemented by a derivation of the vector sector in reductions to five dimensions. While the general result is only given as an expansion in the fluctuations, a complete treatment of the one-Kähler modulus case is presented for both Type II theories and M-theory.

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities of extracts and flavonoids of the leaves of Blumea balsamifera.

PubMed

Nessa, Fazilatun; Ismail, Zhari; Mohamed, Nornisah

2010-12-01

Blumea balsamifera DC (Compositae) leaves have been recommended for use as a folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases related to urolithiasis in southeast Asia. Phytochemical studies of this plant revealed it contains four classes of flavonoids (e.g., flavonols, flavones, flavanones, and dihydroflavonol derivatives). In view of the broad pharmacological activity of flavonoids, this study was carried out to determine the xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory and enzymatically produced superoxide radical scavenging activity of different organic extracts and that of the isolated flavonoids from B. balsamifera leaves. The inhibitory activity of XO was assayed spectrophotometrically at 295 nm. The superoxide radicals scavenging activity was assessed by NBT reduction method, spectrophotometrically at 560 nm. A dose response curve was plotted for determining IC₅₀ values. The methanol extract (IC₅₀ = 0.111 mg/mL) showed higher XO inhibitory activity than the chloroform (0.138 mg/mL) and pet-ether extracts (0.516 mg/mL). IC₅₀ values of scavenging of superoxide radicals for extracts decreased in the order of: methanol (0.063 mg/mL) > chloroform (0.092 mg/mL) > pet-ether (0.321 mg/mL). The XO inhibitory activity of the isolated flavonoids and reference compounds tested decreased in the order of: allopurinol > luteolin > quercetin > tamarixetin > 5,7,3',5'-tetrahydroxyflavanone > rhamnetin > luteolin-7-methyl ether > blumeatin > dihydroquercetin-4'-methyl ether > dihydroquercetin-7,4'-dimethyl ether > L-ascorbic acid. The results indicated that the flavone derivatives were more active than the flavonol derivatives. The flavanone derivatives were moderately active and the dihydroflavonol derivatives were the least. The higher flavonoid content of extracts contributed to their higher XO inhibitory activity.

Optimization of GPS water vapor tomography technique with radiosonde and COSMIC historical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Shirong; Xia, Pengfei; Cai, Changsheng

2016-09-01

The near-real-time high spatial resolution of atmospheric water vapor distribution is vital in numerical weather prediction. GPS tomography technique has been proved effectively for three-dimensional water vapor reconstruction. In this study, the tomography processing is optimized in a few aspects by the aid of radiosonde and COSMIC historical data. Firstly, regional tropospheric zenith hydrostatic delay (ZHD) models are improved and thus the zenith wet delay (ZWD) can be obtained at a higher accuracy. Secondly, the regional conversion factor of converting the ZWD to the precipitable water vapor (PWV) is refined. Next, we develop a new method for dividing the tomography grid with an uneven voxel height and a varied water vapor layer top. Finally, we propose a Gaussian exponential vertical interpolation method which can better reflect the vertical variation characteristic of water vapor. GPS datasets collected in Hong Kong in February 2014 are employed to evaluate the optimized tomographic method by contrast with the conventional method. The radiosonde-derived and COSMIC-derived water vapor densities are utilized as references to evaluate the tomographic results. Using radiosonde products as references, the test results obtained from our optimized method indicate that the water vapor density accuracy is improved by 15 and 12 % compared to those derived from the conventional method below the height of 3.75 km and above the height of 3.75 km, respectively. Using the COSMIC products as references, the results indicate that the water vapor density accuracy is improved by 15 and 19 % below 3.75 km and above 3.75 km, respectively.

A Reconstructed Discontinuous Galerkin Method for the Compressible Euler Equations on Arbitrary Grids

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

Hong Luo; Luquing Luo; Robert Nourgaliev

2009-06-01

A reconstruction-based discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is presented for the solution of the compressible Euler equations on arbitrary grids. By taking advantage of handily available and yet invaluable information, namely the derivatives, in the context of the discontinuous Galerkin methods, a solution polynomial of one degree higher is reconstructed using a least-squares method. The stencils used in the reconstruction involve only the van Neumann neighborhood (face-neighboring cells) and are compact and consistent with the underlying DG method. The resulting DG method can be regarded as an improvement of a recovery-based DG method in the sense that it shares the samemore » nice features as the recovery-based DG method, such as high accuracy and efficiency, and yet overcomes some of its shortcomings such as a lack of flexibility, compactness, and robustness. The developed DG method is used to compute a variety of flow problems on arbitrary meshes to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method. The numerical results indicate that this reconstructed DG method is able to obtain a third-order accurate solution at a slightly higher cost than its second-order DG method and provide an increase in performance over the third order DG method in terms of computing time and storage requirement.« less

On (in)stabilities of perturbations in mimetic models with higher derivatives

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

Zheng, Yunlong; Shen, Liuyuan; Mou, Yicen

2017-08-01

Usually when applying the mimetic model to the early universe, higher derivative terms are needed to promote the mimetic field to be dynamical. However such models suffer from the ghost and/or the gradient instabilities and simple extensions cannot cure this pathology. We point out in this paper that it is possible to overcome this difficulty by considering the direct couplings of the higher derivatives of the mimetic field to the curvature of the spacetime.

Cosmological implications of quantum corrections and higher-derivative extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chialva, Diego; Mazumdar, Anupam

2015-02-01

We discuss the challenges for the early universe cosmology from quantum corrections, and in particular higher-derivative terms, in the gravitational and inflaton sectors of the models. The work is divided in two parts. In the first one we review the already well-known issues due to quantum corrections to the inflaton potential, in particular focusing on chaotic/slow-roll single-field models. We will point out some issues concerning the proposed mechanisms to cope with the corrections, and also argue how the presence of higher-derivative corrections could be problematic for those mechanisms. In the second part we will more directly focus on higher-derivative corrections. We will show how, in order to discuss a number of high-energy phenomena relevant to inflation (such as its actual onset) one has to deal with energy scales where the derivative expansion breaks down, presenting problems such as quantum vacuum instability and ghosts. To discuss such phenomena in the convenient framework of the effective theory, one must then abandon the derivative expansion and resort to the full nonlocal formulation of the theory, which is in fact equivalent to re-integrating back the relevant physics, but with the benefit of using a more compact single-field formalism. Finally, we will briefly discuss possible advantages offered by the presence of higher derivatives and a nonlocal theory to build better controlled UV models of inflation.

Development and validation of a food-based diet quality index for New Zealand adolescents

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background As there is no population-specific, simple food-based diet index suitable for examination of diet quality in New Zealand (NZ) adolescents, there is a need to develop such a tool. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an adolescent-specific diet quality index based on dietary information sourced from a Food Questionnaire (FQ) and examine its validity relative to a four-day estimated food record (4DFR) obtained from a group of adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. Methods A diet quality index for NZ adolescents (NZDQI-A) was developed based on ‘Adequacy’ and ‘Variety’ of five food groups reflecting the New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adolescents. The NZDQI-A was scored from zero to 100, with a higher score reflecting a better diet quality. Forty-one adolescents (16 males, 25 females, aged 14–18 years) each completed the FQ and a 4DFR. The test-retest reliability of the FQ-derived NZDQI-A scores over a two-week period and the relative validity of the scores compared to the 4DFR were estimated using Pearson’s correlations. Construct validity was examined by comparing NZDQI-A scores against nutrient intakes obtained from the 4DFR. Results The NZDQI-A derived from the FQ showed good reliability (r = 0.65) and reasonable agreement with 4DFR in ranking participants by scores (r = 0.39). More than half of the participants were classified into the same thirds of scores while 10% were misclassified into the opposite thirds by the two methods. Higher NZDQI-A scores were also associated with lower total fat and saturated fat intakes and higher iron intakes. Conclusions Higher NZDQI-A scores were associated with more desirable fat and iron intakes. The scores derived from either FQ or 4DFR were comparable and reproducible when repeated within two weeks. The NZDQI-A is relatively valid and reliable in ranking diet quality in adolescents at a group level even in a small sample size. Further studies are required to test the predictive validity of this food-based diet index in larger samples. PMID:23759064

Ineffective higher derivative black hole hair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, Kevin; Mashiyane, James Junior

2018-01-01

Inspired by the possibility that the Schwarzschild black hole may not be the unique spherically symmetric vacuum solution to generalizations of general relativity, we consider black holes in pure fourth order higher derivative gravity treated as an effective theory. Such solutions may be of interest in addressing the issue of higher derivative hair or during the later stages of black hole evaporation. Non-Schwarzschild solutions have been studied but we have put earlier results on a firmer footing by finding a systematic asymptotic expansion for the black holes and matching them with known numerical solutions obtained by integrating out from the near-horizon region. These asymptotic expansions can be cast in the form of trans-series expansions which we conjecture will be a generic feature of non-Schwarzschild higher derivative black holes. Excitingly we find a new branch of solutions with lower free energy than the Schwarzschild solution, but as found in earlier work, solutions only seem to exist for black holes with large curvatures, meaning that one should not generically neglect even higher derivative corrections. This suggests that one effectively recovers the nonhair theorems in this context.

A general moment expansion method for stochastic kinetic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ale, Angelique; Kirk, Paul; Stumpf, Michael P. H.

2013-05-01

Moment approximation methods are gaining increasing attention for their use in the approximation of the stochastic kinetics of chemical reaction systems. In this paper we derive a general moment expansion method for any type of propensities and which allows expansion up to any number of moments. For some chemical reaction systems, more than two moments are necessary to describe the dynamic properties of the system, which the linear noise approximation is unable to provide. Moreover, also for systems for which the mean does not have a strong dependence on higher order moments, moment approximation methods give information about higher order moments of the underlying probability distribution. We demonstrate the method using a dimerisation reaction, Michaelis-Menten kinetics and a model of an oscillating p53 system. We show that for the dimerisation reaction and Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics system higher order moments have limited influence on the estimation of the mean, while for the p53 system, the solution for the mean can require several moments to converge to the average obtained from many stochastic simulations. We also find that agreement between lower order moments does not guarantee that higher moments will agree. Compared to stochastic simulations, our approach is numerically highly efficient at capturing the behaviour of stochastic systems in terms of the average and higher moments, and we provide expressions for the computational cost for different system sizes and orders of approximation. We show how the moment expansion method can be employed to efficiently quantify parameter sensitivity. Finally we investigate the effects of using too few moments on parameter estimation, and provide guidance on how to estimate if the distribution can be accurately approximated using only a few moments.

The Effect of Laminar Flow on Rotor Hover Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Overmeyer, Austin D.; Martin, Preston B.

2017-01-01

The topic of laminar flow effects on hover performance is introduced with respect to some historical efforts where laminar flow was either measured or attempted. An analysis method is outlined using combined blade element, momentum method coupled to an airfoil analysis method, which includes the full e(sup N) transition model. The analysis results compared well with the measured hover performance including the measured location of transition on both the upper and lower blade surfaces. The analysis method is then used to understand the upper limits of hover efficiency as a function of disk loading. The impact of laminar flow is higher at low disk loading, but significant improvement in terms of power loading appears possible even up to high disk loading approaching 20 ps f. A optimum planform design equation is derived for cases of zero profile drag and finite drag levels. These results are intended to be a guide for design studies and as a benchmark to compare higher fidelity analysis results. The details of the analysis method are given to enable other researchers to use the same approach for comparison to other approaches.

SU-E-J-264: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Derived Features to Quantify Radiotherapy-Induced Normal Tissue Morbidity

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

Thor, M; Tyagi, N; Deasy, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-derived features as indicators of Radiotherapy (RT)-induced normal tissue morbidity. We also investigate the relationship between these features and RT dose in four critical structures. Methods: We demonstrate our approach for four patients treated with RT for base of tongue cancer in 2005–2007. For each patient, two MRI scans (T1-weighted pre (T1pre) and post (T1post) gadolinium contrast-enhancement) were acquired within the first six months after RT. The assessed morbidity endpoint observed in 2/4 patients was Grade 2+ CTCAEv.3 trismus. Four ipsilateral masticatory-related structures (masseter, lateralmore » and medial pterygoid, and the temporal muscles) were delineated on both T1pre and T1post and these scans were co-registered to the treatment planning CT using a deformable demons algorithm. For each structure, the maximum and mean RT dose, and six MRI-derived features (the second order texture features entropy and homogeneity, and the first order mean, median, kurtosis, and skewness) were extracted and compared structure-wise between patients with and without trismus. All MRI-derived features were calculated as the difference between T1pre and T1post, ΔS. Results: For 5/6 features and all structures, ΔS diverged between trismus and non-trismus patients particularly for the masseter, lateral pterygoid, and temporal muscles using the kurtosis feature (−0.2 vs. 6.4 for lateral pterygoid). Both the maximum and mean RT dose in all four muscles were higher amongst the trismus patients (with the maximum dose being up to 25 Gy higher). Conclusion: Using MRI-derived features to quantify RT-induced normal tissue complications is feasible. We showed that several features are different between patients with and without morbidity and that the RT dose in all investigated structures are higher amongst patients with morbidity. MRI-derived features, therefore, has the potential to improve predictions of normal tissue morbidity.« less

PiggyBac transposon-mediated gene delivery efficiently generates stable transfectants derived from cultured primary human deciduous tooth dental pulp cells (HDDPCs) and HDDPC-derived iPS cells.

PubMed

Inada, Emi; Saitoh, Issei; Watanabe, Satoshi; Aoki, Reiji; Miura, Hiromi; Ohtsuka, Masato; Murakami, Tomoya; Sawami, Tadashi; Yamasaki, Youichi; Sato, Masahiro

2015-09-14

The ability of human deciduous tooth dental pulp cells (HDDPCs) to differentiate into odontoblasts that generate mineralized tissue holds immense potential for therapeutic use in the field of tooth regenerative medicine. Realization of this potential depends on efficient and optimized protocols for the genetic manipulation of HDDPCs. In this study, we demonstrate the use of a PiggyBac (PB)-based gene transfer system as a method for introducing nonviral transposon DNA into HDDPCs and HDDPC-derived inducible pluripotent stem cells. The transfection efficiency of the PB-based system was significantly greater than previously reported for electroporation-based transfection of plasmid DNA. Using the neomycin resistance gene as a selection marker, HDDPCs were stably transfected at a rate nearly 40-fold higher than that achieved using conventional methods. Using this system, it was also possible to introduce two constructs simultaneously into a single cell. The resulting stable transfectants, expressing tdTomato and enhanced green fluorescent protein, exhibited both red and green fluorescence. The established cell line did not lose the acquired phenotype over three months of culture. Based on our results, we concluded that PB is superior to currently available methods for introducing plasmid DNA into HDDPCs. There may be significant challenges in the direct clinical application of this method for human dental tissue engineering due to safety risks and ethical concerns. However, the high level of transfection achieved with PB may have significant advantages in basic scientific research for dental tissue engineering applications, such as functional studies of genes and proteins. Furthermore, it is a useful tool for the isolation of genetically engineered HDDPC-derived stem cells for studies in tooth regenerative medicine.

Higher-order theories of gravity: diagnosis, extraction and reformulation via non-metric extra degrees of freedom—a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belenchia, Alessio; Letizia, Marco; Liberati, Stefano; Di Casola, Eolo

2018-03-01

Modifications of Einstein’s theory of gravitation have been extensively considered in the past years, in connection to both cosmology and quantum gravity. Higher-curvature and higher-derivative gravity theories constitute the main examples of such modifications. These theories exhibit, in general, more degrees of freedom than those found in standard general relativity; counting, identifying, and retrieving the description/representation of such dynamical variables is currently an open problem, and a decidedly nontrivial one. In this work we review, via both formal arguments and custom-made examples, the most relevant methods to unveil the gravitational degrees of freedom of a given model, discussing the merits, subtleties and pitfalls of the various approaches.

Higher-order theories of gravity: diagnosis, extraction and reformulation via non-metric extra degrees of freedom-a review.

PubMed

Belenchia, Alessio; Letizia, Marco; Liberati, Stefano; Di Casola, Eolo

2018-03-01

Modifications of Einstein's theory of gravitation have been extensively considered in the past years, in connection to both cosmology and quantum gravity. Higher-curvature and higher-derivative gravity theories constitute the main examples of such modifications. These theories exhibit, in general, more degrees of freedom than those found in standard general relativity; counting, identifying, and retrieving the description/representation of such dynamical variables is currently an open problem, and a decidedly nontrivial one. In this work we review, via both formal arguments and custom-made examples, the most relevant methods to unveil the gravitational degrees of freedom of a given model, discussing the merits, subtleties and pitfalls of the various approaches.

Close-slow analysis for head-on collision of two black holes in higher dimensions: Bowen-York initial data

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

Yoshino, Hirotaka; Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555; Shiromizu, Tetsuya

2006-12-15

Scenarios of large extra dimensions have enhanced the importance for the study of black holes in higher dimensions. In this paper, we analyze an axisymmetric system of two black holes. Specifically, the Bowen-York method is generalized for higher dimensions in order to calculate the initial data for head-on collision of two equal-mass black holes. Then, the initial data are evolved adopting the close-slow approximation to study gravitational waves emitted during the collision. We derive an empirical formula for radiation efficiency, which depends weakly on the dimensionality. Possible implications of our results for the black hole formation in particle colliders aremore » discussed.« less

Wulff polyhedra derived from morse potentials and crystal habits of bcc and fcc metal particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Yahachi

1981-05-01

Using the broken-bond method and the pairwise potentials of Morse type, relative surface energies were calculated to derive the Wulff polyhedra for bcc and fcc metals. When only the first and the second nearest neighbour interactions are taken into account, the resulting Wulff polyhedron is a rhombic dodecahedron truncated by {100} faces and an octahedron truncated by {100} and {100} faces for bcc and fcc metals, respectively. The truncation degrees calculated are in good agreement with those measured from smoke particles grown in an atmosphere of rarefied inactive gas. The effect of the higher order terms of interactions is simply to make the edges and corners round.

Phase solubility, 1H NMR and molecular modelling studies of bupivacaine hydrochloride complexation with different cyclodextrin derivates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jug, Mario; Mennini, Natascia; Melani, Fabrizio; Maestrelli, Francesca; Mura, Paola

2010-11-01

A novel method, which simultaneously exploits experimental (NMR) and theoretically calculated data obtained by a molecular modelling technique, was proposed, to obtain deeper insight into inclusion geometry and possible stereoselective binding of bupivacaine hydrochloride with selected cyclodextrin derivatives. Sulphobuthylether-β-cyclodextrin and water soluble polymeric β-cyclodextrin demonstrated to be the best complexing agents for the drug, resulting in formation of the most stable inclusion complexes with the highest increase in aqueous drug solubility. The drug-carrier binding modes with these cyclodextrins and phenomena which may be directly related to the higher stability and better aqueous solubility of complexes formed were discussed in details.

Estimating of higher order velocity moments and their derivatives in boundary layer by Smoke Image Velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikheev, N. I.; Goltsman, A. E.; Salekhova, I. G.; Saushin, I. I.

2017-11-01

The results of an experimental evaluation of the third-order moments profiles of velocity fluctuations and their partial derivatives in a zero pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer are presented. Profiles of characteristics are estimated on the basis of the dynamics of two-component instantaneous velocity vector fields measured by the optical method Smoke Image Velocimetry (SIV). Comparison SIV-measurements with the results of measurements by a thermoanemometer and DNS data with similar Reθ and Reτ showed good agreement between the profiles of +, +, ∂+/∂y+ и ∂+/∂y+ obtained by SIV and DNS.

Rare sugars and sugar-based synthons by chemo-enzymatic synthesis.

PubMed

Giffhorn; Köpper; Huwig; Freimund

2000-12-01

The unique catalytic potential of the fungal enzyme pyranose oxidase was demonstrated by preparative conversions of a variety of carbohydrates, and by extensive chemical characterization of the reaction products with NMR spectroscopy. The studies revealed that POx not only oxidizes most substrates very efficiently but also that POx possesses a glycosyl-transfer potential, producing disaccharides from beta-glycosides of higher alcohols. Although most substrates are oxidized by POx at the C-2 position, several substrates are converted into the 3-keto-derivatives. On the basis of these products, strategies are developed for the convenient production of sugar-derived synthons, rare sugars and fine chemicals by combining biotechnical and chemical methods.

Novel coumarin derivatives bearing N-benzyl pyridinium moiety: potent and dual binding site acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

PubMed

Alipour, Masoumeh; Khoobi, Mehdi; Foroumadi, Alireza; Nadri, Hamid; Moradi, Alireza; Sakhteman, Amirhossein; Ghandi, Mehdi; Shafiee, Abbas

2012-12-15

A novel series of coumarin derivatives linked to benzyl pyridinium group were synthesized and biologically evaluated as inhibitors of both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The enzyme inhibitory activity of synthesized compounds was measured using colorimetric Ellman's method. It was revealed that compounds 3e, 3h, 3l, 3r and 3s have shown higher activity compared with donepezil hydrochloride as standard drug. Most of the compounds in these series had nanomolar range IC(50) in which compound 3r (IC(50) = 0.11 nM) was the most active compound against acetylcholinesterase enzyme. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of new opioid derivatives with a propellane skeleton and their pharmacologies: Part 5, novel pentacyclic propellane derivatives with a 6-amide side chain.

PubMed

Nakajima, Ryo; Yamamoto, Naoshi; Hirayama, Shigeto; Iwai, Takashi; Saitoh, Akiyoshi; Nagumo, Yasuyuki; Fujii, Hideaki; Nagase, Hiroshi

2015-10-01

We designed and synthesized pentacyclic propellane derivatives with a 6-amide side chain to afford compounds with higher MOR/KOR ratio and lower sedative effects than nalfurafine. The obtained etheno-bridged derivative with a β-amide side chain, YNT-854, showed a higher MOR/KOR ratio than nalfurafine. YNT-854 also exhibited a higher dose ratio between the sedative effect and the analgesic effect than observed with nalfurafine, which may guide the future design of useful analgesics with a weaker sedative effect than nalfurafine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Membrane triangles with corner drilling freedoms. II - The ANDES element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Felippa, Carlos A.; Militello, Carmelo

1992-01-01

This is the second article in a three-part series on the construction of 3-node, 9-dof membrane elements with normal-to-its-plane rotational freedoms (the so-called drilling freedoms) using parametrized variational principles. In this part, one such element is derived within the context of the assumed natural deviatoric strain (ANDES) formulation. The higher-order strains are obtained by constructing three parallel-to-sides pure-bending modes from which natural strains are obtained at the corner points and interpolated over the element. To attain rank sufficiency, an additional higher-order 'torsional' mode, corresponding to equal hierarchical rotations at each corner with all other motions precluded, is incorporated. The resulting formulation has five free parameters. When these parameters are optimized against pure bending by energy balance methods, the resulting element is found to coalesce with the optimal EFF element derived in Part I. Numerical integration as a strain filtering device is found to play a key role in this achievement.

Cellulose-derived carbon aerogels supported goethite (α-FeOOH) nanoneedles and nanoflowers for electromagnetic interference shielding.

PubMed

Wan, Caichao; Jiao, Yue; Qiang, Tiangang; Li, Jian

2017-01-20

We describe a rapid and facile chemical precipitation method to grow goethite (α-FeOOH) nanoneedles and nanoflowers on the carbon aerogels which was obtained from the pyrolysis of cellulose aerogels. When evaluated as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, the α-FeOOH/cellulose-derived carbon aerogels composite displays the highest SE total value of 34.0dB at the Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ concentration of 0.01M, which is about 4.8 times higher than that of the individual α-FeOOH (5.9dB). When the higher or lower Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ concentrations were used, the EMI shielding performance deterioration occurred. The integration of α-FeOOH with the carbon aerogels transforms the reflection-dominant mechanism for α-FeOOH into the adsorption-dominant mechanism for the composite. The adsorption-dominant mechanism undoubtedly makes contribution to alleviating secondary radiation, which is regarded as more attractive alternative for developing electromagnetic radiation protection products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative investigations of xylose and arabinose substituents in hydroxypropylated and hydroxyvinylethylated arabinoxylans.

PubMed

Lorenz, Dominic; Knöpfle, Anna; Akil, Youssef; Saake, Bodo

2017-11-01

The chemical structures obtained by the modification of arabinoxylans with the cyclic carbonates propylene carbonate (PC) and 4-vinyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (VEC) with varying degrees of substitution were investigated. Therefore, a new analytical method was developed that is based on a microwave-assisted hydrolysis of the polysaccharides with trifluoroacetic acid and the reductive amination with 2-aminobenzoic acid. The peak assignment was achieved by HPLC-MS and the carbohydrate derivatives were quantified by HPLC-fluorescence. The obtained maximum molar substitution of PC-derivatized xylan (X HP ) was 1.8; the molar substitution of VEC-derivatized xylan (X HVE ) was 2.3. Investigations of xylose and arabinose based mono- and disubstituted derivatives revealed a preferred reaction of the cyclic carbonates with arabinose. Conversion rates were up to 2.4 times higher for monosubstitution and up to 3.0 times for disubstitution compared to xylose. Furthermore, the reaction with VEC was preferred due to higher reactivity of the newly introduced side chains. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of longitudinal aerodynamic derivatives using flight data from an icing research aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranaudo, R. J.; Batterson, J. G.; Reehorst, A. L.; Bond, T. H.; Omara, T. M.

1989-01-01

A flight test was performed with the NASA Lewis Research Center's DH-6 icing research aircraft. The purpose was to employ a flight test procedure and data analysis method, to determine the accuracy with which the effects of ice on aircraft stability and control could be measured. For simplicity, flight testing was restricted to the short period longitudinal mode. Two flights were flown in a clean (baseline) configuration, and two flights were flown with simulated horizontal tail ice. Forty-five repeat doublet maneuvers were performed in each of four test configurations, at a given trim speed, to determine the ensemble variation of the estimated stability and control derivatives. Additional maneuvers were also performed in each configuration, to determine the variation in the longitudinal derivative estimates over a wide range of trim speeds. Stability and control derivatives were estimated by a Modified Stepwise Regression (MSR) technique. A measure of the confidence in the derivative estimates was obtained by comparing the standard error for the ensemble of repeat maneuvers, to the average of the estimated standard errors predicted by the MSR program. A multiplicative relationship was determined between the ensemble standard error, and the averaged program standard errors. In addition, a 95 percent confidence interval analysis was performed for the elevator effectiveness estimates, C sub m sub delta e. This analysis identified the speed range where changes in C sub m sub delta e could be attributed to icing effects. The magnitude of icing effects on the derivative estimates were strongly dependent on flight speed and aircraft wing flap configuration. With wing flaps up, the estimated derivatives were degraded most at lower speeds corresponding to that configuration. With wing flaps extended to 10 degrees, the estimated derivatives were degraded most at the higher corresponding speeds. The effects of icing on the changes in longitudinal stability and control derivatives were adequately determined by the flight test procedure and the MSR analysis method discussed herein.

Characterization of pH-fractionated humic acids derived from Chinese weathered coal.

PubMed

Zhang, Shuiqin; Yuan, Liang; Li, Wei; Lin, Zhian; Li, Yanting; Hu, Shuwen; Zhao, Bingqiang

2017-01-01

To reduce the compositional and structural heterogeneity of humic acids (HAs) and achieve better use of HA resources, in this study, we report a new sequential dissolution method for HAs derived from Chinese weathered coal. This method was used to separate HAs into seven fractions by adjusting the pH (3-10) of the extraction solution. The results showed that the HA fractions derived from Chinese weathered coal were concentrated up to 90.31% in the lower pH solutions (3-7). The compositional and structural characteristics of the HA fractions were determined by elemental analysis; ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and solid-state 13 C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies; and other techniques. The results showed significant differences among the HA fractions. The concentrations of the total acidic groups and the carboxyl groups decreased with the increasing pH of the extraction solution. However, the HA fractions derived from extraction solutions with pH 3-4 had relatively lower aromaticity but a higher protonated carbon content. The HA fractions derived from extraction solutions with pH 6-7 had the highest aromaticity and the greatest abundance of COO/N-C=O. This study demonstrated that adjusting the pH of the extraction solution is one way to fractionate HAs from Chinese weathered coal and to obtain HA fractions with compositions and structures that could serve as useful material for study and utilization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of coral-derived organic matter on the growth of bacterioplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Ryota; Tanaka, Yasuaki; Guillemette, Ryan; Kurihara, Haruko

2017-12-01

Exudates derived from hermatypic corals were incubated with <2 µm filtered seawater containing heterotrophic bacteria and <10 µm filtered seawater containing bacteria and nanoflagellates (HNF) under dark conditions for 96 h to quantify the growth of both bacteria and HNF in response to coral-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM). The addition of coral-derived DOM caused significantly higher growth rates and production of bacteria and HNF compared to those in control seawater without coral exudates. During the incubation, HNF exhibited their peak in abundance 24-48 h after the peak abundance of bacteria. The growth efficiencies of both bacteria and HNF were significantly higher with coral-derived DOM, suggesting higher transfer efficiency from bacteria that is fueled by coral organic matter to HNF. Therefore, trophic transfer of coral-derived DOM from bacteria to HNF can contribute to efficient carbon flow through the microbial food web.

Results from the FIN-2 formal comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connolly, Paul; Hoose, Corinna; Liu, Xiaohong; Moehler, Ottmar; Cziczo, Daniel; DeMott, Paul

2017-04-01

During the Fifth International Ice Nucleation Workshop (FIN-2) at the AIDA Ice Nucleation facility in Karlsruhe, Germany in March 2015, a formal comparison of ice nucleation measurement methods was conducted. During the experiments the samples of ice nucleating particles were not revealed to the instrument scientists, hence this was referred to as a "blind comparison". The two samples used were later revealed to be Arizona Test Dust and an Argentina soil sample. For these two samples seven mobile ice nucleating particle counters sampled directly from the AIDA chamber or from the aerosol preparation chamber at specified temperatures, whereas filter samples were taken for two offline deposition nucleation instruments. Wet suspension methods for determining IN concentrations were also used with 10 different methods employed. For the wet suspension methods experiments were conducted using INPs collected from the air inside the chambers (impinger sampling) and INPs taken from the bulk samples (vial sampling). Direct comparisons of the ice nucleating particle concentrations are reported as well as derived ice nucleation active site densities. The study highlights the difficulties in performing such analyses, but generally indicates that there is reasonable agreement between the wet suspension techniques. It is noted that ice nucleation efficiency derived from the AIDA chamber (quantified using the ice active surface site density approach) is higher than that for the cold stage techniques. This is both true for the Argentina soil sample and, to a lesser extent, for the Arizona Test Dust sample too. Other interesting effects were noted: for the ATD the impinger sampling demonstrated higher INP efficiency at higher temperatures (>255 K) than the vial sampling, but agreed at the lower temperatures (<255K), whereas the opposite was true for the Argentina soil sample. The results are analysed to better understand the performance of the various techniques and to address any size-sorting effects and / or sampling line loses.

Purification and Crystal Growth of Lead Iodide by Physical Vapor Transport Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, G. W.; Cole, M.; Chen, Y.-F.; Chen, K.-T.; Chen, H.; Chattopadhyay, K.; Burger, A.

1998-01-01

Lead iodide (PbI2) is a layered compound semiconductor being developed as room temperature x- and gamma-ray detector. Compared to the more studied material, mercuric iodide, PbI2 has a higher melting temperature and no phase transition until liquid phase which are indications of better mechanical properties. In this study, the source material was purified by the zone-refining process, and the purest section was extracted from center of the the zone-refined ingot to be grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) method. The zone-refined material and as-grown crystals were characterized by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to reveal the surface morphology, purity and stoichiometry. The results shows that both materials are near-stoichiometric composition, with the purity of the as-grown crystals higher than zone-refined materials. The resistivity of the as-grown crystal (10" Omega-cm) was derived from current-voltage (I-V) measurement, and is 10 times higher than the zone-refined materials. Detail results will be presented and discussed.

Impacts of supersymmetric higher derivative terms on inflation models in supergravity

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

Aoki, Shuntaro; Yamada, Yusuke, E-mail: shun-soccer@akane.waseda.jp, E-mail: yuusuke-yamada@asagi.waseda.jp

2015-07-01

We show the effects of supersymmetric higher derivative terms on inflation models in supergravity. The results show that such terms generically modify the effective kinetic coefficient of the inflaton during inflation if the cut off scale of the higher derivative operators is sufficiently small. In such a case, the η-problem in supergravity does not occur, and we find that the effective potential of the inflaton generically becomes a power type potential with a power smaller than two.

Photobactericidal activity of methylene blue derivatives against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp.

PubMed

Wainwright, M; Phoenix, D A; Gaskell, M; Marshall, B

1999-12-01

The toxicities and phototoxicities of methylene blue and its two methylated derivatives were measured against one standard and three vancomycin-resistant pathogenic strains of Enterococcus spp. Each of the compounds was bactericidal and the derivatives exhibited photobactericidal activity on illumination at a 'light' dose of 6.3 J/cm(2) against one or more of the strains. Increased bactericidal and photobactericidal activity in the methylated derivatives is thought to be due to their higher hydrophobicities allowing greater interaction with the bacterial cell wall. In addition, the derivatives exhibited higher inherent photosensitizing efficacies.

Inertial Measurements for Aero-assisted Navigation (IMAN)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jah, Moriba; Lisano, Michael; Hockney, George

2007-01-01

IMAN is a Python tool that provides inertial sensor-based estimates of spacecraft trajectories within an atmospheric influence. It provides Kalman filter-derived spacecraft state estimates based upon data collected onboard, and is shown to perform at a level comparable to the conventional methods of spacecraft navigation in terms of accuracy and at a higher level with regard to the availability of results immediately after completion of an atmospheric drag pass.

Comparison of microelectrode, DMO, and methylamine methods for measuring intracellular pH.

PubMed

Boron, W F; Roos, A

1976-09-01

The intracellular pH (pHi) of giant barnacle muscle fibers was measured with glass microelectrodes and also calculated from the distribution of 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (DMO) and methylamine (MA). Simultaneously applying any two of these methods to muscle fibers of the same barnacle, we found the pH measured with an intracellular electrode (pH-Elec) to be about 0.06 higher than the DMO-derived pH (pH-DMO), and pH-DMO to be about 0.10 higher than the MA-derived pH (p-ma). in studies on the pHi of squid giant axons, we found that pH-Elec (7.35) and pH-DMO (7.36) were not significantly different. In the barnacle experiments, DMO required about 30 min to reach a steady-state distribution, while MA required more than 5 h. The deviations of pH-DMO and pH-MA from pH-Elec for the barnacle can be explained by a) an error in the assumed intracellular pKa' of DMO or MA, b) membrane permeability to the ionic form of DMO or MA, or c) intracellular compartmentalization. Included is a detailed study of the apparent dissociation constant of DMO as affected by temperature, and ionic strength and composition.

Ear fibroblasts derived from Taiwan yellow cattle are more heat resistant than those from Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Wu, Hung-Yi; Peng, Shao-Yu; Li, Hung; Lee, Jai-Wei; Kesorn, Piyawit; Wu, Hsi-Hsun; Ju, Jyh-Cherng; Shen, Perng-Chih

2017-05-01

The objective of this study was to compare the thermotolerances of ear fibroblasts derived from Holstein (H) and Taiwan yellow cattle (Y) and their apoptosis-related protein expressions with (1, 3, 6, 12, and 24h) or without heat shock treatment. The results showed that the vaginal temperatures of Y (38.4-38.5°C) were (P<0.05) lower than that of H (38.8°C) during the hot season. The apoptotic rates of ear fibroblasts derived from Y (6h: 1.1%; 12h: 1.6%; 24h: 2.6%) were lower (P<0.05) than those of cells derived from H (6h: 1.8%; 12h: 4.0%; 24h: 6.9%), respectively, after heat shock (42°C). The expression level of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) in ear fibroblasts derived from H was higher (P<0.05) than those derived from Y after the heat shock treatment for 6h and 12h, respectively. The level of cytochrome c of ear fibroblasts derived from H was higher (P<0.05) than those derived from Y after the heat shock treatment for 1-12h, respectively. The abundances of Caspase-3, Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 of ear fibroblasts derived from H were higher (P<0.05) than those of cells derived from Y after 12h and 24h of heat shock, respectively; the Bcl-2/Bax ratios of ear fibroblasts derived from H were lower (P<0.05) than those from Y-derived fibroblasts after heated for 1-24h. The expression level of HSP-70 of Y-derived ear fibroblasts was also higher (P<0.05) than that from H after the same duration of heat shock treatments. Taken together, the thermotolerance of ear fibroblasts derived from Taiwan yellow cattle was better than that of cells derived from Holstein cattle. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation of the oligosaccharides derived from Flammulina velutipes and their antioxidant activities.

PubMed

Xia, Zhenqiang

2015-03-15

The oligosaccharides were prepared from Flammulina velutipes by hydrolysis of F. velutipes polysaccharides with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The yields of F. velutipes derived oligosaccharides (FVOs) were monitored during the hydrolysis process. FVOs yields were affected by three factors, i.e. reaction temperature, H2O2 concentration, and time, which were optimized by using an orthogonal design experiments as follows: reaction temperature 70°C, H2O2 concentration 3%, and reaction time 6h. Under these optimum conditions, the maximal yield of the oligosaccharides reached 17.10%, which was higher than that of hot water extraction method. The oligosaccharides were partially characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum, monosaccharide composition, and antioxidant activity. The results indicate that the oligosaccharides derived from F. velutipes showed strong hydroxyl radical activity and reducing capacity at the concentration of 100 μg/mL. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of joint analysis of microarray gene expression data in survival prediction and risk assessment of breast cancer patients

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Microarray gene expression data sets are jointly analyzed to increase statistical power. They could either be merged together or analyzed by meta-analysis. For a given ensemble of data sets, it cannot be foreseen which of these paradigms, merging or meta-analysis, works better. In this article, three joint analysis methods, Z -score normalization, ComBat and the inverse normal method (meta-analysis) were selected for survival prognosis and risk assessment of breast cancer patients. The methods were applied to eight microarray gene expression data sets, totaling 1324 patients with two clinical endpoints, overall survival and relapse-free survival. The performance derived from the joint analysis methods was evaluated using Cox regression for survival analysis and independent validation used as bias estimation. Overall, Z -score normalization had a better performance than ComBat and meta-analysis. Higher Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve and hazard ratio were also obtained when independent validation was used as bias estimation. With a lower time and memory complexity, Z -score normalization is a simple method for joint analysis of microarray gene expression data sets. The derived findings suggest further assessment of this method in future survival prediction and cancer classification applications. PMID:26504096

Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Analysis of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Scenarios in Southwestern Michigan

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

Cronin, Keith R.; Runge, Troy M.; Zhang, Xuesong

By modeling the life cycle of fuel pathways for cellulosic ethanol (CE) it can help identify logistical barriers and anticipated impacts for the emerging commercial CE industry. Such models contain high amounts of variability, primarily due to the varying nature of agricultural production but also because of limitations in the availability of data at the local scale, resulting in the typical practice of using average values. In this study, 12 spatially explicit, cradle-to-refinery gate CE pathways were developed that vary by feedstock (corn stover, switchgrass, and Miscanthus), nitrogen application rate (higher, lower), pretreatment method (ammonia fiber expansion [AFEX], dilute acid),more » and co-product treatment method (mass allocation, sub-division), in which feedstock production was modeled at the watershed scale over a nine-county area in Southwestern Michigan. When comparing feedstocks, the model showed that corn stover yielded higher global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and eutrophication potential (EP) than the perennial feedstocks of switchgrass and Miscanthus, on an average per area basis. Full life cycle results per MJ of produced ethanol demonstrated more mixed results, with corn stover-derived CE scenarios that use sub-division as a co-product treatment method yielding similarly favorable outcomes as switchgrass- and Miscanthus-derived CE scenarios. Variability was found to be greater between feedstocks than watersheds. Additionally, scenarios using dilute acid pretreatment had more favorable results than those using AFEX pretreatment.« less

Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Analysis of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Scenarios in Southwestern Michigan

DOE PAGES

Cronin, Keith R.; Runge, Troy M.; Zhang, Xuesong; ...

2016-07-13

By modeling the life cycle of fuel pathways for cellulosic ethanol (CE) it can help identify logistical barriers and anticipated impacts for the emerging commercial CE industry. Such models contain high amounts of variability, primarily due to the varying nature of agricultural production but also because of limitations in the availability of data at the local scale, resulting in the typical practice of using average values. In this study, 12 spatially explicit, cradle-to-refinery gate CE pathways were developed that vary by feedstock (corn stover, switchgrass, and Miscanthus), nitrogen application rate (higher, lower), pretreatment method (ammonia fiber expansion [AFEX], dilute acid),more » and co-product treatment method (mass allocation, sub-division), in which feedstock production was modeled at the watershed scale over a nine-county area in Southwestern Michigan. When comparing feedstocks, the model showed that corn stover yielded higher global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and eutrophication potential (EP) than the perennial feedstocks of switchgrass and Miscanthus, on an average per area basis. Full life cycle results per MJ of produced ethanol demonstrated more mixed results, with corn stover-derived CE scenarios that use sub-division as a co-product treatment method yielding similarly favorable outcomes as switchgrass- and Miscanthus-derived CE scenarios. Variability was found to be greater between feedstocks than watersheds. Additionally, scenarios using dilute acid pretreatment had more favorable results than those using AFEX pretreatment.« less

Five-Dimensional Gauged Supergravity with Higher Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanaki, Kentaro

This thesis summarizes the recent developments on the study of five-dimensional gauged supergravity with higher derivative terms, emphasizing in particular the application to understanding the hydrodynamic properties of gauge theory plasma via the AdS/CFT correspondence. We first review how the ungauged and gauged five-dimensional supergravity actions with higher derivative terms can be constructed using the off-shell superconformal formalism. Then we relate the gauged supergravity to four-dimensional gauge theory using the AdS/CFT correspondence and extract the physical quantities associated with gauge theory plasma from the dual classical supergravity computations. We put a particular emphasis on the discussion of the conjectured lower bound for the shear viscosity over entropy density ratio proposed by Kovtun, Son and Starinets, and discuss how higher derivative terms in supergravity and the introduction of chemical potential for the R-charge affect this bound.

Handmade Cloned Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Embryos Produced from Somatic Cells Isolated from Milk and Ear Skin Differ in Their Developmental Competence, Epigenetic Status, and Gene Expression.

PubMed

Jyotsana, Basanti; Sahare, Amol A; Raja, Anuj K; Singh, Karn P; Singla, Suresh K; Chauhan, Manmohan S; Manik, Radhey S; Palta, Prabhat

2015-10-01

We compared the cloning efficiency of buffalo embryos produced by handmade cloning (HMC) using ear skin- and milk-derived donor cells. The blastocyst rate was lower (p < 0.05) for milk-derived than that for skin-derived embryos, whereas the total cell number and apoptotic index were similar. The global level of H3K9ac was higher (p < 0.05) in skin- than in milk-derived cells, whereas the level of H3K27me3 was similar in the two groups. The global level of H3K9ac was similar between milk-derived and in vitro-fertilized (IVF) blastocysts, which was higher (p < 0.05) than that in skin-derived blastocysts. The level of H3K27me3 was similar among the three groups. The expression level of IGF-1R and G6PD was higher (p < 0.05) in skin- than in milk-derived cells, whereas DNMT1, DNMT3a, and HDAC1 expression level was similar. In the blastocysts, the expression level of DNMT1, HDAC1, OCT4, and CDX2 was higher (p < 0.05) in skin-derived than that in IVF blastocysts. The expression level of DNMT3a and IGF-1R, was in the order (p < 0.05) skin-derived and IVF > milk-derived blastocysts and that of NANOG was (p < 0.05) IVF-> milk-derived > skin-derived blastocysts. The expression level of all these genes, except NANOG, was lower (p < 0.05) in milk- than in skin-derived or IVF blastocysts. In conclusion, milk-derived cells can be used for producing HMC embryos of quality similar to that of skin-derived embryos, although with a lower blastocyst rate.

The sensitivity of catchment hypsometry and hypsometric properties to DEM resolution and polynomial order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liffner, Joel W.; Hewa, Guna A.; Peel, Murray C.

2018-05-01

Derivation of the hypsometric curve of a catchment, and properties relating to that curve, requires both use of topographical data (commonly in the form of a Digital Elevation Model - DEM), and the estimation of a functional representation of that curve. An early investigation into catchment hypsometry concluded 3rd order polynomials sufficiently describe the hypsometric curve, without the consideration of higher order polynomials, or the sensitivity of hypsometric properties relating to the curve. Another study concluded the hypsometric integral (HI) is robust against changes in DEM resolution, a conclusion drawn from a very limited sample size. Conclusions from these earlier studies have resulted in the adoption of methods deemed to be "sufficient" in subsequent studies, in addition to assumptions that the robustness of the HI extends to other hypsometric properties. This study investigates and demonstrates the sensitivity of hypsometric properties to DEM resolution, DEM type and polynomial order through assessing differences in hypsometric properties derived from 417 catchments and sub-catchments within South Australia. The sensitivity of hypsometric properties across DEM types and polynomial orders is found to be significant, which suggests careful consideration of the methods chosen to derive catchment hypsometric information is required.

Comparative evaluation of the association among enumeration methods and production of enterotoxins in food-derived Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Zhang, Chi; Zhang, Deqin; Yang, Jun; Zhou, Jungui; Hu, Qilong; Ling, Rui; Dong, Mingsheng

2012-01-01

Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide; it results from the ingestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in food, mainly Staphylococcus aureus. This study investigated the statistical relationships among morphological enumerations of food-derived S. aureus and production of SEs using different methodologies. Food samples naturally contaminated with coagulase-positive S. aureus were submitted for enumeration on Baird-Parker (BP) agar, Rabbit Plasma Fibrinogen agar (RPFA), and Petrifilm Staph Express count system (STX), and the morphologically typical colonies were isolated for VIDAS and real-time (RT) PCR tests. RPFA and STX displayed better performance for the enumeration of SE-positive S. aureus when compared with BP, including higher frequencies of SE-positive isolates and better correlation indices between typical and SE-positive counts. Among all the evaluated culture media, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was shown on the frequencies of typical colonies that carried 11 individual se genes. In addition, results for SE identification between VIDAS and RT-PCR assay were unparalleled. These data will be valuable for the selection of methods for inspection of food-derived S. aureus.

Resolution dependence of petrophysical parameters derived from X-ray tomography of chalk

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

Müter, D.; Sørensen, H. O.; Jha, D.

2014-07-28

X-ray computed tomography data from chalk drill cuttings were taken over a series of voxel dimensions, ranging from 320 to 25 nm. From these data sets, standard petrophysical parameters (porosity, surface area, and permeability) were derived and we examined the effect of the voxel dimension (i.e., image resolution) on these properties. We found that for the higher voxel dimensions, they are severely over or underestimated, whereas for 50 and 25 nm voxel dimension, the resulting values (5%–30% porosity, 0.2–2 m{sup 2}/g specific surface area, and 0.06–0.34 mD permeability) are within the expected range for this type of rock. We compared our resultsmore » to macroscopic measurements and in the case of surface area, also to measurements using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method and found that independent of the degree of compaction, the results from tomography amount to about 30% of the BET method. Finally, we concluded that at 25 nm voxel dimension, the essential features of the nanoscopic pore network in chalk are captured but better resolution is still needed to derive surface area.« less

Advances in analytical methods and occurrence of organic UV-filters in the environment--A review.

PubMed

Ramos, Sara; Homem, Vera; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

2015-09-01

UV-filters are a group of compounds designed mainly to protect skin against UVA and UVB radiation, but they are also included in plastics, furniture, etc., to protect products from light damage. Their massive use in sunscreens for skin protection has been increasing due to the awareness of the chronic and acute effects of UV radiation. Some organic UV-filters have raised significant concerns in the past few years for their continuous usage, persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. UV-filters end up in wastewater and because wastewater treatment plants are not efficient in removing them, lipophilic compounds tend to sorb onto sludge and hydrophilics end up in river water, contaminating the existing biota. To better understand the risk associated with UV-filters in the environment a thorough review regarding their physicochemical properties, toxicity and environmental degradation, analytical methods and their occurrence was conducted. Higher UV-filter concentrations were found in rivers, reaching 0.3mg/L for the most studied family, the benzophenone derivatives. Concentrations in the ng to μg/L range were also detected for the p-aminobenzoic acid, cinnamate, crylene and benzoyl methane derivatives in lake and sea water. Although at lower levels (few ng/L), UV-filters were also found in tap and groundwater. Swimming pool water is also a sink for UV-filters and its chlorine by-products, at the μg/L range, highlighting the benzophenone and benzimidazole derivatives. Soils and sediments are not frequently studied, but concentrations in the μg/L range have already been found especially for the benzophenone and crylene derivatives. Aquatic biota is frequently studied and UV-filters are found in the ng/g-dw range with higher values for fish and mussels. It has been concluded that more information regarding UV-filter degradation studies both in water and sediments is necessary and environmental occurrences should be monitored more frequently and deeply. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Principles and equations for measuring and interpreting protein stability: From monomer to tetramer.

PubMed

Bedouelle, Hugues

2016-02-01

The ability to measure the thermodynamic stability of proteins with precision is important for both academic and applied research. Such measurements rely on mathematical models of the protein denaturation profile, i.e. the relation between a global protein signal, corresponding to the folding states in equilibrium, and the variable value of a denaturing agent, either heat or a chemical molecule, e.g. urea or guanidinium hydrochloride. In turn, such models rely on a handful of physical laws: the laws of mass action and conservation, the law that relates the protein signal and concentration, and the one that relates stability and denaturant value. So far, equations have been derived mainly for the denaturation profiles of homomeric proteins. Here, we review the underlying basic physical laws and show in detail how to derive model equations for the unfolding equilibria of homomeric or heteromeric proteins up to trimers and potentially tetramers, with or without folding intermediates, and give full demonstrations. We show that such equations cannot be derived for pentamers or higher oligomers except in special degenerate cases. We expand the method to signals that do not correspond to extensive protein properties. We review and expand methods for uncovering hidden intermediates of unfolding. Finally, we review methods for comparing and interpreting the thermodynamic parameters that derive from stability measurements for cognate wild-type and mutant proteins. This work should provide a robust theoretical basis for measuring the stability of complex proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

Modeling of short channel MOS transistors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, H. C.; Kokalis, D. P.; Bandy, W. R.

1976-01-01

Higher frequency response in MOS technology can be obtained by shortening the channel length. One approach for doing this involves an employment of higher resolution lithography technology. A second approach makes use of a double-diffused MOS transistor (DMOS). It is pointed out that the ordinary method of modeling the transistors used in both approaches is not accurate. An investigation is conducted of the questions which have to be considered for DMOS modeling. The modeling of a short channel MOS transistor is discussed, taking into account the derivation of the threshold voltage equation. Excellent agreement between theoretical and experimental data shows the accuracy of the described modeling approach.

High-Order Automatic Differentiation of Unmodified Linear Algebra Routines via Nilpotent Matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunham, Benjamin Z.

This work presents a new automatic differentiation method, Nilpotent Matrix Differentiation (NMD), capable of propagating any order of mixed or univariate derivative through common linear algebra functions--most notably third-party sparse solvers and decomposition routines, in addition to basic matrix arithmetic operations and power series--without changing data-type or modifying code line by line; this allows differentiation across sequences of arbitrarily many such functions with minimal implementation effort. NMD works by enlarging the matrices and vectors passed to the routines, replacing each original scalar with a matrix block augmented by derivative data; these blocks are constructed with special sparsity structures, termed "stencils," each designed to be isomorphic to a particular multidimensional hypercomplex algebra. The algebras are in turn designed such that Taylor expansions of hypercomplex function evaluations are finite in length and thus exactly track derivatives without approximation error. Although this use of the method in the "forward mode" is unique in its own right, it is also possible to apply it to existing implementations of the (first-order) discrete adjoint method to find high-order derivatives with lowered cost complexity; for example, for a problem with N inputs and an adjoint solver whose cost is independent of N--i.e., O(1)--the N x N Hessian can be found in O(N) time, which is comparable to existing second-order adjoint methods that require far more problem-specific implementation effort. Higher derivatives are likewise less expensive--e.g., a N x N x N rank-three tensor can be found in O(N2). Alternatively, a Hessian-vector product can be found in O(1) time, which may open up many matrix-based simulations to a range of existing optimization or surrogate modeling approaches. As a final corollary in parallel to the NMD-adjoint hybrid method, the existing complex-step differentiation (CD) technique is also shown to be capable of finding the Hessian-vector product. All variants are implemented on a stochastic diffusion problem and compared in-depth with various cost and accuracy metrics.

Visualizing dispersive features in 2D image via minimum gradient method

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

He, Yu; Wang, Yan; Shen, Zhi -Xun

Here, we developed a minimum gradient based method to track ridge features in a 2D image plot, which is a typical data representation in many momentum resolved spectroscopy experiments. Through both analytic formulation and numerical simulation, we compare this new method with existing DC (distribution curve) based and higher order derivative based analyses. We find that the new method has good noise resilience and enhanced contrast especially for weak intensity features and meanwhile preserves the quantitative local maxima information from the raw image. An algorithm is proposed to extract 1D ridge dispersion from the 2D image plot, whose quantitative applicationmore » to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements on high temperature superconductors is demonstrated.« less

Visualizing dispersive features in 2D image via minimum gradient method

DOE PAGES

He, Yu; Wang, Yan; Shen, Zhi -Xun

2017-07-24

Here, we developed a minimum gradient based method to track ridge features in a 2D image plot, which is a typical data representation in many momentum resolved spectroscopy experiments. Through both analytic formulation and numerical simulation, we compare this new method with existing DC (distribution curve) based and higher order derivative based analyses. We find that the new method has good noise resilience and enhanced contrast especially for weak intensity features and meanwhile preserves the quantitative local maxima information from the raw image. An algorithm is proposed to extract 1D ridge dispersion from the 2D image plot, whose quantitative applicationmore » to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements on high temperature superconductors is demonstrated.« less

Method for Implementing Subsurface Solid Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGL) - 12331

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

Lively, J.W.

2012-07-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other federal agencies currently approve the Multi-Agency Radiation Site Survey and Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) as guidance for licensees who are conducting final radiological status surveys in support of decommissioning. MARSSIM provides a method to demonstrate compliance with the applicable regulation by comparing residual radioactivity in surface soils with derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs), but specifically discounts its applicability to subsurface soils. Many sites and facilities undergoing decommissioning contain subsurface soils that are potentially impacted by radiological constituents. In the absence of specific guidance designed to address the derivation of subsurface soil DCGLs andmore » compliance demonstration, decommissioning facilities have attempted to apply DCGLs and final status survey techniques designed specifically for surface soils to subsurface soils. The decision to apply surface soil limits and surface soil compliance metrics to subsurface soils typically results in significant over-excavation with associated cost escalation. MACTEC, Inc. has developed the overarching concepts and principles found in recent NRC decommissioning guidance in NUREG 1757 to establish a functional method to derive dose-based subsurface soil DCGLs. The subsurface soil method developed by MACTEC also establishes a rigorous set of criterion-based data evaluation metrics (with analogs to the MARSSIM methodology) that can be used to demonstrate compliance with the developed subsurface soil DCGLs. The method establishes a continuum of volume factors that relate the size and depth of a volume of subsurface soil having elevated concentrations of residual radioactivity with its ability to produce dose. The method integrates the subsurface soil sampling regime with the derivation of the subsurface soil DCGL such that a self-regulating optimization is naturally sought by both the responsible party and regulator. This paper describes the concepts and basis used by MACTEC to develop the dose-based subsurface soil DCGL method. The paper will show how MACTEC's method can be used to demonstrate that higher concentrations of residual radioactivity in subsurface soils (as compared with surface soils) can meet the NRC's dose-based regulations. MACTEC's method has been used successfully to obtain the NRC's radiological release at a site with known radiological impacts to subsurface soils exceeding the surface soil DCGL, saving both time and cost. Having considered the current NRC guidance for consideration of residual radioactivity in subsurface soils during decommissioning, MACTEC has developed a technically based approach to the derivation of and demonstration of compliance with subsurface soil DCGLs for radionuclides. In fact, the process uses the already accepted concepts and metrics approved for surface soils as the foundation for deriving scaling factors used to calculate subsurface soil DCGLs that are at least equally protective of the decommissioning annual dose standard. Each of the elements identified for consideration in the current NRC guidance is addressed in this proposed method. Additionally, there is considerable conservatism built into the assumptions and techniques used to arrive at subsurface soil scaling factors and DCGLs. The degree of conservatism embodied in the approach used is such that risk managers and decision makers approving and using subsurface soil DCGLs derived in accordance with this method can be confident that the future exposures will be well below permissible and safe levels. The technical basis for the method can be applied to a broad variety of sites with residual radioactivity in subsurface soils. Given the costly nature of soil surveys, excavation, and disposal of soils as low-level radioactive waste, MACTEC's method for deriving and demonstrating compliance with subsurface soil DCGLs offers the possibility of significant cost savings over the traditional approach of applying surface soil DCGLs to subsurface soils. Furthermore, while yet untested, MACTEC believes that the concepts and methods embodied in this approach could readily be applied to other types of contamination found in subsurface soils. (author)« less

ζ Oph and the weak-wind problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Langer, N.; Mackey, J.

2012-11-01

Mass-loss rate, ?, is one of the key parameters affecting evolution and observational manifestations of massive stars and their impact on the ambient medium. Despite its importance, there is a factor of ˜100 discrepancy between empirical and theoretical ? of late-type O dwarfs, the so-called weak-wind problem. In this Letter, we propose a simple novel method to constrain ? of runaway massive stars through observation of their bow shocks and Strömgren spheres, which might be of decisive importance for resolving the weak-wind problem. Using this method, we found that ? of the well-known runaway O9.5 V star ζ Oph is more than an order of magnitude higher than that derived from ultraviolet (UV) line fitting and is by a factor of 6-7 lower than those based on the theoretical recipe by Vink et al. and the Hα line. The discrepancy between ? derived by our method and that based on UV lines would be even more severe if the stellar wind is clumpy. At the same time, our estimate of ? agrees with that predicted by the moving reversing layer theory by Lucy.

On HQET and NRQCD operators of dimension 8 and above

DOE PAGES

Gunawardana, Ayesh; Paz, Gil

2017-07-27

Effective field theories such as Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET) and Non Relativistic Quantum Chromo-(Electro-) dynamics NRQCD (NRQED) are indispensable tools in controlling the effects of the strong interaction. The increasing experimental precision requires the knowledge of higher dimensional operators. We present a general method that allows for an easy construction of HQET or NRQCD (NRQED) operators that contain two heavy quark or non-relativistic fields and any number of covariant derivatives. As an application of our method, we list these terms in the 1/M 4 NRQCD Lagrangian, where M is the mass of of the spin-half field.

Managing peatland vegetation for drinking water treatment.

PubMed

Ritson, Jonathan P; Bell, Michael; Brazier, Richard E; Grand-Clement, Emilie; Graham, Nigel J D; Freeman, Chris; Smith, David; Templeton, Michael R; Clark, Joanna M

2016-11-18

Peatland ecosystem services include drinking water provision, flood mitigation, habitat provision and carbon sequestration. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal is a key treatment process for the supply of potable water downstream from peat-dominated catchments. A transition from peat-forming Sphagnum moss to vascular plants has been observed in peatlands degraded by (a) land management, (b) atmospheric deposition and (c) climate change. Here within we show that the presence of vascular plants with higher annual above-ground biomass production leads to a seasonal addition of labile plant material into the peatland ecosystem as litter recalcitrance is lower. The net effect will be a smaller litter carbon pool due to higher rates of decomposition, and a greater seasonal pattern of DOC flux. Conventional water treatment involving coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation may be impeded by vascular plant-derived DOC. It has been shown that vascular plant-derived DOC is more difficult to remove via these methods than DOC derived from Sphagnum, whilst also being less susceptible to microbial mineralisation before reaching the treatment works. These results provide evidence that practices aimed at re-establishing Sphagnum moss on degraded peatlands could reduce costs and improve efficacy at water treatment works, offering an alternative to 'end-of-pipe' solutions through management of ecosystem service provision.

Managing peatland vegetation for drinking water treatment

PubMed Central

Ritson, Jonathan P.; Bell, Michael; Brazier, Richard E.; Grand-Clement, Emilie; Graham, Nigel J. D.; Freeman, Chris; Smith, David; Templeton, Michael R.; Clark, Joanna M.

2016-01-01

Peatland ecosystem services include drinking water provision, flood mitigation, habitat provision and carbon sequestration. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal is a key treatment process for the supply of potable water downstream from peat-dominated catchments. A transition from peat-forming Sphagnum moss to vascular plants has been observed in peatlands degraded by (a) land management, (b) atmospheric deposition and (c) climate change. Here within we show that the presence of vascular plants with higher annual above-ground biomass production leads to a seasonal addition of labile plant material into the peatland ecosystem as litter recalcitrance is lower. The net effect will be a smaller litter carbon pool due to higher rates of decomposition, and a greater seasonal pattern of DOC flux. Conventional water treatment involving coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation may be impeded by vascular plant-derived DOC. It has been shown that vascular plant-derived DOC is more difficult to remove via these methods than DOC derived from Sphagnum, whilst also being less susceptible to microbial mineralisation before reaching the treatment works. These results provide evidence that practices aimed at re-establishing Sphagnum moss on degraded peatlands could reduce costs and improve efficacy at water treatment works, offering an alternative to ‘end-of-pipe’ solutions through management of ecosystem service provision. PMID:27857210

Serum paraquat concentration detected by spectrophotometry in patients with paraquat poisoning

PubMed Central

Li, Chang-bin; Li, Xin-hua; Wang, Zhen; Jiang, Cheng-hua; Peng, Ai

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: Paraquat (PQ) is a world-wide used herbicide and also a type of common poison for suicide and accidental poisoning. Numerous studies have proved that the concentration of serum PQ plays an important role in prognosis. Spectrophotometry, including common spectrophotometry and second-derivative spectrophotometry, is commonly used for PQ detection in primary hospitals. So far, lack of systematic research on the reliability of the method and the correlation between clinical features of patients with PQ poisoning and the test results has restricted the clinical use of spectrophotometry. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and value of spectrophotometry in detecting the concentration of serum PQ. METHODS: The wavelengths for detecting the concentration of serum PQ by common and second-derivative spectrophotometry were determined. Second-derivative spectrophotometry was applied to detect the concentration of serum PQ. The linear range and precision for detection of PQ concentration by this method were confirmed. The concentration of serum PQ shown by second-derivative spectrophotometry and HPLC were compared in 8 patients with PQ poisoning. Altogether 21 patients with acute poisoning 4 hours after PQ ingestion treated in the period of October 2008 to September 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into higher and lower than 1.8 μg/mL groups based on their concentrations of serum PQ measured by second-derivative spectrophotometry on admission. The severity of clinical manifestations between the two groups were analyzed with Student's t test or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The absorption peak of 257 nm could not be found when common spectrophotometry was used to detect the PQ concentration in serum. The calibration curve in the 0.4–8.0 μg/mL range for PQ concentration shown by second-derivative spectrophotometry obeyed Beer's law with r=0.996. The average recovery rates of PQ were within a range of 95.0% to 99.5%, relative standard deviation (RSD) was within 1.35% to 5.41% (n=6), and the lower detection limit was 0.05 μg/mL. The PQ concentrations in serum of 8 patients with PQ poisoning shown by second-derivative spectrophotometry were consistent with the quantitative determinations by HPLC (r=0.995, P<0.0001). The survival rate was 22.2% in patients whose PQ concentration in serum was more than 1.8 μg/mL, and the incidences of acidosis, oliguria and pneumomediastinum in these patients were 55.6%, 55.6% and 77.8%, respectively. These clinical manifestations were different significantly from those of the patients whose PQ concentration in serum was less than 1.8 μg/mL (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For common spectrophotometry, the wavelength at 257 nm was not suitable for detecting serum PQ as no absorbance was shown. Second-derivative spectrophotometry was reliable for detecting serum paraquat concentration. Serum PQ concentration detected by second-derivative spectrophotometry could be used to predict the severity of clinical manifestations of patients with PQ poisoning, and PQ content higher than 1.8 μg/mL 4 hours after ingestion could be an important predictive factor for poor prognosis. PMID:25215006

Boundary particle method for Laplace transformed time fractional diffusion equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Zhuo-Jia; Chen, Wen; Yang, Hai-Tian

2013-02-01

This paper develops a novel boundary meshless approach, Laplace transformed boundary particle method (LTBPM), for numerical modeling of time fractional diffusion equations. It implements Laplace transform technique to obtain the corresponding time-independent inhomogeneous equation in Laplace space and then employs a truly boundary-only meshless boundary particle method (BPM) to solve this Laplace-transformed problem. Unlike the other boundary discretization methods, the BPM does not require any inner nodes, since the recursive composite multiple reciprocity technique (RC-MRM) is used to convert the inhomogeneous problem into the higher-order homogeneous problem. Finally, the Stehfest numerical inverse Laplace transform (NILT) is implemented to retrieve the numerical solutions of time fractional diffusion equations from the corresponding BPM solutions. In comparison with finite difference discretization, the LTBPM introduces Laplace transform and Stehfest NILT algorithm to deal with time fractional derivative term, which evades costly convolution integral calculation in time fractional derivation approximation and avoids the effect of time step on numerical accuracy and stability. Consequently, it can effectively simulate long time-history fractional diffusion systems. Error analysis and numerical experiments demonstrate that the present LTBPM is highly accurate and computationally efficient for 2D and 3D time fractional diffusion equations.

Photodynamic action of curcumin derived polymer modified ZnO nanocomposites

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

Hariharan, R.; Senthilkumar, S.; Suganthi, A., E-mail: suganthiphd09@gmail.com

2012-11-15

Highlights: ► ZnO/PVA nano sensitized with curcumin and its metal complex were synthesized by vacuum evaporation method. ► M/cur sensitized on ZnO/PVA nanocomposites were characterized. ► Generation of {sup 1}O{sub 2} and ROS were detected by optical and EPR-spin trapping method. ► It was found that photoinduced cleavage of DNA using Zn/cur–ZnO/PVA was superior. ► Photodegradation of MB in water catalyzed by ZnO/PVA–Zn/cur was also superior under visible light. -- Abstract: The photodynamic action of ZnO nano can be improved by modifying the surface by PVA and encapsulating the natural product, curcumin. The synthesized ZnO/PVA nanocomposites have been characterized usingmore » XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, TG–DTA, etc. Here we are reporting the photodynamic effect of ZnO nanocomposites on pUC18 DNA. Based on optical and EPR measurements, singlet oxygen and other ROS were responsible for photocleavage of DNA. Most importantly, derived curcumin modified ZnO/PVA nanocomposites were comparatively more effective than derived curcumin complex against HeLa cell lines under in vitro condition. In addition, photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in water catalyzed by nano ZnO/PVA–curcumin derivative was investigated at room temperature. Under visible irradiation photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanomaterial sensitized curcumin was higher than those of curcumin and nano ZnO.« less

Effect of fullerenol surface chemistry on nanoparticle binding-induced protein misfolding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radic, Slaven; Nedumpully-Govindan, Praveen; Chen, Ran; Salonen, Emppu; Brown, Jared M.; Ke, Pu Chun; Ding, Feng

2014-06-01

Fullerene and its derivatives with different surface chemistry have great potential in biomedical applications. Accordingly, it is important to delineate the impact of these carbon-based nanoparticles on protein structure, dynamics, and subsequently function. Here, we focused on the effect of hydroxylation -- a common strategy for solubilizing and functionalizing fullerene -- on protein-nanoparticle interactions using a model protein, ubiquitin. We applied a set of complementary computational modeling methods, including docking and molecular dynamics simulations with both explicit and implicit solvent, to illustrate the impact of hydroxylated fullerenes on the structure and dynamics of ubiquitin. We found that all derivatives bound to the model protein. Specifically, the more hydrophilic nanoparticles with a higher number of hydroxyl groups bound to the surface of the protein via hydrogen bonds, which stabilized the protein without inducing large conformational changes in the protein structure. In contrast, fullerene derivatives with a smaller number of hydroxyl groups buried their hydrophobic surface inside the protein, thereby causing protein denaturation. Overall, our results revealed a distinct role of surface chemistry on nanoparticle-protein binding and binding-induced protein misfolding.Fullerene and its derivatives with different surface chemistry have great potential in biomedical applications. Accordingly, it is important to delineate the impact of these carbon-based nanoparticles on protein structure, dynamics, and subsequently function. Here, we focused on the effect of hydroxylation -- a common strategy for solubilizing and functionalizing fullerene -- on protein-nanoparticle interactions using a model protein, ubiquitin. We applied a set of complementary computational modeling methods, including docking and molecular dynamics simulations with both explicit and implicit solvent, to illustrate the impact of hydroxylated fullerenes on the structure and dynamics of ubiquitin. We found that all derivatives bound to the model protein. Specifically, the more hydrophilic nanoparticles with a higher number of hydroxyl groups bound to the surface of the protein via hydrogen bonds, which stabilized the protein without inducing large conformational changes in the protein structure. In contrast, fullerene derivatives with a smaller number of hydroxyl groups buried their hydrophobic surface inside the protein, thereby causing protein denaturation. Overall, our results revealed a distinct role of surface chemistry on nanoparticle-protein binding and binding-induced protein misfolding. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) is available: Fluorescence spectra, ITC, CD spectra and other data as described in the text. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr01544d

Higher-order stochastic differential equations and the positive Wigner function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, P. D.

2017-12-01

General higher-order stochastic processes that correspond to any diffusion-type tensor of higher than second order are obtained. The relationship of multivariate higher-order stochastic differential equations with tensor decomposition theory and tensor rank is explained. Techniques for generating the requisite complex higher-order noise are proved to exist either using polar coordinates and γ distributions, or from products of Gaussian variates. This method is shown to allow the calculation of the dynamics of the Wigner function, after it is extended to a complex phase space. The results are illustrated physically through dynamical calculations of the positive Wigner distribution for three-mode parametric downconversion, widely used in quantum optics. The approach eliminates paradoxes arising from truncation of the higher derivative terms in Wigner function time evolution. Anomalous results of negative populations and vacuum scattering found in truncated Wigner quantum simulations in quantum optics and Bose-Einstein condensate dynamics are shown not to occur with this type of stochastic theory.

A review of the matrix-exponential formalism in radiative transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efremenko, Dmitry S.; Molina García, Víctor; Gimeno García, Sebastián; Doicu, Adrian

2017-07-01

This paper outlines the matrix exponential description of radiative transfer. The eigendecomposition method which serves as a basis for computing the matrix exponential and for representing the solution in a discrete ordinate setting is considered. The mathematical equivalence of the discrete ordinate method, the matrix operator method, and the matrix Riccati equations method is proved rigorously by means of the matrix exponential formalism. For optically thin layers, approximate solution methods relying on the Padé and Taylor series approximations to the matrix exponential, as well as on the matrix Riccati equations, are presented. For optically thick layers, the asymptotic theory with higher-order corrections is derived, and parameterizations of the asymptotic functions and constants for a water-cloud model with a Gamma size distribution are obtained.

Conventional high-performance liquid chromatography versus derivative spectrophotometry for the determination of 1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt and 1,3,6,8-pyrenetetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt in the color additive D&C Green No. 8 (Pyranine).

PubMed

Jitian, Simion; White, Samuel R; Yang, H-H Wendy; Weisz, Adrian

2014-01-10

Specifications in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations for the color additive D&C Green No. 8 (Colour Index No. 59040) limit the levels of the subsidiary colors 1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt (P3S) and 1,3,6,8-pyrenetetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (P4S). The present paper describes a comparative study of two possible methods to replace the currently used multi-step TLC/spectrophotometry method of separating and quantifying the minor components P3S and P4S in G8. One of the new approaches uses conventional high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the other, derivative spectrophotometry. While the derivative spectrophotometric method was shown to be inadequate for the analysis of minor components overwhelmed by components of much higher concentration, the HPLC method was proven highly effective. The closely related, very polar compounds P3S and P4S were separated by the new HPLC method in less than 4 min using a conventional HPLC instrument. P3S and P4S were quantified by using five-point calibration curves with data points that ranged from 0.45 to 7.63% and from 0.13 to 1.82%, by weight, for P3S and P4S, respectively. The HPLC method was applied to the analysis of test portions from 20 batches of D&C Green No. 8 submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for certification. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spectroscopic Observation and Analysis of H II Regions in M33 with MMT: Temperatures and Oxygen Abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Zesen; Hu, Ning; Kong, Xu; Gao, Yulong; Zou, Hu; Wang, Enci; Cheng, Fuzhen; Fang, Guanwen; Lin, Lin; Wang, Jing

2017-06-01

The spectra of 413 star-forming (or H II) regions in M33 (NGC 598) were observed using the multifiber spectrograph of Hectospec at the 6.5 m Multiple Mirror Telescope. Using this homogeneous spectra sample, we measured the intensities of emission lines and some physical parameters, such as electron temperatures, electron densities, and metallicities. Oxygen abundances were derived via the direct method (when available) and two empirical strong-line methods, namely, O3N2 and N2. At the high-metallicity end, oxygen abundances derived from the O3N2 calibration were higher than those derived from the N2 index, indicating an inconsistency between O3N2 and N2 calibrations. We present a detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of gas-phase oxygen abundances in M33 and confirm the existence of the axisymmetric global metallicity distribution that is widely assumed in the literature. Local variations were also observed and subsequently associated with spiral structures to provide evidence of radial migration driven by arms. Our O/H gradient fitted out to 1.1 R 25 resulted in slopes of -0.17 ± 0.03, -0.19 ± 0.01, and -0.16 ± 0.17 dex {R}25-1, utilizing abundances from O3N2, N2 diagnostics, and a direct method, respectively.

Local sample thickness determination via scanning transmission electron microscopy defocus series.

PubMed

Beyer, A; Straubinger, R; Belz, J; Volz, K

2016-05-01

The usable aperture sizes in (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) have significantly increased in the past decade due to the introduction of aberration correction. In parallel with the consequent increase of convergence angle the depth of focus has decreased severely and optical sectioning in the STEM became feasible. Here we apply STEM defocus series to derive the local sample thickness of a TEM sample. To this end experimental as well as simulated defocus series of thin Si foils were acquired. The systematic blurring of high resolution high angle annular dark field images is quantified by evaluating the standard deviation of the image intensity for each image of a defocus series. The derived dependencies exhibit a pronounced maximum at the optimum defocus and drop to a background value for higher or lower values. The full width half maximum (FWHM) of the curve is equal to the sample thickness above a minimum thickness given by the size of the used aperture and the chromatic aberration of the microscope. The thicknesses obtained from experimental defocus series applying the proposed method are in good agreement with the values derived from other established methods. The key advantages of this method compared to others are its high spatial resolution and that it does not involve any time consuming simulations. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Wave propagation in a random medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, R. W.; Harp, J. C.

1969-01-01

A simple technique is used to derive statistical characterizations of the perturbations imposed upon a wave (plane, spherical or beamed) propagating through a random medium. The method is essentially physical rather than mathematical, and is probably equivalent to the Rytov method. The limitations of the method are discussed in some detail; in general they are restrictive only for optical paths longer than a few hundred meters, and for paths at the lower microwave frequencies. Situations treated include arbitrary path geometries, finite transmitting and receiving apertures, and anisotropic media. Results include, in addition to the usual statistical quantities, time-lagged functions, mixed functions involving amplitude and phase fluctuations, angle-of-arrival covariances, frequency covariances, and other higher-order quantities.

Pseudopotential Method for Higher Partial Wave Scattering

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

Idziaszek, Zbigniew; Centrum Fizyki Teoretycznej, Polska Akademia Nauk, 02-668 Warsaw; Calarco, Tommaso

2006-01-13

We present a zero-range pseudopotential applicable for all partial wave interactions between neutral atoms. For p and d waves, we derive effective pseudopotentials, which are useful for problems involving anisotropic external potentials. Finally, we consider two nontrivial applications of the p-wave pseudopotential: we solve analytically the problem of two interacting spin-polarized fermions confined in a harmonic trap, and we analyze the scattering of p-wave interacting particles in a quasi-two-dimensional system.

No Lee-Wick fields out of gravity

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

Rodigast, Andreas; Schuster, Theodor

2009-06-15

We investigate the gravitational one-loop divergences of the standard model in large extra dimensions, with gravitons propagating in the (4+{delta})-dimensional bulk and gauge fields as well as scalar and fermionic multiplets confined to a three-brane. To determine the divergences we establish a cutoff regularization which allows us to extract gauge-invariant counterterms. In contrast to the claim of a recent paper [F. Wu and M. Zhong, Phys. Rev. D 78, 085010 (2008).], we show that the fermionic and scalar higher derivative counterterms do not coincide with the higher derivative terms in the Lee-Wick standard model. We argue that even if themore » exact Lee-Wick higher derivative terms were found, as in the case of the pure gauge sector, this would not allow to conclude the existence of the massive ghost fields corresponding to these higher derivative terms in the Lee-Wick standard model.« less

Multiple-mode nonlinear free and forced vibrations of beams using finite element method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mei, Chuh; Decha-Umphai, Kamolphan

1987-01-01

Multiple-mode nonlinear free and forced vibration of a beam is analyzed by the finite element method. The geometric nonlinearity is investigated. Inplane displacement and inertia (IDI) are also considered in the formulation. Harmonic force matrix is derived and explained. Nonlinear free vibration can be simply treated as a special case of the general forced vibration by setting the harmonic force matrix equal to zero. The effect of the higher modes is more pronouced for the clamped supported beam than the simply supported one. Beams without IDI yield more effect of the higher modes than the one with IDI. The effects of IDI are to reduce nonlinearity. For beams with end supports restrained from axial movement (immovable cases), only the hardening type nonlinearity is observed. However, beams of small slenderness ratio (L/R = 20) with movable end supports, the softening type nonlinearity is found. The concentrated force case yields a more severe response than the uniformly distributed force case. Finite element results are in good agreement with the solution of simple elliptic response, harmonic balance method, and Runge-Kutte method and experiment.

Biotransformation of Various Substituted Aromatic Compounds to Chiral Dihydrodihydroxy Derivatives

PubMed Central

Raschke, Henning; Meier, Michael; Burken, Joel G.; Hany, Roland; Müller, Markus D.; Van Der Meer, Jan Roelof; Kohler, Hans-Peter E.

2001-01-01

The biotransformation of four different classes of aromatic compounds by the Escherichia coli strain DH5α(pTCB 144), which contained the chlorobenzene dioxygenase (CDO) from Pseudomonas sp. strain P51, was examined. CDO oxidized biphenyl as well as monochlorobiphenyls to the corresponding cis-2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxy derivatives, whereby oxidation occurred on the unsubstituted ring. No higher substituted biphenyls were oxidized. The absolute configurations of several monosubstituted cis-benzene dihydrodiols formed by CDO were determined. All had an S configuration at the carbon atom in meta position to the substituent on the benzene nucleus. With one exception, the enantiomeric excess of several 1,4-disubstituted cis-benzene dihydrodiols formed by CDO was higher than that of the products formed by two toluene dioxygenases. Naphthalene was oxidized to enantiomerically pure (+)-cis-(1R,2S)-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene. All absolute configurations were identical to those of the products formed by toluene dioxygenases of Pseudomonas putida UV4 and P. putida F39/D. The formation rate of (+)-cis-(1R,2S)-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene was significantly higher (about 45 to 200%) than those of several monosubstituted cis-benzene dihydrodiols and more than four times higher than the formation rate of cis-benzene dihydrodiol. A new gas chromatographic method was developed to determine the enantiomeric excess of the oxidation products. PMID:11472901

Comparison of Psychophysical and Physical Measurements of Real Ear to Coupler Differences.

PubMed

Koning, Raphael; Wouters, Jan; Francart, Tom

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study is to compare real ear to coupler difference (RECD) curves based on physical and psychophysical measures. For the physically measured RECD, the RECD was measured with real ear and coupler measurements for the ear simulator and HA1- and HA2 2-cc couplers. The psychophysically measured RECDs were derived from audiogram measures. RECDs were measured in 19 normally hearing subjects. The coupler measurement was done with the probe microphone and the coupler microphone itself. Psychophysically measured RECDs were derived for all subjects by measuring the audiogram in sound field and with an ER-3A insert phone. Reference data were obtained for the three coupler types. It was possible to derive the RECD curve with psychophysical methods. There was no overall statistical difference between the physically and psychophysically measured RECD curves for the HA2 2-cc coupler and the ear simulator. The standard deviation was, however, much higher for the psychophysically derived RECD, indicating that physically measured RECDs are more precise than psychophysically derived RECDs. For the physical RECD measurements, the coupler microphone should be used for the coupler measurement. Physically measured RECDs were validated on group level by the reliable derivation of the RECD curve from audiogram measures.

Simplified paraboloid phase model-based phase tracker for demodulation of a single complex fringe.

PubMed

He, A; Deepan, B; Quan, C

2017-09-01

A regularized phase tracker (RPT) is an effective method for demodulation of single closed-fringe patterns. However, lengthy calculation time, specially designed scanning strategy, and sign-ambiguity problems caused by noise and saddle points reduce its effectiveness, especially for demodulating large and complex fringe patterns. In this paper, a simplified paraboloid phase model-based regularized phase tracker (SPRPT) is proposed. In SPRPT, first and second phase derivatives are pre-determined by the density-direction-combined method and discrete higher-order demodulation algorithm, respectively. Hence, cost function is effectively simplified to reduce the computation time significantly. Moreover, pre-determined phase derivatives improve the robustness of the demodulation of closed, complex fringe patterns. Thus, no specifically designed scanning strategy is needed; nevertheless, it is robust against the sign-ambiguity problem. The paraboloid phase model also assures better accuracy and robustness against noise. Both the simulated and experimental fringe patterns (obtained using electronic speckle pattern interferometry) are used to validate the proposed method, and a comparison of the proposed method with existing RPT methods is carried out. The simulation results show that the proposed method has achieved the highest accuracy with less computational time. The experimental result proves the robustness and the accuracy of the proposed method for demodulation of noisy fringe patterns and its feasibility for static and dynamic applications.

EIMS Fragmentation Pathways and MRM Quantification of 7α/β-Hydroxy-Dehydroabietic Acid TMS Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rontani, Jean-François; Aubert, Claude; Belt, Simon T.

2015-09-01

EI mass fragmentation pathways of TMS derivatives οf 7α/β-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acids resulting from NaBH4-reduction of oxidation products of dehydroabietic acid (a component of conifers) were investigated and deduced by a combination of (1) low energy CID-GC-MS/MS, (2) deuterium labeling, (3) different derivatization methods, and (4) GC-QTOF accurate mass measurements. Having identified the main fragmentation pathways, the TMS-derivatized 7α/β-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acids could be quantified in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode in sea ice and sediment samples collected from the Arctic. These newly characterized transformation products of dehydroabietic acid constitute potential tracers of biotic and abiotic degradation of terrestrial higher plants in the environment.

Beam Conditioning for FELs: Consequences and Methods

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

Wolski, Andrzej; Penn, Gregory; Sessler, Andrew

2003-10-09

The consequences of beam conditioning in four example cases (VISA, a Soft X-Ray FEL, LCLS and a ''Greenfield'' FEL) are examined. It is shown that in emittance limited cases, proper conditioning reduces sensitivity to the transverse emittance, and allows stronger focusing in the undulator. Simulations show higher saturation power, with gain lengths reduced up to a factor of two. The beam dynamics in a general conditioning system are studied, with ''matching conditions'' derived for achieving conditioning without growth in effective emittance. Various conditioners are considered, and expressions derived for the amount of conditioning provided in each case when the matchingmore » conditions are satisfied. We discuss the prospects for conditioners based on laser and plasma systems.« less

Phase reduction of a limit cycle oscillator perturbed by a strong amplitude-modulated high-frequency force.

PubMed

Pyragas, Kestutis; Novičenko, Viktor

2015-07-01

The phase reduction method for a limit cycle oscillator subjected to a strong amplitude-modulated high-frequency force is developed. An equation for the phase dynamics is derived by introducing a new, effective phase response curve. We show that if the effective phase response curve is everywhere positive (negative), then an entrainment of the oscillator to an envelope frequency is possible only when this frequency is higher (lower) than the natural frequency of the oscillator. Also, by using the Pontryagin maximum principle, we have derived an optimal waveform of the perturbation that ensures an entrainment of the oscillator with minimal power. The theoretical results are demonstrated with the Stuart-Landau oscillator and model neurons.

Actigraphy-Derived Daily Rest-Activity Patterns and Body Mass Index in Community-Dwelling Adults.

PubMed

Cespedes Feliciano, Elizabeth M; Quante, Mirja; Weng, Jia; Mitchell, Jonathan A; James, Peter; Marinac, Catherine R; Mariani, Sara; Redline, Susan; Kerr, Jacqueline; Godbole, Suneeta; Manteiga, Alicia; Wang, Daniel; Hipp, J Aaron

2017-12-01

To examine associations between 24-hour rest-activity patterns and body mass index (BMI) among community-dwelling US adults. Rest-activity patterns provide a field method to study exposures related to circadian rhythms. Adults (N = 578) wore an actigraph on their nondominant wrist for 7 days. Intradaily variability and interdaily stability (IS), M10 (most active 10-hours), L5 (least active 5-hours), and relative amplitude (RA) were derived using nonparametric rhythm analysis. Mesor, acrophase, and amplitude were calculated from log-transformed count data using the parametric cosinor approach. Participants were 80% female and mean (standard deviation) age was 52 (15) years. Participants with higher BMI had lower values for magnitude, RA, IS, total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency. In multivariable analyses, less robust 24-hour rest-activity patterns as represented by lower RA were consistently associated with higher BMI: comparing the bottom quintile (least robust) to the top quintile (most robust 24-hour rest-activity pattern) of RA, BMI was 3-kg/m2 higher (p = .02). Associations were similar in magnitude to an hour less of TST (1-kg/m2 higher BMI) or a 10% decrease in sleep efficiency (2-kg/m2 higher BMI), and independent of age, sex, race, education, and the duration of rest and/or activity. Lower RA, reflecting both higher night activity and lower daytime activity, was associated with higher BMI. Independent of the duration of rest or activity during the day or night, 24-hour rest, and activity patterns from actigraphy provide aggregated measures of activity that associate with BMI in community-dwelling adults. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

A new and efficient culture method for porcine bone marrow-derived M1- and M2-polarized macrophages.

PubMed

Gao, Jiye; Scheenstra, Maaike R; van Dijk, Albert; Veldhuizen, Edwin J A; Haagsman, Henk P

2018-06-01

Macrophages play an important role in the innate immune system as part of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). They have a pro-inflammatory signature (M1-polarized macrophages) or anti-inflammatory signature (M2-polarized macrophages) based on expression of surface receptors and secretion of cytokines. However, very little is known about the culture of macrophages from pigs and more specific about the M1 and M2 polarization in vitro. Porcine monocytes or mononuclear bone marrow cells were used to culture M1- and M2-polarized macrophages in the presence of GM-CSF and M-CSF, respectively. Surface receptor expression was measured with flow cytometry and ELISA was used to quantify cytokine secretion in response to LPS and PAM 3 CSK 4 stimulation. Human monocyte-derived macrophages were used as control. Porcine M1- and M2-polarized macrophages were cultured best using porcine GM-CSF and murine M-CSF, respectively. Cultures from bone marrow cells resulted in a higher yield M1- and M2-polarized macrophages which were better comparable to human monocyte-derived macrophages than cultures from porcine monocytes. Porcine M1-polarized macrophages displayed the characteristic fried egg shape morphology, lower CD163 expression and low IL-10 production. Porcine M2-polarized macrophages contained the spindle-like morphology, higher CD163 expression and high IL-10 production. Porcine M1- and M2-polarized macrophages can be most efficiently cultured from mononuclear bone marrow cells using porcine GM-CSF and murine M-CSF. The new culture method facilitates more refined studies of porcine macrophages in vitro, important for both porcine and human health since pigs are increasingly used as model for translational research. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Promoter polymorphisms in the ATP binding cassette transporter gene influence production of cell-derived microparticles and are highly associated with susceptibility to severe malaria in humans.

PubMed

Sahu, Upasana; Mohapatra, Biranchi N; Kar, Shantanu K; Ranjit, Manoranjan

2013-04-01

Microparticle (MP) efflux is known to be mediated by the ABCA1 protein, and the plasma level of these cell-derived MPs is elevated considerably during human malarial infection. Therefore, two polymorphisms at positions -477 and -320 in the promoter of the ABCA1 gene were genotyped and tested for association with the plasma MP level in four groups of malaria patients segregated according to the clinical severity, i.e., cerebral malaria (CM), multiorgan dysfunction (MOD), noncerebral severe malaria, and uncomplicated malaria (UM). The TruCount tube-based flow cytometric method was used for the exact quantification of different cell-derived MPs in patients. Polymorphisms in the ABCA1 gene promoter were analyzed by use of the PCR/two-primer-pair method, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism, in 428 malaria patients. The level of circulating plasma MPs was significantly higher in febrile patients with Plasmodium falciparum infection, especially in CM patients compared to healthy individuals. The homozygous wild-type -477 and -320 genotype was observed to be significantly higher in patients with severe malaria. These patients also showed marked increases in the plasma MP numbers compared to UM patients. We report here for the first time an association of ABCA1 promoter polymorphisms with susceptibility to severe malaria, especially to CM and MOD, indicating the protective effect of the mutant variant of the polymorphism. We hypothesize that the -477T and -320G polymorphisms affect the downregulation of MP efflux and may be a predictor of organ complication during P. falciparum malarial infections.

Graviton multipoint amplitudes for higher-derivative gravity in anti-de Sitter space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shawa, M. M. W.; Medved, A. J. M.

2018-04-01

We calculate graviton multipoint amplitudes in an anti-de Sitter black brane background for higher-derivative gravity of arbitrary order in numbers of derivatives. The calculations are performed using tensor graviton modes in a particular regime of comparatively high energies and large scattering angles. The regime simplifies the calculations but, at the same time, is well suited for translating these results into the language of the dually related gauge theory. After considering theories whose Lagrangians consist of contractions of up to four Riemann tensors, we generalize to even higher-derivative theories by constructing a "basis" for the relevant scattering amplitudes. This construction enables one to find the basic form of the n -point amplitude for arbitrary n and any number of derivatives. Additionally, using the four-point amplitudes for theories whose Lagrangians carry contractions of either three or four Riemann tensors, we reexpress the scattering properties in terms of the Mandelstam variables.

Evaluation of antituberculosis activity and DFT study on dipyrromethane-derived hydrazone derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawat, Poonam; Singh, R. N.; Niranjan, Priydarshni; Ranjan, Alok; Holguín, Norma Rosario Flores

2017-12-01

This paper evaluates the anti-tubercular activity of dipyrromethane-derived hydrazones derivatives (3a-d) against strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The newly synthesized compounds have been obtained in good yield based on the condensation of aromatic aldehyde derivatives with pyrrole hydrazone in presence of catalyst and well characterized with spectroscopic methods (1H, 13C NMR, Mass spectrometry) and elemental analysis. The singlet observed in the experimental 1H and 13C NMR spectra in the range of 5.3-5.7 ppm and 30-33.86 ppm, respectively, indicating that two pyrrole units are joined at meso position. The electronic transitions observed in the experimental spectra are n→π* and π →π* in nature. Experimental and theoretical findings corroborate well with each other. The substitution of acceptor group (-NO2) at ortho- and meta-positions of benzene ring, present at meso-position of dipyrromethane is responsible for variation in β0 values. The calculated NLO of (3a-d) are much greater than those of p-nitroaniline (PNA). The solvent induced effects on the non-linear optical properties were studied and found to enhance NLO properties of the molecules as dielectric constants of the solvents increases. On the basis of results it is anticipated that these dipyrromethanes will be useful for both antimicrobial and non-linear optical (NLO) applications. With the help of Microplate Alamar Blue assay (MABA) method all (3a-d) compounds were screened for their anti-tubercular activity and found that 3b and 3d have higher inhibitory activity against strain of M. tuberculosis H37Rv.

Binary-Signal Recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griebeler, Elmer L.

2011-01-01

Binary communication through long cables, opto-isolators, isolating transformers, or repeaters can become distorted in characteristic ways. The usual solution is to slow the communication rate, change to a different method, or improve the communication media. It would help if the characteristic distortions could be accommodated at the receiving end to ease the communication problem. The distortions come from loss of the high-frequency content, which adds slopes to the transitions from ones to zeroes and zeroes to ones. This weakens the definition of the ones and zeroes in the time domain. The other major distortion is the reduction of low frequency, which causes the voltage that defines the ones or zeroes to drift out of recognizable range. This development describes a method for recovering a binary data stream from a signal that has been subjected to a loss of both higher-frequency content and low-frequency content that is essential to define the difference between ones and zeroes. The method makes use of the frequency structure of the waveform created by the data stream, and then enhances the characteristics related to the data to reconstruct the binary switching pattern. A major issue is simplicity. The approach taken here is to take the first derivative of the signal and then feed it to a hysteresis switch. This is equivalent in practice to using a non-resonant band pass filter feeding a Schmitt trigger. Obviously, the derivative signal needs to be offset to halfway between the thresholds of the hysteresis switch, and amplified so that the derivatives reliably exceed the thresholds. A transition from a zero to a one is the most substantial, fastest plus movement of voltage, and therefore will create the largest plus first derivative pulse. Since the quiet state of the derivative is sitting between the hysteresis thresholds, the plus pulse exceeds the plus threshold, switching the hysteresis switch plus, which re-establishes the data zero to one transition, except now at the logic levels of the receiving circuit. Similarly, a transition from a one to a zero will be the most substantial and fastest minus movement of voltage and therefore will create the largest minus first derivative pulse. The minus pulse exceeds the minus threshold, switching the hysteresis switch minus, which re-establishes the data one to zero transition. This innovation has a large increase in tolerance for the degradation of the binary pattern of ones and zeroes, and can reject the introduction of noise in the form of low frequencies that can cause the voltage pattern to drift up or down, and also higher frequencies that are beyond the recognizable content in the binary transitions.

Determination of emodin by hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide sensitized fluorescence quenching method of the derivatives of calix[4]arene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lina; Zhu, Xiashi

2012-09-01

The fluorescence quenching effect of emodin (EMO) on the derivatives of p-tert-butyl-calix[4]arene with o-phenanthroline (TBCP) in 1.0% hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) medium was investigated. The fluorescence of TBCP was quenched by EMO due to the formation of the weak fluorescent inclusion complex (EOM-TBCP), and the fluorescence quenching (ΔF = FTBCP-FEMO-TBCP) was sensitized in CTAB. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range of calibration curve for the determination of EMO was 1.17-23.40 μg/mL. The detection limit estimated and RSD was 0.34 μg/mL, 3.63% (n = 3, c = 4.74 μg/mL). The quantum yield Yu of TBCP was approximately 2.0 times higher in the presence of CTAB than that in the absence of CTAB. The method has been applied for the determination of EMO in samples with satisfactory results.

Hooking horseradish peroxidase by using the affinity Langmuir-Blodgett technique for an oriented immobilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Ye; Ling-Ling, Hu; Yu-Zhi, Du; Yong-Juan, Xu; Hua-Gang, Ni; Cong, Chen; Xiao-Lin, Lu; Xiao-Jun, Huang

2017-05-01

A novel method of oriented immobilization was presented: affinity Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. Firstly, a long carbon chain was bond to a ligand of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP). The ligand derivative appears surface activity with the hydrophobic carbon chain oriented to air and the hydrophilic ligand faced to water. Then, this derivative was put onto the water/air surface to assemble a LB film and formed the affinity interaction with the active site of HRP. After that, the affinity LB film with the enzyme was transferred onto the support to obtain the oriented immobilized HRP. The specific activity of HRP immobilized by affinity LB (182.1 ± 14 U/mg) was higher than that by adsorption (40.5 ± 5 U/mg). HRP immobilized by affinity LB could maintain a more native conformation, compared to that by adsorption. This method could be effectively used to immobilize protein with orientation and show widely promising applications in many fields including biosensor and bioreactor.

Synthesis, screening, and nanocrystals preparation of rhein amide derivatives.

PubMed

Chen, Lijiang; Zhang, Jinfeng; Rong, Jinghong; Liu, Yu; Zhao, Jinhua; Cui, Qingguo; Wang, Xin; Liang, Xiao; Pan, Hao; Liu, Hongsheng

2018-04-23

Rhein (RH) have many bioactivities, but the application was limited of its poor solubility. The present study aimed to establish an efficient method for the synthesis of rhein amide derivatives (RAD) to increase the solubility and anti-tumor activity. RAD exhibited stronger anti-tumor activity than RH in MTT assay. The solubility and oil/water partition coefficient results indicated that rhein-phenylalanine and rhein-isoleucine have better absorption effect, which was consolidated in pharmacokinetic study. Then, rhein-phenylalanine and rhein-isoleucine were prepared into nanocrystals via the precipitation-high pressure homogenization method. Additionally, the nanocrystals both displayed much higher dissolution profiles than the bulk drugs. Pharmacokinetics study indicated that the AUC 0-∞ and C max of nanocrystals increased markedly (p < 0.01). However, the concentration of RH-Phe-NC was far less than RH-Ile-NC in plasma. Consequently, RH-Ile-NC was validated to be an applicable way to improve the bioavailability of RH, which owns a promising future in clinical application.

The use of noise equivalent count rate and the NEMA phantom for PET image quality evaluation.

PubMed

Yang, Xin; Peng, Hao

2015-03-01

PET image quality is directly associated with two important parameters among others: count-rate performance and image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The framework of noise equivalent count rate (NECR) was developed back in the 1990s and has been widely used since then to evaluate count-rate performance for PET systems. The concept of NECR is not entirely straightforward, however, and among the issues requiring clarification are its original definition, its relationship to image quality, and its consistency among different derivation methods. In particular, we try to answer whether a higher NECR measurement using a standard NEMA phantom actually corresponds to better imaging performance. The paper includes the following topics: 1) revisiting the original analytical model for NECR derivation; 2) validating three methods for NECR calculation based on the NEMA phantom/standard; and 3) studying the spatial dependence of NECR and quantitative relationship between NECR and image SNR. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analytic study of solutions for a (3 + 1) -dimensional generalized KP equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hui; Cheng, Wenguang; Xu, Tianzhou; Wang, Gangwei

2018-03-01

The (3 + 1) -dimensional generalized KP (gKP) equation is an important nonlinear partial differential equation in theoretical and mathematical physics which can be used to describe nonlinear wave motion. Through the Hirota bilinear method, one-solition, two-solition and N-solition solutions are derived via symbolic computation. Two classes of lump solutions, rationally localized in all directions in space, to the dimensionally reduced cases in (2 + 1)-dimensions, are constructed by using a direct method based on the Hirota bilinear form of the equation. It implies that we can derive the lump solutions of the reduced gKP equation from positive quadratic function solutions to the aforementioned bilinear equation. Meanwhile, we get interaction solutions between a lump and a kink of the gKP equation. The lump appears from a kink and is swallowed by it with the change of time. This work offers a possibility which can enrich the variety of the dynamical features of solutions for higher-dimensional nonlinear evolution equations.

Measuring digit lengths with 3D digital stereophotogrammetry: A comparison across methods.

PubMed

Gremba, Allison; Weinberg, Seth M

2018-05-09

We compared digital 3D stereophotogrammetry to more traditional measurement methods (direct anthropometry and 2D scanning) to capture digit lengths and ratios. The length of the second and fourth digits was measured by each method and the second-to-fourth ratio was calculated. For each digit measurement, intraobserver agreement was calculated for each of the three collection methods. Further, measurements from the three methods were compared directly to one another. Agreement statistics included the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and technical error of measurement (TEM). Intraobserver agreement statistics for the digit length measurements were high for all three methods; ICC values exceeded 0.97 and TEM values were below 1 mm. For digit ratio, intraobserver agreement was also acceptable for all methods, with direct anthropometry exhibiting lower agreement (ICC = 0.87) compared to indirect methods. For the comparison across methods, the overall agreement was high for digit length measurements (ICC values ranging from 0.93 to 0.98; TEM values below 2 mm). For digit ratios, high agreement was observed between the two indirect methods (ICC = 0.93), whereas indirect methods showed lower agreement when compared to direct anthropometry (ICC < 0.75). Digit measurements and derived ratios from 3D stereophotogrammetry showed high intraobserver agreement (similar to more traditional methods) suggesting that landmarks could be placed reliably on 3D hand surface images. While digit length measurements were found to be comparable across all three methods, ratios derived from direct anthropometry tended to be higher than those calculated indirectly from 2D or 3D images. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Instabilities in mimetic matter perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firouzjahi, Hassan; Gorji, Mohammad Ali; Mansoori, Seyed Ali Hosseini

2017-07-01

We study cosmological perturbations in mimetic matter scenario with a general higher derivative function. We calculate the quadratic action and show that both the kinetic term and the gradient term have the wrong sings. We perform the analysis in both comoving and Newtonian gauges and confirm that the Hamiltonians and the associated instabilities are consistent with each other in both gauges. The existence of instabilities is independent of the specific form of higher derivative function which generates gradients for mimetic field perturbations. It is verified that the ghost instability in mimetic perturbations is not associated with the higher derivative instabilities such as the Ostrogradsky ghost.

Spatial Lattice Modulation for MIMO Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jiwook; Nam, Yunseo; Lee, Namyoon

2018-06-01

This paper proposes spatial lattice modulation (SLM), a spatial modulation method for multipleinput-multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The key idea of SLM is to jointly exploit spatial, in-phase, and quadrature dimensions to modulate information bits into a multi-dimensional signal set that consists oflattice points. One major finding is that SLM achieves a higher spectral efficiency than the existing spatial modulation and spatial multiplexing methods for the MIMO channel under the constraint ofM-ary pulseamplitude-modulation (PAM) input signaling per dimension. In particular, it is shown that when the SLM signal set is constructed by using dense lattices, a significant signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) gain, i.e., a nominal coding gain, is attainable compared to the existing methods. In addition, closed-form expressions for both the average mutual information and average symbol-vector-error-probability (ASVEP) of generic SLM are derived under Rayleigh-fading environments. To reduce detection complexity, a low-complexity detection method for SLM, which is referred to as lattice sphere decoding, is developed by exploiting lattice theory. Simulation results verify the accuracy of the conducted analysis and demonstrate that the proposed SLM techniques achieve higher average mutual information and lower ASVEP than do existing methods.

A Novel Azimuth Super-Resolution Method by Synthesizing Azimuth Bandwidth of Multiple Tracks of Airborne Stripmap SAR Data

PubMed Central

Wang, Yan; Li, Jingwen; Sun, Bing; Yang, Jian

2016-01-01

Azimuth resolution of airborne stripmap synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is restricted by the azimuth antenna size. Conventionally, a higher azimuth resolution should be achieved by employing alternate modes that steer the beam in azimuth to enlarge the synthetic antenna aperture. However, if a data set of a certain region, consisting of multiple tracks of airborne stripmap SAR data, is available, the azimuth resolution of specific small region of interest (ROI) can be conveniently improved by a novel azimuth super-resolution method as introduced by this paper. The proposed azimuth super-resolution method synthesize the azimuth bandwidth of the data selected from multiple discontinuous tracks and contributes to a magnifier-like function with which the ROI can be further zoomed in with a higher azimuth resolution than that of the original stripmap images. Detailed derivation of the azimuth super-resolution method, including the steps of two-dimensional dechirping, residual video phase (RVP) removal, data stitching and data correction, is provided. The restrictions of the proposed method are also discussed. Lastly, the presented approach is evaluated via both the single- and multi-target computer simulations. PMID:27304959

Human plasma platelet-derived exosomes: effects of aspirin.

PubMed

Goetzl, Edward J; Goetzl, Laura; Karliner, Joel S; Tang, Norina; Pulliam, Lynn

2016-05-01

Platelet-derived exosomes mediate platelet atherogenic interactions with endothelial cells and monocytes. A new method for isolation of plasma platelet-derived exosomes is described and used to examine effects of aging and aspirin on exosome cargo proteins. Exosome secretion by purified platelets in vitro did not increase after exposure to thrombin or collagen, as assessed by exosome counts and quantification of the CD81 exosome marker. Thrombin and collagen increased exosome content of α-granule chemokines CXCL4 and CXCL7 and cytoplasmic high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, but not membrane platelet glycoprotein VI (GPVI), with dependence on extracellular calcium. Aspirin consumption significantly blocked thrombin- and collagen-induced increases in exosome cargo levels of chemokines and HMGB1, without altering total exosome secretion or GPVI cargo. Plasma platelet-derived exosomes, enriched by absorption with mouse antihuman CD42b [platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb)] mAb, had sizes and cargo protein contents similar to those of exosomes from purified platelets. The plasma platelet-derived exosome number is lower and its chemokine and HMGB1 levels higher after age 65 yr. Aspirin consumption significantly suppressed cargo protein levels of plasma platelet-derived exosomes without altering total levels of exosomes. Cargo proteins of human plasma platelet-derived exosomes may biomark platelet abnormalities and in vivo effects of drugs.- Goetzl, E. J., Goetzl, L., Karliner, J. S., Tang, N., Pulliam, L. Human plasma platelet-derived exosomes: effects of aspirin. © FASEB.

Growth and mortality of larval sunfish in backwaters of the upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zigler, S.J.; Jennings, C.A.

1993-01-01

The authors estimated the growth and mortality of larval sunfish Lepomis spp. in backwater habitats of the upper Mississippi River with an otolith-based method and a length-based method. Fish were sampled with plankton nets at one station in Navigation Pools 8 and 14 in 1989 and at two stations in Pool 8 in 1990. For both methods, growth was modeled with an exponential equation, and instantaneous mortality was estimated by regressing the natural logarithm of fish catch for each 1-mm size-group against the estimated age of the group, which was derived from the growth equations. At two of the stations, the otolith-based method provided more precise estimates of sunfish growth than the length-based method. We were able to compare length-based and otolith-based estimates of sunfish mortality only at the two stations where we caught the largest numbers of sunfish. Estimates of mortality were similar for both methods in Pool 14, where catches were higher, but the length-based method gave significantly higher estimates in Pool 8, where the catches were lower. The otolith- based method required more laboratory analysis, but provided better estimates of the growth and mortality than the length-based method when catches were low. However, the length-based method was more cost- effective for estimating growth and mortality when catches were large.

Field calibration of blowfly-derived DNA against traditional methods for assessing mammal diversity in tropical forests.

PubMed

Lee, Ping-Shin; Gan, Han Ming; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Wilson, John-James

2016-11-01

Mammal diversity assessments based on DNA derived from invertebrates have been suggested as alternatives to assessments based on traditional methods; however, no study has field-tested both approaches simultaneously. In Peninsular Malaysia, we calibrated the performance of mammal DNA derived from blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) against traditional methods used to detect species. We first compared five methods (cage trapping, mist netting, hair trapping, scat collection, and blowfly-derived DNA) in a forest reserve with no recent reports of megafauna. Blowfly-derived DNA and mist netting detected the joint highest number of species (n = 6). Only one species was detected by multiple methods. Compared to the other methods, blowfly-derived DNA detected both volant and non-volant species. In another forest reserve, rich in megafauna, we calibrated blowfly-derived DNA against camera traps. Blowfly-derived DNA detected more species (n = 11) than camera traps (n = 9), with only one species detected by both methods. The rarefaction curve indicated that blowfly-derived DNA would continue to detect more species with greater sampling effort. With further calibration, blowfly-derived DNA may join the list of traditional field methods. Areas for further investigation include blowfly feeding and dispersal biology, primer biases, and the assembly of a comprehensive and taxonomically-consistent DNA barcode reference library.

Unique Normal Form and the Associated Coefficients for a Class of Three-Dimensional Nilpotent Vector Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Kou, Liying; Wang, Duo; Zhang, Wei

2017-12-01

In this paper, we mainly focus on the unique normal form for a class of three-dimensional vector fields via the method of transformation with parameters. A general explicit recursive formula is derived to compute the higher order normal form and the associated coefficients, which can be achieved easily by symbolic calculations. To illustrate the efficiency of the approach, a comparison of our result with others is also presented.

Quantitative phase imaging method based on an analytical nonparaxial partially coherent phase optical transfer function.

PubMed

Bao, Yijun; Gaylord, Thomas K

2016-11-01

Multifilter phase imaging with partially coherent light (MFPI-PC) is a promising new quantitative phase imaging method. However, the existing MFPI-PC method is based on the paraxial approximation. In the present work, an analytical nonparaxial partially coherent phase optical transfer function is derived. This enables the MFPI-PC to be extended to the realistic nonparaxial case. Simulations over a wide range of test phase objects as well as experimental measurements on a microlens array verify higher levels of imaging accuracy compared to the paraxial method. Unlike the paraxial version, the nonparaxial MFPI-PC with obliquity factor correction exhibits no systematic error. In addition, due to its analytical expression, the increase in computation time compared to the paraxial version is negligible.

Low Streamflow Forcasting using Minimum Relative Entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, H.; Singh, V. P.

2013-12-01

Minimum relative entropy spectral analysis is derived in this study, and applied to forecast streamflow time series. Proposed method extends the autocorrelation in the manner that the relative entropy of underlying process is minimized so that time series data can be forecasted. Different prior estimation, such as uniform, exponential and Gaussian assumption, is taken to estimate the spectral density depending on the autocorrelation structure. Seasonal and nonseasonal low streamflow series obtained from Colorado River (Texas) under draught condition is successfully forecasted using proposed method. Minimum relative entropy determines spectral of low streamflow series with higher resolution than conventional method. Forecasted streamflow is compared to the prediction using Burg's maximum entropy spectral analysis (MESA) and Configurational entropy. The advantage and disadvantage of each method in forecasting low streamflow is discussed.

Maintenance of supersaturation I: indomethacin crystal growth kinetic modeling using an online second-derivative ultraviolet spectroscopic method.

PubMed

Patel, Dhaval D; Joguparthi, Vijay; Wang, Zeren; Anderson, Bradley D

2011-07-01

Formulations that produce supersaturated solutions after their oral administration have received increased attention as a means to improve bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. Although it is widely recognized that excipients can prolong supersaturation, the mechanisms by which these beneficial effects are realized are generally unknown. Difficulties in separately measuring the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth have limited progress in understanding the mechanisms by which excipients contribute to the supersaturation maintenance. This paper describes the crystal growth kinetic modeling of indomethacin, a poorly water-soluble drug, from supersaturated aqueous suspensions using a newly developed, online second-derivative ultraviolet spectroscopic method. The apparent indomethacin equilibrium solubility after crystal growth at a high degree of supersaturation (S=6) was approximately 55% higher than the indomethacin equilibrium solubility determined prior to growth, which was attributed to the deposition of a higher energy indomethacin form on the seed crystals. The indomethacin crystal growth kinetics (S=6) was of first order. By comparing the mass transfer coefficients from indomethacin dissolution and crystal growth, it was shown that the indomethacin crystal growth kinetics at S=6 was bulk diffusion controlled. The change in indomethacin seed crystal size distribution before and after crystal growth was determined and modeled using a mass-balance relationship. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

SegAuth: A Segment-based Approach to Behavioral Biometric Authentication

PubMed Central

Li, Yanyan; Xie, Mengjun; Bian, Jiang

2016-01-01

Many studies have been conducted to apply behavioral biometric authentication on/with mobile devices and they have shown promising results. However, the concern about the verification accuracy of behavioral biometrics is still common given the dynamic nature of behavioral biometrics. In this paper, we address the accuracy concern from a new perspective—behavior segments, that is, segments of a gesture instead of the whole gesture as the basic building block for behavioral biometric authentication. With this unique perspective, we propose a new behavioral biometric authentication method called SegAuth, which can be applied to various gesture or motion based authentication scenarios. SegAuth can achieve high accuracy by focusing on each user’s distinctive gesture segments that frequently appear across his or her gestures. In SegAuth, a time series derived from a gesture/motion is first partitioned into segments and then transformed into a set of string tokens in which the tokens representing distinctive, repetitive segments are associated with higher genuine probabilities than those tokens that are common across users. An overall genuine score calculated from all the tokens derived from a gesture is used to determine the user’s authenticity. We have assessed the effectiveness of SegAuth using 4 different datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate that SegAuth can achieve higher accuracy consistently than existing popular methods on the evaluation datasets. PMID:28573214

Sensitive and accurate identification of protein–DNA binding events in ChIP-chip assays using higher order derivative analysis

PubMed Central

Barrett, Christian L.; Cho, Byung-Kwan

2011-01-01

Immuno-precipitation of protein–DNA complexes followed by microarray hybridization is a powerful and cost-effective technology for discovering protein–DNA binding events at the genome scale. It is still an unresolved challenge to comprehensively, accurately and sensitively extract binding event information from the produced data. We have developed a novel strategy composed of an information-preserving signal-smoothing procedure, higher order derivative analysis and application of the principle of maximum entropy to address this challenge. Importantly, our method does not require any input parameters to be specified by the user. Using genome-scale binding data of two Escherichia coli global transcription regulators for which a relatively large number of experimentally supported sites are known, we show that ∼90% of known sites were resolved to within four probes, or ∼88 bp. Over half of the sites were resolved to within two probes, or ∼38 bp. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our strategy delivers significant quantitative and qualitative performance gains over available methods. Such accurate and sensitive binding site resolution has important consequences for accurately reconstructing transcriptional regulatory networks, for motif discovery, for furthering our understanding of local and non-local factors in protein–DNA interactions and for extending the usefulness horizon of the ChIP-chip platform. PMID:21051353

SegAuth: A Segment-based Approach to Behavioral Biometric Authentication.

PubMed

Li, Yanyan; Xie, Mengjun; Bian, Jiang

2016-10-01

Many studies have been conducted to apply behavioral biometric authentication on/with mobile devices and they have shown promising results. However, the concern about the verification accuracy of behavioral biometrics is still common given the dynamic nature of behavioral biometrics. In this paper, we address the accuracy concern from a new perspective-behavior segments, that is, segments of a gesture instead of the whole gesture as the basic building block for behavioral biometric authentication. With this unique perspective, we propose a new behavioral biometric authentication method called SegAuth, which can be applied to various gesture or motion based authentication scenarios. SegAuth can achieve high accuracy by focusing on each user's distinctive gesture segments that frequently appear across his or her gestures. In SegAuth, a time series derived from a gesture/motion is first partitioned into segments and then transformed into a set of string tokens in which the tokens representing distinctive, repetitive segments are associated with higher genuine probabilities than those tokens that are common across users. An overall genuine score calculated from all the tokens derived from a gesture is used to determine the user's authenticity. We have assessed the effectiveness of SegAuth using 4 different datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate that SegAuth can achieve higher accuracy consistently than existing popular methods on the evaluation datasets.

Validated derivative and ratio derivative spectrophotometric methods for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride and ambroxol hydrochloride in pharmaceutical dosage form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Omnia I. M.; Ismail, Nahla S.; Elgohary, Rasha M.

2016-01-01

Three simple, precise, accurate and validated derivative spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LCD) and ambroxol hydrochloride (ABH) in bulk powder and in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method is a first derivative spectrophotometric method (1D) using a zero-crossing technique of measurement at 210.4 nm for LCD and at 220.0 nm for ABH. The second method employs a second derivative spectrophotometry (2D) where the measurements were carried out at 242.0 and 224.4 nm for LCD and ABH, respectively. In the third method, the first derivative of the ratio spectra was calculated and the first derivative of the ratio amplitudes at 222.8 and 247.2 nm was selected for the determination of LCD and ABH, respectively. Calibration graphs were established in the ranges of 1.0-20.0 μg mL- 1 for LCD and 4.0-20.0 μg mL- 1 for ABH using derivative and ratio first derivative spectrophotometric methods with good correlation coefficients. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of both drugs in commercial tablet dosage form.

Kinks in higher derivative scalar field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yuan; Guo, Rong-Zhen; Fu, Chun-E.; Liu, Yu-Xiao

2018-07-01

We study static kink configurations in a type of two-dimensional higher derivative scalar field theory whose Lagrangian contains second-order derivative terms of the field. The linear fluctuation around arbitrary static kink solutions is analyzed. We find that, the linear spectrum can be described by a supersymmetric quantum mechanics problem, and the criteria for stable static solutions can be given analytically. We also construct a superpotential formalism for finding analytical static kink solutions. Using this formalism we first reproduce some existed solutions and then offer a new solution. The properties of our solution is studied and compared with those preexisted. We also show the possibility in constructing twinlike model in the higher derivative theory, and give the consistency conditions for twinlike models corresponding to the canonical scalar field theory.

Fuzzy forecasting based on fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups.

PubMed

Chen, Shyi-Ming; Wang, Nai-Yi

2010-10-01

In this paper, we present a new method to predict the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX) based on fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups (FTLRGs). The proposed method divides fuzzy logical relationships into FTLRGs based on the trend of adjacent fuzzy sets appearing in the antecedents of fuzzy logical relationships. First, we apply an automatic clustering algorithm to cluster the historical data into intervals of different lengths. Then, we define fuzzy sets based on these intervals of different lengths. Then, the historical data are fuzzified into fuzzy sets to derive fuzzy logical relationships. Then, we divide the fuzzy logical relationships into FTLRGs for forecasting the TAIEX. Moreover, we also apply the proposed method to forecast the enrollments and the inventory demand, respectively. The experimental results show that the proposed method gets higher average forecasting accuracy rates than the existing methods.

Single tree biomass modelling using airborne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kankare, Ville; Räty, Minna; Yu, Xiaowei; Holopainen, Markus; Vastaranta, Mikko; Kantola, Tuula; Hyyppä, Juha; Hyyppä, Hannu; Alho, Petteri; Viitala, Risto

2013-11-01

Accurate forest biomass mapping methods would provide the means for e.g. detecting bioenergy potential, biofuel and forest-bound carbon. The demand for practical biomass mapping methods at all forest levels is growing worldwide, and viable options are being developed. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a promising forest biomass mapping technique, due to its capability of measuring the three-dimensional forest vegetation structure. The objective of the study was to develop new methods for tree-level biomass estimation using metrics derived from ALS point clouds and to compare the results with field references collected using destructive sampling and with existing biomass models. The study area was located in Evo, southern Finland. ALS data was collected in 2009 with pulse density equalling approximately 10 pulses/m2. Linear models were developed for the following tree biomass components: total, stem wood, living branch and total canopy biomass. ALS-derived geometric and statistical point metrics were used as explanatory variables when creating the models. The total and stem biomass root mean square error per cents equalled 26.3% and 28.4% for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and 36.8% and 27.6% for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.), respectively. The results showed that higher estimation accuracy for all biomass components can be achieved with models created in this study compared to existing allometric biomass models when ALS-derived height and diameter were used as input parameters. Best results were achieved when adding field-measured diameter and height as inputs in the existing biomass models. The only exceptions to this were the canopy and living branch biomass estimations for spruce. The achieved results are encouraging for the use of ALS-derived metrics in biomass mapping and for further development of the models.

Biosynthesis of Oligomeric Anthocyanins from Grape Skin Extracts.

PubMed

Hwang, Jin-Woo; Natarajan, Sithranga Boopathy; Kim, Yon-Suk; Kim, Eun-Kyung; Lee, Jae Woong; Moon, Sang-Ho; Jeon, Byong-Tae; Park, Pyo-Jam

2017-03-21

We synthesized oligomeric anthocyanins from grape skin-derived monomeric anthocyanins such as anthocyanidin and proanthocyanidin by a fermentation technique using Aspergillus niger, crude enzymes and glucosidase. The biosyntheses of the oligomeric anthocyanins carried out by the conventional method using Aspergillus niger and crude enzymes were confirmed by ESI-MS. The molecular weight of the synthesized anthocyanin oligomers was determined using MALDI-MS. The yield of anthocyanin oligomers using crude enzymes was higher than that of the synthesis using Aspergillus fermentation. Several studies have been demonstrated that oligomeric anthocyanins have higher antioxidant activity than monomeric anthocyanins. Fermentation-based synthesis of oligomeric anthocyanins is an alternative way of producing useful anthocyanins that could support the food industry.

A New Approach in the Preparation of Dendrimer-Based Bifunctional Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid MR Contrast Agent Derivatives

PubMed Central

Nwe, Kido; Xu, Heng; Regino, Celeste Aida S.; Bernardo, Marcelino; Ileva, Lilia; Riffle, Lisa; Wong, Karen J.; Brechbiel, Martin W.

2009-01-01

In this paper we report a new method to prepare and characterize a contrast agent based on a fourth-generation (G4) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer conjugated to the gadolinium complex of the bifunctional diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid derivative (1B4M-DTPA). The method involves pre-forming the metal-ligand chelate in alcohol prior to conjugation to the dendrimer. The dendrimer-based agent was purified by a Sephadex® G-25 column and characterized by elemental analysis. The analysis and SEHPLC data gave a chelate to dendrimer ratio of 30:1 suggesting conjugation at approximately every other amine terminal on the dendrimer. Molar relaxivity of the agent measured at pH 7.4 displayed a higher value than that of the analogous G4 dendrimer based agent prepared by the post-metal incorporation method (r1 = 26.9 vs. 13.9 mM-1s-1 at 3T and 22°C). This is hypothesized to be due to the higher hydrophobicity of this conjugate, and the lack of available charged carboxylate groups from non-complexed free ligands that might coordinate to the metal and thus also reduce water exchange sites. Additionally, the distribution populations of compounds that result from the post-metal incorporation route are eliminated from the current product simplifying characterization as quality control issues pertaining to the production of such agents for clinical use as MR contrast agents. In vivo imaging in mice showed a reasonably fast clearance (t1/2 = 24 min) suggesting a viable agent for use in clinical application. PMID:19555072

A new approach in the preparation of dendrimer-based bifunctional diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid MR contrast agent derivatives.

PubMed

Nwe, Kido; Xu, Heng; Regino, Celeste Aida S; Bernardo, Marcelino; Ileva, Lilia; Riffle, Lisa; Wong, Karen J; Brechbiel, Martin W

2009-07-01

In this paper, we report a new method to prepare and characterize a contrast agent based on a fourth-generation (G4) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer conjugated to the gadolinium complex of the bifunctional diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid derivative (1B4M-DTPA). The method involves preforming the metal-ligand chelate in alcohol prior to conjugation to the dendrimer. The dendrimer-based agent was purified by a Sephadex G-25 column and characterized by elemental analysis. The analysis and SE-HPLC data gave a chelate to dendrimer ratio of 30:1 suggesting conjugation at approximately every other amine terminal on the dendrimer. Molar relaxivity of the agent measured at pH 7.4 displayed a higher value than that of the analogous G4 dendrimer based agent prepared by the postmetal incorporation method (r(1) = 26.9 vs 13.9 mM(-1) s(-1) at 3 T and 22 degrees C). This is hypothesized to be due to the higher hydrophobicity of this conjugate and the lack of available charged carboxylate groups from noncomplexed free ligands that might coordinate to the metal and thus also reduce water exchange sites. Additionally, the distribution populations of compounds that result from the postmetal incorporation route are eliminated from the current product simplifying characterization as quality control issues pertaining to the production of such agents for clinical use as MR contrast agents. In vivo imaging in mice showed a reasonably fast clearance (t(1/2) = 24 min) suggesting a viable agent for use in clinical application.

Removal of hexavalent Cr by coconut coir and derived chars--the effect of surface functionality.

PubMed

Shen, Ying-Shuian; Wang, Shan-Li; Tzou, Yu-Min; Yan, Ya-Yi; Kuan, Wen-Hui

2012-01-01

The Cr(VI) removal by coconut coir (CC) and chars obtained at various pyrolysis temperatures were evaluated. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature resulted in an increased surface area of the chars, while the corresponding content of oxygen-containing functional groups of the chars decreased. The Cr(VI) removal by CC and CC-derived chars was primarily attributed to the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by the materials and the extent and rate of the Cr(VI) reduction were determined by the oxygen-containing functional groups in the materials. The contribution of pure Cr(VI) adsorption to the overall Cr(VI) removal became relatively significant for the chars obtained at higher temperatures. Accordingly, to develop a cost-effective method for removing Cr(VI) from water, the original CC is more advantageous than the carbonaceous counterparts because no pyrolysis is required for the application and CC has a higher content of functional groups for reducing Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Higher order derivatives of R-Jacobi polynomials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Sourav; Swaminathan, A.

2016-06-01

In this work, the R-Jacobi polynomials defined on the nonnegative real axis related to F-distribution are considered. Using their Sturm-Liouville system higher order derivatives are constructed. Orthogonality property of these higher ordered R-Jacobi polynomials are obtained besides their normal form, self-adjoint form and hypergeometric representation. Interesting results on the Interpolation formula and Gaussian quadrature formulae are obtained with numerical examples.

An accurate derivation of the air dose-rate and the deposition concentration distribution by aerial monitoring in a low level contaminated area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, Yukiyasu; Sugita, Takeshi; Sanada, Yukihisa; Torii, Tatsuo

2015-04-01

Since 2011, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan) have been conducting aerial monitoring to investigate the distribution of radioactive cesium dispersed into the atmosphere after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), Tokyo Electric Power Company. Distribution maps of the air dose-rate at 1 m above the ground and the radioactive cesium deposition concentration on the ground are prepared using spectrum obtained by aerial monitoring. The radioactive cesium deposition is derived from its dose rate, which is calculated by excluding the dose rate of the background radiation due to natural radionuclides from the air dose-rate at 1 m above the ground. The first step of the current method of calculating the dose rate due to natural radionuclides is calculate the ratio of the total count rate of areas where no radioactive cesium is detected and the count rate of regions with energy levels of 1,400 keV or higher (BG-Index). Next, calculate the air dose rate of radioactive cesium by multiplying the BG-Index and the integrated count rate of 1,400 keV or higher for the area where the radioactive cesium is distributed. In high dose-rate areas, however, the count rate of the 1,365-keV peak of Cs-134, though small, is included in the integrated count rate of 1,400 keV or higher, which could cause an overestimation of the air dose rate of natural radionuclides. We developed a method for accurately evaluating the distribution maps of natural air dose-rate by excluding the effect of radioactive cesium, even in contaminated areas, and obtained the accurate air dose-rate map attributed the radioactive cesium deposition on the ground. Furthermore, the natural dose-rate distribution throughout Japan has been obtained by this method.

Well-posedness and decay for the dissipative system modeling electro-hydrodynamics in negative Besov spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jihong; Liu, Qiao

2017-07-01

In Guo and Wang (2012) [10], Y. Guo and Y. Wang developed a general new energy method for proving the optimal time decay rates of the solutions to dissipative equations. In this paper, we generalize this method in the framework of homogeneous Besov spaces. Moreover, we apply this method to a model arising from electro-hydrodynamics, which is a strongly coupled system of the Navier-Stokes equations and the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations through charge transport and external forcing terms. We show that some weighted negative Besov norms of solutions are preserved along time evolution, and obtain the optimal time decay rates of the higher-order spatial derivatives of solutions by the Fourier splitting approach and the interpolation techniques.

Comparison of Five System Identification Algorithms for Rotorcraft Higher Harmonic Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacklin, Stephen A.

1998-01-01

This report presents an analysis and performance comparison of five system identification algorithms. The methods are presented in the context of identifying a frequency-domain transfer matrix for the higher harmonic control (HHC) of helicopter vibration. The five system identification algorithms include three previously proposed methods: (1) the weighted-least- squares-error approach (in moving-block format), (2) the Kalman filter method, and (3) the least-mean-squares (LMS) filter method. In addition there are two new ones: (4) a generalized Kalman filter method and (5) a generalized LMS filter method. The generalized Kalman filter method and the generalized LMS filter method were derived as extensions of the classic methods to permit identification by using more than one measurement per identification cycle. Simulation results are presented for conditions ranging from the ideal case of a stationary transfer matrix and no measurement noise to the more complex cases involving both measurement noise and transfer-matrix variation. Both open-loop identification and closed- loop identification were simulated. Closed-loop mode identification was more challenging than open-loop identification because of the decreasing signal-to-noise ratio as the vibration became reduced. The closed-loop simulation considered both local-model identification, with measured vibration feedback and global-model identification with feedback of the identified uncontrolled vibration. The algorithms were evaluated in terms of their accuracy, stability, convergence properties, computation speeds, and relative ease of implementation.

Density functional theory investigation of opto-electronic properties of thieno[3,4-b]thiophene and benzodithiophene polymer and derivatives and their applications in solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoshkholgh, Mehri Javan; Marsusi, Farah; Abolhassani, Mohammad Reza

2015-02-01

PTBs polymers with thieno[3,4-b]thiophene [TT] and benzodithiophene [BDT] units have particular properties, which demonstrate it as one of the best group of donor materials in organic solar cells. In the present work, density functional theory (DFT) is applied to investigate the optimized structure, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), band gap and dihedral angle of PTB7 at B3LYP/6-31G(d). Two different approaches are applied to carry out these investigations: Oligomer extrapolation technique and periodic boundary condition (PBC) method. The results obtained from PBC-DFT method are in fair agreement with experiments. Based on these reliable outcomes; the investigations continued to perform some derivatives of PTB7. In this study, sulfur is substituted by nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, phosphor or selenium atoms in pristine PTB7. Due to the shift of HOMO and LUMO levels, smaller band gaps are predicted to appear in some derivatives in comparison with PTB7. Maximum theoretical efficiencies, η, of the mentioned derivatives as well as local difference of dipole moments between the ground and excited states (Δμge) are computed. The results indicate that substitution of sulfur by nitrogen or oxygen in BDT unit, and silicon or phosphor in TT unit of pristine PTB7 leads to a higher η as well as Δμge.

Identification of S-glutathionylation sites in species-specific proteins by incorporating five sequence-derived features into the general pseudo-amino acid composition.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaowei; Ning, Qiao; Ai, Meiyue; Chai, Haiting; Yang, Guifu

2016-06-07

As a selective and reversible protein post-translational modification, S-glutathionylation generates mixed disulfides between glutathione (GSH) and cysteine residues, and plays an important role in regulating protein activity, stability, and redox regulation. To fully understand S-glutathionylation mechanisms, identification of substrates and specific S-Glutathionylated sites is crucial. Experimental identification of S-glutathionylated sites is labor-intensive and time consuming, so establishing an effective computational method is much desirable due to their convenient and fast speed. Therefore, in this study, a new bioinformatics tool named SSGlu (Species-Specific identification of Protein S-glutathionylation Sites) was developed to identify species-specific protein S-glutathionylated sites, utilizing support vector machines that combine multiple sequence-derived features with a two-step feature selection. By 5-fold cross validation, the performance of SSGlu was measured with an AUC of 0.8105 and 0.8041 for Homo sapiens and Mus musculus, respectively. Additionally, SSGlu was compared with the existing methods, and the higher MCC and AUC of SSGlu demonstrated that SSGlu was very promising to predict S-glutathionylated sites. Furthermore, a site-specific analysis showed that S-glutathionylation intimately correlated with the features derived from its surrounding sites. The conclusions derived from this study might help to understand more of the S-glutathionylation mechanism and guide the related experimental validation. For public access, SSGlu is freely accessible at http://59.73.198.144:8080/SSGlu/. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Density functional theory investigation of opto-electronic properties of thieno[3,4-b]thiophene and benzodithiophene polymer and derivatives and their applications in solar cell.

PubMed

Khoshkholgh, Mehri Javan; Marsusi, Farah; Abolhassani, Mohammad Reza

2015-02-05

PTBs polymers with thieno[3,4-b]thiophene [TT] and benzodithiophene [BDT] units have particular properties, which demonstrate it as one of the best group of donor materials in organic solar cells. In the present work, density functional theory (DFT) is applied to investigate the optimized structure, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), band gap and dihedral angle of PTB7 at B3LYP/6-31G(d). Two different approaches are applied to carry out these investigations: Oligomer extrapolation technique and periodic boundary condition (PBC) method. The results obtained from PBC-DFT method are in fair agreement with experiments. Based on these reliable outcomes; the investigations continued to perform some derivatives of PTB7. In this study, sulfur is substituted by nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, phosphor or selenium atoms in pristine PTB7. Due to the shift of HOMO and LUMO levels, smaller band gaps are predicted to appear in some derivatives in comparison with PTB7. Maximum theoretical efficiencies, η, of the mentioned derivatives as well as local difference of dipole moments between the ground and excited states (Δμge) are computed. The results indicate that substitution of sulfur by nitrogen or oxygen in BDT unit, and silicon or phosphor in TT unit of pristine PTB7 leads to a higher η as well as Δμge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Elevated circulating endothelial cell-derived microparticle levels in patients with liver cirrhosis: a preliminary report

PubMed Central

Simon, Krzysztof Adam; Pazgan-Simon, Monika

2015-01-01

Aim of the study To determine plausible associations between liver cirrhosis and circulating endothelial cell-derived microparticles (EMPs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and plasma nitric oxide (NO) metabolites. Material and methods Sixty patients with cirrhosis and 20 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Circulating EMPs from platelet-poor plasma samples were examined by flow cytometry. These microparticles were categorized into endothelial cell-derived activated MPs (EMP-ac) (CD31+ CD42b– AN-V–) and endothelial cell-derived apoptotic MPs (EMP-ap) (CD31+ CD42b– AN-V+). Plasma VEGF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma NO metabolites (NOx–) levels were determined using a Greiss reaction method. Results Compared with the healthy control subjects, the patients with cirrhosis showed a significant increase in plasma levels of both phenotypes of EMPs. When the presence of ascites was considered, the plasma levels of EMP-ap were higher (p < 0.01), as well as NOx– (p < 0.05). EMP-ap positively correlated with VEGF level in all cirrhotic patients and this correlation was stronger in decompensated cirrhotic patients. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent factors associated with the presence of ascites were high EMP-ap levels and elevated VEGF levels. Conclusions Elevated plasma levels of EMP-ap in addition to high levels of VEGF might be considered as valuable parameters for predicting the occurrence of ascites in cirrhotic patients. PMID:28856256

Application of a Simplified Method for Estimating Perfusion Derived from Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging in Glioma Grading.

PubMed

Cao, Mengqiu; Suo, Shiteng; Han, Xu; Jin, Ke; Sun, Yawen; Wang, Yao; Ding, Weina; Qu, Jianxun; Zhang, Xiaohua; Zhou, Yan

2017-01-01

Purpose : To evaluate the feasibility of a simplified method based on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquired with three b -values to measure tissue perfusion linked to microcirculation, to validate it against from perfusion-related parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and to investigate its utility to differentiate low- from high-grade gliomas. Materials and Methods : The prospective study was approved by the local institutional review board and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. From May 2016 and May 2017, 50 patients confirmed with glioma were assessed with multi- b -value DWI and DCE MR imaging at 3.0 T. Besides conventional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC 0,1000 ) map, perfusion-related parametric maps for IVIM-derived perfusion fraction ( f ) and pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), DCE MR imaging-derived pharmacokinetic metrics, including K trans , v e and v p , as well as a metric named simplified perfusion fraction (SPF), were generated. Correlation between perfusion-related parameters was analyzed by using the Spearman rank correlation. All imaging parameters were compared between the low-grade ( n = 19) and high-grade ( n = 31) groups by using the Mann-Whitney U test. The diagnostic performance for tumor grading was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results : SPF showed strong correlation with IVIM-derived f and D* ( ρ = 0.732 and 0.716, respectively; both P < 0.001). Compared with f , SPF was more correlated with DCE MR imaging-derived K trans ( ρ = 0.607; P < 0.001) and v p ( ρ = 0.397; P = 0.004). Among all parameters, SPF achieved the highest accuracy for differentiating low- from high-grade gliomas, with an area under the ROC curve value of 0.942, which was significantly higher than that of ADC 0,1000 ( P = 0.004). By using SPF as a discriminative index, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 87.1% and 94.7%, respectively, at the optimal cut-off value of 19.26%. Conclusion : The simplified method to measure tissue perfusion based on DWI by using three b -values may be helpful to differentiate low- from high-grade gliomas. SPF may serve as a valuable alternative to measure tumor perfusion in gliomas in a noninvasive, convenient and efficient way.

Electron acceleration by a tightly focused Hermite-Gaussian beam: higher-order corrections

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

Zhao Zhiguo; Institute of Laser Physics and Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064; Yang Dangxiao

2008-03-15

Taking the TEM{sub 1,0}-mode Hermite-Gaussian (H-G) beam as a numerical calculation example, and based on the method of the perturbation series expansion, the higher-order field corrections of H-G beams are derived and used to study the electron acceleration by a tightly focused H-G beam in vacuum. For the case of the off-axis injection the field corrections to the terms of order f{sup 3} (f=1/kw{sub 0}, k and w{sub 0} being the wavenumber and waist width, respectively) are considered, and for the case of the on-axis injection the contributions of the terms of higher orders are negligible. By a suitable optimizationmore » of injection parameters the energy gain in the giga-electron-volt regime can be achieved.« less

Hail statistics for Germany derived from single-polarization radar data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puskeiler, Marc; Kunz, Michael; Schmidberger, Manuel

2016-09-01

Despite the considerable damage potential related to severe hailstorms, knowledge about the local hail probability in Germany is very limited. Constructing a reliable hail probability map is challenging due largely to the lack of direct hail observations. In our study, we suggest a reasonable method by which to estimate hail signals from 3D radar reflectivity measured by conventional single-polarization radars between 2005 and 2011. Evaluating the radar-derived hail days with loss data from a building and an agricultural insurance company confirmed the reliability of the method and the results as expressed, for example, by a Heidke Skill Score HSS of 0.7. Overall, radar-derived hail days demonstrate very high spatial variability, which reflects the local-scale nature of deep moist convection. Nonetheless, systematic patterns related to climatic conditions and orography can also be observed. On the large scale, the number of hail days substantially increases from north to south, which may plausibly be explained by the higher thermal instability in the south. At regional and local scales, several hot spots with elevated hail frequency can be identified, in most cases downstream of the mountains. Several other characteristics including convective energy related to the events identified, differences in track lengths, and seasonal cycles are discussed.

Surface currents in the Bohai Sea derived from the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, L.; Wang, M.

2016-02-01

The first geostationary ocean color satellite sensor, the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) onboard the Korean Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite can monitor and measure ocean phenomena over an area of 2500 × 2500 km2 around the western Pacific region centered at 36°N and 130°E. Hourly measurements during the day around 9:00 to 16:00 local time are a unique capability of GOCI to monitor ocean features of higher temporal variability. In this presentation, we show some recent results of GOCI-derived ocean surface currents in the Bohai Sea using the Maximum Cross-Correlation (MCC) feature tracking method and compare the results with altimetry-inversed tidal current observations produced from Oregon State University (OSU) Tidal Inversion Software (OTIS). The performance of the GOCI-based MCC method is assessed and the discrepancies between the GOCI- and OTIS-derived currents are evaluated. A series of sensitivity studies are conducted with images from various satellite products and of various time differences, MCC adjustable parameters, and influence from other forcings such as wind, to find the best setups for optimal MCC performance. Our results demonstrate that GOCI can effectively provide real-time monitoring of not only water optical, biological, and biogeochemical variability, but also the physical dynamics in the region.

Comparing closed quotient in children singers' voices as measured by high-speed-imaging, electroglottography, and inverse filtering.

PubMed

Mecke, Ann-Christine; Sundberg, Johan; Granqvist, Svante; Echternach, Matthias

2012-01-01

The closed quotient, i.e., the ratio between the closed phase and the period, is commonly studied in voice research. However, the term may refer to measures derived from different methods, such as inverse filtering, electroglottography or high-speed digital imaging (HSDI). This investigation compares closed quotient data measured by these three methods in two boy singers. Each singer produced sustained tones on two different pitches and a glissando. Audio, electroglottographic signal (EGG), and HSDI were recorded simultaneously. The audio signal was inverse filtered by means of the decap program; the closed phase was defined as the flat minimum portion of the flow glottogram. Glottal area was automatically measured in the high speed images by the built-in camera software, and the closed phase was defined as the flat minimum portion of the area-signal. The EGG-signal was analyzed in four different ways using the matlab open quotient interface. The closed quotient data taken from the EGG were found to be considerably higher than those obtained from inverse filtering. Also, substantial differences were found between the closed quotient derived from HSDI and those derived from inverse filtering. The findings illustrate the importance of distinguishing between these quotients. © 2012 Acoustical Society of America.

A Computer-Aided Analysis Method of SPECT Brain Images for Quantitative Treatment Monitoring: Performance Evaluations and Clinical Applications.

PubMed

Zheng, Xiujuan; Wei, Wentao; Huang, Qiu; Song, Shaoli; Wan, Jieqing; Huang, Gang

2017-01-01

The objective and quantitative analysis of longitudinal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images are significant for the treatment monitoring of brain disorders. Therefore, a computer aided analysis (CAA) method is introduced to extract a change-rate map (CRM) as a parametric image for quantifying the changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in longitudinal SPECT brain images. The performances of the CAA-CRM approach in treatment monitoring are evaluated by the computer simulations and clinical applications. The results of computer simulations show that the derived CRMs have high similarities with their ground truths when the lesion size is larger than system spatial resolution and the change rate is higher than 20%. In clinical applications, the CAA-CRM approach is used to assess the treatment of 50 patients with brain ischemia. The results demonstrate that CAA-CRM approach has a 93.4% accuracy of recovered region's localization. Moreover, the quantitative indexes of recovered regions derived from CRM are all significantly different among the groups and highly correlated with the experienced clinical diagnosis. In conclusion, the proposed CAA-CRM approach provides a convenient solution to generate a parametric image and derive the quantitative indexes from the longitudinal SPECT brain images for treatment monitoring.

An Empirically Derived Taxonomy for Personality Diagnosis: Bridging Science and Practice in Conceptualizing Personality

PubMed Central

Westen, Drew; Shedler, Jonathan; Bradley, Bekh; DeFife, Jared A.

2013-01-01

Objective The authors describe a system for diagnosing personality pathology that is empirically derived, clinically relevant, and practical for day-to-day use. Method A random national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N=1,201) described a randomly selected current patient with any degree of personality dysfunction (from minimal to severe) using the descriptors in the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure–II and completed additional research forms. Results The authors applied factor analysis to identify naturally occurring diagnostic groupings within the patient sample. The analysis yielded 10 clinically coherent personality diagnoses organized into three higher-order clusters: internalizing, externalizing, and borderline-dysregulated. The authors selected the most highly rated descriptors to construct a diagnostic prototype for each personality syndrome. In a second, independent sample, research interviewers and patients’ treating clinicians were able to diagnose the personality syndromes with high agreement and minimal comorbidity among diagnoses. Conclusions The empirically derived personality prototypes described here provide a framework for personality diagnosis that is both empirically based and clinically relevant. PMID:22193534

Development of a new measurement system to detect selectively volatile organic compounds derived from the human body.

PubMed

Kanou, S; Nagaoka, T; Kobayashi, N; Kurahashi, M; Takeda, S; Aoki, T; Tsuji, T; Urano, T; Abe, T; Magatani, K

2013-01-01

A new concept expired gas measurement system used double cold-trap method was developed. The system could detect selectively volatile organic compound (VOC) derived from the human body. The gas chromatography (GC) profiles of healthy volunteer's expired gas collected by our system were analyzed. As a result, 60 VOCs were detected from the healthy volunteer's expired gas. We examined 14 VOCs among them further, which could be converted to the concentration from the GC profiles. The concentration of almost VOCs decreased when the subjects inspired purified air compared with the atmosphere. On the other hand, isoprene was almost the same. It was strongly suggested that these VOCs were derived from the human body because the concentration of these VOCs in the atmosphere were nearly zero. Expired gas of two sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) patients were analyzed as preliminary study. As a result of the study, the concentration of some VOCs contained in the expired gas of the SAS patients showed higher value than a healthy controls.

Killing vector fields in three dimensions: a method to solve massive gravity field equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürses, Metin

2010-10-01

Killing vector fields in three dimensions play an important role in the construction of the related spacetime geometry. In this work we show that when a three-dimensional geometry admits a Killing vector field then the Ricci tensor of the geometry is determined in terms of the Killing vector field and its scalars. In this way we can generate all products and covariant derivatives at any order of the Ricci tensor. Using this property we give ways to solve the field equations of topologically massive gravity (TMG) and new massive gravity (NMG) introduced recently. In particular when the scalars of the Killing vector field (timelike, spacelike and null cases) are constants then all three-dimensional symmetric tensors of the geometry, the Ricci and Einstein tensors, their covariant derivatives at all orders, and their products of all orders are completely determined by the Killing vector field and the metric. Hence, the corresponding three-dimensional metrics are strong candidates for solving all higher derivative gravitational field equations in three dimensions.

Synthesis, alkaline phosphatase inhibition studies and molecular docking of novel derivatives of 4-quinolones.

PubMed

Miliutina, Mariia; Ejaz, Syeda Abida; Khan, Shafi Ullah; Iaroshenko, Viktor O; Villinger, Alexander; Iqbal, Jamshed; Langer, Peter

2017-01-27

New and convenient methods for the functionalization of the 4-quinolone scaffold at positions C-1, C-3 and C-6 were developed. The 4-quinolone derivatives were evaluated for their inhibitory potential on alkaline phosphatase isozymes. Most of the compounds exhibit excellent inhibitory activity and moderate selectivity. The IC 50 values on tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) were in the range of 1.34 ± 0.11 to 44.80 ± 2.34 μM, while the values on intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) were in the range of 1.06 ± 0.32 to 192.10 ± 3.78 μM. The most active derivative exhibits a potent inhibition on IAP with a ≈14 fold higher selectivity as compared to TNAP. Furthermore, molecular docking calculations were performed for the most potent inhibitors to show their binding interactions within the active site of the respective enzymes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Determination of the parameters of binding between lipopolysaccharide and chitosan and its N-acetylated derivative using a gravimetric piezoquartz biosensor.

PubMed

Naberezhnykh, G A; Gorbach, V I; Kalmykova, E N; Solov'eva, T F

2015-03-01

The interaction of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide - LPS) with low molecular weight chitosan (5.5 kDa), its N-acylated derivative and chitoliposomes was studied using a gravimetric piezoelectric quartz crystal microbalance biosensor. The optimal conditions for the formation of a biolayer based on immobilized LPS on the resonator surface and its regeneration were elaborated. The association and dissociation rate constants for LPS binding to chitosans were determined and the affinity constants (Kaf) were calculated based on the data on changes in the oscillation frequency of the quartz crystal resonator. The Kaf values correlated with the ones obtained using other methods. The affinity of N-acylated chitosan binding to LPS was higher than that of the parent chitosan binding to LPS. Based on the results obtained, we suggest that water-soluble N-acylated derivatives of chitosan with low degree of substitution of amino groups could be useful compounds for endotoxin binding and neutralization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of miracle medicines from sialic acids

PubMed Central

OGURA, Haruo

2011-01-01

Sialic acids are electronegatively charged C9-sugars and are considered to play important roles in higher animals and some microorganisms. Denoting their significance, understanding and exploiting the complexity of the sialic acids has been referred to as the “the third language of life”. In essence, “sialic acid derivatives possess a harmonious shape and good balance between two opposing hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts, meaning that they should display various kinds of potentially unique and possibly conflicting physiological activities (glycolipoids)”. Consequently, there are good omens that unprecedented ‘miracle’ medicines could be developed from sialic acid derivatives. In this review, the first problem, the preparation of sialic acids, is covered, the synthesis of sialic acid derivatives and confirmation of their structures obviously being of critical significance. In addition we needed to confirm their precise stereochemistry and a hydrolysis method has been developed for confirmation of the anomeric position. Several of the compounds have already demonstrated interesting bioactivity. PMID:21670567

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of polyphenolic extracts from Lactuca sativa (var. Maravilla de Verano) under different farming methods.

PubMed

Adesso, Simona; Pepe, Giacomo; Sommella, Eduardo; Manfra, Michele; Scopa, Antonio; Sofo, Adriano; Tenore, Gian Carlo; Russo, Mariateresa; Di Gaudio, Francesca; Autore, Giuseppina; Campiglia, Pietro; Marzocco, Stefania

2016-09-01

Besides their nutritional value, vegetables are a source of health-promoting compounds, such as polyphenols, and their content can be influenced by the particular farming method. In this study polyphenolic extracts from Lactuca sativa (var. Maravilla de verano) plants cultivated with different farming methods were chemically characterised and tested in vitro and ex vivo inflammation models. The tested extacts (250-2.5 µg mL(-1) ) were able to reduce both the inflammatory and oxidative stress in LPS-stimulated J774A.1 murine monocyte macrophage cells, by lowering the release of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2; (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In this regard, quantitative profiles revealed different amounts of polyphenols, in particular quercetin levels were higher in plants under mineral fertilised treatment. Those extract showed an enhanced anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Our data showed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of Maravilla de Verano polyphenolic extracts. The effect of farming methods on polyphenolic levels was highlighted. The higher reduction of inflammatory mediators release in extracts from plants cultivated under mineral fertilisation treatment was correlated to the higher amount of quercetin. These results can be useful for both nutraceutical or agronomic purposes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Do GIS-derived measures of fast food retailers convey perceived fast food opportunities? Implications for food environment assessment

PubMed Central

Barnes, Timothy L.; Colabianchi, Natalie; Freedman, Darcy A.; Bell, Bethany A.; Liese, Angela D.

2018-01-01

Purpose Geographic information systems (GISs) have been used to define fast food availability, with higher availability perhaps promoting poorer quality diets. Alternative measures involve perceptions; however, few studies have examined associations between GIS-derived and perceived measures of the food environment. Methods Telephone surveys of 705 participants within an eight-county region in South Carolina were analyzed using logistic regression to examine relationships between geographic presence of and distance to various types of food retailers and perceived fast food availability. Results The mean distance to the nearest fast food restaurant was 6.1 miles, with 16% of participants having a fast food restaurant within 1 mile of home. The geographic presence of and distance to all food retailer types were significantly associated with perceived availability of fast food in unadjusted models. After adjustment, only the presence of a fast food restaurant or pharmacy was significantly associated with greater odds of higher perceived availability of fast food. Greater odds of lower perceived availability of fast food were observed with the presence of a dollar store and increasing distance to the nearest supermarket or pharmacy. Conclusions Measures of fast food availability, whether objective or perceived, may not be interchangeable. Researchers should carefully decide on the appropriate measurement tool—GIS-derived or perceived—in food environment studies. PMID:27617371

Measurement of glottal cycle characteristics between children and adults: Physiological Variations

PubMed Central

Patel, Rita R.; Dubrovskiy, Denis; Döllinger, Michael

2014-01-01

Objective The aim of this study is to quantify phases of the vibratory cycle using measurements of glottal cycle quotients and glottal cycle derivatives, in typically developing pre-pubertal children and young adults with use of high speed digital imaging (HSDI). Method Vocal fold vibrations were recorded from 27 children (age range 5–9 years) and 35 adults (age range 21–45 years), with HSDI at 4000 frames per second for sustained phonation. Glottal area waveform (GAW) measures of Open Quotient (OQ), Closing Quotient (CQ), Speed Index (SI), Rate Quotient (RQ) and Asymmetry Quotient (AsyQ) were computed. Glottal cycle derivatives of Amplitude Quotient (AQ) and Maximum Area Declination Rate (MADR) were also computed. Group differences (adult females, adult males, and children) were statistically investigated for mean and standard deviation values of the glottal cycle quotients and glottal cycle derivatives. Results Children exhibited higher values of Speed Index, Asymmetry Quotient and lower MADR compared to adult males. Children exhibited the highest mean value and lowest variability in Amplitude Quotient compared to adult males and females. Adult males showed lower values of Speed Index, Asymmetry Quotient, Amplitude Quotient and higher values of MADR compared to adult females. Conclusion Glottal cycle vibratory motion in children is functionally different compared to adult males and females; suggesting the need for development of children specific norms for both normal and disordered voice qualities. PMID:24629646

Amine coupling versus biotin capture for the assessment of sulfonamide as ligands of hCA isoforms.

PubMed

Rogez-Florent, Tiphaine; Goossens, Laurence; Drucbert, Anne-Sophie; Duban-Deweer, Sophie; Six, Perrine; Depreux, Patrick; Danzé, Pierre-Marie; Goossens, Jean-François; Foulon, Catherine

2016-10-15

This work was dedicated to the development of a reliable SPR method allowing the simultaneous and quick determination of the affinity and selectivity of designed sulfonamide derivatives for hCAIX and hCAXII versus hCAII, in order to provide an efficient tool to discover drugs for anticancer therapy of solid tumors. We performed for the first time a comparison of two immobilization approaches of hCA isoforms. First one relies on the use of an amine coupling strategy, using a CM7 chip to obtain higher immobilization levels than with a CM5 chip and consequently the affinity with an higher precision (CV% < 10%). The second corresponds to a capture of proteins on a streptavidin chip, named CAP chip, after optimization of biotinylation conditions (amine versus carboxyl coupling, biotin to protein ratio). Thanks to the amine coupling approach, only hCAII and hCAXII isoforms were efficiently biotinylated to reach relevant immobilization (3000 RU and 2700 RU, respectively) to perform affinity studies. For hCAIX, despite a successful biotinylation, capture on the CAP chip was a failure. Finally, concordance between affinities obtained for the three derivatives to CAs isozymes on both chips has allowed to valid the approaches for a further screening of new derivatives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Instabilities in mimetic matter perturbations

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

Firouzjahi, Hassan; Gorji, Mohammad Ali; Mansoori, Seyed Ali Hosseini, E-mail: firouz@ipm.ir, E-mail: gorji@ipm.ir, E-mail: shosseini@shahroodut.ac.ir, E-mail: shossein@ipm.ir

2017-07-01

We study cosmological perturbations in mimetic matter scenario with a general higher derivative function. We calculate the quadratic action and show that both the kinetic term and the gradient term have the wrong sings. We perform the analysis in both comoving and Newtonian gauges and confirm that the Hamiltonians and the associated instabilities are consistent with each other in both gauges. The existence of instabilities is independent of the specific form of higher derivative function which generates gradients for mimetic field perturbations. It is verified that the ghost instability in mimetic perturbations is not associated with the higher derivative instabilitiesmore » such as the Ostrogradsky ghost.« less

WE-FG-207B-05: Iterative Reconstruction Via Prior Image Constrained Total Generalized Variation for Spectral CT

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

Niu, S; Zhang, Y; Ma, J

Purpose: To investigate iterative reconstruction via prior image constrained total generalized variation (PICTGV) for spectral computed tomography (CT) using fewer projections while achieving greater image quality. Methods: The proposed PICTGV method is formulated as an optimization problem, which balances the data fidelity and prior image constrained total generalized variation of reconstructed images in one framework. The PICTGV method is based on structure correlations among images in the energy domain and high-quality images to guide the reconstruction of energy-specific images. In PICTGV method, the high-quality image is reconstructed from all detector-collected X-ray signals and is referred as the broad-spectrum image. Distinctmore » from the existing reconstruction methods applied on the images with first order derivative, the higher order derivative of the images is incorporated into the PICTGV method. An alternating optimization algorithm is used to minimize the PICTGV objective function. We evaluate the performance of PICTGV on noise and artifacts suppressing using phantom studies and compare the method with the conventional filtered back-projection method as well as TGV based method without prior image. Results: On the digital phantom, the proposed method outperforms the existing TGV method in terms of the noise reduction, artifacts suppression, and edge detail preservation. Compared to that obtained by the TGV based method without prior image, the relative root mean square error in the images reconstructed by the proposed method is reduced by over 20%. Conclusion: The authors propose an iterative reconstruction via prior image constrained total generalize variation for spectral CT. Also, we have developed an alternating optimization algorithm and numerically demonstrated the merits of our approach. Results show that the proposed PICTGV method outperforms the TGV method for spectral CT.« less

3D CSEM data inversion using Newton and Halley class methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaya, M.; Hansen, K. R.; Morten, J. P.

2016-05-01

For the first time in 3D controlled source electromagnetic data inversion, we explore the use of the Newton and the Halley optimization methods, which may show their potential when the cost function has a complex topology. The inversion is formulated as a constrained nonlinear least-squares problem which is solved by iterative optimization. These methods require the derivatives up to second order of the residuals with respect to model parameters. We show how Green's functions determine the high-order derivatives, and develop a diagrammatical representation of the residual derivatives. The Green's functions are efficiently calculated on-the-fly, making use of a finite-difference frequency-domain forward modelling code based on a multi-frontal sparse direct solver. This allow us to build the second-order derivatives of the residuals keeping the memory cost in the same order as in a Gauss-Newton (GN) scheme. Model updates are computed with a trust-region based conjugate-gradient solver which does not require the computation of a stabilizer. We present inversion results for a synthetic survey and compare the GN, Newton, and super-Halley optimization schemes, and consider two different approaches to set the initial trust-region radius. Our analysis shows that the Newton and super-Halley schemes, using the same regularization configuration, add significant information to the inversion so that the convergence is reached by different paths. In our simple resistivity model examples, the convergence speed of the Newton and the super-Halley schemes are either similar or slightly superior with respect to the convergence speed of the GN scheme, close to the minimum of the cost function. Due to the current noise levels and other measurement inaccuracies in geophysical investigations, this advantageous behaviour is at present of low consequence, but may, with the further improvement of geophysical data acquisition, be an argument for more accurate higher-order methods like those applied in this paper.

Validation of doubly labeled water method using a ruminant

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

Fancy, S.G.; Blanchard, J.M.; Holleman, D.F.

1986-07-01

CO/sub 2/ production (CDP, ml CO/sub 2/ . g-1 . h-1) by captive caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) was measured using the doubly labeled water method (/sup 3/H/sub 2/O and H2(18)O) and compared with CO/sub 2/ expiration rates (VCO/sub 2/), adjusted for CO/sub 2/ losses in CH4 and urine, as determined by open-circuit respirometry. CDP calculated from samples of blood or urine from a reindeer in winter was 1-3% higher than the adjusted VCO/sub 2/. Differences between values derived by the two methods of 5-20% were found in summer trials with caribou. None of these differences were statistically significant (Pmore » greater than 0.05). Differences in summer could in part be explained by the net deposition of /sup 3/H, 18O, and unlabeled CO/sub 2/ in antlers and other growing tissues. Total body water volumes calculated from /sup 3/H/sub 2/O dilution were up to 15% higher than those calculated from H/sub 2/(18)O dilution. The doubly labeled water method appears to be a reasonably accurate method for measuring CDP by caribou and reindeer in winter when growth rates are low, but the method may overestimate CDP by rapidly growing and/or fattening animals.« less

SU-C-BRA-02: Gradient Based Method of Target Delineation On PET/MR Image of Head and Neck Cancer Patients

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

Dance, M; Chera, B; Falchook, A

2015-06-15

Purpose: Validate the consistency of a gradient-based segmentation tool to facilitate accurate delineation of PET/CT-based GTVs in head and neck cancers by comparing against hybrid PET/MR-derived GTV contours. Materials and Methods: A total of 18 head and neck target volumes (10 primary and 8 nodal) were retrospectively contoured using a gradient-based segmentation tool by two observers. Each observer independently contoured each target five times. Inter-observer variability was evaluated via absolute percent differences. Intra-observer variability was examined by percentage uncertainty. All target volumes were also contoured using the SUV percent threshold method. The thresholds were explored case by case so itsmore » derived volume matched with the gradient-based volume. Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) were calculated to determine overlap of PET/CT GTVs and PET/MR GTVs. Results: The Levene’s test showed there was no statistically significant difference of the variances between the observer’s gradient-derived contours. However, the absolute difference between the observer’s volumes was 10.83%, with a range from 0.39% up to 42.89%. PET-avid regions with qualitatively non-uniform shapes and intensity levels had a higher absolute percent difference near 25%, while regions with uniform shapes and intensity levels had an absolute percent difference of 2% between observers. The average percentage uncertainty between observers was 4.83% and 7%. As the volume of the gradient-derived contours increased, the SUV threshold percent needed to match the volume decreased. Dice coefficients showed good agreement of the PET/CT and PET/MR GTVs with an average DSC value across all volumes at 0.69. Conclusion: Gradient-based segmentation of PET volume showed good consistency in general but can vary considerably for non-uniform target shapes and intensity levels. PET/CT-derived GTV contours stemming from the gradient-based tool show good agreement with the anatomically and metabolically more accurate PET/MR-derived GTV contours, but tumor delineation accuracy can be further improved with the use PET/MR.« less

Error, Power, and Blind Sentinels: The Statistics of Seagrass Monitoring

PubMed Central

Schultz, Stewart T.; Kruschel, Claudia; Bakran-Petricioli, Tatjana; Petricioli, Donat

2015-01-01

We derive statistical properties of standard methods for monitoring of habitat cover worldwide, and criticize them in the context of mandated seagrass monitoring programs, as exemplified by Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea. We report the novel result that cartographic methods with non-trivial classification errors are generally incapable of reliably detecting habitat cover losses less than about 30 to 50%, and the field labor required to increase their precision can be orders of magnitude higher than that required to estimate habitat loss directly in a field campaign. We derive a universal utility threshold of classification error in habitat maps that represents the minimum habitat map accuracy above which direct methods are superior. Widespread government reliance on blind-sentinel methods for monitoring seafloor can obscure the gradual and currently ongoing losses of benthic resources until the time has long passed for meaningful management intervention. We find two classes of methods with very high statistical power for detecting small habitat cover losses: 1) fixed-plot direct methods, which are over 100 times as efficient as direct random-plot methods in a variable habitat mosaic; and 2) remote methods with very low classification error such as geospatial underwater videography, which is an emerging, low-cost, non-destructive method for documenting small changes at millimeter visual resolution. General adoption of these methods and their further development will require a fundamental cultural change in conservation and management bodies towards the recognition and promotion of requirements of minimal statistical power and precision in the development of international goals for monitoring these valuable resources and the ecological services they provide. PMID:26367863

Validated derivative and ratio derivative spectrophotometric methods for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride and ambroxol hydrochloride in pharmaceutical dosage form.

PubMed

Ali, Omnia I M; Ismail, Nahla S; Elgohary, Rasha M

2016-01-15

Three simple, precise, accurate and validated derivative spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LCD) and ambroxol hydrochloride (ABH) in bulk powder and in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method is a first derivative spectrophotometric method ((1)D) using a zero-crossing technique of measurement at 210.4 nm for LCD and at 220.0 nm for ABH. The second method employs a second derivative spectrophotometry ((2)D) where the measurements were carried out at 242.0 and 224.4 nm for LCD and ABH, respectively. In the third method, the first derivative of the ratio spectra was calculated and the first derivative of the ratio amplitudes at 222.8 and 247.2 nm was selected for the determination of LCD and ABH, respectively. Calibration graphs were established in the ranges of 1.0-20.0 μg mL(-1) for LCD and 4.0-20.0 μg mL(-1) for ABH using derivative and ratio first derivative spectrophotometric methods with good correlation coefficients. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of both drugs in commercial tablet dosage form. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrections for the geometric distortion of the tube detectors on SANS instruments at ORNL

DOE PAGES

He, Lilin; Do, Changwoo; Qian, Shuo; ...

2014-11-25

Small-angle neutron scattering instruments at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor were upgraded in area detectors from the large, single volume crossed-wire detectors originally installed to staggered arrays of linear position-sensitive detectors (LPSDs). The specific geometry of the LPSD array requires that approaches to data reduction traditionally employed be modified. Here, two methods for correcting the geometric distortion produced by the LPSD array are presented and compared. The first method applies a correction derived from a detector sensitivity measurement performed using the same configuration as the samples are measured. In the second method, a solid angle correctionmore » is derived that can be applied to data collected in any instrument configuration during the data reduction process in conjunction with a detector sensitivity measurement collected at a sufficiently long camera length where the geometric distortions are negligible. Furthermore, both methods produce consistent results and yield a maximum deviation of corrected data from isotropic scattering samples of less than 5% for scattering angles up to a maximum of 35°. The results are broadly applicable to any SANS instrument employing LPSD array detectors, which will be increasingly common as instruments having higher incident flux are constructed at various neutron scattering facilities around the world.« less

Dsm Based Orientation of Large Stereo Satellite Image Blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

d'Angelo, P.; Reinartz, P.

2012-07-01

High resolution stereo satellite imagery is well suited for the creation of digital surface models (DSM). A system for highly automated and operational DSM and orthoimage generation based on CARTOSAT-1 imagery is presented, with emphasis on fully automated georeferencing. The proposed system processes level-1 stereo scenes using the rational polynomial coefficients (RPC) universal sensor model. The RPC are derived from orbit and attitude information and have a much lower accuracy than the ground resolution of approximately 2.5 m. In order to use the images for orthorectification or DSM generation, an affine RPC correction is required. In this paper, GCP are automatically derived from lower resolution reference datasets (Landsat ETM+ Geocover and SRTM DSM). The traditional method of collecting the lateral position from a reference image and interpolating the corresponding height from the DEM ignores the higher lateral accuracy of the SRTM dataset. Our method avoids this drawback by using a RPC correction based on DSM alignment, resulting in improved geolocation of both DSM and ortho images. Scene based method and a bundle block adjustment based correction are developed and evaluated for a test site covering the nothern part of Italy, for which 405 Cartosat-1 Stereopairs are available. Both methods are tested against independent ground truth. Checks against this ground truth indicate a lateral error of 10 meters.

Accurate optimization of amino acid form factors for computing small-angle X-ray scattering intensity of atomistic protein structures

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

Tong, Dudu; Yang, Sichun; Lu, Lanyuan

2016-06-20

Structure modellingviasmall-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data generally requires intensive computations of scattering intensity from any given biomolecular structure, where the accurate evaluation of SAXS profiles using coarse-grained (CG) methods is vital to improve computational efficiency. To date, most CG SAXS computing methods have been based on a single-bead-per-residue approximation but have neglected structural correlations between amino acids. To improve the accuracy of scattering calculations, accurate CG form factors of amino acids are now derived using a rigorous optimization strategy, termed electron-density matching (EDM), to best fit electron-density distributions of protein structures. This EDM method is compared with and tested againstmore » other CG SAXS computing methods, and the resulting CG SAXS profiles from EDM agree better with all-atom theoretical SAXS data. By including the protein hydration shell represented by explicit CG water molecules and the correction of protein excluded volume, the developed CG form factors also reproduce the selected experimental SAXS profiles with very small deviations. Taken together, these EDM-derived CG form factors present an accurate and efficient computational approach for SAXS computing, especially when higher molecular details (represented by theqrange of the SAXS data) become necessary for effective structure modelling.« less

Skin image illumination modeling and chromophore identification for melanoma diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhao; Zerubia, Josiane

2015-05-01

The presence of illumination variation in dermatological images has a negative impact on the automatic detection and analysis of cutaneous lesions. This paper proposes a new illumination modeling and chromophore identification method to correct lighting variation in skin lesion images, as well as to extract melanin and hemoglobin concentrations of human skin, based on an adaptive bilateral decomposition and a weighted polynomial curve fitting, with the knowledge of a multi-layered skin model. Different from state-of-the-art approaches based on the Lambert law, the proposed method, considering both specular reflection and diffuse reflection of the skin, enables us to address highlight and strong shading effects usually existing in skin color images captured in an uncontrolled environment. The derived melanin and hemoglobin indices, directly relating to the pathological tissue conditions, tend to be less influenced by external imaging factors and are more efficient in describing pigmentation distributions. Experiments show that the proposed method gave better visual results and superior lesion segmentation, when compared to two other illumination correction algorithms, both designed specifically for dermatological images. For computer-aided diagnosis of melanoma, sensitivity achieves 85.52% when using our chromophore descriptors, which is 8~20% higher than those derived from other color descriptors. This demonstrates the benefit of the proposed method for automatic skin disease analysis.

Differentiating Medicated Patients Suffering from Major Depressive Disorder from Healthy Controls by Spot Urine Measurement of Monoamines and Steroid Hormones

PubMed Central

Wijaya, Chandra S.; Lee, Jovia J. Z.; Husain, Syeda F.; Ho, Cyrus S. H.; McIntyre, Roger S.; Tam, Wilson W.

2018-01-01

Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder. Currently, there is no objective, cost-effective and non-invasive method to measure biological markers related to the pathogenesis of MDD. Previous studies primarily focused on urinary metabolite markers which are not proximal to the pathogenesis of MDD. Herein, we compare urinary monoamines, steroid hormones and the derived ratios amongst MDD when compared to healthy controls. Methods: Morning urine samples of medicated patients suffering from MDD (n = 47) and healthy controls (n = 41) were collected. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure five biomarkers: cortisol, dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin and sulphate derivative of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS). The mean urinary levels and derived ratios of monoamines and steroid hormones were compared between patients and controls to identify potential biomarkers. The receiver operative characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of potential biomarkers. Results: Medicated patients with MDD showed significantly higher spot urine ratio of DHEAS/serotonin (1.56 vs. 1.19, p = 0.004) and lower ratio of serotonin/dopamine (599.71 vs. 888.60, p = 0.008) than healthy controls. A spot urine serotonin/dopamine ratio cut-off of >667.38 had a sensitivity of 73.2% and specificity of 51.1%. Conclusions: Our results suggest that spot urine serotonin/dopamine ratio can be used as an objective diagnostic method for adults with MDD. PMID:29701669

Rapid determination of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in Cynara scolymus L. by ultra-fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry based on a fused core C18 column.

PubMed

Shen, Qing; Dai, Zhiyuan; Lu, Yanbin

2010-10-01

An ultra-fast high-performance LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for the analysis and quantification of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, including chlorogenic acid, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (cynarin) and 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) heads and leaves. The rapid separation (less than 4  min) was achieved based on a Halo fused core C18-silica column (50  mm × 2.1  mm id, 2.7  μm). The target compounds were detected and quantified by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The calibration function is linear from 0.06 to 2800  ng/mL for chlorogenic acid, 0.3-3000  ng/mL for cynarin and 0.24-4800  ng/mL for 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, respectively. The average recoveries ranged from 92.1 to 113.2% with RSDs ≤6.5%. Moreover, four batches of artichoke head and leaf extracts were analyzed using the established method. The results indicated that the Halo fused core column provided much faster separations and higher sample throughput without sacrificing column ruggedness and reliability, and triple-quadrupole MS provided extraordinarily lower LOQs for most of the target analytes. Comparing to conventional quantitative approaches, the established method was fast, sensitive and reliable for the determination of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in artichoke.

Biodistribution detection of Photofrin porfimer sodium and benzoporphyrin derivative using a fiber optic sensor and ratio fluorometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vari, Sandor G.; Papazoglou, Theodore G.; Papaioannou, Thanassis; Stavridi, Marigo; Pergadia, Vani R.; Fishbein, Michael C.; van der Veen, Maurits J.; Thomas, Reem; Grundfest, Warren S.

1994-03-01

Laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) was used to detect the presence of PHOTOFRINR porfimer sodium and Benzoporphyrin derivative-monoacid, ring A (BPD-MA) in various tissues. Lobund Wistar rats (n equals 49) inoculated with rat prostatic adenocarcinoma (PA-III) were injected with PHOTOFRINR porfimer sodium (7.5 - 0.25 mg/kg) and BPD (0.50 - 25 mg/kg) intravenously. A Helium-Cadmium laser (442 nm) was used as an excitation source. Our study showed that the amount of PHOTOFRINR porfimer sodium and BPD-MA which localizes in the metastatic lymph nodes is higher than in tumor and all other healthy tissues. Laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy may be a feasible method to detect the distribution of photosensitizers or other fluorescent compounds in vivo.

On the nonintegrability of equations for long- and short-wave interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deconinck, Bernard; Upsal, Jeremy

2018-07-01

We examine the integrability of two models used for the interaction of long and short waves in dispersive media. One is more classical but arguably cannot be derived from the underlying water wave equations, while the other one was recently derived. We use the method of Zakharov and Schulman to attempt to construct conserved quantities for these systems at different orders in the magnitude of the solutions. The coupled KdV-NLS model is shown to be nonintegrable, due to the presence of fourth-order resonances. A coupled real KdV-complex KdV system is shown to suffer the same fate, except for three special choices of the coefficients, where higher-order calculations or a different approach are necessary to conclude integrability or the absence thereof.

Approximate solution of space and time fractional higher order phase field equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamseldeen, S.

2018-03-01

This paper is concerned with a class of space and time fractional partial differential equation (STFDE) with Riesz derivative in space and Caputo in time. The proposed STFDE is considered as a generalization of a sixth-order partial phase field equation. We describe the application of the optimal homotopy analysis method (OHAM) to obtain an approximate solution for the suggested fractional initial value problem. An averaged-squared residual error function is defined and used to determine the optimal convergence control parameter. Two numerical examples are studied, considering periodic and non-periodic initial conditions, to justify the efficiency and the accuracy of the adopted iterative approach. The dependence of the solution on the order of the fractional derivative in space and time and model parameters is investigated.

Nonparaxial fractional Bessel and Bessel-Gauss auto-focusing light-sheet pincers and their higher-order spatial derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitri, F. G.

2017-05-01

Nonparaxial fractional electromagnetic Bessel and Bessel-Gauss auto-focusing light-sheet solutions and their spatial derivatives are synthesized stemming from the angular spectrum decomposition in plane waves. The propagation characteristics of these transverse electric-polarized light-sheets are analyzed by computing the radiated component of the incident electric field. Tight bending of the beam along curved trajectories and slit openings are observed, which could offer unique features and potential applications in the development of improved methods and devices in light-sheet tweezers for particle manipulation applications and dynamics in opto-fluidics, particle sizing and imaging to name a few examples. Moreover, computations of the scattering, radiation force and torque, and particle dynamics also benefit from the developed beam solutions.

A human brain atlas derived via n-cut parcellation of resting-state and task-based fMRI data

PubMed Central

James, G. Andrew; Hazaroglu, Onder; Bush, Keith A.

2015-01-01

The growth of functional MRI has led to development of human brain atlases derived by parcellating resting-state connectivity patterns into functionally independent regions of interest (ROIs). All functional atlases to date have been derived from resting-state fMRI data. But given that functional connectivity between regions varies with task, we hypothesized that an atlas incorporating both resting-state and task-based fMRI data would produce an atlas with finer characterization of task-relevant regions than an atlas derived from resting-state alone. To test this hypothesis, we derived parcellation atlases from twenty-nine healthy adult participants enrolled in the Cognitive Connectome project, an initiative to improve functional MRI’s translation into clinical decision-making by mapping normative variance in brain-behavior relationships. Participants underwent resting-state and task-based fMRI spanning nine cognitive domains: motor, visuospatial, attention, language, memory, affective processing, decision-making, working memory, and executive function. Spatially constrained n-cut parcellation derived brain atlases using (1) all participants’ functional data (Task) or (2) a single resting-state scan (Rest). An atlas was also derived from random parcellation for comparison purposes (Random). Two methods were compared: (1) a parcellation applied to the group’s mean edge weights (mean), and (2) a two-stage approach with parcellation of individual edge weights followed by parcellation of mean binarized edges (two-stage). The resulting Task and Rest atlases had significantly greater similarity with each other (mean Jaccard indices JI= 0.72–0.85) than with the Random atlases (JI=0.59–0.63; all p<0.001 after Bonferroni correction). Task and Rest atlas similarity was greatest for the two-stage method (JI=0.85), which has been shown as more robust than the mean method; these atlases also better reproduced voxelwise seed maps of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during rest and performing the n-back working memory task (r=0.75–0.80) than the Random atlases (r=0.64–0.72), further validating their utility. We expected regions governing higher-order cognition (such as frontal and anterior temporal lobes) to show greatest difference between Task and Rest atlases; contrary to expectations, these areas had greatest similarity between atlases. Our findings indicate that atlases derived from parcellation of task-based and resting-state fMRI data are highly comparable, and existing resting-state atlases are suitable for task-based analyses. We introduce an anatomically labeled fMRI-derived whole-brain human atlas for future Cognitive Connectome analyses. PMID:26523655

A human brain atlas derived via n-cut parcellation of resting-state and task-based fMRI data.

PubMed

James, George Andrew; Hazaroglu, Onder; Bush, Keith A

2016-02-01

The growth of functional MRI has led to development of human brain atlases derived by parcellating resting-state connectivity patterns into functionally independent regions of interest (ROIs). All functional atlases to date have been derived from resting-state fMRI data. But given that functional connectivity between regions varies with task, we hypothesized that an atlas incorporating both resting-state and task-based fMRI data would produce an atlas with finer characterization of task-relevant regions than an atlas derived from resting-state alone. To test this hypothesis, we derived parcellation atlases from twenty-nine healthy adult participants enrolled in the Cognitive Connectome project, an initiative to improve functional MRI's translation into clinical decision-making by mapping normative variance in brain-behavior relationships. Participants underwent resting-state and task-based fMRI spanning nine cognitive domains: motor, visuospatial, attention, language, memory, affective processing, decision-making, working memory, and executive function. Spatially constrained n-cut parcellation derived brain atlases using (1) all participants' functional data (Task) or (2) a single resting-state scan (Rest). An atlas was also derived from random parcellation for comparison purposes (Random). Two methods were compared: (1) a parcellation applied to the group's mean edge weights (mean), and (2) a two-stage approach with parcellation of individual edge weights followed by parcellation of mean binarized edges (two-stage). The resulting Task and Rest atlases had significantly greater similarity with each other (mean Jaccard indices JI=0.72-0.85) than with the Random atlases (JI=0.59-0.63; all p<0.001 after Bonferroni correction). Task and Rest atlas similarity was greatest for the two-stage method (JI=0.85), which has been shown as more robust than the mean method; these atlases also better reproduced voxelwise seed maps of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during rest and performing the n-back working memory task (r=0.75-0.80) than the Random atlases (r=0.64-0.72), further validating their utility. We expected regions governing higher-order cognition (such as frontal and anterior temporal lobes) to show greatest difference between Task and Rest atlases; contrary to expectations, these areas had greatest similarity between atlases. Our findings indicate that atlases derived from parcellation of task-based and resting-state fMRI data are highly comparable, and existing resting-state atlases are suitable for task-based analyses. We introduce an anatomically labeled fMRI-derived whole-brain human atlas for future Cognitive Connectome analyses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and evaluation of a method of calibrating medical displays based on fixed adaptation

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

Sund, Patrik, E-mail: patrik.sund@vgregion.se; Månsson, Lars Gunnar; Båth, Magnus

2015-04-15

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to develop and evaluate a new method for calibration of medical displays that includes the effect of fixed adaptation and by using equipment and luminance levels typical for a modern radiology department. Methods: Low contrast sinusoidal test patterns were derived at nine luminance levels from 2 to 600 cd/m{sup 2} and used in a two alternative forced choice observer study, where the adaptation level was fixed at the logarithmic average of 35 cd/m{sup 2}. The contrast sensitivity at each luminance level was derived by establishing a linear relationship between the ten pattern contrastmore » levels used at every luminance level and a detectability index (d′) calculated from the fraction of correct responses. A Gaussian function was fitted to the data and normalized to the adaptation level. The corresponding equation was used in a display calibration method that included the grayscale standard display function (GSDF) but compensated for fixed adaptation. In the evaluation study, the contrast of circular objects with a fixed pixel contrast was displayed using both calibration methods and was rated on a five-grade scale. Results were calculated using a visual grading characteristics method. Error estimations in both observer studies were derived using a bootstrap method. Results: The contrast sensitivities for the darkest and brightest patterns compared to the contrast sensitivity at the adaptation luminance were 37% and 56%, respectively. The obtained Gaussian fit corresponded well with similar studies. The evaluation study showed a higher degree of equally distributed contrast throughout the luminance range with the calibration method compensated for fixed adaptation than for the GSDF. The two lowest scores for the GSDF were obtained for the darkest and brightest patterns. These scores were significantly lower than the lowest score obtained for the compensated GSDF. For the GSDF, the scores for all luminance levels were statistically separated from the average value; three were lower and two were higher. For the compensated GSDF, three of the scores could not be separated from the average value. Conclusions: An observer study using clinically relevant displays and luminance settings has demonstrated that the calibration of displays according to the GSDF causes the perceived contrast to be unevenly distributed when using displays with a high luminance range. As the luminance range increases, the perceived contrast in the dark and bright regions will be significantly lower than the perceived contrast in the middle of the luminance range. A new calibration method that includes the effect of fixed adaptation was developed and evaluated in an observer study and was found to distribute the contrast of the display more evenly throughout the grayscale than the GSDF.« less

Comparison of two methods for detection of strain localization in sheet forming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumelskyj, Dmytro; Lazarescu, Lucian; Banabic, Dorel; Rojek, Jerzy

2018-05-01

This paper presents a comparison of two criteria of strain localization in experimental research and numerical simulation of sheet metal forming. The first criterion is based on the analysis of the through-thickness thinning (through-thickness strain) and its first time derivative in the most strained zone. The limit strain in the second method is determined by the maximum of the strain acceleration. Experimental and numerical investigation have been carried out for the Nakajima test performed for different specimens of the DC04 grade steel sheet. The strain localization has been identified by analysis of experimental and numerical curves showing the evolution of strains and their derivatives in failure zones. The numerical and experimental limit strains calculated from both criteria have been compared with the experimental FLC evaluated according to the ISO 12004-2 norm. It has been shown that the first method predicts formability limits closer to the experimental FLC. The second criterion predicts values of strains higher than FLC determined according to ISO norm. These values are closer to the strains corresponding to the fracture limit. The results show that analysis of strain evolution allows us to determine strain localization in numerical simulation and experimental studies.

Type of monocyte immunomagnetic separation affects the morphology of monocyte-derived dendritic cells, as investigated by scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Kowalewicz-Kulbat, M; Ograczyk, E; Krawczyk, K; Rudnicka, W; Fol, M

2016-12-01

Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly being used for multiple applications and are useful tools for many immunotherapeutic strategies. The understanding of the possible impact of the DCs-generation methods on the biological capacities of these cells is therefore essential. Although the immunomagnetic separation is regarded as a fast and accurate method yielding cells with the high purity and efficiency, still little is known about its impact on the properties of the generated DCs. The aim of this study was to compare the morphology of the monocyte derived dendritic cells (MoDCs), generated from monocytes selected with anti-CD14 mAbs (positive separation) and treated with anti-CD3, -CD7, -CD16, -CD19, -CD56, -CD123, glycophorin A (negative separation), using laser scanning microscopy. We found that the type of the immunomagnetic separation method used strongly influences the shape and cell dimension of the MoDCs. We observed that the height of both immature and LPS-matured DCs generated from monocytes isolated by negative separation was significantly higher compared to the cells obtained by positive separation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improve the prediction of RNA-binding residues using structural neighbours.

PubMed

Li, Quan; Cao, Zanxia; Liu, Haiyan

2010-03-01

The interactions between RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with RNA play key roles in managing some of the cell's basic functions. The identification and prediction of RNA binding sites is important for understanding the RNA-binding mechanism. Computational approaches are being developed to predict RNA-binding residues based on the sequence- or structure-derived features. To achieve higher prediction accuracy, improvements on current prediction methods are necessary. We identified that the structural neighbors of RNA-binding and non-RNA-binding residues have different amino acid compositions. Combining this structure-derived feature with evolutionary (PSSM) and other structural information (secondary structure and solvent accessibility) significantly improves the predictions over existing methods. Using a multiple linear regression approach and 6-fold cross validation, our best model can achieve an overall correct rate of 87.8% and MCC of 0.47, with a specificity of 93.4%, correctly predict 52.4% of the RNA-binding residues for a dataset containing 107 non-homologous RNA-binding proteins. Compared with existing methods, including the amino acid compositions of structure neighbors lead to clearly improvement. A web server was developed for predicting RNA binding residues in a protein sequence (or structure),which is available at http://mcgill.3322.org/RNA/.

Cardiac progenitor cell‑derived exosomes promote H9C2 cell growth via Akt/mTOR activation.

PubMed

Li, Shentang; Jiang, Jie; Yang, Zuocheng; Li, Zhuoying; Ma, Xing; Li, Xin

2018-05-21

Exosomes are cell‑derived vesicles released from a variety of mammalian cells that are involved in cell‑to‑cell signalling. It has been reported that cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) derived from an adult heart are one of the most promising stem cell types for cardioprotection and repair. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway is a pivotal regulator in CPCs, therefore, CPC‑derived exosomes were used in the present study to investigate whether it can promote H9C2 cell growth through the protein kinase B (PKB, or Akt)/mTOR signalling pathway. The CPCs were isolated from Sprague‑Dawley hearts. Following treatment with a specific medium, the exosomes were purified and identified by electron micrograph and western blot assays, using CD63 and CD81 as markers. The methyl‑thiazolyl‑tetrazolium and 5‑ethynyl‑2'‑deoxyuridine methods were used to detect H9C2 cell growth. The expression of Akt and mTOR were detected by western blot analysis following treatment with 200 or 400 µg/ml of exosomes for 24 or 48 h, respectively. It was found that, compared with higher concentrations of exosomes, prolonging the duration of exposure promoted cell growth. Accordingly, CPC‑derived exosomes stimulated the expression of Akt to a marked degree; groups treated with exosomes for 48 h showed higher expression of Akt than those treated for 24 h at the same concentration. mTOR was also stimulated by CPC‑derived exosomes. The activation of mTOR increased in accordance with the treatment time at an exosome concentration of 200 µg/ml and decreased with treatment time at an exosome concentration of 400 µg/ml. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that CPC‑derived exosomes promoted H9C2 cell growth via the activation of Akt/mTOR in a time‑dependent manner at a relatively low exosome concentration, which may provide a novel therapy for cardiovascular disease.

Differential Sarcomere and Electrophysiological Maturation of Human iPSC-Derived Cardiac Myocytes in Monolayer vs. Aggregation-Based Differentiation Protocols

PubMed Central

Jeziorowska, Dorota; Fontaine, Vincent; Jouve, Charlène; Villard, Eric; Dussaud, Sébastien; Akbar, David; Letang, Valérie; Cervello, Pauline; Itier, Jean-Michiel; Pruniaux, Marie-Pierre; Hulot, Jean-Sébastien

2017-01-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) represent a powerful human model to study cardiac disease in vitro, notably channelopathies and sarcomeric cardiomyopathies. Different protocols for cardiac differentiation of iPSCs have been proposed either based on embroid body formation (3D) or, more recently, on monolayer culture (2D). We performed a direct comparison of the characteristics of the derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) on day 27 ± 2 of differentiation between 3D and 2D differentiation protocols with two different Wnt-inhibitors were compared: IWR1 (inhibitor of Wnt response) or IWP2 (inhibitor of Wnt production). We firstly found that the level of Troponin T (TNNT2) expression measured by FACS was significantly higher for both 2D protocols as compared to the 3D protocol. In the three methods, iPSC-CM show sarcomeric structures. However, iPSC-CM generated in 2D protocols constantly displayed larger sarcomere lengths as compared to the 3D protocol. In addition, mRNA and protein analyses reveal higher cTNi to ssTNi ratios in the 2D protocol using IWP2 as compared to both other protocols, indicating a higher sarcomeric maturation. Differentiation of cardiac myocytes with 2D monolayer-based protocols and the use of IWP2 allows the production of higher yield of cardiac myocytes that have more suitable characteristics to study sarcomeric cardiomyopathies. PMID:28587156

Texture feature extraction based on wavelet transform and gray-level co-occurrence matrices applied to osteosarcoma diagnosis.

PubMed

Hu, Shan; Xu, Chao; Guan, Weiqiao; Tang, Yong; Liu, Yana

2014-01-01

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor among children and adolescents. In this study, image texture analysis was made to extract texture features from bone CR images to evaluate the recognition rate of osteosarcoma. To obtain the optimal set of features, Sym4 and Db4 wavelet transforms and gray-level co-occurrence matrices were applied to the image, with statistical methods being used to maximize the feature selection. To evaluate the performance of these methods, a support vector machine algorithm was used. The experimental results demonstrated that the Sym4 wavelet had a higher classification accuracy (93.44%) than the Db4 wavelet with respect to osteosarcoma occurrence in the epiphysis, whereas the Db4 wavelet had a higher classification accuracy (96.25%) for osteosarcoma occurrence in the diaphysis. Results including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and ROC curves obtained using the wavelets were all higher than those obtained using the features derived from the GLCM method. It is concluded that, a set of texture features can be extracted from the wavelets and used in computer-aided osteosarcoma diagnosis systems. In addition, this study also confirms that multi-resolution analysis is a useful tool for texture feature extraction during bone CR image processing.

Antibacterial activity of triterpene acids and semi-synthetic derivatives against oral pathogens

PubMed

Scalon Cunha, Luis C; Andrade e Silva, Márcio L; Cardoso Furtado, Niege A J; Vinhólis, Adriana H C; Martins, Carlos H; da Silva Filho, Ademar A; Cunha, Wilson R

2007-01-01

Triterpene acids (ursolic, oleanoic, gypsogenic, and sumaresinolic acids) isolated from Miconia species, along with a mixture of ursolic and oleanolic acids and a mixture of maslinic and 2-a-hydroxyursolic acids, as well as ursolic acid derivatives were evaluated against the following microorganisms: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Enterococcus faecalis, which are potentially responsible for the formation of dental caries in humans. The microdilution method was used for the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) during the evaluation of the antibacterial activity. All the isolated compounds, mixtures, and semi-synthetic derivatives displayed activity against all the tested bacteria, showing that they are promising antiplaque and anticaries agents. Ursolic and oleanolic acids displayed the most intense antibacterial effect, with MIC values ranging from 30 microg/mL to 80 microg/mL. The MIC values of ursolic acid derivatives, as well as those obtained for the mixture of ursolic and oleanolic acids showed that these compounds do not have higher antibacterial activity when compared with the activity observed with either ursolic acid or oleanolic acid alone. With regard to the structure-activity relationship of triterpene acids and derivatives, it is suggested that both hydroxy and carboxy groups present in the triterpenes are important for their antibacterial activity against oral pathogens.

Analytical study to define a helicopter stability derivative extraction method, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molusis, J. A.

1973-01-01

A method is developed for extracting six degree-of-freedom stability and control derivatives from helicopter flight data. Different combinations of filtering and derivative estimate are investigated and used with a Bayesian approach for derivative identification. The combination of filtering and estimate found to yield the most accurate time response match to flight test data is determined and applied to CH-53A and CH-54B flight data. The method found to be most accurate consists of (1) filtering flight test data with a digital filter, followed by an extended Kalman filter (2) identifying a derivative estimate with a least square estimator, and (3) obtaining derivatives with the Bayesian derivative extraction method.

Differential solubility of curcuminoids in serum and albumin solutions: implications for analytical and therapeutic applications

PubMed Central

Quitschke, Wolfgang W

2008-01-01

Background Commercially available curcumin preparations contain a mixture of related polyphenols, collectively referred to as curcuminoids. These encompass the primary component curcumin along with its co-purified derivatives demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcuminoids have numerous biological activities, including inhibition of cancer related cell proliferation and reduction of amyloid plaque formation associated with Alzheimer disease. Unfortunately, the solubility of curcuminoids in aqueous solutions is exceedingly low. This restricts their systemic availability in orally administered formulations and limits their therapeutic potential. Results Methods are described that achieve high concentrations of soluble curcuminoids in serum. Solid curcuminoids were either mixed directly with serum, or they were predissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and added as aliquots to serum. Both methods resulted in high levels of curcuminoid-solubility in mammalian sera from different species. However, adding aliquots of dimethyl sulfoxide-dissolved curcuminoids to serum proved to be more efficient, producing soluble curcuminoid concentrations of at least 3 mM in human serum. The methods also resulted in the differential solubility of individual curcuminoids in serum. The addition of dimethyl sulfoxide-dissolved curcuminoids to serum preferentially solubilized curcumin, whereas adding solid curcuminoids predominantly solubilized bisdemethoxycurcumin. Either method of solubilization was equally effective in inhibiting dose-dependent HeLa cell proliferation in culture. The maximum concentration of curcuminoids achieved in serum was at least 100-fold higher than that required for inhibiting cell proliferation in culture and 1000-fold higher than the concentration that has been reported to prevent amyloid plaque formation associated with Alzheimer disease. Curcuminoids were also highly soluble in solutions of purified albumin, a major component of serum. Conclusion These results suggest the possibility of alternative therapeutic approaches by injection or infusion of relatively small amounts of curcuminoid-enriched serum. They also provide tools to reproducibly solubilize curcuminoids for analysis in cell culture applications. The differential solubility of curcuminoids achieved by different methods of solubilization offers convenient alternatives to assess the diverse biological effects contributed by curcumin and its derivatives. PMID:18990234

Time fractional capital-induced labor migration model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali Balcı, Mehmet

2017-07-01

In this study we present a new model of neoclassical economic growth by considering that workers move from regions with lower density of capital to regions with higher density of capital. Since the labor migration and capital flow involves self-similarities in long range time, we use the fractional order derivatives for the time variable. To solve this model we proposed Variational Iteration Method, and studied numerically labor migration flow data from Turkey along with other countries throughout the period of 1966-2014.

Life cycle assessment of camelina oil derived biodiesel and jet fuel in the Canadian Prairies.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Mupondwa, Edmund

2014-05-15

This study evaluated the environmental impact of biodiesel and hydroprocessed renewable jet fuel derived from camelina oil in terms of global warming potential, human health, ecosystem quality, and energy resource consumption. The life cycle inventory is based on production activities in the Canadian Prairies and encompasses activities ranging from agricultural production to oil extraction and fuel conversion. The system expansion method is used in this study to avoid allocation and to credit input energy to co-products associated with the products displaced in the market during camelina oil extraction and fuel processing. This is the preferred allocation method for LCA analysis in the context of most renewable and sustainable energy programs. The results show that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1 MJ of camelina derived biodiesel ranged from 7.61 to 24.72 g CO2 equivalent and 3.06 to 31.01 kg CO2/MJ equivalent for camelina HRJ fuel. Non-renewable energy consumption for camelina biodiesel ranged from 0.40 to 0.67 MJ/MJ; HRJ fuel ranged from -0.13 to 0.52 MJ/MJ. Camelina oil as a feedstock for fuel production accounted for the highest contribution to overall environmental performance, demonstrating the importance of reducing environmental burdens during the agricultural production process. Attaining higher seed yield would dramatically lower environmental impacts associated with camelina seed, oil, and fuel production. The lower GHG emissions and energy consumption associated with camelina in comparison with other oilseed derived fuel and petroleum fuel make camelina derived fuel from Canadian Prairies environmentally attractive. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative estimation of soil salinity by means of different modeling methods and visible-near infrared (VIS–NIR) spectroscopy, Ebinur Lake Wetland, Northwest China

PubMed Central

Wang, Jingzhe; Abulimiti, Aerzuna; Cai, Lianghong

2018-01-01

Soil salinization is one of the most common forms of land degradation. The detection and assessment of soil salinity is critical for the prevention of environmental deterioration especially in arid and semi-arid areas. This study introduced the fractional derivative in the pretreatment of visible and near infrared (VIS–NIR) spectroscopy. The soil samples (n = 400) collected from the Ebinur Lake Wetland, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), China, were used as the dataset. After measuring the spectral reflectance and salinity in the laboratory, the raw spectral reflectance was preprocessed by means of the absorbance and the fractional derivative order in the range of 0.0–2.0 order with an interval of 0.1. Two different modeling methods, namely, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and random forest (RF) with preprocessed reflectance were used for quantifying soil salinity. The results showed that more spectral characteristics were refined for the spectrum reflectance treated via fractional derivative. The validation accuracies showed that RF models performed better than those of PLSR. The most effective model was established based on RF with the 1.5 order derivative of absorbance with the optimal values of R2 (0.93), RMSE (4.57 dS m−1), and RPD (2.78 ≥ 2.50). The developed RF model was stable and accurate in the application of spectral reflectance for determining the soil salinity of the Ebinur Lake wetland. The pretreatment of fractional derivative could be useful for monitoring multiple soil parameters with higher accuracy, which could effectively help to analyze the soil salinity. PMID:29736341

Derivation and Validation of the Surgical Site Infections Risk Model Using Health Administrative Data.

PubMed

van Walraven, Carl; Jackson, Timothy D; Daneman, Nick

2016-04-01

OBJECTIVE Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common hospital-acquired infections. Tracking SSIs is important to monitor their incidence, and this process requires primary data collection. In this study, we derived and validated a method using health administrative data to predict the probability that a person who had surgery would develop an SSI within 30 days. METHODS All patients enrolled in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) from 2 sites were linked to population-based administrative datasets in Ontario, Canada. We derived a multivariate model, stratified by surgical specialty, to determine the independent association of SSI status with patient and hospitalization covariates as well as physician claim codes. This SSI risk model was validated in 2 cohorts. RESULTS The derivation cohort included 5,359 patients with a 30-day SSI incidence of 6.0% (n=118). The SSI risk model predicted the probability that a person had an SSI based on 7 covariates: index hospitalization diagnostic score; physician claims score; emergency visit diagnostic score; operation duration; surgical service; and potential SSI codes. More than 90% of patients had predicted SSI risks lower than 10%. In the derivation group, model discrimination and calibration was excellent (C statistic, 0.912; Hosmer-Lemeshow [H-L] statistic, P=.47). In the 2 validation groups, performance decreased slightly (C statistics, 0.853 and 0.812; H-L statistics, 26.4 [P=.0009] and 8.0 [P=.42]), but low-risk patients were accurately identified. CONCLUSION Health administrative data can effectively identify postoperative patients with a very low risk of surgical site infection within 30 days of their procedure. Records of higher-risk patients can be reviewed to confirm SSI status.

Quantitative estimation of soil salinity by means of different modeling methods and visible-near infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy, Ebinur Lake Wetland, Northwest China.

PubMed

Wang, Jingzhe; Ding, Jianli; Abulimiti, Aerzuna; Cai, Lianghong

2018-01-01

Soil salinization is one of the most common forms of land degradation. The detection and assessment of soil salinity is critical for the prevention of environmental deterioration especially in arid and semi-arid areas. This study introduced the fractional derivative in the pretreatment of visible and near infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy. The soil samples ( n  = 400) collected from the Ebinur Lake Wetland, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), China, were used as the dataset. After measuring the spectral reflectance and salinity in the laboratory, the raw spectral reflectance was preprocessed by means of the absorbance and the fractional derivative order in the range of 0.0-2.0 order with an interval of 0.1. Two different modeling methods, namely, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and random forest (RF) with preprocessed reflectance were used for quantifying soil salinity. The results showed that more spectral characteristics were refined for the spectrum reflectance treated via fractional derivative. The validation accuracies showed that RF models performed better than those of PLSR. The most effective model was established based on RF with the 1.5 order derivative of absorbance with the optimal values of R 2 (0.93), RMSE (4.57 dS m -1 ), and RPD (2.78 ≥ 2.50). The developed RF model was stable and accurate in the application of spectral reflectance for determining the soil salinity of the Ebinur Lake wetland. The pretreatment of fractional derivative could be useful for monitoring multiple soil parameters with higher accuracy, which could effectively help to analyze the soil salinity.

Consecutive thiophene-annulation approach to π-extended thienoacene-based organic semiconductors with [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) substructure.

PubMed

Mori, Takamichi; Nishimura, Takeshi; Yamamoto, Tatsuya; Doi, Iori; Miyazaki, Eigo; Osaka, Itaru; Takimiya, Kazuo

2013-09-18

We describe a new synthetic route to the [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) substructure featuring two consecutive thiophene-annulation reactions from o-ethynyl-thioanisole substrates and arylsulfenyl chloride reagents that can be easily derived from arylthiols. The method is particularly suitable for the synthesis of unsymmetrical derivatives, e.g., [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]naphtho[2,3-b]thiophene, [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]anthra[2,3-b]thiophene, and naphtho[3,2-b]thieno[3,2-b]anthra[2,3-b]thiophene, a selenium-containing derivative, [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzoselenophene. It also allows us to access largely π-extended derivatives with two BTBT substructures, e.g., bis[1]benzothieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene and bis[1]benzothieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']dithiophene (BBTNDT). It should be emphasized that these new BTBT derivatives are otherwise difficult to be synthesized. In addition, since various substrates and reagents, o-ethynyl-thioanisoles and arylthiols, respectively, can be combined, the method can be regarded as a versatile tool for the development of thienoacene-based organic semiconductors in this class. Among the newly synthesized materials, highly π-extended BBTNDT afforded very high mobility (>5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) in its vapor-deposited organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), which is among the highest for unsubstituted acene- or thienoacenes-based organic semiconductors. In fact, the structural analyses of BBTNDT both in the single crystal and thin-film state indicated that an interactive two-dimensional molecular array is realized in the solid state, which rationalize the higher carrier mobility in the BBTNDT-based OFETs.

Identification of the subthalamic nucleus in deep brain stimulation surgery with a novel wavelet-derived measure of neural background activity

PubMed Central

Snellings, André; Sagher, Oren; Anderson, David J.; Aldridge, J. Wayne

2016-01-01

Object A wavelet-based measure was developed to quantitatively assess neural background activity taken during surgical neurophysiological recordings to localize the boundaries of the subthalamic nucleus during target localization for deep brain stimulator implant surgery. Methods Neural electrophysiological data was recorded from 14 patients (20 tracks, n = 275 individual recording sites) with dopamine-sensitive idiopathic Parkinson’s disease during the target localization portion of deep brain stimulator implant surgery. During intraoperative recording the STN was identified based upon audio and visual monitoring of neural firing patterns, kinesthetic tests, and comparisons between neural behavior and known characteristics of the target nucleus. The quantitative wavelet-based measure was applied off-line using MATLAB software to measure the magnitude of the neural background activity, and the results of this analysis were compared to the intraoperative conclusions. Wavelet-derived estimates were compared to power spectral density measures. Results The wavelet-derived background levels were significantly higher in regions encompassed by the clinically estimated boundaries of the STN than in surrounding regions (STN: 225 ± 61 μV vs. ventral to STN: 112 ± 32 μV, and dorsal to STN: 136 ± 66 μV). In every track, the absolute maximum magnitude was found within the clinically identified STN. The wavelet-derived background levels provided a more consistent index with less variability than power spectral density. Conclusions The wavelet-derived background activity assessor can be calculated quickly, requires no spike sorting, and can be reliably used to identify the STN with very little subjective interpretation required. This method may facilitate rapid intraoperative identification of subthalamic nucleus borders. PMID:19344225

Constraining higher derivative supergravity with scattering amplitudes

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yifan; Yin, Xi

2015-08-31

We study supersymmetry constraints on higher derivative deformations of type IIB supergravity by consideration of superamplitudes. Thus, combining constraints of on-shell supervertices and basic results from string perturbation theory, we give a simple argument for the non-renormalization theorem of Green and Sethi, and some of its generalizations.

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

PubMed

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

2017-05-01

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

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

PubMed Central

Joyce, Duncan

2017-01-01

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

Dynamical electron diffraction simulation for non-orthogonal crystal system by a revised real space method.

PubMed

Lv, C L; Liu, Q B; Cai, C Y; Huang, J; Zhou, G W; Wang, Y G

2015-01-01

In the transmission electron microscopy, a revised real space (RRS) method has been confirmed to be a more accurate dynamical electron diffraction simulation method for low-energy electron diffraction than the conventional multislice method (CMS). However, the RRS method can be only used to calculate the dynamical electron diffraction of orthogonal crystal system. In this work, the expression of the RRS method for non-orthogonal crystal system is derived. By taking Na2 Ti3 O7 and Si as examples, the correctness of the derived RRS formula for non-orthogonal crystal system is confirmed by testing the coincidence of numerical results of both sides of Schrödinger equation; moreover, the difference between the RRS method and the CMS for non-orthogonal crystal system is compared at the accelerating voltage range from 40 to 10 kV. Our results show that the CMS method is almost the same as the RRS method for the accelerating voltage above 40 kV. However, when the accelerating voltage is further lowered to 20 kV or below, the CMS method introduces significant errors, not only for the higher-order Laue zone diffractions, but also for zero-order Laue zone. These indicate that the RRS method for non-orthogonal crystal system is necessary to be used for more accurate dynamical simulation when the accelerating voltage is low. Furthermore, the reason for the increase of differences between those diffraction patterns calculated by the RRS method and the CMS method with the decrease of the accelerating voltage is discussed. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Could there be a Synthesis between Western and Oriental Medicine, and with Sasang Constitutional Medicine in Particular?

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Attitudes towards oriental medicine are changing for two major reasons. The first is that many patients, even in the West, are choosing to use its practitioners and methods. The second is that the rise of Systems Biology may offer a better basis for dialogue, and even for synthesis, between the oriental and Western traditions. However, a lot of work is needed to clear the way for such dialogue and synthesis. Much of this work should be devoted to clarifying the meanings of the terms used, and the framework of theory and practice within which oriental methods operate. But it is also necessary for Systems Biology itself to mature as a discipline, particularly at the higher levels of biological organization since it is at these levels that oriental medicine derives its ideas and practice. Higher level Systems Biology could be a basis for interpretation of the Korean version of oriental medicine: Sasang constitutional medicine since it seeks patient specific analysis and treatment, and the mathematical methods of systems biology could be used to analyze the central concept of balance in Sasang. PMID:19745006

Oxford-Style Debates in a Microbiology Course for Majors: A Method for Delivering Content and Engaging Critical Thinking Skills †

PubMed Central

Boucaud, Dwayne W.; Nabel, Michael; Eggers, Christian H.

2013-01-01

Developing scientific expertise in the classroom involves promoting higher-order cognitive skills as well as content mastery. Effective use of constructivism can facilitate these outcomes. However this is often difficult to accomplish when delivery of content is paramount. Utilizing many of the tenets of constructivist pedagogy, we have designed an Oxford-style debate assignment to be used in an introductory microbiology course. Two teams of students were assigned a debatable topic within microbiology. Over a five-week period students completed an informative web page consisting of three parts: background on the topic, data-based positions for each side of the argument, and a data-based persuasive argument to support their assigned position. This was followed by an in-class presentation and debate. Analysis of student performance on knowledge-based questions shows that students retain debate-derived content acquired primarily outside of lectures significantly better than content delivered during a normal lecture. Importantly, students who performed poorly on the lecture-derived questions did as well on debate-derived questions as other students. Students also performed well on questions requiring higher-order cognitive skills and in synthesizing data-driven arguments in support of a position during the debate. Student perceptions of their knowledge-base in areas covered by the debate and their skills in using scientific databases and analyzing primary literature showed a significant increase in pre- and postassignment comparisons. Our data demonstrate that an Oxford-style debate can be used effectively to deliver relevant content, increase higher-order cognitive skills, and increase self-efficacy in science-specific skills, all contributing to developing expertise in the field. PMID:23858349

Size Estimation of Groups at High Risk of HIV/AIDS using Network Scale Up in Kerman, Iran

PubMed Central

Shokoohi, Mostafa; Baneshi, Mohammad Reza; Haghdoost, Ali-Akbar

2012-01-01

Objective: To estimate the size of groups at high risk of HIV, Network Scale UP (NSU), an indirect method, was used. Methods: 500 Kermanian male aged 18 to 45 were recruited. 8 groups at high risk of HIV were defined: Users of opium, unknown drug, ecstasy, and alcohol; intra-venous drug users (IDUs; males who have extra-marital sex with females (MSF); male who have sex with female sex workers (MFSW); and male who have sex with other male (MSMs). We asked respondents whether they know anybody (probability method), and if yes, how many people (frequency method) in our target groups. Results: Estimates derived in the probability method were higher than the frequency method. Based on the probability method, 13.7% (95% CI: 11.3%, 16.1%) of males used alcohol at least once in last year; the corresponding percent for opium was 13.1% (95% CI: 10.9%, 15.3%). In addition, 12% has extra-marital sex in last year (95% CI: 10%, 14%); while 7% (95% CI: 5.8%, 8.2%) had sex with a female sex worker. Conclusion: We showed that drug use is more common among young and mid-age males; although their sexual contacts were also considerable. These percentages show that special preventive program is needed to control an HIV transmission. Estimates derived from probability method were comparable with data from external sources. The underestimation in frequency method might be due to the fact that respondents are not aware of sensitive characteristics of all those in their network and underreporting is likely to occur. PMID:22891148

A novel in chemico method to detect skin sensitizers in highly diluted reaction conditions.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Yusuke; Tahara, Haruna; Usami, Ryota; Kasahara, Toshihiko; Jimbo, Yoshihiro; Hioki, Takanori; Fujita, Masaharu

2015-11-01

The direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA) is a simple and versatile alternative method for the evaluation of skin sensitization that involves the reaction of test chemicals with two peptides. However, this method requires concentrated solutions of test chemicals, and hydrophobic substances may not dissolve at the concentrations required. Furthermore, hydrophobic test chemicals may precipitate when added to the reaction solution. We previously established a high-sensitivity method, the amino acid derivative reactivity assay (ADRA). This method uses novel cysteine (NAC) and novel lysine derivatives (NAL), which were synthesized by introducing a naphthalene ring to the amine group of cysteine and lysine residues. In this study, we modified the ADRA method by reducing the concentration of the test chemicals 100-fold. We investigated the accuracy of skin sensitization predictions made using the modified method, which was designated the ADRA-dilutional method (ADRA-DM). The predictive accuracy of the ADRA-DM for skin sensitization was 90% for 82 test chemicals which were also evaluated via the ADRA, and the predictive accuracy in the ADRA-DM was higher than that in the ADRA and DPRA. Furthermore, no precipitation of test compounds was observed at the initiation of the ADRA-DM reaction. These results show that the ADRA-DM allowed the use of test chemicals at concentrations two orders of magnitude lower than that possible with the ADRA. In addition, ADRA-DM does not have the restrictions on test compound solubility that were a major problem with the DPRA. Therefore, the ADRA-DM is a versatile and useful method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Improved Computing Method for 3D Mechanical Connectivity Rates Based on a Polyhedral Simulation Model of Discrete Fracture Network in Rock Masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingchao; Han, Shuai; Zhou, Sibao; Zhang, Ye

2018-06-01

Based on a 3D model of a discrete fracture network (DFN) in a rock mass, an improved projective method for computing the 3D mechanical connectivity rate was proposed. The Monte Carlo simulation method, 2D Poisson process and 3D geological modeling technique were integrated into a polyhedral DFN modeling approach, and the simulation results were verified by numerical tests and graphical inspection. Next, the traditional projective approach for calculating the rock mass connectivity rate was improved using the 3D DFN models by (1) using the polyhedral model to replace the Baecher disk model; (2) taking the real cross section of the rock mass, rather than a part of the cross section, as the test plane; and (3) dynamically searching the joint connectivity rates using different dip directions and dip angles at different elevations to calculate the maximum, minimum and average values of the joint connectivity at each elevation. In a case study, the improved method and traditional method were used to compute the mechanical connectivity rate of the slope of a dam abutment. The results of the two methods were further used to compute the cohesive force of the rock masses. Finally, a comparison showed that the cohesive force derived from the traditional method had a higher error, whereas the cohesive force derived from the improved method was consistent with the suggested values. According to the comparison, the effectivity and validity of the improved method were verified indirectly.

Sealant retention is better assessed through colour photographs than through the replica and the visual examination methods.

PubMed

Hu, Xuan; Fan, Mingwan; Rong, Wensheng; Lo, Edward C M; Bronkhorst, Ewald; Frencken, Jo E

2014-08-01

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the colour photograph method has a higher level of validity for assessing sealant retention than the visual clinical examination and replica methods. Sealed molars were assessed by two evaluators. The scores for the three methods were compared against consensus scores derived through assessing retention from scanning electron microscopy images (reference standard). The presence/absence (survival) of retained sealants on occlusal surfaces was determined according to the traditional and modified categorizations of retention. Sensitivity, specificity, and Youden-index scores were calculated. Sealant retention assessment scores for visual clinical examinations and for colour photographs were compared with those of the reference standard on 95 surfaces, and sealant retention assessment scores for replicas were compared with those of the reference standard on 33 surfaces. The highest mean Youden-index score for the presence/absence of sealant material was observed for the colour photograph method, followed by that for the replica method; the visual clinical examination method scored lowest. The mean Youden-index score for the survival of retained sealants was highest for the colour photograph method for both the traditional (0.882) and the modified (0.768) categories of sealant retention, whilst the visual clinical examination method had the lowest Youden-index score for these categories (0.745 and 0.063, respectively). The colour photograph method had a higher validity than the replica and the visual examination methods for assessing sealant retention. © 2014 Eur J Oral Sci.

A higher order panel method for linearized supersonic flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehlers, F. E.; Epton, M. A.; Johnson, F. T.; Magnus, A. E.; Rubbert, P. E.

1979-01-01

The basic integral equations of linearized supersonic theory for an advanced supersonic panel method are derived. Methods using only linear varying source strength over each panel or only quadratic doublet strength over each panel gave good agreement with analytic solutions over cones and zero thickness cambered wings. For three dimensional bodies and wings of general shape, combined source and doublet panels with interior boundary conditions to eliminate the internal perturbations lead to a stable method providing good agreement experiment. A panel system with all edges contiguous resulted from dividing the basic four point non-planar panel into eight triangular subpanels, and the doublet strength was made continuous at all edges by a quadratic distribution over each subpanel. Superinclined panels were developed and tested on s simple nacelle and on an airplane model having engine inlets, with excellent results.

Calculation of Sensitivity Derivatives in an MDAO Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Kenneth T.

2012-01-01

During gradient-based optimization of a system, it is necessary to generate the derivatives of each objective and constraint with respect to each design parameter. If the system is multidisciplinary, it may consist of a set of smaller "components" with some arbitrary data interconnection and process work ow. Analytical derivatives in these components can be used to improve the speed and accuracy of the derivative calculation over a purely numerical calculation; however, a multidisciplinary system may include both components for which derivatives are available and components for which they are not. Three methods to calculate the sensitivity of a mixed multidisciplinary system are presented: the finite difference method, where the derivatives are calculated numerically; the chain rule method, where the derivatives are successively cascaded along the system's network graph; and the analytic method, where the derivatives come from the solution of a linear system of equations. Some improvements to these methods, to accommodate mixed multidisciplinary systems, are also presented; in particular, a new method is introduced to allow existing derivatives to be used inside of finite difference. All three methods are implemented and demonstrated in the open-source MDAO framework OpenMDAO. It was found that there are advantages to each of them depending on the system being solved.

Systems, methods and apparatus for modeling, specifying and deploying policies in autonomous and autonomic systems using agent-oriented software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy (Inventor); Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Penn, Joaquin (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments, an agent-oriented specification modeled with MaCMAS, is analyzed, flaws in the agent-oriented specification modeled with MaCMAS are corrected, and an implementation is derived from the corrected agent-oriented specification. Described herein are systems, method and apparatus that produce fully (mathematically) tractable development of agent-oriented specification(s) modeled with methodology fragment for analyzing complex multiagent systems (MaCMAS) and policies for autonomic systems from requirements through to code generation. The systems, method and apparatus described herein are illustrated through an example showing how user formulated policies can be translated into a formal mode which can then be converted to code. The requirements-based programming systems, method and apparatus described herein may provide faster, higher quality development and maintenance of autonomic systems based on user formulation of policies.

Constrained variation in Jastrow method at high density

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

Owen, J.C.; Bishop, R.F.; Irvine, J.M.

1976-11-01

A method is derived for constraining the correlation function in a Jastrow variational calculation which permits the truncation of the cluster expansion after two-body terms, and which permits exact minimization of the two-body cluster by functional variation. This method is compared with one previously proposed by Pandharipande and is found to be superior both theoretically and practically. The method is tested both on liquid /sup 3/He, by using the Lennard--Jones potential, and on the model system of neutrons treated as Boltzmann particles (''homework'' problem). Good agreement is found both with experiment and with other calculations involving the explicit evaluation ofmore » higher-order terms in the cluster expansion. The method is then applied to a more realistic model of a neutron gas up to a density of 4 neutrons per F/sup 3/, and is found to give ground-state energies considerably lower than those of Pandharipande. (AIP)« less

Nickel porphyrins for memory optical applications

DOEpatents

Shelnutt, John A.; Jia, Songling; Medforth, Craig; Holten, Dewey; Nelson, Nora Y.; Smith, Kevin M.

2000-01-01

The present invention relates to a nickel-porphyrin derivative in a matrix, the nickel-porphyrin derivative comprising at least two conformational isomers, a lower-energy-state conformer and a higher-energy-state conformer, such that when the higher-energy-state conformer is generated from the lower-energy-state conformer following absorption of a photon of suitable energy, the time to return to the lower-energy-state conformer is greater than 40 nanoseconds at approximately room temperature. The nickel-porphyrin derivative is useful in optical memory applications.

Novel high contrast electrochromic polymer materials based on 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Rabindra; Mishra, Sarada P.; Kumar, Anil; Sindhu, S.; Narasimha Rao, K.; Gopal, E. S. R.

2007-09-01

Mono and di allyl and napthyl substituted 3,4-propylenedioxythiophenes were synthesized and polymerized electrochemically. All the monomers were characterized for their molecular structures, and the polymers were characterized for their electrochemical properties. The disubstituted derivatives showed higher contrast than the corresponding mono substituted derivatives. The allyl substituted polymers showed higher contrast and faster switching time than corresponding napthyl substituted derivatives. The presence of the allyl group as the pendant can be used for further functionalization of the polymer.

Porous graphitic carbon nitride synthesized via direct polymerization of urea for efficient sunlight-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuewei; Liu, Jinghai; Wu, Guan; Chen, Wei

2012-08-01

Energy captured directly from sunlight provides an attractive approach towards fulfilling the need for green energy resources on the terawatt scale with minimal environmental impact. Collecting and storing solar energy into fuel through photocatalyzed water splitting to generate hydrogen in a cost-effective way is desirable. To achieve this goal, low cost and environmentally benign urea was used to synthesize the metal-free photocatalyst graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). A porous structure is achieved via one-step polymerization of the single precursor. The porous structure with increased BET surface area and pore volume shows a much higher hydrogen production rate under simulated sunlight irradiation than thiourea-derived and dicyanamide-derived g-C3N4. The presence of an oxygen atom is presumed to play a key role in adjusting the textural properties. Further improvement of the photocatalytic function can be expected with after-treatment due to its rich chemistry in functionalization.Energy captured directly from sunlight provides an attractive approach towards fulfilling the need for green energy resources on the terawatt scale with minimal environmental impact. Collecting and storing solar energy into fuel through photocatalyzed water splitting to generate hydrogen in a cost-effective way is desirable. To achieve this goal, low cost and environmentally benign urea was used to synthesize the metal-free photocatalyst graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). A porous structure is achieved via one-step polymerization of the single precursor. The porous structure with increased BET surface area and pore volume shows a much higher hydrogen production rate under simulated sunlight irradiation than thiourea-derived and dicyanamide-derived g-C3N4. The presence of an oxygen atom is presumed to play a key role in adjusting the textural properties. Further improvement of the photocatalytic function can be expected with after-treatment due to its rich chemistry in functionalization. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Methods for preparing and characterizing UCN, TCN and DCN samples. Methods for examining the photocatalytic hydrogen production. FTIR, XPS, and digital photos of three products are shown in Fig. S1-6. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr30948c

Single crystal, liquid crystal, and hybrid organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Twieg, Robert J.; Getmanenko, Y.; Lu, Z.; Semyonov, A. N.; Huang, S.; He, P.; Seed, A.; Kiryanov, A.; Ellman, B.; Nene, S.

2003-07-01

The synthesis and characterization of organic semiconductors is being pursued in three primary structure formats: single crystal, liquid crystal and organic-inorganic hybrid. The strategy here is to share common structures, synthesis methods and fabrication techniques across these formats and to utilize common characterization tools such as the time of flight technique. The single crystal efforts concentrate on aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds including simple benzene derivatives and derivatives of the acenes. The structure-property relationships due to incorporation of small substituents and heteroatoms are being examined. Crystals are grown by solution, melt or vapor transport techniques. The liquid crystal studies exploit their self-organizing properties and relative ease of sample preparation. Though calamitic systems tha deliver the largest mobilities are higher order smectics, even some unusual twist grain boundary phases are being studied. We are attempting to synthesize discotic acene derivatives with appropriate substitution patterns to render them mesogenic. The last format being examined is the hybrid organic-inorganic class. Here, layered materials of alternating organic and inorganic composition are designed and synthesized. Typical materials are conjugated aromatic compounds, usually functinalized with an amine or a pyridine and reacted with appropriate reactive metal derivatives to incorporate them into metal oxide or sulfide layers.

Computer-aided diagnosis of melanoma using border and wavelet-based texture analysis.

PubMed

Garnavi, Rahil; Aldeen, Mohammad; Bailey, James

2012-11-01

This paper presents a novel computer-aided diagnosis system for melanoma. The novelty lies in the optimised selection and integration of features derived from textural, borderbased and geometrical properties of the melanoma lesion. The texture features are derived from using wavelet-decomposition, the border features are derived from constructing a boundaryseries model of the lesion border and analysing it in spatial and frequency domains, and the geometry features are derived from shape indexes. The optimised selection of features is achieved by using the Gain-Ratio method, which is shown to be computationally efficient for melanoma diagnosis application. Classification is done through the use of four classifiers; namely, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Logistic Model Tree and Hidden Naive Bayes. The proposed diagnostic system is applied on a set of 289 dermoscopy images (114 malignant, 175 benign) partitioned into train, validation and test image sets. The system achieves and accuracy of 91.26% and AUC value of 0.937, when 23 features are used. Other important findings include (i) the clear advantage gained in complementing texture with border and geometry features, compared to using texture information only, and (ii) higher contribution of texture features than border-based features in the optimised feature set.

A method for quantitative mapping of thick oil spills using imaging spectroscopy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Roger N.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Leifer, Ira; Livo, K. Eric; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Hoefen, Todd; Lundeen, Sarah; Eastwood, Michael; Green, Robert O.; Pearson, Neil; Sarture, Charles; McCubbin, Ian; Roberts, Dar; Bradley, Eliza; Steele, Denis; Ryan, Thomas; Dominguez, Roseanne; ,

2010-01-01

In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a method of near-infrared imaging spectroscopic analysis was developed to map the locations of thick oil floating on water. Specifically, this method can be used to derive, in each image pixel, the oil-to-water ratio in oil emulsions, the sub-pixel areal fraction, and its thicknesses and volume within the limits of light penetration into the oil (up to a few millimeters). The method uses the shape of near-infrared (NIR) absorption features and the variations in the spectral continuum due to organic compounds found in oil to identify different oil chemistries, including its weathering state and thickness. The method is insensitive to complicating conditions such as moderate aerosol scattering and reflectance level changes from other conditions, including moderate sun glint. Data for this analysis were collected by the NASA Airborne Visual Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument, which was flown over the oil spill on May 17, 2010. Because of the large extent of the spill, AVIRIS flight lines could cover only a portion of the spill on this relatively calm, nearly cloud-free day. Derived lower limits for oil volumes within the top few millimeters of the ocean surface directly probed with the near-infrared light detected in the AVIRIS scenes were 19,000 (conservative assumptions) to 34,000 (aggressive assumptions) barrels of oil. AVIRIS covered about 30 percent of the core spill area, which consisted of emulsion plumes and oil sheens. Areas of oil sheen but lacking oil emulsion plumes outside of the core spill were not evaluated for oil volume in this study. If the core spill areas not covered by flight lines contained similar amounts of oil and oil-water emulsions, then extrapolation to the entire core spill area defined by a MODIS (Terra) image collected on the same day indicates a minimum of 66,000 to 120,000 barrels of oil was floating on the surface. These estimates are preliminary and subject to revision pending further analysis. Based on laboratory measurements, near-infrared (NIR) photons penetrate only a few millimeters into oil-water emulsions. As such, the oil volumes derived with this method are lower limits. Further, the detection is only of thick surface oil and does not include sheens, underwater oil, or oil that had already washed onto beaches and wetlands, oil that had been burned or evaporated as of May 17. Because NIR light penetration within emulsions is limited, and having made field observations that oil emulsions sometimes exceeded 20 millimeters in thickness, we estimate that the volume of oil, including oil thicker than can be probed in the AVIRIS imagery, is possibly as high as 150,000 barrels in the AVIRIS scenes. When this value is projected to the entire spill, it gives a volume of about 500,000 barrels for thick oil remaining on the sea surface as of May 17. AVIRIS data cannot be used to confirm this higher volume, and additional field work including more in-situ measurements of oil thickness would be required to confirm this higher oil volume. Both the directly detected minimum range of oil volume, and the higher possible volume projection for oil thicker than can be probed with NIR spectroscopy imply a significantly higher total volume of oil relative to that implied by the early NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) estimate of 5,000 barrels per day reported on their Web site.

Towards construction of ghost-free higher derivative gravity from bigravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akagi, Satoshi

2018-06-01

In this paper, the ghost-freeness of the higher derivative theory proposed by Hassan et al. in [Universe 1, 92 (2015), 10.3390/universe1020092] is investigated. Hassan et al. believed the ghost-freeness of the higher derivative theory based on the analysis in the linear approximation. However, in order to obtain the complete correspondence, we have to analyze the model without any approximations. In this paper, we analyze the two-scalar model proposed in [Universe 1, 92 (2015), 10.3390/universe1020092] with arbitrary nonderivative interaction terms. In any order with respect to perturbative parameters, we prove that we can eliminate the ghost for the model with any nonderivative interaction terms.

A time-dependent neutron transport method of characteristics formulation with time derivative propagation

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

Hoffman, Adam J., E-mail: adamhoff@umich.edu; Lee, John C., E-mail: jcl@umich.edu

2016-02-15

A new time-dependent Method of Characteristics (MOC) formulation for nuclear reactor kinetics was developed utilizing angular flux time-derivative propagation. This method avoids the requirement of storing the angular flux at previous points in time to represent a discretized time derivative; instead, an equation for the angular flux time derivative along 1D spatial characteristics is derived and solved concurrently with the 1D transport characteristic equation. This approach allows the angular flux time derivative to be recast principally in terms of the neutron source time derivatives, which are approximated to high-order accuracy using the backward differentiation formula (BDF). This approach, called Sourcemore » Derivative Propagation (SDP), drastically reduces the memory requirements of time-dependent MOC relative to methods that require storing the angular flux. An SDP method was developed for 2D and 3D applications and implemented in the computer code DeCART in 2D. DeCART was used to model two reactor transient benchmarks: a modified TWIGL problem and a C5G7 transient. The SDP method accurately and efficiently replicated the solution of the conventional time-dependent MOC method using two orders of magnitude less memory.« less

Restoration of pseudo-self-compatibility (PSC) in derivatives of a high-PSC × no-PSC cross in Nemesia strumosa Benth.

PubMed

Robacker, C D; Ascher, P D

1978-05-01

Mean PSC increased following each generation of recurrent selection in F1, F2 and F3 Nemesia strumosa families derived from a cross of a 100% PSC plant to an unrelated 0% PSC plant. The first 100% PSC individuals occurred in the F4. Populations derived through sib pollination tended to have higher PSC means than lines derived through self pollination. One F3 family showed a three-fold higher PSC level when pollinated in the green-house than when pollinated in the growth chamber, while another F3 family similarly pollinated showed no change in PSC.

On the curious spectrum of duality invariant higher-derivative gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohm, Olaf; Naseer, Usman; Zwiebach, Barton

2016-08-01

We analyze the spectrum of the exactly duality and gauge invariant higher-derivative double field theory. While this theory is based on a chiral CFT and does not correspond to a standard string theory, our analysis illuminates a number of issues central in string theory. The full quadratic action is rewritten as a two-derivative theory with additional fields. This allows for a simple analysis of the spectrum, which contains two massive spin-2 ghosts and massive scalars, in addition to the massless fields. Moreover, in this formulation, the massless or tensionless limit α ' → ∞ is non-singular and leads to an enhanced gauge symmetry. We show that the massive modes can be integrated out exactly at the quadratic level, leading to an infinite series of higher-derivative corrections. Finally, we present a ghost-free massive extension of linearized double field theory, which employs a novel mass term for the dilaton and metric.

Stability and Hamiltonian formulation of higher derivative theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Hans-Jürgen

1994-06-01

We analyze the presuppositions leading to instabilities in theories of order higher than second. The type of fourth-order gravity which leads to an inflationary (quasi-de Sitter) period of cosmic evolution by inclusion of one curvature-squared term (i.e., the Starobinsky model) is used as an example. The corresponding Hamiltonian formulation (which is necessary for deducing the Wheeler-DeWitt equation) is found both in the Ostrogradski approach and in another form. As an example, a closed form solution of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for a spatially flat Friedmann model and L=R2 is found. The method proposed by Simon to bring fourth order gravity to second order can be (if suitably generalized) applied to bring sixth-order gravity to second order.

Symbolic Algebra Development for Higher-Order Electron Propagator Formulation and Implementation.

PubMed

Tamayo-Mendoza, Teresa; Flores-Moreno, Roberto

2014-06-10

Through the use of symbolic algebra, implemented in a program, the algebraic expression of the elements of the self-energy matrix for the electron propagator to different orders were obtained. In addition, a module for the software package Lowdin was automatically generated. Second- and third-order electron propagator results have been calculated to test the correct operation of the program. It was found that the Fortran 90 modules obtained automatically with our algorithm succeeded in calculating ionization energies with the second- and third-order electron propagator in the diagonal approximation. The strategy for the development of this symbolic algebra program is described in detail. This represents a solid starting point for the automatic derivation and implementation of higher-order electron propagator methods.

Selenium and sulphur derivatives of hydroxytyrosol: inhibition of lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes of vitamin E-deficient rats.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Guillermo; Rubio-Senent, Fátima; Gómez-Carretero, Antonio; Maya, Inés; Fernández-Bolaños, Juan; Duthie, Garry G; de Roos, Baukje

2018-05-28

The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of modified phenols synthesized from hydroxytyrosol, a natural olive oil phenol, specifically those containing a selenium or sulphur group, to inhibit lipid peroxidation. The compounds' abilities to inhibit lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes obtained from vitamin E-deficient rats were compared to hydroxytyrosol. All synthetic compounds had a significant higher ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation than hydroxytyrosol. Selenium derivates displayed a higher antioxidant activity than sulphur derivatives. In addition, the antioxidant activity increased with a higher number of heteroatoms in the hydroxytyrosol molecular structure. The study shows, for the first time, the ability of synthetic compounds, derived from the most active phenol present in olives in free form (hydroxytyrosol), and containing one or two atoms of sulphur or selenium, to inhibit the lipid peroxidation of vitamin E-deficient microsomes. The antioxidant activity of five thioureas, a disulfide, a thiol, three selenoureas, a diselenide, and a selenonium were evaluated and the results showed a higher inhibition of lipid peroxidation than the natural phenol. Selenium and sulphur derivatives of hydroxytyrosol are novel antioxidants with the potential to supplement the lack of vitamin E in the diet as natural alternatives for the prevention of diseases related to oxidative damage.

Poly(ethylenimine) conjugated bioreducible dendrimer for efficient gene delivery.

PubMed

Nam, Kihoon; Jung, Simhyun; Nam, Joung-Pyo; Kim, Sung Wan

2015-12-28

Branched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) 25 kDa is an efficient gene delivery vector with outstanding gene condensation ability and great endosome escape activity. However, it also induces higher cytotoxicity. Transfection efficiency and toxicity of PEI are highly dependent upon their molecular weight and structure. We developed a bioreducible poly(ethylenimine) (PEI (-s-s-)) derived from low molecular weight PEI (1.8 kDa) for efficient gene delivery. Bioreducible core molecule is expected to increase molecular weight and reduce the cytotoxicity of the copolymer. PEI (-s-s-) polyplexes showed higher transfection efficiency and lower cytotoxicity compared to branched PEI 25 kDa, Lipofectamine® 2000 and, FuGENE® 6. In addition, PEI (-s-s-) derivative (16 kDa) formed stable polyplexes with a zeta-potential value of +34 mV and polyplex size of 61 nm. PEI (-s-s-) derivative (16 kDa) showed excellent transfection efficiency: 3.6 times higher than branched PEI 25 kDa in HeLa cells and 7.4 times higher than Lipofectamine® 2000 in H9C2 cell. The derivatives also showed lower cytotoxicity compared with Lipofectamine® 2000 and PEI 25 kDa in various cell types. In addition, newly synthesized PEI (-s-s-) derivatives have high reproducibility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous Human Periodontal Ligament-Committed Progenitor and Stem Cell Populations Exhibit a Unique Cementogenic Property Under In Vitro and In Vivo Conditions.

PubMed

Shinagawa-Ohama, Rei; Mochizuki, Mai; Tamaki, Yuichi; Suda, Naoto; Nakahara, Taka

2017-05-01

An undesirable complication that arises during dental treatments is external apical-root resorption, which causes root-cementum and root-dentin loss. To induce de novo cementogenesis, stem cell therapy is required. Cementum-forming cells (cementoblasts) are known to be differentiated from periodontal-lineage mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are derived from the dental follicle (DF) in developing tissues and the periodontal ligament (PDL) in adult tissues, but the periodontal-lineage MSC type that is optimal for inducing de novo cementogenesis remains unidentified, as does the method to isolate these cells from harvested tissues. Thus, we investigated the cementogenic potential of DF- and PDL-derived MSCs that were isolated by using two widely used cell-isolation methods: enzymatic digestion and outgrowth (OG) methods. DF- and PDL-derived cells isolated by using both methods proliferated actively, and all four isolated cell types showed MSC gene/protein expression phenotype and ability to differentiate into adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages. Furthermore, cementogenic-potential analysis revealed that all cell types produced alizarin red S-positive mineralized materials in in vitro cultures. However, PDL-OG cells presented unique cementogenic features, such as nodular formation of mineralized deposits displaying a cellular intrinsic fiber cementum-like structure, as well as a higher expression of cementoblast-specific genes than in the other cell types. Moreover, in in vivo transplantation experiments, PDL-OG cells formed cellular cementum-like hard tissue containing embedded osteocalcin-positive cells, whereas the other cells formed acellular cementum-like materials. Given that the root-cementum defect is likely regenerated through cellular cementum deposition, PDL-OG cell-based therapies might potentially facilitate the de novo cellular cementogenesis required for regenerating the root defect.

Compatible, energy conserving, bounds preserving remap of hydrodynamic fields for an extended ALE scheme

DOE PAGES

Burton, Donald E.; Morgan, Nathaniel Ray; Charest, Marc Robert Joseph; ...

2017-11-22

From the very origins of numerical hydrodynamics in the Lagrangian work of von Neumann and Richtmyer [83], the issue of total energy conservation as well as entropy production has been problematic. Because of well known problems with mesh deformation, Lagrangian schemes have evolved into Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) methods [39] that combine the best properties of Lagrangian and Eulerian methods. Energy issues have persisted for this class of methods. We believe that fundamental issues of energy conservation and entropy production in ALE require further examination. The context of the paper is an ALE scheme that is extended in the sense thatmore » it permits cyclic or periodic remap of data between grids of the same or differing connectivity. The principal design goals for a remap method then consist of total energy conservation, bounded internal energy, and compatibility of kinetic energy and momentum. We also have secondary objectives of limiting velocity and stress in a non-directional manner, keeping primitive variables monotone, and providing a higher than second order reconstruction of remapped variables. Particularly, the new contributions fall into three categories associated with: energy conservation and entropy production, reconstruction and bounds preservation of scalar and tensor fields, and conservative remap of nonlinear fields. Our paper presents a derivation of the methods, details of implementation, and numerical results for a number of test problems. The methods requires volume integration of polynomial functions in polytopal cells with planar facets, and the requisite expressions are derived for arbitrary order.« less

Compatible, energy conserving, bounds preserving remap of hydrodynamic fields for an extended ALE scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, D. E.; Morgan, N. R.; Charest, M. R. J.; Kenamond, M. A.; Fung, J.

2018-02-01

From the very origins of numerical hydrodynamics in the Lagrangian work of von Neumann and Richtmyer [83], the issue of total energy conservation as well as entropy production has been problematic. Because of well known problems with mesh deformation, Lagrangian schemes have evolved into Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methods [39] that combine the best properties of Lagrangian and Eulerian methods. Energy issues have persisted for this class of methods. We believe that fundamental issues of energy conservation and entropy production in ALE require further examination. The context of the paper is an ALE scheme that is extended in the sense that it permits cyclic or periodic remap of data between grids of the same or differing connectivity. The principal design goals for a remap method then consist of total energy conservation, bounded internal energy, and compatibility of kinetic energy and momentum. We also have secondary objectives of limiting velocity and stress in a non-directional manner, keeping primitive variables monotone, and providing a higher than second order reconstruction of remapped variables. In particular, the new contributions fall into three categories associated with: energy conservation and entropy production, reconstruction and bounds preservation of scalar and tensor fields, and conservative remap of nonlinear fields. The paper presents a derivation of the methods, details of implementation, and numerical results for a number of test problems. The methods requires volume integration of polynomial functions in polytopal cells with planar facets, and the requisite expressions are derived for arbitrary order.

Compatible, energy conserving, bounds preserving remap of hydrodynamic fields for an extended ALE scheme

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

Burton, Donald E.; Morgan, Nathaniel Ray; Charest, Marc Robert Joseph

From the very origins of numerical hydrodynamics in the Lagrangian work of von Neumann and Richtmyer [83], the issue of total energy conservation as well as entropy production has been problematic. Because of well known problems with mesh deformation, Lagrangian schemes have evolved into Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) methods [39] that combine the best properties of Lagrangian and Eulerian methods. Energy issues have persisted for this class of methods. We believe that fundamental issues of energy conservation and entropy production in ALE require further examination. The context of the paper is an ALE scheme that is extended in the sense thatmore » it permits cyclic or periodic remap of data between grids of the same or differing connectivity. The principal design goals for a remap method then consist of total energy conservation, bounded internal energy, and compatibility of kinetic energy and momentum. We also have secondary objectives of limiting velocity and stress in a non-directional manner, keeping primitive variables monotone, and providing a higher than second order reconstruction of remapped variables. Particularly, the new contributions fall into three categories associated with: energy conservation and entropy production, reconstruction and bounds preservation of scalar and tensor fields, and conservative remap of nonlinear fields. Our paper presents a derivation of the methods, details of implementation, and numerical results for a number of test problems. The methods requires volume integration of polynomial functions in polytopal cells with planar facets, and the requisite expressions are derived for arbitrary order.« less

Approach for discrimination and quantification of electroactive species: kinetics difference revealed by higher harmonics of Fourier transformed sinusoidal voltammetry.

PubMed

Fang, Yishan; Huang, Xinjian; Wang, Lishi

2015-01-06

Discrimination and quantification of electroactive species are traditionally realized by a potential difference which is mainly determined by thermodynamics. However, the resolution of this approach is limited to tens of millivolts. In this paper, we described an application of Fourier transformed sinusoidal voltammetry (FT-SV) that provides a new approach for discrimination and quantitative evaluation of electroactive species, especially thermodynamic similar ones. Numerical simulation indicates that electron transfer kinetics difference between electroactive species can be revealed by the phase angle of higher order harmonics of FT-SV, and the difference can be amplified order by order. Thus, even a very subtle kinetics difference can be amplified to be distinguishable at a certain order of harmonics. This method was verified with structurally similar ferrocene derivatives which were chosen as the model systems. Although these molecules have very close redox potential (<10 mV), discrimination and selective detection were achieved by as high as the thirteenth harmonics. The results demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of the method. It was also implied that the combination of the traditional thermodynamic method and this kinetics method can form a two-dimension resolved detection method, and it has the potential to extend the resolution of voltammetric techniques to a new level.

Research on the shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging technology based on Integrated Stepwise filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Liqing; Xiao, Xizhong; Wang, Yueming; Zhuang, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Jianyu

2017-11-01

Space-borne hyperspectral imagery is an important tool for earth sciences and industrial applications. Higher spatial and spectral resolutions have been sought persistently, although this results in more power, larger volume and weight during a space-borne spectral imager design. For miniaturization of hyperspectral imager and optimization of spectral splitting methods, several methods are compared in this paper. Spectral time delay integration (TDI) method with high transmittance Integrated Stepwise Filter (ISF) is proposed.With the method, an ISF imaging spectrometer with TDI could achieve higher system sensitivity than the traditional prism/grating imaging spectrometer. In addition, the ISF imaging spectrometer performs well in suppressing infrared background radiation produced by instrument. A compact shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imager prototype based on HgCdTe covering the spectral range of 2.0-2.5 μm with 6 TDI stages was designed and integrated. To investigate the performance of ISF spectrometer, a method to derive the optimal blocking band curve of the ISF is introduced, along with known error characteristics. To assess spectral performance of the ISF system, a new spectral calibration based on blackbody radiation with temperature scanning is proposed. The results of the imaging experiment showed the merits of ISF. ISF has great application prospects in the field of high sensitivity and high resolution space-borne hyperspectral imagery.

Comparative study of human-induced pluripotent stem cells derived from bone marrow cells, hair keratinocytes, and skin fibroblasts.

PubMed

Streckfuss-Bömeke, Katrin; Wolf, Frieder; Azizian, Azadeh; Stauske, Michael; Tiburcy, Malte; Wagner, Stefan; Hübscher, Daniela; Dressel, Ralf; Chen, Simin; Jende, Jörg; Wulf, Gerald; Lorenz, Verena; Schön, Michael P; Maier, Lars S; Zimmermann, Wolfram H; Hasenfuss, Gerd; Guan, Kaomei

2013-09-01

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a unique opportunity for the generation of patient-specific cells for use in disease modelling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. The aim of this study was to compare human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from different somatic cell sources regarding their generation efficiency and cardiac differentiation potential, and functionalities of cardiomyocytes. We generated hiPSCs from hair keratinocytes, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and skin fibroblasts by using two different virus systems. We show that MSCs and fibroblasts are more easily reprogrammed than keratinocytes. This corresponds to higher methylation levels of minimal promoter regions of the OCT4 and NANOG genes in keratinocytes than in MSCs and fibroblasts. The success rate and reprogramming efficiency was significantly higher by using the STEMCCA system than the OSNL system. All analysed hiPSCs are pluripotent and show phenotypical characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells. We studied the cardiac differentiation efficiency of generated hiPSC lines (n = 24) and found that MSC-derived hiPSCs exhibited a significantly higher efficiency to spontaneously differentiate into beating cardiomyocytes when compared with keratinocyte-, and fibroblast-derived hiPSCs. There was no significant difference in the functionalities of the cardiomyocytes derived from hiPSCs with different origins, showing the presence of pacemaker-, atrial-, ventricular- and Purkinje-like cardiomyocytes, and exhibiting rhythmic Ca2+ transients and Ca2+ sparks in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, spontaneously and synchronously beating and force-developing engineered heart tissues were generated. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells can be reprogrammed from all three somatic cell types, but with different efficiency. All analysed iPSCs can differentiate into cardiomyocytes, and the functionalities of cardiomyocytes derived from different cell origins are similar. However, MSC-derived hiPSCs revealed a higher cardiac differentiation efficiency than keratinocyte- and fibroblast-derived hiPSCs.

Estimating HIV Incidence Using a Cross-Sectional Survey: Comparison of Three Approaches in a Hyperendemic Setting, Ndhiwa Subcounty, Kenya, 2012.

PubMed

Blaizot, Stéphanie; Kim, Andrea A; Zeh, Clement; Riche, Benjamin; Maman, David; De Cock, Kevin M; Etard, Jean-François; Ecochard, René

2017-05-01

Estimating HIV incidence is critical for identifying groups at risk for HIV infection, planning and targeting interventions, and evaluating these interventions over time. The use of reliable estimation methods for HIV incidence is thus of high importance. The aim of this study was to compare methods for estimating HIV incidence in a population-based cross-sectional survey. The incidence estimation methods evaluated included assay-derived methods, a testing history-derived method, and a probability-based method applied to data from the Ndhiwa HIV Impact in Population Survey (NHIPS). Incidence rates by sex and age and cumulative incidence as a function of age were presented. HIV incidence ranged from 1.38 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-2.09] to 3.30 [95% CI 2.78-3.82] per 100 person-years overall; 0.59 [95% CI 0.00-1.34] to 2.89 [95% CI 0.86-6.45] in men; and 1.62 [95% CI 0.16-6.04] to 4.03 [95% CI 3.30-4.77] per 100 person-years in women. Women had higher incidence rates than men for all methods. Incidence rates were highest among women aged 15-24 and 25-34 years and highest among men aged 25-34 years. Comparison of different methods showed variations in incidence estimates, but they were in agreement to identify most-at-risk groups. The use and comparison of several distinct approaches for estimating incidence are important to provide the best-supported estimate of HIV incidence in the population.

Current interactions from the one-form sector of nonlinear higher-spin equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfond, O. A.; Vasiliev, M. A.

2018-06-01

The form of higher-spin current interactions in the sector of one-forms is derived from the nonlinear higher-spin equations in AdS4. Quadratic corrections to higher-spin equations are shown to be independent of the phase of the parameter η = exp ⁡ iφ in the full nonlinear higher-spin equations. The current deformation resulting from the nonlinear higher-spin equations is represented in the canonical form with the minimal number of space-time derivatives. The non-zero spin-dependent coupling constants of the resulting currents are determined in terms of the higher-spin coupling constant η η bar . Our results confirm the conjecture that (anti-)self-dual nonlinear higher-spin equations result from the full system at (η = 0) η bar = 0.

Detection of KRAS G12D in colorectal cancer stool by droplet digital PCR

PubMed Central

Olmedillas-López, Susana; Lévano-Linares, Dennis César; Alexandre, Carmen Laura Aúz; Vega-Clemente, Luz; Sánchez, Edurne León; Villagrasa, Alejandro; Ruíz-Tovar, Jaime; García-Arranz, Mariano; García-Olmo, Damián

2017-01-01

AIM To assess KRAS G12D mutation detection by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in stool-derived DNA from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS In this study, tumor tissue and stool samples were collected from 70 patients with stage I-IV CRC diagnosed by preoperative biopsy. KRAS mutational status was determined by pyrosequencing analysis of DNA obtained from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues. The KRAS G12D mutation was then analyzed by ddPCR in FFPE tumors and stool-derived DNA from patients with this point mutation. Wild-type (WT) tumors, as determined by pyrosequencing, were included as controls; analysis of FFPE tissue and stool-derived DNA by ddPCR was performed for these patients as well. RESULTS Among the total 70 patients included, KRAS mutations were detected by pyrosequencing in 32 (45.71%), whereas 38 (54.29%) had WT tumors. The frequency of KRAS mutations was higher in left-sided tumors (11 located in the right colon, 15 in the left, and 6 in the rectum). The predominant point mutation was KRAS G12D (14.29%, n = 10), which was more frequent in early-stage tumors (I-IIA, n = 7). In agreement with pyrosequencing results, the KRAS G12D mutation was detected by ddPCR in FFPE tumor-derived DNA, and only a residual number of mutated copies was found in WT controls. The KRAS G12D mutation was also detected in stool-derived DNA in 80% of all fecal samples from CRC patients with this point mutation. CONCLUSION ddPCR is a reliable and sensitive method to analyze KRAS G12D mutation in stool-derived DNA from CRC patients, especially at early stages. This non-invasive approach is potentially applicable to other relevant biomarkers for CRC management. PMID:29093617

A Comparison of Vertical Deformations Derived from Space-based Gravimetry, Ground-based Sensors, and Model-based Hydrologic Loading over the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, G.; Forman, B. A.; Loomis, B. D.; Luthcke, S. B.

2017-12-01

Vertical deformation of the Earth's crust due to the movement and redistribution of terrestrial freshwater can be studied using satellite measurements, ground-based sensors, hydrologic models, or a combination thereof. This current study explores the relationship between vertical deformation estimates derived from mass concentrations (mascons) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), vertical deformation from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) observations collected from the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), and hydrologic loading estimates based on model output from the NASA Catchment Land Surface Model (Catchment). A particular focus is made to snow-dominated basins where mass accumulates during the snow season and subsequently runs off during the ablation season. The mean seasonal cycle and the effects of atmospheric loading, non-tidal ocean loading, and glacier isostatic adjustment (GIA) are removed from the GPS observations in order to derive the vertical displacement caused predominately by hydrological processes. A low-pass filter is applied to GPS observations to remove high frequency noise. Correlation coefficients between GRACE- and GPS-based estimates at all PBO sites are calculated. GRACE-derived and Catchment-derived displacements are subtracted from the GPS height variations, respectively, in order to compute the root mean square (RMS) reduction as a means of studying the consistency between the three different methods. Results show that in most sites, the three methods exhibit good agreement. Exceptions to this generalization include the Central Valley of California where extensive groundwater pumping is witnessed in the GRACE- and GPS-based estimates, but not in the Catchment-based estimates because anthropogenic groundwater pumping activities are not included in the Catchment model. The relatively good agreement between GPS- and GRACE-derived vertical crustal displacements suggests that ground-based GPS has tremendous potential for a Bayesian merger with GRACE-based estimates in order to provide a higher resolution (in space and time) of terrestrial water storage.

Soil type-depending effect of paddy management: composition and distribution of soil organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbanski, Livia; Kölbl, Angelika; Lehndorff, Eva; Houtermans, Miriam; Schad, Peter; Zhang, Gang-Lin; Rahayu Utami, Sri; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid

2016-04-01

Paddy soil management is assumed to promote soil organic matter accumulation and specifically lignin caused by the resistance of the aromatic lignin structure against biodegradation under anaerobic conditions during inundation of paddy fields. The present study investigates the effect of paddy soil management on soil organic matter composition compared to agricultural soils which are not used for rice production (non-paddy soils). A variety of major soil types, were chosen in Indonesia (Java), including Alisol, Andosol and Vertisol sites (humid tropical climate of Java, Indonesia) and in China Alisol sites (humid subtropical climate, Nanjing). This soils are typically used for rice cultivation and represent a large range of soil properties to be expected in Asian paddy fields. All topsoils were analysed for their soil organic matter composition by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and lignin-derived phenols by CuO oxidation method. The soil organic matter composition, revealed by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, was similar for the above named different parent soil types (non-paddy soils) and was also not affected by the specific paddy soil management. The contribution of lignin-related carbon groups to total SOM was similar in the investigated paddy and non-paddy soils. A significant proportion of the total aromatic carbon in some paddy and non-paddy soils was attributed to the application of charcoal as a common management practise. The extraction of lignin-derived phenols revealed low VSC (vanillyl, syringyl, cinnamyl) values for all investigated soils, being typical for agricultural soils. An inherent accumulation of lignin-derived phenols due to paddy management was not found. Lignin-derived phenols seem to be soil type-dependent, shown by different VSC concentrations between the parent soil types. The specific paddy management only affects the lignin-derived phenols in Andosol-derived paddy soils which are characterized by significantly higher VSC values compared to their parent soil types. However, the higher organic carbon concentrations in Andosol and Alisol (China)-derived paddy soils compared to their parent soil types, could not be explained by an enrichment of lignin-derived phenols. It seems that site specific incorporation of crop residues and properties of the parent soil types are likely more important for organic carbon contents and soil organic matter composition than the effect of paddy management itself.

Stable Computation of the Vertical Gradient of Potential Field Data Based on Incorporating the Smoothing Filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baniamerian, Jamaledin; Liu, Shuang; Abbas, Mahmoud Ahmed

2018-04-01

The vertical gradient is an essential tool in interpretation algorithms. It is also the primary enhancement technique to improve the resolution of measured gravity and magnetic field data, since it has higher sensitivity to changes in physical properties (density or susceptibility) of the subsurface structures than the measured field. If the field derivatives are not directly measured with the gradiometers, they can be calculated from the collected gravity or magnetic data using numerical methods such as those based on fast Fourier transform technique. The gradients behave similar to high-pass filters and enhance the short-wavelength anomalies which may be associated with either small-shallow sources or high-frequency noise content in data, and their numerical computation is susceptible to suffer from amplification of noise. This behaviour can adversely affect the stability of the derivatives in the presence of even a small level of the noise and consequently limit their application to interpretation methods. Adding a smoothing term to the conventional formulation of calculating the vertical gradient in Fourier domain can improve the stability of numerical differentiation of the field. In this paper, we propose a strategy in which the overall efficiency of the classical algorithm in Fourier domain is improved by incorporating two different smoothing filters. For smoothing term, a simple qualitative procedure based on the upward continuation of the field to a higher altitude is introduced to estimate the related parameters which are called regularization parameter and cut-off wavenumber in the corresponding filters. The efficiency of these new approaches is validated by computing the first- and second-order derivatives of noise-corrupted synthetic data sets and then comparing the results with the true ones. The filtered and unfiltered vertical gradients are incorporated into the extended Euler deconvolution to estimate the depth and structural index of a magnetic sphere, hence, quantitatively evaluating the methods. In the real case, the described algorithms are used to enhance a portion of aeromagnetic data acquired in Mackenzie Corridor, Northern Mainland, Canada.

Mapping the spatial distribution and activity of (226)Ra at legacy sites through Machine Learning interpretation of gamma-ray spectrometry data.

PubMed

Varley, Adam; Tyler, Andrew; Smith, Leslie; Dale, Paul; Davies, Mike

2016-03-01

Radium ((226)Ra) contamination derived from military, industrial, and pharmaceutical products can be found at a number of historical sites across the world posing a risk to human health. The analysis of spectral data derived using gamma-ray spectrometry can offer a powerful tool to rapidly estimate and map the activity, depth, and lateral distribution of (226)Ra contamination covering an extensive area. Subsequently, reliable risk assessments can be developed for individual sites in a fraction of the timeframe compared to traditional labour-intensive sampling techniques: for example soil coring. However, local heterogeneity of the natural background, statistical counting uncertainty, and non-linear source response are confounding problems associated with gamma-ray spectral analysis. This is particularly challenging, when attempting to deal with enhanced concentrations of a naturally occurring radionuclide such as (226)Ra. As a result, conventional surveys tend to attribute the highest activities to the largest total signal received by a detector (Gross counts): an assumption that tends to neglect higher activities at depth. To overcome these limitations, a methodology was developed making use of Monte Carlo simulations, Principal Component Analysis and Machine Learning based algorithms to derive depth and activity estimates for (226)Ra contamination. The approach was applied on spectra taken using two gamma-ray detectors (Lanthanum Bromide and Sodium Iodide), with the aim of identifying an optimised combination of detector and spectral processing routine. It was confirmed that, through a combination of Neural Networks and Lanthanum Bromide, the most accurate depth and activity estimates could be found. The advantage of the method was demonstrated by mapping depth and activity estimates at a case study site in Scotland. There the method identified significantly higher activity (<3 Bq g(-1)) occurring at depth (>0.4m), that conventional gross counting algorithms failed to identify. It was concluded that the method could easily be employed to identify areas of high activity potentially occurring at depth, prior to intrusive investigation using conventional sampling techniques. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Entrapment of peptidoglycans and adamantyltripeptides into liposomes: an HPLC assay for determination of encapsulation efficiency.

PubMed

Frkanec, Ruza; Travas, Dijana; Krstanović, Marina; Spoljar, Beata Halassy; Ljevaković, Durdica; Vranesić, Branka; Frkanec, Leo; Tomasić, Jelka

2003-11-01

The encapsulation of different immunomodulating peptides, the peptidoglycan monomer, its semisynthetic derivatives (Adamant-1-yl)-acetyl-peptidoglycan monomer and Boc-Tyr-peptidoglycan monomer, respectively, and of two diastereoisomers of adamantyltripeptides into the large negatively charged multilamellar liposomes was investigated. The reproducible quantitative method using HPLC was established for the determination of the entrapped compounds. It was shown that the tested compounds could be efficiently incorporated into liposomes using either the film or modified film method. The results confirmed that the peptidoglycans with lipophilic substituents and particularly the adamantyltripeptides were incorporated into liposomes with higher efficiency than the peptidoglycan monomer using either of the described methods. Liposome preparations were stable at 4 degrees C up to seven days as shown by minimal leaking of the entrapped material.

A time-implicit numerical method and benchmarks for the relativistic Vlasov–Ampere equations

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

Carrie, Michael; Shadwick, B. A.

2016-01-04

Here, we present a time-implicit numerical method to solve the relativistic Vlasov–Ampere system of equations on a two dimensional phase space grid. The time-splitting algorithm we use allows the generalization of the work presented here to higher dimensions keeping the linear aspect of the resulting discrete set of equations. The implicit method is benchmarked against linear theory results for the relativistic Landau damping for which analytical expressions using the Maxwell-Juttner distribution function are derived. We note that, independently from the shape of the distribution function, the relativistic treatment features collective behaviors that do not exist in the non relativistic case.more » The numerical study of the relativistic two-stream instability completes the set of benchmarking tests.« less

A time-implicit numerical method and benchmarks for the relativistic Vlasov–Ampere equations

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

Carrié, Michael, E-mail: mcarrie2@unl.edu; Shadwick, B. A., E-mail: shadwick@mailaps.org

2016-01-15

We present a time-implicit numerical method to solve the relativistic Vlasov–Ampere system of equations on a two dimensional phase space grid. The time-splitting algorithm we use allows the generalization of the work presented here to higher dimensions keeping the linear aspect of the resulting discrete set of equations. The implicit method is benchmarked against linear theory results for the relativistic Landau damping for which analytical expressions using the Maxwell-Jüttner distribution function are derived. We note that, independently from the shape of the distribution function, the relativistic treatment features collective behaviours that do not exist in the nonrelativistic case. The numericalmore » study of the relativistic two-stream instability completes the set of benchmarking tests.« less

Extended use of two crossed Babinet compensators for wavefront sensing in adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Lancelot; Kumar Saxena, Ajay

2010-12-01

An extended use of two crossed Babinet compensators as a wavefront sensor for adaptive optics applications is proposed. This method is based on the lateral shearing interferometry technique in two directions. A single record of the fringes in a pupil plane provides the information about the wavefront. The theoretical simulations based on this approach for various atmospheric conditions and other errors of optical surfaces are provided for better understanding of this method. Derivation of the results from a laboratory experiment using simulated atmospheric conditions demonstrates the steps involved in data analysis and wavefront evaluation. It is shown that this method has a higher degree of freedom in terms of subapertures and on the choice of detectors, and can be suitably adopted for real-time wavefront sensing for adaptive optics.

Resolving the structure of the Galactic foreground using Herschel measurements and the Kriging technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinter, S.; Bagoly, Z.; Balázs, L. G.; Horvath, I.; Racz, I. I.; Zahorecz, S.; Tóth, L. V.

2018-05-01

Investigating the distant extragalactic Universe requires a subtraction of the Galactic foreground. One of the major difficulties deriving the fine structure of the galactic foreground is the embedded foreground and background point sources appearing in the given fields. It is especially so in the infrared. We report our study subtracting point sources from Herschel images with Kriging, an interpolation method where the interpolated values are modelled by a Gaussian process governed by prior covariances. Using the Kriging method on Herschel multi-wavelength observations the structure of the Galactic foreground can be studied with much higher resolution than previously, leading to a better foreground subtraction at the end.

AN EFFICIENT HIGHER-ORDER FAST MULTIPOLE BOUNDARY ELEMENT SOLUTION FOR POISSON-BOLTZMANN BASED MOLECULAR ELECTROSTATICS

PubMed Central

Bajaj, Chandrajit; Chen, Shun-Chuan; Rand, Alexander

2011-01-01

In order to compute polarization energy of biomolecules, we describe a boundary element approach to solving the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation. Our approach combines several important features including the derivative boundary formulation of the problem and a smooth approximation of the molecular surface based on the algebraic spline molecular surface. State of the art software for numerical linear algebra and the kernel independent fast multipole method is used for both simplicity and efficiency of our implementation. We perform a variety of computational experiments, testing our method on a number of actual proteins involved in molecular docking and demonstrating the effectiveness of our solver for computing molecular polarization energy. PMID:21660123

Intra prediction using face continuity in 360-degree video coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanhart, Philippe; He, Yuwen; Ye, Yan

2017-09-01

This paper presents a new reference sample derivation method for intra prediction in 360-degree video coding. Unlike the conventional reference sample derivation method for 2D video coding, which uses the samples located directly above and on the left of the current block, the proposed method considers the spherical nature of 360-degree video when deriving reference samples located outside the current face to which the block belongs, and derives reference samples that are geometric neighbors on the sphere. The proposed reference sample derivation method was implemented in the Joint Exploration Model 3.0 (JEM-3.0) for the cubemap projection format. Simulation results for the all intra configuration show that, when compared with the conventional reference sample derivation method, the proposed method gives, on average, luma BD-rate reduction of 0.3% in terms of the weighted spherical PSNR (WS-PSNR) and spherical PSNR (SPSNR) metrics.

Establishment of mouse embryonic stem cells from isolated blastomeres and whole embryos using three derivation methods

PubMed Central

González, Sheyla; Ibáñez, Elena

2010-01-01

Purpose The aim of the present study is to compare three previously described mouse embryonic stem cell derivation methods to evaluate the influence of culture conditions, number of isolated blastomeres and embryonic stage in the derivation process. Methods Three embryonic stem cell derivation methods: standard, pre-adhesion and defined culture medium method, were compared in the derivation from isolated blastomeres and whole embryos at 4- and 8-cell stages. Results A total of 200 embryonic stem cell lines were obtained with an efficiency ranging from 1.9% to 72%. Conclusions Using either isolated blastomeres or whole embryos, the highest rates of mouse embryonic stem cell establishment were achieved with the defined culture medium method and efficiencies increased as development progressed. Using isolated blastomeres, efficiencies increased in parallel to the proportion of the embryo volume used to start the derivation process. PMID:20862536

Decellularized adipose tissue microcarriers as a dynamic culture platform for human adipose-derived stem/stromal cell expansion.

PubMed

Yu, Claire; Kornmuller, Anna; Brown, Cody; Hoare, Todd; Flynn, Lauren E

2017-03-01

With the goal of designing a clinically-relevant expansion strategy for human adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs), methods were developed to synthesize porous microcarriers derived purely from human decellularized adipose tissue (DAT). An electrospraying approach was applied to generate spherical DAT microcarriers with an average diameter of 428 ± 41 μm, which were soft, compliant, and stable in long-term culture without chemical crosslinking. Human ASCs demonstrated enhanced proliferation on the DAT microcarriers relative to commercially-sourced Cultispher-S microcarriers within a spinner culture system over 1 month. ASC immunophenotype was maintained post expansion, with a trend for reduced expression of the cell adhesion receptors CD73, CD105, and CD29 under dynamic conditions. Upregulation of the early lineage-specific genes PPARγ, LPL, and COMP was observed in the ASCs expanded on the DAT microcarriers, but the cells retained their multilineage differentiation capacity. Comparison of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation in 2-D cultures prepared with ASCs pre-expanded on the DAT microcarriers or Cultispher-S microcarriers revealed similar adipogenic and enhanced osteogenic marker expression in the DAT microcarrier group, which had undergone a higher population fold change. Further, histological staining results suggested a more homogeneous differentiation response in the ASCs expanded on the DAT microcarriers as compared to either Cultispher-S microcarriers or tissue culture polystyrene. A pilot chondrogenesis study revealed higher levels of chondrogenic gene and protein expression in the ASCs expanded on the DAT microcarriers relative to all other groups, including the baseline controls. Overall, this study demonstrates the promise of applying dynamic culture with tissue-specific DAT microcarriers as a means of deriving regenerative cell populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rotator cuff repair using cell sheets derived from human rotator cuff in a rat model.

PubMed

Harada, Yoshifumi; Mifune, Yutaka; Inui, Atsuyuki; Sakata, Ryosuke; Muto, Tomoyuki; Takase, Fumiaki; Ueda, Yasuhiro; Kataoka, Takeshi; Kokubu, Takeshi; Kuroda, Ryosuke; Kurosaka, Masahiro

2017-02-01

To achieve biological regeneration of tendon-bone junctions, cell sheets of human rotator-cuff derived cells were used in a rat rotator cuff injury model. Human rotator-cuff derived cells were isolated, and cell sheets were made using temperature-responsive culture plates. Infraspinatus tendons in immunodeficient rats were resected bilaterally at the enthesis. In right shoulders, infraspinatus tendons were repaired by the transosseous method and covered with the cell sheet (sheet group), whereas the left infraspinatus tendons were repaired in the same way without the cell sheet (control group). Histological examinations (safranin-O and fast green staining, isolectin B4, type II collagen, and human-specific CD31) and mRNA expression (vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGF, type II collagen; Col2, and tenomodulin; TeM) were analyzed 4 weeks after surgery. Biomechanical tests were performed at 8 weeks. In the sheet group, proteoglycan at the enthesis with more type II collagen and isolectin B4 positive cells were seen compared with in the control group. Human specific CD31-positive cells were detected only in the sheet group. VEGF and Col2 gene expressions were higher and TeM gene expression was lower in the sheet group than in the control group. In mechanical testing, the sheet group showed a significantly higher ultimate failure load than the control group at 8 weeks. Our results indicated that the rotator-cuff derived cell sheet could promote cartilage regeneration and angiogenesis at the enthesis, with superior mechanical strength compared with the control. Treatment for rotator cuff injury using cell sheets could be a promising strategy for enthesis of tendon tissue engineering. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:289-296, 2017. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Adipose-derived stem cell transplantation promotes the expression of netrin-1 in the rat cortex after focal cerebral ischemia].

PubMed

Wang, Jiehua; Hong, Zhuquan; Pan, Ying; Li, Guoqian

2017-01-01

Objective To observe the effect of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) transplantation on the expression of netrin-1 in rats after focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group and ADSC group. ADSCs were harvested and purified. Focal cerebral ischemia models were established in rats by the suture method. ADSCs were injected into the lateral ventricle of ADSC group rats and the same does of PBS was given to model group rats. At day 4, 7 and 14 after reperfusion, six rats were sacrificed to remove the brain tissues at each time point. The expression of netrin-1 was detected by reverse-transcription PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with the control group, the expression of netrin-1 in the brain tissues of the model group increased after focal cerebral ischemia, reached the peak at 4 days, and the expression of netrin-1 was significantly higher than that of the control group at each time point. Compared with the model group, the expression of netrin-1 in the ADSC group increased further, reached the peak at 7 days, and the expression of netrin-1 in the ADSC group was significantly higher than that of the model group at each time point. Conclusion ADSC transplantation could up-regulate the expression of netrin-1, and promote axon regeneration and the recovery of neurological functions.

Confirming the Value of Swimming-Performance Models for Adolescents.

PubMed

Dormehl, Shilo J; Robertson, Samuel J; Barker, Alan R; Williams, Craig A

2017-10-01

To evaluate the efficacy of existing performance models to assess the progression of male and female adolescent swimmers through a quantitative and qualitative mixed-methods approach. Fourteen published models were tested using retrospective data from an independent sample of Dutch junior national-level swimmers from when they were 12-18 y of age (n = 13). The degree of association by Pearson correlations was compared between the calculated differences from the models and quadratic functions derived from the Dutch junior national qualifying times. Swimmers were grouped based on their differences from the models and compared with their swimming histories that were extracted from questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Correlations of the deviations from both the models and quadratic functions derived from the Dutch qualifying times were all significant except for the 100-m breaststroke and butterfly and the 200-m freestyle for females (P < .05). In addition, the 100-m freestyle and backstroke for males and 200-m freestyle for males and females were almost directly proportional. In general, deviations from the models were accounted for by the swimmers' training histories. Higher levels of retrospective motivation appeared to be synonymous with higher-level career performance. This mixed-methods approach helped confirm the validity of the models that were found to be applicable to adolescent swimmers at all levels, allowing coaches to track performance and set goals. The value of the models in being able to account for the expected performance gains during adolescence enables quantification of peripheral factors that could affect performance.

Fibrinogen adsorption mechanisms at the gold substrate revealed by QCM-D measurements and RSA modeling.

PubMed

Kubiak, Katarzyna; Adamczyk, Zbigniew; Cieśla, Michał

2016-03-01

Adsorption kinetics of fibrinogen at a gold substrate at various pHs was thoroughly studied using the QCM-D method. The experimental were interpreted in terms of theoretical calculations performed according to the random sequential adsorption model (RSA). In this way, the hydration functions and water factors of fibrinogen monolayers were quantitatively evaluated at various pHs. It was revealed that for the lower range of fibrinogen coverage the hydration function were considerably lower than previously obtained for the silica sensor [33]. The lower hydration of fibrinogen monolayers on the gold sensor was attributed to its higher roughness. However, for higher fibrinogen coverage the hydration functions for both sensors became identical exhibiting an universal behavior. By using the hydration functions, the fibrinogen adsorption/desorption runs derived from QCM-D measurements were converted to the Γd vs. the time relationships. This allowed to precisely determine the maximum coverage that varied between 1.6mgm(-2) at pH 3.5 and 4.5mgm(-2) at pH 7.4 (for ionic strength of 0.15M). These results agree with theoretical eRSA modeling and previous experimental data derived by using ellipsometry, OWLS and TIRF. Various fibrinogen adsorption mechanisms were revealed by exploiting the maximum coverage data. These results allow one to develop a method for preparing fibrinogen monolayers of well-controlled coverage and molecule orientation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of eggshell-derived hydroxyapatite via mechanochemical method: A comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamidi, A. A.; Salimi, M. N.; Yusoff, A. H. M.

2017-04-01

The focus of bone graft properties has developed through generations, from the ability to withstand mechanical stress to the ability to integrate with the biological structure. In recent years, the use of hydroxyapatite (HA) as bone graft material in orthopedic and dental applications has been increasing. HA is a natural occuring mineral with excellent bioactivity but relatively poor mechanical properties. It constitutes 96% portion of enamel in teeth and 67% portion of bone. HA can be extracted from animal bones or fabricated from synthetic or biologic sources. In this study, eggshells were used as raw material to synthesize eggshell-derived HA (EHA) via mechanochemical method. The synthesis of EHA involved CaO, which was obtained from the calcination of eggshells, and reaction with dicalcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrous (DCPD) or phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The effects of rotational speed and heat treatment temperature on EHA's characteristics were investigated. The characterization studies were carried out by using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). HA powder was successfully synthesized with crystallite and particle sizes in the range of 8-47 nm and 250-550 nm respectively. It was observed from this study that the increase of milling rotational speed had increased the phase purity of EHA samples. Furthermore, the higher heating temperature of HA samples resulted in higher degree of crystallinity of HA and the appearance of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) as secondary phase.

A method for examining the geospatial distribution of CO2 storage resources applied to the Pre-Punta Gorda Composite and Dollar Bay reservoirs of the South Florida Basin, U.S.A

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts-Ashby, Tina; Brandon N. Ashby,

2016-01-01

This paper demonstrates geospatial modification of the USGS methodology for assessing geologic CO2 storage resources, and was applied to the Pre-Punta Gorda Composite and Dollar Bay reservoirs of the South Florida Basin. The study provides detailed evaluation of porous intervals within these reservoirs and utilizes GIS to evaluate the potential spatial distribution of reservoir parameters and volume of CO2 that can be stored. This study also shows that incorporating spatial variation of parameters using detailed and robust datasets may improve estimates of storage resources when compared to applying uniform values across the study area derived from small datasets, like many assessment methodologies. Geospatially derived estimates of storage resources presented here (Pre-Punta Gorda Composite = 105,570 MtCO2; Dollar Bay = 24,760 MtCO2) were greater than previous assessments, which was largely attributed to the fact that detailed evaluation of these reservoirs resulted in higher estimates of porosity and net-porous thickness, and areas of high porosity and thick net-porous intervals were incorporated into the model, likely increasing the calculated volume of storage space available for CO2 sequestration. The geospatial method for evaluating CO2 storage resources also provides the ability to identify areas that potentially contain higher volumes of storage resources, as well as areas that might be less favorable.

Higher-order derivative correlations and the alignment of small-scale structures in isotropic numerical turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerr, R. A.

1983-01-01

In a three dimensional simulation higher order derivative correlations, including skewness and flatness factors, are calculated for velocity and passive scalar fields and are compared with structures in the flow. The equations are forced to maintain steady state turbulence and collect statistics. It is found that the scalar derivative flatness increases much faster with Reynolds number than the velocity derivative flatness, and the velocity and mixed derivative skewness do not increase with Reynolds number. Separate exponents are found for the various fourth order velocity derivative correlations, with the vorticity flatness exponent the largest. Three dimensional graphics show strong alignment between the vorticity, rate of strain, and scalar-gradient fields. The vorticity is concentrated in tubes with the scalar gradient and the largest principal rate of strain aligned perpendicular to the tubes. Velocity spectra, in Kolmogorov variables, collapse to a single curve and a short minus 5/3 spectral regime is observed.

Multi-Objective Memetic Search for Robust Motion and Distortion Correction in Diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Hering, Jan; Wolf, Ivo; Maier-Hein, Klaus H

2016-10-01

Effective image-based artifact correction is an essential step in the analysis of diffusion MR images. Many current approaches are based on retrospective registration, which becomes challenging in the realm of high b -values and low signal-to-noise ratio, rendering the corresponding correction schemes more and more ineffective. We propose a novel registration scheme based on memetic search optimization that allows for simultaneous exploitation of different signal intensity relationships between the images, leading to more robust registration results. We demonstrate the increased robustness and efficacy of our method on simulated as well as in vivo datasets. In contrast to the state-of-art methods, the median target registration error (TRE) stayed below the voxel size even for high b -values (3000 s ·mm -2 and higher) and low SNR conditions. We also demonstrate the increased precision in diffusion-derived quantities by evaluating Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) derived measures on a in vivo dataset with severe motion artifacts. These promising results will potentially inspire further studies on metaheuristic optimization in diffusion MRI artifact correction and image registration in general.

Volatiles and water- and fat-soluble precursors of Saanen goat and cross Suffolk lamb flavour.

PubMed

Madruga, Marta; Dantas, Ingrid; Queiroz, Angela; Brasil, Luciana; Ishihara, Yuri

2013-02-07

This paper evaluates the concentrations of water- and fat-soluble precursors of meat flavour, with the aim of characterising the effect of species on the volatile profile of grilled goat and lamb meat. Compared to goat, lamb meat had higher levels of saturated fatty acids--SFA, monounsaturated fatty acids--MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids--PUFA and similar levels of sugars and free amino acids, except for lysine and glycine, which were higher in goat. Major differences were detected in lipid-derived volatiles; only pyrazine, thiazole, and some Strecker aldehydes were at different concentrations in these species. Volatile compounds derived from the oxidation of linoleic acid were at higher levels in meat from lamb due to the higher concentration of the latter, while compounds formed from α-linolenic acid were at higher levels in goat. It can be concluded that lamb meat has a stronger flavour profile compared to goat meat because it has the highest concentrations of lipid-derived volatile compounds, primarily straight saturated alkanals, pyrazines and thiazole.

Characterization of oil-palm trunk residue degradation enzymes derived from the isolated fungus, Penicillium rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL.

PubMed

Lee, Kok Chang; Arai, Takamitsu; Ibrahim, Darah; Deng, Lan; Murata, Yoshinori; Mori, Yutaka; Kosugi, Akihiko

2016-01-01

This study characterizes crude enzymes derived from Penicillium rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL, a mesophilic fungus isolated from the local soil of Malaysia. Prior to enzyme activity evaluation, P. rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL was inoculated into a broth medium containing oil-palm trunk residues for the preparation of crude enzymes. Oil-palm trunk residues were optimally hydrolysed at pH5.0 and 50°C. P. rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL-derived crude enzymes displayed higher thermal stability compared with the commercial enzymes, Celluclast 1.5 L and Acellerase 1500. Moreover, the hydrolysing activities of the P. rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL-derived crude enzymes (xylan, arabinan, and laminarin) were superior compared to that of Celluclast 1.5 L and Acellerase 1500, and exhibit 2- to 3-fold and 3- to 4-fold higher oil-palm trunk residues-hydrolysing specific activity, respectively. This higher hydrolysis efficiency may be attributed to the weak 'lignin-binding' ability of the P. rolfsii c3-2(1) IBRL-derived enzymes compared to the commercial enzymes.

Derivative spectrophotometric analysis of benzophenone (as an impurity) in phenytoin

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Three simple and rapid spectrophotometric methods were developed for detection and trace determination of benzophenone (the main impurity) in phenytoin bulk powder and pharmaceutical formulations. The first method, zero-crossing first derivative spectrophotometry, depends on measuring the first derivative trough values at 257.6 nm for benzophenone. The second method, zero-crossing third derivative spectrophotometry, depends on measuring the third derivative peak values at 263.2 nm. The third method, ratio first derivative spectrophotometry, depends on measuring the peak amplitudes of the first derivative of the ratio spectra (the spectra of benzophenone divided by the spectrum of 5.0 μg/mL phenytoin solution) at 272 nm. The calibration graphs were linear over the range of 1-10 μg/mL. The detection limits of the first and the third derivative methods were found to be 0.04 μg/mL and 0.11 μg/mL and the quantitation limits were 0.13 μg/mL and 0.34 μg/mL, respectively, while for the ratio derivative method, the detection limit was 0.06 μg/mL and the quantitation limit was 0.18 μg/mL. The proposed methods were applied successfully to the assay of the studied drug in phenytoin bulk powder and certain pharmaceutical preparations. The results were statistically compared to those obtained using a polarographic method and were found to be in good agreement. PMID:22152156

Mode suppression in metal filled photonic crystal vertical cavity lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Benjamin G.; Arbabi, Amir; Goddard, Lynford L.

2012-03-01

Simulation results for an etched air hole photonic crystal (PhC) vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure with various thicknesses of metal deposited inside the holes are presented. The higher-order modes of the structure are more spread out than the fundamental mode, and penetrate into the metal-filled holes. Due to the lossy nature of the metal, these higher-order modes experience a greater loss than the fundamental mode, resulting in an enhanced side mode suppression ratio (SMSR). A figure of merit for determining which metals would have the greatest impact on the SMSR is derived and validated using a transmission matrix method calculation. A full three-dimensional simulation of the PhC VCSEL structure is performed using the plane wave admittance method, and SMSRs are calculated for increasing metal thicknesses. Of the metals simulated, chromium provided the greatest SMSR enhancement with more than a 4 dB improvement with 500 nm of metal for an operating current of 12 times threshold.

Computation of rapidly varied unsteady, free-surface flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Basco, D.R.

1987-01-01

Many unsteady flows in hydraulics occur with relatively large gradients in free surface profiles. The assumption of hydrostatic pressure distribution with depth is no longer valid. These are rapidly-varied unsteady flows (RVF) of classical hydraulics and also encompass short wave propagation of coastal hydraulics. The purpose of this report is to present an introductory review of the Boussinnesq-type differential equations that describe these flows and to discuss methods for their numerical integration. On variable slopes and for large scale (finite-amplitude) disturbances, three independent derivational methods all gave differences in the motion equation for higher order terms. The importance of these higher-order terms for riverine applications must be determined by numerical experiments. Care must be taken in selection of the appropriate finite-difference scheme to minimize truncation error effects and the possibility of diverging (double mode) numerical solutions. It is recommended that practical hydraulics cases be established and tested numerically to demonstrate the order of differences in solution with those obtained from the long wave equations of St. Venant. (USGS)

Vector spherical quasi-Gaussian vortex beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitri, F. G.

2014-02-01

Model equations for describing and efficiently computing the radiation profiles of tightly spherically focused higher-order electromagnetic beams of vortex nature are derived stemming from a vectorial analysis with the complex-source-point method. This solution, termed as a high-order quasi-Gaussian (qG) vortex beam, exactly satisfies the vector Helmholtz and Maxwell's equations. It is characterized by a nonzero integer degree and order (n,m), respectively, an arbitrary waist w0, a diffraction convergence length known as the Rayleigh range zR, and an azimuthal phase dependency in the form of a complex exponential corresponding to a vortex beam. An attractive feature of the high-order solution is the rigorous description of strongly focused (or strongly divergent) vortex wave fields without the need of either the higher-order corrections or the numerically intensive methods. Closed-form expressions and computational results illustrate the analysis and some properties of the high-order qG vortex beams based on the axial and transverse polarization schemes of the vector potentials with emphasis on the beam waist.

Application of low-order potential solutions to higher-order vertical traction boundary problems in an elastic half-space

PubMed Central

Taylor, Adam G.

2018-01-01

New solutions of potential functions for the bilinear vertical traction boundary condition are derived and presented. The discretization and interpolation of higher-order tractions and the superposition of the bilinear solutions provide a method of forming approximate and continuous solutions for the equilibrium state of a homogeneous and isotropic elastic half-space subjected to arbitrary normal surface tractions. Past experimental measurements of contact pressure distributions in granular media are reviewed in conjunction with the application of the proposed solution method to analysis of elastic settlement in shallow foundations. A numerical example is presented for an empirical ‘saddle-shaped’ traction distribution at the contact interface between a rigid square footing and a supporting soil medium. Non-dimensional soil resistance is computed as the reciprocal of normalized surface displacements under this empirical traction boundary condition, and the resulting internal stresses are compared to classical solutions to uniform traction boundary conditions. PMID:29892456

L-arginine mediated renaturation enhances yield of human, α6 type IV collagen non-collagenous domain from bacterial inclusion bodies

PubMed Central

Gunda, Venugopal; Boosani, Chandra Shekhar; Verma, Raj Kumar; Guda, Chittibabu; Akul Sudhakar, Yakkanti

2012-01-01

The anti-angiogenic, carboxy terminal non-collagenous domain (NC1) derived from human Collagen type IV alpha 6 chain, [α6(IV)NC1] or hexastatin, was earlier obtained using different recombinant methods of expression in bacterial systems. However, the effect of L-arginine mediated renaturation in enhancing the relative yields of this protein from bacterial inclusion bodies has not been evaluated. In the present study, direct stirring and on-column renaturation methods using L-arginine and different size exclusion chromatography matrices were applied for enhancing the solubility in purifying the recombinant α6(IV)NC1 from bacterial inclusion bodies. This methodology enabled purification of higher quantities of soluble protein from inclusion bodies, which inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation. Thus, the scope for L-arginine mediated renaturation in obtaining higher yields of soluble, biologically active NC1 domain from bacterial inclusion bodies was evaluated. PMID:22512648

L-arginine mediated renaturation enhances yield of human, α6 Type IV collagen non-collagenous domain from bacterial inclusion bodies.

PubMed

Gunda, Venugopal; Boosani, Chandra Shekhar; Verma, Raj Kumar; Guda, Chittibabu; Sudhakar, Yakkanti Akul

2012-10-01

The anti-angiogenic, carboxy terminal non-collagenous domain (NC1) derived from human Collagen type IV alpha 6 chain, [α6(IV)NC1] or hexastatin, was earlier obtained using different recombinant methods of expression in bacterial systems. However, the effect of L-arginine mediated renaturation in enhancing the relative yields of this protein from bacterial inclusion bodies has not been evaluated. In the present study, direct stirring and on-column renaturation methods using L-arginine and different size exclusion chromatography matrices were applied for enhancing the solubility in purifying the recombinant α6(IV)NC1 from bacterial inclusion bodies. This methodology enabled purification of higher quantities of soluble protein from inclusion bodies, which inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation. Thus, the scope for L-arginine mediated renaturation in obtaining higher yields of soluble, biologically active NC1 domain from bacterial inclusion bodies was evaluated.

Fish-Derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Aucoin, Monique; Cooley, Kieran; Knee, Christopher; Fritz, Heidi; Balneaves, Lynda G.; Breau, Rodney; Fergusson, Dean; Skidmore, Becky; Wong, Raimond; Seely, Dugald

2016-01-01

Background. The use of natural health products in prostate cancer (PrCa) is high despite a lack of evidence with respect to safety and efficacy. Fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-inflammatory effects and preclinical data suggest a protective effect on PrCa incidence and progression; however, human studies have yielded conflicting results. Methods. A search of OVID MEDLINE, Pre-MEDLINE, Embase, and the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) was completed for human interventional or observational data assessing the safety and efficacy of fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids in the incidence and progression of PrCa. Results. Of 1776 citations screened, 54 publications reporting on 44 studies were included for review and analysis: 4 reports of 3 randomized controlled trials, 1 nonrandomized clinical trial, 20 reports of 14 cohort studies, 26 reports of 23 case-control studies, and 3 case-cohort studies. The interventional studies using fish oil supplements in patients with PrCa showed no impact on prostate-specific antigen levels; however, 2 studies showed a decrease in inflammatory or other cancer markers. A small number of mild adverse events were reported and interactions with other interventions were not assessed. Cohort and case-control studies assessing the relationship between dietary fish intake and the risk of PrCa were equivocal. Cohort studies assessing the risk of PrCa mortality suggested an association between higher intake of fish and decreased risk of prostate cancer–related death. Conclusions. Current evidence is insufficient to suggest a relationship between fish-derived omega-3 fatty acid and risk of PrCa. An association between higher omega-3 intake and decreased PrCa mortality may be present but more research is needed. More intervention trials or observational studies with precisely measured exposure are needed to assess the impact of fish oil supplements and dietary fish-derived omega-3 fatty acid intake on safety, PrCa incidence, treatment, and progression. PMID:27365385

Families of Graph Algorithms: SSSP Case Study

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

Kanewala Appuhamilage, Thejaka Amila Jay; Zalewski, Marcin J.; Lumsdaine, Andrew

2017-08-28

Single-Source Shortest Paths (SSSP) is a well-studied graph problem. Examples of SSSP algorithms include the original Dijkstra’s algorithm and the parallel Δ-stepping and KLA-SSSP algorithms. In this paper, we use a novel Abstract Graph Machine (AGM) model to show that all these algorithms share a common logic and differ from one another by the order in which they perform work. We use the AGM model to thoroughly analyze the family of algorithms that arises from the common logic. We start with the basic algorithm without any ordering (Chaotic), and then we derive the existing and new algorithms by methodically exploringmore » semantic and spatial ordering of work. Our experimental results show that new derived algorithms show better performance than the existing distributed memory parallel algorithms, especially at higher scales.« less

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of flaxseed oil using immobilized enzymes.

PubMed

Long, Jing-jing; Fu, Yu-jie; Zu, Yuan-gang; Li, Ji; Wang, Wei; Gu, Cheng-bo; Luo, Meng

2011-11-01

An aqueous enzymatic process assisted by ultrasound extraction (AEP-UE) was applied to the extraction of oil from flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). The highest oil recovery of 68.1% was obtained when ground flaxseed was incubated with 130 U/g of cellulase, pectinase, and hemicellulase for 12h, at 45°C and pH 5.0. The IC(50) values of oil obtained by AEP-UE and organic solvent extraction (OSE), as measured by DPPH scavenging activity essay, were 2.27 mg/mL and 3.31 mg/mL. The AEP-UE-derived oil had a 1.5% higher content of unsaturated fatty acids than the OSE-derived oil. AEP-UE is therefore a promising environmentally friendly method for large-scale preparation of flaxseed oil. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Classical Based Derivation of Time Dilation Providing First Order Accuracy to Schwarzschild's Solution of Einstein's Field Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austin, Rickey W.

In Einstein's theory of Special Relativity (SR), one method to derive relativistic kinetic energy is via applying the classical work-energy theorem to relativistic momentum. This approach starts with a classical based work-energy theorem and applies SR's momentum to the derivation. One outcome of this derivation is relativistic kinetic energy. From this derivation, it is rather straight forward to form a kinetic energy based time dilation function. In the derivation of General Relativity a common approach is to bypass classical laws as a starting point. Instead a rigorous development of differential geometry and Riemannian space is constructed, from which classical based laws are derived. This is in contrast to SR's approach of starting with classical laws and applying the consequences of the universal speed of light by all observers. A possible method to derive time dilation due to Newtonian gravitational potential energy (NGPE) is to apply SR's approach to deriving relativistic kinetic energy. It will be shown this method gives a first order accuracy compared to Schwarzschild's metric. The SR's kinetic energy and the newly derived NGPE derivation are combined to form a Riemannian metric based on these two energies. A geodesic is derived and calculations compared to Schwarzschild's geodesic for an orbiting test mass about a central, non-rotating, non-charged massive body. The new metric results in high accuracy calculations when compared to Einsteins General Relativity's prediction. The new method provides a candidate approach for starting with classical laws and deriving General Relativity effects. This approach mimics SR's method of starting with classical mechanics when deriving relativistic equations. As a compliment to introducing General Relativity, it provides a plausible scaffolding method from classical physics when teaching introductory General Relativity. A straight forward path from classical laws to General Relativity will be derived. This derivation provides a minimum first order accuracy to Schwarzschild's solution to Einstein's field equations.

Compressible fluids with Maxwell-type equations, the minimal coupling with electromagnetic field and the Stefan–Boltzmann law

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

Mendes, Albert C.R., E-mail: albert@fisica.ufjf.br; Takakura, Flavio I., E-mail: takakura@fisica.ufjf.br; Abreu, Everton M.C., E-mail: evertonabreu@ufrrj.br

In this work we have obtained a higher-derivative Lagrangian for a charged fluid coupled with the electromagnetic fluid and the Dirac’s constraints analysis was discussed. A set of first-class constraints fixed by noncovariant gauge condition were obtained. The path integral formalism was used to obtain the partition function for the corresponding higher-derivative Hamiltonian and the Faddeev–Popov ansatz was used to construct an effective Lagrangian. Through the partition function, a Stefan–Boltzmann type law was obtained. - Highlights: • Higher-derivative Lagrangian for a charged fluid. • Electromagnetic coupling and Dirac’s constraint analysis. • Partition function through path integral formalism. • Stefan–Boltzmann-kind lawmore » through the partition function.« less

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

Rogers, Jameson K.; Church, George M.

Here, engineering cells to produce valuable metabolic products is hindered by the slow and laborious methods available for evaluating product concentration. Consequently, many designs go unevaluated, and the dynamics of product formation over time go unobserved. In this work, we develop a framework for observing product formation in real time without the need for sample preparation or laborious analytical methods. We use genetically encoded biosensors derived from small-molecule responsive transcription factors to provide a fluorescent readout that is proportional to the intracellular concentration of a target metabolite. Combining an appropriate biosensor with cells designed to produce a metabolic product allowsmore » us to track product formation by observing fluorescence. With individual cells exhibiting fluorescent intensities proportional to the amount of metabolite they produce, high-throughput methods can be used to rank the quality of genetic variants or production conditions. We observe production of several renewable plastic precursors with fluorescent readouts and demonstrate that higher fluorescence is indeed an indicator of higher product titer. Using fluorescence as a guide, we identify process parameters that produce 3-hydroxypropionate at 4.2 g/L, 23-fold higher than previously reported. We also report, to our knowledge, the first engineered route from glucose to acrylate, a plastic precursor with global sales of 14 billion. Finally, we monitor the production of glucarate, a replacement for environmentally damaging detergents, and muconate, a renewable precursor to polyethylene terephthalate and nylon with combined markets of 51 billion, in real time, demonstrating that our method is applicable to a wide range of molecules.« less

Graph cuts for curvature based image denoising.

PubMed

Bae, Egil; Shi, Juan; Tai, Xue-Cheng

2011-05-01

Minimization of total variation (TV) is a well-known method for image denoising. Recently, the relationship between TV minimization problems and binary MRF models has been much explored. This has resulted in some very efficient combinatorial optimization algorithms for the TV minimization problem in the discrete setting via graph cuts. To overcome limitations, such as staircasing effects, of the relatively simple TV model, variational models based upon higher order derivatives have been proposed. The Euler's elastica model is one such higher order model of central importance, which minimizes the curvature of all level lines in the image. Traditional numerical methods for minimizing the energy in such higher order models are complicated and computationally complex. In this paper, we will present an efficient minimization algorithm based upon graph cuts for minimizing the energy in the Euler's elastica model, by simplifying the problem to that of solving a sequence of easy graph representable problems. This sequence has connections to the gradient flow of the energy function, and converges to a minimum point. The numerical experiments show that our new approach is more effective in maintaining smooth visual results while preserving sharp features better than TV models.

The Expression of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor in Bladder Transitional Cell Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Kim, Sung Woo; Lee, Kyung Seop

2012-01-01

Background Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an anti-angiogenic factor. The purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of PEDF in the angiogenesis and biological behavior of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Methods We examined the expression of PEDF in 99 bladder TCCs and ten non-neoplastic tissues, and evaluated microvessel density (MVD). Results The positive immunoreactivity for PEDF was seen in normal urothelium in 60% (6/10) and TCC in 13% (13/99). The PEDF expression had a significant correlation with MVD, i.e., a low MVD in 42% (5/12), a middle MVD in 11% (8/76) and a high MVD 0% (0/11) of tumors. The PEDF expression was not significantly correlated with the differentiation and invasion of TCC, but the degree of MVD was significantly higher in both high grade TCC and the pT2 tumors. Conclusions The degree of PEDF expression is significantly higher in normal bladder urothelium than bladder TCC; it is inversely correlated with the angiogenesis; and it is not related to the differentiation and progression of TCC. It can therefore be concluded that bladder TCC would initially occur if there is a lack of the PEDF expression. PMID:23110012

Phytochemical profile of a blend of black chokeberry and lemon juice with cholinesterase inhibitory effect and antioxidant potential.

PubMed

Gironés-Vilaplana, Amadeo; Valentão, Patrícia; Andrade, Paula B; Ferreres, Federico; Moreno, Diego A; García-Viguera, Cristina

2012-10-15

In this study, black chokeberry concentrate was added (5% w/v) to lemon juice, since previous reports suggested potential health benefits of this blend. The phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity (scavenging of DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, and hypochlorous acid), and inhibitory activity against cholinesterase of the new blend were determined and compared with those of lemon juice and chokeberry in citric acid (5%). The chokeberry concentrate, rich in cyanidin-glycosides, quercetin derivatives, and 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and lemon juice, possessing flavones, flavanones, quercetin derivates, and hydroxycinnamic acids, were characterised. The new drink showed a higher antioxidant effect than the chokeberry or lemon controls for all the tested methods, except for hypochlorous acid, in which lemon juice displayed higher activity. Both the lemon juice and chokeberry controls inhibited acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, and this effect was increased in the new mixtures. The results of the different radical scavenging assays indicate that the lemon-black chokeberry (5% w/v) mixture was more antioxidative than the respective controls separately. Moreover, their inhibition of cholinesterase is of interest regarding neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or senile dementia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An extended UTD analysis for the scattering and diffraction from cubic polynomial strips

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Constantinides, E. D.; Marhefka, R. J.

1993-01-01

Spline and polynomial type surfaces are commonly used in high frequency modeling of complex structures such as aircraft, ships, reflectors, etc. It is therefore of interest to develop an efficient and accurate solution to describe the scattered fields from such surfaces. An extended Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD) solution for the scattering and diffraction from perfectly conducting cubic polynomial strips is derived and involves the incomplete Airy integrals as canonical functions. This new solution is universal in nature and can be used to effectively describe the scattered fields from flat, strictly concave or convex, and concave convex boundaries containing edges. The classic UTD solution fails to describe the more complicated field behavior associated with higher order phase catastrophes and therefore a new set of uniform reflection and first-order edge diffraction coefficients is derived. Also, an additional diffraction coefficient associated with a zero-curvature (inflection) point is presented. Higher order effects such as double edge diffraction, creeping waves, and whispering gallery modes are not examined. The extended UTD solution is independent of the scatterer size and also provides useful physical insight into the various scattering and diffraction processes. Its accuracy is confirmed via comparison with some reference moment method results.

Bent channel design in buried Er3+/Yb3+ codoped phosphate glass waveguide fabricated by field-assisted annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ruitu; Wang, Mu; Chen, Baojie; Liu, Ke; Pun, Edwin Yue-Bun; Lin, Hai

2011-04-01

Bent waveguide structures (S-, U-, and F-bend) based on buried Er3+/Yb3+ codoped phosphate glass waveguide channel fabricated by field-assisted annealing have been designed to achieve high-gain C-band integrated amplification. Using a simulated-bend method, the optimal radius for the curved structure is derived to be 0.90 cm with loss coefficient of 0.02 dB/cm, as the substrate size is schemed to be 4×3 cm2. In the wavelength range of 1520 to 1575 nm, obvious gain enhancement for the bent structure waveguides is anticipated, and for the F-bend waveguide, the internal gain at 1534-nm wavelength is derived to be 41.61 dB, which is much higher than the value of 26.22 and 13.81 dB in the U- and S-bend waveguides, respectively, and over three times higher than that of the straight one. The simulation results indicate that the bent structure design is beneficial in obtaining high signal gain in buried Er3+/Yb3+ codoped phosphate glass waveguides, which lays the foundation for further design and fabrication of integrated devices.

Toward a better understanding of helicopter stability derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, R. S.

1982-01-01

An amended six degree of freedom helicopter stability and control derivative model was developed in which body acceleration and control rate derivatives were included in the Taylor series expansion. These additional derivatives were derived from consideration of the effects of the higher order rotor flapping dynamics, which are known to be inadequately represented in the conventional six degree of freedom, quasistatic stability derivative model. The amended model was a substantial improvement over the conventional model, effectively doubling the unsable bandwidth and providing a more accurate representation of the short period and cross axis characteristics. Further investigations assessed the applicability of the two stability derivative model structures for flight test parameter identification. Parameters were identified using simulation data generated from a higher order base line model having sixth order rotor tip path plane dynamics. Three lower order models were identified: one using the conventional stability derivative model structure, a second using the amended six degree of freedom model structure, and a third model having eight degrees of freedom that included a simplified rotor tip path plane tilt representation.

Method development and validation of potent pyrimidine derivative by UV-VIS spectrophotometer.

PubMed

Chaudhary, Anshu; Singh, Anoop; Verma, Prabhakar Kumar

2014-12-01

A rapid and sensitive ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopic method was developed for the estimation of pyrimidine derivative 6-Bromo-3-(6-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-2-(morpolinomethylamino) pyrimidine4-yl) -2H-chromen-2-one (BT10M) in bulk form. Pyrimidine derivative was monitored at 275 nm with UV detection, and there is no interference of diluents at 275 nm. The method was found to be linear in the range of 50 to 150 μg/ml. The accuracy and precision were determined and validated statistically. The method was validated as a guideline. The results showed that the proposed method is suitable for the accurate, precise, and rapid determination of pyrimidine derivative. Graphical Abstract Method development and validation of potent pyrimidine derivative by UV spectroscopy.

Translation of EEG Spatial Filters from Resting to Motor Imagery Using Independent Component Analysis

PubMed Central

Wang, Yijun; Wang, Yu-Te; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2012-01-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) often use spatial filters to improve signal-to-noise ratio of task-related EEG activities. To obtain robust spatial filters, large amounts of labeled data, which are often expensive and labor-intensive to obtain, need to be collected in a training procedure before online BCI control. Several studies have recently developed zero-training methods using a session-to-session scenario in order to alleviate this problem. To our knowledge, a state-to-state translation, which applies spatial filters derived from one state to another, has never been reported. This study proposes a state-to-state, zero-training method to construct spatial filters for extracting EEG changes induced by motor imagery. Independent component analysis (ICA) was separately applied to the multi-channel EEG in the resting and the motor imagery states to obtain motor-related spatial filters. The resultant spatial filters were then applied to single-trial EEG to differentiate left- and right-hand imagery movements. On a motor imagery dataset collected from nine subjects, comparable classification accuracies were obtained by using ICA-based spatial filters derived from the two states (motor imagery: 87.0%, resting: 85.9%), which were both significantly higher than the accuracy achieved by using monopolar scalp EEG data (80.4%). The proposed method considerably increases the practicality of BCI systems in real-world environments because it is less sensitive to electrode misalignment across different sessions or days and does not require annotated pilot data to derive spatial filters. PMID:22666377

Role of ionization and electron drift velocity profile to Rayleigh instability in a Hall thruster plasma

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

Singh, Sukhmander; Malik, Hitendra K.

Role of ionization to Rayleigh instability is clarified in a Hall thruster plasma under the variety of profiles of electron drift velocity, namely, step-like profile (SLP) and two different super-Gaussian profiles (SGP1 and SGP2). For this, a relevant Rayleigh equation is derived and solved numerically using fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Interestingly, an upper cutoff frequency of oscillations {omega}{sub max} is realized for the occurrence of the instability that shows dependence on the ionization rate {alpha}, electron drift velocity u{sub 0}, electron cyclotron frequency {Omega}, azimuthal wave number k{sub y}, plasma density n{sub 0}, density gradient {partial_derivative}n{sub 0}/{partial_derivative}x, ion (electron) thermal speedmore » V{sub thI}(V{sub thE}), and ion (electron) plasma frequency {omega}{sub pi}({omega}{sub pe}). The frequency {omega}{sub max} follows the trend {omega}{sub max} (for SGP2) >{omega}{sub max} (for SLP) >{omega}{sub max} (for SGP1) and shows a similar behaviour with ionization for all types of the velocity profiles. The instability is found to grow faster for the higher {alpha} and the ion temperature but it acquires lower rate under the effect of the higher electron temperature; the perturbed potential also varies in accordance with the growth rate. The electron temperature influences the growth rate and cutoff frequency less significantly in comparison with the ion temperature.« less

Antineurodegenerative effect of phenolic extracts and caffeic acid derivatives in romaine lettuce on neuron-like PC-12 cells.

PubMed

Im, Sung-Eun; Yoon, Hyungeun; Nam, Tae-Gyu; Heo, Ho Jin; Lee, Chang Yong; Kim, Dae-Ok

2010-08-01

In recent decades, romaine lettuce has been one of the fastest growing vegetables with respect to its consumption and production. An understanding is needed of the effect of major phenolic phytochemicals from romaine lettuce on biological protection for neuron-like PC-12 cells. Phenolics in fresh romaine lettuce were extracted, and then its total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity were measured spectrophotometrically. Neuroprotective effects of phenolic extract of romaine lettuce and its pure caffeic acid derivatives (caffeic, chicoric, chlorogenic, and isochlorogenic acids) in PC-12 cells were evaluated using two different in vitro methods: lactate dehydrogenase release and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction assays. Total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity of 100 g of fresh romaine lettuce averaged 22.7 mg of gallic acid equivalents and 31.0 mg of vitamin C equivalents, respectively. The phenolic extract of romaine lettuce protected PC-12 cells against oxidative stress caused by H(2)O(2) in a dose-dependent manner. Isochlorogenic acid, one of the phenolics in romaine lettuce, showed stronger neuroprotection than the other three caffeic acid derivatives also found in the lettuce. Although romaine lettuce had lower levels of phenolics and antioxidant capacity compared to other common vegetables, its contribution to total antioxidant capacity and antineurodegenerative effect in human diets would be higher because of higher amounts of its daily per capita consumption compared to other common vegetables.

Identification of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease by a profile of pathogenic proteins in neurally-derived blood exosomes: a case-control study

PubMed Central

Fiandaca, Massimo S.; Kapogiannis, Dimitrios; Mapstone, Mark; Boxer, Adam; Eitan, Erez; Schwartz, Janice B.; Abner, Erin L.; Petersen, Ronald C.; Federoff, Howard J.; Miller, Bruce L.; Goetzl, Edward J.

2014-01-01

Background Proteins pathogenic in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were extracted from neurally-derived blood exosomes and quantified to develop biomarkers for staging of sporadic AD. Methods Blood exosomes obtained at one time-point from patients with AD (n=57) or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (n=16), and at two time-points from others (n=24) when cognitively normal and one-ten years later when diagnosed with AD were enriched for neural sources by immunoabsorption. AD-pathogenic exosomal proteins were extracted and quantified by ELISAs. Results Mean exosomal levels of total Tau, P-T181-tau, P-S396-tau and Aβ1-42 for AD and levels of P-T181-tau and Aβ1-42 for FTD were significantly higher than for case-controls. Stepwise discriminant modeling incorporated P-T181-tau, P-S396-tau and Aβ1-42 in AD, but only P-T181-tau in FTD. Classification of 96.4% of AD patients and 87.5% of FTD patients was correct. In 24 AD patients, exosomal levels of P-S396-tau, P-T181-tau and Aβ1-42 were significantly higher than for controls both one to ten years before and when diagnosed with AD. Conclusions Levels of P-S396-tau, P-T181-tau and Aβ1-42 in extracts of neurally-derived blood exosomes predict development of AD up to 10 years prior to clinical onset. PMID:25130657

Automated quantification of myocardial perfusion SPECT using simplified normal limits.

PubMed

Slomka, Piotr J; Nishina, Hidetaka; Berman, Daniel S; Akincioglu, Cigdem; Abidov, Aiden; Friedman, John D; Hayes, Sean W; Germano, Guido

2005-01-01

To simplify development of normal limits for myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS), we implemented a quantification scheme in which normal limits are derived without visual scoring of abnormal scans or optimization of regional thresholds. Normal limits were derived from same-day TI-201 rest/Tc-99m-sestamibi stress scans of male (n = 40) and female (n = 40) low-likelihood patients. Defect extent, total perfusion deficit (TPD), and regional perfusion extents were derived by comparison to normal limits in polar-map coordinates. MPS scans from 256 consecutive patients without known coronary artery disease, who underwent coronary angiography, were analyzed. The new method of quantification (TPD) was compared with our previously developed quantification system and visual scoring. The receiver operator characteristic area under the curve for detection of 50% or greater stenoses by TPD (0.88 +/- 0.02) was higher than by visual scoring (0.83 +/- 0.03) ( P = .039) or standard quantification (0.82 +/- 0.03) ( P = .004). For detection of 70% or greater stenoses, it was higher for TPD (0.89 +/- 0.02) than for standard quantification (0.85 +/- 0.02) ( P = .014). Sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 79%, respectively, for TPD; 81% and 85%, respectively, for visual scoring; and 80% and 73%, respectively, for standard quantification. The use of stress mode-specific normal limits did not improve performance. Simplified quantification achieves performance better than or equivalent to visual scoring or quantification based on per-segment visual optimization of abnormality thresholds.

Lithology-dependent minimum horizontal stress and in-situ stress estimate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yushuai; Zhang, Jincai

2017-04-01

Based on the generalized Hooke's law with coupling stresses and pore pressure, the minimum horizontal stress is solved with assumption that the vertical, minimum and maximum horizontal stresses are in equilibrium in the subsurface formations. From this derivation, we find that the uniaxial strain method is the minimum value or lower bound of the minimum stress. Using Anderson's faulting theory and this lower bound of the minimum horizontal stress, the coefficient of friction of the fault is derived. It shows that the coefficient of friction may have a much smaller value than what it is commonly assumed (e.g., μf = 0.6-0.7) for in-situ stress estimate. Using the derived coefficient of friction, an improved stress polygon is drawn, which can reduce the uncertainty of in-situ stress calculation by narrowing the area of the conventional stress polygon. It also shows that the coefficient of friction of the fault is dependent on lithology. For example, if the formation in the fault is composed of weak shales, then the coefficient of friction of the fault may be small (as low as μf = 0.2). This implies that this fault is weaker and more likely to have shear failures than the fault composed of sandstones. To avoid the weak fault from shear sliding, it needs to have a higher minimum stress and a lower shear stress. That is, the critically stressed weak fault maintains a higher minimum stress, which explains why a low shear stress appears in the frictionally weak fault.

Spatial Variations in CO2 Mixing Ratios Over a Heterogenous Landscape - Linking Airborne Measurements With Remote Sensing Derived Biophysical Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Y.; Vadrevu, K. P.; Vay, S. A.; Woo, J.

2006-12-01

North American terrestrial ecosystems are major sources and sinks of carbon. Precise measurement of atmospheric CO2 concentrations plays an important role in the development and testing of carbon cycle models quantifying the influence of terrestrial CO2 exchange on the North American carbon budget. During the summer 2004 Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment North America (INTEX-NA) campaign, regional scale in-situ measurements of atmospheric CO2 were made from the NASA DC-8 affording the opportunity to explore how land surface heterogeneity relates to the airborne observations utilizing remote-sensing data products and GIS-based methods. These 1 Hz data reveal the seasonal biospheric uptake of CO2 over portions of the U.S. continent, especially east of 90°W below 2 km, compared to higher mixing ratios over water as well as within the upper troposphere where well-mixed, aged air masses were sampled. In this study, we use several remote sensing derived biophysical parameters from the LANDSAT, NOAA AVHRR, and MODIS sensors to specify spatiotemporal patterns of land use cover and vegetation characteristics for linking the airborne measurements of CO2 data with terrestrial sources of carbon. Also, CO2 flux footprint outputs from a 3-D Lagrangian atmospheric model have been integrated with satellite remote sensing data to infer CO2 variations across heterogeneous landscapes. In examining the landscape mosaic utilizing these available tools, preliminary results suggest that the lowest CO2 mixing ratios observed during INTEX-NA were over agricultural fields in Illinois dominated by corn then secondarily soybean crops. Low CO2 concentrations are attributable to sampling during the peak growing season over such C4 plants as corn having a higher photosynthetic rate via the C4-dicarboxylic acid pathway of carbon fixation compared to C3 plants such as soybeans. In addition to LANDSAT derived land cover data, results from comparisons of the airborne CO2 observations with vegetation indices of NDVI and EVI derived from MODIS data were used. Higher CO2 mixing ratios anti-correlated with the vegetation indices derived from MODIS data were observed. This is attributable to the photosynthetic uptake of CO2 by plants and convective mixing of the atmosphere. Details of satellite data characteristics related with the in-situ CO2 measurements will be presented.

Number of 24-Hour Diet Recalls Needed to Estimate Energy Intake

PubMed Central

MA, Yunsheng; Olendzki, Barbara C.; Pagoto, Sherry L.; Hurley, Thomas G.; Magner, Robert P.; Ockene, Ira S.; Schneider, Kristin L.; Merriam, Philip A.; Hébert, James R.

2009-01-01

Purpose Twenty-four-hour diet recall interviews (24HRs) are used to assess diet and to validate other diet assessment instruments. Therefore it is important to know how many 24HRs are required to describe an individual's intake. Method Seventy-nine middle-aged white women completed seven 24HRs over a 14-day period, during which energy expenditure (EE) was determined by the doubly labeled water method (DLW). Mean daily intakes were compared to DLW-derived EE using paired t tests. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of call sequence and day of the week on 24HR-derived energy intake while adjusting for education, relative body weight, social desirability, and an interaction between call sequence and social desirability. Results Mean EE from DLW was 2115 kcal/day. Adjusted 24HR-derived energy intake was lowest at call 1 (1501 kcal/day); significantly higher energy intake was observed at calls 2 and 3 (2246 and 2315 kcal/day, respectively). Energy intake on Friday was significantly lower than on Sunday. Averaging energy intake from the first two calls better approximated true energy expenditure than did the first call, and averaging the first three calls further improved the estimate (p = 0.02 for both comparisons). Additional calls did not improve estimation. Conclusions Energy intake is underreported on the first 24HR. Three 24HRs appear optimal for estimating energy intake. PMID:19576535

Combining a wavelet transform with a channelized Hotelling observer for tumor detection in 3D PET oncology imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lartizien, Carole; Tomei, Sandrine; Maxim, Voichita; Odet, Christophe

2007-03-01

This study evaluates new observer models for 3D whole-body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging based on a wavelet sub-band decomposition and compares them with the classical constant-Q CHO model. Our final goal is to develop an original method that performs guided detection of abnormal activity foci in PET oncology imaging based on these new observer models. This computer-aided diagnostic method would highly benefit to clinicians for diagnostic purpose and to biologists for massive screening of rodents populations in molecular imaging. Method: We have previously shown good correlation of the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) using a constant-Q model with human observer performance for 3D PET oncology imaging. We propose an alternate method based on combining a CHO observer with a wavelet sub-band decomposition of the image and we compare it to the standard CHO implementation. This method performs an undecimated transform using a biorthogonal B-spline 4/4 wavelet basis to extract the features set for input to the Hotelling observer. This work is based on simulated 3D PET images of an extended MCAT phantom with randomly located lesions. We compare three evaluation criteria: classification performance using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), computation efficiency and visual quality of the derived 3D maps of the decision variable λ. The SNR is estimated on a series of test images for a variable number of training images for both observers. Results: Results show that the maximum SNR is higher with the constant-Q CHO observer, especially for targets located in the liver, and that it is reached with a smaller number of training images. However, preliminary analysis indicates that the visual quality of the 3D maps of the decision variable λ is higher with the wavelet-based CHO and the computation time to derive a 3D λ-map is about 350 times shorter than for the standard CHO. This suggests that the wavelet-CHO observer is a good candidate for use in our guided detection method.

Derivation of an occupational exposure limit for an inhalation analgesic methoxyflurane (Penthrox(®)).

PubMed

Frangos, John; Mikkonen, Antti; Down, Christin

2016-10-01

Methoxyflurane (MOF) a haloether, is an inhalation analgesic agent for emergency relief of pain by self administration in conscious patients with trauma and associated pain. It is administered under supervision of personnel trained in its use. As a consequence of supervised use, intermittent occupational exposure can occur. An occupational exposure limit has not been established for methoxyflurane. Human clinical and toxicity data have been reviewed and used to derive an occupational exposure limit (referred to as a maximum exposure level, MEL) according to modern principles. The data set for methoxyflurane is complex given its historical use as anaesthetic. Distinguishing clinical investigations of adverse health effects following high and prolonged exposure during anaesthesia to assess relatively low and intermittent exposure during occupational exposure requires an evidence based approach to the toxicity assessment and determination of a critical effect and point of departure. The principal target organs are the kidney and the central nervous system and there have been rare reports of hepatotoxicity, too. Methoxyflurane is not genotoxic based on in vitro bacterial mutation and in vivo micronucleus tests and it is not classifiable (IARC) as a carcinogenic hazard to humans. The critical effect chosen for development of a MEL is kidney toxicity. The point of departure (POD) was derived from the concentration response relationship for kidney toxicity using the benchmark dose method. A MEL of 15 ppm (expressed as an 8 h time weighted average (TWA)) was derived. The derived MEL is at least 50 times higher than the mean observed TWA (0.23 ppm) for ambulance workers and medical staff involved in supervising use of Penthrox. In typical treatment environments (ambulances and treatment rooms) that meet ventilation requirements the derived MEL is at least 10 times higher than the modelled TWA (1.5 ppm or less) and the estimated short term peak concentrations are within the MEL. The odour threshold for MOF of 0.13-0.19 ppm indicates that the odour is detectable well below the MEL. Given the above considerations the proposed MEL is health protective. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High Loading of Polygenic Risk for ADHD in Children With Comorbid Aggression

PubMed Central

Hamshere, Marian L.; Langley, Kate; Martin, Joanna; Agha, Sharifah Shameem; Stergiakouli, Evangelia; Anney, Richard J.L.; Buitelaar, Jan; Faraone, Stephen V.; Lesch, Klaus-Peter; Neale, Benjamin M.; Franke, Barbara; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund; Asherson, Philip; Merwood, Andrew; Kuntsi, Jonna; Medland, Sarah E.; Ripke, Stephan; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Freitag, Christine; Reif, Andreas; Renner, Tobias J.; Romanos, Marcel; Romanos, Jasmin; Warnke, Andreas; Meyer, Jobst; Palmason, Haukur; Vasquez, Alejandro Arias; Lambregts-Rommelse, Nanda; Roeyers, Herbert; Biederman, Joseph; Doyle, Alysa E.; Hakonarson, Hakon; Rothenberger, Aribert; Banaschewski, Tobias; Oades, Robert D.; McGough, James J.; Kent, Lindsey; Williams, Nigel; Owen, Michael J.; Holmans, Peter

2013-01-01

Objective Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly heritable, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not yet identified any common genetic variants that contribute to risk. There is evidence that aggression or conduct disorder in children with ADHD indexes higher genetic loading and clinical severity. The authors examine whether common genetic variants considered en masse as polygenic scores for ADHD are especially enriched in children with comorbid conduct disorder. Method Polygenic scores derived from an ADHD GWAS meta-analysis were calculated in an independent ADHD sample (452 case subjects, 5,081 comparison subjects). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to compare polygenic scores in the ADHD and comparison groups and test for higher scores in ADHD case subjects with comorbid conduct disorder relative to comparison subjects and relative to those without comorbid conduct disorder. Association with symptom scores was tested using linear regression. Results Polygenic risk for ADHD, derived from the meta-analysis, was higher in the independent ADHD group than in the comparison group. Polygenic score was significantly higher in ADHD case subjects with conduct disorder relative to ADHD case subjects without conduct disorder. ADHD polygenic score showed significant association with comorbid conduct disorder symptoms. This relationship was explained by the aggression items. Conclusions Common genetic variation is relevant to ADHD, especially in individuals with comorbid aggression. The findings suggest that the previously published ADHD GWAS meta-analysis contains weak but true associations with common variants, support for which falls below genome-wide significance levels. The findings also highlight the fact that aggression in ADHD indexes genetic as well as clinical severity. PMID:23599091

A probabilistic method for constructing wave time-series at inshore locations using model scenarios

USGS Publications Warehouse

Long, Joseph W.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Dalyander, P. Soupy; Thompson, David M.

2014-01-01

Continuous time-series of wave characteristics (height, period, and direction) are constructed using a base set of model scenarios and simple probabilistic methods. This approach utilizes an archive of computationally intensive, highly spatially resolved numerical wave model output to develop time-series of historical or future wave conditions without performing additional, continuous numerical simulations. The archive of model output contains wave simulations from a set of model scenarios derived from an offshore wave climatology. Time-series of wave height, period, direction, and associated uncertainties are constructed at locations included in the numerical model domain. The confidence limits are derived using statistical variability of oceanographic parameters contained in the wave model scenarios. The method was applied to a region in the northern Gulf of Mexico and assessed using wave observations at 12 m and 30 m water depths. Prediction skill for significant wave height is 0.58 and 0.67 at the 12 m and 30 m locations, respectively, with similar performance for wave period and direction. The skill of this simplified, probabilistic time-series construction method is comparable to existing large-scale, high-fidelity operational wave models but provides higher spatial resolution output at low computational expense. The constructed time-series can be developed to support a variety of applications including climate studies and other situations where a comprehensive survey of wave impacts on the coastal area is of interest.

A Novel Approach for Adaptive Signal Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Ya-Chin; Juang, Jer-Nan

1998-01-01

Adaptive linear predictors have been used extensively in practice in a wide variety of forms. In the main, their theoretical development is based upon the assumption of stationarity of the signals involved, particularly with respect to the second order statistics. On this basis, the well-known normal equations can be formulated. If high- order statistical stationarity is assumed, then the equivalent normal equations involve high-order signal moments. In either case, the cross moments (second or higher) are needed. This renders the adaptive prediction procedure non-blind. A novel procedure for blind adaptive prediction has been proposed and considerable implementation has been made in our contributions in the past year. The approach is based upon a suitable interpretation of blind equalization methods that satisfy the constant modulus property and offers significant deviations from the standard prediction methods. These blind adaptive algorithms are derived by formulating Lagrange equivalents from mechanisms of constrained optimization. In this report, other new update algorithms are derived from the fundamental concepts of advanced system identification to carry out the proposed blind adaptive prediction. The results of the work can be extended to a number of control-related problems, such as disturbance identification. The basic principles are outlined in this report and differences from other existing methods are discussed. The applications implemented are speech processing, such as coding and synthesis. Simulations are included to verify the novel modelling method.

Microwave Assisted-Method for the Synthesis of Perylene Ester Imides as a Gateway towards Unsymmetrical Perylene Bisimides.

PubMed

Gupta, Ravindra Kumar; Achalkumar, Ammathnadu Sudhakar

2018-05-18

A high yielding microwave-assisted synthetic method to obtain unsymmetrical perylene diester monoimide (PEI), by treating the perylene tetrester (PTE) with requisite amine is reported. Perylene-based molecules are widely used in the construction of self-assembled supramolecular structures because of their propensity to aggregate under various conditions. In comparison to perylene bisimides (PBIs), PEIs are less studied in organic electronics/self-assembly due to the synthetic difficulty and low yields in their preparation. PEIs are less electron deficient and have an unsymmetric structure in comparison to PBIs. Further, the PEIs got higher solubility than PBIs. The present method is applicable with a wide range of substrates like aliphatic, aromatic, benzyl amines, PTEs and bay-annulated PTEs. This method provides a tuning handle for the optical/electronic properties of perylene derivatives and also provides an easy access to unsymmetrical PBIs from the PEIs.

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

Namikawa, Toshiya

We present here a new method for delensing B modes of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) using a lensing potential reconstructed from the same realization of the CMB polarization (CMB internal delensing). The B -mode delensing is required to improve sensitivity to primary B modes generated by, e.g., the inflationary gravitational waves, axionlike particles, modified gravity, primordial magnetic fields, and topological defects such as cosmic strings. However, the CMB internal delensing suffers from substantial biases due to correlations between observed CMB maps to be delensed and that used for reconstructing a lensing potential. Since the bias depends on realizations, wemore » construct a realization-dependent (RD) estimator for correcting these biases by deriving a general optimal estimator for higher-order correlations. The RD method is less sensitive to simulation uncertainties. Compared to the previous ℓ -splitting method, we find that the RD method corrects the biases without substantial degradation of the delensing efficiency.« less

Tilt measurement using inclinometer based on redundant configuration of MEMS accelerometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jiazhen; Liu, Xuecong; Zhang, Hao

2018-05-01

Inclinometers are widely used in tilt measurement and their required accuracy is becoming ever higher. Most existing methods can effectively work only when the tilt is less than 60°, and the accuracy still can be improved. A redundant configuration of micro-electro mechanical system accelerometers is proposed in this paper and a least squares method and data processing normalization are used. A rigorous mathematical derivation is given. Simulation and experiment are used to verify its feasibility. The results of a Monte Carlo simulation, repeated 3000 times, and turntable reference experiments have shown that the tilt measure range can be expanded to 0°–90° by this method and that the measurement accuracy of θ can be improved by more than 10 times and the measurement accuracy of γ can be also improved effectively. The proposed method is proved to be effective and significant in practical application.

Methods for deoxygenating biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

DOEpatents

Brandvold, Timothy A.

2015-07-14

Methods for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil are provided. A method comprising the steps of diluting the biomass-derived pyrolysis oil with a phenolic-containing diluent to form a diluted pyoil-phenolic feed is provided. The diluted pyoil-phenolic feed is contacted with a deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen at hydroprocessing conditions effective to form a low-oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oil effluent.

Donor-derived infections among Chinese donation after cardiac death liver recipients

PubMed Central

Ye, Qi-Fa; Zhou, Wei; Wan, Qi-Quan

2017-01-01

AIM To investigate blood cultures of deceased donors and report the confirmed transmission of bacterial infection from donors to liver recipients. METHODS We retrospectively studied the results of blood cultures among our donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors and calculated the donor-derived bacterial infection rates among liver recipients. Study participants underwent liver transplantation between January 1, 2010 and February 1, 2017. The study involved a total of 67 recipients of liver grafts from 67 DCD donors. We extracted the data of donors’ and patients’ characteristics, culture results and clinical outcomes, especially the post-transplant complications in liver recipients, from electronic medical records. We analyzed the characteristics of the donors and the corresponding liver recipients with emphasis put on donor-derived infections. RESULTS Head trauma was the most common origin of death among our 67 DCD donors (46.3%). Blood taken prior to the procurement operation was cultured for 53 of the donors, with 17 episodes of bloodstream infections developing from 13 donors. The predominant organism isolated from the blood of donors was Gram-positive bacteria (70.6%). Only three (4.5%) of 67 liver recipients developed confirmed donor-derived bacterial infections, with two isolates of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and one isolate of multidrug-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes. The liver recipients with donor-derived infections showed relation to higher crude mortality and graft loss rates (33.3% each) within 3 mo post transplantation, as compared to those without donor-derived infections (9.4% and 4.7%, respectively). All three liver recipients received appropriate antimicrobial therapy. CONCLUSION Liver recipients have high occurrence of donor-derived infections. The liver recipients with donor-derived multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections can have good outcome if appropriate antimicrobial therapy is given. PMID:28883707

Fast computation of derivative based sensitivities of PSHA models via algorithmic differentiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leövey, Hernan; Molkenthin, Christian; Scherbaum, Frank; Griewank, Andreas; Kuehn, Nicolas; Stafford, Peter

2015-04-01

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is the preferred tool for estimation of potential ground-shaking hazard due to future earthquakes at a site of interest. A modern PSHA represents a complex framework which combines different models with possible many inputs. Sensitivity analysis is a valuable tool for quantifying changes of a model output as inputs are perturbed, identifying critical input parameters and obtaining insight in the model behavior. Differential sensitivity analysis relies on calculating first-order partial derivatives of the model output with respect to its inputs. Moreover, derivative based global sensitivity measures (Sobol' & Kucherenko '09) can be practically used to detect non-essential inputs of the models, thus restricting the focus of attention to a possible much smaller set of inputs. Nevertheless, obtaining first-order partial derivatives of complex models with traditional approaches can be very challenging, and usually increases the computation complexity linearly with the number of inputs appearing in the models. In this study we show how Algorithmic Differentiation (AD) tools can be used in a complex framework such as PSHA to successfully estimate derivative based sensitivities, as is the case in various other domains such as meteorology or aerodynamics, without no significant increase in the computation complexity required for the original computations. First we demonstrate the feasibility of the AD methodology by comparing AD derived sensitivities to analytically derived sensitivities for a basic case of PSHA using a simple ground-motion prediction equation. In a second step, we derive sensitivities via AD for a more complex PSHA study using a ground motion attenuation relation based on a stochastic method to simulate strong motion. The presented approach is general enough to accommodate more advanced PSHA studies of higher complexity.

Insight from uncertainty: bootstrap-derived diffusion metrics differentially predict memory function among older adults.

PubMed

Vorburger, Robert S; Habeck, Christian G; Narkhede, Atul; Guzman, Vanessa A; Manly, Jennifer J; Brickman, Adam M

2016-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging suffers from an intrinsic low signal-to-noise ratio. Bootstrap algorithms have been introduced to provide a non-parametric method to estimate the uncertainty of the measured diffusion parameters. To quantify the variability of the principal diffusion direction, bootstrap-derived metrics such as the cone of uncertainty have been proposed. However, bootstrap-derived metrics are not independent of the underlying diffusion profile. A higher mean diffusivity causes a smaller signal-to-noise ratio and, thus, increases the measurement uncertainty. Moreover, the goodness of the tensor model, which relies strongly on the complexity of the underlying diffusion profile, influences bootstrap-derived metrics as well. The presented simulations clearly depict the cone of uncertainty as a function of the underlying diffusion profile. Since the relationship of the cone of uncertainty and common diffusion parameters, such as the mean diffusivity and the fractional anisotropy, is not linear, the cone of uncertainty has a different sensitivity. In vivo analysis of the fornix reveals the cone of uncertainty to be a predictor of memory function among older adults. No significant correlation occurs with the common diffusion parameters. The present work not only demonstrates the cone of uncertainty as a function of the actual diffusion profile, but also discloses the cone of uncertainty as a sensitive predictor of memory function. Future studies should incorporate bootstrap-derived metrics to provide more comprehensive analysis.

Rapid detection of the CYP2A6*12 hybrid allele by Pyrosequencing technology.

PubMed

Koontz, Deborah A; Huckins, Jacqueline J; Spencer, Antonina; Gallagher, Margaret L

2009-08-24

Identification of CYP2A6 alleles associated with reduced enzyme activity is important in the study of inter-individual differences in drug metabolism. CYP2A6*12 is a hybrid allele that results from unequal crossover between CYP2A6 and CYP2A7 genes. The 5' regulatory region and exons 1-2 are derived from CYP2A7, and exons 3-9 are derived from CYP2A6. Conventional methods for detection of CYP2A6*12 consist of two-step PCR protocols that are laborious and unsuitable for high-throughput genotyping. We developed a rapid and accurate method to detect the CYP2A6*12 allele by Pyrosequencing technology. A single set of PCR primers was designed to specifically amplify both the CYP2A6*1 wild-type allele and the CYP2A6*12 hybrid allele. An internal Pyrosequencing primer was used to generate allele-specific sequence information, which detected homozygous wild-type, heterozygous hybrid, and homozygous hybrid alleles. We first validated the assay on 104 DNA samples that were also genotyped by conventional two-step PCR and by cycle sequencing. CYP2A6*12 allele frequencies were then determined using the Pyrosequencing assay on 181 multi-ethnic DNA samples from subjects of African American, European Caucasian, Pacific Rim, and Hispanic descent. Finally, we streamlined the Pyrosequencing assay by integrating liquid handling robotics into the workflow. Pyrosequencing results demonstrated 100% concordance with conventional two-step PCR and cycle sequencing methods. Allele frequency data showed slightly higher prevalence of the CYP2A6*12 allele in European Caucasians and Hispanics. This Pyrosequencing assay proved to be a simple, rapid, and accurate alternative to conventional methods, which can be easily adapted to the needs of higher-throughput studies.

Co-pyrolysis behaviour and kinetic of two typical solid wastes in China and characterisation of activated carbon prepared from pyrolytic char.

PubMed

Ma, Yuhui; Niu, Ruxuan; Wang, Xiaona; Wang, Qunhui; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Sun, Xiaohong

2014-11-01

This is the first study on the co-pyrolysis of spent substrate of Pleurotus ostreatus and coal tar pitch, and the activated carbon prepared from the pyrolytic char. Thermogravimetry (TG) analysis was carried out taking spent substrate, coal tar pitch and spent substrate-coal tar pitch mixture. The activation energies of pyrolysis reactions were obtained via the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods. The kinetic models were determined by the master-plots method. The activated carbons were characterised by N2-adsorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Experimental results demonstrated a synergistic effect happened during co-pyrolysis, which was characterised by a decreased maximum decomposition rate and an enhanced char yield. The average activation energies of the pyrolysis reactions of spent substrate, coal tar pitch and the mixture were 115.94, 72.92 and 94.38 kJ mol(-1) for the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method, and 112.17, 65.62 and 89.91 kJ mol(-1) for the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method. The reaction model functions were f(α) = (1-α)(3.42), (1-α)(1.72) and (1-α)(3.07) for spent substrate, coal tar pitch and the mixture, respectively. The mixture char-derived activated carbon had a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area up to 1337 m(2) g(-1) and a total pore volume of 0.680 cm(3) g(-1). Mixing spent substrate with coal tar pitch led to the creation of more micropores and a higher surface area compared with the single spent substrate and coal tar pitch char. Also, the mixture char-derived activated carbon had a higher proportion of aromatic stacking. This study provides a reference for the utilisation of spent substrate and coal tar pitch via co-pyrolysis, and their pyrolytic char as a promising precursor of activated carbon. © The Author(s) 2014.

Ecological risk assessment in legislation on contaminated soil in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Boekhold, Alexandra E

2008-12-01

Recently the Dutch soil policy was revised including new rules for the relocation of contaminated soil and dredged soil material. With these rules, new methods for ecotoxicological risk assessment were implemented. One of the new methods is the assessment of the local toxic pressure of mixtures, also known as the ms-PAF- method, based on the Species Sensitivity Distribution concept. The ms-PAF method is applied for risk assessment of spreading of dredged soil material on adjacent land. Its application will possibly be extended to the derivation of local soil quality standards relevant in the context of soil relocation. The application of the local toxic pressure will probably increase the reuse of contaminated soil and dredged soil material and hence will reduce the amounts considered to be unfit for use. With this method, local ecological risk limits are derived using pore water concentrations and effects on water organisms. Pore water concentrations are subsequently transferred to total soil concentrations using empirical relationships. The methodology does not impose upper limits for total soil concentrations. In soils with a high sorption capacity, total soil concentrations that are considered to be acceptable may be several times higher than the current Dutch intervention values. The possible introduction of the ms-PAF method will open the door to local soil relocation with soils containing large amounts of (semi-permanently soil bound) contaminants. Since the ms-PAF method is not yet properly validated, the lack of evidence of ecological effects using models like the ms-PAF method cannot be regarded as an indication for the absence of effects in reality. The Dutch soil quality decree would gain environmental ambition when the ms-PAF method was combined with a realistic upper limit on total soil concentrations. This would prevent contamination of land by means of soil relocation.

Quantifying cause-related mortality by weighting multiple causes of death

PubMed Central

Moreno-Betancur, Margarita; Lamarche-Vadel, Agathe; Rey, Grégoire

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To investigate a new approach to calculating cause-related standardized mortality rates that involves assigning weights to each cause of death reported on death certificates. Methods We derived cause-related standardized mortality rates from death certificate data for France in 2010 using: (i) the classic method, which considered only the underlying cause of death; and (ii) three novel multiple-cause-of-death weighting methods, which assigned weights to multiple causes of death mentioned on death certificates: the first two multiple-cause-of-death methods assigned non-zero weights to all causes mentioned and the third assigned non-zero weights to only the underlying cause and other contributing causes that were not part of the main morbid process. As the sum of the weights for each death certificate was 1, each death had an equal influence on mortality estimates and the total number of deaths was unchanged. Mortality rates derived using the different methods were compared. Findings On average, 3.4 causes per death were listed on each certificate. The standardized mortality rate calculated using the third multiple-cause-of-death weighting method was more than 20% higher than that calculated using the classic method for five disease categories: skin diseases, mental disorders, endocrine and nutritional diseases, blood diseases and genitourinary diseases. Moreover, this method highlighted the mortality burden associated with certain diseases in specific age groups. Conclusion A multiple-cause-of-death weighting approach to calculating cause-related standardized mortality rates from death certificate data identified conditions that contributed more to mortality than indicated by the classic method. This new approach holds promise for identifying underrecognized contributors to mortality. PMID:27994280

A regularized vortex-particle mesh method for large eddy simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spietz, H. J.; Walther, J. H.; Hejlesen, M. M.

2017-11-01

We present recent developments of the remeshed vortex particle-mesh method for simulating incompressible fluid flow. The presented method relies on a parallel higher-order FFT based solver for the Poisson equation. Arbitrary high order is achieved through regularization of singular Green's function solutions to the Poisson equation and recently we have derived novel high order solutions for a mixture of open and periodic domains. With this approach the simulated variables may formally be viewed as the approximate solution to the filtered Navier Stokes equations, hence we use the method for Large Eddy Simulation by including a dynamic subfilter-scale model based on test-filters compatible with the aforementioned regularization functions. Further the subfilter-scale model uses Lagrangian averaging, which is a natural candidate in light of the Lagrangian nature of vortex particle methods. A multiresolution variation of the method is applied to simulate the benchmark problem of the flow past a square cylinder at Re = 22000 and the obtained results are compared to results from the literature.

Physicochemical characteristics and biological activities of polysaccharide fractions from Phellinus baumii cultured with different methods.

PubMed

Li, Tingting; Yang, Yan; Liu, Yanfang; Zhou, Shuai; Yan, Meng Qiu; Wu, Di; Zhang, Jingsong; Tang, Chuanhong

2015-11-01

Nine polysaccharide fractions were obtained from the fruiting bodies, submerged mycelia, and solid state fermented products of Phellinus baumii using different concentrations of ethanol precipitation. The chemical characteristics and in vitro immunological activities of the nine polysaccharide fractions were compared and studied. Results indicated that the fractions precipitated with 50% ethanol had higher yields of polysaccharides and submerged mycelia contributed to high extraction yields of polysaccharides and possessed higher polysaccharide contents. HPSEC-MALLS-RI analysis showed that the molecular weight (Mw) of polysaccharide fractions from these three materials decreased with the increasing of precipitated ethanol concentration. The Mw of fruiting body polysaccharide fractions ranged from 1.98×10(4)Da to 1.89×10(6)Da. Large-molecular-weight polysaccharides (from 2.11×10(6)Da to 2.01×10(7)Da) were found in submerged mycelia. Some lower-molecular-weight polysaccharide components were found in solid fermented products. Different culture methods contributed to significant differences in monosaccharide components and molar ratios. The 50% ethanol precipitated fractions exhibited more complexity on monosaccharide compositions comparing with fractions precipitated with 30% and 70% ethanol. Polysaccharide fractions derived from submerged mycelia exhibited higher macrophages stimulation activities. Submerged culture was found to be a suitable method to prepare active polysaccharides because of its short culture span and reasonable cost. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High frequency measurements of reach scale nitrogen uptake in a fourth order river with contrasting hydromorphology and variable water chemistry (Weiße Elster, Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, Julia Vanessa; Hensley, Robert; Brase, Lisa; Borchardt, Dietrich; Rode, Michael

2017-01-01

River networks exhibit a globally important capacity to retain and process nitrogen. However direct measurement of in-stream removal in higher order streams and rivers has been extremely limited. The recent advent of automated sensors has allowed high frequency measurements, and the development of new passive methods of quantifying nitrogen uptake which are scalable across river size. Here we extend these methods to higher order streams with anthropogenically elevated nitrogen levels, substantial tributaries, complex input signals, and multiple N species. We use a combination of two station time-series and longitudinal profiling of nitrate to assess differences in nitrogen processing dynamics in a natural versus a channelized impounded reach with WWTP effluent impacted water chemistry. Our results suggest that net mass removal rates of nitrate were markedly higher in the unmodified reach. Additionally, seasonal variations in temperature and insolation affected the relative contribution of assimilatory versus dissimilatory uptake processes, with the latter exhibiting a stronger positive dependence on temperature. From a methodological perspective, we demonstrate that a mass balance approach based on high frequency data can be useful in deriving quantitative uptake estimates, even under dynamic inputs and lateral tributary inflow. However, uncertainty in diffuse groundwater inputs and more importantly the effects of alternative nitrogen species, in this case ammonium, pose considerable challenges to this method.

Effective binding of perhalogenated closo-borates to serum albumins revealed by spectroscopic and ITC studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuperman, Marina V.; Losytskyy, Mykhaylo Yu.; Bykov, Alexander Yu.; Yarmoluk, Sergiy M.; Zhizhin, Konstantin Yu.; Kuznetsov, Nikolay T.; Varzatskii, Oleg A.; Gumienna-Kontecka, Elzbieta; Kovalska, Vladyslava B.

2017-08-01

The interactions of boron cluster compounds closo-borates with biomolecules are widely studied due to their efficiency as agents for boron neutron capture therapy of cancer. In present work the binding abilities of anionic halogen closo-borates [B10Hal10]2- (Hal = Cl, Br, I) and [B12Hal12]2- (Hal = Cl, I) towards bovine and human serum albumins were investigated by spectroscopic and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) methods. The protein fluorescence quenching method and ITC studies confirmed the complex formation. The degree of protein fluorescence quenching increased from chlorine to iodine boron derivatives that is attributed to external heavy atom effect. The ITC data point on the existence in the protein structure of two types of binding sites: with higher and lower affinity to closo-borates. Albumin-closo-borate complex binding ratio, n (4-5 anions per protein molecule) is higher than for the parent hydrogen closo-borates (2 anions per protein molecule). Binding constants estimated by fluorescent and ITC methods indicate higher affinity of halogen closo-borates to albumins (K in the range of 104-106 M-1) comparing to that of the hydrogen closo-borate (K about 103 M-1). Due to their high affinity and high binding ratio to albumins halogen closo-borates are proposed for further studies as agents for boron neutron capture therapy.

Extracellular ATP is Differentially Metabolized on Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells Surface in Comparison to Normal Cells.

PubMed

Bertoni, Ana Paula Santin; de Campos, Rafael Paschoal; Tsao, Marisa; Braganhol, Elizandra; Furlanetto, Tania Weber; Wink, Márcia Rosângela

2018-02-17

The incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer has been increasing. Nevertheless, its molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In recent years, extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides have emerged as important modulators of tumor microenvironment. Extracellular ATP is mainly hydrolyzed by NTPDase1/CD39 and NTPDase2/CD39L1, generating AMP, which is hydrolyzed by ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73) to adenosine, a possible promoter of tumor growth and metastasis. There are no studies evaluating the expression and functionality of these ectonucleotidases on normal or tumor-derived thyroid cells. Thus, we investigated the ability of thyroid cancer cells to hydrolyze extracellular ATP generating adenosine, and the expression of ecto-enzymes, as compared to normal cells. We found that normal thyroid derived cells presented a higher ability to hydrolyze ATP and higher mRNA levels for ENTDP1-2, when compared to papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) derived cells, which had a higher ability to hydrolyze AMP and expressed CD73 mRNA and protein at higher levels. In addition, adenosine induced an increase in proliferation and migration in PTC derived cells, whose effect was blocked by APCP, a non-hydrolysable ADP analogue, which is an inhibitor of CD73. Taken together, these results showed that thyroid follicular cells have a functional purinergic signaling. The higher expression of CD73 in PTC derived cells might favor the accumulation of extracellular adenosine in the tumor microenvironment, which could promote tumor progression. Therefore, as already shown for other tumors, the purinergic signaling should be considered a potential target for thyroid cancer management and treatment.

Gaussian intrinsic entanglement for states with partial minimum uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mišta, Ladislav; Baksová, Klára

2018-01-01

We develop a recently proposed theory of a quantifier of bipartite Gaussian entanglement called Gaussian intrinsic entanglement (GIE) [L. Mišta, Jr. and R. Tatham, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 240505 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.240505]. Gaussian intrinsic entanglement provides a compromise between computable and physically meaningful entanglement quantifiers and so far it has been calculated for two-mode Gaussian states including all symmetric partial minimum-uncertainty states, weakly mixed asymmetric squeezed thermal states with partial minimum uncertainty, and weakly mixed symmetric squeezed thermal states. We improve the method of derivation of GIE and show that all previously derived formulas for GIE of weakly mixed states in fact hold for states with higher mixedness. In addition, we derive analytical formulas for GIE for several other classes of two-mode Gaussian states with partial minimum uncertainty. Finally, we show that, like for all previously known states, also for all currently considered states the GIE is equal to Gaussian Rényi-2 entanglement of formation. This finding strengthens a conjecture about the equivalence of GIE and Gaussian Rényi-2 entanglement of formation for all bipartite Gaussian states.

Determination of the stability and control derivatives of the NASA F/A-18 HARV using flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Napolitano, Marcello R.; Spagnuolo, Joelle M.

1993-01-01

This report documents the research conducted for the NASA-Ames Cooperative Agreement No. NCC 2-759 with West Virginia University. A complete set of the stability and control derivatives for varying angles of attack from 10 deg to 60 deg were estimated from flight data of the NASA F/A-18 HARV. The data were analyzed with the use of the pEst software which implements the output-error method of parameter estimation. Discussions of the aircraft equations of motion, parameter estimation process, design of flight test maneuvers, and formulation of the mathematical model are presented. The added effects of the thrust vectoring and single surface excitation systems are also addressed. The results of the longitudinal and lateral directional derivative estimates at varying angles of attack are presented and compared to results from previous analyses. The results indicate a significant improvement due to the independent control surface deflections induced by the single surface excitation system, and at the same time, a need for additional flight data especially at higher angles of attack.

A multiplex degenerate PCR analytical approach targeting to eight genes for screening GMOs.

PubMed

Guo, Jinchao; Chen, Lili; Liu, Xin; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Dabing; Yang, Litao

2012-06-01

Currently, the detection methods with lower cost and higher throughput are the major trend in screening genetically modified (GM) food or feed before specific identification. In this study, we developed a quadruplex degenerate PCR screening approach for more than 90 approved GMO events. This assay is consisted of four PCR systems targeting on nine DNA sequences from eight trait genes widely introduced into GMOs, such as CP4-EPSPS derived from Acetobacterium tumefaciens sp. strain CP4, phosphinothricin acetyltransferase gene derived from Streptomyceshygroscopicus (bar) and Streptomyces viridochromogenes (pat), and Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1A(b/c), mCry3A, and Cry3Bb1 derived from Bacillus thuringiensis. The quadruplex degenerate PCR assay offers high specificity and sensitivity with the absolute limit of detection (LOD) of approximate 80targetcopies. Furthermore, the applicability of the quadruplex PCR assay was confirmed by screening either several artificially prepared samples or samples of Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proficiency program. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SANS contrast variation study of magnetoferritin structure at various iron loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melnikova, Lucia; Petrenko, Viktor I.; Avdeev, Mikhail V.; Ivankov, Oleksandr I.; Bulavin, Leonid A.; Garamus, Vasil M.; Almásy, László; Mitroova, Zuzana; Kopcansky, Peter

2015-03-01

Magnetoferritin, a synthetic derivate of iron storage protein - ferritin, has been synthesized with different iron oxide loading values. Small-angle neutron scattering experiments were applied to study the structure of magnetoferritin solutions using contrast variation method by varying the light to heavy water ratio of the solvent. Higher iron loading leads to increase of the neutron scattering length density of magnetoferritin and also to the increase of the polydispersity of complexes. The formation of the magnetic core and the variation of the protein shell structure upon iron loading are concluded.

Shock spectra applications to a class of multiple degree-of-freedom structures system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, Shoi Y.

1988-01-01

The demand on safety performance of launching structure and equipment system from impulsive excitations necessitates a study which predicts the maximum response of the system as well as the maximum stresses in the system. A method to extract higher modes and frequencies for a class of multiple degree-of-freedom (MDOF) Structure system is proposed. And, along with the shock spectra derived from a linear oscillator model, a procedure to obtain upper bound solutions for maximum displacement and maximum stresses in the MDOF system is presented.

Sol-gel-derived double-layered nanocrystal memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Fu-Hsiang; You, Hsin-Chiang; Lei, Tan-Fu

2006-12-01

The authors have used the sol-gel spin-coating method to fabricate a coexisting hafnium silicate and zirconium silicate double-layered nanocrystal (NC) memories. From transmission electron microscopic and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses, the authors determined that the hafnium silicate and zirconium silicate NCs formed after annealing at 900°C for 1min. When using channel hot electron injection for charging and band-to-band tunneling-induced hot hole injection for discharging, the NC memories exhibited superior Vth shifting because of the higher probability for trapping the charge carrier.

A comparison of methods for deriving solute flux rates using long-term data from streams in the mirror lake watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bukaveckas, P.A.; Likens, G.E.; Winter, T.C.; Buso, D.C.

1998-01-01

Calculation of chemical flux rates for streams requires integration of continuous measurements of discharge with discrete measurements of solute concentrations. We compared two commonly used methods for interpolating chemistry data (time-averaging and flow-weighting) to determine whether discrepancies between the two methods were large relative to other sources of error in estimating flux rates. Flux rates of dissolved Si and SO42- were calculated from 10 years of data (1981-1990) for the NW inlet and Outlet of Mirror Lake and for a 40-day period (March 22 to April 30, 1993) during which we augmented our routine (weekly) chemical monitoring with collection of daily samples. The time-averaging method yielded higher estimates of solute flux during high-flow periods if no chemistry samples were collected corresponding to peak discharge. Concentration-discharge relationships should be used to interpolate stream chemistry during changing flow conditions if chemical changes are large. Caution should be used in choosing the appropriate time-scale over which data are pooled to derive the concentration-discharge regressions because the model parameters (slope and intercept) were found to be sensitive to seasonal and inter-annual variation. Both methods approximated solute flux to within 2-10% for a range of solutes that were monitored during the intensive sampling period. Our results suggest that errors arising from interpolation of stream chemistry data are small compared with other sources of error in developing watershed mass balances.

Phonon dispersion on Ag (100) surface: A modified analytic embedded atom method study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao-Jun, Zhang; Chang-Le, Chen

2016-01-01

Within the harmonic approximation, the analytic expression of the dynamical matrix is derived based on the modified analytic embedded atom method (MAEAM) and the dynamics theory of surface lattice. The surface phonon dispersions along three major symmetry directions , and X¯M¯ are calculated for the clean Ag (100) surface by using our derived formulas. We then discuss the polarization and localization of surface modes at points X¯ and M¯ by plotting the squared polarization vectors as a function of the layer index. The phonon frequencies of the surface modes calculated by MAEAM are compared with the available experimental and other theoretical data. It is found that the present results are generally in agreement with the referenced experimental or theoretical results, with a maximum deviation of 10.4%. The agreement shows that the modified analytic embedded atom method is a reasonable many-body potential model to quickly describe the surface lattice vibration. It also lays a significant foundation for studying the surface lattice vibration in other metals. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61471301 and 61078057), the Scientific Research Program Funded by Shaanxi Provincial Education Department, China (Grant No. 14JK1301), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education, China (Grant No. 20126102110045).

Terrestrial Water Storage in African Hydrological Regimes Derived from GRACE Mission Data: Intercomparison of Spherical Harmonics, Mass Concentration, and Scalar Slepian Methods.

PubMed

Rateb, Ashraf; Kuo, Chung-Yen; Imani, Moslem; Tseng, Kuo-Hsin; Lan, Wen-Hau; Ching, Kuo-En; Tseng, Tzu-Pang

2017-03-10

Spherical harmonics (SH) and mascon solutions are the two most common types of solutions for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mass flux observations. However, SH signals are degraded by measurement and leakage errors. Mascon solutions (the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) release, herein) exhibit weakened signals at submascon resolutions. Both solutions require a scale factor examined by the CLM4.0 model to obtain the actual water storage signal. The Slepian localization method can avoid the SH leakage errors when applied to the basin scale. In this study, we estimate SH errors and scale factors for African hydrological regimes. Then, terrestrial water storage (TWS) in Africa is determined based on Slepian localization and compared with JPL-mascon and SH solutions. The three TWS estimates show good agreement for the TWS of large-sized and humid regimes but present discrepancies for the TWS of medium and small-sized regimes. Slepian localization is an effective method for deriving the TWS of arid zones. The TWS behavior in African regimes and its spatiotemporal variations are then examined. The negative TWS trends in the lower Nile and Sahara at -1.08 and -6.92 Gt/year, respectively, are higher than those previously reported.

A Simple Noise Correction Scheme for Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging

PubMed Central

Glenn, G. Russell; Tabesh, Ali; Jensen, Jens H.

2014-01-01

Purpose Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is sensitive to the effects of signal noise due to strong diffusion weightings and higher order modeling of the diffusion weighted signal. A simple noise correction scheme is proposed to remove the majority of the noise bias in the estimated diffusional kurtosis. Methods Weighted linear least squares (WLLS) fitting together with a voxel-wise, subtraction-based noise correction from multiple, independent acquisitions are employed to reduce noise bias in DKI data. The method is validated in phantom experiments and demonstrated for in vivo human brain for DKI-derived parameter estimates. Results As long as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the most heavily diffusion weighted images is greater than 2.1, errors in phantom diffusional kurtosis estimates are found to be less than 5 percent with noise correction, but as high as 44 percent for uncorrected estimates. In human brain, noise correction is also shown to improve diffusional kurtosis estimates derived from measurements made with low SNR. Conclusion The proposed correction technique removes the majority of noise bias from diffusional kurtosis estimates in noisy phantom data and is applicable to DKI of human brain. Features of the method include computational simplicity and ease of integration into standard WLLS DKI post-processing algorithms. PMID:25172990

Non-invasive genetic censusing and monitoring of primate populations.

PubMed

Arandjelovic, Mimi; Vigilant, Linda

2018-03-01

Knowing the density or abundance of primate populations is essential for their conservation management and contextualizing socio-demographic and behavioral observations. When direct counts of animals are not possible, genetic analysis of non-invasive samples collected from wildlife populations allows estimates of population size with higher accuracy and precision than is possible using indirect signs. Furthermore, in contrast to traditional indirect survey methods, prolonged or periodic genetic sampling across months or years enables inference of group membership, movement, dynamics, and some kin relationships. Data may also be used to estimate sex ratios, sex differences in dispersal distances, and detect gene flow among locations. Recent advances in capture-recapture models have further improved the precision of population estimates derived from non-invasive samples. Simulations using these methods have shown that the confidence interval of point estimates includes the true population size when assumptions of the models are met, and therefore this range of population size minima and maxima should be emphasized in population monitoring studies. Innovations such as the use of sniffer dogs or anti-poaching patrols for sample collection are important to ensure adequate sampling, and the expected development of efficient and cost-effective genotyping by sequencing methods for DNAs derived from non-invasive samples will automate and speed analyses. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Terrestrial Water Storage in African Hydrological Regimes Derived from GRACE Mission Data: Intercomparison of Spherical Harmonics, Mass Concentration, and Scalar Slepian Methods

PubMed Central

Rateb, Ashraf; Kuo, Chung-Yen; Imani, Moslem; Tseng, Kuo-Hsin; Lan, Wen-Hau; Ching, Kuo-En; Tseng, Tzu-Pang

2017-01-01

Spherical harmonics (SH) and mascon solutions are the two most common types of solutions for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mass flux observations. However, SH signals are degraded by measurement and leakage errors. Mascon solutions (the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) release, herein) exhibit weakened signals at submascon resolutions. Both solutions require a scale factor examined by the CLM4.0 model to obtain the actual water storage signal. The Slepian localization method can avoid the SH leakage errors when applied to the basin scale. In this study, we estimate SH errors and scale factors for African hydrological regimes. Then, terrestrial water storage (TWS) in Africa is determined based on Slepian localization and compared with JPL-mascon and SH solutions. The three TWS estimates show good agreement for the TWS of large-sized and humid regimes but present discrepancies for the TWS of medium and small-sized regimes. Slepian localization is an effective method for deriving the TWS of arid zones. The TWS behavior in African regimes and its spatiotemporal variations are then examined. The negative TWS trends in the lower Nile and Sahara at −1.08 and −6.92 Gt/year, respectively, are higher than those previously reported. PMID:28287453

A Method for Extracting Suspected Parotid Lesions in CT Images using Feature-based Segmentation and Active Contours based on Stationary Wavelet Transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, T. Y.; Lin, S. F.

2013-10-01

Automatic suspected lesion extraction is an important application in computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). In this paper, we propose a method to automatically extract the suspected parotid regions for clinical evaluation in head and neck CT images. The suspected lesion tissues in low contrast tissue regions can be localized with feature-based segmentation (FBS) based on local texture features, and can be delineated with accuracy by modified active contour models (ACM). At first, stationary wavelet transform (SWT) is introduced. The derived wavelet coefficients are applied to derive the local features for FBS, and to generate enhanced energy maps for ACM computation. Geometric shape features (GSFs) are proposed to analyze each soft tissue region segmented by FBS; the regions with higher similarity GSFs with the lesions are extracted and the information is also applied as the initial conditions for fine delineation computation. Consequently, the suspected lesions can be automatically localized and accurately delineated for aiding clinical diagnosis. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing with the results outlined by clinical experts. The experiments on 20 pathological CT data sets show that the true-positive (TP) rate on recognizing parotid lesions is about 94%, and the dimension accuracy of delineation results can also approach over 93%.

Synthesis of 68Ga-labeled DOTA-nitroimidazole derivatives and their feasibilities as hypoxia imaging PET tracers.

PubMed

Hoigebazar, Lathika; Jeong, Jae Min; Hong, Mee Kyung; Kim, Young Ju; Lee, Ji Youn; Shetty, Dinesh; Lee, Yun-Sang; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June-Key; Lee, Myung Chul

2011-04-01

The imaging of hypoxia is important for therapeutic decision making in various diseases. (68)Ga is an important radionuclide for positron emission tomography (PET), and its usage is increasing, due to the development of the (68)Ge/(68)Ga-generator. In the present study, the authors synthesized two nitroimidazole derivatives by conjugating nitroimidazole and 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) via an amide bond (4) and a thiourea bond (5). Both derivatives were labeled with (68)Ga with high labeling efficiency and were stable after labeling. The low partition coefficients (logP) of (68)Ga-4 (-4.6) and (68)Ga-5 (-4.5) demonstrated the hydrophilic natures of the derivatives, and both showed higher uptake in cancer cell lines cultured under hypoxic condition than under normoxic condition. However, (68)Ga-5 showed higher liver uptake than (68)Ga-4 in a biodistribution study due to higher lipophilicity. In an animal PET study, (68)Ga-4 showed higher standard uptake values (SUV) in tumors than (68)Ga-5 in mice xenografted with CT-26 mouse colon cancer cells. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the curious spectrum of duality invariant higher-derivative gravity

DOE PAGES

Hohm, Olaf; Naseer, Usman; Zwiebach, Barton

2016-08-31

Here, we analyze the spectrum of the exactly duality and gauge invariant higher-derivative double field theory. While this theory is based on a chiral CFT and does not correspond to a standard string theory, our analysis illuminates a number of issues central in string theory. The full quadratic action is rewritten as a two-derivative theory with additional fields. This allows for a simple analysis of the spectrum, which contains two massive spin-2 ghosts and massive scalars, in addition to the massless fields. Moreover, in this formulation, the massless or tensionless limit α' → ∞ is non-singular and leads to anmore » enhanced gauge symmetry. We show that the massive modes can be integrated out exactly at the quadratic level, leading to an infinite series of higher-derivative corrections. Lastly, we present a ghost-free massive extension of linearized double field theory, which employs a novel mass term for the dilaton and metric.« less

Kinetic Theory Derivation of the Adiabatic Law for Ideal Gases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sobel, Michael I.

1980-01-01

Discusses how the adiabatic law for ideal gases can be derived from the assumption of a Maxwell-Boltzmann (or any other) distribution of velocities--in contrast to the usual derivations from thermodynamics alone, and the higher-order effect that leads to one-body viscosity. An elementary derivation of the adiabatic law is given. (Author/DS)

Stability-Derivative Determination from Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holowicz, Chester H.; Holleman, Euclid C.

1958-01-01

A comprehensive discussion of the various factors affecting the determination of stability and control derivatives from flight data is presented based on the experience of the NASA High-Speed Flight Station. Factors relating to test techniques, determination of mass characteristics, instrumentation, and methods of analysis are discussed. For most longitudinal-stability-derivative analyses simple equations utilizing period and damping have been found to be as satisfactory as more comprehensive methods. The graphical time-vector method has been the basis of lateral-derivative analysis, although simple approximate methods can be useful If applied with caution. Control effectiveness has been generally obtained by relating the peak acceleration to the rapid control input, and consideration must be given to aerodynamic contributions if reasonable accuracy is to be realized.. Because of the many factors involved In the determination of stability derivatives, It is believed that the primary stability and control derivatives are probably accurate to within 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the specific derivative. Static-stability derivatives at low angle of attack show the greatest accuracy.

A Tutorial Review on Fractal Spacetime and Fractional Calculus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Ji-Huan

2014-11-01

This tutorial review of fractal-Cantorian spacetime and fractional calculus begins with Leibniz's notation for derivative without limits which can be generalized to discontinuous media like fractal derivative and q-derivative of quantum calculus. Fractal spacetime is used to elucidate some basic properties of fractal which is the foundation of fractional calculus, and El Naschie's mass-energy equation for the dark energy. The variational iteration method is used to introduce the definition of fractional derivatives. Fractal derivative is explained geometrically and q-derivative is motivated by quantum mechanics. Some effective analytical approaches to fractional differential equations, e.g., the variational iteration method, the homotopy perturbation method, the exp-function method, the fractional complex transform, and Yang-Laplace transform, are outlined and the main solution processes are given.

Rogue-wave solutions of the Zakharov equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Jiguang; Wang, Lihong; Liu, Wei; He, Jingsong

2017-12-01

Using the bilinear transformation method, we derive general rogue-wave solutions of the Zakharov equation. We present these Nth-order rogue-wave solutions explicitly in terms of Nth-order determinants whose matrix elements have simple expressions. We show that the fundamental rogue wave is a line rogue wave with a line profile on the plane ( x, y) arising from a constant background at t ≪ 0 and then gradually tending to the constant background for t ≫ 0. Higher-order rogue waves arising from a constant background and later disappearing into it describe the interaction of several fundamental line rogue waves. We also consider different structures of higher-order rogue waves. We present differences between rogue waves of the Zakharov equation and of the first type of the Davey-Stewartson equation analytically and graphically.

Two-dimensional interaction of a shear flow with a free surface in a stratified fluid and its solitary-wave solutions via mathematical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seadawy, Aly R.

2017-12-01

In this study, we presented the problem formulations of models for internal solitary waves in a stratified shear flow with a free surface. The nonlinear higher order of extended KdV equations for the free surface displacement is generated. We derived the coefficients of the nonlinear higher-order extended KdV equation in terms of integrals of the modal function for the linear long-wave theory. The wave amplitude potential and the fluid pressure of the extended KdV equation in the form of solitary-wave solutions are deduced. We discussed and analyzed the stability of the obtained solutions and the movement role of the waves by making graphs of the exact solutions.

Integrability and solitons for the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation with space-dependent coefficients in an optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Jing-Jing; Gao, Yi-Tian

2018-03-01

Under investigation in this paper is a higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation with space-dependent coefficients, related to an optical fiber. Based on the self-similarity transformation and Hirota method, related to the integrability, the N-th-order bright and dark soliton solutions are derived under certain constraints. It is revealed that the velocities and trajectories of the solitons are both affected by the coefficient of the sixth-order dispersion term while the amplitudes of the solitons are determined by the gain function. Amplitudes increase when the gain function is positive and decrease when the gain function is negative. Furthermore, we find that the intensities of dark solitons are presented as a superposition of the solitons and stationary waves.

Numerical discretization-based estimation methods for ordinary differential equation models via penalized spline smoothing with applications in biomedical research.

PubMed

Wu, Hulin; Xue, Hongqi; Kumar, Arun

2012-06-01

Differential equations are extensively used for modeling dynamics of physical processes in many scientific fields such as engineering, physics, and biomedical sciences. Parameter estimation of differential equation models is a challenging problem because of high computational cost and high-dimensional parameter space. In this article, we propose a novel class of methods for estimating parameters in ordinary differential equation (ODE) models, which is motivated by HIV dynamics modeling. The new methods exploit the form of numerical discretization algorithms for an ODE solver to formulate estimating equations. First, a penalized-spline approach is employed to estimate the state variables and the estimated state variables are then plugged in a discretization formula of an ODE solver to obtain the ODE parameter estimates via a regression approach. We consider three different order of discretization methods, Euler's method, trapezoidal rule, and Runge-Kutta method. A higher-order numerical algorithm reduces numerical error in the approximation of the derivative, which produces a more accurate estimate, but its computational cost is higher. To balance the computational cost and estimation accuracy, we demonstrate, via simulation studies, that the trapezoidal discretization-based estimate is the best and is recommended for practical use. The asymptotic properties for the proposed numerical discretization-based estimators are established. Comparisons between the proposed methods and existing methods show a clear benefit of the proposed methods in regards to the trade-off between computational cost and estimation accuracy. We apply the proposed methods t an HIV study to further illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approaches. © 2012, The International Biometric Society.

Solid-phase assays for small molecule screening using sol-gel entrapped proteins.

PubMed

Lebert, Julie M; Forsberg, Erica M; Brennan, John D

2008-04-01

With compound libraries exceeding one million compounds, the ability to quickly and effectively screen these compounds against relevant pharmaceutical targets has become crucial. Solid-phase assays present several advantages over solution-based methods. For example, a higher degree of miniaturization can be achieved, functional- and affinity-based studies are possible, and a variety of detection methods can be used. Unfortunately, most protein immobilization methods are either too harsh or require recombinant proteins and thus are not amenable to delicate proteins such as kinases and membrane-bound receptors. Sol-gel encapsulation of proteins in an inorganic silica matrix has emerged as a novel solid-phase assay platform. In this minireview, we discuss the development of sol-gel derived protein microarrays and sol-gel based monolithic bioaffinity columns for the high-throughput screening of small molecule libraries and mixtures.

Dietary patterns derived by hybrid clustering method in older people: association with cognition, mood, and self-rated health.

PubMed

Samieri, Cécilia; Jutand, Marthe-Aline; Féart, Catherine; Capuron, Lucile; Letenneur, Luc; Barberger-Gateau, Pascale

2008-09-01

Several nutritional factors, including dietary fatty acids, antioxidants, and folates, have been related to pathological brain aging. Dietary patterns that represent a combination of foods may better predict disease risk than single foods or nutrients. To identify dietary patterns by a mixed clustering method and to analyze their relationship with cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health in older people. Cross-sectional population-based study. Subjects included 1,724 elderly community dwellers living in Bordeaux, France from 2001 to 2002. Cluster analysis, combining hybrid clustering, and research for stable groups during the k-means step on mean number of weekly servings of 20 predetermined food groups, separately in men and women. Five dietary clusters were identified in each sex. A "healthy" cluster characterized by higher consumption of fish in men (n=157; 24.3%) and fruits and vegetables in women (n=267; 24.8%) had significantly lower mean number of errors to Mini Mental State score after adjustment for socio-demographic variables (beta=-0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.22 to -0.004 in men; beta=-0.13; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.04 in women). The same cluster was associated with borderline significance with lower depressive symptoms in women (beta=-0.16; 95% CI, -0.33 to 0.007). Men in the "pasta eaters" cluster (n=136; 21%) had higher depressive symptoms (beta=0.26; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.46) and higher risk to report poor health (polytomous regression, odds ratio [OR]=1.91; 95% CI, 1.21 to 3.01) than the "healthy" cluster. Women in the "biscuits and snacking" cluster (n=162; 15%) had greater risk of poor perceived health (OR=1.69; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.48) compared to "healthy" eaters. Additional adjustment for body mass index and medication use strengthened these associations. Sex-specific dietary patterns derived by hybrid clustering method are associated with fewer cognitive and depressive symptoms and better perceived health in older people.

An improved 3D MoF method based on analytical partial derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Xiong

2016-12-01

MoF (Moment of Fluid) method is one of the most accurate approaches among various surface reconstruction algorithms. As other second order methods, MoF method needs to solve an implicit optimization problem to obtain the optimal approximate surface. Therefore, the partial derivatives of the objective function have to be involved during the iteration for efficiency and accuracy. However, to the best of our knowledge, the derivatives are currently estimated numerically by finite difference approximation because it is very difficult to obtain the analytical derivatives of the object function for an implicit optimization problem. Employing numerical derivatives in an iteration not only increase the computational cost, but also deteriorate the convergence rate and robustness of the iteration due to their numerical error. In this paper, the analytical first order partial derivatives of the objective function are deduced for 3D problems. The analytical derivatives can be calculated accurately, so they are incorporated into the MoF method to improve its accuracy, efficiency and robustness. Numerical studies show that by using the analytical derivatives the iterations are converged in all mixed cells with the efficiency improvement of 3 to 4 times.

Student perceptions and learning outcomes of computer-assisted versus traditional instruction in physiology.

PubMed

Richardson, D

1997-12-01

This study compared student perceptions and learning outcomes of computer-assisted instruction against those of traditional didactic lectures. Components of Quantitative Circulatory Physiology (Biological Simulators) and Mechanical Properties of Active Muscle (Trinity Software) were used to teach regulation of tissue blood flow and muscle mechanics, respectively, in the course Medical Physiology. These topics were each taught, in part, by 1) standard didactic lectures, 2) computer-assisted lectures, and 3) computer laboratory assignment. Subjective evaluation was derived from a questionnaire assessing student opinions of the effectiveness of each method. Objective evaluation consisted of comparing scores on examination questions generated from each method. On a 1-10 scale, effectiveness ratings were higher (P < 0.0001) for the didactic lectures (7.7) compared with either computer-assisted lecture (3.8) or computer laboratory (4.2) methods. A follow-up discussion with representatives from the class indicated that students did not perceive computer instruction as being time effective. However, examination scores from computer laboratory questions (94.3%) were significantly higher compared with ones from either computer-assisted (89.9%; P < 0.025) or didactic (86.6%; P < 0.001) lectures. Thus computer laboratory instruction enhanced learning outcomes in medical physiology despite student perceptions to the contrary.

A sensitive method to quantify human cell-free circulating DNA in blood: relevance to myocardial infarction screening.

PubMed

Jing, Rong-Rong; Wang, Hui-Min; Cui, Ming; Fang, Meng-Kang; Qiu, Xiao-Jun; Wu, Xin-Hua; Qi, Jin; Wang, Yue-Guo; Zhang, Lu-Rong; Zhu, Jian-Hua; Ju, Shao-Qing

2011-09-01

Human cell-free circulating DNA (cf-DNA) derived mainly from cell apoptosis and necrosis can be measured by a variety of laboratory techniques, but almost all of these methods require sample preparation. We have developed a branched DNA (bDNA)-based Alu assay for quantifying cf-DNA in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. A total of 82 individuals were included in the study; 22 MI and 60 normal controls. cf-DNA was quantified using a bDNA-based Alu assay. cf-DNA was higher in serum compared to plasma and there was a difference between genders. cf-DNA was significantly higher in MI patients compared to the controls. There was no correlation between cf-DNA and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), troponin I (cTnI) or myoglobin (MYO). In serial specimens, cf-DNA was sensitive and peaked earlier than cTnI. The bDNA-based Alu assay is a novel method for quantifying human cf-DNA. Increased cf-DNA in MI patients might complement cTnI, CK-MB and MYO in a multiple marker format. Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.