Identifying differentially expressed genes in leaves of Glycine tomentella in the presence of the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Transcription profiles of Glycine tomentella genotypes having different responses to soybean rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, were compared using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Four cDNA libraries were constructed from infected and non-infected leaves of resis...

Spectral decomposition of internal gravity wave sea surface height in global models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, Anna C.; Arbic, Brian K.; Alford, Matthew H.; Ansong, Joseph K.; Farrar, J. Thomas; Menemenlis, Dimitris; O'Rourke, Amanda K.; Richman, James G.; Shriver, Jay F.; Voet, Gunnar; Wallcraft, Alan J.; Zamudio, Luis

2017-10-01

Two global ocean models ranging in horizontal resolution from 1/12° to 1/48° are used to study the space and time scales of sea surface height (SSH) signals associated with internal gravity waves (IGWs). Frequency-horizontal wavenumber SSH spectral densities are computed over seven regions of the world ocean from two simulations of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and three simulations of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm). High wavenumber, high-frequency SSH variance follows the predicted IGW linear dispersion curves. The realism of high-frequency motions (>0.87 cpd) in the models is tested through comparison of the frequency spectral density of dynamic height variance computed from the highest-resolution runs of each model (1/25° HYCOM and 1/48° MITgcm) with dynamic height variance frequency spectral density computed from nine in situ profiling instruments. These high-frequency motions are of particular interest because of their contributions to the small-scale SSH variability that will be observed on a global scale in the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite altimetry mission. The variance at supertidal frequencies can be comparable to the tidal and low-frequency variance for high wavenumbers (length scales smaller than ˜50 km), especially in the higher-resolution simulations. In the highest-resolution simulations, the high-frequency variance can be greater than the low-frequency variance at these scales.

Gene Expression Profiling in the Thiamethoxam Resistant and Susceptible B-biotype Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

PubMed Central

Xie, Wen; Yang, Xin; Wang, Shao-Ii; Wu, Qing-jun; Yang, Ni-na; Li, Ru-mei; Jiao, Xiaoguo; Pan, Hui-peng; Liu, Bai-ming; Feng, Yun-tao; Xu, Bao-yun; Zhou, Xu-guo; Zhang, You-jun

2012-01-01

Thiamethoxam has been used as a major insecticide to control the B-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Due to its excessive use, a high level of resistance to thiamethoxam has developed worldwide over the past several years. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance in B. tabaci, gene profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible strains were investigated using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library approach. A total of 72 and 52 upand down-regulated genes were obtained from the forward and reverse SSH libraries, respectively. These expressed sequence tags (ESTs) belong to several functional categories based on their gene ontology annotation. Some categories such as cell communication, response to abiotic stimulus, lipid particle, and nuclear envelope were identified only in the forward library of thiamethoxam-resistant strains. In contrast, categories such as behavior, cell proliferation, nutrient reservoir activity, sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity, and signal transducer activity were identified solely in the reverse library. To study the validity of the SSH method, 16 differentially expressed genes from both forward and reverse SSH libraries were selected randomly for further analyses using quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR results were fairly consistent with the SSH results; however, only 50% of the genes showed significantly different expression profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible whiteflies. Among these genes, a putative NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase was substantially over-expressed in the thiamethoxamresistant adults compared to their susceptible counterparts. The distributed profiles show that it was highly expressed during the egg stage, and was most abundant in the abdomen of adult females. PMID:22957505

Uncertainty estimates of altimetric Global Mean Sea Level timeseries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharffenberg, Martin; Hemming, Michael; Stammer, Detlef

2016-04-01

An attempt is being presented concerned with providing uncertainty measures for global mean sea level time series. For this purpose sea surface height (SSH) fields, simulated by the high resolution STORM/NCEP model for the period 1993 - 2010, were subsampled along altimeter tracks and processed similar to techniques used by five working groups to estimate GMSL. Results suggest that the spatial and temporal resolution have a substantial impact on GMSL estimates. Major impacts can especially result from the interpolation technique or the treatment of SSH outliers and easily lead to artificial temporal variability in the resulting time series.

Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Coronatine-Induced Laticifer Differentiation in the Rubber Tree by Subtractive Hybridization Suppression

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shi-Xin; Wu, Shao-Hua; Chen, Yue-Yi; Tian, Wei-Min

2015-01-01

The secondary laticifer in the secondary phloem is differentiated from the vascular cambia of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.). The number of secondary laticifers is closely related to the rubber yield potential of Hevea. Pharmacological data show that jasmonic acid and its precursor linolenic acid are effective in inducing secondary laticifer differentiation in epicormic shoots of the rubber tree. In the present study, an experimental system of coronatine-induced laticifer differentiation was developed to perform SSH identification of genes with differential expression. A total of 528 positive clones were obtained by blue-white screening, of which 248 clones came from the forward SSH library while 280 clones came from the reverse SSH library. Approximately 215 of the 248 clones and 171 of the 280 clones contained cDNA inserts by colony PCR screening. A total of 286 of the 386 ESTs were detected to be differentially expressed by reverse northern blot and sequenced. Approximately 147 unigenes with an average length of 497 bp from the forward and 109 unigenes with an average length of 514 bp from the reverse SSH libraries were assembled and annotated. The unigenes were associated with the stress/defense response, plant hormone signal transduction and structure development. It is suggested that Ca2+ signal transduction and redox seem to be involved in differentiation, while PGA and EIF are associated with the division of cambium initials for COR-induced secondary laticifer differentiation in the rubber tree. PMID:26147807

Characterization and expression analysis of two cDNAs encoding Xa1 and oxysterol binding proteins in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and subsequent microarray analysis, expression profiles of sorghum genes responsive to greenbug phloem-feeding were obtained and identified. Among the profiles, two cDNAs designated to MM73 and MM95 were identified to encode Xa1 (Xa1) and oxysterol ...

Using OpenSSH to secure mobile LAN network traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luu, Brian B.; Gopaul, Richard D.

2002-08-01

Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) Local Area Network (LAN) is a technique, developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which allows a LAN to be IP mobile when attaching to a foreign IP-based network and using this network as a means to retain connectivity to its home network. In this paper, we describe a technique that uses Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) software to ensure secure, encrypted transmission of a mobile LAN's network traffic. Whenever a mobile LAN, implemented with Mobile IP LAN, moves to a foreign network, its gateway (router) obtains an IP address from the new network. IP tunnels, using IP encapsulation, are then established from the gateway through the foreign network to a home agent on its home network. These tunnels provide a virtual two-way connection to the home network for the mobile LAN as if the LAN were connected directly to its home network. Hence, when IP mobile, a mobile LAN's tunneled network traffic must traverse one or more foreign networks that may not be trusted. This traffic could be subject to eavesdropping, interception, modification, or redirection by malicious nodes in these foreign networks. To protect network traffic passing through the tunnels, OpenSSH is used as a means of encryption because it prevents surveillance, modification, and redirection of mobile LAN traffic passing across foreign networks. Since the software is found in the public domain, is available for most current operating systems, and is commonly used to provide secure network communications, OpenSSH is the software of choice.

A next generation altimeter for mapping the sea surface height variability: opportunities and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Lee-Lueng; Morrow, Rosemary

2016-07-01

The global observations of the sea surface height (SSH) have revolutionized oceanography since the beginning of precision radar altimetry in the early 1990s. For the first time we have continuous records of SSH with spatial and temporal sampling for detecting the global mean sea level rise, the waxing and waning of El Niño, and the ocean circulation from gyres to ocean eddies. The limit of spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping SSH variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength) with 3 or more simultaneous altimetric satellites in orbit. At scales shorter than 100 km, the circulation contains substantial amount of kinetic energy in currents, eddies and fronts that are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially from the vertical exchange of the upper ocean with the deep. A mission currently in development will use the technique of radar interferometry for making high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT promises the detection of SSH at scales approaching 15 km, depending on the sea state. SWOT will make SSH measurement over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. A conventional radar altimeter will provide measurement along the nadir. This is an exploratory mission with applications in oceanography and hydrology. The increased spatial resolution offers an opportunity to study ocean surface processes to address important questions about the ocean circulation. However, the limited temporal sampling poses challenges to map the evolution of the ocean variability that changes rapidly at the small scales. The measurement technique and the development of the mission will be presented with emphasis on its science program with outlook on the opportunities and challenges.

Nested high resolution models for the coastal areas of the North Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobus, Fred; Shapiro, Georgy

2017-04-01

Oceanographic processes at coastal scales require much higher horizontal resolution from both ocean models and observations as compared to deep water oceanography. Aside from a few exceptions such as land-locked seas, the hydrodynamics of coastal shallow waters is strongly influenced by the tides, which in turn control the mixing, formation of temperature fronts and other phenomena. The numerical modelling of the coastal domains requires good knowledge of the lateral boundary conditions. The application of lateral boundary conditions to ocean models is a notoriously tricky task, but can only be avoided with global ocean models. Smaller scale regional ocean models are typically nested within global models, and even smaller-scale coastal models may be nested within regional models, creating a nesting chain. However a direct nesting of a very high resolution coastal model into a coarse resolution global model results in degrading of the accuracy of the outputs due to the large difference between the model resolutions. This is why a nesting chain has to be applied, so that every increase in resolution is kept within a reasonable minimum (typically by a factor of 3 to 5 at each step). Global models are traditionally non-tidal, so at some stage of the nesting chain the tides need to be introduced. This is typically done by calculating the tidal constituents from a dedicated tidal model (e.g. TPXO) for all boundary points of a nested model. The tidal elevation at each boundary location can then be calculated from the harmonics at every model time step and the added to the parent model non-tidal SSH. This combination of harmonics-derived tidal SSH and non-tidal parent model SSH is typically applied to the nested domain using the Flather condition, together with the baroclinic velocities from the parent model. The harmonics-derived SSH cannot be added to an SSH signal that is already tidal, so the parent model SSH has to be either detided or taken from a non-tidal model. Due to the lack of effective detiding methods and the prevailing view that harmonics-derived SSH provide a cleaner tidal signal over the SSH taken from a tidal parent model it has traditionally only been the last model in a nesting chain that is tidal. But to our knowledge these assumptions haven't been sufficiently tested and need to be re-visited. Furthermore, the lack of tides in the larger-scale regional models limits their capability and we would like to push for a nesting chain where all regional models (including the intermediate ones) are tidal. In this study we have conducted a number of numerical experiments where we have tested whether a tidal regional model can effectively force a tidal nested model without resorting to detiding techniques and the use of a dedicated tidal model such as TPXO. We have tested whether it's possible to use a tidal parent model and use the total SSH (combined geostrophic SSH and tidal component) to force the child model at the boundary. We call this strategy "tidal nesting" as opposed to TPXO tidal forcing which is used in "traditional nesting". For our experiments we have developed 2 models based on the same NEMO 3.6 codebase. The medium resolution AS20 model covers the Arabian Sea at 1/20 ̊ with 50 layers using a hybrid s-on-top-of-z vertical discretisation scheme (Shapiro et al., 2013); and the high resolution AG60 model covers the Arabian/Persian Gulf at 1/60 ̊ with 50 layers. The AS20 model is "traditionally" nested within the UK Met Office non-tidal large-scale Indian Ocean model at 1/12 ̊ resolution and tidal constituents at the boundary are taken from the TPXO7.2 Global Tidal Solution. Our "tidal nesting" experiments use different forcing frequencies at which the tidal SSH is fed from the larger-scale AS20 into the smaller-scale AG60 model. These strategies are compared with "traditional nesting" where the inner AG60 uses boundary conditions from a non-tidal AS20 parent model and tides are computed from TPXO harmonics. The results reveal an optimal tidal nesting strategy which forces tidal SSH from the parent model at 1-hourly intervals whilst non-tidal parameters are forced at 24-hourly intervals. The analysis includes comparisons with tidal gauges in the Gulf of Oman and inside the Arabian Gulf. The accuracy of tides inside the Gulf is inhibited by the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and tidal nesting doesn't achieve the same level of agreement with observation as traditional nesting. We also found that a further increase in the SSH forcing frequency to 30 minutes does not further improve the results. The forcing at intervals of 1h/24h for tidal/non-tidal parameters shows that a 2-step tidal nesting chain is viable and thus tides can be represented in more than just the last model of a nesting chain. References: Shapiro, G., Luneva, M., Pickering, J., and Storkey, D.: The effect of various vertical discretization schemes and horizontal diffusion parameterization on the performance of a 3-D ocean model: the Black Sea case study, Ocean Sci., 9, 377-390, doi:10.5194/os-9-377-2013, 2013.

Identification and computational annotation of genes differentially expressed in pulp development of Cocos nucifera L. by suppression subtractive hybridization

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the world’s most versatile, economically important tropical crops. Little is known about the physiological and molecular basis of coconut pulp (endosperm) development and only a few coconut genes and gene product sequences are available in public databases. This study identified genes that were differentially expressed during development of coconut pulp and functionally annotated these identified genes using bioinformatics analysis. Results Pulp from three different coconut developmental stages was collected. Four suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries were constructed (forward and reverse libraries A and B between stages 1 and 2, and C and D between stages 2 and 3), and identified sequences were computationally annotated using Blast2GO software. A total of 1272 clones were obtained for analysis from four SSH libraries with 63% showing similarity to known proteins. Pairwise comparing of stage-specific gene ontology ids from libraries B-D, A-C, B-C and A-D showed that 32 genes were continuously upregulated and seven downregulated; 28 were transiently upregulated and 23 downregulated. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPAAT), phospholipase D, acetyl-CoA carboxylase carboxyltransferase beta subunit, 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase-like and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 β subunit were associated with fatty acid biosynthesis or metabolism. Triose phosphate isomerase, cellulose synthase and glucan 1,3-β-glucosidase were related to carbohydrate metabolism, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was related to both fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Of 737 unigenes, 103 encoded enzymes were involved in fatty acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis and metabolism, and a number of transcription factors and other interesting genes with stage-specific expression were confirmed by real-time PCR, with validation of the SSH results as high as 66.6%. Based on determination of coconut endosperm fatty acids content by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, a number of candidate genes in fatty acid anabolism were selected for further study. Conclusion Functional annotation of genes differentially expressed in coconut pulp development helped determine the molecular basis of coconut endosperm development. The SSH method identified genes related to fatty acids, carbohydrate and secondary metabolites. The results will be important for understanding gene functions and regulatory networks in coconut fruit. PMID:25084812

Identification and computational annotation of genes differentially expressed in pulp development of Cocos nucifera L. by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Liang, Yuanxue; Yuan, Yijun; Liu, Tao; Mao, Wei; Zheng, Yusheng; Li, Dongdong

2014-08-02

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the world's most versatile, economically important tropical crops. Little is known about the physiological and molecular basis of coconut pulp (endosperm) development and only a few coconut genes and gene product sequences are available in public databases. This study identified genes that were differentially expressed during development of coconut pulp and functionally annotated these identified genes using bioinformatics analysis. Pulp from three different coconut developmental stages was collected. Four suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries were constructed (forward and reverse libraries A and B between stages 1 and 2, and C and D between stages 2 and 3), and identified sequences were computationally annotated using Blast2GO software. A total of 1272 clones were obtained for analysis from four SSH libraries with 63% showing similarity to known proteins. Pairwise comparing of stage-specific gene ontology ids from libraries B-D, A-C, B-C and A-D showed that 32 genes were continuously upregulated and seven downregulated; 28 were transiently upregulated and 23 downregulated. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPAAT), phospholipase D, acetyl-CoA carboxylase carboxyltransferase beta subunit, 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase-like and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 β subunit were associated with fatty acid biosynthesis or metabolism. Triose phosphate isomerase, cellulose synthase and glucan 1,3-β-glucosidase were related to carbohydrate metabolism, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was related to both fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Of 737 unigenes, 103 encoded enzymes were involved in fatty acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis and metabolism, and a number of transcription factors and other interesting genes with stage-specific expression were confirmed by real-time PCR, with validation of the SSH results as high as 66.6%. Based on determination of coconut endosperm fatty acids content by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a number of candidate genes in fatty acid anabolism were selected for further study. Functional annotation of genes differentially expressed in coconut pulp development helped determine the molecular basis of coconut endosperm development. The SSH method identified genes related to fatty acids, carbohydrate and secondary metabolites. The results will be important for understanding gene functions and regulatory networks in coconut fruit.

Identification of genes differentially expressed in association with acquired cisplatin resistance

PubMed Central

Johnsson, A; Zeelenberg, I; Min, Y; Hilinski, J; Berry, C; Howell, S B; Los, G

2000-01-01

The goal of this study was to identify genes whose mRNA levels are differentially expressed in human cells with acquired cisplatin (cDDP) resistance. Using the parental UMSCC10b head and neck carcinoma cell line and the 5.9-fold cDDP-resistant subline, UMSCC10b/Pt-S15, two suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries were prepared. One library represented mRNAs whose levels were increased in the cDDP resistant variant (the UP library), the other one represented mRNAs whose levels were decreased in the resistant cells (the DOWN library). Arrays constructed with inserts recovered from these libraries were hybridized with SSH products to identify truly differentially expressed elements. A total of 51 cDNA fragments present in the UP library and 16 in the DOWN library met the criteria established for differential expression. The sequences of 87% of these cDNA fragments were identified in Genbank. Among the mRNAs in the UP library that were frequently isolated and that showed high levels of differential expression were cytochrome oxidase I, ribosomal protein 28S, elongation factor 1α, α-enolase, stathmin, and HSP70. The approach taken in this study permitted identification of many genes never before linked to the cDDP-resistant phenotype. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:10993653

Is social sciences and humanities (SSH) premedical education marginalized in the medical school admission process? A review and contextualization of the literature.

PubMed

Hall, Justin N; Woods, Nicole; Hanson, Mark D

2014-07-01

To investigate the performance outcomes of medical students with social sciences and humanities (SSH) premedical education during and beyond medical school by reviewing the literature, and to contextualize this review within today's admission milieu. From May to July 2012, the lead author searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases, and reference lists of relevant articles, for research that compared premedical SSH education with premedical sciences education and its influence on performance during and/or after medical school. The authors extracted representative themes and relevant empirical findings. They contextualized their findings within today's admission milieu. A total of 1,548 citations were identified with 20 papers included in the review. SSH premedical education is predominately an American experience. For medical students with SSH background, equivalent academic, clinical, and research performance compared with medical students with a premedical science background is reported, yet different patterns of competencies exist. Post-medical-school equivalent or improved clinical performance is associated with an SSH background. Medical students with SSH backgrounds were more likely to select primary care or psychiatry careers. SSH major/course concentration, not SSH course counts, is important for admission decision making. The impact of today's admission milieu decreases the value of an SSH premedical education. Medical students with SSH premedical education perform on par with peers yet may possess different patterns of competencies, research, and career interests. However, SSH premedical education likely will not attain a significant role in medical school admission processes.

Right- and left-loop short shRNAs have distinct and unusual mechanisms of gene silencing

PubMed Central

Dallas, Anne; Ilves, Heini; Ge, Qing; Kumar, Pavan; Shorenstein, Joshua; Kazakov, Sergei A.; Cuellar, Trinna L.; McManus, Michael T.; Behlke, Mark A.; Johnston, Brian H.

2012-01-01

Small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) having duplex lengths of 25–29 bp are normally processed by Dicer into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) before incorporation into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). However, shRNAs of ≤19 bp [short shRNAs (sshRNAs)] are too short for Dicer to excise their loops, raising questions about their mechanism of action. sshRNAs are designated as L-type or R-type according to whether the loop is positioned 3′ or 5′ to the guide sequence, respectively. Using nucleotide modifications that inhibit RNA cleavage, we show that R- but not L-sshRNAs require loop cleavage for optimum activity. Passenger-arm slicing was found to be important for optimal functioning of L-sshRNAs but much less important for R-sshRNAs that have a cleavable loop. R-sshRNAs could be immunoprecipitated by antibodies to Argonaute-1 (Ago1); complexes with Ago1 contained both intact and loop-cleaved sshRNAs. In contrast, L-sshRNAs were immunoprecipitated with either Ago1 or Ago2 and were predominantly sliced in the passenger arm of the hairpin. However, ‘pre-sliced’ L-sshRNAs were inactive. We conclude that active L-sshRNAs depend on slicing of the passenger arm to facilitate opening of the duplex, whereas R-sshRNAs primarily act via loop cleavage to generate a 5′-phosphate at the 5′-end of the guide strand. PMID:22810205

SSh versus TSE sequence protocol in rapid MR examination of pediatric patients with programmable drainage system.

PubMed

Brichtová, Eva; Šenkyřík, J

2017-05-01

A low radiation burden is essential during diagnostic procedures in pediatric patients due to their high tissue sensitivity. Using MR examination instead of the routinely used CT reduces the radiation exposure and the risk of adverse stochastic effects. Our retrospective study evaluated the possibility of using ultrafast single-shot (SSh) sequences and turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences in rapid MR brain imaging in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus and a programmable ventriculoperitoneal drainage system. SSh sequences seem to be suitable for examining pediatric patients due to the speed of using this technique, but significant susceptibility artifacts due to the programmable drainage valve degrade the image quality. Therefore, a rapid MR examination protocol based on TSE sequences, less sensitive to artifacts due to ferromagnetic components, has been developed. Of 61 pediatric patients who were examined using MR and the SSh sequence protocol, a group of 15 patients with hydrocephalus and a programmable drainage system also underwent TSE sequence MR imaging. The susceptibility artifact volume in both rapid MR protocols was evaluated using a semiautomatic volumetry system. A statistically significant decrease in the susceptibility artifact volume has been demonstrated in TSE sequence imaging in comparison with SSh sequences. Using TSE sequences reduced the influence of artifacts from the programmable valve, and the image quality in all cases was rated as excellent. In all patients, rapid MR examinations were performed without any need for intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Our study results strongly suggest the superiority of the TSE sequence MR protocol compared to the SSh sequence protocol in pediatric patients with a programmable ventriculoperitoneal drainage system due to a significant reduction of susceptibility artifact volume. Both rapid sequence MR protocols provide quick and satisfactory brain imaging with no ionizing radiation and a reduced need for intravenous or general anesthesia.

Using a dynamical advection to reconstruct a part of the SSH evolution in the context of SWOT, application to the Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogé, Marine; Morrow, Rosemary; Ubelmann, Clément; Dibarboure, Gérald

2017-08-01

The main oceanographic objective of the future SWOT mission is to better characterize the ocean mesoscale and sub-mesoscale circulation, by observing a finer range of ocean topography dynamics down to 20 km wavelength. Despite the very high spatial resolution of the future satellite, it will not capture the time evolution of the shorter mesoscale signals, such as the formation and evolution of small eddies. SWOT will have an exact repeat cycle of 21 days, with near repeats around 5-10 days, depending on the latitude. Here, we investigate a technique to reconstruct the missing 2D SSH signal in the time between two satellite revisits. We use the dynamical interpolation (DI) technique developed by Ubelmann et al. (2015). Based on potential vorticity (hereafter PV) conservation using a one and a half layer quasi-geostrophic model, it features an active advection of the SSH field. This model has been tested in energetic open ocean regions such as the Gulf Stream and the Californian Current, and has given promising results. Here, we test this model in the Western Mediterranean Sea, a lower energy region with complex small scale physics, and compare the SSH reconstruction with the high-resolution Symphonie model. We investigate an extension of the simple dynamical model including a separated mean circulation. We find that the DI gives a 16-18% improvement in the reconstruction of the surface height and eddy kinetic energy fields, compared with a simple linear interpolation, and a 37% improvement in the Northern Current subregion. Reconstruction errors are higher during winter and autumn but statistically, the improvement from the DI is also better for these seasons.

Neural Network Technique for Global Ocean Color (Chl-a) Estimates Bridging Multiple Satellite Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garraffo, Z. D.; Nadiga, S.; Krasnopolsky, V.; Mehra, A.; Bayler, E. J.; Kim, H. C.; Behringer, D.

2016-02-01

A Neural Network (NN) technique is used to produce consistent global ocean color estimates, bridging multiple satellite ocean color missions by linking ocean color variability - primarily driven by biological processes - with the physical processes of the upper ocean. Satellite-derived surface variables - sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-surface height (SSH) fields - are used as signatures of upper-ocean dynamics. The NN technique employs adaptive weights that are tuned by applying statistical learning (training) algorithms to past data sets, providing robustness with respect to random noise, accuracy, fast emulations, and fault-tolerance. This study employs Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll-a data for 1998-2010 in conjunction with satellite SSH and SST fields. After interpolating all data sets to the same two-degree latitude-longitude grid, the annual mean was removed and monthly anomalies extracted . The NN technique wass trained for even years of that period and tested for errors and bias for the odd years. The NN output are assessed for: (i) bias, (ii) variability, (iii) root-mean-square error (RMSE), and (iv) cross-correlation. A Jacobian is evaluated to estimate the impact of each input (SSH, SST) on the NN chlorophyll-a estimates. The differences between an ensemble of NNs vs a single NN are examined. After the NN is trained for the SeaWiFS period, the NN is then applied and validated for 2005-2015, a period covered by other satellite missions — the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS AQUA) and the Visible Imaging Infrared Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).

Detection of Rossby Waves in Multi-Parameters in Multi-Mission Satellite Observations and HYCOM Simulations in the Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subrahmanyam, Bulusu; Heffner, David M.; Cromwell, David; Shriver, Jay F.

2009-01-01

Rossby waves are difficult to detect with in situ methods. However, as we show in this paper, they can be clearly identified in multi-parameters in multi-mission satellite observations of sea surface height (SSH), sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color observations of chlorophyll-a (chl-a), as well as 1/12-deg global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) simulations of SSH, SST and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Indian Ocean. While the surface structure of Rossby waves can be elucidated from comparisons of the signal in different sea surface parameters, models are needed to gain direct information about how these waves affect the ocean at depth. The first three baroclinic modes of the Rossby waves are inferred from the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and two-dimensional Radon Transform (2D RT). At many latitudes the first and second baroclinic mode Rossby wave phase speeds from satellite observations and model parameters are identified.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in human lung squamous cell carcinoma using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Sun, Wenyue; Zhang, Kaitai; Zhang, Xinyu; Lei, Wendong; Xiao, Ting; Ma, Jinfang; Guo, Suping; Shao, Shujuan; Zhang, Husheng; Liu, Yan; Yuan, Jinsong; Hu, Zhi; Ma, Ying; Feng, Xiaoli; Hu, Songnian; Zhou, Jun; Cheng, Shujun; Gao, Yanning

2004-08-20

Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths. Over the past decade, much has been known about the molecular changes associated with lung carcinogenesis; however, our understanding to lung tumorigenesis is still incomplete. To identify genes that are differentially expressed in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, we compared the expression profiles between primarily cultured SCC tumor cells and bronchial epithelial cells derived from morphologically normal bronchial epithelium of the same patient. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), two cDNA libraries containing up- and down-regulated genes in the tumor cells were constructed, named as LCTP and LCBP. The two libraries comprise 258 known genes and 133 unknown genes in total. The known up-regulated genes in the library LCTP represented a variety of functional groups; including metabolism-, cell adhesion and migration-, signal transduction-, and anti-apoptosis-related genes. Using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, seven genes chosen randomly from the LCTP were analyzed in the tumor tissue paired with its corresponding adjacent normal lung tissue derived from 16 cases of the SCC. Among them, the IQGAP1, RAP1GDS1, PAICS, MLF1, and MARK1 genes showed a consistent expression pattern with that of the SSH analysis. Identification and further characterization of these genes may allow a better understanding of lung carcinogenesis.

[Differential gene expression in incompatible interaction between Lilium regale Wilson and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii revealed by combined SSH and microarray analysis].

PubMed

Rao, J; Liu, D; Zhang, N; He, H; Ge, F; Chen, C

2014-01-01

Fusarium wilt, caused by a soilborne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii, is the major disease of lily (Lilium L.). In order to isolate the genes differentially expressed in a resistant reaction to F. oxysporum in L. regale Wilson, a cDNA library was constructed with L. regale root during F. oxysporum infection using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), and a total of 585 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. Furthermore, the gene expression profiles in the incompatible interaction between L. regale and F. oxysporum were revealed by oligonucleotide microarray analysis of 585 unique ESTs comparison to the compatible interaction between a susceptible Lilium Oriental Hybrid 'Siberia' and F. oxysporum. The result of expression profile analysis indicated that the genes encoding pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs), antioxidative stress enzymes, secondary metabolism enzymes, transcription factors, signal transduction proteins as well as a large number of unknown genes were involved in early defense response of L. regale to F. oxysporum infection. Moreover, the following quantitative reverse transcription PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis confirmed reliability of the oligonucleotide microarray data. In the present study, isolation of differentially expressed genes in L. regale during response to F. oxysporum helped to uncover the molecular mechanism associated with the resistance of L. regale against F. oxysporum.

Preferential Targeting of a Signal Recognition Particle-dependent Precursor to the Ssh1p Translocon in Yeast♦

PubMed Central

Spiller, Michael P.; Stirling, Colin J.

2011-01-01

Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane occurs via a “translocon” channel formed by the Sec61p complex. In yeast, two channels exist: the canonical Sec61p channel and a homolog called Ssh1p. Here, we used trapped translocation intermediates to demonstrate that a specific signal recognition particle-dependent substrate, Sec71p, is targeted exclusively to Ssh1p. Strikingly, we found that, in the absence of Ssh1p, precursor could be successfully redirected to canonical Sec61p, demonstrating that the normal targeting reaction must involve preferential sorting to Ssh1p. Our data therefore demonstrate that Ssh1p is the primary translocon for Sec71p and reveal a novel sorting mechanism at the level of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane enabling precursors to be directed to distinct translocons. Interestingly, the Ssh1p-dependent translocation of Sec71p was found to be dependent upon Sec63p, demonstrating a previously unappreciated functional interaction between Sec63p and the Ssh1p translocon. PMID:21454595

Reporting Errors in Siblings’ Survival Histories and Their Impact on Adult Mortality Estimates: Results From a Record Linkage Study in Senegal

PubMed Central

Helleringer, Stéphane; Pison, Gilles; Kanté, Almamy M.; Duthé, Géraldine; Andro, Armelle

2014-01-01

Estimates of adult mortality in countries with limited vital registration (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa) are often derived from information about the survival of a respondent’s siblings. We evaluated the completeness and accuracy of such data through a record linkage study conducted in Bandafassi, located in southeastern Senegal. We linked at the individual level retrospective siblings’ survival histories (SSH) reported by female respondents (n = 268) to prospective mortality data and genealogies collected through a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS). Respondents often reported inaccurate lists of siblings. Additions to these lists were uncommon, but omissions were frequent: respondents omitted 3.8 % of their live sisters, 9.1 % of their deceased sisters, and 16.6 % of their sisters who had migrated out of the DSS area. Respondents underestimated the age at death of the siblings they reported during the interview, particularly among siblings who had died at older ages (≥45 years). Restricting SSH data to person-years and events having occurred during a recent reference period reduced list errors but not age and date errors. Overall, SSH data led to a 20 % underestimate of 45q15 relative to HDSS data. Our study suggests new quality improvement strategies for SSH data and demonstrates the potential use of HDSS data for the validation of “unconventional” demographic techniques. PMID:24493063

Reporting errors in siblings' survival histories and their impact on adult mortality estimates: results from a record linkage study in Senegal.

PubMed

Helleringer, Stéphane; Pison, Gilles; Kanté, Almamy M; Duthé, Géraldine; Andro, Armelle

2014-04-01

Estimates of adult mortality in countries with limited vital registration (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa) are often derived from information about the survival of a respondent's siblings. We evaluated the completeness and accuracy of such data through a record linkage study conducted in Bandafassi, located in southeastern Senegal. We linked at the individual level retrospective siblings' survival histories (SSH) reported by female respondents (n = 268) to prospective mortality data and genealogies collected through a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS). Respondents often reported inaccurate lists of siblings. Additions to these lists were uncommon, but omissions were frequent: respondents omitted 3.8 % of their live sisters, 9.1 % of their deceased sisters, and 16.6 % of their sisters who had migrated out of the DSS area. Respondents underestimated the age at death of the siblings they reported during the interview, particularly among siblings who had died at older ages (≥45 years). Restricting SSH data to person-years and events having occurred during a recent reference period reduced list errors but not age and date errors. Overall, SSH data led to a 20 % underestimate of 45 q 15 relative to HDSS data. Our study suggests new quality improvement strategies for SSH data and demonstrates the potential use of HDSS data for the validation of "unconventional" demographic techniques.

Differential Gene Expression at Coral Settlement and Metamorphosis - A Subtractive Hybridization Study

PubMed Central

Hayward, David C.; Hetherington, Suzannah; Behm, Carolyn A.; Grasso, Lauretta C.; Forêt, Sylvain; Miller, David J.; Ball, Eldon E.

2011-01-01

Background A successful metamorphosis from a planktonic larva to a settled polyp, which under favorable conditions will establish a future colony, is critical for the survival of corals. However, in contrast to the situation in other animals, e.g., frogs and insects, little is known about the molecular basis of coral metamorphosis. We have begun to redress this situation with previous microarray studies, but there is still a great deal to learn. In the present paper we have utilized a different technology, subtractive hybridization, to characterize genes differentially expressed across this developmental transition and to compare the success of this method to microarray. Methodology/Principal Findings Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify two pools of transcripts from the coral, Acropora millepora. One is enriched for transcripts expressed at higher levels at the pre-settlement stage, and the other for transcripts expressed at higher levels at the post-settlement stage. Virtual northern blots were used to demonstrate the efficacy of the subtractive hybridization technique. Both pools contain transcripts coding for proteins in various functional classes but transcriptional regulatory proteins were represented more frequently in the post-settlement pool. Approximately 18% of the transcripts showed no significant similarity to any other sequence on the public databases. Transcripts of particular interest were further characterized by in situ hybridization, which showed that many are regulated spatially as well as temporally. Notably, many transcripts exhibit axially restricted expression patterns that correlate with the pool from which they were isolated. Several transcripts are expressed in patterns consistent with a role in calcification. Conclusions We have characterized over 200 transcripts that are differentially expressed between the planula larva and post-settlement polyp of the coral, Acropora millepora. Sequence, putative function, and in some cases temporal and spatial expression are reported. PMID:22065994

Characterization of resistance to pine wood nematode infection in Pinus thunbergii using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Hirao, Tomonori; Fukatsu, Eitaro; Watanabe, Atsushi

2012-01-24

Pine wilt disease is caused by the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which threatens pine forests and forest ecosystems worldwide and causes serious economic losses. In the 40 years since the pathogen was identified, the physiological changes occurring as the disease progresses have been characterized using anatomical and biochemical methods, and resistant trees have been selected via breeding programs. However, no studies have assessed the molecular genetics, e.g. transcriptional changes, associated with infection-induced physiological changes in resistant or susceptible trees. We constructed seven subtractive suppression hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries using time-course sampling of trees inoculated with pine wood nematode at 1, 3, or 7 days post-inoculation (dpi) in susceptible trees and at 1, 3, 7, or 14 dpi in resistant trees. A total of 3,299 sequences was obtained from these cDNA libraries, including from 138 to 315 non-redundant sequences in susceptible SSH libraries and from 351 to 435 in resistant SSH libraries. Using Gene Ontology hierarchy, those non-redundant sequences were classified into 15 subcategories of the biological process Gene Ontology category and 17 subcategories of the molecular function category. The transcriptional components revealed by the Gene Ontology classification clearly differed between resistant and susceptible libraries. Some transcripts were discriminative: expression of antimicrobial peptide and putative pathogenesis-related genes (e.g., PR-1b, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) was much higher in susceptible trees than in resistant trees at every time point, whereas expression of PR-9, PR-10, and cell wall-related genes (e.g., for hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein precursor and extensin) was higher in resistant trees than in susceptible trees at 7 and 14 dpi. Following inoculation with pine wood nematode, there were marked differences between resistant and susceptible trees in transcript diversity and the timing and level of transcripts expressed in common; in particular, expression of stress response and defense genes differed. This study provided new insight into the differences in the physiological changes between resistant and susceptible trees that have been observed in anatomical and biochemical studies.

Genomic comparison of the endophyte Herbaspirillum seropedicae SmR1 and the phytopathogen Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans M1 by suppressive subtractive hybridization and partial genome sequencing.

PubMed

Monteiro, Rose A; Balsanelli, Eduardo; Tuleski, Thalita; Faoro, Helison; Cruz, Leonardo M; Wassem, Roseli; de Baura, Valter A; Tadra-Sfeir, Michelle Z; Weiss, Vinícius; DaRocha, Wanderson D; Muller-Santos, Marcelo; Chubatsu, Leda S; Huergo, Luciano F; Pedrosa, Fábio O; de Souza, Emanuel M

2012-05-01

Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans M1 causes the mottled stripe disease in sugarcane cv. B-4362. Inoculation of this cultivar with Herbaspirillum seropedicae SmR1 does not produce disease symptoms. A comparison of the genomic sequences of these closely related species may permit a better understanding of contrasting phenotype such as endophytic association and pathogenic life style. To achieve this goal, we constructed suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries to identify DNA fragments present in one species and absent in the other. In a parallel approach, partial genomic sequence from H. rubrisubalbicans M1 was directly compared in silico with the H. seropedicae SmR1 genome. The genomic differences between the two organisms revealed by SSH suggested that lipopolysaccharide and adhesins are potential molecular factors involved in the different phenotypic behavior. The cluster wss probably involved in cellulose biosynthesis was found in H. rubrisubalbicans M1. Expression of this gene cluster was increased in H. rubrisubalbicans M1 cells attached to the surface of maize root, and knockout of wssD gene led to decrease in maize root surface attachment and endophytic colonization. The production of cellulose could be responsible for the maize attachment pattern of H. rubrisubalbicans M1 that is capable of outcompeting H. seropedicae SmR1. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulating ehrlich and demethiolation pathways for alcohols production by the expression of ubiquitin-protein ligase gene HUWE1.

PubMed

Zhang, Quan; Jia, Kai-Zhi; Xia, Shi-Tao; Xu, Yang-Hua; Liu, Rui-Sang; Li, Hong-Mei; Tang, Ya-Jie

2016-02-10

Ehrlich and demethiolation pathways as two competing branches converted amino acid into alcohols. Controlling both pathways offers considerable potential for industrial applications including alcohols overproduction, flavor-quality control and developing new flavors. While how to regulate ehrlich and demethiolation pathways is still not applicable. Taking the conversion of methionine into methionol and methanethiol for example, we constructed two suppression subtractive cDNA libraries of Clonostachys rosea by using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technology for screening regulators controlling the conversion. E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase gene HUWE1 screened from forward SSH library was validated to be related with the biosynthesis of end products. Overexpressing HUWE1 in C. rosea and S. cerevisiae significantly increased the biosynthesis of methanethiol and its derivatives in demethiolation pathway, while suppressed the biosynthesis of methional and methionol in ehrlich pathway. These results attained the directional regulation of both pathways by overexpressing HUWE1. Thus, HUWE1 has potential to be a key target for controlling and enhancing alcohols production by metabolic engineering.

An SSH library responsive to azadirachtin A constructed in Spodoptera litura Fabricius cell lines.

PubMed

Yan, Chao; Zhang, Zhi-Xiang; Xu, Han-Hong

2012-05-31

The present study revealed differentially expressed genes responsive to azadirachtin A (Aza) in Spodoptera litura cell line through suppression subtractive hybridization. In the Aza-responsive SSH library, approximately 270 sequences represent 53 different identified genes encoding proteins with various predicted functions, and the percentages of the gene clusters were 26.09% (genetic information processing), 11.41% (cell growth and death), 7.07% (metabolism), 6.52% (signal transduction/transport) and 2.72% (immunity), respectively. Eleven clones homologous to identified genes were selected to be confirmed through quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Among the eleven clones validated, all but one transcript of lipase showed an increase in SL cell line collected from ETA, whereas the transcripts of other genes were lower in the SL cell line collected from ETA compared with that of UETA. These genes were considered to be related to the response of SL cell line to Aza. These will provide a new clue to uncover the molecular mechanisms of Aza acting on SL cell line. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gene Expression Profiling in Fish Toxicology: A Review.

PubMed

Kumar, Girish; Denslow, Nancy D

In this review, we present an overview of transcriptomic responses to chemical exposures in a variety of fish species. We have discussed the use of several molecular approaches such as northern blotting, differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR), suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), microarrays, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) for measuring gene expression. These techniques have been mainly used to measure the toxic effects of single compounds or simple mixtures in laboratory conditions. In addition, only few studies have been conducted to examine the biological significance of differentially expressed gene sets following chemical exposure. Therefore, future studies should focus more under field conditions using a multidisciplinary approach (genomics, proteomics and metabolomics) to understand the synergetic effects of multiple environmental stressors and to determine the functional significance of differentially expressed genes. Nevertheless, recent developments in NGS technologies and decreasing costs of sequencing holds the promise to uncover the complexity of anthropogenic impacts and biological effects in wild fish populations.

Proposal and Implementation of SSH Client System Using Ajax

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosuda, Yusuke; Sasaki, Ryoichi

Technology called Ajax gives web applications the functionality and operability of desktop applications. In this study, we propose and implement a Secure Shell (SSH) client system using Ajax, independent of the OS or Java execution environment. In this system, SSH packets are generated on a web browser by using JavaScript and a web server works as a proxy in communication with an SSH server to realize end-to-end SSH communication. We implemented a prototype program and confirmed by experiment that it runs on several web browsers and mobile phones. This system has enabled secure SSH communication from a PC at an Internet cafe or any mobile phone. By measuring the processing performance, we verified satisfactory performance for emergency use, although the speed was unsatisfactory in some cases with mobile phone. The system proposed in this study will be effective in various fields of E-Business.

Identification and verification of differentially expressed genes in the caprine hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that are associated with litter size.

PubMed

Feng, Tao; Cao, Gui-Ling; Chu, Ming-Xing; Di, Ran; Huang, Dong-Wei; Liu, Qiu-Yue; Pan, Zhang-Yuan; Jin, Mei; Zhang, Ying-Jie; Li, Ning

2015-02-01

Litter size is a favorable economic trait for the goat industry, but remains a complex trait controlled by multiple genes in multiple organs. Several genes have been identified that may affect embryo survival, follicular development, and the health of fetuses during pregnancy. Jining Grey goats demonstrate the largest litter size among goat breeds indigenous to China. In order to better understand the genetic basis of this trait, six suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries were constructed using pooled mRNAs from hypothalamuses, pituitaries, and ovaries of sexually mature and adult polytocous Jining Grey goats, as testers, versus the pooled corresponding mRNAs of monotocous Liaoning Cashmere goats, as drivers. A total of 1,458 true-positive clones--including 955 known genes and 481 known and 22 unknown expressed sequence tags--were obtained from the SSH libraries by sequencing and alignment. The known genes were categorized into cellular processes and signaling information storage and processing, and metabolism. Three genes (FTH1, GH, and SAA) were selected to validate the SSH results by quantitative real-time PCR; all three were up-regulated in the corresponding tissues in the tester group indicating that these are candidate genes associated with the large litter size of Jining Grey goats. Several other identified genes may affect embryo survival, follicular development, and health during pregnancy. This study provides insights into the mechanistic basis by which the caprine hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis affects reproductive traits and provides a theoretical basis for goat production and breeding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential gene expression in whitefly Bemisia tabaci-infested tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants at progressing developmental stages of the insect's life cycle.

PubMed

Estrada-Hernández, María Gloria; Valenzuela-Soto, José Humberto; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Délano-Frier, John Paul

2009-09-01

A suppression-subtractive-hybridization (SSH) strategy was used to identify genes whose expression was modified in response to virus-free whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Bt, biotype A) infestation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. Thus, forward and reverse SSH gene libraries were generated at four points in the whitefly's life cycle, namely at (1) 2 days (adult feeding and oviposition: phase I); (2) 7 days (mobile crawler stage: phase II); (3) 12 days (second to third instar nymphal transition: phase III) and (4) 18 days (fourth instar nymphal stage: phase IV). The 169 genes with altered expression (up and downregulated) that were identified in the eight generated SSH libraries, together with 75 additional genes that were selected on the basis of their involvement in resistance responses against phytofagous insects and pathogens, were printed on a Nexterion(®) Slide MPX 16 to monitor their pattern of expression at the above phases. The results indicated that Bt infestation in tomato led to distinctive phase-specific expression/repression patterns of several genes associated predominantly with photosynthesis, senescence, secondary metabolism and (a)biotic stress. Most of the gene expression modifications were detected in phase III, coinciding with intense larval feeding, whereas fewer changes were detected in phases I and IV. These results complement previously reported gene expression profiles in Bt-infested tomato and Arabidopisis, and support and expand the opinion that Bt infestation leads to the downregulation of specific defense responses in addition to those controlled by jasmonic acid. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2009.

Direct SSH Gateway Access to Peregrine | High Performance Computing |

Science.gov Websites

can access peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov, you must have: An active NREL HPC user account (see User Accounts ) An OTP Token (see One Time Password Tokens) Logging into peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov With your HPC account

Impact of Assimilating Surface Velocity Observations on the Model Sea Surface Height Using the NCOM-4DVAR

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-26

statistical analysis is done by not only examining the SSH forecast error across the entire do- main, but also by concentrating on the areamost densely covered...over (b) entire GoM domain and (d) GLAD region only. Statistics shown for FR (thin black), SSH1 (thick black), and VEL (gray) experiment 96-h SSH...coefficient. To statistically FIG. 9. Sea surface height (m) for AVISO (a) 1 Aug, (b) 20 Aug, (c) 10 Sep, and (d) 30 Sep; for SSH1 experiment (e) 1

Minimal-length Synthetic shRNAs Formulated with Lipid Nanoparticles are Potent Inhibitors of Hepatitis C Virus IRES-linked Gene Expression in Mice

PubMed Central

Dallas, Anne; Ilves, Heini; Shorenstein, Joshua; Judge, Adam; Spitler, Ryan; Contag, Christopher; Wong, Suet Ping; Harbottle, Richard P; MacLachlan, Ian; Johnston, Brian H

2013-01-01

We previously identified short synthetic shRNAs (sshRNAs) that target a conserved hepatitis C virus (HCV) sequence within the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV and potently inhibit HCV IRES-linked gene expression. To assess in vivo liver delivery and activity, the HCV-directed sshRNA SG220 was formulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and injected i.v. into mice whose livers supported stable HCV IRES-luciferase expression from a liver-specific promoter. After a single injection, RNase protection assays for the sshRNA and 3H labeling of a lipid component of the nanoparticles showed efficient liver uptake of both components and long-lasting survival of a significant fraction of the sshRNA in the liver. In vivo imaging showed a dose-dependent inhibition of luciferase expression (>90% 1 day after injection of 2.5 mg/kg sshRNA) with t1/2 for recovery of about 3 weeks. These results demonstrate the ability of moderate levels of i.v.-injected, LNP-formulated sshRNAs to be taken up by liver hepatocytes at a level sufficient to substantially suppress gene expression. Suppression is rapid and durable, suggesting that sshRNAs may have promise as therapeutic agents for liver indications. PMID:24045712

Attenuation of CCl4-Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatonephrotoxicity by Saudi Sidr Honey in Rats.

PubMed

Al-Yahya, Mohammed; Mothana, Ramzi; Al-Said, Mansour; Al-Dosari, Mohammed; Al-Musayeib, Nawal; Al-Sohaibani, Mohammed; Parvez, Mohammad Khalid; Rafatullah, Syed

2013-01-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effect of Saudi Sidr honey (SSH) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced oxidative stress and liver and kidney damage in rat. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and the phenolic and flavonoidal contents were determined. The hepatorenal protective activity of the SSH was determined by assessing biochemical, hematological, and histological parameters. Serum transaminases, ALP, GGT, creatinine, bilirubin urea, uric acid, and MDA level in liver and kidney tissues were significantly elevated, and the antioxidant status of nonprotein sulfhydryls, albumin, and total protein levels in liver and kidney were declined significantly in CCl4 alone treated animals. Pretreatment with SSH and silymarin prior to the administration of CCl4 significantly prevented the increase of the serum levels of enzyme markers and reduced oxidative stress. SSH also exhibited a significant lipid-lowering effect and caused an HDL-C enhanced level in serum. The histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney also revealed that honey protected incidence of both liver and kidney lesions. Moreover, SSH showed a strong antioxidant activity in DPPH and β -carotene-linoleic acid assays. SSH was found to contain phenolic compounds. Additionally, the SSH supplementation restored the hepatocytes viability against 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) toxicity in ex vivo test.

Attenuation of CCl4-Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatonephrotoxicity by Saudi Sidr Honey in Rats

PubMed Central

Al-Yahya, Mohammed; Mothana, Ramzi; Al-Said, Mansour; Al-Dosari, Mohammed; Al-Musayeib, Nawal; Al-Sohaibani, Mohammed; Parvez, Mohammad Khalid; Rafatullah, Syed

2013-01-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effect of Saudi Sidr honey (SSH) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced oxidative stress and liver and kidney damage in rat. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and the phenolic and flavonoidal contents were determined. The hepatorenal protective activity of the SSH was determined by assessing biochemical, hematological, and histological parameters. Serum transaminases, ALP, GGT, creatinine, bilirubin urea, uric acid, and MDA level in liver and kidney tissues were significantly elevated, and the antioxidant status of nonprotein sulfhydryls, albumin, and total protein levels in liver and kidney were declined significantly in CCl4 alone treated animals. Pretreatment with SSH and silymarin prior to the administration of CCl4 significantly prevented the increase of the serum levels of enzyme markers and reduced oxidative stress. SSH also exhibited a significant lipid-lowering effect and caused an HDL-C enhanced level in serum. The histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney also revealed that honey protected incidence of both liver and kidney lesions. Moreover, SSH showed a strong antioxidant activity in DPPH and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays. SSH was found to contain phenolic compounds. Additionally, the SSH supplementation restored the hepatocytes viability against 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) toxicity in ex vivo test. PMID:23533498

Identification of an Na(+)-dependent transporter associated with saxitoxin-producing strains of the cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis.

PubMed

Pomati, Francesco; Burns, Brendan P; Neilan, Brett A

2004-08-01

Blooms of the freshwater cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis are recognized as an important health risk worldwide due to the production of a range of toxins such as saxitoxin (STX) and its derivatives. In this study we used HIP1 octameric-palindrome repeated-sequence PCR to compare the genomic structure of phylogenetically similar Australian isolates of A. circinalis. STX-producing and nontoxic cyanobacterial strains showed different HIP1 (highly iterated octameric palindrome 1) DNA patterns, and characteristic interrepeat amplicons for each group were identified. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed using HIP1 PCR-generated libraries to further identify toxic-strain-specific genes. An STX-producing strain and a nontoxic strain of A. circinalis were chosen as testers in two distinct experiments. The two categories of SSH putative tester-specific sequences were characterized by different families of encoded proteins that may be representative of the differences in metabolism between STX-producing and nontoxic A. circinalis strains. DNA-microarray hybridization and genomic screening revealed a toxic-strain-specific HIP1 fragment coding for a putative Na(+)-dependent transporter. Analysis of this gene demonstrated analogy to the mrpF gene of Bacillus subtilis, whose encoded protein is involved in Na(+)-specific pH homeostasis. The application of this gene as a molecular probe in laboratory and environmental screening for STX-producing A. circinalis strains was demonstrated. The possible role of this putative Na(+)-dependent transporter in the toxic cyanobacterial phenotype is also discussed, in light of recent physiological studies of STX-producing cyanobacteria.

Variability in Sea Surface Height: A Qualitative Measure for the Meridional Overturning in the North Atlantic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, Sirpa

1999-01-01

Sea surface height (SSH) from altimeter observations from 1992 on and from modeling results is investigated to determine the modes of variability and the linkages to the state of oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic. First the altimeter and model simulated SSH are analyzed using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. They are found to share a similar leading mode where the center of action is along the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current with opposite sign anomalies in the subpolar gyre and in the slope waters along the Eastern Seaboard. The time series of the leading EOF mode from the altimeter data shows that between winters of 1995 and 1996, SSH over the Gulf Stream decreased by about 12cm which change is reproduced by the model simulation. Based on the relationship from the model simulations between the time series of the SSH EOF1 and meridional heat transport, it is suggested that associated with this SSH change in 1995-96, the overturning has slowed down from its heights in the early 90's. Furthermore, it is shown that decadal variability in the leading SSH mode originates from the thermal forcing component. This adds confidence to the qualitative relationship between the state of overturning/meridional heat transport and SSH in the limited area described by the EOF1. SSH variability in the eastern side of the North Atlantic basin, outside the western boundary current region, is determined by local and remote (Rossby waves) wind stress curl forcing.

From population connectivity to the art of striping Russian dolls: the lessons from Pocillopora corals.

PubMed

Gélin, Pauline; Fauvelot, Cécile; Bigot, Lionel; Baly, Joseph; Magalon, Hélène

2018-01-01

Here, we examined the genetic variability in the coral genus Pocillopora , in particular within the Primary Species Hypothesis PSH09, identified by Gélin, Postaire, Fauvelot and Magalon (2017) using species delimitation methods [also named Pocillopora eydouxi/meandrina complex sensu , Schmidt-Roach, Miller, Lundgren, & Andreakis (2014)] and which was found to split into three secondary species hypotheses (SSH09a, SSH09b, and SSH09c) according to assignment tests using multi-locus genotypes (13 microsatellites). From a large sampling (2,507 colonies) achieved in three marine provinces [Western Indian Ocean (WIO), Tropical Southwestern Pacific (TSP), and Southeast Polynesia (SEP)], genetic structuring analysis conducted with two clustering analyses (structure and DAPC) using 13 microsatellites revealed that SSH09a was restricted to the WIO while SSH09b and SSH09c were almost exclusively in the TSP and SEP. More surprisingly, each SSH split into two to three genetically differentiated clusters, found in sympatry at the reef scale, leading to a pattern of nested hierarchical levels (PSH > SSH > cluster), each level hiding highly differentiated genetic groups. Thus, rather than structured populations within a single species, these three SSHs, and even the eight clusters, likely represent distinct genetic lineages engaged in a speciation process or real species. The issue is now to understand which hierarchical level (SSH, cluster, or even below) corresponds to the species one. Several hypotheses are discussed on the processes leading to this pattern of mixed clusters in sympatry, evoking formation of reproductive barriers, either by allopatric speciation or habitat selection.

Free and Forced Rossby Waves in the Western South China Sea Inferred from Jason-1 Satellite Altimetry Data

PubMed Central

Wu, Xiangyu; Xie, Qiang; He, Zhigang; Wang, Dongxiao

2008-01-01

Data from a subsurface mooring deployed in the western South China Sea shows clear intra-seasonal oscillations (ISO) at the period of 40∼70 days. Analysis of remotely-sensed sea surface height (SSH) anomalies in the same area indicates that these ISO signals propagate both eastward and westward. Time-longitude diagrams of ISO signals in SSH anomalies and wind-stress curl indicate that the eastward propagating SSH anomalies is forced by wind-stress curl. This is also confirmed by lag correlation between SSH anomalies and the wind-stress-curl index (wind stress curl averaged over 109.5°E -115°E and 12°N -13.5°N). Lag correlation of SSH anomaly suggests that the westward propagating signals are free Rossby waves. PMID:27879897

Can We Infer Ocean Dynamics from Altimeter Wavenumber Spectra?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richman, James; Shriver, Jay; Arbic, Brian

2012-01-01

The wavenumber spectra of sea surface height (SSH) and kinetic energy (KE) have been used to infer the dynamics of the ocean. When quasi-geostrophic dynamics (QG) or surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) turbulence dominate and an inertial subrange exists, a steep SSH wavenumber spectrum is expected with k-5 for QG turbulence and a flatter k-11/3 for SQG turbulence. However, inspection of the spectral slopes in the mesoscale band of 70 to 250 km shows that the altimeter wavenumber slopes typically are much flatter than the QG or SQG predictions over most of the ocean. Comparison of the altimeter wavenumber spectra with the spectra estimated from the output of an eddy resolving global ocean circulation model (the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model, HYCOM, at 1/25 resolution), which is forced by high frequency winds and includes the astronomical forcing of the sun and the moon, suggests that the flatter slopes of the altimeter may arise from three possible sources, the presence of internal waves, the lack of an inertial subrange in the 70 to 250 km band and noise or submesoscales at small scales. When the wavenumber spectra of SSH and KE are estimated near the internal tide generating regions, the resulting spectra are much flatter than the expectations of QG or SQG theory. If the height and velocity variability are separated into low frequency (periods greater than 2 days) and high frequency (periods less than a day), then a different pattern emerges with a relatively flat wavenumber spectrum at high frequency and a steeper wavenumber spectrum at low frequency. The stationary internal tides can be removed from the altimeter spectrum, which steepens the spectral slopes in the energetic internal wave regions. Away from generating regions where the internal waves

Comparison study of noise reduction algorithms in dual energy chest digital tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, D.; Kim, Y.-S.; Choi, S.; Lee, H.; Choi, S.; Kim, H.-J.

2018-04-01

Dual energy chest digital tomosynthesis (CDT) is a recently developed medical technique that takes advantage of both tomosynthesis and dual energy X-ray images. However, quantum noise, which occurs in dual energy X-ray images, strongly interferes with diagnosis in various clinical situations. Therefore, noise reduction is necessary in dual energy CDT. In this study, noise-compensating algorithms, including a simple smoothing of high-energy images (SSH) and anti-correlated noise reduction (ACNR), were evaluated in a CDT system. We used a newly developed prototype CDT system and anthropomorphic chest phantom for experimental studies. The resulting images demonstrated that dual energy CDT can selectively image anatomical structures, such as bone and soft tissue. Among the resulting images, those acquired with ACNR showed the best image quality. Both coefficient of variation and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were the highest in ACNR among the three different dual energy techniques, and the CNR of bone was significantly improved compared to the reconstructed images acquired at a single energy. This study demonstrated the clinical value of dual energy CDT and quantitatively showed that ACNR is the most suitable among the three developed dual energy techniques, including standard log subtraction, SSH, and ACNR.

Response of the North Atlantic dynamic sea level and circulation to Greenland meltwater and climate change in an eddy-permitting ocean model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saenko, Oleg A.; Yang, Duo; Myers, Paul G.

2017-10-01

The response of the North Atlantic dynamic sea surface height (SSH) and ocean circulation to Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) meltwater fluxes is investigated using a high-resolution model. The model is forced with either present-day-like or projected warmer climate conditions. In general, the impact of meltwater on the North Atlantic SSH and ocean circulation depends on the surface climate. In the two major regions of deep water formation, the Labrador Sea and the Nordic Seas, the basin-mean SSH increases with the increase of the GrIS meltwater flux. This SSH increase correlates with the decline of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). However, while in the Labrador Sea the warming forcing and GrIS meltwater input lead to sea level rise, in the Nordic Seas these two forcings have an opposite influence on the convective mixing and basin-mean SSH (relative to the global mean). The warming leads to less sea-ice cover in the Nordic Seas, which favours stronger surface heat loss and deep mixing, lowering the SSH and generally increasing the transport of the East Greenland Current. In the Labrador Sea, the increased SSH and weaker deep convection are reflected in the decreased transport of the Labrador Current (LC), which closes the subpolar gyre in the west. Among the two major components of the LC transport, the thermohaline and bottom transports, the former is less sensitive to the GrIS meltwater fluxes under the warmer climate. The SSH difference across the LC, which is a component of the bottom velocity, correlates with the long-term mean AMOC rate.

The construction of cDNA library and the screening of related antigen of ascitic tumor cells of ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Hou, Q; Chen, K; Shan, Z

2015-01-01

To construct the cDNA library of the ascites tumor cells of ovarian cancer, which can be used to screen the related antigen for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer and therapeutic targets of immune treatment. Four cases of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, two cases of ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, and two cases of ovarian endometrial carcinoma in patients with ascitic tumor cells which were used to construct the cDNA library. To screen the ovarian cancer antigen gene, evaluate the enzyme, and analyze nucleotide sequence, serological analysis of recombinant tumor cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) and suppression subtractive hybridization technique (SSH) techniques were utilized. The detection method of recombinant expression-based serological mini-arrays (SMARTA) was used to detect the ovarian cancer antigen and the positive reaction of 105 cases of ovarian cancer patients and 105 normal women's autoantibodies correspondingly in serum. After two rounds of serologic screening and glycosides sequencing analysis, 59 candidates of ovarian cancer antigen gene fragments were finally identified, which corresponded to 50 genes. They were then divided into six categories: (1) the homologous genes which related to the known ovarian cancer genes, such as BARD 1 gene, etc; (2) the homologous genes which were associated with other tumors, such as TM4SFI gene, etc; (3) the genes which were expressed in a special organization, such as ILF3, FXR1 gene, etc; (4) the genes which were the same with some protein genes of special function, such as TIZ, ClD gene; (5) the homologous genes which possessed the same source with embryonic genes, such as PKHD1 gene, etc; (6) the remaining genes were the unknown genes without the homologous sequence in the gene pool, such as OV-189 genes. SEREX technology combined with SSH method is an effective research strategy which can filter tumor antigen with high specific character; the corresponding autoantibodies of TM4SFl, ClD, TIZ, BARDI, FXRI, and OV-189 gene's recombinant antigen in serum can be regarded as the biomarkers which are used to diagnose ovarian cancer. The combination of multiple antigen detection can improve diagnostic efficiency.

Heavy-tailed distribution of the SSH Brute-force attack duration in a multi-user environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jae-Kook; Kim, Sung-Jun; Park, Chan Yeol; Hong, Taeyoung; Chae, Huiseung

2016-07-01

Quite a number of cyber-attacks to be place against supercomputers that provide highperformance computing (HPC) services to public researcher. Particularly, although the secure shell protocol (SSH) brute-force attack is one of the traditional attack methods, it is still being used. Because stealth attacks that feign regular access may occur, they are even harder to detect. In this paper, we introduce methods to detect SSH brute-force attacks by analyzing the server's unsuccessful access logs and the firewall's drop events in a multi-user environment. Then, we analyze the durations of the SSH brute-force attacks that are detected by applying these methods. The results of an analysis of about 10 thousands attack source IP addresses show that the behaviors of abnormal users using SSH brute-force attacks are based on human dynamic characteristics of a typical heavy-tailed distribution.

The Occurrence of Tidal Hybrid Kelvin-Edge Waves in the Global Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, H.; Buijsman, M. C.; Yankovsky, A. E.; Zhang, T.; Jeon, C. H.

2017-12-01

This study presents the analysis of hybrid Kelvin-edge waves on the continental shelves in a global ocean model. Our objective is to find areas where the transition occurs from Kelvin waves to hybrid Kelvin-edge waves. The change in continental shelf width may convert a Kelvin wave into a hybrid Kelvin-edge wave. In this process the group velocity reaches a minimum and tidal energy is radiated on and/or offshore [Zhang 2016]. We extract M2 SSH (Sea Surface Height) and velocity from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and calculate barotropic energy fluxes. We analyze these three areas: the Bay of Biscay, the Amazon Shelf and North West Africa. In these three regions, the continental shelf widens in the propagation direction and the alongshore flux changes its direction towards the coast. A transect is taken at different points in these areas to compute the dispersion relations of the waves on the continental shelf. In model simulations, we change the bathymetry of the Bay of Biscay to study the behavior of the hybrid Kelvin-edge waves. BibliographyZhang, T., and A. E Yankovsky. (2016), On the nature of cross-isobath energy fluxes in topographically modified barotropic semidiurnal Kelvin waves, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 121, 3058-3074, doi:10.1002/2015JC011617.

Direct Access to Peregrine for External Users | High-Performance Computing

Science.gov Websites

| NREL Direct Access to Peregrine for External Users Direct Access to Peregrine for External : ssh yourHPCuserid@peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov For more information, please read this page. About direct ssh allow access to VPNs. Our current jump-node (hpcsh.nrel.gov) does not provide direct-to-peregrine access

Mapping the evidence of prevention and intervention studies for suicidal and self-harming behaviors in young people.

PubMed

De Silva, Stefanie; Parker, Alexandra; Purcell, Rosemary; Callahan, Patrick; Liu, Ping; Hetrick, Sarah

2013-01-01

Suicide and self-harm (SSH) in young people is a major cause of disability-adjusted life years. Effective interventions are of critical importance to reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with SSH. To investigate the extent and nature of research on interventions to prevent and treat SSH in young people using evidence mapping. A systematic search for SSH intervention studies was conducted (participant mean age between 6-25 years). The studies were restricted to high-quality evidence in the form of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and controlled trials. Thirty-eight controlled studies and six systematic reviews met the study inclusion criteria. The majority (n = 32) involved psychological interventions. Few studies (n = 9) involved treating young people with recognized mental disorders or substance abuse (n = 1) which also addressed SSH. The map was restricted to RCTs, CCTs, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, and thus might have neglected important information from other study designs. The effectiveness of interventions within the trials was not evaluated. The evidence base for SSH interventions in young people is not well established, which hampers best-practice efforts in this area. Promising interventions that need further research include school-based prevention programs with a skills training component, individual CBT interventions, interpersonal psychotherapy, and attachment-based family therapy. Gaps in the research exist in evaluations of interventions for SSH in young people with identifiable psychopathology, particularly substance use disorder, and research that classifies participants on the basis of their suicidal intent.

[Construction of forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries between muscle tissue of Meishan and Landrace pigs].

PubMed

Xu, De-Quan; Zhang, Yi-Bing; Xiong, Yuan-Zhu; Gui, Jian-Fang; Jiang, Si-Wen; Su, Yu-Hong

2003-07-01

Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique, forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries were constructed between Longissimus muscles from Meishan and Landrace pigs. A housekeeping gene, G3PDH, was used to estimate the efficiency of subtractive cDNA. In two cDNA libraries, G3PDH was subtracted very efficiently at appropriate 2(10) and 2(5) folds, respectively, indicating that some differentially expressed genes were also enriched at the same folds and the two subtractive cDNA libraries were very successful. A total of 709 and 673 positive clones were isolated from forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries, respectively. Analysis of PCR showed that most of all plasmids in the clones contained 150-750 bp inserts. The construction of subtractive cDNA libraries between muscle tissue from different pig breeds laid solid foundations for isolating and identifying the genes determining muscle growth and meat quality, which will be important to understand the mechanism of muscle growth, determination of meat quality and practice of molecular breeding.

Transcriptome responses in the rectal gland of fed and fasted spiny dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias) determined by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Deck, Courtney A; McKay, Sheldon J; Fiedler, Tristan J; LeMoine, Christophe M R; Kajimura, Makiko; Nawata, C Michele; Wood, Chris M; Walsh, Patrick J

2013-12-01

Prior studies of the elasmobranch rectal gland have demonstrated that feeding induces profound and rapid up regulation of the gland's ability to secrete concentrated NaCl solutions and the metabolic capacity to support this highly ATP consuming process. We undertook the current study to attempt to determine the degree to which up regulation of mRNA transcription was involved in the gland's activation. cDNA libraries were created from mRNA isolated from rectal glands of fasted (7days post-feeding) and fed (6h and 22h post-feeding) spiny dogfish sharks (Squalus acanthias), and the libraries were subjected to suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) analysis. Quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) was also used to ascertain the mRNA expression of several genes revealed by the SSH analysis. In total the treatments changed the abundance of 170 transcripts, with 103 up regulated by feeding, and 67 up regulated by fasting. While many of the changes took place in 'expected' Gene Ontology (GO) categories (e.g., metabolism, transport, structural proteins, DNA and RNA turnover, etc.), KEGG analysis revealed a number of categories which identify oxidative stress as a topic of interest for the gland. GO analysis also revealed that branched chain essential amino acids (e.g., valine, leucine, isoleucine) are potential metabolic fuels for the rectal gland. In addition, up regulation of transcripts for many genes in the anticipated GO categories did not agree (i.e., fasting down regulated in feeding treatments) with previously observed increases in their respective proteins/enzyme activities. These results suggest an 'anticipatory' storage of selected mRNAs which presumably supports the rapid translation of proteins upon feeding activation of the gland. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Generation of Mesoscale Eddies in the Lee of the Hawaiian Islands

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-08

temperature (SST) as observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES, Figure lb, data available at http://oceanwatch.pifsc...hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and...The SSH is composed of the SSH anomaly from satellite JASON-1 by the AVISO group and the mean SSH of Niiler et al. [2003] (hereafter referred to

Patterns of internationalization and criteria for research assessment in the social sciences and humanities.

PubMed

Sivertsen, Gunnar

This article investigates the developments during the last decades in the use of languages, publication types and publication channels in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). The purpose is to develop an understanding of the processes of internationalization and to apply this understanding in a critical examination of two often used general criteria in research evaluations in the SSH. One of them is that the coverage of a publication in Scopus or Web of Science is seen in itself as an expression of research quality and of internationalization. The other is that a specific international language, English, and a specific type of publication, journal articles, are perceived as supreme in a general hierarchy of languages and publication types. Simple distinctions based on these criteria are contrary to the heterogeneous publication patterns needed in the SSH to organize their research adequately, present their results properly, reach their audiences efficiently, and thereby fulfil their missions. Research quality, internationalization, and societal relevance can be promoted in research assessment in the SSH without categorical hierarchies of publications. I will demonstrate this by using data from scholarly publishing in the SSH that go beyond the coverage in the commercial data sources in order to give a more comprehensive representation of scholarly publishing in the SSH.

Why are social sciences and humanities needed in the works of IPBES? A systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Rankovic, Aleksandar; Lapeyre, Renaud

2018-01-01

Despite the increased attention, which has been given to the issue of involving knowledge and experts from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) into the products and works of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), little is known on what the expectations towards the involvement of SSH in IPBES actually are. The aim of this paper is to close this gap by identifying the range of possible SSH contributions to IPBES that are expected in the literature, and discuss the inherent challenges of and concrete ways to realize these contributions in the particular institutional setting of IPBES. We address these two points by: firstly, assessing the literature dealing with IPBES and building a typology describing the main ways in which contributions from SSH to IPBES have been conceived between 2006 and 2017. We discuss these expected contributions in light of broader debates on the role of SSH in nature conservation and analyse some of the blind spots and selectivities in the perception of how SSH could substantially contribute to the works of IPBES. Then, secondly, by looking at one particular example, economics and its use in the first thematic assessment on pollinators, pollination and food production, we will concretely illustrate how works in a given discipline could contribute in many different and unprecedented ways to the works of IPBES and help identify paths for enhancing the conservation of biodiversity. Finally, we propose a range of practical recommendations as to how to increase the contribution of SSH in the works of IPBES. PMID:29706803

Acute Effects of Static Stretching of Hamstring on Performance and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk During Stop-Jump and Cutting Tasks in Female Athletes.

PubMed

Ruan, Mianfang; Zhang, Qiang; Wu, Xie

2017-05-01

Ruan, M, Zhang, Q, and Wu, X. Acute effects of static stretching of hamstring on performance and anterior cruciate ligament injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1241-1250, 2017-There is limited research investigating antagonist stretch. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of static stretching of hamstrings (SSH) on performance and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks. Twelve female college athletes (age 20.8 ± 0.7 years; height 1.61 ± 0.05 m; mass 54.25 ± 4.22 kg) participated in this study. Subjects performed stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks under 2 conditions: after warm-up with 4 × 30 seconds SSH or after warm-up without SSH. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data as well as electromyography of biceps femoris, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius medialis were collected during testing. Static stretching of hamstrings significantly enhanced jump height by 5.1% (p = 0.009) but did not change the takeoff speed of cutting. No significant changes in peak knee adduction moment or peak anterior tibia shear force were observed with SSH regardless of the task. The peak lateral tibia shear force during cutting was significantly (p = 0.036) reduced with SSH. The co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps during the preactivation (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) and downward phases (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) was significantly reduced after SSH regardless of the task. The results suggest that SSH enhanced the performance of stop-jump because of decreased co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps but did not change the performance of cutting. In addition, SSH did not increase ACL injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks and even reduced medial-lateral knee loading during cutting.

Acute Effects of Static Stretching of Hamstring on Performance and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk During Stop-Jump and Cutting Tasks in Female Athletes

PubMed Central

Ruan, Mianfang; Zhang, Qiang

2017-01-01

Abstract Ruan, M, Zhang, Q, and Wu, X. Acute effects of static stretching of hamstring on performance and anterior cruciate ligament injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1241–1250, 2017—There is limited research investigating antagonist stretch. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of static stretching of hamstrings (SSH) on performance and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks. Twelve female college athletes (age 20.8 ± 0.7 years; height 1.61 ± 0.05 m; mass 54.25 ± 4.22 kg) participated in this study. Subjects performed stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks under 2 conditions: after warm-up with 4 × 30 seconds SSH or after warm-up without SSH. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data as well as electromyography of biceps femoris, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius medialis were collected during testing. Static stretching of hamstrings significantly enhanced jump height by 5.1% (p = 0.009) but did not change the takeoff speed of cutting. No significant changes in peak knee adduction moment or peak anterior tibia shear force were observed with SSH regardless of the task. The peak lateral tibia shear force during cutting was significantly (p = 0.036) reduced with SSH. The co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps during the preactivation (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) and downward phases (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) was significantly reduced after SSH regardless of the task. The results suggest that SSH enhanced the performance of stop-jump because of decreased co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps but did not change the performance of cutting. In addition, SSH did not increase ACL injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks and even reduced medial-lateral knee loading during cutting. PMID:28118311

Transport variability of the Brazil Current from observations and a data assimilation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Claudia; Majumder, Sudip

2018-06-01

The Brazil Current transports from observations and the Hybrid Coordinate Model (HYCOM) model are analyzed to improve our understanding of the current's structure and variability. A time series of the observed transport is derived from a three-dimensional field of the velocity in the South Atlantic covering the years 1993 to 2015 (hereinafter called Argo & SSH). The mean transports of the Brazil Current increases from 3.8 ± 2.2 Sv (1 Sv is 106 m3 s-1) at 25° S to 13.9 ± 2.6 Sv at 32° S, which corresponds to a mean slope of 1.4 ± 0.4 Sv per degree. Transport estimates derived from HYCOM fields are somewhat higher (5.2 ± 2.7 and 18.7 ± 7.1 Sv at 25 and 32° S, respectively) than those from Argo & SSH, but these differences are small when compared with the standard deviations. Overall, the observed latitude dependence of the transport of the Brazil Current is in agreement with the wind-driven circulation in the super gyre of the subtropical South Atlantic. A mean annual cycle with highest (lowest) transports in austral summer (winter) is found to exist at selected latitudes (24, 35, and 38° S). The significance of this signal shrinks with increasing latitude (both in Argo & SSH and HYCOM), mainly due to mesoscale and interannual variability. Both Argo & SSH, as well as HYCOM, reveal interannual variability at 24 and 35° S that results in relatively large power at periods of 2 years or more in wavelet spectra. It is found that the interannual variability at 24° S is correlated with the South Atlantic Subtropical Dipole Mode (SASD), the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and the Niño 3.4 index. Similarly, correlations between SAM and the Brazil Current transport are also found at 35° S. Further investigation of the variability reveals that the first and second mode of a coupled empirical orthogonal function of the meridional transport and the sea level pressure explain 36 and 15 % of the covariance, respectively. Overall, the results indicate that SAM, SASD, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation have an influence on the transport of the Brazil Current.

Two-leg Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain with glide reflection symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shao-Liang; Zhou, Qi

2017-06-01

The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model lays the foundation of many important concepts in quantum topological matters. Here, we show that a spin-dependent double-well optical lattice allows one to couple two topologically distinct SSH chains in the bulk and realize a glided-two-leg SSH model that respects the glide reflection symmetry. Such a model gives rise to intriguing quantum phenomena beyond the paradigm of a traditional SSH model. It is characterized by Wilson lines that require non-Abelian Berry connections, and the interplay between the glide symmetry and interaction automatically leads to charge fractionalization without jointing two lattice potentials at an interface. Our work demonstrates the versatility of ultracold atoms to create new theoretical models for studying topological matters.

Simulation and assimilation of satellite altimeter data at the oceanic mesoscale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demay, P.; Robinson, A. R.

1984-01-01

An improved "objective analysis' technique is used along with an altimeter signal statistical model, an altimeter noise statistical model, an orbital model, and synoptic surface current maps in the POLYMODE-SDE area, to evaluate the performance of various observational strategies in catching the mesoscale variability at mid-latitudes. In particular, simulated repetitive nominal orbits of ERS-1, TOPEX, and SPOT/POSEIDON are examined. Results show the critical importance of existence of a subcycle, scanning in either direction. Moreover, long repeat cycles ( 20 days) and short cross-track distances ( 300 km) seem preferable, since they match mesoscale statistics. Another goal of the study is to prepare and discuss sea-surface height (SSH) assimilation in quasigeostrophic models. Restored SSH maps are shown to meet that purpose, if an efficient extrapolation method or deep in-situ data (floats) are used on the vertical to start and update the model.

Identification of genes differentially expressed by calorie restriction in the rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis).

PubMed

Oo, Aung Kyaw Swar; Kaneko, Gen; Hirayama, Makoto; Kinoshita, Shigeharu; Watabe, Shugo

2010-01-01

A monogonont rotifer Brachionus plicatilis has been widely used as a model organism for physiological, ecological studies and for ecotoxicology. Because of the availability of parthenogenetic mode of reproduction as well as its versatility to be used as live food in aquaculture, the population dynamic studies using the rotifer have become more important and acquired the priority over those using other species. Although many studies have been conducted to identify environmental factors that influence rotifer populations, the molecular mechanisms involved still remain to be elucidated. In this study, gene(s) differentially expressed by calorie restriction in the rotifer was analyzed, where a calorie-restricted group was fed 3 h day(-1) and a well-fed group fed ad libitum. A subtracted cDNA library from the calorie-restricted rotifer was constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). One hundred sixty-three expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified, which included 109 putative genes with a high identity to known genes in the publicly available database as well as 54 unknown ESTs. After assembling, a total of 38 different genes were obtained among 109 ESTs. Further validation of expression by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that 29 out of the 38 genes obtained by SSH were up regulated by calorie restriction.

Genes up-regulated during red coloration in UV-B irradiated lettuce leaves.

PubMed

Park, Jong-Sug; Choung, Myoung-Gun; Kim, Jung-Bong; Hahn, Bum-Soo; Kim, Jong-Bum; Bae, Shin-Chul; Roh, Kyung-Hee; Kim, Yong-Hwan; Cheon, Choong-Ill; Sung, Mi-Kyung; Cho, Kang-Jin

2007-04-01

Molecular analysis of gene expression differences between green and red lettuce leaves was performed using the SSH method. BlastX comparisons of subtractive expressed sequence tags (ESTs) indicated that 7.6% of clones encoded enzymes involved in secondary metabolism. Such clones had a particularly high abundance of flavonoid-metabolism proteins (6.5%). Following SSH, 566 clones were rescreened for differential gene expression using dot-blot hybridization. Of these, 53 were found to overexpressed during red coloration. The up-regulated expression of six genes was confirmed by Northern blot analyses. The expression of chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) genes showed a positive correlation with anthocyanin accumulation in UV-B-irradiated lettuce leaves; flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3',5'H) and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) were expressed continuously in both samples. These results indicated that the genes CHS, F3H, and DFR coincided with increases in anthocyanin accumulation during the red coloration of lettuce leaves. This study show a relationship between red coloration and the expression of up-regulated genes in lettuce. The subtractive cDNA library and EST database described in this study represent a valuable resource for further research for secondary metabolism in the vegetable crops.

Spatial-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms of semiannual variations in the Philippine Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jun; Li, Yuanlong; Wang, Fan; Zhai, Fangguo; Yu, Xiaolin

2012-10-01

Satellite altimetric sea surface height (SSH) measurements from 1992 through 2010 are used to explore the oceanic semiannual variations in the Philippine Sea (PS). Pronounced semiannual SSH variations are detected within two zonal bands. One lies east of Luzon Strait (19°-22°N) in the northern PS, while the other is southeast of Mindanao coast (4°-7°N) in the southern PS. In the two near-coast boxes where semiannual harmonic amplitude exceeds 4 cm, the northern box (127°-133°E, 19°-22°N) and the southern box (127°-133°E, 4°-7°N), semiannual changes contribute considerably to the total annual SSH variance by 12% and 17%, respectively. Despite prominent SSH variability, the bifurcation latitude of the North Equatorial Current (NBL) exhibits weak fluctuations with a peak-to-peak difference of only 0.3° on semiannual time scale. While the in-phase annual SSH variations between the two boxes work together to enhance annual NBL changes, their out-of-phase semiannual SSH variations offset each other in driving the NBL displacements. Further analysis with a 11/2-layer reduced-gravity model forced by ECMWF wind stress reveals that the observed semiannual SSH variations are primarily driven by local wind forcing in the far western Pacific. Rossby wave signals propagating from the eastern/central Pacific contribute much less due to along-path dispersion and cancellation. Semiannual signals of wind field in the northern PS reflect mainly the semiannual changes of the Asian Monsoon system, while those in the southern PS arise from the combined effects of Monsoon transition and the annual migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).

Thrombin selectively engages LIM kinase 1 and slingshot-1L phosphatase to regulate NF-κB activation and endothelial cell inflammation

PubMed Central

Leonard, Antony; Marando, Catherine; Rahman, Arshad

2013-01-01

Endothelial cell (EC) inflammation is a central event in the pathogenesis of many pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome. Alterations in actin cytoskeleton are shown to be crucial for NF-κB regulation and EC inflammation. Previously, we have described a role of actin binding protein cofilin in mediating cytoskeletal alterations essential for NF-κB activation and EC inflammation. The present study describes a dynamic mechanism in which LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a cofilin kinase, and slingshot-1Long (SSH-1L), a cofilin phosphatase, are engaged by procoagulant and proinflammatory mediator thrombin to regulate these responses. Our data show that knockdown of LIMK1 destabilizes whereas knockdown of SSH-1L stabilizes the actin filaments through modulation of cofilin phosphorylation; however, in either case thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and expression of its target genes (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) is inhibited. Further mechanistic analyses reveal that knockdown of LIMK1 or SSH-1L each attenuates nuclear translocation and thereby DNA binding of RelA/p65. In addition, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion inhibited RelA/p65 phosphorylation at Ser536, a critical event conferring transcriptional competency to the bound NF-κB. However, unlike SSH-1L, LIMK1 knockdown also impairs the release of RelA/p65 by blocking IKKβ-dependent phosphorylation/degradation of IκBα. Interestingly, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion failed to inhibit TNF-α-induced RelA/p65 nuclear translocation and proinflammatory gene expression. Thus this study provides evidence for a novel role of LIMK1 and SSH-1L in selectively regulating EC inflammation associated with intravascular coagulation. PMID:24039253

Thrombin selectively engages LIM kinase 1 and slingshot-1L phosphatase to regulate NF-κB activation and endothelial cell inflammation.

PubMed

Leonard, Antony; Marando, Catherine; Rahman, Arshad; Fazal, Fabeha

2013-11-01

Endothelial cell (EC) inflammation is a central event in the pathogenesis of many pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome. Alterations in actin cytoskeleton are shown to be crucial for NF-κB regulation and EC inflammation. Previously, we have described a role of actin binding protein cofilin in mediating cytoskeletal alterations essential for NF-κB activation and EC inflammation. The present study describes a dynamic mechanism in which LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a cofilin kinase, and slingshot-1Long (SSH-1L), a cofilin phosphatase, are engaged by procoagulant and proinflammatory mediator thrombin to regulate these responses. Our data show that knockdown of LIMK1 destabilizes whereas knockdown of SSH-1L stabilizes the actin filaments through modulation of cofilin phosphorylation; however, in either case thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and expression of its target genes (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) is inhibited. Further mechanistic analyses reveal that knockdown of LIMK1 or SSH-1L each attenuates nuclear translocation and thereby DNA binding of RelA/p65. In addition, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion inhibited RelA/p65 phosphorylation at Ser(536), a critical event conferring transcriptional competency to the bound NF-κB. However, unlike SSH-1L, LIMK1 knockdown also impairs the release of RelA/p65 by blocking IKKβ-dependent phosphorylation/degradation of IκBα. Interestingly, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion failed to inhibit TNF-α-induced RelA/p65 nuclear translocation and proinflammatory gene expression. Thus this study provides evidence for a novel role of LIMK1 and SSH-1L in selectively regulating EC inflammation associated with intravascular coagulation.

Subtractive and differential hybridization molecular analyses of Ceratitis capitata XX/XY versus XX embryos to search for male-specific early transcribed genes.

PubMed

Salvemini, Marco; D'Amato, Rocco; Petrella, Valeria; Ippolito, Domenica; Ventre, Giuseppe; Zhang, Ying; Saccone, Giuseppe

2014-01-01

The agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata, also known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, is a fruit crop pest of very high economic relevance in different continents. The strategy to separate Ceratitis males from females (sexing) in mass rearing facilities is a useful step before the sterilization and release of male-only flies in Sterile Insect Technique control programs (SIT). The identification of genes having early embryonic male-specific expression, including Y-linked genes, such as the Maleness factor, could help to design novel and improved methods of sexing in combination with transgenesis, aiming to confer conditional female-specific lethality or female-to-male sexual reversal. We used a combination of Suppression Subtractive Hybrydization (SSH), Mirror Orientation Selection (MOS) anddifferential screening hybridization (DSH) techniques to approach the problem of isolating corresponding mRNAs expressed in XX/XY embryos versus XX-only embryos during a narrow developmental window (8-10 hours after egg laying, AEL ). Here we describe a novel strategy we have conceived to obtain relatively large amounts of XX-only embryos staged at 8-10 h AEL and so to extract few micrograms of polyA+ required to apply the complex technical procedure. The combination of these 3 techniques led to the identification of a Y-linked putative gene, CcGm2, sharing high sequence identity to a paralogous gene, CcGm1, localized either on an autosome or on the X chromosome. We propose that CcGm2 is a first interesting putative Y-linked gene which could play a role in sex determination. The function exterted by this gene should be investigated by novel genetic tools, such as CRISPR-CAS9, which will permit to target only the Y-linked paralogue, avoiding to interfere with the autosomal or X-linked paralogue function.

Subtractive and differential hybridization molecular analyses of Ceratitis capitata XX/XY versus XX embryos to search for male-specific early transcribed genes

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata, also known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, is a fruit crop pest of very high economic relevance in different continents. The strategy to separate Ceratitis males from females (sexing) in mass rearing facilities is a useful step before the sterilization and release of male-only flies in Sterile Insect Technique control programs (SIT). The identification of genes having early embryonic male-specific expression, including Y-linked genes, such as the Maleness factor, could help to design novel and improved methods of sexing in combination with transgenesis, aiming to confer conditional female-specific lethality or female-to-male sexual reversal. We used a combination of Suppression Subtractive Hybrydization (SSH), Mirror Orientation Selection (MOS) and differential screening hybridization (DSH) techniques to approach the problem of isolating corresponding mRNAs expressed in XX/XY embryos versus XX-only embryos during a narrow developmental window (8-10 hours after egg laying, AEL ). Here we describe a novel strategy we have conceived to obtain relatively large amounts of XX-only embryos staged at 8-10 h AEL and so to extract few micrograms of polyA+ required to apply the complex technical procedure. The combination of these 3 techniques led to the identification of a Y-linked putative gene, CcGm2, sharing high sequence identity to a paralogous gene, CcGm1, localized either on an autosome or on the X chromosome. We propose that CcGm2 is a first interesting putative Y-linked gene which could play a role in sex determination. The function exterted by this gene should be investigated by novel genetic tools, such as CRISPR-CAS9, which will permit to target only the Y-linked paralogue, avoiding to interfere with the autosomal or X-linked paralogue function. PMID:25472628

Toward energy harvesting using active materials and conversion improvement by nonlinear processing.

PubMed

Guyomar, Daniel; Badel, Adrien; Lefeuvre, Elie; Richard, Claude

2005-04-01

This paper presents a new technique of electrical energy generation using mechanically excited piezoelectric materials and a nonlinear process. This technique, called synchronized switch harvesting (SSH), is derived from the synchronized switch damping (SSD), which is a nonlinear technique previously developed to address the problem of vibration damping on mechanical structures. This technique results in a significant increase of the electromechanical conversion capability of piezoelectric materials. Comparatively with standard technique, the electrical harvested power may be increased above 900%. The performance of the nonlinear processing is demonstrated on structures excited at their resonance frequency as well as out of resonance.

Satellite Moisture Retrieval Techniques. Volume 1. Technique Development and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

M3H 5T4 ONTARIO, CANADA BIBLIOTECA INSTITUTE ANARTICO CHILENO LUIS THAYER OJEDA 814 SANTIAGO , CHILE METEORO. OFFICE LIBRARY LONDON ROAD...levels (which could in practice be determined from CO2 sounding channels). The water vapor amounts at the different tropospheric levels are the...parameters for the gases H2O, CO2 , O3, N2O, CO, CH4 and O2. Water vapor was the largest contributor to absorption for all SSH/2 channels with smaller

Lessons Learned from Assimilating Altimeter Data into a Coupled General Circulation Model with the GMAO Augmented Ensemble Kalman Filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keppenne, Christian; Vernieres, Guillaume; Rienecker, Michele; Jacob, Jossy; Kovach, Robin

2011-01-01

Satellite altimetry measurements have provided global, evenly distributed observations of the ocean surface since 1993. However, the difficulties introduced by the presence of model biases and the requirement that data assimilation systems extrapolate the sea surface height (SSH) information to the subsurface in order to estimate the temperature, salinity and currents make it difficult to optimally exploit these measurements. This talk investigates the potential of the altimetry data assimilation once the biases are accounted for with an ad hoc bias estimation scheme. Either steady-state or state-dependent multivariate background-error covariances from an ensemble of model integrations are used to address the problem of extrapolating the information to the sub-surface. The GMAO ocean data assimilation system applied to an ensemble of coupled model instances using the GEOS-5 AGCM coupled to MOM4 is used in the investigation. To model the background error covariances, the system relies on a hybrid ensemble approach in which a small number of dynamically evolved model trajectories is augmented on the one hand with past instances of the state vector along each trajectory and, on the other, with a steady state ensemble of error estimates from a time series of short-term model forecasts. A state-dependent adaptive error-covariance localization and inflation algorithm controls how the SSH information is extrapolated to the sub-surface. A two-step predictor corrector approach is used to assimilate future information. Independent (not-assimilated) temperature and salinity observations from Argo floats are used to validate the assimilation. A two-step projection method in which the system first calculates a SSH increment and then projects this increment vertically onto the temperature, salt and current fields is found to be most effective in reconstructing the sub-surface information. The performance of the system in reconstructing the sub-surface fields is particularly impressive for temperature, but not as satisfactory for salt.

Potential of space-borne GNSS reflectometry to constrain simulations of the ocean circulation. A case study for the South African current system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saynisch, Jan; Semmling, Maximilian; Wickert, Jens; Thomas, Maik

2015-11-01

The Agulhas current system transports warm and salty water masses from the Indian Ocean into the Southern Ocean and into the Atlantic. The transports impact past, present, and future climate on local and global scales. The size and variability, however, of the respective transports are still much debated. In this study, an idealized model based twin experiment is used to study whether sea surface height (SSH) anomalies estimated from reflected signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R) can be used to determine the internal water mass properties and transports of the Agulhas region. A space-borne GNSS-R detector on the International Space Station (ISS) is assumed and simulated. The detector is able to observe daily SSH fields with a spatial resolution of 1-5∘. Depending on reflection geometry, the precision of a single SSH observation is estimated to reach 3 cm (20 cm) when the carrier phase (code delay) information of the reflected GNSS signal is used. The average precision over the Agulhas region is 7 cm (42 cm). The proposed GNSS-R measurements surpass the radar-based satellite altimetry missions in temporal and spatial resolution but are less precise. Using the estimated GNSS-R characteristics, measurements of SSH are generated by sampling a regional nested general circulation model of the South African oceans. The artificial observations are subsequently assimilated with a 4DVAR adjoint data assimilation method into the same ocean model but with a different initial state and forcing. The assimilated and the original, i.e., the sampled model state, are compared to systematically identify improvements and degradations in the model variables that arise due to the assimilation of GNSS-R based SSH observations. We show that SSH and the independent, i.e., not assimilated model variables velocity, temperature, and salinity improve by the assimilation of GNSS-R based SSH observations. After the assimilation of 90 days of SSH observations, improvements in the independent variables cover the whole water column. Locally, up to 39 % of the original model state are recovered. Shorter assimilation windows result in enhanced reproduction of the observed and assimilated SSH but are accompanied by an insufficient or wrong recovery of sub-surface water properties. The assimilation of real GNSS-R observations, when available, and consequently the estimation of Agulhas water mass properties and the leakage of heat and salt into the Atlantic will benefit from this model-based study.

Overexpression of EAR1 and SSH4 that encode PPxY proteins in the multivesicular body provides stability to tryptophan permease Tat2, allowing yeast cells to grow under high hydrostatic pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiraki, Toshiki; Usui, Keiko; Abe, Fumiyoshi

2010-12-01

Tryptophan uptake in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is susceptible to high hydrostatic pressure and it limits the growth of tryptophan auxotrophic (Trp-) strains under pressures of 15-25 MPa. The susceptibility of tryptophan uptake is accounted for by the pressure-induced degradation of tryptophan permease Tat2 occurring in a Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase-dependent manner. Ear1 and Ssh4 are multivesicular body proteins that physically interact with Rsp5. We found that overexpression of either of the EAR1 or SSH4 genes enabled the Trp- cells to grow at 15-25 MPa. EAR1 and SSH4 appeared to provide stability to the Tat2 protein when overexpressed. The result suggests that Ear1 and Ssh4 negatively regulate Rsp5 on ubiquitination of Tat2. Currently, high hydrostatic pressure is widely used in bioscience and biotechnology for structurally perturbing macromolecules such as proteins and lipids or in food processing and sterilizing microbes. We suggest that hydrostatic pressure is an operative experimental parameter to screen yeast genes specifically for regulation of Tat2 through the function of Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase.

Research ethics in the dynamic of scientific field: challenges in the building of guidelines for social sciences and humanities.

PubMed

Guerriero, Iara Coelho Zito; Bosi, Maria Lúcia Magalhães

2015-09-01

The development of guidelines on research ethics for social science and humanities (SSH) takes place in the scientific field, marked by disputes aimed at the establishment of hegemonic scientific standard. In Brazil, the National Health Council is responsible for approving these guidelines, which involve certain specificities. Based on the authors' experience in the SSH Working Group of the National Commission on Research Ethics (GT CHS / CONEP), this article presents the process of development of guidelines for SSH, and some its challenges: the distance between the statutory guarantee and the effective execution of guidelines; the biomedical hegemony and the marginal position of the SSH in the CEP / CONEP system; the inadequacy of the current resolution facing the research features in CHS; the use of the concept of risk in guidelines aimed at SSH in the health area. Some interfaces and tensions in the debate between scientific merit and ethical evaluation are also discussed. The analysis highlights important impasses and difficulties regarding inter-paradigmatic dialogue in health research, considered the characteristics of the different traditions, the CONEP's heavily relying on the positivist perspective and the defense of that paradigm hegemony.

Redox Signaling Regulated by Cysteine Persulfide and Protein Polysulfidation.

PubMed

Kasamatsu, Shingo; Nishimura, Akira; Morita, Masanobu; Matsunaga, Tetsuro; Abdul Hamid, Hisyam; Akaike, Takaaki

2016-12-15

For decades, reactive persulfide species including cysteine persulfide (CysSSH) have been known to exist endogenously in organisms. However, the physiological significance of endogenous persulfides remains poorly understood. That cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase produced CysSSH from cystine was recently demonstrated. An endogenous sulfur transfer system involving CysSSH evidently generates glutathione persulfide (GSSH) that exists at concentrations greater than 100 μM in vivo. Because reactive persulfide species such as CysSSH and GSSH have higher nucleophilicity than parental cysteine (Cys) and glutathione do, these reactive species exhibit strong scavenging activities against oxidants, e.g., hydrogen peroxide, and electrophiles, which contributes to redox signaling regulation. Also, several papers indicated that various proteins and enzymes have Cys polysulfides including CysSSH at their specific Cys residues, which is called protein polysulfidation. Apart from the redox signaling regulatory mechanism, another plausible function of protein polysulfidation is providing protection for protein thiol residues against irreversible chemical modification caused by oxidants and electrophiles. Elucidation of the redox signaling regulatory mechanism of reactive persulfide species including small thiol molecules and thiol-containing proteins should lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies and drug discoveries for oxidative and electrophilic stress-related diseases.

Relationship between the Bering Strait Throughflow and Salinity in the Bering Sea in an Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice Coupled Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Y.; Osafune, S.; Masuda, S.; Komuro, Y.

2016-12-01

The relationship between the volumetric transport of the Bering Strait throughflow (BTF) and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Bering Sea was investigated using an atmosphere-ocean-ice coupled model, MIROC4h, which includes an eddy-permitting ocean model. The MIROC4h simulated well the seasonal cycle of BTF transport, although it overestimated the transport compared with previous studies. The interannual variations of SSS in the Bering Sea were correlated with those of BTF transport: SSS in the northwestern Bering Sea was high when BTF transport was large. The SSS anomaly associated with the BTF anomaly became evident from late autumn to spring, and SSS lagged behind the BTF by a few months. The BTF transport was strongly correlated with the SSH in the eastern Bering Sea, the southwestern Chukchi Sea, and the East Siberian Sea. The low SSH along the Russian coast in the Arctic Ocean was uncorrelated with the high SSH in the Bering Sea. The Arctic SSH affected BTF transport and the SSS in the northwestern Bering Sea independently of the SSH in the Bering Sea. We evaluated the salt budget in the northwestern Bering Sea, including Anadyr Bay. When the BTF transport in October-March was large, the horizontal convergence of salt increased and sea-ice melting decreased; both changes contributed to the increase of salinity. In contrast, evaporation-minus-precipitation and the residual component had the opposite effect. The sea-ice retreat was closely related to meridional wind anomalies that also raised the SSH in the eastern Bering Sea. Changes in upper-layer currents caused by the southerly wind anomalies in the Bering Sea contributed to the increase of the horizontal convergence of salt. In addition, the SSH anomalies in the Arctic Ocean independently affected the currents in the Bering Strait and the northwestern Bering Sea, perhaps through the propagation of shelf waves, which also led to salinization.

Protein-phosphotyrosine proteome profiling by superbinder-SH2 domain affinity purification mass spectrometry, sSH2-AP-MS.

PubMed

Tong, Jiefei; Cao, Biyin; Martyn, Gregory D; Krieger, Jonathan R; Taylor, Paul; Yates, Bradley; Sidhu, Sachdev S; Li, Shawn S C; Mao, Xinliang; Moran, Michael F

2017-03-01

Recently, "superbinder" SH2 domain variants with three amino acid substitutions (sSH2) were reported to have 100-fold or greater affinity for protein-phosphotyrosine (pY) than natural SH2 domains. Here we report a protocol in which His-tagged Src sSH2 efficiently captures pY-peptides from protease-digested HeLa cell total protein extracts. Affinity purification of pY-peptides by this method shows little bias for pY-proximal amino acid sequences, comparable to that achieved by using antibodies to pY, but with equal or higher yield. Superbinder-SH2 affinity purification mass spectrometry (sSH2-AP-MS) therefore provides an efficient and economical approach for unbiased pY-directed phospho-proteome profiling without the use of antibodies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Increased actin polymerization and stabilization interferes with neuronal function and survival in the AMPKγ mutant Loechrig.

PubMed

Cook, Mandy; Bolkan, Bonnie J; Kretzschmar, Doris

2014-01-01

loechrig (loe) mutant flies are characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration, behavioral deficits, and early death. The mutation is due to a P-element insertion in the gene for the γ-subunit of the trimeric AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) complex, whereby the insertion affects only one of several alternative transcripts encoding a unique neuronal isoform. AMPK is a cellular energy sensor that regulates a plethora of signaling pathways, including cholesterol and isoprenoid synthesis via its downstream target hydroxy-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase. We recently showed that loe interferes with isoprenoid synthesis and increases the prenylation and thereby activation of RhoA. During development, RhoA plays an important role in neuronal outgrowth by activating a signaling cascade that regulates actin dynamics. Here we show that the effect of loe/AMPKγ on RhoA prenylation leads to a hyperactivation of this signaling pathway, causing increased phosphorylation of the actin depolymerizating factor cofilin and accumulation of filamentous actin. Furthermore, our results show that the resulting cytoskeletal changes in loe interfere with neuronal growth and disrupt axonal integrity. Surprisingly, these phenotypes were enhanced by expressing the Slingshot (SSH) phosphatase, which during development promotes actin depolymerization by dephosphorylating cofilin. However, our studies suggest that in the adult SSH promotes actin polymerization, supporting in vitro studies using human SSH1 that suggested that SSH can also stabilize and bundle filamentous actin. Together with the observed increase in SSH levels in the loe mutant, our experiments suggest that in mature neurons SSH may function as a stabilization factor for filamentous actin instead of promoting actin depolymerization.

Dynamic Topography and Sea Level Anomalies of the Southern Ocean: Variability and Teleconnections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armitage, Thomas W. K.; Kwok, Ron; Thompson, Andrew F.; Cunningham, Glenn

2018-01-01

This study combines sea surface height (SSH) estimates of the ice-covered Southern Ocean with conventional open-ocean SSH estimates from CryoSat-2 to produce monthly composites of dynamic ocean topography (DOT) and sea level anomaly (SLA) on a 50 km grid spanning 2011-2016. This data set reveals the full Southern Ocean SSH seasonal cycle for the first time; there is an antiphase relationship between sea level on the Antarctic continental shelf and the deeper basins, with coastal SSH highest in autumn and lowest in spring. As a result of this pattern of seasonal SSH variability, the barotropic component of the Antarctic Slope Current (ASC) has speeds that are regionally up to twice as fast in the autumn. Month-to-month circulation variability of the Ross and Weddell Gyres is strongly influenced by the local wind field, and is correlated with the local wind curl (Ross: -0.58; Weddell: -0.67). SSH variability is linked to both the Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode, dominant modes of southern hemisphere climate variability. In particular, during the strong 2015-2016 El Niño, a sustained negative coastal SLA of up to -6 cm, implying a weakening of the ASC, was observed in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. The ability to examine sea level variability in the seasonally ice-covered regions of the Southern Ocean—climatically important regions with an acute sparsity of data—makes this new merged sea level record of particular interest to the Southern Ocean oceanography and glaciology communities.

Applications That Participate in Their Own Defense (APOD)

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-05-01

bandwidth requirements from multiple applications and uses ssh to directly login the RSVP routers to reconfigure the priority queues. This approach...detect flooding. 3 Emerald makes use of some signature matching techniques on BSM logs, but the unique strength of Emerald technology is in event...mechanisms that provide awareness, and IDSs form an important class of these4. We investigated several COTS and research IDSs including Emerald

A Technique for Presenting a Deceptive Dynamic Network Topology

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Comment RIP Routing Information Protocol SNOS Systemic Network Obfuscation System SSH Secure Shell TCP Transmission Control Protocol TTL time to live...because it sacrifices elements available in Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP ) such as ordered delivery of packets, delivery confirmation and duplication...avoidance [4]. Of note, some traceroute implementations use TCP packets since they are able to pass through firewalls which are typically configured

SSH gene expression profile of Eisenia andrei exposed in situ to a naturally contaminated soil from an abandoned uranium mine.

PubMed

Lourenço, Joana; Pereira, Ruth; Gonçalves, Fernando; Mendo, Sónia

2013-02-01

The effects of the exposure of earthworms (Eisenia andrei) to contaminated soil from an abandoned uranium mine, were assessed through gene expression profile evaluation by Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH). Organisms were exposed in situ for 56 days, in containers placed both in a contaminated and in a non-contaminated site (reference). Organisms were sampled after 14 and 56 days of exposure. Results showed that the main physiological functions affected by the exposure to metals and radionuclides were: metabolism, oxireductase activity, redox homeostasis and response to chemical stimulus and stress. The relative expression of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 and elongation factor 1 alpha was also affected, since the genes encoding these enzymes were significantly up and down-regulated, after 14 and 56 days of exposure, respectively. Also, an EST with homology for SET oncogene was found to be up-regulated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this gene was identified in earthworms and thus, further studies are required, to clarify its involvement in the toxicity of metals and radionuclides. Considering the results herein presented, gene expression profiling proved to be a very useful tool to detect earthworms underlying responses to metals and radionuclides exposure, pointing out for the detection and development of potential new biomarkers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional Analysis of Drought-Induced Genes in the Roots of a Tolerant Genotype of the Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

PubMed Central

Recchia, Gustavo Henrique; Caldas, Danielle Gregorio Gomes; Beraldo, Ana Luiza Ahern; da Silva, Márcio José; Tsai, Siu Mui

2013-01-01

In Brazil, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) productivity is severely affected by drought stress due to low technology cultivation systems. Our purpose was to identify differentially expressed genes in roots of a genotype tolerant to water deficit (BAT 477) when submitted to an interruption of irrigation during its development. A SSH library was constructed taking as “driver” the genotype Carioca 80SH (susceptible to drought). After clustering and data mining, 1572 valid reads were obtained, resulting in 1120 ESTs (expressed sequence tags). We found sequences for transcription factors, carbohydrates metabolism, proline-rich proteins, aquaporins, chaperones and ubiquitins, all of them organized according to their biological processes. Our suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) library was validated through RT-qPCR experiment by assessing the expression patterns of 10 selected genes in both genotypes under stressed and control conditions. Finally, the expression patterns of 31 ESTs, putatively related to drought responses, were analyzed in a time-course experiment. Our results confirmed that such genes are more expressed in the tolerant genotype during stress; however, they are not exclusive, since different levels of these transcripts were also detected in the susceptible genotype. In addition, we observed a fluctuation in gene regulation over time for both the genotypes, which seem to adopt and adapt different strategies in order to develop tolerance against this stress. PMID:23538843

Molecular characterization of Brucella abortus chromosome II recombination.

PubMed

Tsoktouridis, Georgios; Merz, Christian A; Manning, Simon P; Giovagnoli-Kurtz, Renée; Williams, Leanne E; Mujer, Cesar V; Hagius, Sue; Elzer, Philip; Redkar, Rajendra J; Patra, Guy; DelVecchio, Vito G

2003-10-01

Large-scale genomic rearrangements including inversions, deletions, and duplications are significant in bacterial evolution. The recently completed Brucella melitensis 16M and Brucella suis 1330 genomes have facilitated the investigation of such events in the Brucella spp. Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed in identifying genomic differences between B. melitensis 16M and Brucella abortus 2308. Analysis of 45 SSH clones revealed several deletions on chromosomes of B. abortus and B. melitensis that encoded proteins of various metabolic pathways. A 640-kb inversion on chromosome II of B. abortus has been reported previously (S. Michaux Charachon, G. Bourg, E. Jumas Bilak, P. Guigue Talet, A. Allardet Servent, D. O'Callaghan, and M. Ramuz, J. Bacteriol. 179:3244-3249, 1997) and is further described in this study. One end of the inverted region is located on a deleted TATGC site between open reading frames BMEII0292 and BMEII0293. The other end inserted at a GTGTC site of the cyclic-di-GMP phosphodiesterase A (PDEA) gene (BMEII1009), dividing PDEA into two unequal DNA segments of 160 and 977 bp. As a consequence of inversion, the 160-bp segment that encodes the N-terminal region of PDEA was relocated at the opposite end of the inverted chromosomal region. The splitting of the PDEA gene most likely inactivated the function of this enzyme. A recombination mechanism responsible for this inversion is proposed.

Molecular Characterization of Brucella abortus Chromosome II Recombination

PubMed Central

Tsoktouridis, Georgios; Merz, Christian A.; Manning, Simon P.; Giovagnoli-Kurtz, Renée; Williams, Leanne E.; Mujer, Cesar V.; Hagius, Sue; Elzer, Philip; Redkar, Rajendra J.; Patra, Guy; DelVecchio, Vito G.

2003-01-01

Large-scale genomic rearrangements including inversions, deletions, and duplications are significant in bacterial evolution. The recently completed Brucella melitensis 16M and Brucella suis 1330 genomes have facilitated the investigation of such events in the Brucella spp. Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed in identifying genomic differences between B. melitensis 16M and Brucella abortus 2308. Analysis of 45 SSH clones revealed several deletions on chromosomes of B. abortus and B. melitensis that encoded proteins of various metabolic pathways. A 640-kb inversion on chromosome II of B. abortus has been reported previously (S. Michaux Charachon, G. Bourg, E. Jumas Bilak, P. Guigue Talet, A. Allardet Servent, D. O'Callaghan, and M. Ramuz, J. Bacteriol. 179:3244-3249, 1997) and is further described in this study. One end of the inverted region is located on a deleted TATGC site between open reading frames BMEII0292 and BMEII0293. The other end inserted at a GTGTC site of the cyclic-di-GMP phosphodiesterase A (PDEA) gene (BMEII1009), dividing PDEA into two unequal DNA segments of 160 and 977 bp. As a consequence of inversion, the 160-bp segment that encodes the N-terminal region of PDEA was relocated at the opposite end of the inverted chromosomal region. The splitting of the PDEA gene most likely inactivated the function of this enzyme. A recombination mechanism responsible for this inversion is proposed. PMID:14526025

Using ParaView Software on the Peregrine System | High-Performance

Science.gov Websites

come pre-installed on most Linux and Mac systems. On Windows the ssh and terminal functions are provided by the programs plink.exe and cmd.exe, of which only cmd.exe will come pre-installed. The ssh

Pattern Triggered Immunity (PTI) in Tobacco: Isolation of Activated Genes Suggests Role of the Phenylpropanoid Pathway in Inhibition of Bacterial Pathogens

PubMed Central

Szatmári, Ágnes; Zvara, Ágnes; Móricz, Ágnes M.; Besenyei, Eszter; Szabó, Erika; Ott, Péter G.; Puskás, László G.; Bozsó, Zoltán

2014-01-01

Background Pattern Triggered Immunity (PTI) or Basal Resistance (BR) is a potent, symptomless form of plant resistance. Upon inoculation of a plant with non-pathogens or pathogenicity-mutant bacteria, the induced PTI will prevent bacterial proliferation. Developed PTI is also able to protect the plant from disease or HR (Hypersensitive Response) after a challenging infection with pathogenic bacteria. Our aim was to reveal those PTI-related genes of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) that could possibly play a role in the protection of the plant from disease. Methodology/Principal Findings Leaves were infiltrated with Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae hrcC- mutant bacteria to induce PTI, and samples were taken 6 and 48 hours later. Subtraction Suppressive Hybridization (SSH) resulted in 156 PTI-activated genes. A cDNA microarray was generated from the SSH clone library. Analysis of hybridization data showed that in the early (6 hpi) phase of PTI, among others, genes of peroxidases, signalling elements, heat shock proteins and secondary metabolites were upregulated, while at the late phase (48 hpi) the group of proteolysis genes was newly activated. Microarray data were verified by real time RT-PCR analysis. Almost all members of the phenyl-propanoid pathway (PPP) possibly leading to lignin biosynthesis were activated. Specific inhibition of cinnamic-acid-4-hydroxylase (C4H), rate limiting enzyme of the PPP, decreased the strength of PTI - as shown by the HR-inhibition and electrolyte leakage tests. Quantification of cinnamate and p-coumarate by thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometry supported specific changes in the levels of these metabolites upon elicitation of PTI. Conclusions/Significance We believe to provide first report on PTI-related changes in the levels of these PPP metabolites. Results implicated an actual role of the upregulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway in the inhibition of bacterial pathogenic activity during PTI. PMID:25101956

Analysis of differentially expressed genes in two immunologically distinct strains of Eimeria maxima using suppression subtractive hybridization and dot-blot hybridization

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background It is well known that different Eimeria maxima strains exhibit significant antigenic variation. However, the genetic basis of these phenotypes remains unclear. Methods Total RNA and mRNA were isolated from unsporulated oocysts of E. maxima strains SH and NT, which were found to have significant differences in immunogenicity in our previous research. Two subtractive cDNA libraries were constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and specific genes were further analyzed by dot-blot hybridization and qRT-PCR analysis. Results A total of 561 clones were selected from both cDNA libraries and the length of the inserted fragments was 0.25–1.0 kb. Dot-blot hybridization revealed a total of 86 differentially expressed clones (63 from strain SH and 23 from strain NT). Nucleotide sequencing analysis of these clones revealed ten specific contigs (six from strain SH and four from strain NT). Further analysis found that six contigs from strain SH and three from strain NT shared significant identities with previously reported proteins, and one contig was presumed to be novel. The specific differentially expressed genes were finally verified by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR analyses. Conclusions The data presented here suggest that specific genes identified between the two strains may be important molecules in the immunogenicity of E. maxima that may present potential new drug targets or vaccine candidates for coccidiosis. PMID:24894832

Universities and Smart Specialisation Strategy: From Third Mission to Sustainable Development Co-Creation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinaldi, Chiara; Cavicchi, Alessio; Spigarelli, Francesca; Lacchè, Luigi; Rubens, Arthur

2018-01-01

Purpose: The paper analyses the emerging role of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) universities in contemporary society via third- and fourth-mission activities. In particular, the paper investigates the potential contributions that SSH universities can offer in developing and enhancing capacities, supporting the changing conception of…

Genomic insights into strategies used by Xanthomonas albilineans with its reduced artillery to spread within sugarcane xylem vessels.

PubMed

Pieretti, Isabelle; Royer, Monique; Barbe, Valérie; Carrere, Sébastien; Koebnik, Ralf; Couloux, Arnaud; Darrasse, Armelle; Gouzy, Jérôme; Jacques, Marie-Agnès; Lauber, Emmanuelle; Manceau, Charles; Mangenot, Sophie; Poussier, Stéphane; Segurens, Béatrice; Szurek, Boris; Verdier, Valérie; Arlat, Matthieu; Gabriel, Dean W; Rott, Philippe; Cociancich, Stéphane

2012-11-21

Xanthomonas albilineans causes leaf scald, a lethal disease of sugarcane. X. albilineans exhibits distinctive pathogenic mechanisms, ecology and taxonomy compared to other species of Xanthomonas. For example, this species produces a potent DNA gyrase inhibitor called albicidin that is largely responsible for inducing disease symptoms; its habitat is limited to xylem; and the species exhibits large variability. A first manuscript on the complete genome sequence of the highly pathogenic X. albilineans strain GPE PC73 focused exclusively on distinctive genomic features shared with Xylella fastidiosa-another xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae. The present manuscript on the same genome sequence aims to describe all other pathogenicity-related genomic features of X. albilineans, and to compare, using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), genomic features of two strains differing in pathogenicity. Comparative genomic analyses showed that most of the known pathogenicity factors from other Xanthomonas species are conserved in X. albilineans, with the notable absence of two major determinants of the "artillery" of other plant pathogenic species of Xanthomonas: the xanthan gum biosynthesis gene cluster, and the type III secretion system Hrp (hypersensitive response and pathogenicity). Genomic features specific to X. albilineans that may contribute to specific adaptation of this pathogen to sugarcane xylem vessels were also revealed. SSH experiments led to the identification of 20 genes common to three highly pathogenic strains but missing in a less pathogenic strain. These 20 genes, which include four ABC transporter genes, a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein gene and an oxidoreductase gene, could play a key role in pathogenicity. With the exception of hypothetical proteins revealed by our comparative genomic analyses and SSH experiments, no genes potentially involved in any offensive or counter-defensive mechanism specific to X. albilineans were identified, supposing that X. albilineans has a reduced artillery compared to other pathogenic Xanthomonas species. Particular attention has therefore been given to genomic features specific to X. albilineans making it more capable of evading sugarcane surveillance systems or resisting sugarcane defense systems. This study confirms that X. albilineans is a highly distinctive species within the genus Xanthomonas, and opens new perpectives towards a greater understanding of the pathogenicity of this destructive sugarcane pathogen.

Northern North Atlantic Sea Surface Height and Ocean Heat Content Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, Sirpa; Rhines, Peter; Worthen, Denise L.

2013-01-01

The evolution of nearly 20 years of altimetric sea surface height (SSH) is investigated to understand its association with decadal to multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic heat content. Altimetric SSH is dominated by an increase of about 14 cm in the Labrador and Irminger seas from 1993 to 2011, while the opposite has occurred over the Gulf Stream region over the same time period. During the altimeter period the observed 0-700 m ocean heat content (OHC) in the subpolar gyre mirrors the increased SSH by its dominantly positive trend. Over a longer period, 1955-2011, fluctuations in the subpolar OHC reflect Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) and can be attributed to advection driven by the wind stress ''gyre mode'' bringing more subtropical waters into the subpolar gyre. The extended subpolar warming evident in SSH and OHC during the altimeter period represents transition of the AMV from cold to warm phase. In addition to the dominant trend, the first empirical orthogonal function SSH time series shows an abrupt change 2009-2010 reaching a new minimum in 2010. The change coincides with the change in the meridional overturning circulation at 26.5N as observed by the RAPID (Rapid Climate Change) project, and with extreme behavior of the wind stress gyre mode and of atmospheric blocking. While the general relationship between northern warming and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) volume transport remains undetermined, the meridional heat and salt transport carried by AMOC's arteries are rich with decade-to-century timescale variability.

Intraseasonal-to-semiannual variability of sea-surface height in the eastern, equatorial Indian Ocean and southern Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, X.; McCreary, J. P., Jr.; Qiu, B.; Yu, Z.; DU, Y.

2016-12-01

Intraseasonal-to-semiannual variability of sea-surface height (SSH) in the eastern, equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) and southern Bay of Bengal (BoB) is investigated using altimetric data, and solutions to 1½-layer (first-baroclinic-mode) and linear, continuously stratified (LCS; multi-baroclinic-mode) models. The amplitude and dominant period of SSH variability differ regionally. Large-amplitude variability is found along the west coast of Sumatra, in a zonal band across the BoB centered along 5°N, east of Sri Lanka, and in the northwestern BoB. Along the Sumatran west coast, SSH variability peaks at 30-60 days, 90 days, and 180 days. Along 5°N and east of Sri Lanka, 30-60-day variability is dominant. Sensitivity experiments using a nonlinear version of the 1½-layer model forced by realistic winds reproduce the observed patterns of intraseasonal variability in the southern BoB. At 30-60 days, the solutions show that eddies (nonlinear Rossby waves) propagating from the east, rather than local wind forcing, account for most of the variance east of Sri Lanka; furthermore, they demonstrate that the variance is significantly enhance by the nonlinear transfer of 90-120-day energy into the intraseasonal band. The LCS solutions show that the first two baroclinic modes explain most of the SSH variance at 90-180 days. The second-baroclinic-mode dominates the SSH variance at 180 days, a consequence of basin resonance and strong wind forcing.

Safety surrogate histograms (SSH): A novel real-time safety assessment of dilemma zone related conflicts at signalized intersections.

PubMed

Ghanipoor Machiani, Sahar; Abbas, Montasir

2016-11-01

Drivers' indecisiveness in dilemma zones (DZ) could result in crash-prone situations at signalized intersections. DZ is to the area ahead of an intersection in which drivers encounter a dilemma regarding whether to stop or proceed through the intersection when the signal turns yellow. An improper decision to stop by the leading driver, combined with the following driver deciding to go, can result in a rear-end collision, unless the following driver recognizes a collision is imminent and adjusts his or her behavior at or shortly after the onset of yellow. Considering the significance of DZ-related crashes, a comprehensive safety measure is needed to characterize the level of safety at signalized intersections. In this study, a novel safety surrogate measure was developed utilizing real-time radar field data. This new measure, called safety surrogate histogram (SSH), captures the degree and frequency of DZ-related conflicts at each intersection approach. SSH includes detailed information regarding the possibility of crashes, because it is calculated based on the vehicles conflicts. An example illustrating the application of the new methodology at two study sites in Virginia is presented and discussed, and a comparison is provided between SSH and other DZ-related safety surrogate measures mentioned in the literature. The results of the study reveal the efficacy of the SSH as complementary to existing surrogate measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the Direct Assimilation of Along-track Sea Surface Height Observations into a Free-surface Ocean Model Using a Weak Constraints Four Dimensional Variational (4dvar) Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngodock, H.; Carrier, M.; Smith, S. R.; Souopgui, I.; Martin, P.; Jacobs, G. A.

2016-02-01

The representer method is adopted for solving a weak constraints 4dvar problem for the assimilation of ocean observations including along-track SSH, using a free surface ocean model. Direct 4dvar assimilation of SSH observations along the satellite tracks requires that the adjoint model be integrated with Dirac impulses on the right hand side of the adjoint equations for the surface elevation equation. The solution of this adjoint model will inevitably include surface gravity waves, and it constitutes the forcing for the tangent linear model (TLM) according to the representer method. This yields an analysis that is contaminated by gravity waves. A method for avoiding the generation of the surface gravity waves in the analysis is proposed in this study; it consists of removing the adjoint of the free surface from the right hand side (rhs) of the free surface mode in the TLM. The information from the SSH observations will still propagate to all other variables via the adjoint of the balance relationship between the barotropic and baroclinic modes, resulting in the correction to the surface elevation. Two assimilation experiments are carried out in the Gulf of Mexico: one with adjoint forcing included on the rhs of the TLM free surface equation, and the other without. Both analyses are evaluated against the assimilated SSH observations, SSH maps from Aviso and independent surface drifters, showing that the analysis that did not include adjoint forcing in the free surface is more accurate. This study shows that when a weak constraint 4dvar approach is considered for the assimilation of along-track SSH observations using a free surface model, with the aim of correcting the mesoscale circulation, an independent model error should not be assigned to the free surface.

Investigating Auditory Processing of Syntactic Gaps with L2 Speakers Using Pupillometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Leigh; Höhle, Barbara; Brock, Jon; Nickels, Lyndsey

2018-01-01

According to the Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH), second language (L2) speakers, unlike native speakers, build shallow syntactic representations during sentence processing. In order to test the SSH, this study investigated the processing of a syntactic movement in both native speakers of English and proficient late L2 speakers of English using…

Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good

PubMed Central

Åm, Heidrun

2018-01-01

In Europe, responsible research and innovation (RRI) has emerged as a science policy measure that demands the early integration of a broad range of social actors and perspectives into research and development (R&D). More collaboration of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) with science and engineering appears within this policy framework as a crucial element that will enable better technological development. However, RRI is new to both natural scientists and SSH scholars, and interdisciplinary collaborations are challenging for many reasons. In this paper, we discuss these challenges while suggesting that what RRI can be in a particular project is not a given but remains an empirical question. Natural scientists and SSH scholars need to coresearch RRI in an experimental mode. PMID:29579043

Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good.

PubMed

Delgado, Ana; Åm, Heidrun

2018-03-01

In Europe, responsible research and innovation (RRI) has emerged as a science policy measure that demands the early integration of a broad range of social actors and perspectives into research and development (R&D). More collaboration of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) with science and engineering appears within this policy framework as a crucial element that will enable better technological development. However, RRI is new to both natural scientists and SSH scholars, and interdisciplinary collaborations are challenging for many reasons. In this paper, we discuss these challenges while suggesting that what RRI can be in a particular project is not a given but remains an empirical question. Natural scientists and SSH scholars need to coresearch RRI in an experimental mode.

Isolation of genes differentially expressed during development and ripening of Fragaria chiloensis fruit by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Pimentel, Paula; Salvatierra, Ariel; Moya-León, María Alejandra; Herrera, Raúl

2010-09-15

Fragaria chiloensis, the native Chilean strawberry, is noted for its good fruit quality characters. However, it is a highly perishable fruit due to its rapid softening. With the aim to screen for genes differentially expressed during development and ripening of strawberry fruit, the subtractive suppressive hybridization (SSH) methodology was employed. Six libraries were generated contrasting transcripts from four different developmental stages. A set of 1807 genes was isolated and characterized. In our EST collection, approximately 90% of partial cDNAs showed significant similarity to proteins with known or unknown function registered in databases. Among them, proteins related to protein fate were identified in a large green fruit library and protein related with cellular transport, cell wall-related proteins, and transcription regulators were identified in a ripe fruit library. Thirteen genes were analyzed by qRT-PCR during development and ripening of the Chilean strawberry fruit. The information generated in this study provides new clues to aid the understanding of the ripening process in F. chiloensis fruit. Copyright 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Meta-analysis of studies using suppression subtractive hybridization and microarrays to investigate the effects of environmental stress on gene transcription in oysters.

PubMed

Anderson, Kelli; Taylor, Daisy A; Thompson, Emma L; Melwani, Aroon R; Nair, Sham V; Raftos, David A

2015-01-01

Many microarray and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) studies have analyzed the effects of environmental stress on gene transcription in marine species. However, there have been no unifying analyses of these data to identify common stress response pathways. To address this shortfall, we conducted a meta-analysis of 14 studies that investigated the effects of different environmental stressors on gene expression in oysters. The stressors tested included chemical contamination, hypoxia and infection, as well as extremes of temperature, pH and turbidity. We found that the expression of over 400 genes in a range of oyster species changed significantly after exposure to environmental stress. A repeating pattern was evident in these transcriptional responses, regardless of the type of stress applied. Many of the genes that responded to environmental stress encoded proteins involved in translation and protein processing (including molecular chaperones), the mitochondrial electron transport chain, anti-oxidant activity and the cytoskeleton. In light of these findings, we put forward a consensus model of sub-cellular stress responses in oysters.

Meta-Analysis of Studies Using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization and Microarrays to Investigate the Effects of Environmental Stress on Gene Transcription in Oysters

PubMed Central

Thompson, Emma L.; Melwani, Aroon R.; Nair, Sham V.; Raftos, David A.

2015-01-01

Many microarray and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) studies have analyzed the effects of environmental stress on gene transcription in marine species. However, there have been no unifying analyses of these data to identify common stress response pathways. To address this shortfall, we conducted a meta-analysis of 14 studies that investigated the effects of different environmental stressors on gene expression in oysters. The stressors tested included chemical contamination, hypoxia and infection, as well as extremes of temperature, pH and turbidity. We found that the expression of over 400 genes in a range of oyster species changed significantly after exposure to environmental stress. A repeating pattern was evident in these transcriptional responses, regardless of the type of stress applied. Many of the genes that responded to environmental stress encoded proteins involved in translation and protein processing (including molecular chaperones), the mitochondrial electron transport chain, anti-oxidant activity and the cytoskeleton. In light of these findings, we put forward a consensus model of sub-cellular stress responses in oysters. PMID:25768438

High rate GPS positioning , JASON altimetry and marine gravimetry : monitoring the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) through the DRAKE campaigns.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melachroinos, S. A.; Biancale, R.; Menard, Y.; Sarrailh, M.

2008-12-01

The Drake campaign which took place from Jan 14, 2006 - 08 Feb, 2006 has been a very successful mission in collecting a wide range of GPS and marine gravity data all along JASON altimetry ground track n° 104. The same campaign will be repeated in 2009 along 028 and 104 JASON-2 ground track. The Drake Passage (DP) chokepoint is not only well suited geographically, as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is constricted to its narrowest extent of 700 km, but observations and models suggest that dynamical balances are particular effective in this area. Furthermore the space geodesy observations and their products provided from several altimetry missions (currently operating ENVISAT, JASON 1 and 2, GFO, ERS and other plannified for the future such as Altika, SWOT) require the cross comparison with independent geodetic techniques at the DP. The current experiment comprises a kinematic GPS and marine gravimetry Cal/Val geodetic approach and it aims to : validate with respect to altimetry data and surface models such a kinematic high frequency GPS technique for measuring sea state and sea surface height (SSH), compare the GPS SSH profiles with altimetry mean dynamic topography (MDT) and mean sea surface (MSS) models, give recommendations for future "offshore" Cal/Val activities on the ground tracks of altimeter satellites such as JASON-2, GFO, Altika using the GNSS technology etc. The GPS observations are collected from GPS antennas installed on a wave-rider buoy , aboard the R/V "Polarstern" and from continuous geodetic reference stations in the proximity. We also analyse problems related to the ship's attitude variations in roll, pitch and yaw and a way to correct them. We also give emphasis on the impact of the ship's acceleration profiles on the so called "squat effect" and ways to deal with it. The project will in particular benefit the GOCE mission by proposing to integrate GOCE in the ocean circulation study and validate GOCE products with our independent geodetic data set. The high rate GPS SSH solutions are derived using two different GPS kinematic software, GINS (CNES) and TRACK (MIT).

Intraseasonal-to-semiannual variability of sea-surface height in the astern, equatorial Indian Ocean and southern Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Xuhua; McCreary, Julian P.; Qiu, Bo; Qi, Yiquan; Du, Yan

2017-05-01

Intraseasonal-to-semiannual variability of sea-surface height (SSH) in the eastern, equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) and southern Bay of Bengal (BoB) is investigated using altimetric data, and solutions to 1½ layer (first baroclinic mode) and linear, continuously stratified (LCS; multibaroclinic-mode) models. The amplitude and dominant periods of SSH variability differ regionally. Large-amplitude variability is found along the west coast of Sumatra, in a zonal band across the BoB centered along 5°N, east of Sri Lanka, and in the northwestern BoB, respectively. Along the Sumatran west coast, SSH variability peaks at 30-60, 90, and 180 days. Along 5°N and east of Sri Lanka, the 30-60 day variability is dominant. Sensitivity experiments using a nonlinear version of the 1½ layer model forced by realistic winds reproduce the observed patterns of intraseasonal variability in the southern BoB. At 30-60 days, the solutions show that eddies (nonlinear Rossby waves) propagating from the east, rather than local wind forcing, account for most of the variance east of Sri Lanka; furthermore, they demonstrate that the variance is significantly enhanced by the nonlinear transfer of 90-120 day energy into the intraseasonal band of 30-60 days. The LCS solutions show that the first two baroclinic modes explain most of the SSH variance at 90-180 days. The second baroclinic mode dominates the SSH variance at 180 days, a consequence of basin resonance and strong wind forcing.

A balanced Kalman filter ocean data assimilation system with application to the South Australian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Toumi, Ralf

2017-08-01

In this paper, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) based regional ocean data assimilation system has been developed and applied to the South Australian Sea. This system consists of the data assimilation algorithm provided by the NCAR Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) and the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). We describe the first implementation of the physical balance operator (temperature-salinity, hydrostatic and geostrophic balance) to DART, to reduce the spurious waves which may be introduced during the data assimilation process. The effect of the balance operator is validated in both an idealised shallow water model and the ROMS model real case study. In the shallow water model, the geostrophic balance operator eliminates spurious ageostrophic waves and produces a better sea surface height (SSH) and velocity analysis and forecast. Its impact increases as the sea surface height and wind stress increase. In the real case, satellite-observed sea surface temperature (SST) and SSH are assimilated in the South Australian Sea with 50 ensembles using the Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF). Assimilating SSH and SST enhances the estimation of SSH and SST in the entire domain, respectively. Assimilation with the balance operator produces a more realistic simulation of surface currents and subsurface temperature profile. The best improvement is obtained when only SSH is assimilated with the balance operator. A case study with a storm suggests that the benefit of the balance operator is of particular importance under high wind stress conditions. Implementing the balance operator could be a general benefit to ocean data assimilation systems.

Waveform identification and retracking analyses of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data for improving sea surface height estimation in Southern Java Island Waters and Java Sea, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nababan, Bisman; Hakim, Muhammad R.; Panjaitan, James P.

2018-05-01

Indonesian waters containing many small islands and shallow waters leads to a less accurate of sea surface height (SSH) estimation from satellite altimetry. Little efforts are also given for the validation of SSH estimation from the satellite in Indonesian waters. The purpose of this research was to identify and retrack waveforms of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data in southern Java island waters and Java Sea using several retrackers and performed improvement percentage analyses for new SSH estimation. The study used data of the Sensor Geophysical Data Record type D (SGDR-D) of Jason-2 satellite altimeter of the year 2010 in the southern Java island waters and 2012-2014 in Java Sea. Waveform retracking analyses were conducted using several retrackers (Offset Center of Gravity, Ice, Threshold, and Improved Threshold) and examined using a world reference undulation geoid of EGM08 and Oceanic retracker. Result showed that shape and pattern of waveforms were varied in all passes, seasons, and locations specifically along the coastal regions. In general, non-Brownish and complex waveforms were identified along coastal region specifically within the distance of 0-10 km from the shoreline. In contrary, generally Brownish waveforms were found in offshore. However, Brownish waveform can also be found within coastal region and non-Brownish waveforms within offshore region. The results were also showed that the four retrackers produced a better SSH estimation in coastal region. However, there was no dominant retracker to improve the accuracy of the SSH estimate.

Variability of sea surface height and circulation in the North Atlantic: Forcing mechanisms and linkages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zeliang; Lu, Youyu; Dupont, Frederic; W. Loder, John; Hannah, Charles; G. Wright, Daniel

2015-03-01

Simulations with a coarse-resolution global ocean model during 1958-2004 are analyzed to understand the inter-annual and decadal variability of the North Atlantic. Analyses of Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs) suggest relationships among basin-scale variations of sea surface height (SSH) and depth-integrated circulation, and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the East Atlantic Pattern (EAP) indices. The linkages between the atmospheric indices and ocean variables are shown to be related to the different roles played by surface momentum and heat fluxes in driving ocean variability. In the subpolar region, variations of the gyre strength, SSH in the central Labrador Sea and the NAO index are highly correlated. Surface heat flux is important in driving variations of SSH and circulation in the upper ocean and decadal variations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Surface momentum flux drives a significant barotropic component of flow and makes a noticeable contribution to the AMOC. In the subtropical region, momentum flux plays a dominant role in driving variations of the gyre circulation and AMOC; there is a strong correlation between gyre strength and SSH at Bermuda.

Screening and identification of male-specific DNA fragments in common carps Cyprinus carpio using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Chen, J J; Du, Q Y; Yue, Y Y; Dang, B J; Chang, Z J

2010-08-01

In this study, a sex subtractive genomic DNA library was constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) between male and female Cyprinus carpio. Twenty-two clones with distinguishable hybridization signals were selected and sequenced. The specific primers were designed based on the sequence data. Those primers were then used to amplify the sex-specific fragments from the genomic DNA of male and female carp. The amplified fragments from two clones showed specificity to males but not to females, which were named as Ccmf2 [387 base pairs (bp)] and Ccmf3 (183 bp), respectively. The sex-specific pattern was analysed in a total of 40 individuals from three other different C. carpio. stocks and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella using Ccmf2 and Ccmf3 as dot-blotting probes. The results revealed that the molecular diversity exists on the Y chromosome of C. carpio. No hybridization signals, however, were detected from individuals of C. idella, suggesting that the two sequences are specific to C. carpio. No significant homologous sequences of Ccmf2 and Ccmf3 were found in GenBank. Therefore, it was interpreted that the results as that Ccmf2 and Ccmf3 are two novel male-specific sequences; and both fragments could be used as markers to rapidly and accurately identify the genetic sex of part of C. carpio. This may provide a very efficient selective tool for practically breeding monosex female populations in aquacultural production.

Identification of differentially-expressed genes potentially implicated in drought response in pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) by suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarray analysis.

PubMed

Fan, Qing-Jie; Yan, Feng-Xia; Qiao, Guang; Zhang, Bing-Xue; Wen, Xiao-Peng

2014-01-01

Drought is one of the most severe threats to the growth, development and yield of plant. In order to unravel the molecular basis underlying the high tolerance of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) to drought stress, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and cDNA microarray approaches were firstly combined to identify the potential important or novel genes involved in the plant responses to drought stress. The forward (drought over drought-free) and reverse (drought-free over drought) suppression subtractive cDNA libraries were constructed using in vitro shoots of cultivar 'Zihonglong' exposed to drought stress and drought-free (control). A total of 2112 clones, among which half were from either forward or reverse SSH library, were randomly picked up to construct a pitaya cDNA microarray. Microarray analysis was carried out to verify the expression fluctuations of this set of clones upon drought treatment compared with the controls. A total of 309 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), 153 from forward library and 156 from reverse library, were obtained, and 138 unique ESTs were identified after sequencing by clustering and blast analyses, which included genes that had been previously reported as responsive to water stress as well as some functionally unknown genes. Thirty six genes were mapped to 47 KEGG pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and amino acid metabolism of pitaya. Expression analysis of the selected ESTs by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) corroborated the results of differential screening. Moreover, time-course expression patterns of these selected ESTs further confirmed that they were closely responsive to drought treatment. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), many are related to stress tolerances including drought tolerance. Thereby, the mechanism of drought tolerance of this pitaya genotype is a very complex physiological and biochemical process, in which multiple metabolism pathways and many genes were implicated. The data gained herein provide an insight into the mechanism underlying the drought stress tolerance of pitaya, as well as may facilitate the screening of candidate genes for drought tolerance. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bismarck or Beveridge: a beauty contest between dinosaurs

PubMed Central

van der Zee, Jouke; Kroneman, Madelon W

2007-01-01

Background Health systems delivery systems can be divided into two broad categories: National Health Services (NHS) on the one hand and Social Security (based) Health care systems (SSH) on the other hand. Existing literature is inconclusive about which system performs best. In this paper we would like to improve the evidence-base for discussion about pros and cons of NHS-systems versus SSH-system for health outcomes, expenditure and population satisfaction. Methods In this study we used time series data for 17 European countries, that were characterized as either NHS or SSH country. We used the following performance indicators: For health outcome: overall mortality rate, infant mortality rate and life expectancy at birth. For health care costs: health care expenditure per capita in pppUS$ and health expenditure as percentage of GDP. Time series dated from 1970 until 2003 or 2004, depending on availability. Sources were OECD health data base 2006 and WHO health for all database 2006. For satisfaction we used the Eurobarometer studies from 1996, 1998 and 1999. Results SSH systems perform slightly better on overall mortality rates and life expectancy (after 1980). For infant mortality the rates converged between the two types of systems and since 1980 no differences ceased to exist. SSH systems are more expensive and NHS systems have a better cost containment. Inhabitants of countries with SSH-systems are on average substantially more satisfied than those in NHS countries. Conclusion We concluded that the question 'which type of system performs best' can be answered empirically as far as health outcomes, health care expenditures and patient satisfaction are concerned. Whether this selection of indicators covers all or even most relevant aspects of health system comparison remains to be seen. Perhaps further and more conclusive research into health system related differences in, for instance, equity should be completed before the leading question of this paper can be answered. We do think, however, that this study can form a base for a policy debate on the pros and cons of the existing health care systems in Europe. PMID:17594476

Molecular characterization of infectious bursal disease virus isolates from Nepal based on hypervariable region of VP2 gene.

PubMed

Sharma, K; Hair-Bejo, M; Omar, A R; Aini, I

2005-01-01

Two Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) isolates, NP1SSH and NP2K were obtained from a severe infectious bursal disease (IBD) outbreak in Nepal in 2002. The hypervariable (HV) region of VP2 gene (1326 bp) of the isolates was generated by RT-PCR and sequenced. The obtained nucleotide sequences were compared with those of twenty other IBDV isolates/strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on this comparison revealed that NP1SSH and NP2K clustered with very virulent (vv) IBDV strains of serotype 1. In contrast, classical, Australian classical and attenuated strains of serotype 1 and avirulent IBDV strains of serotype 2 formed a different cluster. The deduced amino acid sequences of the two isolates showed a 98.3% identity with each other and 97.1% and 98.3% identities, respectively with very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) isolates/strains. Three amino acids substitutions at positions 300 (E-->A), 308 (I-->F) and 334 (A-->P) within the HV region were common for both the isolates. The amino acids substitutions at positions 27 (S-->T), 28 (I-->T), 31 (D-->A), 36 (H-->Y), 135 (E-->G), 223 (G-->S), 225 (V-->I), 351 (L-->I), 352 (V-->E) and 399 (I-->S) for NP1SSH and at position 438 (I-->S) for NP2K were unique and differed from other IBDV isolates/strains. NP1SSH and NP2K showed highest similarity (97.8%) with the BD399 strain from Bangladesh as compared with other vvIBDV isolates/strains. We conclude that the NP1SSH and NP2K isolates of IBDV from Nepal represent vvIBDV of serotype 1.

[Cloning and expression analysis of differentially expressed genes in Chinese fir stems treated by different concentrations of exogenous IAA].

PubMed

Yang, Li-Wei; Shi, Ji-Sen

2012-04-01

To reveal the potential genetic mechanisms of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) that regulate Chinese fir wood formation, cloned the differentially expressed genes via suppress subtractive hybridization (SSH) using the truncated stems treated by 0 and 3 mg IAA/g lanolin as the driver and tester, respectively. A total of 332 unigenes that were involved in cell organization and biosynthesis, developmental processes control, electron transport, stress response, and signal transduction. To further test the results from SSH, we selected those unigenes, whose putative encoding proteins showed significantly homologous with HIRA, PGY1, SMP1, TCT, TRN2, and ARF4, and analyzed their expressed specificity in the wood formative tissues and their response to the secondary developmental changes of vascular cambium stimulated by 0, 1, and 3 mg.IAA/g.lanolin treatment. The results showed that ClHIRA, ClPGY1, and ClARF4, which were specifically expressed in the adaxial zone of stem, were positively response to the activities of cell division and tracheid differentiation stimulated by exogenous IAA treatment. However, ClSMP1, ClTCTP1, and ClTRN2, which were mainly expressed in the abaxial zones of stems, showed negative correlation with the treated levels of exogenous IAA and activities of vascular cambium secondary development at the transcriptional level. This result showed that the differential response of developmental regulatory genes located in different vascular tissues to the level changes of edogenous IAA in stems is likely to be an important molecular mechanism of auxin regulating wood formation.

Globus File Transfer Services | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Account To get a Globus account, sign up on the Globus account website. To get access to the NREL endpoint continue. Use the Globus credentials you used to register your Globus.org account. Go to the Transfer Files Globus.org account to allow ssh CLI access To use the CLI you must have a Globus account with ssh access

On Verifying Currents and Other Features in the Hawaiian Islands Region Using Fully Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System Compared to Global Ocean Model and Ocean Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jessen, P. G.; Chen, S.

2014-12-01

This poster introduces and evaluates features concerning the Hawaii, USA region using the U.S. Navy's fully Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS-OS™) coupled to the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). It also outlines some challenges in verifying ocean currents in the open ocean. The system is evaluated using in situ ocean data and initial forcing fields from the operational global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Verification shows difficulties in modelling downstream currents off the Hawaiian islands (Hawaii's wake). Comparing HYCOM to NCOM current fields show some displacement of small features such as eddies. Generally, there is fair agreement from HYCOM to NCOM in salinity and temperature fields. There is good agreement in SSH fields.

A Record-High Ocean Bottom Pressure in the South Pacific Observed by GRACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boening, Carmen; Lee, Tong; Zlotnicki, Victor

2011-01-01

In late 2009 to early 2010, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite pair observed a record increase in ocean bottom pressure (OBP) over a large mid-latitude region of the South East Pacific. Its magnitude is substantially larger than other oceanic events in the Southern Hemisphere found in the entire GRACE data records (2003-2010) on multi-month time scales. The OBP data help to understand the nature of a similar signal in sea surface height (SSH) anomaly observed by altimetry: the SSH increase is mainly due to mass convergence. Analysis of the barotropic vorticity equation using scatterometer data, atmospheric reanalysis product, and GRACE and altimeter an atmospheric reanalysis product observations suggests that the observed OBP/SSH signal was primarily caused by wind stress curl associated with a strong and persistent anticyclone in late 2009 in combination with effects of planetary vorticity gradient, bottom topography, and friction

An RNA isolation system for plant tissues rich in secondary metabolites

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Secondary metabolites are reported to interfere with the isolation of RNA particularly with the recipes that use guanidinium-based salt. Such interference was observed in isolation of RNA with medicinal plants rheum (Rheum australe) and arnebia (Arnebia euchroma). A rapid and less cumbersome system for isolation of RNA was essential to facilitate any study related to gene expression. Findings An RNA isolation system free of guanidinium salt was developed that successfully isolated RNA from rheum and arnebia. The method took about 45 min and was successfully evaluated on twenty one tissues with varied secondary metabolites. The A260/280 ratio ranged between 1.8 - 2.0 with distinct 28 S and 18 S rRNA bands visible on a formaldehyde-agarose gel. Conclusions The present manuscript describes a rapid protocol for isolation of RNA, which works well with all the tissues examined so far. The remarkable feature was the success in isolation of RNA with those tissues, wherein the most commonly used methods failed. Isolated RNA was amenable to downstream applications such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), differential display (DD), suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library construction, and northern hybridization. PMID:21443767

Molecular cloning and expression of an encoding galactinol synthase gene (AnGolS1) in seedling of Ammopiptanthus nanus.

PubMed

Liu, YuDong; Zhang, Li; Chen, LiJing; Ma, Hui; Ruan, YanYe; Xu, Tao; Xu, ChuanQiang; He, Yi; Qi, MingFang

2016-10-27

Based on the galactinol synthase (AnGolS1) fragment sequence from a cold-induced Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) library derived from Ammopiptanthus nanus (A. nanus) seedlings, AnGolS1 mRNA (including the 5' UTR and 3' UTR) (GenBank accession number: GU942748) was isolated and characterized by rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR). A substrate reaction test revealed that AnGolS1 possessed galactinol synthase activity in vitro and could potentially be an early-responsive gene. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated that AnGolS1 was responded to cold, salts and drought stresses, however, significantly up-regulated in all origans by low temperatures, especially in plant stems. In addition, the hybridization signals in the fascicular cambium were strongest in all cells under low temperature. Thus, we propose that AnGolS1 plays critical roles in A. nanus low-temperature stress resistance and that fascicular cambium cells could be involved in AnGolS1 mRNA transcription, galactinol transportation and coordination under low-temperature stress.

SSH-2 measurements of cirrus at 18-28 micrometers from the King Air during FIRE 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Michael K.

1993-01-01

In November of 1991, the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase II cirrus study took place at Coffeyville, Kansas. The field experiment incorporated instrumentation from surface, aircraft, and satellite to attempt to define the optical, radiative, and microphysical characteristics of these high altitude, predominantly ice clouds. The NCAR King Air research aircraft was outfitted with a variety of radiative and microphysical instrumentation for the FIRE II project. Included for this project was the SSH-2, a 16-channel passive radiometer. The SSH-2 was originally designed as a space-qualified infrared (IR) temperature and water vapor sounder for deployment onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) series of environmental satellites. For this experiment, only those channels associated with the water vapor profiling function have been examined although downwelling radiance measurements were taken at all channels during the project. With supporting information from the aircraft telemetry observations it may be possible to relate these SSH-2 measurements to cloud radiative and microphysical properties. The following sections will describe the spectral characteristics of the instrument, the calibration scheme used to convert the raw measured counts into calibrated radiances, and the case studies that will be covered in this paper. This will be followed by a discussion of the results of this preliminary investigation and a description of future work to be done.

What role for social sciences in socio-hydrology? Results from an online survey among hydrologists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidl, Roman; Barthel, Roland; Stauffacher, Michael

2015-04-01

The necessity of a more integrated approach in hydrological research has been highlighted by the IAHS scientific decade 2013-2022 "Panta Rhei", dedicated to foster multi-disciplinary research activities on changes in hydrology and society (Montanari, Young et al. 2013). On a similar note, the concept of Socio-Hydrology (Sivapalan, Savenije et al. 2012) suggests a much deeper involvement of hydrologists in socio-economic questions. Despite this general consensus, it remains unclear how such interdisciplinary approaches should be carried out and, in particular, which roles hydrological sciences (HS) and social sciences and the humanities (SSH) should assume. In order to evaluate the opinion of HS on the mutual contributions of HS and SSH to the process of integration, an online survey was prepared by the authors and announced through the newsletters of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). Two sets of questions offered a choice of potential contributions to interdisciplinary processes of HS and SSH respectively. A third group of questions asked for the status of integration of HS and SSH and if improvements are needed. Finally, participants were asked to rank different options to foster or improve cooperation between natural and social scientists. 141 questionnaires could be used for further analysis. As expected the background of most participants is hydrology, but many also mention more than one discipline. Most participants have their main place of work in Europe. The answers were analysed using Factor and Cluster analysis to reveal potential patterns in the data. The main results from the survey can be summarized like this: The majority of respondents agrees that SSH is not well integrated into hydrological research as yet and most participants see a need for better cooperation. Expectations from hydrologists who should do what in integrative work, reveal that some roles are perceived similarly for both SSH and HS: Facilitate resource management, Exchange knowledge, Communicate the results, Reflect about the normative aspects, Secure public acceptance. However, hydrologists assume it is clearly more the role of SSH to study socio-economic aspects and the impact of human decisions on the environment, for instance. Higher status and acknowledgment by other colleagues does not seem to be a major incentive for integrative work, ranking lowest of all offered statements. However, the statement Hydrologists themselves should consider and integrate socio-economic aspects in their own work, was rated most often as most preferable. One can speculate that hydrologists (at least many in our sample) would like to learn from SSH but then apply that knowledge themselves; that is, "integrate" social science tasks into their field, or rather into a new discipline, socio-hydrology but not collaborate at eye-level with social scientists. We conclude that researchers interested in the integration of disciplines should explicitly specify how they would like to achieve this, what mutual expectations they have. In the case of the Panta Rhei initiative or Social Hydrology, this seems neither evident nor explicitly done. References: Montanari, A., et al. (2013). ""Panta Rhei -- Everything Flows": Change in hydrology and society -- The IAHS Scientific Decade 2013-2022." Hydrological Sciences Journal: 1-20. Sivapalan, M., et al. (2012). "Socio-hydrology: A new science of people and water." Hydrological Processes 26(8): 1270-1276.

Exploring image data assimilation in the prospect of high-resolution satellite oceanic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durán Moro, Marina; Brankart, Jean-Michel; Brasseur, Pierre; Verron, Jacques

2017-07-01

Satellite sensors increasingly provide high-resolution (HR) observations of the ocean. They supply observations of sea surface height (SSH) and of tracers of the dynamics such as sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST). In particular, the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will provide measurements of the surface ocean topography at very high-resolution (HR) delivering unprecedented information on the meso-scale and submeso-scale dynamics. This study investigates the feasibility to use these measurements to reconstruct meso-scale features simulated by numerical models, in particular on the vertical dimension. A methodology to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) multivariate meso-scale scenes is developed by using a HR numerical model of the Solomon Sea region. An inverse problem is defined in the framework of a twin experiment where synthetic observations are used. A true state is chosen among the 3D multivariate states which is considered as a reference state. In order to correct a first guess of this true state, a two-step analysis is carried out. A probability distribution of the first guess is defined and updated at each step of the analysis: (i) the first step applies the analysis scheme of a reduced-order Kalman filter to update the first guess probability distribution using SSH observation; (ii) the second step minimizes a cost function using observations of HR image structure and a new probability distribution is estimated. The analysis is extended to the vertical dimension using 3D multivariate empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and the probabilistic approach allows the update of the probability distribution through the two-step analysis. Experiments show that the proposed technique succeeds in correcting a multivariate state using meso-scale and submeso-scale information contained in HR SSH and image structure observations. It also demonstrates how the surface information can be used to reconstruct the ocean state below the surface.

Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan (LCZ696) on Natriuresis, Diuresis, Blood Pressures, and NT-proBNP in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension.

PubMed

Wang, Tzung-Dau; Tan, Ru-San; Lee, Hae-Young; Ihm, Sang-Hyun; Rhee, Moo-Yong; Tomlinson, Brian; Pal, Parasar; Yang, Fan; Hirschhorn, Elizabeth; Prescott, Margaret F; Hinder, Markus; Langenickel, Thomas H

2017-01-01

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is characterized by impaired sodium excretion and subnormal vasodilatory response to salt loading. Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) was hypothesized to increase natriuresis and diuresis and result in superior blood pressure control compared with valsartan in Asian patients with SSH. In this randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 72 patients with SSH received sacubitril/valsartan 400 mg and valsartan 320 mg once daily for 4 weeks each. SSH was diagnosed if the mean arterial pressure increased by ≥10% when patients switched from low (50 mmol/d) to high (320 mmol/d) sodium diet. The primary outcome was cumulative 6- and 24-hour sodium excretion after first dose administration. Compared with valsartan, sacubitril/valsartan was associated with a significant increase in natriuresis (adjusted treatment difference: 24.5 mmol/6 hours, 50.3 mmol/24 hours, both P<0.001) and diuresis (adjusted treatment difference: 291.2 mL/6 hours, P<0.001; 356.4 mL/24 hours, P=0.002) on day 1, but not on day 28, and greater reductions in office and ambulatory blood pressure on day 28. Despite morning dosing of both drugs, ambulatory blood pressure reductions were more pronounced at nighttime than at daytime or the 24-hour average. Compared with valsartan, sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduced N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels on day 28 (adjusted treatment difference: -20%; P=0.001). Sacubitril/valsartan and valsartan were safe and well tolerated with no significant changes in body weight or serum sodium and potassium levels with either treatments. In conclusion, sacubitril/valsartan compared with valsartan was associated with short-term increases in natriuresis and diuresis, superior office and ambulatory blood pressure control, and significantly reduced N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels in Asian patients with SSH. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01681576. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Gene regulation by NMDA receptor activation in the SDN-POA neurons of male rats during sexual development.

PubMed

Hsu, Hseng-Kuang; Shao, Pei-Lin; Tsai, Ke-Li; Shih, Huei-Chuan; Lee, Tzu-Ying; Hsu, Chin

2005-04-01

The present study was designed to identify possible signaling pathways, which may play a role in prevention of neuronal apoptosis in the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) after physiological activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Gene response to the blockage of the NMDA receptor by an antagonist (dizocilpine hydrogen maleate; MK-801) was screened after suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). The results showed that differential screening after SSH detected the presence of some neurotrophic genes (RNA binding motif protein 3 (RBM3), alpha-tubulin) as well as apoptosis-related genes (Bcl-2, cytochrome oxidase subunit II, cytochrome oxidase subunit III) in the SDN-POA of male rats, which were down-regulated by blocking the NMDA receptor. The RT-PCR products of the aforementioned genes in MK-801-treated males were significantly less than that in untreated males. In particular, the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA, including Bcl-2 protein, in male rats were significantly suppressed by MK-801 treatment. Moreover, the binding activity of nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) was significantly higher in male rats than in females, but significantly diminished by blocking the NMDA receptor with MK-801 in male rats. No significant difference in cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) binding activity was observed among untreated male, MK-801-treated male, untreated female and MK-801-treated female groups. These results suggest that genes regulated by NMDA receptor activation might participate in neuronal growth and/or anti-apoptosis, and support an important signaling pathway of NFkappaB activation and its target gene, Bcl-2, in preventing neuronal apoptosis in the SDN-POA of male rats during sexual development.

Fine-tuning of the flavonoid and monolignol pathways during apple early fruit development.

PubMed

Baldi, Paolo; Moser, Mirko; Brilli, Matteo; Vrhovsek, Urska; Pindo, Massimo; Si-Ammour, Azeddine

2017-05-01

A coordinated regulation of different branches of the flavonoid pathway was highlighted that may contribute to elucidate the role of this important class of compounds during the early stages of apple fruit development. Apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is an economically important fruit appreciated for its organoleptic characteristics and its benefits for human health. The first stages after fruit set represent a very important and still poorly characterized developmental process. To enable the profiling of genes involved in apple early fruit development, we combined the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) protocol to next-generation sequencing. We identified and characterized genes induced and repressed during fruit development in the apple cultivar 'Golden Delicious'. Our results showed an opposite regulation of genes coding for enzymes belonging to flavonoid and monolignol pathways, with a strong induction of the former and a simultaneous repression of the latter. Two isoforms of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase, key enzymes located at the branching point between flavonoid and monolignol pathways, showed opposite expression patterns during the period in analysis, suggesting a possible regulation mechanism. A targeted metabolomic analysis supported the SSH results and revealed an accumulation of the monomers catechin and epicatechin as well as several forms of procyanidin oligomers in apple fruitlets starting early after anthesis, together with a decreased production of other classes of flavonoids such as some flavonols and the dihydrochalcone phlorizin. Moreover, gene expression and metabolites accumulation of 'Golden Delicious' were compared to a wild apple genotype of Manchurian crabapple (Malus mandshurica (Maxim.) Kom.). Significant differences in both gene expression and metabolites accumulation were found between the two genotypes.

Sugarcane genes differentially expressed in response to Puccinia melanocephala infection: identification and transcript profiling.

PubMed

Oloriz, María I; Gil, Víctor; Rojas, Luis; Portal, Orelvis; Izquierdo, Yovanny; Jiménez, Elio; Höfte, Monica

2012-05-01

Brown rust caused by the fungus Puccinia melanocephala is a major disease of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). A sugarcane mutant, obtained by chemical mutagenesis of the susceptible variety B4362, showed a post-haustorial hypersensitive response (HR)-mediated resistance to the pathogen and was used to identify genes differentially expressed in response to P. melanocephala via suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Tester cDNA was derived from the brown rust-resistant mutant after inoculation with P. melanocephala, while driver cDNAs were obtained from the non-inoculated resistant mutant and the inoculated susceptible donor variety B4362. Database comparisons of the sequences of the SSH recombinant clones revealed that, of a subset of 89 non-redundant sequences, 88% had similarity to known functional genes, while 12% were of unknown function. Thirteen genes were selected for transcript profiling in the resistant mutant and the susceptible donor variety. Genes involved in glycolysis and C4 carbon fixation were up-regulated in both interactions probably due to disturbance of sugarcane carbon metabolism by the pathogen. Genes related with the nascent polypeptide associated complex, post-translational proteome modulation and autophagy were transcribed at higher levels in the compatible interaction. Up-regulation of a putative L-isoaspartyl O-methyltransferase S-adenosylmethionine gene in the compatible interaction may point to fungal manipulation of the cytoplasmatic methionine cycle. Genes coding for a putative no apical meristem protein, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, non-specific lipid transfer protein, and GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase involved in ascorbic acid biosynthesis were up-regulated in the incompatible interaction at the onset of haustorium formation, and may contribute to the HR-mediated defense response in the rust-resistant mutant.

Identification of differentially expressed genes of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in response to Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Myxozoa).

PubMed

Kumar, Gokhlesh; Abd-Elfattah, Ahmed; El-Matbouli, Mansour

2015-03-01

Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae Canning et al., 1999 (Myxozoa) is the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease in various species of salmonids in Europe and North America. We have shown previously that the development and distribution of the European strain of T. bryosalmonae differs in the kidney of brown trout (Salmo trutta) Linnaeus, 1758 and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Walbaum, 1792, and that intra-luminal sporogonic stages were found in brown trout but not in rainbow trout. We have now compared transcriptomes from kidneys of brown trout and rainbow trout infected with T. bryosalmonae using suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH). The differentially expressed transcripts produced by SSH were cloned, transformed, and tested by colony PCR. Differential expression screening of PCR products was validated using dot blot, and positive clones having different signal intensities were sequenced. Differential screening and a subsequent NCBI-BLAST analysis of expressed sequence tags revealed nine clones expressed differently between both fish species. These differentially expressed genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR of kidney samples from both fish species at different time points of infection. Expression of anti-inflammatory (TSC22 domain family protein 3) and cell proliferation (Prothymin alpha) genes were upregulated significantly in brown trout but downregulated in rainbow trout. The expression of humoral immune response (immunoglobulin mu) and endocytic pathway (Ras-related protein Rab-11b) genes were significantly upregulated in rainbow trout but downregulated in brown trout. This study suggests that differential expression of host anti-inflammatory, humoral immune and endocytic pathway responses, cell proliferation, and cell growth processes do not inhibit the development of intra-luminal sporogonic stages of the European strain of T. bryosalmonae in brown trout but may suppress it in rainbow trout.

Development and experimental validation of a 20K Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray based on a collection of over 150,000 ESTs.

PubMed

Booman, Marije; Borza, Tudor; Feng, Charles Y; Hori, Tiago S; Higgins, Brent; Culf, Adrian; Léger, Daniel; Chute, Ian C; Belkaid, Anissa; Rise, Marlies; Gamperl, A Kurt; Hubert, Sophie; Kimball, Jennifer; Ouellette, Rodney J; Johnson, Stewart C; Bowman, Sharen; Rise, Matthew L

2011-08-01

The collapse of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) wild populations strongly impacted the Atlantic cod fishery and led to the development of cod aquaculture. In order to improve aquaculture and broodstock quality, we need to gain knowledge of genes and pathways involved in Atlantic cod responses to pathogens and other stressors. The Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project has generated over 150,000 expressed sequence tags from 42 cDNA libraries representing various tissues, developmental stages, and stimuli. We used this resource to develop an Atlantic cod oligonucleotide microarray containing 20,000 unique probes. Selection of sequences from the full range of cDNA libraries enables application of the microarray for a broad spectrum of Atlantic cod functional genomics studies. We included sequences that were highly abundant in suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries, which were enriched for transcripts responsive to pathogens or other stressors. These sequences represent genes that potentially play an important role in stress and/or immune responses, making the microarray particularly useful for studies of Atlantic cod gene expression responses to immune stimuli and other stressors. To demonstrate its value, we used the microarray to analyze the Atlantic cod spleen response to stimulation with formalin-killed, atypical Aeromonas salmonicida, resulting in a gene expression profile that indicates a strong innate immune response. These results were further validated by quantitative PCR analysis and comparison to results from previous analysis of an SSH library. This study shows that the Atlantic cod 20K oligonucleotide microarray is a valuable new tool for Atlantic cod functional genomics research.

Application of the generalized vertical coordinate ocean model for better representing satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. T.

2002-01-01

It is found that two adaptive parametric functions can be introduced into the basic ocean equations for utilizing the optimal or hybrid features of commonly used z-level, terrain- following, isopycnal, and pressure coordinates in numerical ocean models. The two parametric functions are formulated by combining three techniques: the arbitrary vertical coordinate system of Kasahara (1 974), the Jacobian pressure gradient formulation of Song (1 998), and a newly developed metric factor that permits both compressible (non-Boussinesq) and incompressible (Boussinesq) approximations. Based on the new formulation, an adaptive modeling strategy is proposed and a staggered finite volume method is designed to ensure conservation of important physical properties and numerical accuracy. Implementation of the combined techniques to SCRUM (Song and Haidvogel1994) shows that the adaptive modeling strategy can be applied to any existing ocean model without incurring computational expense or altering the original numerical schemes. Such a generalized coordinate model is expected to benefit diverse ocean modelers for easily choosing optimal vertical structures and sharing modeling resources based on a common model platform. Several representing oceanographic problems with different scales and characteristics, such as coastal canyons, basin-scale circulation, and global ocean circulation, are used to demonstrate the model's capability for multiple applications. New results show that the model is capable of simultaneously resolving both Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq, and both small- and large-scale processes well. This talk will focus on its applications of multiple satellite sensing data in eddy-resolving simulations of Asian Marginal Sea and Kurosio. Attention will be given to how Topex/Poseidon SSH, TRMM SST; and GRACE ocean bottom pressure can be correctly represented in a non- Boussinesq model.

An SSH key management system: easing the pain of managing key/user/account associations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkhipkin, D.; Betts, W.; Lauret, J.; Shiryaev, A.

2008-07-01

Cyber security requirements for secure access to computing facilities often call for access controls via gatekeepers and the use of two-factor authentication. Using SSH keys to satisfy the two factor authentication requirement has introduced a potentially challenging task of managing the keys and their associations with individual users and user accounts. Approaches for a facility with the simple model of one remote user corresponding to one local user would not work at facilities that require a many-to-many mapping between users and accounts on multiple systems. We will present an SSH key management system we developed, tested and deployed to address the many-to-many dilemma in the environment of the STAR experiment. We will explain its use in an online computing context and explain how it makes possible the management and tracing of group account access spread over many sub-system components (data acquisition, slow controls, trigger, detector instrumentation, etc.) without the use of shared passwords for remote logins.

California serogroup and Powassan virus infection of cats.

PubMed

Keane, D P; Parent, J; Little, P B

1987-08-01

One hundred and seventy five sera from cats in Ontario, Canada, were tested for hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies to three arboviruses; namely, Powassan (POW) of the Flavivirus serogroup, and Snowshoe hare (SSH) and Jamestown Canyon (JC) viruses of the California (CAL) serogroup. All sera were negative for antibodies to POW virus. Twelve cats possessed CAL serogroup antibodies including 3 with antibodies to SSH alone, 6 with antibodies to JC alone, and 3 with antibodies to both SSH and JC antigens. POW virus was inoculated into seven cats, one intracerebrally and six intravenously. Neurologic signs were not detected in any of the cats. Histologic lesions of a nonsuppurative encephalitis and encephalomyelitis were observed in the intracerebrally inoculated cat and in one of the intravenously inoculated cats, respectively. POW virus was not isolated from the brain or spinal cord of either of these two cats. HI antibodies were detected in the sera of all inoculated animals. HI antibodies were not detected in the CSF of any animal.

Tumor necrosis factor-α, kidney function, and hypertension.

PubMed

Mehaffey, Eamonn; Majid, Dewan S A

2017-10-01

Hypertension is considered to be a low-grade inflammatory condition characterized by the presence of various proinflammatory cytokines. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a constituent of the proinflammatory cytokines that is associated with salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) and related renal injury. Elevated angiotensin II (ANG II) and other factors such as oxidative stress conditions promote TNF-α formation. Many recent studies have provided evidence that TNF-α exerts a direct renal action by regulating hemodynamic and excretory function in the kidney. The cytokine incites a strong natriuretic response and plays a part in regulation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system. The exact mechanistic role of TNF-α in the development of SSH is as yet poorly understood. While TNF-α antagonism has been shown to attenuate hypertensive responses in many hypertensive animal models, contrasting findings demonstrate that the direct systemic administration of TNF-α usually induces hypotensive as well as natriuretic responses, indicating a counterregulatory role of TNF-α in SSH. Differential activities of two cell surface receptors of TNF-α (receptor type 1 and type 2) may explain the contradictory functions of TNF-α in the setting of hypertension. This short review will evaluate ongoing research studies that investigate the action of TNF-α within the kidney and its role as an influential pathophysiological variable in the development of SSH and renal injury. This information may help to develop specific TNF-α receptor targeting as an effective treatment strategy in this clinical condition. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Interdisciplinary promises versus practices in medicine: the decoupled experiences of social sciences and humanities scholars.

PubMed

Albert, Mathieu; Paradis, Elise; Kuper, Ayelet

2015-02-01

This paper explores social scientists' and humanities (SSH) scholars' integration within the academic medical research environment. Three questions guided our investigation: Do SSH scholars adapt to the medical research environment? How do they navigate their career within a culture that may be inconsistent with their own? What strategies do they use to gain legitimacy? The study builds on three concepts: decoupling, doxa, and epistemic habitus. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with SSH scholars working in 11 faculties of medicine across Canada. Participants were selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. For most of our participants, moving into medicine has been a challenging experience, as their research practices and views of academic excellence collided with those of medicine. In order to achieve some level of legitimacy more than half of our participants altered their research practices. This resulted in a dissonance between their internalized appreciation of academic excellence and their new, altered, research practices. Only six participants experienced no form of challenge or dissonance after moving into medicine, while three decided to break with their social science and humanities past and make the medical research community their new home. We conclude that the work environment for SSH scholars in faculties of medicine does not deliver on the promise of inclusiveness made by calls for interdisciplinarity in Canadian health research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) to Bridge Geoid and Mean Sea Surface Height (SSH) with a New Elliptic Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, P. C.

2016-12-01

Mean dynamic topography (MDT, η) bridges the geoid and the mean sea surface (from satellite altimetry) and constrains large scale surface geostrophic circulations. It can be estimated from either satellite or underwater ocean temperature (T) and salinity (S) data. Satellite altimeter measures sea surface height (SSH) with high precision and unique resolution above a reference ellipsoid (not geoid). Two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites launched in 2002, provide data to compute the marine geoid [called the GRACE Gravity Model (GGM)] (see website: http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/). The MDT is the difference of altimetry-derived mean SSH and the mean marine geoid (using GGM or pre-GRACE gravity model such as EGM96). A major difficulty arises that the spatial variations in mean SSH and marine geoid are approximately two orders of magnitude larger than the spatial variations in η.The second approach (using T, Sdata) is based on geostrophic balance, which is at the minimum energy state in the linear Boussinesq primitive equations with conservation of potential vorticity. In this paper, a new elliptic equation, -[∂x(gh/f2)∂xη+∂y(gh/f2)∂yη]+η = (g/f2)(∂C/∂x-∂B/∂y)is derived to determine MDT with H the water depth, g the gravitational acceleration, and coefficients (B, C) depend on 3D mean temperature (T) and salinity (S) data. Numerical approach transforms the elliptic equation into a set of well-posed linear algebraic equations of η at grid points. The solution for the North Atlantic Ocean (100oW-6oW, 7oN-72oN) on 1oX1ogrids with the coefficients (B, C) calculated from the three-dimensional (T, S) data of the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Ocean Atlas 2013 version 2 (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/woa13/woa13data.html) and H from the NOAA ETOPO5 (https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/fliers/93mgg01.html), compares well with the difference (also considered as the MDT) between the time-averaged SSH and the geoid from the NASA/JPL (http://gracetellus.jpl.nasa.gov/data/dot/). Further application of this elliptic equation method on the high-precision altimetry measurements of SSH such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is also presented.

The Potentials Of Gnss-R For Sea Hazard Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarizia, Maria Paola; Toffoli, Alessandro

2013-04-01

GNSS-Reflectometry represents a new and innovative approach for ocean remote sensing. This technique exploits signals of opportunity from GNSS constellations (i.e. GPS, Glonass, Galileo etc.), reflected off the surface of the ocean, and uses these reflections to retrieve useful geophysical parameters of the ocean surface. GNSS-R is generating an increasing attention from the Remote Sensing community, especially in recent years, due to its numerous advantages compared to other classical remote sensing techniques. The exploitation of long-term, ubiquitous signals of opportunity freely available, the high space-time sampling capabilities and the ability of its L-band signals to penetrate well through rain all contribute to make this technique very attractive. An additional and very important strength of GNSS-R is the need for simple, low-cost/low-power GNSS receivers, that could be easily piggybacked on other satellites to form a constellation of receivers. These recognized potentials of GNSS-R have been recently led to the approval of the NASA EV-2 Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), a spaceborne mission focused on tropical cyclone (TC) inner core process studies. GNSS-R can be used for both scatterometric applications (i.e. wind and wave monitoring) and altimetric applications (i.e. measurements of sea surface height). In particular, its ability to collect multiple GPS reflections anywhere on the globe and at any time (due to the ubiquity of GPS signals) using a large constellation of simple GNSS receivers, makes is very suitable for Real-Time (RT) and Near-Real Time (NRT) applications. These are particularly crucial for monitoring sea hazards related to ship operations and operational oceanography in general. For scatterometric purposes, GNSS-R can potentially detect high wind and waves in RT and NRT, as well as oil spills on the surface of the ocean, through its measurements of the sea surface roughness. In addition to that, GNSS-R could provide densely spaced Sea Surface Height (SSH) measurements, by collecting a number of reflections from different satellites within a field point of view. A number of sea hazards like tsunamis, high tides, storm surges of simply very high solitary waves in the ocean can be easily detected with GNSS-R measurements of SSH. The precision in the SSH measurement that can be achieved with GNSS-R is still considerably lower than that obtained with operational conventional altimetry. For this reason, GNSS-R is currently more suitable to detect large waves, since they generate a large signal in the data that allows for a better detection. The increase in the number of GNSS constellations and signals, and the improvements that the new signals will have (larger bandwidth, longer codes etc.) should ultimately lead to an overcome of the current limitations of GNSS for sea surface altimetry applications.

Implementation of Wetting and Drying in NCOM: Description and Validation Test Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-04

is mainly affected by the amplitude of the tides and the amount of “set down” of the SSH caused by the winds . The amount of set up or set down at the...coast depends on the strength and direction of the winds and the shape of the local coastline and bathymetry. For example, the gradient of the SSH...between the mouth and head of a bay is approximately proportional to the distance between the mouth and the head of the bay and the magnitude of the wind

1/32 Degree Real-Time Global Ocean Prediction and Value-Added Over 1/16 Degree Resolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-30

SSH ridge to the south of these eddies are captured by at least one of the two data narrowing the trough, both assisting in cutting off eddy...In Section 3.4, the off from a GFO track a week later (Fig. 3D). Eddy #12 Hawaiian Islands region is used to compare results where was already...Journal of Marine Systems 65 (2007) 3-26 13 The second example is the cluster of 6 small eddies week leading up to 29 Sept. This formed an SSH trough

Comparison of Two Global Ocean Reanalyses, NRL Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) and U. Maryland Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, J. G.; Shriver, J. F.; Metzger, E. J.; Hogan, P. J.; Smedstad, O. M.

2017-12-01

The Oceanography Division of the Naval Research Laboratory recently completed a 23-year (1993-2015) coupled ocean-sea ice reanalysis forced by NCEP CFS reanalysis fluxes. The reanalysis uses the Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) framework of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and the Los Alamos Community Ice CodE (CICE) and the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation 3D Var system (NCODA). The ocean model has 41 layers and an equatorial resolution of 0.08° (8.8 km) on a tri-polar grid with the sea ice model on the same grid that reduces to 3.5 km at the North Pole. Sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and temperature-salinity profile data are assimilated into the ocean every day. The SSH anomalies are converted into synthetic profiles of temperature and salinity prior to assimilation. Incremental analysis updating of geostrophically balanced increments is performed over a 6-hour insertion window. Sea ice concentration is assimilated into the sea ice model every day. Following the lead of the Ocean Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (ORA-IP), the monthly mean upper ocean heat and salt content from the surface to 300 m, 700m and 1500 m, the mixed layer depth, the depth of the 20°C isotherm, the steric sea surface height and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation for the GOFS reanalysis and the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA 3.3.1) eddy-permitting reanalysis have been compared on a global uniform 0.5° grid. The differences between the two ocean reanalyses in heat and salt content increase with increasing integration depth. Globally, GOFS trends to be colder than SODA at all depth. Warming trends are observed at all depths over the 23 year period. The correlation of the upper ocean heat content is significant above 700 m. Prior to 2004, differences in the data assimilated lead to larger biases. The GOFS reanalysis assimilates SSH as profile data, while SODA doesn't. Large differences are found in the Western Boundary Currents, Southern Ocean and equatorial regions. In the Indian Ocean, the Equatorial Counter Current extends to far to the east and the subsurface flow in the thermocline is too weak in GOFS. The 20°C isotherm is biased 2 m shallow in SODA compared to GOFS, but the monthly anomalies in the depth are highly correlated.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) during dehydration stress.

PubMed

Lata, Charu; Sahu, Pranav Pankaj; Prasad, Manoj

2010-03-19

Dehydration stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely influence crop growth and productivity. With the aim to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying dehydration stress tolerance in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), a drought tolerant crop, we examined its transcriptome changes at two time points (early and late) of dehydration stress. Two suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) forward libraries were constructed from 21-day old seedlings of tolerant cv. Prasad at 0.5 and 6h PEG-induced dehydration stress. A total of 327 unique ESTs were identified from both libraries and were classified into 11 different categories according to their putative functions. The plant response against dehydration stress was complex, representing major transcripts involved in metabolism, stress, signaling, transcription regulation, translation and proteolysis. By Reverse Northern (RN) technique we identified the differential expression pattern of 327 transcripts, 86 (about 26%) of which showed > or = 1.7-fold induction. Further the obtained results were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to have a comparative expression profiling of randomly chosen 9 up-regulated transcripts (> or =2.5 fold induction) between cv. Prasad (tolerant) and cv. Lepakshi (sensitive) upon dehydration stress. These transcripts showed a differential expression pattern in both cultivars at different time points of stress treatment as analyzed by qRT-PCR. The possible relationship of the identified transcripts with dehydration tolerance mechanism is discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Up-regulated transcripts in a compatible powdery mildew-grapevine interaction.

PubMed

Fekete, Csaba; Fung, Raymond W M; Szabó, Zoltán; Qiu, Wenping; Chang, Le; Schachtman, Daniel P; Kovács, László G

2009-08-01

Powdery mildews (Erysiphales) are obligate biotrophic pathogens that invade susceptible plant cells without triggering cell death. This suggests a highly adept mechanism of parasitism which enables powdery mildews to avoid detection or evade defenses by their host. To better understand this plant-pathogen interaction, we employed suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), differential hybridization and quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR for the identification of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) genes that were specifically up-regulated in response to the grape powdery mildew Erysiphe necator Schwein. We identified 25 grapevine transcripts that increased in abundance upon infection in leaves of the susceptible host V. vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite the compatible interaction between the pathogen and plant, several of the E. necator-induced transcripts represented typical defense response genes. Among the transcripts identified were those that encoded a leucine-rich repeat serine/threonine kinase-like receptor, an MYB transcription factor, and two ubiquitination-associated proteins, indicating the stimulation of intracellular signal transduction and regulatory functions. A number of genes characteristic of senescence processes, including metallothioneins, a deoxyribonuclease, an aspartyl protease and a subtilase-like serine protease, also were identified. These transcripts expanded the list of previously identified E. necator-responsive grapevine genes and facilitated a more comprehensive view of the molecular events that underlie this economically important plant-pathogen interaction.

Suppression subtractive hybridization and comparative expression analysis to identify developmentally regulated genes in filamentous fungi.

PubMed

Gesing, Stefan; Schindler, Daniel; Nowrousian, Minou

2013-09-01

Ascomycetes differentiate four major morphological types of fruiting bodies (apothecia, perithecia, pseudothecia and cleistothecia) that are derived from an ancestral fruiting body. Thus, fruiting body differentiation is most likely controlled by a set of common core genes. One way to identify such genes is to search for genes with evolutionary conserved expression patterns. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), we selected differentially expressed transcripts in Pyronema confluens (Pezizales) by comparing two cDNA libraries specific for sexual and for vegetative development, respectively. The expression patterns of selected genes from both libraries were verified by quantitative real time PCR. Expression of several corresponding homologous genes was found to be conserved in two members of the Sordariales (Sordaria macrospora and Neurospora crassa), a derived group of ascomycetes that is only distantly related to the Pezizales. Knockout studies with N. crassa orthologues of differentially regulated genes revealed a functional role during fruiting body development for the gene NCU05079, encoding a putative MFS peptide transporter. These data indicate conserved gene expression patterns and a functional role of the corresponding genes during fruiting body development; such genes are candidates of choice for further functional analysis. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tle Triangulation Campaign by Japanese High School Students as a Space Educational Project of the Ssh Consortium Kochi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Masa-Yuki; Okamoto, Sumito; Miyoshi, Terunori; Takamura, Yuzaburo; Aoshima, Akira; Hinokuchi, Jin

As one of the space educational projects in Japan, a triangulation observation project of TLE (Transient Luminous Events: sprites, elves, blue-jets, etc.) has been carried out since 2006 in collaboration between 29 Super Science High-schools (SSH) and Kochi University of Technol-ogy (KUT). Following with previous success of sprite observations by "Astro High-school" since 2004, the SSH consortium Kochi was established as a national space educational project sup-ported by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). High-sensitivity CCD camera (Watec, Neptune-100) with 6 mm F/1.4 C-mount lens (Fujinon) and motion-detective software (UFO-Capture, SonotaCo) were given to each participating team in order to monitor Northern night sky of Japan with almost full-coverage. During each school year (from April to March in Japan) since 2006, thousands of TLE images were taken by many student teams, with considerably large numbers of successful triangulations, i.e., (School year, Numbers of TLE observations, Numbers of triangulations) are (2006, 43, 3), (2007, 441, 95), (2008, 734, 115), and (2009, 337, 78). Note that, school year in Japan begins on April 1 and ends on March 31. The observation campaign began in December 2006, numbers are as of Feb. 28, 2010. Recently, some high schools started wide field observations using multiple cameras, and others started VLF observations using handmade loop antennae and amplifiers. Infomation exchange among the SSH consortium Kochi is frequently communicated with scientific discussion via KUT's mailing lists. Also, interactions with amateur observers in Japan are made through an internet forum of "SonotaCo Network Japan" (http://sonotaco.jp). Not only as an educational project but also as a scientific one, the project is also in success. In February 2008, simultaneous observations of Elves were obtained, in November 2009 a Giant "Graft-shaped" Sprites driven by Jets was clearly imaged with VLF signals. Most recently, ob-servations of Elves and sprite halos with stripes like wave structures on airglow were successfully imaged in January 2010. In this talk, four years activities of the SSH consortium Kochi will be presented by participating high-school students and teachers with their own impressions.

Evaluation of Oceanic Surface Observation for Reproducing the Upper Ocean Structure in ECHAM5/MPI-OM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Hao; Zheng, Fei; Zhu, Jiang

2017-12-01

Better constraints of initial conditions from data assimilation are necessary for climate simulations and predictions, and they are particularly important for the ocean due to its long climate memory; as such, ocean data assimilation (ODA) is regarded as an effective tool for seasonal to decadal predictions. In this work, an ODA system is established for a coupled climate model (ECHAM5/MPI-OM), which can assimilate all available oceanic observations using an ensemble optimal interpolation approach. To validate and isolate the performance of different surface observations in reproducing air-sea climate variations in the model, a set of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) was performed over 150 model years. Generally, assimilating sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, and sea surface height (SSH) can reasonably reproduce the climate variability and vertical structure of the upper ocean, and assimilating SSH achieves the best results compared to the true states. For the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), assimilating different surface observations captures true aspects of ENSO well, but assimilating SSH can further enhance the accuracy of ENSO-related feedback processes in the coupled model, leading to a more reasonable ENSO evolution and air-sea interaction over the tropical Pacific. For ocean heat content, there are still limitations in reproducing the long time-scale variability in the North Atlantic, even if SSH has been taken into consideration. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of assimilating surface observations in capturing the interannual signal and, to some extent, the decadal signal but still highlight the necessity of assimilating profile data to reproduce specific decadal variability.

Timescales of Equatorward Transport through the Solomon Sea from Glider and Altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hristova, H. G.; Kessler, W. S.; Davis, R.

2016-12-01

Passage through the semi-enclosed Solomon Sea is the last hurdle in the equatorward journey of the South Pacific western boundary currents before reaching the equator where they contribute to the mass, heat and salt budgets of the equatorial Pacific. We use satellite sea surface height (SSH) and in-situ data from 10 years of glider observations in the Solomon Sea to relate surface geostrophic currents to equatorward transport variability estimated from the gliders. The interior Solomon Sea has enhanced SSH variability compared to the surrounding ocean — its magnitude is largest on ENSO timescales, but also includes significant contributions from the annual and intraseasonal (<120 days) frequencies. Intraseasonal surface variability is dominated by basin-scale, westward propagating disturbances with 60-90 day period, consistent with basin resonance. Because the period of these disturbances is comparable to the time it takes a glider to complete a section across the Sea, the energetic intraseasonal variability is aliased in the glider data and results in section to section spikes in the glider transport estimates. Lower frequency (interannual and annual) SSH correlates well with dynamic height relative to 500m from the glider. Thus, a good lower frequency transport time-series can be obtained from SSH alone. However, the glider provides in addition a vertical structure for the mass transport, as well as estimates of heat and salt transport through the Sea. Two major El Nino events (2009/2010 and 2015/2016) occurred during the glider observation period, both of which show a distinct signature in the mass and heat transport anomalies.

The Global Mode-1 S2 Internal Tide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhongxiang

2017-11-01

The global mode-1 S2 internal tide is observed using sea surface height (SSH) measurements from four satellite altimeters: TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Geosat Follow-On. Plane wave analysis is employed to extract three mode-1 S2 internal tidal waves in any given 250 km by 250 km window, which are temporally coherent over a 20 year period from 1992 to 2012. Depth-integrated energy and flux of the S2 internal tide are calculated from the SSH amplitude and a conversion function built from climatological hydrographic profiles in the World Ocean Atlas 2013. The results show that the S2 and M2 internal tides have similar spatial patterns. Both S2 and M2 internal tides originate at major topographic features and propagate over long distances. The S2 internal tidal beams are generally shorter, likely because the relatively weaker S2 internal tide is easily overwhelmed by nontidal noise. The northbound S2 and M2 internal tides from the Hawaiian Ridge are observed to travel over 3500 km across the Northeast Pacific. The globally integrated energy of the mode-1 S2 internal tide is 7.8 PJ (1 PJ = 1015 J), about 20% that of M2 (36.4 PJ). The histogram of S2 to M2 SSH ratios peaks at 0.4, consistent with the square root of their energy ratio. In terms of SSH, S2 is greater than M2 in ≈10% of the global ocean and ≥50% of M2 in about half of the global ocean.

Repeated psychological stress-induced alterations of visceral sensitivity and colonic motor functions in mice: influence of surgery and postoperative single housing on visceromotor responses.

PubMed

Larauche, Muriel; Gourcerol, Guillaume; Million, Mulugeta; Adelson, David W; Taché, Yvette

2010-07-01

Visceral pain modulation by chronic stress in mice has been little studied. Electromyography (EMG) recording of abdominal muscle contractions, as a proxy to the visceromotor response (VMR), requires electrode implantation and post-surgical single housing (SH) which could affect the VMR to stress. To test this hypothesis, male mice had electrode implantation surgery (S) plus SH, or no surgery and were group housed (NS-GH) or single housed (NS-SH) and exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS, 1 h/day) or left undisturbed in their home cages for 10 days. The VMR to phasic ascending colorectal distension (CRD) was assessed before (basal) and 24 h after 10 days of WAS or no stress using a surgery-free method of intraluminal colonic pressure (ICP) recording (solid-state manometry). WAS heightened significantly the VMR to CRD at 30, 45, and 60 mmHg in S-SH vs. NS-GH, but not compared to NS-SH conscious mice. Compared to basal CRD, WAS increased VMR at 60 mmHg in the S-SH group and decreased it at 30-60 mmHg in NS-GH mice, while having no effect in NS-SH mice. The average defecation during the hour of repeated WAS over 10 days was 1.9 and 2.4 fold greater in S-SH vs. NS-GH and NS-SH mice, respectively. These data indicate that the combination of S-SH required for VMR monitoring with EMG is an important component of repeated WAS-induced post-stress visceral hypersensitivity and defecation in mice.

Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain with one pair of [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects.

PubMed

Jin, L; Wang, P; Song, Z

2017-07-19

The topologically nontrivial edge states induce [Formula: see text] transition in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain with one pair of gain and loss at boundaries. In this study, we investigated a pair of [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects located inside the SSH chain, in particular, the defects locations are at the chain centre. The [Formula: see text] symmetry breaking of the bound states leads to the [Formula: see text] transition, the [Formula: see text]-symmetric phases and the localized states were studied. In the broken [Formula: see text]-symmetric phase, all energy levels break simultaneously in topologically trivial phase; however, two edge states in topologically nontrivial phase are free from the influence of the [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects. We discovered [Formula: see text]-symmetric bound states induced by the [Formula: see text]-symmetric local defects at the SSH chain centre. The [Formula: see text]-symmetric bound states significantly increase the [Formula: see text] transition threshold and coalesce to the topologically protected zero mode with vanishing probabilities on every other site of the left-half chain and the right-half chain, respectively.

Pilot-scale bioconversion of rice and sunflower agro-residues into medicinal mushrooms and laccase enzymes through solid-state fermentation with Ganoderma lucidum.

PubMed

Postemsky, P D; Bidegain, M A; González-Matute, R; Figlas, N D; Cubitto, M A

2017-05-01

Solid-state fermentation was evaluated at the pilot-scale for the bioconversion and valorization of rice husks and straw (RSH), or sunflower seed hulls (SSH), into medicinal mushrooms and crude extracts, with laccase activity. The average mushroom yield was 56kg dry weight per ton of agro-residues. Laccase activity in crude aqueous extracts showed its maximum value of 10,927Ukg -1 in RSH (day 10, Exudate phase) and 16,442Ukg -1 in SSH (day 5, Full colonization phase), the activity at the Residual substrate phase being 511Ukg -1 in RSH and 803Ukg -1 in SSH, respectively. Crude extracts obtained with various protocols revealed differences in the extraction yields. Lyophilization followed by storage at 4°C allowed the preservation of laccase activity for more than one month. It is proposed that standard mushroom farms could increase their profits by obtaining laccase as a byproduct during the gaps in mycelium running. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of an eddy-resolving reanalysis using the 1/12° global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model and the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allard, Richard; Metzger, E. Joseph; Broome, Robert; Franklin, Deborah; Smedstad, Ole Martin; Wallcraft, Alan

2013-04-01

Multiple international agencies have performed atmospheric reanalyses using static dynamical models and assimilation schemes while ingesting all available quality controlled observational data. Some are clearly aimed at climate time scales while others focus on the more recent time period in which assimilated satellite data are used to constrain the system. Typically these are performed at horizontal and vertical resolutions that are coarser than the existing operational atmospheric prediction system. Multiple agencies have also performed ocean reanalyses using some of the atmospheric forcing products described above. However, only a few are eddy-permitting and none are capable of resolving oceanic mesoscale features (eddies and current meanders) across the entire globe. To fill this void, the Naval Research Laboratory is performing an eddy-resolving 1993-2010 ocean reanalysis using the 1/12° global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) that employs the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) scheme. A 1/12° global HYCOM/NCODA prediction system has been running in real-time at the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) since 22 December 2006. It has undergone operational testing and will become an operational product by early 2013. It is capable of nowcasting and forecasting the oceanic "weather" which includes the 3D ocean temperature, salinity and current structure, the surface mixed layer, and the location of mesoscale features such as eddies, meandering currents and fronts. The system has a mid-latitude resolution of ~7 km and employs 32 hybrid vertical coordinate surfaces. Compared to traditional isopycnal coordinate models, the hybrid vertical coordinate extends the geographic range of applicability toward shallow coastal seas and the unstratified parts of the world ocean. HYCOM contains a built-in thermodynamic ice model, where ice grows and melts due to heat flux and sea surface temperature (SST) changes, but it does not contain advanced rheological physics. The ice edge is constrained by satellite ice concentration. Once per day, NCODA performs a 3D ocean analysis using all available observational data and the 1-day HYCOM forecast as the first guess in a sequential incremental update cycle. Observational data include surface observations from satellites, including sea surface height (SSH) anomalies, SST, and sea ice concentrations, plus in-situ SST observations from ships and buoys as well as temperature and salinity profiles from XBTs, CTDs and Argo profiling floats. Surface information is projected downward using synthetic profiles from the Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) at those locations with a predefined SSH anomaly. Unlike previous reanalyses, this ocean reanalysis will be integrated at the same horizontal and vertical resolution as the operational system running at NAVOCEANO. The system is forced with atmospheric output from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) and the observations listed above. The reanalysis began in 1993 because of the advent of satellite altimeter data that will constrain the oceanic mesoscale. Significant effort has been put into obtaining and quality controlling all input observational data, with special emphasis on the profile data. The computational resources are obtained through the High Performance Computing Modernization Office.

Exploring image data assimilation in the prospect of high-resolution satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verron, J. A.; Duran, M.; Gaultier, L.; Brankart, J. M.; Brasseur, P.

2016-02-01

Many recent works show the key importance of studying the ocean at fine scales including the meso- and submesoscales. Satellite observations such as ocean color data provide informations on a wide range of scales but do not directly provide information on ocean dynamics. Satellite altimetry provide informations on the ocean dynamic topography (SSH) but so far with a limited resolution in space and even more, in time. However, in the near future, high-resolution SSH data (e.g. SWOT) will give a vision of the dynamic topography at such fine space resolution. This raises some challenging issues for data assimilation in physical oceanography: develop reliable methodology to assimilate high resolution data, make integrated use of various data sets including biogeochemical data, and even more simply, solve the challenge of handling large amont of data and huge state vectors. In this work, we propose to consider structured information rather than pointwise data. First, we take an image data assimilation approach in studying the feasibility of inverting tracer observations from Sea Surface Temperature and/or Ocean Color datasets, to improve the description of mesoscale dynamics provided by altimetric observations. Finite Size Lyapunov Exponents are used as an image proxy. The inverse problem is formulated in a Bayesian framework and expressed in terms of a cost function measuring the misfits between the two images. Second, we explore the inversion of SWOT-like high resolution SSH data and more especially the various possible proxies of the actual SSH that could be used to control the ocean circulation at various scales. One focus is made on controlling the subsurface ocean from surface only data. A key point lies in the errors and uncertainties that are associated to SWOT data.

Impact of salt exposure on N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (arylsulfatase B) activity, glycosaminoglycans, kininogen, and bradykinin

PubMed Central

Kotlo, Kumar; Bhattacharyya, Sumit; Yang, Bo; Feferman, Leonid; Tejaskumar, Shah; Linhardt, Robert; Danziger, Robert

2013-01-01

N -acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB) is the enzyme that removes sulfate groups from the N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfate residue at the non-reducing end of chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S) and dermatan sulfate (DS). Previous studies demonstrated reduction in cell-bound high molecular weight kininogen in normal rat kidney (NRK) epithelial cells when chondroitin-4-sulfate content was reduced following overexpression of ARSB activity, and chondroitinase ABC produced similar decline in cell-bound kininogen. Reduction in the cell-bound kininogen was associated with increase in secreted bradykinin. In this report, we extend the in vitro findings to in vivo models, and present findings in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats exposed to high (SSH) and low salt (SSL) diets. In the renal tissue of the SSH rats, ARSB activity was significantly less than in the SSL rats, and chondroitin-4-sulfate and total sulfated glycosaminoglycan content were significantly greater. Disaccharide analysis confirmed marked increase in C4S disaccharides in the renal tissue of the SSH rats. In contrast, unsulfated, hyaluronan-derived disaccharides were increased in the rats on the low salt diet. In the SSH rats, with lower ARSB activity and higher C4S levels, cell-bound, high-molecular weight kininogen was greater and urinary bradykinin was lower. ARSB activity in renal tissue and NRK cells declined when exogenous chloride concentration was increased in vitro. The impact of high chloride exposure in vivo on ARSB, chondroitin-4-sulfation, and C4S-kininogen binding provides a mechanism that links dietary salt intake with bradykinin secretion and may be a factor in blood pressure regulation. PMID:23385884

Repeated psychological stress-induced alterations of visceral sensitivity and colonic motor functions in mice: Influence of surgery and postoperative single housing on visceromotor responses

PubMed Central

Larauche, Muriel; Gourcerol, Guillaume; Million, Mulugeta; Adelson, David W.; Taché, Yvette

2012-01-01

Visceral pain modulation by chronic stress in mice has been little studied. Electromyography (EMG) recording of abdominal muscle contractions, as a proxy to the visceromotor response (VMR), requires electrode implantation and post-surgical single housing (SH) which could affect the VMR to stress. To test this hypothesis, male mice had electrode implantation surgery (S) plus SH, or no surgery and were group housed (NS-GH) or single housed (NS-SH) and exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS, 1 h/day) or left undisturbed in their home cages for 10 days. The VMR to phasic ascending colorectal distension (CRD) was assessed before (basal) and 24 h after 10 days of WAS or no stress using a surgery-free method of intraluminal colonic pressure (ICP) recording (solid-state manometry). WAS heightened significantly the VMR to CRD at 30, 45, and 60 mmHg in S-SH vs. NS-GH, but not compared to NS-SH conscious mice. Compared to basal CRD, WAS increased VMR at 60 mmHg in the S-SH group and decreased it at 30–60 mmHg in NS-GH mice, while having no effect in NS-SH mice. The average defecation during the hour of repeated WAS over 10 days was 1.9 and 2.4 fold greater in S-SH vs. NS-GH and NS-SH mice, respectively. These data indicate that the combination of S-SH required for VMR monitoring with EMG is an important component of repeated WAS-induced post-stress visceral hypersensitivity and defecation in mice. PMID:20536336

Impact of salt exposure on N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (arylsulfatase B) activity, glycosaminoglycans, kininogen, and bradykinin.

PubMed

Kotlo, Kumar; Bhattacharyya, Sumit; Yang, Bo; Feferman, Leonid; Tejaskumar, Shah; Linhardt, Robert; Danziger, Robert; Tobacman, Joanne K

2013-10-01

N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB) is the enzyme that removes sulfate groups from the N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfate residue at the non-reducing end of chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S) and dermatan sulfate (DS). Previous studies demonstrated reduction in cell-bound high molecular weight kininogen in normal rat kidney (NRK) epithelial cells when chondroitin-4-sulfate content was reduced following overexpression of ARSB activity, and chondroitinase ABC produced similar decline in cell-bound kininogen. Reduction in the cell-bound kininogen was associated with increase in secreted bradykinin. In this report, we extend the in vitro findings to in vivo models, and present findings in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats exposed to high (SSH) and low salt (SSL) diets. In the renal tissue of the SSH rats, ARSB activity was significantly less than in the SSL rats, and chondroitin-4-sulfate and total sulfated glycosaminoglycan content were significantly greater. Disaccharide analysis confirmed marked increase in C4S disaccharides in the renal tissue of the SSH rats. In contrast, unsulfated, hyaluronan-derived disaccharides were increased in the rats on the low salt diet. In the SSH rats, with lower ARSB activity and higher C4S levels, cell-bound, high-molecular weight kininogen was greater and urinary bradykinin was lower. ARSB activity in renal tissue and NRK cells declined when exogenous chloride concentration was increased in vitro. The impact of high chloride exposure in vivo on ARSB, chondroitin-4-sulfation, and C4S-kininogen binding provides a mechanism that links dietary salt intake with bradykinin secretion and may be a factor in blood pressure regulation.

Quantitative trait loci affecting the 3D skull shape and size in mouse and prioritization of candidate genes in-silico

PubMed Central

Maga, A. Murat; Navarro, Nicolas; Cunningham, Michael L.; Cox, Timothy C.

2015-01-01

We describe the first application of high-resolution 3D micro-computed tomography, together with 3D landmarks and geometric morphometrics, to map QTL responsible for variation in skull shape and size using a backcross between C57BL/6J and A/J inbred strains. Using 433 animals, 53 3D landmarks, and 882 SNPs from autosomes, we identified seven QTL responsible for the skull size (SCS.qtl) and 30 QTL responsible for the skull shape (SSH.qtl). Size, sex, and direction-of-cross were all significant factors and included in the analysis as covariates. All autosomes harbored at least one SSH.qtl, sometimes up to three. Effect sizes of SSH.qtl appeared to be small, rarely exceeding 1% of the overall shape variation. However, they account for significant amount of variation in some specific directions of the shape space. Many QTL have stronger effect on the neurocranium than expected from a random vector that will parcellate uniformly across the four cranial regions. On the contrary, most of QTL have an effect on the palate weaker than expected. Combined interval length of 30 SSH.qtl was about 315 MB and contained 2476 known protein coding genes. We used a bioinformatics approach to filter these candidate genes and identified 16 high-priority candidates that are likely to play a role in the craniofacial development and disorders. Thus, coupling the QTL mapping approach in model organisms with candidate gene enrichment approaches appears to be a feasible way to identify high-priority candidates genes related to the structure or tissue of interest. PMID:25859222

Expression of zinc and cadmium responsive genes in leaves of willow (Salix caprea L.) genotypes with different accumulation characteristics

PubMed Central

Konlechner, Cornelia; Türktaş, Mine; Langer, Ingrid; Vaculík, Marek; Wenzel, Walter W.; Puschenreiter, Markus; Hauser, Marie-Theres

2013-01-01

Salix caprea is well suited for phytoextraction strategies. In a previous survey we showed that genetically distinct S. caprea plants isolated from metal-polluted and unpolluted sites differed in their zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) tolerance and accumulation abilities. To determine the molecular basis of this difference we examined putative homologues of genes involved in heavy metal responses and identified over 200 new candidates with a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) screen. Quantitative expression analyses of 20 genes in leaves revealed that some metallothioneins and cell wall modifying genes were induced irrespective of the genotype's origin and metal uptake capacity while a cysteine biosynthesis gene was expressed constitutively higher in the metallicolous genotype. The third and largest group of genes was only induced in the metallicolous genotype. These data demonstrate that naturally adapted woody non-model species can help to discover potential novel molecular mechanisms for metal accumulation and tolerance. PMID:23562959

Identification of sennoside A as a novel inhibitor of the slingshot (SSH) family proteins related to cancer metastasis.

PubMed

Lee, Seon Young; Kim, Wooil; Lee, Young Geun; Kang, Hyo Jin; Lee, Sang-Hyun; Park, Sun Young; Min, Jeong-Ki; Lee, Sang-Rae; Chung, Sang J

2017-05-01

Phospho-cofilin (p-cofilin), which has a phosphate group on Ser-3, is involved in actin polymerization. Its dephosphorylated form promotes filopodia formation and cell migration by enhancing actin depolymerization. Protein phosphatase slingshot homologs (SSHs), known as dual-specificity phosphatases, catalyze hydrolytic removal of the Ser-3 phosphate group from phospho-cofilin. Aberrant SSH activity results in cancer metastasis, implicating SSHs as potential therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis. In this study, we screened 658 natural products purified from traditional oriental medicinal plants to identify three potent SSH inhibitors with submicromolar or single-digit micromolar K i values: gossypol, hypericin, and sennoside A. The three compounds were purified from cottonseed, Saint John's wort, and rhubarb, respectively. Sennoside A markedly increased cofilin phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, leading to impaired actin dynamics in pancreatic cancer cells with or without EGF stimulation and reduced motility and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo. Collaboratively, these results demonstrate that sennoside A is a novel inhibitor of SSHs and suggest that it may be valuable in the development of pharmaceutical drugs for treating cancer metastasis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient ensemble system based on the copper binding motif for highly sensitive and selective detection of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions by fluorescent and colorimetric changes.

PubMed

Jung, Kwan Ho; Lee, Keun-Hyeung

2015-09-15

A peptide-based ensemble for the detection of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions was designed on the basis of the copper binding motif. 7-Nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-labeled tripeptide (NBD-SSH, NBD-SerSerHis) formed the ensemble with Cu(2+), leading to a change in the color of the solution from yellow to orange and a complete decrease of fluorescence emission. The ensemble (NBD-SSH-Cu(2+)) sensitively and selectively detected a low concentration of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions by a colorimetric change as well as a fluorescent change. The addition of cyanide ions instantly removed Cu(2+) from the ensemble (NBD-SSH-Cu(2+)) in 100% aqueous solutions, resulting in a color change of the solution from orange to yellow and a "turn-on" fluorescent response. The detection limits for cyanide ions were lower than the maximum allowable level of cyanide ions in drinking water set by the World Health Organization. The peptide-based ensemble system is expected to be a potential and practical way for the detection of submicromolar concentrations of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions.

PyPele Rewritten To Use MPI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hockney, George; Lee, Seungwon

2008-01-01

A computer program known as PyPele, originally written as a Pythonlanguage extension module of a C++ language program, has been rewritten in pure Python language. The original version of PyPele dispatches and coordinates parallel-processing tasks on cluster computers and provides a conceptual framework for spacecraft-mission- design and -analysis software tools to run in an embarrassingly parallel mode. The original version of PyPele uses SSH (Secure Shell a set of standards and an associated network protocol for establishing a secure channel between a local and a remote computer) to coordinate parallel processing. Instead of SSH, the present Python version of PyPele uses Message Passing Interface (MPI) [an unofficial de-facto standard language-independent application programming interface for message- passing on a parallel computer] while keeping the same user interface. The use of MPI instead of SSH and the preservation of the original PyPele user interface make it possible for parallel application programs written previously for the original version of PyPele to run on MPI-based cluster computers. As a result, engineers using the previously written application programs can take advantage of embarrassing parallelism without need to rewrite those programs.

Exogenous application of methyl jasmonate induces a defense response and resistance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in dry bean plants.

PubMed

Oliveira, Marília Barros; Junior, Murillo Lobo; Grossi-de-Sá, Maria Fátima; Petrofeza, Silvana

2015-06-15

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen that causes a disease known as white mold, which is a major problem for dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and other crops in many growing areas in Brazil. To investigate the role of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in defending dry bean plants against S. sclerotiorum, we used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) of cDNA and identified genes that are differentially expressed during plant-pathogen interactions after treatment. Exogenous MeJA application enhanced resistance to the pathogen, and SSH analyses led to the identification of 94 unigenes, presumably involved in a variety of functions, which were classified into several functional categories, including metabolism, signal transduction, protein biogenesis and degradation, and cell defense and rescue. Using RT-qPCR, some unigenes were found to be differentially expressed in a time-dependent manner in dry bean plants during the interaction with S. sclerotiorum after MeJA treatment, including the pathogenesis-related protein PR3 (chitinase), PvCallose (callose synthase), PvNBS-LRR (NBS-LRR resistance-like protein), PvF-box (F-box family protein-like), and a polygalacturonase inhibitor protein (PGIP). Based on these expression data, the putative roles of differentially expressed genes were discussed in relation to the disease and MeJA resistance induction. Changes in the activity of the pathogenesis-related proteins β-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and peroxidase in plants after MeJA treatment and following inoculation of the pathogen were also investigated as molecular markers of induced resistance. Foliar application of MeJA induced partial resistance against S. sclerotiorum in plants as well as a consistent increase in pathogenesis-related protein activities. Our findings provide new insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms of resistance induced by MeJA in the P. vulgaris-S. sclerotiorum pathosystem. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The GTPase Activating Rap/RanGAP Domain-Like 1 Gene Is Associated with Chicken Reproductive Traits

PubMed Central

Shen, Xu; Zeng, Hua; Xie, Liang; He, Jun; Li, Jian; Xie, Xiujuan; Luo, Chenglong; Xu, Haiping; Zhou, Min; Nie, Qinghua; Zhang, Xiquan

2012-01-01

Background Abundant evidence indicates that chicken reproduction is strictly regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis, and the genes included in the HPG axis have been studied extensively. However, the question remains as to whether any other genes outside of the HPG system are involved in regulating chicken reproduction. The present study was aimed to identify, on a genome-wide level, novel genes associated with chicken reproductive traits. Methodology/Principal Finding Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH), genome-wide association study (GWAS), and gene-centric GWAS were used to identify novel genes underlying chicken reproduction. Single marker-trait association analysis with a large population and allelic frequency spectrum analysis were used to confirm the effects of candidate genes. Using two full-sib Ningdu Sanhuang (NDH) chickens, GARNL1 was identified as a candidate gene involved in chicken broodiness by SSH analysis. Its expression levels in the hypothalamus and pituitary were significantly higher in brooding chickens than in non-brooding chickens. GWAS analysis with a NDH two tail sample showed that 2802 SNPs were significantly associated with egg number at 300 d of age (EN300). Among the 2802 SNPs, 2 SNPs composed a block overlapping the GARNL1 gene. The gene-centric GWAS analysis with another two tail sample of NDH showed that GARNL1 was strongly associated with EN300 and age at first egg (AFE). Single marker-trait association analysis in 1301 female NDH chickens confirmed that variation in this gene was related to EN300 and AFE. The allelic frequency spectrum of the SNP rs15700989 among 5 different populations supported the above associations. Western blotting, RT-PCR, and qPCR were used to analyze alternative splicing of the GARNL1 gene. RT-PCR detected 5 transcripts and revealed that the transcript, which has a 141 bp insertion, was expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Conclusions/Significance Our findings demonstrate that the GARNL1 gene contributes to chicken reproductive traits. PMID:22496769

Identification of up-regulated genes from the metal-hyperaccumulator aquatic fern Salvinia minima Baker, in response to lead exposure.

PubMed

Leal-Alvarado, Daniel A; Martínez-Hernández, A; Calderón-Vázquez, C L; Uh-Ramos, D; Fuentes, G; Ramírez-Prado, J H; Sáenz-Carbonell, L; Santamaría, J M

2017-12-01

Lead (Pb) is one of the most serious environmental pollutants. The aquatic fern Salvinia minima Baker is capable to hyper-accumulate Pb in their tissues. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in its Pb accumulation and tolerance capacity are not fully understood. In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms that are activated by S. minima in response to Pb, we constructed a suppression subtractive hybridization library (SSH) in response to an exposure to 40μM of Pb(NO 3 ) 2 for 12h. 365 lead-related differentially expressed sequences tags (ESTs) were isolated and sequenced. Among these ESTs, 143 unique cDNA (97 were registered at the GenBank and 46 ESTs were not registered, because they did not meet the GenBank conditions). Those ESTs were identified and classified into 3 groups according to Blast2GO. In terms of metabolic pathways, they were grouped into 29 KEGG pathways. Among the ESTs, we identified some that might be part of the mechanism that this fern may have to deal with this metal, including abiotic-stress-related transcription factors, some that might be involved in tolerance mechanisms such as ROS scavenging, membrane protection, and those of cell homeostasis recovery. To validate the SSH library, 4 genes were randomly selected from the library and analyzed by qRT-PCR. These 4 genes were transcriptionally up-regulated in response to lead in at least one of the two tested tissues (roots and leaves). The present library is one of the few genomics approaches to study the response to metal stress in an aquatic fern, representing novel molecular information and tools to understand the molecular physiology of its Pb tolerance and hyperaccumulation capacity. Further research is required to elucidate the functions of the lead-induced genes that remain classified as unknown, to perhaps reveal novel molecular mechanisms of Pb tolerance and accumulation capacity in aquatic plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of differentially expressed genes associated with changes in the morphology of Pichia fermentans on apple and peach fruit.

PubMed

Fiori, Stefano; Scherm, Barbara; Liu, Jia; Farrell, Robert; Mannazzu, Ilaria; Budroni, Marilena; Maserti, Bianca E; Wisniewski, Michael E; Migheli, Quirico

2012-11-01

Pichia fermentans (strain DISAABA 726) is an effective biocontrol agent against Monilinia fructicola and Botrytis cinerea when inoculated in artificially wounded apple fruit but is an aggressive pathogen when inoculated on wounded peach fruit, causing severe fruit decay. Pichia fermentans grows as budding yeast on apple tissue and exhibits pseudohyphal growth on peach tissue, suggesting that dimorphism may be associated with pathogenicity. Two complementary suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) strategies, that is, rapid subtraction hybridization (RaSH) and PCR-based subtraction, were performed to identify genes differentially expressed by P. fermentans after 24-h growth on apple vs. peach fruit. Gene products that were more highly expressed on peach than on apple tissue, or vice versa, were sequenced and compared with available yeast genome sequence databases. Several of the genes more highly expressed, when P. fermentans was grown on peach, were related to stress response, glycolysis, amino acid metabolism, and alcoholic fermentation but surprisingly not to cell wall degrading enzymes such as pectinases or cellulases. The dual activity of P. fermentans as both a biocontrol agent and a pathogen emphasizes the need for a thorough risk analysis of potential antagonists to avoid unpredictable results that could negatively impact the safe use of postharvest biocontrol strategies. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of genes differentially expressed in grapevine associated with resistance to Elsinoe ampelina through suppressive subtraction hybridization.

PubMed

Gao, Min; Wang, Qian; Wan, Ran; Fei, Zhangjun; Wang, Xiping

2012-09-01

Anthracnose, caused by the biotrophic fungus Elsinoe ampelina, is an economically devastating disease of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) prevalent in warm and humid regions of the world. In order to investigate the molecular resistance mechanisms and identify genes related to anthracnose resistance in grapevine, a Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) library was constructed using mixed cDNAs prepared from leaves of Chinese wild Vitis quinquangularis clone 'Shang-24', cDNA prepared from leaves infected with the pathogen E. ampelina served as tester and cDNA from mock-inoculated leaves as driver. A total of 670 high-quality ESTs were clustered and assembled into a collection of 461 unique genes comprising 85 contigs and 376 singletons. By Gene ontology (GO) analysis 310 unigenes were assigned to 22 GO slims within the molecular function category, while 317 unigenes could be sorted into 43 GO slims within the biological process category. The expression profiles of 20 selected genes, monitored by quantitative RT-PCR, indicated that expression of these genes in the E. ampelina-resistant 'Shang-24' was quicker and more intense, than in the susceptible 'Red Globe' where the reaction was delayed and limited. The results imply that these up-regulated genes could be involved in grapevine responses against E. ampelina infection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Testing simple deceptive honeypot tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yahyaoui, Aymen; Rowe, Neil C.

2015-05-01

Deception can be a useful defensive technique against cyber-attacks; it has the advantage of unexpectedness to attackers and offers a variety of tactics. Honeypots are a good tool for deception. They act as decoy computers to confuse attackers and exhaust their time and resources. This work tested the effectiveness of two free honeypot tools in real networks by varying their location and virtualization, and the effects of adding more deception to them. We tested a Web honeypot tool, Glastopf and an SSH honeypot tool Kippo. We deployed the Web honeypot in both a residential network and our organization's network and as both real and virtual machines; the organization honeypot attracted more attackers starting in the third week. Results also showed that the virtual honeypots received attacks from more unique IP addresses. They also showed that adding deception to the Web honeypot, in the form of additional linked Web pages and interactive features, generated more interest by attackers. For the purpose of comparison, we used examined log files of a legitimate Web-site www.cmand.org. The traffic distributions for the Web honeypot and the legitimate Web site showed similarities (with much malicious traffic from Brazil), but the SSH honeypot was different (with much malicious traffic from China). Contrary to previous experiments where traffic to static honeypots decreased quickly, our honeypots received increasing traffic over a period of three months. It appears that both honeypot tools are useful for providing intelligence about cyber-attack methods, and that additional deception is helpful.

A programmable, multichannel power supply for SIPMs with temperature compensation loop and Ethernet interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Querol, M.; Rodríguez, J.; Toledo, J.; Esteve, R.; Álvarez, V.; Herrero, V.

2016-12-01

Among the different techniques available, the SiPM power supply described in this paper uses output voltage and sensor temperature feedback. A high-resolution ADC digitizes both the output voltage and an analog signal proportional to the SiPM temperature for each of its 16 independent outputs. The appropriate change in the bias voltage is computed in a micro-controller and this correction is applied via a high resolution DAC to the control input of a DC/DC module that produces the output voltage. This method allows a reduction in gain variations from typically 30% to only 0.5% in a 10 °C range. The power supply is housed in a 3U-height aluminum box. A 2.8'' touch screen on the front panel provides local access to the configuration and monitoring functions using a graphical interface. The unit has an Ethernet interface on its rear side to provide remote operation and integration in slow control systems using the encrypted and secure SSH protocol. A LabVIEW application with SSH interface has been designed to operate the power supply from a remote computer. The power supply has good characteristics, such as 85 V output range with 1 mV resolution and stability better than 2 mVP, excellent output load regulation and programmable rise and fall voltage ramps. Commercial power supplies from well-known manufacturers can show far better specifications though can also result in an over featured and over costly solution for typical applications.

KSC-04PD-2216

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. This panel comprising former and current Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) management talk about identifying and comparing safety challenges of the past, present and future during Spaceport Super Safety and Health Day (SS&H) at KSC. Larry Crawford, left, is director of S&MA. SS&H Day included guest speakers Dr. Pamela Peeke, Navy Com. Stephen E. Iwanowicz, NASAs Dr. Kristine Calderon and Olympic-great Bruce Jenner. In addition, many vendors exhibits were on display for employees. Super Safety and Health Day was initiated at KSC in 1998 to increase awareness of the importance of safety and health among the government and contractor workforce. The theme for this years event was Safety and Health: A Winning Combination.

Pyrolysis of sunflower seed hulls for obtaining bio-oils.

PubMed

Casoni, Andrés I; Bidegain, Maximiliano; Cubitto, María A; Curvetto, Nestor; Volpe, María A

2015-02-01

Bio-oils from pyrolysis of as received sunflower seed hulls (SSH), hulls previously washed with acid (SSHA) and hulls submitted to a mushroom enzymatic attack (BSSH) were analyzed. The concentration of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose varied with the pre-treatment. The liquid corresponding to SSH presented a relatively high concentration of acetic acid and a high instability to storage. The bio-oil from SSHA showed a high concentration of furfural and an appreciable amount of levoglucosenone. Lignin was degraded upon enzymatic activity, for this reason BSSH led to the highest yield of bio-oil, with relative high concentration of acetic acid and stability to storage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Practical Computer Security through Cryptography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNab, David; Twetev, David (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

The core protocols upon which the Internet was built are insecure. Weak authentication and the lack of low level encryption services introduce vulnerabilities that propagate upwards in the network stack. Using statistics based on CERT/CC Internet security incident reports, the relative likelihood of attacks via these vulnerabilities is analyzed. The primary conclusion is that the standard UNIX BSD-based authentication system is by far the most commonly exploited weakness. Encryption of Sensitive password data and the adoption of cryptographically-based authentication protocols can greatly reduce these vulnerabilities. Basic cryptographic terminology and techniques are presented, with attention focused on the ways in which technology such as encryption and digital signatures can be used to protect against the most commonly exploited vulnerabilities. A survey of contemporary security software demonstrates that tools based on cryptographic techniques, such as Kerberos, ssh, and PGP, are readily available and effectively close many of the most serious security holes. Nine practical recommendations for improving security are described.

Hypoxia-activated genes from early placenta are elevated in Preeclampsia, but not in Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation

PubMed Central

Vaiman, Daniel; Mondon, Françoise; Garcès-Duran, Alexandra; Mignot, Thérèse-Marie; Robert, Brigitte; Rebourcet, Régis; Jammes, Hélène; Chelbi, Sonia T; Quetin, Frédérique; Marceau, Geoffrey; Sapin, Vincent; Piumi, François; Danan, Jean-Louis; Rigourd, Virginie; Carbonne, Bruno; Ferré, Françoise

2005-01-01

Background As a first step to explore the possible relationships existing between the effects of low oxygen pressure in the first trimester placenta and placental pathologies developing from mid-gestation, two subtracted libraries totaling 2304 cDNA clones were constructed. For achieving this, two reciprocal suppressive/subtractive hybridization procedures (SSH) were applied to early (11 weeks) human placental villi after incubation either in normoxic or in hypoxic conditions. The clones from both libraries (1440 hypoxia-specific and 864 normoxia-specific) were spotted on nylon macroarrays. Complex cDNAs probes prepared from placental villi (either from early pregnancy, after hypoxic or normoxic culture conditions, or near term for controls or pathological placentas) were hybridized to the membranes. Results Three hundred and fifty nine clones presenting a hybridization signal above the background were sequenced and shown to correspond to 276 different genes. Nine of these genes are mitochondrial, while 267 are nuclear. Specific expression profiles characteristic of preeclampsia (PE) could be identified, as well as profiles specific of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR). Focusing on the chromosomal distribution of the fraction of genes that responded in at least one hybridization experiment, we could observe a highly significant chromosomal clustering of 54 genes into 8 chromosomal regions, four of which containing imprinted genes. Comparative mapping data indicate that these imprinted clusters are maintained in synteny in mice, and apparently in cattle and pigs, suggesting that the maintenance of such syntenies is requested for achieving a normal placental physiology in eutherian mammals. Conclusion We could demonstrate that genes induced in PE were also genes highly expressed under hypoxic conditions (P = 5.10-5), which was not the case for isolated IUGR. Highly expressed placental genes may be in syntenies conserved interspecifically, suggesting that the maintenance of such clusters is requested for achieving a normal placental physiology in eutherian mammals. PMID:16129025

Time series forecasting using ERNN and QR based on Bayesian model averaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pwasong, Augustine; Sathasivam, Saratha

2017-08-01

The Bayesian model averaging technique is a multi-model combination technique. The technique was employed to amalgamate the Elman recurrent neural network (ERNN) technique with the quadratic regression (QR) technique. The amalgamation produced a hybrid technique known as the hybrid ERNN-QR technique. The potentials of forecasting with the hybrid technique are compared with the forecasting capabilities of individual techniques of ERNN and QR. The outcome revealed that the hybrid technique is superior to the individual techniques in the mean square error sense.

Remote observing with NASA's Deep Space Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuiper, T. B. H.; Majid, W. A.; Martinez, S.; Garcia-Miro, C.; Rizzo, J. R.

2012-09-01

The Deep Space Network (DSN) communicates with spacecraft as far away as the boundary between the Solar System and the interstellar medium. To make this possible, large sensitive antennas at Canberra, Australia, Goldstone, California, and Madrid, Spain, provide for constant communication with interplanetary missions. We describe the procedures for radioastronomical observations using this network. Remote access to science monitor and control computers by authorized observers is provided by two-factor authentication through a gateway at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. To make such observations practical, we have devised schemes based on SSH tunnels and distributed computing. At the very minimum, one can use SSH tunnels and VNC (Virtual Network Computing, a remote desktop software suite) to control the science hosts within the DSN Flight Operations network. In this way we have controlled up to three telescopes simultaneously. However, X-window updates can be slow and there are issues involving incompatible screen sizes and multi-screen displays. Consequently, we are now developing SSH tunnel-based schemes in which instrument control and monitoring, and intense data processing, are done on-site by the remote DSN hosts while data manipulation and graphical display are done at the observer's host. We describe our approaches to various challenges, our experience with what worked well and lessons learned, and directions for future development.

Regional sea level variability in a high-resolution global coupled climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palko, D.; Kirtman, B. P.

2016-12-01

The prediction of trends at regional scales is essential in order to adapt to and prepare for the effects of climate change. However, GCMs are unable to make reliable predictions at regional scales. The prediction of local sea level trends is particularly critical. The main goal of this research is to utilize high-resolution (HR) (0.1° resolution in the ocean) coupled model runs of CCSM4 to analyze regional sea surface height (SSH) trends. Unlike typical, lower resolution (1.0°) GCM runs these HR runs resolve features in the ocean, like the Gulf Stream, which may have a large effect on regional sea level. We characterize the variability of regional SSH along the Atlantic coast of the US using tide gauge observations along with fixed radiative forcing runs of CCSM4 and HR interactive ensemble runs. The interactive ensemble couples an ensemble mean atmosphere with a single ocean realization. This coupling results in a 30% decrease in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation; therefore, the HR interactive ensemble is analogous to a HR hosing experiment. By characterizing the variability in these high-resolution GCM runs and observations we seek to understand what processes influence coastal SSH along the Eastern Coast of the United States and better predict future SLR.

Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Brazil - Malvinas Front: an Altimetry Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saraceno, M.; Valla, D.; Pelegrí, J. L.; Piola, A. R.

2016-02-01

The Brazil and Malvinas Confluence in the Southwestern Atlantic is one of the most energetic regions of the world ocean. Using recent measurements of sub-surface velocity currents, collected along 2348 nautical miles with a vessel mounted acoustic Doppler profiler onboard R/V BIO Hespérides, we validate geostrophic velocities derived from gridded fields of sea surface height (SSH). A remarkable correspondence between in-situ surface hydrographic data collected from the vessel and satellite sea surface temperature (SST), color and altimetry data allows selecting a specific SSH contour to track the position of the Brazil-Malvinas front. We then use 22 years of SSH data distributed by AVISO to show that the Brazil-Malvinas front shows a NS orientation in winter and a NE-SW orientation in summer, in good agreement with results based on the analysis of SST gradients. Furthermore, a clear southward migration of the front during the 22 year period is observed. The migration is associated with the southward shift of the South Atlantic high-pressure system that is in turn related to large climate changes in the southern portion of the South American continent. The seasonal variability in the orientation of the front is related to the Brazil and Malvinas encountering currents.

Biological Hydropersulfides and Related Polysulfides: A New Concept and Perspective in Redox Biology.

PubMed

Fukuto, Jon M; Ignarro, Louis J; Nagy, Peter; Wink, David A; Kevil, Christopher G; Feelisch, Martin; Cortese-Krott, Miriam M; Bianco, Christopher L; Kumagai, Yoshito; Hobbs, Adrian J; Lin, Joseph; Ida, Tomoaki; Akaike, Takaaki

2018-05-12

The chemical biology of thiols (RSH, e.g., cysteine and cysteine containing proteins/peptides) has been a topic of extreme interest for many decades due to their reported roles in protein structure/folding, redox signaling, metal ligation, cellular protection and enzymology. While many of the studies on thiol/sulfur biochemistry have focused on thiols, relatively ignored have been hydropersulfides (RSSH) and higher order polysulfur species (RSS n H, RSS n R, n > 1). Recent and provocative work has alluded to the prevalence and likely physiological importance of RSSH and related RSS n H. RSSH of cysteine (Cys-SSH) has been found to be prevalent in mammalian systems along with Cys-SSH-containing proteins. The RSSH functionality has not been examined to the extent of other biologically relevant sulfur derivatives (e.g., sulfenic acids, disulfides, etc.), whose roles in cell signaling are strongly indicated. The recent finding of Cys-SSH biosynthesis and translational incorporation into proteins is an unequivocal indication of its fundamental importance and necessitates a more profound look into the physiology of RSSH. In this Review, we discuss the currently reported chemical biology of RSSH (and related species) as a prelude to discussing their possible physiological roles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Neurobiological Mechanism of Chemical Aversion (Emetic) Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder: An fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Elkins, Ralph L.; Richards, Todd L.; Nielsen, Robert; Repass, Richard; Stahlbrandt, Henriettae; Hoffman, Hunter G.

2017-01-01

A recent NIH epidemiology study found the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorder in the United States to be 29%. Alcohol drinking behavior is strongly “learned” via pleasure center activation/reinforcement. Alcohol craving is a powerful desire to drink alcoholic beverages. Craving was added as one of the defining criteria for alcohol use disorder in DSM5, and craving reduction is becoming an increasingly important treatment goal. In the current study, patients with alcohol use disorder received 10 days of inpatient multi-modal treatments at Schick Shadel Hospital (SSH) of Seattle. The treatments included five chemical aversion conditioning sessions that associated alcohol cues (and alcohol) with nausea and emesis. All patients met DSM4 criteria for alcohol use disorder, were heavy drinkers, and reported craving alcohol pre-treatment. Craving reduction was one of the primary treatment goals. This is the first fMRI study to measure the effects of chemical aversion therapy on alcohol craving-related brain activity. Patients were recruited as subjects for the University of Washington (UW) brain scan study following SSH admission but before treatment onset. Prior to treatment, patients reported craving/desire for alcohol. After treatment (after four SSH chemical aversion treatments, again after five SSH chemical treatments, 30 and 90-days post-discharge), these same patients reported avoidance/aversion to alcohol. Most of the participants (69%) reported being still sober 12 months post-treatment. Consistent with a craving reduction mechanism of how chemical aversion therapy facilitates sobriety, results of the UW fMRI brain scans showed significant pre- to post-treatment reductions in craving-related brain activity in the occipital cortex. Additional fMRI brain scan studies are needed to further explore the neurobiological mechanism of chemical aversion therapy treatment for alcohol use disorder, and other substance use disorders for which chemical aversion therapy is used (e.g., opioid dependence and cocaine dependence). Substance use disorders are estimated to affect well over one billion people worldwide. PMID:29033802

Observational evidence of seasonality in the timing of loop current eddy separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Cody A.; Leben, Robert R.

2016-12-01

Observational datasets, reports and analyses over the time period from 1978 through 1992 are reviewed to derive pre-altimetry Loop Current (LC) eddy separation dates. The reanalysis identified 20 separation events in the 15-year record. Separation dates are estimated to be accurate to approximately ± 1.5 months and sufficient to detect statistically significant LC eddy separation seasonality, which was not the case for previously published records because of the misidentification of separation events and their timing. The reanalysis indicates that previously reported LC eddy separation dates, determined for the time period before the advent of continuous altimetric monitoring in the early 1990s, are inaccurate because of extensive reliance on satellite sea surface temperature (SST) imagery. Automated LC tracking techniques are used to derive LC eddy separation dates in three different altimetry-based sea surface height (SSH) datasets over the time period from 1993 through 2012. A total of 28-30 LC eddy separation events were identified in the 20-year record. Variations in the number and dates of eddy separation events are attributed to the different mean sea surfaces and objective-analysis smoothing procedures used to produce the SSH datasets. Significance tests on various altimetry and pre-altimetry/altimetry combined date lists consistently show that the seasonal distribution of separation events is not uniform at the 95% confidence level. Randomization tests further show that the seasonal peak in LC eddy separation events in August and September is highly unlikely to have occurred by chance. The other seasonal peak in February and March is less significant, but possibly indicates two seasons of enhanced probability of eddy separation centered near the spring and fall equinoxes. This is further quantified by objectively dividing the seasonal distribution into two seasons using circular statistical techniques and a k-means clustering algorithm. The estimated spring and fall centers are March 2nd and August 23rd, respectively, with season boundaries in May and December.

Investigating the influence of sea level oscillations in the Danish Straits on the Baltic Sea dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tikhonova, Natalia; Gusev, Anatoly; Diansky, Nikolay; Zakharchuk, Evgeny

2016-04-01

In this research, we study the influence of dynamic processes in the Danish Straits on the sea surface height (SSH) oscillations in the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, we use the model of marine and oceanic circulation INMOM (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Ocean Model). The simulations were carried out for the period 2009-2010, and the coastal station data were used for verification of SSH modelling quality. Comparison of the simulated data with the ones measured in the coastal points showed us that the model does not describe SSH variability in different areas of the Baltic Sea well enough, so in the following simulation series the in situ SSH data of the coastal measurements were assimilated at the open boundary in the Danish Straits. The results of the new simulation showed us that this approach significantly increases the SSH simulation quality in all areas of the sea, where the comparison was made. In particular, the correlation coefficients between the simulated and measured SSH data increased from 0.21-0.73 to 0.81-0.90. On the basis of these results, it has been suggested that the Baltic Sea SSH variability is largely determined by the influence of the dynamic processes in the Danish Straits, which can be represented as a superposition of oscillations of different space-time scales. These oscillations can either be generated in the straits themselves, or propagate from the North Sea. For verification of this hypothesis and assessment of the oscillation propagation distance in the Baltic Sea, the following experiment was performed. At the open boundary in the Danish Straits, the six harmonics were set with the following parameters: the periods are 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 13.5, 40.5, and 121.5 days, and the amplitude for all the harmonics is 50 cm. The results showed us that the prescribed harmonic oscillations at the open boundary propagate into all areas of the sea without changing the frequency, but with decreasing amplitude. The decrease in amplitude is not related to the distance between the measurement point and open boundary. For example, in the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, the 36hr harmonic has an amplitude substantially higher than in the open sea, and in the Stockholm area, this harmonic is at the noise level. The 40dy and 121dy harmonics have slightly lower amplitudes than the original prescribed signal, but they are almost unchanged while propagating further into the sea, and in all the investigated locations have almost identical peaks of spectral density. The 3dy and 6dy harmonics significantly lost their amplitude in all parts of the sea, and spectral density peaks are at the noise level. The simulation results showed us that the Danish straits do not filter 121dy and 40dy oscillations, and their amplitude does not decrease much. The 13dy, 6dy and 3dy oscillations significantly lose in amplitude and have no significant peaks of the spectral density. The 1.5dy harmonic propagates to the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, and increases in amplitude due to resonance at the natural frequency of the basin. It is suggested that, while Danish straits do not filter or transform frequency characteristics of oscillations propagated from the North Sea, but the Baltic Sea configuration may affect the magnitude and propagation extent of these oscillations. Thus, the fluctuations in the North Sea and the Danish Straits can significantly contribute to the Baltic Sea dynamics in the low-frequency range of the spectrum, and the periods of natural oscillations of the basin. The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant № 16-05-00534) and Saint-Petersburg State University (grant №18.37.140.2014)

Improved gravity anomaly fields from retracked multimission satellite radar altimetry observations over the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaki, M.; Forootan, E.; Sharifi, M. A.; Awange, J.; Kuhn, M.

2015-09-01

Satellite radar altimetry observations are used to derive short wavelength gravity anomaly fields over the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, where in situ and ship-borne gravity measurements have limited spatial coverage. In this study the retracking algorithm `Extrema Retracking' (ExtR) was employed to improve sea surface height (SSH) measurements that are highly biased in the study regions due to land contaminations in the footprints of the satellite altimetry observations. ExtR was applied to the waveforms sampled by the five satellite radar altimetry missions: TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON-1, JASON-2, GFO and ERS-1. Along-track slopes have been estimated from the improved SSH measurements and used in an iterative process to estimate deflections of the vertical, and subsequently, the desired gravity anomalies. The main steps of the gravity anomaly computations involve estimating improved SSH using the ExtR technique, computing deflections of the vertical from interpolated SSHs on a regular grid using a biharmonic spline interpolation and finally estimating gridded gravity anomalies. A remove-compute-restore algorithm, based on the fast Fourier transform, has been applied to convert deflections of the vertical into gravity anomalies. Finally, spline interpolation has been used to estimate regular gravity anomaly grids over the two study regions. Results were evaluated by comparing the estimated altimetry-derived gravity anomalies (with and without implementing the ExtR algorithm) with ship-borne free air gravity anomaly observations, and free air gravity anomalies from the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008). The comparison indicates a range of 3-5 mGal in the residuals, which were computed by taking the differences between the retracked altimetry-derived gravity anomaly and the ship-borne data. The comparison of retracked data with ship-borne data indicates a range in the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) between approximately 1.8 and 4.4 mGal and a bias between 0.4062 and 2.1413 mGal over different areas. Also a maximum RMSE of 4.4069 mGal, with a mean value of 0.7615 mGal was obtained in the residuals. An average improvement of 5.2746 mGal in the RMSE of the altimetry-derived gravity anomalies corresponding to 89.9 per cent was obtained after applying the ExtR post-processing.

Cytosolic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase protects macrophages from LPS-induced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species.

PubMed

Maeng, Oky; Kim, Yong Chan; Shin, Han-Jae; Lee, Jie-Oh; Huh, Tae-Lin; Kang, Kwang-il; Kim, Young Sang; Paik, Sang-Gi; Lee, Hayyoung

2004-04-30

Macrophages activated by microbial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) produce bursts of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Redox protection systems are essential for the survival of the macrophages since the nitric oxide and ROS can be toxic to them as well as to pathogens. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) we found that cytosolic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc) is strongly upregulated by nitric oxide in macrophages. The levels of IDPc mRNA and of the corresponding enzymatic activity were markedly increased by treatment of RAW264.7 cells or peritoneal macrophages with LPS or SNAP (a nitric oxide donor). Over-expression of IDPc reduced intracellular peroxide levels and enhanced the survival of H2O2- and SNAP-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. IDPc is known to generate NADPH, a cellular reducing agent, via oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate. The expression of enzymes implicated in redox protection, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, was relatively unaffected by LPS and SNAP. We propose that the induction of IDPc is one of the main self-protection mechanisms of macrophages against LPS-induced oxidative stress.

Internal gravity wave contributions to global sea surface variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, A.; Arbic, B. K.; Richman, J. G.; Shriver, J. F.; Buijsman, M. C.; Zamudio, L.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Sharma, H.

2016-02-01

High-resolution (1/12th and 1/25th degree) 41-layer simulations of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), forced by both atmospheric fields and the astronomical tidal potential, are used to construct global maps of sea-surface height (SSH). The HYCOM output has been separated into steric, non-steric, and total sea-surface height and the maps display variance in subtidal, tidal, and supertidal bands. Two of the global maps are of particular interest in planning for the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath satellite altimeter mission; (1) a map of the nonstationary tidal signal (estimated after removing the stationary tidal signal via harmonic analysis), and (2) a map of the steric supertidal contributions, which are dominated by the internal gravity wave continuum. Both of these maps display signals of order 1 cm2, the target accuracy for the SWOT mission. Therefore, both non-stationary internal tides and non-tidal internal gravity waves are likely to be important sources of "noise" that must be accurately removed before examination of lower-frequency phenomena can take place.

The Influence of the Terrestrial Reference Frame on Studies of Sea Level Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerem, R. S.; Bar-Sever, Y. E.; Haines, B. J.; Desai, S.; Heflin, M. B.

2015-12-01

The terrestrial reference frame (TRF) provides the foundation for the accurate monitoring of sea level using both ground-based (tide gauges) and space-based (satellite altimetry) techniques. For the latter, tide gauges are also used to monitor drifts in the satellite instruments over time. The accuracy of the terrestrial reference frame (TRF) is thus a critical component for both types of sea level measurements. The TRF is central to the formation of geocentric sea-surface height (SSH) measurements from satellite altimeter data. The computed satellite orbits are linked to a particular TRF via the assumed locations of the ground-based tracking systems. The manner in which TRF errors are expressed in the orbit solution (and thus SSH) is not straightforward, and depends on the models of the forces underlying the satellite's motion. We discuss this relationship, and provide examples of the systematic TRF-induced errors in the altimeter derived sea-level record. The TRF is also crucial to the interpretation of tide-gauge measurements, as it enables the separation of vertical land motion from volumetric changes in the water level. TRF errors affect tide gauge measurements through GNSS estimates of the vertical land motion at each tide gauge. This talk will discuss the current accuracy of the TRF and how errors in the TRF impact both satellite altimeter and tide gauge sea level measurements. We will also discuss simulations of how the proposed Geodetic Reference Antenna in SPace (GRASP) satellite mission could reduce these errors and revolutionize how reference frames are computed in general.

Cyclophilin B facilitates the replication of Orf virus.

PubMed

Zhao, Kui; Li, Jida; He, Wenqi; Song, Deguang; Zhang, Ximu; Zhang, Di; Zhou, Yanlong; Gao, Feng

2017-06-15

Viruses interact with host cellular factors to construct a more favourable environment for their efficient replication. Expression of cyclophilin B (CypB), a cellular peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase), was found to be significantly up-regulated. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CypB is important in the replication of several viruses, including Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16). However, the function of cellular CypB in ORFV replication has not yet been explored. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique was applied to identify genes differentially expressed in the ORFV-infected MDBK cells at an early phase of infection. Cellular CypB was confirmed to be significantly up-regulated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and Western blotting. The role of CypB in ORFV infection was further determined using Cyclosporin A (CsA) and RNA interference (RNAi). Effect of CypB gene silencing on ORFV replication by 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID 50 ) assay and qRT-PCR detection. In the present study, CypB was found to be significantly up-regulated in the ORFV-infected MDBK cells at an early phase of infection. Cyclosporin A (CsA) exhibited suppressive effects on ORFV replication through the inhibition of CypB. Silencing of CypB gene inhibited the replication of ORFV in MDBK cells. In conclusion, these data suggest that CypB is critical for the efficient replication of the ORFV genome. Cellular CypB was confirmed to be significantly up-regulated in the ORFV-infected MDBK cells at an early phase of infection, which could effectively facilitate the replication of ORFV.

Identification of differentially expressed genes from Trichoderma harzianum during growth on cell wall of Fusarium solani as a tool for biotechnological application

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The species of T. harzianum are well known for their biocontrol activity against many plant pathogens. However, there is a lack of studies concerning its use as a biological control agent against F. solani, a pathogen involved in several crop diseases. In this study, we have used subtractive library hybridization (SSH) and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) techniques in order to explore changes in T. harzianum genes expression during growth on cell wall of F. solani (FSCW) or glucose. RT-qPCR was also used to examine the regulation of 18 genes, potentially involved in biocontrol, during confrontation between T. harzianum and F. solani. Results Data obtained from two subtractive libraries were compared after annotation using the Blast2GO suite. A total of 417 and 78 readable EST sequence were annotated in the FSCW and glucose libraries, respectively. Functional annotation of these genes identified diverse biological processes and molecular functions required during T. harzianum growth on FSCW or glucose. We identified various genes of biotechnological value encoding to proteins which function such as transporters, hydrolytic activity, adherence, appressorium development and pathogenesis. Fifteen genes were up-regulated and sixteen were down-regulated at least at one-time point during growth of T. harzianum in FSCW. During the confrontation assay most of the genes were up-regulated, mainly after contact, when the interaction has been established. Conclusions This study demonstrates that T. harzianum expressed different genes when grown on FSCW compared to glucose. It provides insights into the mechanisms of gene expression involved in mycoparasitism of T. harzianum against F. solani. The identification and evaluation of these genes may contribute to the development of an efficient biological control agent. PMID:23497274

Identification of differentially expressed genes from Trichoderma harzianum during growth on cell wall of Fusarium solani as a tool for biotechnological application.

PubMed

Vieira, Pabline Marinho; Coelho, Alexandre Siqueira Guedes; Steindorff, Andrei Stecca; de Siqueira, Saulo José Linhares; Silva, Roberto do Nascimento; Ulhoa, Cirano José

2013-03-15

The species of T. harzianum are well known for their biocontrol activity against many plant pathogens. However, there is a lack of studies concerning its use as a biological control agent against F. solani, a pathogen involved in several crop diseases. In this study, we have used subtractive library hybridization (SSH) and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) techniques in order to explore changes in T. harzianum genes expression during growth on cell wall of F. solani (FSCW) or glucose. RT-qPCR was also used to examine the regulation of 18 genes, potentially involved in biocontrol, during confrontation between T. harzianum and F. solani. Data obtained from two subtractive libraries were compared after annotation using the Blast2GO suite. A total of 417 and 78 readable EST sequence were annotated in the FSCW and glucose libraries, respectively. Functional annotation of these genes identified diverse biological processes and molecular functions required during T. harzianum growth on FSCW or glucose. We identified various genes of biotechnological value encoding to proteins which function such as transporters, hydrolytic activity, adherence, appressorium development and pathogenesis. Fifteen genes were up-regulated and sixteen were down-regulated at least at one-time point during growth of T. harzianum in FSCW. During the confrontation assay most of the genes were up-regulated, mainly after contact, when the interaction has been established. This study demonstrates that T. harzianum expressed different genes when grown on FSCW compared to glucose. It provides insights into the mechanisms of gene expression involved in mycoparasitism of T. harzianum against F. solani. The identification and evaluation of these genes may contribute to the development of an efficient biological control agent.

Docker Container Manager: A Simple Toolkit for Isolated Work with Shared Computational, Storage, and Network Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, S. P.; Kryukov, A. P.; Demichev, A. P.

2018-01-01

We present a simple set of command line interface tools called Docker Container Manager (DCM) that allow users to create and manage Docker containers with preconfigured SSH access while keeping the users isolated from each other and restricting their access to the Docker features that could potentially disrupt the work of the server. Users can access DCM server via SSH and are automatically redirected to DCM interface tool. From there, they can create new containers, stop, restart, pause, unpause, and remove containers and view the status of the existing containers. By default, the containers are also accessible via SSH using the same private key(s) but through different server ports. Additional publicly available ports can be mapped to the respective ports of a container, allowing for some network services to be run within it. The containers are started from read-only filesystem images. Some initial images must be provided by the DCM server administrators, and after containers are configured to meet one’s needs, the changes can be saved as new images. Users can see the available images and remove their own images. DCM server administrators are provided with commands to create and delete users. All commands were implemented as Python scripts. The tools allow to deploy and debug medium-sized distributed systems for simulation in different fields on one or several local computers.

Coil-to-coil physiological noise correlations and their impact on fMRI time-series SNR

PubMed Central

Triantafyllou, C.; Polimeni, J. R.; Keil, B.; Wald, L. L.

2017-01-01

Purpose Physiological nuisance fluctuations (“physiological noise”) are a major contribution to the time-series Signal to Noise Ratio (tSNR) of functional imaging. While thermal noise correlations between array coil elements have a well-characterized effect on the image Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR0), the element-to-element covariance matrix of the time-series fluctuations has not yet been analyzed. We examine this effect with a goal of ultimately improving the combination of multichannel array data. Theory and Methods We extend the theoretical relationship between tSNR and SNR0 to include a time-series noise covariance matrix Ψt, distinct from the thermal noise covariance matrix Ψ0, and compare its structure to Ψ0 and the signal coupling matrix SSH formed from the signal intensity vectors S. Results Inclusion of the measured time-series noise covariance matrix into the model relating tSNR and SNR0 improves the fit of experimental multichannel data and is shown to be distinct from Ψ0 or SSH. Conclusion Time-series noise covariances in array coils are found to differ from Ψ0 and more surprisingly, from the signal coupling matrix SSH. Correct characterization of the time-series noise has implications for the analysis of time-series data and for improving the coil element combination process. PMID:26756964

Using altimetry to help explain patchy changes in hydrographic carbon measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, Keith B.; Key, Robert M.; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Aumont, Olivier; Bopp, Laurent; Doney, Scott C.; Dunne, John P.; Glover, David M.; Ishida, Akio; Ishii, Masao; Jacobson, Andrew R.; Lo Monaco, Claire; Maier-Reimer, Ernst; Mercier, Herlé; Metzl, Nicolas; PéRez, Fiz F.; Rios, Aida F.; Wanninkhof, Rik; Wetzel, Patrick; Winn, Christopher D.; Yamanaka, Yasuhiro

2009-09-01

Here we use observations and ocean models to identify mechanisms driving large seasonal to interannual variations in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and dissolved oxygen (O2) in the upper ocean. We begin with observations linking variations in upper ocean DIC and O2 inventories with changes in the physical state of the ocean. Models are subsequently used to address the extent to which the relationships derived from short-timescale (6 months to 2 years) repeat measurements are representative of variations over larger spatial and temporal scales. The main new result is that convergence and divergence (column stretching) attributed to baroclinic Rossby waves can make a first-order contribution to DIC and O2 variability in the upper ocean. This results in a close correspondence between natural variations in DIC and O2 column inventory variations and sea surface height (SSH) variations over much of the ocean. Oceanic Rossby wave activity is an intrinsic part of the natural variability in the climate system and is elevated even in the absence of significant interannual variability in climate mode indices. The close correspondence between SSH and both DIC and O2 column inventories for many regions suggests that SSH changes (inferred from satellite altimetry) may prove useful in reducing uncertainty in separating natural and anthropogenic DIC signals (using measurements from Climate Variability and Predictability's CO2/Repeat Hydrography program).

Ocean Bottom Pressure Variation Associated with the Large Meander of the Kuroshio South of Japan in 2004-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagano, A.; Hasegawa, T.; Matsumoto, H.; Ariyoshi, K.

2016-02-01

The Kuroshio, the western boundary current of the North Pacific subtropical gyre, takes a stable meandering path off the southern coast of Japan, called the large meander (LM), on interannual to decadal timescales. The LM of the Kuroshio formed in July 2004 associated with the intensified anticyclonic recirculation gyre south of the Kuroshio, and gradually decayed in the latter half of 2005. The variations of the Kuroshio and the southern recirculating currents may be related to deep currents, which are expected to be associated with bottom pressure (BP) variation. In order to examine the variation of BP associated with the variations of the sea surface currents, we analyzed data of eleven pressure sensors equipped to inverted echo sounders deployed from July 2004 to October 2006. An abrupt enhancement of BP is found on the continental slope off Shikoku, lagging a few months behind an elevation of sea surface height (SSH) due to the onshore shift of the recirculation gyre associated with the LM formation. Subsequently, BP beneath the recirculation gyre dwindles, leading the gradual depression of SSH due to the decay of the LM. The relationship between BP and SSH may suggest that the occurrence and decay of the LM depend on the extension of the recirculation gyre current down to the ocean bottom.

Trends in Arctic Ocean bottom pressure, sea surface height and freshwater content using GRACE and the ice-ocean model PIOMAS from 2008-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peralta-Ferriz, Cecilia; Morison, James; Zhang, Jinlun; Bonin, Jennifer

2014-05-01

The variability of ocean bottom pressure (OBP) in the Arctic is dominated by the variations in sea surface height (SSH) from daily to monthly timescales. Conversely, OBP variability is dominated by the changes in the steric pressure (StP) at inter-annual timescales, particularly off the continental shelves. The combination of GRACE-derived ocean bottom pressure and ICESat altimetry-derived sea surface height variations in the Arctic Ocean have provided new means of identifying inter-annual trends in StP (StP = OBP-SSH) and associated freshwater content (FWC) of the Arctic region (Morison et al., 2012). Morison et al. (2012) showed that from 2004 to 2008, the FWC increased in the Beaufort Gyre and decreased in the Siberian and Central Arctic, resulting in a relatively small net basin-averaged FWC change. In this work, we investigate the inter-annual trends from 2008 to 2012 in OBP from GRACE, SSH from the state-of-the-art pan-Arctic ocean model PIOMAS -validated with tide and pressure gauges in the Arctic-, and compute the trends in StP and FWC from 2008-2012. We compare these results with the previous trends from 2005-2008 described in Morison et al. (2012). Our initial findings suggest increased salinity in the entire Arctic basin (relative to the climatological seasonal variation) from 2008-2012, compared to the preceding four years (2005-2008). We also find that the trends in OBP, SSH and StP from 2008-2012 present a different behavior during the spring-summer and fall-winter, unlike 2005-2008, in which the trends were generally consistent through all months of the year. It seems since 2009, when the Beaufort Gyre relaxed and the export of freshwater from the Canada Basin into the Canadian Archipelago and Fram Strait, via the Lincoln Sea, was anomalously large (de Steur et al., 2013), the Arctic Ocean has entered a new circulation regime. The causes of such changes in the inter-annual trends of OBP, SSH and StP -hence FWC-, associated with the changes in the shape and strength of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the wind patterns, as well as with the changes in sea ice conditions will be explored. References: Morison, J., R. Kwok, C. Peralta-Ferriz, M. Alkire, I. Rigor, R. Andersen, and M. Steele, Changing Arctic Ocean Freshwater Pathways Measured With ICESat and GRACE, Nature, 481, 66-70, DOI: 10.1038/nature10705, 2012. de Steur, L., et al. (2013), Hydrographic changes in the Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean with focus on an upper ocean freshwater anomaly between 2007 and 2010, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 118, 4699-4715, doi:10.1002/jgrc.20341.

Mesoscale dynamics in the Lofoten Basin - a sub-Arctic "hot spot" of oceanic variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, D. L.; Belonenko, T. V.; Foux, V. R.

2012-12-01

A sub-Arctic "hot spot" of intense mesoscale variability is observed in the Lofoten Basin (LB) - a topographic depression with a maximum depth of about 3250 m, located in the Norwegian Sea. The standard deviation of sea surface height (SSH), measured with satellite altimetry, reaches nearly 15 cm in the center of the basin (Figure 1a). Using a space-time lagged correlation analysis of altimetry data, we discover a cyclonic propagation of the mesoscale SSH anomalies around the center of the LB with time-averaged phase speeds of 2-4 km/day, strongly linked to bottom topography (Figure 1c). The fact that surface drifter trajectories do not exhibit cyclonic circulation in the LB (Figure 1b) suggests that, at least in the upper ocean, satellite altimetry observes only the propagation of form without the corresponding transfer of mass. Linearly propagating wavelike disturbances that do not trap fluid inside are related to planetary or Rossby waves. Variations in topography may lead to the concentration of wave energy in certain regions or wave trapping. The dispersion analysis suggests that the observed wavelike cyclonic propagation of SSH anomalies in the LB is the manifestation of baroclinic topographic Rossby waves, that we term "the basin waves" in order to distinguish them from the other types of topographic waves, such as shelf or trench waves. We identify two modes of basin waves in the LB: a di-pole mode and a quadri-pole mode. The wavelength of each mode is about 500 km. The frequency of these modes is not constant and the phase speed varies from about 2 to 8 km/day. We show that the cyclonically rotating basin waves are responsible for the observed amplification of SSH variability in the LB. Because the baroclinic basin waves in the LB are probably associated with large vertical displacements of the thermocline and due to possible wave breaking events, they can play an important role in the mixing of the inflowing Atlantic Water with ambient water masses.(a) Standard deviation of SSH (cm) in the Nordic seas. Bottom topography is shown by 1000, 2000, and 3000 m isobaths. Abbreviations: GB - Greenland Basin, LB - Lofoten Basin, NB - Norwegian Basin, NwAC - Norwegian Atlantic Current, VP - Vøring Plateau. The study region is bounded by the blue rectangle. (b) Trajectories of 100 surface drifters (blue curves) that were present in the study region from September 1996 to August 2010 and their geostrophic velocity vectors (red arrows) averaged over 1°×0.25° (longitude × latitude) bins. (c) MDT_CNES_CLS09 mean dynamic topography (color, cm) and the velocities of eddy propagation (arrows). Two ellipsoidal contours, along which the dispersion relation was analyzed, are shown.

Application of Genomic In Situ Hybridization in Horticultural Science

PubMed Central

Ramzan, Fahad; Lim, Ki-Byung

2017-01-01

Molecular cytogenetic techniques, such as in situ hybridization methods, are admirable tools to analyze the genomic structure and function, chromosome constituents, recombination patterns, alien gene introgression, genome evolution, aneuploidy, and polyploidy and also genome constitution visualization and chromosome discrimination from different genomes in allopolyploids of various horticultural crops. Using GISH advancement as multicolor detection is a significant approach to analyze the small and numerous chromosomes in fruit species, for example, Diospyros hybrids. This analytical technique has proved to be the most exact and effective way for hybrid status confirmation and helps remarkably to distinguish donor parental genomes in hybrids such as Clivia, Rhododendron, and Lycoris ornamental hybrids. The genome characterization facilitates in hybrid selection having potential desirable characteristics during the early hybridization breeding, as this technique expedites to detect introgressed sequence chromosomes. This review study epitomizes applications and advancements of genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) techniques in horticultural plants. PMID:28459054

Comparative genomic characterization of citrus-associated Xylella fastidiosa strains.

PubMed

da Silva, Vivian S; Shida, Cláudio S; Rodrigues, Fabiana B; Ribeiro, Diógenes C D; de Souza, Alessandra A; Coletta-Filho, Helvécio D; Machado, Marcos A; Nunes, Luiz R; de Oliveira, Regina Costa

2007-12-21

The xylem-inhabiting bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is the causal agent of Pierce's disease (PD) in vineyards and citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) in orange trees. Both of these economically-devastating diseases are caused by distinct strains of this complex group of microorganisms, which has motivated researchers to conduct extensive genomic sequencing projects with Xf strains. This sequence information, along with other molecular tools, have been used to estimate the evolutionary history of the group and provide clues to understand the capacity of Xf to infect different hosts, causing a variety of symptoms. Nonetheless, although significant amounts of information have been generated from Xf strains, a large proportion of these efforts has concentrated on the study of North American strains, limiting our understanding about the genomic composition of South American strains - which is particularly important for CVC-associated strains. This paper describes the first genome-wide comparison among South American Xf strains, involving 6 distinct citrus-associated bacteria. Comparative analyses performed through a microarray-based approach allowed identification and characterization of large mobile genetic elements that seem to be exclusive to South American strains. Moreover, a large-scale sequencing effort, based on Suppressive Subtraction Hybridization (SSH), identified 290 new ORFs, distributed in 135 Groups of Orthologous Elements, throughout the genomes of these bacteria. Results from microarray-based comparisons provide further evidence concerning activity of horizontally transferred elements, reinforcing their importance as major mediators in the evolution of Xf. Moreover, the microarray-based genomic profiles showed similarity between Xf strains 9a5c and Fb7, which is unexpected, given the geographical and chronological differences associated with the isolation of these microorganisms. The newly identified ORFs, obtained by SSH, represent an approximately 10% increase in our current knowledge of the South American Xf gene pool and include new putative virulence factors, as well as novel potential markers for strain identification. Surprisingly, this list of novel elements include sequences previously believed to be unique to North American strains, pointing to the necessity of revising the list of specific markers that may be used for identification of distinct Xf strains.

Differential gene expression profile from haematopoietic tissue stem cells of red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, in response to WSSV infection.

PubMed

Liu, Hai-peng; Chen, Rong-yuan; Zhang, Qiu-xia; Peng, Hui; Wang, Ke-jian

2011-07-01

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the most important viral pathogens in crustaceans. During WSSV infection, multiple cell signaling cascades are activated, leading to the generation of antiviral molecules and initiation of programmed cell death of the virus infected cells. To gain novel insight into cell signaling mechanisms employed in WSSV infection, we have used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) to elucidate the cellular response to WSSV challenge at the gene level in red claw crayfish haematopoietic tissue (Hpt) stem cell cultures. Red claw crayfish Hpt cells were infected with WSSV for 1h (L1 library) and 12h (L12 library), respectively, after which the cell RNA was prepared for SSH using uninfected cells as drivers. By screening the L1 and L12 forward libraries, we have isolated the differentially expressed genes of crayfish Hpt cells upon WSSV infection. Among these genes, the level of many key molecules showed clearly up-regulated expression, including the genes involved in immune responses, cytoskeletal system, signal transduction molecules, stress, metabolism and homestasis related genes, and unknown genes in both L1 and L12 libraries. Importantly, of the 2123 clones screened, 176 novel genes were found the first time to be up-regulated in WSSV infection in crustaceans. To further confirm the up-regulation of differentially expressed genes, the semi-quantitative RT-PCR were performed to test twenty randomly selected genes, in which eight of the selected genes exhibited clear up-regulation upon WSSV infection in red claw crayfish Hpt cells, including DNA helicase B-like, multiprotein bridging factor 1, apoptosis-linked gene 2 and an unknown gene-L1635 from L1 library; coatomer gamma subunit, gabarap protein gene, tripartite motif-containing 32 and an unknown gene-L12-254 from L2 library, respectively. Taken together, as well as in immune and stress responses are regulated during WSSV infection of crayfish Hpt cells, our results also light the significance of cytoskeletal system, signal transduction and other unknown genes in the regulation of antiviral signals during WSSV infection. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of Continuing Education Financing and Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipp, Travis

1982-01-01

Continuing education agencies have cycles of financial activities that are all parts of financial management, including obtaining funding and venture capital, setting fees, and controlling costs for cost recovery. (Author/SSH)

Mapping coastal sea level at high resolution with radar interferometry: the SWOT Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, L. L.; Chao, Y.; Laignel, B.; Turki, I., Sr.

2017-12-01

The spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping two-dimensional sea surface height (SSH) variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength). At scales shorter than 100 km, the eddies and fronts are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially important in the various coastal processes. A mission currently in development will make high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT will carry a pair of interferometry radars and make 2-dimensional SSH measurements over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. The synthetic aperture radar of SWOT will make SSH measurement at extremely high resolution of 10-70 m. SWOT will also carry a nadir looking conventional altimeter and make 1-dimensional SSH measurements along the nadir gap. The temporal sampling varies from 2 repeats per 21 days at the equator to more than 4 repeats at mid latitudes and more than 6 at high latitudes. This new mission will allow a continuum of fine-scale observations from the open ocean to the coasts, estuaries and rivers, allowing us to investigate a number of scientific and technical questions in the coastal and estuarine domain to assess the coastal impacts of regional sea level change, such as the interaction of sea level with river flow, estuary inundation, storm surge, coastal wetlands, salt water intrusion, etc. As examples, we will illustrate the potential impact of SWOT to the studies of the San Francisco Bay Delta, and the Seine River estuary, etc. Preliminary results suggest that the SWOT Mission will provide fundamental data to map the spatial variability of water surface elevations under different hydrodynamic conditions and at different scales (local, regional and global) to improve our knowledge of the complex physical processes in the coastal and estuarine systems in response to global sea level changes.

Epistemology, culture, justice and power: non-bioscientific knowledge for medical training.

PubMed

Kuper, Ayelet; Veinot, Paula; Leavitt, Jennifer; Levitt, Sarah; Li, Amanda; Goguen, Jeannette; Schreiber, Martin; Richardson, Lisa; Whitehead, Cynthia R

2017-02-01

While medical curricula were traditionally almost entirely comprised of bioscientific knowledge, widely accepted competency frameworks now make clear that physicians must be competent in far more than biomedical knowledge and technical skills. For example, of the influential CanMEDS roles, six are conceptually based in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). Educators frequently express uncertainty about what to teach in this area. This study concretely identifies the knowledge beyond bioscience needed to support the training of physicians competent in the six non-Medical Expert CanMEDS roles. We interviewed 58 non-clinician university faculty members with doctorates in over 20 SSH disciplines. We abstracted our transcripts (meaning condensation, direct quotations) resulting in approximately 300 pages of data which we coded using top-down (by CanMEDS role) and bottom-up (thematically) approaches and analysed within a critical constructivist framework. Participants and clinicians with SSH PhDs member-checked and refined our results. Twelve interrelated themes were evident in the data. An understanding of epistemology, including the constructed nature of social knowledge, was seen as the foundational theme without which the others could not be taught or understood. Our findings highlighted three anchoring themes (Justice, Power, Culture), all of which link to eight more specific themes concerning future physicians' relationships to the world and the self. All 12 themes were cross-cutting, in that each related to all six non-Medical Expert CanMEDS roles. The data also provided many concrete examples of potential curricular content. There is a definable body of SSH knowledge that forms the academic underpinning for important physician competencies and is outside the experience of most medical educators. Curricular change incorporating such content is necessary if we are to strengthen the non-Medical Expert physician competencies. Our findings, particularly our cross-cutting themes, also provide a pedagogically useful mechanism for holistically teaching the underpinnings of physician competence. We are now implementing our findings into medical curricula. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

A Japanese New Altimetry Mission, COMPIRA - Towards High Temporal and Spatial Sampling of Sea Surface Height Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, N.; Uematsu, A.; Yajima, Y.; Isoguchi, O.

2014-12-01

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working on a conceptual study of altimeter mission named Coastal and Ocean measurement Mission with Precise and Innovative Radar Altimeter (COMPIRA), which will carry a wide-swath altimeter named Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Height Imaging Oceanic Sensor with Advanced Interferometry (SHIOSAI). Capturing meso/submeso-scale phenomena is one of important objectives of the COMPIRA mission, as well as operational oceanography and fishery. For operational oceanography including coastal forecast, swath of SHIOSAI is selected to be 80 km in left and right sides to maximize temporal and spatial sampling of the sea surface height. Orbit specifications are also designed to be better sampling especially for mid-latitude region. That is, a spatial grid sampling is 5 km and an observation times per revisit period (about 10 days) is 2 to 3 times. In order to meet both sampling frequency and spatial coverage requirements as much as possible, orbit inclination was set relatively low, 51 degrees. Although this sampling frequency is, of course, not enough high to capture time evolution of coastal phenomena, an assimilation process would compensate its time evolution if 2D SSH fields was observed at least once within decal time scale of phenomena. JAXA has launched a framework called "Coastal forecast core team" to aim at developing coastal forecast system through pre-launch activities toward COMPIRA. Assimilation segment as well as satellite and in situ data provision will play an important role on these activities. As a first step, we evaluated effects of ocean current forecast improvement with COMPIRA-simulated wide-swath and high sampling sea surface heights (SSH) data. Simulated SSH data are generated from regional ocean numerical models and the COMPIRA orbit and error specifications. Then, identical twin experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of wide-swath SSH measurements on coastal forecast in the Tohoku Pacific coast region. The experiment shows that simulated sea surface current using COMPIRA data as an input data for assimilation well represents vortical feature, which cannot be reproduced by conventional nadir altimeters.

Understanding the Steric Height Long Term Variability at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) Site with a Neutral Density Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves Neto, A.; Johnson, R. J.; Bates, N. R.

2016-02-01

Rising sea level is one of the main concerns for human life in a scenario with global atmosphere and ocean warming, which is of particular concern for oceanic islands. Bermuda, located in the center of the Sargasso Sea, provides an ideal location to investigate sea level rise since it has a long term tide gauge (1933-present) and is in close proximity to deep ocean time-series sites, namely, Hydrostation `S' (1954-present) and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study site (1988-present). In this study, we use the monthly CTD deep casts at BATS to compute the contribution of steric height (SH) to the local sea surface height (SSH) for the past 24 years. To determine the relative contribution from the various water masses we first define 8 layers (Surface Layer, Upper Thermocline, Subtropical Mode-Water, Lower Thermocline, Antarctic Intermediate Water, Labrador Sea Water, Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water, Denmark Strait Overflow Water) based on neutral density criteria for which SH is computed. Additionally, we calculate the thermosteric and halosteric components for each of the defined neutral density layers. Surprisingly, the results show that, despite a 3.3mm/yr sea level rise observed at the Bermuda tide gauge, the steric contribution to the SSH at BATS has decreased at a rate of -1.1mm/yr during the same period. The thermal component is found to account for the negative trend in the steric height (-4.4mm/yr), whereas the halosteric component (3.3mm/yr) partially compensates the thermal signal and can be explained by an overall cooling and freshening at the BATS site. Although the surface layer and the upper thermocline waters are warming, all the subtropical and polar water masses, which represent most of the local water column, are cooling and therefore drive the overall SH contribution to the local SSH. Hence, it suggests that the mass contribution to the local SSH plays an important role in the sea level rise, for which we investigate with GRACE data.

HRD and the Steel-Collar Worker.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byham, William C.

1984-01-01

The author argues that, as robots begin to take over more and more industrial tasks, the impact on human workers at all levels will increase geometrically and trainers will play a strategic role. (SSH)

High-frequency fluctuations in Denmark Strait transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haine, T. W. N.

2010-07-01

Denmark Strait ocean current transport exhibits quasi-regular fluctuations immediately south of the sill with periods of 2-4 days. The transport variability is similar to the mean transport itself. Using a circulation model we explore prospects to monitor the fluctuations. The model has realistic transport and shows water leaving Denmark Strait in equivalent-barotropic cyclones that are nearly geostrophic and correlate with sea-surface height (SSH). Existing satellite altimeter observations of SSH have adequate space/time sampling to reconstruct the transport fluctuations using a regression developed from the model results, but measurement error overwhelms the signal. From the model results, the pending Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath altimeter appears accurate enough, and with good-enough coverage, to allow the transport fluctuations to be reconstructed. Bottom pressure recorders at the exit of the Denmark Strait can also reproduce the transport variability.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from satellite gravity, radar altimetry, and in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David A.; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-08-01

Seasonal variations of sea surface height (SSH) and mass within the Red Sea are caused mostly by exchange of heat with the atmosphere and by flow through the strait opening into the Gulf of Aden to the south. That flow involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during fall and out during spring, though in summer there is an influx of cool water at intermediate depths. Thus, summer water in the south is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths. Summer water in the north experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature affects water density, which impacts SSH but has no effect on mass. We study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE mass estimates, altimeter SSH measurements, and steric contributions derived from the World Ocean Atlas temperature climatology. Among our conclusions are: mass contributions are much larger than steric contributions; the mass is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea in fall and out during spring; the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with surface warming; and the cool, intermediate-depth water flowing into the Red Sea in spring has little impact on the steric signal, because contributions from the lowered temperature are offset by effects of decreased salinity. The results suggest that the combined use of altimeter and GRACE measurements can provide a useful alternative to in situ data for monitoring the steric signal.

Overview of hybridization and detection techniques.

PubMed

Hilario, Elena

2007-01-01

A misconception regarding the sensitivity of nonradioactive methods for screening genomic DNA libraries often hinders the establishment of these environmentally friendly techniques in molecular biology laboratories. Nonradioactive probes, properly prepared and quantified, can detect DNA target molecules to the femtomole range. However, appropriate hybridization techniques and detection methods should also be adopted for an efficient use of nonradioactive techniques. Detailed descriptions of genomic library handling before and during the nonradioactive hybridization and detection are often omitted from publications. This chapter aims to fill this void by providing a collection of technical tips on hybridization and detection techniques.

System Access | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

) systems. Photo of man looking at a large computer monitor with a colorful, visual display of data. System secure shell gateway (SSH) or virtual private network (VPN). User Accounts Request a user account

Complete genome sequence of a novel extrachromosomal virus-like element identified in planarian Girardia tigrina

PubMed Central

Rebrikov, Denis V; Bulina, Maria E; Bogdanova, Ekaterina A; Vagner, Loura L; Lukyanov, Sergey A

2002-01-01

Background Freshwater planarians are widely used as models for investigation of pattern formation and studies on genetic variation in populations. Despite extensive information on the biology and genetics of planaria, the occurrence and distribution of viruses in these animals remains an unexplored area of research. Results Using a combination of Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) and Mirror Orientation Selection (MOS), we compared the genomes of two strains of freshwater planarian, Girardia tigrina. The novel extrachromosomal DNA-containing virus-like element denoted PEVE (Planarian Extrachromosomal Virus-like Element) was identified in one planarian strain. The PEVE genome (about 7.5 kb) consists of two unique regions (Ul and Us) flanked by inverted repeats. Sequence analyses reveal that PEVE comprises two helicase-like sequences in the genome, of which the first is a homolog of a circoviral replication initiator protein (Rep), and the second is similar to the papillomavirus E1 helicase domain. PEVE genome exists in at least two variant forms with different arrangements of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA stretches that correspond to the Us and Ul regions. Using PCR analysis and whole-mount in situ hybridization, we characterized PEVE distribution and expression in the planarian body. Conclusions PEVE is the first viral element identified in free-living flatworms. This element differs from all known viruses and viral elements, and comprises two potential helicases that are homologous to proteins from distant viral phyla. PEVE is unevenly distributed in the worm body, and is detected in specific parenchyma cells. PMID:12065025

Suppression Subtractive Hybridization Analysis of Genes Regulated by Application of Exogenous Abscisic Acid in Pepper Plant (Capsicum annuum L.) Leaves under Chilling Stress.

PubMed

Guo, Wei-Li; Chen, Ru-Gang; Gong, Zhen-Hui; Yin, Yan-Xu; Li, Da-Wei

2013-01-01

Low temperature is one of the major factors limiting pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production during winter and early spring in non-tropical regions. Application of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) effectively alleviates the symptoms of chilling injury, such as wilting and formation of necrotic lesions on pepper leaves; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not understood. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are differentially up- or downregulated in ABA-pretreated hot pepper seedlings incubated at 6°C for 48 h, using a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method. A total of 235 high-quality ESTs were isolated, clustered and assembled into a collection of 73 unigenes including 18 contigs and 55 singletons. A total of 37 unigenes (50.68%) showed similarities to genes with known functions in the non-redundant database; the other 36 unigenes (49.32%) showed low similarities or unknown functions. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the 37 unigenes could be classified into nine functional categories. The expression profiles of 18 selected genes were analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR; the expression levels of 10 of these genes were at least two-fold higher in the ABA-pretreated seedlings under chilling stress than water-pretreated (control) plants under chilling stress. In contrast, the other eight genes were downregulated in ABA-pretreated seedlings under chilling stress, with expression levels that were one-third or less of the levels observed in control seedlings under chilling stress. These results suggest that ABA can positively and negatively regulate genes in pepper plants under chilling stress.

Genes differentially expressed in Theobroma cacao associated with resistance to witches' broom disease caused by Crinipellis perniciosa.

PubMed

Leal, Gildemberg Amorim; Albuquerque, Paulo S B; Figueira, Antonio

2007-05-01

SUMMARY The basidiomycete Crinipellis perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease of Theobroma cacao (cocoa). Hypertrophic growth of infected buds ('brooms') is the most dramatic symptom, but the main economic losses derive from pod infection. To identify cocoa genes differentially expressed during the early stages of infection, two cDNA libraries were constructed using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach. Subtraction hybridization was conducted between cDNAs from infected shoot-tips of the susceptible genotype 'ICS 39' and the resistant 'CAB 214', in both directions. A total of 187 unique sequences were obtained, with 83 from the library enriched for the susceptible 'ICS 39' sequences, and 104 for the resistant 'CAB 214'. By homology search and ontology analyses, the identified sequences were mainly putatively categorized as belonging to 'signal transduction', 'response to biotic and abiotic stress', 'metabolism', 'RNA and DNA metabolism', 'protein metabolism' and 'cellular maintenance' classes. Quantitative reverse transcription amplification (RT-qPCR) of 23 transcripts identified as differentially expressed between genotypes revealed distinct kinetics of gene up-regulation at the asymptomatic stage of the disease. Expression induction in the susceptible 'ICS 39' in response to C. perniciosa was delayed and limited, while in 'CAB 214' there was a quicker and more intense reaction, with two peaks of gene induction at 48 and 120 h after inoculation, corresponding to morphological and biochemical changes previously described during colonization. Similar differences in gene induction were validated for another resistant genotype ('CAB 208') in an independent experiment. Validation of these genes corroborated similar hypothetical mechanisms of resistance described in other pathosystems.

Hybrid real-code ant colony optimisation for constrained mechanical design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pholdee, Nantiwat; Bureerat, Sujin

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a hybrid meta-heuristic based on integrating a local search simplex downhill (SDH) method into the search procedure of real-code ant colony optimisation (ACOR). This hybridisation leads to five hybrid algorithms where a Monte Carlo technique, a Latin hypercube sampling technique (LHS) and a translational propagation Latin hypercube design (TPLHD) algorithm are used to generate an initial population. Also, two numerical schemes for selecting an initial simplex are investigated. The original ACOR and its hybrid versions along with a variety of established meta-heuristics are implemented to solve 17 constrained test problems where a fuzzy set theory penalty function technique is used to handle design constraints. The comparative results show that the hybrid algorithms are the top performers. Using the TPLHD technique gives better results than the other sampling techniques. The hybrid optimisers are a powerful design tool for constrained mechanical design problems.

Leisure Time of Husbands and Wives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickols, Sharon Y.; Abdel-Ghany, Mohamed

1983-01-01

The results of this analysis of leisure time of husband and wife indicate the importance of family roles and relationships in the allocation of time to leisure. Previous examinations have seldom considered leisure time in a family context. (SSH)

The Causes and Costs of Promotion Trauma.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darling, Lu Ann W.; McGrath, Loraine G.

1983-01-01

Minimizing the stress that nurses experience after a promotion requires an understanding of the factors associated with moving up the managerial ladder. Knowing these factors, nursing administrators can plan their programs to support their managers in transition. (SSH)

Perceptions of the Value of Extended Service in Horticulture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Larae; Miller, Larry E.

1983-01-01

This study suggests the need for several improvements in the summer vocational horticulture education programs. Knowledge of the summer program, its aims, and the teacher's responsibilities appears to be lacking in the groups studied. (SSH)

GPCR-mediated PLCβγ/PKCβ/PKD signaling pathway regulates the cofilin phosphatase slingshot 2 in neutrophil chemotaxis

PubMed Central

Xu, Xuehua; Gera, Nidhi; Li, Hongyan; Yun, Michelle; Zhang, Liyong; Wang, Youhong; Wang, Q. Jane; Jin, Tian

2015-01-01

Chemotaxis requires precisely coordinated polymerization and depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton at leading fronts of migrating cells. However, GPCR activation-controlled F-actin depolymerization remains largely elusive. Here, we reveal a novel signaling pathway, including Gαi, PLC, PKCβ, protein kinase D (PKD), and SSH2, in control of cofilin phosphorylation and actin cytoskeletal reorganization, which is essential for neutrophil chemotaxis. We show that PKD is essential for neutrophil chemotaxis and that GPCR-mediated PKD activation depends on PLC/PKC signaling. More importantly, we discover that GPCR activation recruits/activates PLCγ2 in a PI3K-dependent manner. We further verify that PKCβ specifically interacts with PKD1 and is required for chemotaxis. Finally, we identify slingshot 2 (SSH2), a phosphatase of cofilin (actin depolymerization factor), as a target of PKD1 that regulates cofilin phosphorylation and remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton during neutrophil chemotaxis. PMID:25568344

Spin-Down of the North Atlantic Subpolar Circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, S.; Rhines, P. B.

2004-01-01

Dramatic changes have occurred in the mid-to-high-latitude North Atlantic Ocean as evidenced by TOPEX/Poseidon observations of sea surface height (SSH) in the subpolar gyre and the Gulf Stream. Analysis of altimeter data shows that subpolar SSH has increased during the 1990s and the geostrophic velocity derived from altimeter data shows a decline in the gyre circulation. Direct current-meter observations in the boundary current of the Labrador Sea support the trend in the 199Os, and, together with hydrographic data show that in the mid-late 1990s the trend extends deep in the water column. We find that buoyancy forcing over the northern North Atlantic has a dynamic effect consistent with the altimeter data and hydrographic observations: a weak thermohaline forcing and the subsequent decay of the domed structure of the subpolar isopycnals would give rise to the observed anticyclonic circulation trend.

Identifying Environmental Risk Factors of Cholera in a Coastal Area with Geospatial Technologies

PubMed Central

Xu, Min; Cao, Chunxiang; Wang, Duochun; Kan, Biao

2014-01-01

Satellites contribute significantly to environmental quality and public health. Environmental factors are important indicators for the prediction of disease outbreaks. This study reveals the environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, a coastal province of China, using both Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic information System (GIS). The analysis validated the correlation between the indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local cholera magnitude based on a ten-year monthly data from the year 1999 to 2008. Cholera magnitude has been strongly affected by the concurrent variables of SST and SSH, while OCC has a one-month time lag effect. A cholera prediction model has been established based on the sea environmental factors. The results of hot spot analysis showed the local cholera magnitude in counties significantly associated with the estuaries and rivers. PMID:25551518

Identifying environmental risk factors of cholera in a coastal area with geospatial technologies.

PubMed

Xu, Min; Cao, Chunxiang; Wang, Duochun; Kan, Biao

2014-12-29

Satellites contribute significantly to environmental quality and public health. Environmental factors are important indicators for the prediction of disease outbreaks. This study reveals the environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, a coastal province of China, using both Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic information System (GIS). The analysis validated the correlation between the indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local cholera magnitude based on a ten-year monthly data from the year 1999 to 2008. Cholera magnitude has been strongly affected by the concurrent variables of SST and SSH, while OCC has a one-month time lag effect. A cholera prediction model has been established based on the sea environmental factors. The results of hot spot analysis showed the local cholera magnitude in counties significantly associated with the estuaries and rivers.

Mean Dynamic Topography of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, Sinead Louise; Mcadoo, David C.; Laxon, Seymour W.; Zwally, H. Jay; Yi, Donghui; Ridout, Andy; Giles, Katherine

2012-01-01

ICESat and Envisat altimetry data provide measurements of the instantaneous sea surface height (SSH) across the Arctic Ocean, using lead and open water elevation within the sea ice pack. First, these data were used to derive two independent mean sea surface (MSS) models by stacking and averaging along-track SSH profiles gathered between 2003 and 2009. The ICESat and Envisat MSS data were combined to construct the high-resolution ICEn MSS. Second, we estimate the 5.5-year mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Arctic Ocean by differencing the ICEn MSS with the new GOCO02S geoid model, derived from GRACE and GOCE gravity. Using these satellite-only data we map the major features of Arctic Ocean dynamical height that are consistent with in situ observations, including the topographical highs and lows of the Beaufort and Greenland Gyres, respectively. Smaller-scale MDT structures remain largely unresolved due to uncertainties in the geoid at short wavelengths.

Mitogenome Diversity in Sardinians: A Genetic Window onto an Island's Past

PubMed Central

Olivieri, Anna; Sidore, Carlo; Achilli, Alessandro; Angius, Andrea; Posth, Cosimo; Furtwängler, Anja; Brandini, Stefania; Capodiferro, Marco Rosario; Gandini, Francesca; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Pitzalis, Maristella; Maschio, Andrea; Busonero, Fabio; Lai, Luca; Skeates, Robin; Gradoli, Maria Giuseppina; Beckett, Jessica; Marongiu, Michele; Mazzarello, Vittorio; Marongiu, Patrizia; Rubino, Salvatore; Rito, Teresa; Macaulay, Vincent; Semino, Ornella; Pala, Maria; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; Schlessinger, David; Conde-Sousa, Eduardo; Soares, Pedro; Richards, Martin B.

2017-01-01

Sardinians are “outliers” in the European genetic landscape and, according to paleogenomic nuclear data, the closest to early European Neolithic farmers. To learn more about their genetic ancestry, we analyzed 3,491 modern and 21 ancient mitogenomes from Sardinia. We observed that 78.4% of modern mitogenomes cluster into 89 haplogroups that most likely arose in situ. For each Sardinian-specific haplogroup (SSH), we also identified the upstream node in the phylogeny, from which non-Sardinian mitogenomes radiate. This provided minimum and maximum time estimates for the presence of each SSH on the island. In agreement with demographic evidence, almost all SSHs coalesce in the post-Nuragic, Nuragic and Neolithic-Copper Age periods. For some rare SSHs, however, we could not dismiss the possibility that they might have been on the island prior to the Neolithic, a scenario that would be in agreement with archeological evidence of a Mesolithic occupation of Sardinia. PMID:28177087

Tracking the Polar Front south of New Zealand using penguin dive data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, Serguei; Rintoul, Stephen R.; Wienecke, Barbara

2006-04-01

Nearly 36,000 vertical temperature profiles collected by 15 king penguins are used to map oceanographic fronts south of New Zealand. There is good correspondence between Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) front locations derived from temperatures sampled in the upper 150 m along the penguin tracks and front positions inferred using maps of sea surface height (SSH). Mesoscale features detected in the SSH maps from this eddy-rich region are also reproduced in the individual temperature sections based on dive data. The foraging strategy of Macquarie Island king penguins appears to be influenced strongly by oceanographic structure: almost all the penguin dives are confined to the region close to and between the northern and southern branches of the Polar Front. Surface chlorophyll distributions also reflect the influence of the ACC fronts, with the northern branch of the Polar Front marking a boundary between low surface chlorophyll to the north and elevated values to the south.

Data Quality Assessment of In Situ and Altimeter Observations Through Two-Way Intercomparison Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinehut, Stephanie; Valladeau, Guillaume; Legeais, Jean-Francois; Rio, Marie-Helene; Ablain, Michael; Larnicol, Gilles

2013-09-01

This proceeding presents an overview of the two-way inter-comparison activities performed at CLS for both space and in situ observation agencies and why this activity is a required step to obtain accurate and homogenous data sets that can then be used together for climate studies or in assimilation/validation tools. We first describe the work performed in the frame of the SALP program to assess the stability of altimeter missions through SSH comparisons with tide gauges (GLOSS/CLIVAR network). Then, we show how the SSH comparison between the Argo array and altimeter time series allows the detection of drifts or jumps in altimeter (SALP program) but also for some Argo floats (Ifremer/Coriolis center). Lastly, we describe how the combine use of altimeter and wind observations helps the detection of drogue loss of surface drifting buoys (GDP network) and allow the computation of a correction term for wind slippage.

Induction of Senescence and Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Tomato in Response to Monoterpene

PubMed Central

Kumar, Vinay; Kumar, Anil; Irfan, Mohammad; Chakraborty, Niranjan; Chakraborty, Subhra; Datta, Asis

2013-01-01

Monoterpenes, which are among the major components of plant essential oils, are known for their ecological roles as well for pharmaceutical properties. Geraniol, an acyclic monoterpene induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis/senescence in various cancer cells and plants; however, the genes involved in the process and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment of tomato plants with geraniol results in induction of senescence due to a substantial alteration in transcriptome. We have identified several geraniol-responsive protein encoding genes in tomato using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach. These genes comprise of various components of signal transduction, cellular metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS), ethylene signalling, apoptosis and DNA damage response. Upregulation of NADPH oxidase and antioxidant genes, and increase in ROS level after geraniol treatment point towards the involvement of ROS in geraniol-mediated senescence. The delayed onset of seedling death and induced expression of geraniol-responsive genes in geraniol-treated ethylene receptor mutant (Nr) suggest that geraniol-mediated senescence involves both ethylene dependent and independent pathways. Moreover, expression analysis during tomato ripening revealed that geraniol-responsive genes are also associated with the natural organ senescence process. PMID:24098759

Characterization of a novel plantain Asr gene, MpAsr, that is regulated in response to infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense and abiotic stresses.

PubMed

Liu, Hai-Yan; Dai, Jin-Ran; Feng, Dong-Ru; Liu, Bing; Wang, Hong-Bin; Wang, Jin-Fa

2010-03-01

Asr (abscisic acid, stress, ripening induced) genes are typically upregulated by a wide range of factors, including drought, cold, salt, abscisic acid (ABA) and injury; in addition to plant responses to developmental and environmental signals. We isolated an Asr gene, MpAsr, from a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library of cold induced plantain (Musa paradisiaca) leaves. MpAsr expression was upregulated in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense infected plantain leaves, peels and roots, suggesting that MpAsr plays a role in plantain pathogen response. In addition, a 581-bp putative promoter region of MpAsr was isolated via genome walking and cis-elements involved in abiotic stress and pathogen-related responses were detected in this same region. Furthermore, the MpAsr promoter demonstrated positive activity and inducibility in tobacco under F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense infection and ABA, cold, dehydration and high salt concentration treatments. Interestingly, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing MpAsr exhibited higher drought tolerance, but showed no significant decreased sensitivity to F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense. These results suggest that MpAsr might be involved in plant responses to both abiotic stress and pathogen attack.

Silencing of the SlNAP7 gene influences plastid development and lycopene accumulation in tomato

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Da-Qi; Meng, Lan-Huan; Zhu, Ben-Zhong; Zhu, Hong-Liang; Yan, Hua-Xue; Luo, Yun-Bo

2016-12-01

Ripening is an important stage of fruit development. To screen the genes associated with pigment formation in tomato fruit, a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library was constructed by using tomato fruit in the green ripe and break ripe stages, and 129 differential genes were obtained. Using redness as a screening marker, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of the differential genes was performed with a sprout vacuum-infiltration system (SVI). The results showed that silencing the SlNAP7 gene affected the chloroplast development of tomato leaves, manifesting as a photo-bleaching phenotype, and silenced fruit significantly affected the accumulation of lycopene, manifested as a yellow phenotype. In our study, we found that silencing the SlNAP7 gene downregulates the expression of the POR and PORA genes and destroys the normal development of the chloroplast. The expression of related genes included in the lycopene biosynthesis pathway was not significantly changed, but lycopene accumulation was significantly reduced in tomato fruit. Perhaps it was caused by the destruction of the chromoplast, which leads to the oxidation of lycopene. The results show that the SlNAP7 gene influences chloroplast development and lycopene accumulation in tomato.

Silencing of the SlNAP7 gene influences plastid development and lycopene accumulation in tomato

PubMed Central

Fu, Da-Qi; Meng, Lan-Huan; Zhu, Ben-Zhong; Zhu, Hong-Liang; Yan, Hua-Xue; Luo, Yun-Bo

2016-01-01

Ripening is an important stage of fruit development. To screen the genes associated with pigment formation in tomato fruit, a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library was constructed by using tomato fruit in the green ripe and break ripe stages, and 129 differential genes were obtained. Using redness as a screening marker, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of the differential genes was performed with a sprout vacuum-infiltration system (SVI). The results showed that silencing the SlNAP7 gene affected the chloroplast development of tomato leaves, manifesting as a photo-bleaching phenotype, and silenced fruit significantly affected the accumulation of lycopene, manifested as a yellow phenotype. In our study, we found that silencing the SlNAP7 gene downregulates the expression of the POR and PORA genes and destroys the normal development of the chloroplast. The expression of related genes included in the lycopene biosynthesis pathway was not significantly changed, but lycopene accumulation was significantly reduced in tomato fruit. Perhaps it was caused by the destruction of the chromoplast, which leads to the oxidation of lycopene. The results show that the SlNAP7 gene influences chloroplast development and lycopene accumulation in tomato. PMID:27929131

Hybridization and sequencing of nucleic acids using base pair mismatches

DOEpatents

Fodor, Stephen P. A.; Lipshutz, Robert J.; Huang, Xiaohua

2001-01-01

Devices and techniques for hybridization of nucleic acids and for determining the sequence of nucleic acids. Arrays of nucleic acids are formed by techniques, preferably high resolution, light-directed techniques. Positions of hybridization of a target nucleic acid are determined by, e.g., epifluorescence microscopy. Devices and techniques are proposed to determine the sequence of a target nucleic acid more efficiently and more quickly through such synthesis and detection techniques.

Eddy heat flux across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current estimated from sea surface height standard deviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foppert, Annie; Donohue, Kathleen A.; Watts, D. Randolph; Tracey, Karen L.

2017-08-01

Eddy heat flux (EHF) is a predominant mechanism for heat transport across the zonally unbounded mean flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Observations of dynamically relevant, divergent, 4 year mean EHF in Drake Passage from the cDrake project, as well as previous studies of atmospheric and oceanic storm tracks, motivates the use of sea surface height (SSH) standard deviation, H*, as a proxy for depth-integrated, downgradient, time-mean EHF (>[EHF>¯>]) in the ACC. Statistics from the Southern Ocean State Estimate corroborate this choice and validate throughout the ACC the spatial agreement between H* and >[EHF>¯>] seen locally in Drake Passage. Eight regions of elevated >[EHF>¯>] are identified from nearly 23.5 years of satellite altimetry data. Elevated cross-front exchange usually does not span the full latitudinal width of the ACC in each region, implying a hand-off of heat between ACC fronts and frontal zones as they encounter the different >[EHF>¯>] hot spots along their circumpolar path. Integrated along circumpolar streamlines, defined by mean SSH contours, there is a convergence of ∮>[EHF>¯>] in the ACC: 1.06 PW enters from the north and 0.02 PW exits to the south. Temporal trends in low-frequency [EHF] are calculated in a running-mean sense using H* from overlapping 4 year subsets of SSH. Significant increases in downgradient [EHF] magnitude have occurred since 1993 at Kerguelen Plateau, Southeast Indian Ridge, and the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, whereas the other five >[EHF>¯>] hot spots have insignificant trends of varying sign.

Social Security.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social and Labour Bulletin, 1983

1983-01-01

This group of articles discusses a variety of studies related to social security and retirement benefits. These studies are related to both developing and developed nations and are also concerned with studying work conditions and government role in administering a democratic social security system. (SSH)

Solving deterministic non-linear programming problem using Hopfield artificial neural network and genetic programming techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasant, P.; Ganesan, T.; Elamvazuthi, I.

2012-11-01

A fairly reasonable result was obtained for non-linear engineering problems using the optimization techniques such as neural network, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic independently in the past. Increasingly, hybrid techniques are being used to solve the non-linear problems to obtain better output. This paper discusses the use of neuro-genetic hybrid technique to optimize the geological structure mapping which is known as seismic survey. It involves the minimization of objective function subject to the requirement of geophysical and operational constraints. In this work, the optimization was initially performed using genetic programming, and followed by hybrid neuro-genetic programming approaches. Comparative studies and analysis were then carried out on the optimized results. The results indicate that the hybrid neuro-genetic hybrid technique produced better results compared to the stand-alone genetic programming method.

SSHscreen and SSHdb, generic software for microarray based gene discovery: application to the stress response in cowpea

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Suppression subtractive hybridization is a popular technique for gene discovery from non-model organisms without an annotated genome sequence, such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp). We aimed to use this method to enrich for genes expressed during drought stress in a drought tolerant cowpea line. However, current methods were inefficient in screening libraries and management of the sequence data, and thus there was a need to develop software tools to facilitate the process. Results Forward and reverse cDNA libraries enriched for cowpea drought response genes were screened on microarrays, and the R software package SSHscreen 2.0.1 was developed (i) to normalize the data effectively using spike-in control spot normalization, and (ii) to select clones for sequencing based on the calculation of enrichment ratios with associated statistics. Enrichment ratio 3 values for each clone showed that 62% of the forward library and 34% of the reverse library clones were significantly differentially expressed by drought stress (adjusted p value < 0.05). Enrichment ratio 2 calculations showed that > 88% of the clones in both libraries were derived from rare transcripts in the original tester samples, thus supporting the notion that suppression subtractive hybridization enriches for rare transcripts. A set of 118 clones were chosen for sequencing, and drought-induced cowpea genes were identified, the most interesting encoding a late embryogenesis abundant Lea5 protein, a glutathione S-transferase, a thaumatin, a universal stress protein, and a wound induced protein. A lipid transfer protein and several components of photosynthesis were down-regulated by the drought stress. Reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR confirmed the enrichment ratio values for the selected cowpea genes. SSHdb, a web-accessible database, was developed to manage the clone sequences and combine the SSHscreen data with sequence annotations derived from BLAST and Blast2GO. The self-BLAST function within SSHdb grouped redundant clones together and illustrated that the SSHscreen plots are a useful tool for choosing anonymous clones for sequencing, since redundant clones cluster together on the enrichment ratio plots. Conclusions We developed the SSHscreen-SSHdb software pipeline, which greatly facilitates gene discovery using suppression subtractive hybridization by improving the selection of clones for sequencing after screening the library on a small number of microarrays. Annotation of the sequence information and collaboration was further enhanced through a web-based SSHdb database, and we illustrated this through identification of drought responsive genes from cowpea, which can now be investigated in gene function studies. SSH is a popular and powerful gene discovery tool, and therefore this pipeline will have application for gene discovery in any biological system, particularly non-model organisms. SSHscreen 2.0.1 and a link to SSHdb are available from http://microarray.up.ac.za/SSHscreen. PMID:20359330

Robotics: A New Challenge For Industrial Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovedahl, Gerald G.

1983-01-01

The author argues that jobs in the future will depend less on manual skill and more on perceptual aptitude, formal knowledge, and precision. Industrial arts classes must include robotics in their curriculum if they intend to reflect accurately American industry. (Author/SSH)

Percutaneous treatment of complex biliary stone disease using endourological technique and literature review

PubMed Central

Korkes, Fernando; Carneiro, Ariê; Nasser, Felipe; Affonso, Breno Boueri; Galastri, Francisco Leonardo; de Oliveira, Marcos Belotto; Macedo, Antônio Luiz de Vasconcellos

2015-01-01

Most biliary stone diseases need to be treated surgically. However, in special cases that traditional biliary tract endoscopic access is not allowed, a multidisciplinary approach using hybrid technique with urologic instrumental constitute a treatment option. We report a case of a patient with complex intrahepatic stones who previously underwent unsuccessful conventional approaches, and who symptoms resolved after treatment with hybrid technique using an endourologic technology. We conducted an extensive literature review until October 2012 of manuscripts indexed in PubMed on the treatment of complex gallstones with hybrid technique. The multidisciplinary approach with hybrid technique using endourologic instrumental represents a safe and effective treatment option for patients with complex biliary stone who cannot conduct treatment with conventional methods. PMID:26061073

Suppression Subtractive Hybridization Analysis of Genes Regulated by Application of Exogenous Abscisic Acid in Pepper Plant (Capsicum annuum L.) Leaves under Chilling Stress

PubMed Central

Gong, Zhen-Hui; Yin, Yan-Xu; Li, Da-Wei

2013-01-01

Low temperature is one of the major factors limiting pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production during winter and early spring in non-tropical regions. Application of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) effectively alleviates the symptoms of chilling injury, such as wilting and formation of necrotic lesions on pepper leaves; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not understood. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are differentially up- or downregulated in ABA-pretreated hot pepper seedlings incubated at 6°C for 48 h, using a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method. A total of 235 high-quality ESTs were isolated, clustered and assembled into a collection of 73 unigenes including 18 contigs and 55 singletons. A total of 37 unigenes (50.68%) showed similarities to genes with known functions in the non-redundant database; the other 36 unigenes (49.32%) showed low similarities or unknown functions. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the 37 unigenes could be classified into nine functional categories. The expression profiles of 18 selected genes were analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR; the expression levels of 10 of these genes were at least two-fold higher in the ABA-pretreated seedlings under chilling stress than water-pretreated (control) plants under chilling stress. In contrast, the other eight genes were downregulated in ABA-pretreated seedlings under chilling stress, with expression levels that were one-third or less of the levels observed in control seedlings under chilling stress. These results suggest that ABA can positively and negatively regulate genes in pepper plants under chilling stress. PMID:23825555

RanBP9 at the intersection between cofilin and Aβ pathologies: rescue of neurodegenerative changes by RanBP9 reduction.

PubMed

Woo, J A; Boggess, T; Uhlar, C; Wang, X; Khan, H; Cappos, G; Joly-Amado, A; De Narvaez, E; Majid, S; Minamide, L S; Bamburg, J R; Morgan, D; Weeber, E; Kang, D E

2015-03-05

Molecular pathways underlying the neurotoxicity and production of amyloid β protein (Aβ) represent potentially promising therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently found that overexpression of the scaffolding protein RanBP9 increases Aβ production in cell lines and in transgenic mice while promoting cofilin activation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Translocation of cofilin to mitochondria and induction of cofilin-actin pathology require the activation/dephosphorylation of cofilin by Slingshot homolog 1 (SSH1) and cysteine oxidation of cofilin. In this study, we found that endogenous RanBP9 positively regulates SSH1 levels and mediates Aβ-induced translocation of cofilin to mitochondria and induction of cofilin-actin pathology in cultured cells, primary neurons, and in vivo. Endogenous level of RanBP9 was also required for Aβ-induced collapse of growth cones in immature neurons (days in vitro 9 (DIV9)) and depletion of synaptic proteins in mature neurons (DIV21). In vivo, amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS1) mice exhibited 3.5-fold increased RanBP9 levels, and RanBP9 reduction protected against cofilin-actin pathology, synaptic damage, gliosis, and Aβ accumulation associated with APP/PS1 mice. Brains slices derived from APP/PS1 mice showed significantly impaired long-term potentiation (LTP), and RanBP9 reduction significantly enhanced paired pulse facilitation and LTP, as well as partially rescued contextual memory deficits associated with APP/PS1 mice. Therefore, these results underscore the critical importance of endogenous RanBP9 not only in Aβ accumulation but also in mediating the neurotoxic actions of Aβ at the level of synaptic plasticity, mitochondria, and cofilin-actin pathology via control of the SSH1-cofilin pathway in vivo.

Identification of transcripts involved in meiosis and follicle formation during ovine ovary development.

PubMed

Baillet, Adrienne; Mandon-Pépin, Béatrice; Cabau, Cédric; Poumerol, Elodie; Pailhoux, Eric; Cotinot, Corinne

2008-09-23

The key steps in germ cell survival during ovarian development are the entry into meiosis of oogonies and the formation of primordial follicles, which then determine the reproductive lifespan of the ovary. In sheep, these steps occur during fetal life, between 55 and 80 days of gestation, respectively. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed ovarian genes during prophase I meiosis and early folliculogenesis in sheep. In order to elucidate the molecular events associated with early ovarian differentiation, we generated two ovary stage-specific subtracted cDNA libraries using SSH. Large-scale sequencing of these SSH libraries identified 6,080 ESTs representing 2,535 contigs. Clustering and assembly of these ESTs resulted in a total of 2,101 unique sequences depicted in 1,305 singleton (62.11%) and 796 contigs (37.9%) ESTs (clusters). BLASTX evaluation indicated that 99% of the ESTs were homologous to various known genes/proteins in a broad range of organisms, especially ovine, bovine and human species. The remaining 1% which exhibited any homology to known gene sequences was considered as novel. Detailed study of the expression patterns of some of these genes using RT-PCR revealed new promising candidates for ovary differentiation genes in sheep. We showed that the SSH approach was relevant to determining new mammalian genes which might be involved in oogenesis and early follicle development, and enabled the discovery of new potential oocyte and granulosa cell markers for future studies. These genes may have significant implications regarding our understanding of ovarian function in molecular terms, and for the development of innovative strategies to both promote and control fertility.

Altered regulation of renal sodium transporters in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats induced by uninephrectomy.

PubMed

Jung, Ji Yong; Lee, Jay Wook; Kim, Sejoong; Jung, Eun Sook; Jang, Hye Ryoun; Han, Jin Suk; Joo, Kwon Wook

2009-12-01

Uninephrectomy (uNx) in young rats causes salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH). Alterations of sodium handling in residual nephrons may play a role in the pathogenesis. Therefore, we evaluated the adaptive alterations of renal sodium transporters according to salt intake in uNx-SSH rats. uNx or sham operations were performed in male Sprague-Dawley rats, and normal-salt diet was fed for 4 weeks. Four experimental groups were used: sham-operated rats raised on a high-salt diet for 2 weeks (CHH) or on a low-salt diet for 1 week after 1 week's high-salt diet (CHL) and uNx rats fed on the same diet (NHH, NHL) as the sham-operated rats were fed. Expression of major renal sodium transporters were determined by semiquantitative immunoblotting. Systolic blood pressure was increased in NHH and NHL groups, compared with CHH and CHL, respectively. Protein abundances of Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC2) and Na(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter (NCC) in the CHH group were lower than the CHL group. Expression of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)-γ increased in the CHH group. In contrast, expressions of NKCC2 and NCC in the NHH group didn't show any significant alterations, compared to the NHL group. Expressions of ENaC-α and ENaC-β in the NHH group were higher than the CHH group. Adaptive alterations of NKCC2 and NCC to changes of salt intake were different in the uNx group, and changes in ENaC-α and ENaC-β were also different. These altered regulations of sodium transporters may be involved in the pathogenesis of SSH in the uNx rat model.

Understanding controls of hydrologic processes across two monolithological catchments using model-data integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, D.; Shi, Y.; Li, L.

2016-12-01

Field measurements are important to understand the fluxes of water, energy, sediment, and solute in the Critical Zone however are expensive in time, money, and labor. This study aims to assess the model predictability of hydrological processes in a watershed using information from another intensively-measured watershed. We compare two watersheds of different lithology using national datasets, field measurements, and physics-based model, Flux-PIHM. We focus on two monolithological, forested watersheds under the same climate in the Shale Hills Susquehanna CZO in central Pennsylvania: the Shale-based Shale Hills (SSH, 0.08 km2) and the sandstone-based Garner Run (GR, 1.34 km2). We firstly tested the transferability of calibration coefficients from SSH to GR. We found that without any calibration the model can successfully predict seasonal average soil moisture and discharge which shows the advantage of a physics-based model, however, cannot precisely capture some peaks or the runoff in summer. The model reproduces the GR field data better after calibrating the soil hydrology parameters. In particular, the percentage of sand turns out to be a critical parameter in reproducing data. With sandstone being the dominant lithology, GR has much higher sand percentage than SSH (48.02% vs. 29.01%), leading to higher hydraulic conductivity, lower overall water storage capacity, and in general lower soil moisture. This is consistent with area averaged soil moisture observations using the cosmic-ray soil moisture observing system (COSMOS) at the two sites. This work indicates that some parameters, including evapotranspiration parameters, are transferrable due to similar climatic and land cover conditions. However, the key parameters that control soil moisture, including the sand percentage, need to be recalibrated, reflecting the key role of soil hydrological properties.

Pathogen-regulated genes in wheat isogenic lines differing in resistance to brown rust Puccinia triticina.

PubMed

Dmochowska-Boguta, Marta; Alaba, Sylwia; Yanushevska, Yuliya; Piechota, Urszula; Lasota, Elzbieta; Nadolska-Orczyk, Anna; Karlowski, Wojciech M; Orczyk, Waclaw

2015-10-05

Inoculation of wheat plants with Puccinia triticina (Pt) spores activates a wide range of host responses. Compatible Pt interaction with susceptible Thatcher plants supports all stages of the pathogen life cycle. Incompatible interaction with TcLr9 activates defense responses including oxidative burst and micronecrotic reactions associated with the pathogen's infection structures and leads to complete termination of pathogen development. These two contrasting host-pathogen interactions were a foundation for transcriptome analysis of incompatible wheat-Pt interaction. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library was constructed using cDNA from pathogen-inoculated susceptible Thatcher and resistant TcLr9 isogenic lines. cDNA represented steps of wheat-brown rust interactions: spore germination, haustorium mother cell (HMC) formation and micronecrotic reactions. All ESTs were clustered and validated by similarity search to wheat genome using BLASTn and sim4db tools. qRT-PCR was used to determine transcript levels of selected ESTs after inoculation in both lines. Out of 793 isolated cDNA clones, 183 were classified into 152 contigs. 89 cDNA clones and encoded proteins were functionally annotated and assigned to 5 Gene Ontology categories: catalytic activity 48 clones (54 %), binding 32 clones (36 %), transporter activity 6 clones (7 %), structural molecule activity 2 clones (2 %) and molecular transducer activity 1 clone (1 %). Detailed expression profiles of 8 selected clones were analyzed using the same plant-pathogen system. The strongest induction after pathogen infection and the biggest differences between resistant and susceptible interactions were detected for clones encoding wall-associated kinase (GenBank accession number JG969003), receptor with leucine-rich repeat domain (JG968955), putative serine/threonine protein kinase (JG968944), calcium-mediated signaling protein (JG968925) and 14-3-3 protein (JG968969). The SSH library represents transcripts regulated by pathogen infection during compatible and incompatible interactions of wheat with P. triticina. Annotation of selected clones confirms their putative roles in successive steps of plant-pathogen interactions. The transcripts can be categorized as defense-related due to their involvement in either basal defense or resistance through an R-gene mediated reaction. The possible involvement of selected clones in pathogen recognition and pathogen-induced signaling as well as resistance mechanisms such as cell wall enforcement, oxidative burst and micronecrotic reactions is discussed.

An improved data transfer and storage technique for hybrid computation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansing, A. M.

1972-01-01

Improved technique was developed for transferring and storing data at faster than real time speeds on hybrid computer. Predominant advantage is combined use of electronic relays, track and store units, and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion units of hybrid computer.

Combined Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-31

SSH, (1-1) where H viands for conjugate transpose, and S is the total signal vector recorded at an array of sensors, defined by: S...time delay, and a = a scale constant (for convenience, yet without loss of gen- erality, les us assume (|a(<l) ), The complex cepstrum x(n

XENOBIOTIC INDUCED ORGAN-SPECIFIC GENE EXPRESSION AND MACRO/MICROARRAY DEVELOPMENT IN MEDAKA (ORYZIAS LATIPES)

EPA Science Inventory

As part of an ongoing effort to understand and address the short and long-term consequences of increasing levels of environmental contaminants, we used suppressive subtractive hydridization (SSH) to develop gene expression profiles from Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed ...

Mapping the nonstationary internal tide with satellite altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaron, Edward D.

2017-01-01

Temporal variability of the internal tide has been inferred from the 23 year long combined records of the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2 satellite altimeters by combining harmonic analysis with an analysis of along-track wavenumber spectra of sea-surface height (SSH). Conventional harmonic analysis is first applied to estimate and remove the stationary components of the tide at each point along the reference ground tracks. The wavenumber spectrum of the residual SSH is then computed, and the variance in a neighborhood around the wavenumber of the mode-1 baroclinic M2 tide is interpreted as the sum of noise, broadband nontidal processes, and the nonstationary tide. At many sites a bump in the spectrum associated with the internal tide is noted, and an empirical model for the noise and nontidal processes is used to estimate the nonstationary semidiurnal tidal variance. The results indicate a spatially inhomogeneous pattern of tidal variability. Nonstationary tides are larger than stationary tides throughout much of the equatorial Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Estimation of Interbasin Transport Using Ocean Bottom Pressure: Theory and Model for Asian Marginal Seas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. Tony

2006-01-01

The Asian Marginal Seas are interconnected by a number of narrow straits, such as the Makassar Strait connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean, the Luzon Strait connecting the South China Sea with the Pacific Ocean, and the Korea/Tsushima Strait connecting the East China Sea with the Japan/East Sea. Here we propose a method, the combination of the "geostrophic control" formula of Garrett and Toulany (1982) and the "hydraulic control" theory of Whitehead et al. (1974), allowing the use of satellite-observed sea-surface-height (SSH) and ocean-bottom-pressure (OBP) data for estimating interbasin transport. The new method also allows separating the interbasin transport into surface and bottom fluxes that play an important role in maintaining the mass balance of the regional oceans. Comparison with model results demonstrates that the combined method can estimate the seasonal variability of the strait transports and is significantly better than the method of using SSH or OBP alone.

Monitoring technique for a hybrid PS/WDM-PON by using a tunable OTDR and FBGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hann, Swook; Yoo, Jun-sang; Park, Chang-Soo

2006-05-01

A monitoring technique for hybrid passive optical networks (PON) is presented. The technique is based on the remote sensing of fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) using a tunable optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR). The FBG would help discern an individual event during the monitoring of the hybrid PON in collaboration with the information provided by the Rayleigh backscattered power. The hybrid architecture of passive splitter-PON and WDM-PON can be analysed by the monitoring method by using the tunable OTDR and FBGs at the central office under the in-service state of PON.

Hybrid registration of PET/CT in thoracic region with pre-filtering PET sinogram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokri, S. S.; Saripan, M. I.; Marhaban, M. H.; Nordin, A. J.; Hashim, S.

2015-11-01

The integration of physiological (PET) and anatomical (CT) images in cancer delineation requires an accurate spatial registration technique. Although hybrid PET/CT scanner is used to co-register these images, significant misregistrations exist due to patient and respiratory/cardiac motions. This paper proposes a hybrid feature-intensity based registration technique for hybrid PET/CT scanner. First, simulated PET sinogram was filtered with a 3D hybrid mean-median before reconstructing the image. The features were then derived from the segmented structures (lung, heart and tumor) from both images. The registration was performed based on modified multi-modality demon registration with multiresolution scheme. Apart from visual observations improvements, the proposed registration technique increased the normalized mutual information index (NMI) between the PET/CT images after registration. All nine tested datasets show marked improvements in mutual information (MI) index than free form deformation (FFD) registration technique with the highest MI increase is 25%.

Applying Standard Independent Verification and Validation (IVV) Techniques Within an Agile Framework: Is There a Compatibility Issue?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dabney, James B.; Arthur, James Douglas

2017-01-01

Agile methods have gained wide acceptance over the past several years, to the point that they are now a standard management and execution approach for small-scale software development projects. While conventional Agile methods are not generally applicable to large multi-year and mission-critical systems, Agile hybrids are now being developed (such as SAFe) to exploit the productivity improvements of Agile while retaining the necessary process rigor and coordination needs of these projects. From the perspective of Independent Verification and Validation (IVV), however, the adoption of these hybrid Agile frameworks is becoming somewhat problematic. Hence, we find it prudent to question the compatibility of conventional IVV techniques with (hybrid) Agile practices.This paper documents our investigation of (a) relevant literature, (b) the modification and adoption of Agile frameworks to accommodate the development of large scale, mission critical systems, and (c) the compatibility of standard IVV techniques within hybrid Agile development frameworks. Specific to the latter, we found that the IVV methods employed within a hybrid Agile process can be divided into three groups: (1) early lifecycle IVV techniques that are fully compatible with the hybrid lifecycles, (2) IVV techniques that focus on tracing requirements, test objectives, etc. are somewhat incompatible, but can be tailored with a modest effort, and (3) IVV techniques involving an assessment requiring artifact completeness that are simply not compatible with hybrid Agile processes, e.g., those that assume complete requirement specification early in the development lifecycle.

The Aging of the U.S. Population: Human Resource Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Malcolm H.

1983-01-01

This article argues that in the upcoming decades, older workers will be competing against the largest cohort of middle-aged workers in our country's history. In the absence of other options, the elderly may feel increased pressure to retire or work part time. (Author/SSH)

The seasonal march of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean and its El Niño variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparin, Florent; Roemmich, Dean

2017-08-01

Based on two modern data sets, the climatological seasonal march of the upper-ocean is examined in the equatorial Pacific for the period 2004-2014, because of its large contribution to the total variance, its relationship to El Niño, and its unique equatorial wave phenomena. Argo provides a broadscale view of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean based on subsurface temperature and salinity measurements for the period 2004-2015, and satellite altimetry provides synoptic observations of the sea surface height (SSH) for the period 1993-2015. Using either 11-year (1993-2003/2004-2014) time-series for averaging, the seasonal Rossby waves stands out clearly and eastward intraseasonal Kelvin wave propagation is strong enough in individual years to leave residuals in the 11-year averages, particularly but not exclusively, during El Niño onset years. The agreement of altimetric SSH minus Argo steric height (SH) residuals with GRACE ocean mass estimates confirms the scale-matching of in situ variability with that of satellite observations. Surface layer and subsurface thermohaline variations are both important in determining SH and SSH basin-wide patterns. The SH/SSH October-November maximum in the central-eastern Pacific is primarily due to a downward deflection of the thermocline (∼20 m), causing a warm subsurface anomaly (>1 °C), in response to the phasing of downwelling intraseasonal Kelvin and seasonal Rossby waves. Compared with the climatology, the stronger October-November maximum in the 2004-2014 El Niño composites is due to higher intraseasonal oscillations and interannual variability. Associated with these equatorial wave patterns along the thermocline, the western warm/fresh pool waters move zonally at interannual timescales through zonal wind stress and pressure gradient fluctuations, and cause substantial fresh (up to 0.6 psu) and warm (∼1 °C higher than the climatology) anomalies in the western-central Pacific surface-layer during the El Niño onset year, and of the opposite sign during the termination year. These El Niño-related patterns are then analyzed focusing on the case of the onset of the strong 2015/2016 episode, and are seen to be around two times larger than that in the 2004-2014 El Niño composites. The present work exploits the capabilities of Argo and altimetry to update and improve the description of the physical state of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean, and provides a benchmark for assessing the accuracy of models in representing equatorial Pacific variability.

Comparison of the decomposition characteristics of aromatic VOCs using an electron beam hybrid system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Son, Youn-Suk; Kim, Ki-Joon; Kim, Ji-Yong; Kim, Jo-Chun

2010-12-01

We applied a hybrid technique to assess the decomposition characteristics of ethylbenzene and toluene that annexed the catalyst technique with existing electron beam (EB) technology. The removal efficiency of ethylbenzene in the EB-catalyst hybrid turned out to be 30% greater than that of EB-only treatment. We concluded that ethylbenzene was decomposed more easily than toluene by EB irradiation. We compared the independent effects of the EB-catalyst hybrid and catalyst-only methods, and observed that the efficiency of the EB-catalyst hybrid demonstrated approximately 6% improvement for decomposing toluene and 20% improvement for decomposing ethylbenzene. The G-values for ethylbenzene increased with initial concentration and reactor type: for example, the G-values by reactor type at 2800 ppmC were 7.5-10.9 (EB-only) and 12.9-25.7 (EB-catalyst hybrid). We also observed a significant decrease in by-products as well as in the removal efficiencies associated with the EB-catalyst hybrid technique.

Cloning, expression, and purification of a new antimicrobial peptide gene from Musca domestica larva.

PubMed

Pei, Zhihua; Sun, Xiaoning; Tang, Yan; Wang, Kai; Gao, Yunhang; Ma, Hongxia

2014-10-01

Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), the housefly, exhibits unique immune defences and can produce antimicrobial peptides upon stimulation with bacteria. Based on the cDNA library constructed using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method, a 198-bp antimicrobial peptide gene, which we named MDAP-2, was amplified by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) from M. domestica larvae stimulated with Salmonella pullorum (Enterobacteriaceae: Salmonella). In the present study, the full-length MDAP-2 gene was cloned and inserted into a His-tagged Escherichia coli prokaryotic expression system to enable production of the recombinant peptide. The recombinant MDAP-2 peptide was purified using Ni-NTA HisTrap FF crude column chromatography. The bacteriostatic activity of the recombinant purified MDAP-2 protein was assessed. The results indicated that MDAP-2 had in vitro antibacterial activity against all of the tested Gram- bacteria from clinical isolates, including E. coli (Enterobacteriaceae: Escherichia), one strain of S. pullorum (Enterobacteriaceae: Salmonella), and one strain of Pasteurella multocida. DNA sequencing and BLAST analysis showed that the MDAP-2 antimicrobial peptide gene was not homologous to any other antimicrobial peptide genes in GenBank. The antibacterial mechanisms of the newly discovered MDAP-2 peptide warrant further study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NHE10, a novel osteoclast-specific member of the Na{sup +}/H{sup +} exchanger family, regulates osteoclast differentiation and survival

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

Lee, Seoung Hoon; Kim, Taesoo; Park, Eui-Soon

2008-05-02

Bone homeostasis is tightly regulated by the balanced actions of osteoblasts (OBs) and osteoclasts (OCs). We previously analyzed the gene expression profile of OC differentiation using a cDNA microarray, and identified a novel osteoclastogenic gene candidate, clone OCL-1-E7 [J. Rho, C.R. Altmann, N.D. Socci, L. Merkov, N. Kim, H. So, O. Lee, M. Takami, A.H. Brivanlou, Y. Choi, Gene expression profiling of osteoclast differentiation by combined suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and cDNA microarray analysis, DNA Cell Biol. 21 (2002) 541-549]. In this study, we have isolated full-length cDNAs corresponding to this clone from mice and humans to determine the functionalmore » roles of this gene in osteoclastogenesis. The full-length cDNA of OCL-1-E7 encodes 12 membrane-spanning domains that are typical of isoforms of the Na{sup +}/H{sup +} exchangers (NHEs), indicating that this clone is a novel member of the NHE family (hereafter referred to as NHE10). Here, we show that NHE10 is highly expressed in OCs in response to receptor activator of nuclear factor-{kappa}B ligand signaling and is required for OC differentiation and survival.« less

Construction and analysis of the cDNA subtraction library of yeast and mycelial phases of Sporothrix globosa isolated in China: identification of differentially expressed genes*

PubMed Central

Hu, Qing-bi; He, Yu; Zhou, Xun

2015-01-01

Species included in the Sporothrix schenckii complex are temperature-dependent with dimorphic growth and cause sporotrichosis that is characterized by chronic and fatal lymphocutaneous lesions. The putative species included in the Sporothrix complex are S. brasiliensis, S. globosa, S. mexicana, S. pallida, S. schenckii, and S. lurei. S. globosa is the causal agent of sporotrichosis in China, and its pathogenicity appears to be closely related to the dimorphic transition, i.e. from the mycelial to the yeast phase, it adapts to changing environmental conditions. To determine the molecular mechanisms of the switching process that mediates the dimorphic transition of S. globosa, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to prepare a complementary DNA (cDNA) subtraction library from the yeast and mycelial phases. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to profile the relationship between differently expressed genes and the dimorphic transition. Two genes that were expressed at higher levels by the yeast form were selected, and their differential expression levels were verified using a quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). It is believed that these differently expressed genes are involved in the pathogenesis of S. globosa infection in China. PMID:26642182

Avian influenza rapidly induces antiviral genes in duck lung and intestine

PubMed Central

Vanderven, Hillary A.; Petkau, Kristina; Ryan-Jean, Kieran E. E.; Aldridge, Jerry R.; Webster, Robert G.; Magor, Katharine E.

2012-01-01

Ducks are the natural reservoir of influenza A and survive infection by most strains. To characterize the duck immune response to influenza, we sought to identify innate immune genes expressed early in an infection. We used suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) to construct 3 libraries enriched in differentially expressed genes from lung RNA of a duck infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A/Vietnam/1203/04 (H5N1), or lung and intestine RNA of a duck infected with low pathogenic avian influenza A/mallard/BC/500/05 (H5N2) compared to a mock-infected duck. Sequencing of 1687 clones identified a transcription profile enriched in genes involved in antiviral defense and other cellular processes. Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I), interferon induced protein with tricopeptide repeats 5 (IFIT5), and 2′–5′oligoadenylate synthetase-like gene (OASL) were increased more than 1000-fold in relative transcript abundance in duck lung at 1 dpi with highly pathogenic VN1203. These genes were induced much less in lung or intestine following infection with low pathogenic BC500. The expression of these genes following infection suggests that ducks initiate an immediate and robust response to a potentially lethal influenza strain, and a minimal response a low pathogenic strain. PMID:22534314

Transcriptomic analysis of Ruditapes philippinarum hemocytes reveals cytoskeleton disruption after in vitro Vibrio tapetis challenge.

PubMed

Brulle, Franck; Jeffroy, Fanny; Madec, Stéphanie; Nicolas, Jean-Louis; Paillard, Christine

2012-10-01

The Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, is an economically-important, commercial shellfish; harvests are diminished in some European waters by a pathogenic bacterium, Vibrio tapetis, that causes Brown Ring disease. To identify molecular characteristics associated with susceptibility or resistance to Brown Ring disease, Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) analyzes were performed to construct cDNA libraries enriched in up- or down-regulated transcripts from clam immune cells, hemocytes, after a 3-h in vitro challenge with cultured V. tapetis. Nine hundred and ninety eight sequences from the two libraries were sequenced, and an in silico analysis identified 235 unique genes. BLAST and "Gene ontology" classification analyzes revealed that 60.4% of the Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) have high similarities with genes involved in various physiological functions, such as immunity, apoptosis and cytoskeleton organization; whereas, 39.6% remain unidentified. From the 235 unique genes, we selected 22 candidates based upon physiological function and redundancy in the libraries. Then, Real-Time PCR analysis identified 3 genes related to cytoskeleton organization showing significant variation in expression attributable to V. tapetis exposure. Disruption in regulation of these genes is consistent with the etiologic agent of Brown Ring disease in Manila clams. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Acar, H; Cebe, M; Mabhouti, H

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiosurgery (SBRT) for spine metastases involves irradiation using a single high dose fraction. The purpose of this study was to investigate a Hybrid VMAT/IMRT technique which combines volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for spine SBRT in terms of its dosimetric quality and treatment efficiency using Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0631 guidelines. Methods: 7 fields IMRT, 2 full arcs VMAT and Hybrid VMAT/IMRT were created for ten previously treated patients. The Hybrid VMAT/IMRT technique consisted of 1 full VMAT arc and 5 IMRT fields. Hybrid VMAT/IMRT plans were compared with IMRTmore » and VMAT plans in terms of the dose distribution, spinal cord sparing, homogeneity, conformity and gradient indexies, monitor unit (MU) and beam on time (BOT). RTOG 0631 recommendations were applied for treatment planning. All plans were normalized and prescribed to deliver 18.0 Gy in a single fraction to 90% of the target volume. Results: The Hybrid VMAT/IMRT technique significantly improved target dose homogeneity and conformity compared with IMRT and VMAT techniques. Providing sharp dose gradient Hybrid VMAT/IMRT plans spare the spinal cord and healthy tissue more effectively. Although, both MU and BOT slightly increased in Hybrid VMAT/IMRT plans there is no statistically meaningful difference between VMAT and Hybrid VMAT/IMRT plans. Conclusion: In IMRT, a smaller volume of healthy tissue can be irradiated in the low dose region, VMAT plans provide better target volume coverage, favorable dose gradient, conformity and better OAR sparing and also they require a much smaller number of MUs and thus a shorter treatment time than IMRT plans. Hybrid plan offers a sinergy through combination of these two techniques with slightly increased number of MU and thus more treatment time.« less

The Correlation of Learning Styles with Student Performance In Academic and Clinical Course Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, M. Jo; Trickey, Becki A.

1983-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine any correlation between learning styles and performance in the academic and clinical course work of occupational therapy students at the Medical University of South Carolina. (Availability: RAM Associates LTD., P.O. Box N, Laurel, MD 20707) (SSH)

Testing the Shallow Structure Hypothesis in L2 Japanese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Megan

2016-01-01

Language processing heuristics are one of the possible sources of divergence between first and second language systems. The Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH) (Clahsen and Felser, 2006) proposes that non-native language processing relies primarily on semantic, and not syntactic, information, and that second language (L2) processing is therefore…

Application of Competency Testing Mandates to Handicapped Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Martha M.

1983-01-01

The author considers the legality of minimum competency testing diploma requirements applied to the handicapped in light of (1) their constitutional and statutory rights to nondiscriminatory treatment, (2) their statutory right to an appropriate education, and (3) their constitutional right to substantive and procedural due process. (Author/SSH)

Current Developments in DETER Cybersecurity Testbed Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-08

management on PlanetLab [12], such as Plush and Nebula [4], PlMan [19], Stork [20], pShell [21], Planetlab Application Manager [22], parallel open...SSH tools [23], plDist [24], Nixes [25], PLDeploy [26] and vxargs [27]. With the exception of Plush and Nebula , these tools are all low-level

Operations Management and Curriculum Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slack, Nigel

1983-01-01

The last few years have seen developments in the academic treatment of operations management which both broaden the subject to include a much wider range of industries in the nonmanufacturing sectors and place the operations function in a more strategic context. (MEAD Subscriptions, CSML, University of Lancaster, Lancaster LA1 4YX, England) (SSH)

Productivity Increased in 1981 in Most Industries Measured.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Arthur S.

1982-01-01

Although productivity growth slowed during 1976-81 for most of the industries surveyed, a majority of significant industries showed advances in output per employee hour in 1981. The growth in industry productivity was consistent with the gain in the nonfarm business sector of the economy, which grew 1.4 percent. (SSH)

Ethical Problems in the Practice of Organization Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooten, Kevin C.; White, Louis P.

1983-01-01

This article discusses forces that affect the professional ethics of organizational development (OD). Both driving forces and restraining forces have influenced the current status of OD ethics. These forces have operated since the emergence of OD itself, and their fluctuating intensity results in the dynamic nature of the OD profession. (SSH)

Education and Training: Have the Japanese Beaten Us Again?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehder, Robert R.

1983-01-01

Japan is often likened to a giant corporation--Japan Inc.--in which the educational credentials of its employees largely determine their social and economic status. This first international report of 1983 discusses why the U.S. should study the pros and cons of the Japanese educational system. (SSH)

Time-Series Evidence of the Effect of the Minimum Wage on Youth Employment and Unemployment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Charles; And Others

1983-01-01

The study finds that a 10 percent increase in the federal minimum wage (or the coverage rate) would reduce teenage (16-19) employment by about one percent, which is at the lower end of the range of estimates from previous studies. (Author/SSH)

Occupational Safety and Health Systems: A Three-Country Comparison.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, W. T.

1983-01-01

This article compares the occupational safety and health systems of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, looking at the origins of their legislation and its effects on occupational safety and health, with a view to determining what lessons may emerge, particularly for developing countries. (Author/SSH)

Robust Global Image Registration Based on a Hybrid Algorithm Combining Fourier and Spatial Domain Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

Robust global image registration based on a hybrid algorithm combining Fourier and spatial domain techniques Peter N. Crabtree, Collin Seanor...00-00-2012 to 00-00-2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Robust global image registration based on a hybrid algorithm combining Fourier and spatial domain...demonstrate performance of a hybrid algorithm . These results are from analysis of a set of images of an ISO 12233 [12] resolution chart captured in the

On the Optimization of Aerospace Plane Ascent Trajectory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Garni, Ahmed; Kassem, Ayman Hamdy

A hybrid heuristic optimization technique based on genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization has been developed and tested for trajectory optimization problems with multi-constraints and a multi-objective cost function. The technique is used to calculate control settings for two types for ascending trajectories (constant dynamic pressure and minimum-fuel-minimum-heat) for a two-dimensional model of an aerospace plane. A thorough statistical analysis is done on the hybrid technique to make comparisons with both basic genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization techniques with respect to convergence and execution time. Genetic algorithm optimization showed better execution time performance while particle swarm optimization showed better convergence performance. The hybrid optimization technique, benefiting from both techniques, showed superior robust performance compromising convergence trends and execution time.

Primary gamma ray selection in a hybrid timing/imaging Cherenkov array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postnikov, E. B.; Grinyuk, A. A.; Kuzmichev, L. A.; Sveshnikova, L. G.

2017-06-01

This work is a methodical study on hybrid reconstruction techniques for hybrid imaging/timing Cherenkov observations. This type of hybrid array is to be realized at the gamma-observatory TAIGA intended for very high energy gamma-ray astronomy (> 30 TeV). It aims at combining the cost-effective timing-array technique with imaging telescopes. Hybrid operation of both of these techniques can lead to a relatively cheap way of development of a large area array. The joint approach of gamma event selection was investigated on both types of simulated data: the image parameters from the telescopes, and the shower parameters reconstructed from the timing array. The optimal set of imaging parameters and shower parameters to be combined is revealed. The cosmic ray background suppression factor depending on distance and energy is calculated. The optimal selection technique leads to cosmic ray background suppression of about 2 orders of magnitude on distances up to 450 m for energies greater than 50 TeV.

Multi-technique hybrid imaging in PET/CT and PET/MR: what does the future hold?

PubMed

de Galiza Barbosa, F; Delso, G; Ter Voert, E E G W; Huellner, M W; Herrmann, K; Veit-Haibach, P

2016-07-01

Integrated positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) is one of the most important imaging techniques to have emerged in oncological practice in the last decade. Hybrid imaging, in general, remains a rapidly growing field, not only in developing countries, but also in western industrialised healthcare systems. A great deal of technological development and research is focused on improving hybrid imaging technology further and introducing new techniques, e.g., integrated PET and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI). Additionally, there are several new PET tracers on the horizon, which have the potential to broaden clinical applications in hybrid imaging for diagnosis as well as therapy. This article aims to highlight some of the major technical and clinical advances that are currently taking place in PET/CT and PET/MRI that will potentially maintain the position of hybrid techniques at the forefront of medical imaging technologies. Copyright © 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A DNA microarray-based methylation-sensitive (MS)-AFLP hybridization method for genetic and epigenetic analyses.

PubMed

Yamamoto, F; Yamamoto, M

2004-07-01

We previously developed a PCR-based DNA fingerprinting technique named the Methylation Sensitive (MS)-AFLP method, which permits comparative genome-wide scanning of methylation status with a manageable number of fingerprinting experiments. The technique uses the methylation sensitive restriction enzyme NotI in the context of the existing Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) method. Here we report the successful conversion of this gel electrophoresis-based DNA fingerprinting technique into a DNA microarray hybridization technique (DNA Microarray MS-AFLP). By performing a total of 30 (15 x 2 reciprocal labeling) DNA Microarray MS-AFLP hybridization experiments on genomic DNA from two breast and three prostate cancer cell lines in all pairwise combinations, and Southern hybridization experiments using more than 100 different probes, we have demonstrated that the DNA Microarray MS-AFLP is a reliable method for genetic and epigenetic analyses. No statistically significant differences were observed in the number of differences between the breast-prostate hybridization experiments and the breast-breast or prostate-prostate comparisons.

Current status of hybrid coronary revascularization.

PubMed

Jaik, Nikhil P; Umakanthan, Ramanan; Leacche, Marzia; Solenkova, Natalia; Balaguer, Jorge M; Hoff, Steven J; Ball, Stephen K; Zhao, David X; Byrne, John G

2011-10-01

Hybrid coronary revascularization combines coronary artery bypass surgery with percutaneous coronary intervention techniques to treat coronary artery disease. The potential benefits of such a technique are to offer the patients the best available treatments for coronary artery disease while minimizing the risks of the surgery. Hybrid coronary revascularization has resulted in the establishment of new 'hybrid operating suites', which incorporate and integrate the capabilities of a cardiac surgery operating room with that of an interventional cardiology laboratory. Hybrid coronary revascularization has greatly augmented teamwork and cooperation between both fields and has demonstrated encouraging as well as good initial outcomes.

Weighted hybrid technique for recommender system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suriati, S.; Dwiastuti, Meisyarah; Tulus, T.

2017-12-01

Recommender system becomes very popular and has important role in an information system or webpages nowadays. A recommender system tries to make a prediction of which item a user may like based on his activity on the system. There are some familiar techniques to build a recommender system, such as content-based filtering and collaborative filtering. Content-based filtering does not involve opinions from human to make the prediction, while collaborative filtering does, so collaborative filtering can predict more accurately. However, collaborative filtering cannot give prediction to items which have never been rated by any user. In order to cover the drawbacks of each approach with the advantages of other approach, both approaches can be combined with an approach known as hybrid technique. Hybrid technique used in this work is weighted technique in which the prediction score is combination linear of scores gained by techniques that are combined.The purpose of this work is to show how an approach of weighted hybrid technique combining content-based filtering and item-based collaborative filtering can work in a movie recommender system and to show the performance comparison when both approachare combined and when each approach works alone. There are three experiments done in this work, combining both techniques with different parameters. The result shows that the weighted hybrid technique that is done in this work does not really boost the performance up, but it helps to give prediction score for unrated movies that are impossible to be recommended by only using collaborative filtering.

Towards hybrid mesh generation for realistic design environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMorris, Harlan Tom

Two different techniques that allow hybrid mesh generation to be easily used in the design environment are presented. The purpose of this research is to allow for hybrid meshes to be used during the design process where the geometry is being varied. The first technique, modular hybrid mesh generation, allows for the replacement of portions of a geometry with a new design shape. The mesh is maintained for the portions of that have not changed during the design process. A new mesh is generated for the new part of the geometry and this piece is added to the existing mesh. The new mesh must match the remaining portions of the geometry plus the element sizes must match exactly across the interfaces. The second technique, hybrid mesh movement, is used when the basic geometry remains the same with only small variations to portions of the geometry. These small variations include changing the cross-section of a wing, twisting a blade or changing the length of some portion of the geometry. The mesh for the original geometry is moved onto the new geometry one step at a time beginning with the curves of the surface, continuing with the surface mesh geometry and ending with the interior points of the mesh. The validity of the hybrid mesh is maintained by applying corrections to the motion of the points. Finally, the quality of the new hybrid mesh is improved to ensure that the new mesh maintains the quality of the original hybrid mesh. Applications of both design techniques are applied to typical example cases from the fields of turbomachinery, aerospace and offshore technology. The example test cases demonstrate the ability of the two techniques to reuse the majority of an existing hybrid mesh for typical design changes. Modular mesh generation is used to change the shape of piece of a seafloor pipeline geometry to a completely different configuration. The hybrid mesh movement technique is used to change the twist of a turbomachinery blade, the tip clearance of a rotor blade and to simulate the aeroelastic bending of a wing. Finally, the movement technique is applied to an offshore application where the solution for the original configuration is used as a starting point for solution for a new configuration. The application of both techniques show that the methods can be a powerful addition to the design environment and will facilitate a rapid turnaround when the design geometry changes.

Method of Identifying a Base in a Nucleic Acid

DOEpatents

Fodor, Stephen P. A.; Lipshutz, Robert J.; Huang, Xiaohua

1999-01-01

Devices and techniques for hybridization of nucleic acids and for determining the sequence of nucleic acids. Arrays of nucleic acids are formed by techniques, preferably high resolution, light-directed techniques. Positions of hybridization of a target nucleic acid are determined by, e.g., epifluorescence microscopy. Devices and techniques are proposed to determine the sequence of a target nucleic acid more efficiently and more quickly through such synthesis and detection techniques.

Identifying a base in a nucleic acid

DOEpatents

Fodor, Stephen P. A.; Lipshutz, Robert J.; Huang, Xiaohua

2005-02-08

Devices and techniques for hybridization of nucleic acids and for determining the sequence of nucleic acids. Arrays of nucleic acids are formed by techniques, preferably high resolution, light-directed techniques. Positions of hybridization of a target nucleic acid are determined by, e.g., epifluorescence microscopy. Devices and techniques are proposed to determine the sequence of a target nucleic acid more efficiently and more quickly through such synthesis and detection techniques.

Blue and Fin Whale Habitat Modeling from Long-Term Year-Round Passive Acoustic Data from the Southern California Bight

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSH), chlorophyll a concentration (Chla), and primary productivity (PP). These data are available on similar...between the high and low area, and in areas with low abundance, chlorophyll a concentration was also a significant explanatory variable. For fin

Early Student Support for SST Control by Subsurface Mixing during Indian Ocean Monsoons

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

Lee and Rainville), and NRL (Wijesekera). OBJECTIVES The objectives of this project are to: 1. use satellite-measured SSS , SST, and SSH to...forcing, and 5. synthesize the above information and products to examine links and feedbacks between the SST and SSS of the SLD and local precipitation

Adult Education in the People's Republic of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sidel, Mark

1982-01-01

This report was based on the author's study in China in 1980-81 and on the findings of other observers, Chinese data, and analyses of the post-Mao adult education system (1977-1982). It focuses particularly on the shifts in adult education priorities and programs and on the political and pedagogical debates. (SSH)

International Trends in Productivity and Labor Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capdevielle, Patricia; And Others

1982-01-01

Productivity increased in 1981 in the United States, Japan, and European countries studied. Gains ranged from 2 to 4 percent in the US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, to 6 percent in England and Denmark, and more than 7 percent in Belgium. In Canada and Sweden, productivity remained essentially unchanged. (SSH)

The Robots Are Coming! Training Tomorrow's High-Tech Workers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zemke, Ron

1983-01-01

The United States, running second to Japan in the robot race, is employing 19 percent of the world's robots. This article presents six classes of robots that were defined by the Japanese trade association. All are multifunctional, equipped with a memory device, capable of rotation, and able to replace human workers. (SSH)

Non-local electron transport through normal and topological ladder-like atomic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurzyna, Marcin; Kwapiński, Tomasz

2018-05-01

We propose a locally protected ladder-like atomic system (nanoconductor) on a substrate that is insensitive to external perturbations. The system corresponds to coupled atomic chains fabricated on different surfaces. Electron transport properties of such conductors are studied theoretically using the model tight-binding Su-Schriffer-Hegger (SSH) Hamiltonian and Green's function formalism. We have found that the conductance of the system is almost insensitive to single adatoms and oscillates as a function of the side chain length with very large periods. Non-local character of the electron transport was observed also for topological SSH chains where nontrivial end states survive in the presence of disturbances as well as for different substrates. We have found that the careful inspection of the density of states or charge waves can provide the information about the atom energy levels and hopping amplitudes. Moreover, the ladder-like geometry allows one to distinguish between normal and topological zero-energy states. It is important that topological chains do not reveal Friedel oscillations which are observed in non-topological chains.

Access and accounting schemes of wireless broadband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Huang, Benxiong; Wang, Yan; Yu, Xing

2004-04-01

In this paper, two wireless broadband access and accounting schemes were introduced. There are some differences in the client and the access router module between them. In one scheme, Secure Shell (SSH) protocol is used in the access system. The SSH server makes the authentication based on private key cryptography. The advantage of this scheme is the security of the user's information, and we have sophisticated access control. In the other scheme, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol is used the access system. It uses the technology of public privacy key. Nowadays, web browser generally combines HTTP and SSL protocol and we use the SSL protocol to implement the encryption of the data between the clients and the access route. The schemes are same in the radius sever part. Remote Authentication Dial in User Service (RADIUS), as a security protocol in the form of Client/Sever, is becoming an authentication/accounting protocol for standard access to the Internet. It will be explained in a flow chart. In our scheme, the access router serves as the client to the radius server.

SSH2S: Hydrogen storage in complex hydrides for an auxiliary power unit based on high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baricco, Marcello; Bang, Mads; Fichtner, Maximilian; Hauback, Bjorn; Linder, Marc; Luetto, Carlo; Moretto, Pietro; Sgroi, Mauro

2017-02-01

The main objective of the SSH2S (Fuel Cell Coupled Solid State Hydrogen Storage Tank) project was to develop a solid state hydrogen storage tank based on complex hydrides and to fully integrate it with a High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell stack. A mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system was used as the main storage material for the tank, due to its high gravimetric storage capacity and relatively low hydrogen desorption temperature. The mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system was coupled with a standard intermetallic compound to take advantage of its capability to release hydrogen at ambient temperature and to ensure a fast start-up of the system. The hydrogen storage tank was designed to feed a 1 kW HT-PEM stack for 2 h to be used for an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). A full thermal integration was possible thanks to the high operation temperature of the fuel cell and to the relative low temperature (170 °C) for hydrogen release from the mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system.

Environmental factor analysis of cholera in China using remote sensing and geographical information systems.

PubMed

Xu, M; Cao, C X; Wang, D C; Kan, B; Xu, Y F; Ni, X L; Zhu, Z C

2016-04-01

Cholera is one of a number of infectious diseases that appears to be influenced by climate, geography and other natural environments. This study analysed the environmental factors of the spatial distribution of cholera in China. It shows that temperature, precipitation, elevation, and distance to the coastline have significant impact on the distribution of cholera. It also reveals the oceanic environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, which is a coastal province of China, using both remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The analysis has validated the correlation between indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local number of cholera cases based on 8-year monthly data from 2001 to 2008. The results show the number of cholera cases has been strongly affected by the variables of SST, SSH and OCC. Utilizing this information, a cholera prediction model has been established based on the oceanic and climatic environmental factors. The model indicates that RS and GIS have great potential for designing an early warning system for cholera.

Hybrid Stochastic Search Technique based Suboptimal AGC Regulator Design for Power System using Constrained Feedback Control Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibraheem, Omveer, Hasan, N.

2010-10-01

A new hybrid stochastic search technique is proposed to design of suboptimal AGC regulator for a two area interconnected non reheat thermal power system incorporating DC link in parallel with AC tie-line. In this technique, we are proposing the hybrid form of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SA) based regulator. GASA has been successfully applied to constrained feedback control problems where other PI based techniques have often failed. The main idea in this scheme is to seek a feasible PI based suboptimal solution at each sampling time. The feasible solution decreases the cost function rather than minimizing the cost function.

Polymer planar lightwave circuit based hybrid-integrated coherent receiver for advanced modulation signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin; Han, Yang; Liang, Zhongcheng; Chen, Yongjin

2012-11-01

Applying coherent detection technique to advanced modulation formats makes it possible to electronically compensate the signal impairments. A key issue for a successful deployment of coherent detection technique is the availability of cost-efficient and compact integrated receivers, which are composed of an optical 90° hybrid mixer and four photodiodes (PDs). In this work, three different types of optical hybrids are fabricated with polymer planar lightwave circuit (PLC), and hybridly integrated with four vertical backside illuminated III-V PDs. Their performances, such as the insertion loss, the transmission imbalance, the polarization dependence and the phase deviation of 90° hybrid will be discussed.

Fast Computation of Frequency Response of Cavity-Backed Apertures Using MBPE in Conjunction with Hybrid FEM/MoM Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.; Cockrell, C. R.; Beck, F. B.

2004-01-01

The hybrid Finite Element Method(FEM)/Method of Moments(MoM) technique has become popular over the last few years due to its flexibility to handle arbitrarily shaped objects with complex materials. One of the disadvantages of this technique, however, is the computational cost involved in obtaining solutions over a frequency range as computations are repeated for each frequency. In this paper, the application of Model Based Parameter Estimation (MBPE) method[1] with the hybrid FEM/MoM technique is presented for fast computation of frequency response of cavity-backed apertures[2,3]. In MBPE, the electric field is expanded in a rational function of two polynomials. The coefficients of the rational function are obtained using the frequency-derivatives of the integro-differential equation formed by the hybrid FEM/MoM technique. Using the rational function approximation, the electric field is calculated at different frequencies from which the frequency response is obtained.

Multi-model Ensemble of Ocean Data Assimilation Products in The Northwestern Pacific and Their Quality Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isoguchi, O.; Matsui, K.; Kamachi, M.; Usui, N.; Miyazawa, Y.; Ishikawa, Y.; Hirose, N.

2017-12-01

Several operational ocean assimilation models are currently available for the Northwestern Pacific and surrounding marginal seas. One of the main targets is predicting the Kuroshio/Kuroshio Extension, which have an impact not only on social activities, such as fishery and ship routing, but also on local weather. There is a demand to assess their quality comprehensively and make the best out the available products. In the present study, several ocean data assimilation products and their multi-ensemble product were assessed by comparing with satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and in-situ hydrographic sections. The Kuroshio axes were also computed from the surface currents of these products and were compared with the Kuroshio Axis data produced analyzing satellite-SST, SSH, and in-situ observations by Marine Information Research Center (MIRC). The multi-model ensemble products generally showed the best accuracy in terms of the comparisons with the satellite-derived SST and SSH. On the other hand, the ensemble products didn't result in the best one in the comparison with the hydrographic sections. It is thus suggested that the multi-model ensemble works efficiently for the horizontally 2D parameters for which each assimilation product tends to have random errors while it does not work well for the vertical 2D comparisons for which it tends to have bias errors with respect to in-situ data. In the assessment with the Kuroshio Axis Data, some products showed more energetic behavior than the Kuroshio Axis data, resulting in the large path errors which are defined as a ratio between an area surrounded by the reference and model-derived ones and a path length. It is however not determined which are real, because in-situ observations are still lacking to resolve energetic Kuroshio behavior even though the Kuroshio is one of the strongest current.

Surveillance technique for hybrid WDM/PS-PON using a tunable OTDR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hann, Swook; Yoo, Jun-sang; Park, Chang-soo

2005-05-01

A surveillance technique for passive optical networks (PON) is presented. The technique is based on the remote sensing of fiber Bragg grating using a tunable OTDR. Hybrid architecture of WDM and passive splitter-PON can be analyzed by the surveillance method at the central office under in-service state of PON.

Probe kit for identifying a base in a nucleic acid

DOEpatents

Fodor, Stephen P. A.; Lipshutz, Robert J.; Huang, Xiaohua

2001-01-01

Devices and techniques for hybridization of nucleic acids and for determining the sequence of nucleic acids. Arrays of nucleic acids are formed by techniques, preferably high resolution, light-directed techniques. Positions of hybridization of a target nucleic acid are determined by, e.g., epifluorescence microscopy. Devices and techniques are proposed to determine the sequence of a target nucleic acid more efficiently and more quickly through such synthesis and detection techniques.

Design and Evaluation of Fusion Approach for Combining Brain and Gaze Inputs for Target Selection

PubMed Central

Évain, Andéol; Argelaguet, Ferran; Casiez, Géry; Roussel, Nicolas; Lécuyer, Anatole

2016-01-01

Gaze-based interfaces and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) allow for hands-free human–computer interaction. In this paper, we investigate the combination of gaze and BCIs. We propose a novel selection technique for 2D target acquisition based on input fusion. This new approach combines the probabilistic models for each input, in order to better estimate the intent of the user. We evaluated its performance against the existing gaze and brain–computer interaction techniques. Twelve participants took part in our study, in which they had to search and select 2D targets with each of the evaluated techniques. Our fusion-based hybrid interaction technique was found to be more reliable than the previous gaze and BCI hybrid interaction techniques for 10 participants over 12, while being 29% faster on average. However, similarly to what has been observed in hybrid gaze-and-speech interaction, gaze-only interaction technique still provides the best performance. Our results should encourage the use of input fusion, as opposed to sequential interaction, in order to design better hybrid interfaces. PMID:27774048

AYUSH: A Technique for Extending Lifetime of SRAM-NVM Hybrid Caches

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

Mittal, Sparsh; Vetter, Jeffrey S

2014-01-01

Recently, researchers have explored way-based hybrid SRAM-NVM (non-volatile memory) last level caches (LLCs) to bring the best of SRAM and NVM together. However, the limited write endurance of NVMs restricts the lifetime of these hybrid caches. We present AYUSH, a technique to enhance the lifetime of hybrid caches, which works by using data-migration to preferentially use SRAM for storing frequently-reused data. Microarchitectural simulations confirm that AYUSH achieves larger improvement in lifetime than a previous technique and also maintains performance and energy efficiency. For single, dual and quad-core workloads, the average increase in cache lifetime with AYUSH is 6.90X, 24.06X andmore » 47.62X, respectively.« less

A Sub-filter Scale Noise Equation far Hybrid LES Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Marvin E.

2006-01-01

Hybrid LES/subscale modeling approaches have an important advantage over the current noise prediction methods in that they only involve modeling of the relatively universal subscale motion and not the configuration dependent larger scale turbulence . Previous hybrid approaches use approximate statistical techniques or extrapolation methods to obtain the requisite information about the sub-filter scale motion. An alternative approach would be to adopt the modeling techniques used in the current noise prediction methods and determine the unknown stresses from experimental data. The present paper derives an equation for predicting the sub scale sound from information that can be obtained with currently available experimental procedures. The resulting prediction method would then be intermediate between the current noise prediction codes and previously proposed hybrid techniques.

Adult thoracolumbar and lumbar scoliosis treated with long vertebral fusion to the sacropelvis: a comparison between new hybrid selective spinal fusion versus anterior-posterior spinal instrumentation.

PubMed

Yagi, Mitsuru; Patel, Ravi; Lawhorne, Thomas W; Cunningham, Matthew E; Boachie-Adjei, Oheneba

2014-04-01

Combined anteroposterior spinal fusion with instrumentation has been used for many years to treat adult thoracolumbar/lumbar scoliosis. This surgery remains a technical challenge to spine surgeons, and current literature reports high complication rates. The purpose of this study is to validate a new hybrid technique (a combination of single-rod anterior instrumentation and a shorter posterior instrumentation to the sacrum) to treat adult thoracolumbar/lumbar scoliosis. This study is a retrospective consecutive case series of surgically treated patients with adult lumbar or thoracolumbar scoliosis. This is a retrospective study of 33 matched pairs of patients with adult scoliosis who underwent two different surgical procedures: a new hybrid technique versus a third-generation anteroposterior spinal fusion. Preoperative and postoperative outcome measures include self-report measures, physiological measures, and functional measures. In a retrospective case-control study, 33 patients treated with the hybrid technique were matched with 33 patients treated with traditional anteroposterior fusion based on preoperative radiographic parameters. Mean follow-up in the hybrid group was 5.3 years (range, 2-11 years), compared with 4.6 years (range, 2-10 years) in the control group. Operating room (OR) time, estimated blood loss, and levels fused were collected as surrogates for surgical morbidity. Radiographic parameters were collected preoperatively, postoperatively, and at final follow-up. The Scoliosis Research Society Patient Questionnaire (SRS-22r) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were collected for clinical outcomes. Operating room time, EBL, and levels fused were significantly less in the hybrid group compared with the control group (p<.0001). The postoperative thoracic Cobb angle was similar between the hybrid and control techniques (p=.24); however, the hybrid technique showed significant improvement in the thoracolumbar/lumbar curves (p=.004) and the lumbosacral fractional curve (p<.0001). The major complication rate was less in the hybrid group compared with the control group (18% vs. 39%, p=.01). Clinical outcomes at final follow-up were not significantly different based on overall SRS-22r scores and ODI scores. The new hybrid technique demonstrates good long-term results, with less morbidity and fewer complications than traditional anteroposterior surgery select patients with thoracolumbar/lumbar scoliosis. This study received no funding. No potential conflict of interest-associated bias existed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bonding techniques for hybrid active pixel sensors (HAPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bigas, M.; Cabruja, E.; Lozano, M.

2007-05-01

A hybrid active pixel sensor (HAPS) consists of an array of sensing elements which is connected to an electronic read-out unit. The most used way to connect these two different devices is bump bonding. This interconnection technique is very suitable for these systems because it allows a very fine pitch and a high number of I/Os. However, there are other interconnection techniques available such as direct bonding. This paper, as a continuation of a review [M. Lozano, E. Cabruja, A. Collado, J. Santander, M. Ullan, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 473 (1-2) (2001) 95-101] published in 2001, presents an update of the different advanced bonding techniques available for manufacturing a hybrid active pixel detector.

Peregrine System User Basics | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

peregrine.hpc.nrel.gov or to one of the login nodes. Example commands to access Peregrine from a Linux or Mac OS X system Code Example Create a file called hello.F90 containing the following code: program hello write(6 information by enclosing it in brackets < >. For example: $ ssh -Y

Running STAR-CCM+ Software on the Peregrine System | High-Performance

Science.gov Websites

/bin/lmutil lmstat -c 1999@wind-lms.nrel.gov -a module load star-ccm export TMPDIR="/scratch/$USER + -power -rsh "ssh -oStrictHostKeyChecking=no" -machinefile nodelist -np $(($nodes*$cores , type the commands from the SLURM script and make sure the job runs: module load star-ccm export TMPDIR

Fabrication of polymer/cadmium sulfide hybrid solar cells [P3HT:CdS and PCPDTBT:CdS] by spray deposition.

PubMed

Kumar, Neetesh; Dutta, Viresh

2014-11-15

This paper investigates fabrication of surfactant free CdS nanoparticles (NPs) and application in the fabrication of P3HT:CdS and PCPDTBT:CdS bulk-heterojunction hybrid solar cells using high-throughput, large-area, low cost spray deposition technique. Both the hybrid active layers and hole transport layers are deposited by spray technique. The CdS/Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and CdS/Poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) hybrid devices are fabricated by spray deposition process at optimized conditions (i.e. film thickness, spray solution volume, distance between sample and spray nozzle, substrate temperature, etc.). The power conversion efficiency of η=0.6% and 1.02% is obtained for P3HT:CdS and PCPDTBT:CdS hybrid devices, respectively. Spray coating holds significant promise as a technique capable of fabricating large-area, high performance hybrid solar cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combined surface activated bonding using H-containing HCOOH vapor treatment for Cu/Adhesive hybrid bonding at below 200 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Ran; Fujino, Masahisa; Akaike, Masatake; Sakai, Taiji; Sakuyama, Seiki; Suga, Tadatomo

2017-08-01

Cu/adhesive hybrid bonding is an attractive approach to three-dimensional (3D) integration because it provides direct Cusbnd Cu vertical interconnects and high mechanical stability. However, Cu/adhesive hybrid bonding at below 200 °C is still challenging because of bonding temperature mismatch between Cusbnd Cu and polymer adhesives and lacking of effective adhesive-compatible Cu surface activation methods. In this paper, we investigate and demonstrate a ;Cu-first; hybrid bonding technique by using hydrogen(H)-containing formic acid (HCOOH) vapor prebonding surface treatment for the first time. In this technique, high-quality Cusbnd Cu bonding is obtained at 180-200 °C that is close to or even lower than the temperature of subsequent adhesive curing. We experimentally investigate the effects of the H-containing HCOOH vapor treatment for Cusbnd Cu bonding and cyclo-olefin polymer adhesive-adhesive bonding. This technique enables Cu/adhesive hybrid bonding at below 200 °C, promising smaller thermal stress, higher throughput, and lower cost comparing to the existing ;adhesive-first; hybrid bonding method.

The Rise of GNSS Reflectometry for Earth Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuffada, Cinzia; Li, Zhijin; Nghiem, Son V.; Lowe, Steve; Shah, Rashmi; Clarizia, Maria Paola; Cardellach, Estel

2015-01-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry, i.e. GNSS-R, is a novel remote-sensing technique first published in that uses GNSS signals reflected from the Earth's surface to infer its surface properties such as sea surface height (SSH), ocean winds, sea-ice coverage, vegetation, wetlands and soil moisture, to name a few. This communication discusses the scientific value of GNSS-R to (a) furthering our understanding of ocean mesoscale circulation toward scales finer than those that existing nadir altimeters can resolve, and (b) mapping vegetated wetlands, an emerging application that might open up new avenues to map and monitor the planet's wetlands for methane emission assessments. Such applications are expected to be demonstrated by the availability of data from GEROS-ISS, an ESA experiment currently in phase A, and CyGNSS [3], a NASA mission currently in development. In particular, the paper details the expected error characteristics and the role of filtering played in the assimilation of these data to reduce the altimetric error (when averaging many measurements).

The use of hybrid integrated circuit techniques in biotelemetry applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fryer, T. B.

1977-01-01

A review is presented of some features of hybrid integrated circuits that make their use advantageous in miniature biotelemetry applications. The various techniques for fabricating resistors, capacitors and interconnections by both thin film and thick film technology are discussed. The use of chip capacitors, resistors, and especially standard IC chips on substrates with fired-on interconnection patterns is emphasized. The review is designed primarily to acquaint biotelemetry users and designers with an overview of this fabrication technique so that they can better communicate their needs with an understanding of its limitations and advantages to facilities specializing in hybrid construction.

Formal methods for modeling and analysis of hybrid systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiwari, Ashish (Inventor); Lincoln, Patrick D. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A technique based on the use of a quantifier elimination decision procedure for real closed fields and simple theorem proving to construct a series of successively finer qualitative abstractions of hybrid automata is taught. The resulting abstractions are always discrete transition systems which can then be used by any traditional analysis tool. The constructed abstractions are conservative and can be used to establish safety properties of the original system. The technique works on linear and non-linear polynomial hybrid systems: the guards on discrete transitions and the continuous flows in all modes can be specified using arbitrary polynomial expressions over the continuous variables. An exemplar tool in the SAL environment built over the theorem prover PVS is detailed. The technique scales well to large and complex hybrid systems.

A Hybrid Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm Technique for Aircraft Engine Performance Diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobayashi, Takahisa; Simon, Donald L.

2001-01-01

In this paper, a model-based diagnostic method, which utilizes Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms, is investigated. Neural networks are applied to estimate the engine internal health, and Genetic Algorithms are applied for sensor bias detection and estimation. This hybrid approach takes advantage of the nonlinear estimation capability provided by neural networks while improving the robustness to measurement uncertainty through the application of Genetic Algorithms. The hybrid diagnostic technique also has the ability to rank multiple potential solutions for a given set of anomalous sensor measurements in order to reduce false alarms and missed detections. The performance of the hybrid diagnostic technique is evaluated through some case studies derived from a turbofan engine simulation. The results show this approach is promising for reliable diagnostics of aircraft engines.

Comparison Of The Performance Of Hybrid Coders Under Different Configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunasekaran, S.; Raina J., P.

1983-10-01

Picture bandwidth reduction employing DPCM and Orthogonal Transform (OT) coding for TV transmission have been widely discussed in literature; both the techniques have their own advantages and limitations in terms of compression ratio, implementation, sensitivity to picture statistics and their sensitivity to the channel noise. Hybrid coding introduced by Habibi, - a cascade of the two techniques, offers excellent performance and proves to be attractive retaining the special advantages of both the techniques. In the recent times, the interest has shifted over to Hybrid coding, and in the absence of a report on the relative performance specifications of hybrid coders at different configurations, an attempt has been made to colate the information. Fourier, Hadamard, Slant, Sine, Cosine and Harr transforms have been considered for the present work.

Function of Hevea brasiliensis NAC1 in dehydration-induced laticifer differentiation and latex biosynthesis.

PubMed

Cao, Yuxin; Zhai, Jinling; Wang, Qichao; Yuan, Hongmei; Huang, Xi

2017-01-01

HbNAC1 is a transcription factor in rubber plants whose expression is induced by dehydration, leading to latex biosynthesis. Laticifer is a special tissue in Hevea brasiliensis where natural rubber is biosynthesized and accumulated. In young stems of epicormic shoots, the differentiation of secondary laticifers can be induced by wounding, which can be prevented when the wounding site is wrapped. Using this system, differentially expressed genes were screened by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and macroarray analyses. This led to the identification of several dehydration-related genes that could be involved in laticifer differentiation and/or latex biosynthesis, including a NAC transcription factor (termed as HbNAC1). Tissue sections confirmed that local tissue dehydration was a key signal for laticifer differentiation. HbNAC1 was localized at the nucleus and showed strong transcriptional activity in yeast, suggesting that HbNAC1 is a transcription factor. Furthermore, HbNAC1 was found to bind to the cis-element CACG in the promoter region of the gene encoding the small rubber particle protein (SRPP). Transgenic experiments also confirmed that HbNAC1 interacted with the SRPP promoter when co-expressed, and enhanced expression of the reporter gene β-glucuronidase occurred in planta. In addition, overexpression of HbNAC1 in tobacco plants conferred drought tolerance. Together, the data suggest that HbNAC1 might be involved in dehydration-induced laticifer differentiation and latex biosynthesis.

Integrated miRNA-mRNA analysis reveals regulatory pathways underlying the curly fleece trait in Chinese tan sheep.

PubMed

Liu, Yufang; Zhang, Jibin; Xu, Qiao; Kang, Xiaolong; Wang, Kejun; Wu, Keliang; Fang, Meiying

2018-05-11

Tan sheep is an indigenous Chinese breed well known for its beautiful curly fleece. One prominent breed characteristic of this sheep breed is that the degree of curliness differs markedly between lambs and adults, but the molecular mechanisms regulating the shift are still not well understood. In this study, we identified 49 differentially expressed (DE) microRNAs (miRNAs) between Tan sheep at the two stages through miRNA-seq, and combined the data with that in our earlier Suppression Subtractive Hybridization cDNA (SSH) library study to elucidate the mechanisms underlying curly fleece formation. Thirty-six potential miRNA-mRNA target pairs were identified using computational methods, including 25 DE miRNAs and 10 DE genes involved in the MAPK signaling pathway, steroid biosynthesis and metabolic pathways. With the differential expressions between lambs and adults confirmed by qRT-PCR, some miRNAs were already annotated in the genome, but some were novel miRNAs. Inhibition of KRT83 expression by miR-432 was confirmed by both gene knockdown with siRNA and overexpression, which was consistent with the miRNAs and targets prediction results. Our study represents the comprehensive analysis of mRNA and miRNA in Tan sheep and offers detailed insight into the development of curly fleece as well as the potential mechanisms controlling curly hair formation in humans.

Non-Intrusive Measurement Techniques Applied to the Hybrid Solid Fuel Degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauty, F.

2004-10-01

The knowledge of the solid fuel regression rate and the time evolution of the grain geometry are requested for hybrid motor design and control of its operating conditions. Two non-intrusive techniques (NDT) have been applied to hybrid propulsion : both are based on wave propagation, the X-rays and the ultrasounds, through the materials. X-ray techniques allow local thickness measurements (attenuated signal level) using small probes or 2D images (Real Time Radiography), with a link between the size of field of view and accuracy. Beside the safety hazards associated with the high-intensity X-ray systems, the image analysis requires the use of quite complex post-processing techniques. The ultrasound technique is more widely used in energetic material applications, including hybrid fuels. Depending upon the transducer size and the associated equipment, the application domain is large, from tiny samples to the quad-port wagon wheel grain of the 1.1 MN thrust HPDP motor. The effect of the physical quantities has to be taken into account in the wave propagation analysis. With respect to the various applications, there is no unique and perfect experimental method to measure the fuel regression rate. The best solution could be obtained by combining two techniques at the same time, each technique enhancing the quality of the global data.

Applications of UV/Vis Spectroscopy in Characterization and Catalytic Activity of Noble Metal Nanoparticles Fabricated in Responsive Polymer Microgels: A Review.

PubMed

Begum, Robina; Farooqi, Zahoor H; Naseem, Khalida; Ali, Faisal; Batool, Madeeha; Xiao, Jianliang; Irfan, Ahmad

2018-11-02

Noble metal nanoparticles loaded smart polymer microgels have gained much attention due to fascinating combination of their properties in a single system. These hybrid systems have been extensively used in biomedicines, photonics, and catalysis. Hybrid microgels are characterized by using various techniques but UV/Vis spectroscopy is an easily available technique for characterization of noble metal nanoparticles loaded microgels. This technique is widely used for determination of size and shape of metal nanoparticles. The tuning of optical properties of noble metal nanoparticles under various stimuli can be studied using UV/Vis spectroscopic method. Time course UV/Vis spectroscopy can also be used to monitor the kinetics of swelling and deswelling of microgels and hybrid microgels. Growth of metal nanoparticles in polymeric network or growth of polymeric network around metal nanoparticle core can be studied by using UV/Vis spectroscopy. This technique can also be used for investigation of various applications of hybrid materials in catalysis, photonics, and sensing. This tutorial review describes the uses of UV/Vis spectroscopy in characterization and catalytic applications of responsive hybrid microgels with respect to recent research progress in this area.

Error compensation for hybrid-computer solution of linear differential equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kemp, N. H.

1970-01-01

Z-transform technique compensates for digital transport delay and digital-to-analog hold. Method determines best values for compensation constants in multi-step and Taylor series projections. Technique also provides hybrid-calculation error compared to continuous exact solution, plus system stability properties.

Swarm Intelligence for Optimizing Hybridized Smoothing Filter in Image Edge Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, B. Tirumala; Dehuri, S.; Dileep, M.; Vindhya, A.

In this modern era, image transmission and processing plays a major role. It would be impossible to retrieve information from satellite and medical images without the help of image processing techniques. Edge enhancement is an image processing step that enhances the edge contrast of an image or video in an attempt to improve its acutance. Edges are the representations of the discontinuities of image intensity functions. For processing these discontinuities in an image, a good edge enhancement technique is essential. The proposed work uses a new idea for edge enhancement using hybridized smoothening filters and we introduce a promising technique of obtaining best hybrid filter using swarm algorithms (Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO)) to search for an optimal sequence of filters from among a set of rather simple, representative image processing filters. This paper deals with the analysis of the swarm intelligence techniques through the combination of hybrid filters generated by these algorithms for image edge enhancement.

Classification of Two Class Motor Imagery Tasks Using Hybrid GA-PSO Based K-Means Clustering.

PubMed

Suraj; Tiwari, Purnendu; Ghosh, Subhojit; Sinha, Rakesh Kumar

2015-01-01

Transferring the brain computer interface (BCI) from laboratory condition to meet the real world application needs BCI to be applied asynchronously without any time constraint. High level of dynamism in the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal reasons us to look toward evolutionary algorithm (EA). Motivated by these two facts, in this work a hybrid GA-PSO based K-means clustering technique has been used to distinguish two class motor imagery (MI) tasks. The proposed hybrid GA-PSO based K-means clustering is found to outperform genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) based K-means clustering techniques in terms of both accuracy and execution time. The lesser execution time of hybrid GA-PSO technique makes it suitable for real time BCI application. Time frequency representation (TFR) techniques have been used to extract the feature of the signal under investigation. TFRs based features are extracted and relying on the concept of event related synchronization (ERD) and desynchronization (ERD) feature vector is formed.

Classification of Two Class Motor Imagery Tasks Using Hybrid GA-PSO Based K-Means Clustering

PubMed Central

Suraj; Tiwari, Purnendu; Ghosh, Subhojit; Sinha, Rakesh Kumar

2015-01-01

Transferring the brain computer interface (BCI) from laboratory condition to meet the real world application needs BCI to be applied asynchronously without any time constraint. High level of dynamism in the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal reasons us to look toward evolutionary algorithm (EA). Motivated by these two facts, in this work a hybrid GA-PSO based K-means clustering technique has been used to distinguish two class motor imagery (MI) tasks. The proposed hybrid GA-PSO based K-means clustering is found to outperform genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) based K-means clustering techniques in terms of both accuracy and execution time. The lesser execution time of hybrid GA-PSO technique makes it suitable for real time BCI application. Time frequency representation (TFR) techniques have been used to extract the feature of the signal under investigation. TFRs based features are extracted and relying on the concept of event related synchronization (ERD) and desynchronization (ERD) feature vector is formed. PMID:25972896

Structure, organization and expression of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) SLP-76 gene.

PubMed

Huang, Rong; Sun, Xiao-Feng; Hu, Wei; Wang, Ya-Ping; Guo, Qiong-Lin

2008-05-01

SLP-76 is an important member of the SLP-76 family of adapters, and it plays a key role in TCR signaling and T cell function. Partial cDNA sequence of SLP-76 of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was isolated from thymus cDNA library by the method of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Subsequently, the full length cDNA of carp SLP-76 was obtained by means of 3' RACE and 5' RACE, respectively. The full length cDNA of carp SLP-76 was 2007 bp, consisting of a 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 285 bp, a 3'-terminal UTR of 240 bp, and an open reading frame of 1482 bp. Sequence comparison showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of carp SLP-76 had an overall similarity of 34-73% to that of other species homologues, and it was composed of an NH2-terminal domain, a central proline-rich domain, and a C-terminal SH2 domain. Amino acid sequence analysis indicated the existence of a Gads binding site R-X-X-K, a 10-aa-long sequence which binds to the SH3 domain of LCK in vitro, and three conserved tyrosine-containing sequence in the NH2-terminal domain. Then we used PCR to obtain a genomic DNA which covers the entire coding region of carp SLP-76. In the 9.2k-long genomic sequence, twenty one exons and twenty introns were identified. RT-PCR results showed that carp SLP-76 was expressed predominantly in hematopoietic tissues, and was upregulated in thymus tissue of four-month carp compared to one-year old carp. RT-PCR and virtual northern hybridization results showed that carp SLP-76 was also upregulated in thymus tissue of GH transgenic carp at the age of four-months. These results suggest that the expression level of SLP-76 gene may be related to thymocyte development in teleosts.

A novel white spot syndrome virus protein WSSV164 controls prophenoloxidases, PmproPOs in shrimp melanization cascade.

PubMed

Sangsuriya, Pakkakul; Charoensapsri, Walaiporn; Sutthangkul, Jantiwan; Senapin, Saengchan; Hirono, Ikuo; Tassanakajon, Anchalee; Amparyup, Piti

2018-09-01

Melanization, mediated by the prophenoloxidase (proPO)-activating system, is an important innate immune response in invertebrates. The implication of the proPO system in antiviral response and the suppression of host proPO activation by the viral protein have previously been demonstrated in shrimp. However, the molecular mechanism of viral-host interactions in the proPO cascade remains largely unexplored. Here, we characterized the viral protein, namely, WSSV164, which was initially identified from the forward suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library of the PmproPO1/2 co-silenced black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon that was challenged with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). Using the yeast two-hybrid system, WSSV164 was found to interact with the PmproPO2 protein. The subsequent validation assay by co-immunoprecipitation revealed that WSSV164 directly bound to both PmproPO1 and PmproPO2. The gene silencing experiment was carried out to explore the role of WSSV164 in the control of the proPO pathway in shrimp, and the results showed that suppression of WSSV164 can restore PO activity in WSSV-infected shrimp hemolymph. The recombinant proteins of PmproPO1 and PmproPO2 were produced in Sf-9 cells and were shown to be successfully activated by exogenous trypsin and endogenous serine proteinases from shrimp hemocyte lysate supernatant (HLS), yielding PO activity in vitro. Moreover, the activated PO activity in shrimp HLS was dose-dependently reduced by the recombinant WSSV164 protein, suggesting that WSSV164 may interfere with the activation of the proPO system in shrimp. Taken together, these results suggest an alternative infection route of WSSV through the encoded viral protein WSSV164 that binds to the PmproPO1 and PmproPO2 proteins, interfering with the activation of the melanization cascade in shrimp. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining suppressive subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarrays to identify dietary phosphorus-responsive genes of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) kidney.

PubMed

Lake, Jennifer; Gravel, Catherine; Koko, Gabriel Koffi D; Robert, Claude; Vandenberg, Grant W

2010-03-01

Phosphorus (P)-responsive genes and how they regulate renal adaptation to phosphorous-deficient diets in animals, including fish, are not well understood. RNA abundance profiling using cDNA microarrays is an efficient approach to study nutrient-gene interactions and identify these dietary P-responsive genes. To test the hypothesis that dietary P-responsive genes are differentially expressed in fish fed varying P levels, rainbow trout were fed a practical high-P diet (R20: 0.96% P) or a low-P diet (R0: 0.38% P) for 7 weeks. The differentially-expressed genes between dietary groups were identified and compared from the kidney by combining suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) with cDNA microarray analysis. A number of genes were confirmed by real-time PCR, and correlated with plasma and bone P concentrations. Approximately 54 genes were identified as potential dietary P-responsive after 7 weeks on a diet deficient in P according to cDNA microarray analysis. Of 18 selected genes, 13 genes were confirmed to be P-responsive at 7 weeks by real-time PCR analysis, including: iNOS, cytochrome b, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II , alpha-globin I, beta-globin, ATP synthase, hyperosmotic protein 21, COL1A3, Nkef, NDPK, glucose phosphate isomerase 1, Na+/H+ exchange protein and GDP dissociation inhibitor 2. Many of these dietary P-responsive genes responded in a moderate way (R0/R20 ratio: <2-3 or >0.5) and in a transient manner to dietary P limitation. In summary, renal adaptation to dietary P deficiency in trout involves changes in the expression of several genes, suggesting a profile of metabolic stress, since many of these differentially-expressed candidates are associated with the cellular adaptative responses. Crown Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of the Genomic Subtractive Hybridization Technique To Develop a Real-Time PCR Assay for Quantitative Detection of Prevotella spp. in Oral Biofilm Samples

PubMed Central

Nagashima, Shiori; Yoshida, Akihiro; Suzuki, Nao; Ansai, Toshihiro; Takehara, Tadamichi

2005-01-01

Genomic subtractive hybridization was used to design Prevotella nigrescens-specific primers and TaqMan probes. Based on this technique, a TaqMan real-time PCR assay was developed for quantifying four oral black-pigmented Prevotella species. The combination of real-time PCR and genomic subtractive hybridization is useful for preparing species-specific primer-probe sets for closely related species. PMID:15956428

An Alternate Vista in Rehabilitation of Cranial Defects: Combining Digital and Manual Techniques to Fabricate a Hybrid Cranioplast.

PubMed

Kaur, Harsimran; Nanda, Aditi; Koli, Dheeraj; Verma, Mahesh; Singh, Hukum; Bishnoi, Ishu; Pathak, Pooja; Gupta, Ankur

2015-06-01

The desired features of a cranioplast include providing an acceptable contour, continuity with the remaining skull (marginal adaptation), improvising the aesthetic outcome, providing a strengthened prosthesis to avoid fracture in case of repeat trauma, and protecting the remaining neurological structures. Combining digital and manual techniques to fabricate a hybrid polymethylmethacrylate cranioplast during the rehabilitation of a pediatric patient with cranial defect has been described. Utilization of digital techniques (rapid prototyping to obtain skull analog) and manual (hand) sculpting of the prosthesis strengthened with glass fiber enabled the authors to fabricate a hybrid cranioplast. Satisfactory outcome was achieved.

Workload-Driven Design and Evaluation of Large-Scale Data-Centric Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-09

in the batch zone in and out of a low-power state, e.g., sending a “ hibernate ” command via ssh and using Wake-on-LAN or related technologies [85]. If...parameter values for experiments with stand-alone jobs. The mapred.child.java.opts parameter sets the maximum virtual memory of the Java child pro- cesses

Using ANSYS Fluent on the Peregrine System | High-Performance Computing |

Science.gov Websites

two ways to run ANSYS CFD interactively on NREL HPC systems. When graphics rendering is not a critical when used as above is quite low (e.g., windows take a long time to come up). For small tasks, it may be , go to Category/Connection/SSH, and check off the box "enable compression". When graphics

The Implications of the Concept of Lifelong Education for the Secondary School in the United Kingdom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fincham, David

1982-01-01

Rapid changes in social circumstances and conditions will have a profound effect on ideas and attitudes concerning the role of the school. Schools ought to take account of these considerations and to examine critically their relationship with the wider society. (Falmer Press, Falmer House, Barcombe, Nr Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 5DL, UK) (SSH)

Planning Continuing Education to Meet the Needs of Nurses: Diabetes Mellitus Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Debbie Ransom; Brown, Sylvia J.

1983-01-01

It is critical for nurses to be aware of changing treatment strategies and new research developments in the field of diabetes. This is important so that nurses can respond to patient questions as well as, in some cases, modify their actual patient care approach. Thus, nurses are a vital target group for diabetes continuing education programs. (SSH)

Processing of Tense Morphology and Filler-Gap Dependencies by Chinese Second Language Speakers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Zhiyin Renee

2014-01-01

There is an ongoing debate in the field of Second Language Acquisition concerning whether a fundamental difference exists between the native language (L1) and adult second language (L2) online processing of syntax and morpho-syntax. The Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH) (Clahsen and Felser, 2006a, b) states that L2 online parsing is qualitatively…

Intraseasonal Variability of the Equatorial Indian Ocean Observed from Sea Surface Height, Wind, and Temperature Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fu, Lee-Lueng

2007-01-01

The forcing of the equatorial Indian Ocean by the highly periodic monsoon wind cycle creates many interesting intraseasonal variabilities. The frequency spectrum of the wind stress observations from the European Remote Sensing Satellite scatterometers reveals peaks at the seasonal cycle and its higher harmonics at 180, 120, 90, and 75 days. The observations of sea surface height (SSH) from the Jason and Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon radar altimeters are analyzed to study the ocean's response. The focus of the study is on the intraseasonal periods shorter than the annual period. The semiannual SSH variability is characterized by a basin mode involving Rossby waves and Kelvin waves traveling back and forth in the equatorial Indian Ocean between 10(deg)S and 10(deg)N. However, the interference of these waves with each other masks the appearance of individual Kelvin and Rossby waves, leading to a nodal point (amphidrome) of phase propagation on the equator at the center of the basin. The characteristics of the mode correspond to a resonance of the basin according to theoretical models. The theory also calls for similar modes at 90 and 60 days.

Climate and cholera in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the role of environmental factors and implications for epidemic preparedness.

PubMed

Mendelsohn, Joshua; Dawson, Terry

2008-03-01

A cholera epidemic that took place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2000-2001) was employed to investigate the impact of climatic and environmental drivers on cholera dynamics. Precipitation (PRE), sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) data acquired from publicly available satellite and ground measurements were analysed together with disease incidence in an effort to assess the environmental contribution to the outbreak. SST (r(2)=0.749, lag=0 months) and PRE (r(2)=0.744, lag=2 months) showed strong associations with incidence. CHL-a showed a moderately strong (r(2)=0.656, lag=6 months) association with incidence while sea surface height (SSH) demonstrated a weak relationship with incidence (r(2)=0.326, lag=5 months). Our analysis tentatively supports a coastal transmission hypothesis, heavily influenced by localized PRE extremes. The role of SSH is likely attenuated by local coastal topography. Future work should clarify the mechanism linking coastal cholera reservoirs and the regional climate system to outbreaks in this region. Finally, we discuss benefits of further research in this area using extended remotely sensed and epidemiological datasets towards the development of early-warning systems and enhanced epidemic preparedness.

Assume-Guarantee Abstraction Refinement Meets Hybrid Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogomolov, Sergiy; Frehse, Goran; Greitschus, Marius; Grosu, Radu; Pasareanu, Corina S.; Podelski, Andreas; Strump, Thomas

2014-01-01

Compositional verification techniques in the assume- guarantee style have been successfully applied to transition systems to efficiently reduce the search space by leveraging the compositional nature of the systems under consideration. We adapt these techniques to the domain of hybrid systems with affine dynamics. To build assumptions we introduce an abstraction based on location merging. We integrate the assume-guarantee style analysis with automatic abstraction refinement. We have implemented our approach in the symbolic hybrid model checker SpaceEx. The evaluation shows its practical potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work combining assume-guarantee reasoning with automatic abstraction-refinement in the context of hybrid automata.

Hybrid Disease Diagnosis Using Multiobjective Optimization with Evolutionary Parameter Optimization

PubMed Central

Nalluri, MadhuSudana Rao; K., Kannan; M., Manisha

2017-01-01

With the widespread adoption of e-Healthcare and telemedicine applications, accurate, intelligent disease diagnosis systems have been profoundly coveted. In recent years, numerous individual machine learning-based classifiers have been proposed and tested, and the fact that a single classifier cannot effectively classify and diagnose all diseases has been almost accorded with. This has seen a number of recent research attempts to arrive at a consensus using ensemble classification techniques. In this paper, a hybrid system is proposed to diagnose ailments using optimizing individual classifier parameters for two classifier techniques, namely, support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) technique. We employ three recent evolutionary algorithms to optimize the parameters of the classifiers above, leading to six alternative hybrid disease diagnosis systems, also referred to as hybrid intelligent systems (HISs). Multiple objectives, namely, prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, have been considered to assess the efficacy of the proposed hybrid systems with existing ones. The proposed model is evaluated on 11 benchmark datasets, and the obtained results demonstrate that our proposed hybrid diagnosis systems perform better in terms of disease prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Pertinent statistical tests were carried out to substantiate the efficacy of the obtained results. PMID:29065626

DNA hybridization detection on electrical microarrays using coulostatic pulse technique.

PubMed

Dharuman, V; Nebling, E; Grunwald, T; Albers, J; Blohm, L; Elsholz, B; Wörl, R; Hintsche, R

2006-12-15

We demonstrated a novel application of transient coulostatic pulse technique for the detection of label free DNA hybridization on nm-sized gold interdigitated ultramicroelectrode arrays (Au-IDA) made in silicon technology. The array consists of eight different positions with an Au-IDA pair at each position arranged on the Si-based Biochip. Immobilization of capture probes onto the Au-IDA was accomplished by self-assembling of thiol-modified oligonucleotides. Target hybridization was indicated by a change in the magnitude of the time dependant potential relaxation curve in presence of electroactive Fe(CN)(6)(3-) in the phosphate buffer solution. While complementary DNA hybridization showed 50% increase in the relaxation potential, the non-complementary DNA showed a negligible change. A constant behaviour was noted for all positions. The dsDNA specific intercalating molecule, methylene blue, was found to be enhancing the discrimination effect. The changes in the relaxation potential curves were further corroborated following the ELISA like experiments using ExtraAvidine alkaline phosphatase labelling and redox recycling of para-aminophenol phosphate at IDAs. The coulostatic pulse technique was shown to be useful for identifying DNA sequences from brain tumour gene CK20, human herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and M13 phage. Compared to the hybridization of short chain ONTs (27 mers), the hybridization of long chain M13 phage DNA showed three times higher increase in the relaxation curves. The method is fast enough to monitor hybridization interactions in milli or microsecond time scales and is well suitable for miniaturization and integration compared to the common impedance techniques for developing capacitative DNA sensors.

Hybrid photonic signal processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghauri, Farzan Naseer

This thesis proposes research of novel hybrid photonic signal processing systems in the areas of optical communications, test and measurement, RF signal processing and extreme environment optical sensors. It will be shown that use of innovative hybrid techniques allows design of photonic signal processing systems with superior performance parameters and enhanced capabilities. These applications can be divided into domains of analog-digital hybrid signal processing applications and free-space---fiber-coupled hybrid optical sensors. The analog-digital hybrid signal processing applications include a high-performance analog-digital hybrid MEMS variable optical attenuator that can simultaneously provide high dynamic range as well as high resolution attenuation controls; an analog-digital hybrid MEMS beam profiler that allows high-power watt-level laser beam profiling and also provides both submicron-level high resolution and wide area profiling coverage; and all optical transversal RF filters that operate on the principle of broadband optical spectral control using MEMS and/or Acousto-Optic tunable Filters (AOTF) devices which can provide continuous, digital or hybrid signal time delay and weight selection. The hybrid optical sensors presented in the thesis are extreme environment pressure sensors and dual temperature-pressure sensors. The sensors employ hybrid free-space and fiber-coupled techniques for remotely monitoring a system under simultaneous extremely high temperatures and pressures.

Safety Assessment of Two Hybrid Instrumentation Techniques in a Dental Student Endodontic Clinic: A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Coelho, Marcelo Santos; Card, Steven John; Tawil, Peter Zahi

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the safety potential of a hybrid technique combining nickel-titanium (NiTi) reciprocating and rotary instruments by third- and fourth-year dental students in the predoctoral endodontics clinic at one U.S. dental school. For the study, 3,194 root canal treatments performed by 317 dental students from 2012 through 2015 were evaluated for incidence of ledge creation and instrument separation. The hybrid reciprocating and rotary technique (RRT) consisted of a glide path creation with stainless steel hand files up to size 15/02, a crown down preparation with a NiTi reciprocating instrument, and an apical preparation with NiTi rotary instruments. The control was a traditional rotary and hand technique (RHT) that consisted of the same glide path procedure followed by a crown down preparation with NiTi rotary instruments and an apical preparation with NiTi hand instruments. The results showed that the RHT technique presented a rate of ledge creation of 1.4% per root and the RRT technique was 0.5% per root (p<0.05). Three stainless steel hand files separated: two in the RHT group and one in the RRT group. There was no separation of any NiTi file in any of the techniques. The use of the reciprocating and rotary technique for root canal instrumentation by these dental students provided good safety. This hybrid technique offered a low rate of ledge creation along with no NiTi instrument separation.

ProTaper rotary instrument fracture during root canal preparation: a comparison between rotary and hybrid techniques.

PubMed

Farid, Huma; Khan, Farhan Raza; Rahman, Munawar

2013-03-01

This study aimed to compare the frequency of ProTaper rotary instrument fracture with rotary (conventional) and hybrid (rotary and hand files) canal preparation techniques. Secondary objectives were to determine whether there was an association of ProTaper file fracture with the canal curvature and to compare the mean time required for canal preparation in the two techniques. An in vitro experiment was conducted on 216 buccal canals of extracted maxillary and mandibular first molars. After creating an access cavity and a glide path for each canal, a periapical radiograph was taken and the canal curvature was measured with Schneider's technique. The canals were then randomly divided into Group A (rotary technique) and Group B (hybrid technique). The length of ProTaper files were measured before and after each canal preparation. Time taken for each canal preparation was recorded. A total of seven ProTaper files fractured in Group A (P=0.014) in canals with a curvature >25 degrees (P<0.001). The mean time taken for preparation of the root canals was 104.04 sec (± 55.7 sec) in Group A versus 122.88 sec (± 41.67 sec) in Group B (P=0.007). In the teeth studied, the hybrid technique of root canal preparation with ProTaper rotary files, although time consuming, was safer in canals having a curvature greater than 25 degrees.

A hybrid artificial neural network as a software sensor for optimal control of a wastewater treatment process.

PubMed

Choi, D J; Park, H

2001-11-01

For control and automation of biological treatment processes, lack of reliable on-line sensors to measure water quality parameters is one of the most important problems to overcome. Many parameters cannot be measured directly with on-line sensors. The accuracy of existing hardware sensors is also not sufficient and maintenance problems such as electrode fouling often cause trouble. This paper deals with the development of software sensor techniques that estimate the target water quality parameter from other parameters using the correlation between water quality parameters. We focus our attention on the preprocessing of noisy data and the selection of the best model feasible to the situation. Problems of existing approaches are also discussed. We propose a hybrid neural network as a software sensor inferring wastewater quality parameter. Multivariate regression, artificial neural networks (ANN), and a hybrid technique that combines principal component analysis as a preprocessing stage are applied to data from industrial wastewater processes. The hybrid ANN technique shows an enhancement of prediction capability and reduces the overfitting problem of neural networks. The result shows that the hybrid ANN technique can be used to extract information from noisy data and to describe the nonlinearity of complex wastewater treatment processes.

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

Guida, K; Qamar, K; Thompson, M

Purpose: The RTOG 1005 trial offered a hypofractionated arm in delivering WBRT+SIB. Traditionally, treatments were planned at our institution using field-in-field (FiF) tangents with a concurrent 3D conformal boost. With the availability of VMAT, it is possible that a hybrid VMAT-3D planning technique could provide another avenue in treating WBRT+SIB. Methods: A retrospective study of nine patients previously treated using RTOG 1005 guidelines was performed to compare FiF+3D plans with the hybrid technique. A combination of static tangents and partial VMAT arcs were used in base-dose optimization. The hybrid plans were optimized to deliver 4005cGy to the breast PTVeval andmore » 4800cGy to the lumpectomy PTVeval over 15 fractions. Plans were optimized to meet the planning goals dictated by RTOG 1005. Results: Hybrid plans yielded similar coverage of breast and lumpectomy PTVs (average D95 of 4013cGy compared to 3990cGy for conventional), while reducing the volume of high dose within the breast; the average D30 and D50 for the hybrid technique were 4517cGy and 4288cGy, compared to 4704cGy and 4377cGy for conventional planning. Hybrid plans increased conformity as well, yielding CI95% values of 1.22 and 1.54 for breast and lumpectomy PTVeval volumes; in contrast, conventional plans averaged 1.49 and 2.27, respectively. The nearby organs at risk (OARs) received more low dose with the hybrid plans due to low dose spray from the partial arcs, but all hybrid plans did meet the acceptable constraints, at a minimum, from the protocol. Treatment planning time was also reduced, as plans were inversely optimized (VMAT) rather than forward optimized. Conclusion: Hybrid-VMAT could be a solution in delivering WB+SIB, as plans yield very conformal treatment plans and maintain clinical standards in OAR sparing. For treating breast cancer patients with a simultaneously-integrated boost, Hybrid-VMAT offers superiority in dosimetric conformity and planning time as compared to FIF techniques.« less

3D hybrid profile order technique in a single breath-hold 3D T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequence: Usefulness in diagnosis of small liver lesions.

PubMed

Hirata, Kenichiro; Nakaura, Takeshi; Okuaki, Tomoyuki; Tsuda, Noriko; Taguchi, Narumi; Oda, Seitaro; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

2018-01-01

We compared the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) isotropic T2-weighted fast spin-echo imaging using a 3D hybrid profile order technique with a single-breath-hold (3D-Hybrid BH) with a two-dimensional (2D) T2-weighted fast spin-echo conventional respiratory-gated (2D-Conventional RG) technique for visualising small liver lesions. This study was approved by our institutional review board. The requirement to obtain written informed consent was waived. Fifty patients with small (≤15mm) hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) (n=26), or benign cysts (n=24), had undergone hepatic MRI including both 2D-Conventional RG and 3D-Hybrid BH. We calculated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and tumour-to-liver contrast (TLC). The diagnostic performance of the two protocols was analysed. The image acquisition time was 89% shorter with the 3D-Hybrid BH than with 2D-Conventional RG. There was no significant difference in the SNR between the two protocols. The area under the curve (AUC) of the TLC was significantly higher on 3D-Hybrid BH than on 2D-Conventional RG. The 3D-Hybrid BH sequence significantly improved diagnostic performance for small liver lesions with a shorter image acquisition time without sacrificing accuracy. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Modified Terminal Restriction Fragment Analysis for Quantifying Telomere Length Using In-gel Hybridization.

PubMed

Jenkins, Frank J; Kerr, Charles M; Fouquerel, Elise; Bovbjerg, Dana H; Opresko, Patricia L

2017-07-10

There are several different techniques for measuring telomere length, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The traditional approach, Telomere Restriction Fragment (TRF) analysis, utilizes a DNA hybridization technique whereby genomic DNA samples are digested with restriction enzymes, leaving behind telomere DNA repeats and some sub-telomeric DNA. These are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, transferred to a filter membrane and hybridized to oligonucleotide probes tagged with either chemiluminescence or radioactivity to visualize telomere restriction fragments. This approach, while requiring a larger quantity of DNA than other techniques such as PCR, can measure the telomere length distribution of a population of cells and allows measurement expressed in absolute kilobases. This manuscript demonstrates a modified DNA hybridization procedure for determining telomere length. Genomic DNA is first digested with restriction enzymes (that do not cut telomeres) and separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. The gel is then dried and the DNA is denatured and hybridized in situ to a radiolabeled oligonucleotide probe. This in situ hybridization avoids loss of telomere DNA and improves signal intensity. Following hybridization, the gels are imaged utilizing phosphor screens and the telomere length is quantified using a graphing program. This procedure was developed by the laboratories of Drs. Woodring Wright and Jerry Shay at the University of Texas Southwestern 1 , 2 . Here, we present a detailed description of this procedure, with some modifications.

Efficient Development of High Fidelity Structured Volume Grids for Hypersonic Flow Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alter, Stephen J.

2003-01-01

A new technique for the control of grid line spacing and intersection angles of a structured volume grid, using elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) is presented. Existing structured grid generation algorithms make use of source term hybridization to provide control of grid lines, imposing orthogonality implicitly at the boundary and explicitly on the interior of the domain. A bridging function between the two types of grid line control is typically used to blend the different orthogonality formulations. It is shown that utilizing such a bridging function with source term hybridization can result in the excessive use of computational resources and diminishes robustness. A new approach, Anisotropic Lagrange Based Trans-Finite Interpolation (ALBTFI), is offered as a replacement to source term hybridization. The ALBTFI technique captures the essence of the desired grid controls while improving the convergence rate of the elliptic PDEs when compared with source term hybridization. Grid generation on a blunt cone and a Shuttle Orbiter is used to demonstrate and assess the ALBTFI technique, which is shown to be as much as 50% faster, more robust, and produces higher quality grids than source term hybridization.

Novel hybrid linear stochastic with non-linear extreme learning machine methods for forecasting monthly rainfall a tropical climate.

PubMed

Zeynoddin, Mohammad; Bonakdari, Hossein; Azari, Arash; Ebtehaj, Isa; Gharabaghi, Bahram; Riahi Madavar, Hossein

2018-09-15

A novel hybrid approach is presented that can more accurately predict monthly rainfall in a tropical climate by integrating a linear stochastic model with a powerful non-linear extreme learning machine method. This new hybrid method was then evaluated by considering four general scenarios. In the first scenario, the modeling process is initiated without preprocessing input data as a base case. While in other three scenarios, the one-step and two-step procedures are utilized to make the model predictions more precise. The mentioned scenarios are based on a combination of stationarization techniques (i.e., differencing, seasonal and non-seasonal standardization and spectral analysis), and normality transforms (i.e., Box-Cox, John and Draper, Yeo and Johnson, Johnson, Box-Cox-Mod, log, log standard, and Manly). In scenario 2, which is a one-step scenario, the stationarization methods are employed as preprocessing approaches. In scenario 3 and 4, different combinations of normality transform, and stationarization methods are considered as preprocessing techniques. In total, 61 sub-scenarios are evaluated resulting 11013 models (10785 linear methods, 4 nonlinear models, and 224 hybrid models are evaluated). The uncertainty of the linear, nonlinear and hybrid models are examined by Monte Carlo technique. The best preprocessing technique is the utilization of Johnson normality transform and seasonal standardization (respectively) (R 2  = 0.99; RMSE = 0.6; MAE = 0.38; RMSRE = 0.1, MARE = 0.06, UI = 0.03 &UII = 0.05). The results of uncertainty analysis indicated the good performance of proposed technique (d-factor = 0.27; 95PPU = 83.57). Moreover, the results of the proposed methodology in this study were compared with an evolutionary hybrid of adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) with firefly algorithm (ANFIS-FFA) demonstrating that the new hybrid methods outperformed ANFIS-FFA method. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combination of water-jet dissection and needle-knife as a hybrid knife simplifies endoscopic submucosal dissection.

PubMed

Lingenfelder, Tobias; Fischer, Klaus; Sold, Moritz G; Post, Stefan; Enderle, Markus D; Kaehler, Georg F B A

2009-07-01

The safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is very dependent on an effective injection beneath the submucosal lamina and on a controlled cutting technique. After our study group demonstrated the efficacy of the HydroJet in needleless submucosal injections under various physical conditions to create a submucosal fluid cushion (Selective tissue elevation by pressure = STEP technique), the next step was to develop a new instrument to combine the capabilities of an IT-Knife with a high-pressure water-jet in a single instrument. In this experimental study, we compared this new instrument with a standard ESD technique. Twelve gastric ESD were performed in six pigs under endotracheal anesthesia. Square areas measuring 4-cm x 4-cm were marked out on the anterior and posterior wall in the corpus-antrum transition region. The HybridKnife was used as an standard needle knife with insulated tip (i.e., the submucosal injection was performed with an injection needle and only the radiofrequency (RF) part of the HybridKnife was used for cutting (conventional technique)) or the HybridKnife was used in all the individual stages of the ESD, making use of the HybridKnife's combined functions (HybridKnife technique). The size of the resected specimens, the operating time, the frequency with which instruments were changed, the number of bleeding episodes, and the number of injuries to the gastric wall together with the subjective overall assessment of the intervention by the operating physician were recorded. The resected specimens were the same size, with average sizes of 16.96 cm(2) and 15.85 cm(2) resp (p = 0.8125). Bleeding episodes have been less frequent in the HybridKnife group (2.83 vs. 3.5; p = 0.5625). The standard knife caused more injuries to the lamina muscularis propria (0.17 vs. 1.33; p = 0.0313). The operating times had a tendency to be shorter with the HybridKnife technique (47.18 vs. 58.32 minute; p = 0.0313). The combination of a needle-knife with high-pressure water-jet dissection improved the results of endoscopic submucosal dissection in this experimental setting. Because the frequency of complications is still high, further improvements to the instrument are necessary.

Do Assimilated Drifter Velocities Improve Lagrangian Predictability in an Operational Ocean Model?

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

extended Kalman filter . Molcard et al. (2005) used a statistical method to cor- relate model and drifter velocities. Taillandier et al. (2006) describe the... temperature and salinity observations. Trajectory angular differ- ences are also reduced. 1. Introduction The importance of Lagrangian forecasts was seen... Temperature , salinity, and sea surface height (SSH, measured along-track by satellite altimeters) observa- tions are typically assimilated in

Wind Forcing of the Pacific Ocean Using Scatterometer Wind Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Kathryn A.

1999-01-01

The long-term objective of this research was an understanding of the wind-forced ocean circulation, particularly for the Pacific Ocean. To determine the ocean's response to the winds, we first needed to generate accurate maps of wind stress. For the ocean's response to wind stress we examined the sea surface height (SSH) both from altimeters and from numerical models for the Pacific Ocean.

Similarities and Differences in Patterns and Geolocation of SSH Attack Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

failed inputs. ..................................................................................14  Figure 7.  Latest “ passwd ” commands entered by...also has fake file contents to allow an attacker to “cat” files like /etc/ passwd [12]. Kippo saves all downloaded files for later inspection. The...overall post-compromise activity, human activity inside the honeypot, top 10 inputs (overall), top 10 successful inputs, top 10 failed inputs, passwd

Real-time Assimilation of Altimeter Derived Synthetic Profiles Into a Global version of the Naval Research Laboratory's Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, R. C.; Barron, C. N.; Fox, D. N.; Smedstad, L. F.

2001-12-01

A global implementation of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM), developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center is currently running in real-time and is planned for transition to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) in 2002. The model encompasses the open ocean to 5 m depth on a curvilinear global model grid with 1/8 degree grid spacing at 45N, extending from 80 S to a complete arctic cap with grid singularities mapped into Canada and Russia. Vertically, the model employs 41 sigma-z levels with sigma in the upper-ocean and coastal regions and z in the deeper ocean. The Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) provides 6-hourly wind stresses and heat fluxes for forcing, while the operational Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) provides the background climatology and tools for data pre-processing. Operationally available sea surface temperature (SST) and altimetry (SSH) data are assimilated into the NAVOCEANO global 1/8 degree MODAS 2-D analysis and the 1/16 degree Navy Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) to provide analyses and forecasts of SSH and SST. The 2-D SSH and SST nowcast fields are used as input to the MODAS synthetic climatology database to yield three-dimensional fields of synthetic temperature and salinity for assimilation into global NCOM. The synthetic profiles are weighted higher at depth in the assimilation process to allow the numerical model to properly develop the mixed-layer structure driven by the real-time atmospheric forcing. Global NCOM nowcasts and forecasts provide a valuable resource for rapid response to the varied and often unpredictable operational requests for 3-dimensional fields of ocean temperature, salinity, and currents. In some cases, the resolution of the global product is sufficient for guidance. In cases requiring higher resolution, the global product offers a quick overview of local circulation and provides initial and boundary conditions for higher resolution coastal models that may be more specialized for a particular task or domain. Nowcast and forecast results are presented globally and in selected areas of interest and model results are compared with historical and concurrent observations and analyses.

Ocean Wave Studies with Applications to Ocean Modeling and Improvement of Satellite Altimeter Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazman, Roman E.

1999-01-01

Combining analysis of satellite data (altimeter, scatterometer, high-resolution visible and infrared images, etc.) with mathematical modeling of non-linear wave processes, we investigate various ocean wave fields (on scales from capillary to planetary), their role in ocean dynamics and turbulent transport (of heat and biogeochemical quantities), and their effects on satellite altimeter measuring accuracy. In 1998 my attention was focused on long internal gravity waves (10 to 1000 km), known also as baroclinic inertia-gravity (BIG) waves. We found these waves to be a major factor of altimeter measurements "noise," resulting in a greater uncertainty [up to 10 cm in terms of sea surface height (SSH) amplitude] in the measured SSH signal than that caused by the sea state bias variations (up to 5 cm or so). This effect still remains largely overlooked by the satellite altimeter community. Our studies of BIG waves address not only their influence on altimeter measurements but also their role in global ocean dynamics and in transport and turbulent diffusion of biogeochemical quantities. In particular, in collaboration with Prof Peter Weichman, Caltech, we developed a theory of turbulent diffusion caused by wave motions of most general nature. Applied to the problem of horizontal turbulent diffusion in the ocean, the theory yielded the effective diffusion coefficient as a function of BIG wave parameters obtainable from satellite altimeter data. This effort, begun in 1997, has been successfully completed in 1998. We also developed a theory that relates spatial fluctuations of scalar fields (such as sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration, drifting ice concentration, etc.) to statistical characteristics of BIG waves obtainable from altimeter measurements. A manuscript is in the final stages of preparation. In order to verify the theoretical predictions and apply them to observations, we are now analyzing Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data on sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll concentration jointly with TOPEX/POSEIDON data on SSH variations.

Potentials of Optical Damage Assessment Techniques in Automotive Crash-Concepts composed of FRP-Steel Hybrid Material Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dlugosch, M.; Spiegelhalter, B.; Soot, T.; Lukaszewicz, D.; Fritsch, J.; Hiermaier, S.

2017-05-01

With car manufacturers simultaneously facing increasing passive safety and efficiency requirements, FRP-metal hybrid material systems are one way to design lightweight and crashworthy vehicle structures. Generic automotive hybrid structural concepts have been tested under crash loading conditions. In order to assess the state of overall damage and structural integrity, and primarily to validate simulation data, several NDT techniques have been assessed regarding their potential to detect common damage mechanisms in such hybrid systems. Significant potentials were found particularly in combining 3D-topography laser scanning and X-Ray imaging results. Ultrasonic testing proved to be limited by the signal coupling quality on damaged or curved surfaces.

Hybrid codes with finite electron mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipatov, A. S.

This report is devoted to the current status of the hybrid multiscale simulation technique. The different aspects of modeling are discussed. In particular, we consider the different level for description of the plasma model, however, the main attention will be paid to conventional hybrid models. We discuss the main steps of time integration the Vlasov/Maxwell system of equations. The main attention will be paid to the models with finite electron mass. Such model may allow us to explore the plasma system with multiscale phenomena ranging from ion to electron scales. As an application of hybrid modeling technique we consider the simulation of the plasma processes at the collisionless shocks and very shortly ther magnetic field reconnection processes.

Frequency Response Calculations of Input Characteristics of Cavity-Backed Aperture Antennas Using AWE with Hybrid FEM/MoM Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.

1997-01-01

Application of Asymptotic Waveform Evaluation (AWE) is presented in conjunction with a hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique to calculate the input characteristics of cavity-backed aperture antennas over a frequency range. The hybrid FEM/MoM technique is used to form an integro-partial-differential equation to compute the electric field distribution of the cavity-backed aperture antenna. The electric field, thus obtained, is expanded in a Taylor series around the frequency of interest. The coefficients of 'Taylor series (called 'moments') are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-partial-differential Equation formed by the hybrid FEM/MoM technique. Using the moments, the electric field in the cavity is obtained over a frequency range. Using the electric field at different frequencies, the input characteristics of the antenna are obtained over a wide frequency band. Numerical results for an open coaxial line, probe fed cavity, and cavity-backed microstrip patch antennas are presented. Good agreement between AWE and the exact solution over the frequency range is observed.

A hybrid perturbation-Galerkin technique for partial differential equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geer, James F.; Anderson, Carl M.

1990-01-01

A two-step hybrid perturbation-Galerkin technique for improving the usefulness of perturbation solutions to partial differential equations which contain a parameter is presented and discussed. In the first step of the method, the leading terms in the asymptotic expansion(s) of the solution about one or more values of the perturbation parameter are obtained using standard perturbation methods. In the second step, the perturbation functions obtained in the first step are used as trial functions in a Bubnov-Galerkin approximation. This semi-analytical, semi-numerical hybrid technique appears to overcome some of the drawbacks of the perturbation and Galerkin methods when they are applied by themselves, while combining some of the good features of each. The technique is illustrated first by a simple example. It is then applied to the problem of determining the flow of a slightly compressible fluid past a circular cylinder and to the problem of determining the shape of a free surface due to a sink above the surface. Solutions obtained by the hybrid method are compared with other approximate solutions, and its possible application to certain problems associated with domain decomposition is discussed.

Application of Model Based Parameter Estimation for Fast Frequency Response Calculations of Input Characteristics of Cavity-Backed Aperture Antennas Using Hybrid FEM/MoM Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy C. J.

1998-01-01

Model Based Parameter Estimation (MBPE) is presented in conjunction with the hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique for fast computation of the input characteristics of cavity-backed aperture antennas over a frequency range. The hybrid FENI/MoM technique is used to form an integro-partial- differential equation to compute the electric field distribution of a cavity-backed aperture antenna. In MBPE, the electric field is expanded in a rational function of two polynomials. The coefficients of the rational function are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-partial-differential equation formed by the hybrid FEM/ MoM technique. Using the rational function approximation, the electric field is obtained over a frequency range. Using the electric field at different frequencies, the input characteristics of the antenna are obtained over a wide frequency range. Numerical results for an open coaxial line, probe-fed coaxial cavity and cavity-backed microstrip patch antennas are presented. Good agreement between MBPE and the solutions over individual frequencies is observed.

A hybrid structured-unstructured grid method for unsteady turbomachinery flow computations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathur, Sanjay R.; Madavan, Nateri K.; Rajagopalan, R. G.

1993-01-01

A hybrid grid technique for the solution of 2D, unsteady flows is developed. This technique is capable of handling complex, multiple component geometries in relative motion, such as those encountered in turbomachinery. The numerical approach utilizes a mixed structured-unstructured zonal grid topology along with modeling equations and solution methods that are most appropriate in the individual domains, therefore combining the advantages of both structured and unstructured grid techniques.

Characterization and Curing Kinetics of Epoxy/Silica Nano-Hybrids

PubMed Central

Yang, Cheng-Fu; Wang, Li-Fen; Wu, Song-Mao; Su, Chean-Cheng

2015-01-01

The sol-gel technique was used to prepare epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. The thermal characteristics, curing kinetics and structure of epoxy/silica nano-hybrids were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To improve the compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases, a coupling agent was used to modify the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy. The sol-gel technique enables the silica to be successfully incorporated into the network of the hybrids, increasing the thermal stability and improving the mechanical properties of the prepared epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. An autocatalytic mechanism of the epoxy/SiO2 nanocomposites was observed. The low reaction rate of epoxy in the nanocomposites is caused by the steric hindrance in the network of hybrids that arises from the consuming of epoxide group in the network of hybrids by the silica. In the nanocomposites, the nano-scale silica particles had an average size of approximately 35 nm, and the particles were well dispersed in the epoxy matrix, according to the TEM images. PMID:28793616

Ovariohysterectomy in a dog by a hybrid NOTES technique

PubMed Central

Brun, Maurício V.; Silva, Marco A.M.; Mariano, Mirandolino B.; Motta, Adriana C.; Colomé, Lucas M.; Feranti, João P.S.; Pohl, Virgínia L.; Ataide, Michelli W.; Guedes, Rogério L.; Santos, Fabiane R.

2011-01-01

This report demonstrates the feasibility of an elective ovariosalpingohysterectomy by natural transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) hybrid technique in a dog. A 5-mm abdominal cannula was used in combination with a 10-mm cannula (vaginal access). The patient’s quick recovery and the absence of complications are indicative of the effectiveness of this surgery. PMID:22131580

Comparison of different inoculating methods to evaluate the pathogenicity and virulence of Aspergillus niger on two maize hybrids

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A two-year field study was conducted to determine the effects of inoculation techniques on the aggressiveness of Aspergillus niger kernel infection in A. flavus resistant and susceptible maize hybrids. Ears were inoculated with the silk-channel, side-needle, and spray techniques 7 days after midsilk...

Detection of Inter-chromosomal Stable Aberrations by Multiple Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (mFISH) and Spectral Karyotyping (SKY) in Irradiated Mice

PubMed Central

Pathak, Rupak; Koturbash, Igor; Hauer-Jensen, Martin

2017-01-01

Ionizing radiation (IR) induces numerous stable and unstable chromosomal aberrations. Unstable aberrations, where chromosome morphology is substantially compromised, can easily be identified by conventional chromosome staining techniques. However, detection of stable aberrations, which involve exchange or translocation of genetic materials without considerable modification in the chromosome morphology, requires sophisticated chromosome painting techniques that rely on in situ hybridization of fluorescently labeled DNA probes, a chromosome painting technique popularly known as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH probes can be specific for whole chromosome/s or precise sub-region on chromosome/s. The method not only allows visualization of stable aberrations, but it can also allow detection of the chromosome/s or specific DNA sequence/s involved in a particular aberration formation. A variety of chromosome painting techniques are available in cytogenetics; here two highly sensitive methods, multiple fluorescence in situ hybridization (mFISH) and spectral karyotyping (SKY), are discussed to identify inter-chromosomal stable aberrations that form in the bone marrow cells of mice after exposure to total body irradiation. Although both techniques rely on fluorescent labeled DNA probes, the method of detection and the process of image acquisition of the fluorescent signals are different. These two techniques have been used in various research areas, such as radiation biology, cancer cytogenetics, retrospective radiation biodosimetry, clinical cytogenetics, evolutionary cytogenetics, and comparative cytogenetics. PMID:28117817

A hybrid technique for sinus floor elevation in the severely resorbed posterior maxilla

PubMed Central

Jung, Ui-Won; Hong, Ji-Youn; Lee, Jung-Seok; Kim, Chang-Sung; Cho, Kyoo-Sung

2010-01-01

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the modified sinus floor elevation technique described hereafter as a "hybrid technique," in 11 patients with severely resorbed posterior maxillae. Methods Eleven patients who received 22 implants in the maxillary premolar and molar areas by the hybrid technique were enrolled in this study. A slot-shaped osteotomy for access was prepared on the lateral wall along the lower border of the sinus floor. The Schneiderian membrane was fully reflected through the lateral slot. Following drilling with the membrane protected by a periosteal elevator, the bone was grafted. All implants were placed simultaneously with sinus augmentation. The cumulative success rate was calculated and clinical parameters were recorded. Radiographic measurements were performed. Results All implants were well maintained at last follow up (cumulative success rate=100%). The mean residual bone height, augmented bone height, crown-to-implant ratio, and marginal bone loss were 4.1±1.64 mm, 8.76±1.77 mm, 1.21±0.33 mm, and 0.34±0.72 mm, respectively. Conclusions Simultaneous implant placement with sinus augmentation by hybrid technique showed successful clinical results over a 2-year observation period and may be a reliable modality for reconstruction of a severely resorbed posterior maxilla. PMID:20498764

A hybrid approach of using symmetry technique for brain tumor segmentation.

PubMed

Saddique, Mubbashar; Kazmi, Jawad Haider; Qureshi, Kalim

2014-01-01

Tumor and related abnormalities are a major cause of disability and death worldwide. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a superior modality due to its noninvasiveness and high quality images of both the soft tissues and bones. In this paper we present two hybrid segmentation techniques and their results are compared with well-recognized techniques in this area. The first technique is based on symmetry and we call it a hybrid algorithm using symmetry and active contour (HASA). In HASA, we take refection image, calculate the difference image, and then apply the active contour on the difference image to segment the tumor. To avoid unimportant segmented regions, we improve the results by proposing an enhancement in the form of the second technique, EHASA. In EHASA, we also take reflection of the original image, calculate the difference image, and then change this image into a binary image. This binary image is mapped onto the original image followed by the application of active contouring to segment the tumor region.

Parameter Estimation for a Hybrid Adaptive Flight Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Stefan F.; Nguyen, Nhan T.; Kaneshige, John; Krishnakumar, Kalmanje

2009-01-01

This paper expands on the hybrid control architecture developed at the NASA Ames Research Center by addressing issues related to indirect adaptation using the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm. Specifically, the hybrid control architecture is an adaptive flight controller that features both direct and indirect adaptation techniques. This paper will focus almost exclusively on the modifications necessary to achieve quality indirect adaptive control. Additionally this paper will present results that, using a full non -linear aircraft model, demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid control architecture given drastic changes in an aircraft s dynamics. Throughout the development of this topic, a thorough discussion of the RLS algorithm as a system identification technique will be provided along with results from seven well-known modifications to the popular RLS algorithm.

Enhancement of Satellite Image Compression Using a Hybrid (DWT-DCT) Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shihab, Halah Saadoon; Shafie, Suhaidi; Ramli, Abdul Rahman; Ahmad, Fauzan

2017-12-01

Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) image compression techniques have been utilized in most of the earth observation satellites launched during the last few decades. However, these techniques have some issues that should be addressed. The DWT method has proven to be more efficient than DCT for several reasons. Nevertheless, the DCT can be exploited to improve the high-resolution satellite image compression when combined with the DWT technique. Hence, a proposed hybrid (DWT-DCT) method was developed and implemented in the current work, simulating an image compression system on-board on a small remote sensing satellite, with the aim of achieving a higher compression ratio to decrease the onboard data storage and the downlink bandwidth, while avoiding further complex levels of DWT. This method also succeeded in maintaining the reconstructed satellite image quality through replacing the standard forward DWT thresholding and quantization processes with an alternative process that employed the zero-padding technique, which also helped to reduce the processing time of DWT compression. The DCT, DWT and the proposed hybrid methods were implemented individually, for comparison, on three LANDSAT 8 images, using the MATLAB software package. A comparison was also made between the proposed method and three other previously published hybrid methods. The evaluation of all the objective and subjective results indicated the feasibility of using the proposed hybrid (DWT-DCT) method to enhance the image compression process on-board satellites.

Systematic Assessment of the Impact of User Roles on Network Flow Patterns

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

Protocol SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol SQL Structured Query Language SSH Secure Shell SYN TCP Sync Flag SVDD Support Vector Data Description SVM...and evaluating users based on roles provide the best approach for defining normal digital behaviors? People are individuals, with different interests...activities on the network. We evaluate the assumption that users sharing similar roles exhibit similar network behaviors, and contrast the level of similarity

Hardware Assisted Stealthy Diversity (CHECKMATE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

applicable across multiple architectures. Figure 29 shows an example an attack against an interpreted environment with a Java executable. CHECKMATE can...Architectures ARM PPCx86 Java VM Java VMJava VM Java Executable Attack APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED 33 a user executes “/usr/bin/wget...Server 1 - Administration Server 2 – Database ( mySQL ) Server 3 – Web server (Mongoose) Server 4 – File server (SSH) Server 5 – Email server

Setting Up Git Software Tool on Linux | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

system. Before you can get started using the github.nrel.gov git repos, you'll have to do some basic shell (SSH) keys created on those systems. If this is the case, for more information, see using the git Steps - Using a Remote Git Repository Now you have all the basic configuration for using git with a

Estimating the Ocean Flow Field from Combined Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Surface Height Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stammer, Detlef; Lindstrom, Eric (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This project was part of a previous grant at MIT that was moved over to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) together with the principal investigator. The final report provided here is concerned only with the work performed at SIO since January 2000. The primary focus of this project was the study of the three-dimensional, absolute and time-evolving general circulation of the global ocean from a combined analysis of remotely sensed fields of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH). The synthesis of those two fields was performed with other relevant physical data, and appropriate dynamical ocean models with emphasis on constraining ocean general circulation models by a combination of both SST and SSH data. The central goal of the project was to improve our understanding and modeling of the relationship between the SST and its variability to internal ocean dynamics, and the overlying atmosphere, and to explore the relative roles of air-sea fluxes and internal ocean dynamics in establishing anomalies in SST on annual and longer time scales. An understanding of those problems will feed into the general discussion on how SST anomalies vary with time and the extend to which they interact with the atmosphere.

Contributing opportunistic resources to the grid with HTCondor-CE-Bosco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weitzel, Derek; Bockelman, Brian

2017-10-01

The HTCondor-CE [1] is the primary Compute Element (CE) software for the Open Science Grid. While it offers many advantages for large sites, for smaller, WLCG Tier-3 sites or opportunistic clusters, it can be a difficult task to install, configure, and maintain the HTCondor-CE. Installing a CE typically involves understanding several pieces of software, installing hundreds of packages on a dedicated node, updating several configuration files, and implementing grid authentication mechanisms. On the other hand, accessing remote clusters from personal computers has been dramatically improved with Bosco: site admins only need to setup SSH public key authentication and appropriate accounts on a login host. In this paper, we take a new approach with the HTCondor-CE-Bosco, a CE which combines the flexibility and reliability of the HTCondor-CE with the easy-to-install Bosco. The administrators of the opportunistic resource are not required to install any software: only SSH access and a user account are required from the host site. The OSG can then run the grid-specific portions from a central location. This provides a new, more centralized, model for running grid services, which complements the traditional distributed model. We will show the architecture of a HTCondor-CE-Bosco enabled site, as well as feedback from multiple sites that have deployed it.

Novel Flexible Plastic-Based Solar Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-19

Fabrication of newly designed hybrid solar cells that are composed of a electron transport layer ( TiO2 ), a light sensitizing layer (NCs), and a hole...coating and spraying techniques, to produce broad-band light harvesting hybrid solar cells with bulk and layered heterojunction of inorganic...fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell using a blend film of polymer-inorganic NCs, 2) Fabrication of newly designed hybrid solar

Efficient numerical technique for calculating the properties of interacting dimers in the Peierls-Hubbard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sous, John; Chakraborty, Monodeep; Krems, Roman; Berciu, Mona

2017-04-01

We develop a method to compute the Green's function for two particles in an infinite chain and coupled to phonons by interactions that modulate their hopping as described by the Peierls/Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. The method is based on a variational approximation to the Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy and is shown to agree with exact digaonalization calculations. We show that the properties of bipolarons arising in such models is qualitatively different from those of the well-studied Holstein bipolarons. In particular, we show that depending on the particle statistics, strongly bound bipolarons may or may not form. In the case of hard-core bosons, we demonstrate novel effects for dimers such as sharp transitions and self-trapping. In the case of soft-core particles/ spinfull fermions, we show that the mediated interactions lead to overscreeing of the bare Hubbard U repulsion resulting in the formation of strongly bound bipolarons. This work was supported by NSERC of Canada and the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute.

Analysis of ovary-specific genes in relation to egg maturation and female nutritional condition in the mosquitoes Georgecraigius atropalpus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

PubMed Central

Telang, Aparna; Rechel, Julie A.; Brandt, Jessica R.; Donnell, David M.

2013-01-01

Analysis of the reproductive physiology of anautogenous mosquitoes at the molecular level is complicated by the simultaneity of ovarian maturation and the digestion of a blood meal. In contrast to anautogenous mosquitoes, autogenous female mosquitoes can acquire greater nutrient stores as larvae and exhibit higher ovarian production of ecdysteroids at adult eclosion. These features essentially replace the role of a blood meal in provisioning the first batch of eggs and initiating egg development. To gain insight into the process of ovary maturation we first performed a transcript analysis of the obligatory autogenous mosquito Georgecraigius atropalpus (formerly Ochlerotatus atropalpus). We identified ESTs using suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) of transcripts from ovaries at critical times during oogenesis in the absence of blood digestion. Preliminary expression studies of genes such as apolipophorin III (APO) and oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) suggested these genes might be cued to female nutritional status. We then applied our findings to the medically important anautogenous mosquito Aedes aegypti. RNAi-based analyses of these genes in Ae. aegypti revealed a reduction in APO transcripts leads to reduced lipid levels in carcass and ovaries and that OSBP may play a role in overall lipid and sterol homeostasis. In addition to expanding our understanding of mosquito ovarian development, the continued use of a comparative approach between autogenous and anautogenous species may provide novel intervention points for the regulation of mosquito egg production. PMID:23238126

Analysis of ovary-specific genes in relation to egg maturation and female nutritional condition in the mosquitoes Georgecraigius atropalpus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

PubMed

Telang, Aparna; Rechel, Julie A; Brandt, Jessica R; Donnell, David M

2013-03-01

Analysis of the reproductive physiology of anautogenous mosquitoes at the molecular level is complicated by the simultaneity of ovarian maturation and the digestion of a blood meal. In contrast to anautogenous mosquitoes, autogenous female mosquitoes can acquire greater nutrient stores as larvae and exhibit higher ovarian production of ecdysteroids at adult eclosion. These features essentially replace the role of a blood meal in provisioning the first batch of eggs and initiating egg development. To gain insight into the process of ovary maturation we first performed a transcript analysis of the obligatory autogenous mosquito Georgecraigius atropalpus (formerly Ochlerotatus atropalpus). We identified ESTs using suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) of transcripts from ovaries at critical times during oogenesis in the absence of blood digestion. Preliminary expression studies of genes such as apolipophorin III (APO) and oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) suggested these genes might be cued to female nutritional status. We then applied our findings to the medically important anautogenous mosquito Aedes aegypti. RNAi-based analyses of these genes in Ae. aegypti revealed a reduction in APO transcripts leads to reduced lipid levels in carcass and ovaries and that OSBP may play a role in overall lipid and sterol homeostasis. In addition to expanding our understanding of mosquito ovarian development, the continued use of a comparative approach between autogenous and anautogenous species may provide novel intervention points for the regulation of mosquito egg production. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Auxin regulated OsRGP1 and OsSuS are involved in the gravitropic bending of rice shoot bases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Liwei; Cui, Dayong; Cai, Weiming

The gravitropic bending of rice shoot in horizontal position results from differential elongation of cells between two halves of shoot bases. In our experiment, reversibly glycosylated polypeptide (OsRGP1), sucrose synthase (OsSuS) genes which related to sugar metabolism were identified by suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) in gravitropism in rice shoot bases. Realtime RT-PCR were used to study the expression of two genes in detail. OsRGP1 and OsSuS were differentially induced in the abaxial (lower) side of rice shoot bases during gravitropism. The OsRGP1 and OsSuS expression were regulated by auxin. The sequence analysis of their promoters was in concurrence. TIBA treatment could inhibit the asymmetrical expression of OsRGP1 and OsSuS in gravitropism in rice shoot bases. In addition, there was more hexose in the lower side of rice shoot bases in gravitropism. Our data suggested that asymmetric redistribution of auxin following gravistimulation resulted in the different localized expression of OsRGP1 and OsSuS. It is possible that asymmetrical expression of OsSuS resulted in the asymmetrical distribution of hexose and asymmetrical expression of OsRGP1 induced the synthesis of cell wall polysaccharides in the lower half of rice shoot bases. Hexose and cell wall polysaccharides accumulation in lower side of rice shoot bases might contribute to the cell expansion, thus leading to gravitropic bending.

Expression responses of five cold tolerant related genes to two temperature dropping treatments in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chengze; Chang, Yaqing; Pang, Zhenguo; Ding, Jun; Ji, Nanjing

2015-03-01

Environmental conditions, including ambient temperature, play important roles in survival, growth development, and reproduction of the Japanese sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus. Low temperatures result in slowed growth and skin ulceration disease. In a previous study, we investigated the effect of low temperature on gene expression profiles in A. japonicus by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Genes encoding Ferritin, Lysozyme, Hsp70, gp96, and AjToll were selected from a subtracted cDNA library of A. japonicus under acute cold stress. The transcriptional expression profiles of these genes were investigated in different tissues (coelomocyte, respiratory tree, intestine, longitudinal muscle) after exposure to acute and mild temperature dropping treatments. The results show that (1) the five cold-tolerance-related genes were found in all four tissues and the highest mRNA levels were observed in coelomocyte and respiratory tree; (2) under the temperature dropping treatments, three types of transcriptional regulation patterns were observed: primary suppression followed by up-regulation at -2°C, suppressed expression throughout the two treatments, and more rarely an initial stimulation followed by suppression; and (3) gene expression suppression was more severe under acute temperature dropping than under mild temperature dropping treatment. The five cold-tolerance-related genes that were distributed mainly in coelomocyte and respiratory tissues were generally down-regulated by low temperature stress but an inverse up-regulation event was found at the extreme temperature (-2°C).

The promoter of an A9 homolog from the conifer Cryptomeria japonica imparts male strobilus-dominant expression in transgenic trees.

PubMed

Kurita, Manabu; Konagaya, Ken-ichi; Watanabe, Atsushi; Kondo, Teiji; Ishii, Katsuaki; Taniguchi, Toru

2013-02-01

KEY MESSAGE : GUS analysis in Cryptomeria japonica revealed that the CjMALE1 promoter is activated in the male strobilus of C. japonica. Toward the development of male sterile technology for Cryptomeria japonica, a male strobilus-dominant promoter of C. japonica was isolated. The CjMALE1 gene was isolated from a male strobilus-specific suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library, and the promoter was isolated by the TAIL-PCR method. To characterize the CjMALE1 promoter, β-glucuronidase (GUS)-fused genes were constructed and introduced into C. japonica using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. GUS expression from CjMALE1-2.5 K (2,718 bp fragment)::GUS C. japonica and CjMALE1-1 K (1,029 bp fragment)::GUS C. japonica was detected in the tapetum and microspore mother cells. These promoter fragments were comparably active in the pre-meiotic stage of the male strobilus of C. japonica. Our analysis showed that the 1,029 bp promoter had all the cis-elements necessary for male strobilus-dominant expression of CjMALE1. When CjMALE1-1 K::GUS was introduced into Arabidopsis, GUS expression was detected in the same spatiotemporal pattern as in C. japonica. These results suggest that the CjMALE1 promoter is subject to transcriptional regulatory systems consisting of cis- and trans-elements that have been highly conserved during evolution.

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and phylogenetic analysis of floral genes from a paleoherb species, Asarum caudigerum.

PubMed

Zhao, Yinhe; Wang, Guoying; Zhang, Jinpeng; Yang, Junbo; Peng, Shang; Gao, Lianming; Li, Chengyun; Hu, Jinyong; Li, Dezhu; Gao, Lizhi

2006-07-01

Asarum caudigerum (Aristolochiaceae) is an important species of paleoherb in relation to understanding the origin and evolution of angiosperm flowers, due to its basal position in the angiosperms. The aim of this study was to isolate floral-related genes from A. caudigerum, and to infer evolutionary relationships among florally expression-related genes, to further illustrate the origin and diversification of flowers in angiosperms. A subtracted floral cDNA library was constructed from floral buds using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). The cDNA of floral buds and leaves at the seedling stage were used as a tester and a driver, respectively. To further identify the function of putative MADS-box transcription factors, phylogenetic trees were reconstructed in order to infer evolutionary relationships within the MADS-box gene family. In the forward-subtracted floral cDNA library, 1920 clones were randomly sequenced, from which 567 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. Among them, 127 genes failed to show significant similarity to any published sequences in GenBank and thus are putatively novel genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that a total of 29 MADS-box transcription factors were members of the APETALA3(AP3) subfamily, while nine others were putative MADS-box transcription factors that formed a cluster with MADS-box genes isolated from Amborella, the basal-most angiosperm, and those from the gymnosperms. This suggests that the origin of A. caudigerum is intermediate between the angiosperms and gymnosperms.

Comparing digital data processing techniques for surface mine and reclamation monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witt, R. G.; Bly, B. G.; Campbell, W. J.; Bloemer, H. H. L.; Brumfield, J. O.

1982-01-01

The results of three techniques used for processing Landsat digital data are compared for their utility in delineating areas of surface mining and subsequent reclamation. An unsupervised clustering algorithm (ISOCLS), a maximum-likelihood classifier (CLASFY), and a hybrid approach utilizing canonical analysis (ISOCLS/KLTRANS/ISOCLS) were compared by means of a detailed accuracy assessment with aerial photography at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Results show that the hybrid approach was superior to the traditional techniques in distinguishing strip mined and reclaimed areas.

Towards development of new ornamental plants: status and progress in wide hybridization.

PubMed

Kuligowska, Katarzyna; Lütken, Henrik; Müller, Renate

2016-07-01

The present review provides insights into the key findings of the hybridization process, crucial factors affecting the adaptation of new technologies within wide hybridization of ornamental plants and presents perspectives of further development of this strategy. Wide hybridization is one of the oldest breeding techniques that contributed enormously to the development of modern plant cultivars. Within ornamental breeding, it represents the main source of genetic variation. During the long history of wide hybridization, a number of methods were implemented allowing the evolution from a conventional breeding tool into a modern methodology. Nowadays, the research on model plants and crop species increases our understanding of reproductive isolation among distant species and partly explains the background of the traditional approaches previously used for overcoming hybridization barriers. Characterization of parental plants and hybrids is performed using molecular and cytological techniques that strongly facilitate breeding processes. Molecular markers and sequencing technologies are used for the assessment of genetic relationships among plants, as the genetic distance is typically depicted as one of the most important factors influencing cross-compatibility in hybridization processes. Furthermore, molecular marker systems are frequently applied for verification of hybrid state of the progeny. The flow cytometry and genomic in situ hybridization are used in the assessment of hybridization partners and characterization of hybrid progeny in relation to genome stabilization as well as genome recombination and introgression. In the future, new research and technologies are likely to provide more detailed information about genes and pathways responsible for interspecific reproductive isolation. Ultimately, this knowledge will enable development of strategies for obtaining compatible lines for hybrid production. Recent development in sequencing technologies and availability of sequence data will also facilitate creation of new molecular markers that will advance marker-assisted selection in hybridization process.

Integrating Internet Video Conferencing Techniques and Online Delivery Systems with Hybrid Classes to Enhance Student Interaction and Learning in Accelerated Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckwith, E. George; Cunniff, Daniel T.

2009-01-01

Online course enrollment has increased dramatically over the past few years. The authors cite the reasons for this rapid growth and the opportunities open for enhancing teaching/learning techniques such as video conferencing and hybrid class combinations. The authors outlined an example of an accelerated learning, eight-class session course…

Hybrid Integrated Platforms for Silicon Photonics

PubMed Central

Liang, Di; Roelkens, Gunther; Baets, Roel; Bowers, John E.

2010-01-01

A review of recent progress in hybrid integrated platforms for silicon photonics is presented. Integration of III-V semiconductors onto silicon-on-insulator substrates based on two different bonding techniques is compared, one comprising only inorganic materials, the other technique using an organic bonding agent. Issues such as bonding process and mechanism, bonding strength, uniformity, wafer surface requirement, and stress distribution are studied in detail. The application in silicon photonics to realize high-performance active and passive photonic devices on low-cost silicon wafers is discussed. Hybrid integration is believed to be a promising technology in a variety of applications of silicon photonics.

Hybrid approach for closure of muscular ventricular septal defects

PubMed Central

Haponiuk, Ireneusz; Chojnicki, Maciej; Jaworski, Radoslaw; Steffek, Mariusz; Juscinski, Jacek; Sroka, Mariusz; Fiszer, Roland; Sendrowska, Aneta; Gierat-Haponiuk, Katarzyna; Maruszewski, Bohdan

2013-01-01

Background The complexity of ventricular septal defects in early infancy led to development of new mini-invasive techniques based on collaboration of cardiac surgeons with interventional cardiologists, called hybrid procedures. Hybrid therapies aim to combine the advantages of surgical and interventional techniques in an effort to reduce the invasiveness. The aim of this study was to present our approach with mVSD patients and initial results in the development of a mini-invasive hybrid procedure in the Gdansk Hybrid Heartlink Programme (GHHP) at the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Pomeranian Centre of Traumatology in Gdansk, Poland. Material/Methods The group of 11 children with mVSDs was enrolled in GHHP and 6 were finally qualified to hybrid trans-ventricular mVSD device closure. Mean age at time of hybrid procedure was 8.22 months (range: from 2.7 to 17.8 months, SD=5.1) and mean body weight was 6.3 kg (range: from 3.4 to 7.5 kg, SD=1.5). Results The implants of choice were Amplatzer VSD Occluder and Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (AGA Med. Corp, USA). The position of the implants was checked carefully before releasing the device with both transesophageal echocardiography and epicardial echocardiography. All patients survived and their general condition improved. No complications occurred. The closure of mVSD was complete in all children. Conclusions Hybrid procedures of periventricular muscular VSD closure appear feasible and effective for patients with septal defects with morphology unsuitable for classic surgical or interventional procedures. The modern strategy of joint cardiac surgical and interventional techniques provides the benefits of close cooperation between cardiac surgeon and interventional cardiologist for selected patients in difficult clinical settings. PMID:23892911

A Technique for Reduction of Edentulous Fractures Using Dentures and SMARTLock Hybrid Fixation System

PubMed Central

Carlson, Anna Rose; Shammas, Ronnie Labib; Allori, Alexander Christopher

2017-01-01

Summary: Establishing anatomic reduction of an edentulous mandible fracture is a frequently acknowledged challenge in craniomaxillofacial trauma surgery. In this study, we report a novel method for the reduction of the edentulous mandible fracture, via fabrication of modified Gunning splints using existing dentures and SMARTLock hybrid arch bars. This technique dramatically simplifies the application of an arch bar to dentures, obviates the need for the fabrication of impressions and custom splints, and eliminates the lag time associated with the creation of splints. Furthermore, this method may be used with or without adjunctive rigid internal fixation. The technique described herein of creating Gunning splints with SMARTLock hybrid arch bars provides surgeons with a simple, rapid, single-stage solution for reduction of mandibular fractures in the edentulous patient. PMID:29062645

Fuzzy logic controller versus classical logic controller for residential hybrid solar-wind-storage energy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derrouazin, A.; Aillerie, M.; Mekkakia-Maaza, N.; Charles, J. P.

2016-07-01

Several researches for management of diverse hybrid energy systems and many techniques have been proposed for robustness, savings and environmental purpose. In this work we aim to make a comparative study between two supervision and control techniques: fuzzy and classic logics to manage the hybrid energy system applied for typical housing fed by solar and wind power, with rack of batteries for storage. The system is assisted by the electric grid during energy drop moments. A hydrogen production device is integrated into the system to retrieve surplus energy production from renewable sources for the household purposes, intending the maximum exploitation of these sources over years. The models have been achieved and generated signals for electronic switches command of proposed both techniques are presented and discussed in this paper.

A Study of the Southern Ocean: Mean State, Eddy Genesis & Demise, and Energy Pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajaczkovski, Uriel

The Southern Ocean (SO), due to its deep penetrating jets and eddies, is well-suited for studies that combine surface and sub-surface data. This thesis explores the use of Argo profiles and sea surface height ( SSH) altimeter data from a statistical point of view. A linear regression analysis of SSH and hydrographic data reveals that the altimeter can explain, on average, about 35% of the variance contained in the hydrographic fields and more than 95% if estimated locally. Correlation maxima are found at mid-depth, where dynamics are dominated by geostrophy. Near the surface, diabatic processes are significant, and the variance explained by the altimeter is lower. Since SSH variability is associated with eddies, the regression of SSH with temperature (T) and salinity (S) shows the relative importance of S vs T in controlling density anomalies. The AAIW salinity minimum separates two distinct regions; above the minimum density changes are dominated by T, while below the minimum S dominates over T. The regression analysis provides a method to remove eddy variability, effectively reducing the variance of the hydrographic fields. We use satellite altimetry and output from an assimilating numerical model to show that the SO has two distinct eddy motion regimes. North and south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), eddies propagate westward with a mean meridional drift directed poleward for cyclonic eddies (CEs) and equatorward for anticyclonic eddies (AEs). Eddies formed within the boundaries of the ACC have an effective eastward propagation with respect to the mean deep ACC flow, and the mean meridional drift is reversed, with warm-core AEs propagating poleward and cold-core CEs propagating equatorward. This circulation pattern drives downgradient eddy heat transport, which could potentially transport a significant fraction (24 to 60 x 1013 W) of the net poleward ACC eddy heat flux. We show that the generation of relatively large amplitude eddies is not a ubiquitous feature of the SO but rather a phenomenon that is constrained to five isolated, well-defined "hotspots". These hotspots are located downstream of major topographic features, with their boundaries closely following f/H contours. Eddies generated in these locations show no evidence of a bias in polarity and decay within the boundaries of the generation area. Eddies tend to disperse along f/H contours rather than following lines of latitude. We found enhanced values of both buoyancy (BP) and shear production (SP) inside the hotspots, with BP one order of magnitude larger than SP. This is consistent with baroclinic instability being the main mechanism of eddy generation. The mean potential density field estimated from Argo floats shows that inside the hotspots, isopycnal slopes are steep, indicating availability of potential energy. The hotspots identified in this thesis overlap with previously identified regions of standing meanders. We provide evidence that hotspot locations can be explained by the combined effect of topography, standing meanders that enhance baroclinic instability, and availability of potential energy to generate eddies via baroclinic instabilities.

Prediction of the optimum hybridization conditions of dot-blot-SNP analysis using estimated melting temperature of oligonucleotide probes.

PubMed

Shiokai, Sachiko; Kitashiba, Hiroyasu; Nishio, Takeshi

2010-08-01

Although the dot-blot-SNP technique is a simple cost-saving technique suitable for genotyping of many plant individuals, optimization of hybridization and washing conditions for each SNP marker requires much time and labor. For prediction of the optimum hybridization conditions for each probe, we compared T (m) values estimated from nucleotide sequences using the DINAMelt web server, measured T (m) values, and hybridization conditions yielding allele-specific signals. The estimated T (m) values were comparable to the measured T (m) values with small differences of less than 3 degrees C for most of the probes. There were differences of approximately 14 degrees C between the specific signal detection conditions and estimated T (m) values. Change of one level of SSC concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0x SSC corresponded to a difference of approximately 5 degrees C in optimum signal detection temperature. Increasing the sensitivity of signal detection by shortening the exposure time to X-ray film changed the optimum hybridization condition for specific signal detection. Addition of competitive oligonucleotides to the hybridization mixture increased the suitable hybridization conditions by 1.8. Based on these results, optimum hybridization conditions for newly produced dot-blot-SNP markers will become predictable.

Targeted delivery of 10-hydroxycamptothecin to human breast cancers by cyclic RGD-modified lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles.

PubMed

Yang, Zhe; Luo, Xingen; Zhang, Xiaofang; Liu, Jie; Jiang, Qing

2013-04-01

Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) combining the positive attributes of both liposomes and polymeric NPs are increasingly being considered as promising candidates to carry therapeutic agents safely and efficiently into targeted sites. Herein, a modified emulsification technique was developed and optimized for the targeting lipid-polymer hybrid NPs fabrication; the surface properties and stability of the hybrid NPs were systematically investigated, which confirmed that the hybrid NPs consisted of a poly (lactide-co-glycolide) core with ∼90% surface coverage of the lipid monolayer and a ∼4.4 nm hydrated polyethylene glycol (PEG) shell. Optimization results showed that the lipid:polymer mass ratio and the lipid-PEG:lipid molar ratio could affect the size, lipid association efficiency and stability of hybrid NPs. Furthermore, a model chemotherapy drug, 10-hydroxycamptothecin, was encapsulated into hybrid NPs with a higher drug loading compared to PLGA NPs. Surface modification of the lipid layer and the PEG conjugated targeting ligand did not affect their drug release kinetics. Finally, the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies indicated that the lipid coverage and the c(RGDyk) conjugation of the hybrid NPs gained a significantly enhanced ability of cell killing and endocytosis. Our results suggested that lipid-polymer hybrid NPs prepared by the modified emulsion technique have great potential to be utilized as an engineered drug delivery system with precise control ability of surface targeting modification.

Intracorporeal hybrid single port vs conventional laparoscopic appendectomy in children.

PubMed

Karam, Paul Anthony; Hiuser, Amy; Magnuson, David; Seifarth, Federico Gian Filippo

2016-12-20

Transumbilical laparoscopic assisted appendectomy combines laparoscopic single port dissection with open appendectomy after exteriorization of the appendix through the port site. Compared to the conventional three-port approach, this technique provides an alternative with excellent cosmetic outcome. We developed a safe and effective technique to perform an intracorporeal single port appendectomy, using the same laparoscope employed in the extracorporeal procedure. Retrospective review of 71 consecutively performed intracorporeal single port appendectomies and 30 conventional three-port appendectomies in children 6 to 17 years of age. A straight 10-mm Storz telescope with inbuilt 6 mm working channel is used to dissect the appendix, combined with one port-less 2.3 mm percutaneous grasper. Polymer WECK® hem-o-lock® clips are applied to seal the base of the appendix and the appendiceal vessels. No intraoperative complications were reported with the hybrid intracorporeal single port appendectomy or three-port appendectomy. There were two post-operative complications in the group treated with the single port hybrid technique: one intra-abdominal abscess and one surgical site infection. Groups did not differ in age, weight, and types of appendicitis. Operative times were shorter for the hybrid technique (70 vs 79 minutes) but did not differ significantly (P=0.19). This modified technique to a previously described single port extracorporeal appendectomy is easy to master and implement. It provides exposure similar to a three-port laparoscopic appendectomy, while maintaining virtually scarless results and potentially reduces the risk for surgical site infections compared to the extracorporeal technique.

Clinical Application of a Hybrid RapidArc Radiotherapy Technique for Locally Advanced Lung Cancer.

PubMed

Silva, Scott R; Surucu, Murat; Steber, Jennifer; Harkenrider, Matthew M; Choi, Mehee

2017-04-01

Radiation treatment planning for locally advanced lung cancer can be technically challenging, as delivery of ≥60 Gy to large volumes with concurrent chemotherapy is often associated with significant risk of normal tissue toxicity. We clinically implemented a novel hybrid RapidArc technique in patients with lung cancer and compared these plans with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and RapidArc-only plans. Hybrid RapidArc was used to treat 11 patients with locally advanced lung cancer having bulky mediastinal adenopathy. All 11 patients received concurrent chemotherapy. All underwent a 4-dimensional computed tomography planning scan. Hybrid RapidArc plans concurrently combined static (60%) and RapidArc (40%) beams. All cases were replanned using 3- to 5-field 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and RapidArc technique as controls. Significant reductions in dose were observed in hybrid RapidArc plans compared to 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plans for total lung V20 and mean (-2% and -0.6 Gy); contralateral lung mean (-2.92 Gy); and esophagus V60 and mean (-16.0% and -2.2 Gy; all P < .05). Contralateral lung doses were significantly lower for hybrid RapidArc plans compared to RapidArc-only plans (all P < .05). Compared to 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, heart V60 and mean dose were significantly improved with hybrid RapidArc (3% vs 5%, P = .04 and 16.32 Gy vs 16.65 Gy, P = .03). However, heart V40 and V45 and maximum spinal cord dose were significantly lower with RapidArc plans compared to hybrid RapidArc plans. Conformity and homogeneity were significantly better with hybrid RapidArc plans compared to 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plans ( P < .05). Treatment was well tolerated, with no grade 3+ toxicities. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the clinical application of hybrid RapidArc in patients with locally advanced lung cancer. Hybrid RapidArc permitted safe delivery of 60 to 66 Gy to large lung tumors with concurrent chemotherapy and demonstrated advantages for reduction in low-dose lung volumes, esophageal dose, and mean heart dose.

Organic/hybrid thin films deposited by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiff-Roberts, Adrienne D.; Ge, Wangyao

2017-12-01

Some of the most exciting materials research in the 21st century attempts to resolve the challenge of simulating, synthesizing, and characterizing new materials with unique properties designed from first principles. Achievements in such development for organic and organic-inorganic hybrid materials make them important options for electronic and/or photonic devices because they can impart multi-functionality, flexibility, transparency, and sustainability to emerging systems, such as wearable electronics. Functional organic materials include small molecules, oligomers, and polymers, while hybrid materials include inorganic nanomaterials (such as zero-dimensional quantum dots, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes, or two-dimensional nanosheets) combined with organic matrices. A critically important step to implementing new electronic and photonic devices using such materials is the processing of thin films. While solution-based processing is the most common laboratory technique for organic and hybrid materials, vacuum-based deposition has been critical to the commercialization of organic light emitting diodes based on small molecules, for example. Therefore, it is desirable to explore vacuum-based deposition of organic and hybrid materials that include larger macromolecules, such as polymers. This review article motivates the need for physical vapor deposition of polymeric and hybrid thin films using matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE), which is a type of pulsed laser deposition. This review describes the development of variations in the MAPLE technique, discusses the current understanding of laser-target interactions and growth mechanisms for different MAPLE variations, surveys demonstrations of MAPLE-deposited organic and hybrid materials for electronic and photonic devices, and provides a future outlook for the technique.

The Use of Whole-Mount "in Situ" Hybridization to Illustrate Gene Expression Regulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llamusí, Beatriz; Muñoz-Soriano, Verónica; Paricio, Nuria; Artero, Rubén

2014-01-01

"In situ" hybridization is a widely used technique for studying gene expression. Here, we describe two experiments addressed to postgraduate genetics students in which the effect of transcription factors on gene expression is analyzed in "Drosophila embryos of different genotypes by whole-mount in situ hybridization. In one of the…

The importance of reproductive barriers and the effect of allopolyploidization on crop breeding

PubMed Central

Tonosaki, Kaoru; Osabe, Kenji; Kawanabe, Takahiro; Fujimoto, Ryo

2016-01-01

Inter-specific hybrids are a useful source for increasing genetic diversity. Some reproductive barriers before and/or after fertilization prevent production of hybrid plants by inter-specific crossing. Therefore, techniques to overcome the reproductive barrier have been developed, and have contributed to hybridization breeding. In recent studies, identification of molecules involved in plant reproduction has been studied to understand the mechanisms of reproductive barriers. Revealing the molecular mechanisms of reproductive barriers may allow us to overcome reproductive barriers in inter-specific crossing, and to efficiently produce inter-specific hybrids in cross-combinations that cannot be produced through artificial techniques. Inter-specific hybrid plants can potentially serve as an elite material for plant breeding, produced through the merging of genomes of parental species by allopolyploidization. Allopolyploidization provides some benefits, such as heterosis, increased genetic diversity and phenotypic variability, which are caused by dynamic changes of the genome and epigenome. Understanding of allopolyploidization mechanisms is important for practical utilization of inter-specific hybrids as a breeding material. This review discusses the importance of reproductive barriers and the effect of allopolyploidization in crop breeding programs. PMID:27436943

Apical extrusion of debris and irrigants using two hand and three engine-driven instrumentation techniques.

PubMed

Ferraz, C C; Gomes, N V; Gomes, B P; Zaia, A A; Teixeira, F B; Souza-Filho, F J

2001-07-01

To evaluate the weight of debris and irrigant volume extruded apically from extracted teeth in vitro after endodontic instrumentation using the balanced force technique, a hybrid hand instrumentation technique, and three engine-driven techniques utilizing nickel-titanium instruments (ProFile .04, Quantec 2000 and Pow-R). Five groups of 20 extracted human teeth with single canals were instrumented using one or other of five techniques: balanced force, hybrid, Quantec 2000, ProFile .04, or Pow-R. Debris extruded from the apical foramen during instrumentation were collected into preweighed 1.5 mL tubes. Following instrumentation, the volume of extruded irrigant fluid was determined by visual comparison to control centrifuge tubes filled with 0.25 mL increments of distilled water. The weight of dry extruded dentine debris was also established. Overall, the engine-driven techniques extruded less debris than the manual ones. However, there was no statistical difference between the balanced force technique and the engine-driven methods. The volume of irrigant extruded through the apex was directly associated with the weight of extruded debris, except within the ProFile group. The hybrid technique was associated with the greatest extrusion of both debris and irrigant. Overall, the engine-driven nickel-titanium systems were associated with less apical extrusion.

An Analysis of the Computer Security Ramifications of Weakened Asymmetric Cryptographic Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

OpenVPN (Yonan). TLS (and by extension SSL) obviously rely on encryption to provide the confidentiality, integrity and authentication services it...Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer Protocol.” IETF, Jan. 2006. <tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4253> Yonan, James, and Mattock. " OpenVPN ." SourceForge...11 May 2012. <http://sourceforge.net/projects/ openvpn /> 92 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 074-0188 The public reporting

Dynamic Policy Evaluation for Containing Network Attacks (DEFCN)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

API reads policy information from the target users ".ssh" directory and applies those policies to determine whether remote login is allowed to a...types of events that can be controlled by the threshold detectors and reported by the GAA-API include the number of failed login attempts within a given...other uses of the system. Emerald architecture [2] includes a data- collection module integrated with Apache Web server. The module extracts the request

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy; Bachkirova, Elena; Rey, Michael

2013-10-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

System Connection via SSH Gateway | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

;@peregrine.hpc.nrel.gov First time logging in? If this is the first time you've logged in with your new account, you will password. You will be prompted to enter it a second time, then you will be logged off. Just reconnect with your HPC password at any time, you can simply use the passwd command. Remote Users If you're connecting

Trans-polyacetylene within the extended tight-binding picture and evidence for next-nearest neighbour hopping from the dispersion of interband transition edges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drechsler, S. L.; Heiner, E.; Osipov, V. A.

1986-11-01

The influence of additional non-nearest neighbour hopping processes is investigated in a SSH-like model. The enhanced splitting of absorption peaks due to Π-Π ∗ interband transitions (deduced from new electron loss data of Fink and Leising /17/) can be explained by a reasonable value of the next-nearest neighbour hopping integral |t 2| ≈0.05 t 0.

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy [Davis, CA; Bachkirova, Elena [Davis, CA; Rey, Michael [Davis, CA

2012-05-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy [Davis, CA; Bachkirova, Elena [Davis, CA; Rey, Michael [Davis, CA

2008-06-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

Hybrid computer technique yields random signal probability distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, W. D.

1965-01-01

Hybrid computer determines the probability distributions of instantaneous and peak amplitudes of random signals. This combined digital and analog computer system reduces the errors and delays of manual data analysis.

Mechanistic investigations in sono-hybrid techniques for rice straw pretreatment.

PubMed

Suresh, Kelothu; Ranjan, Amrita; Singh, Shuchi; Moholkar, Vijayanand S

2014-01-01

This paper reports comparative study of two chemical techniques (viz. dilute acid/alkali treatment) and two physical techniques (viz. hot water bath and autoclaving) coupled with sonication, termed as sono-hybrid techniques, for hydrolysis of rice straw. The efficacy of each sono-hybrid technique was assessed on the basis of total sugar and reducing sugar release. The system of biomass pretreatment is revealed to be mass transfer controlled. Higher sugar release is obtained during dilute acid treatment than dilute alkali treatment. Autoclaving alone was found to increase sugar release marginally as compared to hot water bath. Sonication of the biomass solution after autoclaving and stirring resulted in significant rise of sugar release, which is attributed to strong convection generated during sonication that assists effective transport of sugar molecules. Discrimination between individual contributions of ultrasound and cavitation to mass transfer enhancement reveals that contribution of ultrasound (through micro-streaming) is higher. Micro-turbulence as well as acoustic waves generated by cavitation did not contribute much to enhancing of mass transfer in the system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hybrid Surgery Combined with Dynamic Stabilization System and Fusion for the Multilevel Degenerative Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine.

PubMed

Lee, Soo Eon; Jahng, Tae-Ahn; Kim, Hyun Jib

2015-01-01

As motion-preserving technique has been developed, the concept of hybrid surgery involves simultaneous application of two different kinds of devices, dynamic stabilization system and fusion technique. In the present study, the application of hybrid surgery for lumbosacral degenerative disease involving two-segments and its long-term outcome were investigated. Fifteen patients with hybrid surgery (Hybrid group) and 10 patients with two-segment fusion (Fusion group) were retrospectively compared. Preoperative grade for disc degeneration was not different between the two groups, and the most common operated segment had the most degenerated disc grade in both groups; L4-5 and L5-S1 in the Hybrid group, and L3-4 and L4-5 in Fusion group. Over 48 months of follow-up, lumbar lordosis and range of motion (ROM) at the T12-S1 global segment were preserved in the Hybrid group, and the segmental ROM at the dynamic stabilized segment maintained at final follow-up. The Fusion group had a significantly decreased global ROM and a decreased segmental ROM with larger angles compared to the Hybrid group. Defining a 2-mm decrease in posterior disc height (PDH) as radiologic adjacent segment pathology (ASP), these changes were observed in 6 and 7 patients in the Hybrid and Fusion group, respectively. However, the last PDH at the above adjacent segment had statistically higher value in Hybrid group. Pain score for back and legs was much reduced in both groups. Functional outcome measured by Oswestry disability index (ODI), however, had better improvement in Hybrid group. Hybrid surgery, combined dynamic stabilization system and fusion, can be effective surgical treatment for multilevel degenerative lumbosacral spinal disease, maintaining lumbar motion and delaying disc degeneration.

Hybrid Surgery Combined with Dynamic Stabilization System and Fusion for the Multilevel Degenerative Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine

PubMed Central

Lee, Soo Eon; Kim, Hyun Jib

2015-01-01

Background As motion-preserving technique has been developed, the concept of hybrid surgery involves simultaneous application of two different kinds of devices, dynamic stabilization system and fusion technique. In the present study, the application of hybrid surgery for lumbosacral degenerative disease involving two-segments and its long-term outcome were investigated. Methods Fifteen patients with hybrid surgery (Hybrid group) and 10 patients with two-segment fusion (Fusion group) were retrospectively compared. Results Preoperative grade for disc degeneration was not different between the two groups, and the most common operated segment had the most degenerated disc grade in both groups; L4-5 and L5-S1 in the Hybrid group, and L3-4 and L4-5 in Fusion group. Over 48 months of follow-up, lumbar lordosis and range of motion (ROM) at the T12-S1 global segment were preserved in the Hybrid group, and the segmental ROM at the dynamic stabilized segment maintained at final follow-up. The Fusion group had a significantly decreased global ROM and a decreased segmental ROM with larger angles compared to the Hybrid group. Defining a 2-mm decrease in posterior disc height (PDH) as radiologic adjacent segment pathology (ASP), these changes were observed in 6 and 7 patients in the Hybrid and Fusion group, respectively. However, the last PDH at the above adjacent segment had statistically higher value in Hybrid group. Pain score for back and legs was much reduced in both groups. Functional outcome measured by Oswestry disability index (ODI), however, had better improvement in Hybrid group. Conclusion Hybrid surgery, combined dynamic stabilization system and fusion, can be effective surgical treatment for multilevel degenerative lumbosacral spinal disease, maintaining lumbar motion and delaying disc degeneration. PMID:26484008

Early Oscillation Detection Technique for Hybrid DC/DC Converters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Bright L.

2011-01-01

Oscillation or instability is a situation that must be avoided for reliable hybrid DC/DC converters. A real-time electronics measurement technique was developed to detect catastrophic oscillations at early stages for hybrid DC/DC converters. It is capable of identifying low-level oscillation and determining the degree of the oscillation at a unique frequency for every individual model of the converters without disturbing their normal operations. This technique is specially developed for space-used hybrid DC/DC converters, but it is also suitable for most of commercial and military switching-mode power supplies. This is a weak-electronic-signal detection technique to detect hybrid DC/DC converter oscillation presented as a specific noise signal at power input pins. It is based on principles of feedback control loop oscillation and RF signal modulations, and is realized by using signal power spectral analysis. On the power spectrum, a channel power amplitude at characteristic frequency (CPcf) and a channel power amplitude at switching frequency (CPsw) are chosen as oscillation level indicators. If the converter is stable, the CPcf is a very small pulse and the CPsw is a larger, clear, single pulse. At early stage of oscillation, the CPcf increases to a certain level and the CPsw shows a small pair of sideband pulses around it. If the converter oscillates, the CPcf reaches to a higher level and the CPsw shows more high-level sideband pulses. A comprehensive stability index (CSI) is adopted as a quantitative measure to accurately assign a degree of stability to a specific DC/DC converter. The CSI is a ratio of normal and abnormal power spectral density, and can be calculated using specified and measured CPcf and CPsw data. The novel and unique feature of this technique is the use of power channel amplitudes at characteristic frequency and switching frequency to evaluate stability and identify oscillations at an early stage without interfering with a DC/DC converter s normal operation. This technique eliminates the probing problem of a gain/phase margin method by connecting the power input to a spectral analyzer. Therefore, it is able to evaluate stability for all kinds of hybrid DC/DC converters with or without remote sense pins, and is suitable for real-time and in-circuit testing. This frequency-domain technique is more sensitive to detect oscillation at early stage than the time-domain method using an oscilloscope.

Comparison of chirped-probe-pulse and hybrid femtosecond/picosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering for combustion thermometry.

PubMed

Richardson, Daniel R; Stauffer, Hans U; Roy, Sukesh; Gord, James R

2017-04-10

A comparison is made between two ultrashort-pulse coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) thermometry techniques-hybrid femtosecond/picosecond (fs/ps) CARS and chirped-probe-pulse (CPP) fs-CARS-that have become standards for high-repetition-rate thermometry in the combustion diagnostics community. These two variants of fs-CARS differ only in the characteristics of the ps-duration probe pulse; in hybrid fs/ps CARS a spectrally narrow, time-asymmetric probe pulse is used, whereas a highly chirped, spectrally broad probe pulse is used in CPP fs-CARS. Temperature measurements were performed using both techniques in near-adiabatic flames in the temperature range 1600-2400 K and for probe time delays of 0-30 ps. Under these conditions, both techniques are shown to exhibit similar temperature measurement accuracies and precisions to previously reported values and to each other. However, it is observed that initial calibration fits to the spectrally broad CPP results require more fitting parameters and a more robust optimization algorithm and therefore significantly increased computational cost and complexity compared to the fitting of hybrid fs/ps CARS data. The optimized model parameters varied more for the CPP measurements than for the hybrid fs/ps measurements for different experimental conditions.

Hybrid nanocomposite coatings from metal (Mg alloy)-drug deposited onto medical implant by laser adaptive ablation deposition technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serbezov, Valery; Sotirov, Sotir; Serbezov, Svetlin

2013-03-01

Drug-eluting medical implants are active implants whose function is to create healing effects. The current requirements for active medical coatings for Drug-eluting medical implants are to be biocompatible, biodegradable, polymer free, mechanically stable and enable a controlled release of one or more drugs and defined degradation. This brings hybrid nanocomposite coatings into focus especially in the field of cardiovascular implants. We studied the properties of Metal (Mg alloy)-Paclitaxel coatings obtained by novel Laser Adaptive Ablation Deposition Technique (LAAD) onto cardiovascular stents from 316 LVM stainless steel material. The morphology and topology of coatings were studied by Bright field / Fluorescence optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Comparative measurements were made of the morphology and topology of hybrid, polymer free nanocomposite coatings deposited by LAAD and polymerdrug coatings deposited by classical spray technique. The coatings obtained by LAAD are homogeneous without damages and cracks. Metal nanoparticles with sizes from 40 nm to 230 nm were obtained in drug matrixes. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) was used for identification of metal nanoparticles presence in hybrid nanocomposites coatings. The new technology opens up possibilities to obtain new hybrid nanocomposite coatings with applications in medicine, pharmacy and biochemistry.

Fuzzy logic controller versus classical logic controller for residential hybrid solar-wind-storage energy system

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

Derrouazin, A., E-mail: derrsid@gmail.com; Université de Lorraine, LMOPS, EA 4423, 57070 Metz; CentraleSupélec, LMOPS, 57070 Metz

Several researches for management of diverse hybrid energy systems and many techniques have been proposed for robustness, savings and environmental purpose. In this work we aim to make a comparative study between two supervision and control techniques: fuzzy and classic logics to manage the hybrid energy system applied for typical housing fed by solar and wind power, with rack of batteries for storage. The system is assisted by the electric grid during energy drop moments. A hydrogen production device is integrated into the system to retrieve surplus energy production from renewable sources for the household purposes, intending the maximum exploitationmore » of these sources over years. The models have been achieved and generated signals for electronic switches command of proposed both techniques are presented and discussed in this paper.« less

A New Hybrid BFOA-PSO Optimization Technique for Decoupling and Robust Control of Two-Coupled Distillation Column Process.

PubMed

Abdelkarim, Noha; Mohamed, Amr E; El-Garhy, Ahmed M; Dorrah, Hassen T

2016-01-01

The two-coupled distillation column process is a physically complicated system in many aspects. Specifically, the nested interrelationship between system inputs and outputs constitutes one of the significant challenges in system control design. Mostly, such a process is to be decoupled into several input/output pairings (loops), so that a single controller can be assigned for each loop. In the frame of this research, the Brain Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controller (BELBIC) forms the control structure for each decoupled loop. The paper's main objective is to develop a parameterization technique for decoupling and control schemes, which ensures robust control behavior. In this regard, the novel optimization technique Bacterial Swarm Optimization (BSO) is utilized for the minimization of summation of the integral time-weighted squared errors (ITSEs) for all control loops. This optimization technique constitutes a hybrid between two techniques, which are the Particle Swarm and Bacterial Foraging algorithms. According to the simulation results, this hybridized technique ensures low mathematical burdens and high decoupling and control accuracy. Moreover, the behavior analysis of the proposed BELBIC shows a remarkable improvement in the time domain behavior and robustness over the conventional PID controller.

Interest rate next-day variation prediction based on hybrid feedforward neural network, particle swarm optimization, and multiresolution techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahmiri, Salim

2016-02-01

Multiresolution analysis techniques including continuous wavelet transform, empirical mode decomposition, and variational mode decomposition are tested in the context of interest rate next-day variation prediction. In particular, multiresolution analysis techniques are used to decompose interest rate actual variation and feedforward neural network for training and prediction. Particle swarm optimization technique is adopted to optimize its initial weights. For comparison purpose, autoregressive moving average model, random walk process and the naive model are used as main reference models. In order to show the feasibility of the presented hybrid models that combine multiresolution analysis techniques and feedforward neural network optimized by particle swarm optimization, we used a set of six illustrative interest rates; including Moody's seasoned Aaa corporate bond yield, Moody's seasoned Baa corporate bond yield, 3-Month, 6-Month and 1-Year treasury bills, and effective federal fund rate. The forecasting results show that all multiresolution-based prediction systems outperform the conventional reference models on the criteria of mean absolute error, mean absolute deviation, and root mean-squared error. Therefore, it is advantageous to adopt hybrid multiresolution techniques and soft computing models to forecast interest rate daily variations as they provide good forecasting performance.

A New Hybrid BFOA-PSO Optimization Technique for Decoupling and Robust Control of Two-Coupled Distillation Column Process

PubMed Central

Mohamed, Amr E.; Dorrah, Hassen T.

2016-01-01

The two-coupled distillation column process is a physically complicated system in many aspects. Specifically, the nested interrelationship between system inputs and outputs constitutes one of the significant challenges in system control design. Mostly, such a process is to be decoupled into several input/output pairings (loops), so that a single controller can be assigned for each loop. In the frame of this research, the Brain Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controller (BELBIC) forms the control structure for each decoupled loop. The paper's main objective is to develop a parameterization technique for decoupling and control schemes, which ensures robust control behavior. In this regard, the novel optimization technique Bacterial Swarm Optimization (BSO) is utilized for the minimization of summation of the integral time-weighted squared errors (ITSEs) for all control loops. This optimization technique constitutes a hybrid between two techniques, which are the Particle Swarm and Bacterial Foraging algorithms. According to the simulation results, this hybridized technique ensures low mathematical burdens and high decoupling and control accuracy. Moreover, the behavior analysis of the proposed BELBIC shows a remarkable improvement in the time domain behavior and robustness over the conventional PID controller. PMID:27807444

Breeding of lilies and tulips—Interspecific hybridization and genetic background—

PubMed Central

Marasek-Ciolakowska, Agnieszka; Nishikawa, Tomotaro; Shea, Daniel J.; Okazaki, Keiichi

2018-01-01

Lilies and tulips (Liliaceae family) are economically very important ornamental bulbous plants. Here, we summarize major breeding goals, the role of an integrated method of cut-style pollination and fertilization followed by embryo rescue and mitotic and meiotic polyploidization involved in new assortment development. Both crops have been subjected to extensive interspecific hybridization followed by selection. Additionally, spontaneous polyploidization has played a role in their evolution. In lilies, there is a tendency to replace diploids with polyploid cultivars, whereas in tulip a majority of the cultivars that exist today are still diploid except for triploid Darwin hybrid tulips. The introduction of molecular cytogenetic techniques such as genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) permitted the detailed studies of genome composition in lily and tulip interspecific hybrids and to follow the chromosome inheritance in interspecific crosses. In addition, this review presents the latest information on phylogenetic relationship in lily and tulip and recent developments in molecular mapping using different DNA molecular techniques. PMID:29681746

New hybrid conjugate gradient methods with the generalized Wolfe line search.

PubMed

Xu, Xiao; Kong, Fan-Yu

2016-01-01

The conjugate gradient method was an efficient technique for solving the unconstrained optimization problem. In this paper, we made a linear combination with parameters β k of the DY method and the HS method, and putted forward the hybrid method of DY and HS. We also proposed the hybrid of FR and PRP by the same mean. Additionally, to present the two hybrid methods, we promoted the Wolfe line search respectively to compute the step size α k of the two hybrid methods. With the new Wolfe line search, the two hybrid methods had descent property and global convergence property of the two hybrid methods that can also be proved.

Resonant frequency calculations using a hybrid perturbation-Galerkin technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geer, James F.; Andersen, Carl M.

1991-01-01

A two-step hybrid perturbation Galerkin technique is applied to the problem of determining the resonant frequencies of one or several degree of freedom nonlinear systems involving a parameter. In one step, the Lindstedt-Poincare method is used to determine perturbation solutions which are formally valid about one or more special values of the parameter (e.g., for large or small values of the parameter). In step two, a subset of the perturbation coordinate functions determined in step one is used in Galerkin type approximation. The technique is illustrated for several one degree of freedom systems, including the Duffing and van der Pol oscillators, as well as for the compound pendulum. For all of the examples considered, it is shown that the frequencies obtained by the hybrid technique using only a few terms from the perturbation solutions are significantly more accurate than the perturbation results on which they are based, and they compare very well with frequencies obtained by purely numerical methods.

Context-Aware Adaptive Hybrid Semantic Relatedness in Biomedical Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emadzadeh, Ehsan

Text mining of biomedical literature and clinical notes is a very active field of research in biomedical science. Semantic analysis is one of the core modules for different Natural Language Processing (NLP) solutions. Methods for calculating semantic relatedness of two concepts can be very useful in solutions solving different problems such as relationship extraction, ontology creation and question / answering [1--6]. Several techniques exist in calculating semantic relatedness of two concepts. These techniques utilize different knowledge sources and corpora. So far, researchers attempted to find the best hybrid method for each domain by combining semantic relatedness techniques and data sources manually. In this work, attempts were made to eliminate the needs for manually combining semantic relatedness methods targeting any new contexts or resources through proposing an automated method, which attempted to find the best combination of semantic relatedness techniques and resources to achieve the best semantic relatedness score in every context. This may help the research community find the best hybrid method for each context considering the available algorithms and resources.

A Wireless Sensor Network with Soft Computing Localization Techniques for Track Cycling Applications.

PubMed

Gharghan, Sadik Kamel; Nordin, Rosdiadee; Ismail, Mahamod

2016-08-06

In this paper, we propose two soft computing localization techniques for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The two techniques, Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), focus on a range-based localization method which relies on the measurement of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from the three ZigBee anchor nodes distributed throughout the track cycling field. The soft computing techniques aim to estimate the distance between bicycles moving on the cycle track for outdoor and indoor velodromes. In the first approach the ANFIS was considered, whereas in the second approach the ANN was hybridized individually with three optimization algorithms, namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), and Backtracking Search Algorithm (BSA). The results revealed that the hybrid GSA-ANN outperforms the other methods adopted in this paper in terms of accuracy localization and distance estimation accuracy. The hybrid GSA-ANN achieves a mean absolute distance estimation error of 0.02 m and 0.2 m for outdoor and indoor velodromes, respectively.

A Wireless Sensor Network with Soft Computing Localization Techniques for Track Cycling Applications

PubMed Central

Gharghan, Sadik Kamel; Nordin, Rosdiadee; Ismail, Mahamod

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose two soft computing localization techniques for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The two techniques, Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), focus on a range-based localization method which relies on the measurement of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from the three ZigBee anchor nodes distributed throughout the track cycling field. The soft computing techniques aim to estimate the distance between bicycles moving on the cycle track for outdoor and indoor velodromes. In the first approach the ANFIS was considered, whereas in the second approach the ANN was hybridized individually with three optimization algorithms, namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), and Backtracking Search Algorithm (BSA). The results revealed that the hybrid GSA-ANN outperforms the other methods adopted in this paper in terms of accuracy localization and distance estimation accuracy. The hybrid GSA-ANN achieves a mean absolute distance estimation error of 0.02 m and 0.2 m for outdoor and indoor velodromes, respectively. PMID:27509495

Three-dimensional hybrid grid generation using advancing front techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinbrenner, John P.; Noack, Ralph W.

1995-01-01

A new 3-dimensional hybrid grid generation technique has been developed, based on ideas of advancing fronts for both structured and unstructured grids. In this approach, structured grids are first generate independently around individual components of the geometry. Fronts are initialized on these structure grids, and advanced outward so that new cells are extracted directly from the structured grids. Employing typical advancing front techniques, cells are rejected if they intersect the existing front or fail other criteria When no more viable structured cells exist further cells are advanced in an unstructured manner to close off the overall domain, resulting in a grid of 'hybrid' form. There are two primary advantages to the hybrid formulation. First, generating blocks with limited regard to topology eliminates the bottleneck encountered when a multiple block system is used to fully encapsulate a domain. Individual blocks may be generated free of external constraints, which will significantly reduce the generation time. Secondly, grid points near the body (presumably with high aspect ratio) will still maintain a structured (non-triangular or tetrahedral) character, thereby maximizing grid quality and solution accuracy near the surface.

Hybrids of sugar pine by embryo culture

Treesearch

E. C. Stone; J. W. Duffield

1950-01-01

A modified embryo culture technique was used to facilitate germination of seed obtained after pollinating sugar pine with pollen from blister rust- resistant Armand and Korean pines. Resulting seedlings appear to be hybrids.

Analysis, optimization, and implementation of a hybrid DS/FFH spread-spectrum technique for smart grid communications

DOE PAGES

Olama, Mohammed M.; Ma, Xiao; Killough, Stephen M.; ...

2015-03-12

In recent years, there has been great interest in using hybrid spread-spectrum (HSS) techniques for commercial applications, particularly in the Smart Grid, in addition to their inherent uses in military communications. This is because HSS can accommodate high data rates with high link integrity, even in the presence of significant multipath effects and interfering signals. A highly useful form of this transmission technique for many types of command, control, and sensing applications is the specific code-related combination of standard direct sequence modulation with fast frequency hopping, denoted hybrid DS/FFH, wherein multiple frequency hops occur within a single data-bit time. Inmore » this paper, error-probability analyses are performed for a hybrid DS/FFH system over standard Gaussian and fading-type channels, progressively including the effects from wide- and partial-band jamming, multi-user interference, and varying degrees of Rayleigh and Rician fading. In addition, an optimization approach is formulated that minimizes the bit-error performance of a hybrid DS/FFH communication system and solves for the resulting system design parameters. The optimization objective function is non-convex and can be solved by applying the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. We also present our efforts toward exploring the design, implementation, and evaluation of a hybrid DS/FFH radio transceiver using a single FPGA. Numerical and experimental results are presented under widely varying design parameters to demonstrate the adaptability of the waveform for varied harsh smart grid RF signal environments.« less

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) showing varying emamectin benzoate susceptibilities differ in neuronal acetylcholine receptor and GABA-gated chloride channel mRNA expression

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are fish ectoparasites, some species of which cause significant problems in the mariculture of salmon, where the annual cost of infection is in excess of €300 million globally. At present, caligid control on farms is mainly achieved using medicinal treatments. However, the continued use of a restricted number of medicine actives potentially favours the development of drug resistance. Here, we report transcriptional changes in a laboratory strain of the caligid Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) that is moderately (~7-fold) resistant to the avermectin compound emamectin benzoate (EMB), a component of the anti-salmon louse agent SLICE® (Merck Animal Health). Results Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich transcripts differentially expressed between EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) laboratory strains of L. salmonis. SSH libraries were subjected to 454 sequencing. Further L. salmonis transcript sequences were available as expressed sequence tags (EST) from GenBank. Contiguous sequences were generated from both SSH and EST sequences and annotated. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15 K oligonucleotide microarrays designed using the above sequence resources. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains, these genes being enriched for functions such as calcium ion binding, chitin metabolism and muscle structure. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel (GABA-Cl) and neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT lice compared to S lice. Using RT-qPCR, the decrease in mRNA levels was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR. Salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 μg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. Conclusions Avermectins are believed to exert their toxicity to invertebrates through interaction with glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride channels. Further potential drug targets include other Cys-loop ion channels such as nAChR. The present study demonstrates decreased transcript abundances of GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, suggesting their involvement in avermectin toxicity in caligids. PMID:23773482

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) showing varying emamectin benzoate susceptibilities differ in neuronal acetylcholine receptor and GABA-gated chloride channel mRNA expression.

PubMed

Carmichael, Stephen N; Bron, James E; Taggart, John B; Ireland, Jacqueline H; Bekaert, Michaël; Burgess, Stewart Tg; Skuce, Philip J; Nisbet, Alasdair J; Gharbi, Karim; Sturm, Armin

2013-06-18

Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are fish ectoparasites, some species of which cause significant problems in the mariculture of salmon, where the annual cost of infection is in excess of €300 million globally. At present, caligid control on farms is mainly achieved using medicinal treatments. However, the continued use of a restricted number of medicine actives potentially favours the development of drug resistance. Here, we report transcriptional changes in a laboratory strain of the caligid Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) that is moderately (~7-fold) resistant to the avermectin compound emamectin benzoate (EMB), a component of the anti-salmon louse agent SLICE® (Merck Animal Health). Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich transcripts differentially expressed between EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) laboratory strains of L. salmonis. SSH libraries were subjected to 454 sequencing. Further L. salmonis transcript sequences were available as expressed sequence tags (EST) from GenBank. Contiguous sequences were generated from both SSH and EST sequences and annotated. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15 K oligonucleotide microarrays designed using the above sequence resources. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains, these genes being enriched for functions such as calcium ion binding, chitin metabolism and muscle structure. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel (GABA-Cl) and neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT lice compared to S lice. Using RT-qPCR, the decrease in mRNA levels was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR. Salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 μg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. Avermectins are believed to exert their toxicity to invertebrates through interaction with glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride channels. Further potential drug targets include other Cys-loop ion channels such as nAChR. The present study demonstrates decreased transcript abundances of GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, suggesting their involvement in avermectin toxicity in caligids.

Identification and Functional Annotation of Genes Differentially Expressed in the Reproductive Tissues of the Olive Tree (Olea europaea L.) through the Generation of Subtractive Libraries

PubMed Central

Zafra, Adoración; Carmona, Rosario; Traverso, José A.; Hancock, John T.; Goldman, Maria H. S.; Claros, M. Gonzalo; Hiscock, Simon J.; Alche, Juan D.

2017-01-01

The olive tree is a crop of high socio-economical importance in the Mediterranean area. Sexual reproduction in this plant is an essential process, which determines the yield. Successful fertilization is mainly favored and sometimes needed of the presence of pollen grains from a different cultivar as the olive seizes a self-incompatibility system allegedly determined of the sporophytic type. The purpose of the present study was to identify key gene products involved in the function of olive pollen and pistil, in order to help elucidate the events and signaling processes, which happen during the courtship, pollen grain germination, and fertilization in olive. The use of subtractive SSH libraries constructed using, on the one hand one specific stage of the pistil development with germinating pollen grains, and on the other hand mature pollen grains may help to reveal the specific transcripts involved in the cited events. Such libraries have also been created by subtracting vegetative mRNAs (from leaves), in order to identify reproductive sequences only. A variety of transcripts have been identified in the mature pollen grains and in the pistil at the receptive stage. Among them, those related to defense, transport and oxidative metabolism are highlighted mainly in the pistil libraries where transcripts related to stress, and response to biotic and abiotic stimulus have a prominent position. Extensive lists containing information as regard to the specific transcripts determined for each stage and tissue are provided, as well as functional classifications of these gene products. Such lists were faced up to two recent datasets obtained in olive after transcriptomic and genomic approaches. The sequences and the differential expression level of the SSH-transcripts identified here, highly matched the transcriptomic information. Moreover, the unique presence of a representative number of these transcripts has been validated by means of qPCR approaches. The construction of SSH libraries using pistil and pollen, considering the high interaction between male-female counterparts, allowed the identification of transcripts with important roles in stigma physiology. The functions of many of the transcripts obtained are intimately related, and most of them are of pivotal importance in defense, pollen-stigma interaction and signaling. PMID:28955364

ESD practice through global approach -7-year practices of developing science lessen modules and fostering integrated decision making ability-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajiyama, Kosei

2016-04-01

Hiroshima University High School (HUHS) has devised and carried out overseas exchange programs on ESD issues for 7 years. These programs have been carried out as a part of a government-aided project called SSH (Super Science High School) *1. To start with, we had cooperative study program with a school in Germany in 2009, and next year with a school in Korea, and then gradually have expanded the cooperative schools. Since 2013, we have worked with schools in four countries; Korea, Thailand, Czech and Germany. Science lesson modules here refers to an assembly of a set of lessons, newly developed and improved for the project. These modules characteristically require the students to make decisions by themselves on given problems. In the course of the decision making, students learn what kind of data or facts should be presented as evidence and how they can make their decisions known to others. Among several modules we have designed, the one introduced here deals with the use of solar energy, which we carried out with a school in Korea in 2014-2015. It also includes lessons of the fuel cells using energy from hydrogen gas generated by solar cells. It aims to develop global human resources through carefully planned activities. First, the students of both schools make mixed groups and conduct experiments in physics, chemistry or biology on a given problem related to solar energy. Then they discuss in groups using data obtained from the experiments and through the Internet as evidence. After the thorough discussion, each group gives a presentation on their decision. The analysis of the presentations and the questionnaire to the students revealed the following points: 1) Students have come to have multidimensional perspectives on the utilization of solar energy. 2) Students have come to combine the results of different experiments when making decisions. 3) Students have developed flexible attitudes toward other cultures. 4) Students have developed communication skills in English. *1 SSH: Since 2002, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) have designated schools that focus their education on science and math as Super Science High Schools and our school has been designated as one of SSH schools since 2003

Graphite nanoplatelets/multiwalled carbon nanotubes hybrid nanostructure for electrochemical capacitor.

PubMed

Mishra, Ashish Kumar; Ramaprabhu, S

2012-08-01

Recently, the focus on carbon based nanostructures for various applications has been due to their novel properties such as high electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength and high surface area. In the present work, we have investigated the charge storage capacity of modified graphite nanoplatelets and hybrid structure of graphite nanoplatelets-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). These MWNTs can be used as spacers to reduce the possibility of restacking of graphite nanoplatelets and hence increases the surface area of the hybrid carbon nanostructure thereby high degree of metal oxide decoration is achieved over the hybrid structure. MWNTs were prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition technique and further purified with air oxidation and acid treatment. Graphite was treated with conc. nitric acid and sulphuric acid in the volumetric ratio of 1:3 for 3 days and these modified graphite nanoplatelets were further stirred with MWNTs in equal weight ratio to form hybrid nanostructure. Further, ruthenium oxide (RuO2) nanoparticles were decorated on this hybrid structure using chemical route followed by calcination. RuO2 decorated hybrid carbon nanostructure was characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The performance of the hybrid structure based nanocomposite as electrochemical capacitor electrodes was analyzed by studing its capacitive and charge-discharge behaviours using cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry techniques and the results have been discussed.

Differential expression of genes encoding anti-oxidant enzymes in Sydney rock oysters, Saccostrea glomerata (Gould) selected for disease resistance.

PubMed

Green, Timothy J; Dixon, Tom J; Devic, Emilie; Adlard, Robert D; Barnes, Andrew C

2009-05-01

Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) selectively bred for disease resistance (R) and wild-caught control oysters (W) were exposed to a field infection of disseminating neoplasia. Cumulative mortality of W oysters (31.7%) was significantly greater than R oysters (0.0%) over the 118 days of the experiment. In an attempt to understand the biochemical and molecular pathways involved in disease resistance, differentially expressed sequence tags (ESTs) between R and W S. glomerata hemocytes were identified using the PCR technique, suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH). Sequencing of 300 clones from two SSH libraries revealed 183 distinct sequences of which 113 shared high similarity to sequences in the public databases. Putative function could be assigned to 64 of the sequences. Expression of nine ESTs homologous to genes previously shown to be involved in bivalve immunity was further studied using quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). The base-line expression of an extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) and a small heat shock protein (sHsP) were significantly increased, whilst peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx6) and interferon inhibiting cytokine factor (IK) were significantly decreased in R oysters. From these results it was hypothesised that R oysters would be able to generate the anti-parasitic compound, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) faster and to higher concentrations during respiratory burst due to the differential expression of genes for the two anti-oxidant enzymes of ecSOD and Prx6. To investigate this hypothesis, protein extracts from hemolymph were analysed for oxidative burst enzyme activity. Analysis of the cell free hemolymph proteins separated by native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) failed to detect true superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by assaying dismutation of superoxide anion in zymograms. However, the ecSOD enzyme appears to generate hydrogen peroxide, presumably via another process, which is yet to be elucidated. This corroborates our hypothesis, whilst phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequence (CDS) of the S. glomerata ecSOD gene is supportive of the atypical nature of the ecSOD enzyme. Results obtained from this work further the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to disease in this economically important bivalve, and shed further light on the anomalous oxidative processes involved.

The vector homology problem in diagnostic nucleic acid hybridization of clinical specimens.

PubMed Central

Ambinder, R F; Charache, P; Staal, S; Wright, P; Forman, M; Hayward, S D; Hayward, G S

1986-01-01

Nucleic acid hybridization techniques using cloned probes are finding application in assays of clinical specimens in research and diagnostic laboratories. The probes that we and others have used are recombinant plasmids composed of viral inserts and bacterial plasmid vectors such as pBR322. We suspected that there was material homologous to pBR322 present in many clinical samples. because hybridization occurred in samples which lacked evidence of virus by other techniques. If the presence of this vector-homologous material was unrecognized, hybridization in the test sample might erroneously be interpreted as indicating the presence of viral sequences. In this paper we demonstrate specific hybridization of labeled pBR322 DNA with DNA from various clinical samples. Evidence is presented that nonspecific probe trapping could not account for this phenomenon. In mixing experiments, it is shown that contamination of clinical samples with bacteria would explain such a result. Approaches tested to circumvent this problem included the use of isolated insert probes, alternate cloning vectors, and cold competitor pBR322 DNA in prehybridization and hybridization mixes. None proved entirely satisfactory. We therefore emphasize that it is essential that all hybridization detection systems use a control probe of the vector alone in order to demonstrate the absence of material with vector homology in the specimen tested. Images PMID:3013928

Hybrid Single-Incision Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery Using One Additional 5 mm Trocar.

PubMed

Kim, Hyung Ook; Choi, Dae Jin; Lee, Donghyoun; Lee, Sung Ryol; Jung, Kyung Uk; Kim, Hungdai; Chun, Ho-Kyung

2018-02-01

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is a feasible and safe procedure for colorectal cancer. However, SILS has some technical limitations such as collision between instruments and inadequate countertraction. We present a hybrid single-incision laparoscopic surgery (hybrid SILS) technique for colon cancer that involves use of one additional 5 mm trocar. Hybrid SILS for colon cancer was attempted in 70 consecutive patients by a single surgeon between August 2014 and July 2016 at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. Using prospectively collected data, an observational study was performed on an intention-to-treat basis. Hybrid SILS was technically completed in 66 patients, with a failure rate of 5.7% (4/70). One patient was converted to open surgery for para-aortic lymph node dissection. Another was converted to open surgery due to severe peritoneal adhesion. An additional trocar was inserted for adhesiolysis in the other two cases. Median lengths of proximal and distal margins were 12.8 cm (interquartile range [IQR], 10.0-18.6), and 8.2 cm (IQR, 5.5-18.3), respectively. Median total number of lymph nodes harvested was 24 (IQR, 18-33). Overall rate of postoperative morbidity was 12.9%, but there were no Clavien-Dindo grade III or IV complications. There was no postoperative mortality or reoperation. Median postoperative hospital stay was 6 days (IQR, 5-7). Hybrid SILS using one additional 5 mm trocar is a safe and effective minimally invasive surgical technique for colon cancer. Experienced laparoscopic surgeons can perform hybrid SILS without a learning curve based on the formulaic surgical techniques presented in this article.

Open Source Software Projects Needing Security Investments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-19

modtls, BouncyCastle, gpg, otr, axolotl. 7. Static analyzers: Clang, Frama-C. 8. Nginx. 9. OpenVPN . It was noted that the funding model may be similar...to OpenSSL, where consulting funds the company. It was also noted that OpenVPN needs to correctly use OpenSSL in order to be secure, so focusing on...Dovecot 4. Other high-impact network services: OpenSSH, OpenVPN , BIND, ISC DHCP, University of Delaware NTPD 5. Core infrastructure data parsers

Blue and Fin Whale Habitat Modeling from Long-Term Year-Round Passive Acoustic Data from the Southern California Bight

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

be used for habitat modeling include sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), chlorophyll a concentration, and primary production...1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Blue and Fin Whale Habitat Modeling from Long-Term Year...predictive, year-round habitat models of the presence of calling blue and fin whales in the Southern California Bight, to facilitate Navy’s operational

Anterior clinoidectomy using an extradural and intradural 2-step hybrid technique.

PubMed

Tayebi Meybodi, Ali; Lawton, Michael T; Yousef, Sonia; Guo, Xiaoming; González Sánchez, Jose Juan; Tabani, Halima; García, Sergio; Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Benet, Arnau

2018-02-23

Anterior clinoidectomy is a difficult yet essential technique in skull base surgery. Two main techniques (extradural and intradural) with multiple modifications have been proposed to increase efficiency and avoid complications. In this study, the authors sought to develop a hybrid technique based on localization of the optic strut (OS) to combine the advantages and avoid the disadvantages of both techniques. Ten cadaveric specimens were prepared for surgical simulation. After a standard pterional craniotomy, the anterior clinoid process (ACP) was resected in 2 steps. The segment anterior to the OS was resected extradurally, while the segment posterior to the OS was resected intradurally. The proposed technique was performed in 6 clinical cases to evaluate its safety and efficiency. Anterior clinoidectomy was successfully performed in all cadaveric specimens and all 6 patients by using the proposed technique. The extradural phase enabled early decompression of the optic nerve while avoiding the adjacent internal carotid artery. The OS was drilled intradurally under direct visualization of the adjacent neurovascular structures. The described landmarks were easily identifiable and applicable in the surgically treated patients. No operative complication was encountered. A proposed 2-step hybrid technique combines the advantages of the extradural and intradural techniques while avoiding their disadvantages. This technique allows reduced intradural drilling and subarachnoid bone dust deposition. Moreover, the most critical part of the clinoidectomy-that is, drilling of the OS and removal of the body of the ACP-is left for the intradural phase, when critical neurovascular structures can be directly viewed.

Constraining a Coastal Ocean Model by Surface Observations Using an Ensemble Kalman Filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Mey, P. J.; Ayoub, N. K.

2016-02-01

We explore the impact of assimilating sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) observations in the Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic). The study is conducted in the SYMPHONIE coastal circulation model (Marsaleix et al., 2009) on a 3kmx3km grid, with 43 sigma levels. Ensembles are generated by perturbing the wind forcing to analyze the model error subspace spanned by its response to wind forcing uncertainties. The assimilation method is a 4D Ensemble Kalman Filter algorithm with localization. We use the SDAP code developed in the team (https://sourceforge.net/projects/sequoia-dap/). In a first step before the assimilation of real observations, we set up an Ensemble twin experiment protocol where a nature run as well as noisy pseudo-observations of SST and SSH are generated from an Ensemble member (later discarded from the assimilative Ensemble). Our objectives are to assess (1) the adequacy of the choice of error source and perturbation strategy and (2) how effective the surface observational constraint is at constraining the surface and subsurface fields. We first illustrate characteristics of the error subspace generated by the perturbation strategy. We then show that, while the EnKF solves a single seamless problem regardless of the region within our domain, the nature and effectiveness of the data constraint over the shelf differ from those over the abyssal plain.

Construction and analysis of an SSH cDNA library of early heat-induced genes of Vigna aconitifolia variety RMO-40.

PubMed

Rampuria, Sakshi; Joshi, Uma; Palit, Paramita; Deokar, Amit A; Meghwal, Raju R; Mohapatra, T; Srinivasan, R; Bhatt, K V; Sharma, Ramavtar

2012-11-01

Moth bean ( Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal) is an important grain legume crop grown in rain fed areas of hot desert regions of Thar, India, under scorching sun rays with very little supplementation of water. An SSH cDNA library was generated from leaf tissues of V. aconitifolia var. RMO-40 exposed to an elevated temperature of 42 °C for 5 min to identify early-induced genes. A total of 488 unigenes (114 contigs and 374 singletons) were derived by cluster assembly and sequence alignment of 738 ESTs; out of 206 ESTs (28%) of unknown proteins, 160 ESTs (14%) were found to be novel to moth bean. Only 578 ESTs (78%) showed significant BLASTX similarity (<1 × 10(-6)) in the NCBI non-redundant database. Gene ontology functional classification terms were retrieved for 479 (65%) sequences, and 339 sequences were annotated with 165 EC codes and mapped to 68 different KEGG pathways. Four hundred and fifty-two ESTs were further annotated with InterProScan (IPS), and no IPS was assigned to 153 ESTs. In addition, the expression level of 27 ESTs in response to heat stress was evaluated through semiquantitative RT-PCR assay. Approximately 20 different signaling genes and 16 different transcription factors have been shown to be associated with heat stress in moth bean for the first time.

A case report of rapid spontaneous redistribution of acute supratentorial subdural hematoma to the entire spinal subdural space presenting as a Pourfour du Petit syndrome and review of the literature.

PubMed

Balik, Vladimir; Kolembus, Petr; Svajdler, Marian; Sulla, Igor; Vaverka, Miroslav; Hrabalek, Lumir

2013-07-01

This report illustrates the rare rapid spontaneous redistribution of an acute intracranial supratentorial subdural hematoma (AISSDH) to the entire spinal subdural space (SSS). The study is also unique in that the spinal subdural hematoma (SSH) manifested by the extremely rare Pourfour du Petit Syndrome (PPS). A 66-year-old man sustained blunt head trauma. On admission to the regional hospital, he scored 6 on GCS and his pupils were of equal size reacting to light. Initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed a unilateral AISSDH. The patient was referred to our department and arrived 16 h following the accident, at which time a repeat CT scan revealed almost complete resolution of the AISSDH without clinical improvement. On the 9th postinjury day transient anisocoria and tachycardia without spinal symptomatology developed. Since neither neurological examination nor follow-up CT scans showed intracranial pathology explaining the anisocoria, the patient was treated further conservatively. During the next 3 days circulatory instability developed and the patient succumbed to primary traumatic injury. Autopsy revealed a SSH occupying the entire SSS. This case calls attention to the unique combination of the displacement of an AISSDH to the SSS and the presentation of this clinical entity by the PPS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motivation and motor control: hemispheric specialization for approach motivation reverses with handedness.

PubMed

Brookshire, Geoffrey; Casasanto, Daniel

2012-01-01

According to decades of research on affective motivation in the human brain, approach motivational states are supported primarily by the left hemisphere and avoidance states by the right hemisphere. The underlying cause of this specialization, however, has remained unknown. Here we conducted a first test of the Sword and Shield Hypothesis (SSH), according to which the hemispheric laterality of affective motivation depends on the laterality of motor control for the dominant hand (i.e., the "sword hand," used preferentially to perform approach actions) and the nondominant hand (i.e., the "shield hand," used preferentially to perform avoidance actions). To determine whether the laterality of approach motivation varies with handedness, we measured alpha-band power (an inverse index of neural activity) in right- and left-handers during resting-state electroencephalography and analyzed hemispheric alpha-power asymmetries as a function of the participants' trait approach motivational tendencies. Stronger approach motivation was associated with more left-hemisphere activity in right-handers, but with more right-hemisphere activity in left-handers. The hemispheric correlates of approach motivation reversed between right- and left-handers, consistent with the way they typically use their dominant and nondominant hands to perform approach and avoidance actions. In both right- and left-handers, approach motivation was lateralized to the same hemisphere that controls the dominant hand. This covariation between neural systems for action and emotion provides initial support for the SSH.

Response of near-surface currents in the Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utari, P. A.; Nurkhakim, M. Y.; Setiabudidaya, D.; Iskandar, I.

2018-05-01

Anomalous ocean-atmosphere conditions were detected in the tropical Indian Ocean during boreal spring to boreal winter 2015. It was suggested that the anomalous conditions were characteristics of the positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) event. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the response of near-surface currents in the tropical Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015. Near-surface current from OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real Time) reanalysis data combined with the sea surface temperature (SST) data from OISST – NOAA, sea surface height (SSH) and surface winds from the ECMWF were used in this investigation. The analysis showed that the evolution of 2015 pIOD started in June/July, peaked in the September and terminated in late November 2015. Correlated with the evolution of the pIOD, easterly winds anomalies were detected along the equator. As the oceanic response to these easterly wind anomalies, the surface currents anomalously westward during the peak of the pIOD. It was interesting to note that the evolution of 2015 pIOD event was closely related to the ocean wave dynamics as revealed by the SSH data. Downwelling westward propagating Rossby waves were detected in the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean. Once reached the western boundary of the Indian Ocean, they were redirected back into interior Indian Ocean and propagating eastward as the downwelling Kelvin waves.

Hybrid Decompression Technique Versus Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion for Treating Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Which One Is Better?

PubMed

Liu, Jia-Ming; Peng, Hong-Wei; Liu, Zhi-Li; Long, Xin-Hua; Yu, Yan-Qing; Huang, Shan-Hu

2015-12-01

The hybrid decompression technique (corpectomy combined with discectomy) and anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion (ACCF) both provide good neurological recovery and disease stabilization for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). However, no single study has been large enough to determine definitively which one is superior for this condition. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of the hybrid decompression technique versus ACCF for the treatment of multilevel CSM. Electronic databases such as PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library were selected to search for potentially relevant trials up to April 2015 that compared the outcomes of the hybrid technique with ACCF for the treatment of multilevel CSM. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed according to Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. The outcome assessments were duration of surgery, blood loss, Cobb angle of C2-C7, segment angle, fusion rate, Japanese Orthopedics Association score, Neck Disability Index, and complications. The results were expressed as the odds ratio (OR) for dichotomous outcomes and the mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Five controlled clinical trials published between 2009 and 2013, involving 356 patients (hybrid, 196; ACCF, 160) with 3- or 4-level CSM were retrieved in this study. Overall, there were significant differences between the 2 treatment groups for blood loss (MD = -38.69, 95% CI = -54.62 to -22.76, P < 0.01), fusion rate (OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.11 to 5.93, P = 0.03), and complications (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.43, P < 0.01). However, no significant differences were found for duration of surgery (MD = -4.50, 95% CI = -22.902 to 13.91, P = 0.63), Cobb angle of C2-C7 after surgery (MD = 3.32, 95% CI = -3.72 to 10.37, P = 0.35), segment angle after surgery (MD = 2.87, 95% CI = -2.47 to 8.21, P = 0.29), Japanese Orthopedics Association score (MD = -0.07, 95% CI = -0.36 to 0.22, P = 0.62), or Neck Disability Index (MD = -0.86, 95% CI = -3.26 to 1.54, P = 0.48). Based on this meta-analysis, both the hybrid technique and ACCF can achieve good results for CSM. However, the hybrid technique is associated with significantly less blood loss, complications, and a higher fusion rate than ACCF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Removal of Nutrients from Septic Effluent with Re-circulated Hybrid Tidal Flow Constructed Wetland

Treesearch

Lihua Cui; Jigkun Feng; Ying Ouyang; Peiwen Deng

2012-01-01

Hybrid tidal flow constructed wetland (CW) with recirculation is an improved biological and engineering technique for removal of excess nutrients and certain pollutants from wastewater. This study investigated the removal efficiency of total phosphorus (TP), ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), and total nitrogen (TN) from septic tank effluent with the hybrid tidal flow CW system...

Hybrid numerical method for solution of the radiative transfer equation in one, two, or three dimensions.

PubMed

Reinersman, Phillip N; Carder, Kendall L

2004-05-01

A hybrid method is presented by which Monte Carlo (MC) techniques are combined with an iterative relaxation algorithm to solve the radiative transfer equation in arbitrary one-, two-, or three-dimensional optical environments. The optical environments are first divided into contiguous subregions, or elements. MC techniques are employed to determine the optical response function of each type of element. The elements are combined, and relaxation techniques are used to determine simultaneously the radiance field on the boundary and throughout the interior of the modeled environment. One-dimensional results compare well with a standard radiative transfer model. The light field beneath and adjacent to a long barge is modeled in two dimensions and displayed. Ramifications for underwater video imaging are discussed. The hybrid model is currently capable of providing estimates of the underwater light field needed to expedite inspection of ship hulls and port facilities.

Novel Hybrid Scheduling Technique for Sensor Nodes with Mixed Criticality Tasks.

PubMed

Micea, Mihai-Victor; Stangaciu, Cristina-Sorina; Stangaciu, Valentin; Curiac, Daniel-Ioan

2017-06-26

Sensor networks become increasingly a key technology for complex control applications. Their potential use in safety- and time-critical domains has raised the need for task scheduling mechanisms specially adapted to sensor node specific requirements, often materialized in predictable jitter-less execution of tasks characterized by different criticality levels. This paper offers an efficient scheduling solution, named Hybrid Hard Real-Time Scheduling (H²RTS), which combines a static, clock driven method with a dynamic, event driven scheduling technique, in order to provide high execution predictability, while keeping a high node Central Processing Unit (CPU) utilization factor. From the detailed, integrated schedulability analysis of the H²RTS, a set of sufficiency tests are introduced and demonstrated based on the processor demand and linear upper bound metrics. The performance and correct behavior of the proposed hybrid scheduling technique have been extensively evaluated and validated both on a simulator and on a sensor mote equipped with ARM7 microcontroller.

Identification of inelastic parameters based on deep drawing forming operations using a global-local hybrid Particle Swarm approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaz, Miguel; Luersen, Marco A.; Muñoz-Rojas, Pablo A.; Trentin, Robson G.

2016-04-01

Application of optimization techniques to the identification of inelastic material parameters has substantially increased in recent years. The complex stress-strain paths and high nonlinearity, typical of this class of problems, require the development of robust and efficient techniques for inverse problems able to account for an irregular topography of the fitness surface. Within this framework, this work investigates the application of the gradient-based Sequential Quadratic Programming method, of the Nelder-Mead downhill simplex algorithm, of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and of a global-local PSO-Nelder-Mead hybrid scheme to the identification of inelastic parameters based on a deep drawing operation. The hybrid technique has shown to be the best strategy by combining the good PSO performance to approach the global minimum basin of attraction with the efficiency demonstrated by the Nelder-Mead algorithm to obtain the minimum itself.

A hybrid lightwave transmission system based on light injection/optoelectronic feedback techniques and fiber-VLLC integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Wen-Shing; Lu, Hai-Han; Li, Chung-Yi; Chen, Bo-Rui; Lin, Hung-Hsien; Lin, Dai-Hua

2016-04-01

A hybrid lightwave transmission system based on light injection/optoelectronic feedback techniques and fiber-visible laser light communication (VLLC) integration is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. To be the first one of its kind in employing light injection and optoelectronic feedback techniques in a fiber-VLLC integration lightwave transmission system, the light is successfully directly modulated with Community Access Television (CATV), 16-QAM, and 16-QAM-OFDM signals. Over a 40 km SMF and a 10 m free-space VLLC transport, good performances of carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR)/composite second-order (CSO)/composite triple-beat (CTB)/bit error rate (BER) are achieved for CATV/16-QAM/16-QAM-OFDM signals transmission. Such a hybrid lightwave transmission system would be very useful since it can provide broadband integrated services including CATV, Internet, and telecommunication services over both distribute fiber and in-building networks.

Citrus species and hybrids depicted by near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Páscoa, Ricardo Nmj; Moreira, Silvana; Lopes, João A; Sousa, Clara

2018-01-31

Citrus trees are among the most cultivated plants in the world, with a high economic impact. The wide sexual compatibility among relatives gave rise to a large number of hybrids that are difficult to discriminate. This work sought to explore the ability of infrared spectroscopy to discriminate among Citrus species and/or hybrids and to contribute to the elucidation of its relatedness. Adult leaves of 18 distinct Citrus plants were included in this work. Near- and mid-infrared (NIR and FTIR) spectra were acquired from leaves after harvesting and a drying period of 1 month. Spectra were modelled by principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis. Both techniques revealed a high discrimination potential (78.5-95.9%), being the best results achieved with NIR spectroscopy and air-dried leaves (95.9%). Infrared spectroscopy was able to successfully discriminate several Citrus species and/or hybrids. Our results contributed also to enhance insights regarding the studied Citrus species and/or hybrids. Despite the benefit of including additional samples, the results herein obtained clearly pointed infrared spectroscopy as a reliable technique for Citrus species and/or hybrid discrimination. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of Stacking Sequence and Notch Angle on the Charpy Impact Behavior of Hybrid Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnia, S.; Daghigh, V.; Nikbin, K.; Fereidoon, A.; Ghorbani, J.

2016-09-01

The low-velocity impact behavior of hybrid composite laminates was investigated. The epoxy matrix was reinforced with aramid, glass, basalt, and carbon fabrics using the hand lay-up technique. Different stacking sequences and notch angles were and notch angles considered and tested using a Charpy impact testing machine to study the hybridization and notch angle effects on the impact response of the hybrid composites. The energy absorption capability of specimens with different stacking sequences and notch angles is compared and discussed. It is shown that the hybridization can enhance the mechanical performance of composite materials.

Research related to improved computer aided design software package. [comparative efficiency of finite, boundary, and hybrid element methods in elastostatics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walston, W. H., Jr.

1986-01-01

The comparative computational efficiencies of the finite element (FEM), boundary element (BEM), and hybrid boundary element-finite element (HVFEM) analysis techniques are evaluated for representative bounded domain interior and unbounded domain exterior problems in elastostatics. Computational efficiency is carefully defined in this study as the computer time required to attain a specified level of solution accuracy. The study found the FEM superior to the BEM for the interior problem, while the reverse was true for the exterior problem. The hybrid analysis technique was found to be comparable or superior to both the FEM and BEM for both the interior and exterior problems.

N-S/DSMC hybrid simulation of hypersonic flow over blunt body including wakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhonghua; Li, Zhihui; Li, Haiyan; Yang, Yanguang; Jiang, Xinyu

2014-12-01

A hybrid N-S/DSMC method is presented and applied to solve the three-dimensional hypersonic transitional flows by employing the MPC (modular Particle-Continuum) technique based on the N-S and the DSMC method. A sub-relax technique is adopted to deal with information transfer between the N-S and the DSMC. The hypersonic flows over a 70-deg spherically blunted cone under different Kn numbers are simulated using the CFD, DSMC and hybrid N-S/DSMC method. The present computations are found in good agreement with DSMC and experimental results. The present method provides an efficient way to predict the hypersonic aerodynamics in near-continuum transitional flow regime.

Optimizing Hybrid Metrology: Rigorous Implementation of Bayesian and Combined Regression.

PubMed

Henn, Mark-Alexander; Silver, Richard M; Villarrubia, John S; Zhang, Nien Fan; Zhou, Hui; Barnes, Bryan M; Ming, Bin; Vladár, András E

2015-01-01

Hybrid metrology, e.g., the combination of several measurement techniques to determine critical dimensions, is an increasingly important approach to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry. A proper use of hybrid metrology may yield not only more reliable estimates for the quantitative characterization of 3-D structures but also a more realistic estimation of the corresponding uncertainties. Recent developments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) feature the combination of optical critical dimension (OCD) measurements and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results. The hybrid methodology offers the potential to make measurements of essential 3-D attributes that may not be otherwise feasible. However, combining techniques gives rise to essential challenges in error analysis and comparing results from different instrument models, especially the effect of systematic and highly correlated errors in the measurement on the χ 2 function that is minimized. Both hypothetical examples and measurement data are used to illustrate solutions to these challenges.

The incorrect usage of singular spectral analysis and discrete wavelet transform in hybrid models to predict hydrological time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Kongchang; Zhao, Ying; Lei, Jiaqiang

2017-09-01

In hydrological time series prediction, singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) are widely used as preprocessing techniques for artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) predictors. These hybrid or ensemble models seem to largely reduce the prediction error. In current literature researchers apply these techniques to the whole observed time series and then obtain a set of reconstructed or decomposed time series as inputs to ANN or SVM. However, through two comparative experiments and mathematical deduction we found the usage of SSA and DWT in building hybrid models is incorrect. Since SSA and DWT adopt 'future' values to perform the calculation, the series generated by SSA reconstruction or DWT decomposition contain information of 'future' values. These hybrid models caused incorrect 'high' prediction performance and may cause large errors in practice.

A Split Forcing Technique to Reduce Log-layer Mismatch in Wall-modeled Turbulent Channel Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deleon, Rey; Senocak, Inanc

2016-11-01

The conventional approach to sustain a flow field in a periodic channel flow seems to be the culprit behind the log-law mismatch problem that has been reported in many studies hybridizing Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) techniques, commonly referred to as hybrid RANS-LES. To address this issue, we propose a split-forcing approach that relies only on the conservation of mass principle. We adopt a basic hybrid RANS-LES technique on a coarse mesh with wall-stress boundary conditions to simulate turbulent channel flows at friction Reynolds numbers of 2000 and 5200 and demonstrate good agreement with benchmark data. We also report a duality in velocity scale that is a specific consequence of the split forcing framework applied to hybrid RANS-LES. The first scale is the friction velocity derived from the wall shear stress. The second scale arises in the core LES region, a value different than at the wall. Second-order turbulence statistics agree well with the benchmark data when normalized by the core friction velocity, whereas the friction velocity at the wall remains the appropriate scale for the mean velocity profile. Based on our findings, we suggest reevaluating more sophisticated hybrid RANS-LES approaches within the split-forcing framework. Work funded by National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1056110 and 1229709. First author acknowledges the University of Idaho President's Doctoral Scholars Award.

Application of AWE Along with a Combined FEM/MoM Technique to Compute RCS of a Cavity-Backed Aperture in an Infinite Ground Plane Over a Frequency Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C.J.; Deshpande, M.D.

1997-01-01

A hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique in conjunction with the Asymptotic Waveform Evaluation (AWE) technique is applied to obtain radar cross section (RCS) of a cavity-backed aperture in an infinite ground plane over a frequency range. The hybrid FEM/MoM technique when applied to the cavity-backed aperture results in an integro-differential equation with electric field as the unknown variable, the electric field obtained from the solution of the integro-differential equation is expanded in Taylor series. The coefficients of the Taylor series are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-differential equation formed by the hybrid FEM/MoM technique. The series is then matched via the Pade approximation to a rational polynomial, which can be used to extrapolate the electric field over a frequency range. The RCS of the cavity-backed aperture is calculated using the electric field at different frequencies. Numerical results for a rectangular cavity, a circular cavity, and a material filled cavity are presented over a frequency range. Good agreement between AWE and the exact solution over the frequency range is obtained.

Sensor Functionality of Conducting Polyaniline-Metal Oxide (TiO2/SnO2) Hybrid Materials Films toward Benzene and Toluene Vapors at Room Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, E.; Santhanamari, P.; Murugan, C.

2018-05-01

Polyaniline-metal oxide (TiO2/SnO2) organic-inorganic hybrid materials films were fabricated in situ on a printed circuit board (PCB) via drop coating technique. The mixture of aniline and metal oxide (TiO2/SnO2) dispersed in ethanol was applied along with an oxidant for the coating process. The formed material films were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The sensor functionality of the prepared films on PCB was investigated individually for the detection of benzene or toluene vapor at room temperature. The promptness of sensor response to analyte vapor and its recovery to air, as well as the concentration-dependent sensor functionality of the hybrid material films were investigated. The film form of hybrid materials has shown much improved sensor efficiency even at ambient air condition compared to the pellet form of the polyaniline-SnO2 hybrid material reported earlier, which sensed the same analytes only in nitrogen atmosphere.

Application of soft computing based hybrid models in hydrological variables modeling: a comprehensive review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahimi, Farzad; Yaseen, Zaher Mundher; El-shafie, Ahmed

2017-05-01

Since the middle of the twentieth century, artificial intelligence (AI) models have been used widely in engineering and science problems. Water resource variable modeling and prediction are the most challenging issues in water engineering. Artificial neural network (ANN) is a common approach used to tackle this problem by using viable and efficient models. Numerous ANN models have been successfully developed to achieve more accurate results. In the current review, different ANN models in water resource applications and hydrological variable predictions are reviewed and outlined. In addition, recent hybrid models and their structures, input preprocessing, and optimization techniques are discussed and the results are compared with similar previous studies. Moreover, to achieve a comprehensive view of the literature, many articles that applied ANN models together with other techniques are included. Consequently, coupling procedure, model evaluation, and performance comparison of hybrid models with conventional ANN models are assessed, as well as, taxonomy and hybrid ANN models structures. Finally, current challenges and recommendations for future researches are indicated and new hybrid approaches are proposed.

Advancement of multifunctional hybrid nanogel systems: Construction and application in drug co-delivery and imaging technique.

PubMed

Ma, Yakun; Ge, Yanxiu; Li, Lingbing

2017-02-01

Nanogel-based multifunctional drug delivery systems, especially hybrid nanogels and multicompartment nanogels have drawn more and more extensive attention from the researchers in pharmacy because it can result in achieving a superior functionality through the synergistic property enhancement of each component. The unique hybrid and compartmentalized structures provide the great potential for co-delivery of multiple agents even the multiple agents with different physicochemical properties. Otherwise the hybrid nanogel encapsulating optical and magnetic resonance imaging contrast can be utilized in imaging technique for disease diagnosis. More importantly through nanogel-based multifunctional drug delivery systems the stimuli-responsive features might be easily employed for the design of targeted release of drug. This review summarizes the construction of diverse hybrid nanogels and multicompartment nanogels. The application in co-delivery of multiple agents and imaging agents for diagnosis as well as the application in the design of stimuli-responsive multifunctional nanogels as drug delivery are also reviewed and discussed. The future prospects in application of multifunctional nanogels will be also discussed in this review. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and electrical properties of Ag grid/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) coatings for diode application through advanced printing technology.

PubMed

Duraisamy, Navaneethan; Ponniah, Ganeshthangaraj; Jo, Jeongdai; Choi, Kyung-Hyun

2013-08-01

This paper is focused on printed techniques for the fabrication of hybrid structure of silver (Ag) grid/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) on polyethylene terepthalate (PET) as a flexible substrate. Ag grid has been printed on PET substrate by using gravure offset printing process, followed by PEDOT:PSS thin film deposition on Ag grid through electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique. The important parameters for achieving uniform hybrid structure of Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS through printed techniques have been clearly discussed. Field emission scanning electron microscope studies revealed the uniformity of printed Ag grid with homogeneous deposition of PEDOT:PSS on Ag grid. The optical properties of Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS were measured by UV-visible spectroscopy, which showed nearly 80-82% of transparency in the visible region and it was nearly same as PEDOT:PSS thin film on PET substrate. Current-voltage (I-V) analysis of fabricated hybrid device by using printed Ag grid/PEDOT:PSS as a bottom electrode showed good rectifying behavior with possible interfacial mechanisms. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) analysis was carried over different frequencies. These results suggest that fabrication of hybrid structure through printed techniques will play a significant role in mass production of printed electronic devices for commercial application by using flexible substrate.

I.v. and intraarterial hybrid digital subtraction angiography: clinical evaluation.

PubMed

Foley, W D; Beres, J; Smith, D F; Bell, R M; Milde, M W; Lipchik, E O

1986-09-01

Temporal/energy (hybrid) subtraction is a technique for removing soft-tissue motion artifact from digital subtraction angiograms. The diagnostic utility of hybrid subtraction for i.v. and intraarterial angiography was assessed in the first 9 months of operation of a dedicated production system. In i.v. carotid arteriography (N = 127), hybrid subtraction (H) provided a double-profile projection of the carotid bifurcation in an additional 14% of studies, compared with temporal subtraction (T) alone (H79:T48, p less than 0.001). However, a change in estimated percent stenosis or additional diagnostic information occurred in only 2% of studies. In i.v. abdominal arteriography (N = 23), hybrid subtraction, compared with temporal subtraction, provided a diagnostic examination in an additional 14% of studies (H20:T17); however, this difference is not statistically significant. An additional three i.v. abdominal angiograms were nondiagnostic. In intraarterial abdominal (N = 98) and pelvic (N = 60) angiography, hybrid subtraction provided a diagnostic examination in an additional 5% of studies (abdomen H94:T90, pelvis H58:T56); this difference was not statistically significant. An additional 5% of all intraarterial abdominal and pelvic digital subtraction angiographic studies were considered nondiagnostic. Hybrid subtraction provides a double-profile view of the carotid bifurcation in a significant number of patients. However, apart from some potential for improved i.v. abdominal arteriography, hybrid subtraction does not result in significant improvement in comparison to conventional temporal-subtraction techniques.

Optical nonlinearity of CdSe-PMMA hybrid nanocomposite investigated via Z-scan technique and semi-empirical relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Ramneek; Tripathi, S. K.

2016-04-01

CdSe-PMMA nanocomposite has been synthesized by ex-situ technique. The effect of different Ag doping concentrations on its structural and optical properties has been studied. X-ray diffraction reveals the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the polymer nanocomposites with preferential growth of the nanocrystals along (1 0 0) direction. Transmission electron micrograph shows the spherical CdSe nanoparticles embedded in polymer matrix. The nonlinear refractive index of the nanocomposites has been calculated using Tichy & Ticha semi-empirical relations and Z-scan technique. Z-scan results disclose the two photon absorption process in the hybrid nanocomposites with self focussing behaviour. With Ag doping, the nonlinearity is found to be increased up to 0.2% Ag doping concentration due to the confined effect of Surface Plasmon, Quantum confinement and thermal lensing. Above 0.2% Ag concentration, its value decreases due to the declined linear refractive index of the nanocomposites. Maximum two photon figure of merit is 76 for 0.2% Ag doped CdSe-PMMA hybrid nanocomposite. The present results accentuate the possibility of tuning the optical non-linearity of CdSe-PMMA hybrid nanocomposite by adjusting the doping concentration.

Katherine: Ethernet Embedded Readout Interface for Timepix3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burian, P.; Broulím, P.; Jára, M.; Georgiev, V.; Bergmann, B.

2017-11-01

The Timepix3—the latest generation of hybrid particle pixel detectors of Medipix family—yields a lot of new possibilities, i.e. a high hit-rate, a time resolution of 1.56 ns, event data-driven readout mode, and the capability of measuring the Time-over-Threshold (ToT - energy) and the Time-of-Arrival (ToA) simultaneously. This paper introduces a newly developed readout device for the Timepix3, called "Katherine", featuring a Gigabit Ethernet interface. The primary benefit of the Katherine is the operation of Timepix3 at long distance (up to 100 m) from computer or server, which is advantageous for the installation at beam lines, where the access is difficult or where radiation levels are too high for human interventions. The maximal hit-rate is limited by the bandwidth of the Ethernet connection (peer-to-peer connection; up to 16 Mhit/s). Since the Katherine interface is equipped with a processor of high computational power (ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core processor), it permits the use as a stand-alone (autonomous) radiation detector. The key features of the device are described in detail. These are the implemented high voltage power supply offering both polarities of bias voltage (up to ± 300 V), the automatic data sending to a sever via SSH, the automatic compensation of ToA values from columns with shifted matrix clock, etc. A dedicated control software was developed, which can be used for the detector preparation (sensor equalization, the DACs dependency scan, and the THL scan) and measurement control. Measured energy spectra from photon fields are shown.

Female-dependent impaired fear memory of adult rats induced by maternal separation, and screening of possible related genes in the hippocampal CA1.

PubMed

Sun, Xiu-Min; Tu, Wen-Qiang; Shi, Yan-Wei; Xue, Li; Zhao, Hu

2014-07-01

Early life stress is one of the major susceptible factors for stress-related pathologies like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent studies in rats suggest that rather than being overall unfavorable, early life stress may prepare the organism to perform optimally to stressful environments later in life. In this study, severely adverse early life stress was conducted by six consecutive hours of maternal separation (MS), from PND1 to PND21, and contextual fear conditioning model was used on PND90 to mimic the second stress in adulthood and the re-experiencing symptom of PTSD. It was observed that in this investigation pups experienced MS showed decreased sensibility to contextual fear conditioning in adulthood, and there sex plays an important role. For example, female rats suffered MS had much lower freezing than males and controls. Meanwhile, Morris water maze test indicated that MS did not impair rat's performance of spatial learning and memory. Furthermore, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to screen the related genes of fear memory, by examining the changes of mRNA expression in CA1 area between female MS and control rats after contextual fear conditioning. Finally, nine up-regulated and one down-regulated genes, including β2-MG, MAF, Nd1-L, TorsinA and MACF1 gene were found in this study. It is assumed that the TorsinA, MACF1 and Nd1-L gene may contribute to the decreased sensitivity of PTSD induced by MS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Local and systemic mycorrhiza-induced protection against the ectoparasitic nematode Xiphinema index involves priming of defence gene responses in grapevine.

PubMed

Hao, Zhipeng; Fayolle, Léon; van Tuinen, Diederik; Chatagnier, Odile; Li, Xiaolin; Gianinazzi, Silvio; Gianinazzi-Pearson, Vivienne

2012-06-01

The ectoparasitic dagger nematode (Xiphinema index), vector of Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), provokes gall formation and can cause severe damage to the root system of grapevines. Mycorrhiza formation by Glomus (syn. Rhizophagus) intraradices BEG141 reduced both gall formation on roots of the grapevine rootstock SO4 (Vitis berlandieri×V. riparia) and nematode number in the surrounding soil. Suppressive effects increased with time and were greater when the nematode was post-inoculated rather than co-inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus. Using a split-root system, decreased X. index development was shown in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal parts of mycorrhizal root systems, indicating that both local and systemic induced bioprotection mechanisms were active against the ectoparasitic nematode. Expression analyses of ESTs (expressed sequence tags) generated in an SSH (subtractive suppressive hybridization) library, representing plant genes up-regulated during mycorrhiza-induced control of X. index, and of described grapevine defence genes showed activation of chitinase 1b, pathogenesis-related 10, glutathione S-transferase, stilbene synthase 1, 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase, and a heat shock proein 70-interacting protein in association with the observed local and/or systemic induced bioprotection against the nematode. Overall, the data suggest priming of grapevine defence responses by the AM fungus and transmission of a plant-mediated signal to non-mycorrhizal tissues. Grapevine gene responses during AM-induced local and systemic bioprotection against X. index point to biological processes that are related either to direct effects on the nematode or to protection against nematode-imposed stress to maintain root tissue integrity.

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots

PubMed Central

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-01-01

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms. PMID:27144562

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots.

PubMed

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-04-30

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms.

TaLHY, a 1R-MYB Transcription Factor, Plays an Important Role in Disease Resistance against Stripe Rust Fungus and Ear Heading in Wheat

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zijin; Chen, Jieming; Su, Yongying; Liu, Hanmei; Chen, Yanger; Luo, Peigao; Du, Xiaogang; Wang, Dan; Zhang, Huaiyu

2015-01-01

LHY (late elongated hypocotyl) is an important gene that regulates and controls biological rhythms in plants. Additionally, LHY is highly expressed in the SSH (suppression subtractive hybridization) cDNA library-induced stripe rust pathogen (CYR32) in our previous research. To identify the function of the LHY gene in disease resistance against stripe rust, we used RACE-PCR technology to clone TaLHY in the wheat variety Chuannong19. The cDNA of TaLHY is 3085 bp long with an open reading frame of 1947 bp. TaLHY is speculated to encode a 70.3 kDa protein of 648 amino acids , which has one typical plant MYB-DNA binding domain; additionally, phylogenetic tree shows that TaLHY has the highest homology with LHY of Brachypodium distachyon(BdLHY-like). Quantitative fluorescence PCR indicates that TaLHY has higher expression in the leaf, ear and stem of wheat but lower expression in the root. Infestation of CYR32 can result in up-regulated expression of TaLHY, peaking at 72 h. Using VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing) technology to disease-resistant wheat in the fourth leaf stage, plants with silenced TaLHY cannot complete their heading stage. Through the compatible interaction with the stripe rust physiological race CYR32, Chuannong 19 loses its immune capability toward the stripe rust pathogen, indicating that TaLHY may regulate and participate in the heading of wheat, as well as the defense responses against stripe rust infection. PMID:26010918

Role for the banana AGAMOUS-like gene MaMADS7 in regulation of fruit ripening and quality.

PubMed

Liu, Juhua; Liu, Lin; Li, Yujia; Jia, Caihong; Zhang, Jianbin; Miao, Hongxia; Hu, Wei; Wang, Zhuo; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

2015-11-01

MADS-box transcription factors play important roles in organ development. In plants, most studies on MADS-box genes have mainly focused on flower development and only a few concerned fruit development and ripening. A new MADS-box gene named MaMADS7 was isolated from banana fruit by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) based on a MADS-box fragment obtained from a banana suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library. MaMADS7 is an AGAMOUS-like MADS-box gene that is preferentially expressed in the ovaries and fruits and in tobacco its protein product localizes to the nucleus. This study found that MaMADS7 expression can be induced by exogenous ethylene. Ectopic expression of MaMADS7 in tomato resulted in broad ripening phenotypes. The expression levels of seven ripening and quality-related genes, ACO1, ACS2, E4, E8, PG, CNR and PSY1 in MaMADS7 transgenic tomato fruits were greatly increased while the expression of the AG-like MADS-box gene TAGL1 was suppressed. Compared with the control, the contents of β-carotene, lycopene, ascorbic acid and organic acid in transformed tomato fruits were increased, while the contents of glucose and fructose were slightly decreased. MaMADS7 interacted with banana 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase gene 1 (MaACO1) and tomato phytoene synthase gene (LePSY1) promoters. Our results indicated that MaMADS7 plays an important role in initiating endogenous ethylene biosynthesis and fruit ripening. © 2015 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Expression of Selected Ginkgo biloba Heat Shock Protein Genes After Cold Treatment Could Be Induced by Other Abiotic Stress

PubMed Central

Cao, Fuliang; Cheng, Hua; Cheng, Shuiyuan; Li, Linling; Xu, Feng; Yu, Wanwen; Yuan, Honghui

2012-01-01

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play various stress-protective roles in plants. In this study, three HSP genes were isolated from a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library of Ginkgo biloba leaves treated with cold stress. Based on the molecular weight, the three genes were designated GbHSP16.8, GbHSP17 and GbHSP70. The full length of the three genes were predicted to encode three polypeptide chains containing 149 amino acids (Aa), 152 Aa, and 657 Aa, and their corresponding molecular weights were predicted as follows: 16.67 kDa, 17.39 kDa, and 71.81 kDa respectively. The three genes exhibited distinctive expression patterns in different organs or development stages. GbHSP16.8 and GbHSP70 showed high expression levels in leaves and a low level in gynoecia, GbHSP17 showed a higher transcription in stamens and lower level in fruit. This result indicates that GbHSP16.8 and GbHSP70 may play important roles in Ginkgo leaf development and photosynthesis, and GbHSP17 may play a positive role in pollen maturation. All three GbHSPs were up-regulated under cold stress, whereas extreme heat stress only caused up-regulation of GbHSP70, UV-B treatment resulted in up-regulation of GbHSP16.8 and GbHSP17, wounding treatment resulted in up-regulation of GbHSP16.8 and GbHSP70, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment caused up-regulation of GbHSP70 primarily. PMID:22754330

Transcriptomic analysis reveals differential gene expression in response to aluminium in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes

PubMed Central

Eticha, Dejene; Zahn, Marc; Bremer, Melanie; Yang, Zhongbao; Rangel, Andrés F.; Rao, Idupulapati M.; Horst, Walter J.

2010-01-01

Background and Aims Aluminium (Al) resistance in common bean is known to be due to exudation of citrate from the root after a lag phase, indicating the induction of gene transcription and protein synthesis. The aims of this study were to identify Al-induced differentially expressed genes and to analyse the expression of candidate genes conferring Al resistance in bean. Methods The suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method was used to identify differentially expressed genes in an Al-resistant bean genotype (‘Quimbaya’) during the induction period. Using quantitative real-time PCR the expression patterns of selected genes were compared between an Al-resistant and an Al-sensitive genotype (‘VAX 1’) treated with Al for up to 24 h. Key Results Short-term Al treatment resulted in up-regulation of stress-induced genes and down-regulation of genes involved in metabolism. However, the expressions of genes encoding enzymes involved in citrate metabolism were not significantly affected by Al. Al treatment dramatically increased the expression of common bean expressed sequence tags belonging to the citrate transporter gene family MATE (multidrug and toxin extrusion family protein) in both the Al-resistant and -sensitive genotype in close agreement with Al-induced citrate exudation. Conclusions The expression of a citrate transporter MATE gene is crucial for citrate exudation in common bean. However, although the expression of the citrate transporter is a prerequisite for citrate exudation, genotypic Al resistance in common bean particularly depends on the capacity to sustain the synthesis of citrate for maintaining the cytosolic citrate pool that enables exudation. PMID:20237115

A diagnostic PCR assay for the detection of an Australian epidemic strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Chronic lung infection with the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the hallmarks of cystic fibrosis (CF) and is associated with worsening lung function, increased hospitalisation and reduced life expectancy. A virulent clonal strain of P. aeruginosa (Australian epidemic strain I; AES-I) has been found to be widespread in CF patients in eastern Australia. Methods Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to identify genetic sequences that are present in the AES-I strain but absent from the sequenced reference strain PAO1. We used PCR to evaluate the distribution of several of the AES-I loci amongst a collection of 188 P. aeruginosa isolates which was comprised of 35 AES-I isolates (as determined by PFGE), 78 non-AES-I CF isolates including other epidemic CF strains as well as 69 P. aeruginosa isolates from other clinical and environmental sources. Results We have identified a unique AES-I genetic locus that is present in all 35 AES-I isolates tested and not present in any of the other 153 P. aeruginosa strains examined. We have used this unique AES-I locus to develop a diagnostic PCR and a real-time PCR assay to detect the presence of P. aeruginosa and AES-I in patient sputum samples. Conclusions We have developed diagnostic PCR assays that are 100% sensitive and 100% specific for the P. aeruginosa strain AES-I. We have also shown that Whatman FTA® Elute cards may be used with PCR-based assays to rapidly detect the presence of P. aeruginosa strains in CF sputum. PMID:20637114

Summer Generation of the Southern Gulf of California Eddy Train

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-24

from Cabo Corrientes to the northern GOC), -100 km in the offshore direction, and decay poleward (Figures 1 and 2). These PEBC are formed by the Mexican...added in al I panel (c). The positions of Cabo Corrientes (CC), Mazatlin (MZT), San Lorenzo River (SLR), Sinaloa River (SIN), 244 S MS am us Topolobampo...1984] show that is evidenced by the SSH maximums at Cabo Corrientes that in a 3-layer system, the wavelength with the fastest (Topolobampo), which

A Scenario-Based Protocol Checker for Public-Key Authentication Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Takamichi

Security protocol provides communication security for the internet. One of the important features of it is authentication with key exchange. Its correctness is a requirement of the whole of the communication security. In this paper, we introduce three attack models realized as their attack scenarios, and provide an authentication-protocol checker for applying three attack-scenarios based on the models. We also utilize it to check two popular security protocols: Secure SHell (SSH) and Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS).

Large-Scale Oceanic Variability Associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation during the CINDY/DYNAMO Field Campaign from Satellite Observations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-29

during the field campaign. For the first time, it is demonstrated that subseasonal SSS variations in the central Indian Ocean can be monitored by Aquarius...westerlies were observed in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the central and eastern Indian Oceans. The anomalous SSH associated with strong...it is demonstrated that subseasonal SSS variations in the central Indian Ocean can be monitored by Aquarius measurements based on the comparison

Distinguishing Internet-facing ICS Devices Using PLC Programming Information

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-19

the course of this research. I would also like to thank the faculty and students at AFIT who helped me think through some of these problems. Finally, I...21 FTP 143 IMAP 1900 UPnP 6379 Redis 22 SSH 161 SNMP 2323 Telnet 7777 Oracle 23 Telnet 443 HTTPS 3306 MySQL 8000 Qconn 25 SMTP 445 SMB 3389 RDP 8080...250ms over the course of 10,000 samples provided sufficient data to test for statistically significant changes to ladder logic execution times with a

How Stationary Are the Internal Tides in a High-Resolution Global Ocean Circulation Model?

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-12

Egbert et al., 1994] and that the model global internal tide amplitudes compare well with an altimetric-based tidal analysis [Ray and Byrne, 2010]. The... analysis [Foreman, 1977] applied to the HYCOM total SSH. We will follow Shriver et al. [2012], analyzing the tides along satellite altimeter tracks...spots,’’ the comparison between the model and altimetric analysis is not as good due, in part, to two prob- lems, errors in the model barotropic tides and

Mobile Virtual Private Networking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulkkis, Göran; Grahn, Kaj; Mårtens, Mathias; Mattsson, Jonny

Mobile Virtual Private Networking (VPN) solutions based on the Internet Security Protocol (IPSec), Transport Layer Security/Secure Socket Layer (SSL/TLS), Secure Shell (SSH), 3G/GPRS cellular networks, Mobile IP, and the presently experimental Host Identity Protocol (HIP) are described, compared and evaluated. Mobile VPN solutions based on HIP are recommended for future networking because of superior processing efficiency and network capacity demand features. Mobile VPN implementation issues associated with the IP protocol versions IPv4 and IPv6 are also evaluated. Mobile VPN implementation experiences are presented and discussed.

The new era of cardiac surgery: hybrid therapy for cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Solenkova, Natalia V; Umakanthan, Ramanan; Leacche, Marzia; Zhao, David X; Byrne, John G

2010-11-01

Surgical therapy for cardiovascular disease carries excellent long-term outcomes but it is relatively invasive. With the development of new devices and techniques, modern cardiovascular surgery is trending toward less invasive approaches, especially for patients at high risk for traditional open heart surgery. A hybrid strategy combines traditional surgical treatments performed in the operating room with treatments traditionally available only in the catheterization laboratory with the goal of offering patients the best available therapy for any set of cardiovascular diseases. Examples of hybrid procedures include hybrid coronary artery bypass grafting, hybrid valve surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention, hybrid endocardial and epicardial atrial fibrillation procedures, and hybrid coronary artery bypass grafting/carotid artery stenting. This multidisciplinary approach requires strong collaboration between cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, and interventional cardiologists to obtain optimal patient outcomes.

Producing Hybrid Metal Composites by Combining Additive Manufacturing and Casting

DOE PAGES

Pawlowski, Alex E.; Splitter, Derek A.; Muth, Thomas R.; ...

2017-10-01

Additive manufacturing by itself provides many benefits, but by combining different materials processing techniques like traditional casting with additive manufacturing to create hybrid processes, custom materials can be tailor-made and mass produced for applications with specific performance needs.

SU-F-T-349: Dosimetric Comparison of Three Different Simultaneous Integrated Boost Irradiation Techniques for Multiple Brain Metastases: Intensity-Modulatedradiotherapy, Hybrid Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

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

Lin, X; Sun, T; Yin, Y

Purpose: To study the dosimetric impact of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), hybrid intensity-modulated radiotherapy (h-IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT) for whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) with simultaneous integrated boost in patients with multiple brain metastases. Methods: Ten patients with multiple brain metastases were included in this analysis. The prescribed dose was 45 Gy to the whole brain (PTVWBRT) and 55 Gy to individual brain metastases (PTVboost) delivered simultaneously in 25 fractions. Three treatment techniques were designed: the 7 equal spaced fields IMRT plan, hybrid IMRT plan and VMAT with two 358°arcs. In hybrid IMRT plan, two fields(90°and 270°) were planned to themore » whole brain. This was used as a base dose plan. Then 5 fields IMRT plan was optimized based on the two fields plan. The dose distribution in the target, the dose to the organs at risk and total MU in three techniques were compared. Results: For the target dose, conformity and homogeneity in PTV, no statistically differences were observed in the three techniques. For the maximum dose in bilateral lens and the mean dose in bilateral eyes, IMRT and h-IMRT plans showed the highest and lowest value respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in the dose of optic nerve and brainstem. For the monitor units, IMRT and VMAT plans showed the highest and lowest value respectively. Conclusion: For WBRT with simultaneous integrated boost in patients with multiple brain metastases, hybrid IMRT could reduce the doses to lens and eyes. It is feasible for patients with brain metastases.« less

Novel hybrid (magnet plus curve grasper) technique during transumbilical cholecystectomy: initial experience of a promising approach.

PubMed

Millan, Carolina; Bignon, Horacion; Bellia, Gaston; Buela, Enrique; Rabinovich, Fernando; Albertal, Mariano; Martinez Ferro, Marcelo

2013-10-01

The use of magnets in transumbilical cholecystectomy (TUC) improves triangulation and achieves an optimal critical view. Nonetheless, the tendency of the magnets to collide hinders the process. In order to simplify the surgical technique, we developed a hybrid model with a single magnet and a curved grasper. All TUCs performed with a hybrid strategy in our pediatric population between September 2009 and July 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Of 260 surgical procedures in which at least one magnet was used, 87 were TUCs. Of those, 62 were hybrid: 33 in adults and 29 in pediatric patients. The technique combines a magnet and a curved grasper. Through a transumbilical incision, we placed a 12-mm trocar and another flexible 5-mm trocar. The laparoscope with the working channel used the 12-mm trocar. The magnetic grasper was introduced to the abdominal cavity using the working channel to provide cephalic retraction of the gallbladder fundus. Across the flexible trocar, the assistant manipulated the curved grasper to mobilize the infundibulum. The surgeon operated through the working channel of the laparoscope. In this pediatric population, the mean age was 14 years (range, 4-17 years), and mean weight was 50 kg (range, 18-90 kg); 65% were girls. Mean operative time was 62 minutes. All procedures achieved a critical view of safety with no instrumental collision. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. The hospital stay was 1.4±0.6 days, and the median follow-up was 201 days. A hybrid technique, combining magnets and a curved grasper, simplifies transumbilical surgery. It seems feasible and safe for TUC and potentially reproducible.

Human exposure assessment in the near field of GSM base-station antennas using a hybrid finite element/method of moments technique.

PubMed

Meyer, Frans J C; Davidson, David B; Jakobus, Ulrich; Stuchly, Maria A

2003-02-01

A hybrid finite-element method (FEM)/method of moments (MoM) technique is employed for specific absorption rate (SAR) calculations in a human phantom in the near field of a typical group special mobile (GSM) base-station antenna. The MoM is used to model the metallic surfaces and wires of the base-station antenna, and the FEM is used to model the heterogeneous human phantom. The advantages of each of these frequency domain techniques are, thus, exploited, leading to a highly efficient and robust numerical method for addressing this type of bioelectromagnetic problem. The basic mathematical formulation of the hybrid technique is presented. This is followed by a discussion of important implementation details-in particular, the linear algebra routines for sparse, complex FEM matrices combined with dense MoM matrices. The implementation is validated by comparing results to MoM (surface equivalence principle implementation) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solutions of human exposure problems. A comparison of the computational efficiency of the different techniques is presented. The FEM/MoM implementation is then used for whole-body and critical-organ SAR calculations in a phantom at different positions in the near field of a base-station antenna. This problem cannot, in general, be solved using the MoM or FDTD due to computational limitations. This paper shows that the specific hybrid FEM/MoM implementation is an efficient numerical tool for accurate assessment of human exposure in the near field of base-station antennas.

Hybrid femtosecond/picosecond rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering at flame temperatures using a second-harmonic bandwidth-compressed probe.

PubMed

Kearney, Sean P; Scoglietti, Daniel J

2013-03-15

We demonstrate an approach for picosecond probe-beam generation that enables hybrid femtosecond/picosecond pure-rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements in flames. Sum-frequency generation of bandwidth-compressed picosecond radiation from femtosecond pumps with phase-conjugate chirps provides probe pulses with energies in excess of 1 mJ that are temporally locked to the femtosecond pump/Stokes preparation. This method overcomes previous limitations on hybrid femtosecond/picosecond rotational CARS techniques, which have relied upon less efficient bandwidth-reduction processes that have generally resulted in prohibitively low probe energy for flame measurements. We provide the details of the second-harmonic approach and demonstrate the technique in near-adiabatic hydrogen/air flames.

Multi-Wave and Hybrid Imaging Techniques: A New Direction for Nondestructive Testing and Structural Health Monitoring

PubMed Central

Cheng, Yuhua; Deng, Yiming; Cao, Jing; Xiong, Xin; Bai, Libing; Li, Zhaojun

2013-01-01

In this article, the state-of-the-art multi-wave and hybrid imaging techniques in the field of nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring were comprehensively reviewed. A new direction for assessment and health monitoring of various structures by capitalizing the advantages of those imaging methods was discussed. Although sharing similar system configurations, the imaging physics and principles of multi-wave phenomena and hybrid imaging methods are inherently different. After a brief introduction of nondestructive evaluation (NDE), structure health monitoring (SHM) and their related challenges, several recent advances that have significantly extended imaging methods from laboratory development into practical applications were summarized, followed by conclusions and discussion on future directions. PMID:24287536

Accurate Identification of Cancerlectins through Hybrid Machine Learning Technology.

PubMed

Zhang, Jieru; Ju, Ying; Lu, Huijuan; Xuan, Ping; Zou, Quan

2016-01-01

Cancerlectins are cancer-related proteins that function as lectins. They have been identified through computational identification techniques, but these techniques have sometimes failed to identify proteins because of sequence diversity among the cancerlectins. Advanced machine learning identification methods, such as support vector machine and basic sequence features (n-gram), have also been used to identify cancerlectins. In this study, various protein fingerprint features and advanced classifiers, including ensemble learning techniques, were utilized to identify this group of proteins. We improved the prediction accuracy of the original feature extraction methods and classification algorithms by more than 10% on average. Our work provides a basis for the computational identification of cancerlectins and reveals the power of hybrid machine learning techniques in computational proteomics.

Polyaniline nanowires-gold nanoparticles hybrid network based chemiresistive hydrogen sulfide sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirsat, Mahendra D.; Bangar, Mangesh A.; Deshusses, Marc A.; Myung, Nosang V.; Mulchandani, Ashok

2009-02-01

We report a sensitive, selective, and fast responding room temperature chemiresistive sensor for hydrogen sulfide detection and quantification using polyaniline nanowires-gold nanoparticles hybrid network. The sensor was fabricated by facile electrochemical technique. Initially, polyaniline nanowires with a diameter of 250-320 nm bridging the gap between a pair of microfabricated gold electrodes were synthesized using templateless electrochemical polymerization using a two step galvanostatic technique. Polyaniline nanowires were then electrochemically functionalized with gold nanoparticles using cyclic voltammetry technique. These chemiresistive sensors show an excellent limit of detection (0.1 ppb), wide dynamic range (0.1-100 ppb), and very good selectivity and reproducibility.

Overview of existing algorithms for emotion classification. Uncertainties in evaluations of accuracies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avetisyan, H.; Bruna, O.; Holub, J.

2016-11-01

A numerous techniques and algorithms are dedicated to extract emotions from input data. In our investigation it was stated that emotion-detection approaches can be classified into 3 following types: Keyword based / lexical-based, learning based, and hybrid. The most commonly used techniques, such as keyword-spotting method, Support Vector Machines, Naïve Bayes Classifier, Hidden Markov Model and hybrid algorithms, have impressive results in this sphere and can reach more than 90% determining accuracy.

New 'chimie douce' approach to the synthesis of hybrid nanosheets of MoS2 on CNT and their anti-friction and anti-wear properties.

PubMed

Altavilla, Claudia; Sarno, Maria; Ciambelli, Paolo; Senatore, Adolfo; Petrone, Vincenzo

2013-03-29

Hybrid organic-inorganic oleylamine@MoS2-CNT nanocomposites with different compositions were obtained by thermal decomposition of tetrathiomolybdate in the presence of oleylamine and high quality multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) previously prepared by the CCVD technique. The nanocomposite samples were characterized by the TEM, SEM TG-MS, Raman and XRD techniques and successfully tested as anti-friction and anti-wear additives for grease lubricants.

A combined endovascular and open ''reverse hybrid'' technique for repair of complex juxtarenal inflammatory aortic aneurysms.

PubMed

Rigberg, David; Jimenez, Juan Carlos; Lawrence, Peter; Gelabert, Hugh

2009-01-01

Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAA) can present significant challenges to surgeons, especially in the juxtarenal location where they may not be amenable to endovascular repair. The dense, inflammatory component of these lesions can encase adjacent structures including the duodenum, ureters, and inferior vena cava putting them at risk for injury during open exposure. We report a novel ''reverse hybrid'' technique using a combined endovascular and open approach for repair of large, juxtarenal IAAA's.

Battery Test Manual For 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles

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

Walker, Lee Kenneth

2017-03-01

This manual details the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium and U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program goals, test methods, and analysis techniques for a 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle system. The test methods are outlined stating with characterization tests, followed by life tests. The final section details standardized analysis techniques for 48 V systems that allow for the comparison of different programs that use this manual. An example test plan is included, along with guidance to filling in gap table numbers.

Epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Chaoliang; Chen, Junze; Wu, Xue-Jun; Zhang, Hua

2018-02-01

Hybrid nanostructures are a class of materials that are typically composed of two or more different components, in which each component has at least one dimension on the nanoscale. The rational design and controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures are of great importance in enabling the fine tuning of their properties and functions. Epitaxial growth is a promising approach to the controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures with desired structures, crystal phases, exposed facets and/or interfaces. This Review provides a critical summary of the state of the art in the field of epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures. We discuss the historical development, architectures and compositions, epitaxy methods, characterization techniques and advantages of epitaxial hybrid nanostructures. Finally, we provide insight into future research directions in this area, which include the epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures from a wider range of materials, the study of the underlying mechanism and determining the role of epitaxial growth in influencing the properties and application performance of hybrid nanostructures.

A Hybrid Method for Opinion Finding Task (KUNLP at TREC 2008 Blog Track)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

retrieve relevant documents. For the Opinion Retrieval subtask, we propose a hybrid model of lexicon-based approach and machine learning approach for...estimating and ranking the opinionated documents. For the Polarized Opinion Retrieval subtask, we employ machine learning for predicting the polarity...and linear combination technique for ranking polar documents. The hybrid model which utilize both lexicon-based approach and machine learning approach

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid organic aerogels with superior mechanical properties

Treesearch

Qifeng Zheng; Alireza Javadi; Ronald Sabo; Zhiyong Cai; Shaoqin Gong

2013-01-01

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–cellulose nanofibril (CNF)–multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid organic aerogels were prepared using an environmentally friendly freeze-drying process with renewable materials. The material properties of these “green” hybrid aerogels were characterized extensively using various techniques. It was found that adding a small amount of CNFs...

Surgical technique for en bloc transurethral resection of bladder tumour with a Hybrid Knife(®).

PubMed

Islas-García, J J O; Campos-Salcedo, J G; López-Benjume, B I; Torres-Gómez, J J; Aguilar-Colmenero, J; Martínez-Alonso, I A; Gil-Villa, S A

2016-05-01

Bladder cancer is the second most common malignancy of the urinary tract and the 9th worldwide. Latin American has an incidence of 5.6 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Seventy-five percent of newly diagnosed cases are nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, and 25% of cases present as muscle invasive. The mainstay of treatment for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer is loop transurethral resection. In 2013, the group led by Dr Mundhenk of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, was the first to describe the Hybrid Knife(®) equipment for performing en bloc bladder tumour resection, with favourable functional and oncological results. To describe the surgical technique of en bloc bladder tumour resection with a Hybrid Knife(®) as an alternative treatment for nonmuscle invasive bladder tumours. A male patient was diagnosed by urotomography and urethrocystoscopy with a bladder tumour measuring 2×1cm on the floor. En bloc transurethral resection of the bladder tumour was performed with a Hybrid Knife(®). Surgery was performed for 35min, with 70 watts for cutting and 50 watts for coagulation, resecting and evacuating en bloc the bladder tumour, which macroscopically included the muscle layer of the bladder. There were no complications. The technique of en bloc bladder tumour resection with Hybrid Knife(®) is an effective alternative to bipolar loop transurethral resection. Resection with a Hybrid Knife(®) is a procedure with little bleeding and good surgical vision and minimises the risk of bladder perforation and tumour implants. The procedure facilitates determining the positivity of the neoplastic process, vascular infiltration and bladder muscle invasion in the histopathology study. Copyright © 2015 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Improved hybrid isolator with maglev actuator integrated in air spring for active-passive isolation of ship machinery vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan; He, Lin; Shuai, Chang-geng; Wang, Chun-yu

2017-10-01

A hybrid isolator consisting of maglev actuator and air spring is proposed and developed for application in active-passive vibration isolation system of ship machinery. The dynamic characteristics of this hybrid isolator are analyzed and tested. The stability and adaptability of this hybrid isolator to shock and swing in the marine environment are improved by a compliant gap protection technique and a disengageable suspended structure. The functions of these new engineering designs are proved by analytical verification and experimental validation of the designed stiffness of such a hybrid isolator, and also by shock adaptability testing of the hybrid isolator. Finally, such hybrid isolators are installed in an engineering mounting loaded with a 200-kW ship diesel generator, and the broadband and low-frequency sinusoidal isolation performance is tested.

Genetic programming assisted stochastic optimization strategies for optimization of glucose to gluconic acid fermentation.

PubMed

Cheema, Jitender Jit Singh; Sankpal, Narendra V; Tambe, Sanjeev S; Kulkarni, Bhaskar D

2002-01-01

This article presents two hybrid strategies for the modeling and optimization of the glucose to gluconic acid batch bioprocess. In the hybrid approaches, first a novel artificial intelligence formalism, namely, genetic programming (GP), is used to develop a process model solely from the historic process input-output data. In the next step, the input space of the GP-based model, representing process operating conditions, is optimized using two stochastic optimization (SO) formalisms, viz., genetic algorithms (GAs) and simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA). These SO formalisms possess certain unique advantages over the commonly used gradient-based optimization techniques. The principal advantage of the GP-GA and GP-SPSA hybrid techniques is that process modeling and optimization can be performed exclusively from the process input-output data without invoking the detailed knowledge of the process phenomenology. The GP-GA and GP-SPSA techniques have been employed for modeling and optimization of the glucose to gluconic acid bioprocess, and the optimized process operating conditions obtained thereby have been compared with those obtained using two other hybrid modeling-optimization paradigms integrating artificial neural networks (ANNs) and GA/SPSA formalisms. Finally, the overall optimized operating conditions given by the GP-GA method, when verified experimentally resulted in a significant improvement in the gluconic acid yield. The hybrid strategies presented here are generic in nature and can be employed for modeling and optimization of a wide variety of batch and continuous bioprocesses.

Detection of target-probe oligonucleotide hybridization using synthetic nanopore resistive pulse sensing.

PubMed

Booth, Marsilea Adela; Vogel, Robert; Curran, James M; Harbison, SallyAnn; Travas-Sejdic, Jadranka

2013-07-15

Despite the plethora of DNA sensor platforms available, a portable, sensitive, selective and economic sensor able to rival current fluorescence-based techniques would find use in many applications. In this research, probe oligonucleotide-grafted particles are used to detect target DNA in solution through a resistive pulse nanopore detection technique. Using carbodiimide chemistry, functionalized probe DNA strands are attached to carboxylated dextran-based magnetic particles. Subsequent incubation with complementary target DNA yields a change in surface properties as the two DNA strands hybridize. Particle-by-particle analysis with resistive pulse sensing is performed to detect these changes. A variable pressure method allows identification of changes in the surface charge of particles. As proof-of-principle, we demonstrate that target hybridization is selectively detected at micromolar concentrations (nanomoles of target) using resistive pulse sensing, confirmed by fluorescence and phase analysis light scattering as complementary techniques. The advantages, feasibility and limitations of using resistive pulse sensing for sample analysis are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coupling discrete and continuum concentration particle models for multiscale and hybrid molecular-continuum simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petsev, Nikolai D.; Leal, L. Gary; Shell, M. Scott

2017-12-01

Hybrid molecular-continuum simulation techniques afford a number of advantages for problems in the rapidly burgeoning area of nanoscale engineering and technology, though they are typically quite complex to implement and limited to single-component fluid systems. We describe an approach for modeling multicomponent hydrodynamic problems spanning multiple length scales when using particle-based descriptions for both the finely resolved (e.g., molecular dynamics) and coarse-grained (e.g., continuum) subregions within an overall simulation domain. This technique is based on the multiscale methodology previously developed for mesoscale binary fluids [N. D. Petsev, L. G. Leal, and M. S. Shell, J. Chem. Phys. 144, 084115 (2016)], simulated using a particle-based continuum method known as smoothed dissipative particle dynamics. An important application of this approach is the ability to perform coupled molecular dynamics (MD) and continuum modeling of molecularly miscible binary mixtures. In order to validate this technique, we investigate multicomponent hybrid MD-continuum simulations at equilibrium, as well as non-equilibrium cases featuring concentration gradients.

Novel Hybrid Scheduling Technique for Sensor Nodes with Mixed Criticality Tasks

PubMed Central

Micea, Mihai-Victor; Stangaciu, Cristina-Sorina; Stangaciu, Valentin; Curiac, Daniel-Ioan

2017-01-01

Sensor networks become increasingly a key technology for complex control applications. Their potential use in safety- and time-critical domains has raised the need for task scheduling mechanisms specially adapted to sensor node specific requirements, often materialized in predictable jitter-less execution of tasks characterized by different criticality levels. This paper offers an efficient scheduling solution, named Hybrid Hard Real-Time Scheduling (H2RTS), which combines a static, clock driven method with a dynamic, event driven scheduling technique, in order to provide high execution predictability, while keeping a high node Central Processing Unit (CPU) utilization factor. From the detailed, integrated schedulability analysis of the H2RTS, a set of sufficiency tests are introduced and demonstrated based on the processor demand and linear upper bound metrics. The performance and correct behavior of the proposed hybrid scheduling technique have been extensively evaluated and validated both on a simulator and on a sensor mote equipped with ARM7 microcontroller. PMID:28672856

Controllable self-induced passivation of hybrid lead iodide perovskites toward high performance solar cells.

PubMed

Chen, Qi; Zhou, Huanping; Song, Tze-Bin; Luo, Song; Hong, Ziruo; Duan, Hsin-Sheng; Dou, Letian; Liu, Yongsheng; Yang, Yang

2014-07-09

To improve the performance of the polycrystalline thin film devices, it requires a delicate control of its grain structures. As one of the most promising candidates among current thin film photovoltaic techniques, the organic/inorganic hybrid perovskites generally inherit polycrystalline nature and exhibit compositional/structural dependence in regard to their optoelectronic properties. Here, we demonstrate a controllable passivation technique for perovskite films, which enables their compositional change, and allows substantial enhancement in corresponding device performance. By releasing the organic species during annealing, PbI2 phase is presented in perovskite grain boundaries and at the relevant interfaces. The consequent passivation effects and underlying mechanisms are investigated with complementary characterizations, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), time-resolved photoluminescence decay (TRPL), scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM), and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). This controllable self-induced passivation technique represents an important step to understand the polycrystalline nature of hybrid perovskite thin films and contributes to the development of perovskite solar cells judiciously.

Developing integrated patient pathways using hybrid simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulkepli, Jafri; Eldabi, Tillal

2016-10-01

Integrated patient pathways includes several departments, i.e. healthcare which includes emergency care and inpatient ward; intermediate care which patient(s) will stay for a maximum of two weeks and at the same time be assessed by assessment team to find the most suitable care; and social care. The reason behind introducing the intermediate care in western countries was to reduce the rate of patients that stays in the hospital especially for elderly patients. This type of care setting has been considered to be set up in some other countries including Malaysia. Therefore, to assess the advantages of introducing this type of integrated healthcare setting, we suggest develop the model using simulation technique. We argue that single simulation technique is not viable enough to represent this type of patient pathways. Therefore, we suggest develop this model using hybrid techniques, i.e. System Dynamics (SD) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES). Based on hybrid model result, we argued that the result is viable to be as references for decision making process.

Hybrid General Pattern Search and Simulated Annealing for Industrail Production Planning Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasant, P.; Barsoum, N.

2010-06-01

In this paper, the hybridization of GPS (General Pattern Search) method and SA (Simulated Annealing) incorporated in the optimization process in order to look for the global optimal solution for the fitness function and decision variables as well as minimum computational CPU time. The real strength of SA approach been tested in this case study problem of industrial production planning. This is due to the great advantage of SA for being easily escaping from trapped in local minima by accepting up-hill move through a probabilistic procedure in the final stages of optimization process. Vasant [1] in his Ph. D thesis has provided 16 different techniques of heuristic and meta-heuristic in solving industrial production problems with non-linear cubic objective functions, eight decision variables and 29 constraints. In this paper, fuzzy technological problems have been solved using hybrid techniques of general pattern search and simulated annealing. The simulated and computational results are compared to other various evolutionary techniques.