Sample records for information transfer analysis

  1. Information Transfer Analysis of Spontaneous Low-frequency Fluctuations in Cerebral Hemodynamics and Cardiovascular Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katura, Takusige; Tanaka, Naoki; Obata, Akiko; Sato, Hiroki; Maki, Atsushi

    2005-08-01

    In this study, from the information-theoretic viewpoint, we analyzed the interrelation between the spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations around 0.1Hz in the hemoglobin concentration in the cerebral cortex, mean arterial blood pressure and the heart rate. For this analysis, as measures of information transfer, we used transfer entropy (TE) proposed for two-factor systems by Schreiber and intrinsic transfer entropy (ITE) introduced for further analysis of three-factor systems by extending the original TE. In our analysis, information transfer analysis based on both TE and ITE suggests the systemic cardiovascular fluctuations alone cannot account for the cerebrovascular fluctuations, that is, the regulation of the regional cerebral energetic metabolism is important as a candidate of its generation mechanism Such an information transfer analysis seems useful to reveal the interrelation between the elements regulated each other in a complex manner.

  2. The dynamics of information-driven coordination phenomena: A transfer entropy analysis

    PubMed Central

    Borge-Holthoefer, Javier; Perra, Nicola; Gonçalves, Bruno; González-Bailón, Sandra; Arenas, Alex; Moreno, Yamir; Vespignani, Alessandro

    2016-01-01

    Data from social media provide unprecedented opportunities to investigate the processes that govern the dynamics of collective social phenomena. We consider an information theoretical approach to define and measure the temporal and structural signatures typical of collective social events as they arise and gain prominence. We use the symbolic transfer entropy analysis of microblogging time series to extract directed networks of influence among geolocalized subunits in social systems. This methodology captures the emergence of system-level dynamics close to the onset of socially relevant collective phenomena. The framework is validated against a detailed empirical analysis of five case studies. In particular, we identify a change in the characteristic time scale of the information transfer that flags the onset of information-driven collective phenomena. Furthermore, our approach identifies an order-disorder transition in the directed network of influence between social subunits. In the absence of clear exogenous driving, social collective phenomena can be represented as endogenously driven structural transitions of the information transfer network. This study provides results that can help define models and predictive algorithms for the analysis of societal events based on open source data. PMID:27051875

  3. The dynamics of information-driven coordination phenomena: A transfer entropy analysis.

    PubMed

    Borge-Holthoefer, Javier; Perra, Nicola; Gonçalves, Bruno; González-Bailón, Sandra; Arenas, Alex; Moreno, Yamir; Vespignani, Alessandro

    2016-04-01

    Data from social media provide unprecedented opportunities to investigate the processes that govern the dynamics of collective social phenomena. We consider an information theoretical approach to define and measure the temporal and structural signatures typical of collective social events as they arise and gain prominence. We use the symbolic transfer entropy analysis of microblogging time series to extract directed networks of influence among geolocalized subunits in social systems. This methodology captures the emergence of system-level dynamics close to the onset of socially relevant collective phenomena. The framework is validated against a detailed empirical analysis of five case studies. In particular, we identify a change in the characteristic time scale of the information transfer that flags the onset of information-driven collective phenomena. Furthermore, our approach identifies an order-disorder transition in the directed network of influence between social subunits. In the absence of clear exogenous driving, social collective phenomena can be represented as endogenously driven structural transitions of the information transfer network. This study provides results that can help define models and predictive algorithms for the analysis of societal events based on open source data.

  4. Smooth information flow in temperature climate network reflects mass transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hlinka, Jaroslav; Jajcay, Nikola; Hartman, David; Paluš, Milan

    2017-03-01

    A directed climate network is constructed by Granger causality analysis of air temperature time series from a regular grid covering the whole Earth. Using winner-takes-all network thresholding approach, a structure of a smooth information flow is revealed, hidden to previous studies. The relevance of this observation is confirmed by comparison with the air mass transfer defined by the wind field. Their close relation illustrates that although the information transferred due to the causal influence is not a physical quantity, the information transfer is tied to the transfer of mass and energy.

  5. Transfer and distortion of atmospheric information in the satellite temperature retrieval problem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, O. E.

    1981-01-01

    A systematic approach to investigating the transfer of basic ambient temperature information and its distortion by satellite systems and subsequent analysis algorithms is discussed. The retrieval analysis cycle is derived, the variance spectrum of information is examined as it takes different forms in that process, and the quality and quantity of information existing at each stop is compared with the initial ambient temperature information. Temperature retrieval algorithms can smooth, add, or further distort information, depending on how stable the algorithm is, and how heavily influenced by a priori data.

  6. Analysis of biological time-lapse microscopic experiment from the point of view of the information theory.

    PubMed

    Štys, Dalibor; Urban, Jan; Vaněk, Jan; Císař, Petr

    2011-06-01

    We report objective analysis of information in the microscopic image of the cell monolayer. The process of transfer of information about the cell by the microscope is analyzed in terms of the classical Shannon information transfer scheme. The information source is the biological object, the information transfer channel is the whole microscope including the camera chip. The destination is the model of biological system. The information contribution is analyzed as information carried by a point to overall information in the image. Subsequently we obtain information reflection of the biological object. This is transformed in the biological model which, in information terminology, is the destination. This, we propose, should be constructed as state transitions in individual cells modulated by information bonds between the cells. We show examples of detected cell states in multidimensional state space. This space is reflected as colour channel intensity phenomenological state space. We have also observed information bonds and show examples of them.

  7. Analysis of biological time-lapse microscopic experiment from the point of view of the information theory.

    PubMed

    Stys, Dalibor; Urban, Jan; Vanek, Jan; Císar, Petr

    2010-07-01

    We report objective analysis of information in the microscopic image of the cell monolayer. The process of transfer of information about the cell by the microscope is analyzed in terms of the classical Shannon information transfer scheme. The information source is the biological object, the information transfer channel is the whole microscope including the camera chip. The destination is the model of biological system. The information contribution is analyzed as information carried by a point to overall information in the image. Subsequently we obtain information reflection of the biological object. This is transformed in the biological model which, in information terminology, is the destination. This, we propose, should be constructed as state transitions in individual cells modulated by information bonds between the cells. We show examples of detected cell states in multidimensional state space reflected in space an colour channel intensity phenomenological state space. We have also observed information bonds and show examples of them. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Transfer Entropy as a Log-Likelihood Ratio

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnett, Lionel; Bossomaier, Terry

    2012-09-01

    Transfer entropy, an information-theoretic measure of time-directed information transfer between joint processes, has steadily gained popularity in the analysis of complex stochastic dynamics in diverse fields, including the neurosciences, ecology, climatology, and econometrics. We show that for a broad class of predictive models, the log-likelihood ratio test statistic for the null hypothesis of zero transfer entropy is a consistent estimator for the transfer entropy itself. For finite Markov chains, furthermore, no explicit model is required. In the general case, an asymptotic χ2 distribution is established for the transfer entropy estimator. The result generalizes the equivalence in the Gaussian case of transfer entropy and Granger causality, a statistical notion of causal influence based on prediction via vector autoregression, and establishes a fundamental connection between directed information transfer and causality in the Wiener-Granger sense.

  9. Transfer entropy as a log-likelihood ratio.

    PubMed

    Barnett, Lionel; Bossomaier, Terry

    2012-09-28

    Transfer entropy, an information-theoretic measure of time-directed information transfer between joint processes, has steadily gained popularity in the analysis of complex stochastic dynamics in diverse fields, including the neurosciences, ecology, climatology, and econometrics. We show that for a broad class of predictive models, the log-likelihood ratio test statistic for the null hypothesis of zero transfer entropy is a consistent estimator for the transfer entropy itself. For finite Markov chains, furthermore, no explicit model is required. In the general case, an asymptotic χ2 distribution is established for the transfer entropy estimator. The result generalizes the equivalence in the Gaussian case of transfer entropy and Granger causality, a statistical notion of causal influence based on prediction via vector autoregression, and establishes a fundamental connection between directed information transfer and causality in the Wiener-Granger sense.

  10. Computing algebraic transfer entropy and coupling directions via transcripts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amigó, José M.; Monetti, Roberto; Graff, Beata; Graff, Grzegorz

    2016-11-01

    Most random processes studied in nonlinear time series analysis take values on sets endowed with a group structure, e.g., the real and rational numbers, and the integers. This fact allows to associate with each pair of group elements a third element, called their transcript, which is defined as the product of the second element in the pair times the first one. The transfer entropy of two such processes is called algebraic transfer entropy. It measures the information transferred between two coupled processes whose values belong to a group. In this paper, we show that, subject to one constraint, the algebraic transfer entropy matches the (in general, conditional) mutual information of certain transcripts with one variable less. This property has interesting practical applications, especially to the analysis of short time series. We also derive weak conditions for the 3-dimensional algebraic transfer entropy to yield the same coupling direction as the corresponding mutual information of transcripts. A related issue concerns the use of mutual information of transcripts to determine coupling directions in cases where the conditions just mentioned are not fulfilled. We checked the latter possibility in the lowest dimensional case with numerical simulations and cardiovascular data, and obtained positive results.

  11. Efficient Transfer Entropy Analysis of Non-Stationary Neural Time Series

    PubMed Central

    Vicente, Raul; Díaz-Pernas, Francisco J.; Wibral, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Information theory allows us to investigate information processing in neural systems in terms of information transfer, storage and modification. Especially the measure of information transfer, transfer entropy, has seen a dramatic surge of interest in neuroscience. Estimating transfer entropy from two processes requires the observation of multiple realizations of these processes to estimate associated probability density functions. To obtain these necessary observations, available estimators typically assume stationarity of processes to allow pooling of observations over time. This assumption however, is a major obstacle to the application of these estimators in neuroscience as observed processes are often non-stationary. As a solution, Gomez-Herrero and colleagues theoretically showed that the stationarity assumption may be avoided by estimating transfer entropy from an ensemble of realizations. Such an ensemble of realizations is often readily available in neuroscience experiments in the form of experimental trials. Thus, in this work we combine the ensemble method with a recently proposed transfer entropy estimator to make transfer entropy estimation applicable to non-stationary time series. We present an efficient implementation of the approach that is suitable for the increased computational demand of the ensemble method's practical application. In particular, we use a massively parallel implementation for a graphics processing unit to handle the computationally most heavy aspects of the ensemble method for transfer entropy estimation. We test the performance and robustness of our implementation on data from numerical simulations of stochastic processes. We also demonstrate the applicability of the ensemble method to magnetoencephalographic data. While we mainly evaluate the proposed method for neuroscience data, we expect it to be applicable in a variety of fields that are concerned with the analysis of information transfer in complex biological, social, and artificial systems. PMID:25068489

  12. Empirical and Theoretical Aspects of Generation and Transfer of Information in a Neuromagnetic Source Network

    PubMed Central

    Vakorin, Vasily A.; Mišić, Bratislav; Krakovska, Olga; McIntosh, Anthony Randal

    2011-01-01

    Variability in source dynamics across the sources in an activated network may be indicative of how the information is processed within a network. Information-theoretic tools allow one not only to characterize local brain dynamics but also to describe interactions between distributed brain activity. This study follows such a framework and explores the relations between signal variability and asymmetry in mutual interdependencies in a data-driven pipeline of non-linear analysis of neuromagnetic sources reconstructed from human magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data collected as a reaction to a face recognition task. Asymmetry in non-linear interdependencies in the network was analyzed using transfer entropy, which quantifies predictive information transfer between the sources. Variability of the source activity was estimated using multi-scale entropy, quantifying the rate of which information is generated. The empirical results are supported by an analysis of synthetic data based on the dynamics of coupled systems with time delay in coupling. We found that the amount of information transferred from one source to another was correlated with the difference in variability between the dynamics of these two sources, with the directionality of net information transfer depending on the time scale at which the sample entropy was computed. The results based on synthetic data suggest that both time delay and strength of coupling can contribute to the relations between variability of brain signals and information transfer between them. Our findings support the previous attempts to characterize functional organization of the activated brain, based on a combination of non-linear dynamics and temporal features of brain connectivity, such as time delay. PMID:22131968

  13. Information Literacy and Transfer in Schools: Implications for Teacher Librarians

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herring, James E.; Bush, Stephanie J.

    2011-01-01

    This study focuses on the use of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Training information literacy model in a primary school as the basis for the possible establishment of a culture of transfer of information literacy skills. The study used constructivist grounded analysis to interpret data gathered from teachers and principals.…

  14. An Information Transmission Measure for the Analysis of Effective Connectivity among Cortical Neurons

    PubMed Central

    Law, Andrew J.; Sharma, Gaurav; Schieber, Marc H.

    2014-01-01

    We present a methodology for detecting effective connections between simultaneously recorded neurons using an information transmission measure to identify the presence and direction of information flow from one neuron to another. Using simulated and experimentally-measured data, we evaluate the performance of our proposed method and compare it to the traditional transfer entropy approach. In simulations, our measure of information transmission outperforms transfer entropy in identifying the effective connectivity structure of a neuron ensemble. For experimentally recorded data, where ground truth is unavailable, the proposed method also yields a more plausible connectivity structure than transfer entropy. PMID:21096617

  15. Forest Resource Information System. Phase 3: System transfer report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mroczynski, R. P. (Principal Investigator)

    1981-01-01

    Transfer of the forest reserve information system (FRIS) from the Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing to St. Regis Paper Company is described. Modifications required for the transfer of the LARYS image processing software are discussed. The reformatting, geometric correction, image registration, and documentation performed for preprocessing transfer are described. Data turnaround was improved and geometrically corrected and ground-registered CCT LANDSAT 3 data provided to the user. The technology transfer activities are summarized. An application test performed in order to assess a Florida land acquisition is described. A benefit/cost analysis of FRIS is presented.

  16. Entropy-Based Analysis and Bioinformatics-Inspired Integration of Global Economic Information Transfer

    PubMed Central

    An, Sungbae; Kwon, Young-Kyun; Yoon, Sungroh

    2013-01-01

    The assessment of information transfer in the global economic network helps to understand the current environment and the outlook of an economy. Most approaches on global networks extract information transfer based mainly on a single variable. This paper establishes an entirely new bioinformatics-inspired approach to integrating information transfer derived from multiple variables and develops an international economic network accordingly. In the proposed methodology, we first construct the transfer entropies (TEs) between various intra- and inter-country pairs of economic time series variables, test their significances, and then use a weighted sum approach to aggregate information captured in each TE. Through a simulation study, the new method is shown to deliver better information integration compared to existing integration methods in that it can be applied even when intra-country variables are correlated. Empirical investigation with the real world data reveals that Western countries are more influential in the global economic network and that Japan has become less influential following the Asian currency crisis. PMID:23300959

  17. Entropy-based analysis and bioinformatics-inspired integration of global economic information transfer.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jinkyu; Kim, Gunn; An, Sungbae; Kwon, Young-Kyun; Yoon, Sungroh

    2013-01-01

    The assessment of information transfer in the global economic network helps to understand the current environment and the outlook of an economy. Most approaches on global networks extract information transfer based mainly on a single variable. This paper establishes an entirely new bioinformatics-inspired approach to integrating information transfer derived from multiple variables and develops an international economic network accordingly. In the proposed methodology, we first construct the transfer entropies (TEs) between various intra- and inter-country pairs of economic time series variables, test their significances, and then use a weighted sum approach to aggregate information captured in each TE. Through a simulation study, the new method is shown to deliver better information integration compared to existing integration methods in that it can be applied even when intra-country variables are correlated. Empirical investigation with the real world data reveals that Western countries are more influential in the global economic network and that Japan has become less influential following the Asian currency crisis.

  18. Functional analysis of ultra high information rates conveyed by rat vibrissal primary afferents

    PubMed Central

    Chagas, André M.; Theis, Lucas; Sengupta, Biswa; Stüttgen, Maik C.; Bethge, Matthias; Schwarz, Cornelius

    2013-01-01

    Sensory receptors determine the type and the quantity of information available for perception. Here, we quantified and characterized the information transferred by primary afferents in the rat whisker system using neural system identification. Quantification of “how much” information is conveyed by primary afferents, using the direct method (DM), a classical information theoretic tool, revealed that primary afferents transfer huge amounts of information (up to 529 bits/s). Information theoretic analysis of instantaneous spike-triggered kinematic stimulus features was used to gain functional insight on “what” is coded by primary afferents. Amongst the kinematic variables tested—position, velocity, and acceleration—primary afferent spikes encoded velocity best. The other two variables contributed to information transfer, but only if combined with velocity. We further revealed three additional characteristics that play a role in information transfer by primary afferents. Firstly, primary afferent spikes show preference for well separated multiple stimuli (i.e., well separated sets of combinations of the three instantaneous kinematic variables). Secondly, neurons are sensitive to short strips of the stimulus trajectory (up to 10 ms pre-spike time), and thirdly, they show spike patterns (precise doublet and triplet spiking). In order to deal with these complexities, we used a flexible probabilistic neuron model fitting mixtures of Gaussians to the spike triggered stimulus distributions, which quantitatively captured the contribution of the mentioned features and allowed us to achieve a full functional analysis of the total information rate indicated by the DM. We found that instantaneous position, velocity, and acceleration explained about 50% of the total information rate. Adding a 10 ms pre-spike interval of stimulus trajectory achieved 80–90%. The final 10–20% were found to be due to non-linear coding by spike bursts. PMID:24367295

  19. Financial time series analysis based on effective phase transfer entropy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Pengbo; Shang, Pengjian; Lin, Aijing

    2017-02-01

    Transfer entropy is a powerful technique which is able to quantify the impact of one dynamic system on another system. In this paper, we propose the effective phase transfer entropy method based on the transfer entropy method. We use simulated data to test the performance of this method, and the experimental results confirm that the proposed approach is capable of detecting the information transfer between the systems. We also explore the relationship between effective phase transfer entropy and some variables, such as data size, coupling strength and noise. The effective phase transfer entropy is positively correlated with the data size and the coupling strength. Even in the presence of a large amount of noise, it can detect the information transfer between systems, and it is very robust to noise. Moreover, this measure is indeed able to accurately estimate the information flow between systems compared with phase transfer entropy. In order to reflect the application of this method in practice, we apply this method to financial time series and gain new insight into the interactions between systems. It is demonstrated that the effective phase transfer entropy can be used to detect some economic fluctuations in the financial market. To summarize, the effective phase transfer entropy method is a very efficient tool to estimate the information flow between systems.

  20. Information transfer across intra/inter-structure of CDS and stock markets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, Kyuseong; Kim, Sehyun; Kim, Soo Yong

    2017-11-01

    We investigate the information flow between industrial sectors in credit default swap and stock markets in the United States based on transfer entropy. Both markets have been studied with respect to dynamics and relations. Our approach considers the intra-structure of each financial market as well as the inter-structure between two markets through a moving window in order to scan a period from 2005 to 2012. We examine the information transfer with different k, especially k = 3, k = 5 and k = 7. Analysis indicates that the cases with k = 3 and k = 7 show the opposite trends but similar characteristics. Change in transfer entropy for intra-structure of CDS market precedes that of stock market in view of the entire time windows. Abrupt rise and fall in inter-structural information transfer between two markets are detected at the periods related to the financial crises, which can be considered as early warnings.

  1. Technology Transfer: A Selected Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sovel, M. Terry

    This bibliography of 428 items, a product of the NASA-sponsored Project for the Analysis of Technology Transfer (PATT) at the University of Denver's Research Institute (DRI), is the initial attempt at compiling a comprehensive listing on the subject of technology transfer. The bibliography is further concerned with information which leads to a…

  2. Skylight energy balance analysis procedure

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

    Dietz, P.S.; Murdoch, J.B.; Pokoski, J.L.

    1981-10-01

    This paper provides a systematic method for calculating the total, net differential energy balance observed when sections of the roof of a building are replaced with skylights. Among the topics discussed are the effect of solar gains, dome and curb conduction heat transfers, equivalent roof area heat transfers, infiltration heat transfers, artificial lighting energy requirements, and illumination savings from skylights. The paper also provides much of the supplementary information needed to complete these energy calculations. This information appears in the form of appendices, tables, and graphs. 9 refs.

  3. Serotonergic Psychedelics Temporarily Modify Information Transfer in Humans

    PubMed Central

    Alonso, Joan Francesc; Romero, Sergio; Mañanas, Miquel Àngel

    2015-01-01

    Background: Psychedelics induce intense modifications in the sensorium, the sense of “self,” and the experience of reality. Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular level mechanisms of these drugs, knowledge of their actions on global brain dynamics is still incomplete. Recent imaging studies have found changes in functional coupling between frontal and parietal brain structures, suggesting a modification in information flow between brain regions during acute effects. Methods: Here we assessed the psychedelic-induced changes in directionality of information flow during the acute effects of a psychedelic in humans. We measured modifications in connectivity of brain oscillations using transfer entropy, a nonlinear measure of directed functional connectivity based on information theory. Ten healthy male volunteers with prior experience with psychedelics participated in 2 experimental sessions. They received a placebo or a dose of ayahuasca, a psychedelic preparation containing the serotonergic 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Results: The analysis showed significant changes in the coupling of brain oscillations between anterior and posterior recording sites. Transfer entropy analysis showed that frontal sources decreased their influence over central, parietal, and occipital sites. Conversely, sources in posterior locations increased their influence over signals measured at anterior locations. Exploratory correlations found that anterior-to-posterior transfer entropy decreases were correlated with the intensity of subjective effects, while the imbalance between anterior-to-posterior and posterior-to-anterior transfer entropy correlated with the degree of incapacitation experienced. Conclusions: These results suggest that psychedelics induce a temporary disruption of neural hierarchies by reducing top-down control and increasing bottom-up information transfer in the human brain. PMID:25820842

  4. Social insect colony as a biological regulatory system: modelling information flow in dominance networks.

    PubMed

    Nandi, Anjan K; Sumana, Annagiri; Bhattacharya, Kunal

    2014-12-06

    Social insects provide an excellent platform to investigate flow of information in regulatory systems since their successful social organization is essentially achieved by effective information transfer through complex connectivity patterns among the colony members. Network representation of such behavioural interactions offers a powerful tool for structural as well as dynamical analysis of the underlying regulatory systems. In this paper, we focus on the dominance interaction networks in the tropical social wasp Ropalidia marginata-a species where behavioural observations indicate that such interactions are principally responsible for the transfer of information between individuals about their colony needs, resulting in a regulation of their own activities. Our research reveals that the dominance networks of R. marginata are structurally similar to a class of naturally evolved information processing networks, a fact confirmed also by the predominance of a specific substructure-the 'feed-forward loop'-a key functional component in many other information transfer networks. The dynamical analysis through Boolean modelling confirms that the networks are sufficiently stable under small fluctuations and yet capable of more efficient information transfer compared to their randomized counterparts. Our results suggest the involvement of a common structural design principle in different biological regulatory systems and a possible similarity with respect to the effect of selection on the organization levels of such systems. The findings are also consistent with the hypothesis that dominance behaviour has been shaped by natural selection to co-opt the information transfer process in such social insect species, in addition to its primal function of mediation of reproductive competition in the colony. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  5. Comparison of connectivity analyses for resting state EEG data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olejarczyk, Elzbieta; Marzetti, Laura; Pizzella, Vittorio; Zappasodi, Filippo

    2017-06-01

    Objective. In the present work, a nonlinear measure (transfer entropy, TE) was used in a multivariate approach for the analysis of effective connectivity in high density resting state EEG data in eyes open and eyes closed. Advantages of the multivariate approach in comparison to the bivariate one were tested. Moreover, the multivariate TE was compared to an effective linear measure, i.e. directed transfer function (DTF). Finally, the existence of a relationship between the information transfer and the level of brain synchronization as measured by phase synchronization value (PLV) was investigated. Approach. The comparison between the connectivity measures, i.e. bivariate versus multivariate TE, TE versus DTF, TE versus PLV, was performed by means of statistical analysis of indexes based on graph theory. Main results. The multivariate approach is less sensitive to false indirect connections with respect to the bivariate estimates. The multivariate TE differentiated better between eyes closed and eyes open conditions compared to DTF. Moreover, the multivariate TE evidenced non-linear phenomena in information transfer, which are not evidenced by the use of DTF. We also showed that the target of information flow, in particular the frontal region, is an area of greater brain synchronization. Significance. Comparison of different connectivity analysis methods pointed to the advantages of nonlinear methods, and indicated a relationship existing between the flow of information and the level of synchronization of the brain.

  6. Rényi’s information transfer between financial time series

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jizba, Petr; Kleinert, Hagen; Shefaat, Mohammad

    2012-05-01

    In this paper, we quantify the statistical coherence between financial time series by means of the Rényi entropy. With the help of Campbell’s coding theorem, we show that the Rényi entropy selectively emphasizes only certain sectors of the underlying empirical distribution while strongly suppressing others. This accentuation is controlled with Rényi’s parameter q. To tackle the issue of the information flow between time series, we formulate the concept of Rényi’s transfer entropy as a measure of information that is transferred only between certain parts of underlying distributions. This is particularly pertinent in financial time series, where the knowledge of marginal events such as spikes or sudden jumps is of a crucial importance. We apply the Rényian information flow to stock market time series from 11 world stock indices as sampled at a daily rate in the time period 02.01.1990-31.12.2009. Corresponding heat maps and net information flows are represented graphically. A detailed discussion of the transfer entropy between the DAX and S&P500 indices based on minute tick data gathered in the period 02.04.2008-11.09.2009 is also provided. Our analysis shows that the bivariate information flow between world markets is strongly asymmetric with a distinct information surplus flowing from the Asia-Pacific region to both European and US markets. An important yet less dramatic excess of information also flows from Europe to the US. This is particularly clearly seen from a careful analysis of Rényi information flow between the DAX and S&P500 indices.

  7. Serotonergic psychedelics temporarily modify information transfer in humans.

    PubMed

    Alonso, Joan Francesc; Romero, Sergio; Mañanas, Miquel Àngel; Riba, Jordi

    2015-03-28

    Psychedelics induce intense modifications in the sensorium, the sense of "self," and the experience of reality. Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular level mechanisms of these drugs, knowledge of their actions on global brain dynamics is still incomplete. Recent imaging studies have found changes in functional coupling between frontal and parietal brain structures, suggesting a modification in information flow between brain regions during acute effects. Here we assessed the psychedelic-induced changes in directionality of information flow during the acute effects of a psychedelic in humans. We measured modifications in connectivity of brain oscillations using transfer entropy, a nonlinear measure of directed functional connectivity based on information theory. Ten healthy male volunteers with prior experience with psychedelics participated in 2 experimental sessions. They received a placebo or a dose of ayahuasca, a psychedelic preparation containing the serotonergic 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine. The analysis showed significant changes in the coupling of brain oscillations between anterior and posterior recording sites. Transfer entropy analysis showed that frontal sources decreased their influence over central, parietal, and occipital sites. Conversely, sources in posterior locations increased their influence over signals measured at anterior locations. Exploratory correlations found that anterior-to-posterior transfer entropy decreases were correlated with the intensity of subjective effects, while the imbalance between anterior-to-posterior and posterior-to-anterior transfer entropy correlated with the degree of incapacitation experienced. These results suggest that psychedelics induce a temporary disruption of neural hierarchies by reducing top-down control and increasing bottom-up information transfer in the human brain. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

  8. Orbital transfer vehicle studies overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perkinson, Don

    1987-01-01

    An overview is given in viewgraph form of orbital transfer vehicle concept definition and systems analysis studies. Project development flow charts are shown for key milestones from 1985 until 1997. Diagrams of vehicles are given. Information is presented in outline form on technology requirements, cooling of propellant tanks, cryogenic fluid management, quick connect/disconnect fluid interfaces and propellant mass transfer.

  9. Providing Information to Parents of Children with Mental Health Problems: A Discrete Choice Conjoint Analysis of Professional Preferences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cunningham, Charles E.; Deal, Ken; Rimas, Heather; Chen, Yvonne; Buchanan, Don H.; Sdao-Jarvie, Kathie

    2009-01-01

    We used discrete choice conjoint analysis to model the ways 645 children's mental health (CMH) professionals preferred to provide information to parents seeking CMH services. Participants completed 20 choice tasks presenting experimentally varied combinations of the study's 14 4-level CMH information transfer attributes. Latent class analysis…

  10. A case report in health information exchange for inter-organizational patient transfers.

    PubMed

    Richardson, J E; Malhotra, S; Kaushal, R

    2014-01-01

    To provide a case report of barriers and promoters to implementing a health information exchange (HIE) tool that supports patient transfers between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. A multi-disciplinary team conducted semi-structured telephone and in-person interviews in a purposive sample of HIE organizational informants and providers in New York City who implemented HIE to share patient transfer information. The researchers conducted grounded theory analysis to identify themes of barriers and promoters and took steps to improve the trustworthiness of the results including vetting from a knowledgeable study participant. Between May and October 2011, researchers recruited 18 participants: informaticians, healthcare administrators, software engineers, and providers from a skilled nursing facility. Subjects perceived the HIE tool's development a success in that it brought together stakeholders who had traditionally not partnered for informatics work, and that they could successfully share patient transfer information between a hospital and a skilled nursing facility. Perceived barriers included lack of hospital stakeholder buy-in and misalignment with clinical workflows that inhibited use of HIE-based patient transfer data. Participants described barriers and promoters in themes related to organizational, technical, and user-oriented issues. The investigation revealed that stakeholders could develop and implement health information technology that technically enables clinicians in both hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to exchange real-time information in support of patient transfers. User level barriers, particularly in the emergency department, should give pause to developers and implementers who plan to use HIE in support of patient transfers. Participants' experiences demonstrate how stakeholders may succeed in developing and piloting an electronic transfer form that relies on HIE to aggregate, communicate, and display relevant patient transfer data across health care organizations. Their experiences also provide insights for others seeking to develop HIE applications to improve patient transfers between emergency departments and skilled nursing facilities.

  11. Multi-scale symbolic transfer entropy analysis of EEG

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yao, Wenpo; Wang, Jun

    2017-10-01

    From both global and local perspectives, we symbolize two kinds of EEG and analyze their dynamic and asymmetrical information using multi-scale transfer entropy. Multi-scale process with scale factor from 1 to 199 and step size of 2 is applied to EEG of healthy people and epileptic patients, and then the permutation with embedding dimension of 3 and global approach are used to symbolize the sequences. The forward and reverse symbol sequences are taken as the inputs of transfer entropy. Scale factor intervals of permutation and global way are (37, 57) and (65, 85) where the two kinds of EEG have satisfied entropy distinctions. When scale factor is 67, transfer entropy of the healthy and epileptic subjects of permutation, 0.1137 and 0.1028, have biggest difference. And the corresponding values of the global symbolization is 0.0641 and 0.0601 which lies in the scale factor of 165. Research results show that permutation which takes contribution of local information has better distinction and is more effectively applied to our multi-scale transfer entropy analysis of EEG.

  12. Structural integrity of callosal midbody influences intermanual transfer in a motor reaction-time task.

    PubMed

    Bonzano, Laura; Tacchino, Andrea; Roccatagliata, Luca; Mancardi, Giovanni Luigi; Abbruzzese, Giovanni; Bove, Marco

    2011-02-01

    Training one hand on a motor task results in performance improvements in the other hand, also when stimuli are randomly presented (nonspecific transfer). Corpus callosum (CC) is the main structure involved in interhemispheric information transfer; CC pathology occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and is related to altered performance of tasks requiring interhemispheric transfer of sensorimotor information. To investigate the role of CC in nonspecific transfer during a pure motor reaction-time task, we combined motor behavior with diffusion tensor imaging analysis in PwMS. Twenty-two PwMS and 10 controls, all right-handed, were asked to respond to random stimuli with appropriate finger opposition movements with the right (learning) and then the left (transfer) hand. PwMS were able to improve motor performance reducing response times with practice with a trend similar to controls and preserved the ability to transfer the acquired motor information from the learning to the transfer hand. A higher variability in the transfer process, indicated by a significantly larger standard deviation of mean nonspecific transfer, was found in the PwMS group with respect to the control group, suggesting the presence of subtle impairments in interhemispheric communication in some patients. Then, we correlated the amount of nonspecific transfer with mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values, indicative of microstructural damage, obtained in five CC subregions identified on PwMS's FA maps. A significant correlation was found only in the subregion including posterior midbody (Pearson's r = 0.74, P = 0.003), which thus seems to be essential for the interhemispheric transfer of information related to pure sensorimotor tasks. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  13. Model application niche analysis: Assessing the transferability and generalizability of ecological models

    EPA Science Inventory

    The use of models by ecologist and environmental managers, to inform environmental management and decision-making, has grown exponentially in the past 50 years. Due to logistical, economical and theoretical benefits, model users are frequently transferring preexisting models to n...

  14. Information transfer satellite concept study. Volume 2: Technical

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bergin, P.; Kincade, C.; Kurpiewski, D.; Leinhaupel, F.; Millican, F.; Onstad, R.

    1971-01-01

    The ITS concept study is preceded by two requirements studies whose primary objectives are to identify viable demands and to develop the functional requirements associated with these demands. In addition to continuing this basic activity the ITS concept study objectives are to: (1) develop tools and techniques for planning advanced information transfer satellite communications systems, and to (2) select viable systems for further analysis both in their near-term and in the far-term aspects.

  15. Interdisciplinary barriers: An impediment to the effective application of systems engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harrison, E., Jr.

    1971-01-01

    Interdisciplinary transfer of information and technology does not occur very readily, even for system planners, because of the existence of some very real barriers. These barriers to flow of information and technology between disciplines represent one of the important difficulties associated with the application of systems analysis to many problems. The nature and characteristics of some of these barriers are enumerated and discussed in detail. A number of methodologies and techniques which have been specifically developed to aid in the transfer of technology and information across these interdisciplinary barriers is examined.

  16. Multidisciplinary analysis of actively controlled large flexible spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, Paul A.; Young, John W.; Sutter, Thomas R.

    1986-01-01

    The control of Flexible Structures (COFS) program has supported the development of an analysis capability at the Langley Research Center called the Integrated Multidisciplinary Analysis Tool (IMAT) which provides an efficient data storage and transfer capability among commercial computer codes to aid in the dynamic analysis of actively controlled structures. IMAT is a system of computer programs which transfers Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) configurations, structural finite element models, material property and stress information, structural and rigid-body dynamic model information, and linear system matrices for control law formulation among various commercial applications programs through a common database. Although general in its formulation, IMAT was developed specifically to aid in the evaluation of the structures. A description of the IMAT system and results of an application of the system are given.

  17. Fundamental trade-offs between information flow in single cells and cellular populations.

    PubMed

    Suderman, Ryan; Bachman, John A; Smith, Adam; Sorger, Peter K; Deeds, Eric J

    2017-05-30

    Signal transduction networks allow eukaryotic cells to make decisions based on information about intracellular state and the environment. Biochemical noise significantly diminishes the fidelity of signaling: networks examined to date seem to transmit less than 1 bit of information. It is unclear how networks that control critical cell-fate decisions (e.g., cell division and apoptosis) can function with such low levels of information transfer. Here, we use theory, experiments, and numerical analysis to demonstrate an inherent trade-off between the information transferred in individual cells and the information available to control population-level responses. Noise in receptor-mediated apoptosis reduces information transfer to approximately 1 bit at the single-cell level but allows 3-4 bits of information to be transmitted at the population level. For processes such as eukaryotic chemotaxis, in which single cells are the functional unit, we find high levels of information transmission at a single-cell level. Thus, low levels of information transfer are unlikely to represent a physical limit. Instead, we propose that signaling networks exploit noise at the single-cell level to increase population-level information transfer, allowing extracellular ligands, whose levels are also subject to noise, to incrementally regulate phenotypic changes. This is particularly critical for discrete changes in fate (e.g., life vs. death) for which the key variable is the fraction of cells engaged. Our findings provide a framework for rationalizing the high levels of noise in metazoan signaling networks and have implications for the development of drugs that target these networks in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

  18. Information transfer and information modification to identify the structure of cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory networks.

    PubMed

    Faes, Luca; Nollo, Giandomenico; Krohova, Jana; Czippelova, Barbora; Turianikova, Zuzana; Javorka, Michal

    2017-07-01

    To fully elucidate the complex physiological mechanisms underlying the short-term autonomic regulation of heart period (H), systolic and diastolic arterial pressure (S, D) and respiratory (R) variability, the joint dynamics of these variables need to be explored using multivariate time series analysis. This study proposes the utilization of information-theoretic measures to measure causal interactions between nodes of the cardiovascular/cardiorespiratory network and to assess the nature (synergistic or redundant) of these directed interactions. Indexes of information transfer and information modification are extracted from the H, S, D and R series measured from healthy subjects in a resting state and during postural stress. Computations are performed in the framework of multivariate linear regression, using bootstrap techniques to assess on a single-subject basis the statistical significance of each measure and of its transitions across conditions. We find patterns of information transfer and modification which are related to specific cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory mechanisms in resting conditions and to their modification induced by the orthostatic stress.

  19. Defense Workforce Training Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, J. D.; And Others

    This report discusses the amount and kinds of Department of Defense (DoD) interactive courseware (ICW) programs that are candidates for transfer to the private sector. Candidates for transfer were identified through an analysis of the Defense Instructional Technology Information System (DITIS). Out of 4,644 ICW programs that have been reported to…

  20. One size fits all? Challenges faced by physicians during shift handovers in a hospital with high sender/recipient ratio

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xi Jessie; Park, Taezoon; Siah, Tien Ho Kewin; Ang, Bee Leng Sophia; Donchin, Yoel

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges faced by physicians during shift handovers in a university hospital that has a high handover sender/recipient ratio. METHODS We adopted a multifaceted approach, comprising recording and analysis of handover information, rating of handover quality, and shadowing of handover recipients. Data was collected at the general medical ward of a university hospital in Singapore for a period of three months. Handover information transfer (i.e. senders’ and recipients’ verbal communication, and recipients’ handwritten notes) and handover environmental factors were analysed. The relationship between ‘to-do’ tasks and information transfer, handover quality and handover duration was examined using analysis of variance. RESULTS Verbal handovers for 152 patients were observed. Handwritten notes on 102 (67.1%) patients and handover quality ratings for 98 (64.5%) patients were collected. Although there was good task prioritisation (information transfer: p < 0.005, handover duration: p < 0.01), incomplete information transfer and poor implementation of non-modifiable identifiers were observed. The high sender/recipient ratio of the hospital made face-to-face and/or bedside handover difficult to implement. Although the current handover method (i.e. use of telephone communication) allowed for interactive communication, it resulted in systemic information loss due to the lack of written information. The handover environment was chaotic in the high sender/recipient ratio setting, and the physicians had no designated handover time or location. CONCLUSION Handovers in high sender/recipient ratio settings are challenging. Efforts should be made to improve the handover processes in such situations, so that patient care is not compromised. PMID:25532519

  1. ­Understanding Information Flow Interaction along Separable Causal Paths in Environmental Signals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, P.; Kumar, P.

    2017-12-01

    Multivariate environmental signals reflect the outcome of complex inter-dependencies, such as those in ecohydrologic systems. Transfer entropy and information partitioning approaches have been used to characterize such dependencies. However, these approaches capture net information flow occurring through a multitude of pathways involved in the interaction and as a result mask our ability to discern the causal interaction within an interested subsystem through specific pathways. We build on recent developments of momentary information transfer along causal paths proposed by Runge [2015] to develop a framework for quantifying information decomposition along separable causal paths. Momentary information transfer along causal paths captures the amount of information flow between any two variables lagged at two specific points in time. Our approach expands this concept to characterize the causal interaction in terms of synergistic, unique and redundant information flow through separable causal paths. Multivariate analysis using this novel approach reveals precise understanding of causality and feedback. We illustrate our approach with synthetic and observed time series data. We believe the proposed framework helps better delineate the internal structure of complex systems in geoscience where huge amounts of observational datasets exist, and it will also help the modeling community by providing a new way to look at the complexity of real and modeled systems. Runge, Jakob. "Quantifying information transfer and mediation along causal pathways in complex systems." Physical Review E 92.6 (2015): 062829.

  2. Information physics fundamentals of nanophotonics.

    PubMed

    Naruse, Makoto; Tate, Naoya; Aono, Masashi; Ohtsu, Motoichi

    2013-05-01

    Nanophotonics has been extensively studied with the aim of unveiling and exploiting light-matter interactions that occur at a scale below the diffraction limit of light, and recent progress made in experimental technologies--both in nanomaterial fabrication and characterization--is driving further advancements in the field. From the viewpoint of information, on the other hand, novel architectures, design and analysis principles, and even novel computing paradigms should be considered so that we can fully benefit from the potential of nanophotonics. This paper examines the information physics aspects of nanophotonics. More specifically, we present some fundamental and emergent information properties that stem from optical excitation transfer mediated by optical near-field interactions and the hierarchical properties inherent in optical near-fields. We theoretically and experimentally investigate aspects such as unidirectional signal transfer, energy efficiency and networking effects, among others, and we present their basic theoretical formalisms and describe demonstrations of practical applications. A stochastic analysis of light-assisted material formation is also presented, where an information-based approach provides a deeper understanding of the phenomena involved, such as self-organization. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal dynamics of optical excitation transfer and its inherent stochastic attributes are utilized for solution searching, paving the way to a novel computing paradigm that exploits coherent and dissipative processes in nanophotonics.

  3. Gene transfers can date the tree of life.

    PubMed

    Davín, Adrián A; Tannier, Eric; Williams, Tom A; Boussau, Bastien; Daubin, Vincent; Szöllősi, Gergely J

    2018-05-01

    Biodiversity has always been predominantly microbial, and the scarcity of fossils from bacteria, archaea and microbial eukaryotes has prevented a comprehensive dating of the tree of life. Here, we show that patterns of lateral gene transfer deduced from an analysis of modern genomes encode a novel and abundant source of information about the temporal coexistence of lineages throughout the history of life. We use state-of-the-art species tree-aware phylogenetic methods to reconstruct the history of thousands of gene families and demonstrate that dates implied by gene transfers are consistent with estimates from relaxed molecular clocks in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. We present the order of speciations according to lateral gene transfer data calibrated to geological time for three datasets comprising 40 genomes for Cyanobacteria, 60 genomes for Archaea and 60 genomes for Fungi. An inspection of discrepancies between transfers and clocks and a comparison with mammalian fossils show that gene transfer in microbes is potentially as informative for dating the tree of life as the geological record in macroorganisms.

  4. Dual-Use Space Technology Transfer Conference and Exhibition. Volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishen, Kumar (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    This is the second volume of papers presented at the Dual-Use Space Technology Transfer Conference and Exhibition held at the Johnson Space Center February 1-3, 1994. Possible technology transfers covered during the conference were in the areas of information access; innovative microwave and optical applications; materials and structures; marketing and barriers; intelligent systems; human factors and habitation; communications and data systems; business process and technology transfer; software engineering; biotechnology and advanced bioinstrumentation; communications signal processing and analysis; medical care; applications derived from control center data systems; human performance evaluation; technology transfer methods; mathematics, modeling, and simulation; propulsion; software analysis and decision tools; systems/processes in human support technology; networks, control centers, and distributed systems; power; rapid development; perception and vision technologies; integrated vehicle health management; automation technologies; advanced avionics; and robotics technologies.

  5. Integrating information from disparate sources: the Walter Reed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Data Transfer Project.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Victoria; Nelson, Victoria Ruth; Li, Fiona; Green, Susan; Tamura, Tomoyoshi; Liu, Jun-Min; Class, Margaret

    2008-11-06

    The Walter Reed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Data Transfer web module integrates with medical and surgical information systems, and leverages outside standards, such as the National Library of Medicine's RxNorm, to process surgical and risk assessment data. Key components of the project included a needs assessment with nurse reviewers and a data analysis for federated (standards were locally controlled) data sources. The resulting interface streamlines nurse reviewer workflow by integrating related tasks and data.

  6. Information Transfer in the Brain: Insights from a Unified Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marinazzo, Daniele; Wu, Guorong; Pellicoro, Mario; Stramaglia, Sebastiano

    Measuring directed interactions in the brain in terms of information flow is a promising approach, mathematically treatable and amenable to encompass several methods. In this chapter we propose some approaches rooted in this framework for the analysis of neuroimaging data. First we will explore how the transfer of information depends on the network structure, showing how for hierarchical networks the information flow pattern is characterized by exponential distribution of the incoming information and a fat-tailed distribution of the outgoing information, as a signature of the law of diminishing marginal returns. This was reported to be true also for effective connectivity networks from human EEG data. Then we address the problem of partial conditioning to a limited subset of variables, chosen as the most informative ones for the driver node.We will then propose a formal expansion of the transfer entropy to put in evidence irreducible sets of variables which provide information for the future state of each assigned target. Multiplets characterized by a large contribution to the expansion are associated to informational circuits present in the system, with an informational character (synergetic or redundant) which can be associated to the sign of the contribution. Applications are reported for EEG and fMRI data.

  7. Free Primary Education Policy and Pupil School Mobility in Urban Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oketch, Moses; Mutisya, Maurice; Ngware, Moses; Ezeh, Alex C.; Epari, Charles

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines pupil school mobility in urban Kenya using African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) household survey data which contain information on pupil transfers between schools. The aim is to identify which school characteristics attract the greatest demand for incoming transfers. The analysis reveals that there are frequent…

  8. Multiscale analysis of information dynamics for linear multivariate processes.

    PubMed

    Faes, Luca; Montalto, Alessandro; Stramaglia, Sebastiano; Nollo, Giandomenico; Marinazzo, Daniele

    2016-08-01

    In the study of complex physical and physiological systems represented by multivariate time series, an issue of great interest is the description of the system dynamics over a range of different temporal scales. While information-theoretic approaches to the multiscale analysis of complex dynamics are being increasingly used, the theoretical properties of the applied measures are poorly understood. This study introduces for the first time a framework for the analytical computation of information dynamics for linear multivariate stochastic processes explored at different time scales. After showing that the multiscale processing of a vector autoregressive (VAR) process introduces a moving average (MA) component, we describe how to represent the resulting VARMA process using statespace (SS) models and how to exploit the SS model parameters to compute analytical measures of information storage and information transfer for the original and rescaled processes. The framework is then used to quantify multiscale information dynamics for simulated unidirectionally and bidirectionally coupled VAR processes, showing that rescaling may lead to insightful patterns of information storage and transfer but also to potentially misleading behaviors.

  9. An information transfer based novel framework for fault root cause tracing of complex electromechanical systems in the processing industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Rongxi; Gao, Xu; Gao, Jianmin; Gao, Zhiyong; Kang, Jiani

    2018-02-01

    As one of the most important approaches for analyzing the mechanism of fault pervasion, fault root cause tracing is a powerful and useful tool for detecting the fundamental causes of faults so as to prevent any further propagation and amplification. Focused on the problems arising from the lack of systematic and comprehensive integration, an information transfer-based novel data-driven framework for fault root cause tracing of complex electromechanical systems in the processing industry was proposed, taking into consideration the experience and qualitative analysis of conventional fault root cause tracing methods. Firstly, an improved symbolic transfer entropy method was presented to construct a directed-weighted information model for a specific complex electromechanical system based on the information flow. Secondly, considering the feedback mechanisms in the complex electromechanical systems, a method for determining the threshold values of weights was developed to explore the disciplines of fault propagation. Lastly, an iterative method was introduced to identify the fault development process. The fault root cause was traced by analyzing the changes in information transfer between the nodes along with the fault propagation pathway. An actual fault root cause tracing application of a complex electromechanical system is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework. A unique fault root cause is obtained regardless of the choice of the initial variable. Thus, the proposed framework can be flexibly and effectively used in fault root cause tracing for complex electromechanical systems in the processing industry, and formulate the foundation of system vulnerability analysis and condition prediction, as well as other engineering applications.

  10. Phenotypic assortment in wild primate networks: implications for the dissemination of information.

    PubMed

    Carter, Alecia J; Lee, Alexander E G; Marshall, Harry H; Ticó, Miquel Torrents; Cowlishaw, Guy

    2015-05-01

    Individuals' access to social information can depend on their social network. Homophily-a preference to associate with similar phenotypes-may cause assortment within social networks that could preclude information transfer from individuals who generate information to those who would benefit from acquiring it. Thus, understanding phenotypic assortment may lead to a greater understanding of the factors that could limit the transfer of information between individuals. We tested whether there was assortment in wild baboon (Papio ursinus) networks, using data collected from two troops over 6 years for six phenotypic traits-boldness, age, dominance rank, sex and the propensity to generate/exploit information-using two methods for defining a connection between individuals-time spent in proximity and grooming. Our analysis indicated that assortment was more common in grooming than proximity networks. In general, there was homophily for boldness, age, rank and the propensity to both generate and exploit information, but heterophily for sex. However, there was considerable variability both between troops and years. The patterns of homophily we observed for these phenotypes may impede information transfer between them. However, the inconsistency in the strength of assortment between troops and years suggests that the limitations to information flow may be quite variable.

  11. In-space experiment on thermoacoustic convection heat transfer phenomenon-experiment definition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parang, M.; Crocker, D. S.

    1991-01-01

    The definition phase of an in-space experiment in thermoacoustic convection (TAC) heat transfer phenomenon is completed and the results are presented and discussed in some detail. Background information, application and potential importance of TAC in heat transfer processes are discussed with particular focus on application in cryogenic fluid handling and storage in microgravity space environment. Also included are the discussion on TAC space experiment objectives, results of ground support experiments, hardware information, and technical specifications and drawings. The future plans and a schedule for the development of experiment hardware (Phase 1) and flight tests and post-flight analysis (Phase 3/4) are also presented. The specific experimental objectives are rapid heating of a compressible fluid and the measurement of the fluid temperature and pressure and the recording and analysis of the experimental data for the establishment of the importance of TAC heat transfer process. The ground experiments that were completed in support of the experiment definition included fluid temperature measurement by a modified shadowgraph method, surface temperature measurements by thermocouples, and fluid pressure measurements by strain-gage pressure transducers. These experiments verified the feasibility of the TAC in-space experiment, established the relevance and accuracy of the experimental results, and specified the nature of the analysis which will be carried out in the post-flight phase of the report.

  12. An empirical research on relationships between subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency and knowledge transfer

    PubMed Central

    Dai, Chien-Yun; Chen, Hsiao-Ming; Chen, Wan-Fei; Wu, Chia-Huei; Li, Guodong; Wang, Jiangtao

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among employees' usage intention pertaining to mobile information devices, focusing on subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency, information sharing behavior and information transfer. A research model was established to verify several hypotheses. The research model based on integrated concepts of knowledge management and technology acceptance modeling. Participants were employees of enterprises in Taiwan, selected by combining snowball and convenience sampling. Data obtained from 779 e-surveys. Multiple-regression analysis was employed for hypothesis verification. The results indicate that perceived ease-of-use of mobile devices was affected by computer self-efficacy and computer playfulness directly; meanwhile, perceived ease-of-use directly affects perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease-of-use and perceived usefulness can predict information-sharing behavior in a positive manner, and impact knowledge transfer as well. Based on the research findings, it suggested that enterprises should utilize mobile information devices to create more contact with customers and enrich their service network. In addition, it is recommended that managers use mobile devices to transmit key information to their staff and that they use these devices for problem-solving and decision-making. Further, the staff’s skills pertaining to the operation of mobile information devices and to fully implement their features are reinforced in order to inspire the users' knowledge transfer. Enhancing the playfulness of the interface is also important. In general, it is useful to promote knowledge transfer behavior within an organization by motivating members to share information and ideas via mobile information devices. In addition, a well-designed interface can facilitate employees' use of these devices. PMID:28886088

  13. An empirical research on relationships between subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency and knowledge transfer.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Yu-Hsi; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Dai, Chien-Yun; Chen, Hsiao-Ming; Chen, Wan-Fei; Wu, Chia-Huei; Li, Guodong; Wang, Jiangtao

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among employees' usage intention pertaining to mobile information devices, focusing on subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency, information sharing behavior and information transfer. A research model was established to verify several hypotheses. The research model based on integrated concepts of knowledge management and technology acceptance modeling. Participants were employees of enterprises in Taiwan, selected by combining snowball and convenience sampling. Data obtained from 779 e-surveys. Multiple-regression analysis was employed for hypothesis verification. The results indicate that perceived ease-of-use of mobile devices was affected by computer self-efficacy and computer playfulness directly; meanwhile, perceived ease-of-use directly affects perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease-of-use and perceived usefulness can predict information-sharing behavior in a positive manner, and impact knowledge transfer as well. Based on the research findings, it suggested that enterprises should utilize mobile information devices to create more contact with customers and enrich their service network. In addition, it is recommended that managers use mobile devices to transmit key information to their staff and that they use these devices for problem-solving and decision-making. Further, the staff's skills pertaining to the operation of mobile information devices and to fully implement their features are reinforced in order to inspire the users' knowledge transfer. Enhancing the playfulness of the interface is also important. In general, it is useful to promote knowledge transfer behavior within an organization by motivating members to share information and ideas via mobile information devices. In addition, a well-designed interface can facilitate employees' use of these devices.

  14. Analysis of the interface and data transfer from ICU to normal wards in a German University Hospital.

    PubMed

    Vollmer, Anne-Maria; Skonetzki-Cheng, Stefan; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich

    2013-01-01

    Typically general wards and intensive care units (ICU) have very different labor organizations, structures and IT-systems in Germany. There is a need for coordination, because of the different working arrangements. Our team investigated the interface between ICU and general ward and especially the respective information transfer in the University hospital in Erlangen (Bavaria, Germany). The research team used a combination of interviews, observations and the analysis of transfer records and forms as part of a methodical triangulation. We identified 41 topics, which are discussed or presented in writing during the handover. In a second step, we investigate the requirements of data transmission in expert interviews. A data transfer concept from the perspective of the nurses and physicians was developed and we formulated recommendations for improvements of process and communication for this interface. Finally the data transfer concept was evaluated by the respondents.

  15. Dual-Use Space Technology Transfer Conference and Exhibition. Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishen, Kumar (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    This document contains papers presented at the Dual-Use Space Technology Transfer Conference and Exhibition held at the Johnson Space Center February 1-3, 1994. Possible technology transfers covered during the conference were in the areas of information access; innovative microwave and optical applications; materials and structures; marketing and barriers; intelligent systems; human factors and habitation; communications and data systems; business process and technology transfer; software engineering; biotechnology and advanced bioinstrumentation; communications signal processing and analysis; new ways of doing business; medical care; applications derived from control center data systems; human performance evaluation; technology transfer methods; mathematics, modeling, and simulation; propulsion; software analysis and decision tools systems/processes in human support technology; networks, control centers, and distributed systems; power; rapid development perception and vision technologies; integrated vehicle health management; automation technologies; advanced avionics; ans robotics technologies. More than 77 papers, 20 presentations, and 20 exhibits covering various disciplines were presented b experts from NASA, universities, and industry.

  16. Attrition and performance of community college transfers

    PubMed Central

    Aulck, Lovenoor; West, Jevin

    2017-01-01

    Community colleges are an important part of the US higher education landscape, yet the aptitude and preparedness of student transfers to baccalaureate institutions is often called into question. Examining transcript records and demographic information of nearly 70,000 students across over 15 years of registrar records at a public university, this study performed a descriptive analysis of the persistence, performance, and academic migration patterns of community college transfers, transfers from four-year institutions, and freshmen entrants. We found little difference between community college transfers and freshmen entrants in terms of post-transfer grades and persistence. Transfers from four-year institutions had higher grades but also had higher attrition rates than their peers. This study also found no strong evidence of transfer shock on students’ post-transfer grades. When examining the tendencies of students to shift fields of study during their educational pursuits, the academic migration patterns of transfer students were more concentrated than those of freshmen entrants. PMID:28407002

  17. Spectral Transfer Learning Using Information Geometry for a User-Independent Brain-Computer Interface

    PubMed Central

    Waytowich, Nicholas R.; Lawhern, Vernon J.; Bohannon, Addison W.; Ball, Kenneth R.; Lance, Brent J.

    2016-01-01

    Recent advances in signal processing and machine learning techniques have enabled the application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technologies to fields such as medicine, industry, and recreation; however, BCIs still suffer from the requirement of frequent calibration sessions due to the intra- and inter-individual variability of brain-signals, which makes calibration suppression through transfer learning an area of increasing interest for the development of practical BCI systems. In this paper, we present an unsupervised transfer method (spectral transfer using information geometry, STIG), which ranks and combines unlabeled predictions from an ensemble of information geometry classifiers built on data from individual training subjects. The STIG method is validated in both off-line and real-time feedback analysis during a rapid serial visual presentation task (RSVP). For detection of single-trial, event-related potentials (ERPs), the proposed method can significantly outperform existing calibration-free techniques as well as outperform traditional within-subject calibration techniques when limited data is available. This method demonstrates that unsupervised transfer learning for single-trial detection in ERP-based BCIs can be achieved without the requirement of costly training data, representing a step-forward in the overall goal of achieving a practical user-independent BCI system. PMID:27713685

  18. Spectral Transfer Learning Using Information Geometry for a User-Independent Brain-Computer Interface.

    PubMed

    Waytowich, Nicholas R; Lawhern, Vernon J; Bohannon, Addison W; Ball, Kenneth R; Lance, Brent J

    2016-01-01

    Recent advances in signal processing and machine learning techniques have enabled the application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technologies to fields such as medicine, industry, and recreation; however, BCIs still suffer from the requirement of frequent calibration sessions due to the intra- and inter-individual variability of brain-signals, which makes calibration suppression through transfer learning an area of increasing interest for the development of practical BCI systems. In this paper, we present an unsupervised transfer method (spectral transfer using information geometry, STIG), which ranks and combines unlabeled predictions from an ensemble of information geometry classifiers built on data from individual training subjects. The STIG method is validated in both off-line and real-time feedback analysis during a rapid serial visual presentation task (RSVP). For detection of single-trial, event-related potentials (ERPs), the proposed method can significantly outperform existing calibration-free techniques as well as outperform traditional within-subject calibration techniques when limited data is available. This method demonstrates that unsupervised transfer learning for single-trial detection in ERP-based BCIs can be achieved without the requirement of costly training data, representing a step-forward in the overall goal of achieving a practical user-independent BCI system.

  19. A quick method based on SIMPLISMA-KPLS for simultaneously selecting outlier samples and informative samples for model standardization in near infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Li-Na; Ma, Chang-Ming; Chang, Ming; Zhang, Ren-Cheng

    2017-12-01

    A novel method based on SIMPLe-to-use Interactive Self-modeling Mixture Analysis (SIMPLISMA) and Kernel Partial Least Square (KPLS), named as SIMPLISMA-KPLS, is proposed in this paper for selection of outlier samples and informative samples simultaneously. It is a quick algorithm used to model standardization (or named as model transfer) in near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The NIR experiment data of the corn for analysis of the protein content is introduced to evaluate the proposed method. Piecewise direct standardization (PDS) is employed in model transfer. And the comparison of SIMPLISMA-PDS-KPLS and KS-PDS-KPLS is given in this research by discussion of the prediction accuracy of protein content and calculation speed of each algorithm. The conclusions include that SIMPLISMA-KPLS can be utilized as an alternative sample selection method for model transfer. Although it has similar accuracy to Kennard-Stone (KS), it is different from KS as it employs concentration information in selection program. This means that it ensures analyte information is involved in analysis, and the spectra (X) of the selected samples is interrelated with concentration (y). And it can be used for outlier sample elimination simultaneously by validation of calibration. According to the statistical data results of running time, it is clear that the sample selection process is more rapid when using KPLS. The quick algorithm of SIMPLISMA-KPLS is beneficial to improve the speed of online measurement using NIR spectroscopy.

  20. A Non-Linear Model of Information Seeking Behaviour

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Allen

    2005-01-01

    Introduction:The results of a study of information seeking behaviour of inter-disciplinary academic and postgraduate researchers are reported. Method. The study applied the naturalistic methods recommended by Lincoln and Guba for maximising credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability in data collection and analysis. Sampling…

  1. TRENTOOL: A Matlab open source toolbox to analyse information flow in time series data with transfer entropy

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Transfer entropy (TE) is a measure for the detection of directed interactions. Transfer entropy is an information theoretic implementation of Wiener's principle of observational causality. It offers an approach to the detection of neuronal interactions that is free of an explicit model of the interactions. Hence, it offers the power to analyze linear and nonlinear interactions alike. This allows for example the comprehensive analysis of directed interactions in neural networks at various levels of description. Here we present the open-source MATLAB toolbox TRENTOOL that allows the user to handle the considerable complexity of this measure and to validate the obtained results using non-parametrical statistical testing. We demonstrate the use of the toolbox and the performance of the algorithm on simulated data with nonlinear (quadratic) coupling and on local field potentials (LFP) recorded from the retina and the optic tectum of the turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans) where a neuronal one-way connection is likely present. Results In simulated data TE detected information flow in the simulated direction reliably with false positives not exceeding the rates expected under the null hypothesis. In the LFP data we found directed interactions from the retina to the tectum, despite the complicated signal transformations between these stages. No false positive interactions in the reverse directions were detected. Conclusions TRENTOOL is an implementation of transfer entropy and mutual information analysis that aims to support the user in the application of this information theoretic measure. TRENTOOL is implemented as a MATLAB toolbox and available under an open source license (GPL v3). For the use with neural data TRENTOOL seamlessly integrates with the popular FieldTrip toolbox. PMID:22098775

  2. TRENTOOL: a Matlab open source toolbox to analyse information flow in time series data with transfer entropy.

    PubMed

    Lindner, Michael; Vicente, Raul; Priesemann, Viola; Wibral, Michael

    2011-11-18

    Transfer entropy (TE) is a measure for the detection of directed interactions. Transfer entropy is an information theoretic implementation of Wiener's principle of observational causality. It offers an approach to the detection of neuronal interactions that is free of an explicit model of the interactions. Hence, it offers the power to analyze linear and nonlinear interactions alike. This allows for example the comprehensive analysis of directed interactions in neural networks at various levels of description. Here we present the open-source MATLAB toolbox TRENTOOL that allows the user to handle the considerable complexity of this measure and to validate the obtained results using non-parametrical statistical testing. We demonstrate the use of the toolbox and the performance of the algorithm on simulated data with nonlinear (quadratic) coupling and on local field potentials (LFP) recorded from the retina and the optic tectum of the turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans) where a neuronal one-way connection is likely present. In simulated data TE detected information flow in the simulated direction reliably with false positives not exceeding the rates expected under the null hypothesis. In the LFP data we found directed interactions from the retina to the tectum, despite the complicated signal transformations between these stages. No false positive interactions in the reverse directions were detected. TRENTOOL is an implementation of transfer entropy and mutual information analysis that aims to support the user in the application of this information theoretic measure. TRENTOOL is implemented as a MATLAB toolbox and available under an open source license (GPL v3). For the use with neural data TRENTOOL seamlessly integrates with the popular FieldTrip toolbox.

  3. Water pollutant fingerprinting tracks recent industrial transfer from coastal to inland China: A case study

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Weiwei; Wang, Xia; Tian, Dajun; Jiang, Songhui; Andersen, Melvin E.; He, Genhsjeng; Crabbe, M. James C.; Zheng, Yuxin; Zhong, Yang; Qu, Weidong

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, China’s developed regions have transferred industries to undeveloped regions. Large numbers of unlicensed or unregistered enterprises are widespread in these undeveloped regions and they are subject to minimal regulation. Current methods for tracing industrial transfers in these areas, based on enterprise registration information or economic surveys, do not work. We have developed an analytical framework combining water fingerprinting and evolutionary analysis to trace the pollution transfer features between water sources. We collected samples in Eastern China (industrial export) and Central China (industrial acceptance) separately from two water systems. Based on the water pollutant fingerprints and evolutionary trees, we traced the pollution transfer associated with industrial transfer between the two areas. The results are consistent with four episodes of industrial transfers over the past decade. Our results also show likely types of the transferred industries - electronics, plastics, and biomedicines - that contribute to the water pollution transfer. PMID:23301152

  4. Effects of inclination and eccentricity on optimal trajectories between earth and Venus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gravier, J.-P.; Marchal, C.; Culp, R. D.

    1973-01-01

    The true optimal transfers, including the effects of the inclination and eccentricity of the planets' orbits, between earth and Venus are presented as functions of the corresponding idealized Hohmann transfers. The method of determining the optimal transfers using the calculus of variations is presented. For every possible Hohmann window, specified as a continuous function of the longitude of perihelion of the Hohmann trajectory, the corresponding numerically exact optimal two-impulse transfers are given in graphical form. The cases for which the optimal two-impulse transfer is the absolute optimal, and those for which a three-impulse transfer provides the absolute optimal transfer are indicated. This information furnishes everything necessary for quick and accurate orbit calculations for preliminary Venus mission analysis. This makes it possible to use the actual optimal transfers for advanced planning in place of the standard Hohmann transfers.

  5. Water pollutant fingerprinting tracks recent industrial transfer from coastal to inland China: A case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Weiwei; Wang, Xia; Tian, Dajun; Jiang, Songhui; Andersen, Melvin E.; He, Genhsjeng; Crabbe, M. James C.; Zheng, Yuxin; Zhong, Yang; Qu, Weidong

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, China's developed regions have transferred industries to undeveloped regions. Large numbers of unlicensed or unregistered enterprises are widespread in these undeveloped regions and they are subject to minimal regulation. Current methods for tracing industrial transfers in these areas, based on enterprise registration information or economic surveys, do not work. We have developed an analytical framework combining water fingerprinting and evolutionary analysis to trace the pollution transfer features between water sources. We collected samples in Eastern China (industrial export) and Central China (industrial acceptance) separately from two water systems. Based on the water pollutant fingerprints and evolutionary trees, we traced the pollution transfer associated with industrial transfer between the two areas. The results are consistent with four episodes of industrial transfers over the past decade. Our results also show likely types of the transferred industries - electronics, plastics, and biomedicines - that contribute to the water pollution transfer.

  6. Mathematical analysis of the honeybee waggle dance.

    PubMed

    Okada, R; Ikeno, H; Kimura, T; Ohashi, Mizue; Aonuma, H; Ito, E

    2012-01-01

    A honeybee informs her nestmates of the location of a flower by doing a waggle dance. The waggle dance encodes both the direction of and distance to the flower from the hive. To reveal how the waggle dance benefits the colony, we created a Markov model of bee foraging behavior and performed simulation experiments by incorporating the biological parameters that we obtained from our own observations of real bees as well as from the literature. When two feeders were each placed 400 m away from the hive in different directions, a virtual colony in which honeybees danced and correctly transferred information (a normal, real bee colony) made significantly greater numbers of successful visits to the feeders compared to a colony with inaccurate information transfer. Howerer, when five feeders were each located 400 m from the hive, the inaccurate information transfer colony performed better than the normal colony. These results suggest that dancing's ability to communicate accurate information depends on the number of feeders. Furthermore, because non-dancing colonies always made significantly fewer visits than those two colonies, we concluded that dancing behavior is beneficial for hives' ability to visit food sources.

  7. Information theory and robotics meet to study predator-prey interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neri, Daniele; Ruberto, Tommaso; Cord-Cruz, Gabrielle; Porfiri, Maurizio

    2017-07-01

    Transfer entropy holds promise to advance our understanding of animal behavior, by affording the identification of causal relationships that underlie animal interactions. A critical step toward the reliable implementation of this powerful information-theoretic concept entails the design of experiments in which causal relationships could be systematically controlled. Here, we put forward a robotics-based experimental approach to test the validity of transfer entropy in the study of predator-prey interactions. We investigate the behavioral response of zebrafish to a fear-evoking robotic stimulus, designed after the morpho-physiology of the red tiger oscar and actuated along preprogrammed trajectories. From the time series of the positions of the zebrafish and the robotic stimulus, we demonstrate that transfer entropy correctly identifies the influence of the stimulus on the focal subject. Building on this evidence, we apply transfer entropy to study the interactions between zebrafish and a live red tiger oscar. The analysis of transfer entropy reveals a change in the direction of the information flow, suggesting a mutual influence between the predator and the prey, where the predator adapts its strategy as a function of the movement of the prey, which, in turn, adjusts its escape as a function of the predator motion. Through the integration of information theory and robotics, this study posits a new approach to study predator-prey interactions in freshwater fish.

  8. Intergenerational transfers and informal care for disabled elderly persons in China: evidence from CHARLS.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xiaoting; Lu, Bei; Feng, Zhixin

    2017-07-01

    Aiming at 'ageing healthier and ageing better', a certain amount of high-quality informal care should be available for elderly persons with physical disability as formal care is barely accessible in China. The demographic transition and family structural changes have dramatically weakened traditional norms of filial piety and the structure of intergenerational transfers. This article employed nationwide representative data from the first wave (2011) of Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in order to identify the duration of informal care provision at home for frail elders (1122 in rural areas and 577 in urban areas, total 1699), measured in monthly hours, before estimating the associations between intergenerational transfers and the received time of informal care with Tobit Model analysis. Results showed that financial support from the younger generation was unexpectedly negatively associated with the monthly hours of care, implying a reduction of caring support along with increasing financial transfers towards older parents. The lack of informal care could not be compensated by having more children, co-residing with children, or increasing the parent-to-child/grandchild transfers. Spouses were shown to replace children as the major caregivers. In addition, the community-based long-term care system needs to be promoted to sustain and develop informal care, as the latter will become increasingly important with changing family dynamics. Finally, the received time of informal care, rather than the severity of physical disability measured by difficulty with ADLs or IADLs, was introduced to identify the actual demand for care by elders. The paper argues that it is important to reconceptualise and re-investigate the duration of care provision in the Chinese context in order to develop standards of payment as part of long-term care policies. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Incorporating concepts of inequality and inequity into health benefits analysis

    PubMed Central

    Levy, Jonathan I; Chemerynski, Susan M; Tuchmann, Jessica L

    2006-01-01

    Background Although environmental policy decisions are often based in part on both risk assessment information and environmental justice concerns, formalized approaches for addressing inequality or inequity when estimating the health benefits of pollution control have been lacking. Inequality indicators that fulfill basic axioms and agree with relevant definitions and concepts in health benefits analysis and environmental justice analysis can allow for quantitative examination of efficiency-equality tradeoffs in pollution control policies. Methods To develop appropriate inequality indicators for health benefits analysis, we provide relevant definitions from the fields of risk assessment and environmental justice and consider the implications. We evaluate axioms proposed in past studies of inequality indicators and develop additional axioms relevant to this context. We survey the literature on previous applications of inequality indicators and evaluate five candidate indicators in reference to our proposed axioms. We present an illustrative pollution control example to determine whether our selected indicators provide interpretable information. Results and Conclusions We conclude that an inequality indicator for health benefits analysis should not decrease when risk is transferred from a low-risk to high-risk person, and that it should decrease when risk is transferred from a high-risk to low-risk person (Pigou-Dalton transfer principle), and that it should be able to have total inequality divided into its constituent parts (subgroup decomposability). We additionally propose that an ideal indicator should avoid value judgments about the relative importance of transfers at different percentiles of the risk distribution, incorporate health risk with evidence about differential susceptibility, include baseline distributions of risk, use appropriate geographic resolution and scope, and consider multiple competing policy alternatives. Given these criteria, we select the Atkinson index as the single indicator most appropriate for health benefits analysis, with other indicators useful for sensitivity analysis. Our illustrative pollution control example demonstrates how these indices can help a policy maker determine control strategies that are dominated from an efficiency and equality standpoint, those that are dominated for some but not all societal viewpoints on inequality averseness, and those that are on the optimal efficiency-equality frontier, allowing for more informed pollution control policies. PMID:16569243

  10. Mixed Reality Meets Pharmaceutical Development.

    PubMed

    Forrest, William P; Mackey, Megan A; Shah, Vivek M; Hassell, Kerry M; Shah, Prashant; Wylie, Jennifer L; Gopinath, Janakiraman; Balderhaar, Henning; Li, Li; Wuelfing, W Peter; Helmy, Roy

    2017-12-01

    As science evolves, the need for more efficient and innovative knowledge transfer capabilities becomes evident. Advances in drug discovery and delivery sciences have directly impacted the pharmaceutical industry, though the added complexities have not shortened the development process. These added complexities also make it difficult for scientists to rapidly and effectively transfer knowledge to offset the lengthened drug development timelines. While webcams, camera phones, and iPads have been explored as potential new methods of real-time information sharing, the non-"hands-free" nature and lack of viewer and observer point-of-view render them unsuitable for the R&D laboratory or manufacturing setting. As an alternative solution, the Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset was evaluated as a more efficient, hands-free method of knowledge transfer and information sharing. After completing a traditional method transfer between 3 R&D sites (Rahway, NJ; West Point, PA and Schnachen, Switzerland), a retrospective analysis of efficiency gain was performed through the comparison of a mock method transfer between NJ and PA sites using the HoloLens. The results demonstrated a minimum 10-fold gain in efficiency, weighing in from a savings in time, cost, and the ability to have real-time data analysis and discussion. In addition, other use cases were evaluated involving vendor and contract research/manufacturing organizations. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Integrated medical and behavioral laboratory measurement system engineering analysis and laboratory specification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grave, C.; Margold, D. W.

    1973-01-01

    Site selection, program planning, cost and design studies for support of the IMBLMS program were investigated. Accomplishments are reported for the following areas: analysis of responses to site selection criteria, space-oriented biotechnology, life sciences payload definition, and program information transfer.

  12. Low-dimensional approximation searching strategy for transfer entropy from non-uniform embedding

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Transfer entropy from non-uniform embedding is a popular tool for the inference of causal relationships among dynamical subsystems. In this study we present an approach that makes use of low-dimensional conditional mutual information quantities to decompose the original high-dimensional conditional mutual information in the searching procedure of non-uniform embedding for significant variables at different lags. We perform a series of simulation experiments to assess the sensitivity and specificity of our proposed method to demonstrate its advantage compared to previous algorithms. The results provide concrete evidence that low-dimensional approximations can help to improve the statistical accuracy of transfer entropy in multivariate causality analysis and yield a better performance over other methods. The proposed method is especially efficient as the data length grows. PMID:29547669

  13. Developing a framework for transferring knowledge into action: a thematic analysis of the literature

    PubMed Central

    Ward, Vicky; House, Allan; Hamer, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Objectives Although there is widespread agreement about the importance of transferring knowledge into action, we still lack high quality information about what works, in which settings and with whom. Whilst there are a large number of models and theories for knowledge transfer interventions, they are untested meaning that their applicability and relevance is largely unknown. This paper describes the development of a conceptual framework of translating knowledge into action and discusses how it can be used for developing a useful model of the knowledge transfer process. Methods A narrative review of the knowledge transfer literature identified 28 different models which explained all or part of the knowledge transfer process. The models were subjected to a thematic analysis to identify individual components and the types of processes used when transferring knowledge into action. The results were used to build a conceptual framework of the process. Results Five common components of the knowledge transfer process were identified: problem identification and communication; knowledge/research development and selection; analysis of context; knowledge transfer activities or interventions; and knowledge/research utilization. We also identified three types of knowledge transfer processes: a linear process; a cyclical process; and a dynamic multidirectional process. From these results a conceptual framework of knowledge transfer was developed. The framework illustrates the five common components of the knowledge transfer process and shows that they are connected via a complex, multidirectional set of interactions. As such the framework allows for the individual components to occur simultaneously or in any given order and to occur more than once during the knowledge transfer process. Conclusion Our framework provides a foundation for gathering evidence from case studies of knowledge transfer interventions. We propose that future empirical work is designed to test and refine the relevant importance and applicability of each of the components in order to build more useful models of knowledge transfer which can serve as a practical checklist for planning or evaluating knowledge transfer activities. PMID:19541874

  14. Spectral Transfer Learning Using Information Geometry for a User-Independent Brain-Computer Interface

    DOE PAGES

    Waytowich, Nicholas R.; Lawhern, Vernon J.; Bohannon, Addison W.; ...

    2016-09-22

    Recent advances in signal processing and machine learning techniques have enabled the application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technologies to fields such as medicine, industry, and recreation; however, BCIs still suffer from the requirement of frequent calibration sessions due to the intra- and inter-individual variability of brain-signals, which makes calibration suppression through transfer learning an area of increasing interest for the development of practical BCI systems. In this paper, we present an unsupervised transfer method (spectral transfer using information geometry,STIG),which ranks and combines unlabeled predictions from an ensemble of information geometry classifiers built on data from individual training subjects. The STIGmore » method is validated in both off-line and real-time feedback analysis during a rapid serial visual presentation task (RSVP). For detection of single-trial, event-related potentials (ERPs), the proposed method can significantly outperform existing calibration-free techniques as well as out perform traditional within-subject calibration techniques when limited data is available. Here, this method demonstrates that unsupervised transfer learning for single-trial detection in ERP-based BCIs can be achieved without the requirement of costly training data, representing a step-forward in the overall goal of achieving a practical user-independent BCI system.« less

  15. Spectral Transfer Learning Using Information Geometry for a User-Independent Brain-Computer Interface

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

    Waytowich, Nicholas R.; Lawhern, Vernon J.; Bohannon, Addison W.

    Recent advances in signal processing and machine learning techniques have enabled the application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technologies to fields such as medicine, industry, and recreation; however, BCIs still suffer from the requirement of frequent calibration sessions due to the intra- and inter-individual variability of brain-signals, which makes calibration suppression through transfer learning an area of increasing interest for the development of practical BCI systems. In this paper, we present an unsupervised transfer method (spectral transfer using information geometry,STIG),which ranks and combines unlabeled predictions from an ensemble of information geometry classifiers built on data from individual training subjects. The STIGmore » method is validated in both off-line and real-time feedback analysis during a rapid serial visual presentation task (RSVP). For detection of single-trial, event-related potentials (ERPs), the proposed method can significantly outperform existing calibration-free techniques as well as out perform traditional within-subject calibration techniques when limited data is available. Here, this method demonstrates that unsupervised transfer learning for single-trial detection in ERP-based BCIs can be achieved without the requirement of costly training data, representing a step-forward in the overall goal of achieving a practical user-independent BCI system.« less

  16. 21 CFR 1306.25 - Transfer between pharmacies of prescription information for Schedules III, IV, and V controlled...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... between two licensed pharmacists and the transferring pharmacist records the following information: (i... transferred and the name of the pharmacist receiving the prescription information. (iii) Record the date of the transfer and the name of the pharmacist transferring the information. (b) The pharmacist receiving...

  17. Higher-order Brain Areas Associated with Real-time Functional MRI Neurofeedback Training of the Somato-motor Cortex.

    PubMed

    Auer, Tibor; Dewiputri, Wan Ilma; Frahm, Jens; Schweizer, Renate

    2018-05-15

    Neurofeedback (NFB) allows subjects to learn self-regulation of neuronal brain activation based on information about the ongoing activation. The implementation of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) for NFB training now facilitates the investigation into underlying processes. Our study involved 16 control and 16 training right-handed subjects, the latter performing an extensive rt-fMRI NFB training using motor imagery. A previous analysis focused on the targeted primary somato-motor cortex (SMC). The present study extends the analysis to the supplementary motor area (SMA), the next higher brain area within the hierarchy of the motor system. We also examined transfer-related functional connectivity using a whole-volume psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis to reveal brain areas associated with learning. The ROI analysis of the pre- and post-training fMRI data for motor imagery without NFB (transfer) resulted in a significant training-specific increase in the SMA. It could also be shown that the contralateral SMA exhibited a larger increase than the ipsilateral SMA in the training and the transfer runs, and that the right-hand training elicited a larger increase in the transfer runs than the left-hand training. The PPI analysis revealed a training-specific increase in transfer-related functional connectivity between the left SMA and frontal areas as well as the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) for right- and left-hand trainings. Moreover, the transfer success was related with training-specific increase in functional connectivity between the left SMA and the target area SMC. Our study demonstrates that NFB training increases functional connectivity with non-targeted brain areas. These are associated with the training strategy (i.e., SMA) as well as with learning the NFB skill (i.e., aMCC and frontal areas). This detailed description of both the system to be trained and the areas involved in learning can provide valuable information for further optimization of NFB trainings. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. Federal technology transfer requirements :a focused study of principal agencies approaches with implications for the Department of Homeland Security.

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

    Koker, Denise; Micheau, Jill M.

    2006-07-01

    This report provides relevant information and analysis to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that will assist DHS in determining how to meet the requirements of federal technology transfer legislation. These legal requirements are grouped into five categories: (1) establishing an Office of Research and Technology Applications, or providing the functions thereof; (2) information management; (3) enabling agreements with non-federal partners; (4) royalty sharing; and (5) invention ownership/obligations. These five categories provide the organizing framework for this study, which benchmarks other federal agencies/laboratories engaged in technology transfer/transition Four key agencies--the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Departmentmore » of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Defense (DoD)--and several of their laboratories have been surveyed. An analysis of DHS's mission needs for commercializing R&D compared to those agencies/laboratories is presented with implications and next steps for DHS's consideration. Federal technology transfer legislation, requirements, and practices have evolved over the decades as agencies and laboratories have grown more knowledgeable and sophisticated in their efforts to conduct technology transfer and as needs and opinions in the federal sector have changed with regards to what is appropriate. The need to address requirements in a fairly thorough manner has, therefore, resulted in a lengthy paper. There are two ways to find summary information. Each chapter concludes with a summary, and there is an overall ''Summary and Next Steps'' chapter on pages 57-60. For those readers who are unable to read the entire document, we recommend referring to these pages.« less

  19. Do pattern recognition skills transfer across sports? A preliminary analysis.

    PubMed

    Smeeton, Nicholas J; Ward, Paul; Williams, A Mark

    2004-02-01

    The ability to recognize patterns of play is fundamental to performance in team sports. While typically assumed to be domain-specific, pattern recognition skills may transfer from one sport to another if similarities exist in the perceptual features and their relations and/or the strategies used to encode and retrieve relevant information. A transfer paradigm was employed to compare skilled and less skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players' pattern recognition skills. Participants viewed structured and unstructured action sequences from each sport, half of which were randomly represented with clips not previously seen. The task was to identify previously viewed action sequences quickly and accurately. Transfer of pattern recognition skill was dependent on the participant's skill, sport practised, nature of the task and degree of structure. The skilled soccer and hockey players were quicker than the skilled volleyball players at recognizing structured soccer and hockey action sequences. Performance differences were not observed on the structured volleyball trials between the skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players. The skilled field hockey and soccer players were able to transfer perceptual information or strategies between their respective sports. The less skilled participants' results were less clear. Implications for domain-specific expertise, transfer and diversity across domains are discussed.

  20. Hotspot-mediated non-dissipative and ultrafast plasmon passage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roller, Eva-Maria; Besteiro, Lucas V.; Pupp, Claudia; Khorashad, Larousse Khosravi; Govorov, Alexander O.; Liedl, Tim

    2017-08-01

    Plasmonic nanoparticles hold great promise as photon handling elements and as channels for coherent transfer of energy and information in future all-optical computing devices. Coherent energy oscillations between two spatially separated plasmonic entities via a virtual middle state exemplify electron-based population transfer, but their realization requires precise nanoscale positioning of heterogeneous particles. Here, we show the assembly and optical analysis of a triple-particle system consisting of two gold nanoparticles with an inter-spaced silver island. We observe strong plasmonic coupling between the spatially separated gold particles, mediated by the connecting silver particle, with almost no dissipation of energy. As the excitation energy of the silver island exceeds that of the gold particles, only quasi-occupation of the silver transfer channel is possible. We describe this effect both with exact classical electrodynamic modelling and qualitative quantum-mechanical calculations. We identify the formation of strong hotspots between all particles as the main mechanism for the lossless coupling and thus coherent ultrafast energy transfer between the remote partners. Our findings could prove useful for quantum gate operations, as well as for classical charge and information transfer processes.

  1. Breakdown of local information processing may underlie isoflurane anesthesia effects.

    PubMed

    Wollstadt, Patricia; Sellers, Kristin K; Rudelt, Lucas; Priesemann, Viola; Hutt, Axel; Fröhlich, Flavio; Wibral, Michael

    2017-06-01

    The disruption of coupling between brain areas has been suggested as the mechanism underlying loss of consciousness in anesthesia. This hypothesis has been tested previously by measuring the information transfer between brain areas, and by taking reduced information transfer as a proxy for decoupling. Yet, information transfer is a function of the amount of information available in the information source-such that transfer decreases even for unchanged coupling when less source information is available. Therefore, we reconsidered past interpretations of reduced information transfer as a sign of decoupling, and asked whether impaired local information processing leads to a loss of information transfer. An important prediction of this alternative hypothesis is that changes in locally available information (signal entropy) should be at least as pronounced as changes in information transfer. We tested this prediction by recording local field potentials in two ferrets after administration of isoflurane in concentrations of 0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. We found strong decreases in the source entropy under isoflurane in area V1 and the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-as predicted by our alternative hypothesis. The decrease in source entropy was stronger in PFC compared to V1. Information transfer between V1 and PFC was reduced bidirectionally, but with a stronger decrease from PFC to V1. This links the stronger decrease in information transfer to the stronger decrease in source entropy-suggesting reduced source entropy reduces information transfer. This conclusion fits the observation that the synaptic targets of isoflurane are located in local cortical circuits rather than on the synapses formed by interareal axonal projections. Thus, changes in information transfer under isoflurane seem to be a consequence of changes in local processing more than of decoupling between brain areas. We suggest that source entropy changes must be considered whenever interpreting changes in information transfer as decoupling.

  2. Breakdown of local information processing may underlie isoflurane anesthesia effects

    PubMed Central

    Sellers, Kristin K.; Priesemann, Viola; Hutt, Axel

    2017-01-01

    The disruption of coupling between brain areas has been suggested as the mechanism underlying loss of consciousness in anesthesia. This hypothesis has been tested previously by measuring the information transfer between brain areas, and by taking reduced information transfer as a proxy for decoupling. Yet, information transfer is a function of the amount of information available in the information source—such that transfer decreases even for unchanged coupling when less source information is available. Therefore, we reconsidered past interpretations of reduced information transfer as a sign of decoupling, and asked whether impaired local information processing leads to a loss of information transfer. An important prediction of this alternative hypothesis is that changes in locally available information (signal entropy) should be at least as pronounced as changes in information transfer. We tested this prediction by recording local field potentials in two ferrets after administration of isoflurane in concentrations of 0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. We found strong decreases in the source entropy under isoflurane in area V1 and the prefrontal cortex (PFC)—as predicted by our alternative hypothesis. The decrease in source entropy was stronger in PFC compared to V1. Information transfer between V1 and PFC was reduced bidirectionally, but with a stronger decrease from PFC to V1. This links the stronger decrease in information transfer to the stronger decrease in source entropy—suggesting reduced source entropy reduces information transfer. This conclusion fits the observation that the synaptic targets of isoflurane are located in local cortical circuits rather than on the synapses formed by interareal axonal projections. Thus, changes in information transfer under isoflurane seem to be a consequence of changes in local processing more than of decoupling between brain areas. We suggest that source entropy changes must be considered whenever interpreting changes in information transfer as decoupling. PMID:28570661

  3. Cardiorespiratory Information Dynamics during Mental Arithmetic and Sustained Attention

    PubMed Central

    Widjaja, Devy; Montalto, Alessandro; Vlemincx, Elke; Marinazzo, Daniele; Van Huffel, Sabine; Faes, Luca

    2015-01-01

    An analysis of cardiorespiratory dynamics during mental arithmetic, which induces stress, and sustained attention was conducted using information theory. The information storage and internal information of heart rate variability (HRV) were determined respectively as the self-entropy of the tachogram, and the self-entropy of the tachogram conditioned to the knowledge of respiration. The information transfer and cross information from respiration to HRV were assessed as the transfer and cross-entropy, both measures of cardiorespiratory coupling. These information-theoretic measures identified significant nonlinearities in the cardiorespiratory time series. Additionally, it was shown that, although mental stress is related to a reduction in vagal activity, no difference in cardiorespiratory coupling was found when several mental states (rest, mental stress, sustained attention) are compared. However, the self-entropy of HRV conditioned to respiration was very informative to study the predictability of RR interval series during mental tasks, and showed higher predictability during mental arithmetic compared to sustained attention or rest. PMID:26042824

  4. Policy Transfer Among Regional-Level Organizations: Insights from Source Water Protection in Ontario.

    PubMed

    de Loë, R C; Murray, D; Michaels, S; Plummer, R

    2016-07-01

    Organizations at the local and regional scales often face the challenge of developing policy mechanisms rapidly and concurrently, whether in response to expanding mandates, newly identified threats, or changes in the political environment. In the Canadian Province of Ontario, rapid, concurrent policy development was considered desirable by 19 regional organizations tasked with developing policies for protection of drinking water sources under very tight and highly prescribed mandates. An explicit policy transfer approach was used by these organizations. Policy transfer refers to using knowledge of policies, programs, and institutions in one context in the development of policies, programs, and institutions in another. This paper assesses three online mechanisms developed to facilitate policy transfer for source water protection in Ontario. Insights are based on a survey of policy planners from the 19 regional organizations who used the three policy transfer tools, supplemented by an analysis of three policies created and transferred among the 19 regional source water protection organizations. Policy planners in the study indicated they had used policy transfer to develop source protection policies for their regions-a finding confirmed by analysis of the text of policies. While the online policy transfer tools clearly facilitated systematic policy transfer, participants still preferred informal, direct exchanges with their peers in other regions over the use of the internet-based policy transfer mechanisms created on their behalf.

  5. Impact of Safety Training and Interventions on Training-Transfer: Targeting Migrant Construction Workers.

    PubMed

    Hussain, Rahat; Pedro, Akeem; Lee, Do Yeop; Pham, Hai Chien; Park, Chan Sik

    2018-05-01

    Despite substantial efforts to improve construction safety training, the accident rate of migrant workers is still high. One of the primary factors contributing to the inefficacy of training includes information delivery gaps during training sessions (knowledge-transfer). In addition, there is insufficient evidence that these training programs alone are effective enough to enable migrant workers to transfer their skills to jobsite (training-transfer). This research attempts to identify and evaluate additional interventions to improve the transfer of acquired knowledge to workplace. For this purpose, this study presents the first known experimental effort to assess the effect of interventions on migrant work groups in a multinational construction project in Qatar. Data analysis reveals that the adoption of training programs with the inclusion of interventions significantly improves training-transfer. Construction safety experts can leverage the findings of this study to enhance training-transfer by increasing worker's safety performance and hazard identification ability.

  6. Manufacturing Technology Information Analysis Center: Knowledge Is Strength

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Safar, Michal

    1992-01-01

    The Center's primary function is to facilitate technology transfer within DoD, other government agencies and industry. The DoD has recognized the importance of technology transfer, not only to support specific weapon system manufacture, but to strengthen the industrial base that sustains DoD. MTIAC uses an experienced technical staff of engineers and information specialists to acquire, analyze, and disseminate technical information. Besides ManTech project data, MTIAC collects manufacturing technology from other government agencies, commercial publications, proceedings, and various international sources. MTIAC has various means of disseminating this information. Much of the technical data is on user accessible data bases. The Center researches and writes a number of technical reports each year and publishes a newsletter monthly. Customized research is performed in response to specific inquiries from government and industry. MTIAC serves as a link between Government and Industry to strengthen the manufacturing technology base through the dissemination of advanced manufacturing information.

  7. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 42: An analysis of the transfer of Scientific and Technical Information (STI) in the US aerospace industry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kennedy, John M.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Hecht, Laura F.; Barclay, Rebecca O.

    1994-01-01

    The U.S. aerospace industry has a long history of federal support for research related to its needs. Since the establishment of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1915, the federal government has provided continuous research support related to flight and aircraft design. This research has contributed to the international preeminence of the U.S. aerospace industry. In this paper, we present a sociological analysis of aerospace engineers and scientists and how their attitudes and behaviors impact the flow of scientific and technical information (STI). We use a constructivist framework to explain the spotty dissemination of federally funded aerospace research. Our research is aimed towards providing federal policymakers with a clearer understanding of how and when federally funded aerospace research is used. This understanding will help policymakers design improved information transfer systems that will aid the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry.

  8. Quantifying transfer after perceptual-motor sequence learning: how inflexible is implicit learning?

    PubMed

    Sanchez, Daniel J; Yarnik, Eric N; Reber, Paul J

    2015-03-01

    Studies of implicit perceptual-motor sequence learning have often shown learning to be inflexibly tied to the training conditions during learning. Since sequence learning is seen as a model task of skill acquisition, limits on the ability to transfer knowledge from the training context to a performance context indicates important constraints on skill learning approaches. Lack of transfer across contexts has been demonstrated by showing that when task elements are changed following training, this leads to a disruption in performance. These results have typically been taken as suggesting that the sequence knowledge relies on integrated representations across task elements (Abrahamse, Jiménez, Verwey, & Clegg, Psychon Bull Rev 17:603-623, 2010a). Using a relatively new sequence learning task, serial interception sequence learning, three experiments are reported that quantify this magnitude of performance disruption after selectively manipulating individual aspects of motor performance or perceptual information. In Experiment 1, selective disruption of the timing or order of sequential actions was examined using a novel response manipulandum that allowed for separate analysis of these two motor response components. In Experiments 2 and 3, transfer was examined after selective disruption of perceptual information that left the motor response sequence intact. All three experiments provided quantifiable estimates of partial transfer to novel contexts that suggest some level of information integration across task elements. However, the ability to identify quantifiable levels of successful transfer indicates that integration is not all-or-none and that measurement sensitivity is a key in understanding sequence knowledge representations.

  9. 28 CFR 22.24 - Information transfer agreement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... STATISTICAL INFORMATION § 22.24 Information transfer agreement. Prior to the transfer of any identifiable... identifiable to a private person will be used only for research and statistical purposes. (b) Information...-know basis for research or statistical purposes, provided that such transfer is approved by the person...

  10. Information transfer satellite concept study. Volume 1: Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bergin, P.; Kincade, C.; Kurpiewski, D.; Leinhaupel, F.; Millican, F.; Onstad, R.

    1971-01-01

    A wide range of information transfer demands were identified and analyzed. They were then combined into an appropriate set of requirements for satellite communication services. In this process the demands were ranked and combined into single and multipurpose satellite systems. A detailed analysis was performed on each satellite system to determine: total system cost, including both ground and space segments; sensitivities of the systems to various system tradeoffs; and forcing functions which control the system variations. A listing of candidate missions for detailed study is presented, along with a description of the conceptual system design and an identification of the technology developments required to bring these systems to fruition.

  11. Technology transfer metrics: Measurement and verification of data/reusable launch vehicle business analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trivoli, George W.

    1996-01-01

    Congress and the Executive Branch have mandated that all branches of the Federal Government exert a concentrated effort to transfer appropriate government and government contractor-developed technology to the industrial use in the U.S. economy. For many years, NASA has had a formal technology transfer program to transmit information about new technologies developed for space applications into the industrial or commercial sector. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been in the forefront of the development of U.S. industrial assistance programs using technologies developed at the Center. During 1992-93, MSFC initiated a technology transfer metrics study. The MSFC study was the first of its kind among the various NASA centers. The metrics study is a continuing process, with periodic updates that reflect on-going technology transfer activities.

  12. Backward transfer entropy: Informational measure for detecting hidden Markov models and its interpretations in thermodynamics, gambling and causality

    PubMed Central

    Ito, Sosuke

    2016-01-01

    The transfer entropy is a well-established measure of information flow, which quantifies directed influence between two stochastic time series and has been shown to be useful in a variety fields of science. Here we introduce the transfer entropy of the backward time series called the backward transfer entropy, and show that the backward transfer entropy quantifies how far it is from dynamics to a hidden Markov model. Furthermore, we discuss physical interpretations of the backward transfer entropy in completely different settings of thermodynamics for information processing and the gambling with side information. In both settings of thermodynamics and the gambling, the backward transfer entropy characterizes a possible loss of some benefit, where the conventional transfer entropy characterizes a possible benefit. Our result implies the deep connection between thermodynamics and the gambling in the presence of information flow, and that the backward transfer entropy would be useful as a novel measure of information flow in nonequilibrium thermodynamics, biochemical sciences, economics and statistics. PMID:27833120

  13. Backward transfer entropy: Informational measure for detecting hidden Markov models and its interpretations in thermodynamics, gambling and causality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ito, Sosuke

    2016-11-01

    The transfer entropy is a well-established measure of information flow, which quantifies directed influence between two stochastic time series and has been shown to be useful in a variety fields of science. Here we introduce the transfer entropy of the backward time series called the backward transfer entropy, and show that the backward transfer entropy quantifies how far it is from dynamics to a hidden Markov model. Furthermore, we discuss physical interpretations of the backward transfer entropy in completely different settings of thermodynamics for information processing and the gambling with side information. In both settings of thermodynamics and the gambling, the backward transfer entropy characterizes a possible loss of some benefit, where the conventional transfer entropy characterizes a possible benefit. Our result implies the deep connection between thermodynamics and the gambling in the presence of information flow, and that the backward transfer entropy would be useful as a novel measure of information flow in nonequilibrium thermodynamics, biochemical sciences, economics and statistics.

  14. Improving Escalation of Care: Development and Validation of the Quality of Information Transfer Tool.

    PubMed

    Johnston, Maximilian J; Arora, Sonal; Pucher, Philip H; Reissis, Yannis; Hull, Louise; Huddy, Jeremy R; King, Dominic; Darzi, Ara

    2016-03-01

    To develop and provide validity and feasibility evidence for the QUality of Information Transfer (QUIT) tool. Prompt escalation of care in the setting of patient deterioration can prevent further harm. Escalation and information transfer skills are not currently measured in surgery. This study comprised 3 phases: the development (phase 1), validation (phase 2), and feasibility analysis (phase 3) of the QUIT tool. Phase 1 involved identification of core skills needed for successful escalation of care through literature review and 33 semistructured interviews with stakeholders. Phase 2 involved the generation of validity evidence for the tool using a simulated setting. Thirty surgeons assessed a deteriorating postoperative patient in a simulated ward and escalated their care to a senior colleague. The face and content validity were assessed using a survey. Construct and concurrent validity of the tool were determined by comparing performance scores using the QUIT tool with those measured using the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) tool. Phase 3 was conducted using direct observation of escalation scenarios on surgical wards in 2 hospitals. A 7-category assessment tool was developed from phase 1 consisting of 24 items. Twenty-one of 24 items had excellent content validity (content validity index >0.8). All 7 categories and 18 of 24 (P < 0.05) items demonstrated construct validity. The correlation between the QUIT and SBAR tools used was strong indicating concurrent validity (r = 0.694, P < 0.001). Real-time scoring of escalation referrals was feasible and indicated that doctors currently have better information transfer skills than nurses when faced with a deteriorating patient. A validated tool to assess information transfer for deteriorating surgical patients was developed and tested using simulation and real-time clinical scenarios. It may improve the quality and safety of patient care on the surgical ward.

  15. Informal Training in Staff Networks to Support Dissemination of Health Promotion Programs

    PubMed Central

    Ramanadhan, Shoba; Wiecha, Jean L.; Gortmaker, Steven L.; Emmons, Karen M.; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula

    2011-01-01

    Purpose To study informal skill transfer via staff networks as a complement to formal training among afterschool childcare providers implementing a health promotion program. Design Cross-sectional, sociometric network analysis. Setting Boston Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) afterschool programs implementing the iPLAY program. Participants All 91 staff members at 20 sites were eligible; 80 completed the survey (88% response rate). Measures At the network level, network density measured system-level connectedness. At the staff level, the independent variable was out degree, the number of individuals to whom respondents noted a program-related connection. The dependent variable was skill gains, the number of key implementation skills gained from the network. Analysis We mapped the staff program-related social network. We utilized multiple linear regression to estimate the relationship between out degree and skill gains, and we adjusted for clustering of staff in sites. Results Most staff (77%) reported gaining at least one skill from the network, but only 2% of potential network connections were established. The regression model showed that out degree (i.e., number of program-related contacts) was significantly associated with skill gains (β = .48, p < .01) independent of other variables. Conclusion Informal skill transfer in staff networks may be a useful complement to formal training for implementation of health promotion programs, but informal skill transfer was likely underutilized in this network. Future research employing longitudinal and/or multisite data should examine these findings in greater detail. PMID:20809826

  16. Biotechnology regulation: is policy transfer an appropriate answer?

    PubMed

    Cárdenas-Gómez, Olga Carolina; Létourneau, Lyne

    2010-01-01

    In the world of biotechnology regulation, one often encounters the suggestion that the legislation of other countries should be consulted. Known as "policy transfer" in the field of public policy analysis, the purpose of such a recommendation is for policymakers to use the experiences of other States as a basis for developing appropriate regulatory frameworks in a timely manner. This paper examines whether policy transfer is relevant as an instrument for biotechnology regulation, and if it is, to what extent. Our analysis uses the example of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), and unfolds according to the following argumentative steps. We will begin by discussing policy transfer as a recognized feature of policymaking in the literature pertaining to public policy analysis. We will then introduce a distinction between the technical dimension of policymaking and its political component. We will refer to "morality policy" as an illustration of policymaking directed toward its political component. We will show that, in the case of morality policy, States have moved away from a policy transfer approach. We will then establish that ART qualifies as morality policy, suggesting that policy transfer is most likely not the optimal policymaking tool for dealing with biotechnology regulation. Moving beyond the issue of ART in order to expand our reasoning to biotechnology regulation as a whole, we will conclude that, although the experiences of other States may be useful, policy transfer does not suffice in terms of informing policymaking in the case of biotechnology advances.

  17. Replica symmetric evaluation of the information transfer in a two-layer network in the presence of continuous and discrete stimuli.

    PubMed

    Del Prete, Valeria; Treves, Alessandro

    2002-04-01

    In a previous paper we have evaluated analytically the mutual information between the firing rates of N independent units and a set of multidimensional continuous and discrete stimuli, for a finite population size and in the limit of large noise. Here, we extend the analysis to the case of two interconnected populations, where input units activate output ones via Gaussian weights and a threshold linear transfer function. We evaluate the information carried by a population of M output units, again about continuous and discrete correlates. The mutual information is evaluated solving saddle-point equations under the assumption of replica symmetry, a method that, by taking into account only the term linear in N of the input information, is equivalent to assuming the noise to be large. Within this limitation, we analyze the dependence of the information on the ratio M/N, on the selectivity of the input units and on the level of the output noise. We show analytically, and confirm numerically, that in the limit of a linear transfer function and of a small ratio between output and input noise, the output information approaches asymptotically the information carried in input. Finally, we show that the information loss in output does not depend much on the structure of the stimulus, whether purely continuous, purely discrete or mixed, but only on the position of the threshold nonlinearity, and on the ratio between input and output noise.

  18. 76 FR 14370 - Information Collection; Transfer of Farm Records Between Counties

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Information Collection; Transfer of Farm Records... collection associated with transferring of farm records from one administrative county office to another..., Agricultural Program Specialist, (202) 720-5422. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Transfer of Farm Records...

  19. Hot spot-mediated non-dissipative and ultrafast plasmon passage.

    PubMed

    Roller, Eva-Maria; Besteiro, Lucas V; Pupp, Claudia; Khorashad, Larousse Khosravi; Govorov, Alexander O; Liedl, Tim

    2017-08-01

    Plasmonic nanoparticles hold great promise as photon handling elements and as channels for coherent transfer of energy and information in future all-optical computing devices.1-5 Coherent energy oscillations between two spatially separated plasmonic entities via a virtual middle state exemplify electron-based population transfer, but their realization requires precise nanoscale positioning of heterogeneous particles.6-10 Here, we show the assembly and optical analysis of a triple particle system consisting of two gold nanoparticles with an inter-spaced silver island. We observe strong plasmonic coupling between the spatially separated gold particles mediated by the connecting silver particle with almost no dissipation of energy. As the excitation energy of the silver island exceeds that of the gold particles, only quasi-occupation of the silver transfer channel is possible. We describe this effect both with exact classical electrodynamic modeling and qualitative quantum-mechanical calculations. We identify the formation of strong hot spots between all particles as the main mechanism for the loss-less coupling and thus coherent ultra-fast energy transfer between the remote partners. Our findings could prove useful for quantum gate operations, but also for classical charge and information transfer processes.

  20. Sensor module design and forward and inverse kinematics analysis of 6-DOF sorting transferring robot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Huiying; Lin, Jiajian; Liu, Lei; Tao, Meng

    2017-09-01

    To meet the demand of high strength express sorting, it is significant to design a robot with multiple degrees of freedom that can sort and transfer. This paper uses infrared sensor, color sensor and pressure sensor to receive external information, combine the plan of motion path in advance and the feedback information from the sensors, then write relevant program. In accordance with these, we can design a 6-DOF robot that can realize multi-angle seizing. In order to obtain characteristics of forward and inverse kinematics, this paper describes the coordinate directions and pose estimation by the D-H parameter method and closed solution. On the basis of the solution of forward and inverse kinematics, geometric parameters of links and link parameters are optimized in terms of application requirements. In this way, this robot can identify route, sort and transfer.

  1. FIBRE AND INTEGRATED OPTICS. OPTICAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION: Feasibility of using waveguide holograms in systems for the transfer of amplitude—phase information along fibre communication lines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dianov, Evgenii M.; Zubov, Vladimir A.; Putilin, A. N.

    1995-02-01

    An analysis is made of a variant of a system for spatial—temporal transformation of spatially one-dimensional information for its transfer along a single-mode fibre waveguide. Information is coupled into a fibre by a waveguide hologram. This hologram forms a light-beam structure which matches the fibre-guided mode. A report is given of the use of ion-exchange planar glass waveguides as waveguide holograms. An amorphous chalcogenide semiconductor film or a photoresist was deposited by evaporation on such a planar waveguide. Reconstruction of the waveguide hologram made it possible to achieve a high read rate, up to 1011 pixels per second, when a short radiation pulse was used. Multisectioned injection semiconductor lasers, operating under Q-switching conditions, were used as the radiation sources.

  2. Information structure and organisation in change of shift reports: An observational study of nursing hand-offs in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

    PubMed

    Foster-Hunt, Tara; Parush, Avi; Ellis, Jacqueline; Thomas, Margot; Rashotte, Judy

    2015-06-01

    Patient hand-offs involve the exchange of critical information. Ineffective hand-offs can result in reduced patient safety by leading to wrong treatment, delayed diagnoses or other outcomes that can negatively affect the healthcare system. The objectives of this study were to uncover the structure of the information conveyed during patient hand-offs and look for principles characterising the organisation of the information. With an observational study approach, data was gathered during the morning and evening nursing change of shift hand-offs in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Content analysis identified a common meta-structure used for information transfer that contained categories with varying degrees of information integration and the repetition of high consequence information. Differences were found in the organisation of the hand-off structures, and these varied as a function of nursing experience. The findings are discussed in terms of the potential benefits of computerised tools which utilise standardised structure for information transfer and the implications for future education and critical care skill acquisition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Informal Care and Inter-vivos Transfers: Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women

    PubMed Central

    Norton, Edward C.; Nicholas, Lauren H.; Huang, Sean Sheng-Hsiu

    2013-01-01

    Informal care is the largest source of long-term care for elderly, surpassing home health care and nursing home care. By definition, informal care is unpaid. It remains a puzzle why so many adult children give freely of their time. Transfers of time to the older generation may be balanced by financial transfers going to the younger generation. This leads to the question of whether informal care and inter-vivos transfers are causally related. We analyze data from the 1999 and 2003 waves of National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women. We examine whether the elderly parents give more inter-vivos monetary transfers to adult children who provide informal care, by examining both the extensive and intensive margins of financial transfers and of informal care. We find statistically significant results that a child who provides informal care is more likely to receive inter-vivos transfers than a sibling who does not. If a child does provide care, there is no statistically significant effect on the amount of the transfer. PMID:25285181

  4. Analysis of neuronal cells of dissociated primary culture on high-density CMOS electrode array

    PubMed Central

    Matsuda, Eiko; Mita, Takeshi; Hubert, Julien; Bakkum, Douglas; Frey, Urs; Hierlemann, Andreas; Takahashi, Hirokazu; Ikegami, Takashi

    2017-01-01

    Spontaneous development of neuronal cells was recorded around 4–34 days in vitro (DIV) with high-density CMOS array, which enables detailed study of the spatio-temporal activity of neuronal culture. We used the CMOS array to characterize the evolution of the inter-spike interval (ISI) distribution from putative single neurons, and estimate the network structure based on transfer entropy analysis, where each node corresponds to a single neuron. We observed that the ISI distributions gradually obeyed the power law with maturation of the network. The amount of information transferred between neurons increased at the early stage of development, but decreased as the network matured. These results suggest that both ISI and transfer entropy were very useful for characterizing the dynamic development of cultured neural cells over a few weeks. PMID:24109870

  5. A Preliminary Analysis of German Arms Transfer Rationales

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-06-07

    lucrative market is a relatively new field. Although some sort of arms industry has existed as long as men have foughL wars, the study of the transfer...limitation of this thesis is the difficulty of obtaining current information on arms sales. Most nations are reluctant to advertise the fact that they...caused many Third-World nations such as Brazil and Israel and South Africa to begin to manufacture and market arms. The Federal Republic of Germany is

  6. Quantifying transfer after perceptual-motor sequence learning: how inflexible is implicit learning?

    PubMed Central

    Sanchez, Daniel J.; Yarnik, Eric N.

    2015-01-01

    Studies of implicit perceptual-motor sequence learning have often shown learning to be inflexibly tied to the training conditions during learning. Since sequence learning is seen as a model task of skill acquisition, limits on the ability to transfer knowledge from the training context to a performance context indicates important constraints on skill learning approaches. Lack of transfer across contexts has been demonstrated by showing that when task elements are changed following training, this leads to a disruption in performance. These results have typically been taken as suggesting that the sequence knowledge relies on integrated representations across task elements (Abrahamse, Jiménez, Verwey, & Clegg, Psychon Bull Rev 17:603–623, 2010a). Using a relatively new sequence learning task, serial interception sequence learning, three experiments are reported that quantify this magnitude of performance disruption after selectively manipulating individual aspects of motor performance or perceptual information. In Experiment 1, selective disruption of the timing or order of sequential actions was examined using a novel response manipulandum that allowed for separate analysis of these two motor response components. In Experiments 2 and 3, transfer was examined after selective disruption of perceptual information that left the motor response sequence intact. All three experiments provided quantifiable estimates of partial transfer to novel contexts that suggest some level of information integration across task elements. However, the ability to identify quantifiable levels of successful transfer indicates that integration is not all-or-none and that measurement sensitivity is a key in understanding sequence knowledge representations. PMID:24668505

  7. Space Handbook

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1970-07-01

    communications problem is confined to transfer between the vehicle and the surface and to recording the data in a form suitable for processing and analysis at a...information available for later analysis would be of greater significance. Thus, computers used to receive and record data may be used to perform preliminary...basic design of boosters and payloads to the reduction and analysis of the data after mission completion. Computers function to schedule experiments

  8. British Columbia Transfer Guide, 2002-2003: The Official Guide to Post-Secondary Credit Transfer in B.C.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, Vancouver.

    This transfer 2002-2003 transfer guide for the province of British Columbia offers detailed information for college transfer students. The guide documents provincial transfer policy and process, as well as offering specific transfer information for some institutions. It is suggested that it be used in conjunction with the Online Transfer Guide and…

  9. [Transferring palliative-care patients from hospital to community care: A qualitative study].

    PubMed

    Correa-Casado, Matías; Granero-Molina, José; Hernández-Padilla, José Manuel; Fernández-Sola, Cayetano

    To know the experience of case-manager nurses with regard to transferring palliative-care patients from the hospital to their homes. Qualitative phenomenological study carried out in 2014-2015. Poniente and Almería health districts, which referral hospitals are Poniente Hospital and Torrecárdenas Hospital, respectively. A purposive sample comprised of 12 case-manager nurses was recruited from the aforementioned setting. Theoretical data saturation was achieved after performing 7 in-depth individual interviews and 1 focus group. Data analysis was performed following Colaizzi's method. Three themes emerged: (1) 'Case-management nursing as a quality, patient-centred service' (2) 'Failures of the information systems', with the subthemes "patients" insufficient and inadequate previous information" and "ineffective between-levels communication channels for advanced nursing"; (3) 'Deficiencies in discharge planning', with the subthemes "deficient management of resources on admission", "uncertainty about discharge" and "insufficient human resources to coordinate the transfer". Case-manager nurses consider themselves a good-quality service. However, they think there are issues with coordination, information and discharge planning of palliative patients from hospital. It would be useful to review the communication pathways of both care and discharge reports, so that resources needed by palliative patients are effectively managed at the point of being transferred home. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  10. Acute Sleep Deprivation Induces a Local Brain Transfer Information Increase in the Frontal Cortex in a Widespread Decrease Context.

    PubMed

    Alonso, Joan F; Romero, Sergio; Mañanas, Miguel A; Alcalá, Marta; Antonijoan, Rosa M; Giménez, Sandra

    2016-04-14

    Sleep deprivation (SD) has adverse effects on mental and physical health, affecting the cognitive abilities and emotional states. Specifically, cognitive functions and alertness are known to decrease after SD. The aim of this work was to identify the directional information transfer after SD on scalp EEG signals using transfer entropy (TE). Using a robust methodology based on EEG recordings of 18 volunteers deprived from sleep for 36 h, TE and spectral analysis were performed to characterize EEG data acquired every 2 h. Correlation between connectivity measures and subjective somnolence was assessed. In general, TE showed medium- and long-range significant decreases originated at the occipital areas and directed towards different regions, which could be interpreted as the transfer of predictive information from parieto-occipital activity to the rest of the head. Simultaneously, short-range increases were obtained for the frontal areas, following a consistent and robust time course with significant maps after 20 h of sleep deprivation. Changes during sleep deprivation in brain network were measured effectively by TE, which showed increased local connectivity and diminished global integration. TE is an objective measure that could be used as a potential measure of sleep pressure and somnolence with the additional property of directed relationships.

  11. Survey of computer programs for heat transfer analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noor, Ahmed K.

    1986-01-01

    An overview is given of the current capabilities of thirty-three computer programs that are used to solve heat transfer problems. The programs considered range from large general-purpose codes with broad spectrum of capabilities, large user community, and comprehensive user support (e.g., ABAQUS, ANSYS, EAL, MARC, MITAS II, MSC/NASTRAN, and SAMCEF) to the small, special-purpose codes with limited user community such as ANDES, NTEMP, TAC2D, TAC3D, TEPSA and TRUMP. The majority of the programs use either finite elements or finite differences for the spatial discretization. The capabilities of the programs are listed in tabular form followed by a summary of the major features of each program. The information presented herein is based on a questionnaire sent to the developers of each program. This information is preceded by a brief background material needed for effective evaluation and use of computer programs for heat transfer analysis. The present survey is useful in the initial selection of the programs which are most suitable for a particular application. The final selection of the program to be used should, however, be based on a detailed examination of the documentation and the literature about the program.

  12. Flow Analysis Tool White Paper

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boscia, Nichole K.

    2012-01-01

    Faster networks are continually being built to accommodate larger data transfers. While it is intuitive to think that implementing faster networks will result in higher throughput rates, this is often not the case. There are many elements involved in data transfer, many of which are beyond the scope of the network itself. Although networks may get bigger and support faster technologies, the presence of other legacy components, such as older application software or kernel parameters, can often cause bottlenecks. Engineers must be able to identify when data flows are reaching a bottleneck that is not imposed by the network and then troubleshoot it using the tools available to them. The current best practice is to collect as much information as possible on the network traffic flows so that analysis is quick and easy. Unfortunately, no single method of collecting this information can sufficiently capture the whole endto- end picture. This becomes even more of a hurdle when large, multi-user systems are involved. In order to capture all the necessary information, multiple data sources are required. This paper presents a method for developing a flow analysis tool to effectively collect network flow data from multiple sources and provide that information to engineers in a clear, concise way for analysis. The purpose of this method is to collect enough information to quickly (and automatically) identify poorly performing flows along with the cause of the problem. The method involves the development of a set of database tables that can be populated with flow data from multiple sources, along with an easyto- use, web-based front-end interface to help network engineers access, organize, analyze, and manage all the information.

  13. Knowledge discovery from data and Monte-Carlo DEA to evaluate technical efficiency of mental health care in small health areas

    PubMed Central

    García-Alonso, Carlos; Pérez-Naranjo, Leonor

    2009-01-01

    Introduction Knowledge management, based on information transfer between experts and analysts, is crucial for the validity and usability of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Aim To design and develop a methodology: i) to assess technical efficiency of small health areas (SHA) in an uncertainty environment, and ii) to transfer information between experts and operational models, in both directions, for improving expert’s knowledge. Method A procedure derived from knowledge discovery from data (KDD) is used to select, interpret and weigh DEA inputs and outputs. Based on KDD results, an expert-driven Monte-Carlo DEA model has been designed to assess the technical efficiency of SHA in Andalusia. Results In terms of probability, SHA 29 is the most efficient being, on the contrary, SHA 22 very inefficient. 73% of analysed SHA have a probability of being efficient (Pe) >0.9 and 18% <0.5. Conclusions Expert knowledge is necessary to design and validate any operational model. KDD techniques make the transfer of information from experts to any operational model easy and results obtained from the latter improve expert’s knowledge.

  14. Effect of air bubble localization after transfer on embryo transfer outcomes.

    PubMed

    Tiras, Bulent; Korucuoglu, Umit; Polat, Mehtap; Saltik, Ayse; Zeyneloglu, Hulusi Bulent; Yarali, Hakan

    2012-09-01

    Our study aimed to provide information about the effects of air bubble localization after transfer on embryo transfer outcomes. Retrospective analysis of 7489 ultrasound-guided embryo transfers. Group 1 included 6631 embryo transfers in which no movement of the air bubbles was observed after transfer. Group 2 consisted of 407 embryo transfers in which the air bubbles moved towards the uterine fundus spontaneously, a little time after transfer. Group 3 included 370 embryo transfers in which the air bubbles moved towards the uterine fundus with ejection, immediately after transfer. Group 4 consisted of 81 embryo transfers in which the air bubbles moved towards the cervical canal. The four patient groups were different from one another with respect to positive pregnancy tests. Post hoc test revealed that this difference was between group 4 and other groups. An initial finding of our study was significantly decreased positive pregnancy test rates and clinical pregnancy rates with air bubbles moving towards the cervical canal after transfer. Although air bubbles moving towards the uterine fundus with ejection were associated with higher pregnancy rates, higher miscarriage rates and similar live birth rates were observed compared to air bubbles remaining stable after transfer. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. OPTICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING: Modulation—spectral analysis of an image transmitted across a distorting medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zubov, Vladimir A.; Mironova, T. V.

    1998-05-01

    The task of simultaneous determination of the structure and characteristics of a two-dimensional amplitude—phase signal and a two-dimensional complex transfer or instrumental function is considered. The solution is based on determination of four independent intensity distributions of spectral representations of the signal Isr(ωx, ωy) subjected to the action of the transfer function, of the signal Ismr(ωx, ωy which) has experienced additional modulation applied in a certain manner and the action of the transfer function, of the signal Isrn(ωx, ωy) representing the signal Isr(ωx, ωy) with certain additional modulation at the output, and of the signal Ismrn(ωx, ωy) which is the signal Ismr(ωx, ωy) with certain additional modulation at the output. These intensity distributions make it possible to calculate the amplitude and phase components of the image being analysed and of the transfer function. Additional modulations should in some way ensure visualisation of the phase information. A specific type of additional spatial modulation, in the form of linear amplitude, is discussed.

  16. Insights into dissociative electron transfer in esterified shikonin semiquinones by in situ ESR/UV-Vis spectroelectrochemistry.

    PubMed

    Armendáriz-Vidales, G; Frontana, C

    2015-11-21

    In this work, electrogenerated anion and dianion species from shikonin and its ester derivative isovalerylshikonin were characterized by means of ESR/UV-Vis spectroelectrochemistry. Analysis of the spectra supported the proposal that stepwise dissociative electron transfer (DET) takes place during the second reduction process of the esterified compound. Quantum chemical calculations were performed for validating the occurrence of this mechanistic pathway and for obtaining thermodynamic information on the electron transfer process; ΔG(cleavage)(0) was estimated to be -0.45 eV, considering that the two possible products of the overall reaction scheme are both a quinone and carboxylate anions.

  17. Information Acquisition, Analysis and Integration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-03

    of sensing and processing, theory, applications, signal processing, image and video processing, machine learning , technology transfer. 16. SECURITY... learning . 5. Solved elegantly old problems like image and video debluring, intro- ducing new revolutionary approaches. 1 DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution...Polatkan, G. Sapiro, D. Blei, D. B. Dunson, and L. Carin, “ Deep learning with hierarchical convolution factor analysis,” IEEE 6 DISTRIBUTION A

  18. Advanced space system analysis software. Technical, user, and programmer guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farrell, C. E.; Zimbelman, H. F.

    1981-01-01

    The LASS computer program provides a tool for interactive preliminary and conceptual design of LSS. Eight program modules were developed, including four automated model geometry generators, an associated mass properties module, an appendage synthesizer module, an rf analysis module, and an orbital transfer analysis module. The existing rigid body controls analysis module was modified to permit analysis of effects of solar pressure on orbital performance. A description of each module, user instructions, and programmer information are included.

  19. Social Media Meets Big Urban Data: A Case Study of Urban Waterlogging Analysis.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ningyu; Chen, Huajun; Chen, Jiaoyan; Chen, Xi

    2016-01-01

    With the design and development of smart cities, opportunities as well as challenges arise at the moment. For this purpose, lots of data need to be obtained. Nevertheless, circumstances vary in different cities due to the variant infrastructures and populations, which leads to the data sparsity. In this paper, we propose a transfer learning method for urban waterlogging disaster analysis, which provides the basis for traffic management agencies to generate proactive traffic operation strategies in order to alleviate congestion. Existing work on urban waterlogging mostly relies on past and current conditions, as well as sensors and cameras, while there may not be a sufficient number of sensors to cover the relevant areas of a city. To this end, it would be helpful if we could transfer waterlogging. We examine whether it is possible to use the copious amounts of information from social media and satellite data to improve urban waterlogging analysis. Moreover, we analyze the correlation between severity, road networks, terrain, and precipitation. Moreover, we use a multiview discriminant transfer learning method to transfer knowledge to small cities. Experimental results involving cities in China and India show that our proposed framework is effective.

  20. Social Media Meets Big Urban Data: A Case Study of Urban Waterlogging Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Huajun; Chen, Jiaoyan

    2016-01-01

    With the design and development of smart cities, opportunities as well as challenges arise at the moment. For this purpose, lots of data need to be obtained. Nevertheless, circumstances vary in different cities due to the variant infrastructures and populations, which leads to the data sparsity. In this paper, we propose a transfer learning method for urban waterlogging disaster analysis, which provides the basis for traffic management agencies to generate proactive traffic operation strategies in order to alleviate congestion. Existing work on urban waterlogging mostly relies on past and current conditions, as well as sensors and cameras, while there may not be a sufficient number of sensors to cover the relevant areas of a city. To this end, it would be helpful if we could transfer waterlogging. We examine whether it is possible to use the copious amounts of information from social media and satellite data to improve urban waterlogging analysis. Moreover, we analyze the correlation between severity, road networks, terrain, and precipitation. Moreover, we use a multiview discriminant transfer learning method to transfer knowledge to small cities. Experimental results involving cities in China and India show that our proposed framework is effective. PMID:27774098

  1. Investigation of the effects of 'piperazine-containing party pills' and dexamphetamine on interhemispheric communication using electroencephalography.

    PubMed

    Lee, HeeSeung; Wang, Grace Y; Curley, Louise E; Kydd, Rob R; Kirk, Ian J; Russell, Bruce R

    2016-08-01

    'Piperazine-containing party pills' were marketed and sold as legal alternatives to methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) until 2008 in New Zealand. The major constituents of these 'pills' were benzylphenylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP). Despite their popularity, there is a paucity of knowledge about their central effects in humans. This study investigated their effects on human neural processing using electroencephalographic techniques. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of an acute dose of these compounds on the interhemispheric transfer of information (IHTT) using the Poffenberger task. Reaction time data were also collected. Healthy, right-handed males were given an oral dose of either BZP (n = 13) (200 mg), TFMPP (n = 15) (60 mg), a combination of BZP + TFMPP (n = 15) (100 mg/30 mg), dexamphetamine (n = 16) (20 mg), or placebo (n = 23) and tested both before and 120 min after drug administration. A mixed factorial repeated measures analysis of variance of absolute N160 latency and contrast analysis revealed that only TFMPP (F (1,77) = 17.30, p ≤ 0.001) significantly reduced the absolute N160 latency. Analysis of the IHTT revealed that only TFMPP (F (1,77) = 5.266, p ≤ 0.02) significantly reduced the IHTT, while BZP, BZP + TFMPP and dexamphetamine had no effect. Contrast analysis revealed that both TFMPP (F (1,77) = 17.30, p ≤ 0.001) and placebo (F (1,77) = 15.08, p ≤ 0.001) preserved the laterality of information transfer from one hemisphere to the other. Reaction time (p > 0.05) was not significantly affected by any of the drug treatments. The usual directional asymmetry (i.e. faster R-to-L transfer relative to L-to-R) observed in healthy control group was absent following the administration of either BZP, BZP + TFMPP or dexamphetamine. Surprisingly, lateralised hemispheric function was not affected by TFMPP. Our findings highlight how the administration of BZP, TFMPP and BZP + TFMPP leads to changes in the pattern of information transfer.

  2. Instantaneous Transfer Entropy for the Study of Cardiovascular and Cardiorespiratory Nonstationary Dynamics.

    PubMed

    Valenza, Gaetano; Faes, Luca; Citi, Luca; Orini, Michele; Barbieri, Riccardo

    2018-05-01

    Measures of transfer entropy (TE) quantify the direction and strength of coupling between two complex systems. Standard approaches assume stationarity of the observations, and therefore are unable to track time-varying changes in nonlinear information transfer with high temporal resolution. In this study, we aim to define and validate novel instantaneous measures of TE to provide an improved assessment of complex nonstationary cardiorespiratory interactions. We here propose a novel instantaneous point-process TE (ipTE) and validate its assessment as applied to cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory dynamics. In particular, heartbeat and respiratory dynamics are characterized through discrete time series, and modeled with probability density functions predicting the time of the next physiological event as a function of the past history. Likewise, nonstationary interactions between heartbeat and blood pressure dynamics are characterized as well. Furthermore, we propose a new measure of information transfer, the instantaneous point-process information transfer (ipInfTr), which is directly derived from point-process-based definitions of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance. Analysis on synthetic data, as well as on experimental data gathered from healthy subjects undergoing postural changes confirms that ipTE, as well as ipInfTr measures are able to dynamically track changes in physiological systems coupling. This novel approach opens new avenues in the study of hidden, transient, nonstationary physiological states involving multivariate autonomic dynamics in cardiovascular health and disease. The proposed method can also be tailored for the study of complex multisystem physiology (e.g., brain-heart or, more in general, brain-body interactions).

  3. 75 FR 43536 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Permit To Transfer Containers to a Container Station

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-26

    ... Activities: Permit To Transfer Containers to a Container Station AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection... Transfer Containers to a Container Station. This is a proposed extension of an information collection that... other technological techniques or other forms of information. Title: Permit to Transfer Containers to a...

  4. 75 FR 26268 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Permit To Transfer Containers to a Container Station

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-11

    ... Activities: Permit To Transfer Containers to a Container Station AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection... information collection requirement concerning the: Permit to Transfer Containers to a Container Station. This... information collection: Title: Permit to Transfer Containers to a Container Station. OMB Number: 1651-0049...

  5. 77 FR 34127 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Electronic Transfer Account...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-08

    ... Information: Electronic Transfer Account (ETA) Financial Agency Agreement AGENCY: Financial Management Service... of information described below: Title: Electronic Transfer Account (ETA) Financial Agency Agreement... public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information...

  6. Information to Change the World--Fulfilling the Information Needs of Technology Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duberman, Josh; Zeller, Martin

    1996-01-01

    Provides an introduction to fulfilling the information needs of technology transfer. Highlights include a definition of technology transfer; government and university involvement; industry's role; publishers; an annotated list of information sources and contacts; technology assessment, including patent searching, competitive intelligence, and…

  7. 28 CFR 22.26 - Requests for transfer of information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Requests for transfer of information. 22.26 Section 22.26 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CONFIDENTIALITY OF IDENTIFIABLE RESEARCH AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION § 22.26 Requests for transfer of information. (a) Requests for...

  8. 28 CFR 22.26 - Requests for transfer of information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Requests for transfer of information. 22.26 Section 22.26 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CONFIDENTIALITY OF IDENTIFIABLE RESEARCH AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION § 22.26 Requests for transfer of information. (a) Requests for...

  9. Cross-genera transferability of rice and finger millet genomic SSRs to barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp.).

    PubMed

    Kalyana Babu, B; Sood, Salej; Kumar, Dinesh; Joshi, Anjeli; Pattanayak, A; Kant, Lakshmi; Upadhyaya, H D

    2018-02-01

    Barnyard millet ( Echinochloa spp.) is an important crop from nutritional point of view, nevertheless, the genetic information is very scarce. In the present investigation, rice and finger millet genomic SSRs were used for assessing cross transferability, identification of polymorphic markers, syntenic regions, genetic diversity and population structure analysis of barnyard millet genotypes. We observed 100% cross transferability for finger millet SSRs, of which 91% were polymorphic, while 71% of rice markers were cross transferable with 48% polymorphic out of them. Twenty-nine and sixteen highly polymorphic finger millet and rice SSRs yielded a mean of 4.3 and 3.38 alleles per locus in barnyard millet genotypes, respectively. The PIC values varied from 0.27 to 0.73 at an average of 0.54 for finger millet SSRs, whereas it was from 0.15 to 0.67 at an average of 0.44 for rice SSRs. High synteny was observed for markers related to panicle length, yield-related traits, spikelet fertility, plant height, root traits, leaf senescence, blast and brown plant hopper resistance. Although the rice SSRs located on chromosome 10 followed by chromosome 6 and 11 were found to be more transferable to barnyard millet, the finger millet SSRs were more polymorphic and transferable to barnyard millet genotypes. These SSR data of finger millet and rice individually as well as combined together grouped the 11 barnyard millet genotypes into 2 major clusters. The results of population structure analysis were similar to cluster analysis.

  10. The application test system: An approach to technology transfer. [USDA aerospace and remote sensing information requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aaronson, A. C.; Buelow, K.; David, F. C.; Packard, R. L.; Ravet, F. W. (Principal Investigator)

    1979-01-01

    The latest satellite and computer processing and analysis technologies were tested and evaluated in terms of their application feasibility. Technologies evaluated include those developed, tested, and evaluated by the LACIE, as well as candidate technologies developed by the research community and private industry. The implementation of the applications test system and the technology transfer experience between the LACIE and the applications test system is discussed highlighting the approach, the achievements, and the shortcomings.

  11. Interactive web-based format vs conventional brochure material for information transfer to children and parents: a randomized controlled trial regarding preoperative information.

    PubMed

    Lööf, Gunilla; Liljeberg, Cecilia; Eksborg, Staffan; Lönnqvist, Per-Arne

    2017-06-01

    Information transfer to patients is an integral part of modern medicine. Internet-based alternatives represent a new and attractive way for information transfer. The study used a prospective observer-blinded design. Children (3-12 years) and parents were instructed to get further preoperative information either through an interactive web-based platform, the Anaesthesia-Web, or conventional brochure material until day of outpatient surgery. On the day of surgery, children and parents were separately asked six different questions. The primary end-point was to compare the total question score in children between the two information options (maximum score = 36). Secondary aims were the total question score for parents and the influence of age, sex, and time between the preoperative visit and day of surgery. A total of 125 children were recruited, of which 103 were included in the final analysis (the Anaesthesia-Web group, n = 49; the brochure material group, n = 54). At the predetermined interim analysis, the total question score in children was found to be substantially higher in the Anaesthesia-Web group than in the brochure material group (median score: 27; IQR: 16.5-33 and median score: 19.5; IQR: 11.25-27.75, respectively, P = 0.0076). The median difference in score was 6; 95% CI: 0-9. The total question score in parents was also higher in the Anaesthesia-Web group than in the brochure material group. Increasing child age was associated with a higher total question score in both groups. Sex did not influence the total question score in the Anaesthesia-Web group, whereas girls scored better than boys in the brochure material group. Children in the age range 3-12 years of age as well as their parents do better attain preoperative information from an interactive web-based platform compared to conventional brochure material. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Keyboard and message evaluation for cockpit input to data link

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1971-11-01

    The project reported-herein studied some methods for implementation of the man-machine interface of Digital Data Link for Air Traffic Control. An analysis of information transfer requirements indicated that a vocabulary or less than 200 words could y...

  13. A Cyclic Voltammetry Experiment for the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldwin, Richard P.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Background information and procedures are provided for experiments that illustrate the nature of cyclic voltammetry and its application in the characterization of organic electrode processes. The experiments also demonstrate the concepts of electrochemical reversibility and diffusion-controlled mass transfer. (JN)

  14. The outlook of innovative optical-electronic technologies implementation in transportation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shilina, Elena V.; Ryabichenko, Roman B.

    2005-06-01

    Information and telecommunication technologies (ITT) are already tool economic development of society and their role will grow. The first task is providing of information security of ITT that is necessary for it distribution in "information" society. The state policy of the leading world countries (USA, France, Japan, Great Britain and China) is focused on investment huge funds in innovative technologies development. Within the next 4-6 years the main fiber-optic transfer lines will have data transfer speed 40 Gbit/s, number of packed channels 60-200 that will provide effective data transfer speed 2,4-8 Tbit/s. Photonic-crystalline fibers will be promising base of new generation fiber-optic transfer lines. The market of information imaging devices and digital photo cameras will be grown in 3-5 times. Powerful lasers based on CO2 and Nd:YAG will be actively used in transport machinery construction when producing aluminum constructions of light rolling-stock. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will be base for energy saving and safety light sources used for vehicles and indoor lighting. For example, in the USA cost reducing for lighting will be 200 billion dollars. Implementation analysis of optic electronic photonic technologies (OPT) in ground and aerospace systems shows that they provide significant increasing of traffic safety, crew and passengers comfort with help of smart vehicles construction and non-contact dynamic monitoring both transport facilities (for example, wheel flanges) and condition of rail track (road surface), equipping vehicles with night vision equipment. Scientific-technical programs of JSC "RZD" propose application of OPT in new generation systems: axle-box units for coaches and freight cars monitoring when they are moved, track condition analysis, mechanical stress and permanent way irregularity detection, monitoring geometric parameters of aerial contact wire, car truck, rail and wheel pair roll surface, light signals automatic detection from locomotive, video monitoring, gyroscopes based on fiber optic.

  15. Transfer research and impact studies program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, J. E. (Editor)

    1975-01-01

    Methods developed for stimulating interest in the transfer of NASA-originated technology are described. These include: new information packaging concepts; technology transfer via people transfer; information management systems; data bank operations; and professional communication activities.

  16. Spatial transferability of habitat suitability models of Nephrops norvegicus among fished areas in the Northeast Atlantic: sufficiently stable for marine resource conservation?

    PubMed

    Lauria, Valentina; Power, Anne Marie; Lordan, Colm; Weetman, Adrian; Johnson, Mark P

    2015-01-01

    Knowledge of the spatial distribution and habitat associations of species in relation to the environment is essential for their management and conservation. Habitat suitability models are useful in quantifying species-environment relationships and predicting species distribution patterns. Little is known, however, about the stability and performance of habitat suitability models when projected into new areas (spatial transferability) and how this can inform resource management. The aims of this study were to model habitat suitability of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in five fished areas of the Northeast Atlantic (Aran ground, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, Scotland Inshore and Fladen ground), and to test for spatial transferability of habitat models among multiple regions. Nephrops burrow density was modelled using generalised additive models (GAMs) with predictors selected from four environmental variables (depth, slope, sediment and rugosity). Models were evaluated and tested for spatial transferability among areas. The optimum models (lowest AICc) for different areas always included depth and sediment as predictors. Burrow densities were generally greater at depth and in finer sediments, but relationships for individual areas were sometimes more complex. Aside from an inclusion of depth and sediment, the optimum models differed between fished areas. When it came to tests of spatial transferability, however, most of the models were able to predict Nephrops density in other areas. Furthermore, transferability was not dependent on use of the optimum models since competing models were also able to achieve a similar level of transferability to new areas. A degree of decoupling between model 'fitting' performance and spatial transferability supports the use of simpler models when extrapolating habitat suitability maps to different areas. Differences in the form and performance of models from different areas may supply further information on the processes shaping species' distributions. Spatial transferability of habitat models can be used to support fishery management when the information is scarce but caution needs to be applied when making inference and a multi-area transferability analysis is preferable to bilateral comparisons between areas.

  17. In vitro manipulation techniques of porcine embryos: a meta-analysis related to transfers, pregnancies and piglets.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ying; Li, Juan; Løvendahl, Peter; Schmidt, Mette; Larsen, Knud; Callesen, Henrik

    2015-03-01

    During the last 17 years, considerable advancements have been achieved in the production of pigs, transgenic and non-transgenic, by methods of somatic cell nuclear transfer, in vitro fertilisation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, microinjection and sperm-mediated gene transfer by artificial insemination. Therefore, a review of the overall efficiency for the developmental competence of embryos produced by these in vitro methods would be useful in order to obtain a more thorough overview of this growing area with respect to its development and present status. In this review a meta-analysis was used to analyse data collected from all published articles with a focus on zygotes and embryos for transfer, pregnancy, full-term development and piglets born. It was generally concluded that an increasing level of in vitro manipulation of porcine embryos decreased the overall efficiency for production of piglets. The techniques of nuclear transfer have been developed markedly through the increasing number of studies performed, and the results have become more stable. Prolonged in vitro culture period did not lead to any negative effect on nuclear transfer embryos after their transfer and it resulted in a similar or even higher litter size. More complete information is needed in future scientific articles about these in vitro manipulation techniques to establish a more solid basis for the evaluation of their status and to reveal and further investigate any eventual problems.

  18. [Conceptual foundations of creation of branch database of technology and intellectual property rights owned by scientific institutions, organizations, higher medical educational institutions and enterprises of healthcare sphere of Ukraine].

    PubMed

    Horban', A Ie

    2013-09-01

    The question of implementation of the state policy in the field of technology transfer in the medical branch to implement the law of Ukraine of 02.10.2012 No 5407-VI "On Amendments to the law of Ukraine" "On state regulation of activity in the field of technology transfers", namely to ensure the formation of branch database on technology and intellectual property rights owned by scientific institutions, organizations, higher medical education institutions and enterprises of healthcare sphere of Ukraine and established by budget are considered. Analysis of international and domestic experience in the processing of information about intellectual property rights and systems implementation support transfer of new technologies are made. The main conceptual principles of creation of this branch database of technology transfer and branch technology transfer network are defined.

  19. A redox beginning: Which came first phosphoryl, acyl, or electron transfer ?. [Abstract only

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weber, Arthur L.

    1994-01-01

    Thermodynamic and kinetic information available on the synthesis of prebiotic monomers and polymers will be examined in order to illuminate the prebiotic plausibility of polymer syntheses based on (a) phosphoryl transfer that yields phosphodiester polymers, (b) acyl transfer that gives polyamides, and (c) electron transfer that produces polydisulfide or poly(thio)ester polymers. New experimental results on the oxidative polymerization of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol by ferric ions on the surface of ferric hydroxide oxide will be discussed as a chemical model of polymerization by electron transfer. This redox polymerization that yields polymers with a polydisulfide backbone was found to give oligomers up to the 15-mer from 1 mM of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol after one day at 25 C. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the oligomers was carried out on an Alltech OH-100 column eluted with acetonitrile-water.

  20. 'They never talked to me about... ': Perspectives on aged care resident transfer to emergency departments.

    PubMed

    Arendts, Glenn; Popescu, Aurora; Howting, Denise; Quine, Susan; Howard, Kirsten

    2015-06-01

    To explore perspectives of three groups concerning transfers from aged care facilities to emergency departments. We sought to reveal factors influencing transfer decisions; how active each group was in making decisions; and to what extent groups ceded decision-making to others. Semi-structured interviews of 11 residents, 14 relatives and 17 staff with content analysis of interview transcripts. The three groups substantially differed in their involvement with initiating, and attitudes towards, transfer. Residents were least likely to be involved in the decision, yet most likely to support transfer. Staff felt conflicted between their desire to provide optimal treatment for one ill resident, and their obligations to other residents under care. Staff perspectives were largely consistent with published data, but we describe new results for other informant groups. Group expectations and preferences differ substantially. Service delivery to meet all preferences presents a challenge for health service design. © 2013 ACOTA.

  1. Implicit personality theory in evaluation of brand extensions.

    PubMed

    Flaherty, K E; Pappas, J M

    2000-06-01

    Transference, the extent to which consumers transfer their opinions of a parent brand to a new extension, is critical to the success of any brand-extension strategy. Past research has shown that transference is a complex process that varies among persons depending upon an implicit personality theory, entity versus incremental. In a laboratory experiment analysis of ratings for 100 21-yr.-old undergraduates of attitude, perceived fit and risk, prior product involvement, and implicit personality theory (entity versus incremental) the influence of consumers' implicit personality theory on transference was considered within the brand-extension context. As expected, the amount of transference differed between those espousing entity and incremental theories. "Entity theorists" were much more likely to transfer feelings associated with the parent brand to the new extension than were "incremental theorists" who did not rely on prior brand information when forming evaluations of a new extension. This effect did not occur when perceived fit between the parent brand and the extension was high.

  2. Standards Development Activities at White Sands Test Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, D. L.; Beeson, H. D.; Saulsberry, R. L.; Julien, H. L.; Woods, S. S.

    2003-01-01

    The development of standards and standard activities at the JSC White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) has been expanded to include the transfer of technology and standards to voluntary consensus organizations in five technical areas of importance to NASA. This effort is in direct response to the National Technology Transfer Act designed to accelerate transfer of technology to industry and promote government-industry partnerships. Technology transfer is especially important for WSTF, whose longterm mission has been to develop and provide vital propellant safety and hazards information to aerospace designers, operations personnel, and safety personnel. Meeting this mission is being accomplished through the preparation of consensus guidelines and standards, propellant hazards analysis protocols, and safety courses for the propellant use of hydrogen, oxygen, and hypergols, as well as the design and inspection of spacecraft pressure vessels and the use of pyrovalves in spacecraft propulsion systems. The overall WSTF technology transfer program is described and the current status of technology transfer activities are summarized.

  3. Principal Component-Based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) for Hyperspectral Sensors. Part I; Theoretical Concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Xu; Smith, William L.; Zhou, Daniel K.; Larar, Allen

    2005-01-01

    Modern infrared satellite sensors such as Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CrIS), Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) are capable of providing high spatial and spectral resolution infrared spectra. To fully exploit the vast amount of spectral information from these instruments, super fast radiative transfer models are needed. This paper presents a novel radiative transfer model based on principal component analysis. Instead of predicting channel radiance or transmittance spectra directly, the Principal Component-based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) predicts the Principal Component (PC) scores of these quantities. This prediction ability leads to significant savings in computational time. The parameterization of the PCRTM model is derived from properties of PC scores and instrument line shape functions. The PCRTM is very accurate and flexible. Due to its high speed and compressed spectral information format, it has great potential for super fast one-dimensional physical retrievals and for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) large volume radiance data assimilation applications. The model has been successfully developed for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Airborne Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I) and AIRS instruments. The PCRTM model performs monochromatic radiative transfer calculations and is able to include multiple scattering calculations to account for clouds and aerosols.

  4. On the importance of the heat and mass transfer resistances in internally-cooled liquid desiccant dehumidifiers and regenerators

    DOE PAGES

    Woods, Jason; Kozubal, Eric

    2018-02-06

    Liquid desiccant heat and mass exchangers are a promising technology for efficient humidity control in buildings. Many researchers have investigated these exchangers, often using numerical models to predict their performance. However, there is a lack of information in the literature on the magnitude of the heat and mass transfer resistances, both for the dehumidifier (which absorbs moisture from the air) and the regenerator (which heats the liquid desiccant to re-concentrate it). This article focuses on internally-cooled, 3-fluid exchangers in a parallel plate geometry. Water heats or cools a desiccant across a plate, and the desiccant absorbs or releases water intomore » an airstream through a membrane. A sensitivity analysis was used to estimate the importance of each of the heat and mass transfer resistances (air, membrane, desiccant, plate, water), and how it changes with different design geometries. The results show that, for most designs, the latent and sensible heat transfer of the dehumidifier is dominated by the air mass transfer resistance and air heat transfer resistance, respectively. The air mass transfer resistance is also important for the regenerator, but much less so; the change in the desiccant equilibrium humidity ratio due to a change in either temperature or desiccant mass fraction is much higher at the regenerator's higher temperatures. This increases the importance of (1) getting heat from the water to the desiccant/membrane interface, and (2) diffusing salt ions quickly away from the desiccant/membrane interface. The membrane heat transfer and water heat transfer resistances were found to be the least important. These results can help inform decisions about what simplifying assumptions to make in numerical models, and can also help in designing these exchangers by understanding which resistances are most important.« less

  5. On the importance of the heat and mass transfer resistances in internally-cooled liquid desiccant dehumidifiers and regenerators

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

    Woods, Jason; Kozubal, Eric

    Liquid desiccant heat and mass exchangers are a promising technology for efficient humidity control in buildings. Many researchers have investigated these exchangers, often using numerical models to predict their performance. However, there is a lack of information in the literature on the magnitude of the heat and mass transfer resistances, both for the dehumidifier (which absorbs moisture from the air) and the regenerator (which heats the liquid desiccant to re-concentrate it). This article focuses on internally-cooled, 3-fluid exchangers in a parallel plate geometry. Water heats or cools a desiccant across a plate, and the desiccant absorbs or releases water intomore » an airstream through a membrane. A sensitivity analysis was used to estimate the importance of each of the heat and mass transfer resistances (air, membrane, desiccant, plate, water), and how it changes with different design geometries. The results show that, for most designs, the latent and sensible heat transfer of the dehumidifier is dominated by the air mass transfer resistance and air heat transfer resistance, respectively. The air mass transfer resistance is also important for the regenerator, but much less so; the change in the desiccant equilibrium humidity ratio due to a change in either temperature or desiccant mass fraction is much higher at the regenerator's higher temperatures. This increases the importance of (1) getting heat from the water to the desiccant/membrane interface, and (2) diffusing salt ions quickly away from the desiccant/membrane interface. The membrane heat transfer and water heat transfer resistances were found to be the least important. These results can help inform decisions about what simplifying assumptions to make in numerical models, and can also help in designing these exchangers by understanding which resistances are most important.« less

  6. Interactions of information transfer along separable causal paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Peishi; Kumar, Praveen

    2018-04-01

    Complex systems arise as a result of interdependences between multiple variables, whose causal interactions can be visualized in a time-series graph. Transfer entropy and information partitioning approaches have been used to characterize such dependences. However, these approaches capture net information transfer occurring through a multitude of pathways involved in the interaction and as a result mask our ability to discern the causal interaction within a subgraph of interest through specific pathways. We build on recent developments of momentary information transfer along causal paths proposed by Runge [Phys. Rev. E 92, 062829 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevE.92.062829] to develop a framework for quantifying information partitioning along separable causal paths. Momentary information transfer along causal paths captures the amount of information transfer between any two variables lagged at two specific points in time. Our approach expands this concept to characterize the causal interaction in terms of synergistic, unique, and redundant information transfer through separable causal paths. Through a graphical model, we analyze the impact of the separable and nonseparable causal paths and the causality structure embedded in the graph as well as the noise effect on information partitioning by using synthetic data generated from two coupled logistic equation models. Our approach can provide a valuable reference for an autonomous information partitioning along separable causal paths which form a causal subgraph influencing a target.

  7. The epidemic spreading model and the direction of information flow in brain networks.

    PubMed

    Meier, J; Zhou, X; Hillebrand, A; Tewarie, P; Stam, C J; Van Mieghem, P

    2017-05-15

    The interplay between structural connections and emerging information flow in the human brain remains an open research problem. A recent study observed global patterns of directional information flow in empirical data using the measure of transfer entropy. For higher frequency bands, the overall direction of information flow was from posterior to anterior regions whereas an anterior-to-posterior pattern was observed in lower frequency bands. In this study, we applied a simple Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible (SIS) epidemic spreading model on the human connectome with the aim to reveal the topological properties of the structural network that give rise to these global patterns. We found that direct structural connections induced higher transfer entropy between two brain regions and that transfer entropy decreased with increasing distance between nodes (in terms of hops in the structural network). Applying the SIS model, we were able to confirm the empirically observed opposite information flow patterns and posterior hubs in the structural network seem to play a dominant role in the network dynamics. For small time scales, when these hubs acted as strong receivers of information, the global pattern of information flow was in the posterior-to-anterior direction and in the opposite direction when they were strong senders. Our analysis suggests that these global patterns of directional information flow are the result of an unequal spatial distribution of the structural degree between posterior and anterior regions and their directions seem to be linked to different time scales of the spreading process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Mechanistic information from the first volume profile analysis for a reversible intermolecular electron-transfer reaction involving pentaammine(isonicotinamide)ruthenium and cytochrome c

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

    Baensch, B.; Meier, M.; Martinez, P.

    1994-10-12

    The reversible intermolecular electron-transfer reaction between pentaammine(isonicotinamide)ruthenium(II/III) and horse-heart cytochrome c iron(III/II) was subjected to a detailed kinetic and thermodynamic study as a function of temperature and pressure. Theoretical calculations based on the Marcus-Hush theory were employed to predict all rate and equilibrium constants as well as activation parameters. There is an excellent agreement between the kinetically and thermodynamically determined equilibrium constants and associated pressure parameters. These data are used to construct a volume profile for the overall process, from which it follows that the transition state lies halfway between the reactant and product states on a volume basis. Themore » reorganization in the transition state has reached a similar degree in both directions of the electron-transfer process and corresponds to a {lambda}{sup {double_dagger}} value of 0.44 for this reversible reaction. This is the first complete volume profile analysis for a reversible intermolecular electron-transfer reaction.« less

  9. [Design of a conceptual model on the transference of public health research results in Honduras].

    PubMed

    Macías-Chapula, César A

    2012-01-01

    To design a conceptual model on the transference of public health research results at the local, context level. Using systems thinking concepts, a soft systems approach (SSM) was used to analyse and solve what was perceived as a problem situation related to the transference of research results within Honduras public health system. A bibliometric analysis was also conducted to enrich the problem situation. Six root definitions were defined and modeled as relevant to the expressed problem situation. This led to the development of the conceptual model. The model obtained identified four levels of resolution as derived from the human activities involved in the transference of research results: 1) those of the researchers; 2) the information/documentation professionals; 3) health staff; and 4) the population/society. These actors/ clients and their activities were essential to the functioning of the model since they represent what the model is and does. SSM helped to design the conceptual model. The bibliometric analysis was relevant to construct the rich image of the problem situation.

  10. A regional technology transfer program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The final report is presented for the North Carolina Science and Technology Research Center's 14th consecutive contract period as a NASA Industrial Applications Center, serving the information needs of nine Southeastern states. Included in the report are figures for and analysis of marketing efforts, file usage, search delivered, and other services performed for clients; and information on staff changes, workshops, and special projects in 1978. An appendix contains copies of NC/STRC magazine advertisements, letters from clients, and supplementary information on NC/STRC staff and services.

  11. Commercialization, Altruism, Clinical Practice: Seeking Explanation for Similarities and Differences in Californian and Canadian Gestational Surrogacy Outcomes.

    PubMed

    White, Pamela M

    Surrogacy is growing worldwide. Although recently some countries have sought to ban it, between 2010 and 2014 the number of babies born to gestational surrogates having in vitro fertilization treatment in California doubled, and in Canada it grew by 35%. This work seeks to fill identified knowledge gaps about the similarities and differences in the practices and outcomes of gestational surrogacy, which in California operates on a commercial basis, whereas in Canada it is illegal to pay a surrogate. The paper focusses on the period from 2010 to 2014, for which comparable American and Canadian national assisted reproduction technology information exist. A retrospective data analysis was performed using information on gestational surrogate multiple births obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System (NASS) and Canada's Assisted Reproduction Registry-Better Outcomes Registry and Network (CARTR-BORN). Multiple birth rates and transfers of multiple embryos were compared using relative risk analysis. Adherence to voluntary American Society for Reproductive Medicine-Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society embryo transfer guidelines was modelled. Among gestational surrogates, when donor ova embryos obtained from women aged less than 35 years were used, embryo transfer guideline adherence was 42% in California and 48% in Canada. Regardless of where on the commercial/noncommercial boundary North American surrogates reside, they are more likely to receive more donor ova embryos per in vitro fertilization transfer than other in vitro fertilization patients. An altruistic desire to assist childless couples and individuals create families along with clinic practices seem to play major roles in treatment decisions privileging the transfer two or more embryos. Copyright © 2018 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The Network Protocol Analysis Technique in Snort

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Qing-Xiu

    Network protocol analysis is a network sniffer to capture data for further analysis and understanding of the technical means necessary packets. Network sniffing is intercepted by packet assembly binary format of the original message content. In order to obtain the information contained. Required based on TCP / IP protocol stack protocol specification. Again to restore the data packets at protocol format and content in each protocol layer. Actual data transferred, as well as the application tier.

  13. Laminar heat transfer in annular sector ducts

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

    Soliman, H.M.

    1987-02-01

    The continuing interest in compact heat exchangeers has created the need for friction factor and Nusselt number data for different passage shapes. It has long been recognized that circular tube results are generally not applicable to noncircular passages even when the hydraulic diameter is used as the characteristic dimension. Hence, design data should be generated for each passage individually, and a good source of such information is Shah and London. One duct geometry for which complete design information does not appear to be available in the open literature is that of annular sector ducts. Such configuration is encountered in multipassagemore » internally finned tubes and many other compact het exchanger applications. The fluid flow problem for this configuration has been solved by Sparrow et al., and more recently by Niida. However, to the beest of the author's knowledge, the heat transfer results are not available yet. The purpose of this note is to summarize the analysis and results of fluid flow and heat transfer in annular sector ducts.« less

  14. Time series analysis of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave via symbolic transfer entropy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oh, Mingi; Kim, Sehyun; Lim, Kyuseong; Kim, Soo Yong

    2018-06-01

    An attempt to interpret a large-scale climate phenomenon in the Southern Ocean (SO), the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW), has been made using an information entropy method, symbolic transfer entropy (STE). Over the areas of 50-60∘S latitude belt, information flow for four climate variables, sea surface temperature (SST), sea-ice edge (SIE), sea level pressure (SLP) and meridional wind speed (MWS) is examined. We found a tendency that eastward flow of information is preferred only for oceanic variables, which is a main characteristic of the ACW, an eastward wave making a circuit around the Antarctica. Since the ACW is the coherent pattern in both ocean and atmosphere it is reasonable to infer that the tendency reflects the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) encircling the Antarctica, rather than an evidence of the ACW. We observed one common feature for all four variables, a strong information flow over the area of the eastern Pacific Ocean, which suggest a signature of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

  15. Thermodynamic aspects of information transfer in complex dynamical systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cafaro, Carlo; Ali, Sean Alan; Giffin, Adom

    2016-02-01

    From the Horowitz-Esposito stochastic thermodynamical description of information flows in dynamical systems [J. M. Horowitz and M. Esposito, Phys. Rev. X 4, 031015 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevX.4.031015], it is known that while the second law of thermodynamics is satisfied by a joint system, the entropic balance for the subsystems is adjusted by a term related to the mutual information exchange rate between the two subsystems. In this article, we present a quantitative discussion of the conceptual link between the Horowitz-Esposito analysis and the Liang-Kleeman work on information transfer between dynamical system components [X. S. Liang and R. Kleeman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 244101 (2005), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.244101]. In particular, the entropic balance arguments employed in the two approaches are compared. Notwithstanding all differences between the two formalisms, our work strengthens the Liang-Kleeman heuristic balance reasoning by showing its formal analogy with the recent Horowitz-Esposito thermodynamic balance arguments.

  16. GIS-based smartphone application to support water quality data collection

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Thorough registration of locations, conditions, and operations at sampling sites is essential for any field survey work. The collected information of this type has to be systematic, transferable, and accessible from different locations of data analysis. The handheld data-recording with smart devices...

  17. Analysis of horizontal genetic transfer in red algae in the post-genomics age

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Cheong Xin; Bhattacharya, Debashish

    2013-01-01

    The recently published genome of the unicellular red alga Porphyridium purpureum revealed a gene-rich, intron-poor species, which is surprising for a free-living mesophile. Of the 8,355 predicted protein-coding regions, up to 773 (9.3%) were implicated in horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) events involving other prokaryote and eukaryote lineages. A much smaller number, up to 174 (2.1%) showed unambiguous evidence of vertical inheritance. Together with other red algal genomes, nearly all published in 2013, these data provide an excellent platform for studying diverse aspects of algal biology and evolution. This novel information will help investigators test existing hypotheses about the impact of endosymbiosis and HGT on algal evolution and enable comparative analysis within a more-refined, hypothesis-driven framework that extends beyond HGT. Here we explore the impacts of this infusion of red algal genome data on addressing questions regarding the complex nature of algal evolution and highlight the need for scalable phylogenomic approaches to handle the forthcoming deluge of sequence information. PMID:24475368

  18. Static aeroelastic analysis of wings using Euler/Navier-Stokes equations coupled with improved wing-box finite element structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guruswamy, Guru P.; MacMurdy, Dale E.; Kapania, Rakesh K.

    1994-01-01

    Strong interactions between flow about an aircraft wing and the wing structure can result in aeroelastic phenomena which significantly impact aircraft performance. Time-accurate methods for solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have matured to the point where reliable results can be obtained with reasonable computational costs for complex non-linear flows with shock waves, vortices and separations. The ability to combine such a flow solver with a general finite element structural model is key to an aeroelastic analysis in these flows. Earlier work involved time-accurate integration of modal structural models based on plate elements. A finite element model was developed to handle three-dimensional wing boxes, and incorporated into the flow solver without the need for modal analysis. Static condensation is performed on the structural model to reduce the structural degrees of freedom for the aeroelastic analysis. Direct incorporation of the finite element wing-box structural model with the flow solver requires finding adequate methods for transferring aerodynamic pressures to the structural grid and returning deflections to the aerodynamic grid. Several schemes were explored for handling the grid-to-grid transfer of information. The complex, built-up nature of the wing-box complicated this transfer. Aeroelastic calculations for a sample wing in transonic flow comparing various simple transfer schemes are presented and discussed.

  19. Causes of systematic over- or underestimation of low streamflows by use of index-streamgage approaches in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eng, K.; Kiang, J.E.; Chen, Y.-Y.; Carlisle, D.M.; Granato, G.E.

    2011-01-01

    Low-flow characteristics can be estimated by multiple linear regressions or the index-streamgage approach. The latter transfers streamflow information from a hydrologically similar, continuously gaged basin ('index streamgage') to one with a very limited streamflow record, but often results in biased estimates. The application of the index-streamgage approach can be generalized into three steps: (1) selection of streamflow information of interest, (2) definition of hydrologic similarity and selection of index streamgage, and (3) application of an information-transfer approach. Here, we explore the effects of (1) the range of streamflow values, (2) the areal density of streamgages, and (3) index-streamgage selection criteria on the bias of three information-transfer approaches on estimates of the 7-day, 10-year minimum streamflow (Q7, 10). The three information-transfer approaches considered are maintenance of variance extension, base-flow correlation, and ratio of measured to concurrent gaged streamflow (Q-ratio invariance). Our results for 1120 streamgages throughout the United States suggest that only a small portion of the total bias in estimated streamflow values is explained by the areal density of the streamgages and the hydrologic similarity between the two basins. However, restricting the range of streamflow values used in the index-streamgage approach reduces the bias of estimated Q7, 10 values substantially. Importantly, estimated Q7, 10 values are heavily biased when the observed Q7, 10 values are near zero. Results of the analysis also showed that Q7, 10 estimates from two of the three index-streamgage approaches have lower root-mean-square error values than estimates derived from multiple regressions for the large regions considered in this study.

  20. Report of a Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer. Austin, Texas, 12-13 June 1979).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southwestern Library Association, Stillwater, OK.

    Charged with the responsibility of determining the best way to plan for solar technology information transfer within the state of Texas, participants in the Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer met to discuss the many ongoing activities related to energy information dissemination, to analyze the resources available in…

  1. Evaluating knowledge transfer practices among construction organization in Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaidi, Mohd Azian; Baharuddin, Mohd Nurfaisal; Bahardin, Nur Fadhilah; Yasin, Mohd Fadzil Mat; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Deraman, Rafikullah

    2016-08-01

    The aims of this paper is to identify a key dimension of knowledge transfer component to improve construction organization performance. It investigates the effectiveness of present knowledge transfer practices currently adopted by the Malaysian construction organizations and examines the relationship between knowledge transfer factors and organizational factors. A survey among 151 respondents including a different contractor registration grade was employed for the study. The survey shows that a seven-teen (17) factors known as creating shared awareness for information sharing, communication, personal skills,individual attitude,training, organizational culture, information technology,motivation, monitoring and supervision, service quality,information accessibility, information supply, socialization process,knowledge tools, coaching and monitoring, staff briefing and information sharing were identify as a key dimension for knowledge transfer success. This finding suggest that through improvement of each factor, the recognition of the whole strategic knowledge transfer process can be increase thus helping to strengthen the Malaysian construction organization for competitive advantages.

  2. Transfer doping of single isolated nanodiamonds, studied by scanning probe microscopy techniques.

    PubMed

    Bolker, Asaf; Saguy, Cecile; Kalish, Rafi

    2014-09-26

    The transfer doping of diamond surfaces has been applied in various novel two-dimensional electronic devices. Its extension to nanodiamonds (ND) is essential for ND-based applications in many fields. In particular, understanding the influence of the crystallite size on transfer doping is desirable. Here, we report the results of a detailed study of the electronic energetic band structure of single, isolated transfer-doped nanodiamonds with nanometric resolution using a combination of scanning tunneling spectroscopy and Kelvin force microscopy measurements. The results show how the band gap, the valence band maximum, the electron affinity and the work function all depend on the ND's size and nanoparticle surface properties. The present analysis, which combines information from both scanning tunneling spectroscopy and Kelvin force microscopy, should be applicable to any nanoparticle or surface that can be measured with scanning probe techniques.

  3. Through the client's eyes: using narratives to explore experiences of care transfers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period.

    PubMed

    van Stenus, Cherelle M V; Gotink, Mark; Boere-Boonekamp, Magda M; Sools, Anneke; Need, Ariana

    2017-06-12

    The client experience is an important outcome in the evaluation and development of perinatal healthcare. But because clients meet different professionals, measuring such experiences poses a challenge. This is especially the case in the Netherlands, where pregnant women are often transferred between professionals due to the nation's approach to risk selection. This paper explores questions around how clients experience transfers of care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period, as well as how these experiences compare to the established quality of care aspects the Dutch Patient Federation developed. Narratives from 17 Dutch women who had given birth about their experiences with transfers were collected in the Netherlands. The narratives, for which informed consent was obtained, were collected on paper and online. Storyline analysis was used to identify story types. Story types portray patterns that indicate how clients experience transfers between healthcare providers. A comparative analysis was performed to identify differences and similarities between existing quality criteria and those clients mentioned. Four story types were identified: 1) Disconnected transfers of care lead to uncertainties; 2) Seamless transfers of care due to proper collaboration lead to positive experiences; 3) Transfers of care lead to disruption of patient-provider connectedness; 4) Transfer of care is initiated by the client to make pregnancy and childbirth dreams come true. Most of the quality aspects derived from these story types were identified as being similar or complementary to the Dutch Patient Federation list. A 'new' aspect identified in the clients' stories was the influencing role of prior experiences with transfers of care on current expectations, fears, and wishes. Transfers of care affect clients greatly and influence their experiences. Good communication, seamless transfers, and maintaining autonomy contribute to more positive experiences. The stories also show that previous experiences influence client's expectations for the next pregnancy, childbirth, and transfers of care.

  4. Impact of prehospital transfer strategies in major trauma and head injury: systematic review, meta-analysis, and recommendations for study design.

    PubMed

    Pickering, Alastair; Cooper, Katy; Harnan, Susan; Sutton, Anthea; Mason, Suzanne; Nicholl, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    It is unclear whether trauma patients should be transferred initially to a trauma center or local hospital. A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the evidence for direct transport to specialist centers (SCs) versus initial stabilization at non-SCs (NSCs) for major trauma or moderate-to-severe head injury. Nine databases were searched from 1988 to 2012. Limitations in the study design informed recommendations for future studies. Of 19 major trauma studies, five (n = 19,910) included patients not transferred to SCs and adjusted for case mix. Meta-analysis showed no difference in mortality for initial triage to NSCs versus SCs (odds ratio [OR] 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.23). Within studies excluding patients not transferred to SCs, unadjusted analyses of mortality nonsignificantly favored transfer via NSCs (16 studies; n = 37,079; OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.01), whereas adjusted analysis nonsignificantly favored direct triage to SCs (9 studies; n = 34,266; OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.96-1.44). Of 11 head injury studies, all excluded patients not transferred to SCs and half were in remote locations. There was no significant mortality difference between initial triage to NSCs versus SCs within adjusted analyses (3 studies; n = 1,507; OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.31-1.79) or unadjusted analyses (10 studies; n = 3,671; OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.62-1.23). This systematic review demonstrated no difference in outcomes for direct transport to a trauma center versus initial triage to a local hospital. Many studies had significant limitations in the design, and heterogeneity was high. Recommendations for future studies include the following: (i) inclusion of patients not transferred to SCs and those dying during transport; (ii) clear description of centers plus transport distances/times; (iii) adjustments for case mix; and (iv) assessment of morbidity and mortality. Systematic review, level IV.

  5. Student Drug Testing and the Surveillance School Economy: An Analysis of Media Representation and Policy Transfer in Australian Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Emmeline

    2018-01-01

    Anxieties relating to the health, safety and security of schoolchildren have been met with a variety of surveillance apparatus in schools internationally. Drawing on findings from a content analysis of newspaper reports relating to drug testing in Australian schools, this article seeks to excavate the ways in which the media shapes, informs,…

  6. International Co-operation and Trends in Social Science Information Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rozsa, Gyorgy; Foldi, Tamas

    1980-01-01

    Identifies the role and mechanism of information transfer in the social sciences, and surveys selected, significant institutions and organizations (mostly international), which promote such transfer. (RAA)

  7. Measuring Information-Transfer Delays

    PubMed Central

    Wibral, Michael; Pampu, Nicolae; Priesemann, Viola; Siebenhühner, Felix; Seiwert, Hannes; Lindner, Michael; Lizier, Joseph T.; Vicente, Raul

    2013-01-01

    In complex networks such as gene networks, traffic systems or brain circuits it is important to understand how long it takes for the different parts of the network to effectively influence one another. In the brain, for example, axonal delays between brain areas can amount to several tens of milliseconds, adding an intrinsic component to any timing-based processing of information. Inferring neural interaction delays is thus needed to interpret the information transfer revealed by any analysis of directed interactions across brain structures. However, a robust estimation of interaction delays from neural activity faces several challenges if modeling assumptions on interaction mechanisms are wrong or cannot be made. Here, we propose a robust estimator for neuronal interaction delays rooted in an information-theoretic framework, which allows a model-free exploration of interactions. In particular, we extend transfer entropy to account for delayed source-target interactions, while crucially retaining the conditioning on the embedded target state at the immediately previous time step. We prove that this particular extension is indeed guaranteed to identify interaction delays between two coupled systems and is the only relevant option in keeping with Wiener’s principle of causality. We demonstrate the performance of our approach in detecting interaction delays on finite data by numerical simulations of stochastic and deterministic processes, as well as on local field potential recordings. We also show the ability of the extended transfer entropy to detect the presence of multiple delays, as well as feedback loops. While evaluated on neuroscience data, we expect the estimator to be useful in other fields dealing with network dynamics. PMID:23468850

  8. Informed consent in medical decision-making in commercial gestational surrogacy: a mixed methods study in New Delhi, India.

    PubMed

    Tanderup, Malene; Reddy, Sunita; Patel, Tulsi; Nielsen, Birgitte Bruun

    2015-05-01

    To investigate ethical issues in informed consent for decisions regarding embryo transfer and fetal reduction in commercial gestational surrogacy. Mixed methods study employing observations, an interview-guide and semi-structured interviews. Fertility clinics and agencies in Delhi, India, between December 2011 and December 2012. Doctors providing conceptive technologies to commissioning couples and carrying out surrogacy procedures; surrogate mothers; agents functioning as links for surrogacy. Interviews using semi-structured interview guides were carried out among 20 doctors in 18 fertility clinics, five agents from four agencies and 14 surrogate mothers. Surrogate mothers were interviewed both individually and in the presence of doctors and agents. Data on socio-economic context and experiences among and between various actors in the surrogacy process were coded to identify categories of ethical concern. Numerical and grounded theory-oriented analyses were used. Informed consent, number of embryos transferred, fetal reduction, conflict of interest among the involved parties. None of the 14 surrogate mothers were able to explain the risks involved in embryo transfer and fetal reduction. The majority of the doctors took unilateral decisions about embryo transfer and fetal reduction. The commissioning parents were usually only indirectly involved. In the qualitative analysis, difficulties in explaining procedures, autonomy, self-payment of fertility treatment and conflicts of interest were the main themes. Clinical procedural decisions were primarily made by the doctors. Surrogate mothers were not adequately informed. There is a need for regulation on decision-making procedures to safeguard the interests of surrogate mothers. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  9. Telematics and satellites. Part 1: Information systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burke, W. R.

    1980-06-01

    Telematic systems are identified and described. The applications are examined emphasizing the role played by satellite links. The discussion includes file transfer, examples of distributed processor systems, terminal communication, information retrieval systems, office information systems, electronic preparation and publishing of information, electronic systems for transfer of funds, electronic mail systems, record file transfer characteristics, intra-enterprise networks, and inter-enterprise networks.

  10. For Better or Worse? The Marriage of Key Skills Development and On-line Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Norah; Fitzgibbon, Karen

    2002-01-01

    Analysis of the University of Glamorgan's electronic learning module on employability and professional development demonstrates the feasibility of teaching transferable, "soft" skills online. Advantages compared with face-to-face include transparency, flexibility, development of information technology skills, openness, and teamwork;…

  11. 77 FR 14324 - National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards for Aerosol Coatings-Addition of Dimethyl...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-09

    .... National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and... information claimed to be confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is... That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use I. National Technology Transfer and...

  12. Acquisition of Scientific Literature in Developing Countries. 4: Zambia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundu, Maurice C.; Lungu, Charles B. M.

    1989-01-01

    Description of selected science and technical libraries and information services in Zambia focuses on collection development and acquisition policies. The problems of transferring technology through the transfer of information are discussed, the future of information transfer in Zambia is explored, and proposals for future action are presented.…

  13. 76 FR 11498 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic Submission of Technology Transfer Center (TTC...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-02

    ...; Comment Request; Generic Submission of Technology Transfer Center (TTC) External Customer Satisfaction... Transfer Center (TTC) External Customer Satisfaction Surveys (NCI). Type of Information Collection Request... information on the satisfaction of TTC's external customers with TTC customer services; collect information of...

  14. 78 FR 49490 - Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-511); Comment Request; Extension

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-14

    ... information collection, FERC-511 (Transfer of Electric License). DATES: Comments on the collection of...-0873. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Transfer of Electric License. OMB Control No.: 1902-0069... utilization of power.\\2\\ Section 8 of the FPA provides that the voluntary transfer of any license is made only...

  15. 75 FR 64353 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-19

    ... of Information Collection Under Review: Application for Tax Exempt Transfer and Registration of...) Title of the Form/Collection: Application For Tax Exempt Transfer and Registration of Firearm. (3... transfer tax bases on statutory exemptions. The information on the form is used by NFA Branch personnel to...

  16. Integration of GIS and Bim for Indoor Geovisual Analytics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, B.; Zhang, S.

    2016-06-01

    This paper presents an endeavour of integration of GIS (Geographical Information System) and BIM (Building Information Modelling) for indoor geovisual analytics. The merits of two types of technologies, GIS and BIM are firstly analysed in the context of indoor environment. GIS has well-developed capabilities of spatial analysis such as network analysis, while BIM has the advantages for indoor 3D modelling and dynamic simulation. This paper firstly investigates the important aspects for integrating GIS and BIM. Different data standards and formats such as the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and GML (Geography Markup Language) are discussed. Their merits and limitations in data transformation between GIS and BIM are analysed in terms of semantic and geometric information. An optimized approach for data exchange between GIS and BIM datasets is then proposed. After that, a strategy of using BIM for 3D indoor modelling, GIS for spatial analysis, and BIM again for visualization and dynamic simulation of the analysis results is presented. Based on the developments, this paper selects a typical problem, optimized indoor emergency evacuation, to demonstrate the integration of GIS and BIM for indoor geovisual analytics. The block Z of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is selected as a test site. Detailed indoor and outdoor 3D models of the block Z are created using a BIM software Revit. The 3D models are transferred to a GIS software ArcGIS to carry out spatial analysis. Optimized evacuation plans considering dynamic constraints are generated based on network analysis in ArcGIS assuming there is a fire accident inside the building. The analysis results are then transferred back to BIM software for visualization and dynamic simulation. The developed methods and results are of significance to facilitate future development of GIS and BIM integrated solutions in various applications.

  17. A shuttle and space station manipulator system for assembly, docking, maintenance, cargo handling and spacecraft retrieval (preliminary design). Volume 3: Concept analysis. Part 1: Technical

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    Information backing up the key features of the manipulator system concept and detailed technical information on the subsystems are presented. Space station assembly and shuttle cargo handling tasks are emphasized in the concept analysis because they involve shuttle berthing, transferring the manipulator boom between shuttle and station, station assembly, and cargo handling. Emphasis is also placed on maximizing commonality in the system areas of manipulator booms, general purpose end effectors, control and display, data processing, telemetry, dedicated computers, and control station design.

  18. From ecological test site to geographic information system: lessons for the 1980's

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Alexander, Robert H.

    1981-01-01

    Geographic information systems were common elements in two kinds of interdisciplinary regional demonstration projects in the 1970's. Ecological test sits attempted to provide for more efficient remote-sensing data delivery for regional environmental management. Regional environmental systems analysis attempted to formally describe and model the interacting regional social and environmental processes, including the resource-use decision making process. Lessons for the 1980's are drawn from recent evaluations and assessments of these programs, focusing on cost, rates of system development and technology transfer, program coordination, integrative analysis capability, and the involvement of system users and decision makers.

  19. Bringing Down the Barriers to Information Transfer (L’Abaissement des Barrieres s’Opposant au Transfert de l’Information)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-02-01

    FRANCE AGARD CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 505 Bringing down the Barriers to Information Transfer (LAbaissement des Barrires s’Opposant au ’Transfert de ...NEUILLY SUR SEINE FRANCE AGARD CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 505 Bringing down the Barriers to Information Transfer (LAbaissement des Barri~res s’Opposant au...Transfert de I’Information) Papers presented at the Technical Information Panel Specialists’ Meeting held at the Instituto Nacional de Industria, Madrid

  20. Technology utilization office data base analysis and design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Floyd, Stephen A.

    1993-01-01

    NASA Headquarters is placing a high priority on the transfer of NASA and NASA contractor developed technologies and expertise to the private sector and to other federal, state and local government organizations. The ultimate objective of these efforts is positive economic impact, an improved quality of life, and a more competitive U.S. posture in international markets. The Technology Utilization Office (TUO) currently serves seven states with its technology transfer efforts. Since 1989, the TUO has handled over one-thousand formal requests for NASA related technologies assistance. The technology transfer process requires promoting public awareness of NASA related soliciting requests for assistance, matching technologies to specific needs, assuring appropriate technology transfer, and monitoring and evaluating the process. Each of these activities have one very important aspect in common: the success of each is dissemination of appropriate high quality information. The purpose of the research was to establish the requirements and develop a preliminary design for a database system to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the TUO's technology transfer function. The research was conducted following the traditional systems development life cycle methodology and was supported through the use of modern structured analysis techniques. The next section will describe the research and findings as conducted under the life cycle approach.

  1. Global-to-local policy transfer in the introduction of new molecular tuberculosis diagnostics in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Colvin, C J; Leon, N; Wills, C; van Niekerk, M; Bissell, K; Naidoo, P

    2015-11-01

    Lack of innovation in diagnostics has contributed to tuberculosis (TB) remaining a global health challenge. It is critical to understand how new diagnostic technologies are translated into policies and how these are implemented. To examine policy transfer for two rapid molecular diagnostic tests, GenoType(®) MDRTBplus and Xpert(®) MTB/RIF, to understand policy development, uptake and implementation in South Africa. A policy transfer analysis framework integrating the key dimensions of policy transfer into one coherent model was used. Two phases of key informant interviews were undertaken with a wide range of stakeholders. Both tests were developed through innovative partnerships and responded to urgent public health needs. GenoType was introduced through a process that was more inclusive than that for Xpert. National policy and planning processes were opaque for both tests. Their implementation, maintenance and expansion suffered from poor communication and coordination, insufficient attention to resource implications, technical challenges and a lack of broader health systems thinking. Our analysis identified the risks and benefits of partnerships for technological innovation, the complex intersections between global and national actors and the impact of health systems on policy transfer, and the risks of rescue- and technology-focused thinking in addressing public health challenges.

  2. A novel x-ray detector design with higher DQE and reduced aliasing: Theoretical analysis of x-ray reabsoprtion in detector converter material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nano, Tomi; Escartin, Terenz; Karim, Karim S.; Cunningham, Ian A.

    2016-03-01

    The ability to improve visualization of structural information in digital radiography without increasing radiation exposures requires improved image quality across all spatial frequencies, especially at high frequencies. The detective quantum efficiency (DQE) as a function of spatial frequency quantifies image quality given by an x-ray detector. We present a method of increasing DQE at high spatial frequencies by improving the modulation transfer function (MTF) and reducing noise aliasing. The Apodized Aperature Pixel (AAP) design uses a detector with micro-elements to synthesize desired pixels and provide higher DQE than conventional detector designs. A cascaded system analysis (CSA) that incorporates x-ray interactions is used for comparison of the theoretical MTF, noise power spectrum (NPS), and DQE. Signal and noise transfer through the converter material is shown to consist of correlated an uncorrelated terms. The AAP design was shown to improve the DQE of both material types that have predominantly correlated transfer (such as CsI) and predominantly uncorrelated transfer (such as Se). Improvement in the MTF by 50% and the DQE by 100% at the sampling cut-off frequency is obtained when uncorrelated transfer is prevalent through the converter material. Optimizing high-frequency DQE results in improved image contrast and visualization of small structures and fine-detail.

  3. Development and evaluation of the impulse transfer function technique

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mantus, M.

    1972-01-01

    The development of the test/analysis technique known as the impulse transfer function (ITF) method is discussed. This technique, when implemented with proper data processing systems, should become a valuable supplement to conventional dynamic testing and analysis procedures that will be used in the space shuttle development program. The method can relieve many of the problems associated with extensive and costly testing of the shuttle for transient loading conditions. In addition, the time history information derived from impulse testing has the potential for being used to determine modal data for the structure under investigation. The technique could be very useful in determining the time-varying modal characteristics of structures subjected to thermal transients, where conventional mode surveys are difficult to perform.

  4. 76 FR 9757 - Information Collection; Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-22

    ... information collection request (ICR) consisting of four instruments entitled Request to Transfer a Segal Education Award Amount Form, Accept/Decline Award Transfer Form, Request to Revoke Transfer of Education Award Form, and Rescind Acceptance of Award Transfer Form for review and approval in accordance with the...

  5. Information transfer and synchronization among the scales of climate variability: clues for understanding anomalies and extreme events?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palus, Milan

    2017-04-01

    Deeper understanding of complex dynamics of the Earth atmosphere and climate is inevitable for sustainable development, mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change and for prediction of and resilience against extreme events. Traditional (linear) approaches cannot explain or even detect nonlinear interactions of dynamical processes evolving on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Combination of nonlinear dynamics and information theory explains synchronization as a process of adjustment of information rates [1] and causal relations (à la Granger) as information transfer [2]. Information born in dynamical complexity or information transferred among systems on a way to synchronization might appear as an abstract quantity, however, information transfer is tied to a transfer of mass and energy, as demonstrated in a recent study using directed (causal) climate networks [2]. Recently, an information transfer across scales of atmospheric dynamics has been observed [3]. In particular, a climate oscillation with the period around 7-8 years has been identified as a factor influencing variability of surface air temperature (SAT) on shorter time scales. Its influence on the amplitude of the SAT annual cycle was estimated in the range 0.7-1.4 °C and the effect on the overall variability of the SAT anomalies (SATA) leads to the changes 1.5-1.7 °C in the annual SATA means. The strongest effect of the 7-8 year cycle was observed in the winter SATA means where it reaches 4-5 °C in central European station and reanalysis data [4]. In the dynamics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation, three principal time scales have been identified: the annual cycle (AC), the quasibiennial (QB) mode(s) and the low-frequency (LF) variability. An intricate causal network of information flows among these modes helps to understand the occurrence of extreme El Niño events, characterized by synchronization of the QB modes and AC, and modulation of the QB amplitude by the LF mode. The latter also influences the phase of the AC and QB modes. These examples provide an inspiration for a discussion how novel data analysis methods, based on topics from nonlinear dynamical systems, their synchronization, (Granger) causality and information transfer, in combination with dynamical and statistical models of different complexity, can help in understanding and prediction of climate variability on different scales and in estimating probability of occurrence of extreme climate events. [1] M. Palus, V. Komarek, Z. Hrncir, K. Sterbova, Phys. Rev. E, 63(4), 046211 (2001) http://www.cs.cas.cz/mp/epr/sir1-a.html [2] J. Hlinka, N. Jajcay, D. Hartman, M. Palus, Smooth Information Flow in Temperature Climate Network Reflects Mass Transport, submitted to Chaos. http://www.cs.cas.cz/mp/epr/vetry-a.html [3] M. Palus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112 078702 (2014) http://www.cs.cas.cz/mp/epr/xf1-a.html [4] N. Jajcay, J. Hlinka, S. Kravtsov, A. A. Tsonis, M. Palus, Geophys. Res. Lett. 43(2), 902-909 (2016) http://www.cs.cas.cz/mp/epr/xfgrl1-a.html

  6. High-level user interfaces for transfer function design with semantics.

    PubMed

    Salama, Christof Rezk; Keller, Maik; Kohlmann, Peter

    2006-01-01

    Many sophisticated techniques for the visualization of volumetric data such as medical data have been published. While existing techniques are mature from a technical point of view, managing the complexity of visual parameters is still difficult for non-expert users. To this end, this paper presents new ideas to facilitate the specification of optical properties for direct volume rendering. We introduce an additional level of abstraction for parametric models of transfer functions. The proposed framework allows visualization experts to design high-level transfer function models which can intuitively be used by non-expert users. The results are user interfaces which provide semantic information for specialized visualization problems. The proposed method is based on principal component analysis as well as on concepts borrowed from computer animation.

  7. Stress Measurements on Blair High School Gymnasium: A Demonstration of Space Technology Transfer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kastel, Dean

    1966-01-01

    This Report describes an actual demonstration of transfer to non-space use of technologies developed for space programs applications. Techniques used in assessing static and dynamic characteristics of the Blair High School gymnasium involved data acquisition by continuous scanning of strain gauge data acquired over a time of wide-temperature range, and analysis by a computer routine developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory five years ago. The advantage of this method over conventional structural testing of uniquely designed structures was proved. More importantly, the process of demonstration was shown to be of great assistance to, and extension of, normal methods of disseminating information of new technologies. It is felt that significant benefit will derive from this improved mode oi concept transfer.

  8. Dutch Treat for U.S. Database Producers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boumans, Jak

    1984-01-01

    Reports on investments in the United States (including database activities) by four Dutch publishing companies--Elsevier-NDU, VNU, Kluwer, Wolters Samsom Group. An analysis of the reasons behind these investments, the solidness of the companies, the approach to the U.S. information market, and the knowledge transfer to Europe are highlighted. (EJS)

  9. Visibility of Displayed Information

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-07-01

    assume that the reader is familiar with the concept of the modulation transfer function and has a basic knowledge of Fourier analysis. For exposi ...initial condition m1 (v) = ab + c - mT(G) + k(v)m2(v). Substituting this form into Eq. (E-3) allows the identification of the undetermined constants. 2

  10. Defense Threat Reduction Agency > Research > DTRIAC > Our Services

    Science.gov Websites

    DTRIAC reference collection of more than 300,000 documents dating from 1946; experimental test data Analysis of nuclear and non-nuclear-related technology information as applied to defense policy, force technology transfer (application of nuclear related technologies to non-nuclear weapon phenomenologies and

  11. Oral transfer of chemical cues, growth proteins and hormones in social insects

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange between members of the same colony. This is often simply food sharing, but may also serve as a means of communicating information that directly influences colony organization. Analysis of the contents of the fluids exchanged by the Florida carp...

  12. 48 CFR 252.232-7011 - Payments in Support of Emergencies and Contingency Operations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    .... Internal Revenue Code. (ix) Electronic funds transfer banking information. (A) The Contractor shall include electronic funds transfer banking information on the invoice only if required elsewhere in this contract. (B) If electronic funds transfer banking information is not required to be on the invoice, in order for...

  13. 77 FR 57105 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; Application for the Transfer of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-17

    ... Information Collection: Comment Request; Application for the Transfer of Physical Assets AGENCY: Office of the... information: Title of Proposal: Application for the Transfer of Physical Assets. OMB Control Number, if... used to ensure that HUD multifamily housing properties are not placed in physical, financial, or...

  14. Transport Phenomena in Thin Rotating Liquid Films Including: Nucleate Boiling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Faghri, Amir

    2005-01-01

    In this grant, experimental, numerical and analytical studies of heat transfer in a thin liquid film flowing over a rotating disk have been conducted. Heat transfer coefficients were measured experimentally in a rotating disk heat transfer apparatus where the disk was heated from below with electrical resistance heaters. The heat transfer measurements were supplemented by experimental characterization of the liquid film thickness using a novel laser based technique. The heat transfer measurements show that the disk rotation plays an important role on enhancement of heat transfer primarily through the thinning of the liquid film. Experiments covered both momentum and rotation dominated regimes of the flow and heat transfer in this apparatus. Heat transfer measurements have been extended to include evaporation and nucleate boiling and these experiments are continuing in our laboratory. Empirical correlations have also been developed to provide useful information for design of compact high efficiency heat transfer devices. The experimental work has been supplemented by numerical and analytical analyses of the same problem. Both numerical and analytical results have been found to agree reasonably well with the experimental results on liquid film thickness and heat transfer Coefficients/Nusselt numbers. The numerical simulations include the free surface liquid film flow and heat transfer under disk rotation including the conjugate effects. The analytical analysis utilizes an integral boundary layer approach from which

  15. Department of Defense Technology Transfer (T2) Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-08

    January February (1st Monday) Disposal System Performance Spec Production Representative Articles CARD – Cost Analysis Requirements Description CCE...Supportability Objectives Exit Criteria Met APB MTA FMECA FTA LORA RCM MS B Threshold/objective tradeoffs – Revised Performance Attributes MS C MS A...Evaluation FTA – Failure Tree Analysis IOT&E – Initial Operational Test & Evaluation ISR – In-Service Review ISP – Information Support Plan ITR – Initial

  16. Novel microscopy-based screening method reveals regulators of contact-dependent intercellular transfer

    PubMed Central

    Michael Frei, Dominik; Hodneland, Erlend; Rios-Mondragon, Ivan; Burtey, Anne; Neumann, Beate; Bulkescher, Jutta; Schölermann, Julia; Pepperkok, Rainer; Gerdes, Hans-Hermann; Kögel, Tanja

    2015-01-01

    Contact-dependent intercellular transfer (codeIT) of cellular constituents can have functional consequences for recipient cells, such as enhanced survival and drug resistance. Pathogenic viruses, prions and bacteria can also utilize this mechanism to spread to adjacent cells and potentially evade immune detection. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying this intercellular transfer process. Here, we present a novel microscopy-based screening method to identify regulators and cargo of codeIT. Single donor cells, carrying fluorescently labelled endocytic organelles or proteins, are co-cultured with excess acceptor cells. CodeIT is quantified by confocal microscopy and image analysis in 3D, preserving spatial information. An siRNA-based screening using this method revealed the involvement of several myosins and small GTPases as codeIT regulators. Our data indicates that cellular protrusions and tubular recycling endosomes are important for codeIT. We automated image acquisition and analysis to facilitate large-scale chemical and genetic screening efforts to identify key regulators of codeIT. PMID:26271723

  17. [A cost-benefit analysis of a Mexican food-support program].

    PubMed

    Ventura-Alfaro, Carmelita E; Gutiérrez-Reyes, Juan P; Bertozzi-Kenefick, Stefano M; Caldés-Gómez, Natalia

    2011-06-01

    Objective Presenting an estimate of a Mexican food-support program (FSP) program's cost transfer ratio (CTR) from start-up (2003) to May 2005. Methods The program's activities were listed by constructing a time allocation matrix to ascertain how much time was spent on each of the program's activities by the personnel so involved. Another cost matrix was also constructed which was completed with information from the program's accountancy records. The program's total cost, activity cost and the value of given FSP transfers were thus estimated. Results Food delivery CRT for 2003, 2004 and 2005 was 0.150, 0.218, 0.230, respectively; cash CTR was 0.132in 2004 and 0.105 in 2005. Conclusion Comparing CTR values according to transfer type is a good way to promote discussion related to this topic; however, the decision for making a transfer does not depend exclusively on efficiency but on both mechanisms' effectiveness.

  18. Transfer doping of single isolated nanodiamonds, studied by scanning probe microscopy techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bolker, Asaf; Saguy, Cecile; Kalish, Rafi

    2014-09-01

    The transfer doping of diamond surfaces has been applied in various novel two-dimensional electronic devices. Its extension to nanodiamonds (ND) is essential for ND-based applications in many fields. In particular, understanding the influence of the crystallite size on transfer doping is desirable. Here, we report the results of a detailed study of the electronic energetic band structure of single, isolated transfer-doped nanodiamonds with nanometric resolution using a combination of scanning tunneling spectroscopy and Kelvin force microscopy measurements. The results show how the band gap, the valence band maximum, the electron affinity and the work function all depend on the ND’s size and nanoparticle surface properties. The present analysis, which combines information from both scanning tunneling spectroscopy and Kelvin force microscopy, should be applicable to any nanoparticle or surface that can be measured with scanning probe techniques.

  19. MuTE: a MATLAB toolbox to compare established and novel estimators of the multivariate transfer entropy.

    PubMed

    Montalto, Alessandro; Faes, Luca; Marinazzo, Daniele

    2014-01-01

    A challenge for physiologists and neuroscientists is to map information transfer between components of the systems that they study at different scales, in order to derive important knowledge on structure and function from the analysis of the recorded dynamics. The components of physiological networks often interact in a nonlinear way and through mechanisms which are in general not completely known. It is then safer that the method of choice for analyzing these interactions does not rely on any model or assumption on the nature of the data and their interactions. Transfer entropy has emerged as a powerful tool to quantify directed dynamical interactions. In this paper we compare different approaches to evaluate transfer entropy, some of them already proposed, some novel, and present their implementation in a freeware MATLAB toolbox. Applications to simulated and real data are presented.

  20. MuTE: A MATLAB Toolbox to Compare Established and Novel Estimators of the Multivariate Transfer Entropy

    PubMed Central

    Montalto, Alessandro; Faes, Luca; Marinazzo, Daniele

    2014-01-01

    A challenge for physiologists and neuroscientists is to map information transfer between components of the systems that they study at different scales, in order to derive important knowledge on structure and function from the analysis of the recorded dynamics. The components of physiological networks often interact in a nonlinear way and through mechanisms which are in general not completely known. It is then safer that the method of choice for analyzing these interactions does not rely on any model or assumption on the nature of the data and their interactions. Transfer entropy has emerged as a powerful tool to quantify directed dynamical interactions. In this paper we compare different approaches to evaluate transfer entropy, some of them already proposed, some novel, and present their implementation in a freeware MATLAB toolbox. Applications to simulated and real data are presented. PMID:25314003

  1. Multi-criteria GIS-based siting of transfer station for municipal solid waste: The case of Kumasi Metropolitan Area, Ghana.

    PubMed

    Bosompem, Christian; Stemn, Eric; Fei-Baffoe, Bernard

    2016-10-01

    The increase in the quantity of municipal solid waste generated as a result of population growth in most urban areas has resulted in the difficulty of locating suitable land areas to be used as landfills. To curb this, waste transfer stations are used. The Kumasi Metropolitan Area, even though it has an engineered landfill, is faced with the problem of waste collection from the generation centres to the final disposal site. Thus in this study, multi-criteria decision analysis incorporated into a geographic information system was used to determine potential waste transfer station sites. The key result established 11 sites located within six different sub-metros. This result can be used by decision makers for site selection of the waste transfer stations after taking into account other relevant ecological and economic factors. © The Author(s) 2016.

  2. Calculation of flow about posts and powerhead model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    A large number of computational fluid mechanics (CFD) problems were investigated. The primary studies include: the analysis of the turnaround duct/hot gas manifold/transfer tubes (fuel side) of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME); the analysis of the LOX-T manifold (oxidizer side) of the SSME; the analysis of hydrogen accumulation in the Vandeburg flame trench; and modification of the Intel/VT241 systems to accommodate the EADS and PLOT 3D. Some of the analyses were exploratory in nature, using the CONTINUSYS code to provide preliminary information to enhance understanding of the problem, while in other the primary thrust was to acquire design information. In all cases the ability to predict information rapidly in these very complex analyses is seen to be an important demonstration of the power and utility of this mature predictive capability.

  3. Information technology in complex health services: organizational impediments to successful technology transfer and diffusion.

    PubMed

    Southon, F C; Sauer, C; Grant, C N

    1997-01-01

    To identify impediments to the successful transfer and implementation of packaged information systems through large, divisionalized health services. A case analysis of the failure of an implementation of a critical application in the Public Health System of the State of New South Wales, Australia, was carried out. This application had been proven in the United States environment. Interviews involving over 60 staff at all levels of the service were undertaken by a team of three. The interviews were recorded and analyzed for key themes, and the results were shared and compared to enable a continuing critical assessment. Two components of the transfer of the system were considered: the transfer from a different environment, and the diffusion throughout a large, divisionalized organization. The analyses were based on the Scott-Morton organizational fit framework. In relation to the first, it was found that there was a lack of fit in the business environments and strategies, organizational structures and strategy-structure pairing as well as the management process-roles pairing. The diffusion process experienced problems because of the lack of fit in the strategy-structure, strategy-structure-management processes, and strategy-structure-role relationships. The large-scale developments of integrated health services present great challenges to the efficient and reliable implementation of information technology, especially in large, divisionalized organizations. There is a need to take a more sophisticated approach to understanding the complexities of organizational factors than has traditionally been the case.

  4. Information Literacy Practices and Student Protests: Mapping Community Information Landscapes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Špiranec, Sonja; Kos, Denis

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: This paper provides a contribution to understandings of information literacy regarding context and transferability of information practices. Specifically, the paper analyses the subset of information practices in situations of student protests and addresses issues of transfer of information literacy practice from a highly formal…

  5. A national streamflow network gap analysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kiang, Julie E.; Stewart, David W.; Archfield, Stacey A.; Osborne, Emily B.; Eng, Ken

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a gap analysis to evaluate how well the USGS streamgage network meets a variety of needs, focusing on the ability to calculate various statistics at locations that have streamgages (gaged) and that do not have streamgages (ungaged). This report presents the results of analysis to determine where there are gaps in the network of gaged locations, how accurately desired statistics can be calculated with a given length of record, and whether the current network allows for estimation of these statistics at ungaged locations. The analysis indicated that there is variability across the Nation’s streamflow data-collection network in terms of the spatial and temporal coverage of streamgages. In general, the Eastern United States has better coverage than the Western United States. The arid Southwestern United States, Alaska, and Hawaii were observed to have the poorest spatial coverage, using the dataset assembled for this study. Except in Hawaii, these areas also tended to have short streamflow records. Differences in hydrology lead to differences in the uncertainty of statistics calculated in different regions of the country. Arid and semiarid areas of the Central and Southwestern United States generally exhibited the highest levels of interannual variability in flow, leading to larger uncertainty in flow statistics. At ungaged locations, information can be transferred from nearby streamgages if there is sufficient similarity between the gaged watersheds and the ungaged watersheds of interest. Areas where streamgages exhibit high correlation are most likely to be suitable for this type of information transfer. The areas with the most highly correlated streamgages appear to coincide with mountainous areas of the United States. Lower correlations are found in the Central United States and coastal areas of the Southeastern United States. Information transfer from gaged basins to ungaged basins is also most likely to be successful when basin attributes show high similarity. At the scale of the analysis completed in this study, the attributes of basins upstream of USGS streamgages cover the full range of basin attributes observed at potential locations of interest fairly well. Some exceptions included very high or very low elevation areas and very arid areas.

  6. Protocol to describe the analysis of text-based communication in medical records for patients discharged from intensive care to hospital ward.

    PubMed

    Parsons Leigh, Jeanna; Brown, Kyla; Buchner, Denise; Stelfox, Henry T

    2016-07-08

    Effective communication during hospital transitions of patient care is fundamental to ensuring patient safety and continuity of quality care. This study will describe text-based communication included in patient medical records before, during and after patient transfer from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a hospital ward (n=10 days) by documenting (1) the structure and focus of physician progress notes within and between medical specialties, (2) the organisation of subjective and objective information, including the location and accessibility of patient data and whether/how this changes during the hospital stay and (3) missing, illegible and erroneous information. This study is part of a larger mixed methods prospective observational study of ICU to hospital ward transfer practices in 10 ICUs across Canada. Medical records will be collected and photocopied for each consenting patient for a period of up to 10 consecutive days, including the final 2 days in the ICU, the day of transfer and the first 7 days on the ward (n=10 days). Textual analysis of medical record data will be completed by 2 independent reviewers to describe communication between stakeholders involved in ICU transfer. Research ethics board approval has been obtained at all study sites, including the coordinating study centre (which covers 4 Calgary-based sites; UofC REB 13-0021) and 6 additional study sites (UofA Pro00050646; UBC PHC Hi4-01667; Sunnybrook 336-2014; QCH 20140345-01H; Sherbrooke 14-172; Laval 2015-2171). Findings from this study will inform the development of an evidence-based tool that will be used to systematically analyse the series of notes in a patient's medical record. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  7. Year 7 Students, Information Literacy, and Transfer: A Grounded Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herring, James E.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the views of year 7 students, teacher librarians, and teachers in three state secondary schools in rural New South Wales, Australia, on information literacy and transfer. The aims of the study included the development of a grounded theory in relation to information literacy and transfer in these schools. The study's perspective…

  8. Wireless Powered Cooperative Communications: Power-Splitting Relaying With Energy Accumulation (Author’s Manuscript)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-21

    2016 2 i.e., wireless power transfer (WPT) and wireless information transfer (WIT), fundamental changes to the designs of green communication networks...simulta- neous wireless information and power transfer ,” IEEE Commun. Mag., vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 86–93, Apr. 2015. [6] H. Tabassum, E. Hossain, A...broadcasting for simultaneous wire- less information and power transfer ,” IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1989–2001, May 2013. [9] K. Huang

  9. Global Access-controlled Transfer e-frame (GATe)

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

    2012-05-30

    Global Access-controlled Transfer e-frame (GATe) was designed to take advantage of the patterns that occur during an electronic record transfer process. The e-frame (or electronic framework or platform) is the foundation for developing secure information transfer to meet classified and unclassified business processes and is particularly useful when there is a need to share information with various entities in a controlled and secure environment. It can share, search, upload, download and retrieve sensitive information, as well as provides reporting capabilities.

  10. Multiscale Symbolic Phase Transfer Entropy in Financial Time Series Classification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Ningning; Lin, Aijing; Shang, Pengjian

    We address the challenge of classifying financial time series via a newly proposed multiscale symbolic phase transfer entropy (MSPTE). Using MSPTE method, we succeed to quantify the strength and direction of information flow between financial systems and classify financial time series, which are the stock indices from Europe, America and China during the period from 2006 to 2016 and the stocks of banking, aviation industry and pharmacy during the period from 2007 to 2016, simultaneously. The MSPTE analysis shows that the value of symbolic phase transfer entropy (SPTE) among stocks decreases with the increasing scale factor. It is demonstrated that MSPTE method can well divide stocks into groups by areas and industries. In addition, it can be concluded that the MSPTE analysis quantify the similarity among the stock markets. The symbolic phase transfer entropy (SPTE) between the two stocks from the same area is far less than the SPTE between stocks from different areas. The results also indicate that four stocks from America and Europe have relatively high degree of similarity and the stocks of banking and pharmaceutical industry have higher similarity for CA. It is worth mentioning that the pharmaceutical industry has weaker particular market mechanism than banking and aviation industry.

  11. Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in enhanced copper tube

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, M. M.; Zhen, T.; Kadir, A. K.

    2013-06-01

    Inner grooved tube is enhanced with grooves by increasing the inner surface area. Due to its high efficiency of heat transfer, it is used widely in power generation, air conditioning and many other applications. Heat exchanger is one of the example that uses inner grooved tube to enhance rate heat transfer. Precision in production of inner grooved copper tube is very important because it affects the tube's performance due to various tube parameters. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out analysis in optimizing tube performance prior to production in order to avoid unnecessary loss. The analysis can be carried out either through experimentation or numerical simulation. However, experimental study is too costly and takes longer time in gathering necessary information. Therefore, numerical simulation is conducted instead of experimental research. Firstly, the model of inner grooved tube was generated using SOLIDWORKS. Then it was imported into GAMBIT for healing, followed by meshing, boundary types and zones settings. Next, simulation was done in FLUENT where all the boundary conditions are set. The simulation results were observed and compared with published experimental results. It showed that heat transfer enhancement in range of 649.66% to 917.22% of inner grooved tube compared to plain tube.

  12. Ocular gene transfer in the spotlight: implications of newspaper content for clinical communications

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Ocular gene transfer clinical trials are raising hopes for blindness treatments and attracting media attention. News media provide an accessible health information source for patients and the public, but are often criticized for overemphasizing benefits and underplaying risks of novel biomedical interventions. Overly optimistic portrayals of unproven interventions may influence public and patient expectations; the latter may cause patients to downplay risks and over-emphasize benefits, with implications for informed consent for clinical trials. We analyze the news media communications landscape about ocular gene transfer and make recommendations for improving communications between clinicians and potential trial participants in light of media coverage. Methods We analyzed leading newspaper articles about ocular gene transfer (1990-2012) from United States (n = 55), Canada (n = 26), and United Kingdom (n = 77) from Factiva and Canadian Newsstand databases using pre-defined coding categories. We evaluated the content of newspaper articles about ocular gene transfer for hereditary retinopathies, exploring representations of framing techniques, research design, risks/benefits, and translational timelines. Results The dominant frame in 61% of stories was a celebration of progress, followed by human-interest in 30% of stories. Missing from the positive frames were explanations of research design; articles conflated clinical research with treatment. Conflicts-of-interest and funding sources were similarly omitted. Attention was directed to the benefits of gene transfer, while risks were only reported in 43% of articles. A range of visual outcomes was described from slowing vision loss to cure, but the latter was the most frequently represented even though it is clinically infeasible. Despite the prominence of visual benefit portrayals, 87% of the articles failed to provide timelines for the commencement of clinical trials or for clinical implementation. Conclusions Our analysis confirms that despite many initiatives to improve media communications about experimental biotechnologies, media coverage remains overly optimistic and omits important information. In light of these findings, our recommendations focus on the need for clinicians account for media coverage in their communications with patients, especially in the context of clinical trial enrolment. The development of evidence-based communication strategies will facilitate informed consent and promote the ethical translation of this biotechnology. PMID:25027482

  13. Ocular gene transfer in the spotlight: implications of newspaper content for clinical communications.

    PubMed

    Benjaminy, Shelly; Bubela, Tania

    2014-07-16

    Ocular gene transfer clinical trials are raising hopes for blindness treatments and attracting media attention. News media provide an accessible health information source for patients and the public, but are often criticized for overemphasizing benefits and underplaying risks of novel biomedical interventions. Overly optimistic portrayals of unproven interventions may influence public and patient expectations; the latter may cause patients to downplay risks and over-emphasize benefits, with implications for informed consent for clinical trials. We analyze the news media communications landscape about ocular gene transfer and make recommendations for improving communications between clinicians and potential trial participants in light of media coverage. We analyzed leading newspaper articles about ocular gene transfer (1990-2012) from United States (n = 55), Canada (n = 26), and United Kingdom (n = 77) from Factiva and Canadian Newsstand databases using pre-defined coding categories. We evaluated the content of newspaper articles about ocular gene transfer for hereditary retinopathies, exploring representations of framing techniques, research design, risks/benefits, and translational timelines. The dominant frame in 61% of stories was a celebration of progress, followed by human-interest in 30% of stories. Missing from the positive frames were explanations of research design; articles conflated clinical research with treatment. Conflicts-of-interest and funding sources were similarly omitted. Attention was directed to the benefits of gene transfer, while risks were only reported in 43% of articles. A range of visual outcomes was described from slowing vision loss to cure, but the latter was the most frequently represented even though it is clinically infeasible. Despite the prominence of visual benefit portrayals, 87% of the articles failed to provide timelines for the commencement of clinical trials or for clinical implementation. Our analysis confirms that despite many initiatives to improve media communications about experimental biotechnologies, media coverage remains overly optimistic and omits important information. In light of these findings, our recommendations focus on the need for clinicians account for media coverage in their communications with patients, especially in the context of clinical trial enrolment. The development of evidence-based communication strategies will facilitate informed consent and promote the ethical translation of this biotechnology.

  14. A Case Study of Information Transfer by Social Change Organizations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macfarlane, Ronald G.

    1984-01-01

    Examines the information needs of social change organizations using the peace and disarmament movement in Toronto as a case study. The process of information transfer, sources and places to obtain information, information distribution, and how libraries can better meet information needs of community organizations are discussed. Eight references…

  15. A hypertext-based Internet-assessable database for the MSFC Technology Transfer Office

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, Jeff

    1994-01-01

    There exists a continuing need to disseminate technical information and facilities capabilities from NASA field centers in an effort to promote the successful transfer of technologies developed with public funds to the private sector. As technology transfer is a stated NASA mission, there exists a critical need for NASA centers to document technology capabilities and disseminate this information on as wide a basis as possible. Certainly local and regional dissemination is critical, but global dissemination of scientific and engineering facilities and capabilities gives NASA centers the ability to contribute to technology transfer on a much broader scale. Additionally, information should be disseminated in a complete and rapidly available form. To accomplish this information dissemination, the unique capabilities of the Internet are being exploited. The Internet allows widescale information distribution in a rapid fashion to aid in the accomplishment of technology transfer goals established by the NASA/MSFC Technology Transfer Office. Rapid information retrieval coupled with appropriate electronic feedback, allows the scientific and technical capabilities of Marshall Space Flight Center, often unique in the world, to be explored by a large number of potential benefactors of NASA (or NASA-derived) technologies. Electronic feedback, coupled with personal contact with the MSFC Technology Transfer Office personnel, allows rapid responses to technical requests from industry and academic personnel as well as private citizens. The remainder of this report gives a brief overview of the Mosaic software and a discussion of technology transfer office and laboratory facilities data that have been made available on the Internet to promote technology transfer.

  16. Trust in online prescription drug information among internet users: the impact on information search behavior after exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising.

    PubMed

    Menon, Ajit M; Deshpande, Aparna D; Perri, Matthew; Zinkhan, George M

    2002-01-01

    The proliferation of both manufacturer-controlled and independent medication-related websites has aroused concern among consumers and policy-makers concerning the trustworthiness of Web-based drug information. The authors examine consumers' trust in on-line prescription drug information and its influence on information search behavior. The study design involves a retrospective analysis of data from a 1998 national survey. The findings reveal that trust in drug information from traditional media sources such as television and newspapers transfers to the domain of the Internet. Furthermore, a greater trust in on-line prescription drug information stimulates utilization of the Internet for information search after exposure to prescription drug advertising.

  17. Information transfer satellite concept study. Volume 3: Appendices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bergin, P.; Kincade, C.; Kurpiewski, D.; Leinhaupel, F.; Millican, F.; Onstad, R.

    1971-01-01

    Briefly reviewed are the various documents which supply background information for the information transfer satellite study. The sixteen papers reviewed are evaluated in terms of: (1) the category of service or demand being treated; (2) the extent to which information transfer predictions are quantified; (3) the degree to which the data supplied is adequate for the purposes of system synthesis; (4) some assessment as to the overall utility of the data presented in the paper.

  18. Domain adaptation via transfer component analysis.

    PubMed

    Pan, Sinno Jialin; Tsang, Ivor W; Kwok, James T; Yang, Qiang

    2011-02-01

    Domain adaptation allows knowledge from a source domain to be transferred to a different but related target domain. Intuitively, discovering a good feature representation across domains is crucial. In this paper, we first propose to find such a representation through a new learning method, transfer component analysis (TCA), for domain adaptation. TCA tries to learn some transfer components across domains in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space using maximum mean miscrepancy. In the subspace spanned by these transfer components, data properties are preserved and data distributions in different domains are close to each other. As a result, with the new representations in this subspace, we can apply standard machine learning methods to train classifiers or regression models in the source domain for use in the target domain. Furthermore, in order to uncover the knowledge hidden in the relations between the data labels from the source and target domains, we extend TCA in a semisupervised learning setting, which encodes label information into transfer components learning. We call this extension semisupervised TCA. The main contribution of our work is that we propose a novel dimensionality reduction framework for reducing the distance between domains in a latent space for domain adaptation. We propose both unsupervised and semisupervised feature extraction approaches, which can dramatically reduce the distance between domain distributions by projecting data onto the learned transfer components. Finally, our approach can handle large datasets and naturally lead to out-of-sample generalization. The effectiveness and efficiency of our approach are verified by experiments on five toy datasets and two real-world applications: cross-domain indoor WiFi localization and cross-domain text classification.

  19. Effects of automation of information-processing functions on teamwork.

    PubMed

    Wright, Melanie C; Kaber, David B

    2005-01-01

    We investigated the effects of automation as applied to different stages of information processing on team performance in a complex decision-making task. Forty teams of 2 individuals performed a simulated Theater Defense Task. Four automation conditions were simulated with computer assistance applied to realistic combinations of information acquisition, information analysis, and decision selection functions across two levels of task difficulty. Multiple measures of team effectiveness and team coordination were used. Results indicated different forms of automation have different effects on teamwork. Compared with a baseline condition, an increase in automation of information acquisition led to an increase in the ratio of information transferred to information requested; an increase in automation of information analysis resulted in higher team coordination ratings; and automation of decision selection led to better team effectiveness under low levels of task difficulty but at the cost of higher workload. The results support the use of early and intermediate forms of automation related to acquisition and analysis of information in the design of team tasks. Decision-making automation may provide benefits in more limited contexts. Applications of this research include the design and evaluation of automation in team environments.

  20. Nurse-surgeon object transfer: video analysis of communication and situation awareness in the operating theatre.

    PubMed

    Korkiakangas, Terhi; Weldon, Sharon-Marie; Bezemer, Jeff; Kneebone, Roger

    2014-09-01

    One of the most central collaborative tasks during surgical operations is the passing of objects, including instruments. Little is known about how nurses and surgeons achieve this. The aim of the present study was to explore what factors affect this routine-like task, resulting in fast or slow transfer of objects. A qualitative video study, informed by an observational ethnographic approach, was conducted in a major teaching hospital in the UK. A total of 20 general surgical operations were observed. In total, approximately 68 h of video data have been reviewed. A subsample of 225 min has been analysed in detail using interactional video-analysis developed within the social sciences. Two factors affecting object transfer were observed: (1) relative instrument trolley position and (2) alignment. The scrub nurse's instrument trolley position (close to vs. further back from the surgeon) and alignment (gaze direction) impacts on the communication with the surgeon, and consequently, on the speed of object transfer. When the scrub nurse was standing close to the surgeon, and "converged" to follow the surgeon's movements, the transfer occurred more seamlessly and faster (<1.0 s) than when the scrub nurse was standing further back from the surgeon and did not follow the surgeon's movements (>1.0 s). The smoothness of object transfer can be improved by adjusting the scrub nurse's instrument trolley position, enabling a better monitoring of surgeon's bodily conduct and affording early orientation (awareness) to an upcoming request (changing situation). Object transfer is facilitated by the surgeon's embodied practices, which can elicit the nurse's attention to the request and, as a response, maximise a faster object transfer. A simple intervention to highlight the significance of these factors could improve communication in the operating theatre. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Decomposition-based transfer distance metric learning for image classification.

    PubMed

    Luo, Yong; Liu, Tongliang; Tao, Dacheng; Xu, Chao

    2014-09-01

    Distance metric learning (DML) is a critical factor for image analysis and pattern recognition. To learn a robust distance metric for a target task, we need abundant side information (i.e., the similarity/dissimilarity pairwise constraints over the labeled data), which is usually unavailable in practice due to the high labeling cost. This paper considers the transfer learning setting by exploiting the large quantity of side information from certain related, but different source tasks to help with target metric learning (with only a little side information). The state-of-the-art metric learning algorithms usually fail in this setting because the data distributions of the source task and target task are often quite different. We address this problem by assuming that the target distance metric lies in the space spanned by the eigenvectors of the source metrics (or other randomly generated bases). The target metric is represented as a combination of the base metrics, which are computed using the decomposed components of the source metrics (or simply a set of random bases); we call the proposed method, decomposition-based transfer DML (DTDML). In particular, DTDML learns a sparse combination of the base metrics to construct the target metric by forcing the target metric to be close to an integration of the source metrics. The main advantage of the proposed method compared with existing transfer metric learning approaches is that we directly learn the base metric coefficients instead of the target metric. To this end, far fewer variables need to be learned. We therefore obtain more reliable solutions given the limited side information and the optimization tends to be faster. Experiments on the popular handwritten image (digit, letter) classification and challenge natural image annotation tasks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  2. On the Limitations of Breakthrough Curve Analysis in Fixed-Bed Adsorption

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knox, James C.; Ebner, Armin D.; LeVan, M. Douglas; Coker, Robert F.; Ritter, James A.

    2016-01-01

    This work examined in detail the a priori prediction of the axial dispersion coefficient from available correlations versus obtaining it and also mass transfer information from experimental breakthrough data and the consequences that may arise when doing so based on using a 1-D axially dispersed plug flow model and its associated Danckwerts outlet boundary condition. These consequences mainly included determining the potential for erroneous extraction of the axial dispersion coefficient and/or the LDF mass transfer coefficient from experimental data, especially when non-plug flow conditions prevailed in the bed. Two adsorbent/adsorbate cases were considered, i.e., carbon dioxide and water vapor in zeolite 5A, because they both experimentally exhibited significant non-plug flow behavior, and the water-zeolite 5A system exhibited unusual concentration front sharpening that destroyed the expected constant pattern behavior (CPB) when modeled with the 1-D axially dispersed plug flow model. Overall, this work showed that it was possible to extract accurate mass transfer and dispersion information from experimental breakthrough curves using a 1-D axial dispersed plug flow model when they were measured both inside and outside the bed. To ensure the extracted information was accurate, the inside the bed breakthrough curves and their derivatives from the model were plotted to confirm whether or not the adsorbate/adsorbent system was exhibiting CPB or any concentration front sharpening near the bed exit. Even when concentration front sharpening was occurring with the water-zeolite 5A system, it was still possible to use the experimental inside and outside the bed breakthrough curves to extract fundamental mass transfer and dispersion information from the 1-D axial dispersed plug flow model based on the systematic methodology developed in this work.

  3. Biomimetics: its practice and theory.

    PubMed

    Vincent, Julian F V; Bogatyreva, Olga A; Bogatyrev, Nikolaj R; Bowyer, Adrian; Pahl, Anja-Karina

    2006-08-22

    Biomimetics, a name coined by Otto Schmitt in the 1950s for the transfer of ideas and analogues from biology to technology, has produced some significant and successful devices and concepts in the past 50 years, but is still empirical. We show that TRIZ, the Russian system of problem solving, can be adapted to illuminate and manipulate this process of transfer. Analysis using TRIZ shows that there is only 12% similarity between biology and technology in the principles which solutions to problems illustrate, and while technology solves problems largely by manipulating usage of energy, biology uses information and structure, two factors largely ignored by technology.

  4. Improving accuracy and power with transfer learning using a meta-analytic database.

    PubMed

    Schwartz, Yannick; Varoquaux, Gaël; Pallier, Christophe; Pinel, Philippe; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Thirion, Bertrand

    2012-01-01

    Typical cohorts in brain imaging studies are not large enough for systematic testing of all the information contained in the images. To build testable working hypotheses, investigators thus rely on analysis of previous work, sometimes formalized in a so-called meta-analysis. In brain imaging, this approach underlies the specification of regions of interest (ROIs) that are usually selected on the basis of the coordinates of previously detected effects. In this paper, we propose to use a database of images, rather than coordinates, and frame the problem as transfer learning: learning a discriminant model on a reference task to apply it to a different but related new task. To facilitate statistical analysis of small cohorts, we use a sparse discriminant model that selects predictive voxels on the reference task and thus provides a principled procedure to define ROIs. The benefits of our approach are twofold. First it uses the reference database for prediction, i.e., to provide potential biomarkers in a clinical setting. Second it increases statistical power on the new task. We demonstrate on a set of 18 pairs of functional MRI experimental conditions that our approach gives good prediction. In addition, on a specific transfer situation involving different scanners at different locations, we show that voxel selection based on transfer learning leads to higher detection power on small cohorts.

  5. Opening the black box of transfer systems in public sector health services in a Western state in India.

    PubMed

    Purohit, Bhaskar; Martineau, Tim; Sheikh, Kabir

    2016-08-22

    Limited research on Posting and Transfer (P&T) policies and systems in the public sector health services and the reluctance for an open debate on the issue makes P&T as a black box. Limited research on P&T in India suggests that P&T policies and systems are either non-existent, weak, poorly implemented or characterized by corruption. Hence the current study aimed at opening the "black box" of P&T systems in public sector health services in India by assessing the implementation gaps between P&T policies and their actual implementation. This was a qualitative study carried out in Department of Health, in a Western State in India. To understand the extant P&T policies, a systems map was first developed with the help of document review and Key Informant (KI) Interviews. Next systems audit was carried out to assess the actual implementation of transfer policies by interviewing Medical Officers (MOs), the group mainly affected by the P&T policies. Job histories were constructed from the interviews to understand transfer processes like frequencies of transfers and to assess if transfer rules were adhered. The analysis is based on a synthesis of document review, 19 in-depth interviews with MOs working with state health department and five in-depth interviews with Key Informants (KIs). Framework analysis approach was used to analyze data using NVIVO. The state has a generic transfer guideline applicable to all government officers but there is no specific transfer policy or guideline for government health personnel. The generic transfer guidelines are weakly implemented indicating a significant gap between policy and actual implementation. The formal transfer guidelines are undermined by a parallel system in which desirable posts are attained, retained or sometimes given up by the use of political connections and money. MOs' experiences of transfers were marked by perceptions of unfairness and irregularities reflected through interviews as well as the job histories. The generic transfer rules and ambiguity in how transfers are treated may explain the discrepancy between policy and implementation leading to systems abuse. This discrepancy could have negative influence on MOs' morale which could in turn affect distribution of MOs. Where possible, ambiguity in the rules should be avoided and a greater transparency on implementation of the transfer rules is needed. However, it may not be possible to make any significant improvements to P&T policies and how they are implemented until the external pressure that creates parallel systems is greatly reduced in translating HR policy into HR practice. Effective P&T policies and implementation may have important implications for organizational performance and may help to improve Human Resource (HR) policy and HR expertise. Also there is a greater need for transparency on implementation of the rules. However, it may not be possible to make any significant improvements to P&T policies and how they are implemented until the external pressure that creates parallel systems is greatly reduced.

  6. Effects of distributions of energy of transfer rates on spectral hole burning in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmouda, Somaya

    To perform photosynthesis, plants, algae and bacteria possess well organized and closely coupled photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. Information on energy transfer in photosynthetic complexes is important to understand their functioning and possibly to design new and improved photovoltaic devices. The information on energy transfer processes contained in the narrow zero-phonon lines at low temperatures is hidden under the inhomogeneous broadening. Thus, it has been proven difficult to analyze the spectroscopic properties of these complexes in sufficient detail by conventional spectroscopy methods. In this context the high resolution spectroscopy techniques such as Spectral Hole Burning are powerful tools designed to get around the inhomogeneous broadening. Spectral Hole Burning involves selective excitation by a laser which removes molecules with the zero-phonon transitions resonant with this laser. This thesis focuses on the effects of the distributions of the energy transfer rates (homogeneous line widths) on the evolution of spectral holes. These distributions are a consequence of the static disorder in the photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. The qualitative effects of different types of the line width distributions on the evolution of spectral holes have been and explored by numerical simulations, an example of analysis of the original experimental data has been presented as well.

  7. Report of a Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer in Georgia (Atlanta, Georgia, July 24-25, 1978).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aldridge, Mark C., Ed.

    A summary of the deliberations of the Georgia planning conference of the Solar Technology Transfer Program is presented in this report. Topic areas include background information on the Georgia conference and a summary of the discussions and recommendations dealing with solar information transfer within state systems and the need for greater…

  8. An application protocol for CAD to CAD transfer of electronic information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Azu, Charles C., Jr.

    1993-01-01

    The exchange of Computer Aided Design (CAD) information between dissimilar CAD systems is a problem. This is especially true for transferring electronics CAD information such as multi-chip module (MCM), hybrid microcircuit assembly (HMA), and printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Currently, there exists several neutral data formats for transferring electronics CAD information. These include IGES, EDIF, and DXF formats. All these formats have limitations for use in exchanging electronic data. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, the Navy's MicroCIM program implemented a project to transfer hybrid microcircuit design information between dissimilar CAD systems. The IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) format is used since it is well established within the CAD industry. The goal of the project is to have a complete transfer of microelectronic CAD information, using IGES, without any data loss. An Application Protocol (AP) is being developed to specify how hybrid microcircuit CAD information will be represented by IGES entity constructs. The AP defines which IGES data items are appropriate for describing HMA geometry, connectivity, and processing as well as HMA material characteristics.

  9. Information transfer in auditoria and room-acoustical quality.

    PubMed

    Summers, Jason E

    2013-04-01

    It is hypothesized that room-acoustical quality correlates with the information-transfer rate. Auditoria are considered as multiple-input multiple-output communication channels and a theory of information-transfer is outlined that accounts for time-variant multipath, spatial hearing, and distributed directional sources. Source diversity and spatial hearing are shown to be the mechanisms through which multipath increases the information-transfer rate by overcoming finite spatial resolution. In addition to predictions that are confirmed by recent and historical findings, the theory provides explanations for the influence of factors such as musical repertoire and ensemble size on subjective preference and the influence of multisource, multichannel auralization on perceived realism.

  10. Determining the Value of Automation in Commercial and USAF Supplier Evaluation Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-03-01

    Component Analysis,” The Journal of Supply Chain Management, 36: 63-69 (Spring 2000). Piercy , Nigel F. and David W. Cravens. “Examining the Role of...includes content analysis of the interview responses of eight senior managers from commercial companies in the aerospace or air transportation industries...interviewing all ten personnel, the responses were transcribed and transferred into StatPac. The statistical 3 information from StatPac provided the

  11. Multidisciplinary Research Program in Atmospheric Science. [remote sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, O. E.

    1982-01-01

    A theoretical analysis of the vertical resolving power of the High resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and the Advanced Meteorological Temperature Sounder (AMTS) is carried out. The infrared transmittance weighting functions and associated radiative transfer kernels are analyzed through singular value decomposition. The AMTS was found to contain several more pieces of independent information than HIRS when the transmittances were considered, but the two instruments appeared to be much more similar when the temperature sensitive radiative transfer kernels were analyzed. The HIRS and AMTS instruments were also subjected to a thorough analysis. It was found that the two instruments should have very similar vertical resolving power below 500 mb but that AMTS should have superior resolving power above 200 mb. In the layer 200 to 500 mb the AMTS showed badly degraded spread function.

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

    Kertesz, Vilmos

    Selects locations of interest for liquid microjunction surface sampling coupled to a subsequent analysis is done in a user friendly way. That information is then transferred to instrument control softwares. In addition, readout of a laser sensor allows for robust probe-to-surface distance measurement. Furthermore, pictures taken by the software from a camera provides feedback to judge on successful microjunction sampling.

  13. Analysis of Web Site Activity and Technology Transfer Accomplishments

    Treesearch

    Daniel L. Schmoldt; Matthew F. Winn; Philip A. Araman

    1997-01-01

    Government research activities are coming under increased scrutiny to justify their research direction, and to validate research project existence. One way to justify research is to pay closer attention to research clientele, their needs and their willingness and ability to adopt new technologies. Because many research products are informational rather than tangible,...

  14. National Centers for Environmental Prediction

    Science.gov Websites

    Modeling Mesoscale Modeling Marine Modeling and Analysis Teams Climate Data Assimilation Ensembles and Post do data transfer from Gaea to Vapor; DTN (Nwave) has set up for all users but wants one user to test numerous cpu intensive scripts? Click here to view more information Open Effects of the problem: NCEP pre

  15. A Critical Analysis of Hypermedia and Virtual Learning Environments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, Kevin M.

    The use of hypermedia in education is supported by cognitive flexibility theory which indicates transfer of knowledge to real-world settings is improved when that material is learned in a case-based, associative network emphasizing complexity and links to related information. Hypermedia is further assumed to benefit education, because it resembles…

  16. The Valuation of Non-Monetary Consumption in Household Surveys

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muller, Christophe

    2005-01-01

    Many social indicators are based on household consumption information. The valuation of non-monetary operations is crucial for the analysis of consumption surveys in developing countries because of the importance of own-consumption and transfers in kind. What are the price statistics used in the valuation of consumption indicators? How is the…

  17. Study of the cross-market effects of Brexit based on the improved symbolic transfer entropy GARCH model—An empirical analysis of stock–bond correlations

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xiurong; Zhao, Rubo

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we study the cross-market effects of Brexit on the stock and bond markets of nine major countries in the world. By incorporating information theory, we introduce the time-varying impact weights based on symbolic transfer entropy to improve the traditional GARCH model. The empirical results show that under the influence of Brexit, flight-to-quality not only commonly occurs between the stocks and bonds of each country but also simultaneously occurs among different countries. We also find that the accuracy of the time-varying symbolic transfer entropy GARCH model proposed in this paper has been improved compared to the traditional GARCH model, which indicates that it has a certain practical application value. PMID:28817712

  18. Development of endosperm transfer cells in barley.

    PubMed

    Thiel, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Endosperm transfer cells (ETCs) are positioned at the intersection of maternal and filial tissues in seeds of cereals and represent a bottleneck for apoplasmic transport of assimilates into the endosperm. Endosperm cellularization starts at the maternal-filial boundary and generates the highly specialized ETCs. During differentiation barley ETCs develop characteristic flange-like wall ingrowths to facilitate effective nutrient transfer. A comprehensive morphological analysis depicted distinct developmental time points in establishment of transfer cell (TC) morphology and revealed intracellular changes possibly associated with cell wall metabolism. Embedded inside the grain, ETCs are barely accessible by manual preparation. To get tissue-specific information about ETC specification and differentiation, laser microdissection (LM)-based methods were used for transcript and metabolite profiling. Transcriptome analysis of ETCs at different developmental stages by microarrays indicated activated gene expression programs related to control of cell proliferation and cell shape, cell wall and carbohydrate metabolism reflecting the morphological changes during early ETC development. Transporter genes reveal distinct expression patterns suggesting a switch from active to passive modes of nutrient uptake with the onset of grain filling. Tissue-specific RNA-seq of the differentiating ETC region from the syncytial stage until functionality in nutrient transfer identified a high number of novel transcripts putatively involved in ETC differentiation. An essential role for two-component signaling (TCS) pathways in ETC development of barley emerged from this analysis. Correlative data provide evidence for abscisic acid and ethylene influences on ETC differentiation and hint at a crosstalk between hormone signal transduction and TCS phosphorelays. Collectively, the data expose a comprehensive view on ETC development, associated pathways and identified candidate genes for ETC specification.

  19. Development of endosperm transfer cells in barley

    PubMed Central

    Thiel, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Endosperm transfer cells (ETCs) are positioned at the intersection of maternal and filial tissues in seeds of cereals and represent a bottleneck for apoplasmic transport of assimilates into the endosperm. Endosperm cellularization starts at the maternal-filial boundary and generates the highly specialized ETCs. During differentiation barley ETCs develop characteristic flange-like wall ingrowths to facilitate effective nutrient transfer. A comprehensive morphological analysis depicted distinct developmental time points in establishment of transfer cell (TC) morphology and revealed intracellular changes possibly associated with cell wall metabolism. Embedded inside the grain, ETCs are barely accessible by manual preparation. To get tissue-specific information about ETC specification and differentiation, laser microdissection (LM)-based methods were used for transcript and metabolite profiling. Transcriptome analysis of ETCs at different developmental stages by microarrays indicated activated gene expression programs related to control of cell proliferation and cell shape, cell wall and carbohydrate metabolism reflecting the morphological changes during early ETC development. Transporter genes reveal distinct expression patterns suggesting a switch from active to passive modes of nutrient uptake with the onset of grain filling. Tissue-specific RNA-seq of the differentiating ETC region from the syncytial stage until functionality in nutrient transfer identified a high number of novel transcripts putatively involved in ETC differentiation. An essential role for two-component signaling (TCS) pathways in ETC development of barley emerged from this analysis. Correlative data provide evidence for abscisic acid and ethylene influences on ETC differentiation and hint at a crosstalk between hormone signal transduction and TCS phosphorelays. Collectively, the data expose a comprehensive view on ETC development, associated pathways and identified candidate genes for ETC specification. PMID:24723929

  20. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health in world documentation services: the SCOPUS based analysis of citation.

    PubMed

    Przyłuska, Jolanta

    2006-01-01

    A high classification of scientific journals in the ranking of international transfer of knowledge is reflected by other researchers' citations. The International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health (IJOMEH) is an international professional quarterly focused on such areas as occupational medicine, toxicology and environmental health edited in Poland. IJOMEH, published in English, is indexed in numerous world information services (MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, SCOPUS). This paper presents the contribution of IJOMEH publications to the world circulation of scientific information based on the citation analysis. The analysis, grounded on the SCOPUS database, assessed the frequency of citations in the years 1996-2005. Journals in which they have been cited were retrieved and their list is also included.

  1. EQUIPT: protocol of a comparative effectiveness research study evaluating cross-context transferability of economic evidence on tobacco control

    PubMed Central

    Pokhrel, Subhash; Evers, Silvia; Leidl, Reiner; Trapero-Bertran, Marta; Kalo, Zoltan; de Vries, Hein; Crossfield, Andrea; Andrews, Fiona; Rutter, Ailsa; Coyle, Kathryn; Lester-George, Adam; West, Robert; Owen, Lesley; Jones, Teresa; Vogl, Matthias; Radu-Loghin, Cornel; Voko, Zoltan; Huic, Mirjana; Coyle, Doug

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Tobacco smoking claims 700 000 lives every year in Europe and the cost of tobacco smoking in the EU is estimated between €98 and €130 billion annually; direct medical care costs and indirect costs such as workday losses each represent half of this amount. Policymakers all across Europe are in need of bespoke information on the economic and wider returns of investing in evidence-based tobacco control, including smoking cessation agendas. EQUIPT is designed to test the transferability of one such economic evidence base—the English Tobacco Return on Investment (ROI) tool—to other EU member states. Methods and analysis EQUIPT is a multicentre, interdisciplinary comparative effectiveness research study in public health. The Tobacco ROI tool already developed in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be adapted to meet the needs of European decision-makers, following transferability criteria. Stakeholders' needs and intention to use ROI tools in sample countries (Germany, Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands) will be analysed through interviews and surveys and complemented by secondary analysis of the contextual and other factors. Informed by this contextual analysis, the next phase will develop country-specific ROI tools in sample countries using a mix of economic modelling and Visual Basic programming. The results from the country-specific ROI models will then be compared to derive policy proposals that are transferable to other EU states, from which a centralised web tool will be developed. This will then be made available to stakeholders to cater for different decision-making contexts across Europe. Ethics and dissemination The Brunel University Ethics Committee and relevant authorities in each of the participating countries approved the protocol. EQUIPT has a dedicated work package on dissemination, focusing on stakeholders’ communication needs. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, e-learning resources and policy briefs. PMID:25421342

  2. Mutual Information and Information Gating in Synfire Chains

    DOE PAGES

    Xiao, Zhuocheng; Wang, Binxu; Sornborger, Andrew Tyler; ...

    2018-02-01

    Here, coherent neuronal activity is believed to underlie the transfer and processing of information in the brain. Coherent activity in the form of synchronous firing and oscillations has been measured in many brain regions and has been correlated with enhanced feature processing and other sensory and cognitive functions. In the theoretical context, synfire chains and the transfer of transient activity packets in feedforward networks have been appealed to in order to describe coherent spiking and information transfer. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the classical synfire chain architecture, with the addition of suitably timed gating currents, can support the gradedmore » transfer of mean firing rates in feedforward networks (called synfire-gated synfire chains—SGSCs). Here we study information propagation in SGSCs by examining mutual information as a function of layer number in a feedforward network. We explore the effects of gating and noise on information transfer in synfire chains and demonstrate that asymptotically, two main regions exist in parameter space where information may be propagated and its propagation is controlled by pulse-gating: a large region where binary codes may be propagated, and a smaller region near a cusp in parameter space that supports graded propagation across many layers.« less

  3. Mutual Information and Information Gating in Synfire Chains

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

    Xiao, Zhuocheng; Wang, Binxu; Sornborger, Andrew Tyler

    Here, coherent neuronal activity is believed to underlie the transfer and processing of information in the brain. Coherent activity in the form of synchronous firing and oscillations has been measured in many brain regions and has been correlated with enhanced feature processing and other sensory and cognitive functions. In the theoretical context, synfire chains and the transfer of transient activity packets in feedforward networks have been appealed to in order to describe coherent spiking and information transfer. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the classical synfire chain architecture, with the addition of suitably timed gating currents, can support the gradedmore » transfer of mean firing rates in feedforward networks (called synfire-gated synfire chains—SGSCs). Here we study information propagation in SGSCs by examining mutual information as a function of layer number in a feedforward network. We explore the effects of gating and noise on information transfer in synfire chains and demonstrate that asymptotically, two main regions exist in parameter space where information may be propagated and its propagation is controlled by pulse-gating: a large region where binary codes may be propagated, and a smaller region near a cusp in parameter space that supports graded propagation across many layers.« less

  4. Lost information during the handover of critically injured trauma patients: a mixed-methods study.

    PubMed

    Zakrison, Tanya Liv; Rosenbloom, Brittany; McFarlan, Amanda; Jovicic, Aleksandra; Soklaridis, Sophie; Allen, Casey; Schulman, Carl; Namias, Nicholas; Rizoli, Sandro

    2016-12-01

    Clinical information may be lost during the transfer of critically injured trauma patients from the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to investigate the causes and frequency of information discrepancies with handover and to explore solutions to improving information transfer. A mixed-methods research approach was used at our level I trauma centre. Information discrepancies between the ED and the ICU were measured using chart audits. Descriptive, parametric and non-parametric statistics were applied, as appropriate. Six focus groups of 46 ED and ICU nurses and nine individual interviews of trauma team leaders were conducted to explore solutions to improve information transfer using thematic analysis. Chart audits demonstrated that injuries were missed in 24% of patients. Clinical information discrepancies occurred in 48% of patients. Patients with these discrepancies were more likely to have unknown medical histories (p<0.001) requiring information rescue (p<0.005). Close to one in three patients with information rescue had a change in clinical management (p<0.01). Participants identified challenges according to their disciplines, with some overlap. Physicians, in contrast to nurses, were perceived as less aware of interdisciplinary stress and their role regarding variability in handover. Standardising handover, increasing non-technical physician training and understanding unit cultures were proposed as solutions, with nurses as drivers of a culture of safety. Trauma patient information was lost during handover from the ED to the ICU for multiple reasons. An interprofessional approach was proposed to improve handover through cross-unit familiarisation and use of communication tools is proposed. Going beyond traditional geographical and temporal boundaries was deemed important for improving patient safety during the ED to ICU handover. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  5. 75 FR 80830 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Technology Transfer Center External Customer Satisfaction...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-23

    ... Request; Technology Transfer Center External Customer Satisfaction Survey (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance...: Technology Transfer Center External Customer Satisfaction Survey (NCI). Type of Information Collection...: Obtain information on the satisfaction of TTC's external customers with TTC customer services; collect...

  6. The effect of packaging, branding and labeling on the experience of unhealthy food and drink: A review.

    PubMed

    Skaczkowski, Gemma; Durkin, Sarah; Kashima, Yoshihisa; Wakefield, Melanie

    2016-04-01

    Extrinsic information, such as packaging, branding and labeling, can significantly alter our experience of food and drink through a process of 'sensation transfer', in which extrinsic attributes are transferred to our sensory perception of a product. The aim of this review was to summarize the literature on sensation transfer for unhealthy food and drink and to investigate personal factors that may influence its occurrence. Seventy-eight studies in 69 articles, published between 1966 and 2014 were identified which evaluated sensation transfer. Sixty-five of the 78 studies found an effect of extrinsic information on taste and/or hedonic outcomes, providing strong evidence for sensation transfer. The majority of studies identified that specific extrinsic information influenced particular products or specific sensory outcomes. Study designs incorporating a measure of expectation allowed a tighter assessment of sensation transfer. The results of such studies confirm the hypothesis that these effects occur when extrinsic information elicits an expectation of product taste, which then forms a framework to guide sensory perception. These studies also support the hypothesis that where sensation transfer does not occur, this is likely due to a mismatch between the expectations elicited by the extrinsic information and the sensory characteristics being measured, or the failure of the extrinsic information to elicit an expectation of taste for that product. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. EEG entropy measures indicate decrease of cortical information processing in Disorders of Consciousness.

    PubMed

    Thul, Alexander; Lechinger, Julia; Donis, Johann; Michitsch, Gabriele; Pichler, Gerald; Kochs, Eberhard F; Jordan, Denis; Ilg, Rüdiger; Schabus, Manuel

    2016-02-01

    Clinical assessments that rely on behavioral responses to differentiate Disorders of Consciousness are at times inapt because of some patients' motor disabilities. To objectify patients' conditions of reduced consciousness the present study evaluated the use of electroencephalography to measure residual brain activity. We analyzed entropy values of 18 scalp EEG channels of 15 severely brain-damaged patients with clinically diagnosed Minimally-Conscious-State (MCS) or Unresponsive-Wakefulness-Syndrome (UWS) and compared the results to a sample of 24 control subjects. Permutation entropy (PeEn) and symbolic transfer entropy (STEn), reflecting information processes in the EEG, were calculated for all subjects. Participants were tested on a modified active own-name paradigm to identify correlates of active instruction following. PeEn showed reduced local information content in the EEG in patients, that was most pronounced in UWS. STEn analysis revealed altered directed information flow in the EEG of patients, indicating impaired feed-backward connectivity. Responses to auditory stimulation yielded differences in entropy measures, indicating reduced information processing in MCS and UWS. Local EEG information content and information flow are affected in Disorders of Consciousness. This suggests local cortical information capacity and feedback information transfer as neural correlates of consciousness. The utilized EEG entropy analyses were able to relate to patient groups with different Disorders of Consciousness. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Investigation of the piezoelectric thimble tactile device operating modes.

    PubMed

    Bansevicius, Ramutis; Dragasius, Egidijus; Grigas, Vytautas; Jurenas, Vytautas; Mazeika, Darius; Zvironas, Arunas

    2014-01-01

    A multifunctional device to transfer graphical or text information for blind or visually impaired is presented. The prototype using tactile perception has been designed where information displayed on the screen of electronic device (mobile phone, PC) is transferred by oscillating needle, touching the fingertip. Having the aim to define optimal parameters of the fingertip excitation by needle, the computational analysis of different excitation modes has been carried out. A 3D solid computational finite element model of the skin segment, comprising four main fingertip skin layers (stratum corneum, epidermis, dermis and hypodermis) was built by using ANSYS Workbench FEA software. Harmonic analysis of its stress-strain state under excitation with different frequency (up to 10000 Hz) and harmonic force (0.01 N), acting outer stratum corneum layer in normal direction at one, two or three points has been performed. The influence of the mode of dynamic loading of skin was evaluated (in terms of the tactile signal level) on the basis of the normal and shear elastic strain in dermis, where mechanoreceptors are placed. It is shown that the tactile perception of information, delivered by three vibrating pins, may be influenced by configuration of excitation points (their number and phase of loading) and the frequency of excitation.

  9. Does similarity in call structure or foraging ecology explain interspecific information transfer in wild Myotis bats?

    PubMed

    Hügel, Theresa; van Meir, Vincent; Muñoz-Meneses, Amanda; Clarin, B-Markus; Siemers, Björn M; Goerlitz, Holger R

    2017-01-01

    Animals can gain important information by attending to the signals and cues of other animals in their environment, with acoustic information playing a major role in many taxa. Echolocation call sequences of bats contain information about the identity and behaviour of the sender which is perceptible to close-by receivers. Increasing evidence supports the communicative function of echolocation within species, yet data about its role for interspecific information transfer is scarce. Here, we asked which information bats extract from heterospecific echolocation calls during foraging. In three linked playback experiments, we tested in the flight room and field if foraging Myotis bats approached the foraging call sequences of conspecifics and four heterospecifics that were similar in acoustic call structure only (acoustic similarity hypothesis), in foraging ecology only (foraging similarity hypothesis), both, or none. Compared to the natural prey capture rate of 1.3 buzzes per minute of bat activity, our playbacks of foraging sequences with 23-40 buzzes/min simulated foraging patches with significantly higher profitability. In the flight room, M. capaccinii only approached call sequences of conspecifics and of the heterospecific M. daubentonii with similar acoustics and foraging ecology. In the field, M. capaccinii and M. daubentonii only showed a weak positive response to those two species. Our results confirm information transfer across species boundaries and highlight the importance of context on the studied behaviour, but cannot resolve whether information transfer in trawling Myotis is based on acoustic similarity only or on a combination of similarity in acoustics and foraging ecology. Animals transfer information, both voluntarily and inadvertently, and within and across species boundaries. In echolocating bats, acoustic call structure and foraging ecology are linked, making echolocation calls a rich source of information about species identity, ecology and activity of the sender, which receivers might exploit to find profitable foraging grounds. We tested in three lab and field experiments if information transfer occurs between bat species and if bats obtain information about ecology from echolocation calls. Myotis capaccinii/daubentonii bats approached call playbacks, but only those from con- and heterospecifics with similar call structure and foraging ecology, confirming interspecific information transfer. Reactions differed between lab and field, emphasising situation-dependent differences in animal behaviour, the importance of field research, and the need for further studies on the underlying mechanism of information transfer and the relative contributions of acoustic and ecological similarity.

  10. Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information-system analysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jenson, Susan K.; Domingue, Julia O.

    1988-01-01

    The first phase of analysis is a conditioning phase that generates three data sets: the original OEM with depressions filled, a data set indicating the flow direction for each cell, and a flow accumulation data set in which each cell receives a value equal to the total number of cells that drain to it. The original OEM and these three derivative data sets can then be processed in a variety of ways to optionally delineate drainage networks, overland paths, watersheds for userspecified locations, sub-watersheds for the major tributaries of a drainage network, or pour point linkages between watersheds. The computer-generated drainage lines and watershed polygons and the pour point linkage information can be transferred to vector-based geographic information systems for futher analysis. Comparisons between these computergenerated features and their manually delineated counterparts generally show close agreement, indicating that these software tools will save analyst time spent in manual interpretation and digitizing.

  11. Time and Space Resolved Heat Transfer Measurements Under Nucleate Bubbles with Constant Heat Flux Boundary Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Myers, Jerry G.; Hussey, Sam W.; Yee, Glenda F.; Kim, Jungho

    2003-01-01

    Investigations into single bubble pool boiling phenomena are often complicated by the difficulties in obtaining time and space resolved information in the bubble region. This usually occurs because the heaters and diagnostics used to measure heat transfer data are often on the order of, or larger than, the bubble characteristic length or region of influence. This has contributed to the development of many different and sometimes contradictory models of pool boiling phenomena and dominant heat transfer mechanisms. Recent investigations by Yaddanapyddi and Kim and Demiray and Kim have obtained time and space resolved heat transfer information at the bubble/heater interface under constant temperature conditions using a novel micro-heater array (10x10 array, each heater 100 microns on a side) that is semi-transparent and doubles as a measurement sensor. By using active feedback to maintain a state of constant temperature at the heater surface, they showed that the area of influence of bubbles generated in FC-72 was much smaller than predicted by standard models and that micro-conduction/micro-convection due to re-wetting dominated heat transfer effects. This study seeks to expand on the previous work by making time and space resolved measurements under bubbles nucleating on a micro-heater array operated under constant heat flux conditions. In the planned investigation, wall temperature measurements made under a single bubble nucleation site will be synchronized with high-speed video to allow analysis of the bubble energy removal from the wall.

  12. A review of second law techniques applicable to basic thermal science research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drost, M. Kevin; Zamorski, Joseph R.

    1988-11-01

    This paper reports the results of a review of second law analysis techniques which can contribute to basic research in the thermal sciences. The review demonstrated that second law analysis has a role in basic thermal science research. Unlike traditional techniques, second law analysis accurately identifies the sources and location of thermodynamic losses. This allows the development of innovative solutions to thermal science problems by directing research to the key technical issues. Two classes of second law techniques were identified as being particularly useful. First, system and component investigations can provide information of the source and nature of irreversibilities on a macroscopic scale. This information will help to identify new research topics and will support the evaluation of current research efforts. Second, the differential approach can provide information on the causes and spatial and temporal distribution of local irreversibilities. This information enhances the understanding of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat and mass transfer, and may suggest innovative methods for reducing irreversibilities.

  13. Technology transfer and commercialization initiatives at TRI/Austin: Resources and examples

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

    Matzkanin, G.A.; Dingus, M.L.

    1995-12-31

    Located at TRI/Austin, and operated under a Department of Defense contract, is the Nondestructive Testing Information Analysis Center (NTIAC). This is a full service Information Analysis Center sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), although services of NTIAC are available to other government agencies, government contractors, industry and academia. The principal objective of NTIAC is to help increase the productivity of the nation`s scientists, engineers, and technical managers involved in, or requiring, nondestructive testing by providing broad information analysis services of technical excellence. TRI/Austin is actively pursuing commercialization of several products based on results from outside funded R andmore » D programs. As a small business, TRI/Austin has limited capabilities for large scale fabrication, production, marketing or distribution. Thus, part of a successful commercialization process involves making appropriate collaboration arrangements with other organizations to augment TRI/Austin`s capabilities. Brief descriptions are given here of two recent commercialization efforts at TRI/Austin.« less

  14. Adolescents with congenital heart disease: their opinions about the preparation for transfer to adult care.

    PubMed

    Burström, Åsa; Bratt, Ewa-Lena; Frenckner, Björn; Nisell, Margret; Hanséus, Katarina; Rydberg, Annika; Öjmyr-Joelsson, Maria

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the study was to explore what adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) view as important in the preparation for the transfer to adult care. We performed interviews in four focus groups with adolescents (14-18 years old) at four university hospitals in Sweden. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed one main category; Becoming a manager of the condition and four subcategories; Sufficient knowledge about the health, Be a participant in the care, Parental support, and Communicate with others about the health. The adolescents' ages differentiated the discussion in the groups. The older adolescents seemed to have more interest in transition planning, information and transfer. The younger described more frustrations about communication and handling the disease. To become a manager of the CHD in daily life, the adolescents want disease specific knowledge, which should be communicated in a developmentally appropriate way. Adolescents want to participate and be involved in the transition process. They need support and guidance in how to communicate their CHD. Parental support is fundamental but it change over time. Moreover, peer-support is becoming more significant during the transition process. What is Known: • Transition during adolescence and transfer to adult care for adolescents with CHD is complex, and there is a shift in roles. • Adolescents often have poor knowledge and understanding about their heart condition and the consequences. What is New: • Adolescents call for disease specific information regarding health issues of importance for them in daily life. • Communicating the disease with other is a challenge- peer support from other adolescents with CHD could be a facilitator.

  15. Air-ground information transfer in the National Airspace System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Alfred T.; Lozito, Sandra

    1989-01-01

    This paper reviews NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System incident data for a two-year period in order to identify the frequency of air-ground information transfer errors and the factors associated with their occurrence. Of the more than 14,000 primary reports received during the 1985 and 1986 reporting period, one out of four reports concerned problems of information transfer between aircraft and ATC. Approximately half of these errors were associated directly or indirectly with aircraft deviations from assigned heading or altitude. The majority of incidents cited some human-system problem such as workload, cockpit distractions, etc., as the primary contributing factor. Improvements in air-ground information transfer using existing and future (e.g., data link) technology are proposed centering on the development and application of user-centered information management principles.

  16. A flight test facility design for examining digital information transfer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knox, Charles E.

    1990-01-01

    Information is given in viewgraph form on a flight test facility design for examining digital information transfer. Information is given on aircraft/ground exchange, data link research activities, data link display format, a data link flight test, and the flight test setup.

  17. Feedback Specificity, Information Processing, and Transfer of Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Jodi S.; Wood, Robert E.; Chen, Zheng

    2011-01-01

    This study examines the effects of feedback specificity on transfer of training and the mechanisms through which feedback can enhance or inhibit transfer. We used concurrent verbal protocol methodology to elicit and operationalize the explicit information processing activities used by 48 trainees performing the Furniture Factory computer…

  18. Aircrew Discourse: Exploring Strategies of Information and Action Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Irwin, Cheryl M.; Veinott, Elizabeth S.; Shafto, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

    1995-01-01

    This paper explores methodology issues encountered in the analysis of flightcrew communications in aviation simulation research. Examples are provided by two recent studies which are compared on three issues: level of analysis, data definition, and interpretation of the results. The data discussed were collected in a study comparing two levels of aircraft automation. The first example is an investigation of how pilots' information transfer strategies differed as a function of automation during low and high-workload flight phases. The second study focuses on how crews managed actions in the two aircraft during a ten minute, high-workload flight segment. Results indicated that crews in the two aircraft differed in their strategies of information and action management. The differences are discussed in terms of their operational and research significance.

  19. NADA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report number 19: The US government technical report and the transfer of federally funded aerospace R/D: An analysis of five studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

    1994-01-01

    The U.S. government technical report is a primary means by which the results of federally funded research and development are transferred to the U.S. aerospace industry. However, little is known about this information product in terms of its actual use, importance, and value in the transfer of federally funded R&D. To help establish a body of knowledge, the U.S. government technical report is being investigated as part of the 'NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project'. In this report, we summarize the literature on technical reprts and provide a model that depicts the transfer of federally funded aerospace R&D via the U.S. government technical report. We present results from five studies of our investigation of aerospace knowledge diffusion vis-a-vis the U.S. government technical report and close with a brief overview of on-going research into the use of the U.S. government technical report as a rhetorical device for transferring federally funded aerospace R&D.

  20. Dynamic Stiffness Transfer Function of an Electromechanical Actuator Using System Identification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Sang Hwa; Tahk, Min-Jea

    2018-04-01

    In the aeroelastic analysis of flight vehicles with electromechanical actuators (EMAs), an accurate prediction of flutter requires dynamic stiffness characteristics of the EMA. The dynamic stiffness transfer function of the EMA with brushless direct current (BLDC) motor can be obtained by conducting complicated mathematical calculations of control algorithms and mechanical/electrical nonlinearities using linearization techniques. Thus, system identification approaches using experimental data, as an alternative, have considerable advantages. However, the test setup for system identification is expensive and complex, and experimental procedures for data collection are time-consuming tasks. To obtain the dynamic stiffness transfer function, this paper proposes a linear system identification method that uses information obtained from a reliable dynamic stiffness model with a control algorithm and nonlinearities. The results of this study show that the system identification procedure is compact, and the transfer function is able to describe the dynamic stiffness characteristics of the EMA. In addition, to verify the validity of the system identification method, the simulation results of the dynamic stiffness transfer function and the dynamic stiffness model were compared with the experimental data for various external loads.

  1. The transfer and transformation of collective network information in gene-matched networks.

    PubMed

    Kitsukawa, Takashi; Yagi, Takeshi

    2015-10-09

    Networks, such as the human society network, social and professional networks, and biological system networks, contain vast amounts of information. Information signals in networks are distributed over nodes and transmitted through intricately wired links, making the transfer and transformation of such information difficult to follow. Here we introduce a novel method for describing network information and its transfer using a model network, the Gene-matched network (GMN), in which nodes (neurons) possess attributes (genes). In the GMN, nodes are connected according to their expression of common genes. Because neurons have multiple genes, the GMN is cluster-rich. We show that, in the GMN, information transfer and transformation were controlled systematically, according to the activity level of the network. Furthermore, information transfer and transformation could be traced numerically with a vector using genes expressed in the activated neurons, the active-gene array, which was used to assess the relative activity among overlapping neuronal groups. Interestingly, this coding style closely resembles the cell-assembly neural coding theory. The method introduced here could be applied to many real-world networks, since many systems, including human society and various biological systems, can be represented as a network of this type.

  2. Interhemispheric Transfer Time Asymmetry of Visual Information Depends on Eye Dominance: An Electrophysiological Study

    PubMed Central

    Chaumillon, Romain; Blouin, Jean; Guillaume, Alain

    2018-01-01

    The interhemispheric transfer of information is a fundamental process in the human brain. When a visual stimulus appears eccentrically in one visual-hemifield, it will first activate the contralateral hemisphere but also the ipsilateral one with a slight delay due to the interhemispheric transfer. This interhemispheric transfer of visual information is believed to be faster from the right to the left hemisphere in right-handers. Such an asymmetry is considered as a relevant fact in the context of the lateralization of the human brain. We show here using current source density (CSD) analyses of visually evoked potential (VEP) that, in right-handers and, to a lesser extent in left-handers, this asymmetry is in fact dependent on the sighting eye dominance, the tendency we have to prefer one eye for monocular tasks. Indeed, in right-handers, a faster interhemispheric transfer of visual information from the right to left hemisphere was observed only in participants with a right dominant eye (DE). Right-handers with a left DE showed the opposite pattern, with a faster transfer from the left to the right hemisphere. In left-handers, albeit a smaller number of participants has been tested and hence confirmation is required, only those with a right DE showed an asymmetrical interhemispheric transfer with a faster transfer from the right to the left hemisphere. As a whole these results demonstrate that eye dominance is a fundamental determinant of asymmetries in interhemispheric transfer of visual information and suggest that it is an important factor of brain lateralization. PMID:29515351

  3. Interhemispheric Transfer Time Asymmetry of Visual Information Depends on Eye Dominance: An Electrophysiological Study.

    PubMed

    Chaumillon, Romain; Blouin, Jean; Guillaume, Alain

    2018-01-01

    The interhemispheric transfer of information is a fundamental process in the human brain. When a visual stimulus appears eccentrically in one visual-hemifield, it will first activate the contralateral hemisphere but also the ipsilateral one with a slight delay due to the interhemispheric transfer. This interhemispheric transfer of visual information is believed to be faster from the right to the left hemisphere in right-handers. Such an asymmetry is considered as a relevant fact in the context of the lateralization of the human brain. We show here using current source density (CSD) analyses of visually evoked potential (VEP) that, in right-handers and, to a lesser extent in left-handers, this asymmetry is in fact dependent on the sighting eye dominance, the tendency we have to prefer one eye for monocular tasks. Indeed, in right-handers, a faster interhemispheric transfer of visual information from the right to left hemisphere was observed only in participants with a right dominant eye (DE). Right-handers with a left DE showed the opposite pattern, with a faster transfer from the left to the right hemisphere. In left-handers, albeit a smaller number of participants has been tested and hence confirmation is required, only those with a right DE showed an asymmetrical interhemispheric transfer with a faster transfer from the right to the left hemisphere. As a whole these results demonstrate that eye dominance is a fundamental determinant of asymmetries in interhemispheric transfer of visual information and suggest that it is an important factor of brain lateralization.

  4. Work and power analysis of the golf swing.

    PubMed

    Nesbit, Steven M; Serrano, Monika

    2005-12-01

    A work and power (energy) analysis of the golf swing is presented as a method for evaluating the mechanics of the golf swing. Two computer models were used to estimate the energy production, transfers, and conversions within the body and the golf club by employing standard methods of mechanics to calculate work of forces and torques, kinetic energies, strain energies, and power during the golf swing. A detailed model of the golf club determined the energy transfers and conversions within the club during the downswing. A full-body computer model of the golfer determined the internal work produced at the body joints during the downswing. Four diverse amateur subjects were analyzed and compared using these two models. The energy approach yielded new information on swing mechanics, determined the force and torque components that accelerated the club, illustrated which segments of the body produced work, determined the timing of internal work generation, measured swing efficiencies, calculated shaft energy storage and release, and proved that forces and range of motion were equally important in developing club head velocity. A more comprehensive description of the downswing emerged from information derived from an energy based analysis. Key PointsFull-Body Model of the golf swing.Energy analysis of the golf swing.Work of the body joints dDuring the golf swing.Comparisons of subject work and power characteristics.

  5. Work and Power Analysis of the Golf Swing

    PubMed Central

    Nesbit, Steven M.; Serrano, Monika

    2005-01-01

    A work and power (energy) analysis of the golf swing is presented as a method for evaluating the mechanics of the golf swing. Two computer models were used to estimate the energy production, transfers, and conversions within the body and the golf club by employing standard methods of mechanics to calculate work of forces and torques, kinetic energies, strain energies, and power during the golf swing. A detailed model of the golf club determined the energy transfers and conversions within the club during the downswing. A full-body computer model of the golfer determined the internal work produced at the body joints during the downswing. Four diverse amateur subjects were analyzed and compared using these two models. The energy approach yielded new information on swing mechanics, determined the force and torque components that accelerated the club, illustrated which segments of the body produced work, determined the timing of internal work generation, measured swing efficiencies, calculated shaft energy storage and release, and proved that forces and range of motion were equally important in developing club head velocity. A more comprehensive description of the downswing emerged from information derived from an energy based analysis. Key Points Full-Body Model of the golf swing. Energy analysis of the golf swing. Work of the body joints dDuring the golf swing. Comparisons of subject work and power characteristics. PMID:24627666

  6. Tiger Team Assessments seventeen through thirty-five: A summary and analysis

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

    Not Available

    1992-12-01

    This report provides a summary and analysis of the Department of Energy's (DOE'S) 19 Tiger Team Assessments that were conducted from October 1990 to July 1992. The sites are listed in the box below, along with their respective program offices and assessment completion dates. This analysis relied solely on the information contained in the Tiger Team Assessment Reports. The findings and concerns documented by the Tiger Teams provide a database of information about the then-current ES H programs and practice. Program Secretarial Officers (PSOS) and field managers may use this information, along with other sources (such as the Corrective Actionmore » Plans, Progress Assessments, and Self-Assessments), to address the ES H deficiencies found, prioritize and plan appropriate corrective actions, measure progress toward solving the problems, strengthen and transfer knowledge about areas where site performance exemplified the ES H mindset, and so forth. Further analyses may be suggested by the analysis presented in this report.« less

  7. Tiger Team Assessments seventeen through thirty-five: A summary and analysis. Volume 1

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

    Not Available

    1992-12-01

    This report provides a summary and analysis of the Department of Energy`s (DOE`S) 19 Tiger Team Assessments that were conducted from October 1990 to July 1992. The sites are listed in the box below, along with their respective program offices and assessment completion dates. This analysis relied solely on the information contained in the Tiger Team Assessment Reports. The findings and concerns documented by the Tiger Teams provide a database of information about the then-current ES&H programs and practice. Program Secretarial Officers (PSOS) and field managers may use this information, along with other sources (such as the Corrective Action Plans,more » Progress Assessments, and Self-Assessments), to address the ES&H deficiencies found, prioritize and plan appropriate corrective actions, measure progress toward solving the problems, strengthen and transfer knowledge about areas where site performance exemplified the ES&H mindset, and so forth. Further analyses may be suggested by the analysis presented in this report.« less

  8. Staff perceptions of best practice for information transfer about multitrauma patients on discharge from the emergency department: a focus group study.

    PubMed

    Calleja, Pauline; Aitken, Leanne; Cooke, Marie

    2016-10-01

    To understand: (1) staff perceptions of best practice for information transfer for multitrauma patients on discharge from the emergency department; (2) what information should be conveyed at transfer and (3) how information is transferred. Information transfer for multitrauma patients is an integral factor for continuity of care, safety, quality assurance and patient outcomes; however, this has not been the focus of previous studies. This was a qualitative study using focus group interviews. Data were collected during focus group interviews across five clinical areas. Themes were derived from the data with consensus from three data coders. Purposive sampling was used and included staff caring for trauma patients during patient transition out of the emergency department. Participants were representatives of the emergency department, perioperative care, intensive care unit, high dependency care unit and the trauma service unit. Twenty-six registered nurses and two medical officers participated. Five focus group interviews were held. Themes emerged from the data including 'Variability', 'Continuity' and 'Putting the pieces together'. The first three themes were all influenced by the fourth theme of 'Values/Context'. Considered together these themes influenced staff perception of the quality of information transfer for multitrauma patients on discharge from the emergency department. Staff perceived best practice for information transfer to be clear, concise, relevant documentation that travelled with the patient and interactive communication at handover that adhered to agreed principles and a minimum data set specific to trauma patients. Clinicians involved in handover need to actively listen, avoiding 'doing' at the same time, be aware of essential questions to ask about the patient. An agreed expectation between different clinical areas needs to exist about information transfer to reduce variability. The minimum data required to provide ongoing safe care for multitrauma patients are identified. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Women's experiences of transfer from primary maternity unit to tertiary hospital in New Zealand: part of the prospective cohort Evaluating Maternity Units study.

    PubMed

    Grigg, Celia P; Tracy, Sally K; Schmied, Virginia; Monk, Amy; Tracy, Mark B

    2015-12-18

    There is worldwide debate regarding the appropriateness and safety of different birthplaces for well women. The Evaluating Maternity Units (EMU) study's primary objective was to compare clinical outcomes for well women intending to give birth in either a tertiary level maternity hospital or a freestanding primary level maternity unit. Little is known about how women experience having to change their birthplace plans during the antenatal period or before admission to a primary unit, or transfer following admission. This paper describes and explores women's experience of these changes-a secondary aim of the EMU study. This paper utilised the six week postpartum survey data, from the 174 women from the primary unit cohort affected by birthplace plan change or transfer (response rate 73%). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The study was undertaken in Christchurch, New Zealand, which has an obstetric-led tertiary maternity hospital and four freestanding midwife-led primary maternity units (2010-2012). The 702 study participants were well, pregnant women booked to give birth in one of these facilities, all of whom received continuity of midwifery care, regardless of their intended or actual birthplace. Of the women who had to change their planned place of birth or transfer the greatest proportion of women rated themselves on a Likert scale as unbothered by the move (38.6%); 8.8% were 'very unhappy' and 7.6% 'very happy' (quantitative analysis). Four themes were identified, using thematic analysis, from the open ended survey responses of those who experienced transfer: 'not to plan', control, communication and 'my midwife'. An interplay between the themes created a cumulatively positive or negative effect on their experience. Women's experience of transfer in labour was generally positive, and none expressed stress or trauma with transfer. The women knew of the potential for change or transfer, although it was not wanted or planned. When they maintained a sense control, experienced effective communication with caregivers, and support and information from their midwife, the transfer did not appear to be experienced negatively. The model of continuity of midwifery care in New Zealand appeared to mitigate the negative aspects of women's experience of transfer and facilitate positive birth experiences.

  10. An efficiency improvement in warehouse operation using simulation analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samattapapong, N.

    2017-11-01

    In general, industry requires an efficient system for warehouse operation. There are many important factors that must be considered when designing an efficient warehouse system. The most important is an effective warehouse operation system that can help transfer raw material, reduce costs and support transportation. By all these factors, researchers are interested in studying about work systems and warehouse distribution. We start by collecting the important data for storage, such as the information on products, information on size and location, information on data collection and information on production, and all this information to build simulation model in Flexsim® simulation software. The result for simulation analysis found that the conveyor belt was a bottleneck in the warehouse operation. Therefore, many scenarios to improve that problem were generated and testing through simulation analysis process. The result showed that an average queuing time was reduced from 89.8% to 48.7% and the ability in transporting the product increased from 10.2% to 50.9%. Thus, it can be stated that this is the best method for increasing efficiency in the warehouse operation.

  11. Dynamic analysis of patterns of renal sympathetic nerve activity: implications for renal function.

    PubMed

    DiBona, Gerald F

    2005-03-01

    Methods of dynamic analysis are used to provide additional understanding of the renal sympathetic neural control of renal function. The concept of functionally specific subgroups of renal sympathetic nerve fibres conveying information encoded in the frequency domain is presented. Analog pulse modulation and pseudorandom binary sequence stimulation patterns are used for the determination of renal vascular frequency response. Transfer function analysis is used to determine the effects of non-renal vasoconstrictor and vasoconstrictor intensities of renal sympathetic nerve activity on dynamic autoregulation of renal blood flow.

  12. 75 FR 64355 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-19

    ... of Information Collection Under Review: Application for Tax-Exempt Transfer of Firearm and... collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Tax-Exempt Transfer of Firearm and Registration... approved by ATF prior to the transfer of a National Firearms Act weapon from one Special Occupational Tax...

  13. A Different Approach to the Scientific Research Methods Course: Effects of a Small-Scale Research Project on Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bastürk, Savas

    2017-01-01

    Selecting and applying appropriate research techniques, analysing data using information and communication technologies, transferring the obtained results of the analysis into tables and interpreting them are the performance indicators evaluated by the Ministry of National Education under teacher competencies. At the beginning of the courses that…

  14. Myth Busting: Using Data Mining to Refute Link between Transfer Students and Retention Risk

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McAleer, Brenda; Szakas, Joseph S.

    2010-01-01

    In the past few years, universities have become much more involved in outcomes assessment. Outside of the classroom analysis of learning outcomes, an investigation is performed into the use of current data mining tools to assess the issue of student retention within the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department. Utilizing both a historical…

  15. Highly efficient, very low-thrust transfer to geosynchronous orbit - Exact and approximate solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Redding, D. C.

    1984-04-01

    An overview is provided of the preflight, postflight, and accuracy analysis of the Titan IIIC launch vehicle that injects payloads into geosynchronous orbits. The postflight trajectory reconstruction plays an important role in determining payload injection accuracy. Furthermore, the postflight analysis provides useful information about the characteristics of measuring instruments subjected to a flight environment. Suitable approaches for meeting mission specifications, trajectory requirements, and instrument constraints are considered, taking into account the importance of preflight trajectory analysis activities. Gimbal flip avoidance algorithms in the flight software, and considerable beta gimbal analysis ensures a singularity-free trajectory.

  16. Information Systems and Networks for Technology Transfer. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Page, John; Szentivanyi, Tibor

    Results of a survey of the information resources available in industrialized countries which might be used in a United Nations technology transfer program for developing countries are presented. Information systems and networks, organized information collections of a scientific and technical character, and the machinery used to disseminate this…

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

    Billings, Jay J.; Bonior, Jason D.; Evans, Philip G.

    Securely transferring timing information in the electrical grid is a critical component of securing the nation's infrastructure from cyber attacks. One solution to this problem is to use quantum information to securely transfer the timing information across sites. This software provides such an infrastructure using a standard Java webserver that pulls the quantum information from associated hardware.

  18. Transfer in Artificial Grammar Learning: The Role of Repetition Information

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lotz, Anja; Kinder, Annette

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the authors report 2 experiments that investigated the sources of information used in transfer and nontransfer tasks in artificial grammar learning. Multiple regression analyses indicated that 2 types of information about repeating elements were crucial for performance in both tasks: information about the repetition of adjacent…

  19. Three-way ROC validation of rs-fMRI visual information propagation transfer functions used to differentiate between RRMS and CIS optic neuritis patients.

    PubMed

    Farahani, Ehsan Shahrabi; Choudhury, Samiul H; Cortese, Filomeno; Costello, Fiona; Goodyear, Bradley; Smith, Michael R

    2017-07-01

    Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) measures the temporal synchrony between different brain regions while the subject is at rest. We present an investigation using visual information propagation transfer functions as potential optic neuritis (ON) markers for the pathways between the lateral geniculate nuclei, the primary visual cortex, the lateral occipital cortex and the superior parietal cortex. We investigate marker reliability in differentiating between healthy controls and ON patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using a three-way receiver operating characteristics analysis. We identify useful and reliable three-way ON related metrics in the rs-fMRI low-frequency band 0.0 Hz to 0.1 Hz, with potential markers associated with the higher frequency harmonics of these signals in the 0.1 Hz to 0.2 Hz and 0.2 Hz to 0.3 Hz bands.

  20. Scientific and Technical Information and Transfer for Education (STITE). Research Report No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zunde, Pranas

    STITE (Scientific and Technical Information Transfer for Education) is basically a system to interface between science information and the science learner. As such STITE acts as a link between STIC (Science and Technology Information Centers) and LIS (Learning Information Systems). After an introduction to the goals and objectives of the ongoing…

  1. Brain signal variability as a window into the bidirectionality between music and language processing: moving from a linear to a nonlinear model

    PubMed Central

    Hutka, Stefanie; Bidelman, Gavin M.; Moreno, Sylvain

    2013-01-01

    There is convincing empirical evidence for bidirectional transfer between music and language, such that experience in either domain can improve mental processes required by the other. This music-language relationship has been studied using linear models (e.g., comparing mean neural activity) that conceptualize brain activity as a static entity. The linear approach limits how we can understand the brain’s processing of music and language because the brain is a nonlinear system. Furthermore, there is evidence that the networks supporting music and language processing interact in a nonlinear manner. We therefore posit that the neural processing and transfer between the domains of language and music are best viewed through the lens of a nonlinear framework. Nonlinear analysis of neurophysiological activity may yield new insight into the commonalities, differences, and bidirectionality between these two cognitive domains not measurable in the local output of a cortical patch. We thus propose a novel application of brain signal variability (BSV) analysis, based on mutual information and signal entropy, to better understand the bidirectionality of music-to-language transfer in the context of a nonlinear framework. This approach will extend current methods by offering a nuanced, network-level understanding of the brain complexity involved in music-language transfer. PMID:24454295

  2. Brain signal variability as a window into the bidirectionality between music and language processing: moving from a linear to a nonlinear model.

    PubMed

    Hutka, Stefanie; Bidelman, Gavin M; Moreno, Sylvain

    2013-12-30

    There is convincing empirical evidence for bidirectional transfer between music and language, such that experience in either domain can improve mental processes required by the other. This music-language relationship has been studied using linear models (e.g., comparing mean neural activity) that conceptualize brain activity as a static entity. The linear approach limits how we can understand the brain's processing of music and language because the brain is a nonlinear system. Furthermore, there is evidence that the networks supporting music and language processing interact in a nonlinear manner. We therefore posit that the neural processing and transfer between the domains of language and music are best viewed through the lens of a nonlinear framework. Nonlinear analysis of neurophysiological activity may yield new insight into the commonalities, differences, and bidirectionality between these two cognitive domains not measurable in the local output of a cortical patch. We thus propose a novel application of brain signal variability (BSV) analysis, based on mutual information and signal entropy, to better understand the bidirectionality of music-to-language transfer in the context of a nonlinear framework. This approach will extend current methods by offering a nuanced, network-level understanding of the brain complexity involved in music-language transfer.

  3. In Situ Solid-State Reactions Monitored by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Temperature-Induced Proton Transfer Leads to Chemical Shifts.

    PubMed

    Stevens, Joanna S; Walczak, Monika; Jaye, Cherno; Fischer, Daniel A

    2016-10-24

    The dramatic colour and phase alteration with the solid-state, temperature-dependent reaction between squaric acid and 4,4'-bipyridine has been probed in situ with X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The electronic and chemical sensitivity to the local atomic environment through chemical shifts in the near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) revealed proton transfer from the acid to the bipyridine base through the change in nitrogen protonation state in the high-temperature form. Direct detection of proton transfer coupled with structural analysis elucidates the nature of the solid-state process, with intermolecular proton transfer occurring along an acid-base chain followed by a domino effect to the subsequent acid-base chains, leading to the rapid migration along the length of the crystal. NEXAFS thereby conveys the ability to monitor the nature of solid-state chemical reactions in situ, without the need for a priori information or long-range order. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. NO-sensing performance of vacancy defective monolayer MoS2 predicted by density function theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Feifei; Shi, Changmin

    2018-03-01

    Using density functional theory (DFT), we predict the NO-sensing performance of monolayer MoS2 (MoS2-MLs) with and without MoS3-vacancy/S-vacancy defects. Our theoretical results demonstrate that MoS3- and S-vacancy defective MoS2-MLs show stronger chemisorption and greater electron transfer effects than pure MoS2-MLs. The charge transfer analysis showed pure and defective MoS2-MLs all act as donors. Both MoS3-vacancy and S-vacancy defects induce dramatic changes of electronic properties of MoS2-MLs, which have direct relationship with gas sensing performance. In addition, S-vacancy defect leads to more electrons transfer to NO molecule than MoS3-vacancy defect. The H2O molecule urges more electrons transfer from MoS3- or S-vacancy defective MoS2-MLs to NO molecule. We believe that this calculation results will provide some information for future experiment.

  5. Elucidating the design principles of photosynthetic electron-transfer proteins by site-directed spin labeling EPR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Ishara Silva, K; Jagannathan, Bharat; Golbeck, John H; Lakshmi, K V

    2016-05-01

    Site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL EPR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to determine solvent accessibility, side-chain dynamics, and inter-spin distances at specific sites in biological macromolecules. This information provides important insights into the structure and dynamics of both natural and designed proteins and protein complexes. Here, we discuss the application of SDSL EPR spectroscopy in probing the charge-transfer cofactors in photosynthetic reaction centers (RC) such as photosystem I (PSI) and the bacterial reaction center (bRC). Photosynthetic RCs are large multi-subunit proteins (molecular weight≥300 kDa) that perform light-driven charge transfer reactions in photosynthesis. These reactions are carried out by cofactors that are paramagnetic in one of their oxidation states. This renders the RCs unsuitable for conventional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy investigations. However, the presence of native paramagnetic centers and the ability to covalently attach site-directed spin labels in RCs makes them ideally suited for the application of SDSL EPR spectroscopy. The paramagnetic centers serve as probes of conformational changes, dynamics of subunit assembly, and the relative motion of cofactors and peptide subunits. In this review, we describe novel applications of SDSL EPR spectroscopy for elucidating the effects of local structure and dynamics on the electron-transfer cofactors of photosynthetic RCs. Because SDSL EPR Spectroscopy is uniquely suited to provide dynamic information on protein motion, it is a particularly useful method in the engineering and analysis of designed electron transfer proteins and protein networks. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biodesign for Bioenergetics--the design and engineering of electronic transfer cofactors, proteins and protein networks, edited by Ronald L. Koder and J.L. Ross Anderson. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Cockpit display of hazardous weather information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Wanke, Craig

    1990-01-01

    Information transfer and display issues associated with the dissemination of hazardous weather warnings are studied in the context of windshear alerts. Operational and developmental windshear detection systems are briefly reviewed. The July 11, 1988 microburst events observed as part of the Denver Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) operational evaluation are analyzed in terms of information transfer and the effectiveness of the microburst alerts. Information transfer, message content and display issues associated with microburst alerts generated from ground based sources are evaluated by means of pilot opinion surveys and part task simulator studies.

  7. Cockpit display of hazardous weather information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Wanke, Craig

    1989-01-01

    Information transfer and display issues associated with the dissemination of hazardous-weather warnings are studied in the context of wind-shear alerts. Operational and developmental wind-shear detection systems are briefly reviewed. The July 11, 1988 microburst events observed as part of the Denver TDWR operational evaluation are analyzed in terms of information transfer and the effectiveness of the microburst alerts. Information transfer, message content, and display issues associated with microburst alerts generated from ground-based sources (Doppler radars, LLWAS, and PIREPS) are evaluated by means of pilot opinion surveys and part-task simulator studies.

  8. Biomimetics: its practice and theory

    PubMed Central

    Vincent, Julian F.V; Bogatyreva, Olga A; Bogatyrev, Nikolaj R; Bowyer, Adrian; Pahl, Anja-Karina

    2006-01-01

    Biomimetics, a name coined by Otto Schmitt in the 1950s for the transfer of ideas and analogues from biology to technology, has produced some significant and successful devices and concepts in the past 50 years, but is still empirical. We show that TRIZ, the Russian system of problem solving, can be adapted to illuminate and manipulate this process of transfer. Analysis using TRIZ shows that there is only 12% similarity between biology and technology in the principles which solutions to problems illustrate, and while technology solves problems largely by manipulating usage of energy, biology uses information and structure, two factors largely ignored by technology. PMID:16849244

  9. Correlation of heat transfer for the zero pressure gradient hypersonic laminar boundary layer for several gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cook, W. J.

    1973-01-01

    A theoretical study of heat transfer for zero pressure gradient hypersonic laminar boundary layers for various gases with particular application to the flows produced in an expansion tube facility was conducted. A correlation based on results obtained from solutions to the governing equations for five gases was formulated. Particular attention was directed toward the laminar boundary layer shock tube splitter plates in carbon dioxide flows generated by high speed shock waves. Computer analysis of the splitter plate boundary layer flow provided information that is useful in interpreting experimental data obtained in shock tube gas radiation studies.

  10. Exploring Methodologies and Indicators for Cross-disciplinary Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernknopf, R.; Pearlman, J.

    2015-12-01

    Assessing the impact and benefit of geospatial information is a multidisciplinary task that involves the social, economic and environmental knowledge to formulate indicators and methods. There are use cases that couple the social sciences including economics, psychology, sociology that incorporate geospatial information. Benefit - cost analysis is an empirical approach that uses money as an indicator for decision making. It is a traditional base for a use case and has been applied to geospatial information and other areas. A new use case that applies indicators is Meta Regression analysis, which is used to evaluate transfers of socioeconomic benefits from different geographic regions into a unifying statistical approach. In this technique, qualitative and quantitative variables are indicators, which provide a weighted average of value for the nonmarket good or resource over a large region. The expected willingness to pay for the nonmarket good can be applied to a specific region. A third use case is the application of Decision Support Systems and Tools that have been used for forecasting agricultural prices and analysis of hazard policies. However, new methods for integrating these disciplines into use cases, an avenue to instruct the development of operational applications of geospatial information, are needed. Experience in one case may not be broadly transferable to other uses and applications if multiple disciplines are involved. To move forward, more use cases are needed and, especially, applications in the private sector. Applications are being examined across a multidisciplinary community for good examples that would be instructive in meeting the challenge. This presentation will look at the results of an investigation into directions in the broader applications of use cases to teach the methodologies and use of indicators that have applications across fields of interest.

  11. Water transfer via ectomycorrhizal fungal hyphae to conifer seedlings.

    PubMed

    Plamboeck, Agneta H; Dawson, Todd E; Egerton-Warburton, Louise M; North, Malcolm; Bruns, Thomas D; Querejeta, José Ignacio

    2007-07-01

    Little is known about water transfer via mycorrhizal hyphae to plants, despite its potential importance in seedling establishment and plant community development, especially in arid environments. Therefore, this process was investigated in the study reported in this paper in laboratory-based tripartite mesocosms containing the shrub Arctostaphylos viscida (manzanita) and young seedlings of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The objectives were to determine whether water could be transported through mycorrhizal symbionts shared by establishing conifers and A. viscida and to compare the results obtained using two tracers: the stable isotope deuterium and the dye lucifer yellow carbohydrazide. Water containing the tracers was added to the central compartment containing single manzanita shrubs. The fungal hyphae were then collected as well as plant roots from coniferous seedlings in the other two compartments to determine whether water was transferred via fungal hyphae. In addition, the length of the hyphae and degree of mycorrhizal colonisation were determined. Internal transcribed spacer-restriction fragment length polymorphism (ITS-RFLP) analysis was used to identify the fungal species involved in dye (water) transfer. Results of the stable isotope analysis showed that water is transferred via mycorrhizal hyphae, but isotopically labelled water was only detected in Douglas-fir roots, not in sugar pine roots. In contrast, the fluorescent dye was transported via mycorrhizal hyphae to both Douglas-fir and sugar pine seedlings. Only 1 of 15 fungal morphotypes (identified as Atheliaceae) growing in the mesocosms transferred the dye. Differences were detected in the water transfer patterns indicated by the deuterium and fluorescent dye tracers, suggesting that the two labels are transported by different mechanisms in the same hyphae and/or that different fungal taxa transfer them via different routes to host plants. We conclude that both tracers can provide information on resource transfer between fungi and plants, but we cannot be sure that the dye transfer data provide accurate indications of water transfer rates and patterns. The isotopic tracer provides more direct indications of water movement and is therefore more suitable than the dye for studying water relations of plants and their associated mycorrhizal fungi.

  12. NASA SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION (STI) PROGRAM PLAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    NASA's scientific and technical information (STI) is an essential product of research, facilitates technology transfer, and enhances the competitive edge of U.S. companies and educational institutions. NASA's STI is an integral part of NASA's information transfer and is critical...

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

    None

    The Office of Legacy Management (LM) is an integral part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) strategy to ensure that legacy liabilities of former nuclear weapons production sites are properly managed following the completion of environmental cleanup activities. LM will work with each site using an integrated team approach to ensure a successful transition. Part of this process will include transition of Government records and information. The Office of Legacy Management Information and Records Management Transition Guidance focuses on LM’s goal to preserve and protect legacy records and information. This guidance document establishes a framework for the transfer ofmore » records management responsibilities for sites transferring to LM. It describes the requirements, responsibilities, and procedures for the efficient and cost-effective transfer of custody, ownership, and management of records and other information products from the transfer site to LM. Records management practices are critical to the functions of Federal agencies because records provide information about, or evidence of, the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities. Therefore, the information generated by an agency is created, maintained, and dispositioned through records management processes that ensure the appropriate preservation and retrieval of essential information. Because of their intrinsic value, best practices to preserve information and records should be utilized when records are transferred from one organization to another. As the transfer program completes cleanup activities at closure sites, a transitional process will facilitate the transparent shift in the management of site records activities to LM. The roles and responsibilities of the transfer site and/or program and LM described in this document are a necessary foundation for cooperation and coordination and are essential to the successful transition of records and information responsibilities. The DOE Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) has a central role in DOE records management by providing guidance, expertise, and coordination to all DOE offices and organizations and coordination with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). LM and the transfer site will complete an integrated transition plan which will integrate all transition elements including information and records. As part of the overall transition plan, an Information and Records Transition Plan will be developed consistent with the integrated transition plan for the site transfer and included as an attachment. The Information and Records Management Transition Plan will be developed to assist both organizations in organizing the tasks; establishing a timetable and milestones for their completion; and identifying manpower, funding and other resources that will be needed to complete the ownership transfer. In addition, the plan will provide a valuable exchange of institutional knowledge that will assist LM in meeting the obligations of responsibly managing legacy records. Guidance for the development of the plan is included in this document. Records management concerns that may arise during site closure, such as management support, contract language and agreements, interactions with the OCIO and NARA, resource and budget considerations, and procedures to safeguard records are addressed. Guidelines and criteria for records management transition activities are also provided. These include LM expectations for the inventory, scheduling, and disposition of records; the management and transfer of electronic files, including databases and software; records finding aids, indices, and recordkeeping systems; and the process for the transfer of hard copy and electronic records to LM.« less

  14. Patients' and relatives' experiences of transfer from intensive care unit to wards.

    PubMed

    Cullinane, James P; Plowright, Catherine I

    2013-11-01

    This literature review looks at the evidence around transferring patients from intensive care units (ICU) to wards. The literature informs us that patients and their families experience problems when being transferred from an ICU environment and that this increases overall anxiety. The effects of surviving critical illness often have a profound psychological impact on patients and families This study examines the experiences of adult patients, and their families, following their transfer from the ICU to the ward. Five themes emerged from this literature review: physical responses, psychological responses, information and communication, safety and security, and the needs of relatives. This review reminds us that these problems can be reduced if information and communication around time of transfers were improved. As critical care nurses it is essential that we prepare patients and families for transfer to wards. © 2013 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

  15. Study of Federal technology transfer activities in areas of interest to NASA Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Madigan, J. A.; Earhart, R. W.

    1978-01-01

    Forty-three ongoing technology transfer programs in Federal agencies other than NASA were selected from over 200 current Federal technology transfer activities. Selection was made and specific technology transfer mechanisms utilized. Detailed information was obtained on the selected programs by reviewing published literature, and conducting telephone interviews with each program manager. Specific information collected on each program includes technology areas; user groups, mechanisms employed, duration of program, and level of effort. Twenty-four distinct mechanisms are currently employed in Federal technology transfer activities totaling $260 million per year. Typical applications of each mechanism were reviewed, and caveats on evaluating program effectiveness were discussed. A review of recent federally funded research in technology transfer to state and local governments was made utilizing the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, and abstracts of interest to NASA were selected for further reference.

  16. 76 FR 2758 - Agency Information Collection (Evidence for Transfer of Entitlement of Education Benefits (CFR 21...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-14

    ... for Transfer of Entitlement of Education Benefits (CFR 21.7080)) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY... INFORMATION: Title: Evidence for Transfer of Entitlement of Education Benefits (CFR 21.7080). OMB Control... DOD Form 2366-1 to determine whether the dependent qualifies to receive education benefits under the...

  17. The College Handbook for Transfer Students, 1991.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    College Board, New York, NY.

    The directory provides current information designed to assist college students desiring to transfer in the selection of their new college or university. The handbook provides the specific information needed about transfer policies at 2,800 two-year and four-year U.S. colleges. College descriptions are alphabetical by state. In addition to general…

  18. 77 FR 21579 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Transfer of Cargo to a Container Station

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-10

    ... Activities: Transfer of Cargo to a Container Station AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department... Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act: Transfer of Cargo to a Container Station. This is a proposed extension of an information collection that was previously...

  19. Effective field theory models for nonviolent information transfer from black holes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giddings, Steven B.; Shi, Yinbo

    2014-06-01

    Transfer of quantum information from the interior of a black hole to its atmosphere is described, in models based on effective field theory. This description illustrates that such transfer need not be violent to the semiclassical geometry or to infalling observers, and in particular can avoid producing a singular horizon or "firewall". One can specifically quantify the rate of information transfer and show that a rate necessary to unitarize black hole evaporation produces a relatively mild modification to the stress tensor near the horizon. In an exterior description of the transfer, the new interactions responsible for it are approximated by "effective sources" acting on fields in the black hole atmosphere. If the necessary interactions couple to general modes in the black hole atmosphere, one also finds a straightforward mechanism for information transfer rates to increase when a black hole is mined, avoiding paradoxical behavior. Correspondence limits are discussed, in the presence of such new interactions, for both small black holes and large ones; the near-horizon description of the latter is approximately that of Rindler space.

  20. Heat transfer in freeboard region of fluidized beds

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

    Biyikli, S.; Tuzla, K.; Chen, J.C.

    1983-10-01

    This research involved the study of heat transfer and fluid mechanic characteristics around a horizontal tube in the freeboard region of fluidized beds. Heat transfer coefficients were experimetnally measured for different bed temperatures, particle sizes, gas flow rates, and tube elevations in the freeboard region of air fluidized beds at atmospheric pressure. Local heat transfer coefficients were found to vary significantly with angular position around the tube. Average heat transfer coefficients were found to decrease with increasing freeboard tube elevation and approach the values for gas convection plus radiation for any given gas velocity. For a fixed tube elevation, heatmore » transfer coefficients generally increased with increasing gas velocity and with high particle entrainment they can approach the magnitudes found for immersed tubes. Heat transfer coefficients were also found to increase with increasing bed temperature. It was concluded that this increase is partly due to increase of radiative heat transfer and partly due to change of thermal properties of the fluidizing gas and particles. To investigate the fluid mechanic behavior of gas and particles around a freeboard tube, transient particle tube contacts were measured with a special capacitance probe in room temperature experiments. The results indicated that the tube surface experiences alternating dense and lean phase contacts. Quantitative information for local characteristics was obtained from the capacitance signals and used to develop a phenomenological model for prediction of the heat transfer coefficients around freeboard tubes. The packet renewal theory was modified to account for the dense phase heat transfer and a new model was suggested for the lean phase heat transfer. Finally, an empirical freeboard heat transfer correlation was developed from functional analysis of the freeboard heat transfer data using nondimensional groups representing gas velocity and tube elevation.« less

  1. Do donor oocyte cycles comply with ASRM/SART embryo transfer guidelines? An analysis of 13,393 donor cycles from the SART registry.

    PubMed

    Acharya, Kelly S; Keyhan, Sanaz; Acharya, Chaitanya R; Yeh, Jason S; Provost, Meredith P; Goldfarb, James M; Muasher, Suheil J

    2016-09-01

    To analyze donor oocyte cycles in the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) registry to determine: 1) how many cycles complied with the 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine/SART embryo transfer guidelines; and 2) cycle outcomes according to the number of embryos transferred. For donor oocyte IVF with donor age <35 years, the consideration of single-embryo transfer was strongly recommended. Retrospective cohort study of United States national registry information. Not applicable. A total of 13,393 donor-recipient cycles from 2011 to 2012. Embryos transferred in donor IVF cycles. Percentage of compliant cycles, multiple pregnancy rate. There were 3,157 donor cleavage-stage transfers and 10,236 donor blastocyst transfers. In the cleavage-stage cycles, 88% met compliance criteria. The multiple pregnancy rate (MPR) was significantly higher in the noncompliant cycles. In a subanalysis of compliant cleavage-stage cycles, 91% transferred two embryos and only 9% single embryos. In those patients transferring two embryos, the MPR was significantly higher (33% vs. 1%). In blastocyst transfers, only 28% of the cycles met compliance criteria. The MPR was significantly higher in the noncompliant blastocyst cohort at 53% (compared with 2% in compliant cycles). The majority of donor cleavage-stage transfers are compliant with current guidelines, but the transfer of two embryos results in a significantly higher MPR compared with single-embryo transfer. The majority of donor blastocyst cycles are noncompliant, which appears to be driving an unacceptably high MPR in these cycles. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Scientific and Technical Information Transfer for Education (STITE). Research Report No. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zunde, Pranas

    STITE (Scientific and Technical Information Transfer for Education) is basically a system to interface between science information and the science learner. As such STITE acts as a link between STIC (Science and Technology Infromation Centers) and LIS (Learning Information Systems). In this second progress report the internal knowledge of STITE is…

  3. The Effectiveness and Feasibility of a TRISNET Regional Center in Information Transfer. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rath, Gustave J.; And Others

    A study was conducted to assess the feasibility of establishing a regional information transfer center within the context of the National Network of Transportation Research Information Services (TRISNET). The principle areas of investigation were: (1) the transportation information needs of the public and private sectors; (2) the utility of…

  4. Intra-enterprise telecommunication satellites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henry, A. J.

    1981-11-01

    Information transfer in the mid 1980's is sketched. The use of geostationary satellites for internal requirements of businesses is an important factor in the growth of information transfer. Protection of transferred information is achieved through encryption. The companies which use satellites are those whose telecommunication costs are already significant; who have large computing capabilities including distributed data processing; who use national and international leased circuits; and whose establishments are dispersed. Uses include teleconferencing, voice and data transmission, and text and facsimile communication.

  5. Granger Causality and Transfer Entropy Are Equivalent for Gaussian Variables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnett, Lionel; Barrett, Adam B.; Seth, Anil K.

    2009-12-01

    Granger causality is a statistical notion of causal influence based on prediction via vector autoregression. Developed originally in the field of econometrics, it has since found application in a broader arena, particularly in neuroscience. More recently transfer entropy, an information-theoretic measure of time-directed information transfer between jointly dependent processes, has gained traction in a similarly wide field. While it has been recognized that the two concepts must be related, the exact relationship has until now not been formally described. Here we show that for Gaussian variables, Granger causality and transfer entropy are entirely equivalent, thus bridging autoregressive and information-theoretic approaches to data-driven causal inference.

  6. Simplified diagnostic coding sheet for computerized data storage and analysis in ophthalmology.

    PubMed

    Tauber, J; Lahav, M

    1987-11-01

    A review of currently-available diagnostic coding systems revealed that most are either too abbreviated or too detailed. We have compiled a simplified diagnostic coding sheet based on the International Coding and Diagnosis (ICD-9), which is both complete and easy to use in a general practice. The information is transferred to a computer, which uses the relevant (ICD-9) diagnoses as database and can be retrieved later for display of patients' problems or analysis of clinical data.

  7. The effect of the COACH program (Continuity Of Appropriate pharmacotherapy, patient Counselling and information transfer in Healthcare) on readmission rates in a multicultural population of internal medicine patients.

    PubMed

    Karapinar-Carkit, Fatma; Borgsteede, Sander D; Zoer, Jan; Siegert, Carl; van Tulder, Maurits; Egberts, Antoine C G; van den Bemt, Patricia M L A

    2010-02-16

    Medication errors occur frequently at points of transition in care. The key problems causing these medication errors are: incomplete and inappropriate medication reconciliation at hospital discharge (partly arising from inadequate medication reconciliation at admission), insufficient patient information (especially within a multicultural patient population) and insufficient communication to the next health care provider. Whether interventions aimed at the combination of these aspects indeed result in less discontinuity and associated harm is uncertain. Therefore the main objective of this study is to determine the effect of the COACH program (Continuity Of Appropriate pharmacotherapy, patient Counselling and information transfer in Healthcare) on readmission rates in patients discharged from the internal medicine department. An experimental study is performed at the internal medicine ward of a general teaching hospital in Amsterdam, which serves a multicultural population. In this study the effects of the COACH program is compared with usual care using a pre-post study design. All patients being admitted with at least one prescribed drug intended for chronic use are included in the study unless they meet one of the following exclusion criteria: no informed consent, no medication intended for chronic use prescribed at discharge, death, transfer to another ward or hospital, discharge within 24 hours or out of office hours, discharge to a nursing home and no possibility to counsel the patient.The intervention consists of medication reconciliation, patient counselling and communication between the hospital and primary care healthcare providers.The following outcomes are measured: the primary outcome readmissions within six months after discharge and the secondary outcomes number of interventions, adherence, patient's attitude towards medicines, patient's satisfaction with medication information, costs, quality of life and finally satisfaction of general practitioners and community pharmacists.Interrupted time series analysis is used for data-analysis of the primary outcome. Descriptive statistics is performed for the secondary outcomes. An economic evaluation is performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. This study will be able to evaluate the clinical and cost impact of a comprehensive program on continuity of care and associated patient safety. Dutch trial register: NTR1519.

  8. Renal blood flow dynamics in inbred rat strains provides insight into autoregulation.

    PubMed

    A Mitrou, Nicholas G; Cupples, William A

    2014-01-01

    Renal autoregulation maintains stable renal blood flow in the face of constantly fluctuating blood pressure. Autoregulation is also the only mechanism that protects the delicate glomerular capillaries when blood pressure increases. In order to understand autoregulation, the renal blood flow response to changing blood pressure is studied. The steadystate response of blood flow is informative, but limits investigation of the individual mechanisms of autoregulation. The dynamics of autoregulation can be probed with transfer function analysis. The frequency-domain analysis of autoregulation allows investigators to probe the relative activity of each mechanism of autoregulation. We discuss the methodology and interpretation of transfer function analysis. Autoregulation is routinely studied in the rat, of which there are many inbred strains. There are multiple strains of rat that are either selected or inbred as models of human pathology. We discuss relevant characteristics of Brown Norway, Spontaneously hypertensive, Dahl, and Fawn-Hooded hypertensive rats and explore differences among these strains in blood pressure, dynamic autoregulation, and susceptibility to hypertensive renal injury. Finally we show that the use of transfer function analysis in these rat strains has contributed to our understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of autoregulation and hypertensive renal disease.Interestingly all these strains demonstrate effective tubuloglomerular feedback suggesting that this mechanism is not sufficient for effective autoregulation. In contrast, obligatory or conditional failure of the myogenic mechanism suggests that this component is both necessary and sufficient for autoregulation.

  9. Exosome-Mediated Genetic Information Transfer, a Missing Piece of Osteoblast-Osteoclast Communication Puzzle.

    PubMed

    Yin, Pengbin; Lv, Houchen; Li, Yi; Deng, Yuan; Zhang, Licheng; Tang, Peifu

    2017-01-01

    The skeletal system functions and maintains itself based on communication between cells of diverse origins, especially between osteoblasts (OBs) and osteoclasts (OCs), accounting for bone formation and resorption, respectively. Previously, protein-level information exchange has been the research focus, and this has been discussed in detail. The regulative effects of microRNAs (miRNAs) on OB and OC ignite the question as to whether genetic information could be transferred between bone cells. Exosomes, extracellular membrane vesicles 30-100 nm in diameter, have recently been demonstrated to transfer functional proteins, mRNAs, and miRNAs, and serve as mediators of intercellular communication. By reviewing the distinguishing features of exosomes, a hypothesis was formulated and evaluated in this article that exosome-mediated genetic information transfer may represent a novel strategy for OB-OC communication. The exosomes may coordinately regulate these two cells under certain physiological conditions by transferring genetic information. Further research in exosome-shuttered miRNAs in OB-OC communication may add a missing piece to the bone cells communication "puzzle."

  10. Functional relevance of interindividual differences in temporal lobe callosal pathways: a DTI tractography study.

    PubMed

    Westerhausen, René; Grüner, Renate; Specht, Karsten; Hugdahl, Kenneth

    2009-06-01

    The midsagittal corpus callosum is topographically organized, that is, with regard to their cortical origin several subtracts can be distinguished within the corpus callosum that belong to specific functional brain networks. Recent diffusion tensor tractography studies have also revealed remarkable interindividual differences in the size and exact localization of these tracts. To examine the functional relevance of interindividual variability in callosal tracts, 17 right-handed male participants underwent structural and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. Probabilistic tractography was carried out to identify the callosal subregions that interconnect left and right temporal lobe auditory processing areas, and the midsagittal size of this tract was seen as indicator of the (anatomical) strength of this connection. Auditory information transfer was assessed applying an auditory speech perception task with dichotic presentations of consonant-vowel syllables (e.g., /ba-ga/). The frequency of correct left ear reports in this task served as a functional measure of interhemispheric transfer. Statistical analysis showed that a stronger anatomical connection between the superior temporal lobe areas supports a better information transfer. This specific structure-function association in the auditory modality supports the general notion that interindividual differences in callosal topography possess functional relevance.

  11. Learning to Predict Consequences as a Method of Knowledge Transfer in Reinforcement Learning.

    PubMed

    Chalmers, Eric; Contreras, Edgar Bermudez; Robertson, Brandon; Luczak, Artur; Gruber, Aaron

    2017-04-17

    The reinforcement learning (RL) paradigm allows agents to solve tasks through trial-and-error learning. To be capable of efficient, long-term learning, RL agents should be able to apply knowledge gained in the past to new tasks they may encounter in the future. The ability to predict actions' consequences may facilitate such knowledge transfer. We consider here domains where an RL agent has access to two kinds of information: agent-centric information with constant semantics across tasks, and environment-centric information, which is necessary to solve the task, but with semantics that differ between tasks. For example, in robot navigation, environment-centric information may include the robot's geographic location, while agent-centric information may include sensor readings of various nearby obstacles. We propose that these situations provide an opportunity for a very natural style of knowledge transfer, in which the agent learns to predict actions' environmental consequences using agent-centric information. These predictions contain important information about the affordances and dangers present in a novel environment, and can effectively transfer knowledge from agent-centric to environment-centric learning systems. Using several example problems including spatial navigation and network routing, we show that our knowledge transfer approach can allow faster and lower cost learning than existing alternatives.

  12. Organisation of biotechnological information into knowledge.

    PubMed

    Boh, B

    1996-09-01

    The success of biotechnological research, development and marketing depends to a large extent on the international transfer of information and on the ability to organise biotechnology information into knowledge. To increase the efficiency of information-based approaches, an information strategy has been developed and consists of the following stages: definition of the problem, its structure and sub-problems; acquisition of data by targeted processing of computer-supported bibliographic, numeric, textual and graphic databases; analysis of data and building of specialized in-house information systems; information processing for structuring data into systems, recognition of trends and patterns of knowledge, particularly by information synthesis using the concept of information density; design of research hypotheses; testing hypotheses in the laboratory and/or pilot plant; repeated evaluation and optimization of hypotheses by information methods and testing them by further laboratory work. The information approaches are illustrated by examples from the university-industry joint projects in biotechnology, biochemistry and agriculture.

  13. Transfer Entropy and Transient Limits of Computation

    PubMed Central

    Prokopenko, Mikhail; Lizier, Joseph T.

    2014-01-01

    Transfer entropy is a recently introduced information-theoretic measure quantifying directed statistical coherence between spatiotemporal processes, and is widely used in diverse fields ranging from finance to neuroscience. However, its relationships to fundamental limits of computation, such as Landauer's limit, remain unknown. Here we show that in order to increase transfer entropy (predictability) by one bit, heat flow must match or exceed Landauer's limit. Importantly, we generalise Landauer's limit to bi-directional information dynamics for non-equilibrium processes, revealing that the limit applies to prediction, in addition to retrodiction (information erasure). Furthermore, the results are related to negentropy, and to Bremermann's limit and the Bekenstein bound, producing, perhaps surprisingly, lower bounds on the computational deceleration and information loss incurred during an increase in predictability about the process. The identified relationships set new computational limits in terms of fundamental physical quantities, and establish transfer entropy as a central measure connecting information theory, thermodynamics and theory of computation. PMID:24953547

  14. Optical analysis of electro-optical systems by MTF calculus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbarini, Elisa Signoreto; Dos Santos, Daniel, Jr.; Stefani, Mário Antonio; Yasuoka, Fátima Maria Mitsue; Castro Neto, Jarbas C.; Rodrigues, Evandro Luís Linhari

    2011-08-01

    One of the widely used methods for performance analysis of an optical system is the determination of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). The MTF represents a quantitative and direct measure of image quality, and, besides being an objective test, it can be used on concatenated optical system. This paper presents the application of software called SMTF (software modulation transfer function), built in C++ and Open CV platforms for MTF calculation on electro-optical system. Through this technique, it is possible to develop specific method to measure the real time performance of a digital fundus camera, an infrared sensor and an ophthalmological surgery microscope. Each optical instrument mentioned has a particular device to measure the MTF response, which is being developed. Then the MTF information assists the analysis of the optical system alignment, and also defines its resolution limit by the MTF graphic. The result obtained from the implemented software is compared with the theoretical MTF curve from the analyzed systems.

  15. The transferability of information and communication technology skills from university to the workplace: a qualitative descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Bembridge, Elizabeth; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Jeong, Sarah Yeun-Sim

    2011-04-01

    This paper presents the findings from a study that explored whether the information and communication technology (ICT) skills nurses acquired at university are relevant and transferable to contemporary practice environments. Whilst universities have attempted to integrate information and communication technology into nursing curricula it is not known whether the skills developed for educational purposes are relevant or transferable to clinical contexts. A qualitative descriptive study was used to explore the perspectives of a small group of new graduate nurses working in a regional/semi-metropolitan healthcare facility in New South Wales, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were used and the data thematically analysed. The themes that emerged from the study are presented in accordance with the conceptual framework and structured under the three headings of pre-transfer, transition and post-transfer. The transferability of information and communication technology skills from university to the workplace is impacted by a range of educational, individual, organisational and contextual factors. Access to adequate ICT and the necessary training opportunities influences new graduates' work satisfaction and their future employment decisions. The ability to effectively use information and communication technology was viewed as essential to the provision of quality patient care. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Information flow and causality as rigorous notions ab initio

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, X. San

    2016-11-01

    Information flow or information transfer the widely applicable general physics notion can be rigorously derived from first principles, rather than axiomatically proposed as an ansatz. Its logical association with causality is firmly rooted in the dynamical system that lies beneath. The principle of nil causality that reads, an event is not causal to another if the evolution of the latter is independent of the former, which transfer entropy analysis and Granger causality test fail to verify in many situations, turns out to be a proven theorem here. Established in this study are the information flows among the components of time-discrete mappings and time-continuous dynamical systems, both deterministic and stochastic. They have been obtained explicitly in closed form, and put to applications with the benchmark systems such as the Kaplan-Yorke map, Rössler system, baker transformation, Hénon map, and stochastic potential flow. Besides unraveling the causal relations as expected from the respective systems, some of the applications show that the information flow structure underlying a complex trajectory pattern could be tractable. For linear systems, the resulting remarkably concise formula asserts analytically that causation implies correlation, while correlation does not imply causation, providing a mathematical basis for the long-standing philosophical debate over causation versus correlation.

  17. Systems for the Intermodal Routing of Spent Nuclear Fuel

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

    Peterson, Steven K; Liu, Cheng

    The safe and secure movement of spent nuclear fuel from shutdown and active reactor facilities to intermediate or long term storage sites may, in some instances, require the use of several modes of transportation to accomplish the move. To that end, a fully operable multi-modal routing system is being developed within Oak Ridge National Laboratory s (ORNL) WebTRAGIS (Transportation Routing Analysis Geographic Information System). This study aims to provide an overview of multi-modal routing, the existing state of the TRAGIS networks, the source data needs, and the requirements for developing structural relationships between various modes to create a suitable systemmore » for modeling the transport of spent nuclear fuel via a multimodal network. Modern transportation systems are comprised of interconnected, yet separate, modal networks. Efficient transportation networks rely upon the smooth transfer of cargoes at junction points that serve as connectors between modes. A key logistical impediment to the shipment of spent nuclear fuel is the absence of identified or designated transfer locations between transport modes. Understanding the potential network impacts on intermodal transportation of spent nuclear fuel is vital for planning transportation routes from origin to destination. By identifying key locations where modes intersect, routing decisions can be made to prioritize cost savings, optimize transport times and minimize potential risks to the population and environment. In order to facilitate such a process, ORNL began the development of a base intermodal network and associated routing code. The network was developed using previous intermodal networks and information from publicly available data sources to construct a database of potential intermodal transfer locations with likely capability to handle spent nuclear fuel casks. The coding development focused on modifying the existing WebTRAGIS routing code to accommodate intermodal transfers and the selection of prioritization constraints and modifiers to determine route selection. The limitations of the current model and future directions for development are discussed, including the current state of information on possible intermodal transfer locations for spent fuel.« less

  18. Assessing the Suitability of Process and Information Technology in Supporting Tacit Knowledge Transfer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Chien-Hsing; Kao, Shu-Chen; Shih, Lan-Hsin

    2010-01-01

    The transfer of tacit knowledge, one of the most important issues in the knowledge sharing context, needs a multi-dimensional perception in its process. Information technology's (IT) supporting role has already been addressed in the process of tacit knowledge transfer. However, IT has its own characteristics, and in turn, may have dissimilar…

  19. Cockpit display of hazardous weather information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Wanke, Craig

    1991-01-01

    Information transfer and display issues associated with the dissemination of hazardous weather warnings are studied in the context of wind shear alerts. Operational and developmental wind shear detection systems are briefly reviewed. The July 11, 1988 microburst events observed as part of the Denver Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) operational evaluation are analyzed in terms of information transfer and the effectiveness of the microburst alerts. Information transfer, message content and display issues associated with microburst alerts generated from ground based sources (Doppler Radar, Low Level Wind Shear Alert System, and Pilot Reports) are evaluated by means fo pilot opinion surveys and part task simulator studies.

  20. Rich-Club Organization in Effective Connectivity among Cortical Neurons.

    PubMed

    Nigam, Sunny; Shimono, Masanori; Ito, Shinya; Yeh, Fang-Chin; Timme, Nicholas; Myroshnychenko, Maxym; Lapish, Christopher C; Tosi, Zachary; Hottowy, Pawel; Smith, Wesley C; Masmanidis, Sotiris C; Litke, Alan M; Sporns, Olaf; Beggs, John M

    2016-01-20

    The performance of complex networks, like the brain, depends on how effectively their elements communicate. Despite the importance of communication, it is virtually unknown how information is transferred in local cortical networks, consisting of hundreds of closely spaced neurons. To address this, it is important to record simultaneously from hundreds of neurons at a spacing that matches typical axonal connection distances, and at a temporal resolution that matches synaptic delays. We used a 512-electrode array (60 μm spacing) to record spontaneous activity at 20 kHz from up to 500 neurons simultaneously in slice cultures of mouse somatosensory cortex for 1 h at a time. We applied a previously validated version of transfer entropy to quantify information transfer. Similar to in vivo reports, we found an approximately lognormal distribution of firing rates. Pairwise information transfer strengths also were nearly lognormally distributed, similar to reports of synaptic strengths. Some neurons transferred and received much more information than others, which is consistent with previous predictions. Neurons with the highest outgoing and incoming information transfer were more strongly connected to each other than chance, thus forming a "rich club." We found similar results in networks recorded in vivo from rodent cortex, suggesting the generality of these findings. A rich-club structure has been found previously in large-scale human brain networks and is thought to facilitate communication between cortical regions. The discovery of a small, but information-rich, subset of neurons within cortical regions suggests that this population will play a vital role in communication, learning, and memory. Significance statement: Many studies have focused on communication networks between cortical brain regions. In contrast, very few studies have examined communication networks within a cortical region. This is the first study to combine such a large number of neurons (several hundred at a time) with such high temporal resolution (so we can know the direction of communication between neurons) for mapping networks within cortex. We found that information was not transferred equally through all neurons. Instead, ∼70% of the information passed through only 20% of the neurons. Network models suggest that this highly concentrated pattern of information transfer would be both efficient and robust to damage. Therefore, this work may help in understanding how the cortex processes information and responds to neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright © 2016 Nigam et al.

  1. Rich-Club Organization in Effective Connectivity among Cortical Neurons

    PubMed Central

    Shimono, Masanori; Ito, Shinya; Yeh, Fang-Chin; Timme, Nicholas; Myroshnychenko, Maxym; Lapish, Christopher C.; Tosi, Zachary; Hottowy, Pawel; Smith, Wesley C.; Masmanidis, Sotiris C.; Litke, Alan M.; Sporns, Olaf; Beggs, John M.

    2016-01-01

    The performance of complex networks, like the brain, depends on how effectively their elements communicate. Despite the importance of communication, it is virtually unknown how information is transferred in local cortical networks, consisting of hundreds of closely spaced neurons. To address this, it is important to record simultaneously from hundreds of neurons at a spacing that matches typical axonal connection distances, and at a temporal resolution that matches synaptic delays. We used a 512-electrode array (60 μm spacing) to record spontaneous activity at 20 kHz from up to 500 neurons simultaneously in slice cultures of mouse somatosensory cortex for 1 h at a time. We applied a previously validated version of transfer entropy to quantify information transfer. Similar to in vivo reports, we found an approximately lognormal distribution of firing rates. Pairwise information transfer strengths also were nearly lognormally distributed, similar to reports of synaptic strengths. Some neurons transferred and received much more information than others, which is consistent with previous predictions. Neurons with the highest outgoing and incoming information transfer were more strongly connected to each other than chance, thus forming a “rich club.” We found similar results in networks recorded in vivo from rodent cortex, suggesting the generality of these findings. A rich-club structure has been found previously in large-scale human brain networks and is thought to facilitate communication between cortical regions. The discovery of a small, but information-rich, subset of neurons within cortical regions suggests that this population will play a vital role in communication, learning, and memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many studies have focused on communication networks between cortical brain regions. In contrast, very few studies have examined communication networks within a cortical region. This is the first study to combine such a large number of neurons (several hundred at a time) with such high temporal resolution (so we can know the direction of communication between neurons) for mapping networks within cortex. We found that information was not transferred equally through all neurons. Instead, ∼70% of the information passed through only 20% of the neurons. Network models suggest that this highly concentrated pattern of information transfer would be both efficient and robust to damage. Therefore, this work may help in understanding how the cortex processes information and responds to neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:26791200

  2. Exosomes and microvesicles: extracellular vesicles for genetic information transfer and gene therapy.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yi; El Andaloussi, Samir; Wood, Matthew J A

    2012-10-15

    Exosomes and microvesicles are extracellular nanovesicles released by most but not all cells. They are specifically equipped to mediate intercellular communication via the transfer of genetic information, including the transfer of both coding and non-coding RNAs, to recipient cells. As a result, both exosomes and microvesicles play a fundamental biological role in the regulation of normal physiological as well as aberrant pathological processes, via altered gene regulatory networks and/or via epigenetic programming. For example, microvesicle-mediated genetic transfer can regulate the maintenance of stem cell plasticity and induce beneficial cell phenotype modulation. Alternatively, such vesicles play a role in tumor pathogenesis and the spread of neurodegenerative diseases via the transfer of specific microRNAs and pathogenic proteins. Given this natural property for genetic information transfer, the possibility of exploiting these vesicles for therapeutic purposes is now being investigated. Stem cell-derived microvesicles appear to be naturally equipped to mediate tissue regeneration under certain conditions, while recent evidence suggests that exosomes might be harnessed for the targeted delivery of human genetic therapies via the introduction of exogenous genetic cargoes such as siRNA. Thus, extracellular vesicles are emerging as potent genetic information transfer agents underpinning a range of biological processes and with therapeutic potential.

  3. Project Integration Architecture: Inter-Application Propagation of Information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William Henry

    2005-01-01

    A principal goal of the Project Integration Architecture (PIA) is to facilitate the meaningful inter-application transfer of application-value-added information. Such exchanging applications may be largely unrelated to each other except through their applicability to an overall project; however, the PIA effort recognizes as fundamental the need to make such applications cooperate despite wide disparaties either in the fidelity of the analyses carried out, or even the disciplines of the analysis. This paper discusses the approach and techniques applied and anticipated by the PIA project in treating this need.

  4. A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Alternative Guided Media for the Backbone Cable Plant Portion of the Base Information Transfer System

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-03-01

    Applications, Garland STPM Press, 1979. 60 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 1 . Defense Technical Information Center 2 Cameron Station Alexandria, Virginia...AD-A242 688 V, III II lIlIIlI III I I NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California D I; D ’C,ST...,, Z i 1 3 i THESIS A COST-EFFECTIVENESS...author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Depart- ment of Defense or the US Government. 17 COSATI CODES 18 SUBJECT TERMS

  5. Mechanisms underlying interlimb transfer of visuomotor rotations

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jinsung; Sainburg, Robert L.

    2013-01-01

    We previously reported that opposite arm training improved the initial direction of dominant arm movements, whereas it only improved the final position accuracy of non-dominant arm movements. We now ask whether each controller accesses common, or separate, short-term memory resources. To address this question, we investigated interlimb transfer of learning for visuomotor rotations that were directed oppositely [clockwise (CW)/counterclockwise (CCW)] for the two arms. We expected that if information obtained by initial training was stored in the same short-term memory space for both arms, opposite arm training of a CW rotation would interfere with subsequent adaptation to a CCW rotation. All subjects first adapted to a 30° rotation (CW) in the visual display during reaching movements. Following this, they adapted to a 30° rotation in the opposite direction (CCW) with the other arm. In contrast to our previous findings for interlimb transfer of same direction rotations (CCW/CCW), no effects of opposite arm adaptation were indicated in the initial trials performed. This indicates that interlimb transfer is not obligatory, and suggests that short-term memory resources for the two limbs are independent. Through single trial analysis, we found that the direction and final position errors of the first trial of movement, following opposite arm training, were always the same as those of naive performance. This was true whether the opposite arm was trained with the same or the opposing rotation. When trained with the same rotation, transfer of learning did not occur until the second trial. These findings suggest that the selective use of opposite arm information is dependent on the first trial to probe current movement conditions. Interestingly, the final extent of adaptation appeared to be reduced by opposite arm training of opposing rotations. Thus, the extent of adaptation, but not initial information transfer, appears obligatorily affected by prior opposite arm adaptation. According to our findings, it is plausible that the initiation and the final extent of adaptation involve two independent neural processes. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:12677333

  6. Sources and Information on Transfer Associate Degrees

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayon, Carlos

    2012-01-01

    This chapter provides an annotated bibliography of articles about the effects of transfer associate degrees and related statewide transfer and articulation policies. It also provides links to transfer degree legislation in several states.

  7. Quantifying the Interactions between Maternal and Fetal Heart Rates by Transfer Entropy.

    PubMed

    Marzbanrad, Faezeh; Kimura, Yoshitaka; Palaniswami, Marimuthu; Khandoker, Ahsan H

    2015-01-01

    Evidence of the short term relationship between maternal and fetal heart rates has been found in previous studies. However there is still limited knowledge about underlying mechanisms and patterns of the coupling throughout gestation. In this study, Transfer Entropy (TE) was used to quantify directed interactions between maternal and fetal heart rates at various time delays and gestational ages. Experimental results using maternal and fetal electrocardiograms showed significant coupling for 63 out of 65 fetuses, by statistically validating against surrogate pairs. Analysis of TE showed a decrease in transfer of information from fetus to the mother with gestational age, alongside the maturation of the fetus. On the other hand, maternal to fetal TE was significantly greater in mid (26-31 weeks) and late (32-41 weeks) gestation compared to early (16-25 weeks) gestation (Mann Whitney Wilcoxon (MWW) p<0.05). TE further increased from mid to late, for the fetuses with RMSSD of fetal heart rate being larger than 4 msec in the late gestation. This difference was not observed for the fetuses with smaller RMSSD, which could be associated with the quiet sleep state. Delay in the information transfer from mother to fetus significantly decreased (p = 0.03) from mid to late gestation, implying a decrease in fetal response time. These changes occur concomitant with the maturation of the fetal sensory and autonomic nervous systems with advancing gestational age. The effect of maternal respiratory rate derived from maternal ECG was also investigated and no significant relationship was found between breathing rate and TE at any lag. In conclusion, the application of TE with delays revealed detailed information on the fetal-maternal heart rate coupling strength and latency throughout gestation, which could provide novel clinical markers of fetal development and well-being.

  8. Quantifying the Interactions between Maternal and Fetal Heart Rates by Transfer Entropy

    PubMed Central

    Marzbanrad, Faezeh; Kimura, Yoshitaka; Palaniswami, Marimuthu; Khandoker, Ahsan H.

    2015-01-01

    Evidence of the short term relationship between maternal and fetal heart rates has been found in previous studies. However there is still limited knowledge about underlying mechanisms and patterns of the coupling throughout gestation. In this study, Transfer Entropy (TE) was used to quantify directed interactions between maternal and fetal heart rates at various time delays and gestational ages. Experimental results using maternal and fetal electrocardiograms showed significant coupling for 63 out of 65 fetuses, by statistically validating against surrogate pairs. Analysis of TE showed a decrease in transfer of information from fetus to the mother with gestational age, alongside the maturation of the fetus. On the other hand, maternal to fetal TE was significantly greater in mid (26–31 weeks) and late (32–41 weeks) gestation compared to early (16–25 weeks) gestation (Mann Whitney Wilcoxon (MWW) p<0.05). TE further increased from mid to late, for the fetuses with RMSSD of fetal heart rate being larger than 4 msec in the late gestation. This difference was not observed for the fetuses with smaller RMSSD, which could be associated with the quiet sleep state. Delay in the information transfer from mother to fetus significantly decreased (p = 0.03) from mid to late gestation, implying a decrease in fetal response time. These changes occur concomitant with the maturation of the fetal sensory and autonomic nervous systems with advancing gestational age. The effect of maternal respiratory rate derived from maternal ECG was also investigated and no significant relationship was found between breathing rate and TE at any lag. In conclusion, the application of TE with delays revealed detailed information on the fetal-maternal heart rate coupling strength and latency throughout gestation, which could provide novel clinical markers of fetal development and well-being. PMID:26701122

  9. Long-Range Reduced Predictive Information Transfers of Autistic Youths in EEG Sensor-Space During Face Processing.

    PubMed

    Khadem, Ali; Hossein-Zadeh, Gholam-Ali; Khorrami, Anahita

    2016-03-01

    The majority of previous functional/effective connectivity studies conducted on the autistic patients converged to the underconnectivity theory of ASD: "long-range underconnectivity and sometimes short-rang overconnectivity". However, to the best of our knowledge the total (linear and nonlinear) predictive information transfers (PITs) of autistic patients have not been investigated yet. Also, EEG data have rarely been used for exploring the information processing deficits in autistic subjects. This study is aimed at comparing the total (linear and nonlinear) PITs of autistic and typically developing healthy youths during human face processing by using EEG data. The ERPs of 12 autistic youths and 19 age-matched healthy control (HC) subjects were recorded while they were watching upright and inverted human face images. The PITs among EEG channels were quantified using two measures separately: transfer entropy with self-prediction optimality (TESPO), and modified transfer entropy with self-prediction optimality (MTESPO). Afterwards, the directed differential connectivity graphs (dDCGs) were constructed to characterize the significant changes in the estimated PITs of autistic subjects compared with HC ones. By using both TESPO and MTESPO, long-range reduction of PITs of ASD group during face processing was revealed (particularly from frontal channels to right temporal channels). Also, it seemed the orientation of face images (upright or upside down) did not modulate the binary pattern of PIT-based dDCGs, significantly. Moreover, compared with TESPO, the results of MTESPO were more compatible with the underconnectivity theory of ASD in the sense that MTESPO showed no long-range increase in PIT. It is also noteworthy that to the best of our knowledge it is the first time that a version of MTE is applied for patients (here ASD) and it is also its first use for EEG data analysis.

  10. Application of a Rapid Knowledge Synthesis and Transfer Approach to Assess the Microbial Safety of Low-Moisture Foods

    PubMed Central

    Young, Ian; Waddell, Lisa; Cahill, Sarah; Kojima, Mina; Clarke, Renata; Rajic, Andrijana

    2016-01-01

    Low-moisture foods (LMF) are increasingly implicated in outbreaks of foodborne illness resulting in a significant public health burden. To inform the development of a new Codex Alimentarius code of hygienic practice for LMF, we applied a rapid knowledge synthesis and transfer approach to review global research on the burden of illness, prevalence, and interventions to control nine selected microbial hazards in eight categories of LMF. Knowledge synthesis methods included an integrated scoping review (search strategy, relevance screening and confirmation, and evidence mapping), systematic review (detailed data extraction), and meta-analysis of prevalence data. Knowledge transfer of the results was achieved through multiple reporting formats, including evidence summary cards. We identified 214 unique outbreaks and 204 prevalence and 126 intervention studies. ‘Cereals and grains’ (n=142) and Salmonella spp. (n=278) were the most commonly investigated LMF and microbial hazard categories, respectively. Salmonella spp. was implicated in the most outbreaks (n=96, 45%), several of which were large and widespread, resulting in the most hospitalizations (n=895, 89%) and deaths (n=14, 74%). Salmonella spp. had a consistently low prevalence across all LMF categories (0-3%), while other hazards (e.g. B. cereus) were found at highly variable levels. A variety of interventions were investigated in small challenge trials. Key knowledge gaps included under-reporting of LMF outbreaks, limited reporting of microbial concentration data from prevalence studies, and a lack of intervention-efficacy research under commercial conditions. Summary cards were a useful knowledge transfer format to inform complementary risk ranking activities. This review builds upon previous work in this area by synthesizing a broad range of evidence using a structured, transparent, and integrated approach to provide timely evidence-informed inputs into international guidelines. PMID:26613924

  11. 77 FR 4815 - Ace Info Solutions, Inc., and Information International Associates; Transfer of Data

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-31

    ... Confidential Business Information (CBI) by the submitter, will be transferred to Ace Info Solutions, Inc., and... Chemical Libraries and Repository; 4. Information architecture support, consultation on site structure and..., Business and industry, Government contracts, Government property, Security measures. Dated: January 19...

  12. Phylogenomic Analysis and Dynamic Evolution of Chloroplast Genomes in Salicaceae

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yuan; Wang, Jun; Yang, Yongping; Fan, Chuanzhu; Chen, Jiahui

    2017-01-01

    Chloroplast genomes of plants are highly conserved in both gene order and gene content. Analysis of the whole chloroplast genome is known to provide much more informative DNA sites and thus generates high resolution for plant phylogenies. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genomes of three Salix species in family Salicaceae. Phylogeny of Salicaceae inferred from complete chloroplast genomes is generally consistent with previous studies but resolved with higher statistical support. Incongruences of phylogeny, however, are observed in genus Populus, which most likely results from homoplasy. By comparing three Salix chloroplast genomes with the published chloroplast genomes of other Salicaceae species, we demonstrate that the synteny and length of chloroplast genomes in Salicaceae are highly conserved but experienced dynamic evolution among species. We identify seven positively selected chloroplast genes in Salicaceae, which might be related to the adaptive evolution of Salicaceae species. Comparative chloroplast genome analysis within the family also indicates that some chloroplast genes are lost or became pseudogenes, infer that the chloroplast genes horizontally transferred to the nucleus genome. Based on the complete nucleus genome sequences from two Salicaceae species, we remarkably identify that the entire chloroplast genome is indeed transferred and integrated to the nucleus genome in the individual of the reference genome of P. trichocarpa at least once. This observation, along with presence of the large nuclear plastid DNA (NUPTs) and NUPTs-containing multiple chloroplast genes in their original order in the chloroplast genome, favors the DNA-mediated hypothesis of organelle to nucleus DNA transfer. Overall, the phylogenomic analysis using chloroplast complete genomes clearly elucidates the phylogeny of Salicaceae. The identification of positively selected chloroplast genes and dynamic chloroplast-to-nucleus gene transfers in Salicaceae provide resources to better understand the successful adaptation of Salicaceae species. PMID:28676809

  13. Summary Report on Federal Laboratory Technology Transfer: FY 2003 Activity Metrics and Outcomes. 2004 Report to the President and the Congress under the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Act

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-12-01

    Agency, FY 1999-2003 Table 1.1 – Overview of the Types of Information on Federal lab Technology Transfer Collected in the...invention disclosure, patenting, and licensing. Table 1.1 – Overview of the Types of Information on Federal Lab Technology Transfer Collected in...results. In addition, ARS hosts a Textile Manufacturing Symposium and a Cotton Ginning Symposium at gin and textile labs to benefit county extension

  14. A novel methodology to characterize interfacility transfer strategies in a trauma transfer network.

    PubMed

    Gomez, David; Haas, Barbara; Larsen, Kristian; Alali, Aziz S; MacDonald, Russell D; Singh, Jeffrey M; Tien, Homer; Iwashyna, Theodore J; Rubenfeld, Gordon; Nathens, Avery B

    2016-10-01

    More than half of severely injured patients are initially transported from the scene of injury to nontrauma centers (NTCs), with many requiring subsequent transfer to trauma center (TC) care. Definitive care in the setting of severe injury is time sensitive. However, transferring severely injured patients from an NTC is a complex process often fraught with delays. Selection of the receiving TC and the mode of interfacility transport both strongly influence total transfer time and are highly amenable to quality improvement initiatives. We analyzed transfer strategies, defined as the pairing of a destination and mode of transport (land vs. rotary wing vs. fixed wing), for severely injured adult patients. Existing transfer strategies at each NTC were derived from trauma registry data. Geographic Information Systems network analysis was used to identify the strategy that minimized transfer times the most as well as alternate strategies (+15 or +30 minutes) for each NTC. Transfer network efficiency was characterized based on optimality and stability. We identified 7,702 severely injured adult patients transferred from 146 NTCs to 9 TCs. Nontrauma centers transferred severely injured patients to a median of 3 (interquartile range, 1-4) different TCs and utilized a median of 4 (interquartile range, 2-6) different transfer strategies. After allowing for the use of alternate transfer strategies, 73.1% of severely injured patients were transported using optimal/alternate strategies, and only 40.4% of NTCs transferred more than 90% of patients using an optimal/alternate transfer strategy. Three quarters (75.5%) of transfers occurred between NTCs and their most common receiving TC. More than a quarter of patients with severe traumatic injuries undergoing interfacility transport to a TC in Ontario are consistently transported using a nonoptimal combination of destination and mode of transport. Our novel analytic approach can be easily adapted to different system configurations and provides actionable data that can be provided to NTCs and other stakeholders. Therapeutic study, level IV.

  15. National water-information clearinghouse activities; ground-water perspective

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haupt, C.A.; Jensen, R.A.

    1988-01-01

    The US Geological Survey (USGS) has functioned for many years as an informal clearinghouse for water resources information, enabling users to access groundwater information effectively. Water resources clearinghouse activities of the USGS are conducted through several separate computerized water information programs that are involved in the collection, storage, retrieval, and distribution of different types of water information. The following USGS programs perform water information clearinghouse functions and provide the framework for a formalized National Water-Information Clearinghouse: (1) The National Water Data Exchange--a nationwide confederation of more than 300 Federal, State, local, government, academic, and private water-oriented organizations that work together to improve access to water data; (2) the Water Resources Scientific Information Center--acquires, abstracts, and indexes the major water-resources-related literature of the world, and provides this information to the water resources community; (3) the Information Transfer Program--develops innovative approaches to transfer information and technology developed within the USGS to audiences in the public and private sectors; (4) the Hydrologic Information Unit--provides responses to a variety of requests, both technical and lay-oriented, for water resources information , and helps efforts to conduct water resources research; (5) the Water Data Storage and Retrieval System--maintains accessible computerized files of hydrologic data collected nationwide, by the USGS and other governmental agencies, from stream gaging stations, groundwater observation wells, and surface- and groundwater quality sampling sites; (6) the Office of Water Data Coordination--coordinate the water data acquisition activities of all agencies of the Federal Government, and is responsible for the planning, design, and inter-agency coordination of a national water data and information network; and (7) the Water Resources Research Institute Program--coordinates and evaluates activities performed by a variety of groundwater contamination studies ranging from field investigations to analysis of socioeconomic issues. (Lantz-PTT)

  16. [Information exchange via internet--possibilities, limits, future].

    PubMed

    Schmiedl, S; Geishauser, M; Klöppel, M; Biemer, E

    1998-01-01

    Today, the exchange of information in the Internet is dominated by the WWW and e-mail. Discussion groups like mailing lists and newsgroups also permit communication in groups. Information retrieval becomes a crucial challenge in using the Internet. In the field of medicine, three more aspects are of special importance: privacy, legal requirements, and the necessity of transferring large amounts of data. For these problems, today's Internet doesn't provide a sufficient solution yet. Future developments will not only improve the existing services, but also lead to fundamental changes in the transfer technologies: Safer data transfer is to be ensured by new encrypting software together with the planned transfer protocol IPv6. Introducing the new transfer mode ATM will lead to better and resource saving transmission. Computer, telephone and TV networks will grow together, resulting in convergence of media.

  17. Implementing AORN recommended practices for transfer of patient care information.

    PubMed

    Seifert, Patricia C

    2012-11-01

    The Joint Commission estimates that 80% of serious medical errors are associated with miscommunication during patient transfers. Patient transfers may occur between a wide array of settings: between physicians' offices or preoperative areas and traditional ORs or ambulatory settings, between emergency departments or interventional suites and the OR, and between other areas where the exchange of patient information occurs. AORN's "Recommended practices for transfer of patient care information" serves as a guide for establishing achievable practices that promote a safe level of care during perioperative patient transfers. Strategies for the successful implementation of the recommended practices include promoting teamwork, including with the patient and the patient's family members; developing effective communication skills; documenting processes; creating and adhering to policies and procedures; and establishing quality management programs. Copyright © 2012 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Using information theory to assess the communicative capacity of circulating microRNA.

    PubMed

    Finn, Nnenna A; Searles, Charles D

    2013-10-11

    The discovery of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) and their transport modalities (i.e., microparticles, exosomes, proteins and lipoproteins) has sparked theories regarding their role in intercellular communication. Here, we assessed the information transfer capacity of different miRNA transport modalities in human serum by utilizing basic principles of information theory. Zipf Statistics were calculated for each of the miRNA transport modalities identified in human serum. Our analyses revealed that miRNA-mediated information transfer is redundant, as evidenced by negative Zipf's Statistics with magnitudes greater than one. In healthy subjects, the potential communicative capacity of miRNA in complex with circulating proteins was significantly lower than that of miRNA encapsulated in circulating microparticles and exosomes. Moreover, the presence of coronary heart disease significantly lowered the communicative capacity of all circulating miRNA transport modalities. To assess the internal organization of circulating miRNA signals, Shannon's zero- and first-order entropies were calculated. Microparticles (MPs) exhibited the lowest Shannon entropic slope, indicating a relatively high capacity for information transfer. Furthermore, compared to the other miRNA transport modalities, MPs appeared to be the most efficient at transferring miRNA to cultured endothelial cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that although all transport modalities have the capacity for miRNA-based information transfer, MPs may be the simplest and most robust way to achieve miRNA-based signal transduction in sera. This study presents a novel method for analyzing the quantitative capacity of miRNA-mediated information transfer while providing insight into the communicative characteristics of distinct circulating miRNA transport modalities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Rényi information flow in the Ising model with single-spin dynamics.

    PubMed

    Deng, Zehui; Wu, Jinshan; Guo, Wenan

    2014-12-01

    The n-index Rényi mutual information and transfer entropies for the two-dimensional kinetic Ising model with arbitrary single-spin dynamics in the thermodynamic limit are derived as functions of ensemble averages of observables and spin-flip probabilities. Cluster Monte Carlo algorithms with different dynamics from the single-spin dynamics are thus applicable to estimate the transfer entropies. By means of Monte Carlo simulations with the Wolff algorithm, we calculate the information flows in the Ising model with the Metropolis dynamics and the Glauber dynamics, respectively. We find that not only the global Rényi transfer entropy, but also the pairwise Rényi transfer entropy, peaks in the disorder phase.

  20. Enantioselective Synthesis of 5,7-Bicyclic Ring Systems from Axially Chiral Allenes Using a Rh(I)-Catalyzed Cyclocarbonylation Reaction

    PubMed Central

    Grillet, Francois; Brummond, Kay M.

    2013-01-01

    A transfer of chirality in an intramolecular Rh(I)-catalyzed allenic Pauson-Khand reaction (APKR) to access tetrahydroazulenones, tetrahydrocyclopenta[c]azepinones and dihydrocyclopenta[c]oxepinones enantioselectively (22 – 99% ee) is described. The substitution pattern of the allene affected the transfer of chiral information. Complete transfer of chirality was obtained for all trisubstituted allenes, but loss of chiral information was observed for disubstituted allenes. This work constitutes the first demonstration of a transfer of chiral information from an allene to the 5-position of a cyclopentenone using a cyclocarbonylation reaction. The absolute configuration of the corresponding cyclocarbonylation product was also established, something that is rarely done. PMID:23485149

  1. Analysis and design of ion-implanted bubble memory devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wullert, J. R., II; Kryder, M. H.

    1987-04-01

    4-μm period ion-implanted contiguous disk bubble memory circuits, designed and fabricated at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, have been investigated. Quasistatic testing has provided information about both the operational bias field ranges and the exact failure modes. A variety of major loop layouts were investigated and two turns found to severely limit bias field margins are discussed. The generation process, using a hairpin nucleator, was tested and several interesting failure modes were uncovered. Propagation on four different minor loop paths was observed and each was found to have characteristic failure modes. The transfer processes, both into and out of the minor loops, were investigated at higher frequencies to avoid local heating due to long transfer pulses at low frequencies. Again specific failure modes were identified. Overall bias margins for the chip were 9% at 50 Oe drive field and were limited by transfer-in.

  2. Genetic modification of hematopoietic cells using retroviral and lentiviral vectors: safety considerations for vector design and delivery into target cells.

    PubMed

    Dropulic, Boro

    2005-07-01

    The recent development of leukemia in three patients following retroviral vector gene transfer in hematopoietic stem cells, resulting in the death of one patient, has raised safety concerns for the use of integrating gene transfer vectors for human gene therapy. This review discusses these serious adverse events from the perspective of whether restrictions on vector design and vector-modified target cells are warranted at this time. A case is made against presently establishing specific restrictions for vector design and transduced cells; rather, their safety should be ascertained by empiric evaluation in appropriate preclinical models on a case-by-case basis. Such preclinical data, coupled with proper informed patient consent and a risk-benefit ratio analysis, provide the best available prospective evaluation of gene transfer vectors prior to their translation into the clinic.

  3. Genetic discovery in Xylella fastidiosa through sequence analysis of selected randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jianchi; Civerolo, Edwin L; Jarret, Robert L; Van Sluys, Marie-Anne; de Oliveira, Mariana C

    2005-02-01

    Xylella fastidiosa causes many important plant diseases including Pierce's disease (PD) in grape and almond leaf scorch disease (ALSD). DNA-based methodologies, such as randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, have been playing key roles in genetic information collection of the bacterium. This study further analyzed the nucleotide sequences of selected RAPDs from X. fastidiosa strains in conjunction with the available genome sequence databases and unveiled several previously unknown novel genetic traits. These include a sequence highly similar to those in the phage family of Podoviridae. Genome comparisons among X. fastidiosa strains suggested that the "phage" is currently active. Two other RAPDs were also related to horizontal gene transfer: one was part of a broadly distributed cryptic plasmid and the other was associated with conjugal transfer. One RAPD inferred a genomic rearrangement event among X. fastidiosa PD strains and another identified a single nucleotide polymorphism of evolutionary value.

  4. Fundamentals of functional imaging II: emerging MR techniques and new methods of analysis.

    PubMed

    Luna, A; Martín Noguerol, T; Mata, L Alcalá

    2018-05-01

    Current multiparameter MRI protocols integrate structural, physiological, and metabolic information about cancer. Emerging techniques such as arterial spin-labeling (ASL), blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD), MR elastography, chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), and hyperpolarization provide new information and will likely be integrated into daily clinical practice in the near future. Furthermore, there is great interest in the study of tumor heterogeneity as a prognostic factor and in relation to resistance to treatment, and this interest is leading to the application of new methods of analysis of multiparametric protocols. In parallel, new oncologic biomarkers that integrate the information from MR with clinical, laboratory, genetic, and histologic findings are being developed, thanks to the application of big data and artificial intelligence. This review analyzes different emerging MR techniques that are able to evaluate the physiological, metabolic, and mechanical characteristics of cancer, as well as the main clinical applications of these techniques. In addition, it summarizes the most novel methods of analysis of functional radiologic information in oncology. Copyright © 2018 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  5. Information dynamics of brain-heart physiological networks during sleep

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faes, L.; Nollo, G.; Jurysta, F.; Marinazzo, D.

    2014-10-01

    This study proposes an integrated approach, framed in the emerging fields of network physiology and information dynamics, for the quantitative analysis of brain-heart interaction networks during sleep. With this approach, the time series of cardiac vagal autonomic activity and brain wave activities measured respectively as the normalized high frequency component of heart rate variability and the EEG power in the δ, θ, α, σ, and β bands, are considered as realizations of the stochastic processes describing the dynamics of the heart system and of different brain sub-systems. Entropy-based measures are exploited to quantify the predictive information carried by each (sub)system, and to dissect this information into a part actively stored in the system and a part transferred to it from the other connected systems. The application of this approach to polysomnographic recordings of ten healthy subjects led us to identify a structured network of sleep brain-brain and brain-heart interactions, with the node described by the β EEG power acting as a hub which conveys the largest amount of information flowing between the heart and brain nodes. This network was found to be sustained mostly by the transitions across different sleep stages, as the information transfer was weaker during specific stages than during the whole night, and vanished progressively when moving from light sleep to deep sleep and to REM sleep.

  6. 78 FR 76753 - Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries for Which Construction, Reconstruction, or...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-19

    ..., or Use I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions... and Advancement Act Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995... information claimed to be confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is...

  7. The information retrieval system of {open_quotes}heat abd nass transfer{close_quotes} software complexes

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

    Tsitsin, A.G.

    A project is discussed which is aimed at creating the International Center for certification of software complexes (SC), intended to for soling various heat and mass transfer problems. Information on the experience gained in the operation of an information retrieval SC system is presented.

  8. Information Dissemination and Technology Transfer in Telecommunications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roderer, Nancy K.; King, Donald W.

    Using a model of scientific and technical information transfer as a framework, this document focuses on four types of activities: the generation or authorship of telecommunications information and its publication, distribution, and use. Different forms of publication are considered in each functional area, though primary emphasis is on the…

  9. 78 FR 48913 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, Without Change, of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-12

    ... electronic funds transfer information to maintain its vendor (credit union) records to make electronic... maintain current electronic funds transfer data for its vendor (credit union) electronic routing and... the information on the respondents such as through the use of automated collection techniques or other...

  10. 77 FR 50146 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension, With Change, of an Existing Information...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-20

    ... Request ACTION: 60-day notice of information collection; 10-002; Electronic Funds Transfer Waiver Request... appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of.... (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Electronic Funds Transfer Waiver Request. (3) Agency form number...

  11. 75 FR 80846 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-23

    ... of Information Collection Under Review: Application For Tax Exempt Transfer and Registration of...: Extension of a currently approved collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application For Tax Exempt... Firearms Act (NFA) firearm exempt from transfer tax based on statutory exemptions. The information on the...

  12. A visual interface to computer programs for linkage analysis.

    PubMed

    Chapman, C J

    1990-06-01

    This paper describes a visual approach to the input of information about human families into computer data bases, making use of the GEM graphic interface on the Atari ST. Similar approaches could be used on the Apple Macintosh or on the IBM PC AT (to which it has been transferred). For occasional users of pedigree analysis programs, this approach has considerable advantages in ease of use and accessibility. An example of such use might be the analysis of risk in families with Huntington disease using linked RFLPs. However, graphic interfaces do make much greater demands on the programmers of these systems.

  13. 26 CFR 1.6045A-1 - Statements of information required in connection with transfers of securities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... stock, how that stock is held, and how many shares each investor owns. O transfers the stock to D. (ii... statement that includes the information described in paragraph (b) of this section with respect to the transferred security. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(1)(vii) and (b)(3) of this section (relating to...

  14. 26 CFR 1.6045A-1 - Statements of information required in connection with transfers of securities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... stock, how that stock is held, and how many shares each investor owns. O transfers the stock to D. (ii... statement that includes the information described in paragraph (b) of this section with respect to the transferred security. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(1)(vii) and (b)(3) of this section (relating to...

  15. 26 CFR 1.6045A-1 - Statements of information required in connection with transfers of securities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... stock, how that stock is held, and how many shares each investor owns. O transfers the stock to D. (ii... statement that includes the information described in paragraph (b) of this section with respect to the transferred security. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(1)(vii) and (b)(3) of this section (relating to...

  16. 26 CFR 1.6045A-1 - Statements of information required in connection with transfers of securities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... stock, how that stock is held, and how many shares each investor owns. O transfers the stock to D. (ii... statement that includes the information described in paragraph (b) of this section with respect to the transferred security. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(1)(vii) and (b)(3) of this section (relating to...

  17. 77 FR 55897 - Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements: Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-11

    .... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime Administration (MARAD). Title: Request for Transfer of Ownership, Registry... who have applied for foreign transfer of U.S.-flag vessels. Forms: MA-29, MA-29A, MA-29B (Note: MA-29A... necessary for MARAD to approve the sale, transfer, charter, lease, or mortgage of U.S. documented vessels to...

  18. Process connectivity in a naturally prograding river delta

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sendrowski, Alicia; Passalacqua, Paola

    2017-03-01

    River deltas are lowland systems that can display high hydrological connectivity. This connectivity can be structural (morphological connections), functional (control of fluxes), and process connectivity (information flow from system drivers to sinks). In this work, we quantify hydrological process connectivity in Wax Lake Delta, coastal Louisiana, by analyzing couplings among external drivers (discharge, tides, and wind) and water levels recorded at five islands and one channel over summer 2014. We quantify process connections with information theory, a branch of mathematics concerned with the communication of information. We represent process connections as a network; variables serve as network nodes and couplings as network links describing the strength, direction, and time scale of information flow. Comparing process connections at long (105 days) and short (10 days) time scales, we show that tides exhibit daily synchronization with water level, with decreasing strength from downstream to upstream, and that tides transfer information as tides transition from spring to neap. Discharge synchronizes with water level and the time scale of its information transfer compares well to physical travel times through the system, computed with a hydrodynamic model. Information transfer and physical transport show similar spatial patterns, although information transfer time scales are larger than physical travel times. Wind events associated with water level setup lead to increased process connectivity with highly variable information transfer time scales. We discuss the information theory results in the context of the hydrologic behavior of the delta, the role of vegetation as a connector/disconnector on islands, and the applicability of process networks as tools for delta modeling results.

  19. Satisfaction Levels and Factors Influencing Satisfaction With Use of a Social App for Neonatal and Pediatric Patient Transfer Information Systems: A Questionnaire Study Among Doctors

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Iee; Kim, Sun Jun; Cho, Soo Chul; Kim, Il Nyeo

    2016-01-01

    Background The treatment of neonatal and pediatric patients is limited to certain medical institutions depending on treatment difficulty. Effective patient transfers are necessary in situations where there are limited medical resources. In South Korea, the government has made a considerable effort to establish patient transfer systems using various means, such as websites, telephone, and so forth. However, in reality, the effort has not yet been effective. Objective In this study, we ran a patient transfer information system using a social app for effective patient transfer. We analyzed the results, satisfaction levels, and the factors influencing satisfaction. Methods Naver Band is a social app and mobile community application which in Korea is more popular than Facebook. It facilitates group communication. Using Naver Band, two systems were created: one by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the other by the Department of Pediatrics at Chonbuk National University Children's Hospital, South Korea. The information necessary for patient transfers was provided to participating obstetricians (n=51) and pediatricians (n=90). We conducted a survey to evaluate the systems and reviewed the results retrospectively. Results The number of patients transferred was reported to increase by 65% (26/40) obstetricians and 40% (23/57) pediatricians. The time taken for transfers was reported to decrease by 72% (29/40) obstetricians and 59% (34/57) pediatricians. Satisfaction was indicated by 83% (33/40) obstetricians and 89% (51/57) pediatricians. Regarding factors influencing satisfaction, the obstetricians reported communication with doctors in charge (P=.03) and time reduction during transfers (P=.02), whereas the pediatricians indicated review of the diagnosis and treatment of transferred patients (P=.01) and the time reduction during transfers (P=.007). Conclusions The users were highly satisfied and different users indicated different factors of satisfaction. This finding implies that users’ requirements should be accommodated in future developments of patient transfer information systems. PMID:27492978

  20. Satisfaction Levels and Factors Influencing Satisfaction With Use of a Social App for Neonatal and Pediatric Patient Transfer Information Systems: A Questionnaire Study Among Doctors.

    PubMed

    Choi, Iee; Kim, Jin Kyu; Kim, Sun Jun; Cho, Soo Chul; Kim, Il Nyeo

    2016-08-04

    The treatment of neonatal and pediatric patients is limited to certain medical institutions depending on treatment difficulty. Effective patient transfers are necessary in situations where there are limited medical resources. In South Korea, the government has made a considerable effort to establish patient transfer systems using various means, such as websites, telephone, and so forth. However, in reality, the effort has not yet been effective. In this study, we ran a patient transfer information system using a social app for effective patient transfer. We analyzed the results, satisfaction levels, and the factors influencing satisfaction. Naver Band is a social app and mobile community application which in Korea is more popular than Facebook. It facilitates group communication. Using Naver Band, two systems were created: one by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the other by the Department of Pediatrics at Chonbuk National University Children's Hospital, South Korea. The information necessary for patient transfers was provided to participating obstetricians (n=51) and pediatricians (n=90). We conducted a survey to evaluate the systems and reviewed the results retrospectively. The number of patients transferred was reported to increase by 65% (26/40) obstetricians and 40% (23/57) pediatricians. The time taken for transfers was reported to decrease by 72% (29/40) obstetricians and 59% (34/57) pediatricians. Satisfaction was indicated by 83% (33/40) obstetricians and 89% (51/57) pediatricians. Regarding factors influencing satisfaction, the obstetricians reported communication with doctors in charge (P=.03) and time reduction during transfers (P=.02), whereas the pediatricians indicated review of the diagnosis and treatment of transferred patients (P=.01) and the time reduction during transfers (P=.007). The users were highly satisfied and different users indicated different factors of satisfaction. This finding implies that users' requirements should be accommodated in future developments of patient transfer information systems.

  1. Correlation of Intermolecular Acyl Transfer Reactivity with Noncovalent Lattice Interactions in Molecular Crystals: Toward Prediction of Reactivity of Organic Molecules in the Solid State.

    PubMed

    Krishnaswamy, Shobhana; Shashidhar, Mysore S

    2018-04-06

    Intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in several molecular crystals was studied, and the outcome of the reactivity was analyzed in the light of structural information obtained from the crystals of the reactants. Minor changes in the molecular structure resulted in significant variations in the noncovalent interactions and packing of molecules in the crystal lattice, which drastically affected the facility of the intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in these crystals. Analysis of the reactivity vs crystal structure data revealed dependence of the reactivity on electrophile···nucleophile interactions and C-H···π interactions between the reacting molecules. The presence of these noncovalent interactions augmented the acyl transfer reactivity, while their absence hindered the reactivity of the molecules in the crystal. The validity of these correlations allows the prediction of intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in crystals and co-crystals of unknown reactivity. This crystal structure-reactivity correlation parallels the molecular structure-reactivity correlation in solution-state reactions, widely accepted as organic functional group transformations, and sets the stage for the development of a similar approach for reactions in the solid state.

  2. Analysis of strand transfer and template switching mechanisms of DNA gap repair by homologous recombination in Escherichia coli: predominance of strand transfer.

    PubMed

    Izhar, Lior; Goldsmith, Moshe; Dahan, Ronny; Geacintov, Nicholas; Lloyd, Robert G; Livneh, Zvi

    2008-09-12

    Daughter strand gaps formed upon interruption of replication at DNA lesions in Escherichia coli can be repaired by either translesion DNA synthesis or homologous recombination (HR) repair. Using a plasmid-based assay system that enables discrimination between strand transfer and template switching (information copying) modes of HR gap repair, we found that approximately 80% of strand gaps were repaired by physical strand transfer from the donor, whereas approximately 20% appear to be repaired by template switching. HR gap repair operated on both small and bulky lesions and largely depended on RecA and RecF but not on the RecBCD nuclease. In addition, we found that HR was mildly reduced in cells lacking the RuvABC and RecG proteins involved in resolution of Holliday junctions. These results, obtained for the first time under conditions that detect the two HR gap repair mechanisms, provide in vivo high-resolution molecular evidence for the predominance of the strand transfer mechanism in HR gap repair. A small but significant portion of HR gap repair appears to occur via a template switching mechanism.

  3. Energy transfer between surface-immobilized light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex (LHCII) studied by surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS).

    PubMed

    Lauterbach, Rolf; Liu, Jing; Knoll, Wolfgang; Paulsen, Harald

    2010-11-16

    The major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex (LHCII) of the photosynthetic apparatus in green plants can be viewed as a protein scaffold binding and positioning a large number of pigment molecules that combines rapid and efficient excitation energy transfer with effective protection of its pigments from photobleaching. These properties make LHCII potentially interesting as a light harvester (or a model thereof) in photoelectronic applications. Most of such applications would require the LHCII to be immobilized on a solid surface. In a previous study we showed the immobilization of recombinant LHCII on functionalized gold surfaces via a 6-histidine tag (His tag) in the protein moiety. In this work the occurrence and efficiency of Förster energy transfer between immobilized LHCII on a functionalized surface have been analyzed by surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS). A near-infrared dye was attached to some but not all of the LHC complexes, serving as an energy acceptor to chlorophylls. Analysis of the energy transfer from chlorophylls to this acceptor dye yielded information about the extent of intercomplex energy transfer between immobilized LHCII.

  4. The cost of concreteness: the effect of nonessential information on analogical transfer.

    PubMed

    Kaminski, Jennifer A; Sloutsky, Vladimir M; Heckler, Andrew F

    2013-03-01

    Most theories of analogical transfer focus on similarities between the learning and transfer domains, where transfer is more likely between domains that share common surface features, similar elements, or common interpretations of structure. We suggest that characteristics of the learning instantiation alone can give rise to different levels of transfer. We propose that concreteness of the learning instantiation can hinder analogical transfer of well-defined structured concepts, such as mathematical concepts. We operationalize the term concreteness as the amount of information communicated through a specific instantiation of a concept. The 5 reported experiments with undergraduate students tested the hypothesis by presenting participants with the concept of a commutative mathematical group of order 3. The experiments varied the level of concreteness of the training instantiation and measured transfer of learning to a new instantiation. The results support the hypothesis, demonstrating better transfer from more generic instantiations (i.e., ones that communicate minimal extraneous information) than from more concrete instantiations. Specifically, concreteness was found to create an obstacle to successful structural alignment across domains, whereas generic instantiations led to spontaneous structural alignment. These findings have important implications for the theory of learning and transfer and practical implications for the design of educational material. Although some concreteness may activate prior knowledge and perhaps offer a leg up in the learning process, this benefit may come at the cost of transfer.

  5. Trial-by-trial analysis of intermanual transfer during visuomotor adaptation

    PubMed Central

    Wojaczynski, Greg J.; Ivry, Richard B.

    2011-01-01

    Studies of intermanual transfer have been used to probe representations formed during skill acquisition. We employ a new method that provides a continuous assay of intermanual transfer, intermixing right- and left-hand trials while limiting visual feedback to right-hand movements. We manipulated the degree of awareness of the visuomotor rotation, introducing a 22.5° perturbation in either an abrupt single step or gradually in ∼1° increments every 10 trials. Intermanual transfer was observed with the direction of left-hand movements shifting in the opposite direction of the rotation over the course of training. The transfer on left-hand trials was less than that observed in the right hand. Moreover, the magnitude of transfer was larger in our mixed-limb design compared with the standard blocked design in which transfer is only probed at the end of training. Transfer was similar in the abrupt and gradual groups, suggesting that awareness of the perturbation has little effect on intermanual transfer. In a final experiment, participants were provided with a strategy to offset an abrupt rotation, a method that has been shown to increase error over the course of training due to the operation of sensorimotor adaptation. This deterioration was also observed on left-hand probe trials, providing further support that awareness has little effect on intermanual transfer. These results indicate that intermanual transfer is not dependent on the implementation of cognitively assisted strategies that participants might adopt when they become aware that the visuomotor mapping has been perturbed. Rather, the results indicate that the information available to processes involved in adaptation entails some degree of effector independence. PMID:21917998

  6. An internet-based communication network for information transfer during patient transitions from skilled nursing facility to the emergency department.

    PubMed

    Hustey, Fredric M; Palmer, Robert M

    2010-06-01

    To determine whether the implementation of an Internet-based communication system improves the amount of essential information conveyed between a skilled nursing facility (SNF) and the emergency department (ED) during patient care transitions. Interventional; before and after. ED of an urban teaching hospital with approximately 55,000 visits per year and a 55-bed subacute free-standing rehabilitation facility (the SNF). All patients transferred from the SNF to the ED over 16 months. An Internet-based communication network with SNF-ED transfer form for communication during patient care transitions. Nine elements of patient information assessed before and after intervention through chart review. changes in efficiency of information transfer and staff satisfaction. Two hundred thirty-four of 237 preintervention and all 276 postintervention care transitions were reviewed. The Internet communication network was used in 78 (26%) of all care transitions, peaking at 40% by the end of the study. There was more critical patient information (1.85 vs 4.29 of 9 elements; P<.001) contained within fewer pages of transfer documents (24.47 vs 5.15; P<.001) after the intervention. Staff satisfaction with communication was higher among ED physicians after the intervention. The use of an Internet-based system increased the amount of information communicated during SNF-ED care transitions and significantly reduced the number of pages in which this information was contained.

  7. Quantitative interpretation of Great Lakes remote sensing data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shook, D. F.; Salzman, J.; Svehla, R. A.; Gedney, R. T.

    1980-01-01

    The paper discusses the quantitative interpretation of Great Lakes remote sensing water quality data. Remote sensing using color information must take into account (1) the existence of many different organic and inorganic species throughout the Great Lakes, (2) the occurrence of a mixture of species in most locations, and (3) spatial variations in types and concentration of species. The radiative transfer model provides a potential method for an orderly analysis of remote sensing data and a physical basis for developing quantitative algorithms. Predictions and field measurements of volume reflectances are presented which show the advantage of using a radiative transfer model. Spectral absorptance and backscattering coefficients for two inorganic sediments are reported.

  8. Telling about the analyst's pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Uyehara, L A; Austrian, S; Upton, L G; Warner, R H; Williamson, R A

    1995-01-01

    Pregnancy is one of several events in the life of an analyst which may affect an analysis, calling for special technical considerations. For the analyst, this exception to the tenet of anonymity, along with countertransference guilt, narcissistic preoccupation, heightened infantile conflicts, and intense patient responses, may stimulate anxiety that becomes focused on the timing and manner of informing the patient. For the patient, preoccupation with the timing of the telling may serve as a displacement from other meanings of the pregnancy. Candidate analysts may face particular difficulties managing the impact of their pregnancies on control cases. We address practical and technical considerations in telling, the transference and counter-transference surrounding it, ethical concerns, and the challenges of supervising a pregnant candidate.

  9. Interdisciplinary development and implementation of communication checklist for postoperative management of pediatric airway patients.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sang W; Maturo, Stephen; Dwyer, Danielle; Monash, Bradley; Yager, Phoebe H; Zanger, Kerstin; Hartnick, Christopher J

    2012-01-01

    The authors describe their multidisciplinary experience in applying the Institute of Health Improvement methodology to develop a protocol and checklist to reduce communication error during transfer of care for postoperative pediatric surgical airway patients. Preliminary outcome data following implementation of the protocol and checklist are also presented. Prospective study from July 1, 2009, to February 1, 2011. Tertiary care center. Subjects. One hundred twenty-six pediatric airway patients who required coordinated care between Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hospital. Two sentinel events involving airway emergencies demonstrated a critical need for a standardized, comprehensive instrument that would ensure safe transfer of care. After development and implementation of the protocol and checklist, an initial pilot period on the first set of 9 pediatric airway patients was reassessed. Subsequent prospective 11-month follow-up data of 93 pediatric airway patients were collected and analyzed. A multidisciplinary pediatric team developed and implemented a formalized, postoperative checklist and transfer protocol. After implementation of the checklist and transfer protocol, prospective analysis showed no adverse events from miscommunication during transfer of care over the subsequent 11-month period involving 93 pediatric airway patients. There has been very little written in the quality and safety patient literature about coordinating effective transfer of care between the pediatric surgical and medical subspecialty realms. After design and implementation of a simple, electronically based transfer-of-care checklist and protocol, the number of postsurgical pediatric airway information transfer and communication errors decreased significantly.

  10. Enabling the BC Transfer System: A Discussion Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This discussion paper outlines processes, as well as opportunities and constraints, for "enabling" BC Transfer System institutions to enhance transfer credit information in the BC Transfer Guide, making it more reflective of institutional practices and student mobility. BCCAT's focus is increasing the availability of transfer credit…

  11. 12 CFR 205.10 - Preauthorized transfers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    .... The person that obtains the authorization shall provide a copy to the consumer. (c) Consumer's right... shall inform the consumer of the right to receive notice of all varying transfers, but may give the... FUND TRANSFERS (REGULATION E) § 205.10 Preauthorized transfers. (a) Preauthorized transfers to consumer...

  12. Solving the influence maximization problem reveals regulatory organization of the yeast cell cycle.

    PubMed

    Gibbs, David L; Shmulevich, Ilya

    2017-06-01

    The Influence Maximization Problem (IMP) aims to discover the set of nodes with the greatest influence on network dynamics. The problem has previously been applied in epidemiology and social network analysis. Here, we demonstrate the application to cell cycle regulatory network analysis for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fundamentally, gene regulation is linked to the flow of information. Therefore, our implementation of the IMP was framed as an information theoretic problem using network diffusion. Utilizing more than 26,000 regulatory edges from YeastMine, gene expression dynamics were encoded as edge weights using time lagged transfer entropy, a method for quantifying information transfer between variables. By picking a set of source nodes, a diffusion process covers a portion of the network. The size of the network cover relates to the influence of the source nodes. The set of nodes that maximizes influence is the solution to the IMP. By solving the IMP over different numbers of source nodes, an influence ranking on genes was produced. The influence ranking was compared to other metrics of network centrality. Although the top genes from each centrality ranking contained well-known cell cycle regulators, there was little agreement and no clear winner. However, it was found that influential genes tend to directly regulate or sit upstream of genes ranked by other centrality measures. The influential nodes act as critical sources of information flow, potentially having a large impact on the state of the network. Biological events that affect influential nodes and thereby affect information flow could have a strong effect on network dynamics, potentially leading to disease. Code and data can be found at: https://github.com/gibbsdavidl/miergolf.

  13. Lempel-Ziv complexity analysis of one dimensional cellular automata.

    PubMed

    Estevez-Rams, E; Lora-Serrano, R; Nunes, C A J; Aragón-Fernández, B

    2015-12-01

    Lempel-Ziv complexity measure has been used to estimate the entropy density of a string. It is defined as the number of factors in a production factorization of a string. In this contribution, we show that its use can be extended, by using the normalized information distance, to study the spatiotemporal evolution of random initial configurations under cellular automata rules. In particular, the transfer information from time consecutive configurations is studied, as well as the sensitivity to perturbed initial conditions. The behavior of the cellular automata rules can be grouped in different classes, but no single grouping captures the whole nature of the involved rules. The analysis carried out is particularly appropriate for studying the computational processing capabilities of cellular automata rules.

  14. Lempel-Ziv complexity analysis of one dimensional cellular automata

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Estevez-Rams, E.; Lora-Serrano, R.; Nunes, C. A. J.; Aragón-Fernández, B.

    2015-12-01

    Lempel-Ziv complexity measure has been used to estimate the entropy density of a string. It is defined as the number of factors in a production factorization of a string. In this contribution, we show that its use can be extended, by using the normalized information distance, to study the spatiotemporal evolution of random initial configurations under cellular automata rules. In particular, the transfer information from time consecutive configurations is studied, as well as the sensitivity to perturbed initial conditions. The behavior of the cellular automata rules can be grouped in different classes, but no single grouping captures the whole nature of the involved rules. The analysis carried out is particularly appropriate for studying the computational processing capabilities of cellular automata rules.

  15. Spatio-temporal correlations in models of collective motion ruled by different dynamical laws.

    PubMed

    Cavagna, Andrea; Conti, Daniele; Giardina, Irene; Grigera, Tomas S; Melillo, Stefania; Viale, Massimiliano

    2016-11-15

    Information transfer is an essential factor in determining the robustness of biological systems with distributed control. The most direct way to study the mechanisms ruling information transfer is to experimentally observe the propagation across the system of a signal triggered by some perturbation. However, this method may be inefficient for experiments in the field, as the possibilities to perturb the system are limited and empirical observations must rely on natural events. An alternative approach is to use spatio-temporal correlations to probe the information transfer mechanism directly from the spontaneous fluctuations of the system, without the need to have an actual propagating signal on record. Here we test this method on models of collective behaviour in their deeply ordered phase by using ground truth data provided by numerical simulations in three dimensions. We compare two models characterized by very different dynamical equations and information transfer mechanisms: the classic Vicsek model, describing an overdamped noninertial dynamics and the inertial spin model, characterized by an underdamped inertial dynamics. By using dynamic finite-size scaling, we show that spatio-temporal correlations are able to distinguish unambiguously the diffusive information transfer mechanism of the Vicsek model from the linear mechanism of the inertial spin model.

  16. 49 CFR 8.23 - Classified information transferred to the Department of Transportation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be declassified or downgraded by... with the Archivist in efforts to establish a Government-wide database of information that has been...

  17. 49 CFR 8.23 - Classified information transferred to the Department of Transportation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be declassified or downgraded by... with the Archivist in efforts to establish a Government-wide database of information that has been...

  18. 49 CFR 8.23 - Classified information transferred to the Department of Transportation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be declassified or downgraded by... with the Archivist in efforts to establish a Government-wide database of information that has been...

  19. 49 CFR 8.23 - Classified information transferred to the Department of Transportation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be declassified or downgraded by... with the Archivist in efforts to establish a Government-wide database of information that has been...

  20. Data and Time Transfer Using SONET Radio

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Graceffo, Gary M.

    1996-01-01

    The need for precise knowledge of time and frequency has become ubiquitous throughout our society. The areas of astronomy, navigation, and high speed wide-area networks are among a few of the many consumers of this type of information. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has the potential to be the most comprehensive source of precise timing information developed to date; however, the introduction of selective availability has made it difficult for many users to recover this information from the GPS system with the precision required for today's systems. The system described in this paper is a 'Synchronous Optical NetWORK (SONET) Radio Data and Time Transfer System'. The objective of this system is to provide precise time and frequency information to a variety of end-users using a two-way data and time-transfer system. Although time and frequency transfers have been done for many years, this system is unique in that time and frequency information are embedded into existing communications traffic. This eliminates the need to make the transfer of time and frequency informatio a dedicated function of the communications system. For this system SONET has been selected as the transport format from which precise time is derived. SONET has been selected because of its high data rates and its increasing acceptance throughout the industry. This paper details a proof-of-concept initiative to perform embedded time and frequency transfers using SONET Radio.

  1. Separation analysis, a tool for analyzing multigrid algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Costiner, Sorin; Taasan, Shlomo

    1995-01-01

    The separation of vectors by multigrid (MG) algorithms is applied to the study of convergence and to the prediction of the performance of MG algorithms. The separation operator for a two level cycle algorithm is derived. It is used to analyze the efficiency of the cycle when mixing of eigenvectors occurs. In particular cases the separation analysis reduces to Fourier type analysis. The separation operator of a two level cycle for a Schridubger eigenvalue problem, is derived and analyzed in a Fourier basis. Separation analysis gives information on how to choose performance relaxations and inter-level transfers. Separation analysis is a tool for analyzing and designing algorithms, and for optimizing their performance.

  2. The Transfer Achievement Program (TAP): Information Packet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Segura, Armando; Noseworthy, Victoria

    Santa Barbara City College (California) created the Transfer Achievement Program (TAP) to deliver an integrated and cohesive set of services to underrepresented students to help increase their transfer rate to four-year institutions. TAP provides students with a developmental map of transfer-related activities through the use of the Transfer Task…

  3. A viscous solvent enables information transfer from gene-length nucleic acids in a model prebiotic replication cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Christine; Gállego, Isaac; Laughlin, Brandon; Grover, Martha A.; Hud, Nicholas V.

    2017-04-01

    Many hypotheses concerning the nature of early life assume that genetic information was once transferred through the template-directed synthesis of RNA, before the emergence of coded enzymes. However, attempts to demonstrate enzyme-free, template-directed synthesis of nucleic acids have been limited by 'strand inhibition', whereby transferring information from a template strand in the presence of its complementary strand is inhibited by the stability of the template duplex. Here, we use solvent viscosity to circumvent strand inhibition, demonstrating information transfer from a gene-length template (>300 nt) within a longer (545 bp or 3 kb) duplex. These results suggest that viscous environments on the prebiotic Earth, generated periodically by water evaporation, could have facilitated nucleic acid replication—particularly of long, structured sequences such as ribozymes. Our approach works with DNA and RNA, suggesting that viscosity-mediated replication is possible for a range of genetic polymers, perhaps even for informational polymers that may have preceded RNA.

  4. Processes of local alcohol policy-making in England: Does the theory of policy transfer provide useful insights into public health decision-making?

    PubMed

    Gavens, Lucy; Holmes, John; Buykx, Penny; de Vocht, Frank; Egan, Matt; Grace, Daniel; Lock, Karen; Mooney, John D; Brennan, Alan

    2017-06-13

    Recent years have seen a rise in new and innovative policies to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm in England, which can be implemented by local, as opposed to national, policy-makers. The aim of this paper is to explore the processes that underpin the adoption of these alcohol policies within local authorities. In particular, it aims to assess whether the concept of policy transfer (i.e. a process through which knowledge about policies in one place is used in the development of policies in another time or place) provides a useful model for understanding local alcohol policy-making. Qualitative data generated through in-depth interviews and focus groups from five case study sites across England were used to explore stakeholder experiences of alcohol policy transfer between local authorities. The purposive sample of policy actors included representatives from the police, trading standards, public health, licensing, and commissioning. Thematic analysis was used inductively to identify key features in the data. Themes from the policy transfer literature identified in the data were: policy copying, emulating, hybridization, and inspiration. Participants described a multitude of ways in which learning was shared between places, ranging from formal academic evaluation to opportunistic conversations in informal settings. Participants also described facilitators and constraints to policy transfer, such as the historical policy context and the local cultural, economic, and bureaucratic context, which influenced whether or not a policy that was perceived to work in one place might be transferred successfully to another context. Theories of policy transfer provide a promising framework for characterising processes of local alcohol policy-making in England, extending beyond debates regarding evidence-informed policy to account for a much wider range of considerations. Applying a policy transfer lens enables us to move beyond simple (but still important) questions of what is supported by 'robust' research evidence by paying greater attention to how policy making is carried out in practice and the multiple methods by which policies diffuse across jurisdictions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The impact of a telehealth web-based solution on neurosurgery triage and consultation.

    PubMed

    Moya, Monica; Valdez, Jessica; Yonas, Howard; Alverson, Dale C

    2010-11-01

    To enhance the quality of neurosurgery consultations, triage, and transport decisions between a Level I trauma service neurosurgery program at the University of New Mexico Hospital and referring hospitals, a secure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant Web-based system was developed, to which digital neurological images could be sent for review by a neurosurgeon for consultation or patient transfer. Based upon prior experience of neurosurgery, it was predicted that 25% of transfer requests would be avoided if the neurosurgeons reviewed the computerized tomography scans at the time of a transfer request. In addition, it was predicted in 25% of the case that changes in management recommendations would take place independent of the transfer decision. The program was designed to allow referring hospitals to transmit digital images to the Web site, providing consulting doctors with additional patient information. This project analyzed the neurosurgeons' responses to questions designed to determine if transport or management decisions were altered when using this telehealth program in response to a request for consultation or transfer from a rural facility. Analysis of the responses of the consulting neurosurgeons revealed that, after viewing the images, 44% of the potential transfers were avoided and 44% of consulted cases resulted in management recommendation changes independent of the transfer decision. Use of the system resulted in improved triage and changes in transfer or management recommendations. A significant number of potential transfers were avoided, resulting in transport cost avoidance, more effective use of resources, and more appropriate use of the neurosurgery service as well as improved patient preparation.

  6. Getting the message across: principles for developing brief-Knowledge Transfer (b-KT) communiqués.

    PubMed

    Shaw, Lynn

    2012-01-01

    This feature article on knowledge transfer presents principles and strategies to support the development of short communiqués to end-users. Formal and informal knowledge brokers are the targeted users of the strategies. Research studies and conceptual literature in knowledge transfer informed the development of brief-Knowledge Transfer (b-KT) principles. Principles are explained and a sample of how they informed the development of KIT-Tip Sheets is offered to promote ways to use principles in knowledge dissemination. b-KT principles can be used as a framework to guide the development of short communiqués by knowledge brokers in work practice but also in the health, social and rehabilitation domains. In addition, these principles promote the participation of end-users in the development of knowledge transfer. Formal evaluation is needed on the use of these principles in achieving the uptake and use of knowledge by end-users.

  7. Cultural Myths in Stories about Human Resource Development: Analysing the Cross-Cultural Transfer of American Models to Germany and the Cote d'Ivoire.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen, Carol D.

    2003-01-01

    Analysis of reactions of 14 German and 20 Ivory Coast managers to informant stories from 14 U.S. human resource professionals revealed differences in work myths that reflected national differences, e.g., individual versus collective orientation, business development patterns, and management approaches. Awareness of the ethnocentrism of work myths…

  8. Installing and Executing Information Object Analysis, Intent, Dissemination, and Enhancement (IOAIDE) and Its Dependencies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-02-01

    Image Processing Web Server Administration ...........................17 Fig. 18 Microsoft ASP.NET MVC 4 installation...algorithms are made into client applications that can be accessed from an image processing web service2 developed following Representational State...Transfer (REST) standards by a mobile app, laptop PC, and other devices. Similarly, weather tweets can be accessed via the Weather Digest Web Service

  9. Cogadh na Saoirse: British Intelligence Operations During the Anglo-Irish War (1916-1921)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-05-21

    managed secret service operations. In late 1919, the Irish government transferred responsibility for the secret service to BSS central headquarters...brothers. Intelligence overall suffered greatly as there was no office responsible for information management and analysis or collection guidance to the...trained soldiers able to manage HUMINT sources. Consequently, they often conducted intelligence gathering or source meetings on their own, and in

  10. Stress Effects on Transfer from Virtual Environment Flight Training to Stressful Flight Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-01

    research participants from Experiment 1 ....................................................150 Figure 6.2 Informed consent HRV analysis...INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 1 I. INTRODUCTION Anxiety never disappears in a human being in an airplane — it merely remains dormant when there is no...two counterproductive results: (1) high levels of anxiety that inhibit both training and post-training performance, and (2) stress that interferes

  11. Information transfer and shared mental models for decision making

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Orasanu, Judith; Fischer, Ute

    1991-01-01

    A study to determine how communication influences flight crew performance is presented. This analysis focuses on the content of communication, principally asking what an utterance does from a cognitive, problem solving viewpoint. Two questions are addressed in this study: how is language utilized to manage problems in the cockpit, and are there differences between two- and three-member crews in their communication and problem solving strategies?

  12. Technology transfer for DOE's office of buildings and community systems: assessment and strategies

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

    Brown, M.A.; Jones, D.W.; Kolb, J.O.

    1986-07-01

    The uninterrupted availability of oil supplies over the past several years and the moderation of energy price increases has sent signals to consumers and decision-makers in the buildings industry that the ''energy crisis'' is over. As a result, efforts to promote energy-conserving technologies must emphasize benefits other than BTU savings. The improved ambience of daylit spaces and the lower first costs associated with installing down-sized HVAC systems in ''tight'' buildings are examples of benefits which are likely to more influential than estimates of energy saved. Successful technology transfer requires that an R and D product have intrinsic value and thatmore » these values be effectively communicated to potential users. Active technology transfer programs are more effective than passive ones. Transfer activities should involve more than simply making information available to those who seek it. Information should be tailored to meet the needs of specific user groups and disseminated through those channels which users normally employ. In addition to information dissemination, successful technology transfer involves the management of intellectual property, including patented inventions, copyrights, technical data, and rights to future inventions. When the public can best benefit from an invention through commercialization of a new product, the exclusivity necessary to protect the investment from copiers should be provided. Most federal technology transfer programs concentrate on information exchange and largely avoid intellectual property transfers.« less

  13. Comparison of transfer entropy methods for financial time series

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Jiayi; Shang, Pengjian

    2017-09-01

    There is a certain relationship between the global financial markets, which creates an interactive network of global finance. Transfer entropy, a measurement for information transfer, offered a good way to analyse the relationship. In this paper, we analysed the relationship between 9 stock indices from the U.S., Europe and China (from 1995 to 2015) by using transfer entropy (TE), effective transfer entropy (ETE), Rényi transfer entropy (RTE) and effective Rényi transfer entropy (ERTE). We compared the four methods in the sense of the effectiveness for identification of the relationship between stock markets. In this paper, two kinds of information flows are given. One reveals that the U.S. took the leading position when in terms of lagged-current cases, but when it comes to the same date, China is the most influential. And ERTE could provide superior results.

  14. 77 FR 45359 - Medical Device User Fee Rates for Fiscal Year 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-31

    ... the following account information when sending a wire transfer: New York Federal Reserve Bank, U.S... ensure that your invoice is fully paid. Use the following account information when sending a wire... following account information when sending a wire transfer: New York Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. Dept of...

  15. Students Seeking Access to Four-Year Institutions: Community College Transfers [Background Information].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Jamillah

    This publication provides background information for a hearing by the California Senate Select Committee on Higher Education and Outreach on December 3, 1997. The Introduction presents the Committee announcement, press release, agenda, information about transfer efforts in California, facts and figures about the community colleges, and the text of…

  16. Administrative Aspects of Third World Library Development: The Five "Pillars" of Sustainable Information Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emerson, Susan Vince; And Others

    Third World libraries, as a rule, receive information technology, technical assistance, and training as part of international development projects. Library improvements and their intended objective, information transfer, are more effective and lasting if key administrative and policy issues are addressed by the projects. Critical success factors…

  17. 78 FR 59375 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, Without Change, of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-26

    ... transfer information to maintain its vendor (credit union) records to make electronic payments to credit... current electronic funds transfer data for its vendor (credit union) electronic routing and transit data... such as through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. It...

  18. Dangers and uses of cross-correlation in analyzing time series in perception, performance, movement, and neuroscience: The importance of constructing transfer function autoregressive models.

    PubMed

    Dean, Roger T; Dunsmuir, William T M

    2016-06-01

    Many articles on perception, performance, psychophysiology, and neuroscience seek to relate pairs of time series through assessments of their cross-correlations. Most such series are individually autocorrelated: they do not comprise independent values. Given this situation, an unfounded reliance is often placed on cross-correlation as an indicator of relationships (e.g., referent vs. response, leading vs. following). Such cross-correlations can indicate spurious relationships, because of autocorrelation. Given these dangers, we here simulated how and why such spurious conclusions can arise, to provide an approach to resolving them. We show that when multiple pairs of series are aggregated in several different ways for a cross-correlation analysis, problems remain. Finally, even a genuine cross-correlation function does not answer key motivating questions, such as whether there are likely causal relationships between the series. Thus, we illustrate how to obtain a transfer function describing such relationships, informed by any genuine cross-correlations. We illustrate the confounds and the meaningful transfer functions by two concrete examples, one each in perception and performance, together with key elements of the R software code needed. The approach involves autocorrelation functions, the establishment of stationarity, prewhitening, the determination of cross-correlation functions, the assessment of Granger causality, and autoregressive model development. Autocorrelation also limits the interpretability of other measures of possible relationships between pairs of time series, such as mutual information. We emphasize that further complexity may be required as the appropriate analysis is pursued fully, and that causal intervention experiments will likely also be needed.

  19. Estimating the decomposition of predictive information in multivariate systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faes, Luca; Kugiumtzis, Dimitris; Nollo, Giandomenico; Jurysta, Fabrice; Marinazzo, Daniele

    2015-03-01

    In the study of complex systems from observed multivariate time series, insight into the evolution of one system may be under investigation, which can be explained by the information storage of the system and the information transfer from other interacting systems. We present a framework for the model-free estimation of information storage and information transfer computed as the terms composing the predictive information about the target of a multivariate dynamical process. The approach tackles the curse of dimensionality employing a nonuniform embedding scheme that selects progressively, among the past components of the multivariate process, only those that contribute most, in terms of conditional mutual information, to the present target process. Moreover, it computes all information-theoretic quantities using a nearest-neighbor technique designed to compensate the bias due to the different dimensionality of individual entropy terms. The resulting estimators of prediction entropy, storage entropy, transfer entropy, and partial transfer entropy are tested on simulations of coupled linear stochastic and nonlinear deterministic dynamic processes, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed approach over the traditional estimators based on uniform embedding. The framework is then applied to multivariate physiologic time series, resulting in physiologically well-interpretable information decompositions of cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory interactions during head-up tilt and of joint brain-heart dynamics during sleep.

  20. Pressure transfer function of a JT15D nozzle due to acoustic and convected entropy fluctuations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miles, J. H.

    An acoustic transmission matrix analysis of sound propagation in a variable area duct with and without flow is extended to include convected entropy fluctuations. The boundary conditions used in the analysis are a transfer function relating entropy and pressure at the nozzle inlet and the nozzle exit impedance. The nozzle pressure transfer function calculated is compared with JT15D turbofan engine nozzle data. The one dimensional theory for sound propagation in a variable area nozzle with flow but without convected entropy is good at the low engine speeds where the nozzle exit Mach number is low (M=0.2) and the duct exit impedance model is good. The effect of convected entropy appears to be so negligible that it is obscured by the inaccuracy of the nozzle exit impedance model, the lack of information on the magnitude of the convected entropy and its phase relationship with the pressure, and the scatter in the data. An improved duct exit impedance model is required at the higher engine speeds where the nozzle exit Mach number is high (M=0.56) and at low frequencies (below 120 Hz).

  1. Risk assessment and decision making about in-labour transfer from rural maternity care: a social judgment and signal detection analysis

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The importance of respecting women’s wishes to give birth close to their local community is supported by policy in many developed countries. However, persistent concerns about the quality and safety of maternity care in rural communities have been expressed. Safe childbirth in rural communities depends on good risk assessment and decision making as to whether and when the transfer of a woman in labour to an obstetric led unit is required. This is a difficult decision. Wide variation in transfer rates between rural maternity units have been reported suggesting different decision making criteria may be involved; furthermore, rural midwives and family doctors report feeling isolated in making these decisions and that staff in urban centres do not understand the difficulties they face. In order to develop more evidence based decision making strategies greater understanding of the way in which maternity care providers currently make decisions is required. This study aimed to examine how midwives working in urban and rural settings and obstetricians make intrapartum transfer decisions, and describe sources of variation in decision making. Methods The study was conducted in three stages. 1. 20 midwives and four obstetricians described factors influencing transfer decisions. 2. Vignettes depicting an intrapartum scenario were developed based on stage one data. 3. Vignettes were presented to 122 midwives and 12 obstetricians who were asked to assess the level of risk in each case and decide whether to transfer or not. Social judgment analysis was used to identify the factors and factor weights used in assessment. Signal detection analysis was used to identify participants’ ability to distinguish high and low risk cases and personal decision thresholds. Results When reviewing the same case information in vignettes midwives in different settings and obstetricians made very similar risk assessments. Despite this, a wide range of transfer decisions were still made, suggesting that the main source of variation in decision making and transfer rates is not in the assessment but the personal decision thresholds of clinicians. Conclusions Currently health care practice focuses on supporting or improving decision making through skills training and clinical guidelines. However, these methods alone are unlikely to be effective in improving consistency of decision making. PMID:23114289

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

    McAchran, G.E.

    The author first addresses the impediments to successful technology transfer, e.g., tax programs, planning horizons, and capital availability. He emphasizes that written information emanating from universities and national laboratories, in and of itself, is usually insufficient to insure technology transfer. He notes that most information is transferred through informal channels and, most effectively, through personal contacts. Noting that Monsanto was a founding member and remains active in they Council on Chemical Research and Technology Transfer Conferences, Inc., he cites examples of their activities in the past 15 years. While geographic proximity is an important factor, usually, Monsanto's 5-year program withmore » Oxford Univ., UK, is funded at approximately $2 million; Monsanto scientists are located at Oxford to facilitate the work and bring the technology back home. 7 references« less

  3. Does Hospital Transfer Impact Outcomes After Colorectal Surgery?

    PubMed

    Chow, Christopher J; Gaertner, Wolfgang B; Jensen, Christine C; Sklow, Bradford; Madoff, Robert D; Kwaan, Mary R

    2017-02-01

    With increasing public reporting of outcomes and bundled payments, hospitals and providers are scrutinized for morbidity and mortality. The impact of patient transfer before colorectal surgery has not been well characterized in a risk-adjusted fashion. We hypothesized that hospital-to-hospital transfer would independently predict morbidity and mortality beyond traditional predictor variables. We constructed a retrospective cohort of 158,446 patients who underwent colorectal surgery using the 2009-2013 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. All of the patients who underwent colorectal surgery during the study period were included. Patients were excluded for unknown transfer status or transfer from a chronic care facility. Baseline characteristics were compared by transfer status. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the impact of transfer on major complications and mortality. A total of 7259 operations (4.6%) were performed after transfer. Transferred patients had higher rates of complications (p < 0.0001) with significant differences in unplanned endotracheal reintubation, bleeding, organ-space surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, postoperative sepsis, cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation, deep venous thrombosis, and myocardial infarction. Transferred patients also had longer hospital stays (9 vs 6 days; p < 0.0001) and a higher risk of death (13.2% vs 2.6%; p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, transferred patients had higher mortality rates despite risk adjustment (OR = 1.13 (95% CI, 1.02-1.25); p = 0.019) and were also more likely to have serious complications (OR = 1.12 (95% CI, 1.06-1.19); p < 0.001). We were unable to analyze outcomes beyond 30 days, and we did not have information on preoperative evaluation or the reason for patient transfer. Hospital-to-hospital transfer independently contributed to patient morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. The impact of hospital transfer must be considered when evaluating surgeon and hospital performance, because the increased risk of serious complications or death is not fully accounted for by traditional methods.

  4. Investigating effects of communications modulation technique on targeting performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blasch, Erik; Eusebio, Gerald; Huling, Edward

    2006-05-01

    One of the key challenges facing the global war on terrorism (GWOT) and urban operations is the increased need for rapid and diverse information from distributed sources. For users to get adequate information on target types and movements, they would need reliable data. In order to facilitate reliable computational intelligence, we seek to explore the communication modulation tradeoffs affecting information distribution and accumulation. In this analysis, we explore the modulation techniques of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), and statistical time-division multiple access (TDMA) as a function of the bit error rate and jitter that affect targeting performance. In the analysis, we simulate a Link 16 with a simple bandpass frequency shift keying (PSK) technique using different Signal-to-Noise ratios. The communications transfer delay and accuracy tradeoffs are assessed as to the effects incurred in targeting performance.

  5. Comparative analyses suggest that information transfer promoted sociality in male bats in the temperate zone.

    PubMed

    Safi, Kamran; Kerth, Gerald

    2007-09-01

    The evolution of sociality is a central theme in evolutionary biology. The vast majority of bats are social, which has been explained in terms of the benefits of communal breeding. However, the causes for segregated male groups remain unknown. In a comparative study, we tested whether diet and morphological adaptations to specific foraging styles, two factors known to influence the occurrence of information transfer, can predict male sociality. Our results suggest that the species most likely to benefit from information transfer--namely, those preying on ephemeral insects and with morphological adaptations to feeding in open habitat--are more likely to form male groups. Our findings also indicate that solitary life was the ancestral state of males and sociality evolved in several lineages. Beyond their significance for explaining the existence of male groups in bats, our findings highlight the importance of information transfer in the evolution of animal sociality.

  6. Electron Transfer from Triplet State of TIPS-Pentacene Generated by Singlet Fission Processes to CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sangsu; Hwang, Daesub; Jung, Seok Il; Kim, Dongho

    2017-02-16

    To reveal the applicability of singlet fission processes in perovskite solar cell, we investigated electron transfer from TIPS-pentacene to CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 (MAPbI 3 ) perovskite in film phase. Through the observation of the shorter fluorescence lifetime in TIPS-pentacene/MAPbI 3 perovskite bilayer film (5 ns) compared with pristine MAPbI 3 perovskite film (20 ns), we verified electron-transfer processes between TIPS-pentacene and MAPbI 3 perovskite. Furthermore, the observation of singlet fission processes, a faster decay rate, TIPS-pentacene cations, and the analysis of kinetic profiles of the intensity ratio between 500 and 525 nm in the TA spectra of the TIPS-pentacene/MAPbI 3 perovskite bilayer film indicate that electron transfer occurs from triplet state of TIPS-pentacene generated by singlet fission processes to MAPbI 3 perovskite conduction band. We believe that our results can provide useful information on the design of solar cells sensitized by singlet fission processes and pave the way for new types of perovskite solar cells.

  7. The physician-patient encounter: the physician as a perfect agent for the patient versus the informed treatment decision-making model.

    PubMed

    Gafni, A; Charles, C; Whelan, T

    1998-08-01

    Assuming a goal of arriving at a treatment decision which is based on the physician's knowledge and the patient's preferences, we discuss the feasibility of implementing two treatment decision-making models: (1) the physician as a perfect agent for the patient, and (2) the informed treatment decision-making models. Both models fall under the rubric of agency models, however, the requirements from the physician and the patient are different. An important distinction between the two models is that in the former the patient delegates authority to her doctor to make medical decisions and thus the challenge is to encourage the physician to find out the patient's preferences. In the latter, the patient retains the authority to make medical decisions and the physician role is that of information transfer. The challenge here is to encourage the physician to transfer the knowledge in a clear and nonbiased way. We argue that the choice of model depends among other things on the ease of implementation (e.g., is it simpler to transfer patient's preferences to doctors or to transfer technical knowledge to patients?). Also the choice of treatment decision-making model is likely to have an impact on the type of incentives or regulations (i.e., contracts) needed to promote the chosen model. We show that in theory both models result in the same outcome. We argue that the approach of transferring information to the patient is easier (but not easy) and, hence, more feasible than transferring each patient's preferences to the physician in each medical encounter. We also argue that because better "technology" exists to transfer medical information to patients and time costs are involved in both tasks (i.e. transferring preferences or information), it is more feasible to design contracts to motivate physicians to transfer information to patients than to design contracts to motivate physicians to find out their patients' utility functions. We illustrate our arguments using a clinical example of the choice of adjuvant chemotherapy versus no adjuvant chemotherapy for women with early stage breast cancer. We also discuss issues relating to the current realities of clinical practice and their potential implications for the way that economists model physician-patient clinical encounters.

  8. Information Technology in Complex Health Services

    PubMed Central

    Southon, Frank Charles Gray; Sauer, Chris; Dampney, Christopher Noel Grant (Kit)

    1997-01-01

    Abstract Objective: To identify impediments to the successful transfer and implementation of packaged information systems through large, divisionalized health services. Design: A case analysis of the failure of an implementation of a critical application in the Public Health System of the State of New South Wales, Australia, was carried out. This application had been proven in the United States environment. Measurements: Interviews involving over 60 staff at all levels of the service were undertaken by a team of three. The interviews were recorded and analyzed for key themes, and the results were shared and compared to enable a continuing critical assessment. Results: Two components of the transfer of the system were considered: the transfer from a different environment, and the diffusion throughout a large, divisionalized organization. The analyses were based on the Scott-Morton organizational fit framework. In relation to the first, it was found that there was a lack of fit in the business environments and strategies, organizational structures and strategy-structure pairing as well as the management process-roles pairing. The diffusion process experienced problems because of the lack of fit in the strategy-structure, strategy-structure-management processes, and strategy-structure-role relationships. Conclusion: The large-scale developments of integrated health services present great challenges to the efficient and reliable implementation of information technology, especially in large, divisionalized organizations. There is a need to take a more sophisticated approach to understanding the complexities of organizational factors than has traditionally been the case. PMID:9067877

  9. Vibration of middle ear with shape memory prosthesis - Experimental and numerical study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rafal, Rusinek; Szymanski, Marcin; Lajmert, Pawel

    2018-01-01

    The paper presents experimental investigations of ossicular chain vibrations using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) for the intact middle ear and a reconstructed one by means of the new designed shape memory prosthesis. Vibrations of the round window are measured with the Laser Doppler vibrometer and studied classically by the transfer function analysis. Moreover, the recurrence plot technique and the Hilbert vibration decomposition method are used to extend the classical analysis. The new methods show additional vibrations components and provide more information about middle ear behaviour.

  10. "Not such a kid thing anymore": Young adults' perspectives on transfer from paediatric to adult cardiology care.

    PubMed

    Catena, G; Rempel, G R; Kovacs, A H; Rankin, K N; Muhll, I V; Mackie, A S

    2018-03-25

    Transfer of adolescents with congenital heart disease from paediatric cardiology providers to specialized adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) care providers is becoming a standard practice. However, some paediatric cardiologists continue to provide care for their patients into adult life. Little is known about the perspectives of young adult patients who have been transferred to ACHD clinics versus those who continue to receive their cardiology care in paediatric settings. Content and thematic analysis of structured telephone interviews with 21 young adults age 18-25 (13 transferred to ACHD clinic and 8 who had not transferred) was conducted to identify similarities and differences in patient characteristics of those in ACHD versus paediatric settings. There were no appreciable differences in gender, age, heart disease type, and independence between those transferred to ACHD care versus those not transferred. Participants in both groups were aware of differences between the paediatric and ACHD care settings and providers, with some favouring the familiarity offered by the paediatric setting and providers. Participants had varying views on parental involvement in their care; most of them had attended clinic appointments on their own. Those who had transferred to ACHD care acknowledged that it would take time to adjust to new relationships. Positive perspectives on actual or anticipated transfer to ACHD care included a growing sense of autonomy and responsibility, as well as access to reproductive information relevant to ACHD patients. The absence of patient characteristics distinguishing those in ACHD care versus those still followed in paediatric care suggests that system, provider, and parent factors, rather than patient factors, may account for patients' perspectives on transfer to ACHD care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Problems with multiple use of transfer buffer in protein electrophoretic transfer.

    PubMed

    Dorri, Yaser; Kurien, Biji T; Scofield, R Hal

    2010-04-01

    Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and SDS-PAGE are the two most useful methods in protein separation. Proteins separated by 2DE or SDS-PAGE are usually transferred to membranes using a variety of methods, such as electrophoretic transfer, heat-mediated transfer, or nonelectrophoretic transfer, for specific protein detection and/or analysis. In a recent study, Pettegrew et al. claim to reuse transfer buffer containing methanol for at least five times for transferring proteins from SDS-PAGE to polyvinylidene difluoride. They add 150-200 ml fresh transfer solution each time for extended use as a result of loss of transfer buffer. Finally, they test efficiency of each protein transfer by chemiluminescence detection. Here, we comment on this report, as we believe this method is not accurate and useful for protein analysis, and it can cause background binding as well as inaccurate protein analysis.

  12. Rapid measurement of methyl cellulose precipitable tannins using ultraviolet spectroscopy with chemometrics: application to red wine and inter-laboratory calibration transfer.

    PubMed

    Dambergs, Robert G; Mercurio, Meagan D; Kassara, Stella; Cozzolino, Daniel; Smith, Paul A

    2012-06-01

    Information relating to tannin concentration in grapes and wine is not currently available simply and rapidly enough to inform decision-making by grape growers, winemakers, and wine researchers. Spectroscopy and chemometrics have been implemented for the analysis of critical grape and wine parameters and offer a possible solution for rapid tannin analysis. We report here the development and validation of an ultraviolet (UV) spectral calibration for the prediction of tannin concentration in red wines. Such spectral calibrations reduce the time and resource requirements involved in measuring tannins. A diverse calibration set (n = 204) was prepared with samples of Australian wines of five varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Durif), from regions spanning the wine grape growing areas of Australia, with varying climate and soils, and with vintages ranging from 1991 to 2007. The relationship between tannin measured by the methyl cellulose precipitation (MCP) reference method at 280 nm and tannin predicted with a multiple linear regression (MLR) calibration, using ultraviolet (UV) absorbance at 250, 270, 280, 290, and 315 nm, was strong (r(2)val = 0.92; SECV = 0.20 g/L). An independent validation set (n = 85) was predicted using the MLR algorithm developed with the calibration set and gave confidence in the ability to predict new samples, independent of the samples used to prepare the calibration (r(2)val = 0.94; SEP = 0.18 g/L). The MLR algorithm could also predict tannin in fermenting wines (r(2)val = 0.76; SEP = 0.18 g/L), but worked best from the second day of ferment on. This study also explored instrument-to-instrument transfer of a spectral calibration for MCP tannin. After slope and bias adjustments of the calibration, efficient calibration transfer to other laboratories was clearly demonstrated, with all instruments in the study effectively giving identical results on a transfer set.

  13. Analyzing high resolution topography for advancing the understanding of mass and energy transfer through landscapes: A review

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Passaiacquaa, Paola; Belmont, Patrick; Staley, Dennis M.; Simley, Jeffery; Arrowsmith, J. Ramon; Bode, Collin A.; Crosby, Christopher; DeLong, Stephen; Glenn, Nancy; Kelly, Sara; Lague, Dimitri; Sangireddy, Harish; Schaffrath, Keelin; Tarboton, David; Wasklewicz, Thad; Wheaton, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    The study of mass and energy transfer across landscapes has recently evolved to comprehensive considerations acknowledging the role of biota and humans as geomorphic agents, as well as the importance of small-scale landscape features. A contributing and supporting factor to this evolution is the emergence over the last two decades of technologies able to acquire high resolution topography (HRT) (meter and sub-meter resolution) data. Landscape features can now be captured at an appropriately fine spatial resolution at which surface processes operate; this has revolutionized the way we study Earth-surface processes. The wealth of information contained in HRT also presents considerable challenges. For example, selection of the most appropriate type of HRT data for a given application is not trivial. No definitive approach exists for identifying and filtering erroneous or unwanted data, yet inappropriate filtering can create artifacts or eliminate/distort critical features. Estimates of errors and uncertainty are often poorly defined and typically fail to represent the spatial heterogeneity of the dataset, which may introduce bias or error for many analyses. For ease of use, gridded products are typically preferred rather than the more information-rich point cloud representations. Thus many users take advantage of only a fraction of the available data, which has furthermore been subjected to a series of operations often not known or investigated by the user. Lastly, standard HRT analysis work-flows are yet to be established for many popular HRT operations, which has contributed to the limited use of point cloud data.In this review, we identify key research questions relevant to the Earth-surface processes community within the theme of mass and energy transfer across landscapes and offer guidance on how to identify the most appropriate topographic data type for the analysis of interest. We describe the operations commonly performed from raw data to raster products and we identify key considerations and suggest appropriate work-flows for each, pointing to useful resources and available tools. Future research directions should stimulate further development of tools that take advantage of the wealth of information contained in the HRT data and address the present and upcoming research needs such as the ability to filter out unwanted data, compute spatially variable estimates of uncertainty and perform multi-scale analyses. While we focus primarily on HRT applications for mass and energy transfer, we envision this review to be relevant beyond the Earth-surface processes community for a much broader range of applications involving the analysis of HRT.

  14. Performance, Agility and Cost of Cloud Computing Services for NASA GES DISC Giovanni Application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, L.; Chen, A.; Wharton, S.; Winter, E. L.; Lynnes, C.

    2013-12-01

    The NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is investigating the performance, agility and cost of Cloud computing for GES DISC applications. Giovanni (Geospatial Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure), one of the core applications at the GES DISC for online climate-related Earth science data access, subsetting, analysis, visualization, and downloading, was used to evaluate the feasibility and effort of porting an application to the Amazon Cloud Services platform. The performance and the cost of running Giovanni on the Amazon Cloud were compared to similar parameters for the GES DISC local operational system. A Giovanni Time-Series analysis of aerosol absorption optical depth (388nm) from OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument)/Aura was selected for these comparisons. All required data were pre-cached in both the Cloud and local system to avoid data transfer delays. The 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month data were used for analysis on the Cloud and local system respectively, and the processing times for the analysis were used to evaluate system performance. To investigate application agility, Giovanni was installed and tested on multiple Cloud platforms. The cost of using a Cloud computing platform mainly consists of: computing, storage, data requests, and data transfer in/out. The Cloud computing cost is calculated based on the hourly rate, and the storage cost is calculated based on the rate of Gigabytes per month. Cost for incoming data transfer is free, and for data transfer out, the cost is based on the rate in Gigabytes. The costs for a local server system consist of buying hardware/software, system maintenance/updating, and operating cost. The results showed that the Cloud platform had a 38% better performance and cost 36% less than the local system. This investigation shows the potential of cloud computing to increase system performance and lower the overall cost of system management.

  15. 75 FR 78265 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; Notice of Proposed Information...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-15

    ... reporting the sale of a mortgage between investors and/or the transfer of the mortgage servicing... between investors and/or the transfer of the mortgage servicing responsibility, as appropriate. OMB...

  16. Research on target information optics communications transmission characteristic and performance in multi-screens testing system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hanshan

    2016-04-01

    To enhance the stability and reliability of multi-screens testing system, this paper studies multi-screens target optical information transmission link properties and performance in long-distance, sets up the discrete multi-tone modulation transmission model based on geometric model of laser multi-screens testing system and visible light information communication principle; analyzes the electro-optic and photoelectric conversion function of sender and receiver in target optical information communication system; researches target information transmission performance and transfer function of the generalized visible-light communication channel; found optical information communication transmission link light intensity space distribution model and distribution function; derives the SNR model of information transmission communication system. Through the calculation and experiment analysis, the results show that the transmission error rate increases with the increment of transmission rate in a certain channel modulation depth; when selecting the appropriate transmission rate, the bit error rate reach 0.01.

  17. A DDC Bibliography on Cost/Benefits of Technical Information Services and Technology Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Documentation Center, Alexandria, VA.

    This bibliography is a compilation of literature existing in both the government and public sectors and concerning Cost/Benefits of Technical information Services and Technology Transfer. Not only was the cost-benefit to the user reflected, but consideration was given to the initial cost of information collections, the cost of processing the…

  18. Report of a Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer. Jackson, Mississippi, September 7-8, 1978.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graves, Sid F., Jr., Ed.

    This summary of the decisions and recommendations of the Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer includes a brief discussion of the outline of a functioning solar energy technology network in the State of Mississippi. During the conference, participants recognized current energy information needs and recommended ways to meet…

  19. Is there more to communications technology than just information transfer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaltschmidt, H.

    1980-02-01

    In the present paper, communications is discussed in terms of information transfer among people, among automata, and among people and automata. Communications is treated as a cybernetics problem involving information sources and sinks. The principal signals and components of a communications system are examined, along with frequency- and time-multiplexing, optimal detection, correlators, etc.

  20. Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program

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

    BANNING, D.L.

    1999-07-02

    There are 177 waste storage tanks containing over 210,000 m{sup 3} (55 million gal) of mixed waste at the Hanford Site. The River Protection Project (RPP) has adopted the data quality objective (DQO) process used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (EPA 1994a) and implemented by RPP internal procedure (Banning 1999a) to identify the information and data needed to address safety issues. This DQO document is based on several documents that provide the technical basis for inputs and decision/action levels used to develop the decision rules that evaluate the transfer of wastes. A number of these documents are presentlymore » in the process of being revised. This document will need to be revised if there are changes to the technical criteria in these supporting documents. This DQO process supports various documents, such as sampling and analysis plans and double-shell tank (DST) waste analysis plans. This document identifies the type, quality, and quantity of data needed to determine whether transfer of supernatant can be performed safely. The requirements in this document are designed to prevent the mixing of incompatible waste as defined in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-303-040. Waste transfers which meet the requirements contained in this document and the Double-Shell Tank Waste Analysis Plan (Mulkey 1998) are considered to be compatible, and prevent the mixing of incompatible waste.« less

  1. National Technology Center and photonics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vlannes, Nickolas P.

    1992-05-01

    A National Technology Center is proposed in order to meet the international challenges to the economy and security of the United States. This center would be tasked with the acquisition, analysis, assessment, and dissemination of worldwide scientific and technical information and data; technology transfer to the United States; and research and development in information and library sciences and technology. The National Technology Center would form a national network linking centers of excellence and expertise, and maintain a national technology library. With these functions, the National Technology Center has inherent requirements for technologies based on photonics, and will further motivate developments in this field.

  2. Information transfer across the scales of climate data variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palus, Milan; Jajcay, Nikola; Hartman, David; Hlinka, Jaroslav

    2015-04-01

    Multitude of scales characteristic of the climate system variability requires innovative approaches in analysis of instrumental time series. We present a methodology which starts with a wavelet decomposition of a multi-scale signal into quasi-oscillatory modes of a limited band-with, described using their instantaneous phases and amplitudes. Then their statistical associations are tested in order to search for interactions across time scales. In particular, an information-theoretic formulation of the generalized, nonlinear Granger causality is applied together with surrogate data testing methods [1]. The method [2] uncovers causal influence (in the Granger sense) and information transfer from large-scale modes of climate variability with characteristic time scales from years to almost a decade to regional temperature variability on short time scales. In analyses of daily mean surface air temperature from various European locations an information transfer from larger to smaller scales has been observed as the influence of the phase of slow oscillatory phenomena with periods around 7-8 years on amplitudes of the variability characterized by smaller temporal scales from a few months to annual and quasi-biennial scales [3]. In sea surface temperature data from the tropical Pacific area an influence of quasi-oscillatory phenomena with periods around 4-6 years on the variability on and near the annual scale has been observed. This study is supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic within the Program KONTAKT II, Project No. LH14001. [1] M. Palus, M. Vejmelka, Phys. Rev. E 75, 056211 (2007) [2] M. Palus, Entropy 16(10), 5263-5289 (2014) [3] M. Palus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 078702 (2014)

  3. A Spacebased Ocean Surface Exchange Data Analysis System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tang, Wenqing; Liu, W. Timothy

    2000-01-01

    Emerging technologies have provided unprecedented opportunities to transform information into knowledge and disseminate them in a much faster, cheaper, and userfriendly mode. We have set up a system to produce and disseminate high level (gridded) ocean surface wind data from the NASA Scatterometer and European Remote Sensing missions. The data system is being expanded to produce real-time gridded ocean surface winds from an improved sensor SeaWinds on the Quikscat Mission. The wind field will be combined with hydrologic parameters from the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission to monitor evolving weather systems and natural hazard in real time. It will form the basis for spacebased Ocean Surface Exchange Data Analysis System (SOSEDAS) which will include the production of ocean surface momentum, heat, and water fluxes needed for interdisciplinary studies of ocean-atmosphere interaction. Various commercial or non-commercial software tools have been compared and selected in terms of their ability in database management, remote data accessing, graphical interface, data quality, storage needs and transfer speed, etc. Issues regarding system security and user authentication, distributed data archiving and accessing, strategy to compress large-volume geophysical and satellite data/image. and increasing transferring speed are being addressed. A simple and easy way to access information and derive knowledge from spacebased data of multiple missions is being provided. The evolving 'knowledge system' will provide relevant infrastructure to address Earth System Science, make inroads in educating an informed populace, and illuminate decision and policy making.

  4. Application of a single-flicker online SSVEP BCI for spatial navigation.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jingjing; Zhang, Dan; Engel, Andreas K; Gong, Qin; Maye, Alexander

    2017-01-01

    A promising approach for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) employs the steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) for extracting control information. Main advantages of these SSVEP BCIs are a simple and low-cost setup, little effort to adjust the system parameters to the user and comparatively high information transfer rates (ITR). However, traditional frequency-coded SSVEP BCIs require the user to gaze directly at the selected flicker stimulus, which is liable to cause fatigue or even photic epileptic seizures. The spatially coded SSVEP BCI we present in this article addresses this issue. It uses a single flicker stimulus that appears always in the extrafoveal field of view, yet it allows the user to control four control channels. We demonstrate the embedding of this novel SSVEP stimulation paradigm in the user interface of an online BCI for navigating a 2-dimensional computer game. Offline analysis of the training data reveals an average classification accuracy of 96.9±1.64%, corresponding to an information transfer rate of 30.1±1.8 bits/min. In online mode, the average classification accuracy reached 87.9±11.4%, which resulted in an ITR of 23.8±6.75 bits/min. We did not observe a strong relation between a subject's offline and online performance. Analysis of the online performance over time shows that users can reliably control the new BCI paradigm with stable performance over at least 30 minutes of continuous operation.

  5. Transfer Failure and Proactive Interference in Short-Term Memory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, John A.

    1977-01-01

    Two experiments tested the hypothesis that proactive interference over a series of Brown-Peterson trials results from a combination of the subject's failure to transfer information to a permanent memory state and failure to retrieve information from permanent memory. (Editor)

  6. Transfer of Information from Short- to Long-Term Memory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Modigliani, Vito; Seamon, John G.

    1974-01-01

    The present study examined current hypotheses concerning information transfer from short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM) using a Peterson STM task with word triplets presented over retention intervals of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 18 sec. (Editor)

  7. 76 FR 373 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; Notice of Proposed Information...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-04

    ... reporting the sale of a mortgage between investors and/or the transfer of the mortgage servicing... reporting the sale of a mortgage between investors and/or the transfer of the mortgage servicing...

  8. 76 FR 27642 - Department of Homeland Security; Transfer of Data

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-12

    ... Subjects Environmental protection, Business and industry, Government property, Security measures. Dated... Security; Transfer of Data AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This... Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), including information that may have been claimed as Confidential Business Information...

  9. Information gathering, management and transfering for geospacial intelligence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nunes, Paulo; Correia, Anacleto; Teodoro, M. Filomena

    2017-07-01

    Information is a key subject in modern organization operations. The success of joint and combined operations with organizations partners depends on the accurate information and knowledge flow concerning the operations theatre: provision of resources, environment evolution, markets location, where and when an event occurred. As in the past and nowadays we cannot conceive modern operations without maps and geo-spatial information (GI). Information and knowledge management is fundamental to the success of organizational decisions in an uncertainty environment. The georeferenced information management is a process of knowledge management, it begins in the raw data and ends on generating knowledge. GI and intelligence systems allow us to integrate all other forms of intelligence and can be a main platform to process and display geo-spatial-time referenced events. Combining explicit knowledge with peoples know-how to generate a continuous learning cycle that supports real time decisions mitigates the influences of fog of everyday competition and provides the knowledge supremacy. Extending the preliminary analysis done in [1], this work applies the exploratory factor analysis to a questionnaire about the GI and intelligence management in an organization company allowing to identify future lines of action to improve information process sharing and exploration of all the potential of this important resource.

  10. Extension of SCIATRAN by coupling atmospheric and oceanic radiative transfer: First results of comparisons for in-situ and satellite data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blum, Mirjam; Rozanov, Vladimir; Bracher, Astrid; Burrows, John P.

    The radiative transfer model SCIATRAN [V. V. Rozanov et al., 2002; A. Rozanov et al., 2005, 2008] has been developed to model atmospheric radiative transfer. This model is mainly applied to improve the analysis of high spectrally resolved satellite data as, for instance, data of the instrument SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric CHar-tographY) onboard the ENVISAT satellite. Within the present study, SCIATRAN has been extended by taking radiative processes as well as at the atmosphere-water interface as within the water into account, which were caused by water itself and its constituents. Comparisons of this extended version of SCIATRAN for in-situ data and for MERIS satellite information yield first results, which will be shown. It is expected that the new version of SCIATRAN, including the coupling of atmospheric and oceanic radiative transfer, will widen the use of high spectrally resolved data in the form of achieving new findings, such as information about ocean biooptics and biogeochemistry like, for example, biomass of different phytoplankton groups or CDOM fluorescence. In addition, it is awaited that the new version improves the retrieval of atmospheric trace gases above oceanic waters. References: 1. V. V. Rozanov, M. Buchwitz, K.-U. Eichmann, R. de Beek, and J. P. Burrows. Sciatran -a new radiative transfer model for geophysical applications in the 240-2400nm spectral region: the pseudo-spherical version. Adv. in Space Res. 29, 1831-1835 (2002) 2. A. Rozanov, V. V. Rozanov, M. Buchwitz, A. Kokhanovsky, and J. P. Burrows. SCIA-TRAN 2.0 -A new radiative tranfer model for geophysical applications in the 175-2400nm spectral region. Adv. in Space Res. 36, 1015-1019 (2005) 3. A. Rozanov. SCIATRAN 2.X: Radiative transfer model and retrieval software package. URL = http://www.iup.physik.uni-bremen.de/sciatran (2008)

  11. Topological Quantum Espionage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Chang-Yu; Shtengel, Kirill; Refael, Gil

    2014-03-01

    Can one transfer information encoded in Majorana modes between two distinct platforms? Or must one read out the information before transferring it to a new medium? We explore this question, and find that not only can information be transfered, but in some cases a fermionic occupation number can be stored non-locally by Majorana modes localized in two distinct p-wave superconductors with opposite chirality, as long as some tunneling contact between the two exists. This work is supported in part by the DARPA- QuEST program, NSF award DMR-0748925, the Packard foundation and the IQIM, an NSF center supported in part by the Moore fundation.

  12. A Thematic Analysis of Theoretical Models for Translational Science in Nursing: Mapping the Field

    PubMed Central

    Mitchell, Sandra A.; Fisher, Cheryl A.; Hastings, Clare E.; Silverman, Leanne B.; Wallen, Gwenyth R.

    2010-01-01

    Background The quantity and diversity of conceptual models in translational science may complicate rather than advance the use of theory. Purpose This paper offers a comparative thematic analysis of the models available to inform knowledge development, transfer, and utilization. Method Literature searches identified 47 models for knowledge translation. Four thematic areas emerged: (1) evidence-based practice and knowledge transformation processes; (2) strategic change to promote adoption of new knowledge; (3) knowledge exchange and synthesis for application and inquiry; (4) designing and interpreting dissemination research. Discussion This analysis distinguishes the contributions made by leaders and researchers at each phase in the process of discovery, development, and service delivery. It also informs the selection of models to guide activities in knowledge translation. Conclusions A flexible theoretical stance is essential to simultaneously develop new knowledge and accelerate the translation of that knowledge into practice behaviors and programs of care that support optimal patient outcomes. PMID:21074646

  13. Forensic trace DNA: a review

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    DNA analysis is frequently used to acquire information from biological material to aid enquiries associated with criminal offences, disaster victim identification and missing persons investigations. As the relevance and value of DNA profiling to forensic investigations has increased, so too has the desire to generate this information from smaller amounts of DNA. Trace DNA samples may be defined as any sample which falls below recommended thresholds at any stage of the analysis, from sample detection through to profile interpretation, and can not be defined by a precise picogram amount. Here we review aspects associated with the collection, DNA extraction, amplification, profiling and interpretation of trace DNA samples. Contamination and transfer issues are also briefly discussed within the context of trace DNA analysis. Whilst several methodological changes have facilitated profiling from trace samples in recent years it is also clear that many opportunities exist for further improvements. PMID:21122102

  14. DACC program cost and work breakdown structure-dictionary. General purpose aft cargo carrier study, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    Results of detailed cost estimates and economic analysis performed on the updated 201 configuration of the dedicated Aft Cargo Carrier (DACC) are given. The objective of this economic analysis is to provide the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with information on the economics of using the DACC on the Space Transportation System (STS). The detailed cost estimates for the DACC are presented by a work breakdown structure (WBS) to ensure that all elements of cost are considered in the economic analysis and related subsystem trades. Costs reported by WBS provide NASA with a basis for comparing competing designs and provide detailed cost information that can be used to forecast phase C/D planning for new projects or programs derived from preliminary conceptual design studies. The scope covers all STS and STS/DACC launch vehicle cost impacts for delivering an orbital transfer vehicle to a 120 NM low Earth orbit (LEO).

  15. Characterizing the Networks of Digital Information that Support Collaborative Adaptive Forest Management in Sierra Nevada Forests.

    PubMed

    Lei, Shufei; Iles, Alastair; Kelly, Maggi

    2015-07-01

    Some of the factors that can contribute to the success of collaborative adaptive management--such as social learning, open communication, and trust--are built upon a foundation of the open exchange of information about science and management between participants and the public. Despite the importance of information transparency, the use and flow of information in collaborative adaptive management has not been characterized in detail in the literature, and currently there exist opportunities to develop strategies for increasing the exchange of information, as well as to track information flow in such contexts. As digital information channels and networks have been increased over the last decade, powerful new information monitoring tools have also been evolved allowing for the complete characterization of information products through their production, transport, use, and monitoring. This study uses these tools to investigate the use of various science and management information products in a case study--the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project--using a mixed method (citation analysis, web analytics, and content analysis) research approach borrowed from the information processing and management field. The results from our case study show that information technologies greatly facilitate the flow and use of digital information, leading to multiparty collaborations such as knowledge transfer and public participation in science research. We conclude with recommendations for expanding information exchange in collaborative adaptive management by taking advantage of available information technologies and networks.

  16. Characterizing the Networks of Digital Information that Support Collaborative Adaptive Forest Management in Sierra Nevada Forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Shufei; Iles, Alastair; Kelly, Maggi

    2015-07-01

    Some of the factors that can contribute to the success of collaborative adaptive management—such as social learning, open communication, and trust—are built upon a foundation of the open exchange of information about science and management between participants and the public. Despite the importance of information transparency, the use and flow of information in collaborative adaptive management has not been characterized in detail in the literature, and currently there exist opportunities to develop strategies for increasing the exchange of information, as well as to track information flow in such contexts. As digital information channels and networks have been increased over the last decade, powerful new information monitoring tools have also been evolved allowing for the complete characterization of information products through their production, transport, use, and monitoring. This study uses these tools to investigate the use of various science and management information products in a case study—the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project—using a mixed method (citation analysis, web analytics, and content analysis) research approach borrowed from the information processing and management field. The results from our case study show that information technologies greatly facilitate the flow and use of digital information, leading to multiparty collaborations such as knowledge transfer and public participation in science research. We conclude with recommendations for expanding information exchange in collaborative adaptive management by taking advantage of available information technologies and networks.

  17. Effects of bilateral swing-away grab bars on the biomechanics of stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand toilet transfers.

    PubMed

    Lee, Su Jin; Mehta-Desai, Ricky; Oh, Kyunggeune; Sanford, Jon; Prilutsky, Boris I

    2018-03-09

    Kinetic characteristics of transfers to and from a toilet performed using bilateral grab bars are not fully quantified to inform grab bar design and configuration. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine effects of bilateral swing-away grab bars on peaks of ankle, knee and hip joint moments during grab bar assisted stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transfers; and (2) determine effects of three different heights and widths of swing-away grab bars on the same kinetic characteristics. Healthy subjects (N = 11, age 25-58 years) performed stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transfers with and without grab bars. In transfers with grab bars, 9 grab bar configurations were tested by varying their height from the floor (0.787 m, 0.813 m, 0.838 m; 31″-33″) and width, the distance of each grab bar from the toilet's centerline (0.330 m, 0.356 m, 0.381 m; 13″-15″). Motion capture, force plate and inverse dynamics analysis were used to determine lower limb joint moments. The use of bilateral grab bars generally reduced the peak magnitude of extension moments at lower limb joints during stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transfers (p < .05), except the ankle joint moments during stand-to-sit transfers. Relatively few differences in peak joint moments were found between studied grab bar widths or heights. The obtained results suggest that the studied ranges of grab bar configurations reduce moment demands on the leg joints and thus decrease difficulty and required lower limb muscle effort to perform the transfers. Implications for Rehabilitation Maximizing the benefits of assistive technology in the built environment requires a careful assessment of their spatial and configurational dimensions, especially in respect to the needs and abilities of the intended users. Examining the kinetic characteristics of transfers to and from a toilet using the swing-away grab bars is useful for informing grab bar design and configuration recommendations for assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Our findings suggest that the swing-away grab bars located at certain ranges are a reasonable alternative to the grab bars mandated by the current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines. Future research investigating the effects of grab bars on transfer performance should consider additional factors, such as a wider range of abilities and transfer methods of the users.

  18. Evaluating Technology Transfer and Diffusion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozeman, Barry; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Four articles discuss the evaluation of technology transfer and diffusion: (1) "Technology Transfer at the U.S. National Laboratories: A Framework for Evaluation"; (2) "Application of Social Psychological and Evaluation Research: Lessons from Energy Information Programs"; (3) "Technology and Knowledge Transfer in Energy R and D Laboratories: An…

  19. Tech Transfer News. Volume 9, No. 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Victor, Megan E. (Compiler)

    2017-01-01

    Kennedy Tech Transfer News is the magazine of the Technology Transfer Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This magazine seeks to inform and educate civil servant and contractor personnel at Kennedy Space Center about actively participating in achieving NASA's technology transfer and partnership goals.

  20. 78 FR 42819 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 709

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-17

    ... 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return. DATES: Written comments should....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax... transfers subject to the gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes and to compute these taxes. The IRS...

  1. 75 FR 38179 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 709

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-01

    ... 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return. DATES: Written comments should....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax... transfers subject to the gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes and to compute these taxes. The IRS...

  2. Non-Traditional Transfer Student Attrition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Monroe, Anne

    2006-01-01

    Current literature focuses on traditional student attrition and on transfer transition, but little information is available on the non-traditional transfer student experience. The following study explores the process of non-traditional transfer student attrition through an investigation that illustrates the importance of past student experiences,…

  3. Synaptic convergence regulates synchronization-dependent spike transfer in feedforward neural networks.

    PubMed

    Sailamul, Pachaya; Jang, Jaeson; Paik, Se-Bum

    2017-12-01

    Correlated neural activities such as synchronizations can significantly alter the characteristics of spike transfer between neural layers. However, it is not clear how this synchronization-dependent spike transfer can be affected by the structure of convergent feedforward wiring. To address this question, we implemented computer simulations of model neural networks: a source and a target layer connected with different types of convergent wiring rules. In the Gaussian-Gaussian (GG) model, both the connection probability and the strength are given as Gaussian distribution as a function of spatial distance. In the Uniform-Constant (UC) and Uniform-Exponential (UE) models, the connection probability density is a uniform constant within a certain range, but the connection strength is set as a constant value or an exponentially decaying function, respectively. Then we examined how the spike transfer function is modulated under these conditions, while static or synchronized input patterns were introduced to simulate different levels of feedforward spike synchronization. We observed that the synchronization-dependent modulation of the transfer function appeared noticeably different for each convergence condition. The modulation of the spike transfer function was largest in the UC model, and smallest in the UE model. Our analysis showed that this difference was induced by the different spike weight distributions that was generated from convergent synapses in each model. Our results suggest that, the structure of the feedforward convergence is a crucial factor for correlation-dependent spike control, thus must be considered important to understand the mechanism of information transfer in the brain.

  4. Key characteristics of knowledge transfer and exchange in healthcare: integrative literature review.

    PubMed

    Pentland, Duncan; Forsyth, Kirsty; Maciver, Donald; Walsh, Mike; Murray, Richard; Irvine, Linda; Sikora, Simon

    2011-07-01

    This paper presents the results of a review of literature relating to knowledge transfer and exchange in healthcare. Treatment, planning and policy decisions in contemporary nursing and healthcare should be based on sound evidence wherever possible, but research knowledge remains generally underused. Knowledge transfer and exchange initiatives aim to facilitate the accessibility, application and production of evidence and may provide solutions to this challenge. This review was conducted to help inform the design and implementation of knowledge transfer and exchange activities for a large healthcare organization. Databases: ASSIA, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Medline and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. An integrative literature review was carried out including an extensive literature search. English language systematic reviews, literature reviews, primary quantitative and qualitative papers and grey literature of high relevance evaluating, describing or discussing knowledge transfer or exchange activities in healthcare were included for review (January 1990-September 2009). Thirty-three papers were reviewed (four systematic reviews, nine literature reviews, one environmental scan, nine empirical studies and ten case studies). Robust research into knowledge transfer and exchange in healthcare is limited. Analysis of a wide range of evidence indicates a number of commonly featured characteristics but further evaluation of these activities would benefit their application in facilitating evidence-based practice in nursing. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  5. The Evaluation of Water Conservation for Municipal and Industrial Water Supply: Illustrative Examples. Water Conservation and Supply Information Transfer and Analysis Program. Revision.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-02-01

    108 NED Project Plan........................................ 108 EQ Project Plan ......................................... 115 Performance of Water...Conservation Proposal: ED Objective ............. 115 50. Atlanta ED Water Conservation Proposal: EQasObjective............. 115 52. Atlanta EQ Water... differential inflation of energy prices, this would provide an annualized energy-related advantageous effect of $655,000/year. Measure A2--Moderate Kit

  6. Science in the Public Sphere: Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Planning from a Transdisciplinary Perspective

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Torregrosa, Alicia; Casazza, Michael L.; Caldwell, Margaret R.; Mathiasmeier, Teresa A.; Morgan, Peter M.; Overton, Cory T.

    2010-01-01

    Integration of scientific data and adaptive management techniques is critical to the success of species conservation, however, there are uncertainties about effective methods of knowledge exchange between scientists and decisionmakers. The conservation planning and implementation process for Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; ) in the Mono Basin, Calif. region, was used as a case study to observe the exchange of scientific information among stakeholders with differing perspectives; resource manager, scientist, public official, rancher, and others. The collaborative development of a risk-simulation model was explored as a tool to transfer knowledge between stakeholders and inform conservation planning and management decisions. Observations compiled using a transdisciplinary approach were used to compare the exchange of information during the collaborative model development and more traditional interactions such as scientist-led presentations at stakeholder meetings. Lack of congruence around knowledge needs and prioritization led to insufficient commitment to completely implement the risk-simulation model. Ethnographic analysis of the case study suggests that further application of epistemic community theory, which posits a strong boundary condition on knowledge transfer, could help support application of risk simulation models in conservation-planning efforts within similarly complex social and bureaucratic landscapes.

  7. Meeting the Needs of Rural Students Through Distance Advising: The Role of Transfer Guides in Three Measures of Student Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, Erica Cantrell; Dell, Cindy Ann

    1997-01-01

    Describes course information and supportive advising provided in articulation guides for students transferring from Northwest Community College (Montana) (NCC) to Montana State University. Comparison of post-transfer grade declines, grade recovery, and persistence of NCC transfer students with other community college transfers indicates that…

  8. Applications of breath gas analysis in medicine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amann, Anton; Poupart, Guy; Telser, Stefan; Ledochowski, Maximilian; Schmid, Alex; Mechtcheriakov, Sergei

    2004-12-01

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath gas provide valuable information about the subjects' physiological and pathophysiological condition. Proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) allows rapid and online measurements of these substances. We present results of three studies illustrating the potential of breath gas analysis by PTR-MS in various contexts: long-time online monitoring of VOCs in sleeping subjects suggests that VOC profiles are related to sleep stages. Analysis of VOC concentrations in the breath of carbohydrate malabsorbers emphasizes the role played by bacteria in the gut. Finally, we demonstrate the large intra- and intersubject concentration variability of VOCs by considering one particular mass.

  9. Immediate Vascular Imaging Needed for Efficient Triage of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Initially Admitted to Nonthrombectomy Centers.

    PubMed

    Boulouis, Gregoire; Siddiqui, Khawja-Ahmeruddin; Lauer, Arne; Charidimou, Andreas; Regenhardt, Robert W; Viswanathan, Anand; Leslie-Mazwi, Thabele M; Rost, Natalia; Schwamm, Lee H

    2017-08-01

    Current guidelines for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) used to select patients for transfer to thrombectomy-capable stroke centers (TSC) may result in unnecessary transfers. We sought to determine the impact of simulated baseline vascular imaging on reducing unnecessary transfers and clinical-imaging factors associated with receiving EVT after transfer. We identified patients with stroke transferred for EVT from 30 referring hospitals between 2010 and 2016 who had a referring hospitals brain computed tomography and repeat imaging on TSC arrival available for review. Initial Alberta Stroke Program Early CT scores and TSC vascular occlusion level were assessed. The main outcome variable was receiving EVT at TSC. Models were simulated to derive optimal triaging parameters for EVT. A total of 508 patients were included in the analysis (mean age, 69±14 years; 42% women). Application at referring hospitals of current guidelines for EVT yielded sensitivity of 92% (95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.96) and specificity of 53% (95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.57) for receiving EVT at TSC. Repeated simulations identified optimal selection criteria for transfer as National Institute of Health Stroke Scale >8 plus baseline vascular imaging (sensitivity=91%; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.95; and specificity=80%; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.83). Our findings provide quantitative estimates of the claim that implementing vascular imaging at the referring hospitals would result in significantly fewer futile transfers for EVT and a data-driven framework to inform transfer policies. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  10. Thermal Analysis of Magnetically-Coupled Pump for Cryogenic Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Senocak, Inanc; Udaykumar, H. S.; Ndri, Narcisse; Francois, Marianne; Shyy, Wei

    1999-01-01

    Magnetically-coupled pump is under evaluation at Kennedy Space Center for possible cryogenic applications. A major concern is the impact of low temperature fluid flows on the pump performance. As a first step toward addressing this and related issues, a computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer tool has been adopted in a pump geometry. The computational tool includes (i) a commercial grid generator to handle multiple grid blocks and complicated geometric definitions, and (ii) an in-house computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer software developed in the Principal Investigator's group at the University of Florida. Both pure-conduction and combined convection-conduction computations have been conducted. A pure-conduction analysis gives insufficient information about the overall thermal distribution. Combined convection-conduction analysis indicates the significant influence of the coolant over the entire flow path. Since 2-D simulation is of limited help, future work on full 3-D modeling of the pump using multi-materials is needed. A comprehensive and accurate model can be developed to take into account the effect of multi-phase flow in the cooling flow loop, and the magnetic interactions.

  11. SPECIAL ISSUE ON OPTICAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION: Optical signal-processing systems based on anisotropic media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiyashko, B. V.

    1995-10-01

    Partially coherent optical systems for signal processing are considered. The transfer functions are formed in these systems by interference of polarised light transmitted by an anisotropic medium. It is shown that such systems can perform various integral transformations of both optical and electric signals, in particular, two-dimensional Fourier and Fresnel transformations, as well as spectral analysis of weak light sources. It is demonstrated that such systems have the highest luminosity and vibration immunity among the systems with interference formation of transfer functions. An experimental investigation is reported of the application of these systems in the processing of signals from a linear hydroacoustic antenna array, and in measurements of the optical spectrum and of the intrinsic noise.

  12. Single-particle strength from nucleon transfer in oxygen isotopes: Sensitivity to model parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flavigny, F.; Keeley, N.; Gillibert, A.; Obertelli, A.

    2018-03-01

    In the analysis of transfer reaction data to extract nuclear structure information the choice of input parameters to the reaction model such as distorting potentials and overlap functions has a significant impact. In this paper we consider a set of data for the (d ,t ) and (d ,3He ) reactions on 14,16,18O as a well-delimited subject for a study of the sensitivity of such analyses to different choices of distorting potentials and overlap functions with particular reference to a previous investigation of the variation of valence nucleon correlations as a function of the difference in nucleon separation energy Δ S =| Sp-Sn| [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 122503 (2013), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.122503].

  13. Risk of ectopic pregnancy lowest with transfer of single frozen blastocyst.

    PubMed

    Li, Z; Sullivan, E A; Chapman, M; Farquhar, C; Wang, Y A

    2015-09-01

    What type of transferred embryo is associated with a lower rate of ectopic pregnancy? The lowest risk of ectopic pregnancy was associated with the transfer of blastocyst, frozen and single embryo compared with cleavage stage, fresh and multiple embryos. Ectopic pregnancy is a recognized complication following assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. It has been estimated that the rate of ectopic pregnancy is doubled in pregnancies following ART treatment compared with spontaneous pregnancies. However, it was not clear whether the excess rate of ectopic pregnancy following ART treatment is related to the underlying demographic factors of women undergoing ART treatment, the number of embryos transferred or the developmental stage of the embryo. A population-based cohort study of pregnancies following autologous treatment cycles between January 2009 and December 2011 were obtained from the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Technology Database (ANZARD). The ANZARD collects ART treatment information and clinical outcomes annually from all fertility centres in Australia and New Zealand. Between 2009 and 2011, a total of 44 102 pregnancies were included in the analysis. The rate of ectopic pregnancy was compared by demographic and ART treatment factors. Generalized linear regression of Poisson distribution was used to estimate the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy. Odds ratios, adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The overall rate of ectopic pregnancy was 1.4% for women following ART treatment in Australia and New Zealand. Pregnancies following single embryo transfers had 1.2% ectopic pregnancies, significantly lower than double embryo transfers (1.8%) (P < 0.01). The highest ectopic pregnancy rate was 1.9% for pregnancies from transfers of fresh cleavage embryo, followed by transfers of frozen cleavage embryo (1.7%), transfers of fresh blastocyst (1.3%), and transfers of frozen blastocyst (0.8%). Compared with fresh blastocyst transfer, the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy was 30% higher for fresh cleavage stage embryo transfers (AOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07-1.59) and was consistent across subfertility groups. Transfer of frozen blastocyst was associated with a significantly decreased risk of ectopic pregnancy (AOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.54-0.91) compared with transfer of fresh blastocyst. A limitation of this population-based study is the lack of information available on clinical- specific protocols and processes for embryo transfer (i.e. embryo quality, cryopreservation protocol, transfer techniques, etc.) and the potential impact on outcomes. The lowest risk of ectopic pregnancy was associated with the transfer of a single frozen blastocyst. This finding adds to the increasing evidence of better perinatal outcomes following frozen embryo transfers. The approach of freezing all embryos in the initiated fresh cycle and transfer of a single frozen blastocyst in the subsequent thaw cycle may improve the overall pregnancy and birth outcomes following ART treatment, in part by reducing the ectopic pregnancy rate. There is no funding for this study. Authors declared no competing interest related to this study. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Information Transfer and the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longo, Rose Mary Juliano

    1990-01-01

    Data collected in the Federal District of Brazil were analyzed in terms of information transfer through mass media and interpersonal communication and how they influence farmers in the Federal District of Brazil in their decisions to adopt agricultural innovations. (42 references) (EAM)

  15. 77 FR 71035 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Fiscal Service Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Market Research Study AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service, Treasury. ACTION: Notice and Request for comments. SUMMARY: The Financial Management...

  16. Report of a Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer in Kentucky (Frankfort, September 11-12, 1978).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capps, Randall, Ed.

    This summary of the deliberations of the Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer includes an outline of a functioning solar energy technology network for the State of Kentucky and a set of recommendations for future action. Four main types of information agents were identified: (1) the State Library System; (2) the State…

  17. The Transfer of Training: What Really Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grossman, Rebecca; Salas, Eduardo

    2011-01-01

    Although organizations invest billions of dollars in training every year, many trained competencies reportedly fail to transfer to the workplace. Researchers have long examined the "transfer problem", uncovering a wealth of information regarding the transfer of training. Inconsistencies remain, however, and organizations may find it difficult to…

  18. The space physics analysis network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Green, James L.

    1988-04-01

    The Space Physics Analysis Network, or SPAN, is emerging as a viable method for solving an immediate communication problem for space and Earth scientists and has been operational for nearly 7 years. SPAN and its extension into Europe, utilizes computer-to-computer communications allowing mail, binary and text file transfer, and remote logon capability to over 1000 space science computer systems. The network has been used to successfully transfer real-time data to remote researchers for rapid data analysis but its primary function is for non-real-time applications. One of the major advantages for using SPAN is its spacecraft mission independence. Space science researchers using SPAN are located in universities, industries and government institutions all across the United States and Europe. These researchers are in such fields as magnetospheric physics, astrophysics, ionosperic physics, atmospheric physics, climatology, meteorology, oceanography, planetary physics and solar physics. SPAN users have access to space and Earth science data bases, mission planning and information systems, and computational facilities for the purposes of facilitating correlative space data exchange, data analysis and space research. For example, the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), which manages the network, is providing facilities on SPAN such as the Network Information Center (SPAN NIC). SPAN has interconnections with several national and international networks such as HEPNET and TEXNET forming a transparent DECnet network. The combined total number of computers now reachable over these combined networks is about 2000. In addition, SPAN supports full function capabilities over the international public packet switched networks (e.g. TELENET) and has mail gateways to ARPANET, BITNET and JANET.

  19. 77 FR 50243 - Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-20

    ... transfers. DATES: This rule is effective February 7, 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Goldberg... variation in the demand for remittance transfers, the Bureau believes that an annual figure is the most...

  20. Application of summative content analysis to a postal questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Thomas Howard

    2016-01-01

    Content analysis of replies to closed questions in questionnaires can be undertaken to understand remarks that may explain the responses, provide illustrative examples of issues raised in the questionnaire, define new issues or issues of importance that were not covered in the questionnaire and inform the design of new questions in future surveys. To discuss the usefulness of summative content analysis to free text in postal questionnaires. Content analysis provides useful comparative insights between two respondent groups in the case example provided. Five themes emerged: poor understanding of the concept of 'patient lateral transfer work technique' and the direct instrument nursing observation (DINO) instrument's key directions; outcomes of patient transfer; positive responses; manual handling risk; and poor translation into English of DINO. Respondents need an opportunity to clarify their responses to questionnaires using free text, to provide insight into their understanding of the question being asked, understanding of the concept or construct being discussed, and data triangulation through the confirmation of item responses and free-text comments. Responses to questions in a postal questionnaire and the opportunity for free-text commentary by respondents enable the identification of hidden meanings behind tickbox responses to questions.

  1. The environment power system analysis tool development program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jongeward, Gary A.; Kuharski, Robert A.; Kennedy, Eric M.; Stevens, N. John; Putnam, Rand M.; Roche, James C.; Wilcox, Katherine G.

    1990-01-01

    The Environment Power System Analysis Tool (EPSAT) is being developed to provide space power system design engineers with an analysis tool for determining system performance of power systems in both naturally occurring and self-induced environments. The program is producing an easy to use computer aided engineering (CAE) tool general enough to provide a vehicle for technology transfer from space scientists and engineers to power system design engineers. The results of the project after two years of a three year development program are given. The EPSAT approach separates the CAE tool into three distinct functional units: a modern user interface to present information, a data dictionary interpreter to coordinate analysis; and a data base for storing system designs and results of analysis.

  2. Are two hands (from different people) better than one? Mode effects and differential transfer between manual coordination modes.

    PubMed

    Gorman, Jamie C; Crites, Michael J

    2013-08-01

    We report an experiment in which we investigated differential transfer between unimanual (one-handed), bimanual (two-handed), and intermanual (different peoples' hands) coordination modes. People perform some manual tasks faster than others ("mode effects"). However, little is known about transfer between coordination modes. To investigate differential transfer, we draw hypotheses from two perspectives--information based and constraint based--of bimanual and interpersonal coordination and skill acquisition. Participants drove a teleoperated rover around a circular path in sets of two 2-min trials using two of the different coordination modes. Speed and variability of the rover's path were measured. Order of coordination modes was manipulated to examine differential transfer and mode effects. Differential transfer analyses revealed patterns of positive transfer from simpler (localized spatiotemporal constraints) to more complex (distributed spatiotemporal constraints) coordination modes paired with negative transfer in the opposite direction. Mode effects indicated that intermanual performance was significantly faster than unimanual performance, and bimanual performance was intermediate. Importantly, all of these effects disappeared with practice. The observed patterns of differential transfer between coordination modes may be better accounted for by a constraint-based explanation of differential transfer than by an information-based one. Mode effects may be attributable to anticipatory movements based on dyads' access to mutual visual information. Although people may be faster using more-complex coordination modes, when operators transition between modes, they may be more effective transitioning from simpler (e.g., bimanual) to more complex (e.g., intermanual) modes than vice versa. However, this difference may be critical only for novel or rarely practiced tasks.

  3. Identifying dominant controls on hydrologic parameter transfer from gauged to ungauged catchments: a comparative hydrology approach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Singh, R.; Archfield, S.A.; Wagener, T.

    2014-01-01

    Daily streamflow information is critical for solving various hydrologic problems, though observations of continuous streamflow for model calibration are available at only a small fraction of the world’s rivers. One approach to estimate daily streamflow at an ungauged location is to transfer rainfall–runoff model parameters calibrated at a gauged (donor) catchment to an ungauged (receiver) catchment of interest. Central to this approach is the selection of a hydrologically similar donor. No single metric or set of metrics of hydrologic similarity have been demonstrated to consistently select a suitable donor catchment. We design an experiment to diagnose the dominant controls on successful hydrologic model parameter transfer. We calibrate a lumped rainfall–runoff model to 83 stream gauges across the United States. All locations are USGS reference gauges with minimal human influence. Parameter sets from the calibrated models are then transferred to each of the other catchments and the performance of the transferred parameters is assessed. This transfer experiment is carried out both at the scale of the entire US and then for six geographic regions. We use classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to determine the relationship between catchment similarity and performance of transferred parameters. Similarity is defined using physical/climatic catchment characteristics, as well as streamflow response characteristics (signatures such as baseflow index and runoff ratio). Across the entire US, successful parameter transfer is governed by similarity in elevation and climate, and high similarity in streamflow signatures. Controls vary for different geographic regions though. Geology followed by drainage, topography and climate constitute the dominant similarity metrics in forested eastern mountains and plateaus, whereas agricultural land use relates most strongly with successful parameter transfer in the humid plains.

  4. Measurements and computational analysis of heat transfer and flow in a simulated turbine blade internal cooling passage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Russell, Louis M.; Thurman, Douglas R.; Simonyi, Patricia S.; Hippensteele, Steven A.; Poinsatte, Philip E.

    1993-01-01

    Visual and quantitative information was obtained on heat transfer and flow in a branched-duct test section that had several significant features of an internal cooling passage of a turbine blade. The objective of this study was to generate a set of experimental data that could be used to validate computer codes for internal cooling systems. Surface heat transfer coefficients and entrance flow conditions were measured at entrance Reynolds numbers of 45,000, 335,000, and 726,000. The heat transfer data were obtained using an Inconel heater sheet attached to the surface and coated with liquid crystals. Visual and quantitative flow field results using particle image velocimetry were also obtained for a plane at mid channel height for a Reynolds number of 45,000. The flow was seeded with polystyrene particles and illuminated by a laser light sheet. Computational results were determined for the same configurations and at matching Reynolds numbers; these surface heat transfer coefficients and flow velocities were computed with a commercially available code. The experimental and computational results were compared. Although some general trends did agree, there were inconsistencies in the temperature patterns as well as in the numerical results. These inconsistencies strongly suggest the need for further computational studies on complicated geometries such as the one studied.

  5. Using cognitive work analysis to explore activity allocation within military domains.

    PubMed

    Jenkins, D P; Stanton, N A; Salmon, P M; Walker, G H; Young, M S

    2008-06-01

    Cognitive work analysis (CWA) is frequently advocated as an approach for the analysis of complex socio-technical systems. Much of the current CWA literature within the military domain pays particular attention to its initial phases; work domain analysis and contextual task analysis. Comparably, the analysis of the social and organisational constraints receives much less attention. Through the study of a helicopter mission planning system software tool, this paper describes an approach for investigating the constraints affecting the distribution of work. The paper uses this model to evaluate the potential benefits of the social and organisational analysis phase within a military context. The analysis shows that, through its focus on constraints, the approach provides a unique description of the factors influencing the social organisation within a complex domain. This approach appears to be compatible with existing approaches and serves as a validation of more established social analysis techniques. As part of the ergonomic design of mission planning systems, the social organisation and cooperation analysis phase of CWA provides a constraint-based description informing allocation of function between key actor groups. This approach is useful because it poses questions related to the transfer of information and optimum working practices.

  6. NASA technology transfer network communications and information system: TUNS user survey

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    Applied Expertise surveyed the users of the deployed Technology Utilization Network System (TUNS) and surveyed prospective new users in order to gather background information for developing the Concept Document of the system that will upgrade and replace TUNS. Survey participants broadly agree that automated mechanisms for acquiring, managing, and disseminating new technology and spinoff benefits information can and should play an important role in meeting NASA technology utilization goals. However, TUNS does not meet this need for most users. The survey describes a number of systematic improvements that will make it easier to use the technology transfer mechanism, and thus expedite the collection and dissemination of technology information. The survey identified 26 suggestions for enhancing the technology transfer system and related processes.

  7. Transfer of Satellite Rainfall Uncertainty from Gauged to Ungauged Regions at Regional and Seasonal Timescales

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tang, Ling; Hossain, Faisal; Huffman, George J.

    2010-01-01

    Hydrologists and other users need to know the uncertainty of the satellite rainfall data sets across the range of time/space scales over the whole domain of the data set. Here, uncertainty' refers to the general concept of the deviation' of an estimate from the reference (or ground truth) where the deviation may be defined in multiple ways. This uncertainty information can provide insight to the user on the realistic limits of utility, such as hydrologic predictability, that can be achieved with these satellite rainfall data sets. However, satellite rainfall uncertainty estimation requires ground validation (GV) precipitation data. On the other hand, satellite data will be most useful over regions that lack GV data, for example developing countries. This paper addresses the open issues for developing an appropriate uncertainty transfer scheme that can routinely estimate various uncertainty metrics across the globe by leveraging a combination of spatially-dense GV data and temporally sparse surrogate (or proxy) GV data, such as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar. The TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) products over the US spanning a record of 6 years are used as a representative example of satellite rainfall. It is shown that there exists a quantifiable spatial structure in the uncertainty of satellite data for spatial interpolation. Probabilistic analysis of sampling offered by the existing constellation of passive microwave sensors indicate that transfer of uncertainty for hydrologic applications may be effective at daily time scales or higher during the GPM era. Finally, a commonly used spatial interpolation technique (kriging), that leverages the spatial correlation of estimation uncertainty, is assessed at climatologic, seasonal, monthly and weekly timescales. It is found that the effectiveness of kriging is sensitive to the type of uncertainty metric, time scale of transfer and the density of GV data within the transfer domain. Transfer accuracy is lowest at weekly timescales with the error doubling from monthly to weekly.However, at very low GV data density (<20% of the domain), the transfer accuracy is too low to show any distinction as a function of the timescale of transfer.

  8. Measuring information transfer in a soft robotic arm.

    PubMed

    Nakajima, K; Schmidt, N; Pfeifer, R

    2015-05-13

    Soft robots can exhibit diverse behaviors with simple types of actuation by partially outsourcing control to the morphological and material properties of their soft bodies, which is made possible by the tight coupling between control, body, and environment. In this paper, we present a method that will quantitatively characterize these diverse spatiotemporal dynamics of a soft body based on the information-theoretic approach. In particular, soft bodies have the ability to propagate the effect of actuation through the entire body, with a certain time delay, due to their elasticity. Our goal is to capture this delayed interaction in a quantitative manner based on a measure called momentary information transfer. We extend this measure to soft robotic applications and demonstrate its power using a physical soft robotic platform inspired by the octopus. Our approach is illustrated in two ways. First, we statistically characterize the delayed actuation propagation through the body as a strength of information transfer. Second, we capture this information propagation directly as local information dynamics. As a result, we show that our approach can successfully characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of the soft robotic platform, explicitly visualizing how information transfers through the entire body with delays. Further extension scenarios of our approach are discussed for soft robotic applications in general.

  9. Safety of Rural Nursing Home-to-Emergency Department Transfers: Improving Communication and Patient Information Sharing Across Settings.

    PubMed

    Tupper, Judith B; Gray, Carolyn E; Pearson, Karen B; Coburn, Andrew F

    2015-01-01

    The "siloed" approach to healthcare delivery contributes to communication challenges and to potential patient harm when patients transfer between settings. This article reports on the evaluation of a demonstration in 10 rural communities to improve the safety of nursing facility (NF) transfers to hospital emergency departments by forming interprofessional teams of hospital, emergency medical service, and NF staff to develop and implement tools and protocols for standardizing critical interfacility communication pathways and information sharing. We worked with each of the 10 teams to document current communication processes and information sharing tools and to design, implement, and evaluate strategies/tools to increase effective communication and sharing of patient information across settings. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate changes from baseline in documentation of patient information shared across settings during the transfer process. Study findings showed significant improvement in key areas across the three settings, including infection status and baseline mental functioning. Improvement strategies and performance varied across settings; however, accurate and consistent information sharing of advance directives and medication lists remains a challenge. Study results demonstrate that with neutral facilitation and technical support, collaborative interfacility teams can assess and effectively address communication and information sharing problems that threaten patient safety.

  10. Exploring the structure and organization of information within nursing clinical handovers.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Maree; Jefferies, Diana; Nicholls, Daniel

    2012-10-01

    Clinical handover is the primary source of patient information for nurses; however, inadequate information transfer compromises patient safety. We investigated the content and organization of information conveyed at 81 handovers. A structure that captures and presents the information transferred at handover emerged: identification of the patient and clinical risks, clinical history/presentation, clinical status, care plan and outcomes/goals of care (ICCCO). This approach covers essential information while allowing for prioritization of information when required. Further research into the impact of ICCCO on patient safety is in progress. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  11. Stakeholder analysis for adopting a personal health record standard in Korea.

    PubMed

    Kang, Min-Jeoung; Jung, Chai Young; Kim, Soyoun; Boo, Yookyung; Lee, Yuri; Kim, Sundo

    Interest in health information exchanges (HIEs) is increasing. Several countries have adopted core health data standards with appropriate strategies. This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a continuity of care record (CCR) as the standard for an electronic version of the official transfer note and the HIE in Korean healthcare. A technical review of the CCR standard and analysis of stakeholders' views were undertaken. Transfer notes were reviewed and matched with CCR standard categories. The standard for the Korean coding system was selected. Stakeholder analysis included an online survey of members of the Korean Society of Medical Informatics, a public hearing to derive opinions of consumers, doctors, vendors, academic societies and policy makers about the policy process, and a focus group meeting with EMR vendors to determine which HIE objects were technically applicable. Data objects in the official transfer note form matched CCR standards. Korean Classification of Diseases, Korean Standard Terminology of Medicine, Electronic Data Interchange code (EDI code), Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, and Korean drug codes (KD code) were recommended as the Korean coding standard.'Social history', 'payers', and 'encounters' were mostly marked as optional or unnecessary sections, and 'allergies', 'alerts', 'medication list', 'problems/diagnoses', 'results',and 'procedures' as mandatory. Unlike the US, 'social history' was considered optional and 'advance directives' mandatory.At the public hearing there was some objection from the Korean Medical Association to the HIE on legal grounds in termsof intellectual property and patients' personal information. Other groups showed positive or neutral responses. Focus group members divided CCR data objects into three phases based onpredicted adoption time in CCR: (i) immediate adoption; (ii) short-term adoption ('alerts', 'family history'); and (iii) long-term adoption ('results', 'advanced directives', 'functional status', 'medical equipment', 'vital signs', 'plan of care', 'social history'). There were no technical problems in generating the CCR standard document from EMRs. Matters of concern that arose from study results should be resolved with time and consultation.

  12. Chemical analysis of pharmaceuticals and explosives in fingermarks using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kaplan-Sandquist, Kimberly; LeBeau, Marc A; Miller, Mark L

    2014-02-01

    Chemical analysis of latent fingermarks, "touch chemistry," has the potential of providing intelligence or forensically relevant information. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOF MS) was used as an analytical platform for obtaining mass spectra and chemical images of target drugs and explosives in fingermark residues following conventional fingerprint development methods and MALDI matrix processing. There were two main purposes of this research: (1) develop effective laboratory methods for detecting drugs and explosives in fingermark residues and (2) determine the feasibility of detecting drugs and explosives after casual contact with pills, powders, and residues. Further, synthetic latent print reference pads were evaluated as mimics of natural fingermark residue to determine if the pads could be used for method development and quality control. The results suggest that artificial amino acid and sebaceous oil residue pads are not suitable to adequately simulate natural fingermark chemistry for MALDI/TOF MS analysis. However, the pads were useful for designing experiments and setting instrumental parameters. Based on the natural fingermark residue experiments, handling whole or broken pills did not transfer sufficient quantities of drugs to allow for definitive detection. Transferring drugs or explosives in the form of powders and residues was successful for preparing analytes for detection after contact with fingers and deposition of fingermark residue. One downfall to handling powders was that the analyte particles were easily spread beyond the original fingermark during development. Analyte particles were confined in the original fingermark when using transfer residues. The MALDI/TOF MS was able to detect procaine, pseudoephedrine, TNT, and RDX from contact residue under laboratory conditions with the integration of conventional fingerprint development methods and MALDI matrix. MALDI/TOF MS is a nondestructive technique which provides chemical information in both the mass spectra and chemical images. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  13. Making Our Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Programs Effective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepard, Robin

    1999-01-01

    The rate of adoption of nutrient management by farmers in Wisconsin watersheds was compared for a program using diffuse communication strategies and one using one-to-one information transfer. Information transfer increased adoption of specific practices and decreased application of excessive nitrogen and phosphorus. (SK)

  14. Design of Instrument Approach Procedure Charts Comprehension Speed of Missed Approach Instructions Coded in Text or Icons

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1992-02-01

    Instrument approach procedure (IAP) charts are often cluttered and confusing. The quantified effects of chart design : changes on information transfer are needed by chart manufacturers to make changes uhich will enhance information transfer : and hum...

  15. 14 CFR 1260.69 - Electronic funds transfer payment methods.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... designate a financial institution or to provide appropriate payee bank account information may delay... information: (1) Name, address, and telegraphic abbreviation of the financial institution receiving payment...) Payee's account number at the financial institution where funds are to be transferred. (4) If the...

  16. Improving Academic Advisement and Transfer Articulation through Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schinoff, Richard B.; Kelly, J. Terence

    1982-01-01

    Describes Miami-Dade Community College's computer-based Advisement and Graduation Information System (AGIS), which provides students with accurate, up-to-date information on their progress toward meeting graduation requirements and on courses recommended for transfer. Describes AGIS's six-phase development. Reviews AGIS's management applications,…

  17. Use of social information in seabirds: compass rafts indicate the heading of food patches.

    PubMed

    Weimerskirch, Henri; Bertrand, Sophie; Silva, Jaime; Marques, Jose Carlos; Goya, Elisa

    2010-03-29

    Ward and Zahavi suggested in 1973 that colonies could serve as information centres, through a transfer of information on the location of food resources between unrelated individuals (Information Centre Hypothesis). Using GPS tracking and observations on group movements, we studied the search strategy and information transfer in two of the most colonial seabirds, Guanay cormorants (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii) and Peruvian boobies (Sula variegata). Both species breed together and feed on the same prey. They do return to the same feeding zone from one trip to the next indicating high unpredictability in the location of food resources. We found that the Guanay cormorants use social information to select their bearing when departing the colony. They form a raft at the sea surface whose position is continuously adjusted to the bearing of the largest returning columns of cormorants. As such, the raft serves as a compass signal that gives an indication on the location of the food patches. Conversely, Peruvian boobies rely mainly on personal information based on memory to take heading at departure. They search for food patches solitarily or in small groups through network foraging by detecting the white plumage of congeners visible at long distance. Our results show that information transfer does occur and we propose a new mechanism of information transfer based on the use of rafts off colonies. The use of rafts for information transfer may be common in central place foraging colonial seabirds that exploit short lasting and/or unpredictably distributed food patches. Over the past decades Guanay cormorants have declined ten times whereas Peruvian boobies have remained relatively stable. We suggest that the decline of the cormorants could be related to reduced social information opportunities and that social behaviour and search strategies have the potential to play an important role in the population dynamics of colonial animals.

  18. Use of Social Information in Seabirds: Compass Rafts Indicate the Heading of Food Patches

    PubMed Central

    Weimerskirch, Henri; Bertrand, Sophie; Silva, Jaime; Marques, Jose Carlos; Goya, Elisa

    2010-01-01

    Ward and Zahavi suggested in 1973 that colonies could serve as information centres, through a transfer of information on the location of food resources between unrelated individuals (Information Centre Hypothesis). Using GPS tracking and observations on group movements, we studied the search strategy and information transfer in two of the most colonial seabirds, Guanay cormorants (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii) and Peruvian boobies (Sula variegata). Both species breed together and feed on the same prey. They do return to the same feeding zone from one trip to the next indicating high unpredictability in the location of food resources. We found that the Guanay cormorants use social information to select their bearing when departing the colony. They form a raft at the sea surface whose position is continuously adjusted to the bearing of the largest returning columns of cormorants. As such, the raft serves as a compass signal that gives an indication on the location of the food patches. Conversely, Peruvian boobies rely mainly on personal information based on memory to take heading at departure. They search for food patches solitarily or in small groups through network foraging by detecting the white plumage of congeners visible at long distance. Our results show that information transfer does occur and we propose a new mechanism of information transfer based on the use of rafts off colonies. The use of rafts for information transfer may be common in central place foraging colonial seabirds that exploit short lasting and/or unpredictably distributed food patches. Over the past decades Guanay cormorants have declined ten times whereas Peruvian boobies have remained relatively stable. We suggest that the decline of the cormorants could be related to reduced social information opportunities and that social behaviour and search strategies have the potential to play an important role in the population dynamics of colonial animals. PMID:20360959

  19. Information Transfer Capacity of Articulators in American Sign Language.

    PubMed

    Malaia, Evie; Borneman, Joshua D; Wilbur, Ronnie B

    2018-03-01

    The ability to convey information is a fundamental property of communicative signals. For sign languages, which are overtly produced with multiple, completely visible articulators, the question arises as to how the various channels co-ordinate and interact with each other. We analyze motion capture data of American Sign Language (ASL) narratives, and show that the capacity of information throughput, mathematically defined, is highest on the dominant hand (DH). We further demonstrate that information transfer capacity is also significant for the non-dominant hand (NDH), and the head channel too, as compared to control channels (ankles). We discuss both redundancy and independence in articulator motion in sign language, and argue that the NDH and the head articulators contribute to the overall information transfer capacity, indicating that they are neither completely redundant to, nor completely independent of, the DH.

  20. Information thermodynamics of near-equilibrium computation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prokopenko, Mikhail; Einav, Itai

    2015-06-01

    In studying fundamental physical limits and properties of computational processes, one is faced with the challenges of interpreting primitive information-processing functions through well-defined information-theoretic as well as thermodynamic quantities. In particular, transfer entropy, characterizing the function of computational transmission and its predictability, is known to peak near critical regimes. We focus on a thermodynamic interpretation of transfer entropy aiming to explain the underlying critical behavior by associating information flows intrinsic to computational transmission with particular physical fluxes. Specifically, in isothermal systems near thermodynamic equilibrium, the gradient of the average transfer entropy is shown to be dynamically related to Fisher information and the curvature of system's entropy. This relationship explicitly connects the predictability, sensitivity, and uncertainty of computational processes intrinsic to complex systems and allows us to consider thermodynamic interpretations of several important extreme cases and trade-offs.

  1. Flight Simulation for the Study of Skill Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lintern, Gavan

    1992-01-01

    Discusses skill transfer as a human performance issue based on experiences with computerized flight simulators. Highlights include the issue of similarity; simulation and the design of training devices; an information theory of transfer; invariants for flight control; and experiments involving the transfer of flight skills. (21 references) (LRW)

  2. Information theoretical approach to discovering solar wind drivers of the outer radiation belt

    DOE PAGES

    Wing, Simon; Johnson, Jay R.; Camporeale, Enrico; ...

    2016-07-29

    The solar wind-magnetosphere system is nonlinear. The solar wind drivers of geosynchronous electrons with energy range of 1.8–3.5 MeV are investigated using mutual information, conditional mutual information (CMI), and transfer entropy (TE). These information theoretical tools can establish linear and nonlinear relationships as well as information transfer. The information transfer from solar wind velocity ( Vsw) to geosynchronous MeV electron flux ( Je) peaks with a lag time of 2 days. As previously reported, Je is anticorrelated with solar wind density ( nsw) with a lag of 1 day. However, this lag time and anticorrelation can be attributed at leastmore » partly to the Je( t + 2 days) correlation with Vsw( t) and nsw( t + 1 day) anticorrelation with Vsw( t). Analyses of solar wind driving of the magnetosphere need to consider the large lag times, up to 3 days, in the ( Vsw, nsw) anticorrelation. Using CMI to remove the effects of Vsw, the response of Je to nsw is 30% smaller and has a lag time < 24 h, suggesting that the MeV electron loss mechanism due to nsw or solar wind dynamic pressure has to start operating in < 24 h. nsw transfers about 36% as much information as Vsw (the primary driver) to Je. Nonstationarity in the system dynamics is investigated using windowed TE. Here, when the data are ordered according to transfer entropy value, it is possible to understand details of the triangle distribution that has been identified between Je( t + 2 days) versus Vsw( t).« less

  3. Information theoretical approach to discovering solar wind drivers of the outer radiation belt

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

    Wing, Simon; Johnson, Jay R.; Camporeale, Enrico

    The solar wind-magnetosphere system is nonlinear. The solar wind drivers of geosynchronous electrons with energy range of 1.8–3.5 MeV are investigated using mutual information, conditional mutual information (CMI), and transfer entropy (TE). These information theoretical tools can establish linear and nonlinear relationships as well as information transfer. The information transfer from solar wind velocity ( Vsw) to geosynchronous MeV electron flux ( Je) peaks with a lag time of 2 days. As previously reported, Je is anticorrelated with solar wind density ( nsw) with a lag of 1 day. However, this lag time and anticorrelation can be attributed at leastmore » partly to the Je( t + 2 days) correlation with Vsw( t) and nsw( t + 1 day) anticorrelation with Vsw( t). Analyses of solar wind driving of the magnetosphere need to consider the large lag times, up to 3 days, in the ( Vsw, nsw) anticorrelation. Using CMI to remove the effects of Vsw, the response of Je to nsw is 30% smaller and has a lag time < 24 h, suggesting that the MeV electron loss mechanism due to nsw or solar wind dynamic pressure has to start operating in < 24 h. nsw transfers about 36% as much information as Vsw (the primary driver) to Je. Nonstationarity in the system dynamics is investigated using windowed TE. Here, when the data are ordered according to transfer entropy value, it is possible to understand details of the triangle distribution that has been identified between Je( t + 2 days) versus Vsw( t).« less

  4. Transfer Innovations Fund Updating Project. BC Council on Admissions and Transfer. Tourism Management Articulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, 2010

    2010-01-01

    In 2008, a number of changes were identified that expanded the scope of the updating required for Block Transfer for tourism management as follows: a new core curriculum for diploma programs; the need for expanded information on diploma to diploma transfer; and, a growing need for an expanded system of transfer identified in Campus 2020…

  5. Assessing ecosystem effects of reservoir operations using food web-energy transfer and water quality models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Saito, L.; Johnson, B.M.; Bartholow, J.; Hanna, R.B.

    2001-01-01

    We investigated the effects on the reservoir food web of a new temperature control device (TCD) on the dam at Shasta Lake, California. We followed a linked modeling approach that used a specialized reservoir water quality model to forecast operation-induced changes in phytoplankton production. A food web–energy transfer model was also applied to propagate predicted changes in phytoplankton up through the food web to the predators and sport fishes of interest. The food web–energy transfer model employed a 10% trophic transfer efficiency through a food web that was mapped using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Stable isotope analysis provided an efficient and comprehensive means of estimating the structure of the reservoir's food web with minimal sampling and background data. We used an optimization procedure to estimate the diet proportions of all food web components simultaneously from their isotopic signatures. Some consumers were estimated to be much more sensitive than others to perturbations to phytoplankton supply. The linked modeling approach demonstrated that interdisciplinary efforts enhance the value of information obtained from studies of managed ecosystems. The approach exploited the strengths of engineering and ecological modeling methods to address concerns that neither of the models could have addressed alone: (a) the water quality model could not have addressed quantitatively the possible impacts to fish, and (b) the food web model could not have examined how phytoplankton availability might change due to reservoir operations.

  6. Waste Transfer Stations: Involved Citizens Make the Difference

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Provides key information involved citizens will need to develop an opinion about a proposed or modified transfer station. Also provides ideas on how to get involved to enhance the value of the waste transfer station.

  7. Using Data From Ontario's Episode-Based Funding Model to Assess Quality of Chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Kaizer, Leonard; Simanovski, Vicky; Lalonde, Carlin; Tariq, Huma; Blais, Irene; Evans, William K

    2016-10-01

    A new episode-based funding model for ambulatory systemic therapy was implemented in Ontario, Canada on April 1, 2014, after a comprehensive knowledge transfer and exchange strategy with providers and administrators. An analysis of the data from the first year of the new funding model provided an opportunity to assess the quality of chemotherapy, which was not possible under the old funding model. Options for chemotherapy regimens given with adjuvant/curative intent or palliative intent were informed by input from disease site groups. Bundles were developed and priced to enable evidence-informed best practice. Analysis of systemic therapy utilization after model implementation was performed to assess the concordance rate of the treatments chosen with recommended practice. The actual number of cycles of treatment delivered was also compared with expert recommendations. Significant improvement compared with baseline was seen in the proportion of adjuvant/curative regimens that aligned with disease site group-recommended options (98% v 90%). Similar improvement was seen for palliative regimens (94% v 89%). However, overall, the number of cycles of adjuvant/curative therapy delivered was lower than recommended best practice in 57.5% of patients. There was significant variation by disease site and between facilities. Linking funding to quality, supported by knowledge transfer and exchange, resulted in a rapid improvement in the quality of systemic treatment in Ontario. This analysis has also identified further opportunities for improvement and the need for model refinement.

  8. A Survey on Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perera, T. D. P.; Jayakody, D. N. K.; De, S.; Ivanov, M. A.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a comprehensive study related to simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) in different types of wireless communication setups. Harvesting energy using SWIPT is an appealing solution in the context of extending battery life of wireless devices for a fully sustainable communication system. Strong signal power increases power transfer, but also causes more interference in information transfer, causing realization of the SWIPT challenging problem. This article provides an overview of technical evolution of SWIPT. A survey and qualitative comparison of the existing SWIPT schemes is provided to demonstrate their limitations in the current and 5G networks. Open challenges are emphasized and guidelines are provided to adapt the existing schemes in order to overcome these limitations and make them fit for integrating with the modern and emerging next generation communication networks, such as 5G systems.

  9. Cellular complexity in subcortical white matter: a distributed control circuit?

    PubMed

    Colombo, Jorge A

    2018-03-01

    The subcortical white matter (SWM) has been traditionally considered as a site for passive-neutral-information transfer through cerebral cortex association and projection fibers. Yet, the presence of subcortical neuronal and glial "interstitial" cells expressing immunolabelled neurotransmitters/neuromodulators and synaptic vesicular proteins, and recent immunohistochemical and electrophysiological observations on the rat visual cortex as well as interactive regulation of myelinating processes support the possibility that SWM nests subcortical, regionally variable, distributed neuronal-glial circuits, that could influence information transfer. Their hypothetical involvement in regulating the timing and signal transfer probability at the SWM axonal components ought to be considered and experimentally analysed. Thus, the "interstitial" neuronal cells-associated with local glial cells-traditionally considered to be vestigial and functionally inert under normal conditions, they may well turn to be critical in regulating information transfer at the SWM.

  10. Development, validation and testing of a nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Hsiu-Hsin; Tsai, Yun-Fang

    2018-01-01

    To develop and test the feasibility of an instrument to support patients' nursing home to emergency room transfer. Transfers from a nursing home care facility to an acute care facility such as a hospital emergency room are common. However, the prevalence of an information gap for transferring residents' health data to acute care facility is high. An evidence-based transfer instrument, which could fill this gap, is lacking. Development of a nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist, validation of items using the Delphi method and testing the feasibility and benefits of using the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist. Items were developed based on qualitative data from previous research. Delphi validation, retrospective chart review (baseline data) and a 6-month prospective study design were applied to test the feasibility of using the checklist. Variables for testing the feasibility of the checklist included residents' 30-day readmission rate and length of hospital stay. Development of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist resulted in four main parts: (i) demographic data of the nursing home resident; (ii) critical data for nursing home to emergency room transfer; (iii) contact information and (iv) critical data for emergency room to nursing home transfer. Two rounds of Delphi validation resulted in a mean score (standard deviation) ranging from 4.39 (1.13)-4.98 (.15). Time required to complete the checklist was 3-5 min. Use of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist resulted in a 30-day readmission rate of 13.4%, which was lower than the baseline rate of 15.9%. The nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist was developed for transferring nursing home residents to an emergency room. The instrument was found to be an effective tool for this process. Use of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist for nursing home transfers could fill the information gap that exists when transferring older adults between facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Model wall and recovery temperature effects on experimental heat transfer data analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Throckmorton, D. A.; Stone, D. R.

    1974-01-01

    Basic analytical procedures are used to illustrate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the relative impact upon heat transfer data analysis of certain factors which may affect the accuracy of experimental heat transfer data. Inaccurate knowledge of adiabatic wall conditions results in a corresponding inaccuracy in the measured heat transfer coefficient. The magnitude of the resulting error is extreme for data obtained at wall temperatures approaching the adiabatic condition. High model wall temperatures and wall temperature gradients affect the level and distribution of heat transfer to an experimental model. The significance of each of these factors is examined and its impact upon heat transfer data analysis is assessed.

  12. New scaling relation for information transfer in biological networks

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Hyunju; Davies, Paul; Walker, Sara Imari

    2015-01-01

    We quantify characteristics of the informational architecture of two representative biological networks: the Boolean network model for the cell-cycle regulatory network of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Davidich et al. 2008 PLoS ONE 3, e1672 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001672)) and that of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Li et al. 2004 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 101, 4781–4786 (doi:10.1073/pnas.0305937101)). We compare our results for these biological networks with the same analysis performed on ensembles of two different types of random networks: Erdös–Rényi and scale-free. We show that both biological networks share features in common that are not shared by either random network ensemble. In particular, the biological networks in our study process more information than the random networks on average. Both biological networks also exhibit a scaling relation in information transferred between nodes that distinguishes them from random, where the biological networks stand out as distinct even when compared with random networks that share important topological properties, such as degree distribution, with the biological network. We show that the most biologically distinct regime of this scaling relation is associated with a subset of control nodes that regulate the dynamics and function of each respective biological network. Information processing in biological networks is therefore interpreted as an emergent property of topology (causal structure) and dynamics (function). Our results demonstrate quantitatively how the informational architecture of biologically evolved networks can distinguish them from other classes of network architecture that do not share the same informational properties. PMID:26701883

  13. Autonomous frequency domain identification: Theory and experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yam, Yeung; Bayard, D. S.; Hadaegh, F. Y.; Mettler, E.; Milman, M. H.; Scheid, R. E.

    1989-01-01

    The analysis, design, and on-orbit tuning of robust controllers require more information about the plant than simply a nominal estimate of the plant transfer function. Information is also required concerning the uncertainty in the nominal estimate, or more generally, the identification of a model set within which the true plant is known to lie. The identification methodology that was developed and experimentally demonstrated makes use of a simple but useful characterization of the model uncertainty based on the output error. This is a characterization of the additive uncertainty in the plant model, which has found considerable use in many robust control analysis and synthesis techniques. The identification process is initiated by a stochastic input u which is applied to the plant p giving rise to the output. Spectral estimation (h = P sub uy/P sub uu) is used as an estimate of p and the model order is estimated using the produce moment matrix (PMM) method. A parametric model unit direction vector p is then determined by curve fitting the spectral estimate to a rational transfer function. The additive uncertainty delta sub m = p - unit direction vector p is then estimated by the cross spectral estimate delta = P sub ue/P sub uu where e = y - unit direction vectory y is the output error, and unit direction vector y = unit direction vector pu is the computed output of the parametric model subjected to the actual input u. The experimental results demonstrate the curve fitting algorithm produces the reduced-order plant model which minimizes the additive uncertainty. The nominal transfer function estimate unit direction vector p and the estimate delta of the additive uncertainty delta sub m are subsequently available to be used for optimization of robust controller performance and stability.

  14. Early illness experiences related to unexpected heart surgery: A qualitative descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Chang, Yu-Ling; Tsai, Yun-Fang

    2017-09-01

    Most studies on patients' experiences following emergency cardiac surgery focus on evaluation of patients after their discharge. Few studies have evaluated patients' experiences after being transferred from intensive care and before being discharged. This study aimed to describe patients' experiences in the early stages of recovery following emergency heart surgery. For this exploratory qualitative descriptive study, 13 patients were recruited from a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Participants had undergone emergency heart surgery and had resided in the cardiothoracic surgical ward for ≥6 days following transfer from the ICU; all expected to be discharged from the hospital within 3 days. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted in private after the patients had been transferred to the cardiothoracic surgical wards. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Data analysis identified four themes, which represented different recovery stages: sudden and serious symptoms, nightmares and vivid dreams, physical and emotional disturbances, and establishing a new life after emergency surgery. A fifth theme, support for a new lifestyle, occurred between the four stages. Participants experienced symptoms of physical and psychological stress during the early recovery stages following emergency heart surgery. A lack of understanding of the process of recovery increased these difficulties; participants wanted and needed multidisciplinary care and education. Emergency heart surgery does not allow healthcare professionals to inform patients of what to expect post-surgery. Our findings suggest that rather than waiting until discharge to offer disease information and treatment plans, multidisciplinary care should be initiated as soon as possible to facilitate recovery. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Systems and methods for enhancing optical information

    DOEpatents

    DeVore, Peter Thomas Setsuda; Chou, Jason T.

    2018-01-02

    An Optical Information Transfer Enhancer System includes a first system for producing an information bearing first optical wave that is impressed with a first information having a first information strength wherein the first optical wave has a first shape. A second system produces a second optical wave. An information strength enhancer module receives the first and said second optical waves and impresses the first optical wave upon the second optical wave via cross-phase modulation (XPM) to produce an information-strength-enhanced second optical wave having a second information strength that is greater than the first information strength of the first optical wave. Following a center-wavelength changer by an Optical Information Transfer Enhancer System improves its performance.

  16. Information Transfer and the Hospital Discharge Summary: National Primary Care Provider Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities.

    PubMed

    Robelia, Paul M; Kashiwagi, Deanne T; Jenkins, Sarah M; Newman, James S; Sorita, Atsushi

    2017-01-01

    The hospital discharge summary (HDS) serves as a critical method of patient information transfer between hospitalist and primary care provider (PCP). This study was designed to increase our understanding of PCP preferences for, and perceived deficiencies in, the discharge summary. We designed a mail survey that was sent to a random sample of 800 American Academy of Family Physicians members nationally. The survey response rate was 59%. We analyzed the availability of summaries at hospital followup, whether all desired information was contained in the summary and whether certain specific items were completed. Provider subgroup analysis was performed. The strongest predictor of discharge summary availability at posthospital followup is direct access to inpatient data. Respondents (27.5%) had a summary available 0% to 40% of the time, 41.4% noted availability 41% to 80% of the time and 31.1% >80% of the time; if a provider had access to inpatient data they tended to have a discharge summary available to them ( P < .0001). Providers also described significant content deficits: 26.5% of providers noted the summary contained all information needed 0% to 40% of the time, 48.5% of providers noted this 41% to 80% of the time and only 25% >80% of the time. Specific summary items considered "very important" by providers included medication list (94% of respondents), diagnosis list (89%), and treatment provided (87%). Opportunities remain in timely delivery of a complete HDS to the PCP. Further multifaceted practice redesign should be directed at optimizing this critical information transfer tool, potentially encompassing electronic medical record utilization and specific training for clinicians preparing summaries. Initial efforts should focus on ensuring availability of a complete summary (containing items deemed important by PCPs including medication list, diagnosis list, and treatment provided) at the posthospital follow-up visit. © Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

  17. Information Transfer in 1990.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hough, Roger W.

    Results of a recent study of potential demand for electronic information transfer services in 1970-1990 are presented. Projections are made for new services such as electronic mail, remote library browsing, checkless society transactions, video telephone and others, as well as conventional services such as telephone, telegraph and network program…

  18. 76 FR 71562 - Emergint Technologies, Inc.; Transfer of Data

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-18

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0038: FRL-9326-9] Emergint Technologies, Inc... Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), including information that may have been claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI) by the submitter, will be transferred to Emergint Technologies, Inc. in accordance with 40 CFR 2...

  19. 75 FR 80847 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-23

    ... of Information Collection Under Review: Application for Tax-Exempt Transfer of Firearm and...: Application for Tax-Exempt Transfer of Firearm and Registration to Special Occupational Taxpayer. (3) Agency... Planning Staff, Justice Management Division, 2 Constitution Square, Room 2E-502, 145 N Street, NE...

  20. User's Manual: Routines for Radiative Heat Transfer and Thermometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Risch, Timothy K.

    2016-01-01

    Determining the intensity and spectral distribution of radiation emanating from a heated surface has applications in many areas of science and engineering. Areas of research in which the quantification of spectral radiation is used routinely include thermal radiation heat transfer, infrared signature analysis, and radiation thermometry. In the analysis of radiation, it is helpful to be able to predict the radiative intensity and the spectral distribution of the emitted energy. Presented in this report is a set of routines written in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington) and incorporating functions specific to Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington) that are useful for predicting the radiative behavior of heated surfaces. These routines include functions for calculating quantities of primary importance to engineers and scientists. In addition, the routines also provide the capability to use such information to determine surface temperatures from spectral intensities and for calculating the sensitivity of the surface temperature measurements to unknowns in the input parameters.

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