Improving LHC searches for dark photons using lepton-jet substructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barello, G.; Chang, Spencer; Newby, Christopher A.; Ostdiek, Bryan

2017-03-01

Collider signals of dark photons are an exciting probe for new gauge forces and are characterized by events with boosted lepton jets. Existing techniques are efficient in searching for muonic lepton jets but due to substantial backgrounds have difficulty constraining lepton jets containing only electrons. This is unfortunate since upcoming intensity frontier experiments are sensitive to dark photon masses which only allow electron decays. Analyzing a recently proposed model of kinetic mixing, with new scalar particles decaying into dark photons, we find that existing techniques for electron jets can be substantially improved. We show that using lepton-jet-substructure variables, in association with a boosted decision tree, improves background rejection, significantly increasing the LHC's reach for dark photons in this region of parameter space.

Spectral anomaly methods for aerial detection using KUT nuisance rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Detwiler, R. S.; Pfund, D. M.; Myjak, M. J.; Kulisek, J. A.; Seifert, C. E.

2015-06-01

This work discusses the application and optimization of a spectral anomaly method for the real-time detection of gamma radiation sources from an aerial helicopter platform. Aerial detection presents several key challenges over ground-based detection. For one, larger and more rapid background fluctuations are typical due to higher speeds, larger field of view, and geographically induced background changes. As well, the possible large altitude or stand-off distance variations cause significant steps in background count rate as well as spectral changes due to increased gamma-ray scatter with detection at higher altitudes. The work here details the adaptation and optimization of the PNNL-developed algorithm Nuisance-Rejecting Spectral Comparison Ratios for Anomaly Detection (NSCRAD), a spectral anomaly method previously developed for ground-based applications, for an aerial platform. The algorithm has been optimized for two multi-detector systems; a NaI(Tl)-detector-based system and a CsI detector array. The optimization here details the adaptation of the spectral windows for a particular set of target sources to aerial detection and the tailoring for the specific detectors. As well, the methodology and results for background rejection methods optimized for the aerial gamma-ray detection using Potassium, Uranium and Thorium (KUT) nuisance rejection are shown. Results indicate that use of a realistic KUT nuisance rejection may eliminate metric rises due to background magnitude and spectral steps encountered in aerial detection due to altitude changes and geographically induced steps such as at land-water interfaces.

Which egg features predict egg rejection responses in American robins? Replicating Rothstein's (1982) study.

PubMed

Luro, Alec B; Igic, Branislav; Croston, Rebecca; López, Analía V; Shawkey, Matthew D; Hauber, Mark E

2018-02-01

Rothstein (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 11, 1982, 229) was one of the first comprehensive studies to examine how different egg features influence egg rejection behaviors of avian brood parasite-hosts. The methods and conclusions of Rothstein (1982) laid the foundation for subsequent experimental brood parasitism studies over the past thirty years, but its results have never been evaluated with replication. Here, we partially replicated Rothstein's (1982) experiments using parallel artificial model egg treatments to simulate cowbird ( Molothrus ater ) parasitism in American robin ( Turdus migratorius ) nests. We compared our data with those of Rothstein (1982) and confirmed most of its original findings: (1) robins reject model eggs that differ from the appearance of a natural robin egg toward that of a natural cowbird egg in background color, size, and maculation; (2) rejection responses were best predicted by model egg background color; and (3) model eggs differing by two or more features from natural robin eggs were more likely to be rejected than model eggs differing by one feature alone. In contrast with Rothstein's (1982) conclusion that American robin egg recognition is not specifically tuned toward rejection of brown-headed cowbird eggs, we argue that our results and those of other recent studies of robin egg rejection suggest a discrimination bias toward rejection of cowbird eggs. Future work on egg recognition will benefit from utilizing a range of model eggs varying continuously in background color, maculation patterning, and size in combination with avian visual modeling, rather than using model eggs which vary only discretely.

A computational pipeline for the development of multi-marker bio-signature panels and ensemble classifiers

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Biomarker panels derived separately from genomic and proteomic data and with a variety of computational methods have demonstrated promising classification performance in various diseases. An open question is how to create effective proteo-genomic panels. The framework of ensemble classifiers has been applied successfully in various analytical domains to combine classifiers so that the performance of the ensemble exceeds the performance of individual classifiers. Using blood-based diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection as a case study, we address the following question in this paper: Can acute rejection classification performance be improved by combining individual genomic and proteomic classifiers in an ensemble? Results The first part of the paper presents a computational biomarker development pipeline for genomic and proteomic data. The pipeline begins with data acquisition (e.g., from bio-samples to microarray data), quality control, statistical analysis and mining of the data, and finally various forms of validation. The pipeline ensures that the various classifiers to be combined later in an ensemble are diverse and adequate for clinical use. Five mRNA genomic and five proteomic classifiers were developed independently using single time-point blood samples from 11 acute-rejection and 22 non-rejection renal transplant patients. The second part of the paper examines five ensembles ranging in size from two to 10 individual classifiers. Performance of ensembles is characterized by area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity, as derived from the probability of acute rejection for individual classifiers in the ensemble in combination with one of two aggregation methods: (1) Average Probability or (2) Vote Threshold. One ensemble demonstrated superior performance and was able to improve sensitivity and AUC beyond the best values observed for any of the individual classifiers in the ensemble, while staying within the range of observed specificity. The Vote Threshold aggregation method achieved improved sensitivity for all 5 ensembles, but typically at the cost of decreased specificity. Conclusion Proteo-genomic biomarker ensemble classifiers show promise in the diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection and can improve classification performance beyond that of individual genomic or proteomic classifiers alone. Validation of our results in an international multicenter study is currently underway. PMID:23216969

Monte Carlo Simulations of Background Spectra in Integral Imager Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armstrong, T. W.; Colborn, B. L.; Dietz, K. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

1998-01-01

Predictions of the expected gamma-ray backgrounds in the ISGRI (CdTe) and PiCsIT (Csl) detectors on INTEGRAL due to cosmic-ray interactions and the diffuse gamma-ray background have been made using a coupled set of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes (HETC, FLUKA, EGS4, and MORSE) and a detailed, 3-D mass model of the spacecraft and detector assemblies. The simulations include both the prompt background component from induced hadronic and electromagnetic cascades and the delayed component due to emissions from induced radioactivity. Background spectra have been obtained with and without the use of active (BGO) shielding and charged particle rejection to evaluate the effectiveness of anticoincidence counting on background rejection.

Study of the γ/p discrimination at ∼100 TeV energy range with LHAASO experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhen; Wang, Zhen; Liu, Ye; Guo, Yiqing; Ma, Xinhua; Hu, Hongbo

2018-05-01

The observation of high energy γ-rays is essential to unveil the long-standing enigma of the origin and acceleration of Galactic Cosmic Rays (CRs). Given its powerful capability of distinguishing between protons and γ-rays owing to its very large area of underground muon detectors, the LHAASO observatory will be the most sensitive ground-based detectors for γ-rays at 100 TeV with a CRs background rejection rate better than 10-5. To evaluate the very small rejection rate with sufficient precision at energies above 100 TeV, one needs a large number of Monte Carlo events which is time consuming and challenging. As only the μ-poor events are interesting in the calculation of the rejection rate and take up a tiny fraction of the all CRs events, we modify the popular air shower simulation package, CORSIKA, by outputting only the μ-poor events for the following full detector simulation. As a result, our method is fully consistent with the evaluation made with the official CORSIKA at lower energy. Particularly, our improvement significantly escalate the calculation efficiency above 100 TeV, where it can be at least 50 times faster than using all events in simulation. By virtue of this new method, the γ/p discrimination of the LHAASO experiment at energies above 100 TeV is obtained for the first time, which indicates that LHAASO can reject CR backgrounds at a level of 10-5 and 10-9 at 100 TeV and 1 PeV respectively.

Dried blood spot specimen quality and validation of a new pre-analytical processing method for qualitative HIV-1 PCR, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

PubMed Central

Parboosing, Raveen; Siyaca, Ntombizandile; Moodley, Pravikrishnen

2016-01-01

Background Poor quality dried blood spot (DBS) specimens are usually rejected by virology laboratories, affecting early infant diagnosis of HIV. The practice of combining two incompletely-filled DBS in one specimen preparation tube during pre-analytical specimen processing (i.e., the two-spot method) has been implemented to reduce the number of specimens being rejected for insufficient volume. Objectives This study analysed laboratory data to describe the quality of DBS specimens and the use of the two-spot method over a one-year period, then validated the two-spot method against the standard (one-spot) method. Methods Data on HIV-1 PCR test requests submitted in 2014 to the Department of Virology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa were analysed to describe reasons for specimen rejection, as well as results of the two-spot method. The accuracy, lower limit of detection and precision of the two-spot method were assessed. Results Of the 88 481 specimens received, 3.7% were rejected for pre-analytical problems. Of those, 48.9% were rejected as a result of insufficient specimen volume. Two health facilities had significantly more specimen rejections than other facilities. The two-spot method prevented 10 504 specimen rejections. The Pearson correlation coefficient comparing the standard to the two-spot method was 0.997. Conclusions The two-spot method was comparable with the standard method of pre-analytical specimen processing. Two health facilities were identified for targeted retraining on specimen quality. The two-spot method of DBS specimen processing can be used as an adjunct to retraining, to reduce the number of specimens rejected and improve linkage to care. PMID:28879108

Scanning light-sheet microscopy in the whole mouse brain with HiLo background rejection.

PubMed

Mertz, Jerome; Kim, Jinhyun

2010-01-01

It is well known that light-sheet illumination can enable optically sectioned wide-field imaging of macroscopic samples. However, the optical sectioning capacity of a light-sheet macroscope is undermined by sample-induced scattering or aberrations that broaden the thickness of the sheet illumination. We present a technique to enhance the optical sectioning capacity of a scanning light-sheet microscope by out-of-focus background rejection. The technique, called HiLo microscopy, makes use of two images sequentially acquired with uniform and structured sheet illumination. An optically sectioned image is then synthesized by fusing high and low spatial frequency information from both images. The benefits of combining light-sheet macroscopy and HiLo background rejection are demonstrated in optically cleared whole mouse brain samples, using both green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fluorescence and dark-field scattered light contrast.

Scanning light-sheet microscopy in the whole mouse brain with HiLo background rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertz, Jerome; Kim, Jinhyun

2010-01-01

It is well known that light-sheet illumination can enable optically sectioned wide-field imaging of macroscopic samples. However, the optical sectioning capacity of a light-sheet macroscope is undermined by sample-induced scattering or aberrations that broaden the thickness of the sheet illumination. We present a technique to enhance the optical sectioning capacity of a scanning light-sheet microscope by out-of-focus background rejection. The technique, called HiLo microscopy, makes use of two images sequentially acquired with uniform and structured sheet illumination. An optically sectioned image is then synthesized by fusing high and low spatial frequency information from both images. The benefits of combining light-sheet macroscopy and HiLo background rejection are demonstrated in optically cleared whole mouse brain samples, using both green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fluorescence and dark-field scattered light contrast.

Simulation results of Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) for background reduction in INTEGRAL Spectrometer (SPI) germanium detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slassi-Sennou, S. A.; Boggs, S. E.; Feffer, P. T.; Lin, R. P.

1997-01-01

Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) for background reduction will be used in the INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) imaging spectrometer (SPI) to improve the sensitivity from 200 keV to 2 MeV. The observation of significant astrophysical gamma ray lines in this energy range is expected, where the dominant component of the background is the beta(sup -) decay in the Ge detectors due to the activation of Ge nuclei by cosmic rays. The sensitivity of the SPI will be improved by rejecting beta(sup -) decay events while retaining photon events. The PSD technique will distinguish between single and multiple site events. Simulation results of PSD for INTEGRAL-type Ge detectors using a numerical model for pulse shape generation are presented. The model was shown to agree with the experimental results for a narrow inner bore closed end cylindrical detector. Using PSD, a sensitivity improvement factor of the order of 2.4 at 0.8 MeV is expected.

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS): Simulation Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fegan, Stephen; Buckley, J. H.; Bugaev, S.; Funk, S.; Konopelko, A.; Maier, G.; Vassiliev, V. V.; Simulation Studies Working Group; AGIS Collaboration

2008-03-01

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation instrument in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. It has the goal of achieving significant improvement in sensitivity over current experiments. We present the results of simulation studies of various possible designs for AGIS. The primary characteristics of the array performance, collecting area, angular resolution, background rejection, and sensitivity are discussed.

Victimization and Its Associations with Peer Rejection and Fear of Victimization: Moderating Effects of Individual-Level and Classroom-Level Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kollerová, Lenka; Smolík, Filip

2016-01-01

Background: Past research has shown that peer victimization by bullying is associated with peer rejection and fear of victimization, but little is known about the interplay between victimization and other characteristics in the prediction of these experiences. We assume that the associations between victimization and peer rejection/fear of…

The first demonstration of the concept of "narrow-FOV Si/CdTe semiconductor Compton camera"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichinohe, Yuto; Uchida, Yuusuke; Watanabe, Shin; Edahiro, Ikumi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Kawano, Takafumi; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Takeda, Shin`ichiro; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Katsuragawa, Miho; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Odaka, Hirokazu; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Yuasa, Takayuki

2016-01-01

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD), to be deployed on board the ASTRO-H satellite, has been developed to provide the highest sensitivity observations of celestial sources in the energy band of 60-600 keV by employing a detector concept which uses a Compton camera whose field-of-view is restricted by a BGO shield to a few degree (narrow-FOV Compton camera). In this concept, the background from outside the FOV can be heavily suppressed by constraining the incident direction of the gamma ray reconstructed by the Compton camera to be consistent with the narrow FOV. We, for the first time, demonstrate the validity of the concept using background data taken during the thermal vacuum test and the low-temperature environment test of the flight model of SGD on ground. We show that the measured background level is suppressed to less than 10% by combining the event rejection using the anti-coincidence trigger of the active BGO shield and by using Compton event reconstruction techniques. More than 75% of the signals from the field-of-view are retained against the background rejection, which clearly demonstrates the improvement of signal-to-noise ratio. The estimated effective area of 22.8 cm2 meets the mission requirement even though not all of the operational parameters of the instrument have been fully optimized yet.

Scanning light-sheet microscopy in the whole mouse brain with HiLo background rejection

PubMed Central

Mertz, Jerome; Kim, Jinhyun

2010-01-01

It is well known that light-sheet illumination can enable optically sectioned wide-field imaging of macroscopic samples. However, the optical sectioning capacity of a light-sheet macroscope is undermined by sample-induced scattering or aberrations that broaden the thickness of the sheet illumination. We present a technique to enhance the optical sectioning capacity of a scanning light-sheet microscope by out-of-focus background rejection. The technique, called HiLo microscopy, makes use of two images sequentially acquired with uniform and structured sheet illumination. An optically sectioned image is then synthesized by fusing high and low spatial frequency information from both images. The benefits of combining light-sheet macroscopy and HiLo background rejection are demonstrated in optically cleared whole mouse brain samples, using both green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fluorescence and dark-field scattered light contrast. PMID:20210471

Rejection of Alpha Surface Background in Non-scintillating Bolometric Detectors: The ABSuRD Project

DOE PAGES

Biassoni, M.; Brofferio, C.; Bucci, C.; ...

2016-01-14

Due to their excellent energy resolution values and the vast choice of possible materials, bolometric detectors are currently widely used in the physics of rare events. A limiting aspect for bolometers rises from their inability to discriminate among radiation types or surface from bulk events. It has been demonstrated that the main limitation to sensitivity for purely bolometric detectors is represented by surface alpha contaminations, causing a continuous background that cannot be discriminated. A new scintillation based technique for the rejection of surface alpha background in non- scintillating bolometric experiments is proposed in this work. The idea is to combinemore » a scintillating and a high sensitivity photon detector with a non- scintillating absorber. Finally, we present results showing the possibility to reject events due to alpha decay at or nearby the surface of the crystal.« less

A study of nuclear recoil backgrounds in dark matter detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerdale, Shawn S.

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on the 1-1000 GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering off of nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating (alpha, n) yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and development that informed the design of the DarkSide-50 boron-loaded liquid scintillator neutron veto. We describe the specific implementation of this veto system in DarkSide-50, including a description of its performance, and show that it can reject neutrons with a high enough efficiency to allow DarkSide-50 to run background-free for three years.

Pulse shape discrimination for background rejection in germanium gamma-ray detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feffer, P. T.; Smith, D. M.; Campbell, R. D.; Primbsch, J. H.; Lin, R. P.

1989-01-01

A pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique is developed to reject the beta-decay background resulting from activation of Ge gamma-ray detectors by cosmic-ray secondaries. These beta decays are a major source of background at 0.2-2 MeV energies in well shielded Ge detector systems. The technique exploits the difference between the detected current pulse shapes of single- and multiple-site energy depositions within the detector: beta decays are primarily single-site events, while photons at these energies typically Compton scatter before being photoelectrically absorbed to produce multiple-site events. Depending upon the amount of background due to sources other than beta decay, PSD can more than double the detector sensitivity.

The mercedes-benz approach to γ-ray astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerlof, Carl W.

1988-02-01

The sensitivity requirements for ground-based γ-ray astronomy are reviewed in the light of the most reliable estimates of stellar fluxes above 100 GeV. Current data strongly favor the construction of detectors with the lowest energy thresholds. Since improvements in angular resolution are limited by shower fluctuations, better methods of rejecting hadronic showers must be found to reliably observe the known astrophysical sources. Several possible methods for reducing this hadronic background are discussed.

Background rejection of TEXONO experiment to explore the sub-keV energy region with HPGe detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, M. K.; Sharma, V.; Singh, L.; Chen, J. H.; Singh, V.; Subrahmanyam, V. S.; Soma, A. K.; Wong, H. T.

2017-10-01

To observe the neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering as well as for dark matter search, a detection system with ultra-low energy high purity germanium detector has been set up by the TEXONO Collaboration in Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Plant. Owing to the weak nature and small recoil energy of these rare events, understanding of background sources and their contribution to the energy spectrum are the key factors in this experiment. In this report, we will focus in detail on the different sources of backgrounds in the TEXONO experiment and the techniques used to reject/minimize them.

Small Infrared Target Detection by Region-Adaptive Clutter Rejection for Sea-Based Infrared Search and Track

PubMed Central

Kim, Sungho; Lee, Joohyoung

2014-01-01

This paper presents a region-adaptive clutter rejection method for small target detection in sea-based infrared search and track. In the real world, clutter normally generates many false detections that impede the deployment of such detection systems. Incoming targets (missiles, boats, etc.) can be located in the sky, horizon and sea regions, which have different types of clutters, such as clouds, a horizontal line and sea-glint. The characteristics of regional clutter were analyzed after the geometrical analysis-based region segmentation. The false detections caused by cloud clutter were removed by the spatial attribute-based classification. Those by the horizontal line were removed using the heterogeneous background removal filter. False alarms by sun-glint were rejected using the temporal consistency filter, which is the most difficult part. The experimental results of the various cluttered background sequences show that the proposed region adaptive clutter rejection method produces fewer false alarms than that of the mean subtraction filter (MSF) with an acceptable degradation detection rate. PMID:25054633

Multistep fluorescence gated proportional counters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, Brian D.; Weisskopf, Martin C.

1990-01-01

A proportional counter is introduced in which the levels of energy and spatial resolutions and background rejection permit the application of the device to X-ray astronomy. A multistep approach is employed in which photons cause a signal that triggers the system and measures the energy of the incident photon. The multistep approach permits good energy resolution from parallel geometry and from the imaging stage due to coupling of the imaging and amplification stages. The design also employs fluorescence gating to reduce background, a method that is compatible with the multistep technique. Use of the proportional counter is reported for NASA's supernova campaign, and the pair background is below 0.0001 counts/sq cm sec keV at the xenon k-edge. Potential improvements and applications are listed including the CASES, POF, and EXOSS mission programs.

[Acculturation orientations and psychosocial adaptation among adolescents with immigrant background].

PubMed

Goutaudier, N; Chauchard, E; Melioli, T; Valls, M; van Leeuwen, N; Chabrol, H

2015-09-01

The aim of the study was to explore the typology of adolescents with immigrant background based on the orientations of acculturation and to estimate the psychosocial adaptation of the various subtypes. A sample of 228 French high school students with an immigrant background completed a questionnaire assessing acculturation orientations (Immigrant Acculturation Scale; Barrette et al., 2004), antisocial behaviors, depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Cluster analysis based on acculturation orientations was performed using the k-means method. Cluster analysis produced four distinct acculturation profiles: bicultural (31%), separated (28%), marginalized (21%), and assimilated-individualistic (20%). Adolescents in the separated and marginalized clusters, both characterized by rejection of the host culture, reported higher levels of antisocial behavior. Depressive symptoms and self-esteem did not differ between clusters. Several hypotheses may explain the association between separation and delinquency. First, separation and rejection of the host culture may lead to rebellious behavior such as delinquency. Conversely, delinquent behavior may provoke rejection or discrimination by peers or school, or legal sanctions that induce a reciprocal process of rejection of the host culture and separation. The relationship between separation and antisocial behavior may be bidirectional, each one reinforcing the other, resulting in a negative spiral. This study confirms the interest of the study of the orientations of acculturation in the understanding of the antisocial behavior of adolescents with immigrant background. Copyright © 2014 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Imaging proportional counters for the stellar X-ray polarimeter. [on Soviet Spectrum X-Gamma mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watkins, R. B., Jr.; Kaaret, P.

1990-01-01

The xenon-filled IPCs being developed for the Stellar X-ray Polarimeter are described. The requirements placed on the IPCs by the design of the polarimeter are discussed and results on the performance of prototype counters are presented. The design of a prototype of the IPCs is described. Finally, the performance of the prototype is reported. Due to the extremely low count rates encountered in X-ray polarimetry, efficient background rejection is the most critical parameter of the IPCs. Using a background rejection scheme employing anticoincidence and pulse shape discrimination, a rejection efficiency of 99 percent has been achieved for Co-60-induced events over an energy range of 2 to 15 keV while retaining more than 80 percent of the X-ray efficiency.

A Study of Nuclear Recoil Backgrounds in Dark Matter Detectors

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

Westerdale, Shawn S.

2016-01-01

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on themore » $1-1000$ GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering from nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating ($$\\alpha$$, n)yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and development that informed the design of the DarkSide-50 boron-loaded liquid scintillator neutron veto. We describe the specific implementation of this veto system in DarkSide-50, including a description of its performance, and show that it can reject neutrons with a high enough e_ciency to allow DarkSide-50 to run background-free for three years.« less

Materialistic Values among Chinese Adolescents: Effects of Parental Rejection and Self-Esteem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fu, Xinyuan; Kou, Yu; Yang, Ying

2015-01-01

Background: Materialistic values among today's adolescents have been a concern around the world, yet few studies concerning Chinese adolescents' materialistic values have been conducted. Additionally, the joint effects of parental rejection and self-esteem on materialistic values remain unclear. Objective: We examined materialistic values in a…

Polarization-difference imaging: a biologically inspired technique for observation through scattering media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, M. P.; Pugh, E. N., Jr.; Tyo, J. S.; Engheta, N.

1995-03-01

Many animals have visual systems that exploit the polarization of light, and some of these systems are thought to compute difference signals in parallel from arrays of photoreceptors optimally tuned to orthogonal polarizations. We hypothesize that such polarization-difference systems can improve the visibility of objects in scattering media by serving as common-mode rejection amplifiers that reduce the effects of background scattering and amplify the signal from targets whose polarization-difference magnitude is distinct from the background. We present experimental results obtained with a target in a highly scattering medium, demonstrating that a manmade polarization-difference system can render readily visible surface features invisible to conventional imaging.

Analysis techniques for background rejection at the Majorana Demonstrator

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

Cuestra, Clara; Rielage, Keith Robert; Elliott, Steven Ray

2015-06-11

The MAJORANA Collaboration is constructing the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, an ultra-low background, 40-kg modular HPGe detector array to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 76Ge. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale Ge-based 0νββ-decay searches that will probe the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region, a major goal of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 count/tonne/year in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. The background rejection techniques to be applied to the data include cuts based on data reduction, pulsemore » shape analysis, event coincidences, and time correlations. The Point Contact design of the DEMONSTRATOR's germanium detectors allows for significant reduction of gamma background.« less

Social Rejection and Alcohol Use in Daily Life

PubMed Central

Laws, Holly B.; Ellerbeck, Nicole E.; Rodrigues, Alyne S.; Simmons, Jessica A; Ansell, Emily B.

2017-01-01

Background Prior studies have found that social rejection is associated with increases in negative affect, distress, and hostility. Fewer studies, however, have examined the impact of social rejection on alcohol use, and no known studies have tested whether the impact of social rejection by close others differs from social rejection by acquaintances in its association with subsequent drinking. Methods Participants completed event-contingent reports of their social interactions and alcohol use for 14 consecutive days on smartphones. Multilevel negative binomial regression models tested whether experiencing more social rejection than usual was associated with increased drinking, and whether this association was stronger when participants were rejected by close others (e.g. friends, spouses, family members) versus strangers or acquaintances. Results Results showed a significant interaction between social rejection and relationship closeness. On days characterized by rejection by close others, the likelihood of drinking significantly increased. On days characterized by rejection by acquaintances, by contrast, there was no increase in the likelihood of drinking. There was no main effect of rejection on likelihood of drinking. Conclusions These results suggest that relationship type is a key factor in whether social rejection translates to potentially harmful behaviors, such as increased alcohol use. This finding is in contrast to many laboratory paradigms of rejection, which emphasize rejection and ostracism by strangers rather than known others. In the more naturalistic setting of measuring social interactions on smartphone in daily life, however, our findings suggest that only social rejection delivered by close others, and not strangers, led to subsequent drinking. PMID:28253539

Modulated-alignment dual-axis (MAD) confocal microscopy for deep optical sectioning in tissues

PubMed Central

Leigh, Steven Y.; Chen, Ye; Liu, Jonathan T.C.

2014-01-01

A strategy is presented to enable optical-sectioning microscopy with improved contrast and imaging depth using low-power (0.5 - 1 mW) diode laser illumination. This technology combines the inherent strengths of focal-modulation microscopy and dual-axis confocal (DAC) microscopy for rejecting out-of-focus and multiply scattered background light in tissues. The DAC architecture is unique in that it utilizes an intersecting pair of illumination and collection beams to improve the spatial-filtering and optical-sectioning performance of confocal microscopy while focal modulation selectively ‘labels’ in-focus signals via amplitude modulation. Simulations indicate that modulating the spatial alignment of dual-axis beams at a frequency f generates signals from the focal volume of the microscope that are modulated at 2f with minimal modulation of background signals, thus providing nearly an order-of-magnitude improvement in optical-sectioning contrast compared to DAC microscopy alone. Experiments show that 2f lock-in detection enhances contrast and imaging depth within scattering phantoms and fresh tissues. PMID:24940534

Position-Sensitive CZT Detectors for High Energy X-Ray Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matteson, J.; Coburn, W.; Heindl, W.; Peterson, L.; Pelling, M.; Rothschild, R.; Skelton, R.; Hink, P.; Slavis, K.

1998-05-01

We report recent progress on CZT (Cadmium Zinc Telluride) detectors by the UCSD/WU collaboration. CZT, a room- temperature semiconductor, is a very promising detector material for high energy X-ray astronomy. It can operate from <10 keV to >200 keV, and give sub-keV energy resolution and sub-mm spatial resolution. We have developed an advanced CZT detector that uses two innovations to improve spectral response, give it 3-D localization of energy loss events, and reduce background at high altitudes and in space. The detector measures 12 x 12 x 2 mm(3) and was manufactured by eV Products. Each face has a strip readouts with 500 micron pitch electrodes. The 2 faces' strips are orthogonal, which provides x-y localization into 500 micron pixels. One innovation is "steering electrodes", which are located between the anode strips. They improve the anode charge collection and energy resolution, and tailing due to hole trapping is nearly totally eliminated. The energy resolution at 60 keV is 4 keV and the peak to valley ratio is 50. The other innovation is 3-D localization of energy losses. This is done by comparing the signals from the anode strips, cathode strips, and steering electrodes. There is a strong depth of interaction signature, which can be used to accept events which interact close to the cathode strips (where X-rays of interest are incident) and reject deeper interactions (which are likely to be background). The detector was tested in a balloon flight at 108,000 feet in October 1997. Background was reduced by passive shielding, consisting of lead graded with tin and copper. The lead thickness was changed by command during the flight, and was 7, 2, and 0 mm thick. With the 2 mm thickness the 20 - 40 keV background for the central 30 pixels was 8x10(-4) c/cm(2) -s-keV when the depth of interaction signature was used to reject background, and 7 times greater when this information was not used. The lower background is 12 times less than other workers have obtained with planar CZT detectors with the same thickness and shielding. Thus our advanced CZT detector techniques represent an important improvement in the capabilities of CZT detectors for high energy X-ray astronomy. A second balloon flight is planned for April 1998 with anticoincidence shielding and even lower background is expected. Preliminary results from this flight will be presented.

The relationship between visual search and categorization of own- and other-age faces.

PubMed

Craig, Belinda M; Lipp, Ottmar V

2018-03-13

Young adult participants are faster to detect young adult faces in crowds of infant and child faces than vice versa. These findings have been interpreted as evidence for more efficient attentional capture by own-age than other-age faces, but could alternatively reflect faster rejection of other-age than own-age distractors, consistent with the previously reported other-age categorization advantage: faster categorization of other-age than own-age faces. Participants searched for own-age faces in other-age backgrounds or vice versa. Extending the finding to different other-age groups, young adult participants were faster to detect young adult faces in both early adolescent (Experiment 1) and older adult backgrounds (Experiment 2). To investigate whether the own-age detection advantage could be explained by faster categorization and rejection of other-age background faces, participants in experiments 3 and 4 also completed an age categorization task. Relatively faster categorization of other-age faces was related to relatively faster search through other-age backgrounds on target absent trials but not target present trials. These results confirm that other-age faces are more quickly categorized and searched through and that categorization and search processes are related; however, this correlational approach could not confirm or reject the contribution of background face processing to the own-age detection advantage. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Development of a Low-Noise High Common-Mode-Rejection Instrumentation Amplifier. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rush, Kenneth; Blalock, T. V.; Kennedy, E. J.

1975-01-01

Several previously used instrumentation amplifier circuits were examined to find limitations and possibilities for improvement. One general configuration is analyzed in detail, and methods for improvement are enumerated. An improved amplifier circuit is described and analyzed with respect to common mode rejection and noise. Experimental data are presented showing good agreement between calculated and measured common mode rejection ratio and equivalent noise resistance. The amplifier is shown to be capable of common mode rejection in excess of 140 db for a trimmed circuit at frequencies below 100 Hz and equivalent white noise below 3.0 nv/square root of Hz above 1000 Hz.

Avian vision and the evolution of egg color mimicry in the common cuckoo.

PubMed

Stoddard, Mary Caswell; Stevens, Martin

2011-07-01

Coevolutionary arms races are a potent force in evolution, and brood parasite-host dynamics provide classical examples. Different host-races of the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, lay eggs in the nests of other species, leaving all parental care to hosts. Cuckoo eggs often (but not always) appear to match remarkably the color and pattern of host eggs, thus reducing detection by hosts. However, most studies of egg mimicry focus on human assessments or reflectance spectra, which fail to account for avian vision. Here, we use discrimination and tetrachromatic color space modeling of bird vision to quantify egg background and spot color mimicry in the common cuckoo and 11 of its principal hosts, and we relate this to egg rejection by different hosts. Egg background color and luminance are strongly mimicked by most cuckoo host-races, and mimicry is better when hosts show strong rejection. We introduce a novel measure of color mimicry-"color overlap"-and show that cuckoo and host background colors increasingly overlap in avian color space as hosts exhibit stronger rejection. Finally, cuckoos with better background color mimicry also have better pattern mimicry. Our findings reveal new information about egg mimicry that would be impossible to derive by the human eye. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Operation of an InGrid based X-ray detector at the CAST experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krieger, Christoph; Desch, Klaus; Kaminski, Jochen; Lupberger, Michael

2018-02-01

The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is searching for axions and other particles which could be candidates for DarkMatter and even Dark Energy. These particles could be produced in the Sun and detected by a conversion into soft X-ray photons inside a strong magnetic field. In order to increase the sensitivity for physics beyond the Standard Model, detectors with a threshold below 1 keV as well as efficient background rejection methods are required to compensate for low energies and weak couplings resulting in very low detection rates. Those criteria are fulfilled by a detector utilizing the combination of a pixelized readout chip with an integrated Micromegas stage. These InGrid (Integrated Grid) devices can be build by photolithographic postprocessing techniques, resulting in a close to perfect match of grid and pixels facilitating the detection of single electrons on the chip surface. The high spatial resolution allows for energy determination by simple electron counting as well as for an event-shape based analysis as background rejection method. Tests at an X-ray generator revealed the energy threshold of an InGrid based X-ray detector to be well below the carbon Kα line at 277 eV. After the successful demonstration of the detectors key features, the detector was mounted at one of CAST's four detector stations behind an X-ray telescope in 2014. After several months of successful operation without any detector related interruptions, the InGrid based X-ray detector continues data taking at CAST in 2015. During operation at the experiment, background rates in the order of 10-5 keV-1 cm-2 s-1 have been achieved by application of a likelihood based method discriminating the non-photon background originating mostly from cosmic rays. For continued operation in 2016, an upgraded InGrid based detector is to be installed among other improvements including decoupling and sampling of the signal induced on the grid as well as a veto scintillator to further lower the observed background rates and improving sensitivity.

IBD Selection for the 288kg Prototype SoLid Module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunders, D.; SoLid Collaboration

2017-09-01

The SoLid experiment aims to make a measurement of very short baseline neutrino oscillations using reactor antineutrinos. Key to its sensitivity are the experiment’s high spatial and energy resolution, combined with a very suitable reactor source and excellent background rejection. Placed on the surface at just 5 m from the reactor core, the cosmic flux and reactor output lead to a challenging environment. The fine segmentation of the detector, 5 cm cubes, allows the topology of events to be studied to previously unseen precision. This offers new and unexplored handles for tackling these backgrounds - a key requirement for SoLid physics aims. Using the most recent SoLid prototype (288 kg, 20% scale), we present the first selection to focus on IBD signals. This includes descriptions of SoLid signals and backgrounds, and demonstration that the segmentation can lead to gains in orders of magnitude in background rejection.

Three dimensional HiLo-based structured illumination for a digital scanned laser sheet microscopy (DSLM) in thick tissue imaging

PubMed Central

Bhattacharya, Dipanjan; Singh, Vijay Raj; Zhi, Chen; So, Peter T. C.; Matsudaira, Paul; Barbastathis, George

2012-01-01

Laser sheet based microscopy has become widely accepted as an effective active illumination method for real time three-dimensional (3D) imaging of biological tissue samples. The light sheet geometry, where the camera is oriented perpendicular to the sheet itself, provides an effective method of eliminating some of the scattered light and minimizing the sample exposure to radiation. However, residual background noise still remains, limiting the contrast and visibility of potentially interesting features in the samples. In this article, we investigate additional structuring of the illumination for improved background rejection, and propose a new technique, “3D HiLo” where we combine two HiLo images processed from orthogonal directions to improve the condition of the 3D reconstruction. We present a comparative study of conventional structured illumination based demodulation methods, namely 3Phase and HiLo with a newly implemented 3D HiLo approach and demonstrate that the latter yields superior signal-to-background ratio in both lateral and axial dimensions, while simultaneously suppressing image processing artifacts. PMID:23262684

Three dimensional HiLo-based structured illumination for a digital scanned laser sheet microscopy (DSLM) in thick tissue imaging.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Dipanjan; Singh, Vijay Raj; Zhi, Chen; So, Peter T C; Matsudaira, Paul; Barbastathis, George

2012-12-03

Laser sheet based microscopy has become widely accepted as an effective active illumination method for real time three-dimensional (3D) imaging of biological tissue samples. The light sheet geometry, where the camera is oriented perpendicular to the sheet itself, provides an effective method of eliminating some of the scattered light and minimizing the sample exposure to radiation. However, residual background noise still remains, limiting the contrast and visibility of potentially interesting features in the samples. In this article, we investigate additional structuring of the illumination for improved background rejection, and propose a new technique, "3D HiLo" where we combine two HiLo images processed from orthogonal directions to improve the condition of the 3D reconstruction. We present a comparative study of conventional structured illumination based demodulation methods, namely 3Phase and HiLo with a newly implemented 3D HiLo approach and demonstrate that the latter yields superior signal-to-background ratio in both lateral and axial dimensions, while simultaneously suppressing image processing artifacts.

Rejection of randomly coinciding events in Li_2^{100}MoO_4 scintillating bolometers using light detectors based on the Neganov-Luke effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyak, D. M.; Danevich, F. A.; Dumoulin, L.; Giuliani, A.; Mancuso, M.; Marcillac, P. de; Marnieros, S.; Nones, C.; Olivieri, E.; Poda, D. V.; Tretyak, V. I.

2017-01-01

Random coincidences of nuclear events can be one of the main background sources in low-temperature calorimetric experiments looking for neutrinoless double-beta decay, especially in those searches based on scintillating bolometers embedding the promising double-beta candidate ^{100} Mo, because of the relatively short half-life of the two-neutrino double-beta decay of this nucleus. We show in this work that randomly coinciding events of the two-neutrino double-beta decay of ^{100} Mo in enriched Li_2^{100} MoO_4 detectors can be effectively discriminated by pulse-shape analysis in the light channel if the scintillating bolometer is provided with a Neganov-Luke light detector, which can improve the signal-to-noise ratio by a large factor, assumed here at the level of {˜ }750 on the basis of preliminary experimental results obtained with these devices. The achieved pile-up rejection efficiency results in a very low contribution, of the order of {˜ }6× 10^{-5} counts/(keV\\cdot kg\\cdot y), to the background counting rate in the region of interest for a large volume ({˜ }90 cm^3) Li_2^{100} MoO_4 detector. This background level is very encouraging in view of a possible use of the Li_2^{100} MoO_4 solution for a bolometric tonne-scale next-generation experiment as that proposed in the CUPID project.

Extending the Search for Neutrino Point Sources with IceCube above the Horizon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Alba, J. L. Bazo; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Botner, O.; Bradley, L.; Braun, J.; Breder, D.; Carson, M.; Castermans, T.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clem, J.; Cohen, S.; Cowen, D. F.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Day, C. T.; de Clercq, C.; Demirörs, L.; Depaepe, O.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; Deyoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Duvoort, M. R.; Edwards, W. R.; Ehrlich, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Foerster, M. M.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Ganugapati, R.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Gozzini, R.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gunasingha, R. M.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Hasegawa, Y.; Helbing, K.; Herquet, P.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Hubert, D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülß, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Imlay, R. L.; Inaba, M.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Joseph, J. M.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemming, N.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Knops, S.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Krings, T.; Kroll, G.; Kuehn, K.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lafebre, S.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Lauer, R.; Lehmann, R.; Lennarz, D.; Lundberg, J.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Majumdar, P.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; McParland, C. P.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miyamoto, H.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Nießen, P.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; Ono, M.; Panknin, S.; Patton, S.; Paul, L.; de Los Heros, C. Pérez; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Pohl, A. C.; Porrata, R.; Potthoff, N.; Price, P. B.; Prikockis, M.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Roth, P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Roucelle, C.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schmidt, T.; Schneider, D.; Schukraft, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Slipak, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stephens, G.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stoufer, M. C.; Stoyanov, S.; Strahler, E. A.; Straszheim, T.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tarasova, O.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Terranova, C.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Tooker, J.; Tosi, D.; Turčan, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Voigt, B.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wiedemann, A.; Wikström, G.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, X. W.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.

2009-11-01

Point source searches with the IceCube neutrino telescope have been restricted to one hemisphere, due to the exclusive selection of upward going events as a way of rejecting the atmospheric muon background. We show that the region above the horizon can be included by suppressing the background through energy-sensitive cuts. This improves the sensitivity above PeV energies, previously not accessible for declinations of more than a few degrees below the horizon due to the absorption of neutrinos in Earth. We present results based on data collected with 22 strings of IceCube, extending its field of view and energy reach for point source searches. No significant excess above the atmospheric background is observed in a sky scan and in tests of source candidates. Upper limits are reported, which for the first time cover point sources in the southern sky up to EeV energies.

Molecular analysis of transplant rejection: marching onward

PubMed Central

Lakkis, Fadi G.

2013-01-01

Transcriptional profiling of organ transplants is increasingly defining the biological pathways responsible for graft rejection at the molecular level and identifying gene transcripts that diagnose or predict rejection. These advances hold significant promise for the treatment of organ rejection and for improving clinical outcomes after transplantation, but hurdles remain. PMID:24145950

Performance and advantages of a soft-core based parallel architecture for energy peak detection in the calorimeter Level 0 trigger for the NA62 experiment at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammendola, R.; Barbanera, M.; Bizzarri, M.; Bonaiuto, V.; Ceccucci, A.; Checcucci, B.; De Simone, N.; Fantechi, R.; Federici, L.; Fucci, A.; Lupi, M.; Paoluzzi, G.; Papi, A.; Piccini, M.; Ryjov, V.; Salamon, A.; Salina, G.; Sargeni, F.; Venditti, S.

2017-03-01

The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS has started its data-taking. Its aim is to measure the branching ratio of the ultra-rare decay K+ → π+ν ν̅ . In this context, rejecting the background is a crucial topic. One of the main background to the measurement is represented by the K+ → π+π0 decay. In the 1-8.5 mrad decay region this background is rejected by the calorimetric trigger processor (Cal-L0). In this work we present the performance of a soft-core based parallel architecture built on FPGAs for the energy peak reconstruction as an alternative to an implementation completely founded on VHDL language.

Temporal focusing microscopy combined with three-dimensional structured illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isobe, Keisuke; Toda, Keisuke; Song, Qiyuan; Kannari, Fumihiko; Kawano, Hiroyuki; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Midorikawa, Katsumi

2017-05-01

Temporal focusing microscopy provides the optical sectioning capability in wide-field two-photon fluorescence imaging. Here, we demonstrate temporal focusing microscopy combined with three-dimensional structured illumination, which enables us to enhance the three-dimensional spatial resolution and reject the background fluorescence. Experimentally, the periodic pattern of the illumination was produced not only in the lateral direction but also in the axial direction by the interference between three temporal focusing pulses, which were easily generated using a digital micromirror device. The lateral resolution and optical sectioning capability were successfully enhanced by factors of 1.6 and 3.6, respectively, compared with those of temporal focusing microscopy. In the two-photon fluorescence imaging of a tissue-like phantom, the out-of-focus background fluorescence and the scattered background fluorescence could also be rejected.

The Daily Relation between Parental Rejection and Emotional Eating in Youngsters: A Diary Study

PubMed Central

Vandewalle, Julie; Mabbe, Elien; Debeuf, Taaike; Braet, Caroline; Moens, Ellen

2017-01-01

KEY POINTS  Cross-sectional survey studies have demonstrated significant associations between parental rejection and peer rejection on the one hand and disturbed eating in youngsters, like emotional eating, on the other hand. In this study, we wanted to expand our knowledge on these relationships by investigating the daily fluctuations in these variables. Youngsters completed a 7-day diary to assess daily parental rejection, peer rejection and emotional eating. Using multilevel analyses, our results showed that daily variations in parental rejection were related to daily variations in emotional eating of the youngsters. This highlights the importance of addressing the parent-child relationship in interventions for emotional eating in youngsters. Background: This study investigated the daily relation between parental rejection and peer rejection on the one hand and emotional eating in youngsters on the other hand. Methods: Participants (N = 55) between the ages of 11 and 15 years completed a 7-day diary. A multilevel design was used to examine day-to-day within-person relationships between parental and peer rejection (measured by CHS) and emotional eating (measured by DEBQ-C) of youngsters. Results: The results showed that daily variations in parental rejection were related to daily variations in emotional eating of the youngsters. Daily peer rejection was only marginally significantly related to the emotional eating of the youngsters. Conclusions: These results indicate that especially parental rejection, and to a lesser extent peer rejection, are associated with the emotional eating of youngsters. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the parent-child relationship in interventions for emotional eating in youngsters. PMID:28553239

Segmented Ge detector rejection of internal beta activity produced by neutron irradiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnell, L. S.; Callas, J. L.; Mahoney, W. A.; Pehl, R. H.; Landis, D. A.

1991-01-01

Future Ge spectrometers flown in space to observe cosmic gamma-ray sources will incorporate segmented detectors to reduce the background from radioactivity produced by energetic particle reactions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of a segmented Ge detector in rejecting background events due to the beta decay of internal radioactivity, a laboratory experiment has been carried out in which radioactivity was produced in the detector by neutron irradiation. A Cf-252 source of neutrons was used to produce, by neutron capture on Ge-74 (36.5 percent of natural Ge) in the detector itself, Ge-75 (t sub 1/2 = 82.78 min), which decays by beta emission with a maximum electron kinetic energy of 1188 keV. By requiring that an ionizing event deposit energy in two or more of the five segments of the detector, each about 1-cm thick, the beta particles, which have a range of about 1-mm, are rejected, while most external gamma rays incident on the detector are counted. Analysis of this experiment indicates that over 85 percent of the beta events from the decay of Ge-75 are rejected, which is in good agreement with Monte Carlo calculations.

Wide-field two-photon microscopy with temporal focusing and HiLo background rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yew, Elijah Y. S.; Choi, Heejin; Kim, Daekeun; So, Peter T. C.

2011-03-01

Scanningless depth-resolved microscopy is achieved through spatial-temporal focusing and has been demonstrated previously. The advantage of this method is that a large area may be imaged without scanning resulting in higher throughput of the imaging system. Because it is a widefield technique, the optical sectioning effect is considerably poorer than with conventional spatial focusing two-photon microscopy. Here we propose wide-field two-photon microscopy based on spatio-temporal focusing and employing background rejection based on the HiLo microscope principle. We demonstrate the effects of applying HiLo microscopy to widefield temporally focused two-photon microscopy.

Radiofrequency for the Treatment of Lumbar Radicular Pain: Impact on Surgical Indications.

PubMed

Trinidad, José Manuel; Carnota, Ana Isabel; Failde, Inmaculada; Torres, Luis Miguel

2015-01-01

Study Design. Quasiexperimental study. Objective. To investigate whether radiofrequency treatment can preclude the need for spinal surgery in both the short term and long term. Background. Radiofrequency is commonly used to treat lumbosacral radicular pain. Only few studies have evaluated its effects on surgical indications. Methods. We conducted a quasiexperimental study of 43 patients who had been scheduled for spinal surgery. Radiofrequency was indicated for 25 patients. The primary endpoint was the decision of the patient to reject spinal surgery 1 month and 1 year after treatment (pulsed radiofrequency of dorsal root ganglion, 76%; conventional radiofrequency of the medial branch, 12%; combined technique, 12%). The primary endpoint was the decision of the patient to reject spinal surgery 1 month and 1 year after treatment. In addition, we also evaluated adverse effects, ODI, NRS. Results. We observed after treatment with radiofrequency 80% of patients rejected spinal surgery in the short term and 76% in the long term. We conclude that radiofrequency is a useful treatment strategy that can achieve very similar outcomes to spinal surgery. Patients also reported a very high level of satisfaction (84% satisfied/very satisfied). We also found that optimization of the electrical parameters of the radiofrequency improved the outcome of this technique.

SARAS 2 Constraints on Global 21 cm Signals from the Epoch of Reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Saurabh; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Udaya Shankar, N.; Sathyanarayana Rao, Mayuri; Fialkov, Anastasia; Cohen, Aviad; Barkana, Rennan; Girish, B. S.; Raghunathan, A.; Somashekar, R.; Srivani, K. S.

2018-05-01

Spectral distortions in the cosmic microwave background over the 40–200 MHz band are imprinted by neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium prior to the end of reionization. This signal, produced in the redshift range z = 6–34 at the rest-frame wavelength of 21 cm, has not been detected yet; and a poor understanding of high-redshift astrophysics results in a large uncertainty in the expected spectrum. The SARAS 2 radiometer was purposely designed to detect the sky-averaged 21 cm signal. The instrument, deployed at the Timbaktu Collective (Southern India) in 2017 April–June, collected 63 hr of science data, which were examined for the presence of the cosmological 21 cm signal. In our previous work, the first-light data from the SARAS 2 radiometer were analyzed with Bayesian likelihood-ratio tests using 264 plausible astrophysical scenarios. In this paper we reexamine the data using an improved analysis based on the frequentist approach and forward-modeling. We show that SARAS 2 data reject 20 models, out of which 15 are rejected at a significance >5σ. All the rejected models share the scenario of inefficient heating of the primordial gas by the first population of X-ray sources, along with rapid reionization. Joint Astronomy Program, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.

Questions of Degree? Middle-Class Rejection of Higher Education and Intra-Class Differences in Educational Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Andrew

2011-01-01

This article is an analysis of middle-class rejection of higher education. The author uses accounts of the educational decision-making of three female students, all identified to be from broadly middle-class backgrounds, from within full-time vocational further education in the United Kingdom, as a means to consider two issues. First, the author…

Evidence for high-energy extraterrestrial neutrinos at the IceCube detector.

PubMed

Aartsen, M G; Abbasi, R; Abdou, Y; Ackermann, M; Adams, J; Aguilar, J A; Ahlers, M; Altmann, D; Auffenberg, J; Bai, X; Baker, M; Barwick, S W; Baum, V; Bay, R; Beatty, J J; Bechet, S; Becker Tjus, J; Becker, K-H; Benabderrahmane, M L; BenZvi, S; Berghaus, P; Berley, D; Bernardini, E; Bernhard, A; Bertrand, D; Besson, D Z; Binder, G; Bindig, D; Bissok, M; Blaufuss, E; Blumenthal, J; Boersma, D J; Bohaichuk, S; Bohm, C; Bose, D; Böser, S; Botner, O; Brayeur, L; Bretz, H-P; Brown, A M; Bruijn, R; Brunner, J; Carson, M; Casey, J; Casier, M; Chirkin, D; Christov, A; Christy, B; Clark, K; Clevermann, F; Coenders, S; Cohen, S; Cowen, D F; Cruz Silva, A H; Danninger, M; Daughhetee, J; Davis, J C; Day, M; De Clercq, C; De Ridder, S; Desiati, P; de Vries, K D; de With, M; DeYoung, T; Díaz-Vélez, J C; Dunkman, M; Eagan, R; Eberhardt, B; Eichmann, B; Eisch, J; Ellsworth, R W; Euler, S; Evenson, P A; Fadiran, O; Fazely, A R; Fedynitch, A; Feintzeig, J; Feusels, T; Filimonov, K; Finley, C; Fischer-Wasels, T; Flis, S; Franckowiak, A; Frantzen, K; Fuchs, T; Gaisser, T K; Gallagher, J; Gerhardt, L; Gladstone, L; Glüsenkamp, T; Goldschmidt, A; Golup, G; Gonzalez, J G; Goodman, J A; Góra, D; Grandmont, D T; Grant, D; Groß, A; Ha, C; Haj Ismail, A; Hallen, P; Hallgren, A; Halzen, F; Hanson, K; Heereman, D; Heinen, D; Helbing, K; Hellauer, R; Hickford, S; Hill, G C; Hoffman, K D; Hoffmann, R; Homeier, A; Hoshina, K; Huelsnitz, W; Hulth, P O; Hultqvist, K; Hussain, S; Ishihara, A; Jacobi, E; Jacobsen, J; Jagielski, K; Japaridze, G S; Jero, K; Jlelati, O; Kaminsky, B; Kappes, A; Karg, T; Karle, A; Kelley, J L; Kiryluk, J; Kläs, J; Klein, S R; Köhne, J-H; Kohnen, G; Kolanoski, H; Köpke, L; Kopper, C; Kopper, S; Koskinen, D J; Kowalski, M; Krasberg, M; Krings, K; Kroll, G; Kunnen, J; Kurahashi, N; Kuwabara, T; Labare, M; Landsman, H; Larson, M J; Lesiak-Bzdak, M; Leuermann, M; Leute, J; Lünemann, J; Madsen, J; Maggi, G; Maruyama, R; Mase, K; Matis, H S; McNally, F; Meagher, K; Merck, M; Meures, T; Miarecki, S; Middell, E; Milke, N; Miller, J; Mohrmann, L; Montaruli, T; Morse, R; Nahnhauer, R; Naumann, U; Niederhausen, H; Nowicki, S C; Nygren, D R; Obertacke, A; Odrowski, S; Olivas, A; O'Murchadha, A; Paul, L; Pepper, J A; Pérez de los Heros, C; Pfendner, C; Pieloth, D; Pinat, E; Posselt, J; Price, P B; Przybylski, G T; Rädel, L; Rameez, M; Rawlins, K; Redl, P; Reimann, R; Resconi, E; Rhode, W; Ribordy, M; Richman, M; Riedel, B; Rodrigues, J P; Rott, C; Ruhe, T; Ruzybayev, B; Ryckbosch, D; Saba, S M; Salameh, T; Sander, H-G; Santander, M; Sarkar, S; Schatto, K; Scheriau, F; Schmidt, T; Schmitz, M; Schoenen, S; Schöneberg, S; Schönwald, A; Schukraft, A; Schulte, L; Schulz, O; Seckel, D; Sestayo, Y; Seunarine, S; Shanidze, R; Sheremata, C; Smith, M W E; Soldin, D; Spiczak, G M; Spiering, C; Stamatikos, M; Stanev, T; Stasik, A; Stezelberger, T; Stokstad, R G; Stößl, A; Strahler, E A; Ström, R; Sullivan, G W; Taavola, H; Taboada, I; Tamburro, A; Tepe, A; Ter-Antonyan, S; Tešić, G; Tilav, S; Toale, P A; Toscano, S; Unger, E; Usner, M; van Eijndhoven, N; Van Overloop, A; van Santen, J; Vehring, M; Voge, M; Vraeghe, M; Walck, C; Waldenmaier, T; Wallraff, M; Weaver, Ch; Wellons, M; Wendt, C; Westerhoff, S; Whitehorn, N; Wiebe, K; Wiebusch, C H; Williams, D R; Wissing, H; Wolf, M; Wood, T R; Woschnagg, K; Xu, D L; Xu, X W; Yanez, J P; Yodh, G; Yoshida, S; Zarzhitsky, P; Ziemann, J; Zierke, S; Zoll, M

2013-11-22

We report on results of an all-sky search for high-energy neutrino events interacting within the IceCube neutrino detector conducted between May 2010 and May 2012. The search follows up on the previous detection of two PeV neutrino events, with improved sensitivity and extended energy coverage down to about 30 TeV. Twenty-six additional events were observed, substantially more than expected from atmospheric backgrounds. Combined, both searches reject a purely atmospheric origin for the 28 events at the 4σ level. These 28 events, which include the highest energy neutrinos ever observed, have flavors, directions, and energies inconsistent with those expected from the atmospheric muon and neutrino backgrounds. These properties are, however, consistent with generic predictions for an additional component of extraterrestrial origin.

Pulse shape discrimination for Gerda Phase I data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Andreotti, E.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Barnabé Heider, M.; Barros, N.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Becerici-Schmidt, N.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Budjáš, D.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; Cossavella, F.; Demidova, E. V.; Domula, A.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Ferella, A.; Freund, K.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gotti, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Guthikonda, K. K.; Hampel, W.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Heusser, G.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Ioannucci, L.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Klimenko, A.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Liu, X.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Machado, A. A.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Misiaszek, M.; Nemchenok, I.; Nisi, S.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pessina, G.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Schönert, S.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Strecker, H.; Tarka, M.; Ur, C. A.; Vasenko, A. A.; Volynets, O.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Walter, M.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zavarise, P.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2013-10-01

The Gerda experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN searches for neutrinoless double beta (0 νββ) decay of 76Ge using germanium diodes as source and detector. In Phase I of the experiment eight semi-coaxial and five BEGe type detectors have been deployed. The latter type is used in this field of research for the first time. All detectors are made from material with enriched 76Ge fraction. The experimental sensitivity can be improved by analyzing the pulse shape of the detector signals with the aim to reject background events. This paper documents the algorithms developed before the data of Phase I were unblinded. The double escape peak (DEP) and Compton edge events of 2.615 MeV γ rays from 208Tl decays as well as two-neutrino double beta (2 νββ) decays of 76Ge are used as proxies for 0 νββ decay. For BEGe detectors the chosen selection is based on a single pulse shape parameter. It accepts 0.92±0.02 of signal-like events while about 80 % of the background events at Q ββ =2039 keV are rejected. For semi-coaxial detectors three analyses are developed. The one based on an artificial neural network is used for the search of 0 νββ decay. It retains 90 % of DEP events and rejects about half of the events around Q ββ . The 2 νββ events have an efficiency of 0.85±0.02 and the one for 0 νββ decays is estimated to be . A second analysis uses a likelihood approach trained on Compton edge events. The third approach uses two pulse shape parameters. The latter two methods confirm the classification of the neural network since about 90 % of the data events rejected by the neural network are also removed by both of them. In general, the selection efficiency extracted from DEP events agrees well with those determined from Compton edge events or from 2 νββ decays.

Pulse shape discrimination for Gerda Phase I data

DOE PAGES

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Andreotti, E.; ...

2013-10-09

The GERDA experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN searches for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge using germanium diodes as source and detector. In Phase I of the experiment eight semi-coaxial and five BEGe type detectors have been deployed. The latter type is used in this field of research for the first time. All detectors are made from material with enriched 76Ge fraction. The experimental sensitivity can be improved by analyzing the pulse shape of the detector signals with the aim to reject background events. This paper documents the algorithms developed before the datamore » of Phase I were unblinded. The double escape peak (DEP) and Compton edge events of 2.615 MeV γ rays from 208Tl decays as well as two-neutrino double beta (2νββ) decays of 76Ge are used as proxies for 0νββ decay. For BEGe detectors the chosen selection is based on a single pulse shape parameter. It accepts 0.92 ± 0.02 of signal-like events while about 80 % of the background events at Qββ = 2039 keV are rejected. For semi-coaxial detectors three analyses are developed. The one based on an artificial neural network is used for the search of 0νββ decay. It retains 90 % of DEP events and rejects about half of the events around Qββ . The 2νββ events have an efficiency of 0.85±0.02 and the one for 0νββ decays is estimated to be 0.90 +0.05 -0.09 . A second analysis uses a likelihood approach trained on Compton edge events. The third approach uses two pulse shape parameters. The latter two methods confirm the classification of the neural network since about 90 % of the data events rejected by the neural network are also removed by both of them. In general, the selection efficiency extracted from DEP events agrees well with those determined from Compton edge events or from 2νββ decays.« less

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

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Andreotti, E.

The GERDA experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN searches for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge using germanium diodes as source and detector. In Phase I of the experiment eight semi-coaxial and five BEGe type detectors have been deployed. The latter type is used in this field of research for the first time. All detectors are made from material with enriched 76Ge fraction. The experimental sensitivity can be improved by analyzing the pulse shape of the detector signals with the aim to reject background events. This paper documents the algorithms developed before the datamore » of Phase I were unblinded. The double escape peak (DEP) and Compton edge events of 2.615 MeV γ rays from 208Tl decays as well as two-neutrino double beta (2νββ) decays of 76Ge are used as proxies for 0νββ decay. For BEGe detectors the chosen selection is based on a single pulse shape parameter. It accepts 0.92 ± 0.02 of signal-like events while about 80 % of the background events at Qββ = 2039 keV are rejected. For semi-coaxial detectors three analyses are developed. The one based on an artificial neural network is used for the search of 0νββ decay. It retains 90 % of DEP events and rejects about half of the events around Qββ . The 2νββ events have an efficiency of 0.85±0.02 and the one for 0νββ decays is estimated to be 0.90 +0.05 -0.09 . A second analysis uses a likelihood approach trained on Compton edge events. The third approach uses two pulse shape parameters. The latter two methods confirm the classification of the neural network since about 90 % of the data events rejected by the neural network are also removed by both of them. In general, the selection efficiency extracted from DEP events agrees well with those determined from Compton edge events or from 2νββ decays.« less

Froth conductivity for in situ monitoring of fiber (solid) and wet rejects in flotation deinking

Treesearch

J. Y. Zhu; M. Fleischmann; R. Gleisner

2006-01-01

Reduced fiber rejection in flotation deinking is very important to reduce the cost of secondary fibers in paper recycling and to conserve natural resources. Online monitoring of fiber rejection is a prerequisite to achieving process control for the reduction of fiber rejection in flotation deinking. It also can improve understanding of the effects of various operating...

Track reconstruction and background rejection for the Baikal neutrino telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belolaptikov, I. A.; Djilkibaev, J.-A. M.; Domogatsky, G. V.; Klimushin, S. I.; Krabi, J.; Lanin, O. Ju.; Osipova, E. A.; Pavlov, A. A.; Spiering, Ch.; Wischnewski, R.

1994-05-01

We describe procedures to reconstruct muon tracks in the Baikal Neutrino Telescope including effective filtering of badly reconstructed events. Special attention is payed to reject downward going muons faking upward going muons from neutrino interactions. It is shown that a rejection factor of 106-as it is needed to operate a neutrino telescope at 1100 m.w.e. depth - can be obtained with a 200 PMT array. We present first results from NT-36, the 1993 array consisting of 36 PMTs. We observe satisfying agreement between Monte Carlo results and experimental data. This gives us confidence to our simulations of the full detector.

[Clinical data that are essential for the primary care clinical records: an experience of evaluation and improvement].

PubMed

López-Picazo Ferrer, J J; Agulló Roca, F; Villaescusa Pedemonte, M; Cerezo Corbalán, J M

2002-06-30

To evaluate and improve the presence of essential clinical data in the clinical records of a primary care management area (PCMA) by means of an intervention programme. Intervention study without a control, using evaluation and improvement-of-quality methods. We chose 4 criteria from the minimum technical standards: personal history (PH), family background (FB), allergies to medicines (AM) and list of problems (LP). We evaluated overall compliance and compliance per primary care team (PCT) through batch quality acceptance of samples (LQAS), designed an intervention to improve the situation, and then re-evaluated. PCMA of Murcia (45 PCTs). Participants. 42 PCTs (3 were excluded because they had poor coverage in their records). These lasted 12 months (October 1999-October 2000) and involved the following: graphic report per PCT; session with the PCT; discussion on results and strategies in the Area Management Council; and inclusion of an explicit objective, with incentives, in the management contracts. Significant improvement of the four criteria of the PCMA (improvements: FB, 48.1%; PH, 51.1%; AM, 55.4%; LP, 50.9%). LQAS analysis: we rejected 24 batches (14.3%) at the 1st evaluation and 15 (9.0%) at the second, with FB being the criterion most rejected in both instances. Defects appeared in 14 PCT (33.3%; 3 PCT accounted for 41.7%) at the 1st evaluation, and 7 PCT at the re-evaluation (16.7%; 2 reaching 46.7%). The presence of essential clinical data in clinical records has improved. LQAS proved to be a rapid and simple method for evaluating, improving and monitoring quality in primary care.

Dark matter sensitivity of multi-ton liquid xenon detectors

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

Schumann, Marc; Bütikofer, Lukas; Baudis, Laura

2015-10-01

We study the sensitivity of multi ton-scale time projection chambers using a liquid xenon target, e.g., the proposed DARWIN instrument, to spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon scattering interactions. Taking into account realistic backgrounds from the detector itself as well as from neutrinos, we examine the impact of exposure, energy threshold, background rejection efficiency and energy resolution on the dark matter sensitivity. With an exposure of 200 t × y and assuming detector parameters which have been already demonstrated experimentally, spin-independent cross sections as low as 2.5 × 10{sup −49} cm{sup 2} can be probed for WIMP masses around 40 GeV/c{sup 2}. Additional improvementsmore » in terms of background rejection and exposure will further increase the sensitivity, while the ultimate WIMP science reach will be limited by neutrinos scattering coherently off the xenon nuclei.« less

PROSPECT - A precision oscillation and spectrum experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langford, T. J.; PROSPECT Collaboration

2015-08-01

Segmented antineutrino detectors placed near a compact research reactor provide an excellent opportunity to probe short-baseline neutrino oscillations and precisely measure the reactor antineutrino spectrum. Close proximity to a reactor combined with minimal overburden yield a high background environment that must be managed through shielding and detector technology. PROSPECT is a new experimental effort to detect reactor antineutrinos from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. The detector will use novel lithium-loaded liquid scintillator capable of neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination and neutron capture tagging. These enhancements improve the ability to identify neutrino inverse-beta decays (IBD) and reject background events in analysis. Results from these efforts will be covered along with their implications for an oscillation search and a precision spectrum measurement.

The Lived Experience of Psoriasis Patients from Social Stigma and Rejection: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Ghorbanibirgani, Alireza; Fallahi-Khoshknab, Masoud; Zarea, Kourosh; Abedi, Heidarali

2016-01-01

Background Psoriasis is a common, chronic skin disease that causes challenges such as stigma and labeling from both the community and individuals due to its effects on appearance. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe and explain the social stigma and rejection experienced by patients with psoriasis. Patients and Methods The present research is a qualitative study with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach conducted among psoriasis patients referring to the dermatology clinic and ward of Imam Khomeini hospital in Ahvaz, Iran between June and December 2014. In this study, 15 patients with psoriasis were selected by purposeful sampling, and they were asked to express their experience of stigma and rejection. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, and Diekelmann and colleagues’ method was used for data analysis. Results After analysis of interviews, four themes were extracted: lack of social support, unrealistic and inappropriate labeling, rejection and isolation, and feeling of absurdity and futility. These can be indicative of the patients’ experience from social stigma and rejection phenomena. Conclusions Patients’ experiences of stigma and rejection phenomena indicated that all aspects of their lives are affected. Moreover, these findings highlight the significance of stigma and rejection concepts in providing better care to these patients. PMID:27656290

Application of the coincidence counting technique to DD neutron spectrometry data at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z.

PubMed

Lahmann, B; Milanese, L M; Han, W; Gatu Johnson, M; Séguin, F H; Frenje, J A; Petrasso, R D; Hahn, K D; Jones, B

2016-11-01

A compact neutron spectrometer, based on a CH foil for the production of recoil protons and CR-39 detection, is being developed for the measurements of the DD-neutron spectrum at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z facilities. As a CR-39 detector will be used in the spectrometer, the principal sources of background are neutron-induced tracks and intrinsic tracks (defects in the CR-39). To reject the background to the required level for measurements of the down-scattered and primary DD-neutron components in the spectrum, the Coincidence Counting Technique (CCT) must be applied to the data. Using a piece of CR-39 exposed to 2.5-MeV protons at the MIT HEDP accelerator facility and DD-neutrons at Z, a significant improvement of a DD-neutron signal-to-background level has been demonstrated for the first time using the CCT. These results are in excellent agreement with previous work applied to DT neutrons.

Application of the coincidence counting technique to DD neutron spectrometry data at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z

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

Lahmann, B.; Milanese, L. M.; Han, W.

A compact neutron spectrometer, based on a CH foil for the production of recoil protons and CR-39 detection, is being developed for the measurements of the DD-neutron spectrum at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z facilities. As a CR-39 detector will be used in the spectrometer, the principal sources of background are neutron-induced tracks and intrinsic tracks (defects in the CR-39). To reject the background to the required level for measurements of the down-scattered and primary DD-neutron components in the spectrum, the Coincidence Counting Technique (CCT) must be applied to the data. Using a piece of CR-39 exposed to 2.5-MeV protonsmore » at the MIT HEDP accelerator facility and DD-neutrons at Z, a significant improvement of a DD-neutron signal-to-background level has been demonstrated for the first time using the CCT. In conclusion, these results are in excellent agreement with previous work applied to DT neutrons.« less

Application of the coincidence counting technique to DD neutron spectrometry data at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z

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

Lahmann, B., E-mail: lahmann@mit.edu; Milanese, L. M.; Han, W.

A compact neutron spectrometer, based on a CH foil for the production of recoil protons and CR-39 detection, is being developed for the measurements of the DD-neutron spectrum at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z facilities. As a CR-39 detector will be used in the spectrometer, the principal sources of background are neutron-induced tracks and intrinsic tracks (defects in the CR-39). To reject the background to the required level for measurements of the down-scattered and primary DD-neutron components in the spectrum, the Coincidence Counting Technique (CCT) must be applied to the data. Using a piece of CR-39 exposed to 2.5-MeV protonsmore » at the MIT HEDP accelerator facility and DD-neutrons at Z, a significant improvement of a DD-neutron signal-to-background level has been demonstrated for the first time using the CCT. These results are in excellent agreement with previous work applied to DT neutrons.« less

Application of the coincidence counting technique to DD neutron spectrometry data at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z

DOE PAGES

Lahmann, B.; Milanese, L. M.; Han, W.; ...

2016-07-20

A compact neutron spectrometer, based on a CH foil for the production of recoil protons and CR-39 detection, is being developed for the measurements of the DD-neutron spectrum at the NIF, OMEGA, and Z facilities. As a CR-39 detector will be used in the spectrometer, the principal sources of background are neutron-induced tracks and intrinsic tracks (defects in the CR-39). To reject the background to the required level for measurements of the down-scattered and primary DD-neutron components in the spectrum, the Coincidence Counting Technique (CCT) must be applied to the data. Using a piece of CR-39 exposed to 2.5-MeV protonsmore » at the MIT HEDP accelerator facility and DD-neutrons at Z, a significant improvement of a DD-neutron signal-to-background level has been demonstrated for the first time using the CCT. In conclusion, these results are in excellent agreement with previous work applied to DT neutrons.« less

Style-by-style analysis of two sporadic self-compatible Solanum chacoense lines supports a primary role for S-RNases in determining pollen rejection thresholds.

PubMed

Qin, Xike; Liu, Bolin; Soulard, Jonathan; Morse, David; Cappadocia, Mario

2006-01-01

A method for the quantification of S-RNase levels in single styles of self-incompatible Solanum chacoense was developed and applied toward an experimental determination of the S-RNase threshold required for pollen rejection. It was found that, when single style values are averaged, accumulated levels of the S(11)- and S(12)-RNases can differ up to 10-fold within a genotype, while accumulated levels of the S(12)-RNase can differ by over 3-fold when different genotypes are compared. Surprisingly, the amount of S(12)-RNase accumulated in different styles of the same plant can differ by over 20-fold. A low level of 160 ng S-RNase in individual styles of fully incompatible plants, and a high value of 68 ng in a sporadic self-compatible (SSC) line during a bout of complete compatibility was measured, suggesting that these values bracket the threshold level of S-RNase needed for pollen rejection. Remarkably, correlations of S-RNase values to average fruit sets in different plant lines displaying sporadic self-compatibility (SSC) to different extents as well as to fruit set in immature flowers, are all consistent with a threshold value of 80 ng S(12)-RNase. Taken together, these results suggest that S-RNase levels alone are the principal determinant of the incompatibility phenotype. Interestingly, while the S-RNase threshold required for rejection of S(12)-pollen from a given genetic background is the same in styles of different genetic backgrounds, it is different when pollen donors of different genetic backgrounds are used. These results reveal a previously unsuspected level of complexity in the incompatibility reaction.

Fabrication of Silicon Backshorts with Improved Out-of-Band Rejection for Waveguide-Coupled Superconducting Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crowe, Erik J.; Bennett, Charles L.; Chuss, David T.; Denis, Kevin L.; Eimer, Joseph; Lourie, Nathan; Marriage, Tobias; Moseley, Samuel H.; Rostem, Karwan; Stevenson, Thomas R.;

Lightweight, High-Temperature Radiator for Space Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyers, R. W.; Tomboulian, B. N.; Crave, Paul D.; Rogers, J. R.

2012-01-01

For high-power nuclear-electric spacecraft, the radiator can account for 40% or more of the power system mass and a large fraction of the total vehicle mass. Improvements in the heat rejection per unit mass rely on lower-density and higher-thermal conductivity materials. Current radiators achieve near-ideal surface radiation through high-emissivity coatings, so improvements in heat rejection per unit area can be accomplished only by raising the temperature at which heat is rejected. We have been investigating materials that have the potential to deliver significant reductions in mass density and significant improvements in thermal conductivity, while expanding the feasible range of temperature for heat rejection up to 1000 K and higher. The presentation will discuss the experimental results and models of the heat transfer in matrix-free carbon fiber fins. Thermal testing of other carbon-based fin materials including carbon nanotube cloth and a carbon nanotube composite will also be presented.

Perceived mother and father acceptance-rejection predict four unique aspects of child adjustment across nine countries

PubMed Central

Putnick, Diane L.; Bornstein, Marc H.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Malone, Patrick S.; Pastorelli, Concetta; Skinner, Ann T.; Sorbring, Emma; Tapanya, Sombat; Tirado, Liliana Maria Uribe; Zelli, Arnaldo; Alampay, Liane Peña; Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Bacchini, Dario; Bombi, Anna Silvia; Chang, Lei; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Di Giunta, Laura; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Oburu, Paul

2014-01-01

Background It is generally believed that parental rejection of children leads to child maladaptation. However, the specific effects of perceived parental acceptance-rejection on diverse domains of child adjustment and development have been incompletely documented, and whether these effects hold across diverse populations and for mothers and fathers are still open questions. Methods This study assessed children's perceptions of mother and father acceptance-rejection in 1247 families from China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States as antecedent predictors of later internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, school performance, prosocial behavior, and social competence. Results Higher perceived parental rejection predicted increases in internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and decreases in school performance and prosocial behavior across three years controlling for within-wave relations, stability across waves, and parental age, education, and social desirability bias. Patterns of relations were similar across mothers and fathers and, with a few exceptions, all 9 countries. Conclusions Children's perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection have small but nearly universal effects on multiple aspects of their adjustment and development regardless of the family's country of origin. PMID:25492267

Interplay between immune responses to HLA and non-HLA self-antigens in allograft rejection.

PubMed

Angaswamy, Nataraju; Tiriveedhi, Venkataswarup; Sarma, Nayan J; Subramanian, Vijay; Klein, Christina; Wellen, Jason; Shenoy, Surendra; Chapman, William C; Mohanakumar, T

2013-11-01

Recent studies strongly suggest an increasing role for immune responses against self-antigens (Ags) which are not encoded by the major histocompatibility complex in the immunopathogenesis of allograft rejection. Although, improved surgical techniques coupled with improved methods to detect and avoid sensitization against donor human leukocyte antigen (HLA) have improved the immediate and short term function of transplanted organs. However, acute and chronic rejection still remains a vexing problem for the long term function of the transplanted organ. Immediately following organ transplantation, several factors both immune and non immune mechanisms lead to the development of local inflammatory milieu which sets the stage for allograft rejection. Traditionally, development of antibodies (Abs) against mismatched donor HLA have been implicated in the development of Ab mediated rejection. However, recent studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that development of humoral and cellular immune responses against non-HLA self-Ags may contribute in the pathogenesis of allograft rejection. There are reports demonstrating that immune responses to self-Ags especially Abs to the self-Ags as well as cellular immune responses especially through IL17 has significant pro-fibrotic properties leading to chronic allograft failure. This review summarizes recent studies demonstrating the role for immune responses to self-Ags in allograft immunity leading to rejection as well as present recent evidence suggesting there is interplay between allo- and autoimmunity leading to allograft dysfunction. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

100 Multivisceral Transplants at a Single Center

PubMed Central

Tzakis, Andreas G.; Kato, Tomoaki; Levi, David M.; DeFaria, Werviston; Selvaggi, Gennaro; Weppler, Debbie; Nishida, Seigo; Moon, Jang; Madariaga, Juan R.; David, Andre I.; Gaynor, Jeffrey J.; Thompson, John; Hernandez, Erick; Martinez, Enrique; Cantwell, G Patricia; Augenstein, Jeffrey S.; Gyamfi, Anthony; Pretto, Ernesto A.; Dowdy, Lorraine; Tryphonopoulos, Panagiotis; Ruiz, Phillip

2005-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to summarize the evolution of multivisceral transplantation over a decade of experience and evaluate its current status. Summary Background Data: Multivisceral transplantation can be valuable for the treatment of patients with massive abdominal catastrophes. Its major limitations have been technical and rejection of the intestinal graft. Methods: This study consisted of an outcome analysis of 98 consecutive patients who received multivisceral transplantation at our institution. This represents the largest single center experience to date. Results: The most common diseases in our population before transplant were intestinal gastroschisis and intestinal dysmotility syndromes in children, and mesenteric thrombosis and trauma in adults. Kaplan Meier estimated patient and graft survivals for all cases were 65% and 63% at 1 year, 49% and 47% at 3 years, and 49% and 47% at 5 years. Factors that adversely influenced patient survival included transplant before 1998 (P = 0.01), being hospitalized at the time of transplant (P = 0.05), and being a child who received Campath-1H induction (P = 0.03). Among 37 patients who had none of these 3 factors (15 adults and 22 children), estimated 1- and 3-year survivals were 89% and 71%, respectively. Patients transplanted since 2001 had significantly less moderate and severe rejections (31.6% vs 67.6%, P = 0.0005) with almost half of these patients never developing rejection. Conclusions: Multivisceral transplantation is now an effective treatment of patients with complex abdominal pathology. The incidences of serious acute rejection and patient survival have improved in the most recent experience. Our results show that the multivisceral graft seems to facilitate engraftment of transplanted organs and raises the possibility that there is a degree of immunologic protection afforded by this procedure. PMID:16192808

Re-Transplantation, Higher Creatinine Levels in Hepatitis C Virus Patients, and Donor Age Are Predictors of Mortality in Long-Term Analysis of Late Acute Rejection in Liver Transplantation.

PubMed

Nacif, Lucas Souto; Pinheiro, Rafael Soares; de Arruda Pécora, Rafael Antônio; Tanigawa, Ryan Yukimatsu; Rocha-Santos, Vinicius; Andraus, Wellington; Alves, Venancio Avancini Ferreira; D'Albuquerque, Luiz Carneiro

2017-01-10

BACKGROUND Late acute rejection (LAR) differs in its clinical and histological presentation and management from early acute rejection. This clinical entity is not completely understood; thus, we aimed to identify significant prognostic factors that can influence post-transplant survival in LAR patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and post-transplant survival of patients from a single center with a focus on late acute rejection. MATERIAL AND METHODS From January 2002 to June 2013, all liver biopsies from patients with rejection were scored using the Banff criteria. The groups were compared, and simple and multiple logistic regression and survival curves were created. RESULTS A total of 779 liver transplants were performed; 585 patients with no rejections and 194 patients with rejections were analyzed. The overall incidence of LAR was 6.7%, and there was a higher prevalence of early acute cellular rejection than LAR. The mean time to LAR was 564 days (median 214 days, range 91-2642). LAR had a more severe grade (35.3%) than early acute rejection (23.5%). The survival rates were similar between both modalities for the long-term period. Worse mortality rates were observed in liver re-transplantation (HR 4.77; p<0.0001); in hepatitis C virus patients with increased creatinine levels (HR 22.48; p=0.016); and in donors >41 years of age (OR 2.1; p=0.047) in a long-term analysis of LAR. CONCLUSIONS Liver re-transplantation, higher creatinine levels in hepatitis C virus patients, and donor age were predictors of mortality in this long-term analysis of late acute rejection in liver transplantation.

Detection of urinary biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection by proteomic analysis.

PubMed

Jia, Xiongfei; Gan, Chengjun; Xiao, Ke; He, Weifeng; Zhang, Tao; Huang, Cibing; Wu, Xiongfei; Luo, Gaoxing; Wang, Xiaojuan; Hu, Jie; Tan, Jiangling; Zhang, Xiaorong; Larsen, Peter Mose; Wu, Jun

2009-06-01

Acute allograft rejection has been recognized as a major impediment to improved success in renal transplantation. Timely detection and control of rejection are very important for the improvement in long-term renal allograft survival. Thus, biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute rejection are required urgently to clinical medication. This study seeks to search for such biomarker candidates by comparing patients' pre-treatment urinary protein profiling with their post-treatment urinary protein profiling. A total of 15 significantly and consistently down-regulated protein candidates were identified. Among them, alpha-1-antichymotrypsin precursor (AACT), tumor rejection antigen gp96 (GP96) and Zn-Alpha-2-Glycoprotein (ZAG) were selected for further analysis. The results indicated that Western Blot assay of AACT, GP96 and ZAG had advanced the diagnosis time of acute renal rejection by 3 days, compared with current standard clinical observation and laboratory examination. Furthermore, the double-blind detection revealed that the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of acute renal rejection of AACT, GP96 and ZAG were 66.67%/100%/60%, 83.33%/100%/80% and 66.67%/100%/60%, respectively, and 100%/100%/100% in combination. In conclusion, urinary protein AACT, GP96 and ZAG could be a set of potential biomarkers for early non-invasive diagnosis of the acute rejection after renal transplantation. Copyright © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Status of the Whipple Observatory Cerenkov air shower imaging telescope array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akerlof, C. W.; Cawley, M. F.; Fegan, D. J.; Fennell, S.; Freeman, S.; Frishman, D.; Harris, K.; Hillas, A. M.; Jennings, D.; Lamb, R. C.

1992-01-01

Recently the power of the Cerenkov imaging technique in Very High Energy gamma-ray astronomy was demonstrated by the detection of the Crab nebula at high statistical significance. In order to further develop this technique to allow the detection of weaker or more distant sources a second 10 m class reflector was constructed about 120 m from the original instrument. The addition of the second reflector will allow both a reduction in the energy threshold and an improvement in the rejection of the hadronic background. The design and construction of the second reflector, Gamma Ray Astrophysics New Imaging TElescope (GRANITE) is described.

Magneto-Radar Hidden Metal Detector

DOEpatents

McEwan, Thomas E.

2005-07-05

A varying magnetic field excites slight vibrations in an object and a radar sensor detects the vibrations at a harmonic of the excitation frequency. The synergy of the magnetic excitation and radar detection provides increased detection range compared to conventional magnetic metal detectors. The radar rejects background clutter by responding only to reflecting objects that are vibrating at a harmonic excitation field, thereby significantly improving detection reliability. As an exemplary arrangement, an ultra-wideband micropower impulse radar (MIR) is capable of being employed to provide superior materials penetration while providing range information. The magneto-radar may be applied to pre-screening magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patients, landmine detection and finding hidden treasures.

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

Biassoni, M.; Brofferio, C.; Bucci, C.

Due to their excellent energy resolution values and the vast choice of possible materials, bolometric detectors are currently widely used in the physics of rare events. A limiting aspect for bolometers rises from their inability to discriminate among radiation types or surface from bulk events. It has been demonstrated that the main limitation to sensitivity for purely bolometric detectors is represented by surface alpha contaminations, causing a continuous background that cannot be discriminated. A new scintillation based technique for the rejection of surface alpha background in non- scintillating bolometric experiments is proposed in this work. The idea is to combinemore » a scintillating and a high sensitivity photon detector with a non- scintillating absorber. Finally, we present results showing the possibility to reject events due to alpha decay at or nearby the surface of the crystal.« less

TeO$$_2$$ bolometers with Cherenkov signal tagging: towards next-generation neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments

DOE PAGES

Casali, N.; Vignati, Marco; Beeman, J. W.; ...

2015-01-14

CUORE, an array of 988 TeOmore » $$_2$$ bolometers, is about to be one of the most sensitive experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Its sensitivity could be further improved by removing the background from α radioactivity. A few years ago it was pointed out that the signal from βs can be tagged by detecting the emitted Cherenkov light, which is not produced by αs. In this paper we confirm this possibility. For the first time we measured the Cherenkov light emitted by a CUORE crystal, and found it to be 100 eV at the Q-value of the decay. To completely reject the α background, we compute that one needs light detectors with baseline noise below 20 eV RMS, a value which is 3–4 times smaller than the average noise of the bolometric light detectors we are using. We point out that an improved light detector technology must be developed to obtain TeO$$_2$$ bolometric experiments able to probe the inverted hierarchy of neutrino masses.« less

Phase II Upgrade of the GERDA Experiment for the Search of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majorovits, B.

Observation of neutrinoless double beta decay could answer the question regarding the Majorana or Dirac nature of neutrinos. The GERDA experiment utilizes HPGe detectors enriched with the isotope 76Ge to search for this process. Recently the GERDA collaboration has unblinded data of Phase I of the experiment. In order to further improve the sensitivity of the experiment, additionally to the coaxial detectors used, 30 BEGe detectors made from germanium enriched in 76Ge will be deployed in GERDA Phase II. BEGe detectors have superior PSD capability, thus the background can be further reduced. The liquid argon surrounding the detector array will be instrumented in order to reject background by detecting scintillation light induced in the liquid argon by radiation. After a short introduction the hardware preparations for GERDA Phase II as well as the processing and characterization of the 30 BEGe detectors are discussed.

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO -60 C 3F8 Bubble Chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amole, C.; Ardid, M.; Arnquist, I. J.; Asner, D. M.; Baxter, D.; Behnke, E.; Bhattacharjee, P.; Borsodi, H.; Bou-Cabo, M.; Campion, P.; Cao, G.; Chen, C. J.; Chowdhury, U.; Clark, K.; Collar, J. I.; Cooper, P. S.; Crisler, M.; Crowder, G.; Dahl, C. E.; Das, M.; Fallows, S.; Farine, J.; Felis, I.; Filgas, R.; Girard, F.; Giroux, G.; Hall, J.; Harris, O.; Hoppe, E. W.; Jin, M.; Krauss, C. B.; Laurin, M.; Lawson, I.; Leblanc, A.; Levine, I.; Lippincott, W. H.; Mamedov, F.; Maurya, D.; Mitra, P.; Nania, T.; Neilson, R.; Noble, A. J.; Olson, S.; Ortega, A.; Plante, A.; Podviyanuk, R.; Priya, S.; Robinson, A. E.; Roeder, A.; Rucinski, R.; Scallon, O.; Seth, S.; Sonnenschein, A.; Starinski, N.; Štekl, I.; Tardif, F.; Vázquez-Jáuregui, E.; Wells, J.; Wichoski, U.; Yan, Y.; Zacek, V.; Zhang, J.; PICO Collaboration

2017-06-01

New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C3 F8 located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO -60 C 3F8 exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than one event per month. A blind analysis of an efficiency-corrected 1167-kg day exposure at a 3.3-keV thermodynamic threshold reveals no single-scattering nuclear recoil candidates, consistent with the predicted background. These results set the most stringent direct-detection constraint to date on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-proton spin-dependent cross section at 3.4 ×10-41 cm2 for a 30 -GeV c-2 WIMP, more than 1 order of magnitude improvement from previous PICO results.

Improved dark matter search results from PICO-2L Run 2

DOE PAGES

Amole, C.

2016-03-01

New data are reported from a second run of the 2-liter PICO-2L C 3F 8 bubble chamber with a total exposure of 129 kg-days at a thermodynamic threshold energy of 3.3 keV. These data show that measures taken to control particulate contamination in the superheated fluid resulted in the absence of the anomalous background events observed in the first run of this bubble chamber. One single nuclear-recoil event was observed in the data, consistent both with the predicted background rate from neutrons and with the observed rate of unambiguous multiple-bubble neutron scattering events. The chamber exhibits the same excellent electron-recoil and alphamore » decay rejection as was previously reported. These data provide the most stringent direct detection constraints on weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-proton spin-dependent scattering to date for WIMP masses <50 GeV/c 2.« less

Acute rejection in vascularized composite allotransplantation.

PubMed

Fischer, Sebastian; Lian, Christine G; Kueckelhaus, Maximilian; Strom, Terry B; Edelman, Elazer R; Clark, Rachel A; Murphy, George F; Chandraker, Anil K; Riella, Leonardo V; Tullius, Stefan G; Pomahac, Bohdan

2014-12-01

Acute rejection is the most common complication after vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). This review provides a state-of-the-art analysis of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection episodes and highlights recent findings with the potential to improve patient care and enhance understanding of the underlying biologic processes. Recent reports suggest that maintenance immunosuppression dose reduction and steroid withdrawal are realistic goals in VCA, despite the known high immunogenicity of the skin component. It appears that utilization of sentinel flaps, in-depth histological analyses and application of novel biomarkers have facilitated early diagnosis and characterization of acute rejection episodes, leading to timely institution of appropriate therapy. The successful management of the first highly sensitized face transplant recipient suggests the possibility of carefully considering these high-risk VCA candidates for transplantation. Acute rejection is higher in VCA than in any other organ in the field of transplantation, although most episodes are controlled by high-dose steroids and optimization of maintenance immunosuppression. Because of limitations in patient number and the duration of follow-up, the long-term safety and effectiveness of VCA remain unclear. Moreover, the tests currently used to diagnose acute rejection are of limited value. Better diagnostic tools and a better understanding of the immunologic events during acute rejection are therefore needed to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of this life-changing restorative surgery.

The Rejectability of Karl Popper: Why Popper's Ideas Have Had So Little Influence on Social Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Tyrrell; Swann, Joanna

2003-01-01

Addresses the question of why Karl Popper's work has been disregarded or rejected for educational improvement and suggests a series of impediments to an acceptance of Popper's ideas. Outlines a set of principle which if adopted as a basis for practice could lead to significant improvement. (EV)

Measurement of the Velocity of the Neutrino with MINOS

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

in the cosmic microwave background , but these are not direct measurements of the neutrino velocity. In September 2011, the OPERA experiment reported...neutrino interactions in the MINOS detectors is used to reject background from muons from cosmic rays. Each detector has a Truetime ‡ XL-AK single...accurate result. I. BACKGROUND The earliest measurements of the speed of the neutrino were made in the 1970s, with the Fermilab Main Ring narrow

Resilience in community: a social ecological development model for young adult sexual minority women.

PubMed

Zimmerman, Lindsey; Darnell, Doyanne A; Rhew, Isaac C; Lee, Christine M; Kaysen, Debra

2015-03-01

Family support and rejection are associated with health outcomes among sexual minority women (SMW). We examined a social ecological development model among young adult SMW, testing whether identity risk factors or outness to family interacted with family rejection to predict community connectedness and collective self-esteem. Lesbian and bisexual women (N = 843; 57% bisexual) between the ages of 18-25 (M = 21.4; SD = 2.1) completed baseline and 12-month online surveys. The sample identified as White (54.2%), multiple racial backgrounds (16.6%), African American (9.6%) and Asian/Asian American (3.1%); 10.2% endorsed a Hispanic/Latina ethnicity. Rejection ranged from 18 to 41% across family relationships. Longitudinal regression indicated that when outness to family increased, SMW in highly rejecting families demonstrated resilience by finding connections and esteem in sexual minority communities to a greater extent than did non-rejected peers. But, when stigma concerns, concealment motivation, and other identity risk factors increased over the year, high family rejection did not impact community connectedness and SMW reported lower collective self-esteem. Racial minority SMW reported lower community connectedness, but not lower collective self-esteem. Families likely buffer or exacerbate societal risks for ill health. Findings highlight the protective role of LGBTQ communities and normative resilience among SMW and their families.

Resilience in Community: A Social Ecological Development Model for Young Adult Sexual Minority Women

PubMed Central

Zimmerman, Lindsey; Darnell, Doyanne A.; Rhew, Isaac C.; Lee, Christine M.; Kaysen, Debra

2015-01-01

Family support and rejection are associated with health outcomes among sexual minority women (SMW). We examined a social ecological development model among young adult SMW, testing whether identity risk factors or outness to family interacted with family rejection to predict community connectedness and collective self-esteem. Lesbian and bisexual women (N = 843; 57% bisexual) between the ages of 18–25 (M = 21.4; SD = 2.1) completed baseline and 12-month online surveys. The sample identified as White (54.2%), multiple racial backgrounds (16.6%), African American (9.6%) and Asian/Asian American (3.1%); 10.2% endorsed a Hispanic/Latina ethnicity. Rejection ranged from 18–41% across family relationships. Longitudinal regression indicated that when outness to family increased, SMW in highly rejecting families demonstrated resilience by finding connections and esteem in sexual minority communities to a greater extent than did non-rejected peers. But, when stigma concerns, concealment motivation, and other identity risk factors increased over the year, high family rejection did not impact community connectedness and SMW reported lower collective self-esteem. Racial minority SMW reported lower community connectedness, but not lower collective self-esteem. Families likely buffer or exacerbate societal risks for ill health. Findings highlight the protective role of LGBTQ communities and normative resilience among SMW and their families. PMID:25572956

Spacecraft radiators for advanced mission requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, J. W.

1980-01-01

Design requirements for spacecraft heat rejection systems are identified, and their impact on the construction of conventional pumped fluid and hybrid heat pipe/pumped fluid radiators is evaluated. Heat rejection systems to improve the performance or reduce the cost of the spacecraft are proposed. Heat rejection requirements which are large compared to those of existing systems and mission durations which are relatively long, are discussed.

The trigger card system for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, William; Anderson, John; Howe, Mark; Meijer, Sam; Wilkerson, John; Majorana Collaboration

2014-09-01

The aim of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate the feasibility of providing low enough background levels to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0 νββ) in an array of germanium detectors enriched to 87% in 76Ge. Currently, it is unknown if this decay process occurs; however, observation of such a decay process would show that lepton number is violated, confirm that neutrinos are Majorana particles, and yield information on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. With current experimental results indicating a half-life greater than 2 x 1025 years for this decay, the minimization of background events is of critical importance. Utilizing time correlation, coincidence testing is able to reject multi-detector events that may otherwise be mistaken for 0 νββ when viewed independently. Here, we present both the hardware and software of the trigger card system, which provides a common clock to all digitizers and the muon veto system, thereby enabling the rejection of background events through coincidence testing. Current experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the distributed clock to be within two clock pulses (20 ns) across all system components. A test system is used to validate the data acquisition system. The aim of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate the feasibility of providing low enough background levels to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0 νββ) in an array of germanium detectors enriched to 87% in 76Ge. Currently, it is unknown if this decay process occurs; however, observation of such a decay process would show that lepton number is violated, confirm that neutrinos are Majorana particles, and yield information on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. With current experimental results indicating a half-life greater than 2 x 1025 years for this decay, the minimization of background events is of critical importance. Utilizing time correlation, coincidence testing is able to reject multi-detector events that may otherwise be mistaken for 0 νββ when viewed independently. Here, we present both the hardware and software of the trigger card system, which provides a common clock to all digitizers and the muon veto system, thereby enabling the rejection of background events through coincidence testing. Current experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the distributed clock to be within two clock pulses (20 ns) across all system components. A test system is used to validate the data acquisition system. We acknowledge support from the Office of Nuclear Physics in the DOE Office of Science, the Particle Astrophysics and REU Programs of the NSF, and the Sanford Underground Research Laboratory.

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

Pezzullo, Gianantonio

The Mu2e experiment will search for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) looking at the conversion of a muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. Aboutmore » $$7\\cdot 10^{17}$$ muons, provided by a dedicated muon beam line in construction at the Fermi National Accelarator Laboratory (Fermilab), will be stopped in 3 years in the Aluminum target. The corresponding single event sensitivity will be $$2.5\\cdot 10^{-17}$$. The Standard Model of particle physics, even extendend to include the finite neutrino masses, predicts the ratio R μe between muon conversions and muon nuclear captures to be $$\\sim 10^{- 52}$$. Several extensions of the Standard Model predict R μe to be in the range of $$10^{-14} - 10^{-18}$$. % The current best experimental limit, set by the SINDRUM II experiment is $$7 \\cdot 10^{-13}$$ @ $$90\\%$$ CL. The Mu2e experiment plans to improve this experimental limit by four order of magnitude to test many of the possible extensions of the Standard Model. To reach this ambitious goal, the Mu2e experiment is expected to use an intense pulsed muon beam, and rely on a detector system composed of a straw tube tracker and a calorimeter made of pure CsI crystals. The calorimeter plays a central role in the Mu2e measurement, providing particle identification capabilities that are necessary for rejecting two of the most dangerous background sources that can mimic the μ⁻N → e⁻N conversion electron: cosmic muons and $$\\bar{p}$$ induced background. The calorimeter information allows also to improve the tracking performance. Thanks to a calorimeter-seeded track finder algorithm, it is possible to increase the track reconstruction efficiency, and make it more robust with respect to the occupancy level. Expected performances of the calorimeter have been studied in a beam test at the Beam Test Facility in Frascati (Rome, Italy). A reduced scale calorimeter prototype has been exposed to an electron beam, with energy varying from 80 to 140 MeV, for measuring the timing resolution and validate the Monte Carlo prediction. A timing resolution $$\\sigma_{\\rm t}<200$$ ps @ 100 MeV has been obtained. Combination of the background rejection performance, and the improvements in the track reconstruction, have then been used in the calculation of the expected Mu2e sensitivity.« less

The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science

PubMed Central

Lewandowsky, Stephan; Gignac, Gilles E.; Oberauer, Klaus

2013-01-01

Background Among American Conservatives, but not Liberals, trust in science has been declining since the 1970's. Climate science has become particularly polarized, with Conservatives being more likely than Liberals to reject the notion that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the globe. Conversely, opposition to genetically-modified (GM) foods and vaccinations is often ascribed to the political Left although reliable data are lacking. There are also growing indications that rejection of science is suffused by conspiracist ideation, that is the general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories including the specific beliefs that inconvenient scientific findings constitute a “hoax.” Methodology/Principal findings We conducted a propensity weighted internet-panel survey of the U.S. population and show that conservatism and free-market worldview strongly predict rejection of climate science, in contrast to their weaker and opposing effects on acceptance of vaccinations. The two worldview variables do not predict opposition to GM. Conspiracist ideation, by contrast, predicts rejection of all three scientific propositions, albeit to greatly varying extents. Greater endorsement of a diverse set of conspiracy theories predicts opposition to GM foods, vaccinations, and climate science. Conclusions Free-market worldviews are an important predictor of the rejection of scientific findings that have potential regulatory implications, such as climate science, but not necessarily of other scientific issues. Conspiracist ideation, by contrast, is associated with the rejection of all scientific propositions tested. We highlight the manifold cognitive reasons why conspiracist ideation would stand in opposition to the scientific method. The involvement of conspiracist ideation in the rejection of science has implications for science communicators. PMID:24098391

[Applying healthcare failure mode and effect analysis to improve the surgical specimen transportation process and rejection rate].

PubMed

Hu, Pao-Hsueh; Hu, Hsiao-Chen; Huang, Hui-Ju; Chao, Hui-Lin; Lei, Ei-Fang

2014-04-01

Because surgical pathology specimens are crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of disease, it is critical that they be collected and transported safely and securely. Due to recent near-miss events in our department, we used the healthcare failure model and effect analysis to identify 14 potential perils in the specimen collection and transportation process. Improvement and prevention strategies were developed accordingly to improve quality of care. Using health care failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) may improve the surgical specimen transportation process and reduce the rate of surgical specimen rejection. Rectify standard operating procedures for surgical pathology specimen collection and transportation. Create educational videos and posters. Rectify methods of specimen verification. Organize and create an online and instantaneous management system for specimen tracking and specimen rejection. Implementation of the new surgical specimen transportation process effectively eliminated the 14 identified potential perils. In addition, the specimen rejection fell from 0.86% to 0.03%. This project was applied to improve the specimen transportation process, enhance interdisciplinary cooperation, and improve the patient-centered healthcare system. The creation and implementation of an online information system significantly facilitates specimen tracking, hospital cost reductions, and patient safety improvements. The success in our department is currently being replicated across all departments in our hospital that transport specimens. Our experience and strategy may be applied to inter-hospital specimen transportation in the future.

8 CFR 335.2 - Examination of applicant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Investigation that the fingerprint data submitted for the criminal background check has been rejected. (c... required for a full and true disclosure of the facts. (d) Witnesses. Witnesses, if called, shall be...

8 CFR 335.2 - Examination of applicant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Investigation that the fingerprint data submitted for the criminal background check has been rejected. (c... required for a full and true disclosure of the facts. (d) Witnesses. Witnesses, if called, shall be...

8 CFR 335.2 - Examination of applicant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Investigation that the fingerprint data submitted for the criminal background check has been rejected. (c... required for a full and true disclosure of the facts. (d) Witnesses. Witnesses, if called, shall be...

Two Heat-Transfer Improvements for Gas Liquefiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Jerry L.

2005-01-01

Two improvements in heat-transfer design have been investigated with a view toward increasing the efficiency of refrigerators used to liquefy gases. The improvements could contribute to the development of relatively inexpensive, portable oxygen liquefiers for medical use. A description of the heat-transfer problem in a pulse-tube refrigerator is prerequisite to a meaningful description of the first improvement. In a pulse-tube refrigerator in particular, one of in-line configuration heat must be rejected from two locations: an aftercooler (where most of the heat is rejected) and a warm heat exchanger (where a small fraction of the total input power must be rejected as heat). Rejection of heat from the warm heat exchanger can be problematic because this heat exchanger is usually inside a vacuum vessel. When an acoustic-inertance tube is used to provide a phase shift needed in the pulse-tube cooling cycle, another problem arises: Inasmuch as the acoustic power in the acoustic-inertance tube is dissipated over the entire length of the tube, the gas in the tube must be warmer than the warm heat exchanger in order to reject heat at the warm heat exchanger. This is disadvantageous because the increase in viscosity with temperature causes an undesired increase in dissipation of acoustic energy and an undesired decrease in the achievable phase shift. Consequently, the overall performance of the pulse-tube refrigerator decreases with increasing temperature in the acoustic-inertance tube. In the first improvement, the acoustic-inertance tube is made to serve as the warm heat exchanger and to operate in an approximately isothermal condition at a lower temperature, thereby increasing the achievable phase shift and the overall performance of the refrigerator. This is accomplished by placing the acoustic-inertance tube inside another tube and pumping a cooling fluid (e.g., water) in the annular space between the tubes. Another benefit of this improvement is added flexibility of design to locate the warm heat-rejection components outside the vacuum vessel. The second improvement is the development of a compact radial-flow condenser characterized by a very high heat transfer coefficient and a small pressure drop.

GEANT4-based full simulation of the PADME experiment at the DAΦNE BTF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonardi, E.; Kozhuharov, V.; Raggi, M.; Valente, P.

2017-10-01

A possible solution to the dark matter problem postulates that dark particles can interact with Standard Model particles only through a new force mediated by a “portal”. If the new force has a U(1) gauge structure, the “portal” is a massive photon-like vector particle, called dark photon or A‧. The PADME experiment at the DAΦNE Beam-Test Facility (BTF) in Frascati is designed to detect dark photons produced in positron on fixed target annihilations decaying to dark matter (e+e-→γA‧) by measuring the final state missing mass. The experiment will be composed of a thin active diamond target where a 550 MeV positron beam will impinge to produce e+e- annihilation events. The surviving beam will be deflected with a magnet while the photons produced in the annihilation will be measured by a calorimeter composed of BGO crystals. To reject the background from Bremsstrahlung gamma production, a set of segmented plastic scintillator vetoes will be used to detect positrons exiting the target with an energy lower than that of the beam, while a fast small angle calorimeter will be used to reject the e+e-→γγ(γ) background. To optimize the experimental layout in terms of signal acceptance and background rejection, the full layout of the experiment was modelled with the GEANT4 simulation package. In this paper we will describe the details of the simulation and report on the results obtained with the software.

Host responses to interspecific brood parasitism: a by-product of adaptations to conspecific parasitism?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Why have birds evolved the ability to reject eggs? Typically, foreign egg discrimination is interpreted as evidence that interspecific brood parasitism (IP) has selected for the host’s ability to recognize and eliminate foreign eggs. Fewer studies explore the alternative hypothesis that rejection of interspecific eggs is a by-product of host defenses, evolved against conspecific parasitism (CP). We performed a large scale study with replication across taxa (two congeneric Turdus thrushes), space (populations), time (breeding seasons), and treatments (three types of experimental eggs), using a consistent design of egg rejection experiments (n = 1057 nests; including controls), in areas with potential IP either present (Europe; native populations) or absent (New Zealand; introduced populations). These comparisons benefited from the known length of allopatry (one and a half centuries), with no gene flow between native and introduced populations, which is rarely available in host-parasite systems. Results Hosts rejected CP at unusually high rates for passerines (up to 60%). CP rejection rates were higher in populations with higher conspecific breeding densities and no risks of IP, supporting the CP hypothesis. IP rejection rates did not covary geographically with IP risk, contradicting the IP hypothesis. High egg rejection rates were maintained in the relatively long-term isolation from IP despite non-trivial rejection costs and errors. Conclusions These egg rejection patterns, combined with recent findings that these thrushes are currently unsuitable hosts of the obligate parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), are in agreement with the hypothesis that the rejection of IP is a by-product of fine-tuned egg discrimination evolved due to CP. Our study highlights the importance of considering both IP and CP simultaneously as potential drivers in the evolution of egg discrimination, and illustrates how populations introduced to novel ecological contexts can provide critical insights into brood parasite-host coevolution. PMID:24834103

Paul Natorp and the emergence of anti-psychologism in the nineteenth century.

PubMed

Edgar, Scott

2008-03-01

This paper examines the anti-psychologism of Paul Natorp, a Marburg School Neo-Kantian. It identifies both Natorp's principle argument against psychologism and the views underlying the argument that give it its force. Natorp's argument depends for its success on his view that certain scientific laws constitute the intersubjective content of knowledge. That view in turn depends on Natorp's conception of subjectivity, so it is only against the background of his conception of subjectivity that his reasons for rejecting psychologism make sense. This interpretation of Natorp suggests that attention paid to late nineteenth century theories of subjectivity and philosophy of psychology could improve our understanding of the emergence of anti-psychologism in that period.

Delay discounting, risk-taking, and rejection sensitivity among individuals with Internet and Video Gaming Disorders.

PubMed

Weinstein, Aviv; Abu, Hodaya Ben; Timor, Ayelet; Mama, Yaniv

2016-12-01

Background and aims There is a previous evidence for impulsivity in individuals with Internet and Video Gaming Disorders. The aim of this study was to examine whether Internet and video game addictions are associated with experiential delay discounting, risk-taking, and sensitivity to social rejection using computerized tasks and questionnaires. Methods Twenty participants (mean age 24, SD = 1.55) with high score on the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ) were compared with 20 participants (mean age 24.8, SD = 1.34) with low score on the POGQ. They performed on computerized Balloon Analog Risk Task and Experiential Delay discounting Task (EDT), and filled in the sensitivity to social rejection questionnaire. Results Participants with high POGQ scores had lower measures of delay discounting, higher measures of risk-taking, and higher measures of sensitivity to social rejection compared with participants with low POGQ scores. Discussion The results of this study support the previous evidence of risk-taking and provide new evidence for difficulties in delay discounting and sensitivity to social rejection among those who score high on Internet and video games. Conclusions The results suggest that Internet- and video game-addicted individuals seek immediate gratification and cannot wait for later reward. Furthermore, these individuals spend time in the virtual world, where they feel safe, and avoid social interactions presumably due to fears of social rejection.

INCIDENCE AND EARLY OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH PRE-TRANSPLANT ANTI-VIMENTIN ANTIBODIES IN THE CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION POPULATION

PubMed Central

Young, Raymond K.; Dale, Bethany; Russell, Stuart D.; Zachary, Andrea A.; Tedford, Ryan J.

2015-01-01

Background In cardiac transplant recipients, the development of antibodies to the endothelial intermediate filament protein vimentin (anti-vimentin antibodies, AVA) has been associated with rejection and poor outcomes. However, the incidence of these antibodies prior to transplantation and their association with early rejection has not been investigated. Methods Pre-transplant serum was analyzed from 50 patients who underwent de novo cardiac transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2004-2012. Demographic, one year rejection, and survival data were obtained from the transplant database. Results The incidence of pre-transplant AVA was 34%. AVA positive patients were younger (p=0.03) and there was an increased incidence in females (p=0.08). Demographic data were similar among both groups. AVA positivity did not predict rejection in the 1st year post-transplant. There was no difference in rejection-free graft survival (53 vs. 52%, p=0.85) at 1 year. Similarly there was no difference in graft survival at 1 year (82 vs. 88%, p=0.56) or graft survival at a median follow up of 23 and 26 months, respectively (76 vs. 85%, p=0.41). Conclusions AVA is common in the cardiac pre-transplant population with a higher incidence in the young. The presence of detectable AVA did not correlate with early post-transplant rejection or graft survival. PMID:25982351

Immunological and inflammatory mapping of vascularized composite allograft rejection processes in a rat model

PubMed Central

Friedman, Or; Carmel, Narin; Sela, Meirav; Abu Jabal, Ameen; Inbal, Amir; Ben Hamou, Moshe; Krelin, Yakov; Gur, Eyal

2017-01-01

Background Hand and face vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) is an evolving and challenging field with great opportunities. During VCA, massive surgical damage is inflicted on both donor and recipient tissues, which may contribute to the high VCA rejection rates. To segregate between the damage-induced and rejection phase of post-VCA responses, we compared responses occurring up to 5 days following syngeneic versus allogeneic vascularized groin flap transplantations, culminating in transplant acceptance or rejection, respectively. Methods The immune response elicited upon transplantation of a syngeneic versus allogeneic vascularized groin flap was compared at Post-operative days 2 or 5 by histology, immunohistochemistry and by broad-scope gene and protein analyses using quantitative real-time PCR and Multiplex respectively. Results Immune cell infiltration began at the donor-recipient interface and paralleled expression of a large group of wound healing-associated genes in both allografts and syngrafts. By day 5 post-transplantation, cell infiltration spread over the entire allograft but remained confined to the wound site in the syngraft. This shift correlated with upregulation of IL-18, INFg, CXCL9, 10 and 11, CCL2, CCL5, CX3CL1 and IL-10 in the allograft only, suggesting their role in the induction of the anti-alloantigen adaptive immune response. Conclusions High resemblance between the cues governing VCA and solid organ rejection was observed. Despite this high resemblance we describe also, for the first time, a damage induced inflammatory component in VCA rejection as immune cell infiltration into the graft initiated at the surgical damage site spreading to the entire allograft only at late stage rejection. We speculate that the highly inflammatory setting created by the unique surgical damage during VCA may enhance acute allograft rejection. PMID:28746417

Natural killer cells play a critical role in mediating inflammation and graft failure during antibody-mediated rejection of kidney allografts.

PubMed

Kohei, Naoki; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Tanabe, Kazunari; Masumori, Naoya; Dvorina, Nina; Valujskikh, Anna; Baldwin, William M; Fairchild, Robert L

2016-06-01

While the incidence of antibody-mediated kidney graft rejection has increased, the key cellular and molecular participants underlying this graft injury remain unclear. Rejection of kidney allografts in mice lacking the chemokine receptor CCR5 is dependent on production of donor-specific antibody. Here we determine if cells expressing cytotoxic function contributed to antibody-mediated kidney allograft rejection in these recipients. Wild-type C57BL/6, B6.CCR5(-/-), and B6.CD8(-/-)/CCR5(-/-) mice were transplanted with complete MHC-mismatched A/J kidney grafts, and intragraft inflammatory components were followed to rejection. B6.CCR5(-/-) and B6.CD8(-/-)/CCR5(-/-) recipients rejected kidney allografts by day 35, whereas 65% of allografts in wild-type recipients survived past day 80 post-transplant. Rejected allografts in wild-type C57BL/6, B6.CCR5(-/-), and B6.CD8(-/-)/CCR5(-/-) recipients expressed high levels of VCAM-1 and MMP7 mRNA that was associated with high serum titers of donor-specific antibody. High levels of perforin and granzyme B mRNA expression peaked on day 6 post-transplant in allografts in all recipients, but were absent in isografts. Depletion of natural killer cells in B6.CD8(-/-)/CCR5(-/-) recipients reduced this expression to background levels and promoted the long-term survival of 40% of the kidney allografts. Thus, natural killer cells have a role in increased inflammation during antibody-mediated kidney allograft injury and in rejection of the grafts. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Natural killer cells play a critical role in mediating inflammation and graft failure during antibody-mediated rejection of kidney allografts

PubMed Central

Kohei, Naoki; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Tanabe, Kazunari; Masumori, Naoya; Dvorina, Nina; Valujskikh, Anna; Baldwin, William M.; Fairchild, Robert L.

2016-01-01

While the incidence of antibody-mediated kidney graft rejection has increased, the key cellular and molecular participants underlying this graft injury remain unclear. Rejection of kidney allografts in mice lacking the chemokine receptor CCR5 is dependent on production of donor-specific antibody. Here we determine if cells expressing cytotoxic function contributed to antibody-mediated kidney allograft rejection in these recipients. Wild type C57BL/6, B6.CCR5−/− and B6.CD8−/−/CCR5−/− mice were transplanted with complete MHC mismatched A/J kidney grafts and intra-graft inflammatory components were followed to rejection. B6.CCR5−/− and B6.CD8−/−/CCR5−/− recipients rejected kidney allografts by day 35 whereas 65% of allografts in wild type recipients survived past day 80 post-transplant. Rejected allografts in wild-type C57BL/6, B6.CCR5−/− and B6.CD8−/−/CCR5−/− recipients expressed high levels of VCAM-1 and MMP7 mRNA that was associated with high serum titers of donor-specific antibody. High levels of perforin and granzyme B mRNA expression peaked on day 6 post-transplant in allografts in all recipients, but were absent in isografts. Depletion of natural killer cells in B6.CD8−/−/CCR5−/− recipients reduced this expression to background levels and promoted the long-term survival of 40% of the kidney allografts. Thus, natural killer cells have a role in increased inflammation during antibody-mediated kidney allograft injury and in rejection of the grafts. PMID:27165816

Chemistry and haematology sample rejection and clinical impact in a tertiary laboratory in Cape Town.

PubMed

Jacobsz, Lourens A; Zemlin, Annalise E; Roos, Mark J; Erasmus, Rajiv T

2011-10-14

Recent publications report that up to 70% of total laboratory errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Identification of specific problems highlights pre-analytic processes susceptible to errors. The rejection of unsuitable samples can lead to delayed turnaround time and affect patient care. A retrospective audit was conducted investigating the rejection rate of routine blood specimens received at chemistry and haematology laboratories over a 2-week period. The reasons for rejection and potential clinical impact of these rejections were investigated. Thirty patient files were randomly selected and examined to assess the impact of these rejections on clinical care. A total of 32,910 specimens were received during the study period, of which 481 were rejected, giving a rejection rate of 1.46%. The main reasons for rejection were inappropriate clotting (30%) and inadequate sample volume (22%). Only 51.7% of rejected samples were repeated and the average time for a repeat sample to reach the laboratory was about 5 days (121 h). Of the repeated samples, 5.1% had results within critical values. Examination of patient folders showed that in 40% of cases the rejection of samples had an impact on patient care. The evaluation of pre-analytical processes in the laboratory, with regard to sample rejection, allowed one to identify problem areas where improvement is necessary. Rejected samples due to factors out of the laboratory's control had a definite impact on patient care and can thus affect customer satisfaction. Clinicians should be aware of these factors to prevent such rejections.

Diagnostic value of plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage samples in acute lung allograft rejection: differential cytology.

PubMed

Speck, Nicole E; Schuurmans, Macé M; Murer, Christian; Benden, Christian; Huber, Lars C

2016-06-21

Diagnosis of acute lung allograft rejection is currently based on transbronchial lung biopsies. Additional methods to detect acute allograft dysfunction derived from plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage samples might facilitate diagnosis and ultimately improve allograft survival. This review article gives an overview of the cell profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage and plasma samples during acute lung allograft rejection. The value of these cells and changes within the pattern of differential cytology to support the diagnosis of acute lung allograft rejection is discussed. Current findings on the topic are highlighted and trends for future research are identified.

Family and community rejection and a Congolese led mediation intervention to reintegrate rejected survivors of sexual violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Kohli, Anjalee; Tosha, Maphie; Ramazani, Paul; Safari, Octave; Bachunguye, Richard; Zahiga, Isaya; Iragi, Aline; Glass, Nancy

2013-01-01

Our purpose in this study is to describe the multiple and inter-related health, economic, and social reasons for rejection and to provide an example of a Congolese-led family mediation program to reintegrate survivors into their families. We conducted this study in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and included two focus group discussions and twenty-seven interviews. Rejection extends beyond physical dislocation to include economic and social aspects. Family mediation is a process requiring knowledge of traditions and norms. Understanding the context of rejection and supporting promising local reintegration efforts will likely improve health, economic, and social outcomes for the survivor, her family, and her community.

C4d-the witness of humoral rejection.

PubMed

de Gouveia, R H; Vitorino, E; Ramos, S; Rebocho, M J; Queirós E Melo, J; Martins, A P; Moura, M L C

2009-04-01

Acute antibody-mediated (humoral) rejection is a major cause of morbidity, graft loss, and mortality among heart transplant patients. Herein we have presented our experience using C4d to characterize humoral rejection. All nonformalin-fixed cardiac graft biopsies (protocol or emergency) received between May 2007 and May 2008 were examined by immunofluorescence for C4d. One hundred twelve endomyocardial biopsies from 25 transplanted patients included 20 males and 5 females of ages ranging from 3 to 71 years. The number of biopsies per subject varied from 1 to 11; the timespan between transplantation and the diagnostic biopsies ranged from days to 8 years. Thirteen biopsies showed acute humoral rejection (intramyocardial capillaries positive for C4d); 31, acute cellular rejection (grades 1R, 2R); 7, both humoral and cellular rejection; and 1, acute humoral rejection and allograft vasculopathy. Some of the positive biopsies belonged to the same person, and some to transplanted individuals with signs and symptoms suggestive of rejection, while others did not. The persistence of humoral rejection, despite the disappearance of a cellular component, correlated with slower clinicoechocardiographic improvement. C4d positivity is a morphologic sign of humoral rejection. It may hasten the appearance and/or worsening of allograft vasculopathy independent of patient age or posttransplantation time.

First proof of topological signature in the high pressure xenon gas TPC with electroluminescence amplification for the NEXT experiment

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

Ferrario, P.

2016-01-19

The NEXT experiment aims to observe the neutrinoless double beta decay of xenon in a high-pressure 136Xe gas TPC using electroluminescence (EL) to amplify the signal from ionization. One of the main advantages of this technology is the possibility to reconstruct the topology of events with energies close to Q ββ. This paper presents the first demonstration that the topology provides extra handles to reject background events using data obtained with the NEXT-DEMO prototype. Single electrons resulting from the interactions of 22Na 1275 keV gammas and electron-positron pairs produced by conversions of gammas from the 228Th decay chain were usedmore » to represent the background and the signal in a double beta decay. Furthermore, these data were used to develop algorithms for the reconstruction of tracks and the identification of the energy deposited at the end-points, providing an extra background rejection factor of 24.3 ± 1.4 (stat.)%, while maintaining an efficiency of 66.7 ± 1% for signal events.« less

An innovative bolometric Cherenkov-light detector for a double beta decay search

DOE PAGES

Novati, V.; Artusa, D. R.; Avignone, F. T.; ...

2017-10-31

Here, we present here an innovative cryogenic light detector capable to measure a few tens of eV signal thanks to the amplification assisted by the Neganov-Luke effect. The thermal signal boost in the presence of an electric field allows us to improve the signal-to-noise ratio reaching a baseline noise of around 20 eV. This device - coupled to an enriched 130TeO 2 bolometer (435 g) - registered 160 eV Cherenkov light signal induced by 2615 keV 208 Tl with a signal to noise ratio about 6:1. Since α particles emitted in decays of natural radionuclides do not produce the Cherenkovmore » radiation, we were then able to achieve an efficient α/γ separation in the region of interest for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te (Q-value is 2527 keV). Specifically, a rejection factor of 99.9% for α particles was obtained with a 98.3% acceptance of β/γ events. The achieved α rejection efficiency is required to reduce the dominant α background in the follow-up of the CUORE experiment (CUPID), a ton-scale bolometric search with particle identification.« less

An innovative bolometric Cherenkov-light detector for a double beta decay search

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

Novati, V.; Artusa, D. R.; Avignone, F. T.

Here, we present here an innovative cryogenic light detector capable to measure a few tens of eV signal thanks to the amplification assisted by the Neganov-Luke effect. The thermal signal boost in the presence of an electric field allows us to improve the signal-to-noise ratio reaching a baseline noise of around 20 eV. This device - coupled to an enriched 130TeO 2 bolometer (435 g) - registered 160 eV Cherenkov light signal induced by 2615 keV 208 Tl with a signal to noise ratio about 6:1. Since α particles emitted in decays of natural radionuclides do not produce the Cherenkovmore » radiation, we were then able to achieve an efficient α/γ separation in the region of interest for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te (Q-value is 2527 keV). Specifically, a rejection factor of 99.9% for α particles was obtained with a 98.3% acceptance of β/γ events. The achieved α rejection efficiency is required to reduce the dominant α background in the follow-up of the CUORE experiment (CUPID), a ton-scale bolometric search with particle identification.« less

76 FR 49802 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-11

... reject the selection of the fund's independent public accountant. Rule 32a-4 (17 CFR 270.32a-4) exempts... information unless it displays a currently valid control number. The public may view the background...

Ionization imaging—A new method to search for 0- ν ββ decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinowski, W.; Goldschmidt, A.; Nygren, D.; Bernstein, A.; Heffner, M.; Millaud, J.

2007-10-01

We present a new method to search for 0- ν ββ decay in 136Xe, the Ionization Imaging Chamber. This concept is based on 3-D track reconstruction by detection of ionization, without avalanche gain, in a novel time projection chamber (TPC) geometry. The rejection efficiency of external charged particle backgrounds is optimized by the realization of a maximal, fully active, closed, and ex post facto variable fiducial surface. Event localization within the fiducial volume and detailed event reconstruction mitigate external neutral particle backgrounds; larger detectors offer higher rejection efficiencies. Energy resolution at the Q-value of 2.5 MeV is expected to be better than 1% FWHM, reducing the potential impact of allowed 2- ν ββ decays. Scaling from ˜25 kg prototype to 1000+ kg target mass is graceful. A new possible methodology for the identification of the daughter barium nucleus is also described.

Convective instabilities in a ternary alloy mushy layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Daniel; Guba, Peter

2014-11-01

We investigate a mathematical model of convection, thermal and solutal diffusion in a primary mushy layer during the solidification of a ternary alloy. In particular, we explore the influence of phase-change effects, such as solute rejection, latent heat and background solidification, in a linear stability analysis of a non-convecting base state solution. We identify how different rates of diffusion (e.g. double diffusion) as well as how different rates of solute rejection (double solute rejection) play a role in this system. Novel modes of instability that can be present under statically stable conditions are identified. Parcel arguments are proposed to explain the physical mechanisms that give rise to the instabilities. This work was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, DMS-1107848 (D.M.A.) and by the Slovak Scientific Grant Agency, VEGA 1/0711/12 (P.G.).

Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection

PubMed Central

Leary, Mark R.

2015-01-01

A great deal of human emotion arises in response to real, anticipated, remembered, or imagined rejection by other people. Because acceptance by other people improved evolutionary fitness, human beings developed biopsychological mechanisms to apprise them of threats to acceptance and belonging, along with emotional systems to deal with threats to acceptance. This article examines seven emotions that often arise when people perceive that their relational value to other people is low or in potential jeopardy, including hurt feelings, jealousy, loneliness, shame, guilt, social anxiety, and embarrassment. Other emotions, such as sadness and anger, may occur during rejection episodes, but are reactions to features of the situation other than low relational value. The article discusses the evolutionary functions of rejection-related emotions, neuroscience evidence regarding the brain regions that mediate reactions to rejection, and behavioral research from social, developmental, and clinical psychology regarding psychological and behavioral concomitants of interpersonal rejection. PMID:26869844

High-Dose Neutron Detector Development Using 10B Coated Cells

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

Menlove, Howard Olsen; Henzlova, Daniela

2016-11-08

During FY16 the boron-lined parallel-plate technology was optimized to fully benefit from its fast timing characteristics in order to enhance its high count rate capability. To facilitate high count rate capability, a novel fast amplifier with timing and operating properties matched to the detector characteristics was developed and implemented in the 8” boron plate detector that was purchased from PDT. Each of the 6 sealed-cells was connected to a fast amplifier with corresponding List mode readout from each amplifier. The FY16 work focused on improvements in the boron-10 coating materials and procedures at PDT to significantly improve the neutron detectionmore » efficiency. An improvement in the efficiency of a factor of 1.5 was achieved without increasing the metal backing area for the boron coating. This improvement has allowed us to operate the detector in gamma-ray backgrounds that are four orders of magnitude higher than was previously possible while maintaining a relatively high counting efficiency for neutrons. This improvement in the gamma-ray rejection is a key factor in the development of the high dose neutron detector.« less

A new limit on the CP violating decay KS → 3π0 with the KLOE experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babusci, D.; Badoni, D.; Balwierz-Pytko, I.; Bencivenni, G.; Bini, C.; Bloise, C.; Bossi, F.; Branchini, P.; Budano, A.; Caldeira Balkeståhl, L.; Capon, G.; Ceradini, F.; Ciambrone, P.; Curciarello, F.; Czerwiński, E.; Danè, E.; De Leo, V.; De Lucia, E.; De Robertis, G.; De Santis, A.; Di Domenico, A.; Di Donato, C.; Di Salvo, R.; Domenici, D.; Erriquez, O.; Fanizzi, G.; Fantini, A.; Felici, G.; Fiore, S.; Franzini, P.; Gauzzi, P.; Giardina, G.; Giovannella, S.; Gonnella, F.; Graziani, E.; Happacher, F.; Heijkenskjöld, L.; Höistad, B.; Iafolla, L.; Jacewicz, M.; Johansson, T.; Kacprzak, K.; Kupsc, A.; Lee-Franzini, J.; Leverington, B.; Loddo, F.; Loffredo, S.; Mandaglio, G.; Martemianov, M.; Martini, M.; Mascolo, M.; Messi, R.; Miscetti, S.; Morello, G.; Moricciani, D.; Moskal, P.; Nguyen, F.; Passeri, A.; Patera, V.; Prado Longhi, I.; Ranieri, A.; Redmer, C. F.; Santangelo, P.; Sarra, I.; Schioppa, M.; Sciascia, B.; Silarski, M.; Taccini, C.; Tortora, L.; Venanzoni, G.; Wiślicki, W.; Wolke, M.; Zdebik, J.

2013-06-01

We have carried out a new direct search for the CP violating decay KS → 3π0 with 1.7 fb-1 of e+e- collisions collected by the KLOE detector at the Φ-factory DAΦNE. We have searched for this decay in a sample of about 5.9 ×108KSKL events tagging the KS by means of the KL interaction in the calorimeter and requiring six prompt photons. With respect to our previous search, the analysis has been improved by increasing of a factor four the tagged sample and by a more effective background rejection of fake KS tags and spurious clusters. We find no candidates in data and simulated background samples, while we expect 0.12 standard model events. Normalizing to the number of KS → 2π0 events in the same sample, we set the upper limit on BR (KS → 3π0) ⩽ 2.6 ×10-8 at 90% C.L., five times lower than the previous limit. We also set the upper limit on the η000 parameter, |η000 | ⩽ 0.0088 at 90% C.L., improving by a factor two the latest direct measurement.

Rejection of randomly coinciding events in ZnMoO scintillating bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyak, D. M.; Danevich, F. A.; Giuliani, A.; Mancuso, M.; Nones, C.; Olivieri, E.; Tenconi, M.; Tretyak, V. I.

2014-06-01

Random coincidence of events (particularly from two neutrino double beta decay) could be one of the main sources of background in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay with cryogenic bolometers due to their poor time resolution. Pulse-shape discrimination by using front edge analysis, mean-time and methods were applied to discriminate randomly coinciding events in ZnMoO cryogenic scintillating bolometers. These events can be effectively rejected at the level of 99 % by the analysis of the heat signals with rise-time of about 14 ms and signal-to-noise ratio of 900, and at the level of 92 % by the analysis of the light signals with rise-time of about 3 ms and signal-to-noise ratio of 30, under the requirement to detect 95 % of single events. These rejection efficiencies are compatible with extremely low background levels in the region of interest of neutrinoless double beta decay of Mo for enriched ZnMoO detectors, of the order of counts/(y keV kg). Pulse-shape parameters have been chosen on the basis of the performance of a real massive ZnMoO scintillating bolometer. Importance of the signal-to-noise ratio, correct finding of the signal start and choice of an appropriate sampling frequency are discussed.

High Intrapatient Variability of Tacrolimus Levels and Outpatient Clinic Nonattendance Are Associated With Inferior Outcomes in Renal Transplant Patients

PubMed Central

Goodall, Dawn L.; Willicombe, Michelle; McLean, Adam G.; Taube, David

2017-01-01

Background Nonadherence to immunosuppressants is associated with rejection and allograft loss. Intrapatient variability (IPV) of immunosuppression levels is a marker of nonadherence. This study describes the impact of IPV of tacrolimus levels in patients receiving a tacrolimus monotherapy immunosuppression protocol. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the outpatient tacrolimus levels of kidney-only transplant patients taken between 6 and 12 months posttransplant. IPV was determined using the coefficient of variance. Results Six hundred twenty-eight patients with a mean number of 8.98 ± 3.81 tacrolimus levels and a mean follow-up of 4.72 ± 2.19 years were included. Multivariate analysis showed death was associated with increasing age (1.04 [1.01-1.07], P = 0.0055), diabetes at time of transplant (2.79 [1.44-5.41], P = 0.0024), and rejection (2.34 [1.06-5.19], P = 0.036). Variables associated with graft loss included the highest variability group (2.51 [1.01-6.27], P = 0.048), mean tacrolimus level less than 5 ng/mL (4.32 [1.94-9.63], P = 0.0003), a high clinic nonattendance rate (1.10 [1.01-1.20], P = 0.03), and rejection (9.83 [4.62-20.94], P < 0.0001). Independent risk factors for rejection were de novo donor-specific antibody (3.15 [1.84-5.39], P < 0.0001), mean tacrolimus level less than 5 ng/mL (2.57 [1.27-5.19], P = 0.00860, and a high clinic nonattendance rate (1.11 [1.05-1.18], P = 0.0005). Conclusions This study shows that high tacrolimus IPV and clinic nonattendance are associated with inferior allograft survival. Interventions to minimize the causes of high variability, particularly nonadherence are essential to improve long-term allograft outcomes. PMID:28795143

The Validity of Peer Review in a General Medicine Journal

PubMed Central

Jackson, Jeffrey L.; Srinivasan, Malathi; Rea, Joanna; Fletcher, Kathlyn E.; Kravitz, Richard L.

2011-01-01

All the opinions in this article are those of the authors and should not be construed to reflect, in any way, those of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Background Our study purpose was to assess the predictive validity of reviewer quality ratings and editorial decisions in a general medicine journal. Methods Submissions to the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) between July 2004 and June 2005 were included. We abstracted JGIM peer review quality ratings, verified the publication status of all articles and calculated an impact factor for published articles (Rw) by dividing the 3-year citation rate by the average for this group of papers; an Rw>1 indicates a greater than average impact. Results Of 507 submissions, 128 (25%) were published in JGIM, 331 rejected (128 with review) and 48 were either not resubmitted after revision was requested or were withdrawn by the author. Of 331 rejections, 243 were published elsewhere. Articles published in JGIM had a higher citation rate than those published elsewhere (Rw: 1.6 vs. 1.1, p = 0.002). Reviewer quality ratings of article quality had good internal consistency and reviewer recommendations markedly influenced publication decisions. There was no quality rating cutpoint that accurately distinguished high from low impact articles. There was a stepwise increase in Rw for articles rejected without review, rejected after review or accepted by JGIM (Rw 0.60 vs. 0.87 vs. 1.56, p<0.0005). However, there was low agreement between reviewers for quality ratings and publication recommendations. The editorial publication decision accurately discriminated high and low impact articles in 68% of submissions. We found evidence of better accuracy with a greater number of reviewers. Conclusions The peer review process largely succeeds in selecting high impact articles and dispatching lower impact ones, but the process is far from perfect. While the inter-rater reliability between individual reviewers is low, the accuracy of sorting is improved with a greater number of reviewers. PMID:21799867

Fast optically sectioned fluorescence HiLo endomicroscopy.

PubMed

Ford, Tim N; Lim, Daryl; Mertz, Jerome

2012-02-01

We describe a nonscanning, fiber bundle endomicroscope that performs optically sectioned fluorescence imaging with fast frame rates and real-time processing. Our sectioning technique is based on HiLo imaging, wherein two widefield images are acquired under uniform and structured illumination and numerically processed to reject out-of-focus background. This work is an improvement upon an earlier demonstration of widefield optical sectioning through a flexible fiber bundle. The improved device features lateral and axial resolutions of 2.6 and 17 μm, respectively, a net frame rate of 9.5 Hz obtained by real-time image processing with a graphics processing unit (GPU) and significantly reduced motion artifacts obtained by the use of a double-shutter camera. We demonstrate the performance of our system with optically sectioned images and videos of a fluorescently labeled chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) in the developing G. gallus embryo. HiLo endomicroscopy is a candidate technique for low-cost, high-speed clinical optical biopsies.

Fast optically sectioned fluorescence HiLo endomicroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Tim N.; Lim, Daryl; Mertz, Jerome

2012-02-01

We describe a nonscanning, fiber bundle endomicroscope that performs optically sectioned fluorescence imaging with fast frame rates and real-time processing. Our sectioning technique is based on HiLo imaging, wherein two widefield images are acquired under uniform and structured illumination and numerically processed to reject out-of-focus background. This work is an improvement upon an earlier demonstration of widefield optical sectioning through a flexible fiber bundle. The improved device features lateral and axial resolutions of 2.6 and 17 μm, respectively, a net frame rate of 9.5 Hz obtained by real-time image processing with a graphics processing unit (GPU) and significantly reduced motion artifacts obtained by the use of a double-shutter camera. We demonstrate the performance of our system with optically sectioned images and videos of a fluorescently labeled chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) in the developing G. gallus embryo. HiLo endomicroscopy is a candidate technique for low-cost, high-speed clinical optical biopsies.

Ortho-positronium observation in the Double Chooz experiment

DOE PAGES

Abe, Y.; dos Anjos, J. C.; Barriere, J. C.; ...

2014-10-01

The Double Chooz experiment measures the neutrino mixing angle θ13 by detecting reactor ν¯e via inverse beta decay. The positron-neutron space and time coincidence allows for a sizable background rejection, nonetheless liquid scintillator detectors would

Improved WIMP-search reach of the CDMS II germanium data

DOE PAGES

Agnese, R.

2015-10-12

CDMS II data from the five-tower runs at the Soudan Underground Laboratory were reprocessed with an improved charge-pulse fitting algorithm. Two new analysis techniques to reject surface-event backgrounds were applied to the 612 kg days germanium-detector weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-search exposure. An extended analysis was also completed by decreasing the 10 keV analysis threshold to ~5 keV, to increase sensitivity near a WIMP mass of 8 GeV/c 2. After unblinding, there were zero candidate events above a deposited energy of 10 keV and six events in the lower-threshold analysis. This yielded minimum WIMP-nucleon spin-independent scattering cross-section limits of 1.8×10more » –44 and 1.18×10 –41 at 90% confidence for 60 and 8.6 GeV/c 2 WIMPs, respectively. This improves the previous CDMS II result by a factor of 2.4 (2.7) for 60 (8.6) GeV/c 2 WIMPs.« less

Improved WIMP-search reach of the CDMS II germanium data

DOE PAGES

Agnese, R.

2015-10-12

CDMS II data from the five-tower runs at the Soudan Underground Laboratory were reprocessed with an improved charge-pulse fitting algorithm. Two new analysis techniques to reject surface-event backgrounds were applied to the 612 kg days germanium-detector weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-search exposure. An extended analysis was also completed by decreasing the 10 keV analysis threshold to ~5 keV, to increase sensitivity near a WIMP mass of 8 GeV/c 2. After unblinding, there were zero candidate events above a deposited energy of 10 keV and six events in the lower-threshold analysis. This yielded minimum WIMP-nucleon spin-independent scattering cross-section limits of 1.8×10more » –44 and 1.18×10 –41 at 90% confidence for 60 and 8.6 GeV/c 2 WIMPs, respectively. Furthermore, this improves the previous CDMS II result by a factor of 2.4 (2.7) for 60 (8.6) GeV/c 2 WIMPs.« less

Measurement of the production cross-section of a single top quark in association with a Z boson in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Abidi, S. H.; Abouzeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adachi, S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adelman, J.; Adersberger, M.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Afik, Y.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agheorghiesei, C.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akatsuka, S.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akilli, E.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albicocco, P.; Alconada Verzini, M. J.; Alderweireldt, S. C.; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Ali, B.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alshehri, A. A.; Alstaty, M. I.; Alvarez Gonzalez, B.; Álvarez Piqueras, D.; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Amaral Coutinho, Y.; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Amor Dos Santos, S. P.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. S.; Andari, N.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anders, J. K.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Angelidakis, S.; Angelozzi, I.; Angerami, A.; Anisenkov, A. V.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antel, C.; Antonelli, M.; Antonov, A.; Antrim, D. J.; Anulli, F.; Aoki, M.; Aperio Bella, L.; Arabidze, G.; Arai, Y.; Araque, J. P.; Araujo Ferraz, V.; Arce, A. T. H.; Ardell, R. E.; Arduh, F. A.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, S.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Armitage, L. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnold, H.; Arratia, M.; Arslan, O.; Artamonov, A.; Artoni, G.; Artz, S.; Asai, S.; Asbah, N.; Ashkenazi, A.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astalos, R.; Atkinson, M.; Atlay, N. B.; Augsten, K.; Avolio, G.; Axen, B.; Ayoub, M. K.; Azuelos, G.; Baas, A. E.; Baca, M. J.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Bagnaia, P.; Bahmani, M.; Bahrasemani, H.; Baines, J. T.; Bajic, M.; Baker, O. K.; Bakker, P. J.; Baldin, E. M.; Balek, P.; Balli, F.; Balunas, W. K.; Banas, E.; Bandyopadhyay, A.; Banerjee, Sw.; Bannoura, A. A. E.; Barak, L.; Barberio, E. L.; Barberis, D.; Barbero, M.; Barillari, T.; Barisits, M.-S.; Barkeloo, J. T.; Barklow, T.; Barlow, N.; Barnes, S. L.; Barnett, B. M.; Barnett, R. M.; Barnovska-Blenessy, Z.; Baroncelli, A.; Barone, G.; Barr, A. J.; Barranco Navarro, L.; Barreiro, F.; Barreiro Guimarães da Costa, J.; Bartoldus, R.; Barton, A. E.; Bartos, P.; Basalaev, A.; Bassalat, A.; Bates, R. L.; Batista, S. J.; Batley, J. R.; Battaglia, M.; Bauce, M.; Bauer, F.; Bawa, H. S.; Beacham, J. B.; Beattie, M. D.; Beau, T.; Beauchemin, P. H.; Bechtle, P.; Beck, H. P.; Beck, H. C.; Becker, K.; Becker, M.; Becot, C.; Beddall, A. J.; Beddall, A.; Bednyakov, V. A.; Bedognetti, M.; Bee, C. P.; Beermann, T. A.; Begalli, M.; Begel, M.; Behr, J. K.; Bell, A. S.; Bella, G.; Bellagamba, L.; Bellerive, A.; Bellomo, M.; Belotskiy, K.; Beltramello, O.; Belyaev, N. L.; Benary, O.; Benchekroun, D.; Bender, M.; Benekos, N.; Benhammou, Y.; Benhar Noccioli, E.; Benitez, J.; Benjamin, D. P.; Benoit, M.; Bensinger, J. R.; Bentvelsen, S.; Beresford, L.; Beretta, M.; Berge, D.; Bergeaas Kuutmann, E.; Berger, N.; Bergsten, L. J.; Beringer, J.; Berlendis, S.; Bernard, N. R.; Bernardi, G.; Bernius, C.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Berry, T.; Berta, P.; Bertella, C.; Bertoli, G.; Bertram, I. A.; Bertsche, C.; Besjes, G. J.; Bessidskaia Bylund, O.; Bessner, M.; Besson, N.; Bethani, A.; Bethke, S.; Betti, A.; Bevan, A. J.; Beyer, J.; Bianchi, R. M.; Biebel, O.; Biedermann, D.; Bielski, R.; Bierwagen, K.; Biesuz, N. V.; Biglietti, M.; Billoud, T. R. V.; Bilokon, H.; Bindi, M.; Bingul, A.; Bini, C.; Biondi, S.; Bisanz, T.; Bittrich, C.; Bjergaard, D. M.; Black, J. E.; Black, K. M.; Blair, R. E.; Blazek, T.; Bloch, I.; Blocker, C.; Blue, A.; Blumenschein, U.; Blunier, S.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bobrovnikov, V. S.; Bocchetta, S. S.; Bocci, A.; Bock, C.; Boehler, M.; Boerner, D.; Bogavac, D.; Bogdanchikov, A. G.; Bohm, C.; Boisvert, V.; Bokan, P.; Bold, T.; Boldyrev, A. S.; Bolz, A. E.; Bomben, M.; Bona, M.; Boonekamp, M.; Borisov, A.; Borissov, G.; Bortfeldt, J.; Bortoletto, D.; Bortolotto, V.; Boscherini, D.; Bosman, M.; Bossio Sola, J. D.; Boudreau, J.; Bouhova-Thacker, E. V.; Boumediene, D.; Bourdarios, C.; Boutle, S. K.; Boveia, A.; Boyd, J.; Boyko, I. R.; Bozson, A. J.; Bracinik, J.; Brandt, A.; Brandt, G.; Brandt, O.; Braren, F.; Bratzler, U.; Brau, B.; Brau, J. E.; Breaden Madden, W. D.; Brendlinger, K.; Brennan, A. J.; Brenner, L.; Brenner, R.; Bressler, S.; Briglin, D. L.; Bristow, T. M.; Britton, D.; Britzger, D.; Brochu, F. M.; Brock, I.; Brock, R.; Brooijmans, G.; Brooks, T.; Brooks, W. K.; Brosamer, J.; Brost, E.; Broughton, J. H.; Bruckman de Renstrom, P. A.; Bruncko, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, L. S.; Bruno, S.; Brunt, Bh; Bruschi, M.; Bruscino, N.; Bryant, P.; Bryngemark, L.; Buanes, T.; Buat, Q.; Buchholz, P.; Buckley, A. G.; Budagov, I. A.; Buehrer, F.; Bugge, M. K.; Bulekov, O.; Bullock, D.; Burch, T. J.; Burdin, S.; Burgard, C. D.; Burger, A. M.; Burghgrave, B.; Burka, K.; Burke, S.; Burmeister, I.; Burr, J. T. P.; Büscher, D.; Büscher, V.; Bussey, P.; Butler, J. M.; Buttar, C. M.; Butterworth, J. M.; Butti, P.; Buttinger, W.; Buzatu, A.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Cabrera Urbán, S.; Caforio, D.; Cai, H.; Cairo, V. M.; Cakir, O.; Calace, N.; Calafiura, P.; Calandri, A.; Calderini, G.; Calfayan, P.; Callea, G.; Caloba, L. P.; Calvente Lopez, S.; Calvet, D.; Calvet, S.; Calvet, T. P.; Camacho Toro, R.; Camarda, S.; Camarri, P.; Cameron, D.; Caminal Armadans, R.; Camincher, C.; Campana, S.; Campanelli, M.; Camplani, A.; Campoverde, A.; Canale, V.; Cano Bret, M.; Cantero, J.; Cao, T.; Capeans Garrido, M. D. M.; Caprini, I.; Caprini, M.; Capua, M.; Carbone, R. M.; Cardarelli, R.; Cardillo, F.; Carli, I.; Carli, T.; Carlino, G.; Carlson, B. T.; Carminati, L.; Carney, R. M. D.; Caron, S.; Carquin, E.; Carrá, S.; Carrillo-Montoya, G. D.; Casadei, D.; Casado, M. P.; Casha, A. F.; Casolino, M.; Casper, D. W.; Castelijn, R.; Castillo Gimenez, V.; Castro, N. F.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Caudron, J.; Cavaliere, V.; Cavallaro, E.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Celebi, E.; Ceradini, F.; Cerda Alberich, L.; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cervelli, A.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, S. K.; Chan, W. S.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, P.; Chapman, J. D.; Charlton, D. G.; Chau, C. C.; Chavez Barajas, C. A.; Che, S.; Cheatham, S.; Chegwidden, A.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chelstowska, M. A.; Chen, C.; Chen, C.; Chen, H.; Chen, J.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. C.; Cheng, H. J.; Cheplakov, A.; Cheremushkina, E.; Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; Cheu, E.; Cheung, K.; Chevalier, L.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, G.; Chiodini, G.; Chisholm, A. S.; Chitan, A.; Chiu, Y. H.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choi, K.; Chomont, A. R.; Chouridou, S.; Chow, Y. S.; Christodoulou, V.; Chu, M. C.; Chudoba, J.; Chuinard, A. J.; Chwastowski, J. J.; Chytka, L.; Ciftci, A. K.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Cioara, I. A.; Ciocio, A.; Cirotto, F.; Citron, Z. H.; Citterio, M.; Ciubancan, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, B. L.; Clark, M. R.; Clark, P. J.; Clarke, R. N.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Colasurdo, L.; Cole, B.; Colijn, A. P.; Collot, J.; Colombo, T.; Conde Muiño, P.; Coniavitis, E.; Connell, S. H.; Connelly, I. A.; Constantinescu, S.; Conti, G.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cormier, F.; Cormier, K. J. R.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Cottin, G.; Cowan, G.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Crawley, S. J.; Creager, R. A.; Cree, G.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Crescioli, F.; Cribbs, W. A.; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Cueto, A.; Cuhadar Donszelmann, T.; Cukierman, A. R.; Cummings, J.; Curatolo, M.; Cúth, J.; Czekierda, S.; Czodrowski, P.; D'Amen, G.; D'Auria, S.; D'Eramo, L.; D'Onofrio, M.; da Cunha Sargedas de Sousa, M. J.; da Via, C.; Dabrowski, W.; Dado, T.; Dai, T.; Dale, O.; Dallaire, F.; Dallapiccola, C.; Dam, M.; Dandoy, J. R.; Daneri, M. F.; Dang, N. P.; Daniells, A. C.; Dann, N. S.; Danninger, M.; Dano Hoffmann, M.; Dao, V.; Darbo, G.; Darmora, S.; Dassoulas, J.; Dattagupta, A.; Daubney, T.; Davey, W.; David, C.; Davidek, T.; Davis, D. R.; Davison, P.; Dawe, E.; Dawson, I.; de, K.; de Asmundis, R.; de Benedetti, A.; de Castro, S.; de Cecco, S.; de Groot, N.; de Jong, P.; de la Torre, H.; de Lorenzi, F.; de Maria, A.; de Pedis, D.; de Salvo, A.; de Sanctis, U.; de Santo, A.; de Vasconcelos Corga, K.; de Vivie de Regie, J. B.; Debbe, R.; Debenedetti, C.; Dedovich, D. V.; Dehghanian, N.; Deigaard, I.; Del Gaudio, M.; Del Peso, J.; Delgove, D.; Deliot, F.; Delitzsch, C. M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Dell'Orso, M.; Della Pietra, M.; Della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delporte, C.; Delsart, P. A.; Demarco, D. A.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demilly, A.; Denisov, S. P.; Denysiuk, D.; Derendarz, D.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deterre, C.; Dette, K.; Devesa, M. R.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dhaliwal, S.; di Bello, F. A.; di Ciaccio, A.; di Ciaccio, L.; di Clemente, W. K.; di Donato, C.; di Girolamo, A.; di Girolamo, B.; di Micco, B.; di Nardo, R.; di Petrillo, K. F.; di Simone, A.; di Sipio, R.; di Valentino, D.; Diaconu, C.; Diamond, M.; Dias, F. A.; Diaz, M. A.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Díez Cornell, S.; Dimitrievska, A.; Dingfelder, J.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djobava, T.; Djuvsland, J. I.; Do Vale, M. A. B.; Dobos, D.; Dobre, M.; Dodsworth, D.; Doglioni, C.; Dolejsi, J.; Dolezal, Z.; Donadelli, M.; Donati, S.; Dondero, P.; Donini, J.; Dopke, J.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Doyle, A. T.; Drechsler, E.; Dris, M.; Du, Y.; Duarte-Campderros, J.; Dubinin, F.; Dubreuil, A.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Ducourthial, A.; Ducu, O. A.; Duda, D.; Dudarev, A.; Dudder, A. Chr.; Duffield, E. M.; Duflot, L.; Dührssen, M.; Dulsen, C.; Dumancic, M.; Dumitriu, A. E.; Duncan, A. K.; Dunford, M.; Duperrin, A.; Duran Yildiz, H.; Düren, M.; Durglishvili, A.; Duschinger, D.; Dutta, B.; Duvnjak, D.; Dyndal, M.; Dziedzic, B. S.; Eckardt, C.; Ecker, K. M.; Edgar, R. C.; Eifert, T.; Eigen, G.; Einsweiler, K.; Ekelof, T.; El Kacimi, M.; El Kosseifi, R.; Ellajosyula, V.; Ellert, M.; Elles, S.; Ellinghaus, F.; Elliot, A. A.; Ellis, N.; Elmsheuser, J.; Elsing, M.; Emeliyanov, D.; Enari, Y.; Ennis, J. S.; Epland, M. B.; Erdmann, J.; Ereditato, A.; Ernst, M.; Errede, S.; Escalier, M.; Escobar, C.; Esposito, B.; Estrada Pastor, O.; Etienvre, A. I.; Etzion, E.; Evans, H.; Ezhilov, A.; Ezzi, M.; Fabbri, F.; Fabbri, L.; Fabiani, V.; Facini, G.; Fakhrutdinov, R. M.; Falciano, S.; Falla, R. J.; Faltova, J.; Fang, Y.; Fanti, M.; Farbin, A.; Farilla, A.; Farina, C.; Farina, E. M.; Farooque, T.; Farrell, S.; Farrington, S. M.; Farthouat, P.; Fassi, F.; Fassnacht, P.; Fassouliotis, D.; Faucci Giannelli, M.; Favareto, A.; Fawcett, W. J.; Fayard, L.; Fedin, O. L.; Fedorko, W.; Feigl, S.; Feligioni, L.; Feng, C.; Feng, E. J.; Fenton, M. J.; Fenyuk, A. B.; Feremenga, L.; Fernandez Martinez, P.; Ferrando, J.; Ferrari, A.; Ferrari, P.; Ferrari, R.; Ferreira de Lima, D. E.; Ferrer, A.; Ferrere, D.; Ferretti, C.; Fiedler, F.; Filipčič, A.; Filipuzzi, M.; Filthaut, F.; Fincke-Keeler, M.; Finelli, K. D.; Fiolhais, M. C. N.; Fiorini, L.; Fischer, A.; Fischer, C.; Fischer, J.; Fisher, W. C.; Flaschel, N.; Fleck, I.; Fleischmann, P.; Fletcher, R. R. M.; Flick, T.; Flierl, B. M.; Flores Castillo, L. R.; Flowerdew, M. J.; Forcolin, G. T.; Formica, A.; Förster, F. A.; Forti, A.; Foster, A. G.; Fournier, D.; Fox, H.; Fracchia, S.; Francavilla, P.; Franchini, M.; Franchino, S.; Francis, D.; Franconi, L.; Franklin, M.; Frate, M.; Fraternali, M.; Freeborn, D.; Fressard-Batraneanu, S. M.; Freund, B.; Froidevaux, D.; Frost, J. A.; Fukunaga, C.; Fusayasu, T.; Fuster, J.; Gabizon, O.; Gabrielli, A.; Gabrielli, A.; Gach, G. P.; Gadatsch, S.; Gadomski, S.; Gagliardi, G.; Gagnon, L. G.; Galea, C.; Galhardo, B.; Gallas, E. J.; Gallop, B. J.; Gallus, P.; Galster, G.; Gan, K. K.; Ganguly, S.; Gao, Y.; Gao, Y. S.; Garay Walls, F. M.; García, C.; García Navarro, J. E.; García Pascual, J. A.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; Gardner, R. W.; Garelli, N.; Garonne, V.; Gascon Bravo, A.; Gasnikova, K.; Gatti, C.; Gaudiello, A.; Gaudio, G.; Gavrilenko, I. L.; Gay, C.; Gaycken, G.; Gazis, E. N.; Gee, C. N. P.; Geisen, J.; Geisen, M.; Geisler, M. P.; Gellerstedt, K.; Gemme, C.; Genest, M. H.; Geng, C.; Gentile, S.; Gentsos, C.; George, S.; Gerbaudo, D.; Geßner, G.; Ghasemi, S.; Ghneimat, M.; Giacobbe, B.; Giagu, S.; Giangiacomi, N.; Giannetti, P.; Gibson, S. M.; Gignac, M.; Gilchriese, M.; Gillberg, D.; Gilles, G.; Gingrich, D. M.; Giordani, M. P.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giraud, P. F.; Giromini, P.; Giugliarelli, G.; Giugni, D.; Giuli, F.; Giuliani, C.; Giulini, M.; Gjelsten, B. K.; Gkaitatzis, S.; Gkialas, I.; Gkougkousis, E. L.; Gkountoumis, P.; Gladilin, L. K.; Glasman, C.; Glatzer, J.; Glaysher, P. C. F.; Glazov, A.; Goblirsch-Kolb, M.; Godlewski, J.; Goldfarb, S.; Golling, T.; Golubkov, D.; Gomes, A.; Gonçalo, R.; Goncalves Gama, R.; Goncalves Pinto Firmino da Costa, J.; Gonella, G.; Gonella, L.; Gongadze, A.; Gonski, J. L.; González de La Hoz, S.; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Goossens, L.; Gorbounov, P. A.; Gordon, H. A.; Gorelov, I.; Gorini, B.; Gorini, E.; Gorišek, A.; Goshaw, A. T.; Gössling, C.; Gostkin, M. I.; Gottardo, C. A.; Goudet, C. R.; Goujdami, D.; Goussiou, A. G.; Govender, N.; Gozani, E.; Grabowska-Bold, I.; Gradin, P. O. J.; Gramling, J.; Gramstad, E.; Grancagnolo, S.; Gratchev, V.; Gravila, P. M.; Gray, C.; Gray, H. M.; Greenwood, Z. D.; Grefe, C.; Gregersen, K.; Gregor, I. M.; Grenier, P.; Grevtsov, K.; Griffiths, J.; Grillo, A. A.; Grimm, K.; Grinstein, S.; Gris, Ph.; Grivaz, J.-F.; Groh, S.; Gross, E.; Grosse-Knetter, J.; Grossi, G. C.; Grout, Z. J.; Grummer, A.; Guan, L.; Guan, W.; Guenther, J.; Guescini, F.; Guest, D.; Gueta, O.; Gui, B.; Guido, E.; Guillemin, T.; Guindon, S.; Gul, U.; Gumpert, C.; Guo, J.; Guo, W.; Guo, Y.; Gupta, R.; Gurbuz, S.; Gustavino, G.; Gutelman, B. J.; Gutierrez, P.; Gutierrez Ortiz, N. G.; Gutschow, C.; Guyot, C.; Guzik, M. P.; Gwenlan, C.; Gwilliam, C. B.; Haas, A.; Haber, C.; Hadavand, H. K.; Haddad, N.; Hadef, A.; Hageböck, S.; Hagihara, M.; Hakobyan, H.; Haleem, M.; Haley, J.; Halladjian, G.; Hallewell, G. D.; Hamacher, K.; Hamal, P.; Hamano, K.; Hamilton, A.; Hamity, G. N.; Hamnett, P. G.; Han, L.; Han, S.; Hanagaki, K.; Hanawa, K.; Hance, M.; Handl, D. M.; Haney, B.; Hanke, P.; Hansen, J. B.; Hansen, J. D.; Hansen, M. C.; Hansen, P. H.; Hara, K.; Hard, A. S.; Harenberg, T.; Hariri, F.; Harkusha, S.; Harrison, P. F.; Hartmann, N. M.; Hasegawa, Y.; Hasib, A.; Hassani, S.; Haug, S.; Hauser, R.; Hauswald, L.; Havener, L. B.; Havranek, M.; Hawkes, C. M.; Hawkings, R. J.; Hayakawa, D.; Hayden, D.; Hays, C. P.; Hays, J. M.; Hayward, H. S.; Haywood, S. J.; Head, S. J.; Heck, T.; Hedberg, V.; Heelan, L.; Heer, S.; Heidegger, K. K.; Heim, S.; Heim, T.; Heinemann, B.; Heinrich, J. J.; Heinrich, L.; Heinz, C.; Hejbal, J.; Helary, L.; Held, A.; Hellman, S.; Helsens, C.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Heng, Y.; Henkelmann, S.; Henriques Correia, A. M.; Henrot-Versille, S.; Herbert, G. H.; Herde, H.; Herget, V.; Hernández Jiménez, Y.; Herr, H.; Herten, G.; Hertenberger, R.; Hervas, L.; Herwig, T. C.; Hesketh, G. G.; Hessey, N. P.; Hetherly, J. W.; Higashino, S.; Higón-Rodriguez, E.; Hildebrand, K.; Hill, E.; Hill, J. C.; Hiller, K. H.; Hillier, S. J.; Hils, M.; Hinchliffe, I.; Hirose, M.; Hirschbuehl, D.; Hiti, B.; Hladik, O.; Hlaluku, D. R.; Hoad, X.; Hobbs, J.; Hod, N.; Hodgkinson, M. C.; Hodgson, P.; Hoecker, A.; Hoeferkamp, M. R.; Hoenig, F.; Hohn, D.; Holmes, T. R.; Homann, M.; Honda, S.; Honda, T.; Hong, T. M.; Hooberman, B. H.; Hopkins, W. H.; Horii, Y.; Horton, A. J.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Hostiuc, A.; Hou, S.; Hoummada, A.; Howarth, J.; Hoya, J.; Hrabovsky, M.; Hrdinka, J.; Hristova, I.; Hrivnac, J.; Hryn'ova, T.; Hrynevich, A.; Hsu, P. J.; Hsu, S.-C.; Hu, Q.; Hu, S.; Huang, Y.; Hubacek, Z.; Hubaut, F.; Huegging, F.; Huffman, T. B.; Hughes, E. W.; Huhtinen, M.; Hunter, R. F. 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F.-W.; Sadykov, R.; Safai Tehrani, F.; Saha, P.; Sahinsoy, M.; Saimpert, M.; Saito, M.; Saito, T.; Sakamoto, H.; Sakurai, Y.; Salamanna, G.; Salazar Loyola, J. E.; Salek, D.; Sales de Bruin, P. H.; Salihagic, D.; Salnikov, A.; Salt, J.; Salvatore, D.; Salvatore, F.; Salvucci, A.; Salzburger, A.; Sammel, D.; Sampsonidis, D.; Sampsonidou, D.; Sánchez, J.; Sanchez Martinez, V.; Sanchez Pineda, A.; Sandaker, H.; Sandbach, R. L.; Sander, C. O.; Sandhoff, M.; Sandoval, C.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Sannino, M.; Sano, Y.; Sansoni, A.; Santoni, C.; Santos, H.; Santoyo Castillo, I.; Sapronov, A.; Saraiva, J. G.; Sarrazin, B.; Sasaki, O.; Sato, K.; Sauvan, E.; Savage, G.; Savard, P.; Savic, N.; Sawyer, C.; Sawyer, L.; Saxon, J.; Sbarra, C.; Sbrizzi, A.; Scanlon, T.; Scannicchio, D. A.; Schaarschmidt, J.; Schacht, P.; Schachtner, B. M.; Schaefer, D.; Schaefer, L.; Schaefer, R.; Schaeffer, J.; Schaepe, S.; Schaetzel, S.; Schäfer, U.; Schaffer, A. C.; Schaile, D.; Schamberger, R. D.; Schegelsky, V. A.; Scheirich, D.; Schernau, M.; Schiavi, C.; Schier, S.; Schildgen, L. K.; Schillo, C.; Schioppa, M.; Schlenker, S.; Schmidt-Sommerfeld, K. R.; Schmieden, K.; Schmitt, C.; Schmitt, S.; Schmitz, S.; Schnoor, U.; Schoeffel, L.; Schoening, A.; Schoenrock, B. D.; Schopf, E.; Schott, M.; Schouwenberg, J. F. P.; Schovancova, J.; Schramm, S.; Schuh, N.; Schulte, A.; Schultens, M. J.; Schultz-Coulon, H.-C.; Schulz, H.; Schumacher, M.; Schumm, B. A.; Schune, Ph.; Schwartzman, A.; Schwarz, T. A.; Schweiger, H.; Schwemling, Ph.; Schwienhorst, R.; Schwindling, J.; Sciandra, A.; Sciolla, G.; Scornajenghi, M.; Scuri, F.; Scutti, F.; Searcy, J.; Seema, P.; Seidel, S. C.; Seiden, A.; Seixas, J. M.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Sekhon, K.; Sekula, S. J.; Semprini-Cesari, N.; Senkin, S.; Serfon, C.; Serin, L.; Serkin, L.; Sessa, M.; Seuster, R.; Severini, H.; Sfiligoj, T.; Sforza, F.; Sfyrla, A.; Shabalina, E.; Shaikh, N. W.; Shan, L. Y.; Shang, R.; Shank, J. T.; Shapiro, M.; Shatalov, P. B.; Shaw, K.; Shaw, S. M.; Shcherbakova, A.; Shehu, C. Y.; Shen, Y.; Sherafati, N.; Sherman, A. D.; Sherwood, P.; Shi, L.; Shimizu, S.; Shimmin, C. O.; Shimojima, M.; Shipsey, I. P. J.; Shirabe, S.; Shiyakova, M.; Shlomi, J.; Shmeleva, A.; Shoaleh Saadi, D.; Shochet, M. J.; Shojaii, S.; Shope, D. R.; Shrestha, S.; Shulga, E.; Shupe, M. A.; Sicho, P.; Sickles, A. M.; Sidebo, P. E.; Sideras Haddad, E.; Sidiropoulou, O.; Sidoti, A.; Siegert, F.; Sijacki, Dj.; Silva, J.; Silverstein, S. B.; Simak, V.; Simic, L.; Simion, S.; Simioni, E.; Simmons, B.; Simon, M.; Sinervo, P.; Sinev, N. B.; Sioli, M.; Siragusa, G.; Siral, I.; Sivoklokov, S. Yu.; Sjölin, J.; Skinner, M. B.; Skubic, P.; Slater, M.; Slavicek, T.; Slawinska, M.; Sliwa, K.; Slovak, R.; Smakhtin, V.; Smart, B. H.; Smiesko, J.; Smirnov, N.; Smirnov, S. Yu.; Smirnov, Y.; Smirnova, L. N.; Smirnova, O.; Smith, J. W.; Smith, M. N. K.; Smith, R. W.; Smizanska, M.; Smolek, K.; Snesarev, A. A.; Snyder, I. M.; Snyder, S.; Sobie, R.; Socher, F.; Soffer, A.; Søgaard, A.; Soh, D. A.; Sokhrannyi, G.; Solans Sanchez, C. A.; Solar, M.; Soldatov, E. Yu.; Soldevila, U.; Solodkov, A. A.; Soloshenko, A.; Solovyanov, O. V.; Solovyev, V.; Sommer, P.; Son, H.; Sopczak, A.; Sosa, D.; Sotiropoulou, C. L.; Sottocornola, S.; Soualah, R.; Soukharev, A. M.; South, D.; Sowden, B. C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spalla, M.; Spangenberg, M.; Spanò, F.; Sperlich, D.; Spettel, F.; Spieker, T. M.; Spighi, R.; Spigo, G.; Spiller, L. A.; Spousta, M.; St. Denis, R. D.; Stabile, A.; Stamen, R.; Stamm, S.; Stanecka, E.; Stanek, R. W.; Stanescu, C.; Stanitzki, M. M.; Stapf, B. S.; Stapnes, S.; Starchenko, E. A.; Stark, G. H.; Stark, J.; Stark, S. H.; Staroba, P.; Starovoitov, P.; Stärz, S.; Staszewski, R.; Stegler, M.; Steinberg, P.; Stelzer, B.; Stelzer, H. J.; Stelzer-Chilton, O.; Stenzel, H.; Stevenson, T. J.; Stewart, G. A.; Stockton, M. C.; Stoebe, M.; Stoicea, G.; Stolte, P.; Stonjek, S.; Stradling, A. R.; Straessner, A.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Strandberg, J.; Strandberg, S.; Strauss, M.; Strizenec, P.; Ströhmer, R.; Strom, D. M.; Stroynowski, R.; Strubig, A.; Stucci, S. A.; Stugu, B.; Styles, N. A.; Su, D.; Su, J.; Suchek, S.; Sugaya, Y.; Suk, M.; Sulin, V. V.; Sultan, Dms; Sultansoy, S.; Sumida, T.; Sun, S.; Sun, X.; Suruliz, K.; Suster, C. J. E.; Sutton, M. R.; Suzuki, S.; Svatos, M.; Swiatlowski, M.; Swift, S. P.; Sykora, I.; Sykora, T.; Ta, D.; Tackmann, K.; Taenzer, J.; Taffard, A.; Tafirout, R.; Tahirovic, E.; Taiblum, N.; Takai, H.; Takashima, R.; Takasugi, E. H.; Takeda, K.; Takeshita, T.; Takubo, Y.; Talby, M.; Talyshev, A. A.; Tanaka, J.; Tanaka, M.; Tanaka, R.; Tanaka, S.; Tanioka, R.; Tannenwald, B. B.; Tapia Araya, S.; Tapprogge, S.; Tarem, S.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Tas, P.; Tasevsky, M.; Tashiro, T.; Tassi, E.; Tavares Delgado, A.; Tayalati, Y.; Taylor, A. C.; Taylor, A. J.; Taylor, G. N.; Taylor, P. T. E.; Taylor, W.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Temple, D.; Ten Kate, H.; Teng, P. K.; Teoh, J. J.; Tepel, F.; Terada, S.; Terashi, K.; Terron, J.; Terzo, S.; Testa, M.; Teuscher, R. J.; Thais, S. J.; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T.; Thiele, F.; Thomas, J. P.; Thomas-Wilsker, J.; Thompson, P. D.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomsen, L. A.; Thomson, E.; Tian, Y.; Tibbetts, M. J.; Ticse Torres, R. E.; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tikhonov, Yu. A.; Timoshenko, S.; Tipton, P.; Tisserant, S.; Todome, K.; Todorova-Nova, S.; Todt, S.; Tojo, J.; Tokár, S.; Tokushuku, K.; Tolley, E.; Tomlinson, L.; Tomoto, M.; Tompkins, L.; Toms, K.; Tong, B.; Tornambe, P.; Torrence, E.; Torres, H.; Torró Pastor, E.; Toth, J.; Touchard, F.; Tovey, D. R.; Treado, C. J.; Trefzger, T.; Tresoldi, F.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I. M.; Trincaz-Duvoid, S.; Tripiana, M. F.; Trischuk, W.; Trocmé, B.; Trofymov, A.; Troncon, C.; Trottier-McDonald, M.; Trovatelli, M.; Truong, L.; Trzebinski, M.; Trzupek, A.; Tsang, K. W.; Tseng, J. C.-L.; Tsiareshka, P. V.; Tsirintanis, N.; Tsiskaridze, S.; Tsiskaridze, V.; Tskhadadze, E. G.; Tsukerman, I. I.; Tsulaia, V.; Tsuno, S.; Tsybychev, D.; Tu, Y.; Tudorache, A.; Tudorache, V.; Tulbure, T. T.; Tuna, A. N.; Turchikhin, S.; Turgeman, D.; Turk Cakir, I.; Turra, R.; Tuts, P. M.; Ucchielli, G.; Ueda, I.; Ughetto, M.; Ukegawa, F.; Unal, G.; Undrus, A.; Unel, G.; Ungaro, F. C.; Unno, Y.; Uno, K.; Unverdorben, C.; Urban, J.; Urquijo, P.; Urrejola, P.; Usai, G.; Usui, J.; Vacavant, L.; Vacek, V.; Vachon, B.; Vadla, K. O. H.; Vaidya, A.; Valderanis, C.; Valdes Santurio, E.; Valente, M.; Valentinetti, S.; Valero, A.; Valéry, L.; Valkar, S.; Vallier, A.; Valls Ferrer, J. A.; van den Wollenberg, W.; van der Graaf, H.; van Gemmeren, P.; van Nieuwkoop, J.; van Vulpen, I.; van Woerden, M. C.; Vanadia, M.; Vandelli, W.; Vaniachine, A.; Vankov, P.; Vardanyan, G.; Vari, R.; Varnes, E. W.; Varni, C.; Varol, T.; Varouchas, D.; Vartapetian, A.; Varvell, K. E.; Vasquez, J. G.; Vasquez, G. A.; Vazeille, F.; Vazquez Furelos, D.; Vazquez Schroeder, T.; Veatch, J.; Veeraraghavan, V.; Veloce, L. M.; Veloso, F.; Veneziano, S.; Ventura, A.; Venturi, M.; Venturi, N.; Venturini, A.; Vercesi, V.; Verducci, M.; Verkerke, W.; Vermeulen, A. T.; Vermeulen, J. C.; Vetterli, M. C.; Viaux Maira, N.; Viazlo, O.; Vichou, I.; Vickey, T.; Vickey Boeriu, O. E.; Viehhauser, G. H. A.; Viel, S.; Vigani, L.; Villa, M.; Villaplana Perez, M.; Vilucchi, E.; Vincter, M. G.; Vinogradov, V. B.; Vishwakarma, A.; Vittori, C.; Vivarelli, I.; Vlachos, S.; Vogel, M.; Vokac, P.; Volpi, G.; von der Schmitt, H.; von Toerne, E.; Vorobel, V.; Vorobev, K.; Vos, M.; Voss, R.; Vossebeld, J. H.; Vranjes, N.; Vranjes Milosavljevic, M.; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wagner-Kuhr, J.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Wakamiya, K.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, Q.; Wang, R.-J.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, W.; Wang, Z.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, A. F.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. M.; Weber, S. W.; Weber, S. A.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weirich, M.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Weston, T. D.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A. S.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Whitmore, B. W.; Wickens, F. J.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wielers, M.; Wiglesworth, C.; Wiik-Fuchs, L. A. M.; Wildauer, A.; Wilk, F.; Wilkens, H. G.; Williams, H. H.; Williams, S.; Willis, C.; Willocq, S.; Wilson, J. A.; Wingerter-Seez, I.; Winkels, E.; Winklmeier, F.; Winston, O. J.; Winter, B. T.; Wittgen, M.; Wobisch, M.; Wolf, A.; Wolf, T. M. H.; Wolff, R.; Wolter, M. W.; Wolters, H.; Wong, V. W. S.; Woods, N. L.; Worm, S. D.; Wosiek, B. K.; Wotschack, J.; Wozniak, K. W.; Wu, M.; Wu, S. L.; Wu, X.; Wu, Y.; Wyatt, T. R.; Wynne, B. M.; Xella, S.; Xi, Z.; Xia, L.; Xu, D.; Xu, L.; Xu, T.; Xu, W.; Yabsley, B.; Yacoob, S.; Yamaguchi, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Yamamoto, S.; Yamanaka, T.; Yamane, F.; Yamatani, M.; Yamazaki, T.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yan, Z.; Yang, H.; Yang, H.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Yao, W.-M.; Yap, Y. C.; Yasu, Y.; Yatsenko, E.; Yau Wong, K. H.; Ye, J.; Ye, S.; Yeletskikh, I.; Yigitbasi, E.; Yildirim, E.; Yorita, K.; Yoshihara, K.; Young, C.; Young, C. J. S.; Yu, J.; Yu, J.; Yuen, S. P. Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zacharis, G.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zemaityte, G.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhou, Y.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Zou, R.; Zur Nedden, M.; Zwalinski, L.; Atlas Collaboration

2018-05-01

The production of a top quark in association with a Z boson is investigated. The proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of √{ s } = 13TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb-1. Events containing three identified leptons (electrons and/or muons) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds are diboson, t t bar and Z +jets production. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance is 4.2σ in the data and the expected significance is 5.4σ. The measured cross-section for tZq production is 600 ± 170(stat.) ± 140(syst.)fb.

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO-60 C$$_3$$F$$_8$$ Bubble Chamber

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

Amole, C.; et al.

2017-02-24

New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of Cmore » $$_3$$F$$_8$$ located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO-60 C$$_3$$F$$_8$$ exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than 1 event per month. A blind analysis of an efficiency-corrected 1167-kg-day exposure at a 3.3-keV thermodynamic threshold reveals no single-scattering nuclear recoil candidates, consistent with the predicted background. These results set the most stringent direct-detection constraint to date on the WIMP-proton spin-dependent cross section at 3.4 $$\\times$$ 10$$^{-41}$$ cm$^2$ for a 30-GeV$$\\thinspace$$c$$^{-2}$$ WIMP, more than one order of magnitude improvement from previous PICO results.« less

The Majorana Experiment:. a Straightforward Neutrino Mass Experiment Using the Double-Beta Decay of 76GE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miley, H. S.

2004-04-01

The Majorana Experiment proposes to measure the effective mass of the electron neutrino to as low as 0.02 eV using well-tested technology. A half-life of about 4E27 y, corresponding to a mass range of [0.02 - 0.07] eV can be reached by operating 500 kg of germanium enriched to 86% in 76Ge deep underground. Radiological backgrounds of cosmogenic or primordial origin will be greatly reduced by ultra-low-background screening of detector, structural, and shielding materials, by chemical processing of materials, and by electronic rejection of multi-site events in the detector. Electronic background reduction is achieved with pulse-shape analysis, detector segmentation, and detector-to-detector coincidence rejection. Sensitivity calculations assuming worst-case germanium cosmogenic activation predict rapid growth in mass sensitivity (T1/2 at 90%CL) after the beginning of detector production: [0.08-0.28] eV at ~1 year, [0.04-0.14] eV at ~2.5 years, [0.03-0.10] eV at ~5 years, and [0.02 - 0.07] eV at ~10 years. The impact of primordial backgrounds in structural and electronic components is being studied at the 1 μBq/kg level, and appears to be controllable to below levels needed to attain these results.

Soft gamma-ray detector for the ASTRO-H Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shin; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Blandford, Roger; Enoto, Teruaki; Kataoka, Jun; Kawaharada, Madoka; Kokubun, Motohide; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Madejski, Greg; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Mori, Kunishiro; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tashiro, Makoto; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Yamada, Shinya; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yuasa, Takayuki

2012-09-01

ASTRO-H is the next generation JAXA X-ray satellite, intended to carry instruments with broad energy coverage and exquisite energy resolution. The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of ASTRO-H instruments and will feature wide energy band (60-600 keV) at a background level 10 times better than the current instruments on orbit. The SGD is complimentary to ASTRO-H’s Hard X-ray Imager covering the energy range of 5-80 keV. The SGD achieves low background by combining a Compton camera scheme with a narrow field-of-view active shield where Compton kinematics is utilized to reject backgrounds. The Compton camera in the SGD is realized as a hybrid semiconductor detector system which consists of silicon and CdTe (cadmium telluride) sensors. Good energy resolution is afforded by semiconductor sensors, and it results in good background rejection capability due to better constraints on Compton kinematics. Utilization of Compton kinematics also makes the SGD sensitive to the gamma-ray polarization, opening up a new window to study properties of gamma-ray emission processes. In this paper, we will present the detailed design of the SGD and the results of the final prototype developments and evaluations. Moreover, we will also present expected performance based on the measurements with prototypes.

Therapeutic lymphangiogenesis ameliorates established acute lung allograft rejection

PubMed Central

Cui, Ye; Liu, Kaifeng; Monzon-Medina, Maria E.; Padera, Robert F.; Wang, Hao; George, Gautam; Toprak, Demet; Abdelnour, Elie; D’Agostino, Emmanuel; Goldberg, Hilary J.; Perrella, Mark A.; Forteza, Rosanna Malbran; Rosas, Ivan O.; Visner, Gary; El-Chemaly, Souheil

2015-01-01

Lung transplantation is the only viable option for patients suffering from otherwise incurable end-stage pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Despite aggressive immunosuppression, acute rejection of the lung allograft occurs in over half of transplant recipients, and the factors that promote lung acceptance are poorly understood. The contribution of lymphatic vessels to transplant pathophysiology remains controversial, and data that directly address the exact roles of lymphatic vessels in lung allograft function and survival are limited. Here, we have shown that there is a marked decline in the density of lymphatic vessels, accompanied by accumulation of low-MW hyaluronan (HA) in mouse orthotopic allografts undergoing rejection. We found that stimulation of lymphangiogenesis with VEGF-C156S, a mutant form of VEGF-C with selective VEGFR-3 binding, alleviates an established rejection response and improves clearance of HA from the lung allograft. Longitudinal analysis of transbronchial biopsies from human lung transplant recipients demonstrated an association between resolution of acute lung rejection and decreased HA in the graft tissue. Taken together, these results indicate that lymphatic vessel formation after lung transplantation mediates HA drainage and suggest that treatments to stimulate lymphangiogenesis have promise for improving graft outcomes. PMID:26485284

Long-term outcomes and management of lung transplant recipients.

PubMed

Costa, Joseph; Benvenuto, Luke J; Sonett, Joshua R

2017-06-01

Lung transplantation is an established treatment for patients with end-stage lung disease. Improvements in immunosuppression and therapeutic management of infections have resulted in improved long-term survival and a decline in allograft rejection. Allograft rejection continues to be a serious complication following lung transplantation, thereby leading to acute graft failure and, subsequently, chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), the most common phenotype of CLAD, is the leading cause of late mortality and morbidity in lung recipients, with 50% having developed BOS within 5 years of lung transplantation. Infections in lung transplant recipients are also a significant complication and represent the most common cause of death within the first year. The success of lung transplantation depends on careful management of immunosuppressive regimens to reduce the rate of rejection, while monitoring recipients for infections and complications to help identify problems early. The long-term outcomes and management of lung transplant recipients are critically based on modulating natural immune response of the recipient to prevent acute and chronic rejection. Understanding the immune mechanisms and temporal correlation of acute and chronic rejection is thus critical in the long-term management of lung recipients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding Rejection between First-and-Second-Grade Elementary Students through Reasons Expressed by Rejecters.

PubMed

García Bacete, Francisco J; Carrero Planes, Virginia E; Marande Perrin, Ghislaine; Musitu Ochoa, Gonzalo

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this research was to obtain the views of young children regarding their reasons for rejecting a peer. Method: To achieve this goal, we conducted a qualitative study in the context of theory building research using an analysis methodology based on Grounded Theory. The collected information was extracted through semi-structured individual interviews from a sample of 853 children aged 6 from 13 urban public schools in Spain. Results: The children provided 3,009 rejection nominations and 2,934 reasons for disliking the rejected peers. Seven reason categories emerged from the analysis. Four categories refer to behaviors of the rejected children that have a cost for individual peers or peer group such as: direct aggression, disturbance of wellbeing, problematic social and school behaviors and dominance behaviors. A further two categories refer to the identities arising from the preferences and choices of rejected and rejecter children and their peers: personal identity expressed through preferences and disliking, and social identity expressed through outgroup prejudices. The "no-behavior or no-choice" reasons were covered by one category, unfamiliarity. In addition, three context categories were found indicating the participants (interpersonal-group), the impact (low-high), and the subjectivity (subjective-objective) of the reason. Conclusion: This study provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive taxonomy of reasons for rejection that contributes to enrich the theoretical knowledge and improve interventions for preventing and reducing peer rejection.

Specimen rejection in laboratory medicine: Necessary for patient safety?

PubMed

Dikmen, Zeliha Gunnur; Pinar, Asli; Akbiyik, Filiz

2015-01-01

The emergency laboratory in Hacettepe University Hospitals receives specimens from emergency departments (EDs), inpatient services and intensive care units (ICUs). The samples are accepted according to the rejection criteria of the laboratory. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sample rejection ratios according to the types of pre-preanalytical errors and collection areas. The samples sent to the emergency laboratory were recorded during 12 months between January to December, 2013 in which 453,171 samples were received and 27,067 specimens were rejected. Rejection ratios was 2.5% for biochemistry tests, 3.2% for complete blood count (CBC), 9.8% for blood gases, 9.2% for urine analysis, 13.3% for coagulation tests, 12.8% for therapeutic drug monitoring, 3.5% for cardiac markers and 12% for hormone tests. The most frequent rejection reasons were fibrin clots (28%) and inadequate volume (9%) for biochemical tests. Clotted samples (35%) and inadequate volume (13%) were the major causes for coagulation tests, blood gas analyses and CBC. The ratio of rejected specimens was higher in the EDs (40%) compared to ICUs (30%) and inpatient services (28%). The highest rejection ratio was observed in neurology ICU (14%) among the ICUs and internal medicine inpatient service (10%) within inpatient clinics. We detected an overall specimen rejection rate of 6% in emergency laboratory. By documentation of rejected samples and periodic training of healthcare personnel, we expect to decrease sample rejection ratios below 2%, improve total quality management of the emergency laboratory and promote patient safety.

Fabrication of hydrophobic fluorinated silica-polyamide thin film nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes with dramatically improved salt rejection.

PubMed

Pang, Ruizhi; Zhang, Kaisong

2018-01-15

Thin film nanocomposite reverse osmosis (TFN RO) membranes incorporated with hydrophilic nanoparticles show a potential problem that the salt rejection can not be improved significantly. In this study, novel TFN RO membranes incorporated with hydrophobic fluorinated silica nanoparticles were fabricated to improve the salt rejection. Fluorinated silica nanoparticles were well dispersed in organic phase during the interfacial polymerization (IP) process. The TFN RO membranes were characterized with attenuated total reflectance infra-red, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and water contact angle measurements. The preparation conditions of TFN RO membranes, including IP reaction time, organic solvent removal time, and fluorinated silica loading, were optimized by characterizing desalination performance using 2000ppm NaCl aqueous solution at 1.55MPa and 25°C. The salt rejection increased significantly from 96.0% without fluorinated silica nanoparticles to 98.6% with the optimal 0.12% (w/v) fluorinated silica nanoparticles, while the water flux decreased slightly from 0.99m 3 /m 2 /day to 0.93m 3 /m 2 /day. This study demonstrated the potential use of hydrophobic nanoparticles in high-performance TFN RO membranes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lack of Association between Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphisms and Graft Rejection Risk in Kidney Transplantation Recipients: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Xiong, Jiachuan; Wang, Yiqin; Zhang, Ying; Nie, Ling; Wang, Daihong; Huang, Yunjian; Feng, Bing; Zhang, Jingbo; Zhao, Jinghong

2015-01-01

Background Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important immunomodulatory cytokine. Several studies focused the association between IL-10 promoter gene polymorphisms and graft rejection risk in kidney transplantation recipients. However, the results of these studies remain inconclusive. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to further assess the associations. Methods The PubMed, Embase, and Ovid Medline databases were searched. Two independent authors extracted data, and the effects were estimated from an odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses identified sources of heterogeneity. Results A total of 16 studies including 595 rejection patients and 1239 stable graft patients were included in order to study the IL-10 -1082 (rs1800896 G/A), -819 (rs1800871 C/T), -592 (rs1800872 C/A) and IL-10 (-1082,-819,-592) polymorphisms. The -1082 G/A polymorphism was not associated with an increased graft rejection risk (OR = 1.03; 95%CI, 0.85–1.25, P = 0.74 for GA+AA vs. GG model). Moreover, all of the -819 C/T (OR = 1.06, 95%CI, 0.79–1.42, P = 0.70 for TA+TT vs. CC model), -592 C/A (OR = 1.10, 95% CI, 0.85–1.42, P = 0.47 for AC+AA vs. CC model) and IL-10 (-1082,-819,-592) polymorphisms (OR = 1.00, 95%CI, 0.79–1.27, P = 0.98 for I+L vs. H model) did not increase the graft rejection risk. In addition, we also performed subgroup analysis by ethnic group (mainly in Europeans or Asians) and rejection type (acute or chronic). There was also lack of evidence of a significant association between the IL-10 gene polymorphism and graft rejection risk. The present meta-analysis indicated that the IL-10 gene polymorphism was not associated with graft rejection risk in kidney transplantation recipients. Conclusion This meta-analysis found evidence that the IL-10 polymorphism does not increase the risk of graft rejection in kidney transplantation recipients. Further chronic rejection and other ethnic population studies are needed to confirm our results. PMID:26035439

Towards a Delamination Fatigue Methodology for Composite Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

OBrien, Thomas K.

2007-01-01

A methodology that accounts for both delaminaton onset and growth in composite structural components is proposed for improved fatigue life prediction to reduce life cycle costs and improve accept/reject criteria for manufacturing flaws. The benefits of using a Delamination Onset Threshold (DOT) approach in combination with a Modified Damage Tolerance (MDT) approach is highlighted. The use of this combined approach to establish accept/reject criteria, requiring less conservative initial manufacturing flaw sizes, is illustrated.

Urine protein profiling identified alpha-1-microglobulin and haptoglobin as biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute allograft rejection following kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Stubendorff, Beatrice; Finke, Stephanie; Walter, Martina; Kniemeyer, Olaf; von Eggeling, Ferdinand; Gruschwitz, Torsten; Steiner, Thomas; Ott, Undine; Wolf, Gunter; Wunderlich, Heiko; Junker, Kerstin

2014-12-01

Early diagnosis of acute rejection and effective immunosuppressive therapy lead to improvement in graft survival following kidney transplantation. In this study, we aimed to establish a urinary protein profile suitable to distinguish between patients with rejection and stable graft function and to predict acute rejection based on postoperatively collected urine samples. A further objective was to identify candidate proteins for the use as biomarkers in clinical practice. Urine samples of 116 kidney recipients were included. Rejection was proven by biopsy (n = 58), and stable transplant function was monitored for at least 2 years (n = 58). Postoperative urine samples were collected between 3rd and 10th day following transplantation. Urinary protein profiles were obtained by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Protein identification and validation were performed using multiplex fluorescence 2DE, peptide mass fingerprinting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A protein profile including four mass peaks differentiated acute rejection from stable transplants at the time point of rejection and at the postoperative state with 73 % sensitivity and 88 % specificity. Alpha-1-microglobulin (A1MG) and Haptoglobin (Hp) were identified as putative rejection biomarkers. Protein levels were significantly higher in postoperative urine from patients with rejection (A1MG 29.13 vs. 22.06 μg/ml, p = 0.001; Hp 628.34 vs. 248.57 ng/ml, p = 0.003). The combination of both proteins enabled the diagnosis of early rejection with 85 % sensitivity and 80 % specificity. Protein profiling using mass spectrometry is suitable for noninvasive detection of rejection-specific changes following kidney transplantation. A specific protein profile enables the prediction of early acute allograft rejection in the immediate postoperative period. A1MG and Hp appear to be reliable rejection biomarkers.

"Snowmelt Sign" and "Corkscrew Microvessels" Predicting Epithelium Regeneration After Acute Rejection of Small-Bowel Transplantation: A Case Report.

PubMed

Chung, C-S; Lee, T-H; Chiu, C-T; Chen, Y

2017-12-01

Intestinal failure characterized by inadequate maintenance of nutrition via normal intestinal function comprises a group of disorders with many different causes. If parenteral nutrition dependency develops, which is associated with higher mortality and complications, it is considered for intestine transplantation. However, the graft failure rate is not low, and acute cellular rejection is one of the most important reasons for graft failure. As a result, early identification of rejection and timely modification of anti-rejection medications have been considered to be associated with better graft and patient survival rates. The diagnostic gold standard for rejection is mainly based on histology, but hours of delay by pathology may occur. Some researchers investigated the association of endoscopic images with graft rejection to provide timely diagnosis. In this study, we present the first case report with characteristic features under magnifying endoscopy with a narrow-band imaging system to predict epithelial regeneration and improvement of graft rejection in a patient with small-bowel transplantation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spallation backgrounds in Super-Kamiokande are made in muon-induced showers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shirley Weishi; Beacom, John F.

2015-05-01

Crucial questions about solar and supernova neutrinos remain unanswered. Super-Kamiokande has the exposure needed for progress, but detector backgrounds are a limiting factor. A leading component is the beta decays of isotopes produced by cosmic-ray muons and their secondaries, which initiate nuclear spallation reactions. Cuts of events after and surrounding muon tracks reduce this spallation decay background by ≃ 90 % (at a cost of ≃ 20 % deadtime), but its rate at 6-18 MeV is still dominant. A better way to cut this background was suggested in a Super-Kamiokande paper by Bays et al. [Phys. Rev. D 85, 052007 (2012)] on a search for the diffuse supernova neutrino background. They found that spallation decays above 16 MeV were preceded near the same location by a peak in the apparent Cherenkov light profile from the muon; a more aggressive cut was applied to a limited section of the muon track, leading to decreased background without increased deadtime. We put their empirical discovery on a firm theoretical foundation. We show that almost all spallation decay isotopes are produced by muon-induced showers and that these showers are rare enough and energetic enough to be identifiable. This is the first such demonstration for any detector. We detail how the physics of showers explains the peak in the muon Cherenkov light profile and other Super-K observations. Our results provide a physical basis for practical improvements in background rejection that will benefit multiple studies. For solar neutrinos, in particular, it should be possible to dramatically reduce backgrounds at energies as low as 6 MeV.

The Spectrum of Renal Allograft Failure

PubMed Central

Chand, Sourabh; Atkinson, David; Collins, Clare; Briggs, David; Ball, Simon; Sharif, Adnan; Skordilis, Kassiani; Vydianath, Bindu; Neil, Desley; Borrows, Richard

2016-01-01

Background Causes of “true” late kidney allograft failure remain unclear as study selection bias and limited follow-up risk incomplete representation of the spectrum. Methods We evaluated all unselected graft failures from 2008–2014 (n = 171; 0–36 years post-transplantation) by contemporary classification of indication biopsies “proximate” to failure, DSA assessment, clinical and biochemical data. Results The spectrum of graft failure changed markedly depending on the timing of allograft failure. Failures within the first year were most commonly attributed to technical failure, acute rejection (with T-cell mediated rejection [TCMR] dominating antibody-mediated rejection [ABMR]). Failures beyond a year were increasingly dominated by ABMR and ‘interstitial fibrosis with tubular atrophy’ without rejection, infection or recurrent disease (“IFTA”). Cases of IFTA associated with inflammation in non-scarred areas (compared with no inflammation or inflammation solely within scarred regions) were more commonly associated with episodes of prior rejection, late rejection and nonadherence, pointing to an alloimmune aetiology. Nonadherence and late rejection were common in ABMR and TCMR, particularly Acute Active ABMR. Acute Active ABMR and nonadherence were associated with younger age, faster functional decline, and less hyalinosis on biopsy. Chronic and Chronic Active ABMR were more commonly associated with Class II DSA. C1q-binding DSA, detected in 33% of ABMR episodes, were associated with shorter time to graft failure. Most non-biopsied patients were DSA-negative (16/21; 76.1%). Finally, twelve losses to recurrent disease were seen (16%). Conclusion This data from an unselected population identifies IFTA alongside ABMR as a very important cause of true late graft failure, with nonadherence-associated TCMR as a phenomenon in some patients. It highlights clinical and immunological characteristics of ABMR subgroups, and should inform clinical practice and individualised patient care. PMID:27649571

Kidneys From α1,3-Galactosyltransferase Knockout/Human Heme Oxygenase-1/Human A20 Transgenic Pigs Are Protected From Rejection During Ex Vivo Perfusion With Human Blood

PubMed Central

Ahrens, Hellen E.; Petersen, Björn; Ramackers, Wolf; Petkov, Stoyan; Herrmann, Doris; Hauschild-Quintern, Janet; Lucas-Hahn, Andrea; Hassel, Petra; Ziegler, Maren; Baars, Wiebke; Bergmann, Sabine; Schwinzer, Reinhard; Winkler, Michael; Niemann, Heiner

2015-01-01

Background Multiple modifications of the porcine genome are required to prevent rejection after pig-to-primate xenotransplantation. Here, we produced pigs with a knockout of the α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1-KO) combined with transgenic expression of the human anti-apoptotic/anti-inflammatory molecules heme oxygenase-1 and A20, and investigated their xenoprotective properties. Methods The GGTA1-KO/human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1)/human A20 (hA20) transgenic pigs were produced in a stepwise approach using zinc finger nuclease vectors targeting the GGTA1 gene and a Sleeping Beauty vector coding for hA20. Two piglets were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and sequencing. The biological function of the genetic modifications was tested in a 51Chromium release assay and by ex vivo kidney perfusions with human blood. Results Disruption of the GGTA1 gene by deletion of few basepairs was demonstrated in GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs. The hHO-1 and hA20 mRNA expression was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Ex vivo perfusion of 2 transgenic kidneys was feasible for the maximum experimental time of 240 minutes without symptoms of rejection. Conclusions Results indicate that GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs are a promising model to alleviate rejection and ischemia-reperfusion damage in porcine xenografts and could serve as a background for further genetic modifications toward the production of a donor pig that is clinically relevant for xenotransplantation. PMID:27500225

Light-controlled resistors provide quadrature signal rejection for high-gain servo systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mc Cauley, D. D.

1967-01-01

Servo amplifier feedback system, in which the phase sensitive detection, low pass filtering, and multiplication functions required for quadrature rejection, are preformed by light-controlled photoresistors, eliminates complex circuitry. System increases gain, improves signal-to-noise ratio, and eliminates the necessity for compensation.

A Narrow-Linewidth Atomic Line Filter for Free Space Quantum Key Distribution under Daytime Atmospheric Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Justin; Woolf, David; Hensley, Joel

2016-05-01

Quantum key distribution can provide secure optical data links using the established BB84 protocol, though solar backgrounds severely limit the performance through free space. Several approaches to reduce the solar background include time-gating the photon signal, limiting the field of view through geometrical design of the optical system, and spectral rejection using interference filters. Despite optimization of these parameters, the solar background continues to dominate under daytime atmospheric conditions. We demonstrate an improved spectral filter by replacing the interference filter (Δν ~ 50 GHz) with an atomic line filter (Δν ~ 1 GHz) based on optical rotation of linearly polarized light through a warm Rb vapor. By controlling the magnetic field and the optical depth of the vapor, a spectrally narrow region can be transmitted between crossed polarizers. We find that the transmission is more complex than a single peak and evaluate peak transmission as well as a ratio of peak transmission to average transmission of the local spectrum. We compare filters containing a natural abundance of Rb with those containing isotopically pure 87 Rb and 85 Rb. A filter providing > 95 % transmission and Δν ~ 1.1 GHz is achieved.

Discriminative object tracking via sparse representation and online dictionary learning.

PubMed

Xie, Yuan; Zhang, Wensheng; Li, Cuihua; Lin, Shuyang; Qu, Yanyun; Zhang, Yinghua

2014-04-01

We propose a robust tracking algorithm based on local sparse coding with discriminative dictionary learning and new keypoint matching schema. This algorithm consists of two parts: the local sparse coding with online updated discriminative dictionary for tracking (SOD part), and the keypoint matching refinement for enhancing the tracking performance (KP part). In the SOD part, the local image patches of the target object and background are represented by their sparse codes using an over-complete discriminative dictionary. Such discriminative dictionary, which encodes the information of both the foreground and the background, may provide more discriminative power. Furthermore, in order to adapt the dictionary to the variation of the foreground and background during the tracking, an online learning method is employed to update the dictionary. The KP part utilizes refined keypoint matching schema to improve the performance of the SOD. With the help of sparse representation and online updated discriminative dictionary, the KP part are more robust than the traditional method to reject the incorrect matches and eliminate the outliers. The proposed method is embedded into a Bayesian inference framework for visual tracking. Experimental results on several challenging video sequences demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our approach.

Automatic segmentation of low-visibility moving objects through energy analyis of the local 3D spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nestares, Oscar; Miravet, Carlos; Santamaria, Javier; Fonolla Navarro, Rafael

1999-05-01

Automatic object segmentation in highly noisy image sequences, composed by a translating object over a background having a different motion, is achieved through joint motion-texture analysis. Local motion and/or texture is characterized by the energy of the local spatio-temporal spectrum, as different textures undergoing different translational motions display distinctive features in their 3D (x,y,t) spectra. Measurements of local spectrum energy are obtained using a bank of directional 3rd order Gaussian derivative filters in a multiresolution pyramid in space- time (10 directions, 3 resolution levels). These 30 energy measurements form a feature vector describing texture-motion for every pixel in the sequence. To improve discrimination capability and reduce computational cost, we automatically select those 4 features (channels) that best discriminate object from background, under the assumptions that the object is smaller than the background and has a different velocity or texture. In this way we reject features irrelevant or dominated by noise, that could yield wrong segmentation results. This method has been successfully applied to sequences with extremely low visibility and for objects that are even invisible for the eye in absence of motion.

Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-29

23, 2013. 6 Background information on Saudi cabinet members is available at http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/ Biographies - of-Ministers.aspx. Saudi...territories it occupied in 1967, (2) agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem , and provide for the (3) “[a...compromise on Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem .” Elhanan Miller, “Arab ministers back Abbas in rejecting ‘Jewish’ Israel,” Times of Israel, January

Specimen rejection in laboratory medicine: Necessary for patient safety?

PubMed Central

Dikmen, Zeliha Gunnur; Pinar, Asli; Akbiyik, Filiz

2015-01-01

Introduction The emergency laboratory in Hacettepe University Hospitals receives specimens from emergency departments (EDs), inpatient services and intensive care units (ICUs). The samples are accepted according to the rejection criteria of the laboratory. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sample rejection ratios according to the types of pre-preanalytical errors and collection areas. Materials and methods The samples sent to the emergency laboratory were recorded during 12 months between January to December, 2013 in which 453,171 samples were received and 27,067 specimens were rejected. Results Rejection ratios was 2.5% for biochemistry tests, 3.2% for complete blood count (CBC), 9.8% for blood gases, 9.2% for urine analysis, 13.3% for coagulation tests, 12.8% for therapeutic drug monitoring, 3.5% for cardiac markers and 12% for hormone tests. The most frequent rejection reasons were fibrin clots (28%) and inadequate volume (9%) for biochemical tests. Clotted samples (35%) and inadequate volume (13%) were the major causes for coagulation tests, blood gas analyses and CBC. The ratio of rejected specimens was higher in the EDs (40%) compared to ICUs (30%) and inpatient services (28%). The highest rejection ratio was observed in neurology ICU (14%) among the ICUs and internal medicine inpatient service (10%) within inpatient clinics. Conclusions We detected an overall specimen rejection rate of 6% in emergency laboratory. By documentation of rejected samples and periodic training of healthcare personnel, we expect to decrease sample rejection ratios below 2%, improve total quality management of the emergency laboratory and promote patient safety. PMID:26527231

Understanding Rejection between First-and-Second-Grade Elementary Students through Reasons Expressed by Rejecters

PubMed Central

García Bacete, Francisco J.; Carrero Planes, Virginia E.; Marande Perrin, Ghislaine; Musitu Ochoa, Gonzalo

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this research was to obtain the views of young children regarding their reasons for rejecting a peer. Method: To achieve this goal, we conducted a qualitative study in the context of theory building research using an analysis methodology based on Grounded Theory. The collected information was extracted through semi-structured individual interviews from a sample of 853 children aged 6 from 13 urban public schools in Spain. Results: The children provided 3,009 rejection nominations and 2,934 reasons for disliking the rejected peers. Seven reason categories emerged from the analysis. Four categories refer to behaviors of the rejected children that have a cost for individual peers or peer group such as: direct aggression, disturbance of wellbeing, problematic social and school behaviors and dominance behaviors. A further two categories refer to the identities arising from the preferences and choices of rejected and rejecter children and their peers: personal identity expressed through preferences and disliking, and social identity expressed through outgroup prejudices. The “no-behavior or no-choice” reasons were covered by one category, unfamiliarity. In addition, three context categories were found indicating the participants (interpersonal–group), the impact (low–high), and the subjectivity (subjective–objective) of the reason. Conclusion: This study provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive taxonomy of reasons for rejection that contributes to enrich the theoretical knowledge and improve interventions for preventing and reducing peer rejection. PMID:28421008

Antiproton identification below threshold with the AMS-02 RICH detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zi-Yuan; Delgado Mendez, Carlos Jose; Giovacchini, Francesca; Haino, Sadakazu; Hoffman, Julia

2017-05-01

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02), which is installed on the International Space Station (ISS), has been collecting data successfully since May 2011. The main goals of AMS-02 are the search for cosmic anti-matter, dark matter and the precise measurement of the relative abundance of elements and isotopes in galactic cosmic rays. In order to identify particle properties, AMS-02 includes several specialized sub-detectors. Among these, the AMS-02 Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector (RICH) is designed to provide a very precise measurement of the velocity and electric charge of particles. We describe a method to reject the dominant electron background in antiproton identification with the use of the AMS-02 RICH detector as a veto for rigidities below 3 GV. A ray tracing integration method is used to maximize the statistics of p¯ with the lowest possible e- background, providing 4 times rejection power gain for e- background with respect to only 3% of p¯ signal efficiency loss. By using the collected cosmic-ray data, e- contamination can be well suppressed within 3% with β ≈ 1, while keeping 76% efficiency for p¯ below the threshold. Supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC) under Grant No.201306380027.

Current Status and Future Perspectives of the LUCIFER Experiment

DOE PAGES

Beeman, J. W.; Bellini, F.; Benetti, P.; ...

2013-09-30

In the field of fundamental particle physics, the neutrino has become more and more important in the last few years, since the discovery of its mass. In particular, the ultimate nature of the neutrino (if it is a Dirac or a Majorana particle) plays a crucial role not only in neutrino physics, but also in the overall framework of fundamental particle interactions and in cosmology. The only way to disentangle its ultimate nature is to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay. The idea of LUCIFER is to combine the bolometric technique proposed for the CUORE experiment with the bolometricmore » light detection technique used in cryogenic dark matter experiments. The bolometric technique allows an extremely good energy resolution while its combination with the scintillation detection offers an ultimate tool for background rejection. The goal of LUCIFER is not only to build a background-free small-scale experiment but also to directly prove the potentiality of this technique. Preliminary tests on several detectors containing different interesting DBD emitters have clearly demonstrated the excellent background rejection capabilities that arise from the simultaneous, independent, double readout of heat and scintillation light.« less

Could Sentinel Skin Transplants Have Some Utility in Solid Organ Transplantation?

PubMed

Ali, J M; Catarino, P; Dunning, J; Giele, H; Vrakas, G; Parmar, J

2016-10-01

Accurate diagnosis of allograft rejection can be hazardous and challenging. A strategy that has emerged from experience with vascularized composite allografts (VCAs) is the use of sentinel skin transplants (SSTs)-portions of donor skin transplanted synchronously to an allograft. Work in nonhuman animal models and experience with VCAs suggest concordance between rejection occurring in the primary allograft and the SST, and that appearance of rejection in the SST may precede rejection in the primary allograft, permitting early therapeutic intervention that may improve outcomes with lower rates of chronic rejection. The encouraging findings reported in VCA transplantation raise the possibility that SST may also be useful in solid organ transplantation. Some evidence is provided by experience with abdominal wall transplantation in some intestinal and multivisceral transplant recipients. Results from those reports raise the possibility that rejection may manifest in the skin component before emergence in the intestinal allograft, providing a "lead time" during which treatment of rejection of the abdominal wall could prevent the emergence of intestinal rejection. It is plausible that these findings may be extrapolated to other solid organ allografts, especially those for which obtaining an accurate diagnosis of acute rejection can be hazardous and challenging, such as the lung or pancreas. However, more data are required to support widespread adoption of this technique. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of the EDELWEISS-III experiment for direct dark matter searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armengaud, E.; Arnaud, Q.; Augier, C.; Benoît, A.; Bergé, L.; Bergmann, T.; Billard, J.; de Boissière, T.; Bres, G.; Broniatowski, A.; Brudanin, V.; Camus, P.; Cazes, A.; Chapellier, M.; Charlieux, F.; De Jésus, M.; Dumoulin, L.; Eitel, K.; Filosofov, D.; Foerster, N.; Fourches, N.; Garde, G.; Gascon, J.; Giuliani, A.; Grollier, M.; Gros, M.; Hehn, L.; Hervé, S.; Heuermann, G.; Humbert, V.; Jin, Y.; Juillard, A.; Kéfélian, C.; Kleifges, M.; Kozlov, V.; Kraus, H.; Kudryavtsev, V. A.; Le-Sueur, H.; Lin, J.; Maisonobe, R.; Mancuso, M.; Marnieros, S.; Menshikov, A.; Navick, X.-F.; Nones, C.; Olivieri, E.; Pari, P.; Paul, B.; Poda, D.; Queguiner, E.; Robinson, M.; Rodenas, H.; Rozov, S.; Sanglard, V.; Schmidt, B.; Scorza, S.; Siebenborn, B.; Tcherniakhovski, D.; Vagneron, L.; Weber, M.; Yakushev, E.; Zhang, X.; Zolotarova, A.

2017-08-01

We present the results of measurements demonstrating the efficiency of the EDELWEISS-III array of cryogenic germanium detectors for direct dark matter searches. The experimental setup and the FID (Fully Inter-Digitized) detector array is described, as well as the efficiency of the double measurement of heat and ionization signals in background rejection. For the whole set of 24 FID detectors used for coincidence studies, the baseline resolutions for the fiducial ionization energy are mainly below 0.7 keVee (FHWM) whereas the baseline resolutions for heat energies are mainly below 1.5 keVee (FWHM). The response to nuclear recoils as well as the very good discrimination capability of the FID design has been measured with an AmBe source. The surface β- and α-decay rejection power of Rsurf < 4 × 10-5 per α at 90% C.L. has been determined with a 210Pb source, the rejection of bulk γ-ray events has been demonstrated using γ-calibrations with 133Ba sources leading to a value of Rγ -mis-fid < 2.5 × 10-6 at 90% C.L.. The current levels of natural radioactivity measured in the detector array are shown as the rate of single γ background. The fiducial volume fraction of the FID detectors has been measured to a weighted average value of (74.6 ± 0.4)% using the cosmogenic activation of the 65Zn and 68,71Ge isotopes. The stability and uniformity of the detector response is also discussed. The achieved resolutions, thresholds and background levels of the upgraded EDELWEISS-III detectors in their setup are thus well suited to the direct search of WIMP dark matter over a large mass range.

A New Quality Control Method base on IRMCD for Wind Profiler Observation towards Future Assimilation Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Min; Zhang, Yu

2017-04-01

A wind profiler network with a total of 65 profiling radars was operated by the MOC/CMA in China until July 2015. In this study, a quality control procedure is constructed to incorporate the profiler data from the wind-profiling network into the local data assimilation and forecasting system (BJRUC). The procedure applies a blacklisting check that removes stations with gross errors and an outlier check that rejects data with large deviations from the background. Instead of the bi-weighting method, which has been commonly implemented in outlier elimination for one-dimensional scalar observations, an outlier elimination method is developed based on the iterated reweighted minimum covariance determinant (IRMCD) for multi-variate observations such as wind profiler data. A quality control experiment is separately performed for subsets containing profiler data tagged in parallel with/without rain flags at every 00UTC/12UTC from 20 June to 30 Sep 2015. From the results, we find that with the quality control, the frequency distributions of the differences between the observations and model background become more Gaussian-like and meet the requirements of a Gaussian distribution for data assimilation. Further intensive assessment for each quality control step reveals that the stations rejected by blacklisting contain poor data quality, and the IRMCD rejects outliers in a robust and physically reasonable manner.

Online monitoring of N-nitrosodimethylamine rejection as a performance indicator of trace organic chemical removal by reverse osmosis.

PubMed

Fujioka, Takahiro; Takeuchi, Haruka; Tanaka, Hiroaki; Kodamatani, Hitoshi

2018-06-01

The security of recycled water quality in potable reuse can be enhanced by improving the credibility of reverse osmosis (RO) treatment for the removal of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs). This study evaluated the potential of online monitoring of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) before and after RO treatment as a surrogate indicator for TOrC removal by RO. This pilot-scale study monitored NDMA concentrations in RO feedwater (ultrafiltration-treated wastewater) and RO permeate every 22 min using novel online NDMA analyzers-high-performance liquid chromatography followed by photochemical reaction and chemiluminescence detection. NDMA rejection by RO varied considerably in response to changes in operating conditions (permeate flux and feedwater temperature). A high linear correlation between NDMA rejection and the rejection of six other TOrCs was observed. The linear correlation was also identified for an RO membrane damaged with chlorine. The correlation between another potential surrogate indicator (conductivity rejection) and TOrC rejection was relatively low. NDMA, which is the smallest compound among regulated TOrCs, revealed rejections lower than the other TOrCs, indicating that NDMA rejection can be a conservative surrogate indicator capable of predicting changes in TOrC removal. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on rejection characteristic of current loop to the base disturbance of optical communication system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yao; Deng, Chao; Liu, Qiong; Cao, Zheng

2016-10-01

As laser has narrow transmitting beam and small divergence angle, the LOS (Line of Sight) stabilization of optical communication system is a primary precondition of laser communication links. Compound axis control is usually adopted in LOS stabilization of optical communication system, in which coarse tracking and fine tracking are included. Rejection against high frequency disturbance mainly depends on fine tracking LOS stabilization platform. Limited by different factors such as mechanical characteristic of the stabilization platform and bandwidth/noise of the sensor, the control bandwidth of LOS stabilization platform is restricted so that effective rejection of high frequency disturbance cannot be achieved as it mainly depends on the isolation characteristic of the platform itself. It is proposed by this paper that current loop may reject the effect of back-EMF. By adopting the method of electric control, high frequency isolation characteristic of the platform can be improved. The improvement effect is similar to increasing passive vibration reduction devices. Adopting the double closed loop control structure of velocity and current with the combining of the rejection effect of back-EMF caused by current loop is equivalent to reducing back-EMF coefficient, which can enhance the isolation ability of the LOS stabilization platform to high frequency disturbance.

Preservation of a T-Invariant Reductionist Scaffold in "effective" Intrinsically Irreversible Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ne'Eman, Yuval

2003-08-01

The recently developed Irreversible Quantum Mechanics formalism describes physical reality both at the statistical and the particle levels and voices have been heard suggesting that it be used in fundamental physics. Two examples are sketched in which similar steps were taken and proved to be terrible errors: Aristotle's rejection of the vacuum because "nature does not tolerate it", replacing it by a law of force linear in velocity and Chew's rejection of Quantum Field Theory because "it is not unitary off-mass-shell". In Particle Physics, I suggest using the new representation as an "effective" picture without abandoning the canonical background.

Light-sheet microscopy by confocal line scanning of dual-Bessel beams

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

Zhang, Pengfei; Phipps, Mary Elizabeth; Goodwin, Peter Marvin

Here, we have developed a light-sheet microscope that uses confocal scanning of dual-Bessel beams for illumination. A digital micromirror device (DMD) is placed in the intermediate image plane of the objective used to collect fluorescence and is programmed with two lines of pixels in the “on” state such that the DMD functions as a spatial filter to reject the out-of-focus background generated by the side-lobes of the Bessel beams. The optical sectioning and out-of-focus background rejection capabilities of this microscope were demonstrated by imaging of fluorescently stained actin in human A431 cells. The dual-Bessel beam system enables twice as manymore » photons to be detected per imaging scan, which is useful for low light applications (e.g., single-molecule localization) or imaging at high speed with a superior signal to noise. While demonstrated for two Bessel beams, this approach is scalable to a larger number of beams.« less

Light-sheet microscopy by confocal line scanning of dual-Bessel beams

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Pengfei; Phipps, Mary Elizabeth; Goodwin, Peter Marvin; ...

2016-10-25

Here, we have developed a light-sheet microscope that uses confocal scanning of dual-Bessel beams for illumination. A digital micromirror device (DMD) is placed in the intermediate image plane of the objective used to collect fluorescence and is programmed with two lines of pixels in the “on” state such that the DMD functions as a spatial filter to reject the out-of-focus background generated by the side-lobes of the Bessel beams. The optical sectioning and out-of-focus background rejection capabilities of this microscope were demonstrated by imaging of fluorescently stained actin in human A431 cells. The dual-Bessel beam system enables twice as manymore » photons to be detected per imaging scan, which is useful for low light applications (e.g., single-molecule localization) or imaging at high speed with a superior signal to noise. While demonstrated for two Bessel beams, this approach is scalable to a larger number of beams.« less

Rejection of randomly coinciding 2ν2β events in ZnMoO4 scintillating bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyak, D. M.; Danevich, F. A.; Giuliani, A.; Mancuso, M.; Nones, C.; Olivieri, E.; Tenconi, M.; Tretyak, V. I.

2014-01-01

Random coincidence of 2ν2β decay events could be one of the main sources of background for 0ν2β decay in cryogenic bolometers due to their poor time resolution. Pulse-shape discrimination by using front edge analysis, the mean-time and χ2 methods was applied to discriminate randomly coinciding 2ν2β events in ZnMoO4 cryogenic scintillating bolometers. The background can be effectively rejected on the level of 99% by the mean-time analysis of heat signals with the rise time about 14 ms and the signal-to-noise ratio 900, and on the level of 98% for the light signals with 3 ms rise time and signal-to-noise ratio of 30 (under a requirement to detect 95% of single events). Importance of the signal-to-noise ratio, correct finding of the signal start and choice of an appropriate sampling frequency are discussed.

Robust Likelihoods for Inflationary Gravitational Waves from Maps of Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Switzer, Eric Ryan; Watts, Duncan J.

2016-01-01

The B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background provides a unique window into tensor perturbations from inflationary gravitational waves. Survey effects complicate the estimation and description of the power spectrum on the largest angular scales. The pixel-space likelihood yields parameter distributions without the power spectrum as an intermediate step, but it does not have the large suite of tests available to power spectral methods. Searches for primordial B-modes must rigorously reject and rule out contamination. Many forms of contamination vary or are uncorrelated across epochs, frequencies, surveys, or other data treatment subsets. The cross power and the power spectrum of the difference of subset maps provide approaches to reject and isolate excess variance. We develop an analogous joint pixel-space likelihood. Contamination not modeled in the likelihood produces parameter-dependent bias and complicates the interpretation of the difference map. We describe a null test that consistently weights the difference map. Excess variance should either be explicitly modeled in the covariance or be removed through reprocessing the data.

Plant-wide (BSM2) evaluation of reject water treatment with a SHARON-Anammox process.

PubMed

Volcke, E I P; Gernaey, K V; Vrecko, D; Jeppsson, U; van Loosdrecht, M C M; Vanrolleghem, P A

2006-01-01

In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) equipped with sludge digestion and dewatering systems, the reject water originating from these facilities contributes significantly to the nitrogen load of the activated sludge tanks, to which it is typically recycled. In this paper, the impact of reject water streams on the performance of a WWTP is assessed in a simulation study, using the Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 (BSM2), that includes the processes describing sludge treatment and in this way allows for plant-wide evaluation. Comparison of performance of a WWTP without reject water with a WWTP where reject water is recycled to the primary clarifier, i.e. the BSM2 plant, shows that the ammonium load of the influent to the primary clarifier is 28% higher in the case of reject water recycling. This results in violation of the effluent total nitrogen limit. In order to relieve the main wastewater treatment plant, reject water treatment with a combined SHARON-Anammox process seems a promising option. The simulation results indicate that significant improvements of the effluent quality of the main wastewater treatment plant can be realized. An economic evaluation of the different scenarios is performed using an Operating Cost Index (OCI).

Ultraviolet Rayleigh-Mie lidar for daytime-temperature profiling of the troposphere.

PubMed

Hua, Dengxin; Uchida, Masaru; Kobayashi, Takao

2005-03-01

A UV Rayleigh-Mie scattering lidar has been developed for daytime measurement of temperature and aerosol optical properties in the troposphere. The transmitter is a narrowband, injection-seeded, pulsed, third-harmonic Nd:YAG laser at an eye-safe wavelength of 355 nm. Two Fabry-Perot etalons (FPEs) with a dual-pass optical layout filter the molecular Rayleigh scattering components spectrally for retrieval of the temperature and provide a high rejection rate for aerosol Mie scattering in excess of 43 dB. The Mie signal is filtered with a third FPE filter for direct profiling of aerosol optical properties. The Mie scattering component in the Rayleigh signals, which will have influence on temperature measurements, is corrected by using a measure of aerosol scattering because of the relative insufficiency of Mie rejection of Rayleigh filters in the presence of dense aerosols or clouds, and the Mie rejection capability of system is thus improved. A narrowband interference filter is incorporated with the FPEs to block solar radiation. Also, the small field of view (0.1 mrad) of the receiver and the UV wavelength used enhance the ability of the lidar to suppress the solar background signal in daytime measurement. The system is relatively compact, with a power-aperture product of 0.18 W m(-2), and has a high sensitivity to temperature change (0.62%/K). Lidar measurements taken under different weather conditions (winter and summer) are demonstrated. Good agreement between the lidar and the radiosonde measurements was obtained in terms of lapse rates and inversions. Statistical temperature errors of less than 1 K up to a height of 2 km are obtainable, with an averaging time of approximately 12 min for daytime measurements.

Immunomodulatory Strategies Directed Towards Tolerance of Vascularized Composite Allografts

PubMed Central

Michel, Sebastian G.; Villani, Vincenzo; Muraglia, Glenn M. La; Torabi, Radbeh; Leonard, David A.; Randolph, Mark A.; Colvin, Robert B.; Yamada, Kazuhiko; Madsen, Joren C.; Cetrulo, Curtis L.; Sachs, David H.

2015-01-01

Background Achieving tolerance of vascularized composite allografts (VCAs) would improve the risk-to-benefit ratio in patients who undergo this life-enhancing, though not life-saving, transplant. Kidney co-transplantation along with a short course of high-dose immunosuppression enables tolerance of heart allografts across a full MHC mismatch. In this study, we investigated whether tolerance of VCA across full MHC disparities could be achieved in animals already tolerant of heart and kidney allografts. Methods Miniature swine that were tolerant of heart and/or kidney allografts long-term underwent transplantation of myocutaneous VCA across the same MHC barrier. Prior to VCA transplant, Group 1 (n=3) underwent Class I-mismatched kidney transplantation; Group 2 (n=3) underwent two sequential Class I-mismatched kidney transplantations; Group 3 (n=2) underwent haploidentical MHC-mismatched heart/kidney transplantation; and Group 4 (n=2) underwent full MHC-mismatched heart/kidney transplantation. Results All three animals in Group 1 and two of three animals in Group 2 showed skin rejection ≤85 days; one animal in Group 2 showed prolonged skin survival >200 days. Animals in Groups 3 and 4 showed skin rejection ≤30 days and regained in vitro evidence of donor responsiveness. Conclusion This is the first pre-clinical study in which hearts, kidneys, and VCAs have been transplanted into the same recipient. Despite VCA rejection, tolerance of heart and kidney allografts was maintained. These results suggest that regulatory tolerance of skin is possible but not generally achieved by the same level of immunomodulation that is capable of inducing tolerance of heart and kidney allografts. Achieving tolerance of skin may require additional immunomodulatory therapies. PMID:25757218

Intestinal Microbial Variation May Predict Early Acute Rejection after Liver Transplantation in Rats

PubMed Central

Ren, Zhigang; Jiang, Jianwen; Lu, Haifeng; Chen, Xinhua; He, Yong; Zhang, Hua; Xie, Haiyang; Wang, Weilin; Zheng, Shusen; Zhou, Lin

2014-01-01

Background Acute rejection (AR) remains a life-threatening complication after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and there are few available diagnostic biomarkers clinically for AR. This study aims to identify intestinal microbial profile and explore potential application of microbial profile as a biomarker for AR after OLT. Methods The OLT models in rats were established. Hepatic graft histology, ultrastructure, function, and intestinal barrier function were tested. Ileocecal contents were collected for intestinal microbial analysis. Results Hepatic graft suffered from the ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury on day 1, initial AR on day 3, and severe AR on day 7 after OLT. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that genus Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Lactobacillus were decreased, whereas Clostridium bolteae was increased during AR. Notably, cluster analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles showed the 7AR and 3AR groups clustered together with 73.4% similarity, suggesting that intestinal microbiota was more sensitive than hepatic function in responding to AR. Microbial diversity and species richness were decreased during AR. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that most of the decreased key bacteria belonged to phylum Firmicutes, whereas increased key bacteria belonged to phylum Bacteroidetes. Moreover, intestinal microvilli loss and tight junction damage were noted, and intestinal barrier dysfunction during AR presented a decrease of fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and increase of blood bacteremia, endotoxin, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusion We dynamically detail intestinal microbial characterization and find a high sensitivity of microbial change during AR after OLT, suggesting that intestinal microbial variation may predict AR in early phase and become an assistant therapeutic target to improve rejection after OLT. PMID:25321166

Extending the minority stress model to incorporate HIV-positive gay and bisexual men’s experiences: A longitudinal examination of mental health and sexual risk behavior

PubMed Central

Rendina, H. Jonathon; Gamarel, Kristi E.; Pachankis, John E.; Ventuneac, Ana; Grov, Christian; Parsons, Jeffrey T.

2016-01-01

Background Minority stress theory represents the most plausible conceptual framework for explaining health disparities for gay and bisexual men (GBM). However, little focus has been given to including the unique stressors experienced by HIV-positive GBM. Purpose We explored the role of HIV-related stress within a minority stress model of mental health and condomless anal sex. Methods Longitudinal data were collected on a diverse convenience sample of 138 highly sexually active, HIV-positive GBM in NYC regarding sexual minority (internalized homonegativity, gay-related rejection sensitivity) and HIV-related stressors (internalized HIV stigma, HIV-related rejection sensitivity), emotion dysregulation, mental health (symptoms of depression, anxiety, sexual compulsivity, and hypersexuality), and sexual behavior (condomless anal sex with all male partners and with serodiscordant male partners). Results Across both sexual minority and HIV-related stressors, internalized stigma was significantly associated with mental health and sexual behavior outcomes while rejection sensitivity was not. Moreover, path analyses revealed that emotion dysregulation mediated the influence of both forms of internalized stigma on symptoms of depression/anxiety and sexual compulsivity/hypersexuality as well as serodiscordant condomless anal sex. Conclusions We identified two targets of behavioral interventions that may lead to improvements in mental health and reductions in sexual transmission risk behaviors—maladaptive cognitions underlying negative self-schemas and difficulties with emotion regulation. Techniques for cognitive restructuring and emotion regulation may be particularly useful in the development of interventions that are sensitive to the needs of this population while also highlighting the important role that structural interventions can have in preventing these disparities for future generations. PMID:27502073

A computational pipeline for the development of multi-marker bio-signature panels and ensemble classifiers.

PubMed

Günther, Oliver P; Chen, Virginia; Freue, Gabriela Cohen; Balshaw, Robert F; Tebbutt, Scott J; Hollander, Zsuzsanna; Takhar, Mandeep; McMaster, W Robert; McManus, Bruce M; Keown, Paul A; Ng, Raymond T

2012-12-08

Biomarker panels derived separately from genomic and proteomic data and with a variety of computational methods have demonstrated promising classification performance in various diseases. An open question is how to create effective proteo-genomic panels. The framework of ensemble classifiers has been applied successfully in various analytical domains to combine classifiers so that the performance of the ensemble exceeds the performance of individual classifiers. Using blood-based diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection as a case study, we address the following question in this paper: Can acute rejection classification performance be improved by combining individual genomic and proteomic classifiers in an ensemble? The first part of the paper presents a computational biomarker development pipeline for genomic and proteomic data. The pipeline begins with data acquisition (e.g., from bio-samples to microarray data), quality control, statistical analysis and mining of the data, and finally various forms of validation. The pipeline ensures that the various classifiers to be combined later in an ensemble are diverse and adequate for clinical use. Five mRNA genomic and five proteomic classifiers were developed independently using single time-point blood samples from 11 acute-rejection and 22 non-rejection renal transplant patients. The second part of the paper examines five ensembles ranging in size from two to 10 individual classifiers. Performance of ensembles is characterized by area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity, as derived from the probability of acute rejection for individual classifiers in the ensemble in combination with one of two aggregation methods: (1) Average Probability or (2) Vote Threshold. One ensemble demonstrated superior performance and was able to improve sensitivity and AUC beyond the best values observed for any of the individual classifiers in the ensemble, while staying within the range of observed specificity. The Vote Threshold aggregation method achieved improved sensitivity for all 5 ensembles, but typically at the cost of decreased specificity. Proteo-genomic biomarker ensemble classifiers show promise in the diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection and can improve classification performance beyond that of individual genomic or proteomic classifiers alone. Validation of our results in an international multicenter study is currently underway.

Hedonic, Instrumental, and Normative Motives: Differentiating Patterns for Popular, Accepted, and Rejected Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis; Kretschmer, Tina; Lindenberg, Siegwart; Veenstra, René

2015-01-01

This study examined to what extent motives for behavior differentiated between popular, accepted, and rejected adolescents. Based on goal-framing theory, three types of motives were distinguished: hedonic (aimed at short-term gratification), instrumental (aimed at improvement of one's situation), and normative (aimed at acting in accordance with…

High speed multiwire photon camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lacy, Jeffrey L. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

An improved multiwire proportional counter camera having particular utility in the field of clinical nuclear medicine imaging. The detector utilizes direct coupled, low impedance, high speed delay lines, the segments of which are capacitor-inductor networks. A pile-up rejection test is provided to reject confused events otherwise caused by multiple ionization events occuring during the readout window.

High speed multiwire photon camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lacy, Jeffrey L. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

An improved multiwire proportional counter camera having particular utility in the field of clinical nuclear medicine imaging. The detector utilizes direct coupled, low impedance, high speed delay lines, the segments of which are capacitor-inductor networks. A pile-up rejection test is provided to reject confused events otherwise caused by multiple ionization events occurring during the readout window.

Fish Rejections in the Marine Aquarium Trade: An Initial Case Study Raises Concern for Village-Based Fisheries

PubMed Central

Militz, Thane A.; Kinch, Jeff; Foale, Simon; Southgate, Paul C.

2016-01-01

A major difficulty in managing wildlife trade is the reliance on trade data (rather than capture data) to monitor exploitation of wild populations. Collected organisms that die or are rejected before a point of sale often go unreported. For the global marine aquarium trade, identifying the loss of collected fish from rejection, prior to export, is a first step in assessing true collection levels. This study takes a detailed look at fish rejections by buyers before export using the Papua New Guinea marine aquarium fishery as a case study. Utilizing collection invoices detailing the species and quantity of fish (Actinopteri and Elasmobranchii) accepted or rejected by the exporting company it was determined that, over a six month period, 24.2% of the total fish catch reported (n = 13,886) was rejected. Of the ten most collected fish families, rejection frequency was highest for the Apogonidae (54.2%), Chaetodontidae (26.3%), and Acanthuridae (18.2%) and lowest for Labridae (6.6%) and Hemiscylliidae (0.7%). The most frequently cited reasons for rejection were fin damage (45.6% of cases), undersized fish (21.8%), and fish deemed too thin (11.1%). Despite fishers receiving feedback on invoices explaining rejections, there was no improvement in rejection frequencies over time (r = -0.33, P = 0.15) with weekly rejection frequencies being highly inconsistent (range: 2.8% to 79.4%; s = 16.3%). These findings suggest that export/import statistics can greatly underestimate collection for the marine aquarium trade as additional factors such as fisher discards, escapees, post-collection mortalities, and unregulated domestic trade would further contribute to this disparity. PMID:26963259

Fish Rejections in the Marine Aquarium Trade: An Initial Case Study Raises Concern for Village-Based Fisheries.

PubMed

Militz, Thane A; Kinch, Jeff; Foale, Simon; Southgate, Paul C

2016-01-01

A major difficulty in managing wildlife trade is the reliance on trade data (rather than capture data) to monitor exploitation of wild populations. Collected organisms that die or are rejected before a point of sale often go unreported. For the global marine aquarium trade, identifying the loss of collected fish from rejection, prior to export, is a first step in assessing true collection levels. This study takes a detailed look at fish rejections by buyers before export using the Papua New Guinea marine aquarium fishery as a case study. Utilizing collection invoices detailing the species and quantity of fish (Actinopteri and Elasmobranchii) accepted or rejected by the exporting company it was determined that, over a six month period, 24.2% of the total fish catch reported (n = 13,886) was rejected. Of the ten most collected fish families, rejection frequency was highest for the Apogonidae (54.2%), Chaetodontidae (26.3%), and Acanthuridae (18.2%) and lowest for Labridae (6.6%) and Hemiscylliidae (0.7%). The most frequently cited reasons for rejection were fin damage (45.6% of cases), undersized fish (21.8%), and fish deemed too thin (11.1%). Despite fishers receiving feedback on invoices explaining rejections, there was no improvement in rejection frequencies over time (r = -0.33, P = 0.15) with weekly rejection frequencies being highly inconsistent (range: 2.8% to 79.4%; s = 16.3%). These findings suggest that export/import statistics can greatly underestimate collection for the marine aquarium trade as additional factors such as fisher discards, escapees, post-collection mortalities, and unregulated domestic trade would further contribute to this disparity.

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) Applications to Identify Iron Sand Reject and Losses in Cement Industry : A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helia, V. N.; Wijaya, W. N.

2017-06-01

One of the main raw materials required in the manufacture of cement is iron sand. Data from the Procurement Department on XYZ Company shows that the number of defective iron sand (reject) fluctuates every month. Iron sand is an important raw material in the cement production process, so that the amount of iron sand reject and losses got financial and non-financial impact. This study aims to determine the most dominant activity as the cause of rejection and losses of iron sands and suggest improvements that can be made by using the approach of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis). Data collection techniques in this study was using the method of observation, interviews, and focus group discussion (FGD) as well as the assessment of the experts to identify it. Results from this study is there are four points of the most dominant cause of the defect of iron sand (mining activities, acceptance, examination and delivery). Recommendation for overcoming these problem is presented (vendor improvement).

Improved spatial resolution in PET scanners using sampling techniques

PubMed Central

Surti, Suleman; Scheuermann, Ryan; Werner, Matthew E.; Karp, Joel S.

2009-01-01

Increased focus towards improved detector spatial resolution in PET has led to the use of smaller crystals in some form of light sharing detector design. In this work we evaluate two sampling techniques that can be applied during calibrations for pixelated detector designs in order to improve the reconstructed spatial resolution. The inter-crystal positioning technique utilizes sub-sampling in the crystal flood map to better sample the Compton scatter events in the detector. The Compton scatter rejection technique, on the other hand, rejects those events that are located further from individual crystal centers in the flood map. We performed Monte Carlo simulations followed by measurements on two whole-body scanners for point source data. The simulations and measurements were performed for scanners using scintillators with Zeff ranging from 46.9 to 63 for LaBr3 and LYSO, respectively. Our results show that near the center of the scanner, inter-crystal positioning technique leads to a gain of about 0.5-mm in reconstructed spatial resolution (FWHM) for both scanner designs. In a small animal LYSO scanner the resolution improves from 1.9-mm to 1.6-mm with the inter-crystal technique. The Compton scatter rejection technique shows higher gains in spatial resolution but at the cost of reduction in scanner sensitivity. The inter-crystal positioning technique represents a modest acquisition software modification for an improvement in spatial resolution, but at a cost of potentially longer data correction and reconstruction times. The Compton scatter rejection technique, while also requiring a modest acquisition software change with no increased data correction and reconstruction times, will be useful in applications where the scanner sensitivity is very high and larger improvements in spatial resolution are desirable. PMID:19779586

Reassurance Seeking and Depression in Adults with Mild Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, S. L.; Lickel, A. Hayes; MacLean, W. E., Jr.

2008-01-01

Background: Adults with intellectual disability (ID) experience a high prevalence of depression. Yet, little research has investigated interpersonal processes related to depression in this population. In the general population, depressed persons behave in ways that elicit negative and rejecting reactions from others. In particular, excessive…

RF Reference Switch for Spaceflight Radiometer Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knuble, Joseph

2013-01-01

The goal of this technology is to provide improved calibration and measurement sensitivity to the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP) radiometer. While RF switches have been used in the past to calibrate microwave radiometers, the switch used on SMAP employs several techniques uniquely tailored to the instrument requirements and passive remote-sensing in general to improve radiometer performance. Measurement error and sensitivity are improved by employing techniques to reduce thermal gradients within the device, reduce insertion loss during antenna observations, increase insertion loss temporal stability, and increase rejection of radar and RFI (radio-frequency interference) signals during calibration. The two legs of the single-pole double-throw reference switch employ three PIN diodes per leg in a parallel-shunt configuration to minimize insertion loss and increase stability while exceeding rejection requirements at 1,413 MHz. The high-speed packaged diodes are selected to minimize junction capacitance and resistance while ensuring the parallel devices have very similar I-V curves. Switch rejection is improved by adding high-impedance quarter-wave tapers before and after the diodes, along with replacing the ground via of one diode per leg with an open circuit stub. Errors due to thermal gradients in the switch are reduced by embedding the 50-ohm reference load within the switch, along with using a 0.25-in. (approximately equal to 0.6-cm) aluminum prebacked substrate. Previous spaceflight microwave radiometers did not embed the reference load and thermocouple directly within the calibration switch. In doing so, the SMAP switch reduces error caused by thermal gradients between the load and switch. Thermal issues are further reduced by moving the custom, highspeed regulated driver circuit to a physically separate PWB (printed wiring board). Regarding RF performance, previous spaceflight reference switches have not employed high-impedance tapers to improve rejection. The use of open-circuit stubs instead of a via to provide an improved RF short is unique to this design. The stubs are easily tunable to provide high rejection at specific frequencies while maintaining very low insertion loss in-band.

Causes and impact of specimen rejection in a clinical chemistry laboratory.

PubMed

Cao, Liyun; Chen, Meng; Phipps, Ron A; Del Guidice, Robert E; Handy, Beverly C; Wagar, Elizabeth A; Meng, Qing H

2016-07-01

Pre-analytical errors necessitate specimen rejection and negatively affect patient safety. Our purpose was to investigate the factors leading to specimen rejection and its impact. Specimen rejections in a clinical chemistry laboratory during a 1-year period were reviewed retrospectively and analyzed for frequency, cause, circumstances, and impact. Of the 837,862 specimens received, 2178 (0.26%) were rejected. The most common reasons for specimen rejection were contamination (n=764, 35.1%), inappropriate collection container/tube (n=330, 15.2%), quantity not sufficient (QNS) (n=329, 15.1%), labeling errors (n=321, 14.7%), hemolyzed specimen (n=205, 9.4%), and clotted specimen (n=203, 9.3%). The analytes most often affected were glucose (n=192, 8.8%); calcium (n=152, 7.0%), magnesium (n=148, 6.8%), potassium (n=137, 6.3%), creatinine (n=100, 4.6%), and blood urea nitrogen (n=97, 4.4%). Outpatient service and blood draw by phlebotomists were associated with low rejection rates (536/493,501 or 0.11% and 368/586,503 or 0.06%, respectively). Recollection due to specimen rejection increased the turnaround time by an average of 108min. The total cost for the recollection was around $43,210 USD with an average cost around $21.9 USD. The factors associated with rejection are remediable by improved training and quality assurance measures. Policies and procedures specific to specimen collection, transportation, and preparation should be strictly followed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disturbance rejection performance analyses of closed loop control systems by reference to disturbance ratio.

PubMed

Alagoz, Baris Baykant; Deniz, Furkan Nur; Keles, Cemal; Tan, Nusret

2015-03-01

This study investigates disturbance rejection capacity of closed loop control systems by means of reference to disturbance ratio (RDR). The RDR analysis calculates the ratio of reference signal energy to disturbance signal energy at the system output and provides a quantitative evaluation of disturbance rejection performance of control systems on the bases of communication channel limitations. Essentially, RDR provides a straightforward analytical method for the comparison and improvement of implicit disturbance rejection capacity of closed loop control systems. Theoretical analyses demonstrate us that RDR of the negative feedback closed loop control systems are determined by energy spectral density of controller transfer function. In this manner, authors derived design criteria for specifications of disturbance rejection performances of PID and fractional order PID (FOPID) controller structures. RDR spectra are calculated for investigation of frequency dependence of disturbance rejection capacity and spectral RDR analyses are carried out for PID and FOPID controllers. For the validation of theoretical results, simulation examples are presented. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-objective ACO algorithms to minimise the makespan and the total rejection cost on BPMs with arbitrary job weights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Zhao-hong; Pei, Ming-li; Leung, Joseph Y.-T.

2017-12-01

In this paper, we investigate the batch-scheduling problem with rejection on parallel machines with non-identical job sizes and arbitrary job-rejected weights. If a job is rejected, the corresponding penalty has to be paid. Our objective is to minimise the makespan of the processed jobs and the total rejection cost of the rejected jobs. Based on the selected multi-objective optimisation approaches, two problems, P1 and P2, are considered. In P1, the two objectives are linearly combined into one single objective. In P2, the two objectives are simultaneously minimised and the Pareto non-dominated solution set is to be found. Based on the ant colony optimisation (ACO), two algorithms, called LACO and PACO, are proposed to address the two problems, respectively. Two different objective-oriented pheromone matrices and heuristic information are designed. Additionally, a local optimisation algorithm is adopted to improve the solution quality. Finally, simulated experiments are conducted, and the comparative results verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithms, especially on large-scale instances.

Simulation of disturbance rejection control of half-car active suspension system using active disturbance rejection control with decoupling transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasbullah, Faried; Faris, Waleed F.

2017-12-01

In recent years, Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) has become a popular control alternative due to its easy applicability and robustness to varying processes. In this article, ADRC with input decoupling transformation (ADRC-IDT) is proposed to improve ride comfort of a vehicle with an active suspension system using half-car model. The ride performance of the ADRC-IDT is evaluated and compared with decentralized ADRC control as well as the passive system. Simulation results show that both ADRC and ADRC-IDT manage to appreciably reduce body accelerations and able to cope well with varying conditions typically encountered in an active suspension system. Also, it is sufficient to control only the body motions with both active controllers to improve ride comfort while maintaining good road holding and small suspension working space.

An improved target velocity sampling algorithm for free gas elastic scattering

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

Romano, Paul K.; Walsh, Jonathan A.

We present an improved algorithm for sampling the target velocity when simulating elastic scattering in a Monte Carlo neutron transport code that correctly accounts for the energy dependence of the scattering cross section. The algorithm samples the relative velocity directly, thereby avoiding a potentially inefficient rejection step based on the ratio of cross sections. Here, we have shown that this algorithm requires only one rejection step, whereas other methods of similar accuracy require two rejection steps. The method was verified against stochastic and deterministic reference results for upscattering percentages in 238U. Simulations of a light water reactor pin cell problemmore » demonstrate that using this algorithm results in a 3% or less penalty in performance when compared with an approximate method that is used in most production Monte Carlo codes« less

An improved target velocity sampling algorithm for free gas elastic scattering

DOE PAGES

Romano, Paul K.; Walsh, Jonathan A.

2018-02-03

We present an improved algorithm for sampling the target velocity when simulating elastic scattering in a Monte Carlo neutron transport code that correctly accounts for the energy dependence of the scattering cross section. The algorithm samples the relative velocity directly, thereby avoiding a potentially inefficient rejection step based on the ratio of cross sections. Here, we have shown that this algorithm requires only one rejection step, whereas other methods of similar accuracy require two rejection steps. The method was verified against stochastic and deterministic reference results for upscattering percentages in 238U. Simulations of a light water reactor pin cell problemmore » demonstrate that using this algorithm results in a 3% or less penalty in performance when compared with an approximate method that is used in most production Monte Carlo codes« less

Navy-Marine Corps Amphibious and Maritime Prepositioning Ship Programs: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-12

up Northrop Grumman Ship Systems ( NGSS ). Table 2. FY2008-FY2013 Amphibious and MPF(F) Ship Procurement Plan (Ships fully funded in FY2006 shown for... Plan . . 13 Navy-Marine Corps Amphibious and Maritime Prepositioning Ship Programs: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress Introduction The...is whether to approve, modify, or reject the Navy’s plans for procuring amphibious and MPF(F) ships. Decisions that Congress makes on this CRS-2 1 The

Evaluative Indices Assigned to Contraceptive Methods by University Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Robert J.; Malo, Teri L.; Dodd, Virginia J.; Daley, Ellen M.; Mayer, Alyssa B.

2011-01-01

Background: Preordinate attitudes and beliefs about contraception may influence acceptance or rejection of a particular method. Purpose: We examined the attitudes about contraception methods held by undergraduate students (N=792) at two large southeastern universities in the United States. Methods: Twelve methods were rated on 40 semantic…

Suicidal Behavior in Adolescent and Young Adult Gay Men.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Stephen G.; And Others

1989-01-01

Explored relationship of homosexuality to suicidal behavior by questionnaire responses from 52 men in gay and lesbian college organizations and 56 men in homosexual rap groups. Family background of alcoholism and physical abuse, social supports perceived as rejecting homosexuality, and no religious affiliation were associated with history of…

A Discussion of Art Therapy as a Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gantt, Linda M.

1998-01-01

Examines four factors that may cause art therapists to reject the scientific method. Gives an overview of historical developments in science to provide a background for a discussion of each factor. Includes material from anthropology, psychoanalysis, and alternative health care. Offers suggestions for training art therapists in scientific…

Rejecting the Baby Doe rules and defending a "negative" analysis of the Best Interests Standard.

PubMed

Kopelman, Loretta M

2005-08-01

Two incompatible policies exist for guiding medical decisions for extremely premature, sick, or terminally ill infants, the Best Interests Standard and the newer, 20-year old "Baby Doe" Rules. The background, including why there were two sets of Baby Doe Rules, and their differences with the Best Interests Standard, are illustrated. Two defenses of the Baby Doe Rules are considered and rejected. The first, held by Reagan, Koop, and others, is a "right-to-life" defense. The second, held by some leaders of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is that the Baby Doe Rules are benign and misunderstood. The Baby Doe Rules should be rejected since they can thwart compassionate and individualized decision-making, undercut duties to minimize unnecessary suffering, and single out one group for treatment adults would not want for themselves. In these ways, they are inferior to the older Best Interests Standard. A "negative" analysis of the Best Interests Standard is articulated and defended for decision-making for all incompetent individuals.

Kerr-gated picosecond Raman spectroscopy and Raman photon migration of equine bone tissue with 400-nm excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, Michael D.; Goodship, Allen E.; Draper, Edward R. C.; Matousek, Pavel; Towrie, Michael; Parker, Anthony W.

2004-07-01

We show that Raman spectroscopy with visible lasers, even in the deep blue is possible with time-gated Raman spectroscopy. A 4 picosec time gate allows efficient fluorescence rejection, up to 1000X, and provides almost background-free Raman spectra with low incident laser power. The technology enables spectroscopy with better than 10X higher scattering efficiency than is possible with the NIR (785 nm and 830 nm) lasers that are conventionally used. Raman photon migration is shown to allow depth penetration. We show for the first time that Kerr-gated Raman spectra of bone tissue with blue laser excitation enables both fluorescence rejection and depth penetration.

Graft microvascular disease in solid organ transplantation.

PubMed

Jiang, Xinguo; Sung, Yon K; Tian, Wen; Qian, Jin; Semenza, Gregg L; Nicolls, Mark R

2014-08-01

Alloimmune inflammation damages the microvasculature of solid organ transplants during acute rejection. Although immunosuppressive drugs diminish the inflammatory response, they do not directly promote vascular repair. Repetitive microvascular injury with insufficient regeneration results in prolonged tissue hypoxia and fibrotic remodeling. While clinical studies show that a loss of the microvascular circulation precedes and may act as an initiating factor for the development of chronic rejection, preclinical studies demonstrate that improved microvascular perfusion during acute rejection delays and attenuates tissue fibrosis. Therefore, preservation of a functional microvasculature may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for preventing chronic rejection. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the role of the microvasculature in the long-term survival of transplanted solid organs. We also highlight microvessel-centered therapeutic strategies for prolonging the survival of solid organ transplants.

Automatic Censoring CFAR Detector Based on Ordered Data Difference for Low-Flying Helicopter Safety

PubMed Central

Jiang, Wen; Huang, Yulin; Yang, Jianyu

2016-01-01

Being equipped with a millimeter-wave radar allows a low-flying helicopter to sense the surroundings in real time, which significantly increases its safety. However, nonhomogeneous clutter environments, such as a multiple target situation and a clutter edge environment, can dramatically affect the radar signal detection performance. In order to improve the radar signal detection performance in nonhomogeneous clutter environments, this paper proposes a new automatic censored cell averaging CFAR detector. The proposed CFAR detector does not require any prior information about the background environment and uses the hypothesis test of the first-order difference (FOD) result of ordered data to reject the unwanted samples in the reference window. After censoring the unwanted ranked cells, the remaining samples are combined to form an estimate of the background power level, thus getting better radar signal detection performance. The simulation results show that the FOD-CFAR detector provides low loss CFAR performance in a homogeneous environment and also performs robustly in nonhomogeneous environments. Furthermore, the measured results of a low-flying helicopter validate the basic performance of the proposed method. PMID:27399714

Clinical and pathological features of kidney transplant patients with concurrent polyomavirus nephropathy and rejection-associated endarteritis

PubMed Central

McGregor, Stephanie M; Chon, W James; Kim, Lisa; Chang, Anthony; Meehan, Shane M

2015-01-01

AIM: To describe the clinicopathologic features of concurrent polyomavirus nephropathy (PVN) and endarteritis due to rejection in renal allografts. METHODS: We searched our electronic records database for cases with transplant kidney biopsies demonstrating features of both PVN and acute rejection (AR). PVN was defined by the presence of typical viral cytopathic effect on routine sections and positive polyomavirus SV40 large-T antigen immunohistochemistry. AR was identified by endarteritis (v1 by Banff criteria). All cases were subjected to chart review in order to determine clinical presentation, treatment course and outcomes. Outcomes were recorded with a length of follow-up of at least one year or time to nephrectomy. RESULTS: Of 94 renal allograft recipients who developed PVN over an 11-year period at our institution, we identified 7 (7.4%) with viral cytopathic changes, SV40 large T antigen staining, and endarteritis in the same biopsy specimen, indicative of concurrent PVN and AR. Four arose after reduction of immunosuppression (IS) (for treatment of PVN in 3 and tuberculosis in 1), and 3 patients had no decrease of IS before developing simultaneous concurrent disease. Treatment consisted of reduced oral IS and leflunomide for PVN, and anti-rejection therapy. Three of 4 patients who developed endarteritis in the setting of reduced IS lost their grafts to rejection. All 3 patients with simultaneous PVN and endarteritis cleared viremia and were stable at 1 year of follow up. Patients with endarteritis and PVN arising in a background of reduced IS had more severe rejection and poorer outcome. CONCLUSION: Concurrent PVN and endarteritis may be more frequent than is currently appreciated and may occur with or without prior reduction of IS. PMID:26722657

Naïve hosts of avian brood parasites accept foreign eggs, whereas older hosts fine-tune foreign egg discrimination during laying

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Many potential hosts of social parasites recognize and reject foreign intruders, and reduce or altogether escape the negative impacts of parasitism. The ontogenetic basis of whether and how avian hosts recognize their own and the brood parasitic eggs remains unclear. By repeatedly parasitizing the same hosts with a consistent parasitic egg type, and contrasting the responses of naïve and older breeders, we studied ontogenetic plasticity in the rejection of foreign eggs by the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a host species of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Results In response to experimental parasitism before the onset of laying, first time breeding hosts showed almost no egg ejection, compared to higher rates of ejection in older breeders. Young birds continued to accept foreign eggs when they were subjected to repeated parasitism, whereas older birds showed even higher ejection rates later in the same laying cycle. Conclusions Our results are consistent with the hypotheses that (i) naïve hosts need to see and learn the appearance of their own eggs to discriminate and reject foreign eggs, whereas (ii) experienced breeders possess a recognition template of their own eggs and reject parasitic eggs even without having to see their own eggs. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that other external cues and internal processes, accumulated simply with increasing age, may also modify age-specific patterns in egg rejection (e.g. more sightings of the cuckoo by older breeders). Future research should specifically track the potential role of learning in responses of individual hosts between first and subsequent breeding attempts by testing whether imprinting on a parasitized clutch reduces the rates of rejecting foreign eggs in subsequent parasitized clutches. PMID:25024736

Lower kidney allograft survival in African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans with lupus.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Suarez, M L; Contreras, G

2017-10-01

Background and objective African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans with lupus are the two most common minority groups who receive kidney transplants in the USA. It is unknown if African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans with lupus have similar outcomes after kidney transplantation. In this study, we assessed whether African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans have worse kidney allograft survival after risk factors of rejection and other prognostic factors were matched between both groups. Methods Out of 1816 African-Americans and 901 Hispanic-Americans with lupus, who received kidney transplants between 1987 and 2006 and had complete records in the UNOS program, 478 pairs were matched in 16 baseline predictors and follow-up time employing a predicted probability of group membership. The primary outcome was kidney allograft survival. Main secondary outcomes were rejection, allograft failure attributed to rejection, and mortality. Results Matched pairs were predominantly women (81%) with the mean age of 36 years. 96% were on dialysis before transplantation. 89% of recipients received kidneys from deceased donors and 15.5% from expanded criteria donors. 12% of recipients had zero HLA mismatch. African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans had lower cumulative allograft survival during 12-year follow-up ( p < 0.001). African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans had higher rates of rejection (10.4 vs 6.73 events/100 patients-years; p = 0.0002) and allograft failure attributed to rejection (6.31 vs 3.99; p = 0.0023). However, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans had similar mortality rates (2.71 vs 2.31; p = 0.4269). Conclusions African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans with lupus had lower kidney allograft survival when recognized risk factors of rejection were matched between groups.

Fast optically sectioned fluorescence HiLo endomicroscopy

PubMed Central

Lim, Daryl; Mertz, Jerome

2012-01-01

Abstract. We describe a nonscanning, fiber bundle endomicroscope that performs optically sectioned fluorescence imaging with fast frame rates and real-time processing. Our sectioning technique is based on HiLo imaging, wherein two widefield images are acquired under uniform and structured illumination and numerically processed to reject out-of-focus background. This work is an improvement upon an earlier demonstration of widefield optical sectioning through a flexible fiber bundle. The improved device features lateral and axial resolutions of 2.6 and 17 μm, respectively, a net frame rate of 9.5 Hz obtained by real-time image processing with a graphics processing unit (GPU) and significantly reduced motion artifacts obtained by the use of a double-shutter camera. We demonstrate the performance of our system with optically sectioned images and videos of a fluorescently labeled chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) in the developing G. gallus embryo. HiLo endomicroscopy is a candidate technique for low-cost, high-speed clinical optical biopsies. PMID:22463023

Banff schema for grading pancreas allograft rejection: working proposal by a multi-disciplinary international consensus panel.

PubMed

Drachenberg, C B; Odorico, J; Demetris, A J; Arend, L; Bajema, I M; Bruijn, J A; Cantarovich, D; Cathro, H P; Chapman, J; Dimosthenous, K; Fyfe-Kirschner, B; Gaber, L; Gaber, O; Goldberg, J; Honsová, E; Iskandar, S S; Klassen, D K; Nankivell, B; Papadimitriou, J C; Racusen, L C; Randhawa, P; Reinholt, F P; Renaudin, K; Revelo, P P; Ruiz, P; Torrealba, J R; Vazquez-Martul, E; Voska, L; Stratta, R; Bartlett, S T; Sutherland, D E R

2008-06-01

Accurate diagnosis and grading of rejection and other pathological processes are of paramount importance to guide therapeutic interventions in patients with pancreas allograft dysfunction. A multi-disciplinary panel of pathologists, surgeons and nephrologists was convened for the purpose of developing a consensus document delineating the histopathological features for diagnosis and grading of rejection in pancreas transplant biopsies. Based on the available published data and the collective experience, criteria for the diagnosis of acute cell-mediated allograft rejection (ACMR) were established. Three severity grades (I/mild, II/moderate and III/severe) were defined based on lesions known to be more or less responsive to treatment and associated with better- or worse-graft outcomes, respectively. The features of chronic rejection/graft sclerosis were reassessed, and three histological stages were established. Tentative criteria for the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection were also characterized, in anticipation of future studies that ought to provide more information on this process. Criteria for needle core biopsy adequacy and guidelines for pathology reporting were also defined. The availability of a simple, reproducible, clinically relevant and internationally accepted schema for grading rejection should improve the level of diagnostic accuracy and facilitate communication between all parties involved in the care of pancreas transplant recipients.

Trigger readout electronics upgrade for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinkespiler, B.

2017-09-01

The upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) scheduled for the 2019-2020 shut-down period, referred to as Phase-I upgrade, will increase the instantaneous luminosity to about three times the design value. Since the current ATLAS trigger system does not allow sufficient increase of the trigger rate, an improvement of the trigger system is required. The Liquid Argon (LAr) Calorimeter read-out will therefore be modified to deliver digital trigger signals with a higher spatial granularity in order to improve the identification efficiencies of electrons, photons, tau, jets and missing energy, at high background rejection rates at the Level-1 trigger. The new trigger signals will be arranged in 34000 so-called Super Cells which achieves 5-10 times better granularity than the trigger towers currently used and allows an improved background rejection. The readout of the trigger signals will process the signal of the Super Cells at every LHC bunch-crossing at 12-bit precision and a frequency of 40 MHz. The data will be transmitted to the Back End using a custom serializer and optical converter and 5.12 Gb/s optical links. In order to verify the full functionality of the future Liquid Argon trigger system, a demonstrator set-up has been installed on the ATLAS detector and is operated in parallel to the regular ATLAS data taking during the LHC Run-2 in 2015 and 2016. Noise level and linearity on the energy measurement have been verified to be within our requirements. In addition, we have collected data from 13 TeV proton collisions during the LHC 2015 and 2016 runs, and have observed real pulses from the detector through the demonstrator system. The talk will give an overview of the Phase-I Upgrade of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter readout and present the custom developed hardware including their role in real-time data processing and fast data transfer. This contribution will also report on the performance of the newly developed ASICs including their radiation tolerance and on the performance of the prototype boards in the demonstrator system based on various measurements with the 13 TeV collision data. Results of the high-speed link test with the prototypes of the final electronic boards will be also reported.

Use of [18F]FDG PET to Monitor The Development of Cardiac Allograft Rejection

PubMed Central

Daly, Kevin P.; Dearling, Jason L. J.; Seto, Tatsuichiro; Dunning, Patricia; Fahey, Frederic; Packard, Alan B.; Briscoe, David M.

2014-01-01

Background Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has the potential to be a specific, sensitive and quantitative diagnostic test for transplant rejection. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) and 13N-labeled ammonia ([13N]NH3) small animal PET imaging in a well-established murine cardiac rejection model. Methods Heterotopic transplants were performed using minor MHC mismatched B6.C-H2bm12 donor hearts in C57BL/6(H-2b) recipients. C57BL/6 donor hearts into C57BL/6 recipients served as isograft controls. [18F]FDG PET imaging was performed weekly between post-transplant days 7 and 42 and the percent injected dose was computed for each graft. [13N]NH3 imaging was performed to evaluate myocardial perfusion. Results There was a significant increase in [18F]FDG uptake in allografts from day 14 to day 21 (1.6% to 5.2%; P<0.001) and uptake in allografts was significantly increased on post-transplant days 21 (5.2% vs. 0.9%; P=0.005) and 28 (4.8% vs. 0.9%; P=0.006) compared to isograft controls. Furthermore, [18F]FDG uptake correlated with an increase in rejection within allografts between days 14 and 28 post-transplant. Finally, the uptake of [13N]NH3 was significantly lower relative to the native heart in allografts with chronic vasculopathy compared to isograft controls on day 28 (P=0.01). Conclusions PET imaging with [18F]FDG can be used following transplantation to monitor the evolution of rejection. In addition, decreased uptake of [13N]NH3 in rejecting allografts may be reflective of decreased myocardial blood flow. These data suggest that combined [18F]FDG and [13N]NH3 PET imaging could be used as a non-invasive, quantitative technique for serial monitoring of allograft rejection and has potential application in human transplant recipients. PMID:25675207

Camouflage effects of various colour-marking morphs against different microhabitat backgrounds in a polymorphic pygmy grasshopper Tetrix japonica.

PubMed

Tsurui, Kaori; Honma, Atsushi; Nishida, Takayoshi

2010-07-06

Colour-marking polymorphism is widely distributed among cryptic species. To account for the adaptive significance of such polymorphisms, several hypotheses have been proposed to date. Although these hypotheses argue over the degree of camouflage effects of marking morphs (and the interactions between morphs and their microhabitat backgrounds), as far as we know, most empirical evidence has been provided under unnatural conditions (i.e., using artificial prey). Tetrix japonica, a pygmy grasshopper, is highly polymorphic in colour-markings and occurs in both sand and grass microhabitats. Even within a microhabitat, T. japonica is highly polymorphic. Using humans as dummy predators and printed photographs in which various morphs of grasshoppers were placed against different backgrounds, we addressed three questions to test the neutral, background heterogeneity, and differential crypsis hypotheses in four marking-type morphs: 1) do the morphs differ in the degree of crypsis in each microhabitat, 2) are different morphs most cryptic in specific backgrounds of the microhabitats, and 3) does the morph frequency reflect the degree of crypsis? The degree of camouflage differed among the four morphs; therefore, the neutral hypothesis was rejected. Furthermore, the order of camouflage advantage among morphs differed depending on the two types of backgrounds (sand and grass), although the grass background consistently provided greater camouflage effects. Thus, based on our results, we could not reject the background heterogeneity hypothesis. Under field conditions, the more cryptic morphs comprised a minority of the population. Overall, our results demonstrate that the different morphs were not equivalent in the degree of crypsis, but the degree of camouflage of the morphs was not consistent with the morph frequency. These findings suggest that trade-offs exist between the camouflage benefit of body colouration and other fitness components, providing a better understanding of the adaptive significance of colour-markings and presumably supporting the differential crypsis hypothesis.

NuLat: 3D Event Reconstruction of a ROL Detector for Neutrino Detection and Background Rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokley, Zachary; NuLat Collaboration

2015-04-01

NuLat is a proposed very-short baseline reactor antineutrino experiment that employs a unique detector design, a Ragahavan Optical Lattice (ROL), developed for the LENS solar neutrino experiment. The 3D lattice provides high spatial and temporal resolution and allows for energy deposition in each voxel to be determined independently of other voxels, as well as the time sequence associated with each voxel energy deposition. This unique feature arises from two independent means to spatially locate energy deposits: via timing and via optical channeling. NuLat, the first application of a ROL detector targeting physics results, will measure the reactor antineutrino flux at very short baselines via inverse beta decay (IBD). The ROL design of NuLat makes possible the reconstruction of positron energy with little contamination due to the annihilation gammas which smear the positron energy resolution in a traditional detector. IBD events are cleanly tagged via temporal and spatial coincidence of neutron capture in the vertex voxel or nearest neighbors. This talk will present work on IBD event reconstruction in NuLat and its likely impact on sterile neutrino detection via operation in higher background locations enabled by its superior rejection of backgrounds. This research has been funded in part by the National Science Foundation on Award Numbers 1001394 and 1001078.

Mate choice and body pattern variations in the Crown Butterfly fish Chaetodon paucifasciatus (Chaetodontidae)

PubMed Central

Levy, Keren; Lerner, Amit; Shashar, Nadav

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Mate choice is an important ecological behavior in fish, and is often based on visual cues of body patterns. The Crown Butterfly fish Chaetodon paucifasciatus (Chaetodontidae) is a monogamist, territorial species; it swims in close proximity to its partner throughout most of its life. This species is characterized by a pattern of 6–8 vertical black stripes on a white background, on both sides of its body. Our aim was to define spatial features (variations) in body patterns by evaluating the level of dissimilarity between both sides of each individual fish, and the level of dissimilarity between patterns of different individuals. In addition, we tested whether the fish are attracted to or reject specific features of the body patterns. Features were defined and counted using photographs of body patterns. Attraction to or rejection of specific features were tested behaviorally using a dual-choice experiment of video animations of individuals swimming over a coral-reef background. We found that the patterns of each fish and sides of the body were no less dissimilar, compared intraspecificly to other fish, and that each side pattern was unique and distinguishable. Variations in the patterns occurred mostly in the last three posterior stripes. Individuals were mainly attracted to conspecifics with multiple crossing patterns (two or more consecutive crossings), and rejected patterns with holes. Our results suggest that in this species the unique body pattern of each fish is used for conspecific identification of mates and intruders. PMID:25432516

The Association Between Broad Antigen HLA Mismatches, Eplet HLA Mismatches and Acute Rejection After Kidney Transplantation.

PubMed

Do Nguyen, Hung Thanh; Wong, Germaine; Chapman, Jeremy R; McDonald, Stephen P; Coates, Patrick T; Watson, Narelle; Russ, Graeme R; D'Orsogna, Lloyd; Lim, Wai Hon

2016-12-01

Epitope matching, which evaluates mismatched amino acids within antigen-antibody interaction sites (eplets), may better predict acute rejection than broad antigen matching alone. We aimed to determine the association between eplet mismatches and acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients. The association between eplet mismatches, broad antigen mismatches and acute rejection was assessed using adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression. Model discrimination for acute rejection was evaluated using the area under receiver operating characteristic curves. Of the 3,499 kidney transplant recipients from 2006 to 2011, the average (SD) number of broad antigen and eplet mismatches were 3.4 (1.7) and 22.8 (12.2), respectively. Compared with 0 to 2 eplet mismatches, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for acute rejection among those with 20 or greater eplet mismatches was 2.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-3.52; P = 0.001). The adjusted area under the curve for broad antigen mismatches was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.56-0.61), similar to that for eplet mismatches (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.56-0.61; P = 0.365). In recipients who were considered as low immunological risk (0-2 broad antigen HLA-ABDR mismatch), those with 20 or greater eplet mismatches experienced an increased risk of rejection compared to those with less than 20 mismatches (adjusted HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.11-3.08; P = 0.019). Increasing number of eplet mismatches is associated with acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Consideration of eplet HLA mismatches may improve risk stratification for acute rejection in a selected group of kidney transplant candidates.

The calorimeter of the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab

DOE PAGES

Atanov, N.; Baranov, V.; Budagov, J.; ...

2017-01-23

Here, the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab looks for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) improving by 4 orders of magnitude the current experimental sensitivity for the muon to electron conversion in a muonic atom. A positive signal could not be explained in the framework of the current Standard Model of particle interactions and therefore would be a clear indication of new physics. In 3 years of data taking, Mu2e is expected to observe less than one background event mimicking the electron coming from muon conversion. Achieving such a level of background suppression requires a deep knowledge of the experimental apparatus: amore » straw tube tracker, measuring the electron momentum and time, a cosmic ray veto system rejecting most of cosmic ray background and a pure CsI crystal calorimeter, that will measure time of flight, energy and impact position of the converted electron. The calorimeter has to operate in a harsh radiation environment, in a 10 -4 Torr vacuum and inside a 1 T magnetic field. The results of the first qualification tests of the calorimeter components are reported together with the energy and time performances expected from the simulation and measured in beam tests of a small scale prototype.« less

Rejection with hemodynamic compromise in the current era of pediatric heart transplantation: a multi-institutional study.

PubMed

Everitt, Melanie D; Pahl, Elfriede; Schechtman, Kenneth B; Zheng, Jie; Ringewald, Jeremy M; L'ecuyer, Thomas; Naftel, David C; Kirklin, James K; Blume, Elizabeth D; Bullock, Emily A; Canter, Charles E

2011-03-01

Survival after pediatric heart transplant has improved over time, as has the incidence of overall rejection. We studied the effect of era on the occurrence and outcome of rejection with hemodynamic compromise (HC). Data from 2227 patients who received allografts between 1993 and 2006 at 36 centers in the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study were analyzed to determine incidence, outcome, and risk factors for rejection with HC in early (1993-1999) and recent (2000-2006) eras. Rejection with HC was classified as severe (RSHC) when inotropes were used for circulatory support and mild (RMHC) when inotropes were not used. Of 1217 patients with any episode of rejection, 541 had rejection with HC. Freedom from RMHC improved at 1 year (81% vs 90%, p < 0.001) and at 5 years (74% vs 85%, p < 0.001) in the early vs recent eras, but freedom from RSHC was similar between eras (93% vs 95% at 1 year and 85% vs 87% at 5 years, p = 0.24). Survival after RSHC (63% at 1 year and 49% at 5 years) was worse than after RMHC (87% at 1 year and 72% at 5 years, p < 0.001) and did not change over time. Risk factors for RSHC were non-white race (hazard ratio [HR], 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-2.32, p < 0.01), older age (HR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.24-6.53; p = 0.01), and non-A blood type (HR, 1.51;, 95% CI, 1.11-2.04,; p = 0.01), but the only risk factor for RMHC was earlier era of transplant (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.56-2.41; p < 0.001). The incidence of RMHC has declined over time but the same era effect has not occurred with RSHC. Close follow-up after RSHC is crucial because mortality is so high. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of phonon-mediated cryogenic particle detectors with electron and nuclear recoil discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Sae Woo

1999-10-01

Observations have shown that galaxies, including our own, are surrounded by halos of ``dark matter''. One possibility is that this may be an undiscovered form of matter, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). This thesis describes the development of silicon based cryogenic particle detectors designed to directly detect interactions with these WIMPs. These detectors are part of a new class of detectors which are able to reject background events by simultaneously measuring energy deposited into phonons versus electron hole pairs. By using the phonon sensors with the ionization sensors to compare the partitioning of energy between phonons and ionizations we can discriminate between electron recoil events (background radiation) and nuclear recoil events (dark matter events). These detectors with built-in background rejection are a major advance in background rejection over previous searches. Much of this thesis will describe work in scaling the detectors from / g prototype devices to a fully functional prototype 100g dark matter detector. In particular, many sensors were fabricated and tested to understand the behavior of our phonon sensors, Quasipartice trapping assisted Electrothermal feedback Transition edge sensors (QETs). The QET sensors utilize aluminum quasiparticle traps attached to tungsten superconducting transition edge sensors patterned on a silicon substrate. The tungsten lines are voltage biased and self-regulate in the transition region. Phonons from particle interactions within the silicon propogate to the surface where they are absorbed by the aluminum generating quasiparticles in the aluminum. The quasiparticles diffuse into the tungsten and couple energy into the tungsten electron system. Consequently, the tungsten increases in resistance and causes a current pulse which is measured with a high bandwidth SQUID system. With this advanced sensor technology, we were able to demonstrate detectors with xy position sensitivity with electron and nuclear recoil discrimination. Furthermore, early results from running the 100g detector in the Stanford Underground Facility (SUF) indicate that competitive dark matter results are achievable with the current detector design. Much of the design and testing of the experimental apparatus and instrumentation is described as well.

BAT2 and BAT3 polymorphisms as novel genetic risk factors for rejection after HLA-related SCT.

PubMed

Piras, Ignazio Stefano; Angius, Andrea; Andreani, Marco; Testi, Manuela; Lucarelli, Guido; Floris, Matteo; Marktel, Sarah; Ciceri, Fabio; La Nasa, Giorgio; Fleischhauer, Katharina; Roncarolo, Maria Grazia; Bulfone, Alessandro; Gregori, Silvia; Bacchetta, Rosa

2014-11-01

The genetic background of donor and recipient is an important factor determining the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (allo-HSCT). We applied whole-genome analysis to investigate genetic variants-other than HLA class I and II-associated with negative outcome after HLA-identical sibling allo-HSCT in a cohort of 110 β-Thalassemic patients. We identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BAT2 (A/G) and BAT3 (T/C) genes, SNP rs11538264 and SNP rs10484558, both located in the HLA class III region, in strong linkage disequilibrium between each other (R(2)=0.92). When considered as single SNP, none of them reached a significant association with graft rejection (nominal P<0.00001 for BAT2 SNP rs11538264, and P<0.0001 for BAT3 SNP rs10484558), whereas the BAT2/BAT3 A/C haplotype was present at significantly higher frequency in patients who rejected as compared to those with functional graft (30.0% vs 2.6%, nominal P=1.15 × 10(-8); and adjusted P=0.0071). The BAT2/BAT3 polymorphisms and specifically the A/C haplotype may represent a novel immunogenetic factor associated with graft rejection in patients undergoing allo-HSCT.

BAT2 and BAT3 polymorphisms as novel genetic risk factors for rejection after HLA-related stem cell transplantation

PubMed Central

Piras, Ignazio Stefano; Angius, Andrea; Andreani, Marco; Testi, Manuela; Lucarelli, Guido; Floris, Matteo; Marktel, Sarah; Ciceri, Fabio; La Nasa, Giorgio; Fleischhauer, Katharina; Roncarolo, Maria Grazia; Bulfone, Alessandro

2014-01-01

The genetic background of donor and recipient is an important factor determining the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). We applied a whole genome analysis to investigate genetic variants - other than HLA class I and II - associated with negative outcome after HLA-identical sibling allo-HSCT in a cohort of 110 β-Thalassemic patients. We identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms in BAT2 (A/G) and BAT3 (T/C) genes, SNP rs11538264 and SNP rs10484558, both located in the HLA class III region, in strong Linkage Disequilibrium between each other (R2=0.92). When considered as single SNP, none of them reached a significant association with graft rejection (nominal P < 0.00001 for BAT2 SNP rs11538264, and P < 0.0001 for BAT3 SNP rs10484558). Whereas, the BAT2/BAT3 A/C haplotype was present at significantly higher frequency in patients who rejected as compared to those with functional graft (30.0% vs. 2.6%, nominal P = 1.15×10−8; and adjusted P = 0.0071). The BAT2/BAT3 polymorphisms and specifically the A/C haplotype may represent novel immunogenetic factor associated with graft rejection in patients undergoing allo-HSCT. PMID:25111513

Active thermal control system evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petete, Patricia A.; Ames, Brian E.

1991-01-01

The 'restructured' baseline of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) has eliminated many of the growth options for the Active Thermal Control System (ATCS). Modular addition of baseline technology to increase heat rejection will be extremely difficult. The system design and the available real estate no longer accommodate this type of growth. As the station matures during its thirty years of operation, a demand of up to 165 kW of heat rejection can be expected. The baseline configuration will be able to provide 82.5 kW at Eight Manned Crew Capability (EMCC). The growth paths necessary to reach 165 kW have been identified. Doubling the heat rejection capability of SSF will require either the modification of existing radiator wings or the attachment of growth structure to the baseline truss for growth radiator wing placement. Radiator performance can be improved by enlarging the surface area or by boosting the operating temperature with a heat pump. The optimal solution will require both modifications. The addition of growth structure would permit the addition of a parallel ATCS using baseline technology. This growth system would simplify integration. The feasibility of incorporating these growth options to improve the heat rejection capacity of SSF is under evaluation.

Dual Pathways from Reactive Aggression to Depressive Symptoms in Children: Further Examination of the Failure Model.

PubMed

Evans, Spencer C; Fite, Paula J

2018-04-13

The failure model posits that peer rejection and poor academic performance are dual pathways in the association between early aggressive behavior and subsequent depressive symptoms. We examined this model using an accelerated longitudinal design while also incorporating proactive and reactive aggression and gender moderation. Children in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades (n = 912; ages 6-12; 48% female) were rated three times annually by their primary teachers on measures of proactive and reactive aggression, peer rejection, academic performance, and depressive symptoms. Using Bayesian cross-classified estimation to account for nested and planned-missing data, path models were estimated to examine whether early reactive aggression predicted subsequent peer rejection and academic performance, and whether these, in turn, predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. From 1st to 3rd grade, reactive aggression predicted peer rejection (not academic performance), proactive aggression predicted academic performance (not peer rejection), and academic performance and peer rejection both predicted depressive symptoms. From 3rd to 5th grade, however, neither peer rejection nor academic performance predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. Results were not moderated by gender. Overall, these findings provide mixed and limited support for the failure model among school-age children. Early reactive aggression may be a key risk factor for social problems, whereas proactive aggression may be linked to improved academic functioning. The "dual pathways" of peer rejection and academic performance may operate during early but not later elementary school. Limitations and implications are discussed.

When rejection sensitivity matters: regulating dependence within daily interactions with family and friends.

PubMed

Overall, Nickola C; Sibley, Chris G

2009-08-01

This diary study examined situational dependence within daily interactions with family members and close friends over a 2-week period. Experiencing low personal control (high situational dependence) when interacting with family members and friends was associated with lower perceived regard and intimacy. Participants generally regulated felt dependence by derogating and withdrawing from their interaction partner (self-protective dependence regulation) and exhibiting lower levels of positive behavior, such as expressing thoughts and feelings or trying to improve the interaction (relationship-promotive dependence regulation). Furthermore, higher rejection sensitivity (but not low self-esteem) was associated with more negative evaluations of perceived regard and intimacy, greater self-protective dependence regulation, and lower relationship-promotive dependence regulation within low control interactions. These results identify dependence as a key element of rejection risk contexts and support the situation-specific nature of rejection sensitivity.

Truth-Conditionally Inert Aspects of Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, David A.

2009-01-01

Against a background of disagreement about what sorts of things linguistic contents are, many philosophers of language share the assumption that they're cut only as finely as the conditions under which they are true. This includes many theorists who would reject the program known as "truth-conditional semantics". I argue that this point of…

[Treatment of burn wounds with dibunol liniment].

PubMed

Shalonov, P M; Dadabaev, T D; Khalilov, Kh N

1989-01-01

In 40 burned patients with the area of damage from 10 to 40% of the body surface in local treatment with dibunol against the background of active infusion-transfusion therapy, the accelerated rejection of the necrotic crust was noted, which permitted to reduce the period of preparation for autodermoplasty. The antiinflammatory effect of dibunol was established.

Longitudinal Pathways Linking Child Maltreatment, Emotion Regulation, Peer Relations, and Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jungmeen; Cicchetti, Dante

2010-01-01

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal relations among child maltreatment, emotion regulation, peer acceptance and rejection, and psychopathology. Methods: Data were collected on 215 maltreated and 206 nonmaltreated children (ages 6-12 years) from low-income families. Children were evaluated by camp counselors on emotion…

Perceptions of Parenting, Emotional Self-Efficacy, and Anxiety in Youth: Test of a Mediational Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niditch, Laura A.; Varela, R. Enrique

2012-01-01

Background: Though associations between parenting styles marked by control (e.g., prevention of autonomous experiences) or rejection (e.g., criticism, arbitrary blame, and withholding of warmth) and youth anxiety have been established in the literature, few studies have examined cognitive mediators purported to explain these associations.…

The Role of Peer Rejection in the Link between Reactive Aggression and Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fite, Paula J.; Hendrickson, Michelle; Rubens, Sonia L.; Gabrielli, Joy; Evans, Spencer

2013-01-01

Background: There is substantial evidence to suggest that aggressive behavior is associated with poor academic performance in school-aged children. However, less is known about how different subtypes of aggression are related to academic performance and what variables may account for this association. Objective: The current study examined unique…

Food Fussiness and Food Neophobia Share a Common Etiology in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andrea D.; Herle, Moritz; Fildes, Alison; Cooke, Lucy; Steinsbekk, Silje; Llewellyn, Clare H.

2017-01-01

Background: "Food fussiness" (FF) is the tendency to be highly selective about which foods one is willing to eat, and emerges in early childhood; "food neophobia" (FN) is a closely related characteristic but specifically refers to rejection of unfamiliar food. These behaviors are associated, but the extent to which their…

Social Functioning and Adjustment in Canadian-Born Children with Chinese and European Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Xinyin; Tse, Hennis Chi-Hang

2008-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric…

Alternative explanations of the cosmic microwave background: A historical and an epistemological perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ćirković, Milan M.; Perović, Slobodan

2018-05-01

We historically trace various non-conventional explanations for the origin of the cosmic microwave background and discuss their merit, while analyzing the dynamics of their rejection, as well as the relevant physical and methodological reasons for it. It turns out that there have been many such unorthodox interpretations; not only those developed in the context of theories rejecting the relativistic ("Big Bang") paradigm entirely (e.g., by Alfvén, Hoyle and Narlikar) but also those coming from the camp of original thinkers firmly entrenched in the relativistic milieu (e.g., by Rees, Ellis, Rowan-Robinson, Layzer and Hively). In fact, the orthodox interpretation has only incrementally won out against the alternatives over the course of the three decades of its multi-stage development. While on the whole, none of the alternatives to the hot Big Bang scenario is persuasive today, we discuss the epistemic ramifications of establishing orthodoxy and eliminating alternatives in science, an issue recently discussed by philosophers and historians of science for other areas of physics. Finally, we single out some plausible and possibly fruitful ideas offered by the alternatives.

Comparison of fluorescence rejection methods of baseline correction and shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhijian; Zou, Wenlong; Wu, Jianhong

2017-10-01

Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used in biochemical tests, explosive detection, food additive and environmental pollutants. However, fluorescence disturbance brings a big trouble to the applications of portable Raman spectrometer. Currently, baseline correction and shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) methods are the most prevailing fluorescence suppressing methods. In this paper, we compared the performances of baseline correction and SERDS methods, experimentally and simulatively. Through the comparison, it demonstrates that the baseline correction can get acceptable fluorescence-removed Raman spectrum if the original Raman signal has good signal-to-noise ratio, but it cannot recover the small Raman signals out of large noise background. By using SERDS method, the Raman signals, even very weak compared to fluorescence intensity and noise level, can be clearly extracted, and the fluorescence background can be completely rejected. The Raman spectrum recovered by SERDS has good signal to noise ratio. It's proved that baseline correction is more suitable for large bench-top Raman system with better quality or signal-to-noise ratio, while the SERDS method is more suitable for noisy devices, especially the portable Raman spectrometers.

Antifouling polyethersulfone hemodialysis membranes incorporated with poly (citric acid) polymerized multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Abidin, Muhammad Nidzhom Zainol; Goh, Pei Sean; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi; Othman, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan; Hasbullah, Hasrinah; Said, Noresah; Kadir, Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul; Kamal, Fatmawati; Abdullah, Mohd Sohaimi; Ng, Be Cheer

2016-11-01

Poly (citric acid)-grafted-MWCNT (PCA-g-MWCNT) was incorporated as nanofiller in polyethersulfone (PES) to produce hemodialysis mixed matrix membrane (MMM). Citric acid monohydrate was polymerized onto the surface of MWCNTs by polycondensation. Neat PES membrane and PES/MWCNTs MMMs were fabricated by dry-wet spinning technique. The membranes were characterized in terms of morphology, pure water flux (PWF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein rejection. The grafting yield of PCA onto MWCNTs was calculated as 149.2%. The decrease of contact angle from 77.56° to 56.06° for PES/PCA-g-MWCNTs membrane indicated the increase in surface hydrophilicity, which rendered positive impacts on the PWF and BSA rejection of the membrane. The PWF increased from 15.8Lm(-2)h(-1) to 95.36Lm(-2)h(-1) upon the incorporation of PCA-g-MWCNTs due to the attachment of abundant hydrophilic groups that present on the MWCNTs, which have improved the affinity of membrane towards the water molecules. For protein rejection, the PES/PCA-g-MWCNTs MMM rejected 95.2% of BSA whereas neat PES membrane demonstrated protein rejection of 90.2%. Compared to commercial PES hemodialysis membrane, the PES/PCA-g-MWCNTs MMMs showed less flux decline behavior and better PWF recovery ratio, suggesting that the membrane antifouling performance was improved. The incorporation of PCA-g-MWCNTs enhanced the separation features and antifouling capabilities of the PES membrane for hemodialysis application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Video-rate volumetric neuronal imaging using 3D targeted illumination.

PubMed

Xiao, Sheng; Tseng, Hua-An; Gritton, Howard; Han, Xue; Mertz, Jerome

2018-05-21

Fast volumetric microscopy is required to monitor large-scale neural ensembles with high spatio-temporal resolution. Widefield fluorescence microscopy can image large 2D fields of view at high resolution and speed while remaining simple and costeffective. A focal sweep add-on can further extend the capacity of widefield microscopy by enabling extended-depth-of-field (EDOF) imaging, but suffers from an inability to reject out-of-focus fluorescence background. Here, by using a digital micromirror device to target only in-focus sample features, we perform EDOF imaging with greatly enhanced contrast and signal-to-noise ratio, while reducing the light dosage delivered to the sample. Image quality is further improved by the application of a robust deconvolution algorithm. We demonstrate the advantages of our technique for in vivo calcium imaging in the mouse brain.

Investigation of an Optimum Detection Scheme for a Star-Field Mapping System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aldridge, M. D.; Credeur, L.

1970-01-01

An investigation was made to determine the optimum detection scheme for a star-field mapping system that uses coded detection resulting from starlight shining through specially arranged multiple slits of a reticle. The computer solution of equations derived from a theoretical model showed that the greatest probability of detection for a given star and background intensity occurred with the use of a single transparent slit. However, use of multiple slits improved the system's ability to reject the detection of undesirable lower intensity stars, but only by decreasing the probability of detection for lower intensity stars to be mapped. Also, it was found that the coding arrangement affected the root-mean-square star-position error and that detection is possible with error in the system's detected spin rate, though at a reduced probability.

Micromanaging alloimmunity.

PubMed

Ford, Mandy L

2016-07-01

Increasing evidence indicates that microbes have a large influence on immune function. Previous studies have linked pathogenic microorganisms with decreased allograft tolerance and subsequent rejection. In this issue of the JCI, Lei and colleagues demonstrate that commensal organisms also influence the host response to allograft transplantation. Using murine skin and cardiac transplant models, the authors demonstrate that allograft rejection is accelerated in mice with a normal microbiome compared with germ-free animals and antibiotic-treated mice. The increased graft rejection observed in conventional animals was due to enhanced T cell priming and was mediated through type I IFN. Together, these results suggest that altering a patient's microbial community prior to transplant could improve allograft acceptance.

Influence of naturally occurring dissolved organic matter, colloids, and cations on nanofiltration of pharmaceutically active and endocrine disrupting compounds.

PubMed

Sadmani, A H M Anwar; Andrews, Robert C; Bagley, David M

2014-12-01

This study examined the rejection of selected pharmaceutically active (PhAC) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) when using nanofiltration as a function of naturally occurring dissolved organic matter (DOM), colloidal particles, cations and their interactions. Lake Ontario water served as a source of natural DOM and colloidal particles. PhAC/EDC rejection experiments were conducted using raw Lake Ontario water and Lake Ontario water that was pre-treated with either ultrafiltration to remove colloidal particles, or fluidized ion exchange resins to remove DOM. Additionally, the concentration of cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Na(+)) in the raw and pre-treated water matrices was varied. While ionic PhACs and EDCs exhibited high rejections from all the water matrices examined, neutral compounds were most effectively rejected in water containing DOM and no colloids, and least effectively rejected from colloid-containing water with increased cations but no DOM. The presence of DOM significantly improved compound rejection and the increase in cation concentration significantly decreased rejection. The presence of colloids had comparatively little effect except to mitigate the impact of increased cation concentration, apparently providing some cation-buffering capacity. The sequence in which constituents are removed from waters during treatment may significantly impact PhAC and EDC removal, especially of neutral compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sleep versus wake classification from heart rate variability using computational intelligence: consideration of rejection in classification models.

PubMed

Lewicke, Aaron; Sazonov, Edward; Corwin, Michael J; Neuman, Michael; Schuckers, Stephanie

2008-01-01

Reliability of classification performance is important for many biomedical applications. A classification model which considers reliability in the development of the model such that unreliable segments are rejected would be useful, particularly, in large biomedical data sets. This approach is demonstrated in the development of a technique to reliably determine sleep and wake using only the electrocardiogram (ECG) of infants. Typically, sleep state scoring is a time consuming task in which sleep states are manually derived from many physiological signals. The method was tested with simultaneous 8-h ECG and polysomnogram (PSG) determined sleep scores from 190 infants enrolled in the collaborative home infant monitoring evaluation (CHIME) study. Learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network, multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network, and support vector machines (SVMs) are tested as the classifiers. After systematic rejection of difficult to classify segments, the models can achieve 85%-87% correct classification while rejecting only 30% of the data. This corresponds to a Kappa statistic of 0.65-0.68. With rejection, accuracy improves by about 8% over a model without rejection. Additionally, the impact of the PSG scored indeterminate state epochs is analyzed. The advantages of a reliable sleep/wake classifier based only on ECG include high accuracy, simplicity of use, and low intrusiveness. Reliability of the classification can be built directly in the model, such that unreliable segments are rejected.

Nucifer: A small electron-antineutrino detector for fundamental and safeguard studies

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

Letourneau, A.; Bui, V. M.; Cribier, M.

The Nucifer detector will be deployed in the next few months at the Osiris research reactor in France. Nucifer is a 1-ton Gd-doped liquid scintillator detector devoted to reactor antineutrino studies. It will be installed 7 m away from the compact core of the Osiris reactor. The design of such small volume detector has been focused on high detection efficiency and good background rejection. Over the last decades, our understanding of the neutrino properties has been improved and allows today the possibility to apply the detection of antineutrinos to automatic and to non intrusively survey nuclear power plant. This hasmore » triggered the interest of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is interested by developing new safeguard techniques for next generation reactors. The sensitivity of such technique has to be proved and demonstrated. On the other hand there is still some issues in our understanding of the neutrino properties as the observed deficit in the antineutrino rate at short distances (< 100 m) that can not be explained by oscillations in the 3-flavors neutrino model. If a global systematic error is rejected, such anomaly opens the door to new physic that can be assessed with small detectors placed close to the core. Here we review the Nucifer detector in this context and the tests we are performing. (authors)« less

Social Involvement of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Elementary School Classrooms

PubMed Central

Rotheram-Fuller, Erin; Kasari, Connie; Chamberlain, Brandt; Locke, Jill

2010-01-01

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly included in general education classrooms in an effort to improve their social involvement. Methods Seventy-nine children with ASD and 79 randomly-selected, gender-matched peers (88.6% male) in 75 early (K-1), middle (2nd–3rd), and late (4th–5th) elementary classrooms across 30 schools completed social network surveys examining each child’s reciprocal friendships, peer rejection, acceptance, and social involvement. Results Across grade levels, peers less frequently reciprocated friendships with children with ASD than students in the matched sample. While children with ASD were not more likely to be rejected by peers, they were less accepted and had fewer reciprocal friendships than matched peers at each grade level. Although 48.1% of children with ASD were involved in the social networks of their classrooms, children with ASD were more likely to be isolated or peripheral to social relationships within the classroom across all grade levels, and this difference is even more dramatic in later elementary grades. Conclusions In inclusive classrooms, children with ASD are only involved in peers’ social relationships about half of the time, and appear to be even less connected with increasing grade level. Promoting children with ASD’s skills in popular activities to share with peers in early childhood may be a key preventive intervention to protect social relationships in late elementary school grades. PMID:20673234

Phase-Noise and Amplitude-Noise Measurement of Low-Power Signals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubiola, Enrico; Salik, Ertan; Yu, Nan; Maleki, Lute

2004-01-01

Measuring the phase fluctuation between a pair of low-power microwave signals, the signals must be amplified before detection. In such cases the phase noise of the amplifier pair is the main cause of 1/f background noise of the instrument. this article proposes a scheme that makes amplification possible while rejecting the close in 1/f (flicker) noise of the two amplifiers. Noise rejection, which relies upon the understanding of the amplifier noise mechanism does not require averaging. Therefore, our scheme can also be the detector of a closed loop noise reduction system. the first prototype, compared to a traditional saturated mixer system under the same condition, show a 24 dB noise reduction of the 1/f region.

A directional microphone array for acoustic studies of wind tunnel models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderman, P. T.; Noble, S. C.

1974-01-01

An end-fire microphone array that utilizes a digital time delay system has been designed and evaluated for measuring noise in wind tunnels. The directional response of both a four- and eight-element linear array of microphones has enabled substantial rejection of background noise and reverberations in the NASA Ames 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel. In addition, it is estimated that four- and eight-element arrays reject 6 and 9 dB, respectively, of microphone wind noise, as compared with a conventional omnidirectional microphone with nose cone. Array response to two types of jet engine models in the wind tunnel is presented. Comparisons of array response to loudspeakers in the wind tunnel and in free field are made.

The Pittsburgh Randomized Trial of Tacrolimus Compared to Cyclosporine for Hepatic Transplantation

PubMed Central

Fung, John J.; Eliasziw, Michael; Todo, Satoru; Jain, Ashok; Demetris, Anthony J.; McMichael, John P.; Starzl, Thomas E.; Meier, Paul; Donner, Allan

2009-01-01

Background Tacrolimus (formerly FK 506) was first used clinically in 1989 to successfully replace cyclosporine in hepatic transplant recipients who were experiencing intractable rejection or as the baseline drug from the time of operation. After extensive pilot experience, an institutional review board-mandated clinical trial comparing cyclosporine with tacrolimus was performed. Study Design From February 16, 1990 to December 26, 1991, 154 patients were recruited. The competing drugs were combined with equal induction doses of prednisone in both arms of the study for the first 81 patients and with subsequently higher doses of prednisone in the remaining 35 patients who received cyclosporine and were entered into the trial. Drug crossover was permitted for lack of efficacy or adverse events. End points were rejection confirmed by biopsy and treatment failure leading to retransplantation or death. Results Seventy-nine patients were randomized to the tacrolimus arm and 75 to the cyclosporine arm during 1990 and 1991. All patients were available for follow-up throughout the trial, which terminated on May 30, 1995. The mean duration of follow-up was four years. Patients randomized to the tacrolimus arm were less likely to experience acute rejection than were those receiving cyclosporine, with 36.2 percent of the patients receiving tacrolimus and 16.8 percent of the patients receiving cyclosporine showing freedom from rejection at one year (p=0.003, likelihood ratio test). Survival of patients over the course of the study was virtually the same in the two groups. Conclusions Tacrolimus was more effective than cyclosporine in preventing acute rejection. PMID:8696542

Preliminary Trade Study of Phase Change Heat Sinks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly; Leimkeuhler, Thomas; Quinn, Gregory; Golliher, Eric

2006-01-01

For short durations, phase change based heat rejection systems are a very effective way of removing heat from spacecraft. Future NASA vehicles, such as the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), will require non-radiative heat rejection systems during at least a portion of the planned mission, just as their predecessors have. While existing technologies are available to modify, such as Apollo era sublimators, or the Space Shuttle Flash Evaporator System (FES), several new technologies are under development or investigation to progress beyond these existing heat rejection systems. Examples include the Multi-Fluid Evaporator developed by Hamilton Sundstrand, improvements upon the Contaminant Insensitive Sublimator originally developed for the X-38 program, and a Compact Flash Evaporator System (CFES). Other possibilities evaluate new ways of operating existing designs. The new developments are targeted at increasing operating life, expanding the environments in which the system can operate, improving the mass and volume characteristics, or some combination of these or other improvements. This paper captures the process and results of a preliminary trade study performed at Johnson Space Center to compare the various existing and proposed phase change based heat rejection systems for the CEV. Because the new systems are still in development, and the information on existing systems is extrapolation, this trade study is not meant to suggest a final decision for future vehicles. The results of this early trade study are targeted to aid the development efforts for the new technologies by identifying issues that could reduce the chances of selection for the CEV.

Dual-view inverted selective plane illumination microscopy (diSPIM) with improved background rejection for accurate 3D digital pathology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Bihe; Bolus, Daniel; Brown, J. Quincy

2018-02-01

Current gold-standard histopathology for cancerous biopsies is destructive, time consuming, and limited to 2D slices, which do not faithfully represent true 3D tumor micro-morphology. Light sheet microscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for 3D imaging of cancer biospecimens. Here, we utilize the versatile dual-view inverted selective plane illumination microscopy (diSPIM) to render digital histological images of cancer biopsies. Dual-view architecture enabled more isotropic resolution in X, Y, and Z; and different imaging modes, such as adding electronic confocal slit detection (eCSD) or structured illumination (SI), can be used to improve degraded image quality caused by background signal of large, scattering samples. To obtain traditional H&E-like images, we used DRAQ5 and eosin (D&E) staining, with 488nm and 647nm laser illumination, and multi-band filter sets. Here, phantom beads and a D&E stained buccal cell sample have been used to verify our dual-view method. We also show that via dual view imaging and deconvolution, more isotropic resolution has been achieved for optical cleared human prostate sample, providing more accurate quantitation of 3D tumor architecture than was possible with single-view SPIM methods. We demonstrate that the optimized diSPIM delivers more precise analysis of 3D cancer microarchitecture in human prostate biopsy than simpler light sheet microscopy arrangements.

Disappearance of T Cell-Mediated Rejection Despite Continued Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Late Kidney Transplant Recipients

PubMed Central

Chang, Jessica; Famulski, Konrad; Hidalgo, Luis G.; Salazar, Israel D.R.; Merino Lopez, Maribel; Matas, Arthur; Picton, Michael; de Freitas, Declan; Bromberg, Jonathan; Serón, Daniel; Sellarés, Joana; Einecke, Gunilla; Reeve, Jeff

2015-01-01

The prevalent renal transplant population presents an opportunity to observe the adaptive changes in the alloimmune response over time, but such studies have been limited by uncertainties in the conventional biopsy diagnosis of T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) and antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR). To circumvent these limitations, we used microarrays and conventional methods to investigate rejection in 703 unselected biopsies taken 3 days to 35 years post-transplant from North American and European centers. Using conventional methods, we diagnosed rejection in 205 biopsy specimens (28%): 67 pure TCMR, 110 pure ABMR, and 28 mixed (89 designated borderline). Using microarrays, we diagnosed rejection in 228 biopsy specimens (32%): 76 pure TCMR, 124 pure ABMR, and 28 mixed (no borderline). Molecular assessment confirmed most conventional diagnoses (agreement was 90% for TCMR and 83% for ABMR) but revealed some errors, particularly in mixed rejection, and improved prediction of failure. ABMR was strongly associated with increased graft loss, but TCMR was not. ABMR became common in biopsy specimens obtained >1 year post-transplant and continued to appear in all subsequent intervals. TCMR was common early but progressively disappeared over time. In 108 biopsy specimens obtained 10.2–35 years post-transplant, TCMR defined by molecular and conventional features was never observed. We conclude that the main cause of kidney transplant failure is ABMR, which can present even decades after transplantation. In contrast, TCMR disappears by 10 years post-transplant, implying that a state of partial adaptive tolerance emerges over time in the kidney transplant population. PMID:25377077

Batting 300 is Good: Perspectives of Faculty Researchers and their Mentors on Rejection, Resilience, and Persistence in Academic Medical Careers

PubMed Central

DeCastro, Rochelle; Sambuco, Dana; Ubel, Peter A.; Stewart, Abigail; Jagsi, Reshma

2013-01-01

Purpose Professional rejection is a frequent experience in an academic medical career. The authors sought to understand how rejection affects those pursuing such careers and why some individuals may be more resilient than others in a population of individuals with demonstrated ability and interest in research careers. Method Between February 2010 and August 2011, the authors conducted semi-structured, in-depth telephone interviews with 100 former recipients of National Institutes of Health mentored career development awards and 28 of their mentors. Purposive sampling ensured a diverse range of viewpoints. Multiple analysts thematically coded verbatim transcripts using qualitative data analysis software. Results Participants described a variety of experiences with criticism and rejection in their careers, as well as an acute need for persistence and resilience in the face of such challenges. Through their narratives, participants also vividly described a range of emotional and behavioral responses to their experiences of professional rejection. Their responses illuminated the important roles that various factors, including mentoring and gender, play in shaping the ultimate influence of rejection on their own careers and on the careers of those they have mentored. Conclusions Responses to rejection vary considerably, and negative responses can lead promising individuals to abandon careers in academic medicine. Resilience does not, however, appear to be immutable—it can be learned. Given the frequency of experiences with rejection in academic medicine, strategies such as training mentors to foster resilience may be particularly helpful in improving faculty retention in academic medicine. PMID:23425991

Double-differential recording and AGC using microcontrolled variable gain ASIC.

PubMed

Rieger, Robert; Deng, Shin-Liang

2013-01-01

Low-power wearable recording of biopotentials requires acquisition front-ends with high common-mode rejection for interference suppression and adjustable gain to provide an optimum signal range to a cascading analogue-to-digital stage. A microcontroller operated double-differential (DD) recording setup and automatic gain control circuit (AGC) are discussed which reject common-mode interference and provide tunable gain, thus compensating for imbalance and variation in electrode interface impedance. Custom-designed variable gain amplifiers (ASIC) are used as part of the recording setup. The circuit gain and balance is set by the timing of microcontroller generated clock signals. Measured results are presented which confirm that improved common-mode rejection is achieved compared to a single differential amplifier in the presence of input network imbalance. Practical measured examples further validate gain control suitable for biopotential recording and power-line rejection for wearable ECG and EMG recording. The prototype front-end consumes 318 μW including amplifiers and microcontroller.

Automated vehicle detection in forward-looking infrared imagery.

PubMed

Der, Sandor; Chan, Alex; Nasrabadi, Nasser; Kwon, Heesung

2004-01-10

We describe an algorithm for the detection and clutter rejection of military vehicles in forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery. The detection algorithm is designed to be a prescreener that selects regions for further analysis and uses a spatial anomaly approach that looks for target-sized regions of the image that differ in texture, brightness, edge strength, or other spatial characteristics. The features are linearly combined to form a confidence image that is thresholded to find likely target locations. The clutter rejection portion uses target-specific information extracted from training samples to reduce the false alarms of the detector. The outputs of the clutter rejecter and detector are combined by a higher-level evidence integrator to improve performance over simple concatenation of the detector and clutter rejecter. The algorithm has been applied to a large number of FLIR imagery sets, and some of these results are presented here.

Bioremediation of reject water from anaerobically digested waste water sludge with macroalgae (Ulva lactuca, Chlorophyta).

PubMed

Sode, Sidsel; Bruhn, Annette; Balsby, Thorsten J S; Larsen, Martin Mørk; Gotfredsen, Annemarie; Rasmussen, Michael Bo

2013-10-01

Phosphorus and biologically active nitrogen are valuable nutrient resources. Bioremediation with macroalgae is a potential means for recovering nutrients from waste streams. In this study, reject water from anaerobically digested sewage sludge was successfully tested as nutrient source for cultivation of the green macroalgae Ulva lactuca. Maximal growth rates of 54.57±2.16% FW d(-1) were achieved at reject water concentrations equivalent to 50 μM NH4(+). Based on the results, the growth and nutrient removal was parameterised as function of NH4(+) concentration a tool for optimisation of any similar phycoremediation system. Maximal nutrient removal rates of 22.7 mg N g DW(-1) d(-1) and 2.7 mg P g DW(-1) d(-1) were achieved at reject water concentrations equivalent to 80 and 89 μM NH4(+), respectively. A combined and integrated use of the produced biomass in a biorefinery is thought to improve the feasibility of using Ulva for bioremediation of reject water. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Immune Isolation of Allogeneic Mouse Pancreatic Progenitor Cells by a Macroencapsulation Device

PubMed Central

Faleo, Gaetano; Lee, Karim; Nguyen, Vinh; Tang, Qizhi

2016-01-01

Background Embryonic-stem-cell (ESC)-derived islets hold the promise of providing a renewable source of tissue for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. Encapsulation may allow ESC-derived islets to be transplanted without immunosuppression, thus enabling wider application of this therapy. Methods In this study, we investigated the immunogenicity of mouse pancreatic progenitor cells and efficacy of a new macroencapsulation device in protecting these cells against alloimmune and autoimmune responses in mouse models. Results Mouse pancreatic progenitor cells activated the indirect but not the direct pathway of alloimmune response and were promptly rejected in immune competent hosts. The new macroencapsulation device abolished T cell activation induced by allogeneic splenocytes and protected allogeneic MIN6 β cells and pancreatic progenitors from rejection even in pre-sensitized recipients. In addition, the device was effective in protecting MIN6 cells in spontaneously diabetic non-obese diabetic recipients against both alloimmune and recurring autoimmune responses. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that macroencapsulation can effectively prevent immune sensing and rejection of allogeneic pancreatic progenitor cells in fully sensitized and autoimmune hosts. PMID:26982952

Use of Electrodeposition for Sample Preparation and Rejection Rate Prediction for Assay of Electroformed Ultra High Purity Copper for 232Th and 238U Prior to Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS)

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

Hoppe, Eric W.; Aalseth, Craig E.; Brodzinski, Ronald L.

The search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 76Ge has driven the need for ultra-low background Ge detectors shielded by electroformed copper of ultra-high radiopurity (<0.1µBq/kg). Although electrodeposition processes are almost sophisticated enough to produce copper of this purity, to date there are no methods sensitive enough to assay it. Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) can detect thorium and uranium at femtogram levels, but in the past, this assay has been hindered by high copper concentrations in the sample. Electrodeposition of copper samples removes copper from the solution while selectively concentrating thorium and uranium contaminants to be assayed by ICP/MS.more » Spiking 232Th and 238U into the plating bath simulates low purity copper and allows for the calculation of the electrochemical rejection rate of thorium and uranium in the electroplating system. This rejection value will help to model plating bath chemistry.« less

Victimisation and Suicide Ideation in the TRAILS Study: Specific Vulnerabilities of Victims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herba, Catherine M.; Ferdinand, Robert F.; Stijnen, Theo; Veenstra, Rene; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C.

2008-01-01

Background: Scientific studies have provided some support for a link between being a victim of bullying and suicide ideation. We examine whether (1) parental psychopathology and (2) feelings of rejection (at home and at school) exacerbate vulnerability to suicide ideation in victims of bullying (pure victims and bully-victims). Method: Data were…

How to Take over a Journal without Trying: "Annals of Science", 1974

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grattan-Guinness, I.

2010-01-01

The author became an editor of the senior British journal "Annals of Science" in 1974, under rather strange circumstances and with no prior warning. In this article, the author describes the circumstances and their background. As the history of science developed and broadened in the 1960s the journal seemed never to reject anything; the…

Immediate and Short-Term Outcomes of the "COPEing with Toddler Behaviour" Parent Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niccols, Alison

2009-01-01

Background: Controlling, uninvolved, and rejecting parenting in early childhood are strong predictors of later disruptive behavior disorders. However, there have been no evaluations of non-targeted groups for parents of very young children, despite their potential advantages. Methods: We randomly assigned 79 mothers of 12- to 36-month-olds to an…

Disturbance observer based pitch control of wind turbines for disturbance rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Yuan; Chen, Xu; Tang, Jiong

2016-04-01

In this research, a disturbance observer based (DOB) control scheme is illustrated to reject the unknown low frequency disturbances to wind turbines. Specifically, we aim at maintaining the constant output power but achieving better generator speed regulation when the wind turbine is operated at time-varying and turbulent wind field. The disturbance observer combined with a filter is designed to asymptotically reject the persistent unknown time-varying disturbances. The proposed algorithm is tested in both linearized and nonlinear NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine. The application of this DOB pitch controller achieves improved power and speed regulation in Region 3 compared with a baseline gain scheduling PID collective controller both in linearized and nonlinear plant.

Resilience and rejection sensitivity mediate long-term outcomes of parental divorce.

PubMed

Schaan, Violetta K; Vögele, Claus

2016-11-01

Increasing divorce rates leave more and more children to deal with the separation of their parents. Recent research suggests that children of divorced parents more often experience psychological and physical symptoms than children of non-divorced parents. The processes that mediate the relationship between parental divorce and ill-health, however, are still elusive. This study investigated the mediating role of psychological factors such as resilience and rejection sensitivity on the long-term consequences of parental divorce in young adults. One hundred and ninety-nine participants (mean age 22.3 years) completed an online survey, including measures of mental health, childhood trauma, resilience, and rejection sensitivity. Participants with divorced parents (33 %) reported increased levels of psychological symptoms, childhood trauma, rejection sensitivity, and lower levels of resilience. The association between parental divorce and mental health was fully mediated by resilience, rejection sensitivity, and childhood trauma. The mediation model explained up to 44 % of the total variance in mental health symptoms. Resilience and rejection sensitivity are crucial factors for successful coping with the experience of parental separation. Prevention programs that help to boost children's resilience might help to reduce the long-term effects of parental divorce on their attachment style (e.g., rejection sensitivity), thereby improving their mental health on the long run. Furthermore, the results call for parental awareness and counseling to target and reduce the observed increased level of childhood trauma. Limitations concern the cross-sectional and retrospective design of the study.

Making the First Cut: An Analysis of Academic Medicine Editors' Reasons for Not Sending Manuscripts Out for External Peer Review.

PubMed

Meyer, Holly S; Durning, Steven J; Sklar, David P; Maggio, Lauren A

2018-03-01

Manuscripts submitted to Academic Medicine (AM) undergo an internal editor review to determine whether they will be sent for external peer review. Increasingly, manuscripts are rejected at this early stage. This study seeks to inform scholars about common reasons for internal editor review rejections, increase transparency of the process, and provide suggestions for improving submissions. A mixed-methods approach was used to retrospectively analyze editors' free-text comments. Descriptive content analysis was performed of editors' comments for 369 manuscripts submitted between December 2014 and December 2015, and rejected prior to external peer review from AM. Comments were analyzed, categorized, and counted for explicit reasons for rejection. Nine categories of rejection reasons were identified: ineffective study question and/or design (338; 92%); suboptimal data collection process (180; 49%); weak discussion and/or conclusions (139; 37%); unimportant or irrelevant topic to the journal's mission (137; 37%); weak data analysis and/or presentation of results (120; 33%); text difficult to follow, to understand (89; 24%); inadequate or incomplete introduction (67; 18%); other publishing considerations (42; 11%); and issues with scientific conduct (20; 5%). Manuscripts had, on average, three or more reasons for rejection. Findings suggest that clear identification of a research question that is addressed by a well-designed study methodology on a topic aligned with the mission of the journal would address many of the problems that lead to rejection through the internal review process. The findings also align with research on external peer review.

Relationship between attention deficit hyperactive disorder symptoms and perceived parenting practices of school-age children.

PubMed

Kim, Dong Hee; Yoo, Il Young

2013-04-01

To examine the relationship between the perception on parenting practices and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in school-age children. Psychosocial attention deficit hyperactivity disorder intervention approaches emphasise environmental risk factors at the individual, family and community level. Parenting variables are strongly related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. The participants were 747 children and their parents in two elementary schools. The instruments used were Korean Conners Abbreviated Parent Questionnaire and Korean version Maternal Behavior Research Instrument (measuring four dimensions of parenting practices: affection, autonomy, rejection, control). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed. The rejective parenting practice was statistically significant in logistic regression controlling gender and age of children, family structure, maternal education level and socio-economic status. The rejection parenting is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children (OR=1.356). These results suggest the importance of specific parenting educational programmes for parents to prevent and decrease attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. It would be more effective rather than focusing only on the child's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, developing educational programmes for parents to prevent rejection parenting practice and improve parenting skills in the family system. When developing a treatment programme for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, healthcare providers should consider not only the child's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, but also the parenting practices. Comprehensive interventions designed to prevent rejection and improve parenting skills may be helpful in mitigating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Toward Joint Hypothesis-Tests Seismic Event Screening Analysis: Ms|mb and Event Depth

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

Anderson, Dale; Selby, Neil

2012-08-14

Well established theory can be used to combine single-phenomenology hypothesis tests into a multi-phenomenology event screening hypothesis test (Fisher's and Tippett's tests). Commonly used standard error in Ms:mb event screening hypothesis test is not fully consistent with physical basis. Improved standard error - Better agreement with physical basis, and correctly partitions error to include Model Error as a component of variance, correctly reduces station noise variance through network averaging. For 2009 DPRK test - Commonly used standard error 'rejects' H0 even with better scaling slope ({beta} = 1, Selby et al.), improved standard error 'fails to rejects' H0.

The role of egg-nest contrast in the rejection of brood parasitic eggs.

PubMed

Aidala, Zachary; Croston, Rebecca; Schwartz, Jessica; Tong, Lainga; Hauber, Mark E

2015-04-15

Hosts of avian brood parasites can avoid the reproductive costs of raising genetically unrelated offspring by rejecting parasitic eggs. The perceptual cues and controls mediating parasitic egg discrimination and ejection are well studied: hosts are thought to use differences in egg color, brightness, maculation, size and shape to discriminate between their own and foreign eggs. Most theories of brood parasitism implicitly assume that the primary criteria to which hosts attend when discriminating eggs are differences between the eggs themselves. However, this assumption is confounded by the degree to which chromatic and achromatic characteristics of the nest lining co-vary with egg coloration, so that egg-nest contrast per se might be the recognition cue driving parasitic egg detection. Here, we systematically tested whether and how egg-nest contrast itself contributes to foreign egg discrimination. In an artificial parasitism experiment, we independently manipulated egg color and nest lining color of the egg-ejector American robin (Turdus migratorius), a host of the obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). We hypothesized that the degree of contrast between foreign eggs and the nest background would affect host egg rejection behavior. We predicted that experimentally decreasing egg-nest chromatic and achromatic contrast (i.e. rendering parasitic eggs more cryptic against the nest lining) would decrease rejection rates, while increasing egg-nest contrast would increase rejection rates. In contrast to our predictions, egg-nest contrast was not a significant predictor of egg ejection patterns. Instead, egg color significantly predicted responses to parasitism. We conclude that egg-egg differences are the primary drivers of egg rejection in this system. Future studies should test for the effects of egg-nest contrast per se in predicting parasitic egg recognition in other host-parasite systems, including those hosts building enclosed nests and those parasites laying cryptic eggs, as an alternative to hypothesized effects of egg-egg contrast. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Discovery of localized TeV gamma-ray sources and diffuse TeV gamma-ray emission from the galactic plane with Milagro using a new background rejection technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdo, Aws Ahmad

2007-08-01

Very high energy gamma-rays can be used to probe some of the most powerful astrophysical objects in the universe, such as active galactic nuclei, supernova remnants and pulsar-powered nebulae. The diffuse gamma radiation arising from the interaction of cosmic-ray particles with matter and radiation in the Galaxy is one of the few probes available to study the origin of cosmic- rays. Milagro is a water Cherenkov detector that continuously views the entire overhead sky. The large field-of-view combined with the long observation time makes Milagro the most sensitive instrument available for the study of large, low surface brightness sources such as the diffuse gamma radiation arising from interactions of cosmic radiation with interstellar matter. In this thesis I present a new background rejection technique for the Milagro detector through the development of a new gamma hadron separation variable. The Abdo variable, A 4 , coupled with the weighting analysis technique significantly improves the sensitivity of the Milagro detector. This new analysis technique resulted in the first discoveries in Milagro. Four localized sources of TeV gamma-ray emission have been discovered, three of which are in the Cygnus region of the Galaxy and one closer to the Galactic center. In addition to these localized sources, a diffuse emission of TeV gamma-rays has been discovered from the Cygnus region of the Galaxy as well. However, the TeV gamma-ray flux as measured at ~12 TeV from the Cygnus region exceeds that predicted from a conventional model of cosmic-ray production and propagation. This observation indicates the existence of either hard-spectrum cosmic-ray sources and/or other sources of TeV gamma rays in the region. Other TeV gamma-ray source candidates with post-trial statistical significances of > 4s have also been observed in the Galactic plane.

Alphas and surface backgrounds in liquid argon dark matter detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanford, Christopher J.

Current observations from astrophysics indicate the presence of dark matter, an invisible form of matter that makes up a large part of the mass of the universe. One of the leading theories for dark matter is that it is made up of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). One of the ways we try to discover WIMPs is by directly detecting their interaction with regular matter. This can be done using a scintillator such as liquid argon, which gives off light when a particle interacts with it. Liquid argon (LAr) is a favorable means of detecting WIMPs because it has an inherent property that enables a technique called pulse-shape discrimination (PSD). PSD can distinguish a WIMP signal from the constant background of electromagnetic signals from other sources, like gamma rays. However, there are other background signals that PSD is not as capable of rejecting, such as those caused by alpha decays on the interior surfaces of the detector. Radioactive elements that undergo alpha decay are introduced to detector surfaces during construction by radon gas that is naturally present in the air, as well as other means. When these surface isotopes undergo alpha decay, they can produce WIMP-like signals in the detector. We present here two LAr experiments. The first (RaDOSE) discovered a property of an organic compound that led to a technique for rejecting surface alpha decays in LAr detectors with high efficiency. The second (DarkSide-50) is a dark matter experiment operated at LNGS in Italy and is the work of an international collaboration. A detailed look is given into alpha decays and surface backgrounds present in the detector, and projections are made of alpha-related backgrounds for 500 live days of data. The technique developed with RaDOSE is applied to DarkSide-50 to determine its effectiveness in practice. It is projected to suppress the surface background in DarkSide-50 by more than a factor of 1000.

Cnidarian phylogenetic relationships as revealed by mitogenomics

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, hydroids, jellyfish) is a phylum of relatively simple aquatic animals characterized by the presence of the cnidocyst: a cell containing a giant capsular organelle with an eversible tubule (cnida). Species within Cnidaria have life cycles that involve one or both of the two distinct body forms, a typically benthic polyp, which may or may not be colonial, and a typically pelagic mostly solitary medusa. The currently accepted taxonomic scheme subdivides Cnidaria into two main assemblages: Anthozoa (Hexacorallia + Octocorallia) – cnidarians with a reproductive polyp and the absence of a medusa stage – and Medusozoa (Cubozoa, Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Staurozoa) – cnidarians that usually possess a reproductive medusa stage. Hypothesized relationships among these taxa greatly impact interpretations of cnidarian character evolution. Results We expanded the sampling of cnidarian mitochondrial genomes, particularly from Medusozoa, to reevaluate phylogenetic relationships within Cnidaria. Our phylogenetic analyses based on a mitochogenomic dataset support many prior hypotheses, including monophyly of Hexacorallia, Octocorallia, Medusozoa, Cubozoa, Staurozoa, Hydrozoa, Carybdeida, Chirodropida, and Hydroidolina, but reject the monophyly of Anthozoa, indicating that the Octocorallia + Medusozoa relationship is not the result of sampling bias, as proposed earlier. Further, our analyses contradict Scyphozoa [Discomedusae + Coronatae], Acraspeda [Cubozoa + Scyphozoa], as well as the hypothesis that Staurozoa is the sister group to all the other medusozoans. Conclusions Cnidarian mitochondrial genomic data contain phylogenetic signal informative for understanding the evolutionary history of this phylum. Mitogenome-based phylogenies, which reject the monophyly of Anthozoa, provide further evidence for the polyp-first hypothesis. By rejecting the traditional Acraspeda and Scyphozoa hypotheses, these analyses suggest that the shared morphological characters in these groups are plesiomorphies, originated in the branch leading to Medusozoa. The expansion of mitogenomic data along with improvements in phylogenetic inference methods and use of additional nuclear markers will further enhance our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and character evolution within Cnidaria. PMID:23302374

Development of CANDLES low background HPGe detector and half-life measurement of 180Tam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, W. M.; Kishimoto, T.; Umehara, S.; Matsuoka, K.; Suzuki, K.; Yoshida, S.; Nakajima, K.; Iida, T.; Fushimi, K.; Nomachi, M.; Ogawa, I.; Tamagawa, Y.; Hazama, R.; Takemoto, Y.; Nakatani, N.; Takihira, Y.; Tozawa, M.; Kakubata, H.; Trang, V. T. T.; Ohata, T.; Tetsuno, K.; Maeda, T.; Khai, B. T.; Li, X. L.; Batpurev, T.

2018-01-01

A low background HPGe detector system was developed at CANDLES Experimental Hall for multipurpose use. Various low background techniques were employed, including hermatic shield design, radon gas suppression, and background reduction analysis. A new pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method was specially created for coaxial Ge detector. Using this PSD method, microphonics noise and background event at low energy region less than 200 keV can be rejected effectively. Monte Carlo simulation by GEANT4 was performed to acquire the detection efficiency and study the interaction of gamma-rays with detector system. For rare decay measurement, the detector was utilized to detect the nature's most stable isomer tantalum-180m (180Tam) decay. Two phases of tantalum physics run were completed with total livetime of 358.2 days, which Phase II has upgraded shield configuration. The world most stringent half-life limit of 180Tam has been successfully achieved.

Correlation of IMPDH1 gene polymorphisms with subclinical acute rejection and mycophenolic acid exposure parameters on day 28 after renal transplantation.

PubMed

Kagaya, Hideaki; Miura, Masatomo; Saito, Mitsuru; Habuchi, Tomonori; Satoh, Shigeru

2010-08-01

The risk of acute rejection in patients with higher exposure to mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active metabolite of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), might be due to inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) polymorphisms. The correlations with subclinical acute rejection, IMPDH1 polymorphisms and MPA exposure on day 28 post-transplantation were investigated in 82 Japanese recipients. Renal transplant recipients were given combination immunosuppressive therapy consisting of tacrolimus and 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 g/day of MMF in equally divided doses every 12 hr at designated times. There were no significant differences in the incidence of subclinical acute rejection between IMPDH1 rs2278293 or rs2278294 polymorphisms (p = 0.243 and 0.735, respectively). However, in the high MPA night-time exposure range (AUC > 60 microg x h/ml and C(0 )> or = 1.9 microg/ml), there was a significant difference in the incidence of subclinical acute rejection between IMPDH1 rs2278293 A/A, A/G and G/G genotypes (each p = 0.019), but not the IMPDH1 rs2278294 genotype. In the higher daytime MPA exposure range, patients with the IMPDH1 rs2278293 G/G genotype also tended to develop subclinical acute rejection. In patients with the IMPDH rs2278293 A/A genotype, the risk of subclinical acute rejection episode tends to be low and the administration of MMF was effective. The risk of subclinical acute rejection for recipients who cannot adapt in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of MPA seems to be influenced by IMPDH1 rs2278293 polymorphism. The prospective analysis of IMPDH1 rs2278293 polymorphism as well as monitoring of MPA plasma concentration after transplantation might help to improve MMF therapy.

Dried blood spot specimen quality and validation of a new pre-analytical processing method for qualitative HIV-1 PCR, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

PubMed

Govender, Kerusha; Parboosing, Raveen; Siyaca, Ntombizandile; Moodley, Pravikrishnen

2016-01-01

Poor quality dried blood spot (DBS) specimens are usually rejected by virology laboratories, affecting early infant diagnosis of HIV. The practice of combining two incompletely-filled DBS in one specimen preparation tube during pre-analytical specimen processing (i.e., the two-spot method) has been implemented to reduce the number of specimens being rejected for insufficient volume. This study analysed laboratory data to describe the quality of DBS specimens and the use of the two-spot method over a one-year period, then validated the two-spot method against the standard (one-spot) method. Data on HIV-1 PCR test requests submitted in 2014 to the Department of Virology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa were analysed to describe reasons for specimen rejection, as well as results of the two-spot method. The accuracy, lower limit of detection and precision of the two-spot method were assessed. Of the 88 481 specimens received, 3.7% were rejected for pre-analytical problems. Of those, 48.9% were rejected as a result of insufficient specimen volume. Two health facilities had significantly more specimen rejections than other facilities. The two-spot method prevented 10 504 specimen rejections. The Pearson correlation coefficient comparing the standard to the two-spot method was 0.997. The two-spot method was comparable with the standard method of pre-analytical specimen processing. Two health facilities were identified for targeted retraining on specimen quality. The two-spot method of DBS specimen processing can be used as an adjunct to retraining, to reduce the number of specimens rejected and improve linkage to care.

Upgraded Readout Electronics for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters at the High Luminosity LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andeen, Timothy R.; ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Group

2012-12-01

The ATLAS liquid-argon calorimeters produce a total of 182,486 signals which are digitized and processed by the front-end and back-end electronics at every triggered event. In addition, the front-end electronics sum analog signals to provide coarsely grained energy sums, called trigger towers, to the first-level trigger system, which is optimized for nominal LHC luminosities. However, the pile-up background expected during the high luminosity phases of the LHC will be increased by factors of 3 to 7. An improved spatial granularity of the trigger primitives is therefore proposed in order to improve the identification performance for trigger signatures, like electrons or photons, at high background rejection rates. For the first upgrade phase in 2018, new Liquid Argon Trigger Digitizer Boards are being designed to receive higher granularity signals, digitize them on detector and send them via fast optical links to a new, off-detector digital processing system. The digital processing system applies digital filtering and identifies significant energy depositions. The refined trigger primitives are then transmitted to the first level trigger system to extract improved trigger signatures. The general concept of the upgraded liquid-argon calorimeter readout together with the various electronics components to be developed for such a complex system is presented. The research activities and architectural studies undertaken by the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Group are described, particularly details of the on-going design of mixed-signal front-end electronics, of radiation tolerant optical-links, and of the high-speed off-detector digital processing system.

Study of Higgs effective couplings at electron-proton colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesari, Hoda; Khanpour, Hamzeh; Najafabadi, Mojtaba Mohammadi

2018-05-01

We perform a search for beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) dimension-six operators relevant to the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC) and the Future Circular Hadron Electron Collider (FCC-he). With a large amount of data (few ab-1 ) and collisions at the TeV scale, both LHeC and FCC-he provide excellent opportunities to search for the BSM effects. The study is done through the process e-p →h j νe , where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of b b ¯, and we consider the main sources of background processes, including a realistic simulation of detector effects. For the FCC-he case, in some signal scenarios, to obtain an efficient event reconstruction and to have a good background rejection, jet substructure techniques are employed to reconstruct the boosted Higgs boson in the final state. In order to assess the sensitivity to the dimension-six operators, a shape analysis on the differential cross sections is performed. Stringent bounds are found on the Wilson coefficients of dimension-six operators with the integrated luminosities of 1 ab-1 and 10 ab-1 , which in some cases show improvements with respect to the high-luminosity LHC results.

A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background B-mode Polarization Power Spectrum at Subdegree Scales from Two Years of polarbear Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

POLARBEAR Collaboration; Ade, P. A. R.; Aguilar, M.; Akiba, Y.; Arnold, K.; Baccigalupi, C.; Barron, D.; Beck, D.; Bianchini, F.; Boettger, D.; Borrill, J.; Chapman, S.; Chinone, Y.; Crowley, K.; Cukierman, A.; Dünner, R.; Dobbs, M.; Ducout, A.; Elleflot, T.; Errard, J.; Fabbian, G.; Feeney, S. M.; Feng, C.; Fujino, T.; Galitzki, N.; Gilbert, A.; Goeckner-Wald, N.; Groh, J. C.; Hall, G.; Halverson, N.; Hamada, T.; Hasegawa, M.; Hazumi, M.; Hill, C. A.; Howe, L.; Inoue, Y.; Jaehnig, G.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jeong, O.; Kaneko, D.; Katayama, N.; Keating, B.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T.; Krachmalnicoff, N.; Kusaka, A.; Le Jeune, M.; Lee, A. T.; Leitch, E. M.; Leon, D.; Linder, E.; Lowry, L.; Matsuda, F.; Matsumura, T.; Minami, Y.; Montgomery, J.; Navaroli, M.; Nishino, H.; Paar, H.; Peloton, J.; Pham, A. T. P.; Poletti, D.; Puglisi, G.; Reichardt, C. L.; Richards, P. L.; Ross, C.; Segawa, Y.; Sherwin, B. D.; Silva-Feaver, M.; Siritanasak, P.; Stebor, N.; Stompor, R.; Suzuki, A.; Tajima, O.; Takakura, S.; Takatori, S.; Tanabe, D.; Teply, G. P.; Tomaru, T.; Tucker, C.; Whitehorn, N.; Zahn, A.

2017-10-01

We report an improved measurement of the cosmic microwave background B-mode polarization power spectrum with the Polarbear experiment at 150 GHz. By adding new data collected during the second season of observations (2013-2014) to re-analyzed data from the first season (2012-2013), we have reduced twofold the band-power uncertainties. The band powers are reported over angular multipoles 500≤slant {\\ell }≤slant 2100, where the dominant B-mode signal is expected to be due to the gravitational lensing of E-modes. We reject the null hypothesis of no B-mode polarization at a confidence of 3.1σ including both statistical and systematic uncertainties. We test the consistency of the measured B-modes with the Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) framework by fitting for a single lensing amplitude parameter A L relative to the Planck 2015 best-fit model prediction. We obtain {A}L={0.60}-0.24+0.26({stat}{)}-0.04+0.00({inst}) ± 0.14(foreground) ± 0.04(multi), where {A}L=1 is the fiducial ΛCDM value.

SEARCH FOR GAMMA RAYS ABOVE 100 TeV FROM THE CRAB NEBULA WITH THE TIBET AIR SHOWER ARRAY AND THE 100 m{sup 2} MUON DETECTOR

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

Amenomori, M.; Bi, X. J.; Chen, W. Y.

2015-11-10

A 100 m{sup 2} muon detector (MD) was successfully constructed under the existing Tibet air shower (AS) array in the late fall of 2007. The sensitivity of the Tibet AS array to cosmic gamma rays can be improved by selecting muon-poor events with the MD. Our MC simulation of the MD response reasonably agrees with the experimental data in terms of the charge distribution for one-muon events and the background rejection power. Using the data collected by the Tibet AS array and the 100 m{sup 2} MD taken from 2008 March to 2010 February, we search for continuous gamma-ray emissionmore » from the Crab Nebula above ∼100 TeV. No significant excess is found, and the most stringent upper limit is obtained above 140 TeV.« less

Improved target detection algorithm using Fukunaga-Koontz transform and distance classifier correlation filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bal, A.; Alam, M. S.; Aslan, M. S.

2006-05-01

Often sensor ego-motion or fast target movement causes the target to temporarily go out of the field-of-view leading to reappearing target detection problem in target tracking applications. Since the target goes out of the current frame and reenters at a later frame, the reentering location and variations in rotation, scale, and other 3D orientations of the target are not known thus complicating the detection algorithm has been developed using Fukunaga-Koontz Transform (FKT) and distance classifier correlation filter (DCCF). The detection algorithm uses target and background information, extracted from training samples, to detect possible candidate target images. The detected candidate target images are then introduced into the second algorithm, DCCF, called clutter rejection module, to determine the target coordinates are detected and tracking algorithm is initiated. The performance of the proposed FKT-DCCF based target detection algorithm has been tested using real-world forward looking infrared (FLIR) video sequences.

Wavelet imaging cleaning method for atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lessard, R. W.; Cayón, L.; Sembroski, G. H.; Gaidos, J. A.

2002-07-01

We present a new method of image cleaning for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The method is based on the utilization of wavelets to identify noise pixels in images of gamma-ray and hadronic induced air showers. This method selects more signal pixels with Cherenkov photons than traditional image processing techniques. In addition, the method is equally efficient at rejecting pixels with noise alone. The inclusion of more signal pixels in an image of an air shower allows for a more accurate reconstruction, especially at lower gamma-ray energies that produce low levels of light. We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of gamma-ray and hadronic air showers which show improved angular resolution using this cleaning procedure. Data from the Whipple Observatory's 10-m telescope are utilized to show the efficacy of the method for extracting a gamma-ray signal from the background of hadronic generated images.

C4d Deposition and Cellular Infiltrates as Markers of Acute Rejection in Rat Models of Orthotopic Lung Transplantation

PubMed Central

Murata, Kazunori; Iwata, Takekazu; Nakashima, Shinji; Fox-Talbot, Karen; Qian, Zhiping; Wilkes, David S.; Baldwin, William M.

2008-01-01

Background C4d is a useful marker of antibody-mediated rejection in cardiac and renal transplants, but clinical studies examining correlations between circulating alloantibodies, C4d deposition, and rejection in lung transplants have yielded conflicting results. Methods We studied circulating alloantibody levels and C4d deposition in two rat models of lung transplantation: Brown Norway (BN) to Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and PVG.R8 to PVG.1U lung allografts. The availability of C6 deficient (C6−) and C6 sufficient (C6+) PVG 1U rats allowed evaluation of the effects of the terminal complement components on graft injury and C4d deposition. Results The lung allografts had histologic features resembling human posttransplant capillaritis, characterized by neutrophilic infiltration of alveoli, edema, and hemorrhage. Immunoperoxidase stains on cross sections of allografts showed intense, diffuse, C4d deposition in a continuous linear pattern on the vascular endothelium. C4d deposits were found in both BN to WKY and PVG R8 to 1U allografts, whereas no staining was detectable in WKY to WKY isografts or native lungs. Complement deposition was associated with vascular disruption in C6−, but not in C6+ recipients. The presence of circulating donor-specific alloantibodies was verified by flow cytometry. Cell-specific staining revealed perivascular accumulation of macrophages and T lymphocytes whereas neutrophils were sequestered in the intravascular and alveolar capillary compartments. Conclusions The deposition of C4d on vascular endothelium as well as the coincident presence of alloantibodies is consistent with previous findings in antibody-mediated rejection of renal and cardiac transplants. Furthermore, the histological features of our allografts support the concept that posttransplant capillaritis is a form of humoral rejection. PMID:18622289

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Deficiency in T Cells Accelerates Chronic Rejection by Influencing the Differentiation of CD4+ T Cells and Alternatively Activated Macrophages

PubMed Central

Ye, Ping; Cheng, Chao; Wu, Jie; Wang, Sihua; Sun, Yuan; Liu, Zheng; Xie, Aini; Xia, Jiahong

2014-01-01

Background In a previous study, activation of the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPARγ) inhibited chronic cardiac rejection. However, because of the complexity of chronic rejection and the fact that PPARγ is widely expressed in immune cells, the mechanism of the PPARγ - induced protective effect was unclear. Materials and Methods A chronic rejection model was established using B6.C-H-2bm12KhEg (H-2bm12) mice as donors, and MHC II-mismatched T-cell-specific PPARγ knockout mice or wild type (WT) littermates as recipients. The allograft lesion was assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry. T cells infiltrates in the allograft were isolated, and cytokines and subpopulations were detected using cytokine arrays and flow cytometry. Transcription levels in the allograft were measured by RT-PCR. In vitro, the T cell subset differentiation was investigated after culture in various polarizing conditions. PPARγ-deficient regularory T cells (Treg) were cocultured with monocytes to test their ability to induce alternatively activated macrophages (AAM). Results T cell-specific PPARγ knockout recipients displayed reduced cardiac allograft survival and an increased degree of pathology compared with WT littermates. T cell-specific PPARγ knockout resulted in more CD4+ T cells infiltrating into the allograft and altered the Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg ratios. The polarization of AAM was also reduced by PPARγ deficiency in T cells through the action of Th2 and Treg. PPARγ-deficient T cells eliminated the pioglitazone-induced polarization of AAM and reduced allograft survival. Conclusions PPARγ-deficient T cells influenced the T cell subset and AAM polarization in chronic allograft rejection. The mechanism of PPARγ activation in transplantation tolerance could yield a novel treatment without side effects. PMID:25383620

Improving photoelectron counting and particle identification in scintillation detectors with Bayesian techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akashi-Ronquest, M.; Amaudruz, P.-A.; Batygov, M.; Beltran, B.; Bodmer, M.; Boulay, M. G.; Broerman, B.; Buck, B.; Butcher, A.; Cai, B.; Caldwell, T.; Chen, M.; Chen, Y.; Cleveland, B.; Coakley, K.; Dering, K.; Duncan, F. A.; Formaggio, J. A.; Gagnon, R.; Gastler, D.; Giuliani, F.; Gold, M.; Golovko, V. V.; Gorel, P.; Graham, K.; Grace, E.; Guerrero, N.; Guiseppe, V.; Hallin, A. L.; Harvey, P.; Hearns, C.; Henning, R.; Hime, A.; Hofgartner, J.; Jaditz, S.; Jillings, C. J.; Kachulis, C.; Kearns, E.; Kelsey, J.; Klein, J. R.; Kuźniak, M.; LaTorre, A.; Lawson, I.; Li, O.; Lidgard, J. J.; Liimatainen, P.; Linden, S.; McFarlane, K.; McKinsey, D. N.; MacMullin, S.; Mastbaum, A.; Mathew, R.; McDonald, A. B.; Mei, D.-M.; Monroe, J.; Muir, A.; Nantais, C.; Nicolics, K.; Nikkel, J. A.; Noble, T.; O'Dwyer, E.; Olsen, K.; Orebi Gann, G. D.; Ouellet, C.; Palladino, K.; Pasuthip, P.; Perumpilly, G.; Pollmann, T.; Rau, P.; Retière, F.; Rielage, K.; Schnee, R.; Seibert, S.; Skensved, P.; Sonley, T.; Vázquez-Jáuregui, E.; Veloce, L.; Walding, J.; Wang, B.; Wang, J.; Ward, M.; Zhang, C.

2015-05-01

Many current and future dark matter and neutrino detectors are designed to measure scintillation light with a large array of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The energy resolution and particle identification capabilities of these detectors depend in part on the ability to accurately identify individual photoelectrons in PMT waveforms despite large variability in pulse amplitudes and pulse pileup. We describe a Bayesian technique that can identify the times of individual photoelectrons in a sampled PMT waveform without deconvolution, even when pileup is present. To demonstrate the technique, we apply it to the general problem of particle identification in single-phase liquid argon dark matter detectors. Using the output of the Bayesian photoelectron counting algorithm described in this paper, we construct several test statistics for rejection of backgrounds for dark matter searches in argon. Compared to simpler methods based on either observed charge or peak finding, the photoelectron counting technique improves both energy resolution and particle identification of low energy events in calibration data from the DEAP-1 detector and simulation of the larger MiniCLEAN dark matter detector.

High-luminosity primary vertex selection in top-quark studies using the Collider Detector at Fermilab

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

Buzatu, Adrian; /McGill U.

2006-08-01

Improving our ability to identify the top quark pair (t{bar t}) primary vertex (PV) on an event-by-event basis is essential for many analyses in the lepton-plus-jets channel performed by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) Collaboration. We compare the algorithm currently used by CDF (A1) with another algorithm (A2) using Monte Carlo simulation at high instantaneous luminosities. We confirm that A1 is more efficient than A2 at selecting the t{bar t} PV at all PV multiplicities, both with efficiencies larger than 99%. Event selection rejects events with a distance larger than 5 cm along the proton beam between the t{barmore » t} PV and the charged lepton. We find flat distributions for the signal over background significance of this cut for all cut values larger than 1 cm, for all PV multiplicities and for both algorithms. We conclude that any cut value larger than 1 cm is acceptable for both algorithms under the Tevatron's expected instantaneous luminosity improvements.« less

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

Wollaber, Allan Benton

This is a powerpoint presentation which serves as lecture material for the Parallel Computing summer school. It goes over the fundamentals of the Monte Carlo calculation method. The material is presented according to the following outline: Introduction (background, a simple example: estimating π), Why does this even work? (The Law of Large Numbers, The Central Limit Theorem), How to sample (inverse transform sampling, rejection), and An example from particle transport.

The Peer Relationships of Girls with ASD at School: Comparison to Boys and Girls with and without ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Michelle; Kasari, Connie; Shih, Wendy; Frankel, Fred; Whitney, Rondalyn; Landa, Rebecca; Lord, Catherine; Orlich, Felice; King, Bryan; Harwood, Robin

2014-01-01

Background: This study examines the social relationships of elementary school children with high-functioning autism, focusing on how gender relates to social preferences and acceptance, social connections, reciprocal friendships, and rejection. Method: Peer nomination data were analyzed for girls with and without ASD (n = 50) and boys with and…

Childhood Peer Rejection and Aggression as Predictors of Adolescent Girls' Externalizing and Health Risk Behaviors: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prinstein, Mitchell J.; La Greca, Annette M.

2004-01-01

This 6-year longitudinal study examined girls' peer-nominated social preference and aggression in childhood as predictors of self- and parent-reported externalizing symptoms, substance use (i.e.. cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use), and sexual risk behavior in adolescence. Participants were 148 girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who were…

A position-sensitive X-ray detector for the HEAO-A satellite.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Held, D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

1973-01-01

A position-sensitive, low-energy proportional counter system is described which will be used on the High-Energy Astronomical Observatory, Mission A, spacecraft. The associated system incorporates the capability to employ pulse-shape discrimination for background rejection and interpolation circuitry to locate the centroid of an X-ray event with an accuracy of approximately one eighth the cathode-wire spacing.

Districts' Efforts for Data Use and Computer Data Systems: The Role of Sensemaking in System Use and Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Vincent; Wayman, Jeffrey C.

2014-01-01

Background: Increasingly, teachers and other educators are expected to leverage data in making educational decisions. Effective data use is difficult, if not impossible, without computer data systems. Nonetheless, these systems may be underused or even rejected by teachers. One potential explanation for such troubles may relate to how teachers…

Electron efficiency measurements with the ATLAS detector using 2012 LHC proton–proton collision data

DOE PAGES

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

2017-03-27

This paper describes the algorithms for the reconstruction and identification of electrons in the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These algorithms were used for all ATLAS results with electrons in the final state that are based on the 2012 pp collision data produced by the LHC at s = 8 TeV. The efficiency of these algorithms, together with the charge misidentification rate, is measured in data and evaluated in simulated samples using electrons from Z→ ee, Z→ eeγ and J/ ψ→ ee decays. For these efficiency measurements, the full recorded data set, corresponding tomore » an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb - 1 , is used. Based on a new reconstruction algorithm used in 2012, the electron reconstruction efficiency is 97% for electrons with E T = 15 GeV and 99% at E T = 50 GeV. Combining this with the efficiency of additional selection criteria to reject electrons from background processes or misidentified hadrons, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify electrons at the ATLAS experiment varies from 65 to 95%, depending on the transverse momentum of the electron and background rejection.« less

Electron efficiency measurements with the ATLAS detector using 2012 LHC proton-proton collision data.

PubMed

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Suzuki, S; Svatos, M; Swiatlowski, M; Swift, S P; Sykora, I; Sykora, T; Ta, D; Tackmann, K; Taenzer, J; Taffard, A; Tafirout, R; Taiblum, N; Takai, H; Takashima, R; Takeshita, T; Takubo, Y; Talby, M; Talyshev, A A; Tanaka, J; Tanaka, M; Tanaka, R; Tanaka, S; Tanioka, R; Tannenwald, B B; Tapia Araya, S; Tapprogge, S; Tarem, S; Tartarelli, G F; Tas, P; Tasevsky, M; Tashiro, T; Tassi, E; Tavares Delgado, A; Tayalati, Y; Taylor, A C; Taylor, G N; Taylor, P T E; Taylor, W; Teischinger, F A; Teixeira-Dias, P; Temming, K K; Temple, D; Ten Kate, H; Teng, P K; Teoh, J J; Tepel, F; Terada, S; Terashi, K; Terron, J; Terzo, S; Testa, M; Teuscher, R J; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T; Thomas, J P; Thomas-Wilsker, J; Thompson, P D; Thompson, A S; Thomsen, L A; Thomson, E; Tibbetts, M J; Ticse Torres, R E; Tikhomirov, V O; Tikhonov, Yu A; Timoshenko, S; Tiouchichine, E; Tipton, P; Tisserant, S; Todome, K; Todorov, T; Todorova-Nova, S; Tojo, J; Tokár, S; Tokushuku, K; Tolley, E; Tomlinson, L; Tomoto, M; Tompkins, L; 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Zimmermann, S; Zinonos, Z; Zinser, M; Ziolkowski, M; Živković, L; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zur Nedden, M; Zwalinski, L

2017-01-01

This paper describes the algorithms for the reconstruction and identification of electrons in the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These algorithms were used for all ATLAS results with electrons in the final state that are based on the 2012 pp collision data produced by the LHC at [Formula: see text] = 8 [Formula: see text]. The efficiency of these algorithms, together with the charge misidentification rate, is measured in data and evaluated in simulated samples using electrons from [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] decays. For these efficiency measurements, the full recorded data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb[Formula: see text], is used. Based on a new reconstruction algorithm used in 2012, the electron reconstruction efficiency is 97% for electrons with [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and 99% at [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Combining this with the efficiency of additional selection criteria to reject electrons from background processes or misidentified hadrons, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify electrons at the ATLAS experiment varies from 65 to 95%, depending on the transverse momentum of the electron and background rejection.

Background Acoustics Levels in the 9x15 Wind Tunnel and Linear Array Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, David

2011-01-01

The background noise level in the 9x15 foot wind tunnel at NASA Glenn has been documented, and the results compare favorably with historical measurements. A study of recessed microphone mounting techniques was also conducted, and a recessed cavity with a micronic wire mesh screen reduces hydrodynamic noise by around 10 dB. A three-microphone signal processing technique can provide additional benefit, rejecting up to 15 dB of noise contamination at some frequencies. The screen and cavity system offers considerable benefit to test efficiency, although there are additional calibration requirements.

How to evade a coevolving brood parasite: egg discrimination versus egg variability as host defences.

PubMed

Spottiswoode, Claire N; Stevens, Martin

2011-12-07

Arms races between avian brood parasites and their hosts often result in parasitic mimicry of host eggs, to evade rejection. Once egg mimicry has evolved, host defences could escalate in two ways: (i) hosts could improve their level of egg discrimination; and (ii) negative frequency-dependent selection could generate increased variation in egg appearance (polymorphism) among individuals. Proficiency in one defence might reduce selection on the other, while a combination of the two should enable successful rejection of parasitic eggs. We compared three highly variable host species of the Afrotropical cuckoo finch Anomalospiza imberbis, using egg rejection experiments and modelling of avian colour and pattern vision. We show that each differed in their level of polymorphism, in the visual cues they used to reject foreign eggs, and in their degree of discrimination. The most polymorphic host had the crudest discrimination, whereas the least polymorphic was most discriminating. The third species, not currently parasitized, was intermediate for both defences. A model simulating parasitic laying and host rejection behaviour based on the field experiments showed that the two host strategies result in approximately the same fitness advantage to hosts. Thus, neither strategy is superior, but rather they reflect alternative potential evolutionary trajectories.

Altered Exosomal RNA Profiles in Bronchoalveolar Lavage from Lung Transplants with Acute Rejection.

PubMed

Gregson, Aric L; Hoji, Aki; Injean, Patil; Poynter, Steven T; Briones, Claudia; Palchevskiy, Vyacheslav; Weigt, S Sam; Shino, Michael Y; Derhovanessian, Ariss; Sayah, David; Saggar, Rajan; Ross, David; Ardehali, Abbas; Lynch, Joseph P; Belperio, John A

2015-12-15

The mechanism by which acute allograft rejection leads to chronic rejection remains poorly understood despite its common occurrence. Exosomes, membrane vesicles released from cells within the lung allograft, contain a diverse array of biomolecules that closely reflect the biologic state of the cell and tissue from which they are released. Exosome transcriptomes may provide a better understanding of the rejection process. Furthermore, biomarkers originating from this transcriptome could provide timely and sensitive detection of acute cellular rejection (AR), reducing the incidence of severe AR and chronic lung allograft dysfunction and improving outcomes. To provide an in-depth analysis of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomal shuttle RNA population after lung transplantation and evaluate for differential expression between acute AR and quiescence. Serial bronchoalveolar lavage specimens were ultracentrifuged to obtain the exosomal pellet for RNA extraction, on which RNA-Seq was performed. AR demonstrates an intense inflammatory environment, skewed toward both innate and adaptive immune responses. Novel, potential upstream regulators identified offer potential therapeutic targets. Our findings validate bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomal shuttle RNA as a source for understanding the pathophysiology of AR and for biomarker discovery in lung transplantation.

Altered Exosomal RNA Profiles in Bronchoalveolar Lavage from Lung Transplants with Acute Rejection

PubMed Central

Hoji, Aki; Injean, Patil; Poynter, Steven T.; Briones, Claudia; Palchevskiy, Vyacheslav; Sam Weigt, S.; Shino, Michael Y.; Derhovanessian, Ariss; Saggar, Rajan; Ross, David; Ardehali, Abbas; Lynch, Joseph P.; Belperio, John A.

2015-01-01

Rationale: The mechanism by which acute allograft rejection leads to chronic rejection remains poorly understood despite its common occurrence. Exosomes, membrane vesicles released from cells within the lung allograft, contain a diverse array of biomolecules that closely reflect the biologic state of the cell and tissue from which they are released. Exosome transcriptomes may provide a better understanding of the rejection process. Furthermore, biomarkers originating from this transcriptome could provide timely and sensitive detection of acute cellular rejection (AR), reducing the incidence of severe AR and chronic lung allograft dysfunction and improving outcomes. Objectives: To provide an in-depth analysis of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomal shuttle RNA population after lung transplantation and evaluate for differential expression between acute AR and quiescence. Methods: Serial bronchoalveolar lavage specimens were ultracentrifuged to obtain the exosomal pellet for RNA extraction, on which RNA-Seq was performed. Measurements and Main Results: AR demonstrates an intense inflammatory environment, skewed toward both innate and adaptive immune responses. Novel, potential upstream regulators identified offer potential therapeutic targets. Conclusions: Our findings validate bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomal shuttle RNA as a source for understanding the pathophysiology of AR and for biomarker discovery in lung transplantation. PMID:26308930

Multivariate prediction of upper limb prosthesis acceptance or rejection.

PubMed

Biddiss, Elaine A; Chau, Tom T

2008-07-01

To develop a model for prediction of upper limb prosthesis use or rejection. A questionnaire exploring factors in prosthesis acceptance was distributed internationally to individuals with upper limb absence through community-based support groups and rehabilitation hospitals. A total of 191 participants (59 prosthesis rejecters and 132 prosthesis wearers) were included in this study. A logistic regression model, a C5.0 decision tree, and a radial basis function neural network were developed and compared in terms of sensitivity (prediction of prosthesis rejecters), specificity (prediction of prosthesis wearers), and overall cross-validation accuracy. The logistic regression and neural network provided comparable overall accuracies of approximately 84 +/- 3%, specificity of 93%, and sensitivity of 61%. Fitting time-frame emerged as the predominant predictor. Individuals fitted within two years of birth (congenital) or six months of amputation (acquired) were 16 times more likely to continue prosthesis use. To increase rates of prosthesis acceptance, clinical directives should focus on timely, client-centred fitting strategies and the development of improved prostheses and healthcare for individuals with high-level or bilateral limb absence. Multivariate analyses are useful in determining the relative importance of the many factors involved in prosthesis acceptance and rejection.

Amplifier improvement circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturman, J.

1968-01-01

Stable input stage was designed for the use with a integrated circuit operational amplifier to provide improved performance as an instrumentation-type amplifier. The circuit provides high input impedance, stable gain, good common mode rejection, very low drift, and low output impedance.

Background Model for the Majorana Demonstrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuesta, C.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Boswell, M.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J.; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; MacMullin, S.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S.; Mertens, S.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Schubert, A. G.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Suriano, A. M.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a system containing 40 kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region. To realize this, a major goal of the Majorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursued through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example using powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.

SABRE: A New NaI(T1) Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, Emily; Xu, Jingke; Calaprice, Frank

SABRE (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection) is a new NaI(Tl) experiment designed to test the DAMA/LIBRA claim for a positive WIMP-dark matter annual modulation signal. SABRE will consist of highly pure NaI(Tl) crystals in an active liquid scintillator veto that will be placed deep underground. The scintillator vessel will provide a veto against external backgrounds and those arising from detector components, especially the 3 keV signature from the decay of 40K in the crystal. Through the use of crystal purification techniques and the veto, we aim for a 40K background significantly lower than that of the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. We present our work developing low-background NaI(Tl) crystals using a highly pure NaI powder and the development of the veto.

A Randomized 2×2 Factorial Trial, Part 1: Single-Dose Rabbit Antithymocyte Globulin Induction May Improve Renal Transplantation Outcomes

PubMed Central

Stevens, R. Brian; Foster, Kirk W.; Miles, Clifford D.; Lane, James T.; Kalil, Andre C.; Florescu, Diana F.; Sandoz, John P.; Rigley, Theodore H.; Nielsen, Kathleen J.; Skorupa, Jill Y.; Kellogg, Anna M.; Malik, Tamer; Wrenshall, Lucile E.

2015-01-01

Background We conducted a randomized and unblinded 2×2 sequential-factorial trial, composed of an induction arm (part 1) comparing single-dose (SD) versus divided-dose rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG), and a maintenance arm (part 2) comparing tacrolimus minimization versus withdrawal. We report the long-term safety and efficacy of SD-rATG induction in the context of early steroid withdrawal and tacrolimus minimization or withdrawal. Methods Patients (n=180) received 6 mg/kg rATG, SD or four alternate-day doses (1.5 mg/kg/dose), with early steroid withdrawal and tacrolimus or sirolimus maintenance. After 6 months targeted maintenance levels were tacrolimus, 2 to 4 ng/mL and sirolimus, 4 to 6 ng/mL or, if calcineurin inhibitor–withdrawn, sirolimus 8 to 12 ng/mL with mycophenolate mofetil 2 g two times per day. Primary endpoints were renal function (abbreviated modification of diet in renal disease) and chronic graft histopathology (Banff). Secondary endpoints included patient survival, graft survival, biopsy-proven rejection, and infectious or noninfectious complications. Results Follow-up averaged longer than 4 years. Tacrolimus or sirolimus and mycophenolate mofetil exposure was identical between groups. The SD-rATG associated with improved renal function (2-36 months; P<0.001) in deceased donor recipients. The SD-rATG associated with quicker lymphocyte, CD4 T cell, and CD4-CD8 recovery and fewer infections. Cox multivariate hazard modeling showed divided-dose–rATG (P=0.019), deceased donor (P=0.003), serious infection (P=0.0.018), and lower lymphocyte count (P=0.001) associated with increased mortality. Patients with all four covariates showed a 27-fold increased likelihood of death (P=0.00002). Chronic graft histopathology, rejection rates, and death-censored graft survival were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion The SD-rATG induction improves the 3-year renal function in recipients of deceased donor kidneys. This benefit, along with possibly improved patient survival and fewer infections suggest that how rATG is administered may impact its efficacy and safety. PMID:25083614

A Shallow Underground Laboratory for Low-Background Radiation Measurements and Materials Development

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

Aalseth, Craig E.; Bonicalzi, Ricco; Cantaloub, Michael G.

Abstract: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently commissioned a new shallow underground laboratory, located at a depth of approximately 30 meters water-equivalent. This new addition to the small class of radiation measurement laboratories located at modest underground depths worldwide houses the latest generation of custom-made, high-efficiency, low-background gamma-ray spectrometers and gas proportional counters. This manuscript describes the unique capabilities present in the shallow underground laboratory; these include large-scale ultra-pure materials production and a suite of radiation detection systems. Reported data characterize the degree of background reduction achieved through a combination of underground location, graded shielding, and rejection of cosmic-ray events. Wemore » conclude by presenting measurement targets and future opportunities.« less

Shortcut nitrification/partial nitritation start-up for reject water treatment in a SBR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muszyński-Huhajło, Mateusz; Miodoński, Stanisław

2017-11-01

For many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), side-stream treatment of reject water from digested sludge dewatering is a feasible opportunity to improve N-removal efficiency without costly plant expansion. Biological nitrogen removal over nitrite or combined partial nitritation (PN)-Anammox process has recently become a popular treatment method for such ammonium-rich streams. Shortcut nitrification and PN start-ups were successfully performed in a pilot-scale SBR treating real reject water. In all performed experiments, effective nitrate production inhibition occurred in less than 20 days due to operational conditions selection and without advanced control system. pH adjustment in the PN reactor allowed to achieve NO2-N /NH4-N ratio suitable for Anammox process (1.24±0.07).

Peer Rejection and Friendships in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Contributions to Long-Term Outcomes

PubMed Central

Molina, Brooke S. G.; Hoza, Betsy; Gerdes, Alyson C.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.; Hechtman, Lily; Arnold, L. Eugene

2012-01-01

Even after evidence-based treatment, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with poor long-term outcomes. These outcomes may be partly explained by difficulties in peer functioning, which are common among children with ADHD and which do not respond optimally to standard ADHD treatments. We examined whether peer rejection and lack of dyadic friendships experienced by children with ADHD after treatment contribute to long-term emotional and behavioral problems and global impairment, and whether having a reciprocal friend buffers the negative effects of peer rejection. Children with Combined type ADHD (N=300) enrolled in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) were followed for 8 years. Peer rejection and dyadic friendships were measured with sociometric assessments after the active treatment period (14 or 24 months after baseline; M ages 9.7 and 10.5 years, respectively). Outcomes included delinquency, depression, anxiety, substance use, and general impairment at 6 and 8 years after baseline (Mean ages 14.9 and 16.8 years, respectively). With inclusion of key covariates, including demographics, symptoms of ADHD, ODD, and CD, and level of the outcome variable at 24 months, peer rejection predicted cigarette smoking, delinquency, anxiety, and global impairment at 6 years and global impairment at 8 years after baseline. Having a reciprocal friend was not, however, uniquely predictive of any outcomes and did not reduce the negative effects of peer rejection. Evaluating and addressing peer rejection in treatment planning may be necessary to improve long-term outcomes in children with ADHD. PMID:22331455

FPGA-Based X-Ray Detection and Measurement for an X-Ray Polarimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, Kyle; Hill, Joanne; Black, Kevin; Baumgartner, Wayne

2013-01-01

This technology enables detection and measurement of x-rays in an x-ray polarimeter using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The technology was developed for the Gravitational and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS) mission. It performs precision energy and timing measurements, as well as rejection of non-x-ray events. It enables the GEMS polarimeter to detect precisely when an event has taken place so that additional measurements can be made. The technology also enables this function to be performed in an FPGA using limited resources so that mass and power can be minimized while reliability for a space application is maximized and precise real-time operation is achieved. This design requires a low-noise, charge-sensitive preamplifier; a highspeed analog to digital converter (ADC); and an x-ray detector with a cathode terminal. It functions by computing a sum of differences for time-samples whose difference exceeds a programmable threshold. A state machine advances through states as a programmable number of consecutive samples exceeds or fails to exceed this threshold. The pulse height is recorded as the accumulated sum. The track length is also measured based on the time from the start to the end of accumulation. For track lengths longer than a certain length, the algorithm estimates the barycenter of charge deposit by comparing the accumulator value at the midpoint to the final accumulator value. The design also employs a number of techniques for rejecting background events. This innovation enables the function to be performed in space where it can operate autonomously with a rapid response time. This implementation combines advantages of computing system-based approaches with those of pure analog approaches. The result is an implementation that is highly reliable, performs in real-time, rejects background events, and consumes minimal power.

Male perpetrators, the gender symmetry debate, and the rejection-abuse cycle: implications for treatment.

PubMed

Brown, Jac

2012-07-01

This review article examined the gender symmetry debate in light of recent research relating to the feminist and family research perspectives on intimate partner violence, providing a context for rethinking perpetrator programs. The concept of coercive control is considered as an explanatory factor in an attempt to integrate the feminist and family research perspectives. The limited effectiveness of perpetrator programs is examined. Research highlighting potential factors that could improve the effectiveness of perpetrator programs is introduced, followed by a discussion of the rejection-abuse cycle, one attempt to incorporate current research into a more inclusive program. The rejection-abuse cycle identifies a pattern of perpetrator behavior, which links rejection, threat to self, defense against threat, and abuse. Finally, suggestions for changing perpetrator programs are elaborated, incorporating past research, which would make them appropriate for both male and female perpetrators. These implications are contextualized within a meta-theory to provide greater clarity for the development of future perpetrator programs.

Spectral classifier design with ensemble classifiers and misclassification-rejection: application to elastic-scattering spectroscopy for detection of colonic neoplasia.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Diaz, Eladio; Castanon, David A; Singh, Satish K; Bigio, Irving J

2011-06-01

Optical spectroscopy has shown potential as a real-time, in vivo, diagnostic tool for identifying neoplasia during endoscopy. We present the development of a diagnostic algorithm to classify elastic-scattering spectroscopy (ESS) spectra as either neoplastic or non-neoplastic. The algorithm is based on pattern recognition methods, including ensemble classifiers, in which members of the ensemble are trained on different regions of the ESS spectrum, and misclassification-rejection, where the algorithm identifies and refrains from classifying samples that are at higher risk of being misclassified. These "rejected" samples can be reexamined by simply repositioning the probe to obtain additional optical readings or ultimately by sending the polyp for histopathological assessment, as per standard practice. Prospective validation using separate training and testing sets result in a baseline performance of sensitivity = .83, specificity = .79, using the standard framework of feature extraction (principal component analysis) followed by classification (with linear support vector machines). With the developed algorithm, performance improves to Se ∼ 0.90, Sp ∼ 0.90, at a cost of rejecting 20-33% of the samples. These results are on par with a panel of expert pathologists. For colonoscopic prevention of colorectal cancer, our system could reduce biopsy risk and cost, obviate retrieval of non-neoplastic polyps, decrease procedure time, and improve assessment of cancer risk.

Enhanced water transport and salt rejection through hydrophobic zeolite pores.

PubMed

Humplik, Thomas; Lee, Jongho; O'Hern, Sean; Laoui, Tahar; Karnik, Rohit; Wang, Evelyn N

2017-12-15

The potential of improvements to reverse osmosis (RO) desalination by incorporating porous nanostructured materials such as zeolites into the selective layer in the membrane has spurred substantial research efforts over the past decade. However, because of the lack of methods to probe transport across these materials, it is still unclear which pore size or internal surface chemistry is optimal for maximizing permeability and salt rejection. We developed a platform to measure the transport of water and salt across a single layer of zeolite crystals, elucidating the effects of internal wettability on water and salt transport through the ≈5.5 Å pores of MFI zeolites. MFI zeolites with a more hydrophobic (i.e., less attractive) internal surface chemistry facilitated an approximately order of magnitude increase in water permeability compared to more hydrophilic MFI zeolites, while simultaneously fully rejecting both potassium and chlorine ions. However, our results also demonstrated approximately two orders of magnitude lower permeability compared to molecular simulations. This decreased performance suggests that additional transport resistances (such as surface barriers, pore collapse or blockages due to contamination) may be limiting the performance of experimental nanostructured membranes. Nevertheless, the inclusion of hydrophobic sub-nanometer pores into the active layer of RO membranes should improve both the water permeability and salt rejection of future RO membranes (Fasano et al 2016 Nat. Commun. 7 12762).

Enhanced water transport and salt rejection through hydrophobic zeolite pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humplik, Thomas; Lee, Jongho; O'Hern, Sean; Laoui, Tahar; Karnik, Rohit; Wang, Evelyn N.

2017-12-01

The potential of improvements to reverse osmosis (RO) desalination by incorporating porous nanostructured materials such as zeolites into the selective layer in the membrane has spurred substantial research efforts over the past decade. However, because of the lack of methods to probe transport across these materials, it is still unclear which pore size or internal surface chemistry is optimal for maximizing permeability and salt rejection. We developed a platform to measure the transport of water and salt across a single layer of zeolite crystals, elucidating the effects of internal wettability on water and salt transport through the ≈5.5 Å pores of MFI zeolites. MFI zeolites with a more hydrophobic (i.e., less attractive) internal surface chemistry facilitated an approximately order of magnitude increase in water permeability compared to more hydrophilic MFI zeolites, while simultaneously fully rejecting both potassium and chlorine ions. However, our results also demonstrated approximately two orders of magnitude lower permeability compared to molecular simulations. This decreased performance suggests that additional transport resistances (such as surface barriers, pore collapse or blockages due to contamination) may be limiting the performance of experimental nanostructured membranes. Nevertheless, the inclusion of hydrophobic sub-nanometer pores into the active layer of RO membranes should improve both the water permeability and salt rejection of future RO membranes (Fasano et al 2016 Nat. Commun. 7 12762).

The effects of an editor serving as one of the reviewers during the peer-review process.

PubMed

Giordan, Marco; Csikasz-Nagy, Attila; Collings, Andrew M; Vaggi, Federico

2016-01-01

Background Publishing in scientific journals is one of the most important ways in which scientists disseminate research to their peers and to the wider public. Pre-publication peer review underpins this process, but peer review is subject to various criticisms and is under pressure from growth in the number of scientific publications. Methods Here we examine an element of the editorial process at eLife , in which the Reviewing Editor usually serves as one of the referees, to see what effect this has on decision times, decision type, and the number of citations. We analysed a dataset of 8,905 research submissions to eLife since June 2012, of which 2,747 were sent for peer review. This subset of 2747 papers was then analysed in detail.   Results The Reviewing Editor serving as one of the peer reviewers results in faster decision times on average, with the time to final decision ten days faster for accepted submissions (n=1,405) and five days faster for papers that were rejected after peer review (n=1,099). Moreover, editors acting as reviewers had no effect on whether submissions were accepted or rejected, and a very small (but significant) effect on citation rates. Conclusions An important aspect of eLife 's peer-review process is shown to be effective, given that decision times are faster when the Reviewing Editor serves as a reviewer. Other journals hoping to improve decision times could consider adopting a similar approach.

IceVeto: Extended PeV neutrino astronomy in the Southern Hemisphere with IceCube

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

Auffenberg, Jan; Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration

IceCube, the world's largest high-energy neutrino observatory, built at the South Pole, recently reported evidence of an astrophysical neutrino flux extending to PeV energies in the Southern Hemisphere. This observation raises the question of how the sensitivity in this energy range could be further increased. In the down-going sector, in IceCube's case the Southern Hemisphere, backgrounds from atmospheric muons and neutrinos pose a challenge to the identification of an astrophysical neutrino flux. The IceCube analysis, that led to the evidence for astrophysical neutrinos, is based on an in-ice veto strategy for background rejection. One possibility available to IceCube is themore » concept of an extended surface detector, IceVeto, which could allow the rejection of a large fraction of atmospheric backgrounds, primarily for muons from cosmic ray (CR) air showers as well as from neutrinos in the same air showers. Building on the experience of IceTop/IceCube, possibly the most cost-effective and sensitive way to build IceVeto is as an extension of the IceTop detector, with simple photomultiplier based detector modules for CR air shower detection. Initial simulations and estimates indicate that such a veto detector will significantly increase the sensitivity to an astrophysical flux of ν{sub μ} induced muon tracks in the Southern Hemisphere compared to current analyses. Here we present the motivation and capabilities based on initial simulations. Conceptual ideas for a simplified surface array will be discussed briefly.« less

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

Cardani, L.; Bellini, F.; Casali, N.

The development of background-free detectors is essential for experiments searching for rare events. Bolometers, that are among the most competitive devices for the study of neutrino-less double beta decay (0νDBD) and Dark Matter interactions, suffer from the absence of techniques that allow to identify the nature of the interacting particles. This limit can be overcome by coupling the bolometer to an independent device for the measurement of the light emitted by interactions, as the combined read-out of the bolometric and light signals allows to identify and reject particles different from those of interest. CUORE, the most advanced bolometric experiment formore » 0νDBD searches, could disentangle the electrons produced by 0νDBD from the dangerous background due to α particles, by measuring the (tiny) Cherenkov light emitted by electrons and not by α’s. LUCIFER, a project based on ZnSe scintillating bolometers for the study of {sup 82}Se 0νDBD, would be competitive also in the search of Dark Matter interactions if equipped with light detectors that allow to distinguish and reject the background due to electrons and γ’s. These advances require cryogenic detectors characterized by noise lower than 20 eV, large active area, wide temperature range of operation, high radio-purity and ease in fabricating hundreds of channels. The CALDER collaboration aims to develop such detectors by exploiting the superb energy resolution and natural multiplexed read-out provided by Kinetic Inductance Detectors.« less

Multi-channel lock-in amplifier assisted femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy with efficient rejection of superfluorescence background.

PubMed

Mao, Pengcheng; Wang, Zhuan; Dang, Wei; Weng, Yuxiang

2015-12-01

Superfluorescence appears as an intense background in femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence noncollinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy, which severely interferes the reliable acquisition of the time-resolved fluorescence spectra especially for an optically dilute sample. Superfluorescence originates from the optical amplification of the vacuum quantum noise, which would be inevitably concomitant with the amplified fluorescence photons during the optical parametric amplification process. Here, we report the development of a femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectrometer assisted with a 32-channel lock-in amplifier for efficient rejection of the superfluorescence background. With this spectrometer, the superfluorescence background signal can be significantly reduced to 1/300-1/100 when the seeding fluorescence is modulated. An integrated 32-bundle optical fiber is used as a linear array light receiver connected to 32 photodiodes in one-to-one mode, and the photodiodes are further coupled to a home-built 32-channel synchronous digital lock-in amplifier. As an implementation, time-resolved fluorescence spectra for rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol solution at an optically dilute concentration of 10(-5)M excited at 510 nm with an excitation intensity of 70 nJ/pulse have been successfully recorded, and the detection limit at a pump intensity of 60 μJ/pulse was determined as about 13 photons/pulse. Concentration dependent redshift starting at 30 ps after the excitation in time-resolved fluorescence spectra of this dye has also been observed, which can be attributed to the formation of the excimer at a higher concentration, while the blueshift in the earlier time within 10 ps is attributed to the solvation process.

Multi-channel lock-in amplifier assisted femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy with efficient rejection of superfluorescence background

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

Mao, Pengcheng; Wang, Zhuan; Dang, Wei

Superfluorescence appears as an intense background in femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence noncollinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy, which severely interferes the reliable acquisition of the time-resolved fluorescence spectra especially for an optically dilute sample. Superfluorescence originates from the optical amplification of the vacuum quantum noise, which would be inevitably concomitant with the amplified fluorescence photons during the optical parametric amplification process. Here, we report the development of a femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectrometer assisted with a 32-channel lock-in amplifier for efficient rejection of the superfluorescence background. With this spectrometer, the superfluorescence background signal can be significantly reduced to 1/300–1/100more » when the seeding fluorescence is modulated. An integrated 32-bundle optical fiber is used as a linear array light receiver connected to 32 photodiodes in one-to-one mode, and the photodiodes are further coupled to a home-built 32-channel synchronous digital lock-in amplifier. As an implementation, time-resolved fluorescence spectra for rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol solution at an optically dilute concentration of 10{sup −5}M excited at 510 nm with an excitation intensity of 70 nJ/pulse have been successfully recorded, and the detection limit at a pump intensity of 60 μJ/pulse was determined as about 13 photons/pulse. Concentration dependent redshift starting at 30 ps after the excitation in time-resolved fluorescence spectra of this dye has also been observed, which can be attributed to the formation of the excimer at a higher concentration, while the blueshift in the earlier time within 10 ps is attributed to the solvation process.« less

Use of Powered Prosthesis for Children with Upper Limb Deficiency at Hyogo Rehabilitation Center

PubMed Central

Shibata, Yaeko; Mizobe, Futoshi

2015-01-01

Background There has been no research investigating the use of powered prosthetic for children in Japan. Objective To gain better insight into the state of powered prosthesis usage and identify a ratio of rejection among children. Methods Subjects were 37 unilateral below elbow amputees between the ages of 0 and 16 at the time of their first experienced fitting with a powered prosthesis at our Center. The information was collected from medical records and through face-to-face interviews, and we examined rejection rate and the factors affecting the use of powered prosthesis. Results The rate of discontinuation was 21.6% as 8 of the 37 children stopped using powered prosthesis. All of them were fitted their prosthesis after 2 years of age, and they rejected prosthesis between 5 to 19 years. We found that the level of amputation had no influence on the use of a powered prosthesis. Conclusions Children fitted before 2 years of age tend to accept their powered prosthesis than those fitted after 2 years. Multidisciprinary team approach, adequate rehabilitation, detailed follow-up and involvement of parents are quite important for introducing powered prosthesis for children. PMID:26125974

Secondary Students' Responses to Perceptions of the Relationship between Science and Religion: Stances Identified from an Interview Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taber, Keith S.; Billingsley, Berry; Riga, Fran; Newdick, Helen

2011-01-01

It has been argued that learning science may be complicated, and even compromised, when students hold worldviews that may seem at odds with what is presented in science lessons. In particular, in some parts of the world, there has been considerable concern that students from particular religious backgrounds may reject some science teaching if…

Delighted when Approved by Others, to Pieces when Rejected: Children's Social Anxiety Magnifies the Linkage between Self- and Other-Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reijntjes, Albert; Thomaes, Sander; Boelen, Paul; van der Schoot, Menno; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Telch, Michael J.

2011-01-01

Background: Socially anxious children tend to attach great importance to others' evaluations of them. However, the extent to which they base their momentary feelings of self-worth (i.e., state self-esteem) on social (dis)approval is unclear. It is also unclear whether this exceedingly approval-based self-esteem is a common correlate of social…

Spectral filters for laser communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaik, K.

1991-01-01

Optical communication systems must perform reliabily under strong background light interference. Since the transmitting lasers operate within a narrow spectral band, high signal to noise ratios can be achieved when narrowband spectral optical filters can be used to reject out of band light. Here, a set of general requirements for such filters are developed, and an overview is given of suitable spectral filter technologies for optical communication systems.

Improved Savitzky-Golay-method-based fluorescence subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra.

PubMed

Chen, Kun; Zhang, Hongyuan; Wei, Haoyun; Li, Yan

2014-08-20

In this paper, we propose an improved subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra that can substantially reduce the computation time. This algorithm is based on an improved Savitzky-Golay (SG) iterative smoothing method, which involves two key novel approaches: (a) the use of the Gauss-Seidel method and (b) the introduction of a relaxation factor into the iterative procedure. By applying a novel successive relaxation (SG-SR) iterative method to the relaxation factor, additional improvement in the convergence speed over the standard Savitzky-Golay procedure is realized. The proposed improved algorithm (the RIA-SG-SR algorithm), which uses SG-SR-based iteration instead of Savitzky-Golay iteration, has been optimized and validated with a mathematically simulated Raman spectrum, as well as experimentally measured Raman spectra from non-biological and biological samples. The method results in a significant reduction in computing cost while yielding consistent rejection of fluorescence and noise for spectra with low signal-to-fluorescence ratios and varied baselines. In the simulation, RIA-SG-SR achieved 1 order of magnitude improvement in iteration number and 2 orders of magnitude improvement in computation time compared with the range-independent background-subtraction algorithm (RIA). Furthermore the computation time of the experimentally measured raw Raman spectrum processing from skin tissue decreased from 6.72 to 0.094 s. In general, the processing of the SG-SR method can be conducted within dozens of milliseconds, which can provide a real-time procedure in practical situations.

The Importance of Friendship for Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Mikami, Amori Yee

2010-01-01

It is well-established that youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often peer-rejected and rated by parents, teachers, and observers to have poor social skills, when compared to typically developing peers. Significantly less research, however, has been devoted to the experiences youth with ADHD have in their close friendships. The aim of this article is to draw attention to friendship as a distinct construct from peer rejection and social skills and to summarize what is known about youth with ADHD in their friendships. The potential for stable, high-quality friendships to buffer the negative outcomes typically conferred by peer rejection in this population is discussed. This article concludes with recommendations for interventions that specifically target improving the close friendships of youth with ADHD as a treatment strategy. PMID:20490677

HLA-DQ Mismatches and Rejection in Kidney Transplant Recipients

PubMed Central

Chapman, Jeremy R.; Coates, Patrick T.; Lewis, Joshua R.; Russ, Graeme R.; Watson, Narelle; Holdsworth, Rhonda; Wong, Germaine

2016-01-01

Background and objectives The current allocation algorithm for deceased donor kidney transplantation takes into consideration HLA mismatches at the ABDR loci but not HLA mismatches at other loci, including HLA-DQ. However, the independent effects of incompatibilities for the closely linked HLA-DQ antigens in the context of HLA-DR antigen matched and mismatched allografts are uncertain. We aimed to determine the effect of HLA-DQ mismatches on renal allograft outcomes. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Using data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry, we examined the association between HLA-DQ mismatches and acute rejections in primary live and deceased donor kidney transplant recipients between 2004 and 2012 using adjusted Cox regression models. Results Of the 788 recipients followed for a median of 2.8 years (resulting in 2891 person-years), 321 (40.7%) and 467 (59.3%) received zero and one or two HLA-DQ mismatched kidneys, respectively. Compared with recipients who have received zero HLA-DQ mismatched kidneys, those who have received one or two HLA-DQ mismatched kidneys experienced greater numbers of any rejection (50 of 321 versus 117 of 467; P<0.01), late rejections (occurring >6 months post-transplant; 8 of 321 versus 27 of 467; P=0.03), and antibody-mediated rejections (AMRs; 12 of 321 versus 38 of 467; P=0.01). Compared with recipients of zero HLA-DQ mismatched kidneys, the adjusted hazard ratios for any and late rejections in recipients who had received one or two HLA-DQ mismatched kidneys were 1.54 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.08 to 2.19) and 2.85 (95% CI, 1.05 to 7.75), respectively. HLA-DR was an effect modifier between HLA-DQ mismatches and AMR (P value for interaction =0.02), such that the association between HLA-DQ mismatches and AMR was statistically significant in those who have received one or two HLA-DR mismatched kidneys, with adjusted hazard ratio of 2.50 (95% CI, 1.05 to 5.94). Conclusions HLA-DQ mismatches are associated with acute rejection, independent of HLA-ABDR mismatches and initial immunosuppression. Clinicians should be aware of the potential importance of HLA-DQ matching in the assessment of immunologic risk in kidney transplant recipients. PMID:27034399

A computational assessment of the permeability and salt rejection of carbon nanotube membranes and their application to water desalination

PubMed Central

Thomas, Michael; Corry, Ben

2016-01-01

Membranes made from nanomaterials such as nanotubes and graphene have been suggested to have a range of applications in water filtration and desalination, but determining their suitability for these purposes requires an accurate assessment of the properties of these novel materials. In this study, we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the permeability and salt rejection capabilities for membranes incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at a range of pore sizes, pressures and concentrations. We include the influence of osmotic gradients and concentration build up and simulate at realistic pressures to improve the reliability of estimated membrane transport properties. We find that salt rejection is highly dependent on the applied hydrostatic pressure, meaning high rejection can be achieved with wider tubes than previously thought; while membrane permeability depends on salt concentration. The ideal size of the CNTs for desalination applications yielding high permeability and high salt rejection is found to be around 1.1 nm diameter. While there are limited energy gains to be achieved in using ultra-permeable CNT membranes in desalination by reverse osmosis, such membranes may allow for smaller plants to be built as is required when size or weight must be minimized. There are diminishing returns in further increasing membrane permeability, so efforts should focus on the fabrication of membranes containing narrow or functionalized CNTs that yield the desired rejection or selection properties rather than trying to optimize pore densities. PMID:26712639

Existence of circulating anti-endothelial cell antibodies after heart transplantation is associated with post-transplant acute allograft rejection.

PubMed

Lehle, Karla; Kroher, Johannes; Kolat, Philipp; von Süßkind-Schwendi, Marietta; Schmid, Christof; Haneya, Assad; Rupprecht, Leopold; Hirt, Stephan

2016-05-01

Anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) may be involved in the development of heart allograft rejection. Its detection might be a cheap and noninvasive method to identify high-risk patients. An indirect immunofluorescence method on human umbilical vein endothelial cells was used to investigate the presence of AECAs in 260 pre- and post-transplant serum samples sequentially collected from 34 patients within the first year after heart transplantation (HTX). The presence of AECAs before (23.5 %) and early after HTX (14.7 %) was associated with a significantly increased risk of early acute rejection (75 and 60 %, respectively) compared to 33 % in AECA-negative patients (p = 0.049). Moreover, rejections from AECA-positive patients were more severe (p = 0.057) with a significantly increased incidence of multiple (p = 0.025). The mean number of the sum of rejection episodes was significantly higher in AECA-positive patients (p ≤ 0.05). Patients free of AECAs mainly received mycophenolate mofetil as primary immunosuppression (p = 0.067). Nevertheless, the presence of AECAs did not affect long-term outcome and mortality of HTX patients. Despite a low number of patient samples, the detection of AECAs before and early after HTX could be used as a biomarker for an increased risk of early acute rejection in high-risk patients. This easy method might be a valuable tool to support screening procedures to improve individualized immunosuppressive therapy.

Background model for the Majorana Demonstrator

DOE PAGES

Cuesta, C.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; ...

2015-01-01

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a system containing 40 kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region. To realize this, a major goal of the Majorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursued through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example usingmore » powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.« less

A New Pulse Pileup Rejection Method Based on Position Shift Identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Z.; Prout, D. L.; Taschereau, R.; Bai, B.; Chatziioannou, A. F.

2016-02-01

Pulse pileup events degrade the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of nuclear medicine data. When such events occur in multiplexed detectors, they cause spatial misposition, energy spectrum distortion and degraded timing resolution, which leads to image artifacts. Pulse pileup is pronounced in PETbox4, a bench top PET scanner dedicated to high sensitivity and high resolution imaging of mice. In that system, the combination of high absolute sensitivity, long scintillator decay time (BGO) and highly multiplexed electronics lead to a significant fraction of pulse pileup, reached at lower total activity than for comparable instruments. In this manuscript, a new pulse pileup rejection method named position shift rejection (PSR) is introduced. The performance of PSR is compared with a conventional leading edge rejection (LER) method and with no pileup rejection implemented (NoPR). A comprehensive digital pulse library was developed for objective evaluation and optimization of the PSR and LER, in which pulse waveforms were directly recorded from real measurements exactly representing the signals to be processed. Physical measurements including singles event acquisition, peak system sensitivity and NEMA NU-4 image quality phantom were also performed in the PETbox4 system to validate and compare the different pulse pile-up rejection methods. The evaluation of both physical measurements and model pulse trains demonstrated that the new PSR performs more accurate pileup event identification and avoids erroneous rejection of valid events. For the PETbox4 system, this improvement leads to a significant recovery of sensitivity at low count rates, amounting to about 1/4th of the expected true coincidence events, compared to the LER method. Furthermore, with the implementation of PSR, optimal image quality can be achieved near the peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR).

Serial soluble CD30 measurements as a predictor of kidney graft outcome.

PubMed

Halim, M A; Al-Otaibi, T; Al-Muzairai, I; Mansour, M; Tawab, K A; Awadain, W H; Balaha, M A; Said, T; Nair, P; Nampoory, M R N

2010-04-01

High levels of soluble CD30 (sCD30), a marker for T-helper 2-type cytokine-producing T cells, pre or post-renal transplantation serves as a useful predictor of acute rejection episodes. Over the course of 1-year, we evaluated the accuracy of serial sCD30 tests to predict acute rejection episodes versus other pathologies that affect graft outcomes. Fifty renal transplant recipients were randomly selected to examine sCD30 on days 0, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 followed by 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The results were analyzed for development of an acute rejection episode, acute tubular necrosis (ATN), or other pathology as well as the graft outcome at 1 year. Compared with pretransplantation sCD30, there was a significant reduction in the average sCD30 immediately posttransplantation from day 3 onward (P<.0001). Patients were divided into four groups: (1) uncomplicated courses (56%); (2) acute rejection episodes (18%); (3) ATN (16%); and (4) other diagnoses (10%). There was a significant reduction in sCD30 immediately posttransplantation for groups 1, 2, and 3 (P<.0001, .004, and .002 respectively) unlike group 4 (P=.387). Patients who developed an acute rejection episode after 1 month showed higher pretransplantation sCD30 values than these who displayed rejection before 1 month (P=.019). All groups experienced significant improvement in graft function over 1-year follow-up without any significant differences. Though a significant drop of sCD30 posttransplantation was recorded, serial measurements of sCD30 did not show a difference among subjects who displayed acute rejection episodes, ATN, or other diagnoses. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Chronic Kidney Disease on T Cell Alloimmunity

PubMed Central

Winterberg, Pamela D.; Ford, Mandy L.

2017-01-01

Purpose of review Altered differentiation and activation of T cell subsets occur in patients with CKD, but the impact on graft rejection and protective immunity during transplantation are not fully understood. Recent findings Patients with CKD have decreased frequency of naïve T cells, accumulation of activated, terminally differentiated memory cells, and skewed regulatory versus T helper 17 ratio. Naïve and memory T cell subsets do not appear to improve following kidney transplantation. Retained thymic output is associated with acute rejection, while naïve lymphopenia and accumulation of CD8+TEMRA cells correlate with long-term graft dysfunction. CD28null memory cells accumulate during CKD and appear to confer protection against acute rejection under standard immunosuppression and possibly co-stimulation blockade. T cells bearing CD57 are also increased in patients with CKD and may underlie rejection during co-stimulation blockade. Summary The mechanisms by which CKD alters the differentiation and activation status of T cell subsets is poorly understood. Further research is also needed to understand which cell populations mediate rejection under various immunosuppressive regimens. To date, there is little use of animal models of organ failure in transplant immunology research. CKD mouse models may help identify novel pathways and targets to better control alloimmunity in post-transplant. PMID:27926546

Experimental evaluation of fingerprint verification system based on double random phase encoding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Masahiro; Yachida, Masuyoshi; Ohyama, Nagaaki; Tashima, Hideaki; Obi, Takashi

2006-03-01

We proposed a smart card holder authentication system that combines fingerprint verification with PIN verification by applying a double random phase encoding scheme. In this system, the probability of accurate verification of an authorized individual reduces when the fingerprint is shifted significantly. In this paper, a review of the proposed system is presented and preprocessing for improving the false rejection rate is proposed. In the proposed method, the position difference between two fingerprint images is estimated by using an optimized template for core detection. When the estimated difference exceeds the permissible level, the user inputs the fingerprint again. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by a computational experiment; its results show that the false rejection rate is improved.

Changes in the action potential and transient outward potassium current in cardiomyocytes during acute cardiac rejection in rats.

PubMed

Luo, Wenqi; Jia, Yixin; Zheng, Shuai; Li, Yan; Han, Jie; Meng, Xu

2017-01-01

Acute cardiac rejection contributes to the changes in the electrophysiological properties of grafted hearts. However, the electrophysiological changes of cardiomyocytes during acute cardiac rejection are still unknown. An understanding of the electrophysiological mechanisms of cardiomyocytes could improve the diagnosis and treatment of acute cardiac rejection. So it is important to characterize the changes in the action potential ( AP ) and the transient outward potassium current ( I to ) in cardiomyocytes during acute cardiac rejection. Heterotopic heart transplantation was performed in allogeneic [Brown Norway (BN)-to-Lewis] and isogeneic (BN-to-BN) rats. Twenty models were established in each group. Ten recipients were sacrificed at the 2nd day and the other ten recipients were sacrificed at the 4 th day after the operation in each group. Histopathological examinations of the grafted hearts were performed in half of the recipients in each group randomly. The other half of the grafted hearts were excised rapidly and enzymatically dissociated to obtain single cardiomyocytes. The AP and I to current were recorded using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Forty grafted hearts were successfully harvested and used in experiments. Histologic examination showed mild rejection at the 2 nd day and moderate rejection at the 4 th day in the allogeneic group after cardiac transplantation, while no evidence of histologic lesions of rejection were observed in the isogeneic group. Compared with the isogeneic group, the action potential duration ( APD ) of cardiomyocytes in the allogeneic group was significantly prolonged ( APD 90 was 49.28±5.621 mV in the isogeneic group and 88.08±6.445 mV in the allogeneic group at the 2 nd day, P=0.0016; APD 90 was 59.34±5.183 mV in the isogeneic group and 104.0±9.523 mV in the allogeneic group at the 4 th day, P=0.0064). The current density of I to was significantly decreased at the 4 th day after cardiac transplantation. The APD of cardiomyocytes was significantly prolonged during acute cardiac rejection in rats, which might be partly attributed to decreased current densities of I to .

Background observations on the SMM high energy monitor at energies greater than 10 MeV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forrest, D. J.

1989-01-01

The background rate in any gamma ray detector on a spacecraft in near-earth orbit is strongly influenced by the primary cosmic ray flux at the spacecraft's position. Although the direct counting of the primary cosmic rays can be rejected by anticoincident shields, secondary production cannot be. Secondary production of gamma rays and neutrons in the instrument, the spacecraft, and the earth's atmospheric are recorded as background. A 30 day data base of 65.5 second records has been used to show that some of the background rates observed on the Gamma Ray Spectrometer can be ordered to a precision on the order of 1 percent This ordering is done with only two parameters, namely the cosmic ray vertical cutoff rigidity and the instrument's pointing angle with respect to the earth's center. This result sets limits on any instrumental instability and also on any temporal or spatial changes in the background radiation field.

Analysis of the Revision Process by American Journal of Roentgenology Reviewers and Section Editors: Metrics of Rejected Manuscripts and Their Final Disposition.

PubMed

Cejas, Claudia

2017-06-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate metrics related to manuscripts rejected by AJR with and without review during 2014 and to determine their final disposition: no record of eventual publication, eventually published, published with modified authors and title, published with the same title but modified authors, and published with modified title but the same authors. A total of 1245 unsolicited manuscripts submitted from January to December 2014 were included in this retrospective analysis. Data were extracted from the AJR's manuscript submission system. Standard statistical analysis was used to assess the fate of a sample of 200 rejected manuscripts. Of the 200 manuscripts studied, 117 (59%) were published in other scientific journals (61 with revision, 56 without revision; Χ 2 = 0.329, p = 0.566). Thirty-two of the 61 manuscripts (52%) rejected after peer review were later published in other journals without changes in their titles or authors, 16 (26%) with changes only in authors, 10 (16%) with changes only in their titles, and three (5%) with changes in authors and titles. Twenty-six of the 56 manuscripts (46%) rejected without peer review were published without changes in their titles or authors, 17 (30%) with changes in authors, 11 (20%) with changes only in their titles, and two (4%) with changes in both authors and titles (p = 0.686). Ten articles were published in open access journals. Of the remaining articles, those that had been reviewed were published in journals with a mean impact factor ± SD of 2.37 ± 1.30, and those that had not been reviewed were published in journals with a mean impact factor of 2.04 ± 1.06. Analysis of the 25th and 75th percentiles revealed that values were also higher for the group rejected with review (Wilcoxon rank sum test: W = 1679, p = 0.1127). Out of 61 articles rejected for publication with review, 52.5% were published with changes to their abstracts, whereas the remaining 47.5% were unchanged. This analysis found that manuscripts submitted to AJR that were rejected after review were published in journals with higher impact factors than those rejected without review. The commentaries provided by AJR reviewers and section editors appear to improve the quality of rejected manuscripts and thus contribute to the scientific community.

Measurement of θ 13 in Double Chooz using neutron captures on hydrogen with novel background rejection techniques

DOE PAGES

Abe, Y.; Appel, S.; Abrahão, T.; ...

2016-01-27

We observed a measurement of the Double Chooz collaboration and the neutrino mixing angle θ 13 using reactormore » $$\\bar{v}$$ e via the inverse beta decay reaction in which the neutron is captured on hydrogen. Our measurement is based on 462.72 live days data, approximately twice as much data as in the previous such analysis, collected with a detector positioned at an average distance of 1050 m from two reactor cores. Several novel techniques have been developed to achieve significant reductions of the backgrounds and systematic uncertainties. Accidental coincidences, the dominant background in this analysis, are suppressed by more than an order of magnitude with respect to our previous publication by a multi-variate analysis. Furthermore, these improvements demonstrate the capability of precise measurement of reactor $$\\bar{v}$$ e without gadolinium loading. Spectral distortions from the $$\\bar{v}$$ e reactor flux predictions previously reported with the neutron capture on gadolinium events are confirmed in the independent data sample presented here. A value of sin 2 2θ 13= 0.095 0.039 +0.038 (stat+syst) is obtained from a fit to the observed event rate as a function of the reactor power, a method insensitive to the energy spectrum shape. A simultaneous fit of the hydrogen capture events and of the gadolinium capture events yields a measurement of sin 2 2θ 13 = 0.088 ± 0.033(stat+syst).« less

Effects of Dental 3D Multimedia System on the Performance of Junior Dental Students in Preclinical Practice: A Report from China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Jian; Yu, Hao; Shao, Jun; Li, Zhiyong; Wang, Jiawei; Wang, Yining

2009-01-01

Background: Computer-assisted tools are rarely adopted for dental education in China. In China, 3D digital technology, such as Virtual Reality Systems, are often rejected in the dental field due to prohibitive pricing. There is also a reluctance to move away from traditional patterns of dental education. Objective: The current study is one of a…

Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-20

influence of the Islamic State and Iran. 44 However, in conjunction with the government’s expanded efforts to dissuade Saudi citizens from supporting...Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global influence through its administration of the birthplace...Administration has endorsed Saudi citizens ’ rights to free assembly and free expression. Saudi leaders reject foreign interference in the country’s internal

X-ray metal film filters at cryogenic temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keski-Kuha, Ritva A. M.

1989-01-01

Thin aluminum foil filters have been evaluated at cryogenic temperatures. The results of the test program, including cold cycling and vibration testing, indicate that these filters are fully successful at cryogenic temperatures and can provide the high X-ray transmittance and high background rejection required for the blocking filters which are being developed for the X-Ray Spectrometer, one of the focal plane instruments on the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility.

Scanning thin-sheet laser imaging microscopy (sTSLIM) with structured illumination and HiLo background rejection.

PubMed Central

Schröter, Tobias J.; Johnson, Shane B.; John, Kerstin; Santi, Peter A.

2011-01-01

We report replacement of one side of a static illumination, dual sided, thin-sheet laser imaging microscope (TSLIM) with an intensity modulated laser scanner in order to implement structured illumination (SI) and HiLo image demodulation techniques for background rejection. The new system is equipped with one static and one scanned light-sheet and is called a scanning thin-sheet laser imaging microscope (sTSLIM). It is an optimized version of a light-sheet fluorescent microscope that is designed to image large specimens (<15 mm in diameter). In this paper we describe the hardware and software modifications to TSLIM that allow for static and uniform light-sheet illumination with SI and HiLo image demodulation. The static light-sheet has a thickness of 3.2 µm; whereas, the scanned side has a light-sheet thickness of 4.2 µm. The scanned side images specimens with subcellular resolution (<1 µm lateral and <4 µm axial resolution) with a size up to 15 mm. SI and HiLo produce superior contrast compared to both the uniform static and scanned light-sheets. HiLo contrast was greater than SI and is faster and more robust than SI because as it produces images in two-thirds of the time and exhibits fewer intensity streaking artifacts. PMID:22254177

Design of the PIXIE Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirron, Peter J.; Kimball, Mark Oliver; Fixsen, Dale J.; Kogut, Alan J.; Li, Xiaoyi; DiPirro, Michael

2012-01-01

The Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE) is a proposed mission to densely map the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. It will operate in a scanning mode from a sun-synchronous orbit, using low temperature detectors (at 0.1 K) and located inside a teslescope that is cooled to approximately 2.73 K - to match the background temperature. A mechanical cryocooler operating at 4.5 K establishes a low base temperature from which two adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) assemblies will cool the telescope and detectors. To achieve continuous scanning capability, the ADRs must operate continuously. Complicating the design are two factors: 1) the need to systematically vary the temperature of various telescope components in order to separate the small polarization signal variations from those that may arise from temperature drifts and changing gradients within the telescope, and 2) the orbital and monthly variations in lunar irradiance into the telescope barrels. These factors require the telescope ADR to reject quasi-continuous heat loads of 2-3 millwatts, while maintaining a peak heat reject rate of less than 12 milliwatts. The detector heat load at 0.1 K is comparatively small at 1-2 microwatts. This paper will describe the 3-stage and 2-stage continuous ADRs that will be used to meet the cooling power and temperature stability requirements of the PIXIE detectors and telescope.

Emotion regulation and its effects on mood improvement in response to an in vivo peer rejection challenge.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Stegge, Hedy; Terwogt, Mark Meerum; Kamphuis, Jan H; Telch, Michael J

2006-11-01

This study examined children's spontaneous use of behavioral emotion regulation (ER) strategies and their effects on subsequent mood change in response to an in vivo peer rejection manipulation. Participants (N = 186), ranging between 10 and 13 years of age, played a computer game based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either peer rejection (being voted out of the game) or nonrejection control. In response to rejection, more than one third of the participants (38%) displayed a marked worsening (i.e., reliable change) in state mood. After receiving feedback, time spent on several behavioral ER strategies during a 5-minute postfeedback period was assessed. At the end of the postfeedback period, children's cognitive activity was also assessed. More time spent on behavioral distraction was positively linked to subsequent increases in positive affect, whereas the reverse pattern was found for disengagement/passive behavior. Moreover, higher endorsement ratings for the strategy of "cognitive analysis" were associated with stronger increases in negative affect. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Use of centrifugal-gravity concentration for rejection of talc and recovery improvement in base-metal flotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Bern; Altun, Naci Emre; Ghaffari, Hassan

2016-08-01

The possibility of using a centrifugal-gravity concentrator to reject Mg-bearing minerals and minimize metal losses in the flotation of base metals was evaluated. Sample characterization, batch scoping tests, pilot-scale tests, and regrind-flotation tests were conducted on a Ni flotation tailings stream. Batch tests revealed that the Mg grade decreased dramatically in the concentrate products. Pilot-scale testing of a continuous centrifugal concentrator (Knelson CVD6) on the flotation tailings revealed that a concentrate with a low mass yield, low Mg content, and high Ni upgrade ratio could be achieved. Under optimum conditions, a concentrate at 6.7% mass yield was obtained with 0.85% Ni grade at 12.9% Ni recovery and with a low Mg distribution (1.7%). Size partition curves demonstrated that the CVD also operated as a size classifier, enhancing the rejection of talc fines. Overall, the CVD was capable of rejecting Mg-bearing minerals. Moreover, an opportunity exists for the novel use of centrifugal-gravity concentration for scavenging flotation tailings and/or after comminution to minimize amount of Mg-bearing minerals reporting to flotation.

Adverse effects of meglumine diatrizoate on renal function in the early post-transplant period.

PubMed

Light, J A; Perloff, L J; Etheredge, E E; Hill, G; Spees, E K

1975-11-01

Thirty-four renal transplant recipients received drip infusion urograms from 2-24 days post-transplantation. Twenty-two patients exhibited changes in renal function within 1-4 days of the urogram that were indistinguishable from allograft rejection: a tender, swollen kidney, elevation of serum creatinine, oliguria, decreased urine sodium concentration, weight gain, and hypertension. Two patients developed acute tubular necrosis and required hemodialysis, but renal function in the remaining 20 patients improved after therapy for "graft rejection" with i.v. methyprednisolone sodium succinnate. Kidneys from older-age donors that were functioning suboptimally and kidneys which exhibited subsequent clinical allograft rejection were more at risk for contrast media toxicity. This suggests that occult vascular lesions may have been present in the allograft which were exacerbated when exposed to the irritant vascular effects of contrast media, producing a mild, reversible toxic nephritis. However, several kidneys with normal function and several kidneys which never exhibited rejection activity were also adversely affected by exposure to contrast media. It appears these agents should be used cautiously, if at all, in the early post-transplant period.

Can editors save peer review from peer reviewers?

PubMed

D'Andrea, Rafael; O'Dwyer, James P

2017-01-01

Peer review is the gold standard for scientific communication, but its ability to guarantee the quality of published research remains difficult to verify. Recent modeling studies suggest that peer review is sensitive to reviewer misbehavior, and it has been claimed that referees who sabotage work they perceive as competition may severely undermine the quality of publications. Here we examine which aspects of suboptimal reviewing practices most strongly impact quality, and test different mitigating strategies that editors may employ to counter them. We find that the biggest hazard to the quality of published literature is not selfish rejection of high-quality manuscripts but indifferent acceptance of low-quality ones. Bypassing or blacklisting bad reviewers and consulting additional reviewers to settle disagreements can reduce but not eliminate the impact. The other editorial strategies we tested do not significantly improve quality, but pairing manuscripts to reviewers unlikely to selfishly reject them and allowing revision of rejected manuscripts minimize rejection of above-average manuscripts. In its current form, peer review offers few incentives for impartial reviewing efforts. Editors can help, but structural changes are more likely to have a stronger impact.

Input Shaping enhanced Active Disturbance Rejection Control for a twin rotor multi-input multi-output system (TRMS).

PubMed

Yang, Xiaoyan; Cui, Jianwei; Lao, Dazhong; Li, Donghai; Chen, Junhui

2016-05-01

In this paper, a composite control based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) and Input Shaping is presented for TRMS with two degrees of freedom (DOF). The control tasks consist of accurately tracking desired trajectories and obtaining disturbance rejection in both horizontal and vertical planes. Due to un-measurable states as well as uncertainties stemming from modeling uncertainty and unknown disturbance torques, ADRC is employed, and feed-forward Input Shaping is used to improve the dynamical response. In the proposed approach, because the coupling effects are maintained in controller derivation, there is no requirement to decouple the TRMS into horizontal and vertical subsystems, which is usually performed in the literature. Finally, the proposed method is implemented on the TRMS platform, and the results are compared with those of PID and ADRC in a similar structure. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The operation of the controller allows for an excellent set-point tracking behavior and disturbance rejection with system nonlinearity and complex coupling conditions. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The innate immune system in host mice targets cells with allogenic mitochondrial DNA

PubMed Central

Ishikawa, Kaori; Nakada, Kazuto; Morimoto, Mami; Imanishi, Hirotake; Yoshizaki, Mariko; Sasawatari, Shigemi; Niikura, Mamoru; Takenaga, Keizo; Yonekawa, Hiromichi

2010-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been proposed to be involved in respiratory function, and mtDNA mutations have been associated with aging, tumors, and various disorders, but the effects of mtDNA imported into transplants from different individuals or aged subjects have been unclear. We examined this issue by generating trans-mitochondrial tumor cells and embryonic stem cells that shared the syngenic C57BL/6 (B6) strain–derived nuclear DNA background but possessed mtDNA derived from allogenic mouse strains. We demonstrate that transplants with mtDNA from the NZB/B1NJ strain were rejected from the host B6 mice, not by the acquired immune system but by the innate immune system. This rejection was caused partly by NK cells and involved a MyD88-dependent pathway. These results introduce novel roles of mtDNA and innate immunity in tumor immunology and transplantation medicine. PMID:20937705

Attachment anxiety is associated with a fear of becoming fat, which is mediated by binge eating

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Previous work demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety are prone to increased binge eating (Alexander & Siegel, 2013). Given that our society rejects obese individuals and individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to be highly sensitive to rejection (Downey & Feldman, 1996), it follows that those with increased attachment anxiety may be especially fearful of becoming fat. Methods Undergraduate psychology students (n = 148) completed surveys measuring attachment, binge eating, and fear of becoming fat. Results The data demonstrate that attachment anxiety is positively associated with a fear of becoming fat (β = .30, p < .001) and binge eating mediates this relationship. In other words, binge eating underlies the fear of becoming fat. Discussion These findings contribute to a more refined understanding of binge eating which may create pathways for professionals to develop targeted interventions. PMID:28286709

Analysis of Convair 990 rejected-takeoff accident with emphasis on decision making, training and procedures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batthauer, Byron E.

1987-01-01

This paper analyzes a NASA Convair 990 (CV-990) accident with emphasis on rejected-takeoff (RTO) decision making, training, procedures, and accident statistics. The NASA Aircraft Accident Investigation Board was somewhat perplexed that an aircraft could be destroyed as a result of blown tires during the takeoff roll. To provide a better understanding of tire failure RTO's, The Board obtained accident reports, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) studies, and other pertinent information related to the elements of this accident. This material enhanced the analysis process and convinced the Accident Board that high-speed RTO's in transport aircraft should be given more emphasis during pilot training. Pilots should be made aware of various RTO situations and statistics with emphasis on failed-tire RTO's. This background information could enhance the split-second decision-making process that is required prior to initiating an RTO.

Measurement of dielectron continuum in p + p at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV as a baseline study for chiral symmetry restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolnick, Sky Deva

Dielectrons are a very important probe used for studying the properties of hot dense nuclear matter created in heavy ion collisions. Since dielectrons are color neutral and produced during all stages of the collision, they provide access to an abundance of information not readily available from other sources. These include thermal sources, vector meson resonances, heavy charm and bottom decay, and Drell-Yan processes. Previous measurements of the dielectron continuum in PHENIX have indicated an unexpectedly large enhancement in Au+Au collisions in the low mass region (0.3 - 0.8GeV/c2), a possible signal of chiral symmetry restoration, but these measurements were limited by large systematic uncertainties primarily from a poor signal to background ratio. In 2009 the PHENIX experiment was upgraded with the addition of the Hadron Blind Detector which improves the background rejection by detecting partially reconstructed Dalitz decays and gamma conversion pairs. In this thesis, I will review the status of electromagnetic probes measured from the collision of heavy nuclei and present and compare the results obtained from 2009 data in p + p at 200 GeV using the HBD which will serve as a baseline for Au+Au results obtained in 2010.

CMB Polarization B-mode Delensing with SPTpol and Herschel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, A.; Story, K. T.; Wu, W. L. K.; Austermann, J. E.; Beall, J. A.; Bender, A. N.; Benson, B. A.; Bleem, L. E.; Bock, J. J.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Chang, C. L.; Chiang, H. C.; Cho, H.-M.; Citron, R.; Conley, A.; Crawford, T. M.; Crites, A. T.; de Haan, T.; Dobbs, M. A.; Dodelson, S.; Everett, W.; Gallicchio, J.; George, E. M.; Gilbert, A.; Halverson, N. W.; Harrington, N.; Henning, J. W.; Hilton, G. C.; Holder, G. P.; Holzapfel, W. L.; Hoover, S.; Hou, Z.; Hrubes, J. D.; Huang, N.; Hubmayr, J.; Irwin, K. D.; Keisler, R.; Knox, L.; Lee, A. T.; Leitch, E. M.; Li, D.; McMahon, J. J.; Meyer, S. S.; Mocanu, L. M.; Natoli, T.; Nibarger, J. P.; Novosad, V.; Padin, S.; Pryke, C.; Reichardt, C. L.; Ruhl, J. E.; Saliwanchik, B. R.; Sayre, J. T.; Schaffer, K. K.; Smecher, G.; Stark, A. A.; Vanderlinde, K.; Vieira, J. D.; Viero, M. P.; Wang, G.; Whitehorn, N.; Yefremenko, V.; Zemcov, M.

2017-09-01

We present a demonstration of delensing the observed cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode polarization anisotropy. This process of reducing the gravitational-lensing-generated B-mode component will become increasingly important for improving searches for the B modes produced by primordial gravitational waves. In this work, we delens B-mode maps constructed from multi-frequency SPTpol observations of a 90 deg2 patch of sky by subtracting a B-mode template constructed from two inputs: SPTpol E-mode maps and a lensing potential map estimated from the Herschel 500 μm map of the cosmic infrared background. We find that our delensing procedure reduces the measured B-mode power spectrum by 28% in the multipole range 300< {\\ell }< 2300; this is shown to be consistent with expectations from simulations and to be robust against systematics. The null hypothesis of no delensing is rejected at 6.9σ . Furthermore, we build and use a suite of realistic simulations to study the general properties of the delensing process and find that the delensing efficiency achieved in this work is limited primarily by the noise in the lensing potential map. We demonstrate the importance of including realistic experimental non-idealities in the delensing forecasts used to inform instrument and survey-strategy planning of upcoming lower-noise experiments, such as CMB-S4.

Verification of Minimum Detectable Activity for Radiological Threat Source Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardiner, Hannah; Myjak, Mitchell; Baciak, James; Detwiler, Rebecca; Seifert, Carolyn

2015-10-01

The Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is working to develop advanced technologies that will improve the ability to detect, localize, and identify radiological and nuclear sources from airborne platforms. The Airborne Radiological Enhanced-sensor System (ARES) program is developing advanced data fusion algorithms for analyzing data from a helicopter-mounted radiation detector. This detector platform provides a rapid, wide-area assessment of radiological conditions at ground level. The NSCRAD (Nuisance-rejection Spectral Comparison Ratios for Anomaly Detection) algorithm was developed to distinguish low-count sources of interest from benign naturally occurring radiation and irrelevant nuisance sources. It uses a number of broad, overlapping regions of interest to statistically compare each newly measured spectrum with the current estimate for the background to identify anomalies. We recently developed a method to estimate the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of NSCRAD in real time. We present this method here and report on the MDA verification using both laboratory measurements and simulated injects on measured backgrounds at or near the detection limits. This work is supported by the US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, under competitively awarded contract/IAA HSHQDC-12-X-00376. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Gov't.

Can the cosmic x ray and gamma ray background be due to reflection of a steep power law spectrum and Compton scattering by relativistic electrons?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zycki, Piotr T.; Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Svensson, Roland

1991-01-01

We reconsider the recent model for the origin in the cosmic X-ray and gamma-ray background by Rogers and Field. The background in the model is due to an unresolved population of AGNs. An individual AGN spectrum contains three components: a power law with the energy index of alpha = 1.1, an enhanced reflection component, and a component from Compton scattering by relativistic electrons with a low energy cutoff at some minimum Lorentz factor, gamma(sub min) much greater than 1. The MeV bump seen in the gamma-ray background is then explained by inverse Compton emission by the electrons. We show that the model does not reproduce the shape of the observed X-ray and gamma-ray background below 10 MeV and that it overproduces the background at larger energies. Furthermore, we find the assumptions made for the Compton component to be physically inconsistent. Relaxing the inconsistent assumptions leads to model spectra even more different from that of the observed cosmic background. Thus, we can reject the hypothesis that the high-energy cosmic background is due to the described model.

Targeting Sirtuin-1 prolongs murine renal allograft survival and function

PubMed Central

Levine, Matthew H.; Wang, Zhonglin; Xiao, Haiyan; Jiao, Jing; Wang, Liqing; Bhatti, Tricia R.; Hancock, Wayne W.; Beier, Ulf H.

2016-01-01

Current immunosuppressive medications used after transplantation have significant toxicities. Foxp3+ T-regulatory (Treg) cells can prevent allograft rejection without compromising protective host immunity. Interestingly, inhibiting the class III histone/protein deacetylase Sirtuin-1 can augment Foxp3+ Treg suppressive function through increasing Foxp3 acetylation. Here we determined whether Sirtuin-1 targeting can stabilize biological allograft function. BALB/c kidney allografts were transplanted into C57BL/6 recipients with a CD4-conditional deletion of Sirtuin-1 (Sirt1fl/flCD4cre) or mice treated with a Sirtuin-1 specific inhibitor (EX-527), and the native kidneys removed. Blood chemistries and hematocrit were followed weekly. Sirt1fl/flCD4cre recipients showed markedly longer survival and improved kidney function. Sirt1fl/flCD4cre recipients exhibited donor specific tolerance, accepted BALB/c, but rejected third-party C3H cardiac allografts. C57BL/6 recipients of BALB/c renal allografts that were treated with EX-527 showed improved survival and renal function at 1, but not 10 mg/kg/day. Pharmacologic inhibition of Sirtuin-1 also improved renal allograft survival and function with dosing effects having relevance to outcome. Thus, inhibiting Sirtuin-1 can be a useful asset in controlling T-cell mediated rejection. However, effects on non-T cells that could adversely affect allograft survival and function merit consideration. PMID:27083279

Perturbations in the Urinary Exosome in Transplant Rejection

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

Sigdel, Tara K.; NG, Yolanda; Lee, Sangho

Background: Urine exosomes, vesicles exocytosed into urine by all renal epithelial cell types, occur under normal physiologic and disease states. Exosome contents may mirror disease-specific proteome perturbations in kidney injury. Analysis methodologies for the exosomal fraction of the urinary proteome were developed and for comparing the urinary exosomal fraction versus unfractionated proteome for biomarker discovery. Methods: Urine exosomes were isolated by centrifugal filtration from mid-stream, second morning void, urine samples collected from kidney transplant recipients with and without biopsy matched acute rejection. The proteomes of unfractionated whole urine (Uw) and urine exosomes (Uexo) underwent mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics analysis. Themore » proteome data were analyzed for significant differential protein abundances in acute rejection (AR). Results: Identifications of 1018 and 349 proteins, Uw and Uexo fractions, respectively, demonstrated a 279 protein overlap between the two urinary compartments with 25%(70) of overlapping proteins unique to Uexoand represented membrane bound proteins (p=9.31e-7). Of 349 urine exosomal proteins identified in transplant patients 220 were not previously identified in the normal urine exosomal fraction. Uexo proteins (11), functioning in the inflammatory / stress response, were more abundant in patients with biopsy-confirmed acute rejection, 3 of which were exclusive to Uexo. Uexo AR-specific biomarkers (8) were also detected in Uw, but since they were observed at significantly lower abundances in Uw, they were not significant for AR in Uw. Conclusions: A rapid urinary exosome isolation method and quantitative measurement of enriched Uexo proteins was applied. Urine proteins specific to the exosomal fraction were detected either in unfractionated urine (at low abundances) or by Uexo fraction analysis. Perturbed proteins in the exosomal compartment of urine collected from kidney transplant patients were specific to inflammatory responses, and were not observed in the Uexo fraction from normal healthy subjects. Uexo specific protein alterations in renal disease provide potential mechanistic insights and offer a unique panel of sensitive biomarkers for monitoring for acute transplant rejection.« less

Graft and patient outcomes of zero-human leucocyte-antigen-mismatched deceased and live donor kidney transplant recipients.

PubMed

Lim, Wai H; Gray, Nicholas A; Chadban, Steven J; Pilmore, Helen; Wong, Germaine

2015-05-01

Greater compatibility of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles between kidney donors and recipients may lead to improved graft outcomes. This study aimed to compare the incidence of acute rejection and graft failure in zero-HLA-mismatched recipients of living-related (LD) and deceased donor (DD) kidney transplants. Using data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry, we compared the risk of any acute rejection and biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) and graft failure in recipients of zero-HLA-mismatched kidneys between LD and DD using logistic and Cox regression models. Of the 931 zero-HLA-mismatched recipients transplanted between 1990 and 2012, 19 (2.0%) received kidneys from monozygotic/dizygotic twins (twin), 500 (53.7%) from nontwin LD and 412 (44.3%) from DD. Twin kidney transplant recipients did not experience rejection. Compared to DD transplant recipients, the risk of any acute rejection (adjusted odds ratio 0.52, 95%CI 0.34-0.79, P = 0.002) and overall graft failure (adjusted hazard ratio 0.55, 95%CI 0.41-0.73, P < 0.001) was significantly lower in LD recipients independent of initial immunosuppression, but not for BPAR (adjusted odds ratio 0.52, 95%CI 0.16-1.64, P = 0.263). Zero-HLA-mismatched DD kidney transplant recipients have a significantly higher risk of any acute rejection episodes and graft loss compared to zero-HLA-mismatched LD kidney transplant recipients. A cautious and careful approach in reducing immunosuppression appears to be warranted in this group of transplant recipients. © 2015 Steunstichting ESOT.

Spectral Filtering Criteria for U-Band Test Light for In-Service Line Monitoring in Optical Fiber Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Nazuki; Izumita, Hisashi; Nakamura, Minoru

2006-06-01

In the fiber-to-the-home era, thousands of optical fibers will have to be accommodated in the central offices of optical access networks. To reduce maintenance costs and improve the service reliability of optical fiber networks, the authors must develop an optical fiber line testing system with a function for in-service line monitoring that uses a test light with a wavelength different from the communication light wavelength. To monitor an in-service line in an optical network, the effective rejection ratio of the test light must be taken into account. This ratio depends on the spectrum of the test light from the optical time-domain reflectometer and the rejection band of the filter in front of the optical network unit. The dependence of the effective rejection ratio as a function of the sideband suppression ratio (SBSR) and of the ratio of the rejection band to the bandwidth of the sideband noise d/D is clarified. When d/D =0.1 and the target effective rejection ratio of the filter is -40 dB, the SBSR and the filter loss of the termination cable must be -70 and -43 dB, respectively, or the SBSR must be -80 dB. When d/D < 0.5 and the target effective rejection ratio of the filter is -40 dB, the SBSR is also required to be -80 dB. In-service line monitoring for a 10-Gb/s transmission using a 1650-nm test light with an SBSR of -80 dB is also demonstrated.

HLA Class I Depleted hESC as a Source of Hypoimmunogenic Cells for Tissue Engineering Applications

PubMed Central

Karabekian, Zaruhi; Ding, Hao; Stybayeva, Gulnaz; Ivanova, Irina; Muselimyan, Narine; Haque, Amranul; Toma, Ian; Posnack, Nikki G.; Revzin, Alexander; Leitenberg, David; Laflamme, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Background: Rapidly improving protocols for the derivation of autologous cells from stem cell sources is a welcome development. However, there are many circumstances when off-the-shelf universally immunocompatible cells may be needed. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) provide a unique opportunity to modify the original source of differentiated cells to minimize their rejection by nonautologous hosts. Hypothesis: Immune rejection of nonautologous human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derivatives can be reduced by downregulating human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules, without affecting the ability of these cells to differentiate into specific lineages. Methods and Results: Beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) expression was decreased by lentiviral transduction using human anti-HLA class I light-chain B2M short hairpin RNA. mRNA levels of B2M were decreased by 90% in a RUES2-modified hESC line, as determined by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The transduced cells were selected under puromycin pressure and maintained in an undifferentiated state. The latter was confirmed by Oct4 and Nanog expression, and by the formation of characteristic round-shaped colonies. B2M downregulation led to diminished HLA-I expression on the cell surface, as determined by flow cytometry. When used as target cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction assay, transduced hESCs and their differentiated derivatives did not stimulate allogeneic T-cell proliferation. Using a cardiac differentiation protocol, transduced hESCs formed a confluent layer of cardiac myocytes and maintained a low level of B2M expression. Transduced hESCs were also successfully differentiated into a hepatic lineage, validating their capacity to differentiate into multiple lineages. Conclusions: HLA-I depletion does not preclude hESC differentiation into cardiac or hepatic lineages. This methodology can be used to engineer tissue from nonautologous hESC sources with improved immunocompatibility. PMID:26218149

Reverse osmosis desalination of chitosan cross-linked graphene oxide/titania hybrid lamellar membranes.

PubMed

Deng, Hui; Sun, Penzhan; Zhang, Yingjiu; Zhu, Hongwei

2016-07-08

With excellent mass transport properties, graphene oxide (GO)-based lamellar membranes are believed to have great potential in water desalination. In order to quantify whether GO-based membranes are indeed suitable for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, three sub-micrometer thick GO-based lamellar membranes: GO-only, reduced GO (RGO)/titania (TO) nanosheets and RGO/TO/chitosan (CTS) are prepared, and their RO desalination performances are evaluated in a home-made RO test apparatus. The photoreduction of GO by TO improves the salt rejection, which increases slowly with the membrane thickness. The RGO/TO/CTS hybrid membranes exhibit higher rejection rates of only about 30% (greater than threefold improvement compared with a GO-only membrane) which is still inferior compared to other commercial RO membranes. The low rejection rates mainly arise from the pressure-induced weakening of the ion-GO interlayer interactions. Despite the advantages of simple, low-cost preparation, high permeability and selectivity of GO-based lamellar membranes, as the current desalination performances are not high enough to afford practical application, there still remains a great challenge to realize high performance separation membranes for water desalination applications.

The Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otte, Nepomuk

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation of imag-ing atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays. It has the goal of providing an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity for Very High Energy Gamma-ray ( 100 GeV to 100 TeV) astronomy compared to currently operating arrays such as CANGAROO, HESS, MAGIC, and VERITAS. After an overview of the science such an array would enable, we discuss the development of the components of the telescope system that are required to achieve the sensitivity goal. AGIS stresses improvements in several areas of IACT technology including component reliability as well as exploring cost reduction possibilities in order to achieve its goal. We discuss alterna-tives for the telescopes and positioners: a novel Schwarzschild-Couder telescope offering a wide field of view with a relatively smaller plate scale, and possibilities for rapid slewing in order to address the search for and/or study of Gamma-ray Bursts in the VHE gamma-ray regime. We also discuss options for a high pixel count camera system providing the necessary finer solid angle per pixel and possibilities for a fast topological trigger that would offer improved realtime background rejection and lower energy thresholds.

Management of children undergoing cardiac transplantation with high Panel Reactive Antibodies.

PubMed

Asante-Korang, Alfred; Jacobs, Jeffrey P; Ringewald, Jeremy; Carapellucci, Jennifer; Rosenberg, Kristin; McKenna, Daniel; McCormack, Jorge; Wilmot, Ivan; Gjeldum, Abigail; Lopez-Cepero, Mayra; Sleasman, John

2011-12-01

Highly sensitised children in need of cardiac transplantation have overall poor outcomes because of increased risk for dysfunction of the cardiac allograft, acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejection, and vasculopathy of the cardiac allograft. Cardiopulmonary bypass and the frequent use of blood products in the operating room and cardiac intensive care unit, as well as the frequent use of homografts, have predisposed potential recipients of transplants to allosensitisation. The expansion in the use of ventricular assist devices and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has also contributed to increasing rates of allosensitisation in candidates for cardiac transplantation. Antibodies to Human Leukocyte Antigen can be detected before transplantation using several different techniques, the most common being the "complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity assays". "Solid-phase assays", particularly the "Luminex® single antigen bead method", offer improved specificity and more detailed information regarding specificities of antibodies, leading to improved matching of donors with recipients. Allosensitisation prolongs the time on the waiting list for potential recipients of transplantation and increases the risk of complications and death after transplantation. Aggressive reduction of antibodies to Human Leukocyte Antigen in these high-risk patients is therefore of vital importance for long-term survival of the patient and cardiac allograft. Strategies to decrease Panel Reactive Antibody or percent reactive antibody before transplantation include plasmapheresis, intravenous administration of immunoglobulin, and specific treatment to reduce B-cells, particularly Rituximab. These strategies have resulted in varying degrees of success. Antibody-mediated rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy are two of the most important complications of transplantation in patients with high Panel Reactive Antibody. The treatment of antibody-mediated rejection in recipients of cardiac transplants is largely empirical and includes the use of high-dose corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, intravenous administration of immunoglobulins, anti-thymocyte globulin, and Rituximab. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is believed to be secondary to chronic complement-mediated endothelial injury and chronic vascular rejection. The use of proliferation signal inhibitors, such as sirolimus and everolimus, has been shown to delay the progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. In some non-sensitised recipients of cardiac transplants, the de novo formation of antibodies to Human Leukocyte Antigen after transplantation may increase the likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes. The use of serial testing for donor-specific antibodies after cardiac transplantation may be advisable in patients with frequent episodes of rejection and patients with history of sensitisation. Allosensitisation before transplantation can negatively influence outcomes after transplantation. A high incidence of antibody-mediated rejection and graft vasculopathy can result in graft failure and decreased survival. Current strategies to decrease allosensitisation have helped to expand the pool of donors, improve times on the waiting list, and decrease mortality. Centres of transplantation offering desensitisation are currently using plasmapheresis to remove circulating antibodies; intravenous immunoglobulin to inactivate antibodies; cyclophosphamide to suppress B-cell proliferation; and Rituximab to deplete B-lymphocytes. Similar approaches are also used to treat antibody-mediated rejection after transplantation with promising results.

Violence as a Barrier for HIV Prevention among Female Sex Workers in Argentina

PubMed Central

Pando, María A.; Coloccini, Romina S.; Reynaga, Elena; Rodriguez Fermepin, Marcelo; Gallo Vaulet, Lucia; Kochel, Tadeusz J.; Montano, Silvia M.; Avila, María M.

2013-01-01

Background Violence against female sex workers (FSWs) has been increasingly reported as an important determinant of HIV infection risk. This study explores the frequency of different violent experiences (sexual abuse, rejection, beating and imprisonment) among FSWs in Argentina and its association with condom use and HIV and T. pallidum prevalence. Methods A convenience sample of 1255 FSWs was included in a cross-sectional study conducted between October 2006 and November 2009. Results Sexual abuse was reported by 24.1% (219/907) of women. A total of 34.7% (42/1234) reported rejection experiences, 21.9% (267/1215) reported having been beaten and 45.4% (561/1236) stated having been arrested because of their sex work activity. There was a higher frequency of inconsistent condom use with clients among FSWs who had experienced sexual abuse, rejection, and police detention. A higher frequency of HIV and T. pallidum infection was detected among FSWs who reported having been arrested by the police. Conclusion The study shows for the first time the frequency of different violent situations among FSWs in Argentina. The association between violence against sex workers, condom use and STI prevalence demonstrated here calls for measures to reduce stigma and violence against FSWs. Such violent experiences may increase vulnerability to STI through coerced unprotected sex. PMID:23342092

Plugged percutaneous biopsy of the liver in living-donor liver transplantation recipients suspected to have graft rejection.

PubMed

Kim, Sung Jung; Won, Je Hwan; Kim, Young Bae; Wang, Hee-Jung; Kim, Bong-Wan; Kim, Haeryoung; Kim, Jinoo

2017-07-01

Background Percutaneous biopsy is a widely-accepted technique for acquiring histologic samples of the liver. When there is concern for bleeding, plugged percutaneous biopsy (PPB) may be performed, which involves embolization of the biopsy tract. Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PPB of the liver in patients suspected to have graft rejection after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Material and Methods During January 2007 and December 2013, 51 patients who underwent PPB of the liver under the suspicion of post-LDLT graft rejection were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 73 biopsies were performed. Biopsy was performed with a 17-gauge core needle and 18-gauge cutting needle. The needle tract was embolized using gelatin sponge (n = 44) or N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) (n = 29). The specimens were reviewed to determine their adequacy for histologic diagnosis. We reviewed all medical records after PPB. Results Specimens were successfully acquired in all procedures (100%). They were adequate for diagnosis in 70 cases (95.9%) and inadequate in three (1.3%). Average of 9.8 complete portal tracts was counted per specimen. One minor complication (1.4%) occurred where the patient had transient fever after the procedure. Conclusion PPB is easy and safe to perform in LDLT recipients and provides high diagnostic yield.

Design and Fabrication of a Composite Morphing Radiator Panel Using High Conductivity Fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wescott, Matthew T.; McQuien, J. Scott; Bertagne, Christopher L.; Whitcomb, John D.; Hart, Darren J.; Erickson, Lisa R.

2017-01-01

Upcoming crewed space missions will involve large internal and external heat loads and require advanced thermal control systems to maintain a desired internal environment temperature. Radiators with at least 12:1 turndown ratios (the ratio between the maximum and minimum heat rejection rates) will be needed. However, current technologies are only able to achieve turndown ratios of approximately 3:1. A morphing radiator capable of altering shape could significantly increase turndown capabilities. Shape memory alloys offer qualities that may be well suited for this endeavor; their temperature-dependent phase changes could offer radiators the ability to passively control heat rejection. In 2015, a morphing radiator prototype was constructed and tested in a thermal vacuum environment, where it successfully demonstrated the morphing behavior and variable heat rejection. Newer composite prototypes have since been designed and manufactured using two distinct types of SMA materials. These models underwent temperature cycling tests in a thermal vacuum chamber and a series of fatigue tests to characterize the lifespan of these designs. The focus of this paper is to present the design approach and testing of the morphing composite facesheet. The discussion includes: an overall description of the project background, definition of performance requirements, composite materials selection, use of analytic and numerical design tools, facesheet fabrication, and finally fatigue testing with accompanying results.

Acute Rejection in Renal Transplant Patients of a Hospital in Bogota, Colombia

PubMed Central

García, P.; Huerfano, M; Rodríguez, M; Caicedo, A; Berrío, F; Gonzalez, C

2016-01-01

Background: Renal transplantation is the best treatment for end stage renal disease. Acute graft rejection is one of the main complications and may influence graft survival. Objective: To determine the incidence and features of acute cellular rejection (ACR) episodes confirmed by biopsy. Methods: We studied a cohort of 175 patients who underwent renal transplantation between 2004 and 2012 to determine the cumulative incidence of ACR confirmed by biopsy and to identify the associated risk factors using multivariate analysis. Results: The one-year patient survival was 96.6%; the graft survival was 93.7%. The incidence of ACR within one year was 14.3%, of which 46% were observed within 6 months following transplantation. The most frequently observed ACR type was 1B according to the Banff classification system (42%). A relationship between ACR and receipt of a kidney from expanded criteria donors was observed, both in univariate and adjusted multiple log-binomial regression analyses, but only 6.3% of patients received extended criteria donor kidneys. No other relationships between variables were found. Conclusion: ACR frequency in this study was similar to that of other cohorts reported previously. We need a bigger sample of renal transplants from expanded criteria donors, PRA and DSA test to support the results. PMID:27721962

A Robust Post-Processing Workflow for Datasets with Motion Artifacts in Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging

PubMed Central

Li, Xianjun; Yang, Jian; Gao, Jie; Luo, Xue; Zhou, Zhenyu; Hu, Yajie; Wu, Ed X.; Wan, Mingxi

2014-01-01

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop a robust post-processing workflow for motion-corrupted datasets in diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Materials and methods The proposed workflow consisted of brain extraction, rigid registration, distortion correction, artifacts rejection, spatial smoothing and tensor estimation. Rigid registration was utilized to correct misalignments. Motion artifacts were rejected by using local Pearson correlation coefficient (LPCC). The performance of LPCC in characterizing relative differences between artifacts and artifact-free images was compared with that of the conventional correlation coefficient in 10 randomly selected DKI datasets. The influence of rejected artifacts with information of gradient directions and b values for the parameter estimation was investigated by using mean square error (MSE). The variance of noise was used as the criterion for MSEs. The clinical practicality of the proposed workflow was evaluated by the image quality and measurements in regions of interest on 36 DKI datasets, including 18 artifact-free (18 pediatric subjects) and 18 motion-corrupted datasets (15 pediatric subjects and 3 essential tremor patients). Results The relative difference between artifacts and artifact-free images calculated by LPCC was larger than that of the conventional correlation coefficient (p<0.05). It indicated that LPCC was more sensitive in detecting motion artifacts. MSEs of all derived parameters from the reserved data after the artifacts rejection were smaller than the variance of the noise. It suggested that influence of rejected artifacts was less than influence of noise on the precision of derived parameters. The proposed workflow improved the image quality and reduced the measurement biases significantly on motion-corrupted datasets (p<0.05). Conclusion The proposed post-processing workflow was reliable to improve the image quality and the measurement precision of the derived parameters on motion-corrupted DKI datasets. The workflow provided an effective post-processing method for clinical applications of DKI in subjects with involuntary movements. PMID:24727862

A robust post-processing workflow for datasets with motion artifacts in diffusion kurtosis imaging.

PubMed

Li, Xianjun; Yang, Jian; Gao, Jie; Luo, Xue; Zhou, Zhenyu; Hu, Yajie; Wu, Ed X; Wan, Mingxi

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a robust post-processing workflow for motion-corrupted datasets in diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). The proposed workflow consisted of brain extraction, rigid registration, distortion correction, artifacts rejection, spatial smoothing and tensor estimation. Rigid registration was utilized to correct misalignments. Motion artifacts were rejected by using local Pearson correlation coefficient (LPCC). The performance of LPCC in characterizing relative differences between artifacts and artifact-free images was compared with that of the conventional correlation coefficient in 10 randomly selected DKI datasets. The influence of rejected artifacts with information of gradient directions and b values for the parameter estimation was investigated by using mean square error (MSE). The variance of noise was used as the criterion for MSEs. The clinical practicality of the proposed workflow was evaluated by the image quality and measurements in regions of interest on 36 DKI datasets, including 18 artifact-free (18 pediatric subjects) and 18 motion-corrupted datasets (15 pediatric subjects and 3 essential tremor patients). The relative difference between artifacts and artifact-free images calculated by LPCC was larger than that of the conventional correlation coefficient (p<0.05). It indicated that LPCC was more sensitive in detecting motion artifacts. MSEs of all derived parameters from the reserved data after the artifacts rejection were smaller than the variance of the noise. It suggested that influence of rejected artifacts was less than influence of noise on the precision of derived parameters. The proposed workflow improved the image quality and reduced the measurement biases significantly on motion-corrupted datasets (p<0.05). The proposed post-processing workflow was reliable to improve the image quality and the measurement precision of the derived parameters on motion-corrupted DKI datasets. The workflow provided an effective post-processing method for clinical applications of DKI in subjects with involuntary movements.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR for 0νββ: Current Status and Future Plans

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

Green, M. P.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, Estanislao

2015-03-24

The Majorana Demonstrator will search for neutrinoless-double-beta decay in 76Ge, while establishing the feasibility of a future tonne-scale germanium-based neutrinoless-double-beta decay experiment, and performing searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The experiment, currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD, will consist of a pair of modular high-purity germanium detector arrays housed inside of a compact copper, lead, and polyethylene shield. Through a combination of strict materials qualifications and assay, low-background design, and powerful background rejection techniques, the Demonstrator aims to achieve a background rate in the neutrinoless-double-beta decay region of interest (ROI) ofmore » no more than 3cnts/(ROI-t-y). The current status of the Demonstrator is discussed, as are plans for its completion.« less

Noise-Coupled Image Rejection Architecture of Complex Bandpass ΔΣAD Modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

San, Hao; Kobayashi, Haruo

This paper proposes a new realization technique of image rejection function by noise-coupling architecture, which is used for a complex bandpass ΔΣAD modulator. The complex bandpass ΔΣAD modulator processes just input I and Q signals, not image signals, and the AD conversion can be realized with low power dissipation. It realizes an asymmetric noise-shaped spectra, which is desirable for such low-IF receiver applications. However, the performance of the complex bandpass ΔΣAD modulator suffers from the mismatch between internal analog I and Q paths. I/Q path mismatch causes an image signal, and the quantization noise of the mirror image band aliases into the desired signal band, which degrades the SQNDR (Signal to Quantization Noise and Distortion Ratio) of the modulator. In our proposed modulator architecture, an extra notch for image rejection is realized by noise-coupled topology. We just add some passive capacitors and switches to the modulator; the additional integrator circuit composed of an operational amplifier in the conventional image rejection realization is not necessary. Therefore, the performance of the complex modulator can be effectively raised without additional power dissipation. We have performed simulation with MATLAB to confirm the validity of the proposed architecture. The simulation results show that the proposed architecture can achieve the realization of image-rejection effectively, and improve the SQNDR of the complex bandpass ΔΣAD modulator.

Readout architecture for sub-nanosecond resolution TDC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marteau, J.; Carlus, B.; Gardien, S.; Girerd, C.; Ianigro, J.-C.; Montorio, J.-L.; Gibert, D.; Nicollin, F.

2012-04-01

The DIAPHANE project is pluri-disciplinary collaboration between particle physicists and geophysicists to perform the tomography of large geological structure mainly devoted to the study of active volcanoes. The detector used for this tomography, hereafter referred to as telescope, uses a standard, robust, cost-effective and well-known technology based on solid plastic scintillator readout by photomultiplier(s) (either multichannel pixelized PM or silicon PM). The electronics system is built on the concept of autonomous, triggerless, smart sensor directly connected on a standard fast Ethernet network. First radiographies have been performed on the Mont-Terri underground laboratory (St-Ursanne, Switzerland) and on the active volcano of La Soufrière (Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, France). We present an upgrade of the readout architecture allowing to embed a sub-nanosecond resolution TDC within the existing programmable logic to help in the background rejection (rear flux, random coincidences) and to improve the detection purity and the radiography quality. First results obtained are also presented and briefly discussed.

CUORE and beyond: Bolometric techniques to explore inverted neutrino mass hierarchy

DOE PAGES

Artusa, D. R.; Avignone, F. T.; Azzolini, O.; ...

2015-03-24

The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te. With 741 kg of TeO 2 crystals and an excellent energy resolution of 5 keV (0.2%) at the region of interest, CUORE will be one of the most competitive neutrinoless double beta decay experiments on the horizon. With five years of live time, CUORE projected neutrinoless double beta decay half-life sensitivity is 1.6 × 10 26 y at 1σ (9.5 × 10 25 y at the 90% confidence level), which corresponds to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in themore » range 40–100 meV (50–130 meV). Further background rejection with auxiliary light detector can significantly improve the search sensitivity and competitiveness of bolometric detectors to fully explore the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy with 130Te and possibly other double beta decay candidate nuclei.« less

Results on the energy dependence of cosmic-ray charge composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubrahmanyan, V. K.; Ormes, J. F.

1973-01-01

Results of measurements by a balloon-borne ionization spectrometer of the energy dependence of high-energy cosmic-ray charge composition. The results presented are greatly improved over those obtained earlier by Ormes et al. (1971) by the use of a multidimensional charge analysis with more efficient background rejection, and a more accurate energy determination. Complex couplings between the charge, energy, and trajectory information were taken into account and are discussed. The spectra of individual elements up to oxygen and of groups of nuclei up through iron were measured up to almost 100 GeV per nucleon. The energy spectrum of the secondary nuclei, B + N, is found to be steeper than that of the primary nuclei, C + O, in agreement with Smith et al. (1973). The most dramatic finding is that the spectrum of the iron nuclei is flatter than that of the carbon and oxygen nuclei by 0.57 plus or minus 0.14 of a power.

Scintillating anticoincidence detection elements design and tests with muons and protons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilliot, M.; Chabaud, J.; Baronick, J. P.; Colonges, S.; Laurent, P.

2010-09-01

Design, construction and tests of anticoincidence detection elements are presented. Initially planned to be used as active shielding parts of the anticoincidence detector of the Simbol-X mission, they are aimed to detect cosmic protons and provide veto signal against charged-particle background induced on imaging detectors. The sample is made of a scintillator plate into which grooves are machined and waveshifting fibers glued. The fibers are connected to multianode photomultiplier (PM) tubes. The tubes characteristics have been evaluated for this application. The device has been tested with atmospheric muons that deposit similar energy to that of cosmic protons thanks to a specially designed muon telescope also described in this paper. Tests have also been performed with protons of a tandem accelerator beam line. The response is on average above 10 photoelectrons, which is not complicated to detect, which allows very good detection efficiency as well as very good ability to reject noise. In addition many evolution and performance improvements appear possible.

A pixelated charge readout for Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asaadi, J.; Auger, M.; Ereditato, A.; Goeldi, D.; Hänni, R.; Kose, U.; Kreslo, I.; Lorca, D.; Luethi, M.; von Rohr, C. Rudolf; Sinclair, J.; Stocker, F.; Tognina, C.; Weber, M.

2018-02-01

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) are ideally suited to perform long-baseline neutrino experiments aiming to measure CP violation in the lepton sector, and determine the ordering of the three neutrino mass eigenstates. LArTPCs have used projective wire readouts for charge detection since their conception in 1977. However, wire readouts are notoriously fragile and therefore a limiting factor in the design of any large mass detectors. Furthermore, a wire readout also introduces intrinsic ambiguities in event reconstruction. Within the ArgonCube concept—the liquid argon component of the DUNE near detector—we are developing a pixelated charge readout for LArTPCs. Pixelated charge readout systems represent the single largest advancement in the sensitivity of LArTPCs. They are mechanically robust and provide direct 3D readout, serving to minimise reconstruction ambiguities, enabling more advanced triggers, further reducing event pile-up and improving background rejection. This article presents first results from a pixelated LArTPC prototype built and operated in Bern.

Anti-Inflammatory Strategies in Intrahepatic Islet Transplantation: A Comparative Study in Preclinical Models.

PubMed

Citro, Antonio; Cantarelli, Elisa; Pellegrini, Silvia; Dugnani, Erica; Piemonti, Lorenzo

2018-02-01

The identification of pathway(s) playing a pivotal role in peritransplant detrimental inflammatory events represents the crucial step toward a better management and outcome of pancreatic islet transplanted patients. Recently, we selected the CXCR1/2 inhibition as a relevant strategy in enhancing pancreatic islet survival after transplantation. Here, the most clinically used anti-inflammatory compounds (IL1-receptor antagonist, steroids, and TNF-α inhibitor) alone or in combination with a CXCR1/2 inhibitor were evaluated in their ability to improve engraftment or delay graft rejection. To rule out bias related to transplantation site, we used well-established preclinical syngeneic (250 C57BL/6 equivalent islets in C57BL/6) and allogeneic (400 Balb/c equivalent islets in C57BL6) intrahepatic islet transplantation platforms. In mice, we confirmed that targeting the CXCR1/2 pathway is crucial in preserving islet function and improving engraftment. In the allogeneic setting, CXCR1/2 inhibitor alone could reduce the overall recruitment of transplant-induced leukocytes and significantly prolong the time to graft rejection both as a single agent and in combination with immunosuppression. No other anti-inflammatory compounds tested (IL1-receptor antagonist, steroids, and TNF-α inhibitor) alone or in combination with CXCR1/2 inhibitor improve islet engraftment and significantly delay graft rejection in the presence of MMF + FK-506 immunosuppressive treatment. These findings indicate that only the CXCR1/2-mediated axis plays a crucial role in controlling the islet damage and should be a target for intervention to improve the efficiency of islet transplantation.

Evaluation of variability and quality control procedures for a receptor-binding assay for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins.

PubMed

Ruberu, S R; Langlois, G W; Masuda, M; Perera, S Kusum

2012-01-01

The receptor-binding assay (RBA) method for determining saxatoxin (STX) and its numerous analogues, which cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans, was evaluated in a single laboratory study. Each step of the assay preparation procedure including the performance of the multi-detector TopCount® instrument was evaluated for its contribution to method variability. The overall inherent RBA variability was determined to be 17%. Variability within the 12 detectors was observed; however, there was no reproducible pattern in detector performance. This observed variability among detectors could be attributed to other factors, such as pipetting errors. In an attempt to reduce the number of plates rejected due to excessive variability in the method's quality control parameters, a statistical approach was evaluated using either Grubbs' test or the Student's t-test for rejecting outliers in the measurement of triplicate wells. This approach improved the ratio of accepted versus rejected plates, saving cost and time for rerunning the assay. However, the potential reduction in accuracy and the lack of improvement in precision suggests caution when using this approach. The current study has recommended an alternate quality control procedure for accepting or rejecting plates in place of the criteria currently used in the published assay, or the alternative of outlier testing. The recommended procedure involves the development of control charts to monitor the critical parameters identified in the published method (QC sample, EC₅₀, slope of calibration curve), with the addition of a fourth critical parameter which is the top value (100% binding) of the calibration curve.

Insect Detection of Small Targets Moving in Visual Clutter

PubMed Central

Barnett, Paul D; O'Carroll, David C

2006-01-01

Detection of targets that move within visual clutter is a common task for animals searching for prey or conspecifics, a task made even more difficult when a moving pursuer needs to analyze targets against the motion of background texture (clutter). Despite the limited optical acuity of the compound eye of insects, this challenging task seems to have been solved by their tiny visual system. Here we describe neurons found in the male hoverfly,Eristalis tenax, that respond selectively to small moving targets. Although many of these target neurons are inhibited by the motion of a background pattern, others respond to target motion within the receptive field under a surprisingly large range of background motion stimuli. Some neurons respond whether or not there is a speed differential between target and background. Analysis of responses to very small targets (smaller than the size of the visual field of single photoreceptors) or those targets with reduced contrast shows that these neurons have extraordinarily high contrast sensitivity. Our data suggest that rejection of background motion may result from extreme selectivity for small targets contrasting against local patches of the background, combined with this high sensitivity, such that background patterns rarely contain features that satisfactorily drive the neuron. PMID:16448249

Cost effectiveness of ergonomic redesign of electronic motherboard.

PubMed

Sen, Rabindra Nath; Yeow, Paul H P

2003-09-01

A case study to illustrate the cost effectiveness of ergonomic redesign of electronic motherboard was presented. The factory was running at a loss due to the high costs of rejects and poor quality and productivity. Subjective assessments and direct observations were made on the factory. Investigation revealed that due to motherboard design errors, the machine had difficulty in placing integrated circuits onto the pads, the operators had much difficulty in manual soldering certain components and much unproductive manual cleaning (MC) was required. Consequently, there were high rejects and occupational health and safety (OHS) problems, such as, boredom and work discomfort. Also, much labour and machine costs were spent on repairs. The motherboard was redesigned to correct the design errors, to allow more components to be machine soldered and to reduce MC. This eliminated rejects, reduced repairs, saved US dollars 581495/year and improved operators' OHS. The customer also saved US dollars 142105/year on loss of business.

Tunable band-stop plasmonic filter based on square ring resonators in a metal-insulator-metal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zavvari, Mahdi; Taleb Hesami Azar, Milad; Arashmehr, Armin

2017-11-01

A novel high-performance plasmonic filter based on a metal-insulator-metal structure is analysed for band-rejection applications. A square ring is used in proximity to the waveguide in order to resonate with some transmitted wavelengths and drop them to prevent from propagation towards the output. The effect of the structural parameters of square ring resonator is studied deploying the finite difference time domain method and the possibility of tuning the rejected wavelength is investigated in detail. The simulation results demonstrate that the rejected wavelength has a red-shift with increase in the size of the ring's dimensions. A further study is carried out considering narrowing the bandwidth. To improve the quality factor of the proposed filter, a small ring within the resonator is introduced that considerably decreases the bandwidth of the peak with respect to its central wavelength.

Relationship between acceptance of background noise and hearing aid use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabelek, Anna K.; Burchfield, Samuel B.; Webster, Joanna D.

2003-04-01

Background noise produces complaints among hearing-aid users, however speech-perception-in-noise does not predict hearing-aid use. It is possible that hearing-aid users are complaining about the presence of background noise and not about speech perception. To test this possibility, acceptance of background noise is being investigated as a predictor of hearing-aid use. Acceptance of background noise is determined by having subjects select their most comfortable listening level (MCL) for a story. Next, speech-babble is added and the subjects select the maximum background noise level (BNL) which is acceptable while listening to and following the story. The difference between the MCL and the BNL is the acceptable noise level (ANL), all in dB. ANLs are being compared with hearing-aid use, subjective impressions of benefit (APHAB), speech perception in background noise (SPIN) scores, and audiometric data. Individuals who accept higher levels of background noise are more successful users than individuals who accept less background noise. Mean ANLs are 7.3 dB for full-time users (N=21), 12.6 dB for part-time users (N=44), and 13.8 dB for rejecters (N=17). ANLs are not related to APHAB, SPIN, or audiometric data. Results for about 120 subjects will be reported. [Work supported by NIDCD (NIH) RO1 DC 05018.

Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor (hHGF)-Modified Hepatic Oval Cells Improve Liver Transplant Survival

PubMed Central

Li, Li; Ran, Jiang-Hua; Li, Xue-Hua; Liu, Zhi-Heng; Liu, Gui-Jie; Gao, Yan-Chao; Zhang, Xue-Li; Sun, Hiu-Dong

2012-01-01

Despite progress in the field of immunosuppression, acute rejection is still a common postoperative complication following liver transplantation. This study aims to investigate the capacity of the human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF) in modifying hepatic oval cells (HOCs) administered simultaneously with orthotopic liver transplantation as a means of improving graft survival. HOCs were activated and isolated using a modified 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) model in male Lewis rats. A HOC line stably expressing the HGF gene was established following stable transfection of the pBLAST2-hHGF plasmid. Our results demonstrated that hHGF-modified HOCs could efficiently differentiate into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells in vitro. Administration of HOCs at the time of liver transplantation induced a wider distribution of SRY-positive donor cells in liver tissues. Administration of hHGF-HOC at the time of transplantation remarkably prolonged the median survival time and improved liver function for recipients compared to these parameters in the other treatment groups (P<0.05). Moreover, hHGF-HOC administration at the time of liver transplantation significantly suppressed elevation of interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels while increasing the production of IL-10 and TGF-β1 (P<0.05). HOC or hHGF-HOC administration promoted cell proliferation, reduced cell apoptosis, and decreased liver allograft rejection rates. Furthermore, hHGF-modified HOCs more efficiently reduced acute allograft rejection (P<0.05 versus HOC transplantation only). Our results indicate that the combination of hHGF-modified HOCs with liver transplantation decreased host anti-graft immune responses resulting in a reduction of allograft rejection rates and prolonging graft survival in recipient rats. This suggests that HOC-based cell transplantation therapies can be developed as a means of treating severe liver injuries. PMID:23028627

Antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplantation: a review of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options.

PubMed

Kim, Miae; Martin, Spencer T; Townsend, Keri R; Gabardi, Steven

2014-07-01

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), also known as B-cell-mediated or humoral rejection, is a significant complication after kidney transplantation that carries a poor prognosis. Although fewer than 10% of kidney transplant patients experience AMR, as many as 30% of these patients experience graft loss as a consequence. Although AMR is mediated by antibodies against an allograft and results in histologic changes in allograft vasculature that differ from cellular rejection, it has not been recognized as a separate disease process until recently. With an improved understanding about the importance of the development of antibodies against allografts as well as complement activation, significant advances have occurred in the treatment of AMR. The standard of care for AMR includes plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin that remove and neutralize antibodies, respectively. Agents targeting B cells (rituximab and alemtuzumab), plasma cells (bortezomib), and the complement system (eculizumab) have also been used successfully to treat AMR in kidney transplant recipients. However, the high cost of these medications, their use for unlabeled indications, and a lack of prospective studies evaluating their efficacy and safety limit the routine use of these agents in the treatment of AMR in kidney transplant recipients. © 2014 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Surface modification of thin film composite reverse osmosis membrane by glycerol assisted oxidation with sodium hypochlorite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raval, Hiren D.; Samnani, Mohit D.; Gauswami, Maulik V.

2018-01-01

Need for improvement in water flux of thin film composite (TFC) RO membrane has been appreciated by researchers world over and surface modification approach is found promising to achieve higher water flux and solute rejection. Thin film composite RO membrane was exposed to 2000 mg/l sodium hypochlorite solution with varying concentrations of glycerol ranging from 1 to 10%. It was found that there was a drop in concentration of sodium hypochlorite after the addition of glycerol because of a new compound resulted from the oxidation of glycerol with sodium hypochlorite. The water flux of the membrane treated with 1% glycerol with 2000 mg/l sodium hypochlorite for 1 h was about 22% more and salt rejection was 1.36% greater than that of only sodium hypochlorite treated membrane for the same concentration and time. There was an increase in salt rejection of membrane with increase in concentration of glycerol from 1% to 5%, however, increasing glycerol concentration further up to 10%, the salt rejection declined. The water flux was found declining from 1% glycerol solution to 10% glycerol solution. The membrane samples were characterized to understand the change in chemical structure and morphology of the membrane.

Studies Introducing Costimulation Blockade for Vascularized Composite Allografts in Non-Human Primates

PubMed Central

Freitas, AM; Samy, KP; Farris, AB; Leopardi, FV; Song, M; Stempora, L; Strobert, EA; Jenkins, JA; Kirk, AD; Cendales, LC

2016-01-01

Vascularized composite allografts (VCAs) are technically feasible. Similar to other organ transplants, VCAs are hampered by the toxicity and incomplete efficacy associated with conventional immunosuppression. Complications attributable to calcineurin inhibitors remain prevalent in the clinical cases reported to date, and these loom particularly large given the non-lifesaving nature of VCAs. Additionally, acute rejection remains almost ubiquitous, albeit controllable with current agents. Costimulation blockade offers the potential to provide prophylaxis from rejection without the adverse consequences of calcineurin-based regimens. In this study, we used a non-human-primate model of VCA in conjunction with immunosuppressive regimens containing combinations of B7-specific costimulation blockade with and without adhesion blockade with LFA3-Ig to determine what adjunctive role these agents could play in VCA transplantation when combined with more conventional agents. Compared to tacrolimus, the addition of belatacept improved rejection free allograft survival. The combination with LFA3-Ig reduced CD2hi memory T cells, however did not provide additional protection against allograft rejection and hindered protective immunity. Histology paralleled clinical histopathology and Banff grading. These data provide the basis for the study of costimulation blockade in VCA in a relevant preclinical model. PMID:26139552

Evidence of electron neutrino appearance in a muon neutrino beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, K.; Abgrall, N.; Aihara, H.; Akiri, T.; Albert, J. B.; Andreopoulos, C.; Aoki, S.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Assylbekov, S.; Autiero, D.; Barbi, M.; Barker, G. J.; Barr, G.; Bass, M.; Batkiewicz, M.; Bay, F.; Bentham, S. W.; Berardi, V.; Berger, B. E.; Berkman, S.; Bertram, I.; Beznosko, D.; Bhadra, S.; Blaszczyk, F. d. M.; Blondel, A.; Bojechko, C.; Boyd, S.; Brailsford, D.; Bravar, A.; Bronner, C.; Brook-Roberge, D. G.; Buchanan, N.; Calland, R. G.; Caravaca Rodríguez, J.; Cartwright, S. L.; Castillo, R.; Catanesi, M. G.; Cervera, A.; Cherdack, D.; Christodoulou, G.; Clifton, A.; Coleman, J.; Coleman, S. J.; Collazuol, G.; Connolly, K.; Cremonesi, L.; Curioni, A.; Dabrowska, A.; Danko, I.; Das, R.; Davis, S.; Day, M.; de André, J. P. A. M.; de Perio, P.; De Rosa, G.; Dealtry, T.; Dennis, S.; Densham, C.; Di Lodovico, F.; Di Luise, S.; Dobson, J.; Drapier, O.; Duboyski, T.; Dufour, F.; Dumarchez, J.; Dytman, S.; Dziewiecki, M.; Dziomba, M.; Emery, S.; Ereditato, A.; Escudero, L.; Finch, A. J.; Frank, E.; Friend, M.; Fujii, Y.; Fukuda, Y.; Furmanski, A.; Galymov, V.; Gaudin, A.; Giffin, S.; Giganti, C.; Gilje, K.; Golan, T.; Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.; Gonin, M.; Grant, N.; Gudin, D.; Hadley, D. R.; Haesler, A.; Haigh, M. D.; Hamilton, P.; Hansen, D.; Hara, T.; Hartz, M.; Hasegawa, T.; Hastings, N. C.; Hayato, Y.; Hearty, C.; Helmer, R. L.; Hierholzer, M.; Hignight, J.; Hillairet, A.; Himmel, A.; Hiraki, T.; Hirota, S.; Holeczek, J.; Horikawa, S.; Huang, K.; Ichikawa, A. K.; Ieki, K.; Ieva, M.; Ikeda, M.; Imber, J.; Insler, J.; Irvine, T. J.; Ishida, T.; Ishii, T.; Ives, S. J.; Iyogi, K.; Izmaylov, A.; Jacob, A.; Jamieson, B.; Johnson, R. A.; Jo, J. H.; Jonsson, P.; Joo, K. K.; Jung, C. K.; Kaboth, A.; Kaji, H.; Kajita, T.; Kakuno, H.; Kameda, J.; Kanazawa, Y.; Karlen, D.; Karpikov, I.; Kearns, E.; Khabibullin, M.; Khanam, F.; Khotjantsev, A.; Kielczewska, D.; Kikawa, T.; Kilinski, A.; Kim, J. Y.; Kim, J.; Kim, S. B.; Kirby, B.; Kisiel, J.; Kitching, P.; Kobayashi, T.; Kogan, G.; Kolaceke, A.; Konaka, A.; Kormos, L. L.; Korzenev, A.; Koseki, K.; Koshio, Y.; Kowalik, K.; Kreslo, I.; Kropp, W.; Kubo, H.; Kudenko, Y.; Kumaratunga, S.; Kurjata, R.; Kutter, T.; Lagoda, J.; Laihem, K.; Laing, A.; Laveder, M.; Lawe, M.; Lazos, M.; Lee, K. P.; Licciardi, C.; Lim, I. T.; Lindner, T.; Lister, C.; Litchfield, R. P.; Longhin, A.; Lopez, G. D.; Ludovici, L.; Macaire, M.; Magaletti, L.; Mahn, K.; Malek, M.; Manly, S.; Marchionni, A.; Marino, A. D.; Marteau, J.; Martin, J. F.; Maruyama, T.; Marzec, J.; Masliah, P.; Mathie, E. L.; Matveev, V.; Mavrokoridis, K.; Mazzucato, E.; McCauley, N.; McFarland, K. S.; McGrew, C.; McLachlan, T.; Messina, M.; Metelko, C.; Mezzetto, M.; Mijakowski, P.; Miller, C. A.; Minamino, A.; Mineev, O.; Mine, S.; Missert, A.; Miura, M.; Monfregola, L.; Moriyama, S.; Mueller, Th. A.; Murakami, A.; Murdoch, M.; Murphy, S.; Myslik, J.; Nagasaki, T.; Nakadaira, T.; Nakahata, M.; Nakai, T.; Nakajima, K.; Nakamura, K.; Nakayama, S.; Nakaya, T.; Nakayoshi, K.; Naples, D.; Nicholls, T. C.; Nielsen, C.; Nirkko, M.; Nishikawa, K.; Nishimura, Y.; O'Keeffe, H. M.; Obayashi, Y.; Ohta, R.; Okumura, K.; Okusawa, T.; Oryszczak, W.; Oser, S. M.; Otani, M.; Owen, R. A.; Oyama, Y.; Pac, M. Y.; Palladino, V.; Paolone, V.; Payne, D.; Pearce, G. F.; Perevozchikov, O.; Perkin, J. D.; Petrov, Y.; Pinzon Guerra, E. S.; Plonski, P.; Poplawska, E.; Popov, B.; Posiadala, M.; Poutissou, J.-M.; Poutissou, R.; Przewlocki, P.; Quilain, B.; Radicioni, E.; Ratoff, P. N.; Ravonel, M.; Rayner, M. A. M.; Reeves, M.; Reinherz-Aronis, E.; Retiere, F.; Robert, A.; Rodrigues, P. A.; Rondio, E.; Roth, S.; Rubbia, A.; Ruterbories, D.; Sacco, R.; Sakashita, K.; Sánchez, F.; Scantamburlo, E.; Scholberg, K.; Schwehr, J.; Scott, M.; Scully, D. I.; Seiya, Y.; Sekiguchi, T.; Sekiya, H.; Sgalaberna, D.; Shibata, M.; Shiozawa, M.; Short, S.; Shustrov, Y.; Sinclair, P.; Smith, B.; Smith, R. J.; Smy, M.; Sobczyk, J. T.; Sobel, H.; Sorel, M.; Southwell, L.; Stamoulis, P.; Steinmann, J.; Still, B.; Suzuki, A.; Suzuki, K.; Suzuki, S. Y.; Suzuki, Y.; Szeglowski, T.; Szeptycka, M.; Tacik, R.; Tada, M.; Takahashi, S.; Takeda, A.; Takeuchi, Y.; Tanaka, H. A.; Tanaka, M. M.; Tanaka, M.; Taylor, I. J.; Terhorst, D.; Terri, R.; Thompson, L. F.; Thorley, A.; Tobayama, S.; Toki, W.; Tomura, T.; Totsuka, Y.; Touramanis, C.; Tsukamoto, T.; Tzanov, M.; Uchida, Y.; Ueno, K.; Vacheret, A.; Vagins, M.; Vasseur, G.; Wachala, T.; Waldron, A. V.; Walter, C. W.; Wark, D.; Wascko, M. O.; Weber, A.; Wendell, R.; Wilkes, R. J.; Wilking, M. J.; Wilkinson, C.; Williamson, Z.; Wilson, J. R.; Wilson, R. J.; Wongjirad, T.; Yamada, Y.; Yamamoto, K.; Yanagisawa, C.; Yen, S.; Yershov, N.; Yokoyama, M.; Yuan, T.; Zalewska, A.; Zambelli, L.; Zaremba, K.; Ziembicki, M.; Zimmerman, E. D.; Zito, M.; Żmuda, J.

2013-08-01

The T2K Collaboration reports evidence for electron neutrino appearance at the atmospheric mass splitting, |Δm322|≈2.4×10-3eV2. An excess of electron neutrino interactions over background is observed from a muon neutrino beam with a peak energy of 0.6 GeV at the Super-Kamiokande (SK) detector 295 km from the beam’s origin. Signal and background predictions are constrained by data from near detectors located 280 m from the neutrino production target. We observe 11 electron neutrino candidate events at the SK detector when a background of 3.3±0.4(syst) events is expected. The background-only hypothesis is rejected with a p value of 0.0009 (3.1σ), and a fit assuming νμ→νe oscillations with sin⁡22θ23=1, δCP=0 and |Δm322|=2.4×10-3eV2 yields sin⁡22θ13=0.088-0.039+0.049(stat+syst).

Experimental high-frequency ultrasound can detect graft rejection after small bowel transplantation.

PubMed

Yang, R; Liu, Q; Wu, E X; Pescovitz, M D; Collins, M H; Kopecky, K K; Grosfeld, J L

1994-02-01

Early diagnosis of graft rejection after small bowel transplantation (SBT) can allow prompt institution of vigorous immunosuppressive therapy, with resultant reversal of the rejection process. The current method for graft monitoring is random mucosal biopsy from a stomal site or through an endoscope. However, because early rejection often has a patchy distribution, it could be missed by random biopsy. We hypothesized that the pathological process of rejection would alter acoustic impedance of the tissue and thus change the ultrasonic patterns of the graft intestinal wall. If this hypothesis is correct, then high-frequency endoscopic ultrasound (US) could be used to monitor the entire transplanted bowel and guide the biopsy, with improved yields. This hypothesis was tested in a rat orthotopic SBT model. Sixty-two intestinal specimens (9 isografts, 12 allografts treated with cyclosporine A [CsA], 22 untreated allografts, and 19 intestines from normal rats) were collected for in vitro transluminal US imaging (30 MHz) and histopathologic study. The echo pattern of normal rat intestinal wall consisted of five echo layers that correlated spatially with the histological layers: the innermost hyperechoic layer 1, plus hypoechoic layer 2, corresponded to the mucosa; hyperechoic layer 3, the submucosa; anechoic layer 4, the muscularis propria; and hyperechoic layer 5, the serosa. The isografts and CsA-treated allografts were identical histologically and ultrasonically to normal intestine. However, the echo patterns of the untreated allografts had progressive loss of architectural stratification, with worsening rejection. The change began with patchy indistinctness and disruption of hyperechoic layers 1, 3 and 5, and progressed to total obliteration of the layers, with the intestinal wall becoming a nonstratified hypoechoic structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Infiltration of Macrophages Correlates with Severity of Allograft Rejection and Outcome in Human Kidney Transplantation.

PubMed

Bergler, Tobias; Jung, Bettina; Bourier, Felix; Kühne, Louisa; Banas, Miriam C; Rümmele, Petra; Wurm, Simone; Banas, Bernhard

2016-01-01

Despite substantial progress in recent years, graft survival beyond the first year still requires improvement. Since modern immunosuppression addresses mainly T-cell activation and proliferation, we studied macrophage infiltration into the allografts of 103 kidney transplant recipients during acute antibody and T-cell mediated rejection. Macrophage infiltration was correlated with both graft function and graft survival until month 36 after transplantation. Macrophage infiltration was significantly elevated in antibody-mediated and T-cell mediated rejection, but not in kidneys with established IFTA. Treatment of rejection with steroids was less successful in patients with more prominent macrophage infiltration into the allografts. Macrophage infiltration was accompanied by increased cell proliferation as well as antigen presentation. With regard to the compartmental distribution severity of T-cell-mediated rejection was correlated to the amount of CD68+ cells especially in the peritubular and perivascular compartment, whereas biopsies with ABMR showed mainly peritubular CD68 infiltration. Furthermore, severity of macrophage infiltration was a valid predictor of resulting creatinine values two weeks as well as two and three years after renal transplantation as illustrated by multivariate analysis. Additionally performed ROC curve analysis showed that magnitude of macrophage infiltration (below vs. above the median) was a valid predictor for the necessity to restart dialysis. Having additionally stratified biopsies in accordance to the magnitude of macrophage infiltration, differential CD68+ cell infiltration was reflected by striking differences in overall graft survival. The differences in acute allograft rejection have not only been reflected by different magnitudes of macrophage infiltration, but also by compartment-specific infiltration pattern and subsequent impact on resulting allograft function as well as need for dialysis initiation. There is a robust relationship between macrophage infiltration, accompanying antigen-presentation and resulting allograft function.

Infiltration of Macrophages Correlates with Severity of Allograft Rejection and Outcome in Human Kidney Transplantation

PubMed Central

Bourier, Felix; Kühne, Louisa; Banas, Miriam C.; Rümmele, Petra; Wurm, Simone; Banas, Bernhard

2016-01-01

Objective Despite substantial progress in recent years, graft survival beyond the first year still requires improvement. Since modern immunosuppression addresses mainly T-cell activation and proliferation, we studied macrophage infiltration into the allografts of 103 kidney transplant recipients during acute antibody and T-cell mediated rejection. Macrophage infiltration was correlated with both graft function and graft survival until month 36 after transplantation. Results Macrophage infiltration was significantly elevated in antibody-mediated and T-cell mediated rejection, but not in kidneys with established IFTA. Treatment of rejection with steroids was less successful in patients with more prominent macrophage infiltration into the allografts. Macrophage infiltration was accompanied by increased cell proliferation as well as antigen presentation. With regard to the compartmental distribution severity of T-cell-mediated rejection was correlated to the amount of CD68+ cells especially in the peritubular and perivascular compartment, whereas biopsies with ABMR showed mainly peritubular CD68 infiltration. Furthermore, severity of macrophage infiltration was a valid predictor of resulting creatinine values two weeks as well as two and three years after renal transplantation as illustrated by multivariate analysis. Additionally performed ROC curve analysis showed that magnitude of macrophage infiltration (below vs. above the median) was a valid predictor for the necessity to restart dialysis. Having additionally stratified biopsies in accordance to the magnitude of macrophage infiltration, differential CD68+ cell infiltration was reflected by striking differences in overall graft survival. Conclusion The differences in acute allograft rejection have not only been reflected by different magnitudes of macrophage infiltration, but also by compartment-specific infiltration pattern and subsequent impact on resulting allograft function as well as need for dialysis initiation. There is a robust relationship between macrophage infiltration, accompanying antigen-presentation and resulting allograft function. PMID:27285579

Did You Reject Me for Someone Else? Rejections That Are Comparative Feel Worse.

PubMed

Deri, Sebastian; Zitek, Emily M

2017-12-01

Rejections differ. For those who are rejected, one important difference is whether they are rejected for someone else (comparative rejection) or no one at all (noncomparative rejection). We examined the effect of this distinction on emotional reactions to a rejection in four studies ( N = 608), one of which was fully preregistered. Our results show that comparative rejections feel worse than noncomparative rejections and that this may be because such rejections lead to an increased sense of exclusion and decreased belonging. Furthermore, we found evidence that, by default, people react to a rejection as though it were comparative-that is, in the absence of any information about whether they have been rejected for someone or no one, they react as negatively as if they were rejected for someone. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these findings, including why people often seek out information in the wake of a rejection.

Ex Vivo Expanded Human Regulatory T Cells Can Prolong Survival of a Human Islet Allograft in a Humanized Mouse Model

PubMed Central

Wu, Douglas C.; Hester, Joanna; Nadig, Satish N.; Zhang, Wei; Trzonkowski, Piotr; Gray, Derek; Hughes, Stephen; Johnson, Paul; Wood, Kathryn J.

2013-01-01

Background Human regulatory T cells (Treg) offer an attractive adjunctive therapy to reduce current reliance on lifelong, nonspecific immunosuppression after transplantation. Here, we evaluated the ability of ex vivo expanded human Treg to prevent the rejection of islets of Langerhans in a humanized mouse model and examined the mechanisms involved. Methods We engrafted human pancreatic islets of Langerhans into the renal subcapsular space of immunodeficient BALB/c.rag2−/−.cγ−/− mice, previously rendered diabetic via injection of the β-cell toxin streptozocin. After the establishment of stable euglycemia, mice were reconstituted with allogeneic human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the resultant alloreactive response studied. Ex vivo expanded CD25highCD4+ human Treg, which expressed FoxP3, CTLA-4, and CD62L and remained CD127low, were then cotransferred together with human PBMC and islet allografts and monitored for evidence of rejection. Results Human islets transplanted into diabetic immunodeficient mice reversed diabetes but were rejected rapidly after the mice were reconstituted with allogeneic human PBMC. Cotransfer of purified, ex vivo expanded human Treg prolonged islet allograft survival resulting in the accumulation of Treg in the peripheral lymphoid tissue and suppression of proliferation and interferon-γ production by T cells. In vitro, Treg suppressed activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription and inhibited the effector differentiation of responder T cells. Conclusions Ex vivo expanded Treg retain regulatory activity in vivo, can protect a human islet allograft from rejection by suppressing signal transducers and activators of transcription activation and inhibiting T-cell differentiation, and have clinical potential as an adjunctive cellular therapy. PMID:23917725

Emotion recognition specialization and context-dependent risk of anxiety and depression in adolescents

PubMed Central

Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Hartman, Catharina A; Van Oort, Floor V A; Nederhof, Esther

2015-01-01

Background Some adolescents function poorly in apparently benign environments, while others thrive despite hassles and difficulties. The aim of this study was to examine if adolescents with specialized skills in the recognition of either positive or negative emotions have a context-dependent risk of developing an anxiety or depressive disorder during adolescence, depending on exposure to positive or harsh parenting. Methods Data came from a large prospective Dutch population study (N = 1539). At age 11, perceived parental rejection and emotional warmth were measured by questionnaire, and emotion recognition skills by means of a reaction-time task. Lifetime diagnoses of anxiety and depressive disorders were assessed at about age 19, using a standardized diagnostic interview. Results Adolescents who were specialized in the recognition of positive emotions had a relatively high probability to develop an anxiety disorder when exposed to parental rejection (Bspecialization*rejection = 0.23, P < 0.01) and a relatively low probability in response to parental emotional warmth (Bspecialization*warmth = −0.24, P = 0.01), while the opposite pattern was found for specialists in negative emotions. The effect of parental emotional warmth on depression onset was likewise modified by emotion recognition specialization (B = −0.13, P = 0.03), but the effect of parental rejection was not (B = 0.02, P = 0.72). In general, the relative advantage of specialists in negative emotions was restricted to fairly uncommon negative conditions. Conclusions Our results suggest that there is no unequivocal relation between parenting behaviors and the probability to develop an anxiety or depressive disorder in adolescence, and that emotion recognition specialization may be a promising way to distinguish between various types of context-dependent reaction patterns. PMID:25642389

Pre-Test and Post-Test Applications to Shape the Education of Phlebotomists in A Quality Management Program: An Experience in a Training Hospital

PubMed Central

Keşapli, Mustafa; Aydin, Özgür; Esen, Hatice; Yeğin, Ayşenur; Güngör, Faruk; Yilmaz, Necat

2016-01-01

Summary Background After the introduction of modern laboratory instruments and information systems, preanalytic phase is the new field of battle. Errors in preanalytical phase account for approximately half of total errors in clinical laboratory. The objective of this study was to share an experience of an education program that was believed to be successful in decreasing the number of rejected samples received from the Emergency Department (ED). Methods An education program about laboratory procedures, quality requirements in the laboratory, patient and health-care worker safety was planned by the quality team to be performed on 36 people who were responsible for sample collection in the ED. A questionary which included 11 questions about the preanalytic phase was applied to all the attendees before and after training. The number of rejected samples per million was discovered with right proportion account over the number of accepted and rejected samples to laboratory after and before the training period. Results Most of the attendees were nurses (n: 22/55%), with over 12 years of experience in general and 2–4 years experience in the ED. Knowledge level of the attendees was calculated before training as 58.9% and after training as 91.8%. While the total rate of sample rejection before training was 2.35% (sigma value 3.37–3.50), the rate after training was 1.56% (sigma value 3.62–3.75). Conclusions Increasing the knowledge of staff has a direct positive impact on the preanalytic phase. The application of a pre-test was observed to be a feasible tool to shape group specific education programs. PMID:28356887

Determinants of Public Attitudes towards Euthanasia in Adults and Physician-Assisted Death in Neonates in Austria: A National Survey

PubMed Central

Stolz, Erwin; Burkert, Nathalie; Großschädl, Franziska; Rásky, Éva; Stronegger, Willibald J.; Freidl, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Background Euthanasia remains a controversial topic in both public discourses and legislation. Although some determinants of acceptance of euthanasia and physician-assisted death have been identified in previous studies, there is still a shortage of information whether different forms of euthanasia are supported by the same or different sub-populations and whether authoritarian personality dispositions are linked to attitudes towards euthanasia. Methods A large, representative face-to-face survey was conducted in Austria in 2014 (n = 1,971). Respondents faced three scenarios of euthanasia and one of physician assisted death differing regarding the level of specificity, voluntariness and subject, requiring either approval or rejection: (1) abstract description of euthanasia, (2) abstract description of physician-assisted suicide, (3) the case of euthanasia of a terminally-ill 79-year old cancer patient, and (4) the case of non-voluntary, physician assisted death of a severely disabled or ill neonate. A number of potential determinants for rejection ordered in three categories (socio-demographic, personal experience, orientations) including authoritarianism were tested via multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Rejection was highest in the case of the neonate (69%) and lowest for the case of the older cancer patient (35%). A consistent negative impact of religiosity on the acceptance across all scenarios and differential effects for socio-economic status, area of residence, religious confession, liberalism, and authoritarianism were found. Individuals with a stronger authoritarian personality disposition were more likely to reject physician-assisted suicide for adults but at the same time also more likely to approve of physician-assisted death of a disabled neonate. Conclusion Euthanasia in adults was supported by a partially different sub-population than assisted death of disabled neonates. PMID:25906265

CTLA4-Ig Prevents Alloantibody Production and BMT Rejection in Response to Platelet Transfusions in Mice

PubMed Central

Gilson, Christopher R; Patel, Seema R; Zimring, James C

2014-01-01

Background Platelet transfusions can induce humoral and cellular alloimmunity. Anti-HLA antibodies can render patients refractory to subsequent transfusion, and both alloantibodies and cellular alloimmunity can contribute to subsequent bone marrow transplant rejection. Currently, there are no approved therapeutic interventions to prevent alloimmunization to platelet transfusions other than leukoreduction. Targeted blockade of T cell costimulation has shown great promise in inhibiting alloimmunity in the setting of transplantation, but has not been explored in the context of platelet transfusion. Study Design and Methods We tested the hypothesis that the costimulatory blockade reagent CTLA4-Ig would prevent alloreactivity against major and minor alloantigens on transfused platelets. BALB/c (H-2d) mice and C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice were used as platelet donors and transfusion recipients, respectively. Alloantibodies were measured by indirect immunofluorescence using BALB/c platelets and splenocytes as targets. Bone marrow transplants were carried out under reduced intensity conditioning using BALB/b (H-2b) donors and C57BL/6 (H-2b) recipients to model HLA identical transplants. Experimental groups were given CTLA4-Ig (before or after platelet transfusion) with control groups receiving isotype matched antibody. Results CTLA4-Ig abrogated both humoral alloimmunization (anti-H-2d antibodies) and transfusion induced bone marrow transplant rejection. Whereas a single dose of CTLA4-Ig at time of transfusion prevented alloimmunization to subsequent platelet transfusions, administration of CTLA4-Ig after initial platelet transfusion was ineffective. Delaying treatment until after platelet transfusion failed to prevent bone marrow transplant rejection. Conclusions These findings demonstrate a novel strategy using an FDA approved drug that has the potential to prevent the clinical sequela of alloimmunization to platelet transfusions. PMID:22321003

Kidneys From α1,3-Galactosyltransferase Knockout/Human Heme Oxygenase-1/Human A20 Transgenic Pigs Are Protected From Rejection During Ex Vivo Perfusion With Human Blood.

PubMed

Ahrens, Hellen E; Petersen, Björn; Ramackers, Wolf; Petkov, Stoyan; Herrmann, Doris; Hauschild-Quintern, Janet; Lucas-Hahn, Andrea; Hassel, Petra; Ziegler, Maren; Baars, Wiebke; Bergmann, Sabine; Schwinzer, Reinhard; Winkler, Michael; Niemann, Heiner

2015-07-01

Multiple modifications of the porcine genome are required to prevent rejection after pig-to-primate xenotransplantation. Here, we produced pigs with a knockout of the α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1-KO) combined with transgenic expression of the human anti-apoptotic/anti-inflammatory molecules heme oxygenase-1 and A20, and investigated their xenoprotective properties. The GGTA1-KO/human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1)/human A20 (hA20) transgenic pigs were produced in a stepwise approach using zinc finger nuclease vectors targeting the GGTA1 gene and a Sleeping Beauty vector coding for hA20. Two piglets were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and sequencing. The biological function of the genetic modifications was tested in a (51)Chromium release assay and by ex vivo kidney perfusions with human blood. Disruption of the GGTA1 gene by deletion of few basepairs was demonstrated in GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs. The hHO-1 and hA20 mRNA expression was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Ex vivo perfusion of 2 transgenic kidneys was feasible for the maximum experimental time of 240 minutes without symptoms of rejection. Results indicate that GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs are a promising model to alleviate rejection and ischemia-reperfusion damage in porcine xenografts and could serve as a background for further genetic modifications toward the production of a donor pig that is clinically relevant for xenotransplantation.

Factors associated with the rejection of active euthanasia: a survey among the general public in Austria

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In recent decades, the general public has become increasingly receptive toward a legislation that allows active voluntary euthanasia (AVE). The purpose of this study was to survey the current attitude towards AVE within the Austrian population and to identify explanatory factors in the areas of socio-demographics, personal experiences with care, and ideological orientation. A further objective was to examine differences depending on the type of problem formulation (abstract vs. situational) for the purpose of measuring attitude. Methods A representative cross-sectional study was conducted across the Austrian population. Data were acquired from 1,000 individuals aged 16 years and over based on telephone interviews (CATI). For the purpose of measuring attitude toward AVE, two different problem formulations (abstract vs. situational) were juxtaposed. Results The abstract question about active voluntary euthanasia was answered negatively by 28.8%, while 71.2% opted in favour of AVE or were undecided. Regression analyses showed rejection of AVE was positively correlated with number of adults and children in the household, experience with care of seriously ill persons, a conservative worldview, and level of education. Mean or high family income was associated with lower levels of rejection. No independent correlations were found for variables such as sex, age, political orientation, self-rated health, and experiences with care of terminally ill patients. Correlation for the situational problem formulation was weaker and included fewer predictors than for the abstract question. Conclusions Our results suggest that factors relating to an individual’s interpersonal living situation and his/her cognitive convictions might be important determinants of the attitude toward AVE. If and to the extent that personal care experience plays a role, it is rather associated with rejection than with acceptance of AVE. PMID:23826902

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO - 60 C 3 F 8 Bubble Chamber

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

Amole, C.; Ardid, M.; Arnquist, I. J.

2017-06-01

New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C 3F 8 located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO-60C 3F 8 exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than one event per month.

Mad Cow Disease and U.S. Beef Trade

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-06

1 For additional details and background see CRS Report RS22345, BSE (“Mad Cow Disease:): A Brief Overview, and CRS Report RL32199, Bovine Spongiform ...foreign markets that banned U.S. beef when a cow in Washington state tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) in...rejection of three shipments of U.S. beef because of the presence of bone fragments. CRS-4 8 See also CRS Report RL32932, Bovine Spongiform

Scanning thin-sheet laser imaging microscopy (sTSLIM) with structured illumination and HiLo background rejection.

PubMed

Schröter, Tobias J; Johnson, Shane B; John, Kerstin; Santi, Peter A

2012-01-01

We report replacement of one side of a static illumination, dual sided, thin-sheet laser imaging microscope (TSLIM) with an intensity modulated laser scanner in order to implement structured illumination (SI) and HiLo image demodulation techniques for background rejection. The new system is equipped with one static and one scanned light-sheet and is called a scanning thin-sheet laser imaging microscope (sTSLIM). It is an optimized version of a light-sheet fluorescent microscope that is designed to image large specimens (<15 mm in diameter). In this paper we describe the hardware and software modifications to TSLIM that allow for static and uniform light-sheet illumination with SI and HiLo image demodulation. The static light-sheet has a thickness of 3.2 µm; whereas, the scanned side has a light-sheet thickness of 4.2 µm. The scanned side images specimens with subcellular resolution (<1 µm lateral and <4 µm axial resolution) with a size up to 15 mm. SI and HiLo produce superior contrast compared to both the uniform static and scanned light-sheets. HiLo contrast was greater than SI and is faster and more robust than SI because as it produces images in two-thirds of the time and exhibits fewer intensity streaking artifacts. 2011 Optical Society of America

Ergonomics improvements of the visual inspection process in a printed circuit assembly factory.

PubMed

Yeow, Paul H P; Sen, Rabindra Nath

2004-01-01

An ergonomics improvement study was conducted on the visual inspection process of a printed circuit assembly (PCA) factory. The process was studied through subjective assessment and direct observation. Three problems were identified: operators' eye problems, insufficient time for inspection and ineffective visual inspection. These problems caused a huge yearly rejection cost of US 298,240 dollars, poor quality, customer dissatisfaction and poor occupational health and safety. Ergonomics interventions were made to rectify the problems: reduced usage of a magnifying glass, the use of less glaring inspection templates, inspection of only electrically non-tested components and introduction of a visual inspection sequence. The interventions produced savings in rejection cost, reduced operators' eye strain, headaches and watery eyes, lowered the defect percentage at customers' sites and increased the factory's productivity and customer satisfaction.

Polypyrrole-based bilayer nitrate amperometric biosensor with an integrated permselective poly-ortho-phenylenediamine layer for exclusion of inorganic interferences.

PubMed

Adeloju, Samuel B; Sohail, Manzar

2011-07-15

A bilayer amperometric nitrate biosensor with an integrated permselective layer has been developed for exclusion of inorganic anion and cation interferences. The inner PPy(polypyrrole)-NaR-NADH layer of the biosensor is formed by galvanostatic polymerization of pyrrole (Py) in presence of nitrate reductase (NaR) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), followed by formation of the outer permselective poly-ortho-phenylenediamine (P-o-PDA) layer by potentiodynamic polymerization of ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PDA). The exclusion efficiency (E(eff)) of the outer layer in rejecting inorganic cation and anion interferences is evaluated by a new proposed relationship. 73-87% and 47-84% of anion and cation interferences, respectively, were efficiently rejected with the permselective layer. Further improvement in the exclusion efficiency for cations was accomplished by combining the use of the outer layer with the addition of 1mM EDTA into the measurement solution. The addition of EDTA improved the E(eff) achieved for cation rejection by 10-40% to give net E(eff) of 89-94%. The inclusion of the outer layer also aided the retention of NaR and NADH in the inner PPy-NaR-NADH layer and, hence, enabled improved amperometric detection of nitrate, achieving a detection limit of 0.20 μM and a linear concentration range of 10-500 μM with a 3.4%rsd (n=10). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blood biomarkers of kidney transplant rejection, an endless search?

PubMed

Jacquemont, Lola; Soulillou, Jean-Paul; Degauque, Nicolas

2017-07-01

The tailoring of immunosuppressive treatment is recognized as a promising strategy to improve long-term kidney graft outcome. To guide the standard care of transplant recipients, physicians need objective biomarkers that can identify an ongoing pathology with the graft or low intensity signals that will be later evolved to accelerated transplant rejection. The early identification of 'high-risk /low-risk' patients enables the adjustment of standard of caring, including managing the frequency of clinical visits and the immunosuppression dosing. Given their ease of availability and the compatibility with a large technical array, blood-based biomarkers have been widely scrutinized for use as potential predictive and diagnostic biomarkers. Areas covered: Here, the authors report on non-invasive biomarkers, such as modification of immune cell subsets and mRNA and miRNA profiles, identified in the blood of kidney transplant recipients collected before or after transplantation. Expert commentary: Combined with functional tests, the identification of biomarkers will improve our understanding of pathological processes and will contribute to a global improvement in clinical management.

Six Sigma Approach to Improve Stripping Quality of Automotive Electronics Component – a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Noraini Mohd; Murni Mohamad Kadri, Siti; Con Ee, Toh

2018-03-01

Lacking of problem solving skill techniques and cooperation between support groups are the two obstacles that always been faced in actual production line. Inadequate detail analysis and inappropriate technique in solving the problem may cause the repeating issues which may give impact to the organization performance. This study utilizes a well-structured six sigma DMAIC with combination of other problem solving tools to solve product quality problem in manufacturing of automotive electronics component. The study is concentrated at the stripping process, a critical process steps with highest rejection rate that contribute to the scrap and rework performance. The detail analysis is conducted in the analysis phase to identify the actual root cause of the problem. Then several improvement activities are implemented and the results show that the rejection rate due to stripping defect decrease tremendously and the process capability index improved from 0.75 to 1.67. This results prove that the six sigma approach used to tackle the quality problem is substantially effective.

Characterization and Evolution of the Swift X-ray Telescope Instrumental Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Joanne; Pagani, C.; Morris, D. C.; Racusin, J.; Grupe, D.; Vetere, L.; Stroh, M.; Falcone, A.; Kennea, J.; Burrows, D. N.;

Development of an optical fiber SERS microprobe for minimally invasive sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, Md Abdullah Al; Juodkazis, Saulius; Mahadevan-Jansen, Anita; Stoddart, Paul R.

2018-02-01

Numerous potential biomedical sensing applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) have been reported, but its practical use has been limited by the lack of a robust sensing platform. Optical fiber SERS probes show great promise, but are limited by the prominent silica Raman background, which requires the use of bulky optics for filtering the signal collection and excitation delivery paths. In the present study, a SERS microprobe has been designed and developed to eliminate the bottlenecks outlined above. For efficient excitation and delivery of the SERS signal, both hollow core photonic crystal fiber and double clad fiber have been investigated. While the hollow core fiber was still found to have excessive silica background, the double clad fiber allows efficient signal collection via the multi-mode inner cladding. A micro filtering mechanism has been designed, which can be integrated into the tip of the optical fiber SERS probe, providing filtering to suppress silica Raman background and thus avoiding the need for bulky optics. The design also assists in the efficient collection of SERS signal from the sample by rejecting Rayleigh scattered light from the sample. Optical fiber cleaving using ultra-short laser pulses was tested for improved control of the fiber tip geometry. With this miniaturized and integrated filtering mechanism, it is expected that the developed probe will promote the use of SERS for minimally invasive biomedical monitoring and sensing applications in future. The probe could potentially be placed inside a small gauge hypodermic needle and would be compatible with handheld portable spectrometers.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR for 0νββ: Current Status and Future Plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, M. P.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Boswell, M.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J.; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; MacMullin, S.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S.; Mertens, S.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Schubert, A. G.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Suriano, A. M.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless-double-beta decay (0νββ) in 76Ge, while establishing the feasibility of a future tonne-scale germanium-based 0νββ experiment, and performing searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The experiment, currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD, will consist of a pair of modular high-purity germanium detector arrays housed inside of a compact copper, lead, and polyethylene shield. Through a combination of strict materials qualifications and assay, low-background design, and powerful background rejection techniques, the Demonstrator aims to achieve a background rate in the 0νββ region of interest (ROI) of no more than 3 counts in the 0νββ-decay ROI per tonne of target isotope per year (cnts/(ROI-t-y)). The current status of the Demonstrator is discussed, as are plans for its completion.

Limits on Spin-independent Couplings of Light Dark Matter WIMPs with a p-type Point-contact Germanium Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, S. T.; Wong, H. T.

New limits on spin-independent WIMP-nucleon coupling using 39.5 kg-days of data taken with a p-type point-contact germanium detector with fiducial mass of 840 g at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory (KSNL) is presented. Charactering and understanding the anomalous surface behaviour is of particular significance to this study. The slow rise-time of surface events is identified via software pulse shape analysis techniques. In addition, the signal-retaining and background-rejecting efficiencies are implied to clarify the actual bulk and surface events in the mixed regime at sub-keV range. Both efficiencies are evaluated with calibration sources and a novel n-type point-contact germanium detector. Efficiencies-corrected background spectra from the low-background facility at KSNL are derived. Part of the parameter space in cross-section versus WIMP-mass is probed and excluded.

The Majorana Demonstrator for 0νββ: Current Status and Future Plans

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

Green, Matthew P.; Avignone, F. T.; Bertrand, Jr, Fred E

2015-01-01

The Majorana Demonstrator will search for neutrinoless-double-beta decay (0νββ) in 76Ge, while establishing the feasibility of a future tonne-scale germanium-based 0νββ experiment, and performing searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The experiment, currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD, will consist of a pair of modular high-purity germanium detector arrays housed inside of a compact copper, lead, and polyethylene shield. Through a combination of strict materials qualifications and assay, low-background design, and powerful background rejection techniques, the Demonstrator aims to achieve a background rate in the 0νββ region of interest (ROI) of nomore » more than 3cnts/(ROI-t-y). The current status of the Demonstrator is discussed, as are plans for its completion.« less

Development of instrumentation for differential spectroscopic measurements at millimeter wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Alessandro, G.; de Bernardis, P.; Masi, S.; Schillaci, A.

2016-07-01

The study of the spectral-spatial anisotropy of the high-latitude mm-wave sky is a powerful tool of cosmology. It can be used to provide deep insight in the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, the Cosmic Infrared Background, the anisotropy of the CMB, using the spectral dimension to provide substantially increased information with respect to what is achievable by means of standard multiband photometry. Here we focus on spectral measurements of the SZ effect. Large mm-wave telescopes are now routinely mapping photometrically the SZ effect in a number of clusters, estimating the comptonisation parameter and using them as cosmological probes. Low-resolution spectroscopic measurements of the SZ effect would be very effective in removing the degeneracy between parameters inevitable in photometric measurements. We describe a real-world implementation of this measurement strategy, based on an imaging, efficient, differential Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). The instrument is based on a Martin-Puplett interferometer (MPI) configuration. We combined two MPIs working synchronously to use the entire input power. In our implementation the observed sky field is divided into two halves along the meridian. Each half-field corresponds to one of the two input ports of the MPI. Each detector in the FTS focal planes measures the difference in brightness between two sky pixels, symmetrically located with respect to the meridian. Exploiting the high common mode rejection of the MPI, tiny sky brightness gradients embedded in an overwhelming isotropic background might be measured. We investigate experimentally the common-mode rejection achievable in the MPI at mm wavelengths, and discuss the use of such an instrument to measure the spectrum of cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy and the SZ effect.

Usefulness of Cochrane Skin Group reviews for clinical practice.

PubMed

Davila-Seijo, P; Batalla, A; Garcia-Doval, I

2013-10-01

Systematic reviews are one of the most important sources of information for evidence-based medicine. However, there is a general impression that these reviews rarely report results that provide sufficient evidence to change clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of Cochrane Skin Group reviews reporting results with the potential to guide clinical decision-making. We performed a bibliometric analysis of all the systematic reviews published by the Cochrane Skin Group up to 16 August, 2012. We retrieved 55 reviews, which were analyzed and graded independently by 2 investigators into 3 categories: 0 (insufficient evidence to support or reject the use of an intervention), 1 (insufficient evidence to support or reject the use of an intervention but sufficient evidence to support recommendations or suggestions), and 2 (sufficient evidence to support or reject the use of an intervention). Our analysis showed that 25.5% (14/55) of the studies did not provide sufficient evidence to support or reject the use of the interventions studied, 45.5% (25/25) provided sufficient but not strong evidence to support recommendations or suggestions, and 29.1% (16/55) provided strong evidence to support or reject the use of 1 or more of the interventions studied. Most of the systematic reviews published by the Cochrane Skin Group provide useful information to improve clinical practice. Clinicians should read these reviews and reconsider their current practice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

Modeling the interplay between sea ice formation and the oceanic mixed layer: Limitations of simple brine rejection parameterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthélemy, Antoine; Fichefet, Thierry; Goosse, Hugues; Madec, Gurvan

2015-02-01

The subtle interplay between sea ice formation and ocean vertical mixing is hardly represented in current large-scale models designed for climate studies. Convective mixing caused by the brine release when ice forms is likely to prevail in leads and thin ice areas, while it occurs in models at the much larger horizontal grid cell scale. Subgrid-scale parameterizations have hence been developed to mimic the effects of small-scale convection using a vertical distribution of the salt rejected by sea ice within the mixed layer, instead of releasing it in the top ocean layer. Such a brine rejection parameterization is included in the global ocean-sea ice model NEMO-LIM3. Impacts on the simulated mixed layers and ocean temperature and salinity profiles, along with feedbacks on the sea ice cover, are then investigated in both hemispheres. The changes are overall relatively weak, except for mixed layer depths, which are in general excessively reduced compared to observation-based estimates. While potential model biases prevent a definitive attribution of this vertical mixing underestimation to the brine rejection parameterization, it is unlikely that the latter can be applied in all conditions. In that case, salt rejections do not play any role in mixed layer deepening, which is unrealistic. Applying the parameterization only for low ice-ocean relative velocities improves model results, but introduces additional parameters that are not well constrained by observations.

Modelling the interplay between sea ice formation and the oceanic mixed layer: limitations of simple brine rejection parameterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthélemy, Antoine; Fichefet, Thierry; Goosse, Hugues; Madec, Gurvan

2015-04-01

The subtle interplay between sea ice formation and ocean vertical mixing is hardly represented in current large-scale models designed for climate studies. Convective mixing caused by the brine release when ice forms is likely to prevail in leads and thin ice areas, while it occurs in models at the much larger horizontal grid cell scale. Subgrid-scale parameterizations have hence been developed to mimic the effects of small-scale convection using a vertical distribution of the salt rejected by sea ice within the mixed layer, instead of releasing it in the top ocean layer. Such a brine rejection parameterization is included in the global ocean--sea ice model NEMO-LIM3. Impacts on the simulated mixed layers and ocean temperature and salinity profiles, along with feedbacks on the sea ice cover, are then investigated in both hemispheres. The changes are overall relatively weak, except for mixed layer depths, which are in general excessively reduced compared to observation-based estimates. While potential model biases prevent a definitive attribution of this vertical mixing underestimation to the brine rejection parameterization, it is unlikely that the latter can be applied in all conditions. In that case, salt rejections do not play any role in mixed layer deepening, which is unrealistic. Applying the parameterization only for low ice--ocean relative velocities improves model results, but introduces additional parameters that are not well constrained by observations.

Fabrication of tethered carbon nanotubes in cellulose acetate/polyethylene glycol-400 composite membranes for reverse osmosis.

PubMed

Sabir, Aneela; Shafiq, Muhammad; Islam, Atif; Sarwar, Afsheen; Dilshad, Muhammad Rizwan; Shafeeq, Amir; Zahid Butt, Muhammad Taqi; Jamil, Tahir

2015-11-05

In this study pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were surface engineered (SE) in strong acidic medium by oxidation purification method to form SE-MWCNT. Five different amount of SE-MWCNT ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 wt% were thoroughly and uniformly dispersed in cellulose acetate/polyethylene glycol (CA/PEG400) polymer matrix during synthesis of membrane by dissolution casting method. The structural analysis, surface morphology and roughness was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively, which showed that the dispersed SE-MWCNT was substantially tethered in CA/PEG400 polymer matrix membrane. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of membranes also suggested some improvement in thermal properties with the addition of SE-MWCNT. Finally, the performance of these membranes was assessed for suitability in drinking water treatment. The permeation flux and salt rejection were determined by using indigenously fabricated reverse osmosis pilot plant with 1000 ppm NaCl feed solution. The results showed that the tethered SE-MWCNT/CA/PEG400 polymer matrix membrane, with strong SE-MWCNTs/polymer matrix interaction, improved the salt rejection performance of the membrane with the salt rejection of 99.8% for the highest content of SE-MWCNT. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved separation and antifouling properties of thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane by the incorporation of cGO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hongbin; Shi, Wenying; Du, Qiyun; Zhou, Rong; Zhang, Haixia; Qin, Xiaohong

2017-06-01

Poly(piperazine amide) composite nanofiltration (NF) membranes were modified through the incorporation of carboxylated graphene oxide (cGO) in the polyamide layer during the interfacial polymerization (IP) process on the polysulfone (PSF)/nonwoven fabric (NWF) ultrafiltration (UF) substrate membrane surface. The composition and morphology of the prepared NF membrane surface were determined by means of ATR-FTIR, SEM-EDX and AFM. The effects of cGO contents on membrane hydrophilicity, separation performance and antifouling properties were investigated through Water Contact Angle (WCA) analysis, the permeance and three-cycle fouling measurements. The growth model of cGO-incorporated polyamide thin-film was proposed. Compared to the original NF membranes, the surface hydrophilicity, water permeability, salt rejection and antifouling properties of the cGO-incorporated NF membrane had all improved. When cGO content was 100 ppm, the MgSO4 rejection of composite NF membrane reached a maximum value of 99.2% meanwhile membrane obtained an obvious enhanced water flux (81.6 L m-2 h-1, at 0.7 MPa) which was nearly three times compared to the virginal NF membrane. The cGO-incorporated NF membrane showed an excellent selectivity of MgSO4 and NaCl with the rejection ratio of MgSO4/NaCl of approximately 8.0.

Psychosocial acceptance of cleft patients: has something changed?

PubMed

Pausch, Niels Christian; Winter, Karsten; Halama, Dirk; Wirtz, Christian; Yildirim, Vedat; Sirintawat, Nattapong; Nattapong, Sirintawat

2016-03-01

The main purpose of this study was to analyse the reactions of a panel (non-cleft adults) when observing cleft lip morphology. Although rehabilitation of cleft lip and palate is improving, there are still indications of social rejection of cleft patients by the people around them. Polarity profiles have been used since 1973 to measure social distance with regard to cleft patients. Because rehabilitation results and education of the society have improved in recent decades, we investigated whether social distance has been affected. The setting of this study is the Department of Oral, Craniomaxillofacial, and Facial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany Using a cross-sectional study design, we enrolled a sample of adult laypersons (n = 273). For the survey, we followed the concept of photograph presentation and questionnaire investigation reported by Sergl and Schmid (1973). We presented anonymised frontal and profile pictures of the faces of 50 cleft patients and asked the laypersons to specify social distance. Three predictor variables (layperson gender, profession and year of evaluation) were grouped. Although social distance has reduced during the last 40 years, life situations which require emotional proximity still cause some concern. Professional background and gender affect laypersons' attitudes. Although rehabilitation of cleft lip and palate is much better than 40 years ago, social distance remains a problem in society. It is necessary to improve both results of rehabilitation of cleft patients and social acceptance by the people around them.

Open-Label, Randomized Study of Transition From Tacrolimus to Sirolimus Immunosuppression in Renal Allograft Recipients

PubMed Central

Tedesco-Silva, Helio; Peddi, V. Ram; Sánchez-Fructuoso, Ana; Marder, Brad A.; Russ, Graeme R.; Diekmann, Fritz; Flynn, Alison; Hahn, Carolyn M.; Li, Huihua; Tortorici, Michael A.; Schulman, Seth L.

2016-01-01

Background Calcineurin inhibitor–associated nephrotoxicity and other adverse events have prompted efforts to minimize/eliminate calcineurin inhibitor use in kidney transplant recipients. Methods This open-label, randomized, multinational study evaluated the effect of planned transition from tacrolimus to sirolimus on kidney function in renal allograft recipients. Patients received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression and then were randomized 3 to 5 months posttransplantation to transition to sirolimus or continue tacrolimus. The primary end point was percentage of patients with 5 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or greater improvement in estimated glomerular filtration rate from randomization to month 24. Results The on-therapy population included 195 patients (sirolimus, 86; tacrolimus, 109). No between-group difference was noted in percentage of patients with 5 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or greater estimated glomerular filtration rate improvement (sirolimus, 34%; tacrolimus, 42%; P = 0.239) at month 24. Sirolimus patients had higher rates of biopsy-confirmed acute rejection (8% vs 2%; P = 0.02), treatment discontinuation attributed to adverse events (21% vs 3%; P < 0.001), and lower rates of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (0% vs 5%; P = 0.012). Conclusions Our findings suggest that renal function improvement at 24 months is similar for patients with early conversion to sirolimus after kidney transplantation versus those remaining on tacrolimus. PMID:27500260

Calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal and conversion to mycophenolate mofetil and steroids in cardiac transplant recipients with chronic renal failure: a word of caution.

PubMed

Groetzner, Jan; Kaczmarek, Ingo; Schirmer, Johannes; Uberfuhr, Peter; Gulbins, Helmut; Daebritz, Sabine; Meiser, Bruno; Reichart, Bruno

2008-01-01

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a common complication of calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based immunosuppression following cardiac transplantation (HTx). The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the impact of an immunosuppressive conversion from CNIs to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and steroids in cardiac transplant recipients with CRF on renal and cardiac graft function. Since 1999, 12 HTx recipients (10 men; 58 +/- 3.6 yr of age; 8.7 +/- 4.2 yr after HTx) with CNI-based immunosuppression and a calculated creatinine clearance (CreaCl) <50 mL/min were included. Most patients (10/12) were on cyclosporine and two patients were on tacrolimus prior inclusion. MMF was started with 0.5 g/d and adjusted according to the target trough levels (2-4 ng/mL). Prednisone dosage was 0.4 mg/kg. Subsequently, CNIs were completely withdrawn. Acute rejection episodes were excluded one and three months after conversion by endomyocardial biopsy and by echocardiography every three months thereafter. After a mean follow-up of 20 +/- 16 months, CreaCl improved significantly: pre-conversion vs. post-conversion: 32.8 +/- 12.2 mg/dL vs. 42.8 +/- 21.14 mg/dL, p = 0.03. However, four acute rejection episodes occurred and patients were reconverted to CNIs. Additionally, six patients had a new onset of graft vessel disease (GVD) one yr after conversion. As a result of these adverse events, the study was stopped after inclusion of only 12 of the scheduled 30 patients. Conversion to MMF and steroids after HTx improves renal function, but increases the risk for recurrent rejection and GVD. Therefore, MMF and steroids should only be considered in patients with a markedly low risk for rejection.

Implementation of spatial overlap modulation nonlinear optical microscopy using an electro-optic deflector

PubMed Central

Isobe, Keisuke; Kawano, Hiroyuki; Kumagai, Akiko; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Midorikawa, Katsumi

2013-01-01

A spatial overlap modulation (SPOM) technique is a nonlinear optical microscopy technique which enhances the three-dimensional spatial resolution and rejects the out-of-focus background limiting the imaging depth inside a highly scattering sample. Here, we report on the implementation of SPOM in which beam pointing modulation is achieved by an electro-optic deflector. The modulation and demodulation frequencies are enhanced to 200 kHz and 400 kHz, respectively, resulting in a 200-fold enhancement compared with the previously reported system. The resolution enhancement and suppression of the out-of-focus background are demonstrated by sum-frequency-generation imaging of pounded granulated sugar and deep imaging of fluorescent beads in a tissue-like phantom, respectively. PMID:24156055

Result from, and status of, EXO-200

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniels, Tim; EXO-200 Collaboration

2017-01-01

EXO-200 has provided one of the most sensitive searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay utilizing 175 kg of enriched liquid xenon in an ultra-low background time projection chamber. This detector has demonstrated excellent energy resolution and background rejection capabilities. Using the first two years of data, EXO-200 has set a limit of 1 . 1 ×1025 y at 90 double-beta decay half-life of 136Xe. The experiment has experienced a brief hiatus in data taking during a temporary shutdown of its host facility: the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. EXO-200 has resumed data taking in earnest with upgraded detector electronics. Results from the analysis of EXO-200 data and an update on the current status of EXO-200 will be presented.

Measurement of the atmospheric neutrino energy spectrum from 100 GeV to 400 TeV with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; Benzvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Braun, J.; Buitink, S.; Carson, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clem, J.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Davis, J. C.; de Clercq, C.; Demirörs, L.; Depaepe, O.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; Deyoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Duvoort, M. R.; Ehrlich, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Foerster, M. M.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Geisler, M.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Helbing, K.; Herquet, P.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Hubert, D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülß, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Joseph, J. M.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemming, N.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Krings, T.; Kroll, G.; Kuehn, K.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lafebre, S.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lehmann, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Majumdar, P.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Matusik, M.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nießen, P.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Ono, M.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de Los Heros, C.; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Porrata, R.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Prikockis, M.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Roth, P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schmidt, T.; Schukraft, A.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Singh, K.; Slipak, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stephens, G.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stoyanov, S.; Strahler, E. A.; Straszheim, T.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tarasova, O.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Turčan, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Voge, M.; Voigt, B.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wikström, G.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, X. W.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.

2011-01-01

A measurement of the atmospheric muon neutrino energy spectrum from 100 GeV to 400 TeV was performed using a data sample of about 18 000 up-going atmospheric muon neutrino events in IceCube. Boosted decision trees were used for event selection to reject misreconstructed atmospheric muons and obtain a sample of up-going muon neutrino events. Background contamination in the final event sample is less than 1%. This is the first measurement of atmospheric neutrinos up to 400 TeV, and is fundamental to understanding the impact of this neutrino background on astrophysical neutrino observations with IceCube. The measured spectrum is consistent with predictions for the atmospheric νμ+ν¯μ flux.

First search for extraterrestrial neutrino-induced cascades with IceCube

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

IceCube Collaboration; Kiryluk, Joanna

2009-05-22

We report on the first search for extraterrestrial neutrino-induced cascades in IceCube.The analyzed data were collected in the year 2007 when 22 detector strings were installed and operated. We will discuss the analysis methods used to reconstruct cascades and to suppress backgrounds. Simulated neutrino signal events with a E-2 energy spectrum, which pass the background rejection criteria, are reconstructed with a resolution Delta(log E) ~;; 0.27 in the energy range from ~;; 20 TeV to a few PeV. We present the range of the diffuse flux of extra-terrestrial neutrinos in the cascade channel in IceCube within which we expect tomore » be able to put a limit.« less

Anxious and angry rejection sensitivity, social withdrawal, and retribution in high and low ambiguous situations.

PubMed

Zimmer-Gembeck, Melanie J; Nesdale, Drew

2013-02-01

Rejection sensitivity (RS) is a tendency to expect, perceive, and overreact to rejection. Our objective was to examine whether anxious and angry RS have specific associations with negative social reactions, and whether responses are intensified in situations of high rejection ambiguity. In two studies, youth (N = 464 and N = 371) reported their RS and anticipated responses to social scenarios. In Study 1, all scenarios portrayed overt rejection events. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to conditions portraying overt or ambiguous rejection. Greater rejection expectation was associated with more negative reactions to rejection. Moreover, as expected, anxiety about rejection was uniquely associated with withdrawal, and anger about rejection was uniquely associated with retribution (i.e., reactive aggression). In the second study, RS persons responded more negatively than others to both overt and high ambiguous rejections, but retribution was intensified among participants high in rejection expectation when rejection was ambiguous, and withdrawal was intensified among participants high in anxious RS in overt rejection situations. Consistent with the revised RS model, there are different patterns of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors in response to high and low ambiguous rejection events, which are heightened in youth sensitive to rejection. © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification and rejection of pile-up jets at high pseudorapidity with the ATLAS detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Abidi, S. H.; AbouZeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adachi, S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adelman, J.; Adersberger, M.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agheorghiesei, C.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akatsuka, S.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akilli, E.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albicocco, P.; Verzini, M. J. Alconada; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Ali, B.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alshehri, A. A.; Alstaty, M.; Gonzalez, B. Alvarez; Piqueras, D. Álvarez; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Coutinho, Y. Amaral; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Santos, S. P. Amor Dos; Amorim, A.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. S.; Andari, N.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anders, J. K.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Angelidakis, S.; Angelozzi, I.; Angerami, A.; Anisenkov, A. V.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antel, C.; Antonelli, M.; Antonov, A.; Antrim, D. J.; Anulli, F.; Aoki, M.; Bella, L. Aperio; Arabidze, G.; Arai, Y.; Araque, J. P.; Ferraz, V. Araujo; Arce, A. T. H.; Ardell, R. E.; Arduh, F. A.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, S.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Armitage, L. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnold, H.; Arratia, M.; Arslan, O.; Artamonov, A.; Artoni, G.; Artz, S.; Asai, S.; Asbah, N.; Ashkenazi, A.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astalos, R.; Atkinson, M.; Atlay, N. B.; Augsten, K.; Avolio, G.; Axen, B.; Ayoub, M. K.; Azuelos, G.; Baas, A. E.; Baca, M. J.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Backhaus, M.; Bagnaia, P.; Bahrasemani, H.; Baines, J. T.; Bajic, M.; Baker, O. K.; Baldin, E. M.; Balek, P.; Balli, F.; Balunas, W. K.; Banas, E.; Banerjee, Sw.; Bannoura, A. A. E.; Barak, L.; Barberio, E. L.; Barberis, D.; Barbero, M.; Barillari, T.; Barisits, M.-S.; Barklow, T.; Barlow, N.; Barnes, S. L.; Barnett, B. M.; Barnett, R. M.; Barnovska-Blenessy, Z.; Baroncelli, A.; Barone, G.; Barr, A. J.; Navarro, L. Barranco; Barreiro, F.; da Costa, J. Barreiro Guimarães; Bartoldus, R.; Barton, A. E.; Bartos, P.; Basalaev, A.; Bassalat, A.; Bates, R. L.; Batista, S. J.; Batley, J. R.; Battaglia, M.; Bauce, M.; Bauer, F.; Bawa, H. S.; Beacham, J. B.; Beattie, M. D.; Beau, T.; Beauchemin, P. H.; Bechtle, P.; Beck, H. P.; Becker, K.; Becker, M.; Beckingham, M.; Becot, C.; Beddall, A. J.; Beddall, A.; Bednyakov, V. A.; Bedognetti, M.; Bee, C. P.; Beermann, T. A.; Begalli, M.; Begel, M.; Behr, J. K.; Bell, A. S.; Bella, G.; Bellagamba, L.; Bellerive, A.; Bellomo, M.; Belotskiy, K.; Beltramello, O.; Belyaev, N. L.; Benary, O.; Benchekroun, D.; Bender, M.; Bendtz, K.; Benekos, N.; Benhammou, Y.; Noccioli, E. Benhar; Benitez, J.; Benjamin, D. P.; Benoit, M.; Bensinger, J. R.; Bentvelsen, S.; Beresford, L.; Beretta, M.; Berge, D.; Kuutmann, E. Bergeaas; Berger, N.; Beringer, J.; Berlendis, S.; Bernard, N. R.; Bernardi, G.; Bernius, C.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Berry, T.; Berta, P.; Bertella, C.; Bertoli, G.; Bertolucci, F.; Bertram, I. A.; Bertsche, C.; Bertsche, D.; Besjes, G. J.; Bylund, O. Bessidskaia; Bessner, M.; Besson, N.; Betancourt, C.; Bethani, A.; Bethke, S.; Bevan, A. J.; Beyer, J.; Bianchi, R. M.; Biebel, O.; Biedermann, D.; Bielski, R.; Biesuz, N. V.; Biglietti, M.; De Mendizabal, J. Bilbao; Billoud, T. R. V.; Bilokon, H.; Bindi, M.; Bingul, A.; Bini, C.; Biondi, S.; Bisanz, T.; Bittrich, C.; Bjergaard, D. M.; Black, C. W.; Black, J. E.; Black, K. M.; Blair, R. E.; Blazek, T.; Bloch, I.; Blocker, C.; Blue, A.; Blum, W.; Blumenschein, U.; Blunier, S.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bobrovnikov, V. S.; Bocchetta, S. S.; Bocci, A.; Bock, C.; Boehler, M.; Boerner, D.; Bogavac, D.; Bogdanchikov, A. G.; Bohm, C.; Boisvert, V.; Bokan, P.; Bold, T.; Boldyrev, A. S.; Bolz, A. E.; Bomben, M.; Bona, M.; Boonekamp, M.; Borisov, A.; Borissov, G.; Bortfeldt, J.; Bortoletto, D.; Bortolotto, V.; Boscherini, D.; Bosman, M.; Sola, J. D. Bossio; Boudreau, J.; Bouffard, J.; Bouhova-Thacker, E. V.; Boumediene, D.; Bourdarios, C.; Boutle, S. K.; Boveia, A.; Boyd, J.; Boyko, I. R.; Bracinik, J.; Brandt, A.; Brandt, G.; Brandt, O.; Bratzler, U.; Brau, B.; Brau, J. E.; Madden, W. D. Breaden; Brendlinger, K.; Brennan, A. J.; Brenner, L.; Brenner, R.; Bressler, S.; Briglin, D. L.; Bristow, T. M.; Britton, D.; Britzger, D.; Brochu, F. M.; Brock, I.; Brock, R.; Brooijmans, G.; Brooks, T.; Brooks, W. K.; Brosamer, J.; Brost, E.; Broughton, J. H.; de Renstrom, P. A. Bruckman; Bruncko, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, L. S.; Brunt, BH; Bruschi, M.; Bruscino, N.; Bryant, P.; Bryngemark, L.; Buanes, T.; Buat, Q.; Buchholz, P.; Buckley, A. G.; Budagov, I. A.; Buehrer, F.; Bugge, M. K.; Bulekov, O.; Bullock, D.; Burch, T. J.; Burckhart, H.; Burdin, S.; Burgard, C. D.; Burger, A. M.; Burghgrave, B.; Burka, K.; Burke, S.; Burmeister, I.; Burr, J. T. P.; Busato, E.; Büscher, D.; Büscher, V.; Bussey, P.; Butler, J. M.; Buttar, C. M.; Butterworth, J. M.; Butti, P.; Buttinger, W.; Buzatu, A.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Urbán, S. Cabrera; Caforio, D.; Cairo, V. M.; Cakir, O.; Calace, N.; Calafiura, P.; Calandri, A.; Calderini, G.; Calfayan, P.; Callea, G.; Caloba, L. P.; Lopez, S. Calvente; Calvet, D.; Calvet, S.; Calvet, T. P.; Toro, R. Camacho; Camarda, S.; Camarri, P.; Cameron, D.; Armadans, R. Caminal; Camincher, C.; Campana, S.; Campanelli, M.; Camplani, A.; Campoverde, A.; Canale, V.; Bret, M. Cano; Cantero, J.; Cao, T.; Garrido, M. D. M. Capeans; Caprini, I.; Caprini, M.; Capua, M.; Carbone, R. M.; Cardarelli, R.; Cardillo, F.; Carli, I.; Carli, T.; Carlino, G.; Carlson, B. T.; Carminati, L.; Carney, R. M. D.; Caron, S.; Carquin, E.; Carrá, S.; Carrillo-Montoya, G. D.; Carvalho, J.; Casadei, D.; Casado, M. P.; Casolino, M.; Casper, D. W.; Castelijn, R.; Gimenez, V. Castillo; Castro, N. F.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Caudron, J.; Cavaliere, V.; Cavallaro, E.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Celebi, E.; Ceradini, F.; Alberich, L. Cerda; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cervelli, A.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, S. K.; Chan, W. S.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, P.; Chapman, J. D.; Charlton, D. G.; Chau, C. C.; Barajas, C. A. Chavez; Che, S.; Cheatham, S.; Chegwidden, A.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chelstowska, M. A.; Chen, C.; Chen, H.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. C.; Cheng, H. J.; Cheplakov, A.; Cheremushkina, E.; Moursli, R. Cherkaoui El; Chernyatin, V.; Cheu, E.; Chevalier, L.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, G.; Chiodini, G.; Chisholm, A. S.; Chitan, A.; Chiu, Y. H.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choi, K.; Chomont, A. R.; Chouridou, S.; Christodoulou, V.; Chromek-Burckhart, D.; Chu, M. C.; Chudoba, J.; Chuinard, A. J.; Chwastowski, J. J.; Chytka, L.; Ciftci, A. K.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Cioara, I. A.; Ciocca, C.; Ciocio, A.; Cirotto, F.; Citron, Z. H.; Citterio, M.; Ciubancan, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, B. L.; Clark, M. R.; Clark, P. J.; Clarke, R. N.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Colasurdo, L.; Cole, B.; Colijn, A. P.; Collot, J.; Colombo, T.; Muiño, P. Conde; Coniavitis, E.; Connell, S. H.; Connelly, I. A.; Constantinescu, S.; Conti, G.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cormier, F.; Cormier, K. J. R.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Cortiana, G.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Cottin, G.; Cowan, G.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Crawley, S. J.; Creager, R. A.; Cree, G.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Crescioli, F.; Cribbs, W. A.; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Cueto, A.; Donszelmann, T. Cuhadar; Cukierman, A. 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Villaplana; Vilucchi, E.; Vincter, M. G.; Vinogradov, V. B.; Vishwakarma, A.; Vittori, C.; Vivarelli, I.; Vlachos, S.; Vlasak, M.; Vogel, M.; Vokac, P.; Volpi, G.; von der Schmitt, H.; von Toerne, E.; Vorobel, V.; Vorobev, K.; Vos, M.; Voss, R.; Vossebeld, J. H.; Vranjes, N.; Milosavljevic, M. Vranjes; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wagner-Kuhr, J.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Wakabayashi, J.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, Q.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, W.; Wang, Z.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, A. F.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. W.; Weber, S. A.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weirich, M.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A. S.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Whitmore, B. W.; Wickens, F. J.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wielers, M.; Wiglesworth, C.; Wiik-Fuchs, L. A. M.; Wildauer, A.; Wilk, F.; Wilkens, H. G.; Williams, H. H.; Williams, S.; Willis, C.; Willocq, S.; Wilson, J. A.; Wingerter-Seez, I.; Winkels, E.; Winklmeier, F.; Winston, O. J.; Winter, B. T.; Wittgen, M.; Wobisch, M.; Wolf, T. M. H.; Wolff, R.; Wolter, M. W.; Wolters, H.; Wong, V. W. S.; Worm, S. D.; Wosiek, B. K.; Wotschack, J.; Wozniak, K. W.; Wu, M.; Wu, S. L.; Wu, X.; Wu, Y.; Wyatt, T. R.; Wynne, B. M.; Xella, S.; Xi, Z.; Xia, L.; Xu, D.; Xu, L.; Xu, T.; Yabsley, B.; Yacoob, S.; Yamaguchi, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Yamamoto, S.; Yamanaka, T.; Yamatani, M.; Yamauchi, K.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yan, Z.; Yang, H.; Yang, H.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Yao, W.-M.; Yap, Y. C.; Yasu, Y.; Yatsenko, E.; Wong, K. H. Yau; Ye, J.; Ye, S.; Yeletskikh, I.; Yigitbasi, E.; Yildirim, E.; Yorita, K.; Yoshihara, K.; Young, C.; Young, C. J. S.; Yu, J.; Yu, J.; Yuen, S. P. Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zacharis, G.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zemaityte, G.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Zou, R.; Nedden, M. zur; Zwalinski, L.

2017-09-01

The rejection of forward jets originating from additional proton-proton interactions (pile-up) is crucial for a variety of physics analyses at the LHC, including Standard Model measurements and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. The identification of such jets is challenging due to the lack of track and vertex information in the pseudorapidity range |η |>2.5. This paper presents a novel strategy for forward pile-up jet tagging that exploits jet shapes and topological jet correlations in pile-up interactions. Measurements of the per-jet tagging efficiency are presented using a data set of 3.2 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 {TeV} collected with the ATLAS detector. The fraction of pile-up jets rejected in the range 2.5<|η |<4.5 is estimated in simulated events with an average of 22 interactions per bunch-crossing. It increases with jet transverse momentum and, for jets with transverse momentum between 20 and 50 GeV, it ranges between 49% and 67% with an efficiency of 85% for selecting hard-scatter jets. A case study is performed in Higgs boson production via the vector-boson fusion process, showing that these techniques mitigate the background growth due to additional proton-proton interactions, thus enhancing the reach for such signatures.

Upper extremity transplantation: current concepts and challenges in an emerging field.

PubMed

Elliott, River M; Tintle, Scott M; Levin, L Scott

2014-03-01

Loss of an isolated upper limb is an emotionally and physically devastating event that results in significant impairment. Patients who lose both upper extremities experience profound disability that affects nearly every aspect of their lives. While prosthetics and surgery can eventually provide the single limb amputee with a suitable assisting hand, limited utility, minimal haptic feedback, weight, and discomfort are persistent problems with these techniques that contribute to high rates of prosthetic rejection. Moreover, despite ongoing advances in prosthetic technology, bilateral amputees continue to experience high levels of dependency, disability, and distress. Hand and upper extremity transplantation holds several advantages over prosthetic rehabilitation. The missing limb is replaced with one of similar skin color and size. Sensibility, voluntary motor control, and proprioception are restored to a greater degree, and afford better dexterity and function than prosthetics. The main shortcomings of transplantation include the hazards of immunosuppression, the complications of rejection and its treatment, and high cost. Hand and upper limb transplantation represents the most commonly performed surgery in the growing field of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA). As upper limb transplantation and VCA have become more widespread, several important challenges and controversies have emerged. These include: refining indications for transplantation, optimizing immunosuppression, establishing reliable criteria for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating rejection, and standardizing outcome measures. This article will summarize the historical background of hand transplantation and review the current literature and concepts surrounding it.

Identification and rejection of pile-up jets at high pseudorapidity with the ATLAS detector

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

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.

The rejection of forward jets originating from additional proton–proton interactions (pile-up) is crucial for a variety of physics analyses at the LHC, including Standard Model measurements and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. The identification of such jets is challenging due to the lack of track and vertex information in the pseudorapidity range | η| > 2.5. This article presents a novel strategy for forward pile-up jet tagging that exploits jet shapes and topological jet correlations in pile-up interactions. Measurements of the per-jet tagging efficiency are presented using a data set of 3.2 fb -1 of proton–proton collisions at amore » centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector. The fraction of pile-up jets rejected in the range 2.5 < | η| < 4.5 is estimated in simulated events with an average of 22 interactions per bunch-crossing. It increases with jet transverse momentum and, for jets with transverse momentum between 20 and 50 GeV, it ranges between 49% and 67% with an efficiency of 85% for selecting hard-scatter jets. Here, a case study is performed in Higgs boson production via the vector-boson fusion process, showing that these techniques mitigate the background growth due to additional proton–proton interactions, thus enhancing the reach for such signatures.« less

Identification and rejection of pile-up jets at high pseudorapidity with the ATLAS detector

DOE PAGES

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

2017-09-02

The rejection of forward jets originating from additional proton–proton interactions (pile-up) is crucial for a variety of physics analyses at the LHC, including Standard Model measurements and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. The identification of such jets is challenging due to the lack of track and vertex information in the pseudorapidity range | η| > 2.5. This article presents a novel strategy for forward pile-up jet tagging that exploits jet shapes and topological jet correlations in pile-up interactions. Measurements of the per-jet tagging efficiency are presented using a data set of 3.2 fb -1 of proton–proton collisions at amore » centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector. The fraction of pile-up jets rejected in the range 2.5 < | η| < 4.5 is estimated in simulated events with an average of 22 interactions per bunch-crossing. It increases with jet transverse momentum and, for jets with transverse momentum between 20 and 50 GeV, it ranges between 49% and 67% with an efficiency of 85% for selecting hard-scatter jets. Here, a case study is performed in Higgs boson production via the vector-boson fusion process, showing that these techniques mitigate the background growth due to additional proton–proton interactions, thus enhancing the reach for such signatures.« less

Condemning violence without rejecting sexism? Exploring how young men understand intimate partner violence in Ecuador

PubMed Central

Goicolea, Isabel; Öhman, Ann; Salazar Torres, Mariano; Morrás, Ione; Edin, Kerstin

2012-01-01

Background This study aims to explore young men’s understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ecuador, examining similarities and differences between how ordinary and activist young men conceptualize IPV against women. Methods We conducted individual interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 35 young men – five FGDs and five interviews with ordinary young men, and 11 interviews with activists – and analysed the data generated using qualitative content analysis. Results Among the ordinary young men the theme ‘too much gender equality leads to IPV’ emerged, while among the activists the theme ‘gender inequality is the root of IPV’. Although both groups in our study rejected IPV, their positions differed, and we claim that this is relevant. While activists considered IPV as rooted in gender inequality, ordinary young men understood it as a response to the conflicts generated by increasing gender equality and women’s attempts to gain autonomy. PMID:22723767

You don't have to believe everything you read: background knowledge permits fast and efficient validation of information.

PubMed

Richter, Tobias; Schroeder, Sascha; Wöhrmann, Britta

2009-03-01

In social cognition, knowledge-based validation of information is usually regarded as relying on strategic and resource-demanding processes. Research on language comprehension, in contrast, suggests that validation processes are involved in the construction of a referential representation of the communicated information. This view implies that individuals can use their knowledge to validate incoming information in a routine and efficient manner. Consistent with this idea, Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that individuals are able to reject false assertions efficiently when they have validity-relevant beliefs. Validation processes were carried out routinely even when individuals were put under additional cognitive load during comprehension. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the rejection of false information occurs automatically and interferes with affirmative responses in a nonsemantic task (epistemic Stroop effect). Experiment 4 also revealed complementary interference effects of true information with negative responses in a nonsemantic task. These results suggest the existence of fast and efficient validation processes that protect mental representations from being contaminated by false and inaccurate information.

CMB Polarization B-mode Delensing with SPTpol and Herschel

DOE PAGES

Manzotti, A.; et al.

2017-08-30

We present a demonstration of delensing the observed cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode polarization anisotropy. This process of reducing the gravitational-lensing-generated B-mode component will become increasingly important for improving searches for the B modes produced by primordial gravitational waves. In this work, we delens B-mode maps constructed from multi-frequency SPTpol observations of a 90 deg(2) patch of sky by subtracting a B-mode template constructed from two inputs: SPTpol E-mode maps and a lensing potential map estimated from the Herschel 500 μm map of the cosmic infrared background. We find that our delensing procedure reduces the measured B-mode power spectrum bymore » $28$% in the multipole range $$300\\lt {\\ell }\\lt 2300,$$ this is shown to be consistent with expectations from simulations and to be robust against systematics. The null hypothesis of no delensing is rejected at $$6.9\\sigma $$. Furthermore, we build and use a suite of realistic simulations to study the general properties of the delensing process and find that the delensing efficiency achieved in this work is limited primarily by the noise in the lensing potential map. We demonstrate the importance of including realistic experimental non-idealities in the delensing forecasts used to inform instrument and survey-strategy planning of upcoming lower-noise experiments, such as CMB-S4.« less

Search for annihilating dark matter in the Sun with 3 years of IceCube data: IceCube Collaboration

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

Aartsen, M. G.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.

© 2017, The Author(s). We present results from an analysis looking for dark matter annihilation in the Sun with the IceCube neutrino telescope. Gravitationally trapped dark matter in the Sun’s core can annihilate into Standard Model particles making the Sun a source of GeV neutrinos. IceCube is able to detect neutrinos with energies > 100 GeV while its low-energy infill array DeepCore extends this to > 10 GeV. This analysis uses data gathered in the austral winters between May 2011 and May 2014, corresponding to 532 days of livetime when the Sun, being below the horizon, is a source of up-going neutrinomore » events, easiest to discriminate against the dominant background of atmospheric muons. The sensitivity is a factor of two to four better than previous searches due to additional statistics and improved analysis methods involving better background rejection and reconstructions. The resultant upper limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section reach down to 1.46 × 10 - 5  pb for a dark matter particle of mass 500 GeV annihilating exclusively into τ + τ - particles. These are currently the most stringent limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section for WIMP masses above 50 GeV.« less

Search for annihilating dark matter in the Sun with 3 years of IceCube data: IceCube Collaboration

DOE PAGES

Aartsen, M. G.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; ...

2017-03-01

© 2017, The Author(s). We present results from an analysis looking for dark matter annihilation in the Sun with the IceCube neutrino telescope. Gravitationally trapped dark matter in the Sun’s core can annihilate into Standard Model particles making the Sun a source of GeV neutrinos. IceCube is able to detect neutrinos with energies > 100 GeV while its low-energy infill array DeepCore extends this to > 10 GeV. This analysis uses data gathered in the austral winters between May 2011 and May 2014, corresponding to 532 days of livetime when the Sun, being below the horizon, is a source of up-going neutrinomore » events, easiest to discriminate against the dominant background of atmospheric muons. The sensitivity is a factor of two to four better than previous searches due to additional statistics and improved analysis methods involving better background rejection and reconstructions. The resultant upper limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section reach down to 1.46 × 10 - 5  pb for a dark matter particle of mass 500 GeV annihilating exclusively into τ + τ - particles. These are currently the most stringent limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section for WIMP masses above 50 GeV.« less

Feeling labeled, judged, lectured, and rejected by family and friends over depression: Cautionary results for primary care clinicians from a multi-centered, qualitative study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Family and friends may help patients seek out and engage in depression care. However, patients’ social networks can also undermine depression treatment and recovery. In an effort to improve depression care in primary care settings, we sought to identify, categorize, and alert primary care clinicians to depression-related messages that patients hear from friends and family that patients perceive as unhelpful or detrimental. Methods We conducted 15 focus groups in 3 cities. Participants (n = 116) with a personal history or knowledge of depression responded to open-ended questions about depression, including self-perceived barriers to care-seeking. Focus group conversations were audio-recorded and analyzed using iterative qualitative analysis. Results Four themes emerged related to negatively-received depression messages delivered by family and friends. Specifically, participants perceived these messages as making them feel labeled, judged, lectured to, and rejected by family and friends when discussing depression. Some participants also expressed their interpretation of their families’ motivations for delivering the messages and described how hearing these messages affected depression care. Conclusions The richness of our results reflects the complexity of communication within depression sufferers’ social networks around this stigmatized issue. To leverage patients’ social support networks effectively in depression care, primary care clinicians should be aware of both the potentially beneficial and detrimental aspects of social support. Specifically, clinicians should consider using open-ended queries into patients’ experiences with discussing depression with family and friends as an initial step in the process. An open-ended approach may avoid future emotional trauma or stigmatization and assist patients in overcoming self-imposed barriers to depression discussion, symptom disclosure, treatment adherence and follow-up care. PMID:22747989

Experimental and Demonstration Manpower Project for Recruitment, Training, Placement and Followup of Rejected Armed Forces Volunteers in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C., March 1, 1965 to June 30, 1966. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Committee for Children and Youth, Washington, DC.

This report contains an analysis of the efforts in 1965 and 1966 of the National Committee for Children and Youth (NCCY) to help the youth in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. who failed to meet the educational requirements for military enlistment. A description of the program includes: (1) background of the NCCY, (2) intake and followup process, (3)…

Object classification for obstacle avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regensburger, Uwe; Graefe, Volker

1991-03-01

Object recognition is necessary for any mobile robot operating autonomously in the real world. This paper discusses an object classifier based on a 2-D object model. Obstacle candidates are tracked and analyzed false alarms generated by the object detector are recognized and rejected. The methods have been implemented on a multi-processor system and tested in real-world experiments. They work reliably under favorable conditions but sometimes problems occur e. g. when objects contain many features (edges) or move in front of structured background.

The MSFC large-area imaging multistep proportional counter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.; Joy, M. K.

1989-01-01

A large-area multistep imaging proportional counter that is being currently developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center is described. The device, known as a multistep fluorescence gated detector, consists of a multiwire proportional counter (MWPC) with a preamplification region. The MWCP features superior spatial resolution with a very high degree of background rejection. It is ideally suited for use in X-ray astronomy in 20-100 keV energy range. The paper includes the MWPC schematic and a list of instrument specifications.

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

Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.

Geant4-based Monte Carlo package named G4DS has been developed to simulate the response of DarkSide-50, an experiment operating since 2013 at LNGS, designed to detect WIMP interactions in liquid argon. In the process of WIMP searches, DarkSide-50 has achieved two fundamental milestones: the rejection of electron recoil background with a power of ~10^7, using the pulse shape discrimination technique, and the measurement of the residual 39Ar contamination in underground argon, ~3 orders of magnitude lower with respect to atmospheric argon.

Discovery of ν_{{τ}}^{} appearance and recent results from OPERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, T.; Opera Collaboration

2017-07-01

The OPERA experiment was designed to observe {ν_{μ}}→{ν_{τ}} oscillations through {ν_{τ}} appearance at a baseline of 730km in the CNGS beam. Newly developed emulsion analysis technology allows to measure {ν_e} , {ν_{μ}} and {ν_{τ}} interactions with the largest emulsion detector ever made. OPERA has detected five {ν_{τ}} candidates, allowing to reject the background-only hypothesis at 5.1 {σ} . The parameters for standard and non-standard oscillations are measured and constrained.

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS)-Simulation Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maier, G.; Buckley, J.; Bugaev, V.; Fegan, S.; Funk, S.; Konopelko, A.; Vassiliev, V. V.

2008-12-01

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a US-led concept for a next-generation instrument in ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. The most important design requirement for AGIS is a sensitivity of about 10 times greater than current observatories like Veritas, H.E.S.S or MAGIC. We present results of simulation studies of various possible designs for AGIS. The primary characteristics of the array performance, collecting area, angular resolution, background rejection, and sensitivity are discussed.

Commissioning of the J-PET Detector for Studies of Decays of Positronium Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czerwiński, E.; Dulski, K.; Białas, P.; Curceanu, C.; Gajos, A.; Głowacz, B.; Gorgol, M.; Hiesmayr, B. C.; Jasińska, B.; Kisielewska, D.; Korcyl, G.; Kowalski, P.; Kozik, T.; Krawczyk, N.; Krzemień, W.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedźwiecki, Sz.; Pałka, M.; Pawlik-Niedźwiecka, M.; Raczyński, L.; Rudy, Z.; Sharma, N. G.; Sharma, S.; Shopa, R. Y.; Silarski, M.; Skurzok, M.; Wieczorek, A.; Wiślicki, W.; Zgardzińska, B.; Zieliński, M.; Moskal, P.

The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET) is a detector for medical imaging of the whole human body as well as for physics studies involving detection of electron-positron annihilation into photons. J-PET has high angular and time resolution and allows for measurement of spin of the positronium and the momenta and polarization vectors of annihilation quanta. In this article, we present the potential of the J-PET system for background rejection in the decays of positronium atoms.

Triple therapy in cadaveric renal transplantation: role of induction cyclosporine and targeted levels to avoid rejection.

PubMed

Khauli, R B; Wilson, J M; Baker, S P; Valliere, S A; Lovewell, T D; Stoff, J S

1995-06-01

The updated data on 61 consecutive cadaveric transplants performed at our institution from 1987 to 1990 (followup 31 to 82 months, median 54 months) were analyzed with emphasis on cyclosporine monitoring and long-term results. All patients received triple therapy with cyclosporine induction, azathioprine and prednisone regardless of graft function, and they were preferentially placed on the calcium blocker nifedipine. We monitored 12-hour cyclosporine trough levels in whole blood using high performance liquid chromatography and the dose was adjusted to maintain levels at 150 ng./ml. or greater for the first 3 months. In 17 of 61 patients (28%) 22 rejection episodes occurred and 20 nephrotoxicity episodes occurred in 17 of 61 patients (28%). There was no significant difference in the mean cyclosporine levels among 32 rejection, nonrejection, nephrotoxic and nonnephrotoxic cases at any interval. Rejection occurred by 1 month in 13 (76%) and by 3 months in 15 (88%) of 17 patients. Comparisons were made in the first month to define the desirable cyclosporine levels by calculating the mean cyclosporine only within 10 to 14 days of rejection or nephrotoxicity events. The mean cyclosporine level before rejection was significantly lower than that for nephrotoxicity (188 +/- 113 versus 304 +/- 62 ng./ml., p < 0.01). The median cyclosporine level for first month rejection was also significantly lower than that for nonrejection (156 versus 218 ng./ml., p < 0.05) and it was significantly greater for nephrotoxicity versus nonnephrotoxicity (272 versus 218 ng./ml., p < 0.05). Of 13 rejections in the first month 10 (77%) were associated with mean levels of less than 210 ng./ml. Actuarial graft survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 93.4%, 87.8% and 78.5%, respectively. The 3-year graft survival was significantly worse for patients who experienced acute rejection episodes versus those who did not (68.8% versus 96.7%, p < 0.05) but it was not different for nephrotoxic versus nonnephrotoxic groups (85.6% versus 79.6%). Long-term function was not influenced by the occurrence of acute nephrotoxicity events. These findings confirm the efficacy of triple therapy with induction cyclosporine in cadaveric transplantation, yielding improved short-term and intermediate graft survival without any adverse effects on long-term graft function. Specific cyclosporine level monitoring is invaluable, particularly initially, with high target levels of 200 ng./ml. or greater. The use of calcium blockers may have allowed higher cyclosporine dosing in the first 3 months, mitigating against cyclosporine associated chronic nephrotoxicity.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Swine Hemi-Facial Allotransplantation Model

PubMed Central

Goto, Shigeru; Huang, Yu-Ting; Wang, Chun-Ting; Tsai, Chia-Chun; Chen, Chao-Long

2012-01-01

Background In this study, we investigated whether the infusion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), combined with transient immunosuppressant treatment, could suppress allograft rejection and modulate T-cell regulation in a swine orthotopic hemi-facial composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) model. Methodology/Principal Findings Outbred miniature swine underwent hemi-facial allotransplantation (day 0). Group-I (n = 5) consisted of untreated control animals. Group-II (n = 3) animals received MSCs alone (given on days −1, +1, +3, +7, +14, and +21). Group-III (n = 3) animals received CsA (days 0 to +28). Group-IV (n = 5) animals received CsA (days 0 to +28) and MSCs (days −1, +1, +3, +7, +14, and +21). The transplanted face tissue was observed daily for signs of rejection. Biopsies of donor tissues and recipient blood sample were obtained at specified predetermined times (per 2 weeks post-transplant) or at the time of clinically evident rejection. Our results indicated that the MSC-CsA group had significantly prolonged allograft survival compared to the other groups (P<0.001). Histological examination of the MSC-CsA group displayed the lowest degree of rejection in alloskin and lymphoid gland tissues. TNF-α expression in circulating blood revealed significant suppression in the MSC and MSC-CsA treatment groups, as compared to that in controls. IHC staining showed CD45 and IL-6 expression were significantly decreased in MSC-CsA treatment groups compared to controls. The number of CD4+/CD25+ regulatory T-cells and IL-10 expressions in the circulating blood significantly increased in the MSC-CsA group compared to the other groups. IHC staining of alloskin tissue biopsies revealed a significant increase in the numbers of foxp3+T-cells and TGF-β1 positive cells in the MSC-CsA group compared to the other groups. Conclusions These results demonstrate that MSCs significantly prolong hemifacial CTA survival. Our data indicate the MSCs did not only suppress inflammation and acute rejection of CTA, but also modulate T-cell regulation and related cytokines expression. PMID:22558153

Incidence of Posttransplantation Diabetes Mellitus in De Novo Kidney Transplant Recipients Receiving Prolonged-Release Tacrolimus-Based Immunosuppression With 2 Different Corticosteroid Minimization Strategies: ADVANCE, A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Mourad, Georges; Glyda, Maciej; Albano, Laetitia; Viklický, Ondrej; Merville, Pierre; Tydén, Gunnar; Mourad, Michel; Lõhmus, Aleksander; Witzke, Oliver; Christiaans, Maarten H. L.; Brown, Malcolm W.; Undre, Nasrullah; Kazeem, Gbenga; Kuypers, Dirk R. J.

2017-01-01

Background ADVANCE (NCT01304836) was a phase 4, multicenter, prospectively randomized, open-label, 24-week study comparing the incidence of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) with 2 prolonged-release tacrolimus corticosteroid minimization regimens. Methods All patients received prolonged-release tacrolimus, basiliximab, mycophenolate mofetil and 1 bolus of intraoperative corticosteroids (0-1000 mg) as per center policy. Patients in arm 1 received tapered corticosteroids, stopped after day 10, whereas patients in arm 2 received no steroids after the intraoperative bolus. The primary efficacy variable was the diagnosis of PTDM as per American Diabetes Association criteria (2010) at any point up to 24 weeks postkidney transplantation. Secondary efficacy variables included incidence of composite efficacy failure (graft loss, biopsy-proven acute rejection or severe graft dysfunction: estimated glomerular filtration rate (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease-4) <30 mL/min per 1.73 m2), acute rejection and graft and patient survival. Results The full-analysis set included 1081 patients (arm 1: n = 528, arm 2: n = 553). Baseline characteristics and mean tacrolimus trough levels were comparable between arms. Week 24 Kaplan–Meier estimates of PTDM were similar for arm 1 versus arm 2 (17.4% vs 16.6%; P = 0.579). Incidence of composite efficacy failure, graft and patient survival, and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate were also comparable between arms. Biopsy-proven acute rejection and acute rejection were significantly higher in arm 2 versus arm 1 (13.6% vs 8.7%, P = 0.006 and 25.9% vs 18.2%, P = 0.001, respectively). Tolerability profiles were comparable between arms. Conclusions A prolonged-release tacrolimus, basiliximab, and mycophenolate mofetil immunosuppressive regimen is efficacious, with a low incidence of PTDM and a manageable tolerability profile over 24 weeks of treatment. A lower incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection was seen in patients receiving corticosteroids tapered over 10 days plus an intraoperative corticosteroid bolus versus those receiving an intraoperative bolus only. PMID:27547871

Multichannel analyzers at high rates of input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudnick, S. J.; Strauss, M. G.

1969-01-01

Multichannel analyzer, used with a gating system incorporating pole-zero compensation, pile-up rejection, and baseline-restoration, achieves good resolution at high rates of input. It improves resolution, reduces tailing and rate-contributed continuum, and eliminates spectral shift.

Water treatment: A scalable graphene-based membrane

DOE PAGES

Vlassiouk, Ivan V.

2017-08-28

We discuss how an improved industrial manufacturability has been achieved for a hybrid water-treatment membrane that exhibits high water permeance, prolonged high salt and dye rejection under cross-flow conditions and better resistance to chlorine treatment.

Water treatment: A scalable graphene-based membrane

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

Vlassiouk, Ivan V.

We discuss how an improved industrial manufacturability has been achieved for a hybrid water-treatment membrane that exhibits high water permeance, prolonged high salt and dye rejection under cross-flow conditions and better resistance to chlorine treatment.

A New Source Biasing Approach in ADVANTG

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

Bevill, Aaron M; Mosher, Scott W

2012-01-01

The ADVANTG code has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to generate biased sources and weight window maps for MCNP using the CADIS and FW-CADIS methods. In preparation for an upcoming RSICC release, a new approach for generating a biased source has been developed. This improvement streamlines user input and improves reliability. Previous versions of ADVANTG generated the biased source from ADVANTG input, writing an entirely new general fixed-source definition (SDEF). Because volumetric sources were translated into SDEF-format as a finite set of points, the user had to perform a convergence study to determine whether the number of sourcemore » points used accurately represented the source region. Further, the large number of points that must be written in SDEF-format made the MCNP input and output files excessively long and difficult to debug. ADVANTG now reads SDEF-format distributions and generates corresponding source biasing cards, eliminating the need for a convergence study. Many problems of interest use complicated source regions that are defined using cell rejection. In cell rejection, the source distribution in space is defined using an arbitrarily complex cell and a simple bounding region. Source positions are sampled within the bounding region but accepted only if they fall within the cell; otherwise, the position is resampled entirely. When biasing in space is applied to sources that use rejection sampling, current versions of MCNP do not account for the rejection in setting the source weight of histories, resulting in an 'unfair game'. This problem was circumvented in previous versions of ADVANTG by translating volumetric sources into a finite set of points, which does not alter the mean history weight ({bar w}). To use biasing parameters without otherwise modifying the original cell-rejection SDEF-format source, ADVANTG users now apply a correction factor for {bar w} in post-processing. A stratified-random sampling approach in ADVANTG is under development to automatically report the correction factor with estimated uncertainty. This study demonstrates the use of ADVANTG's new source biasing method, including the application of {bar w}.« less

Improving the space surveillance telescope's performance using multi-hypothesis testing

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

Chris Zingarelli, J.; Cain, Stephen; Pearce, Eric

2014-05-01

The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program designed to detect objects in space like near Earth asteroids and space debris in the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) belt. Binary hypothesis test (BHT) methods have historically been used to facilitate the detection of new objects in space. In this paper a multi-hypothesis detection strategy is introduced to improve the detection performance of SST. In this context, the multi-hypothesis testing (MHT) determines if an unresolvable point source is in either the center, a corner, or a side of a pixel in contrast to BHT, which only testsmore » whether an object is in the pixel or not. The images recorded by SST are undersampled such as to cause aliasing, which degrades the performance of traditional detection schemes. The equations for the MHT are derived in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), which is computed by subtracting the background light level around the pixel being tested and dividing by the standard deviation of the noise. A new method for determining the local noise statistics that rejects outliers is introduced in combination with the MHT. An experiment using observations of a known GEO satellite are used to demonstrate the improved detection performance of the new algorithm over algorithms previously reported in the literature. The results show a significant improvement in the probability of detection by as much as 50% over existing algorithms. In addition to detection, the S/N results prove to be linearly related to the least-squares estimates of point source irradiance, thus improving photometric accuracy.« less

UWB Filtering Power Divider with Two Narrow Notch-bands and Wide Stop-band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Feng; Wang, Xin-Yi; Zou, Xin Tong; Shi, Xiao Wei

2017-12-01

A compact filtering ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip power divider (PD) with two sharply rejected notch-bands and wide stopband is analyzed and designed in this paper. The proposed UWB PD is based on a conventional Wilkinson power divider, while two stub loaded resonators (SLRs) are coupled into two symmetrical output ports to achieve a bandpass filtering response. The simplified composite right/left-handed (SCRLH) resonators are employed to generate the dual notched bands. Defected ground structure (DGS) is introduced to improve the passband performance. Good insertion/return losses, isolation and notch-band rejection are achieved as demonstrated in both simulation and experiment.

Efficient rejection-based simulation of biochemical reactions with stochastic noise and delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thanh, Vo Hong; Priami, Corrado; Zunino, Roberto

2014-10-01

We propose a new exact stochastic rejection-based simulation algorithm for biochemical reactions and extend it to systems with delays. Our algorithm accelerates the simulation by pre-computing reaction propensity bounds to select the next reaction to perform. Exploiting such bounds, we are able to avoid recomputing propensities every time a (delayed) reaction is initiated or finished, as is typically necessary in standard approaches. Propensity updates in our approach are still performed, but only infrequently and limited for a small number of reactions, saving computation time and without sacrificing exactness. We evaluate the performance improvement of our algorithm by experimenting with concrete biological models.

Antibody-mediated rejection across solid organ transplants: manifestations, mechanisms, and therapies.

PubMed

Valenzuela, Nicole M; Reed, Elaine F

2017-06-30

Solid organ transplantation is a curative therapy for hundreds of thousands of patients with end-stage organ failure. However, long-term outcomes have not improved, and nearly half of transplant recipients will lose their allografts by 10 years after transplant. One of the major challenges facing clinical transplantation is antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) caused by anti-donor HLA antibodies. AMR is highly associated with graft loss, but unfortunately there are few efficacious therapies to prevent and reverse AMR. This Review describes the clinical and histological manifestations of AMR, and discusses the immunopathological mechanisms contributing to antibody-mediated allograft injury as well as current and emerging therapies.

Image Corruption Detection in Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Post-Processing and Real-Time Monitoring

PubMed Central

Li, Yue; Shea, Steven M.; Lorenz, Christine H.; Jiang, Hangyi; Chou, Ming-Chung; Mori, Susumu

2013-01-01

Due to the high sensitivity of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to physiological motion, clinical DTI scans often suffer a significant amount of artifacts. Tensor-fitting-based, post-processing outlier rejection is often used to reduce the influence of motion artifacts. Although it is an effective approach, when there are multiple corrupted data, this method may no longer correctly identify and reject the corrupted data. In this paper, we introduce a new criterion called “corrected Inter-Slice Intensity Discontinuity” (cISID) to detect motion-induced artifacts. We compared the performance of algorithms using cISID and other existing methods with regard to artifact detection. The experimental results show that the integration of cISID into fitting-based methods significantly improves the retrospective detection performance at post-processing analysis. The performance of the cISID criterion, if used alone, was inferior to the fitting-based methods, but cISID could effectively identify severely corrupted images with a rapid calculation time. In the second part of this paper, an outlier rejection scheme was implemented on a scanner for real-time monitoring of image quality and reacquisition of the corrupted data. The real-time monitoring, based on cISID and followed by post-processing, fitting-based outlier rejection, could provide a robust environment for routine DTI studies. PMID:24204551

Everolimus immunosuppression for renal protection, reduction of allograft vasculopathy and prevention of allograft rejection in de-novo heart transplant recipients: could we have it all?

PubMed

Gude, Einar; Gullestad, Lars; Andreassen, Arne K

2017-06-01

De-novo introduction of everolimus (Eve) in heart transplant recipients opens for early reduction of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and potential of preserving renal function, attenuate progression of coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and maintain rejection efficacy. The first trials demonstrated adequate rejection prophylaxis and favorable outcomes on CAV, but observed enhanced nephrotoxicity because of insufficient CNI reduction. The SCHEDULE trial compared de-novo Eve with significantly reduced CNI exposure and conversion to CNI-free treatment week 7-11 postheart transplant, with standard CNI immunosuppression. Improved renal function and attenuation of CAV was found among Eve patients, with higher numbers of treated acute rejections observed. With sustained superior renal and CAV related data also after 36 months with the Eve protocol, cardiac function was equally well preserved in both groups. According to the International Society of Heart and Lunge Transplantation registry, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor treatment is uncommon during the first postoperative year, with a prevalence of 20% in patients after 5 years. Current evidence suggests a greater benefit from these immunosuppressives if introduced at an earlier timepoint. Immunosuppressive protocols based on Eve treatment in de-novo patients should be further investigated and developed, enabling CNI avoidance before accelerating side-effects lead to irreversible damage.

Removal of metal ions and humic acids through polyetherimide membrane with grafted bentonite clay.

PubMed

Hebbar, Raghavendra S; Isloor, Arun M; Prabhu, Balakrishna; Inamuddin; Asiri, Abdullah M; Ismail, A F

2018-03-16

Functional surfaces and polymers with branched structures have a major impact on physicochemical properties and performance of membrane materials. With the aim of greener approach for enhancement of permeation, fouling resistance and detrimental heavy metal ion rejection capacity of polyetherimide membrane, novel grafting of poly (4-styrenesulfonate) brushes on low cost, natural bentonite was carried out via distillation-precipitation polymerisation method and employed as a performance modifier. It has been demonstrated that, modified bentonite clay exhibited significant improvement in the hydrophilicity, porosity, and water uptake capacity with 3 wt. % of additive dosage. SEM and AFM analysis showed the increase in macrovoides and surface roughness with increased additive concentration. Moreover, the inclusion of modified bentonite displayed an increase in permeation rate and high anti-irreversible fouling properties with reversible fouling ratio of 75.6%. The humic acid rejection study revealed that, PEM-3 membrane having rejection efficiency up to 87.6% and foulants can be easily removed by simple hydraulic cleaning. Further, nanocomposite membranes can be significantly employed for the removal of hazardous heavy metal ions with a rejection rate of 80% and its tentative mechanism was discussed. Conspicuously, bentonite clay-bearing poly (4-styrenesulfonate) brushes are having a synergistic effect on physicochemical properties of nanocomposite membrane to enhance the performance in real field applications.

Integrating electrochemical oxidation into forward osmosis process for removal of trace antibiotics in wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Pengxiao; Zhang, Hanmin; Feng, Yujie; Shen, Chao; Yang, Fenglin

2015-10-15

During the rejection of trace pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater by forward osmosis (FO), disposal of the FO concentrate was still an unsolved issue. In this study, by integrating the advantages of forward osmosis and electrochemical oxidation, a forward osmosis process with the function of electrochemical oxidation (FOwEO) was established for the first time to achieve the aim of rejection of trace antibiotics from wastewater and treatment of the concentrate at the same time. Results demonstrated that FOwEO (current density J=1 mA cm(-2)) exhibited excellent rejections of antibiotics (>98%) regardless of different operation conditions, and above all, antibiotics in the concentrate were well degraded (>99%) at the end of experiment (after 3h). A synergetic effect between forward osmosis and electrochemical oxidation was observed in FOwEO, which lies in that antibiotic rejections by FO were enhanced due to the degradation of antibiotics in the concentrate, while the electrochemical oxidation capacity was improved in the FOwEO channel, of which good mass transfer and the assist of indirect oxidation owing to the reverse NaCl from draw solution were supposed to be the mechanism. This study demonstrated that the FOwEO has the capability to thoroughly remove trace antibiotics from wastewater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response efficacy: the key to minimizing rejection and maximizing acceptance of emotion-based anti-speeding messages.

PubMed

Lewis, I M; Watson, B; White, K M

2010-03-01

This study sought to improve understanding of the persuasive process of emotion-based appeals not only in relation to negative, fear-based appeals but also for appeals based upon positive emotions. In particular, the study investigated whether response efficacy, as a cognitive construct, mediated outcome measures of message effectiveness in terms of both acceptance and rejection of negative and positive emotion-based messages. Licensed drivers (N=406) participated via the completion of an on-line survey. Within the survey, participants received either a negative (fear-based) appeal or one of the two possible positive appeals (pride or humor-based). Overall, the study's findings confirmed the importance of emotional and cognitive components of persuasive health messages and identified response efficacy as a key cognitive construct influencing the effectiveness of not only fear-based messages but also positive emotion-based messages. Interestingly, however, the results suggested that response efficacy's influence on message effectiveness may differ for positive and negative emotion-based appeals such that significant indirect (and mediational) effects were found with both acceptance and rejection of the positive appeals yet only with rejection of the fear-based appeal. As such, the study's findings provide an important extension to extant literature and may inform future advertising message design. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monte Carlo studies of medium-size telescope designs for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

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

Wood, M. D.; Jogler, T.; Dumm, J.

In this paper, we present studies for optimizing the next generation of ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). Results focus on mid-sized telescopes (MSTs) for CTA, detecting very high energy gamma rays in the energy range from a few hundred GeV to a few tens of TeV. We describe a novel, flexible detector Monte Carlo package, FAST (FAst Simulation for imaging air cherenkov Telescopes), that we use to simulate different array and telescope designs. The simulation is somewhat simplified to allow for efficient exploration over a large telescope design parameter space. We investigate a wide range of telescope performance parametersmore » including optical resolution, camera pixel size, and light collection area. In order to ensure a comparison of the arrays at their maximum sensitivity, we analyze the simulations with the most sensitive techniques used in the field, such as maximum likelihood template reconstruction and boosted decision trees for background rejection. Choosing telescope design parameters representative of the proposed Davies–Cotton (DC) and Schwarzchild–Couder (SC) MST designs, we compare the performance of the arrays by examining the gamma-ray angular resolution and differential point-source sensitivity. We further investigate the array performance under a wide range of conditions, determining the impact of the number of telescopes, telescope separation, night sky background, and geomagnetic field. We find a 30–40% improvement in the gamma-ray angular resolution at all energies when comparing arrays with an equal number of SC and DC telescopes, significantly enhancing point-source sensitivity in the MST energy range. Finally, we attribute the increase in point-source sensitivity to the improved optical point-spread function and smaller pixel size of the SC telescope design.« less

Monte Carlo studies of medium-size telescope designs for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

DOE PAGES

Wood, M. D.; Jogler, T.; Dumm, J.; ...

2015-06-07

In this paper, we present studies for optimizing the next generation of ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). Results focus on mid-sized telescopes (MSTs) for CTA, detecting very high energy gamma rays in the energy range from a few hundred GeV to a few tens of TeV. We describe a novel, flexible detector Monte Carlo package, FAST (FAst Simulation for imaging air cherenkov Telescopes), that we use to simulate different array and telescope designs. The simulation is somewhat simplified to allow for efficient exploration over a large telescope design parameter space. We investigate a wide range of telescope performance parametersmore » including optical resolution, camera pixel size, and light collection area. In order to ensure a comparison of the arrays at their maximum sensitivity, we analyze the simulations with the most sensitive techniques used in the field, such as maximum likelihood template reconstruction and boosted decision trees for background rejection. Choosing telescope design parameters representative of the proposed Davies–Cotton (DC) and Schwarzchild–Couder (SC) MST designs, we compare the performance of the arrays by examining the gamma-ray angular resolution and differential point-source sensitivity. We further investigate the array performance under a wide range of conditions, determining the impact of the number of telescopes, telescope separation, night sky background, and geomagnetic field. We find a 30–40% improvement in the gamma-ray angular resolution at all energies when comparing arrays with an equal number of SC and DC telescopes, significantly enhancing point-source sensitivity in the MST energy range. Finally, we attribute the increase in point-source sensitivity to the improved optical point-spread function and smaller pixel size of the SC telescope design.« less

Missed opportunities for impact in patient and carer involvement: a mixed methods case study of research priority setting.

PubMed

Snow, R; Crocker, J C; Crowe, S

2015-01-01

Healthcare workers want to listen more to patients and their carers in all sorts of areas of healthcare. This can include choosing topics for medical research. We looked at how patients and carers have helped to choose topics for research about type I diabetes. We aimed to find out if, and why, researchers often rejected their choices. We looked at a project which brought together patients, carers and healthcare workers to choose topics for research about type 1 diabetes. The group first asked patients, carers and healthcare workers to suggest ideas for research questions. But the group had to follow rules about what counted as a good research question. Some people's ideas did not count as good research questions, and they were rejected at the start. We looked at who were most likely to have their ideas rejected at the start. We found that patients and carers were most likely to have a suggestion rejected. Then we looked at the rejected questions in detail. They were mostly about curing diabetes, preventing diabetes and understanding how diabetes works. There were also some questions about access to medicines and the quality of care. Researchers should ask patients and carers for help deciding what counts as a good research question from the start of projects like these. We should also think about what might be getting in the way of patients and carers making more of a difference in research. Background Patients and carers are increasingly involved in deciding on topics for medical research. However, so far, it has been difficult to gain an accurate picture of the impact of such involvement because of poor reporting and evaluation in published studies to date. This study aimed to explore how a partnership of patients, carers, healthcare professionals and organisations identified questions for future research and why patients and carers had a limited impact on this process. Methods In the first stage of the partnership process, relevant service users and providers (including patients, carers, healthcare professionals and voluntary organisations) were invited to submit suggested research questions about the treatment of type 1 diabetes, via a national online and paper survey. The partnership followed formal protocols that defined a researchable question. This meant that many respondents' suggested research questions were rejected at the start of the process. We analysed survey submissions to find out which groups of respondents were most likely to have their suggestions rejected and what these suggestions were about. Results Five hundred eighty-three respondents submitted 1143 suggested research questions, of which 249 (21.8 %) were rejected at the first stage. Respondents with lived experience of this long-term condition (patients and carers) were more likely than those without lived experience to submit a research question that would be rejected (35.6 vs. 16.5 %; p  < 0.0005). Among the rejected questions submitted by patients and carers, there were several key themes: questions about cure, cause and prevention, understanding the disease, healthcare policy and economics. Conclusions In this case study, early decisions about what constituted a researchable question restricted patients' and carers' contributions to priority setting. When discussions about a project's remit take place before service users are involved, researchers risk distorting the potential impact of involvement. Impact assessments should consider not only the differences patients and carers make to research but also the differences they could have made in the absence of systemic barriers. We recommend that initiatives aimed at involving patients and carers in identifying research questions involve them as early as possible, including in decisions about how and why suggested research questions are selected or rejected.

Regularised extreme learning machine with misclassification cost and rejection cost for gene expression data classification.

PubMed

Lu, Huijuan; Wei, Shasha; Zhou, Zili; Miao, Yanzi; Lu, Yi

2015-01-01

The main purpose of traditional classification algorithms on bioinformatics application is to acquire better classification accuracy. However, these algorithms cannot meet the requirement that minimises the average misclassification cost. In this paper, a new algorithm of cost-sensitive regularised extreme learning machine (CS-RELM) was proposed by using probability estimation and misclassification cost to reconstruct the classification results. By improving the classification accuracy of a group of small sample which higher misclassification cost, the new CS-RELM can minimise the classification cost. The 'rejection cost' was integrated into CS-RELM algorithm to further reduce the average misclassification cost. By using Colon Tumour dataset and SRBCT (Small Round Blue Cells Tumour) dataset, CS-RELM was compared with other cost-sensitive algorithms such as extreme learning machine (ELM), cost-sensitive extreme learning machine, regularised extreme learning machine, cost-sensitive support vector machine (SVM). The results of experiments show that CS-RELM with embedded rejection cost could reduce the average cost of misclassification and made more credible classification decision than others.

Antioxidation performance of poly(vinyl alcohol) modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Daohui; Li, Xianfeng; Li, Qing; Liu, Zhen; Li, Nana; Huang, Qinglin; Zhang, Yufeng; Xiao, Changfa

2018-03-01

Commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes were modified by dip-coating and crosslinking hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on the membrane surface. The antioxidation performance of the modified PVDF membranes was evaluated via exposing the modified membranes to sodium hypochlorite and potassium permanganate solutions for 5-30 days, respectively. The evaluation was based on the influences of the two oxidants on the permeability, rejection, and hydrophility of the modified membranes, which were characterized by water flux, ink rejection, water contact angle, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The XPS and water contact angle results show that the hydrophilicity of PVDF membranes was significantly improved when PVA was crosslinked on the surface of PVDF membranes. When the modified membranes had been treated with sodium hypochlorite or potassium permanganate for 30 days, the permeability and hydrophilicity were basically maintained and the rejection was slightly decreased. XPS and XRD indicated that some of PVAs coated on the membrane surface could be oxidized and peeled.

Linear Classifier with Reject Option for the Detection of Vocal Fold Paralysis and Vocal Fold Edema

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotropoulos, Constantine; Arce, Gonzalo R.

2009-12-01

Two distinct two-class pattern recognition problems are studied, namely, the detection of male subjects who are diagnosed with vocal fold paralysis against male subjects who are diagnosed as normal and the detection of female subjects who are suffering from vocal fold edema against female subjects who do not suffer from any voice pathology. To do so, utterances of the sustained vowel "ah" are employed from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary database of disordered speech. Linear prediction coefficients extracted from the aforementioned utterances are used as features. The receiver operating characteristic curve of the linear classifier, that stems from the Bayes classifier when Gaussian class conditional probability density functions with equal covariance matrices are assumed, is derived. The optimal operating point of the linear classifier is specified with and without reject option. First results using utterances of the "rainbow passage" are also reported for completeness. The reject option is shown to yield statistically significant improvements in the accuracy of detecting the voice pathologies under study.

A hierarchical exact accelerated stochastic simulation algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orendorff, David; Mjolsness, Eric

2012-12-01

A new algorithm, "HiER-leap" (hierarchical exact reaction-leaping), is derived which improves on the computational properties of the ER-leap algorithm for exact accelerated simulation of stochastic chemical kinetics. Unlike ER-leap, HiER-leap utilizes a hierarchical or divide-and-conquer organization of reaction channels into tightly coupled "blocks" and is thereby able to speed up systems with many reaction channels. Like ER-leap, HiER-leap is based on the use of upper and lower bounds on the reaction propensities to define a rejection sampling algorithm with inexpensive early rejection and acceptance steps. But in HiER-leap, large portions of intra-block sampling may be done in parallel. An accept/reject step is used to synchronize across blocks. This method scales well when many reaction channels are present and has desirable asymptotic properties. The algorithm is exact, parallelizable and achieves a significant speedup over the stochastic simulation algorithm and ER-leap on certain problems. This algorithm offers a potentially important step towards efficient in silico modeling of entire organisms.

Ubiquinol Improves Symptoms in Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Kucharská, Jarmila; Ostatníková, Daniela; Babinská, Katarína; Nakládal, Dalibor; Crane, Fred L.

2014-01-01

Background. Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders with manifestation within 3 years after birth. Manifestations of autism include behavior problems (hyperactivity, toys destruction, self-harm, and agression) and sleep and eating disorders. Etiology of autism is poorly understood. Oxidative stress and antioxidants can participate in pathobiochemical mechanisms of autism. Methods. Twenty-four children, aged 3–6 years, with autism according to the DSM IV criteria and using CARS were included in the study. Concentrations of CoQ10−TOTAL, γ- and α-tocopherol, β-carotene, and lipid peroxidation were determined in plasma before and after three months of supportive therapy with ubiquinol at a daily dose 2 × 50 mg. Data on behavior of the children were collected from parents at the same time. Results. Ubiquinol supportive therapy improved symptoms in children with autism, as communication with parents (in 12%), verbal communication (in 21%), playing games of children (in 42%), sleeping (in 34%), and food rejection (in 17%), with CoQ10−TOTAL plasma level above 2.5 μmol/L. Conclusions. Beneficial effect of ubiquinol in children with autism has been demonstrated for the first time. We assume that plasma concentration of CoQ10−TOTAL and lipid peroxidation could be used as relevant biomarkers of ubiquinol supportive therapy. PMID:24707344

The impact of e-Procurement practice in Indonesia government: A Preliminary Study (The case of Electronic Procurement Service at Bekasi District)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candra, S.; E Gunawan, F.

2017-01-01

In digital economy, government of Indonesia uses the internet to deliver services and to communicate with citizens and organizations. One of applications are e-Procurement and LPSE is a unit to hold the service system of e-Procurement. Procurement of goods and services electronically in addition will increase transparency and accountability, improve market access and healthy competition, as well as improving the efficiency of the procurement process. Based on the background and specific objectives to be achieved, then the research will be viewed from e-Marketplace participation, Trust and its impact on the performance of existing procurement within the institution. Methods of data analysis used in this research is by using analysis of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) by using the program Partial Least Square (PLS) to examine the relationship between variables. The population used in this study is an enterprise as well as other clients using the system LPSE Bekasi District. There are three part in this study population, namely the provision of a company, customer, and supplier of LPSE users amounted to 60 users. From data analysis, there are one hypothesis that rejected. The implication of this study are implementation of e-procurement and e-marketplace participation giving impact to procurement performance.

Elevated cAMP improves signal-to-noise ratio in amphibian rod photoreceptors

PubMed Central

Govardovskii, Victor I.

2017-01-01

The absolute sensitivity of vertebrate retinas is set by a background noise, called dark noise, which originates from several different cell types and is generated by different molecular mechanisms. The major share of dark noise is produced by photoreceptors and consists of two components, discrete and continuous. Discrete noise is generated by spontaneous thermal activations of visual pigment. These events are undistinguishable from real single-photon responses (SPRs) and might be considered an equivalent of the signal. Continuous noise is produced by spontaneous fluctuations of the catalytic activity of the cGMP phosphodiesterase. This masks both SPR and spontaneous SPR-like responses. Circadian rhythms affect photoreceptors, among other systems by periodically increasing intracellular cAMP levels ([cAMP]in), which increases the size and changes the shape of SPRs. Here, we show that forskolin, a tool that increases [cAMP]in, affects the magnitude and frequency spectrum of the continuous and discrete components of dark noise in photoreceptors. By changing both components of rod signaling, the signal and the noise, cAMP is able to increase the photoreceptor signal-to-noise ratio by twofold. We propose that this results in a substantial improvement of signal detection, without compromising noise rejection, at the rod bipolar cell synapse. PMID:28611079

Background Studies in CZT Detectors at Balloon Altitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slavis, K. R.; Dowkontt, P. F.; Epstein, J. W.; Hink, P. L.; Matteson, J. L.; Duttweiler, F.; Huszar, G. L.; Leblanc, P. C.; Skelton, R. T.; Stephan, E. A.

1998-12-01

Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) is a room temperature semiconductor detector well suited for high energy X-ray astronomy. We have developed a CZT detector with crossed strip readout, 500 micron resolution, and an advanced electrode design that greatly improves energy resolution. The latter varies from 3 keV to 6 keV FWHM over the range from 14-184 keV. We have conducted two balloon flights using this cross-strip detector and a standard planar detector sensitive in the energy range of 20-350 keV. These flights utilized a total of seven shielding schemes: 3 passive (7, 2, and 0 mm thick Pb/Sn/Cu), 2 active (NaI-CsI with 2 opening angles) and 2 hybrid passive-active. In the active shielding modes, the shield pulse heights were telemetered for each CZT event, allowing us to study the effect of shield energy-loss threshold on the background. The flights were launched from Fort Sumner, NM in October 1997 and May 1998, and had float altitudes of 109,000 and 105,000 feet respectively. Periodic energy calibrations showed the detector performance to be identical to that in the laboratory. The long duration of the May flight, 22 hours, enables us to study activation effects in the background. We present results on the effectiveness of each of the shielding schemes, activation effects and two new background reduction techniques for the strip detector. These reduction techniques employ the depth of interaction, as indicated by the ratio of cathode to anode pulse height, and multiple-site signatures to reject events that are unlikely to be X-rays incident on the detector's face. The depth of interaction technique reduces the background by a factor of 4 in the 20-40 keV energy range with passive shielding. Our preliminary results indicate a background level of 8.6x10(-3) cts/cm(2) -s-keV using passive shielding and 6x10(-4) cts/cm(2) -s-keV using active shielding in the 20-40 keV range.

Gut microbes contribute to variation in solid organ transplant outcomes in mice.

PubMed

McIntosh, Christine M; Chen, Luqiu; Shaiber, Alon; Eren, A Murat; Alegre, Maria-Luisa

2018-05-25

Solid organ transplant recipients show heterogeneity in the occurrence and timing of acute rejection episodes. Understanding the factors responsible for such variability in patient outcomes may lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Rejection kinetics of transplanted organs mainly depends on the extent of genetic disparities between donor and recipient, but a role for environmental factors is emerging. We have recently shown that major alterations of the microbiota following broad-spectrum antibiotics, or use of germ-free animals, promoted longer skin graft survival in mice. Here, we tested whether spontaneous differences in microbial colonization between genetically similar individuals can contribute to variability in graft rejection kinetics. We compared rejection kinetics of minor mismatched skin grafts in C57BL/6 mice from Jackson Laboratory (Jax) and Taconic Farms (Tac), genetically similar animals colonized by different commensal microbes. Female Tac mice rejected skin grafts from vendor-matched males more quickly than Jax mice. We observed prolonged graft survival in Tac mice when they were exposed to Jax mice microbiome through co-housing or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) by gastric gavage. In contrast, exposure to Tac mice did not change graft rejection kinetics in Jax mice, suggesting a dominant suppressive effect of Jax microbiota. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from Jax and Tac mice fecal samples confirmed a convergence of microbiota composition after cohousing or fecal transfer. Our analysis of amplicon data associated members of a single bacterial genus, Alistipes, with prolonged graft survival. Consistent with this finding, members of the genus Alistipes were absent in a separate Tac cohort, in which fecal transfer from Jax mice failed to prolong graft survival. These results demonstrate that differences in resident microbiome in healthy individuals may translate into distinct kinetics of graft rejection, and contribute to interpersonal variability in graft outcomes. The association between Alistipes and prolonged skin graft survival in mice suggests that members of this genus might affect host physiology, including at sites distal to the gastrointestinal tract. Overall, these findings allude to a potential therapeutic role for specific gut microbes to promote graft survival through the administration of probiotics, or FMT.

Biological mechanism analysis of acute renal allograft rejection: integrated of mRNA and microRNA expression profiles.

PubMed

Huang, Shi-Ming; Zhao, Xia; Zhao, Xue-Mei; Wang, Xiao-Ying; Li, Shan-Shan; Zhu, Yu-Hui

2014-01-01

Renal transplantation is the preferred method for most patients with end-stage renal disease, however, acute renal allograft rejection is still a major risk factor for recipients leading to renal injury. To improve the early diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection, study on the molecular mechanism of it is urgent. MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profile and mRNA expression profile of acute renal allograft rejection and well-functioning allograft downloaded from ArrayExpress database were applied to identify differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and DE mRNAs. DE miRNAs targets were predicted by combining five algorithm. By overlapping the DE mRNAs and DE miRNAs targets, common genes were obtained. Differentially co-expressed genes (DCGs) were identified by differential co-expression profile (DCp) and differential co-expression enrichment (DCe) methods in Differentially Co-expressed Genes and Links (DCGL) package. Then, co-expression network of DCGs and the cluster analysis were performed. Functional enrichment analysis for DCGs was undergone. A total of 1270 miRNA targets were predicted and 698 DE mRNAs were obtained. While overlapping miRNA targets and DE mRNAs, 59 common genes were gained. We obtained 103 DCGs and 5 transcription factors (TFs) based on regulatory impact factors (RIF), then built the regulation network of miRNA targets and DE mRNAs. By clustering the co-expression network, 5 modules were obtained. Thereinto, module 1 had the highest degree and module 2 showed the most number of DCGs and common genes. TF CEBPB and several common genes, such as RXRA, BASP1 and AKAP10, were mapped on the co-expression network. C1R showed the highest degree in the network. These genes might be associated with human acute renal allograft rejection. We conducted biological analysis on integration of DE mRNA and DE miRNA in acute renal allograft rejection, displayed gene expression patterns and screened out genes and TFs that may be related to acute renal allograft rejection.

Biological mechanism analysis of acute renal allograft rejection: integrated of mRNA and microRNA expression profiles

PubMed Central

Huang, Shi-Ming; Zhao, Xia; Zhao, Xue-Mei; Wang, Xiao-Ying; Li, Shan-Shan; Zhu, Yu-Hui

2014-01-01

Objectives: Renal transplantation is the preferred method for most patients with end-stage renal disease, however, acute renal allograft rejection is still a major risk factor for recipients leading to renal injury. To improve the early diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection, study on the molecular mechanism of it is urgent. Methods: MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profile and mRNA expression profile of acute renal allograft rejection and well-functioning allograft downloaded from ArrayExpress database were applied to identify differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and DE mRNAs. DE miRNAs targets were predicted by combining five algorithm. By overlapping the DE mRNAs and DE miRNAs targets, common genes were obtained. Differentially co-expressed genes (DCGs) were identified by differential co-expression profile (DCp) and differential co-expression enrichment (DCe) methods in Differentially Co-expressed Genes and Links (DCGL) package. Then, co-expression network of DCGs and the cluster analysis were performed. Functional enrichment analysis for DCGs was undergone. Results: A total of 1270 miRNA targets were predicted and 698 DE mRNAs were obtained. While overlapping miRNA targets and DE mRNAs, 59 common genes were gained. We obtained 103 DCGs and 5 transcription factors (TFs) based on regulatory impact factors (RIF), then built the regulation network of miRNA targets and DE mRNAs. By clustering the co-expression network, 5 modules were obtained. Thereinto, module 1 had the highest degree and module 2 showed the most number of DCGs and common genes. TF CEBPB and several common genes, such as RXRA, BASP1 and AKAP10, were mapped on the co-expression network. C1R showed the highest degree in the network. These genes might be associated with human acute renal allograft rejection. Conclusions: We conducted biological analysis on integration of DE mRNA and DE miRNA in acute renal allograft rejection, displayed gene expression patterns and screened out genes and TFs that may be related to acute renal allograft rejection. PMID:25664019

Emergency ABO-incompatible liver transplant secondary to fulminant hepatic failure: outcome, role of TPE and review of the literature.

PubMed

Maitta, Robert W; Choate, Jacquelyn; Emre, Sukru H; Luczycki, Stephen M; Wu, Yanyun

2012-01-01

The increasing demand for solid organ transplants has brought to light the need to utilize organs in critical situations despite ABO-incompatibility. However, these transplantations are complicated by pre-existing ABO antibodies which may be potentially dangerous and makes the transplantation prone to failure due to rejection with resulting necrosis or intrahepatic biliary complications. We report the clinical outcome of an emergency ABO-incompatible liver transplant (due to fulminant hepatic failure with sudden and rapidly deteriorating mental status) using a modified therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) protocol. The recipient was O-positive with an initial anti-B titer of 64 and the cadaveric organ was from a B-positive donor. The patient underwent initial TPE during the peri-operative period, followed by a series of postoperative daily TPE, and later a third series of TPE for presumptive antibody-mediated rejection. The latter two were performed in conjunction with the use of IVIg and rituximab. The recipient's anti-B titer was reduced and maintained at 8 or less 8 months post-op. However, an elevation of transaminases 3 months post-transplant triggered a biopsy which was consistent with cellular rejection and with weak C4d positive staining suggestive of antibody mediated rejection. Additional plasma exchange procedures were performed. The patient improved rapidly after modification of her immunosuppression regimen and treatment with plasma exchange. This case illustrates that prompt and aggressive plasma exchange, in conjunction with immunosuppression, is a viable approach to prevent and treat antibody mediated transplant rejection in emergency ABO-incompatible liver transplant. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Technologist-Directed Repeat Musculoskeletal and Chest Radiographs: How Often Do They Impact Diagnosis?

PubMed

Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Jacobs, Jill E; Jain, Nidhi; Brusca-Augello, Geraldine; Mechlin, Michael; Parente, Marc; Recht, Michael P

2017-12-01

Radiologic technologists may repeat images within a radiographic examination because of perceived suboptimal image quality, excluding these original images from submission to a PACS. This study assesses the appropriateness of technologists' decisions to repeat musculoskeletal and chest radiographs as well as the utility of repeat radiographs in addressing examinations' clinical indication. We included 95 musculoskeletal and 87 chest radiographic examinations in which the technologist repeated one or more images because of perceived image quality issues, rejecting original images from PACS submission. Rejected images were retrieved from the radiograph unit and uploaded for viewing on a dedicated server. Musculoskeletal and chest radiologists reviewed rejected and repeat images in their timed sequence, in addition to the studies' remaining images. Radiologists answered questions regarding the added value of repeat images. The reviewing radiologist agreed with the reason for rejection for 64.2% of musculoskeletal and 60.9% of chest radiographs. For 77.9% and 93.1% of rejected radiographs, the clinical inquiry could have been satisfied without repeating the image. For 75.8% and 64.4%, the repeated images showed improved image quality. Only 28.4% and 3.4% of repeated images were considered to provide additional information that was helpful in addressing the clinical question. Most repeated radiographs (chest more so than musculoskeletal radiographs) did not add significant clinical information or alter diagnosis, although they did increase radiation exposure. The decision to repeat images should be made after viewing the questionable image in context with all images in a study and might best be made by a radiologist rather than the performing technologist.

The effects of organic fouling on the removal of radionuclides by reverse osmosis membranes.

PubMed

Ding, Shiyuan; Yang, Yu; Li, Chen; Huang, Haiou; Hou, Li-An

2016-05-15

The removals of cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr), two hazardous and abundant radionuclides in aquatic environment, were assessed with their isotopes in a synthetic water containing Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM), a natural surface water (SW) and a wastewater effluent (WW) by two different types of ultra-low pressure RO membranes (M1 and M2). The rejections of Sr by the membranes M1 and M2 were higher than 97.5% and 96.0%, respectively, and the rejections of Cs exceeded 90.0% and 85.0%, respectively, in the filtration of real water. The membrane M1 exhibited a more significant flux decline in the filtration of the SRNOM solution, while more severe flux declines were observed with the membrane M2 in the filtration of SW and WW. Protein-like materials with relatively high molecular weight were the main contributors to the flux decline, and humic-acid-like compounds had little effect on the flux decline. Donnan exclusion and size exclusion by humic-acid-like compounds improved the rejections by the membrane M2 with weaker hydrophilicity, while the cake-enhanced concentration polarization reduced the rejections of Cs and Sr by the membrane M1 with stronger hydrophilicity. The ionic strength in the real water resulted in the mitigation of membrane fouling. This study provided important insights into foulant characterization and the mechanisms of organic-fouling-enhanced rejections of Cr and Sr by ultra-low pressure RO membranes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk factors associated with the deterioration of renal function after kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Serón, Daniel; Fulladosa, Xavier; Moreso, Francesc

2005-12-01

Renal function early after transplantation is associated with a large number of risk factors, including donor age and acute rejection. During the 1990s, donor age increased and the incidence of acute rejection decreased. Renal function between the third and sixth month improved slightly, while renal function deterioration between the third or sixth month and the 12th month improved significantly. This modification coincides with the introduction of mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus. The tendency for sustained renal improvement early after transplantation became more evident after the introduction of anti-calcineurin-free regimens. Studies of protocol biopsies have shown that there is an increase of glomerular volume after transplantation and that a larger glomerular volume at 4 months is associated with a better glomerular filtration rate. This adaptation mechanism is impaired in patients with chronic allograft nephropathy or in patients with high cyclosporin levels. Taken together, these data suggest that the steady improvement of renal allograft function may be partly explained by a better glomerular adaptation after transplantation because of the avoidance of the vasoconstrictive effect of anti-calcineurinic agents, and a significant decrease in the prevalence of chronic allograft nephropathy early after transplantation.

Vicarious Group-Based Rejection: Creating a Potentially Dangerous Mix of Humiliation, Powerlessness, and Anger

PubMed Central

Veldhuis, Tinka M.; Gordijn, Ernestine H.; Veenstra, René; Lindenberg, Siegwart

2014-01-01

Rejection can convey that one is seen as inferior and not worth bothering with. Is it possible for people to feel vicariously rejected in this sense and have reactions that are similar to those following personal rejection, such as feeling humiliated, powerless, and angry? A study on personal rejection was followed by two main studies on vicarious group-based rejection. It was found that merely observing rejection of ingroup members can trigger feelings of humiliation that are equally intense as those experienced in response to personal rejection. Moreover, given that the rejection is explicit, vicariously experienced feelings of humiliation can be accompanied by powerlessness and anger. Potentially, this combination of emotions could be an important source of offensive action against rejecters. PMID:24759901

Long lifetime near-infrared-emitting quantum dots for time-gated in vivo imaging of rare circulating cells (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fragola, Alexandra; Bouccara, Sophie; Pezet, Sophie; Lequeux, Nicolas; Loriette, Vincent; Pons, Thomas

2017-02-01

The in vivo detection of rare circulating cells using non invasive fluorescence imaging would provide a key tool to study migration of eg. tumoral or immunological cells. Fluorescence detection is however currently limited by a lack of contrast between the small emission of isolated, fast circulating cells and the strong autofluorescence background of the surrounding tissues. We present the development of near infrared emitting quantum dots (NIR-QDs) with long fluorescence lifetime for sensitive time-gated in vivo imaging of circulating cells. These QDs are composed of low toxicity ZnCuInSe/ZnS materials and made biocompatible using a novel multidentate imidazole zwitterionic block copolymer, ensuring their long term intracellular stability. Cells of interest can thus be labeled ex vivo with QDs, injected intravenously and imaged in the near infrared range. Excitation using a pulsed laser coupled to time-gated detection enables the efficient rejection of short lifetime (≈ ns) autofluorescence background and detection of long lifetime (≈ 150 ns) fluorescence from QD-labeled cells. We demonstrate efficient in vivo imaging of single fast-flowing cells, which opens opportunities for future biological studies. [1] M. Tasso et al, "Sulfobetaine-Vinylimidazole block copolymers: a robust quantum dot surface chemistry expanding bioimaging's horizons", ACS Nano, 9(11), 2015 [2] S. Bouccara et al, "Time-gated cell imaging using long lifetime near-infrared-emitting quantum dots for autofluorescence rejection", J Biomed Optc, 19(5), 2014

Daytime adaptive optics for deep space optical communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Keith; Troy, M.; Srinivasan, M.; Platt, B.; Vilnrotter, V.; Wright, M.; Garkanian, V.; Hemmati, H.

2003-01-01

The deep space optical communications subsystem offers a higher bandwidth communications link in smaller size, lower mass, and lower power consumption subsystem than does RF. To demonstrate the benefit of this technology to deep space communications NASA plans to launch an optical telecommunications package on the 2009 Mars Telecommunications orbiter spacecraft. Current performance goals are 30-Mbps from opposition, and 1-Mbps near conjunction (-3 degrees Sun-Earth-Probe angle). Yet, near conjunction the background noise from the day sky will degrade the performance of the optical link. Spectral and spatial filtering and higher modulation formats can mitigate the effects of background sky. Narrowband spectral filters can result in loss of link margin, and higher modulation formats require higher transmitted peak powers. In contrast, spatial filtering at the receiver has the potential of being lossless while providing the required sky background rejection. Adaptive optics techniques can correct wave front aberrations caused by atmospheric turbulence and enable near-diffraction-limited performance of the receiving telescope. Such performance facilitates spatial filtering, and allows the receiver field-of-view and hence the noise from the sky background to be reduced.

Background Model for the Majorana Demonstrator

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

Cuesta, C.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, Estanislao

2015-06-01

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a prototype system containing 40 kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment to search for neutrinoless double-beta (0v BB) decay in 76Ge. In view of the requirement that the next generation of tonne-scale Ge-based 0vBB-decay experiment be capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region, a major goal of theMajorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursuedmore » through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example using powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using Geant4 simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.« less

The regulatory T cell effector molecule fibrinogen-like protein 2 is necessary for the development of rapamycin-induced tolerance to fully MHC-mismatched murine cardiac allografts

PubMed Central

Urbanellis, Peter; Shyu, Wendy; Khattar, Ramzi; Wang, Jihong; Zakharova, Anna; He, Wei; Sadozai, Hassan; Amir, Achiya Z; Shalev, Itay; Phillips, M James; Adeyi, Oyedele; Ross, Heather; Grant, David; Levy, Gary A; Chruscinski, Andrzej

2015-01-01

Therapies that promote tolerance in solid organ transplantation will improve patient outcomes by eliminating the need for long-term immunosuppression. To investigate mechanisms of rapamycin-induced tolerance, C3H/HeJ mice were heterotopically transplanted with MHC-mismatched hearts from BALB/cJ mice and were monitored for rejection after a short course of rapamycin treatment. Mice that had received rapamycin developed tolerance with indefinite graft survival, whereas untreated mice all rejected their grafts within 9 days. In vitro, splenic mononuclear cells from tolerant mice maintained primary CD4+ and CD8+ immune responses to donor antigens consistent with a mechanism that involves active suppression of immune responses. Furthermore, infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus strain WE led to loss of tolerance suggesting that tolerance could be overcome by infection. Rapamycin-induced, donor-specific tolerance was associated with an expansion of regulatory T (Treg) cells in both the spleen and allograft and elevated plasma levels of fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2). Depletion of Treg cells with anti-CD25 (PC61) and treatment with anti-FGL2 antibody both prevented tolerance induction. Tolerant allografts were populated with Treg cells that co-expressed FGL2 and FoxP3, whereas rejecting allografts and syngeneic grafts were nearly devoid of dual-staining cells. We examined the utility of an immunoregulatory gene panel to discriminate between tolerance and rejection. We observed that Treg-associated genes (foxp3, lag3, tgf-β and fgl2) had increased expression and pro-inflammatory genes (ifn-γ and gzmb) had decreased expression in tolerant compared with rejecting allografts. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that Treg cells expressing FGL2 mediate rapamycin-induced tolerance. Furthermore, a gene biomarker panel that includes fgl2 can distinguish between rejecting and tolerant grafts. PMID:24990517

Spectral classifier design with ensemble classifiers and misclassification-rejection: application to elastic-scattering spectroscopy for detection of colonic neoplasia

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Diaz, Eladio; Castanon, David A.; Singh, Satish K.; Bigio, Irving J.

2011-01-01

Optical spectroscopy has shown potential as a real-time, in vivo, diagnostic tool for identifying neoplasia during endoscopy. We present the development of a diagnostic algorithm to classify elastic-scattering spectroscopy (ESS) spectra as either neoplastic or non-neoplastic. The algorithm is based on pattern recognition methods, including ensemble classifiers, in which members of the ensemble are trained on different regions of the ESS spectrum, and misclassification-rejection, where the algorithm identifies and refrains from classifying samples that are at higher risk of being misclassified. These “rejected” samples can be reexamined by simply repositioning the probe to obtain additional optical readings or ultimately by sending the polyp for histopathological assessment, as per standard practice. Prospective validation using separate training and testing sets result in a baseline performance of sensitivity = .83, specificity = .79, using the standard framework of feature extraction (principal component analysis) followed by classification (with linear support vector machines). With the developed algorithm, performance improves to Se ∼ 0.90, Sp ∼ 0.90, at a cost of rejecting 20–33% of the samples. These results are on par with a panel of expert pathologists. For colonoscopic prevention of colorectal cancer, our system could reduce biopsy risk and cost, obviate retrieval of non-neoplastic polyps, decrease procedure time, and improve assessment of cancer risk. PMID:21721830

Final Technical Report - Polymeric Multilayer Infrared Reflecting Mirrors

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

Reed, John

2016-09-16

The goal of this project was to develop a clear, polymeric, multilayer film with an expanded infrared (IR) reflection band which would allow improved rejection of incident IR energy. The IR reflection band is covering the region from about 850 nm to 1830 nm. This film is essentially clear and colorless in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectra (visible light transmission of about 89%) while reflecting 90-95% of the IR energy over the portion of the spectra indicated above. This film has a nominal thickness of 3 mils, is polymeric in nature (contains no metals, metal oxides, or othermore » material types) and is essentially clear in appearance This film can then be used as a component of other products such as a solar window film, an IR reflecting interlayer for laminated glass, a heat rejecting skylight film, a base film for daylight redirecting products, a greenhouse film, and many more applications. One of the main strengths of this product is that because it is a standalone IR rejecting film, it can be incorporated and retrofitted into many applications that desire or require the transmission of visible light, but want to block other portions of the solar spectra, especially the IR portion. Many of the applications exist in the window glazing product area where this film can provide for substantial energy improvements in applications where visible light is desired.« less

Notch Signaling and Alloreactivity.

PubMed

Radojcic, Vedran; Maillard, Ivan

2016-12-01

Solid organ and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation have become standard therapeutic interventions that save patient lives and improve quality of life. Our enhanced understanding of transplantation immunobiology has refined clinical management and improved outcomes. However, organ rejection and graft-versus-host disease remain major obstacles to the broader successful application of these therapeutic procedures. Notch signaling regulates multiple aspects of adaptive and innate immunity. Preclinical studies identified Notch signaling as a promising target in autoimmune diseases, as well as after allogeneic hematopoietic cell and solid organ transplantation. Notch was found to be a central regulator of alloreactivity across clinically relevant models of transplantation. Notch inhibition in T cells prevented graft-versus-host disease and organ rejection, establishing organ tolerance by skewing CD4 T helper polarization away from a proinflammatory response toward suppressive regulatory T cells. Notch ligand blockade also dampened alloantibody deposition and prevented chronic rejection through humoral mechanisms. Toxicities of systemic Notch blockade were observed with γ-secretase inhibitors in preclinical and early clinical trials across different indications, but they did not arise upon preclinical targeting of Delta-like Notch ligands, a strategy sufficient to confer full benefits of Notch ablation in T cell alloimmunity. Because multiple clinical grade reagents have been developed to target individual Notch ligands and receptors, the benefits of Notch blockade in transplantation are calling for translation of preclinical findings into human transplantation medicine.

A pilot-scale forward osmosis membrane system for concentrating low-strength municipal wastewater: performance and implications

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhiwei; Zheng, Junjian; Tang, Jixu; Wang, Xinhua; Wu, Zhichao

2016-01-01

Recovery of nutrients and energy from municipal wastewater has attracted much attention in recent years; however, its efficiency is significantly limited by the low-strength properties of municipal wastewater. Herein, we report a pilot-scale forward osmosis (FO) system using a spiral-wound membrane module to concentrate real municipal wastewater. Under active layer facing feed solution mode, the critical concentration factor (CCF) of this FO system was determined to be 8 with 0.5 M NaCl as draw solution. During long-term operation at a concentration factor of 5, (99.8 ± 0.6)% of chemical oxygen demand and (99.7 ± 0.5)% of total phosphorus rejection rates could be achieved at a flux of 6 L/(m2 h) on average. In comparison, only (48.1 ± 10.5)% and (67.8 ± 7.3)% rejection of ammonium and total nitrogen were observed. Cake enhanced concentration polarization is a major contributor to the decrease of water fluxes. The fouling also led to the occurrence of a cake reduced concentration polarization effect, improving ammonium rejection rate with the increase of operation time in each cycle. This work demonstrates the applicability of using FO process for wastewater concentrating and also limitations in ammonium recovery that need further improvement in future. PMID:26898640

[Nurses' Innovation Acceptance of Barcode Technology].

PubMed

Cheng, Hui-Ping; Lee, Ting-Ting; Liu, Chieh-Yu; Hou, I-Ching

2016-04-01

Healthcare organizations have increasingly adopted barcode technology to improve care quality and work efficiency. Barcode technology is simple to use, so it is frequently used in patient identification, medication administration, and specimen collection processes. This study used a technology acceptance model and innovation diffusion theory to explore the innovation acceptance of barcode technology by nurses. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire with open-ended questions that was based on the technology acceptance model and innovation diffusion theory. The questionnaire was distributed to and collected from 200 nurses from March to May 2014. Data on laboratory reporting times and specimen rejection rates were collected as well. Variables that were found to have a significant relationship (p<.001) with innovation acceptance included (in order of importance): perceived usefulness (r=.722), perceived ease of use (r=.720), observability (r=.579), compatibility (r=.364), and trialability (r=.344). N-level nurses demonstrated higher acceptance than their N1 and N2 level peers (F=3.95, p<.05). Further, the mean laboratory reporting time decreased 109 minutes (t=10.03, p<.05) and the mean specimen rejection rate decreased from 2.18% to 0.28%. The results revealed that barcode technology has been accepted by nurses and that this technology effectively decreases both laboratory reporting times and specimen rejection rates. However, network speed and workflow should be further improved in order to benefit clinical practice.

The Application of Auto-Disturbance Rejection Control Optimized by Least Squares Support Vector Machines Method and Time-Frequency Representation in Voltage Source Converter-High Voltage Direct Current System.

PubMed

Liu, Ying-Pei; Liang, Hai-Ping; Gao, Zhong-Ke

2015-01-01

In order to improve the performance of voltage source converter-high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) system, we propose an improved auto-disturbance rejection control (ADRC) method based on least squares support vector machines (LSSVM) in the rectifier side. Firstly, we deduce the high frequency transient mathematical model of VSC-HVDC system. Then we investigate the ADRC and LSSVM principles. We ignore the tracking differentiator in the ADRC controller aiming to improve the system dynamic response speed. On this basis, we derive the mathematical model of ADRC controller optimized by LSSVM for direct current voltage loop. Finally we carry out simulations to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed control method. In addition, we employ the time-frequency representation methods, i.e., Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and adaptive optimal kernel (AOK) time-frequency representation, to demonstrate our proposed method performs better than the traditional method from the perspective of energy distribution in time and frequency plane.

The Application of Auto-Disturbance Rejection Control Optimized by Least Squares Support Vector Machines Method and Time-Frequency Representation in Voltage Source Converter-High Voltage Direct Current System

PubMed Central

Gao, Zhong-Ke

2015-01-01

In order to improve the performance of voltage source converter-high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) system, we propose an improved auto-disturbance rejection control (ADRC) method based on least squares support vector machines (LSSVM) in the rectifier side. Firstly, we deduce the high frequency transient mathematical model of VSC-HVDC system. Then we investigate the ADRC and LSSVM principles. We ignore the tracking differentiator in the ADRC controller aiming to improve the system dynamic response speed. On this basis, we derive the mathematical model of ADRC controller optimized by LSSVM for direct current voltage loop. Finally we carry out simulations to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed control method. In addition, we employ the time-frequency representation methods, i.e., Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and adaptive optimal kernel (AOK) time-frequency representation, to demonstrate our proposed method performs better than the traditional method from the perspective of energy distribution in time and frequency plane. PMID:26098556

Paying To Belong: When Does Rejection Trigger Ingratiation?

PubMed Central

Romero-Canyas, Rainer; Downey, Geraldine; Reddy, Kavita S.; Rodriguez, Sylvia; Cavanaugh, Timothy J.; Pelayo, Rosemary

2010-01-01

Societies and social scientists have long held the belief that exclusion induces ingratiation and conformity, an idea in contradiction with robust empirical evidence linking rejection with hostility and aggression. The classic literatures on ingratiation and conformity help resolve this contradiction by identifying circumstances under which rejection may trigger efforts to ingratiate. Jointly, findings from these literatures suggest that when people are given an opportunity to impress their rejecters, ingratiation is likely after rejection experiences that are harsh and that occur in important situations that threaten the individual’s self-definition. Four studies tested the hypothesis that people high in rejection sensitivity, and therefore dispositionally concerned about rejection, will utilize opportunities to ingratiate after harsh rejection in situations that are self-defining. In three studies of situations that are particularly self-defining for men, rejection predicted ingratiation among men (but not women) who were high in rejection sensitivity. In a fourth study, harsh rejection in a situation particularly self-defining for women predicted ingratiation among highly rejection-sensitive women (but not men). These findings help identify the specific circumstances under which people are willing to act in socially desirable ways toward those who have rejected them harshly. PMID:20649367

Building local human resources to implement SLMTA with limited donor funding: The Ghana experience

PubMed Central

van der Puije, Beatrice; Bekoe, Veronica; Adukpo, Rowland; Kotey, Nii A.; Yao, Katy; Fonjungo, Peter N.; Luman, Elizabeth T.; Duh, Samuel; Njukeng, Patrick A.; Addo, Nii A.; Khan, Fazle N.; Woodfill, Celia J.I.

2014-01-01

Background In 2009, Ghana adopted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme in order to improve laboratory quality. The programme was implemented successfully with limited donor funding and local human resources. Objectives To demonstrate how Ghana, which received very limited PEPFAR funding, was able to achieve marked quality improvement using local human resources. Method Local partners led the SLMTA implementation and local mentors were embedded in each laboratory. An in-country training-of-trainers workshop was conducted in order to increase the pool of local SLMTA implementers. Three laboratory cohorts were enrolled in SLMTA in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Participants from each cohort attended in a series of three workshops interspersed with improvement projects and mentorship. Supplemental training on internal audit was provided. Baseline, exit and follow-up audits were conducted using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist. In November 2013, four laboratories underwent official SLIPTA audits by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Results The local SLMTA team successfully implemented three cohorts of SLMTA in 15 laboratories. Seven out of the nine laboratories that underwent follow-up audits have reached at least one star. Three out of the four laboratories that underwent official ASLM audits were awarded four stars. Patient satisfaction increased from 25% to 70% and sample rejection rates decreased from 32% to 10%. On average, $40 000 was spent per laboratory to cover mentors’ salaries, SLMTA training and improvement project support. Conclusion Building in-country capacity through local partners is a sustainable model for improving service quality in resource-constrained countries such as Ghana. Such models promote country ownership, capacity building and the use of local human resources for the expansion of SLMTA. PMID:26937417

Detecting special nuclear material using a neutron time projection chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carosi, G.; Bernstein, A.; Bowden, N.; Burke, J.; Carter, D.; Foxe, M.; Heffner, M.; Jovanovic, I.; Mintz, J.; O'Malley, P.

2010-02-01

Time projection chambers are 3-dimensional charged particle cameras based on drifting ionization tracks at a known velocity onto an electronic readout plane. These instruments are capable of detecting fast neutrons which are unique signatures of special nuclear material with low natural background rates. Here we describe a neutron Time Projection Chamber (nTPC) developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) which has demonstrated directional sensitivity to fission neutrons along with high rejection of background gamma-ray and electron events. Using a combination hydrogen/methane drift gas at several atmospheres we've demonstrated the ability to point to a Cf-252 source simulating 6kg of weapons grade plutonium at 10's of meters with one hour integration time. Plans for future field deployable devices will also be outlined. )

Status and Prospects of the EDELWEISS-III Direct WIMP Search Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maisonobe, R.

2018-04-01

The EDELWEISS collaboration is performing a direct search for WIMP dark matter using an array of up to twenty-four 820-890 g cryogenic germanium detectors equipped with a full charge and thermal signal readout. The experiment is located in the ultra-low-radioactivity background environment of the Modane underground laboratory, in the French-Italian Fréjus tunnel. We present the analysis of data obtained in extended data taking periods. WIMP limits, background rejection factors and measurements of cosmogenic activation are used to assess the performance of the third generation of EDELWEISS detectors in view of the search for WIMPs in the mass range from 1 to 20 GeV/c2 . The developments in progress to pursue this goal in the coming years are also presented.

Results from the OPERA experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crescenzo, A. Di

2017-12-01

The OPERA neutrino experiment was designed to perform a unique vτ appearance measurement in the vμ CNGS beam to confirm the oscillation mechanism in the atmospheric sector vμ → vτ. The detection of vτ leptons produced in vτ CC interactions and of their decays is accomplished exploiting the high spatial resolution of nuclear emulsions. Five vτ candidate events have been detected in the full data sample from 2008-2012 CNGS runs, with an expected background of 0.25 events. The background only hypothesis is rejected with a significance larger than 5 σ. The analysis of the tau neutrino sample in the framework of the 3+1 neutrino model is also presented. Furthermore OPERA good capabilities in detecting electron neutrino interactions allow setting limits on the vμ → ve oscillation channel.

Separation of gamma-ray and neutron events with CsI(Tl) pulse shape analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashida, Y.; Nagata, H.; Koshio, Y.; Nakaya, T.; Wendell, R.

2018-04-01

Fast neutrons are a large background to measurements of gamma-rays emitted from excited nuclei, such that detectors that can efficiently distinguish between the two are essential. In this paper we describe the separation of gamma-rays from neutrons with the pulse shape information of the CsI(Tl) scintillator, using a fast neutron beam and several gamma-ray sources. We find that a figure of merit optimized for this separation takes on large and stable values (nearly 4) between 5 and 10 MeV of electron equivalent deposited energy, the region of most interest to the study of nuclear de-excitation gamma-rays. Accordingly, this work demonstrates the ability of CsI(Tl) scintillators to reject neutron backgrounds to gamma-ray measurements at these energies.

The stylar 120 kDa glycoprotein is required for S-specific pollen rejection in Nicotiana.

PubMed

Hancock, C Nathan; Kent, Lia; McClure, Bruce A

2005-09-01

S-RNase participates in at least three mechanisms of pollen rejection. It functions in S-specific pollen rejection (self-incompatibility) and in at least two distinct interspecific mechanisms of pollen rejection in Nicotiana. S-specific pollen rejection and rejection of pollen from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia also require additional stylar proteins. Transmitting-tract-specific (TTS) protein, 120 kDa glycoprotein (120K) and pistil extensin-like protein III (PELP III) are stylar glycoproteins that bind S-RNase in vitro and are also known to interact with pollen. Here we tested whether these glycoproteins have a direct role in pollen rejection. 120K shows the most polymorphism in size between Nicotiana species. Larger 120K-like proteins are often correlated with S-specific pollen rejection. Sequencing results suggest that the polymorphism primarily reflects differences in glycosylation, although indels also occur in the predicted polypeptides. Using RNA interference (RNAi), we suppressed expression of 120K to determine if it is required for S-specific pollen rejection. Transgenic SC N. plumbaginifolia x SI Nicotiana alata (S105S105 or SC10SC10) hybrids with no detectable 120K were unable to perform S-specific pollen rejection. Thus, 120K has a direct role in S-specific pollen rejection. However, suppression of 120K had no effect on rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen. In contrast, suppression of HT-B, a factor previously implicated in S-specific pollen rejection, disrupts rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen. Thus, S-specific pollen rejection and rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen are mechanistically distinct, because they require different non-S-RNase factors.

Measurement of TeV electrons on ISS/JEM

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

Torii, S.; Tateyama, N.; Tamura, T.

1999-01-22

By using the JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) facility on ISS, we are planning to carry out a precise measurement of the flux and energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons of 10 GeV to several TeV. Since the electrons over several 100 GeV could be contributed only from the nearby sources within a distance less than 1 kpc, it is expected in the high energy region that the energy spectrum has a structural component and the distribution of the arrival directions presents anisotropy. By helping to localize and identify the nearest cosmic ray sources, these data should help to resolve the long-termmore » puzzle. The instrument used for the observation is a kind of scintilating-fiber/lead imaging calorimeter that has been used for the balloon observations. We are developing an improved detector having a geometrical factor of 0.5 m{sup 2}sr and a higher rejection power against the background protons ({>=}10{sup 4}). It is expected to observe nearly 500 electrons over 1 TeV during the one-year observation.« less

Ultra-Fast Hadronic Calorimetry

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

Denisov, Dmitri; Lukić, Strahinja; Mokhov, Nikolai

2018-08-01

Calorimeters for particle physics experiments with integration time of a few ns will substantially improve the capability of the experiment to resolve event pileup and to reject backgrounds. In this paper the time development of hadronic showers induced by 30 and 60 GeV positive pions and 120 GeV protons is studied using Monte Carlo simulation and beam tests with a prototype of a sampling steel-scintillator hadronic calorimeter. In the beam tests, scintillator signals induced by hadronic showers in steel are sampled with a period of 0.2 ns and precisely time-aligned in order to study the average signal waveform at various locations with respectmore » to the beam particle impact. Simulations of the same setup are performed using the MARS15 code. Both simulation and test beam results suggest that energy deposition in steel calorimeters develop over a time shorter than 2 ns providing opportunity for ultra-fast calorimetry. Simulation results for an “ideal” calorimeter consisting exclusively of bulk tungsten or copper are presented to establish the lower limit of the signal integration window.« less

Comparisons of Air Radiation Model with Shock Tube Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bose, Deepak; McCorkle, Evan; Bogdanoff, David W.; Allen, Gary A., Jr.

2009-01-01

This paper presents an assessment of the predictive capability of shock layer radiation model appropriate for NASA s Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle lunar return entry. A detailed set of spectrally resolved radiation intensity comparisons are made with recently conducted tests in the Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) facility at NASA Ames Research Center. The spectral range spanned from vacuum ultraviolet wavelength of 115 nm to infrared wavelength of 1400 nm. The analysis is done for 9.5-10.5 km/s shock passing through room temperature synthetic air at 0.2, 0.3 and 0.7 Torr. The comparisons between model and measurements show discrepancies in the level of background continuum radiation and intensities of atomic lines. Impurities in the EAST facility in the form of carbon bearing species are also modeled to estimate the level of contaminants and their impact on the comparisons. The discrepancies, although large is some cases, exhibit order and consistency. A set of tests and analyses improvements are proposed as forward work plan in order to confirm or reject various proposed reasons for the observed discrepancies.

Exploring diabetes type 1-related stigma

PubMed Central

Abdoli, Samereh; Abazari, Parvaneh; Mardanian, Leila

2013-01-01

Background: Empowerment of people with diabetes means integrating diabetes with identity. However, others’ stigmatization can influence it. Although diabetes is so prevalent among Iranians, there is little knowledge about diabetes-related stigma in Iran. The present study explored diabetes-related stigma in people living with type 1 diabetes in Isfahan. Materials and Methods: A conventional content analysis was used with in-depth interview with 26 people with and without diabetes from November 2011 to July 2012. Results: A person with type 1 diabetes was stigmatized as a miserable human (always sick and unable, death reminder, and intolerable burden), rejected marriage candidate (busy spouse, high-risk pregnant), and deprived of a normal life [prisoner of (to must), deprived of pleasure]. Although, young adults with diabetes undergo all aspects of the social diabetes-related stigma; in their opinion they were just deprived of a normal life Conclusion: It seems that in Isfahan, diabetes-related stigma is of great importance. In this way, conducting an appropriate intervention is necessary to improve the empowerment process in people with type 1 diabetes in order to reduce the stigma in the context. PMID:23983731

Ultra-Fast Hadronic Calorimetry

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

Denisov, Dmitri; Lukić, Strahinja; Mokhov, Nikolai

2017-12-18

Calorimeters for particle physics experiments with integration time of a few ns will substantially improve the capability of the experiment to resolve event pileup and to reject backgrounds. In this paper time development of hadronic showers induced by 30 and 60 GeV positive pions and 120 GeV protons is studied using Monte Carlo simulation and beam tests with a prototype of a sampling steel-scintillator hadronic calorimeter. In the beam tests, scintillator signals induced by hadronic showers in steel are sampled with a period of 0.2 ns and precisely time-aligned in order to study the average signal waveform at various locationsmore » w.r.t. the beam particle impact. Simulations of the same setup are performed using the MARS15 code. Both simulation and test beam results suggest that energy deposition in steel calorimeters develop over a time shorter than 3 ns providing opportunity for ultra-fast calorimetry. Simulation results for an "ideal" calorimeter consisting exclusively of bulk tungsten or copper are presented to establish the lower limit of the signal integration window.« less

Pulse-shape discrimination techniques for the COBRA double beta-decay experiment at LNGS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zatschler, S.; COBRA Collaboration

2017-09-01

In modern elementary particle physics several questions arise from the fact that neutrino oscillation experiments have found neutrinos to be massive. Among them is the so far unknown nature of neutrinos: either they act as so-called Majorana particles, where one cannot distinguish between particle and antiparticle, or they are Dirac particles like all the other fermions in the Standard Model. The study of neutrinoless double beta-decay (0νββ-decay), where the lepton number conservation is violated by two units, could answer the question regarding the underlying nature of neutrinos and might also shed light on the mechanism responsible for the mass generation. So far there is no experimental evidence for the existence of 0νββ-decay, hence, existing experiments have to be improved and novel techniques should be explored. One of the next-generation experiments dedicated to the search for this ultra-rare decay is the COBRA experiment. This article gives an overview of techniques to identify and reject background based on pulse-shape discrimination.

Ultra-fast hadronic calorimetry

DOE PAGES

Denisov, Dmitri; Lukic, Strahinja; Mokhov, Nikolai; ...

2018-05-08

Calorimeters for particle physics experiments with integration time of a few ns will substantially improve the capability of the experiment to resolve event pileup and to reject backgrounds. In this paper the time development of hadronic showers induced by 30 and 60 GeV positive pions and 120 GeV protons is studied using Monte Carlo simulation and beam tests with a prototype of a sampling steel-scintillator hadronic calorimeter. In the beam tests, scintillator signals induced by hadronic showers in steel are sampled with a period of 0.2 ns and precisely time-aligned in order to study the average signal waveform at various locations with respectmore » to the beam particle impact. Simulations of the same setup are performed using the MARS15 code. Both simulation and test beam results suggest that energy deposition in steel calorimeters develop over a time shorter than 2 ns providing opportunity for ultra-fast calorimetry. As a result, simulation results for an “ideal” calorimeter consisting exclusively of bulk tungsten or copper are presented to establish the lower limit of the signal integration window.« less

LED firm rejects Nobel laureate's olive branch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2014-12-01

Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura says that he is not going to try and improve relations with his former employer, which he sued in 2001 over his development of the blue light-emitting diode (LED), after receiving a snub from them last month.

Full-beam performances of a PET detector with synchrotron therapeutic proton beams.

PubMed

Piliero, M A; Pennazio, F; Bisogni, M G; Camarlinghi, N; Cerello, P G; Del Guerra, A; Ferrero, V; Fiorina, E; Giraudo, G; Morrocchi, M; Peroni, C; Pirrone, G; Sportelli, G; Wheadon, R

2016-12-07

Treatment quality assessment is a crucial feature for both present and next-generation ion therapy facilities. Several approaches are being explored, based on prompt radiation emission or on PET signals by [Formula: see text]-decaying isotopes generated by beam interactions with the body. In-beam PET monitoring at synchrotron-based ion therapy facilities has already been performed, either based on inter-spill data only, to avoid the influence of the prompt radiation, or including both in-spill and inter-spill data. However, the PET images either suffer of poor statistics (inter-spill) or are more influenced by the background induced by prompt radiation (in-spill). Both those problems are expected to worsen for accelerators with improved duty cycle where the inter-spill interval is reduced to shorten the treatment time. With the aim of assessing the detector performance and developing techniques for background reduction, a test of an in-beam PET detector prototype was performed at the CNAO synchrotron-based ion therapy facility in full-beam acquisition modality. Data taken with proton beams impinging on PMMA phantoms showed the system acquisition capability and the resulting activity distribution, separately reconstructed for the in-spill and the inter-spill data. The coincidence time resolution for in-spill and inter-spill data shows a good agreement, with a slight deterioration during the spill. The data selection technique allows the identification and rejection of most of the background originated during the beam delivery. The activity range difference between two different proton beam energies (68 and 72 MeV) was measured and found to be in sub-millimeter agreement with the expected result. However, a slightly longer (2 mm) absolute profile length is obtained for in-spill data when compared to inter-spill data.

Effect on signal-to-noise ratio of splitting the continuous contacts of cuff electrodes into smaller recording areas

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cuff electrodes have been widely used chronically in different clinical applications. This neural interface has been dominantly used for nerve stimulation while interfering noise is the major issue when employed for recording purposes. Advancements have been made in rejecting extra-neural interference by using continuous ring contacts in tripolar topologies. Ring contacts provide an average of the neural activity, and thus reduce the information retrieved. Splitting these contacts into smaller recording areas could potentially increase the information content. In this study, we investigate the impact of such discretization on the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). The effect of contacts positioning and an additional short circuited pair of electrodes were also addressed. Methods Different recording configurations using ring, dot, and a mixed of both contacts were studied in vitro in a frog model. An interfering signal was induced in the medium to simulate myoelectric noise. The experimental setup was design in such a way that the only difference between recordings was the configuration used. The inter-session experimental differences were taken care of by a common configuration that allowed normalization between electrode designs. Results It was found that splitting all contacts into small recording areas had negative effects on noise rejection. However, if this is only applied to the central contact creating a mixed tripole configuration, a considerable and statistically significant improvement was observed. Moreover, the signal to noise ratio was equal or larger than what can be achieved with the best known configuration, namely the short circuited tripole. This suggests that for recording purposes, any tripole topology would benefit from splitting the central contact into one or more discrete contacts. Conclusions Our results showed that a mixed tripole configuration performs better than the configuration including only ring contacts. Therefore, splitting the central ring contact of a cuff electrode into a number of dot contacts not only provides additional information but also an improved SNR. In addition, the effect of an additional pair of short circuited electrodes and the “end effect” observed with the presented method are in line with previous findings by other authors. PMID:23433089

Enhanced PET resolution by combining pinhole collimation and coincidence detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiFilippo, Frank P.

2015-10-01

Spatial resolution of clinical PET scanners is limited by detector design and photon non-colinearity. Although dedicated small animal PET scanners using specialized high-resolution detectors have been developed, enhancing the spatial resolution of clinical PET scanners is of interest as a more available alternative. Multi-pinhole 511 keV SPECT is capable of high spatial resolution but requires heavily shielded collimators to avoid significant background counts. A practical approach with clinical PET detectors is to combine multi-pinhole collimation with coincidence detection. In this new hybrid modality, there are three locations associated with each event, namely those of the two detected photons and the pinhole aperture. These three locations over-determine the line of response and provide redundant information that is superior to coincidence detection or pinhole collimation alone. Multi-pinhole collimation provides high resolution and avoids non-colinearity error but is subject to collimator penetration and artifacts from overlapping projections. However the coincidence information, though at lower resolution, is valuable for determining whether the photon passed near a pinhole within the cone acceptance angle and for identifying through which pinhole the photon passed. This information allows most photons penetrating through the collimator to be rejected and avoids overlapping projections. With much improved event rejection, a collimator with minimal shielding may be used, and a lightweight add-on collimator for high resolution imaging is feasible for use with a clinical PET scanner. Monte Carlo simulations were performed of a 18F hot rods phantom and a 54-pinhole unfocused whole-body mouse collimator with a clinical PET scanner. Based on coincidence information and pinhole geometry, events were accepted or rejected, and pinhole-specific crystal-map projections were generated. Tomographic images then were reconstructed using a conventional pinhole SPECT algorithm. Hot rods of 1.4 mm diameter were resolved easily in a simulated phantom. System sensitivity was 0.09% for a simulated 70-mm line source corresponding to the NEMA NU-4 mouse phantom. Higher resolution is expected with further optimization of pinhole design, and higher sensitivity is expected with a focused and denser pinhole configuration. The simulations demonstrate high spatial resolution and feasibility of small animal imaging with an add-on multi-pinhole collimator for a clinical PET scanner. Further work is needed to develop geometric calibration and quantitative data corrections and, eventually, to construct a prototype device and produce images with physical phantoms.

Proteomic Identification of Non-Gal Antibody Targets After Pig-to-Primate Cardiac Xenotransplantation

PubMed Central

Byrne, Guerard W.; Stalboerger, Paul G.; Davila, Eduardo; Heppelmann, Carrie J.; Gazi, Mozammel H.; McGregor, Hugh C. J.; LaBreche, Peter T.; Davies, William R.; Rao, Vinay P.; Oi, Keiji; Tazelaar, Henry D.; Logan, John S.; McGregor, Christopher G. A.

2008-01-01

Background Experience with non-antigenic galactose α1,3 galactose (αGal) polymers and development of αGal deficient pigs has reduced or eliminated the significance of this antigen in xenograft rejection. Despite these advances, delayed xenograft rejection (DXR) continues to occur most likely due to antibody responses to non-Gal endothelial cell (EC) antigens. Methods To gauge the diversity of the non-Gal antibody response we used antibody derived from CD46 transgenic heterotopic cardiac xenografts performed without T-cell immunosuppression, Group A (n = 4) and Gal knockout (GT-KO) heart transplants under tacrolimus and sirolimus immunosuppression, Group B (n = 8). Non-Gal antibody was measured by flow cytometry and by Western blots using GT-KO EC membrane antigens. A nanoLC/MS/MS analysis of proteins recovered from 2D gels was used to identify target antigens. Results Group A recipients exhibited a mixed cellular and humoral rejection. Group B recipients mainly exhibited classical DXR. Western blot analysis showed a non-Gal antibody response induced by GT+ and GT-KO hearts to an overlapping set of pig aortic EC membrane antigens. Proteomic analysis identified 14 potential target antigens but failed to define several immunodominant targets. Conclusions These experiments indicate that the non-Gal antibody response is directed to a number of stress response and inflammation related pig EC antigens and a few undefined targets. Further analysis of these antibody specificities using alternative methods is required to more fully define the repertoire of non-Gal antibody responses. PMID:18957049

BK Virus Load Associated with Serum Levels of sCD30 in Renal Transplant Recipients

PubMed Central

Malik, Salma N.; Al-Saffer, Jinan M.; Jawad, Rana S.

2016-01-01

Background. Rejection is the main drawback facing the renal transplant operations. Complicated and overlapping factors, mainly related to the immune system, are responsible for this rejection. Elevated serum levels of sCD30 were frequently recorded as an indicator for renal allograft rejection, while BV virus is considered as one of the most serious consequences for immunosuppressive treatment of renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Aims. This study aimed to determine the association of BK virus load with serum levels of sCD30 in RTRs suffering from nephropathy. Patients and Methods. A total of 50 RTRs with nephropathy and 30 age-matched apparently healthy individuals were recruited for this study. Serum samples were obtained from each participant. Real-time PCR was used to quantify BK virus load in RTRs serum, while ELISA technique was employed to estimate serum levels of sCD30. Results. Twenty-two percent of RTRs had detectable BKV with mean viral load of 1.094E + 06 ± 2.291E + 06. RTRs showed higher mean serum level of sCD30 (20.669 ± 18.713 U/mL) than that of controls (5.517 ± 5.304 U/mL) with significant difference. BK virus load had significant positive correlation with the serum levels of sCD30 in RTRs group. Conclusion. These results suggest that serum levels of sCD30 could be used as an indicator of BK viremia, and accordingly the immunosuppressive regime should be adjusted. PMID:27051424

Acute Cellular Rejection in ABO-Incompatible Renal Transplant Recipients Receiving Rituximab Is Associated with Delayed-Onset Neutropenia.

PubMed

Uchida, Junji; Iwai, Tomoaki; Nishide, Shunji; Kabei, Kazuya; Kuwabara, Nobuyuki; Yamasaki, Takeshi; Naganuma, Toshihide; Kumada, Norihiko; Takemoto, Yoshiaki; Nakatani, Tatsuya

2017-07-25

BACKGROUND Rituximab induces long-lasting B cell depletion in the peripheral blood and increases the levels of proinflammatory cytokines associated with regulatory B cell depletion. Previous reports showed that B cell-related cytokine release after administration of rituximab may induce acute cellular rejection (ACR) and delayed-onset neutropenia. The present study was conducted to investigate the correlation between acute rejection and delayed-onset neutropenia in ABO-incompatible renal transplant recipients who underwent administration of rituximab for 1 year after transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS From June 2006 to July 2015, 47 patients with chronic renal failure received ABO-incompatible renal transplant with rituximab induction at Osaka City University Hospital. All 47 patients underwent plasmapheresis due to removal of anti-A/B antibodies and administration of rituximab, and their transplants were carried out successfully. We investigated the correlation between ACR and delayed-onset neutropenia in ABO-incompatible renal transplant recipients who underwent administration of rituximab for 1 year after transplantation. RESULTS Fourteen patients (29.8%) experienced ACR (group A), and 33 recipients did not develop ACR (group B). The frequency of delayed-onset neutropenia was higher in group A than in group B (p=0.0503). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the frequency of ACR correlated significantly with the prevalence of delayed-onset neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that ACR in ABO-incompatible renal transplant recipients receiving rituximab was associated with delayed-onset neutropenia.

The Neural Basis of Recollection Rejection: Increases in Hippocampal-Prefrontal Connectivity in the Absence of a Shared Recall-to-Reject and Target Recollection Network.

PubMed

Bowman, Caitlin R; Dennis, Nancy A

2016-08-01

Recollection rejection or "recall-to-reject" is a mechanism that has been posited to help maintain accurate memory by preventing the occurrence of false memories. Recollection rejection occurs when the presentation of a new item during recognition triggers recall of an associated target, a mismatch in features between the new and old items is registered, and the lure is correctly rejected. Critically, this characterization of recollection rejection involves a recall signal that is conceptually similar to recollection as elicited by a target. However, previous neuroimaging studies have not evaluated the extent to which recollection rejection and target recollection rely on a common neural signal but have instead focused on recollection rejection as a postretrieval monitoring process. This study utilized a false memory paradigm in conjunction with an adapted remember-know-new response paradigm that separated "new" responses based on recollection rejection from those that were based on a lack of familiarity with the item. This procedure allowed for parallel recollection rejection and target recollection contrasts to be computed. Results revealed that, contrary to predictions from theoretical and behavioral literature, there was virtually no evidence of a common retrieval mechanism supporting recollection rejection and target recollection. Instead of the typical target recollection network, recollection rejection recruited a network of lateral prefrontal and bilateral parietal regions that is consistent with the retrieval monitoring network identified in previous neuroimaging studies of recollection rejection. However, a functional connectivity analysis revealed a component of the frontoparietal rejection network that showed increased coupling with the right hippocampus during recollection rejection responses. As such, we demonstrate a possible link between PFC monitoring network and basic retrieval mechanisms within the hippocampus that was not revealed with univariate analyses alone.

The Mediating Roles of Rejection Sensitivity and Proximal Stress in the Association Between Discrimination and Internalizing Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Women.

PubMed

Dyar, Christina; Feinstein, Brian A; Eaton, Nicholas R; London, Bonita

2018-01-01

The negative impact of discrimination on mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations has been well documented. However, the possible mediating roles of sexual orientation rejection sensitivity and rejection-based proximal stress in the association between discrimination and internalizing symptoms remain unclear. Rejection-based proximal stress is a subset of proximal stressors that are theorized to arise from concerns about and expectations of sexual orientation-based rejection and discrimination. Drawing on minority stress theory, we tested potential mediating effects using indirect effects structural equation modeling in a sample of 300 sexual minority women. Results indicated that the indirect effect of discrimination on internalizing symptoms (a latent variable indicated by depression and anxiety symptoms) through sexual orientation rejection sensitivity and rejection-based proximal stress (a latent variable indicated by preoccupation with stigma, concealment motivation, and difficulty developing a positive sexual identity) was significant. Additionally, the indirect effects of discrimination on rejection-based proximal stress through sexual orientation rejection sensitivity and of sexual orientation rejection sensitivity on internalizing symptoms through rejection-based proximal stress were also significant. These findings indicate that sexual orientation rejection sensitivity plays an important role in contributing to rejection-based proximal stress and internalizing symptoms among sexual minority women.

Neural mechanisms of the rejection-aggression link.

PubMed

Chester, David S; Lynam, Donald R; Milich, Richard; DeWall, C Nathan

2018-05-01

Social rejection is a painful event that often increases aggression. However, the neural mechanisms of this rejection-aggression link remain unclear. A potential clue may be that rejected people often recruit the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex's (VLPFC) self-regulatory processes to manage the pain of rejection. Using functional MRI, we replicated previous links between rejection and activity in the brain's mentalizing network, social pain network and VLPFC. VLPFC recruitment during rejection was associated with greater activity in the brain's reward network (i.e. the ventral striatum) when individuals were given an opportunity to retaliate. This retaliation-related striatal response was associated with greater levels of retaliatory aggression. Dispositionally aggressive individuals exhibited less functional connectivity between the ventral striatum and the right VLPFC during aggression. This connectivity exerted a suppressing effect on dispositionally aggressive individuals' greater aggressive responses to rejection. These results help explain how the pain of rejection and reward of revenge motivate rejected people to behave aggressively.

Changes in Self-Definition Impede Recovery From Rejection.

PubMed

Howe, Lauren C; Dweck, Carol S

2016-01-01

Previous research highlights how adept people are at emotional recovery after rejection, but less research has examined factors that can prevent full recovery. In five studies, we investigate how changing one's self-definition in response to rejection causes more lasting damage. We demonstrate that people who endorse an entity theory of personality (i.e., personality cannot be changed) report alterations in their self-definitions when reflecting on past rejections (Studies 1, 2, and 3) or imagining novel rejection experiences (Studies 4 and 5). Further, these changes in self-definition hinder post-rejection recovery, causing individuals to feel haunted by their past, that is, to fear the recurrence of rejection and to experience lingering negative affect from the rejection. Thus, beliefs that prompt people to tie experiences of rejection to self-definition cause rejection's impact to linger. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Reduction of Defects in Jewelry Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayudhya, Phitchaya Phanomwan na; Tangjitsitcharoen, Somkiat

2017-06-01

The aim of this research was to reduce the defects of gem bracelet found during manufacturing process at a jewelry company. It was found that gem bracelet product has the highest rejects compared to the rejects found in ring, earring, and pendant products. Types of defect were classified by using Pareto Diagram consisting of gem falling, seam, unclean casting, impinge, and deformation. The causes of defect were analyzed by Cause and Effect Diagram and applied Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was applied during manufacturing processes. This research found that the improvement of manufacturing process could reduce the Risk Priority Number (RPN) and total of all defects by 48.70% and 48.89%, respectively.

Rotating Reverse Osmosis for Wastewater Reuse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lueptow, Richard M.; Yoon, Yeomin; Pederson, Cynthia

2004-01-01

Membrane filtration such as Reverse Osmosis (RO) removes ions, proteins, and organic chemicals which are generally very difficult to remove using conventional treatment. Moreover, membrane is an absolute filtration method, so its treatment efficiency and performance are stable and predictable. We are currently working on the development of rotating RO membrane system. Dynamic rotating membrane filtration, which can produce a high shear rate, may be helpful to obtain high rejection of organic pollutants.The goal of our current work is to improve the flux of the device by increasing pressure by a factor of 3 to 4. In addition, the rejections for a wider variety of inorganic and organic compounds typically found in space mission wastewater are measured.