The karrikin receptor KAI2 promotes drought resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Li, Weiqiang; Nguyen, Kien Huu; Ha, Chien Van; Watanabe, Yasuko; Osakabe, Yuriko; Leyva-González, Marco Antonio; Sato, Mayuko; Tanaka, Maho; Mostofa, Mohammad Golam; Seki, Motoaki; Seo, Mitsunori; Yamaguchi, Shinjiro; Nelson, David C.; Herrera-Estrella, Luis

2017-01-01

Drought causes substantial reductions in crop yields worldwide. Therefore, we set out to identify new chemical and genetic factors that regulate drought resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Karrikins (KARs) are a class of butenolide compounds found in smoke that promote seed germination, and have been reported to improve seedling vigor under stressful growth conditions. Here, we discovered that mutations in KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2), encoding the proposed karrikin receptor, result in hypersensitivity to water deprivation. We performed transcriptomic, physiological and biochemical analyses of kai2 plants to understand the basis for KAI2-regulated drought resistance. We found that kai2 mutants have increased rates of water loss and drought-induced cell membrane damage, enlarged stomatal apertures, and higher cuticular permeability. In addition, kai2 plants have reduced anthocyanin biosynthesis during drought, and are hyposensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) in stomatal closure and cotyledon opening assays. We identified genes that are likely associated with the observed physiological and biochemical changes through a genome-wide transcriptome analysis of kai2 under both well-watered and dehydration conditions. These data provide evidence for crosstalk between ABA- and KAI2-dependent signaling pathways in regulating plant responses to drought. A comparison of the strigolactone receptor mutant d14 (DWARF14) to kai2 indicated that strigolactones also contributes to plant drought adaptation, although not by affecting cuticle development. Our findings suggest that chemical or genetic manipulation of KAI2 and D14 signaling may provide novel ways to improve drought resistance. PMID:29131815

A Selaginella moellendorffii Ortholog of KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 Functions in Arabidopsis Development but Cannot Mediate Responses to Karrikins or Strigolactones[OPEN

PubMed Central

Waters, Mark T.; Scaffidi, Adrian; Moulin, Solène L.Y.; Sun, Yueming K.; Flematti, Gavin R.; Smith, Steven M.

2015-01-01

In Arabidopsis thaliana, the α/β-fold hydrolase KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) is essential for normal seed germination, seedling development, and leaf morphogenesis, as well as for responses to karrikins. KAI2 is a paralog of DWARF14 (D14), the proposed strigolactone receptor, but the evolutionary timing of functional divergence between the KAI2 and D14 clades has not been established. By swapping gene promoters, we show that Arabidopsis KAI2 and D14 proteins are functionally distinct. We show that the catalytic serine of KAI2 is essential for function in plants and for biochemical activity in vitro. We identified two KAI2 homologs from Selaginella moellendorffii and two from Marchantia polymorpha. One from each species could hydrolyze the strigolactone analog GR24 in vitro, but when tested for their ability to complement Arabidopsis d14 and kai2 mutants, neither of these homologs was effective. However, the second KAI2 homolog from S. moellendorffii was able to complement the seedling and leaf development phenotypes of Arabidopsis kai2. This homolog could not transduce signals from exogenous karrikins, strigolactone analogs, or carlactone, but its activity did depend on the conserved catalytic serine. We conclude that KAI2, and most likely the endogenous signal to which it responds, has been conserved since the divergence of lycophytes and angiosperm lineages, despite their major developmental and morphogenic differences. PMID:26175507

The karrikin receptor KAI2 promotes drought resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Li, Weiqiang; Nguyen, Kien Huu; Chu, Ha Duc; Ha, Chien Van; Watanabe, Yasuko; Osakabe, Yuriko; Leyva-González, Marco Antonio; Sato, Mayuko; Toyooka, Kiminori; Voges, Laura; Tanaka, Maho; Mostofa, Mohammad Golam; Seki, Motoaki; Seo, Mitsunori; Yamaguchi, Shinjiro; Nelson, David C; Tian, Chunjie; Herrera-Estrella, Luis; Tran, Lam-Son Phan

2017-11-01

Drought causes substantial reductions in crop yields worldwide. Therefore, we set out to identify new chemical and genetic factors that regulate drought resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Karrikins (KARs) are a class of butenolide compounds found in smoke that promote seed germination, and have been reported to improve seedling vigor under stressful growth conditions. Here, we discovered that mutations in KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2), encoding the proposed karrikin receptor, result in hypersensitivity to water deprivation. We performed transcriptomic, physiological and biochemical analyses of kai2 plants to understand the basis for KAI2-regulated drought resistance. We found that kai2 mutants have increased rates of water loss and drought-induced cell membrane damage, enlarged stomatal apertures, and higher cuticular permeability. In addition, kai2 plants have reduced anthocyanin biosynthesis during drought, and are hyposensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) in stomatal closure and cotyledon opening assays. We identified genes that are likely associated with the observed physiological and biochemical changes through a genome-wide transcriptome analysis of kai2 under both well-watered and dehydration conditions. These data provide evidence for crosstalk between ABA- and KAI2-dependent signaling pathways in regulating plant responses to drought. A comparison of the strigolactone receptor mutant d14 (DWARF14) to kai2 indicated that strigolactones also contributes to plant drought adaptation, although not by affecting cuticle development. Our findings suggest that chemical or genetic manipulation of KAI2 and D14 signaling may provide novel ways to improve drought resistance.

Distinguishing Feedback Mechanisms in Clock Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golden, Alexander; Lubensky, David

Biological oscillators are very diverse but can be classified based on dynamical motifs such as type of feedback. The S. Elongatus circadian oscillator is a novel circadian oscillator that can operate at constant protein number by modifying covalent states. It can be reproduced in vitro with only 3 different purified proteins: KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. We use computational and analytic techniques to compare models of the S. Elongatus post-translational oscillator that rely on positive feedback with models that rely on negative feedback. We show that introducing a protein that binds competitively with KaiA to the KaiB-KaiC complex can distinguish between positive and negative feedback as the primary driver of the rhythm, which has so far been difficult to address experimentally. NSF Grant DMR-1056456.

Dephosphorylation of the Core Clock Protein KaiC in the Cyanobacterial KaiABC Circadian Oscillator Proceeds via an ATP Synthase Mechanism

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

Egli, Martin; Mori, Tetsuya; Pattanayek, Rekha

The circadian clock of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus can be reconstituted in vitro from three proteins, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC in the presence of ATP, to tick in a temperature-compensated manner. KaiC, the central cog of this oscillator, forms a homohexamer with 12 ATP molecules bound between its N- and C-terminal domains and exhibits unusual properties. Both the N-terminal (CI) and C-terminal (CII) domains harbor ATPase activity, and the subunit interfaces between CII domains are the sites of autokinase and autophosphatase activities. Hydrolysis of ATP correlates with phosphorylation at threonine and serine sites across subunits in an orchestrated manner, suchmore » that first T432 and then S431 are phosphorylated, followed by dephosphorylation of these residues in the same order. Although structural work has provided insight into the mechanisms of ATPase and kinase, the location and mechanism of the phosphatase have remained enigmatic. From the available experimental data based on a range of approaches, including KaiC crystal structures and small-angle X-ray scattering models, metal ion dependence, site-directed mutagenesis (i.e., E318, the general base), and measurements of the associated clock periods, phosphorylation patterns, and dephosphorylation courses as well as a lack of sequence motifs in KaiC that are typically associated with known phosphatases, we hypothesized that KaiCII makes use of the same active site for phosphorylation and dephosphorlyation. We observed that wild-type KaiC (wt-KaiC) exhibits an ATP synthase activity that is significantly reduced in the T432A/S431A mutant. We interpret the first observation as evidence that KaiCII is a phosphotransferase instead of a phosphatase and the second that the enzyme is capable of generating ATP, both from ADP and P{sub i} (in a reversal of the ATPase reaction) and from ADP and P-T432/P-S431 (dephosphorylation). This new concept regarding the mechanism of dephosphorylation is also supported by the strikingly similar makeups of the active sites at the interfaces between {alpha}/{beta} heterodimers of F1-ATPase and between monomeric subunits in the KaiCII hexamer. Several KaiCII residues play a critical role in the relative activities of kinase and ATP synthase, among them R385, which stabilizes the compact form and helps kinase action reach a plateau, and T426, a short-lived phosphorylation site that promotes and affects the order of dephosphorylation.« less

Architecture and mechanism of the central gear in an ancient molecular timer.

PubMed

Egli, Martin

2017-03-01

Molecular clocks are the product of natural selection in organisms from bacteria to human and their appearance early in evolution such as in the prokaryotic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus suggests that these timers served a crucial role in genetic fitness. Thus, a clock allows cyanobacteria relying on photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation to temporally space the two processes and avoid exposure of nitrogenase carrying out fixation to high levels of oxygen produced during photosynthesis. Fascinating properties of molecular clocks are the long time constant, their precision and temperature compensation. Although these are hallmarks of all circadian oscillators, the actual cogs and gears that control clocks vary widely between organisms, indicating that circadian timers evolved convergently multiple times, owing to the selective pressure of an environment with a daily light/dark cycle. In S. elongatus , the three proteins KaiA, KaiB and KaiC in the presence of ATP constitute a so-called post-translational oscillator (PTO). The KaiABC PTO can be reconstituted in an Eppendorf tube and keeps time in a temperature-compensated manner. The ease by which the KaiABC clock can be studied in vitro has made it the best-investigated molecular clock system. Over the last decade, structures of all three Kai proteins and some of their complexes have emerged and mechanistic aspects have been analysed in considerable detail. This review focuses on the central gear of the S. elongatus clock and only enzyme among the three proteins: KaiC. Our determination of the three-dimensional structure of KaiC early in the quest for a better understanding of the inner workings of the cyanobacterial timer revealed its unusual architecture and conformational differences and unique features of the two RecA-like domains constituting KaiC. The structure also pinpointed phosphorylation sites and differential interactions with ATP molecules at subunit interfaces, and helped guide experiments to ferret out mechanistic aspects of the ATPase, auto-phosphorylation and auto-dephosphorylation reactions catalysed by the homo-hexamer. Comparisons between the structure of KaiC and those of nanomachines such as F1-ATPase and CaMKII also exposed shared architectural features (KaiC/ATPase), mechanistic principles (KaiC/CaMKII) and phenomena, such as subunit exchange between hexameric particles critical for function (clock synchronization, KaiABC; memory-storage, CaMKII). © 2017 The Author(s).

Structural modelling and transcriptional responses highlight a clade of PpKAI2-LIKE genes as candidate receptors for strigolactones in Physcomitrella patens.

PubMed

Lopez-Obando, Mauricio; Conn, Caitlin E; Hoffmann, Beate; Bythell-Douglas, Rohan; Nelson, David C; Rameau, Catherine; Bonhomme, Sandrine

2016-06-01

A set of PpKAI2 - LIKE paralogs that may encode strigolactone receptors in Physcomitrella patens were identified through evolutionary, structural, and transcriptional analyses, suggesting that strigolactone perception may have evolved independently in basal land plants in a similar manner as spermatophytes. Carotenoid-derived compounds known as strigolactones are a new class of plant hormones that modulate development and interactions with parasitic plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The strigolactone receptor protein DWARF14 (D14) belongs to the α/β hydrolase family. D14 is closely related to KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2), a receptor of smoke-derived germination stimulants called karrikins. Strigolactone and karrikin structures share a butenolide ring that is necessary for bioactivity. Charophyte algae and basal land plants produce strigolactones that influence their development. However phylogenetic studies suggest that D14 is absent from algae, moss, and liverwort genomes, raising the question of how these basal plants perceive strigolactones. Strigolactone perception during seed germination putatively evolved in parasitic plants through gene duplication and neofunctionalization of KAI2 paralogs. The moss Physcomitrella patens shows an increase in KAI2 gene copy number, similar to parasitic plants. In this study we investigated whether P. patens KAI2-LIKE (PpKAI2L) genes may contribute to strigolactone perception. Based on phylogenetic analyses and homology modelling, we predict that a clade of PpKAI2L proteins have enlarged ligand-binding cavities, similar to D14. We observed that some PpKAI2L genes have transcriptional responses to the synthetic strigolactone GR24 racemate or its enantiomers. These responses were influenced by light and dark conditions. Moreover, (+)-GR24 seems to be the active enantiomer that induces the transcriptional responses of PpKAI2L genes. We hypothesize that members of specific PpKAI2L clades are candidate strigolactone receptors in moss.

KAI1 overexpression promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

PubMed

Guo, Zheng; Wang, Yili; Yang, Jing; Zhong, Jinghua; Liu, Xia; Xu, Mingjun

The purpose of this study is to characterize the effect of KAI1 overexpression on the biological behavior of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a highly malignant tumor with a high rate of incidence in China. Currently, there are no ideal therapeutic options for patients with NPC, but a targeted therapy would have great potential for treating it. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic targets to provide new options for treating NPC. The KAI1 gene was originally identified as a metastasis suppressor gene for advanced human cancer. In NPC cell lines and tissues, the expression of KAI1 decreased as the metastatic potential of cells increased, but its potential as a therapeutic target has not been elucidated. Non-transformed nasopharyngeal epithelium cell NP69 and NPC cell line C666-1 were cultured and KAI1 expression in these cells was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. After the transfection of KAI1-pCDNA3.1 to NP69 and C666-1, the KAI1 expression in these cells was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot, the proliferation was performed by MTS, the cell cycle and apoptosis were performed by flow cytometry, the migration and invasion were examined by transwell. Our results showed that KAI1 was significantly upregulated in C666-1 cells compared to that in NP69 cells. In addition, KAI1 overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion, and promoted apoptosis of C666-1 cells, but had no significant effect on NP69 cells. Our findings suggest that KAI1 overexpression promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion in NPC cells. We hypothesize that KAI1 overexpression could be a potential therapeutic target for NPC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reporter Gene-Facilitated Detection of Compounds in Arabidopsis Leaf Extracts that Activate the Karrikin Signaling Pathway.

PubMed

Sun, Yueming K; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M; Waters, Mark T

2016-01-01

Karrikins are potent germination stimulants generated by the combustion of plant matter. Treatment of Arabidopsis with karrikins triggers a signaling process that is dependent upon a putative receptor protein KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2). KAI2 is a homolog of DWARF 14 (D14), the receptor for endogenous strigolactone hormones. Genetic analyses suggest that KAI2 also perceives endogenous signal(s) that are not strigolactones. Activation of KAI2 by addition of karrikins to Arabidopsis plants induces expression of transcripts including D14-LIKE 2 ( DLK2 ). We constructed the synthetic reporter gene DLK2 : LUC in Arabidopsis , which comprises the firefly luciferase gene ( LUC ) driven by the DLK2 promoter. Here we describe a luminescence-based reporter assay with Arabidopsis seeds to detect chemical signals that can activate the KAI2 signaling pathway. We demonstrate that the DLK2 : LUC assay can selectively and sensitively detect karrikins and a functionally similar synthetic strigolactone analog. Crucially we show that crude extracts from Arabidopsis leaves can also activate DLK2 : LUC in a KAI2-dependent manner. Our work provides the first direct evidence for the existence of endogenous chemical signals that can activate the KAI2-mediated signaling pathway in Arabidopsis . This sensitive reporter system can now be used for the bioassay-guided purification and identification of putative endogenous KAI2 ligands or their precursors, and endogenous compounds that might modulate the KAI2 signaling pathway.

Reporter Gene-Facilitated Detection of Compounds in Arabidopsis Leaf Extracts that Activate the Karrikin Signaling Pathway

PubMed Central

Sun, Yueming K.; Flematti, Gavin R.; Smith, Steven M.; Waters, Mark T.

2016-01-01

Karrikins are potent germination stimulants generated by the combustion of plant matter. Treatment of Arabidopsis with karrikins triggers a signaling process that is dependent upon a putative receptor protein KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2). KAI2 is a homolog of DWARF 14 (D14), the receptor for endogenous strigolactone hormones. Genetic analyses suggest that KAI2 also perceives endogenous signal(s) that are not strigolactones. Activation of KAI2 by addition of karrikins to Arabidopsis plants induces expression of transcripts including D14-LIKE 2 (DLK2). We constructed the synthetic reporter gene DLK2:LUC in Arabidopsis, which comprises the firefly luciferase gene (LUC) driven by the DLK2 promoter. Here we describe a luminescence-based reporter assay with Arabidopsis seeds to detect chemical signals that can activate the KAI2 signaling pathway. We demonstrate that the DLK2:LUC assay can selectively and sensitively detect karrikins and a functionally similar synthetic strigolactone analog. Crucially we show that crude extracts from Arabidopsis leaves can also activate DLK2:LUC in a KAI2-dependent manner. Our work provides the first direct evidence for the existence of endogenous chemical signals that can activate the KAI2-mediated signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. This sensitive reporter system can now be used for the bioassay-guided purification and identification of putative endogenous KAI2 ligands or their precursors, and endogenous compounds that might modulate the KAI2 signaling pathway. PMID:27994609

Smoke-derived karrikin perception by the α/β-hydrolase KAI2 from Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

Guo, Yongxia; Zheng, Zuyu; La Clair, James J.; Chory, Joanne; Noel, Joseph P.

2013-01-01

Genetic studies in Arabidopsis implicate an α/β-hydrolase, KARRIKIN-INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) as a receptor for karrikins, germination-promoting butenolide small molecules found in the smoke of burned plants. However, direct biochemical evidence for the interaction between KAI2 and karrikin and for the mechanism of downstream signaling by a KAI2–karrikin complex remain elusive. We report crystallographic analyses and ligand-binding experiments for KAI2 recognition of karrikins. The karrikin-1 (KAR1) ligand sits in the opening to the active site abutting a helical domain insert but distal from the canonical catalytic triad (Ser95-His246-Asp217) of α/β-hydrolases, consistent with the lack of detectable hydrolytic activity by purified KAI2. The closest approach of KAR1 to Ser95-His246-Asp217 is 3.8 Å from His246. Six aromatic side chains, including His246, encapsulate KAR1 through geometrically defined aromatic–aromatic interactions. KAR1 binding induces a conformational change in KAI2 at the active site entrance. A crevice of hydrophobic residues linking the polar edge of KAR1 and the helical domain insert suggests that KAI2–KAR1 creates a contiguous interface for binding signaling partners in a ligand-dependent manner. PMID:23613584

Smoke-derived karrikin perception by the α/β-hydrolase KAI2 from Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Guo, Yongxia; Zheng, Zuyu; La Clair, James J; Chory, Joanne; Noel, Joseph P

2013-05-14

Genetic studies in Arabidopsis implicate an α/β-hydrolase, KARRIKIN-INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) as a receptor for karrikins, germination-promoting butenolide small molecules found in the smoke of burned plants. However, direct biochemical evidence for the interaction between KAI2 and karrikin and for the mechanism of downstream signaling by a KAI2-karrikin complex remain elusive. We report crystallographic analyses and ligand-binding experiments for KAI2 recognition of karrikins. The karrikin-1 (KAR1) ligand sits in the opening to the active site abutting a helical domain insert but distal from the canonical catalytic triad (Ser95-His246-Asp217) of α/β-hydrolases, consistent with the lack of detectable hydrolytic activity by purified KAI2. The closest approach of KAR1 to Ser95-His246-Asp217 is 3.8 Å from His246. Six aromatic side chains, including His246, encapsulate KAR1 through geometrically defined aromatic-aromatic interactions. KAR1 binding induces a conformational change in KAI2 at the active site entrance. A crevice of hydrophobic residues linking the polar edge of KAR1 and the helical domain insert suggests that KAI2-KAR1 creates a contiguous interface for binding signaling partners in a ligand-dependent manner.

Differential expression of the metastasis suppressor KAI1 in decidual cells and trophoblast giant cells at the feto-maternal interface.

PubMed

Koo, Tae Bon; Han, Min-Su; Tadashi, Yamashita; Seong, Won Joon; Choi, Je-Yong

2013-10-01

Invasion of trophoblasts into maternal uterine tissue is essential for establishing mature feto-maternal circulation. The trophoblast invasion associated with placentation is similar to tumor invasion. In this study, we investigated the role of KAI1, an antimetastasis factor, at the maternal-fetal interface during placentation. Mouse embryos were obtained from gestational days 5.5 (E5.5) to E13.5. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that KAI1 was expressed on decidual cells around the track made when a fertilized ovum invaded the endometrium, at days E5.5 and E7.5, and on trophoblast giant cells, along the central maternal artery of the placenta at E9.5. KAI1 in trophoblast giant cells was increased at E11.5, and then decreased at E13.5. Furthermore, KAI1 was upregulated during the forskolin-mediated trophoblastic differentiation of BeWo cells. Collectively, these results indicate that KAI1 is differentially expressed in decidual cells and trophoblasts at the maternal-fetal interface, suggesting that KAI1 prevents trophoblast invasion during placentation.

Down-regulation of the metastasis suppressor protein KAI1/CD82 correlates with occurrence of metastasis, prognosis and presence of HPV DNA in human penile squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Protzel, C; Kakies, C; Kleist, B; Poetsch, M; Giebel, J

2008-04-01

In penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC), the outcome largely depends on early detection and resection of inguinal lymph node metastases. We investigated the role of metastasis suppressor protein kang ai 1 (KAI1)/cluster of differentiation 82 (CD82), which is known to be of prognostic significance for a wide variety of cancers. Moreover, we analysed the tumours for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and loss of heterozygosity at the 11p11.2 locus. Tissue samples of 30 primary PSCCs were investigated immunohistochemically using an anti-KAI1/CD82 polyclonal antibody. The expression was assessed according to the degree of KAI1/CD82-positive tumour cells as positive, decreased or negative. The presence of HPV6/11, HPV16 and HPV18 DNA was analysed by polymerase chain reaction. All patients with decreased or negative expression of KAI1/CD82 in primary lesions had lymph node metastases (p = 0.0002). Patients with positive KAI1/CD82 expression showed a significant better prognosis for survival compared to the other groups (p = 0.0042). Presence of HPV DNA was associated with decreased or negative KAI1/CD82 expression. Lacking or decreased expression of metastasis suppressor gene KAI1/CD82 appears to be a prognostic parameter for the occurrence of lymph node metastases in PSCC. Our study suggests an association of decreased KAI1/CD82 expression with tumour progression, development of metastases and disease-specific death.

Creating Realistic Corpora for Security and Forensic Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

School of Information and Library Science University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC kamwoods@email.unc.edu Christopher A. Lee School of...Information and Library Science University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC callee@ils.unc.edu Simson Garfinkel Graduate School of Operational and

Enhancing Māori food security using traditional kai.

PubMed

McKerchar, Christina; Bowers, Sharron; Heta, Craig; Signal, Louise; Matoe, Leonie

2015-09-01

Lack of food security is one of the major nutrition issues facing Māori today. Loss of traditional kai (food) gathering places and practices following colonisation and urbanisation has impacted negatively on food security for Māori. This paper explores the role of Māori in enhancing Māori food security through revitalising traditional kai. A narrative literature review of peer reviewed and grey literature on revitalising traditional kai for Māori was conducted. The focus was on two areas: increasing the availability of traditional kai to Māori households (such as through replenishing fish stocks, and gardening projects) and increasing the financial means available to Māori households to purchase food (by economic development of traditional kai industries and employment creation). A range of activities to improve food security for Māori by revitalising traditional kai was identified in the literature. Māori are now significant players in New Zealand's fishing industry, and are developing their horticultural resources. Gardening initiatives have also grown considerably in Māori communities. Enabling factors included: the return of traditional kai resources by the Crown, and successful pursuit by Māori of the legal rights to develop them; development of Māori models of governance; government policy around Māori economic development and healthy eating; and Māori leadership on the issue. Barriers to revitalising traditional kai that remain to be addressed include: tensions between Government and Māori goals and models of resource management; economic pressures resulting in severely depleted fishing stocks; and pollution of marine and freshwater fish. Revitalising traditional kai has considerable potential to improve food security for Māori, both directly in terms of food supply and by providing income, and warrants policy and practical support. These findings have implications for other indigenous cultures who are struggling to be food secure. © The Author(s) 2014.

Proposed Role for KaiC-Like ATPases as Major Signal Transduction Hubs in Archaea

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT All organisms must adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions and accordingly have evolved diverse signal transduction systems. In bacteria, the most abundant networks are built around the two-component signal transduction systems that include histidine kinases and receiver domains. In contrast, eukaryotic signal transduction is dominated by serine/threonine/tyrosine protein kinases. Both of these systems are also found in archaea, but they are not as common and diversified as their bacterial and eukaryotic counterparts, suggesting the possibility that archaea have evolved other, still uncharacterized signal transduction networks. Here we propose a role for KaiC family ATPases, known to be key components of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria, in archaeal signal transduction. The KaiC family is notably expanded in most archaeal genomes, and although most of these ATPases remain poorly characterized, members of the KaiC family have been shown to control archaellum assembly and have been found to be a stable component of the gas vesicle system in Halobacteria. Computational analyses described here suggest that KaiC-like ATPases and their homologues with inactivated ATPase domains are involved in many other archaeal signal transduction pathways and comprise major hubs of complex regulatory networks. We predict numerous input and output domains that are linked to KaiC-like proteins, including putative homologues of eukaryotic DEATH domains that could function as adapters in archaeal signaling networks. We further address the relationships of the archaeal family of KaiC homologues to the bona fide KaiC of cyanobacteria and implications for the existence of a KaiC-based circadian clock apparatus in archaea. PMID:29208747

The Difficult Pursuit of Truth: A Response to Kai Horsthemke

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godon, Rafal

2017-01-01

In this article, Rafal Godon responds to Kai Horsthemke's article (this issue), "Inclusive Education and 'Barrierefreiheit': Some Social-Epistemological Considerations" (EJ1130978). The question raised by Kai Horsthemke, Godon says, draws readers' attention to a very specific aspect of the conference theme, "Philosophy as…

The Ventilator-Assisted Child: A Practical Resource Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driver, Lynn E.; Nelson, Virginia Simson; Warschausky, Seth A.

The 16 chapters comprising this manual are intended to provide a practical guide for meeting the needs of ventilator-assisted children. Chapters have the following titles and authors: (1)"Spectrum of Care" (Virginia Simson Nelson and Lynn E. Driver); (2) "Long-Term Airway Management for the Ventilator-Assisted Child" (Ann Marie…

Evolution of strigolactone receptors by gradual neo-functionalization of KAI2 paralogues.

PubMed

Bythell-Douglas, Rohan; Rothfels, Carl J; Stevenson, Dennis W D; Graham, Sean W; Wong, Gane Ka-Shu; Nelson, David C; Bennett, Tom

2017-06-29

Strigolactones (SLs) are a class of plant hormones that control many aspects of plant growth. The SL signalling mechanism is homologous to that of karrikins (KARs), smoke-derived compounds that stimulate seed germination. In angiosperms, the SL receptor is an α/β-hydrolase known as DWARF14 (D14); its close homologue, KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2), functions as a KAR receptor and likely recognizes an uncharacterized, endogenous signal ('KL'). Previous phylogenetic analyses have suggested that the KAI2 lineage is ancestral in land plants, and that canonical D14-type SL receptors only arose in seed plants; this is paradoxical, however, as non-vascular plants synthesize and respond to SLs. We have used a combination of phylogenetic and structural approaches to re-assess the evolution of the D14/KAI2 family in land plants. We analysed 339 members of the D14/KAI2 family from land plants and charophyte algae. Our phylogenetic analyses show that the divergence between the eu-KAI2 lineage and the DDK (D14/DLK2/KAI2) lineage that includes D14 occurred very early in land plant evolution. We show that eu-KAI2 proteins are highly conserved, and have unique features not found in DDK proteins. Conversely, we show that DDK proteins show considerable sequence and structural variation to each other, and lack clearly definable characteristics. We use homology modelling to show that the earliest members of the DDK lineage structurally resemble KAI2 and that SL receptors in non-seed plants likely do not have D14-like structure. We also show that certain groups of DDK proteins lack the otherwise conserved MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2) interface, and may thus function independently of MAX2, which we show is highly conserved throughout land plant evolution. Our results suggest that D14-like structure is not required for SL perception, and that SL perception has relatively relaxed structural requirements compared to KAI2-mediated signalling. We suggest that SL perception gradually evolved by neo-functionalization within the DDK lineage, and that the transition from KAI2-like to D14-like protein may have been driven by interactions with protein partners, rather than being required for SL perception per se.

Exploration of the factor structure of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory using bootstrapping estimation.

PubMed

Im, Subin; Min, Soonhong

2013-04-01

Exploratory factor analyses of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI), which serves to measure individual cognitive styles, generally indicate three factors: sufficiency of originality, efficiency, and rule/group conformity. In contrast, a 2005 study by Im and Hu using confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure, dividing the sufficiency of originality dimension into two subdimensions, idea generation and preference for change. This study extends Im and Hu's (2005) study of a derived version of the KAI by providing additional evidence of the four-factor structure. Specifically, the authors test the robustness of the parameter estimates to the violation of normality assumptions in the sample using bootstrap methods. A bias-corrected confidence interval bootstrapping procedure conducted among a sample of 356 participants--members of the Arkansas Household Research Panel, with middle SES and average age of 55.6 yr. (SD = 13.9)--showed that the four-factor model with two subdimensions of sufficiency of originality fits the data significantly better than the three-factor model in non-normality conditions.

An allele of the crm gene blocks cyanobacterial circadian rhythms.

PubMed

Boyd, Joseph S; Bordowitz, Juliana R; Bree, Anna C; Golden, Susan S

2013-08-20

The SasA-RpaA two-component system constitutes a key output pathway of the cyanobacterial Kai circadian oscillator. To date, rhythm of phycobilisome associated (rpaA) is the only gene other than kaiA, kaiB, and kaiC, which encode the oscillator itself, whose mutation causes completely arrhythmic gene expression. Here we report a unique transposon insertion allele in a small ORF located immediately upstream of rpaA in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 termed crm (for circadian rhythmicity modulator), which results in arrhythmic promoter activity but does not affect steady-state levels of RpaA. The crm ORF complements the defect when expressed in trans, but only if it can be translated, suggesting that crm encodes a small protein. The crm1 insertion allele phenotypes are distinct from those of an rpaA null; crm1 mutants are able to grow in a light:dark cycle and have no detectable oscillations of KaiC phosphorylation, whereas low-amplitude KaiC phosphorylation rhythms persist in the absence of RpaA. Levels of phosphorylated RpaA in vivo measured over time are significantly altered compared with WT in the crm1 mutant as well as in the absence of KaiC. Taken together, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that the Crm polypeptide modulates a circadian-specific activity of RpaA.

The origins and mechanisms of karrikin signalling.

PubMed

Waters, Mark T; Scaffidi, Adrian; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M

2013-10-01

Karrikins are butenolides in smoke and char that stimulate seed germination. Karrikin action in Arabidopsis requires the F-box protein MAX2 and the α/β-hydrolase KAI2, a paralogue of D14 that is required for perception of strigolactones (SL). SL response involves hydrolysis by D14, whereas karrikins bind to KAI2 without apparent hydrolysis. We discuss the current understanding of the mechanisms of karrikin perception and response. The usual function of KAI2 is unclear, but we hypothesise that the similarity between karrikins and the endogenous ligand for KAI2 made adaptation of some plants to karrikins possible. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The structure of the karrikin-insensitive protein (KAI2) in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Bythell-Douglas, Rohan; Waters, Mark T; Scaffidi, Adrian; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M; Bond, Charles S

2013-01-01

KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) is an α/β hydrolase involved in seed germination and seedling development. It is essential for plant responses to karrikins, a class of butenolide compounds derived from burnt plant material that are structurally similar to strigolactone plant hormones. The mechanistic basis for the function of KAI2 in plant development remains unclear. We have determined the crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana KAI2 in space groups P2(1) 2(1) 2(1) (a =63.57 Å, b =66.26 Å, c =78.25 Å) and P2(1) (a =50.20 Å, b =56.04 Å, c =52.43 Å, β =116.12°) to 1.55 and 2.11 Å respectively. The catalytic residues are positioned within a large hydrophobic pocket similar to that of DAD2, a protein required for strigolactone response in Petunia hybrida. KAI2 possesses a second solvent-accessible pocket, adjacent to the active site cavity, which offers the possibility of allosteric regulation. The structure of KAI2 is consistent with its designation as a serine hydrolase, as well as previous data implicating the protein in karrikin and strigolactone signalling.

The Structure of the Karrikin-Insensitive Protein (KAI2) in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Bythell-Douglas, Rohan; Waters, Mark T.; Scaffidi, Adrian; Flematti, Gavin R.; Smith, Steven M.; Bond, Charles S.

2013-01-01

KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) is an α/β hydrolase involved in seed germination and seedling development. It is essential for plant responses to karrikins, a class of butenolide compounds derived from burnt plant material that are structurally similar to strigolactone plant hormones. The mechanistic basis for the function of KAI2 in plant development remains unclear. We have determined the crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana KAI2 in space groups P21 21 21 (a  = 63.57 Å, b  = 66.26 Å, c  = 78.25 Å) and P21 (a  = 50.20 Å, b  = 56.04 Å, c  = 52.43 Å, β  = 116.12°) to 1.55 and 2.11 Å respectively. The catalytic residues are positioned within a large hydrophobic pocket similar to that of DAD2, a protein required for strigolactone response in Petunia hybrida. KAI2 possesses a second solvent-accessible pocket, adjacent to the active site cavity, which offers the possibility of allosteric regulation. The structure of KAI2 is consistent with its designation as a serine hydrolase, as well as previous data implicating the protein in karrikin and strigolactone signalling. PMID:23349965

The circadian oscillator in Synechococcus elongatus controls metabolite partitioning during diurnal growth.

PubMed

Diamond, Spencer; Jun, Darae; Rubin, Benjamin E; Golden, Susan S

2015-04-14

Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 is a genetically tractable model cyanobacterium that has been engineered to produce industrially relevant biomolecules and is the best-studied model for a prokaryotic circadian clock. However, the organism is commonly grown in continuous light in the laboratory, and data on metabolic processes under diurnal conditions are lacking. Moreover, the influence of the circadian clock on diurnal metabolism has been investigated only briefly. Here, we demonstrate that the circadian oscillator influences rhythms of metabolism during diurnal growth, even though light-dark cycles can drive metabolic rhythms independently. Moreover, the phenotype associated with loss of the core oscillator protein, KaiC, is distinct from that caused by absence of the circadian output transcriptional regulator, RpaA (regulator of phycobilisome-associated A). Although RpaA activity is important for carbon degradation at night, KaiC is dispensable for those processes. Untargeted metabolomics analysis and glycogen kinetics suggest that functional KaiC is important for metabolite partitioning in the morning. Additionally, output from the oscillator functions to inhibit RpaA activity in the morning, and kaiC-null strains expressing a mutant KaiC phosphomimetic, KaiC-pST, in which the oscillator is locked in the most active output state, phenocopies a ΔrpaA strain. Inhibition of RpaA by the oscillator in the morning suppresses metabolic processes that normally are active at night, and kaiC-null strains show indications of oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activation as well as increased abundance of primary metabolites. Inhibitory clock output may serve to allow secondary metabolite biosynthesis in the morning, and some metabolites resulting from these processes may feed back to reinforce clock timing.

Karrikin-KAI2 signalling provides Arabidopsis seeds with tolerance to abiotic stress and inhibits germination under conditions unfavourable to seedling establishment.

PubMed

Wang, Lu; Waters, Mark T; Smith, Steven M

2018-07-01

The control of seed germination in response to environmental conditions is important for plant success. We investigated the role of the karrikin receptor KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) in the response of Arabidopsis seeds to osmotic stress, salinity and high temperature. Germination of the kai2 mutant was examined in response to NaCl, mannitol and elevated temperature. The effect of karrikin on germination of wild-type seeds, hypocotyl elongation and the expression of karrikin-responsive genes was also examined in response to such stresses. The kai2 seeds germinated less readily than wild-type seeds and germination was more sensitive to inhibition by abiotic stress. Karrikin-induced KAI2 signalling stimulated germination of wild-type seeds under favourable conditions, but, surprisingly, inhibited germination in the presence of osmolytes or at elevated temperature. By contrast, GA stimulated germination of wild-type seeds and mutants under all conditions. Karrikin induced expression of DLK2 and KUF1 genes and inhibited hypocotyl elongation independently of osmotic stress. Under mild osmotic stress, karrikin enhanced expression of DREB2A, WRKY33 and ERF5 genes, but not ABA signalling genes. Thus, the karrikin-KAI2 signalling system can protect against abiotic stress, first by providing stress tolerance, and second by inhibiting germination under conditions unfavourable to seedling establishment. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Kenya AIDS Indicator Surveys 2007 and 2012: implications for public health policies for HIV prevention and treatment.

PubMed

Maina, William K; Kim, Andrea A; Rutherford, George W; Harper, Malayah; K'Oyugi, Boniface O; Sharif, Shahnaaz; Kichamu, George; Muraguri, Nicholas M; Akhwale, Willis; De Cock, Kevin M

2014-05-01

AIDS Indicator Surveys are standardized surveillance tools used by countries with generalized HIV epidemics to provide, in a timely fashion, indicators for effective monitoring of HIV. Such data should guide responses to the HIV epidemic, meet program reporting requirements, and ensure comparability of findings across countries and over time. Kenya has conducted 2 AIDS Indicator Surveys, in 2007 (KAIS 2007) and 2012-2013 (KAIS 2012). These nationally representative surveys have provided essential epidemiologic, sociodemographic, behavioral, and biologic data on HIV and related indicators to evaluate the national HIV response and inform policies for prevention and treatment of the disease. We present a summary of findings from KAIS 2007 and KAIS 2012 and the impact that these data have had on changing HIV policies and practice.

Vacuum Ultraviolet Laser Probe of Chemical Dynamics of Aerospace Relevance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-12

carbide cation”, J. Phys. Chem. A (invited), 113, 4242 (2009). 5. Kai-Chung Lau , Yih-Chung Chang, Chow-Sheng Lam , and C. Y. Ng, “High-level ab...Chem. A (invited), 113, 14321 (2009). 6. Kai-Chung Lau , Yih-Chung Chang, Chow-Sheng Lam , and C. Y. Ng, “High-level ab initio predictions of the...VI. Selected scientific findings 1. Kai-Chung Lau , Yih-Chung Chang, Xiaoyu Shi, and C. Y. Ng, “High-level ab initio predictions of the ionization

Mechanism of Tumor Metastasis Suppression by the KAI1 Gene

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON USAMRMC a. REPORT U b . ABSTRACT U c. THIS...activated by the interaction of DARC and Kai1. Task1- b . (completed) Examine the effects of siRNA against the DARC gene on the binding and...suggesting that the N terminus of DARC is essential for binding to KAI1. Task 2- b . Screening a phage display library followed by sequencing the

An application of adaption-innovation theory to bioremediation

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

Guerin, L.J.; Guerin, T.F.

1995-12-31

This paper provides a discussion of the potential application of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) for assessing the adaptive-innovative cognitive style of individuals and organizations within the bioremediation industry. Human-resource and line managers, or other individuals responsible for staff evaluation, selection, and project planning, should consider using the KAI to assist them in selecting individuals for specific roles requiring either an innovative or adaptive style. The KAI, a measure for assessing adaption-innovation at the individual employee level, is introduced and its potential value in the bioremediation industry is discussed.

Strigolactone Hormones and Their Stereoisomers Signal through Two Related Receptor Proteins to Induce Different Physiological Responses in Arabidopsis1[W

PubMed Central

Scaffidi, Adrian; Waters, Mark T.; Sun, Yueming K.; Skelton, Brian W.; Dixon, Kingsley W.; Ghisalberti, Emilio L.; Flematti, Gavin R.; Smith, Steven M.

2014-01-01

Two α/β-fold hydrolases, KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) and Arabidopsis thaliana DWARF14 (AtD14), are necessary for responses to karrikins (KARs) and strigolactones (SLs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Although KAI2 mediates responses to KARs and some SL analogs, AtD14 mediates SL but not KAR responses. To further determine the specificity of these proteins, we assessed the ability of naturally occurring deoxystrigolactones to inhibit Arabidopsis hypocotyl elongation, regulate seedling gene expression, suppress outgrowth of secondary inflorescences, and promote seed germination. Neither 5-deoxystrigol nor 4-deoxyorobanchol was active in KAI2-dependent seed germination or hypocotyl elongation, but both were active in AtD14-dependent hypocotyl elongation and secondary shoot growth. However, the nonnatural enantiomer of 5-deoxystrigol was active through KAI2 in growth and gene expression assays. We found that the four stereoisomers of the SL analog GR24 had similar activities to their deoxystrigolactone counterparts. The results suggest that AtD14 and KAI2 exhibit selectivity to the butenolide D ring in the 2′R and 2′S configurations, respectively. However, we found, for nitrile-debranone (CN-debranone, a simple SL analog), that the 2′R configuration is inactive but that the 2′S configuration is active through both AtD14 and KAI2. Our results support the conclusion that KAI2-dependent signaling does not respond to canonical SLs. Furthermore, racemic mixtures of chemically synthesized SLs and their analogs, such as GR24, should be used with caution because they can activate responses that are not specific to naturally occurring SLs. In contrast, the use of specific stereoisomers might provide valuable information about the specific perception systems operating in different plant tissues, parasitic weed seeds, and arbuscular mycorrhizae. PMID:24808100

Strigolactone Hormones and Their Stereoisomers Signal through Two Related Receptor Proteins to Induce Different Physiological Responses in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Scaffidi, Adrian; Waters, Mark T; Sun, Yueming K; Skelton, Brian W; Dixon, Kingsley W; Ghisalberti, Emilio L; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M

2014-07-01

Two α/β-fold hydrolases, KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) and Arabidopsis thaliana DWARF14 (AtD14), are necessary for responses to karrikins (KARs) and strigolactones (SLs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Although KAI2 mediates responses to KARs and some SL analogs, AtD14 mediates SL but not KAR responses. To further determine the specificity of these proteins, we assessed the ability of naturally occurring deoxystrigolactones to inhibit Arabidopsis hypocotyl elongation, regulate seedling gene expression, suppress outgrowth of secondary inflorescences, and promote seed germination. Neither 5-deoxystrigol nor 4-deoxyorobanchol was active in KAI2-dependent seed germination or hypocotyl elongation, but both were active in AtD14-dependent hypocotyl elongation and secondary shoot growth. However, the nonnatural enantiomer of 5-deoxystrigol was active through KAI2 in growth and gene expression assays. We found that the four stereoisomers of the SL analog GR24 had similar activities to their deoxystrigolactone counterparts. The results suggest that AtD14 and KAI2 exhibit selectivity to the butenolide D ring in the 2'R and 2'S configurations, respectively. However, we found, for nitrile-debranone (CN-debranone, a simple SL analog), that the 2'R configuration is inactive but that the 2'S configuration is active through both AtD14 and KAI2. Our results support the conclusion that KAI2-dependent signaling does not respond to canonical SLs. Furthermore, racemic mixtures of chemically synthesized SLs and their analogs, such as GR24, should be used with caution because they can activate responses that are not specific to naturally occurring SLs. In contrast, the use of specific stereoisomers might provide valuable information about the specific perception systems operating in different plant tissues, parasitic weed seeds, and arbuscular mycorrhizae. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Overexpression of MTA1 and loss of KAI-1 and KiSS-1 expressions are associated with invasion, metastasis, and poor-prognosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Wang, Wenjun; Yang, Zhu-lin; Liu, Jie-qiong; Yang, Le-ping; Yang, Xiao-jing; Fu, Xi

2014-01-01

Over 90% of patients with gallbladder cancer have invasion and/or metastasis when they are diagnosed at the clinic. Such patients usually have an extremely poor prognosis. The molecular mechanism responsible for the high prevalence of invasion and metastasis remains unknown. We investigated the expression of two metastasis-suppression genes--KAI-1 and KiSS-1--and a metastasis-associated gene--MTA1--in 108 adenocarcinomas, 15 gallbladder polyps, 35 chronic cholecystitis tissues, and 46 peritumoral tissues using in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry. We demonstrated that positive MTA1 expression was significantly higher whereas positive expressions of KAI-1 and KiSS-1 genes were significantly lower in gallbladder adenocarcinoma than in peritumoral tissues, polyps, and chronic cholecystitis. Positive MTA1 expression was significantly lower, but positive KAI-1 and KiSS-1 expressions were significantly higher in cases with well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, smaller tumor mass, no metastasis of lymph node, and no invasion of regional tissues than in cases having poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, larger tumor mass, metastasis and invasion. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that increased expression of MTA1 and lowered expression of KAI-1 and KiSS-1 were significantly associated with decreased overall survival. Cox regression analysis showed that tumor mass, lymph node metastasis, invasion, and MTA1 expression levels negatively correlated with survival. Our study suggested that KAI-1, KiSS-1, and MTA1 might be important biological markers involved in the carcinogenesis, metastasis, and invasion of gallbladder adenocarcinoma, but MTA1 is an independent factor of prognosis.

Extending Digital Repository Architectures to Support Disk Image Preservation and Access

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

Extending Digital Repository Architectures to Support Disk Image Preservation and Access Kam Woods School of Information and Library Science University...of North Carolina 216 Lenoir Drive, CB #3360 1-(919)-966-3598 kamwoods@email.unc.edu Christopher A. Lee School of Information and Library ... Science University of North Carolina 216 Lenoir Drive, CB #3360 1-(919)-962-7204 callee@ils.unc.edu Simson Garfinkel Graduate School of

SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: KAI RADIO FREQUENCY HEATING TECHNOLOGY

EPA Science Inventory

KAI developed a patented, in situ RFH technology to enhance the removal of volatile and semi-volatile organics by soil vapor extraction (SVE). Electromagnetic energy heats the soil resulting in increased contaminant vapor pressures and soil permeability that may increase with dry...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: RADIO FREQUENCY HEATING - KAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

Radio frequency heating (RFH) is a process that uses electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency (RF) band to heat soil in situ, thereby potentially enhancing the performance of standard soil vapor extraction (SVE) technologies. An RFH system developed by KAI Technologies, I...

Automating Disk Forensic Processing with SleuthKit, XML and Python

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

1 Automating Disk Forensic Processing with SleuthKit, XML and Python Simson L. Garfinkel Abstract We have developed a program called fiwalk which...files themselves. We show how it is relatively simple to create automated disk forensic applications using a Python module we have written that reads...software that the portable device may contain. Keywords: Computer Forensics; XML; Sleuth Kit; Python I. INTRODUCTION In recent years we have found many

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT: RADIO FREQUENCY HEATING, KAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

A demonstration of KAI Technologies in-situ radio frequency heating system for soil treatment was conducted from January 1994 to July 1994 at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. This demonstration was conducted as a joint effort between the USEPA and the USAF. The technol...

Evaluation of Object Detection Algorithms for Ship Detection in the Visible Spectrum

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

Kodak KAI-2093 was assumed throughout the model to be the image equitation sensor. The sensor was assumed to have taken all of the evaluation imagery...www.ShipPhotos.co.uk. [Online]. Available: http://www.shipphotos.co.uk/hull/ [42] Kodak (2007. March 19). Kodak KAI-2093 image sensor. [Online]. Available

A missense allele of KARRIKIN-INSENSITIVE2 impairs ligand-binding and downstream signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Lee, Inhye; Kim, Kuglae; Lee, Sumin; Lee, Seungjun; Hwang, Eunjin; Shin, Kihye; Kim, Dayoung; Choi, Jungki; Choi, Hyunmo; Cha, Jeong Seok; Kim, Hoyoung; Lee, Rin-A; Jeong, Suyeong; Kim, Jeongsik; Kim, Yumi; Nam, Hong Gil; Park, Soon-Ki; Cho, Hyun-Soo; Soh, Moon-Soo

2018-06-27

A smoke-derived compound, karrikin (KAR), and an endogenous but as yet unidentified KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) ligand (KL) have been identified as chemical cues in higher plants that impact on multiple aspects of growth and development. Genetic screening of light-signaling mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana has identified a mutant designated as ply2 (pleiotropic long hypocotyl2) that has pleiotropic light-response defects. In this study, we used positional cloning to identify the molecular lesion of ply2 as a missense mutation of KAI2/HYPOSENSITIVE TO LIGHT, which causes a single amino acid substitution, Ala219Val. Physiological analysis and genetic epistasis analysis with the KL-signaling components MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2) and SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 suggested that the pleiotropic phenotypes of the ply2 mutant can be ascribed to a defect in KL-signaling. Molecular and biochemical analyses revealed that the mutant KAI2ply2 protein is impaired in its ligand-binding activity. In support of this conclusion, X-ray crystallography studies suggested that the KAI2ply2 mutation not only results in a narrowed entrance gate for the ligand but also alters the structural flexibility of the helical lid domains. We discuss the structural implications of the Ala219 residue with regard to ligand-specific binding and signaling of KAI2, together with potential functions of KL-signaling in the context of the light-regulatory network in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Linear Dunes and Playas, Simson Desert, South Australia, Australia

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-12-01

This image of abstract shapes is comprised numerous subparallel, very long, orange colored linear dunes and patchy grey dry lakes (playas). The dunes are aligned north to south in the great central basin of Astralia (27.0S, 138.0E). The regularity of the dunes is created by the winds blowing from the south. As the dunes advance, jaged edges on the south side of each dry lake are formed while the north side is eroded smooth by the wind and water.

NREL Research Pushes Perovskites Closer to Market | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

cell. Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL Kai Zhu, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Kai Zhu has been conducting perovskite research at NREL since 2012. Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL , creating a solar cell. Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL Pioneering Cutting-Edge Research In a solar cell

The Academic Profession and University Governance Participation in Japan: Focusing on the Role of Kyoju-kai

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yonezawa, Akiyoshi

2014-01-01

The dominant role of Kyoju-kai (the professoriate) in university governance in Japan is now facing a critical examination as part of university reforms in response to global competition. What are the determinants of the characteristics of participation in university governance by individual faculty members? In what way does the organizational…

Specialisation within the DWARF14 protein family confers distinct responses to karrikins and strigolactones in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Waters, Mark T; Nelson, David C; Scaffidi, Adrian; Flematti, Gavin R; Sun, Yueming K; Dixon, Kingsley W; Smith, Steven M

2012-04-01

Karrikins are butenolides derived from burnt vegetation that stimulate seed germination and enhance seedling responses to light. Strigolactones are endogenous butenolide hormones that regulate shoot and root architecture, and stimulate the branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Thus, karrikins and strigolactones are structurally similar but physiologically distinct plant growth regulators. In Arabidopsis thaliana, responses to both classes of butenolides require the F-box protein MAX2, but it remains unclear how discrete responses to karrikins and strigolactones are achieved. In rice, the DWARF14 protein is required for strigolactone-dependent inhibition of shoot branching. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis DWARF14 orthologue, AtD14, is also necessary for normal strigolactone responses in seedlings and adult plants. However, the AtD14 paralogue KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) is specifically required for responses to karrikins, and not to strigolactones. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that KAI2 is ancestral and that AtD14 functional specialisation has evolved subsequently. Atd14 and kai2 mutants exhibit distinct subsets of max2 phenotypes, and expression patterns of AtD14 and KAI2 are consistent with the capacity to respond to either strigolactones or karrikins at different stages of plant development. We propose that AtD14 and KAI2 define a class of proteins that permit the separate regulation of karrikin and strigolactone signalling by MAX2. Our results support the existence of an endogenous, butenolide-based signalling mechanism that is distinct from the strigolactone pathway, providing a molecular basis for the adaptive response of plants to smoke.

The Experience of KAI MAHI, an Employment Initiative for People with an Experience of Mental Illness, as Told by Zarna, Zeus, Lulu, Mary, Paul, and Hemi.

PubMed

de Malmanche, Janie; Robertson, Linda

2015-11-01

There is a growing body of evidence endorsing the use of supported employment models for people with an experience of mental illness. However current literature and research regarding the perspective of people with experience of mental illness, as well as alternate models of employment support, is sparse. This study has captured the stories of employment of people with experience of mental illness who participated in KAI MAHI, a group based employment program. Findings identified key components of KAI MAHI, consistent with their overall experiences of employment, which were influential in assisting them to find and sustain employment. These included the opportunity for self-determination, a sense of self-efficacy, and respectful relationships.

Analysis of Selected Enhancements for Soil Vapor Extraction

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-01

Inches per second ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS (Continued) xiii ISB In situ bioremediation JFK John F. Kennedy Airport K Hydraulic conductivity KAI KAI...wells by an applied vacuum. RFH is effective for treating VOCs in low-permeability soil in the vadose zone. Electrical Resistance Heating : This... applied vacuum. However, application of steam injection/stripping systems is limited to medium- to high-permeability soils. ER heating is more

Non-Metric Similarity Measures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Sunil Aryal and Kai Ming Ting. (2015) A generic ensemble approach to estimate multi-dimensional likelihood in Bayesian classifier learning...Computational Intelligence. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/coin.12063/abstract 5.2 List of peer-reviewed conference publications [3] Sunil Aryal...International Conference on Data Mining. 707-711. [4] Sunil Aryal, Kai Ming Ting, Jonathan R. Wells and Takashi Washio. (2014) Improv- ing iForest with

Hui Malama O Ke Kai: A Positive Prevention-Based Youth Development Program Based on Native Hawaiian Values and Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hishinuma, Earl S.; Chang, Janice Y.; Sy, Angela; Greaney, Malia F.; Morris, Katherine A.; Scronce, Ami C.; Rehuher, Davis; Nishimura, Stephanie T.

2009-01-01

Evaluation of after-school programs that are culturally and place-based and promote positive youth development among minority and indigenous youths has not been widely published. The present evaluation is the first of its kind of an after-school, youth-risk prevention program called Hui Malama O Ke Kai (HMK), that emphasizes Native Hawaiian values…

The Use of Rockets as Military Weapons at the Siege of Kai Fung Foo in 1232 A.D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

One of the earliest recorded instances of the use of rockets was as military weapons against the Mongols by the Chinese at the siege of Kai Fung Foo in 1232 A.D. An arrow with a tube of gunpowder produced an arrow of flying fire. The Mongol attackers fled in terror, even though the rockets were inaccurate and relatively harmless.

Second Generation of Mass Estimation

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Takashi Washio, Jonathan R. Wells, Fei Tony Liu and Sunil Aryal (2013). DEMass: A New Density Estimator for Big Data. International Journal of Knowledge...and Information Systems. Vol. 35, Issue. 3, pp. 493-524 5.2 List of peer-reviewed conference publications [3] Sunil Aryal and Kai Ming Ting (2013...Measures. Submitted to 2013 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining [6] Sunil Aryal and Kai Ming Ting. An ensemble approach to estimate multi

Smoke and Hormone Mirrors: Action and Evolution of Karrikin and Strigolactone Signaling.

PubMed

Morffy, Nicholas; Faure, Lionel; Nelson, David C

2016-03-01

Karrikins and strigolactones are two classes of butenolide molecules that have diverse effects on plant growth. Karrikins are found in smoke and strigolactones are plant hormones, yet both molecules are likely recognized through highly similar signaling mechanisms. Here we review the most recent discoveries of karrikin and strigolactone perception and signal transduction. Two paralogous α/β hydrolases, KAI2 and D14, are respectively karrikin and strigolactone receptors. D14 acts with an F-box protein, MAX2, to target SMXL/D53 family proteins for proteasomal degradation, and genetic data suggest that KAI2 acts similarly. There are striking parallels in the signaling mechanisms of karrikins, strigolactones, and other plant hormones, including auxins, jasmonates, and gibberellins. Recent investigations of host perception in parasitic plants have demonstrated that strigolactone recognition can evolve following gene duplication of KAI2. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Root growth of Cynodon dactylon and Eleusine indica collected from motorways at different concentrations of lead.

PubMed

Wong, M H; Lau, W M

1985-04-01

An ecological survey was conducted on the roadside vegetation at three different sites: Tai Po, a commercial and residential area (average annual daily traffic (AADT) = 23730; and Shek O and Wu Kai Sha, recreational areas (AADT = 1590 and 20, respectively). Cynodon dactylon and Eleusine indica were the two most dominant species recorded. The Tai Po site had higher Pb contents in both soil and plant, followed by Shek O, and then Wu Kai Sha. Tillers of C. dactylon and E. indica from the three sites were subjected to a series concentrations of Pb(NO3)2. By comparing their indexes of tolerance and values of 14-day EC50 (effective concentration reducing the normal root growth by 50%), roadside populations of the two grasses collected from Tai Po and Shek O, especially the former one, were more tolerant to elevated levels of Pb compared with those collected from Wu Kai Sha.

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-02

government, led by Chiang Kai -shek and his Kuomintang (KMT) party, fled mainland China and moved to Taiwan, an island off the southern Chinese...system in which Chiang Kai -shek’s authoritarian Nationalist Party (KMT) ruled under martial law.7 The KMT permitted no political opposition and held no...19 Hsu, Jenny, “’Taipei’ gets direct link to WHO unit,” Taipei Times, January 23, 2009, p. 1. 20 Xie Yu , “Taiwan put under WHO

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-14

Chinese government, led by Chiang Kai -shek and his Kuomintang (KMT) party, fled mainland China and moved to Taiwan, an island off the southern Chinese...system in which Chiang Kai -shek’s authoritarian Nationalist Party (KMT) ruled under martial law.7 The KMT permitted no political opposition and held...19 Hsu, Jenny, “’Taipei’ gets direct link to WHO unit,” Taipei Times, January 23, 2009, p. 1. 20 Xie Yu , “Taiwan put under WHO

The karrikin response system of Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Waters, Mark T; Scaffidi, Adrian; Sun, Yueming K; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M

2014-08-01

Arabidopsis thaliana provides a powerful means to investigate the mode of action of karrikins, compounds produced during wildfires that stimulate germination of seeds of fire-following taxa. These studies have revealed close parallels between karrikin signalling and strigolactone signalling. The two perception systems employ similar mechanisms involving closely related α/β-fold hydrolases (KAI2 and AtD14) and a common F-box protein (MAX2). However, karrikins and strigolactones may be distinguished from each other and elicit different responses. The karrikin response requires a newly discovered protein (SMAX1), a homologue of rice protein D53 that is required for the strigolactone response. Mutants defective in the response to karrikins have seeds with increased dormancy, altered seedling photomorphogenesis and modified leaf shape. As the karrikin and strigolactone response mechanisms are so similar, it is speculated that the endogenous signalling compound for the KAI2 system may be a specific strigolactone. However, new results show that the proposed endogenous signalling compound is not produced by the known strigolactone biosynthesis pathway via carlactone. Structural studies of KAI2 protein and its interaction with karrikins and strigolactone analogues provide some insight into possible protein-ligand interactions, but are hampered by lack of knowledge of the endogenous ligand. The KAI2 system appears to be present throughout angiosperms, implying a fundamentally important function in plant biology. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

ally, China’s situation changed dramatically after the civil war victory of Mao Tse-tung in 1949. The reigning Chinese government, led by Chiang Kai ...Congressional Research Service 5 Changing Political Dynamics in Taiwan Until the mid-1980s, Taiwan had a one-party system in which Chiang Kai -shek’s...Taipei Times, January 23, 2009, p. 1. 21 Xie Yu , “Taiwan put under WHO health rules,” China Daily, February 12, 2009. 22 Chen, Jian, “WHA arrangements

The (temporary?) queering of Japanese TV.

PubMed

Miller, S D

2000-01-01

One of the primary texts of the "out" queer cinema of Japan is the television serial D s kai, first aired in 1993. Unlike Western television shows positing queer characters, D s kai presents its gay characters without apology or excuses, and as leads rather than as colorful appendages. At the same time, however, the show filters gay eroticism through the (hetero)normative mode of serial melodrama, at once pushing the boundaries of national permissiveness while normalizing and homogenizing homosexuality by rendering it within a conventional form.

Maintaining an outward image: a Korean immigrant's life with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

PubMed

Pistulka, Gina M; Winch, Peter J; Park, Hyunjeong; Han, Hae-Ra; Kim, Miyong T

2012-06-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) disproportionately affect minority populations in the United States, including Korean American immigrants (KAI). We conducted qualitative interviews with middle-aged KAI in Maryland living with DM and HTN to examine the illness experience to inform future intervention strategies. Study results show that participants utilized strategies to maintain respect and Korean identity, including an image of being healthy and in control of their behavior in the public arena. These strategies included the lack of disclosure of their illness, even to family members, and avoiding outside assistance when engaging in problem solving. Maintaining an outward image of health was a common goal that affected the self-care of KAI in this study, a finding that might prove significant in the management of other chronic illnesses affecting this population. The study findings demonstrate the importance of in-depth understanding of specific populations when treating chronic illness, and caretakers' sensitivity to each population's unique cultural issues regarding identity, image, and disclosure.

Robust and tunable circadian rhythms from differentially sensitive catalytic domains

PubMed Central

Phong, Connie; Markson, Joseph S.; Wilhoite, Crystal M.; Rust, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Circadian clocks are ubiquitous biological oscillators that coordinate an organism’s behavior with the daily cycling of the external environment. To ensure synchronization with the environment, the period of the clock must be maintained near 24 h even as amplitude and phase are altered by input signaling. We show that, in a reconstituted circadian system from cyanobacteria, these conflicting requirements are satisfied by distinct functions for two domains of the central clock protein KaiC: the C-terminal autokinase domain integrates input signals through the ATP/ADP ratio, and the slow N-terminal ATPase acts as an input-independent timer. We find that phosphorylation in the C-terminal domain followed by an ATPase cycle in the N-terminal domain is required to form the inhibitory KaiB•KaiC complexes that drive the dynamics of the clock. We present a mathematical model in which this ATPase-mediated delay in negative feedback gives rise to a compensatory mechanism that allows a tunable phase and amplitude while ensuring a robust circadian period. PMID:23277568

Does Access to Care Still Affect Health Care Utilization by Immigrants? Testing of an Empirical Explanatory Model of Health Care Utilization by Korean American Immigrants with High Blood Pressure

PubMed Central

Han, Hae-Ra; Lee, Jong-Eun; Kim, Ji-Yun; Kim, Kim B.; Ryu, Jai Poong; Kim, Miyong

2015-01-01

Despite well-known benefits of health care utilization for the effective management of chronic diseases, the underlying mechanism of understanding health care utilization in ethnic minority population has not been systematically explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive ability of a health care utilization model by analyzing the interplay between predisposing, enabling, and need factors. The sample consisted of hypertensive Korean American immigrants (KAIs) 40–64 years of age who participated in a self-help intervention for high blood pressure care (SHIP-HBP). Using structured questionnaires, data were collected from 445 KAIs at baseline and analyzed with path analysis. Insurance status and relevant medical history were not just strong direct effects but also carried the most total effect on the health care utilization of these patients. Life priorities, years of residence in the US and perceived income level exerted indirect effects through the participants’ insurance status. Our statistical analysis indicated a good fit for the proposed model (x2 = 28.4, P = 0.29; NFI = 0.91; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.02). Overall, the model explained 18% of the variance in health care utilization of hypertensive KAIs. These findings strongly support a need to improve access to health care for KAIs by introducing a variety of community resources and building sustainable community infrastructures. PMID:19649709

Detection of parasitic plant suicide germination compounds using a high-throughput Arabidopsis HTL/KAI2 strigolactone perception system.

PubMed

Toh, Shigeo; Holbrook-Smith, Duncan; Stokes, Michael E; Tsuchiya, Yuichiro; McCourt, Peter

2014-08-14

Strigolactones are terpenoid-based plant hormones that act as communication signals within a plant, between plants and fungi, and between parasitic plants and their hosts. Here we show that an active enantiomer form of the strigolactone GR24, the germination stimulant karrikin, and a number of structurally related small molecules called cotylimides all bind the HTL/KAI2 α/β hydrolase in Arabidopsis. Strigolactones and cotylimides also promoted an interaction between HTL/KAI2 and the F-box protein MAX2 in yeast. Identification of this chemically dependent protein-protein interaction prompted the development of a yeast-based, high-throughput chemical screen for potential strigolactone mimics. Of the 40 lead compounds identified, three were found to have in planta strigolactone activity using Arabidopsis-based assays. More importantly, these three compounds were all found to stimulate suicide germination of the obligate parasitic plant Striga hermonthica. These results suggest that screening strategies involving yeast/Arabidopsis models may be useful in combating parasitic plant infestations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biobutanol production in a Clostridium acetobutylicum biofilm reactor integrated with simultaneous product recovery by adsorption

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Clostridium acetobutylicum can propagate on fibrous matrices and form biofilms that have improved butanol tolerance and a high fermentation rate and can be repeatedly used. Previously, a novel macroporous resin, KA-I, was synthesized in our laboratory and was demonstrated to be a good adsorbent with high selectivity and capacity for butanol recovery from a model solution. Based on these results, we aimed to develop a process integrating a biofilm reactor with simultaneous product recovery using the KA-I resin to maximize the production efficiency of biobutanol. Results KA-I showed great affinity for butanol and butyrate and could selectively enhance acetoin production at the expense of acetone during the fermentation. The biofilm reactor exhibited high productivity with considerably low broth turbidity during repeated batch fermentations. By maintaining the butanol level above 6.5 g/L in the biofilm reactor, butyrate adsorption by the KA-I resin was effectively reduced. Co-adsorption of acetone by the resin improved the fermentation performance. By redox modulation with methyl viologen (MV), the butanol-acetone ratio and the total product yield increased. An equivalent solvent titer of 96.5 to 130.7 g/L was achieved with a productivity of 1.0 to 1.5 g · L-1 · h-1. The solvent concentration and productivity increased by 4 to 6-fold and 3 to 5-fold, respectively, compared to traditional batch fermentation using planktonic culture. Conclusions Compared to the conventional process, the integrated process dramatically improved the productivity and reduced the energy consumption as well as water usage in biobutanol production. While genetic engineering focuses on strain improvement to enhance butanol production, process development can fully exploit the productivity of a strain and maximize the production efficiency. PMID:24401161

Comprehensive Analysis of DWARF14-LIKE2 (DLK2) Reveals Its Functional Divergence from Strigolactone-Related Paralogs

PubMed Central

Végh, Attila; Incze, Norbert; Fábián, Attila; Huo, Heqiang; Bradford, Kent J.; Balázs, Ervin; Soós, Vilmos

2017-01-01

Strigolactones (SLs) and related butenolides, originally identified as active seed germination stimulants of parasitic weeds, play important roles in many aspects of plant development. Two members of the D14 α/β hydrolase protein family, DWARF14 (D14) and KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) are essential for SL/butenolide signaling. The third member of the family in Arabidopsis, DWARF 14-LIKE2 (DLK2) is structurally very similar to D14 and KAI2, but its function is unknown. We demonstrated that DLK2 does not bind nor hydrolyze natural (+)5-deoxystrigol [(+)5DS], and weakly hydrolyzes non-natural strigolactone (-)5DS. A detailed genetic analysis revealed that DLK2 does not affect SL responses and can regulate seedling photomorphogenesis. DLK2 is upregulated in the dark dependent upon KAI2 and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs), indicating that DLK2 might function in light signaling pathways. In addition, unlike its paralog proteins, DLK2 is not subject to rac-GR24-induced degradation, suggesting that DLK2 acts independently of MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2); however, regulation of DLK2 transcription is mostly accomplished through MAX2. In conclusion, these data suggest that DLK2 represents a divergent member of the DWARF14 family. PMID:28970845

Strigolactones, karrikins and beyond.

PubMed

De Cuyper, Carolien; Struk, Sylwia; Braem, Lukas; Gevaert, Kris; De Jaeger, Geert; Goormachtig, Sofie

2017-09-01

The plant hormones strigolactones are synthesized from carotenoids and signal via the α/β hydrolase DWARF 14 (D14) and the F-box protein MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 2 (MAX2). Karrikins, molecules produced upon fire, share MAX2 for signalling, but depend on the D14 paralog KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) for perception with strong evidence that the MAX2-KAI2 protein complex might also recognize so far unknown plant-made karrikin-like molecules. Thus, the phenotypes of the max2 mutants are the complex consequence of a loss of both D14-dependent and KAI2-dependent signalling, hence, the reason why some biological roles, attributed to strigolactones based on max2 phenotypes, could never be observed in d14 or in the strigolactone-deficient max3 and max4 mutants. Moreover, the broadly used synthetic strigolactone analog rac-GR24 has been shown to mimic strigolactone as well as karrikin(-like) signals, providing an extra level of complexity in the distinction of the unique and common roles of both molecules in plant biology. Here, a critical overview is provided of the diverse biological processes regulated by strigolactones and/or karrikins. These two growth regulators are considered beyond their boundaries, and the importance of the yet unknown karrikin-like molecules is discussed as well. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comprehensive Analysis of DWARF14-LIKE2 (DLK2) Reveals Its Functional Divergence from Strigolactone-Related Paralogs.

PubMed

Végh, Attila; Incze, Norbert; Fábián, Attila; Huo, Heqiang; Bradford, Kent J; Balázs, Ervin; Soós, Vilmos

2017-01-01

Strigolactones (SLs) and related butenolides, originally identified as active seed germination stimulants of parasitic weeds, play important roles in many aspects of plant development. Two members of the D14 α/β hydrolase protein family, DWARF14 (D14) and KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) are essential for SL/butenolide signaling. The third member of the family in Arabidopsis, DWARF 14-LIKE2 (DLK2) is structurally very similar to D14 and KAI2, but its function is unknown. We demonstrated that DLK2 does not bind nor hydrolyze natural (+)5-deoxystrigol [(+)5DS], and weakly hydrolyzes non-natural strigolactone (-)5DS. A detailed genetic analysis revealed that DLK2 does not affect SL responses and can regulate seedling photomorphogenesis. DLK2 is upregulated in the dark dependent upon KAI2 and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs), indicating that DLK2 might function in light signaling pathways. In addition, unlike its paralog proteins, DLK2 is not subject to rac -GR24-induced degradation, suggesting that DLK2 acts independently of MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2); however, regulation of DLK2 transcription is mostly accomplished through MAX2. In conclusion, these data suggest that DLK2 represents a divergent member of the DWARF14 family.

Carlactone-independent seedling morphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Scaffidi, Adrian; Waters, Mark T; Ghisalberti, Emilio L; Dixon, Kingsley W; Flematti, Gavin R; Smith, Steven M

2013-10-01

Strigolactone hormones are derived from carotenoids via carlactone, and act through the α/β-hydrolase D14 and the F-box protein D3/MAX2 to repress plant shoot branching. While MAX2 is also necessary for normal seedling development, D14 and the known strigolactone biosynthesis genes are not, raising the question of whether endogenous, canonical strigolactones derived from carlactone have a role in seedling morphogenesis. Here, we report the chemical synthesis of the strigolactone precursor carlactone, and show that it represses Arabidopsis shoot branching and influences leaf morphogenesis via a mechanism that is dependent on the cytochrome P450 MAX1. In contrast, both physiologically active Z-carlactone and the non-physiological E isomer exhibit similar weak activity in seedlings, and predominantly signal through D14 rather than its paralogue KAI2, in a MAX2-dependent but MAX1-independent manner. KAI2 is essential for seedling morphogenesis, and hence this early-stage development employs carlactone-independent morphogens for which karrikins from wildfire smoke are specific surrogates. While the commonly employed synthetic strigolactone GR24 acts non-specifically through both D14 and KAI2, carlactone is a specific effector of strigolactone signalling that acts through MAX1 and D14. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Early diagenetic processes of saline meromictic Lake Kai-ike, southwest Japan: III. Sulfur speciation and isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, N.; Yamaguchi, K. E.; Oguri, K.

2014-12-01

Lake Kai-ike is a saline meromictic lake located along the coast of Kami-Koshiki Island. The lake is isolated from ocean by a gravel bar, through which seawater infiltrates by tidal pumping. The lake is permanently redox (density)-stratified with a mid-depth development of photic zone anoxia and a dense community of photosynthetic bacteria pinkish "bacterial plate". The early diagenesis of sulfur in sediments overlain by an anoxic water body was investigated using a sediment core (KAI4) from the lake. We determined abundance of various S-bearing species (i.e., Cr-reducible sulfide (= pyrite S: Spy), acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), sulfate sulfur (SSO4), elemental sulfur (S0), and organic sulfur) by an improved sequential extraction method. Here we focus on drastic and rapid changes on sulfur biogeochemistry found in the uppermost 5cm layer. With increasing depth, abundance of Spy increased but that of SSO4 and δ34S value of Spy (δ34Spy) decreased. These results suggest progressive formation of bacteriogenic pyrite. The δ34S values of SSO4 (δ34SSO4) ranged from 25.1 ‰ (at sediment surface) to 3.8 ‰ in the uppermost 5 cm layer. This δ34SSO4 decrease in the top 5 cm sediment suggests that SSO4 in the surface sediment inherits SO42- with elevated δ34S values (higher than typical seawater δ34S value of 21‰) in the water column, which is due to extensive bacterial sulfate reduction with preferential removal of low-δ34S sulfur as sulfide. In the lower part of the uppermost 5 cm layer, SO42- formed by oxidation of S0, AVS, and/or Spy with low-δ34S values by SO42--bearing seawater introduced by infiltration through the gravel bar. Increasing δ34Spy values with increasing depth suggest near complete consumption of SO42- by active bacterial sulfate reduction, and this process could be explained by Rayleigh distillation model. Early diagenesis of sulfur does occur in whole section of 25cm-long KAI4 core that accumulated for the last ~60 years (Yamaguchi et al., 2010; Palaeo3). Geochemical characteristics of sulfur in the uppermost part of Lake Kai-ike sediment were significantly modified during early diagenesis. Such diagenetic modification for sulfur isotopes should be fully taken into account to better reconstruct past anoxic environment such as Cretaceous OAEs and Archean oceans.

Hui Malama o ke Kai: mobilizing to prevent youth violence and substance use with passion, common goals, and culture.

PubMed

Akeo, Nani P; Bunyan, Eric S; Burgess, Kaui N; Eckart, David R; Evensen, Shirley L; Hirose-Wong, Shannon M; Majit-Gorion, Sharon S; Takeshita, Carl K; Takeshita, Irene K; Vasconcellos, Carl G

2008-03-01

The goal of the Hui Malama o ke Kai project was the development of a community-based youth program that supported the prevention of youth violence and substance use among 5th- and 6th-grade students from a predominantly Hawaiian community. This program's development included engaging with a variety of community partners and mobilizing parents through the youths' cultural development. Recommendations for working with Hawaiians and other indigenous peoples include having program evaluators work more intimately with program participants and developing program components that address ethnic identity and family engagement. In doing so, youth programs with indigenous peoples can also galvanize small communities that are coping with destructive social concerns.

[Effect of calcium cations on acid-base properties and free radical oxidation of dopamine and pyrocatechol].

PubMed

Lebedev, A V; Ivanova, M V; Timoshin, A A; Ruuge, E K

2008-01-01

Ca2+-induced increase in the rate of pyrocatechol and dopamine oxidation by dioxygen and Ca2+-dependent acid-base properties of the catechols were studied by potentiometric titration, UV/Vis-spectrophotometry, EPR-spectroscopy, and by measurement of oxygen consumption. The effect of Ca2+ on the chain reactions of oxidation can be explained by additional deprotonation (decrease in pKai) of the catechols that accelerates one electron transport to dioxygen and formation of calcium semiquinonate, undergoing further oxidation. The described Ca2+-dependent redox-conversion of ortho-phenols proposes that an additional function of calcium in the cell can be its involvement in free radical oxidoreductive reactions at pH > pKai.

Molecular evolution and diversification of the SMXL gene family.

PubMed

Moturu, Taraka Ramji; Thula, Sravankumar; Singh, Ravi Kumar; Nodzynski, Tomasz; Vareková, Radka Svobodová; Friml, Jirí; Simon, Sibu

2018-04-23

Strigolactones (SLs) are a relatively recent addition to the list of plant hormones that control different aspects of plant development. SL signalling is perceived by an α/β hydrolase, DWARF 14 (D14). A close homolog of D14, KARRIKIN INSENSTIVE2 (KAI2), is involved in perception of an uncharacterized molecule called karrikin (KAR). Recent studies in Arabidopsis identified the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 (SMAX1) and SMAX1-LIKE 7 (SMXL7) to be potential SCF-MAX2 complex-mediated proteasome targets of KAI2 and D14, respectively. Genetic studies on SMXL7 and SMAX1 demonstrated distinct developmental roles for each, but very little is known about these repressors in terms of their sequence features. In this study, we performed an extensive comparative analysis of SMXLs and determined their phylogenetic and evolutionary history in the plant lineage. Our results show that SMXL family members can be sub-divided into four distinct phylogenetic clades/classes, with an ancient SMAX1. Further, we identified the clade-specific motifs that have evolved and that might act as determinants of SL-KAR signalling specificity. These specificities resulted from functional diversities among the clades. Our results suggest that a gradual co-evolution of SMXL members with their upstream receptors D14/KAI2 provided an increased specificity to both the SL perception and response in land plants.

Differential expression patterns of metastasis suppressor proteins in basal cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Bozdogan, Onder; Yulug, Isik G; Vargel, Ibrahim; Cavusoglu, Tarik; Karabulut, Ayse A; Karahan, Gurbet; Sayar, Nilufer

2015-08-01

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are common malignant skin tumors. Despite having a significant invasion capacity, they metastasize only rarely. Our aim in this study was to detect the expression patterns of the NM23-H1, NDRG1, E-cadherin, RHOGDI2, CD82/KAI1, MKK4, and AKAP12 metastasis suppressor proteins in BCCs. A total of 96 BCC and 10 normal skin samples were included for the immunohistochemical study. Eleven frozen BCC samples were also studied by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect the gene expression profile. NM23-H1 was strongly and diffusely expressed in all types of BCC. Significant cytoplasmic expression of NDRG1 and E-cadherin was also detected. However, AKAP12 and CD82/KAI1 expression was significantly decreased. The expressions of the other proteins were somewhere between the two extremes. Similarly, qRT-PCR analysis showed down-regulation of AKAP12 and up-regulation of NM23-H1 and NDRG1 in BCC. Morphologically aggressive BCCs showed significantly higher cytoplasmic NDRG1 expression scores and lower CD82/KAI1 scores than non-aggressive BCCs. The relatively preserved levels of NM23-H1, NDRG1, and E-cadherin proteins may have a positive effect on the non-metastasizing features of these tumors. © 2014 The International Society of Dermatology.

Kai Zhu | NREL

Science.gov Websites

., "Long-range hot-carrier transport in hybrid perovskites visualized by ultrafast microscopy," perovskites for optoelectronic and electronic applications," Chem. Soc. Rev. 45, 655-689 (2016). Yang, M

Antiretroviral treatment scale-up among persons living with HIV in Kenya: results from a nationally representative survey.

PubMed

Odhiambo, Jacob O; Kellogg, Timothy A; Kim, Andrea A; Ng'ang'a, Lucy; Mukui, Irene; Umuro, Mamo; Mohammed, Ibrahim; De Cock, Kevin M; Kimanga, Davies O; Schwarcz, Sandra

2014-05-01

In 2007, 29% of HIV-infected Kenyans in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART), based on an immunologic criterion of CD4 ≤350 cells per microliter, were receiving ART. Since then, substantial treatment scale-up has occurred in the country. We analyzed data from the second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) to assess progress of treatment scale-up in Kenya. KAIS 2012 was a nationally representative survey of persons aged 18 months to 64 years that collected information on HIV status, care, and treatment. ART eligibility was defined based on 2 standards: (1) 2011 Kenya eligibility criteria for ART initiation: CD4 ≤350 cells per microliter or co-infection with active tuberculosis and (2) 2013 World Health Organization (WHO) eligibility criteria for ART initiation: CD4 ≤500 cells per microliter, co-infection with active tuberculosis, currently pregnant or breastfeeding, and infected partners in serodiscordant relationships. Blood specimens were tested for HIV antibodies and HIV-positive specimens tested for CD4 cell counts. Among 13,720 adults and adolescents aged 15-64 years, 11,626 provided a blood sample, and 648 were HIV infected. Overall, 58.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 52.0 to 65.5) were eligible for treatment using the 2011 Kenya eligibility criteria and 77.4% (95% CI: 72.4 to 82.4) using the 2013 WHO eligibility criteria. Coverage of ART was 60.5% (95% CI: 50.8 to 70.2) using the 2011 Kenya eligibility criteria and 45.9% (95% CI: 37.7 to 54.2) using the 2013 WHO eligibility criteria. ART coverage has increased from 29% in 2007 to 61% in 2012. If Kenya adopts the 2013 WHO guidelines for ART initiation, need for ART increases by an additional 19 percentage points and current coverage decreases by an additional 15 percentage points, representing an additional 214,000 persons who will need to be reached.

Purple dots phase II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

On behalf of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), Kittelson & Associates, Inc. : (KAI) is conducting an evaluation of an experimental traffic control device at a Maryland toll : plaza. This report summarizes our findings for the evaluation o...

Development of a systematic strategy for the global identification and classification of the chemical constituents and metabolites of Kai-Xin-San based on liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multiple data-processing approaches.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaotong; Liu, Jing; Yang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Qian; Zhang, Yiwen; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun

2018-03-30

To rapidly identify and classify complicated components and metabolites for traditional Chinese medicines, a liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method combined with multiple data-processing approaches was established. In this process, Kai-Xin-San, a widely used classic traditional Chinese medicine preparation, was chosen as a model prescription. Initially, the fragmentation patterns, diagnostic product ions and neutral loss of each category of compounds were summarized by collision-induced dissociation analysis of representative standards. In vitro, the multiple product ions filtering technique was utilized to identify the chemical constituents for globally covering trace components. With this strategy, 108 constituents were identified, and compounds database was successfully established. In vivo, the prototype compounds were extracted based on the established database, and the neutral loss filtering technique combined with the drug metabolism reaction rules was employed to identify metabolites. Overall, 69 constituents including prototype and metabolites were characterized in rat plasma and nine constituents were firstly characterized in rat brain, which may be the potential active constituents resulting in curative effects by synergistic interaction. In conclusion, this study provides a generally applicable strategy to global metabolite identification for the complicated components in complex matrix and a chemical basis for further pharmacological research of Kai-Xin-San. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

76 FR 58436 - Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-21

.... Approximately 105 feet None [caret]500 upstream of Haihai Street. Shallow Flooding Approximately 2.8 miles None 2 Hawaii County. northeast of the intersection of Ka'Ulu Street and 'Ahinahina Place. Shallow... and Naupaka Kai Place. [[Page 58438

NREL Research Pinpoints Promise of Polycrystalline Perovskites | News |

Science.gov Websites

Beard, David Moore and Elisa Miller are co-authors of a new paper in Nature Energy about perovskites , Yong Yan, Elisa M. Miller, and Kai Zhu. Beard said the research determined surface recombination

[Achievements and enlightenment of modern acupuncture therapy for stroke based on the neuroanatomy].

PubMed

Chen, Li-Fang; Fang, Jian-Qiao; Chen, Lu-Ni; Wang, Chao

2014-04-01

Up to now, in the treatment of stroke patients by acupuncture therapy, three main representative achievements involving scalp acupuncture intervention, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" (restoring consciousness and inducing resuscitation) acupuncture technique and nape acupuncture therapy have been got. Regarding their neurobiological mechanisms, the scalp acupuncture therapy is based on the functional localization of the cerebral cortex, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" acupuncture therapy is closely related to nerve stem stimulation, and the nape acupuncture therapy is based on the nerve innervation of the regional neck-nape area in obtaining therapeutic effects. In fact, effects of these three acupuncture interventions are all closely associated with the modern neuroanatomy. In the treatment of post-stroke spastic paralysis, cognitive disorder and depression with acupuncture therapy, modern neuroanatomical knowledge should be one of the key theoretical basis and new therapeutic techniques should be explored and developed continuously.

Creative style, personality, and artistic endeavor.

PubMed

Gelade, Garry A

2002-08-01

Research has shown that creative style, as measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI; M. J. Kirton, 1976), is correlated with more than 30 different personality traits. In this article, the author demonstrates that many of these correlations can be understood within the framework of the Five-Factor Model of personality and shows that the predominant correlates of creative style are personality indicators in the domains of the factors Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, and, to a lesser extent, Extraversion. These findings provide a basis for comparing the personality traits associated with creative style and occupational creativity. High scorers on the KAI (innovators) differ from both average and creative scientists but have personality characteristics similar to those of artists. This finding suggests that the artistic personality may be more common than is generally supposed and that common factors might underlie both artistic endeavor and creative style.

Design of multi-mode compatible image acquisition system for HD area array CCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chen; Sui, Xiubao

2014-11-01

Combining with the current development trend in video surveillance-digitization and high-definition, a multimode-compatible image acquisition system for HD area array CCD is designed. The hardware and software designs of the color video capture system of HD area array CCD KAI-02150 presented by Truesense Imaging company are analyzed, and the structure parameters of the HD area array CCD and the color video gathering principle of the acquisition system are introduced. Then, the CCD control sequence and the timing logic of the whole capture system are realized. The noises of the video signal (KTC noise and 1/f noise) are filtered by using the Correlated Double Sampling (CDS) technique to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the system. The compatible designs in both software and hardware for the two other image sensors of the same series: KAI-04050 and KAI-08050 are put forward; the effective pixels of these two HD image sensors are respectively as many as four million and eight million. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is adopted as the key controller of the system to perform the modularization design from top to bottom, which realizes the hardware design by software and improves development efficiency. At last, the required time sequence driving is simulated accurately by the use of development platform of Quartus II 12.1 combining with VHDL. The result of the simulation indicates that the driving circuit is characterized by simple framework, low power consumption, and strong anti-interference ability, which meet the demand of miniaturization and high-definition for the current tendency.

Using information and communications technology in a national population-based survey: the Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012.

PubMed

Ojwang', James K; Lee, Veronica C; Waruru, Anthony; Ssempijja, Victor; Ng'ang'a, John G; Wakhutu, Brian E; Kandege, Nicholas O; Koske, Danson K; Kamiru, Samuel M; Omondi, Kenneth O; Kakinyi, Mutua; Kim, Andrea A; Oluoch, Tom

2014-05-01

With improvements in technology, electronic data capture (EDC) for large surveys is feasible. EDC offers benefits over traditional paper-based data collection, including more accurate data, greater completeness of data, and decreased data cleaning burden. The second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) was a population-based survey of persons aged 18 months to 64 years. A software application was designed to capture the interview, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling data. The application included: interview translations for local languages; options for single, multiple, and fill-in responses; and automated participant eligibility determination. Data quality checks were programmed to automate skip patterns and prohibit outlier responses. A data sharing architecture was developed to transmit the data in real-time from the field to a central server over a virtual private network. KAIS 2012 was conducted between October 2012 and February 2013. Overall, 68,202 records for the interviews, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling were entered into the application. Challenges arose during implementation, including poor connectivity and a systems malfunction that created duplicate records, which prevented timely data transmission to the central server. Data cleaning was minimal given the data quality control measures. KAIS 2012 demonstrated the feasibility of using EDC in a population-based survey. The benefits of EDC were apparent in data quality and minimal time needed for data cleaning. Several important lessons were learned, such as the time and monetary investment required before survey implementation, the importance of continuous application testing, and contingency plans for data transmission due to connectivity challenges.

A comitative source for object markers in Sinitic languages: 跟 kai55 in Waxiang and 共 kang7 in Southern Min

PubMed Central

Chappell, Hilary; Peyraube, Alain; Wu, Yunji

2013-01-01

This analysis sets out to specifically discuss the polyfunctionality of 跟 [kai55] in Waxiang (Sinitic), whose lexical source is the verb ‘to follow’. Amongst its various uses, we find a preposition ‘with, along’, a marker of adjuncts and a NP conjunction, thus superficially resembling its Mandarin cognate 跟 gēn ‘with’. Curiously, however, it has also evolved into a direct object marker in Waxiang, with a function similar to that of preposition 把 bă < ‘hold, take’ as found in the S–bă–O–VP or so-called ‘disposal’ form in standard Mandarin. The pathways of grammaticalization for 跟 [kai55] in Waxiang are thus discussed in order to determine how it has developed this unusual grammatical function in one of the linguistic zones of China where verbs of giving or taking are, in fact, the main source for grammaticalized object markers in ‘disposal’ constructions. On the basis of 16th and 17th century Southern Min literature (Sinitic), a comparison is also made with analogous developments for comitative 共 gòng ‘with’ to provide support for our hypothesis that the direct object marking use has evolved from the oblique function of a benefactive or dative, and is clearly separate from the crosslinguistically well-attested pathway that leads to its use as a conjunction. We would thus like to propose that these data contribute a new pattern to the stock of grammaticalization pathways, specifically, comitative > dative/benefactive > accusative (direct object marker). PMID:24273384

Taiwan’s Transition to Democracy

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-03-01

hard authoritarianism established by Chiang-Kai Shek’s regime allowed the institutions of private property and free enterprise to promote economic ... stability . Rapid growth followed and Taiwan transitioned from an agrarian based economy to a modem industrialized nation. The pressures from economic

78 FR 70096 - Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel KOKUA KAI; Invitation for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-22

... entered into this docket is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.regulations.gov . FOR FURTHER... submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy...

Using Information and Communications Technology in a National Population-Based Survey: The Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012

PubMed Central

Ojwang’, James K.; Lee, Veronica C.; Waruru, Anthony; Ssempijja, Victor; Ng’ang’a, John G.; Wakhutu, Brian E.; Kandege, Nicholas O.; Koske, Danson K.; Kamiru, Samuel M.; Omondi, Kenneth O.; Kakinyi, Mutua; Kim, Andrea A.; Oluoch, Tom

2016-01-01

Background With improvements in technology, electronic data capture (EDC) for large surveys is feasible. EDC offers benefits over traditional paper-based data collection, including more accurate data, greater completeness of data, and decreased data cleaning burden. Methods The second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) was a population-based survey of persons aged 18 months to 64 years. A software application was designed to capture the interview, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling data. The application included: interview translations for local languages; options for single, multiple, and fill-in responses; and automated participant eligibility determination. Data quality checks were programmed to automate skip patterns and prohibit outlier responses. A data sharing architecture was developed to transmit the data in realtime from the field to a central server over a virtual private network. Results KAIS 2012 was conducted between October 2012 and February 2013. Overall, 68,202 records for the interviews, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling were entered into the application. Challenges arose during implementation, including poor connectivity and a systems malfunction that created duplicate records, which prevented timely data transmission to the central server. Data cleaning was minimal given the data quality control measures. Conclusions KAIS 2012 demonstrated the feasibility of using EDC in a population-based survey. The benefits of EDC were apparent in data quality and minimal time needed for data cleaning. Several important lessons were learned, such as the time and monetary investment required before survey implementation, the importance of continuous application testing, and contingency plans for data transmission due to connectivity challenges. PMID:24732816

Nanotribology Investigations of Solid and Liquid Lubricants Using Scanned Probe Microscopies

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-28

Kai Rose, postdoctoral fellow (external fellowship support; supplies on AFOSR) 7. Ernesto Joselevich, postdoctoral fellow (external fellowship...scale friction measurements", European Semiconductor, July/August 1997. 2. I. Amato , "Candid Cameras for the Nanoworld," Science 276, 1982-1985 (1997

ICCE/ICCAI 2000 Full & Short Papers (Methodologies).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

This document contains the full text of the following full and short papers on methodologies from ICCE/ICCAI 2000 (International Conference on Computers in Education/International Conference on Computer-Assisted Instruction): (1) "A Methodology for Learning Pattern Analysis from Web Logs by Interpreting Web Page Contents" (Chih-Kai Chang and…

Determining the Effects of Reflection Type and Cognitive Style on Students' Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackburn, J. Joey; Robinson, J. Shane; Kacal, Amanda

2015-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory, experimental study was to determine the effects that the type of reflection-in-action and students' cognitive style had on content knowledge of preservice agriculture teachers (N = 57) at Oklahoma State University. Students' cognitive style was assessed using Kirton's Adaptation-Innovation Inventory (KAI). Students…

Intrusion Detection and Forensics for Self-Defending Wireless Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

ICNP), Nov. 2007. 5. Yao Zhao, Yan Chen, Bo Li, and Qian Zhang, Hop ID: A Virtual Coordinate based Routing for Sparse Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, in...Liu, Hongbo Zhao, Kai Chen and Yan Chen, " DISCO : Memory Efficient and Accurate Flow Statistics for Network Measurement", in the Proc. of IEEE ICDCS

Early Rockets

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-04-15

One of the earliest recorded instances of the use of rockets was as military weapons against the Mongols by the Chinese at the siege of Kai Fung Foo in 1232 A.D. An arrow with a tube of gunpowder produced an arrow of flying fire. The Mongol attackers fled in terror, even though the rockets were inaccurate and relatively harmless.

On a Quest for English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2007-01-01

This article reports the potential of online role-playing games to be a powerful tool for English as a second language (ESL) learning. When Professor Edd Schneider and game designer Kai Zheng suggested to attendees gathered in San Francisco last spring for the annual Game Developers Conference that massively multiplayer online role-playing games,…

Collaborative Research: Neutrinos and Nucleosynthesis in Hot and Dense Matter

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

Alford, Mark

2015-05-31

The Topical Collaboration funded one of Prof. Alford's graduate students, Jun (Sophia) Han, by providing 75% of her support. The work reported here was wholly or partly supported by the Topical Collaboration. Additional support, e.g. for postdoc Kai Schwenzer, came from Nuclear Theory grant #DE-FG02-05ER41375.

ADP Regulates the Structure and Function of the Protein KaiC

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-11

J. S., Lee, Y., Kang, S., Lee, D., Li, S., Britt, R. D., Rust , M., J., Golden, S., S., LiWang, A. (2015) A protein fold switch joins the circadian... Rust , M.J. (2013). Robust and tunable circadian rhythms from differentially sensitive catalytic domains. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 110, 1124- 1129

Chinese Lessons: Shanghai's Rise to the Top of the PISA League Tables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Marc S., Ed.

2014-01-01

Marc Tucker, President of the National Center on Education and the Economy, presents this compilation of interviews with top Chinese education leaders and international researchers exploring some of the policies and practices behind Shanghai's outstanding performance on PISA 2009 and PISA 2012. The interviews include perspectives from Kai-ming…

Driving techniques for high frame rate CCD camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Weiqiang; Jin, Longxu; Xiong, Jingwu

2008-03-01

This paper describes a high-frame rate CCD camera capable of operating at 100 frames/s. This camera utilizes Kodak KAI-0340, an interline transfer CCD with 640(vertical)×480(horizontal) pixels. Two output ports are used to read out CCD data and pixel rates approaching 30 MHz. Because of its reduced effective opacity of vertical charge transfer registers, interline transfer CCD can cause undesired image artifacts, such as random white spots and smear generated in the registers. To increase frame rate, a kind of speed-up structure has been incorporated inside KAI-0340, then it is vulnerable to a vertical stripe effect. The phenomena which mentioned above may severely impair the image quality. To solve these problems, some electronic methods of eliminating these artifacts are adopted. Special clocking mode can dump the unwanted charge quickly, then the fast readout of the images, cleared of smear, follows immediately. Amplifier is used to sense and correct delay mismatch between the dual phase vertical clock pulses, the transition edges become close to coincident, so vertical stripes disappear. Results obtained with the CCD camera are shown.

Strigolactone and karrikin signal perception: receptors, enzymes, or both?

PubMed Central

Janssen, Bart J.; Snowden, Kimberley C.

2012-01-01

The signaling molecules strigolactone (SL) and karrikin are involved in seed germination, development of axillary meristems, senescence of leaves, and interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The signal transduction pathways for both SLs and karrikins require the same F-box protein (MAX2) and closely related α/β hydrolase fold proteins (DAD2 and KAI2). The crystal structure of DAD2 has been solved revealing an α/β hydrolase fold protein with an internal cavity capable of accommodating SLs. DAD2 responds to the SL analog GR24 by changing conformation and binding to MAX2 in a GR24 concentration-dependent manner. DAD2 can also catalyze hydrolysis of GR24. Structure activity relationships of analogs indicate that the butenolide ring common to both SLs and karrikins is essential for biological activity, but the remainder of the molecules can be significantly modified without loss of activity. The combination of data from the study of DAD2, KAI2, and chemical analogs of SLs and karrikins suggests a model for binding that requires nucleophilic attack by the active site serine of the hydrolase at the carbonyl atom of the butenolide ring. A conformational change occurs in the hydrolase that results in interaction with the F-box protein MAX2. Downstream signal transduction is then likely to occur via SCF (Skp-Cullin-F-box) complex-mediated ubiquitination of target proteins and their subsequent degradation. The role of the catalytic activity of the hydrolase is unclear but it may be integral in binding as well as possibly allowing the signal to be cleared from the receptor. The α/β hydrolase fold family consists mostly of active enzymes, with a few notable exceptions. We suggest that DAD2 and KAI2 represent an intermediate stage where some catalytic activity is retained at the same time as a receptor role has evolved. PMID:23293648

Strigolactone and karrikin signal perception: receptors, enzymes, or both?

PubMed

Janssen, Bart J; Snowden, Kimberley C

2012-01-01

The signaling molecules strigolactone (SL) and karrikin are involved in seed germination, development of axillary meristems, senescence of leaves, and interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The signal transduction pathways for both SLs and karrikins require the same F-box protein (MAX2) and closely related α/β hydrolase fold proteins (DAD2 and KAI2). The crystal structure of DAD2 has been solved revealing an α/β hydrolase fold protein with an internal cavity capable of accommodating SLs. DAD2 responds to the SL analog GR24 by changing conformation and binding to MAX2 in a GR24 concentration-dependent manner. DAD2 can also catalyze hydrolysis of GR24. Structure activity relationships of analogs indicate that the butenolide ring common to both SLs and karrikins is essential for biological activity, but the remainder of the molecules can be significantly modified without loss of activity. The combination of data from the study of DAD2, KAI2, and chemical analogs of SLs and karrikins suggests a model for binding that requires nucleophilic attack by the active site serine of the hydrolase at the carbonyl atom of the butenolide ring. A conformational change occurs in the hydrolase that results in interaction with the F-box protein MAX2. Downstream signal transduction is then likely to occur via SCF (Skp-Cullin-F-box) complex-mediated ubiquitination of target proteins and their subsequent degradation. The role of the catalytic activity of the hydrolase is unclear but it may be integral in binding as well as possibly allowing the signal to be cleared from the receptor. The α/β hydrolase fold family consists mostly of active enzymes, with a few notable exceptions. We suggest that DAD2 and KAI2 represent an intermediate stage where some catalytic activity is retained at the same time as a receptor role has evolved.

Stability and Noise in the Cyanobacterial Circadian Clock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihalcescu, Irina

2008-03-01

Accuracy in cellular function has to be achieved despite random fluctuations (noise) in the concentrations of different molecular constituents inside and outside the cell. Single cell in vivo monitoring reveals that individual cells generate autonomous circadian rhythms in protein abundance. In multi-cellular organisms, the individual cell rhythms appear to be noisy with drifting phases and frequencies. However, the whole organism is significantly more accurate, the temporal precision being achieved most probably via intercellular coupling of the individual noisy oscillators. In cyanobacteria, we have shown that single cell oscillators are impressively stable and a first estimation rules out strong intercellular coupling. Interestingly, these prokaryotes also have the simplest molecular mechanism at the heart of their circadian clock. In the absence of transcriptional activity in vivo, as well alone in vitro, the three clock proteins KaiA, KaiB and KaiC generate a self-sustained circadian oscillation of autophosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Recent chemical kinetics models provide a possible understanding of the three-protein oscillator, but the measured in vivo stability remains yet unexplained. Is the clock stability a built-in property for each bacterium or does a weak intercellular coupling, make them appear like that? To address this question we first theoretically designed our experiment to be able to distinguish coupling, even weak, from phase diffusion. As the precision of our evaluation increases with the length of the experiments, we continuously monitor, for a couple of weeks, mixtures of cell populations with different initial phases. The inherent experimental noise contribution, initially dominant, is reduced by enhanced statistics. In addition, in situ entrainment experiments confirm our ability to detect a coupling of the circadian oscillator to an external force and to describe explicitly the dynamic change of the mean phase. We report a value of the coupling constant that is small compared to the diffusion constant. These results therefore confirm that the cyanobacterial clock stability is a built-in property: the cyanobacterian clock mechanism is not only the simplest but also the most robust.

ACUTE-TO-CHRONIC ESTIMATION (ACE V 2.0) WITH TIME-CONCENTRATION-EFFECT MODELS: USER MANUAL AND SOFTWARE

EPA Science Inventory

Ellersieck, Mark R., Amha Asfaw, Foster L. Mayer, Gary F. Krause, Kai Sun and Gunhee Lee. 2003. Acute-to-Chronic Estimation (ACE v2.0) with Time-Concentration-Effect Models: User Manual and Software. EPA/600/R-03/107. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Envi...

75 FR 35513 - Application of Schuman Aviation Company Ltd. D/B/A Makani Kai Helicopters D/B/A Ko Olina...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-22

... directing all interested persons to show cause why it should not issue an order finding Schuman Aviation... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary Application of Schuman Aviation Company Ltd.... Kurland, Assistant Secretary, for Aviation and International Affairs. [FR Doc. 2010-15028 Filed 6-21-10; 8...

Influence of Creative Style and Gender on Students' Achievement in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mkpanang, John T.

2016-01-01

The research investigated the influence of creative style and gender on students' achievement in physics. The sample consisting one hundred (100) Senior Secondary II physics students, made up of 50 males and 50 females in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, were administered the Kirton Adaptor-Innovator Inventory (KAI),…

75 FR 69160 - Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen To Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-10

... Anderson John Derek Anderson Rose Mary Andreen Clas Svante Joel Ang Diana Shu-Zhen Angelini Kevin Yang... Anthony Bergandi Marco Lee Berre Jean N. Berryman Curtis Frederick Beveridge Richard Henry Earle Beveridge... Cheung Mark Quintin Chih-Hsiang Lisa Lee Chiu Sammy Kai-Kong Christianson Marlys Chun Jessica Chung...

Two Viewpoints on the Challenges of ICT in Education: Knowledge-Building Theory vs. a Pragmatist Conception of Learning in Social Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kivinen, Osmo; Piiroinen, Tero; Saikkonen, Loretta

2016-01-01

The paper contrasts two different approaches to the educational challenges of the ubiquitous, rapidly developing information and communication technologies (ICT). The first is the constructivist "knowledge building" theory spearheaded by Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia and recently further developed by Kai Hakkarainen and Sami…

Optimal design of a combustion chamber of gas turbine engine by a Combustion chamber 1D-2D computer program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksandrov, Y. B.; Mingazov, B. G.

2017-09-01

The paper shows a method of modeling and optimization of processes in combustion chambers of gas turbine engines using a computer program developed by a team at the Department of Jet Engines and Power Plants (DJEPP) of Technical University named after A N Tupolev KNRTU-KAI.

Will Kai Become a Skinhead? Cultures of Hate in Germany and the New Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lhotzky, Stephan

2001-01-01

The rise of hate crimes and development of right-wing extremism among adolescents in Europe will require a response involving a multitude of measures in different areas and various levels. Combating this development will necessitate cooperation of experts in different fields. Individuals and groups will need to contribute knowledge in a way that…

76 FR 50423 - Changes in Flood Elevation Determinations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-15

...; May 13, The Honorable Tony April 29, 2011 015011 (11-04-0533P). 2011; The Islander. Kennon, Mayor... Meeker, (11- April 28, 2011; May The Honorable Mandi September 2, 2011 080151 08-0007P). 5, 2011; The Rio... Unincorporated areas April 28, 2011; May The Honorable Kai Turner, September 2, 2011 080288 of Rio Blanco 5, 2011...

Effects of Typographic Variables on Eye-Movement Measures in Reading Chinese from a Screen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Nai-Shing; Tsai, Jie-Li; Chen, Pei-Ling; Lin, Hsuan-Yu; Chen, Arbee L. P.

2011-01-01

To investigate the most efficient way to represent text in reading Chinese on computer displays, three typographic variables, character size (41[feet] arc/24 pixels and 60[feet] arc/32 pixels), character spacing (1/4 and 1/8 character width) and font type (Kai and Ming), were manipulated. Results showed that the reading speed for Chinese…

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-19

States, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (visiting Kabul), and several governments congratulated Karzai on the victory. U.S. officials, including...Ban Ki Moon of Galbraith, who had openly accused UNAMA head Kai Eide of soft-pedaling on the fraud charges and siding with Karzai. Galbraith has...of Transport and Aviation; and (10) Sultan Hussein Hesari, Minister of Urban Development. 2010 Parliamentary Elections/Election Law On January 2

NCCR Chemical Biology: Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, Outreach, Education, and New Tools for Switzerland.

PubMed

Sturzenegger, Susi; Johnsson, Kai; Riezman, Howard

2011-01-01

Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation to promote cutting edge research as well as the advancement of young researchers and women, technology transfer, outreach and education, the NCCR (Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research) Chemical Biology is co-led by Howard Riezman, University of Geneva and Kai Johnsson, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Lego clocks: building a clock from parts.

PubMed

Brunner, Michael; Simons, Mirre J P; Merrow, Martha

2008-06-01

A new finding opens up speculation that the molecular mechanism of circadian clocks in Synechococcus elongatus is composed of multiple oscillator systems (Kitayama and colleagues, this issue, pp. 1513-1521), as has been described in many eukaryotic clock model systems. However, an alternative intepretation is that the pacemaker mechanism-as previously suggested-lies primarily in the rate of ATP hydrolysis by the clock protein KaiC.

Integrated Fatigue Damage Diagnosis and Prognosis Under Uncertainties

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

Integrated fatigue damage diagnosis and prognosis under uncertainties Tishun Peng 1 , Jingjing He 1 , Yongming Liu 1 , Abhinav Saxena 2 , Jose...Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA kai.goebel@nasa.gov ABSTRACT An integrated fatigue damage diagnosis and prognosis framework is...remaining useful life (RUL) prediction. First, a piezoelectric sensor network is used to detect the fatigue crack size near the rivet holes in fuselage

International Conference on Environmental Ergonomics (4th) Held in Austin, Texas on 1-5 October 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-15

measurement error in relation 94 Ducharme, Michel B. to clothing and tissue insulation -- a simplified view 5 Reischl, Uwe Breathability measurements...PROTECTIVE CLOTHING Uwe Reischl, Francis N. Dukes-Dobos, Thomas E. Bernard and Kai Buller Department of Environmental and Occupational Health 0 College of...understood. 117 BREATHING APPARATUS AND VENTILATION William P. Morgan Biodynamics Laboratory University of Wisconsin- Madison 0 Madison , Wisconsin USA

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-06

investigated. On that basis, the United States, as well as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (visiting Kabul), and several governments, congratulated...investigation of the fraud. This led to the September 29, 2009, dismissal by Secretary General Ban Ki Moon of Galbraith, who had openly accused UNAMA head Kai...Minister of Transport and Aviation; and (10) Sultan Hussein Hesari, Minister of Urban Development. 2010 Parliamentary Elections and Election Law

Spin-Orbit Coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-03

generalized the new concepts to interacting spin-1/2 bosons in optical lattices and described a superfluid-to-Mott insulator transition in spin-orbit...and quantum phase transitions in topological insulators , Physical Review B, (09 2010): 0. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.115125 Christopher Varney, Kai...109.235308 J. Radi?, A. Di Ciolo, K. Sun, V. Galitski. Exotic Quantum Spin Models in Spin-Orbit-Coupled Mott Insulators , Physical Review Letters

Sustaining Competitive Advantage: Mental Models and Organizational Learning for Future Marines

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Soft Systems Methodology : Other Voices.” Systemic Practice and Action Research. 13, no. 6, (2000): 773. Larsen, Kai R. T., Claire McInerney...30. Mingers, John. “An Idea Ahead of Its Time: The History and Development of Soft Systems Methodology .” Systemic Practice and Action...Soft System Dynamics Methodology (SSDM): Combinging Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and System Dynamics (SD).” Systemic Practice and Action

A resolution commemorating and celebrating the lives of Officer Kristine Marie Fairbanks, Deputy Anne Marie Jackson, and Sergeant Nelson Kai Ng who gave their lives in the service of the people of Washington State in 2008.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA

2009-05-14

Senate - 05/14/2009 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Font Effects of Chinese Characters and Pseudo-Characters on the N400: Evidence for an Orthographic Processing View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lv, Caixia; Wang, Quanhong

2012-01-01

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a Chinese character decision task to examine whether N400 amplitude is modulated by stimulus font. Results revealed large negative-going ERPs in an N400 time window of 300-500 ms to stimuli presented in degraded Xing Kai Ti (XKT) font compared with more intact Song Ti (ST) font regardless…

Aberration analysis and calculation in system of Gaussian beam illuminates lenslet array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhu; Hui, Mei; Zhou, Ping; Su, Tianquan; Feng, Yun; Zhao, Yuejin

2014-09-01

Low order aberration was founded when focused Gaussian beam imaging at Kodak KAI -16000 image detector, which is integrated with lenslet array. Effect of focused Gaussian beam and numerical simulation calculation of the aberration were presented in this paper. First, we set up a model of optical imaging system based on previous experiment. Focused Gaussian beam passed through a pinhole and was received by Kodak KAI -16000 image detector whose microlenses of lenslet array were exactly focused on sensor surface. Then, we illustrated the characteristics of focused Gaussian beam and the effect of relative space position relations between waist of Gaussian beam and front spherical surface of microlenses to the aberration. Finally, we analyzed the main element of low order aberration and calculated the spherical aberration caused by lenslet array according to the results of above two steps. Our theoretical calculations shown that , the numerical simulation had a good agreement with the experimental result. Our research results proved that spherical aberration was the main element and made up about 93.44% of the 48 nm error, which was demonstrated in previous experiment. The spherical aberration is inversely proportional to the value of divergence distance between microlens and waist, and directly proportional to the value of the Gaussian beam waist radius.

Armed Forces and National Development in Korea

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

2698 Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93943 7. Ha, Tae Hwan SMC 2588 Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93943 8. Kim , Dong Hui SMC 2610 Naval...an agreement between the Provisional Government leader Kim Ku and Chiang Kai-Shek. Many of these Korean officers, mostly the Japanese-trained, played...when the military took over the corrupt and inefficient government [Ref. 6:p. 36]. Kim said that the military assumption of power in 1961 was

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-29

constitution,” on the grounds that the fraud had been investigated. On that basis, the United States, as well as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (visiting...of the fraud. This led to the September 29, 2009, dismissal by Secretary General Ban Ki Moon of Galbraith, who had openly accused UNAMA head Kai Eide...Abdul Qadus Hamidi, minister of communications; (9) Abdur Rahim Oraz, minister of transport and aviation; and (10) Sultan Hussein Hesari, minister of

High-Throughput Nano-Biofilm Microarray for Antifungal Drug Discovery

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-25

High-Throughput Nano-Biofilm Microarray for Antifungal Drug Discovery Anand Srinivasan,a, c Kai P. Leung,d Jose L. Lopez-Ribot,b, c Anand K...Ramasubramaniana, c Departments of Biomedical Engineeringa and Biologyb and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, c The University of Texas at San...of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans on a microarray platform. The mi- croarray consists of 1,200 individual cultures of 30 nl of C

Into the Eye of the Commander: Military Advisory During Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-16

Northeast 3 Asia. First, China continued to struggle through a bloody civil war between Chiang Kai- shek‘s Nationalists and Mao Tse -tung‘s Communist...Indochina into Cambodia and Laos and further sub-divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel into a communist north and a democratic 9 south. The...insurgencies in Laos and South Vietnam had begun to take an ominous turn. Fearing both nuclear and conventional parity with the Soviet Union

Mechanism of Tumor Metastasis Suppression by the KAI1 Gene

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

antibody to Flag covalently crosslinked to agarose beads followed by western blot with monoclonal antibody to Flag (lanes 1, 2). For coimmunoprecipitation...negative controls (lanes 4, 6). IgH appeared in lanes 5 and 6, as antibody to hemagglutinin was not crosslinked to the agarose beads during...mixed in the presence of a cell-impermeable crosslinker DTSSP for 30 min followed by immunoprecipitation with DARC antibody and western blot with

C. albicans Growth, Transition, Biofilm Formation, and Gene Expression Modulation by Antimicrobial Decapeptide KSL-W

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-07

Simon Theberge1, Abdelhabib Semlali1,2, Abdullah Alamri1, Kai P Leung3 and Mahmoud Rouabhia1* Abstract Background: Antimicrobial peptides have been the... peptides , including KSL-W (KKVVFWVKFK-NH2), for potential clinical use. Because this peptide displays antimicrobial activity against bacteria, we sought...the efficacy of KSL-W against C. albicans and its potential use as an antifungal therapy. Keywords: Antimicrobial peptide , KSL-W, C. albicans, Growth

AF-TRUST, Air Force Team for Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-26

Charles Sutton, J. D. Tygar, and Kai Xia. Book chapter in Jeffrey J. P. Tsai and Philip S. Yu (eds.) Machine Learning in Cyber Trust: Security, Privacy...enterprise, tactical, embedded systems and command and control levels. From these studies, commissioned by Dr . Sekar Chandersekaran of the Secretary of the...Data centers avoid IP Multicast because of a series of problems with the technology. • Dr . Multicast (the MCMD), a system that maps traditional I PMC

The Impact of an Assurance System on the Quality of Teaching and Learning--Using the Example of a University in Russia and One of the Universities in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szymenderski, Peggy; Yagudina, Liliya; Burenkova, Olga

2015-01-01

In this paper we consider the question of how quality assurance can have a real, positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning at universities, considering the realities of different systems--the system of control and the system of quality culture--in using the example of two universities: the KNITU-KAI in Russia and the TU Dresden in…

Gas Warfare in World War I. The 3rd. Division at Chateau Thierry, July 1918

DTIC Science & Technology

1959-07-01

I hvt ’.o 1, 17 Jun (Vb, i p. 35 - 36’. 1Jnf.-D>in -i. 10. 1andý’er:Divu i -@Una 5O~fg opv ~lGe vns me., 44 %~ Aw sw1 .~.g P.. 9.s KAi,, .I P LAM... indoors (where delay in masking or escaping to the open was almost certain to rqsult in casualties]. Shell fire and a general sense of insecurity

Mechanisms of KAI1/CD82-Induced Prostate Cancer Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

carcinoma. J Hepatol 35:637-42. 16. Wright MD, Geary SM, Fitter S, Moseley GW, Lau LM, Sheng KC, Apostolopoulos V, Stanley EG, Jackson DE , and...appears to facilitate transport and clustering of the loaded MHC II complexes on the cell surface [75]. 2.2.3. Animal models To date six tetraspanins...first step in the degradation of GSH and GSH- conjugates (GS–SG) into glutamate (Gl), cysteine (C) and glycine (G). These are transported back into

Mechanisms of KAI1/CD82 - Induced Prostate Cancer Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

appears to facilitate transport and clustering of the loaded MHC II complexes on the cell surface [75]. 2.2.3. Animal models To date six tetraspanins...step in the degradation of GSH and GSH- conjugates (GS–SG) into glutamate (Gl), cysteine (C) and glycine (G). These are transported back into the cell...are released by a constitutive dipeptidase and all three are transported back into the cell for resynthesis of GSH via γ- glutamylcysteine synthetase

Contract W911NF-09-1-0384 (Purdue University)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-27

spin system, Physical Review A , (02 2010): 22324. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.022324 08/31/2011 8.00 Sabre Kais, Anmer Daskin . Group leaders... a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. a ...billions ) and developed new quantum algorithms to solve complex chemistry problems such as global optimization and excited states of molecules. ( a ) Papers

Field Marshal Slim -- Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-17

2004); Ronald Lewin, Slim the Standard Bearer: A Biography of Field-marshal the Viscount Slim (London: Leo Cooper...Volume II India’s most Dangerous Hour, 17. 51 Ian Lyall Grant, Burma: The Turning Point (UK: Leo Cooper, 2003), 21; Baillergeon, Field Marshal Slim and... LOCs ; encourage Chaing-Kai-Shek to send more forces; and create confusion in the Japanese rear area. It was this last effect that Slim sought to

Art, class and gender in Joseon dynasty Korea: representations of lower-class women by the scholar-painter Yun Duseo.

PubMed

Chung, Saehyang P

2011-01-01

This paper examines several pioneering genre paintings by the important scholar painter Yun Duseo (1668-1715), with its focus on their artistic sources which have not yet been explored so far. Painted on ramie, 'Women Picking Potherbs' is one of the most intriguing examples among Yun Duseo's oeuvre, which encompasses a broad variety of themes, including genre imagery, landscapes, portraits, dragons, and horses. Even among Yun Duseo's genre paintings, 'Women Picking Potherbs' is extraordinary, as recent scholarship regards it as the earliest independent representation of lower-class women in the history of Korean art. In particular, Yun Duseo painted two women who were working ourdoors to gather spring potherbs. In a conservative Confucian society, it was extraordinary women who were working outdoors. Hence, Yun Duseo occupies a highly important place in Korean painting. Furthermore, even though Yun Duseo came from the upper-class, he often painted images of lower class people working. It is possible that Yun Duseo was familiar with the book titled "Tian gong kai wu" (Exploitation of the Works of Nature) which was published in the 17th century. By identifying the probable body of his artistic sources in the book known as "Tian gong kai wu," it will be possible to assess the innovations and limitations found in 'Women Picking Potherbs'.

A Standardized Chinese Herbal Decoction, Kai-Xin-San, Restores Decreased Levels of Neurotransmitters and Neurotrophic Factors in the Brain of Chronic Stress-Induced Depressive Rats

PubMed Central

Zhu, Kevin Yue; Mao, Qing-Qiu; Ip, Siu-Po; Choi, Roy Chi-Yan; Dong, Tina Ting-Xia; Lau, David Tai-Wai; Tsim, Karl Wah-Keung

2012-01-01

Kai-xin-san (KXS), a Chinese herbal decoction being prescribed by Sun Simiao in Beiji Qianjin Yaofang about 1400 years ago, contains Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Polygalae Radix, Acori tatarinowii Rhizoma, and Poria. KXS has been used to treat stress-related psychiatric disease with the symptoms of depression and forgetfulness in ancient China until today. However, the mechanism of its antidepression action is still unknown. Here, the chronic mild-stress-(CMS-) induced depressive rats were applied in exploring the action mechanisms of KXS treatment. Daily intragastric administration of KXS for four weeks significantly alleviated the CMS-induced depressive symptoms displayed by enhanced sucrose consumption. In addition, the expressions of those molecular bio-markers relating to depression in rat brains were altered by the treatment of KXS. These KXS-regulated brain biomarkers included: (i) the levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin (ii) the transcript levels of proteins relating to neurotransmitter metabolism; (iii) the transcript levels of neurotrophic factors and their receptors. The results suggested that the anti-depressant-like action of KXS might be mediated by an increase of neurotransmitters and expression of neurotrophic factors and its corresponding receptors in the brain. Thus, KXS could serve as alternative medicine, or health food supplement, for patients suffering from depression. PMID:22973399

Kai Xin San aqueous extract improves Aβ1-40-induced cognitive deficits on adaptive behavior learning by enhancing memory-related molecules expression in the hippocampus.

PubMed

Lu, Cong; Shi, Zhe; Sun, Xiuping; Pan, Ruile; Chen, Shanguang; Li, Yinghui; Qu, Lina; Sun, Lihua; Dang, Haixia; Bu, Lanlan; Chen, Lingling; Liu, Xinmin

2017-04-06

Kai Xin San (KXS), a traditional formula of Chinese medicine, has been used to treat dementia. The present study aimed to investigate its ameliorating effects on Aβ 1-40 -induced cognitive impairment in rats using a series of novel reward-directed instrumental learning tasks, and to determine its possible mechanism of action. Rats were pretreated with KXS aqueous extract (0.72 and 1.44g/kg, p.o.) for 10 days, and were trained to gain reward reinforcement by lever pressing at the meantime. Thereafter, rats received a bilateral microinjection of Aβ 1-40 in CA1 regions of the hippocampus. Cognitive performance was evaluated with the goal directed (higher response ratio) and habit (visual signal discrimination and extinction) learning tasks, as well as on the levels of memory-related biochemical parameters and molecules. Our findings first demonstrated that KXS can improve Aβ 1-40 -induced amnesia in RDIL via enhancing the comprehension of action-outcome association and the utilization of cue information to guide behavior. Then, its ameliorating effects should be attributed to the modulation of memory-related molecules in the hippocampus. In conclusion, KXS has the potential to prevent and/or delay the deterioration of cognitive impairment in AD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theory and Applications of Elliptically Contoured and Related Distributions

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

is invariant under n x n orthogonal transfor- mations. When the parent distribution is more generally ECp(pA, X, 4), the c.f. of X is n E(eitrTIX...those properties to some wider class than that of SD? 18 A largest characterization of SD is a demonstration that there is no generating vector Y...Takemura’s Generalizations of Cochran’s Theorem," George P.H. Styan, September 1982. 3. " Some Further Applications of Finite Difference Operators," Kai

Large-scale Heterogeneous Network Data Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-31

Mining (KDD’09), 527-535, 2009. [20] B. Long, Z. M. Zhang, X. Wu, and P. S. Yu . Spectral Clustering for Multi-type Relational Data. In Proceedings of...and Data Mining (KDD’06), 374-383, 2006. [33] Y. Sun, Y. Yu , and J. Han. Ranking-Based Clustering of Heterogeneous Information Networks with Star...publications in 2012 so far:  Yi-Kuang Ko, Jing- Kai Lou, Cheng-Te Li, Shou-de Lin, and Shyh-Kang Jeng. “A Social Network Evolution Model Based on

Uncertainty in Steady-State Diagnostics of a Current-Pressure Transducer: How Confident are We in Diagnosing Faults

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-02

and off-nominal behav- ior of the I/ P transducer; however, sensor measurements are not fast enough to capture brief transient states that are in...nasa.gov 3 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA kai.goebel@nasa.gov ABSTRACT Current-Pressure (I/ P ) transducers are effective...transducers (I/ P transducer or IPT) are ef- fective pressure regulators that vary the output pressure de- pending on the supplied electrical current

[The Evolutionary Origin of Placodes and Neural Crest Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bronner-Fraser, Marianne

2003-01-01

The long-term goal of this NASA-supported research is to understand the evolutionary origin of placodes and neural crest cells, with particular reference to evolution of the inner ear, and their evolutionary and developmental relationships. The cephalochordcate amphioxus, the closest living invertebrate relative of the vertebrates is used as a stand-in for the ancestral vertebrate. The research, which has supported one graduate student, Jr-Kai Yu, has resulted in ten publications by the Holland laboratory in peer-reviewed journals.

Operating Below Crush Depth: The Formation, Evolution, and Collapse of the Imperial Japanese Navy Submarine Force in World War II

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-10

Subamrine, Medium) LCDR Lieutenant Commander LT Lieutenant NM Nautical Mile RADM Rear Admiral ST Sen- Taka (Submarine, High Speed) STo Sen-Toku...Special Submarine) STS Sen- Taka -Sho (Submarine, High Speed(Victory)) USS United States Ship VADM Vice Admiral 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION On...Kirai-Sen meaning Mine-Layer, KT for Kai-Toku-Chu meaning Medium, Special Submarine, ST for Sen- Taka meaning Submarine, High speed, STo for Sen Toku

Advanced Organic Solid States Materials. Volume 173. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-08

for their collaboration in synthetic study. We also thank Prof. N. Kasai and Dr. Y. Kai for their collaboration in X - ray crystallographic study. We...substantially with the increasing amount of doping as monitored by the powder x - ray diffraction. After doping the sample was kept for at least one day...physical properties at different oxidation states in solution and in the solid state of tEDTB complexed with TCNQF4. The X ray crystal structure of

Ultra-fast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry determination of eight bioactive components of Kai-Xin-San in rat plasma and its application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and Alzheimer's disease rats.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaotong; Zhang, Yue; Niu, Huibin; Geng, Yajing; Wang, Bing; Yang, Xiaomei; Yan, Pengyu; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun

2017-05-01

A method of ultra-fast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of eight bioactive components, including polygalaxanthone III, sibiricaxanthone B, tenuifolin, sibiricose A5, sibiricose A6, tenuifoliside A, ginsenoside Re and ginsenoside Rb1 in rat plasma after oral administration of Kai-Xin-San. The plasma samples were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction using digoxin as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Venusil MP C 18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 3 μm) with methanol and 0.05% acetic acid in water as mobile phase. The tandem mass spectrometric detection was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring with turbo ion spray source in the negative ionization. Validation parameters were within acceptable ranges. The established method has been successfully applied to compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of the analytes between normal and Alzheimer's disease rats. The results indicated that there were significant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters of some components between two groups, which may be due to the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and pharmacological effects of the analytes. The pharmacokinetic research in the pathological state might provide more useful information to guide the clinical usage of herbal medicine. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A model and treatment for autism at the convergence of Chinese medicine and Western science: first 130 cases.

PubMed

Silva, Louisa M T; Schalock, Mark; Ayres, Robert

2011-06-01

To present a model for autism showing that impairment of sensory and self-regulation is the core deficit that underlies delays in social/language skills and abnormal behavior in autism; and to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment for autism based on Chinese medicine. Children with autism under 6 years of age were assigned to treatment or wait-list conditions. A total of 130 children were treated and the results compared with 45 wait-list controls. Treatment is a tuina methodology directed at sensory impairment--Kai Qiao Tuina. The treatment was a five-month protocol that was implemented daily by trained parents via trained support staff. The effects of treatment on the main symptoms, autistic behavior, social/language delay, sensory and self-regulatory impairment, as well as on parenting stress, were observed and compared. The treatment had a large effect size (P<0.0001) on measures of sensory and self-regulation. The evaluations done by pre-school teachers demonstrated improvement in the measures of autism (P<0.003), and were confirmed by evaluations done by parents (P<0.0001). There was a large decrease (P<0.0001) in parenting stress. Sensory and self-regulatory impairment is a main factor in the development and severity of autism. Treatment of young children with autism with Kai Qiao Tuina resulted in a decrease in sensory and self-regulatory impairment and a reduction in severity of measures of autism.

Plant growth-promoting activities of Streptomyces spp. in sorghum and rice.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, Subramaniam; Srinivas, Vadlamudi; Sree Vidya, Meesala; Rathore, Abhishek

2013-01-01

Five strains of Streptomyces (CAI-24, CAI-121, CAI-127, KAI-32 and KAI-90) were earlier reported by us as biological control agents against Fusarium wilt of chickpea caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri (FOC). In the present study, the Streptomyces were characterized for enzymatic activities, physiological traits and further evaluated in greenhouse and field for their plant growth promotion (PGP) of sorghum and rice. All the Streptomyces produced lipase, β-1-3-glucanase and chitinase (except CAI-121 and CAI-127), grew in NaCl concentrations of up to 6%, at pH values between 5 and 13 and temperatures between 20 and 40°C and were highly sensitive to Thiram, Benlate, Captan, Benomyl and Radonil at field application level. When the Streptomyces were evaluated in the greenhouse on sorghum all the isolates significantly enhanced all the agronomic traits over the control. In the field, on rice, the Streptomyces significantly enhanced stover yield (up to 25%; except CAI-24), grain yield (up to 10%), total dry matter (up to 18%; except CAI-24) and root length, volume and dry weight (up to 15%, 36% and 55%, respectively, except CAI-24) over the control. In the rhizosphere soil, the Streptomyces significantly enhanced microbial biomass carbon (except CAI-24), nitrogen, dehydrogenase (except CAI-24), total N, available P and organic carbon (up to 41%, 52%, 75%, 122%, 53% and 13%, respectively) over the control. This study demonstrates that the selected Streptomyces which were antagonistic to FOC also have PGP properties.

Management of Bottom Sediments Containing Toxic Substances: Proceedings of the U.S./Japan Experts Meetings (15th) Held in San Pedro, California on 19-21 November 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-01

on Economic Development, which will convene in Rio de Janeiro in June of 1992, will be the next major forum at which this issue may surface for...1985. Coastal oceanography of Japan Islands. Tokai University Shuppan-kai, viii+8+353 pp. (in Japanese). Otsuki, T. 1990. Jinko lagoon . Umetate to...for acclima- tion. It also took 100 days for the test to get the expected water quality with performing de -nitrogen treatment by reducing airflow of

Translations From Red Flag, Number 6, 3 June 1978

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-08-07

Control of Population Growth (pp 60-64) (Liu Jo-ching) • 106 Planned Economy and the Law of Value (pp 65-70) (Liu Kuo -kuang, et al.) • • H4 How Do...triumphed over the capitulationist line of Chen Tu-hsiu and Chang Kuo -tao. The Red Army smashed Chiang Kai-shek’s several million enemy troops who...Tung Li- kuo [5516 4539 0948] of the reporting group of the Wuchiao County CCP Committee; Fu Tieh-kuei [0265 6993 2710] of the reporting section of

Silicon Nanotips and Related Nano-Systems Involving Fluid and Carrier Transport and Their Micro-Devices for Power and Sensing Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-10

Methanol’, Chien-Cheng Li, Ran-Jin Lin, Hong-Ping Lin, Ching-Chun Chang, Yu - Kai Lin, Li-Chyong Chen*, Kuei-Hsien Chen*, Chem. Comm. 47, 1473 (2011). (5...CuO-ZnO Inverse Opals as High-performance Methanol Microreformer’, Yan-Gu Lin, Yu -Kuei Hsu, San-Yuan Chen, Li-Chyong Chen* and Kuei-Hsien Chen*, J...Chun Lo, Hsin-I Hsiung, Surojit Chattopadhyay*, Hsieh -Cheng Han, Chia-Fu Chen*, Jih Perng Leu, Kuei-Hsien Chen and Li-Chyong Chen*, Biosens

Integrin-Mediated Signaling in Prostate Cancer: Role of KAI1/CD82 in Regulating Integrin and Androgen Receptor Function During Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

models of prostate cancer, Clusterin antisense improved the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiation, and androgen withdrawal [Miyake et al., 2000]. Hsp27 ...and phosphorylation of Hsp27 , thereby increasing the network of actin stress fibers and numbers of focal adhesions. Thus, an advantage of the Hsp27 ...Prostatic Dis 6:174–181. Jia Y, Ransom RF, Shibanuma M, Liu C, Welsh MJ, Smoyer WE. 2001. Identification and characterization of hic-5/ARA55 as an hsp27

A design of driving circuit for star sensor imaging camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Da-wei; Yang, Xiao-xu; Han, Jun-feng; Liu, Zhao-hui

2016-01-01

The star sensor is a high-precision attitude sensitive measuring instruments, which determine spacecraft attitude by detecting different positions on the celestial sphere. Imaging camera is an important portion of star sensor. The purpose of this study is to design a driving circuit based on Kodak CCD sensor. The design of driving circuit based on Kodak KAI-04022 is discussed, and the timing of this CCD sensor is analyzed. By the driving circuit testing laboratory and imaging experiments, it is found that the driving circuits can meet the requirements of Kodak CCD sensor.

Cloud Computing: Virtual Clusters, Data Security, and Disaster Recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Kai

Dr. Kai Hwang is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Director of Internet and Cloud Computing Lab at the Univ. of Southern California (USC). He received the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Univ. of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining USC, he has taught at Purdue Univ. for many years. He has also served as a visiting Chair Professor at Minnesota, Hong Kong Univ., Zhejiang Univ., and Tsinghua Univ. He has published 8 books and over 210 scientific papers in computer science/engineering.

Advanced Filters and Components for Power Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-31

PCB with a rectangular and circular coil version on each board. The printed windings are placed in an end-tapped configuration, with the winding...of fiat circular loops of various diameters in a system without magnetic material. We have found that the most accurate prediction for this...application is that of [31]. The formula for mutual inductance of circular traces is: Mt=°T f 00 S(kr2, kri)S(ka 2 , kai)Q(kh)e-k zdk (3.2) h2ln (rf) In (az) J0

Generic temperature compensation of biological clocks by autonomous regulation of catalyst concentration

PubMed Central

Hatakeyama, Tetsuhiro S.; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2012-01-01

Circadian clocks—ubiquitous in life forms ranging from bacteria to multicellular organisms—often exhibit intrinsic temperature compensation; the period of circadian oscillators is maintained constant over a range of physiological temperatures, despite the expected Arrhenius form for the reaction coefficient. Observations have shown that the amplitude of the oscillation depends on the temperature but the period does not; this suggests that although not every reaction step is temperature independent, the total system comprising several reactions still exhibits compensation. Here we present a general mechanism for such temperature compensation. Consider a system with multiple activation energy barriers for reactions, with a common enzyme shared across several reaction steps. The steps with the highest activation energy rate-limit the cycle when the temperature is not high. If the total abundance of the enzyme is limited, the amount of free enzyme available to catalyze a specific reaction decreases as more substrates bind to the common enzyme. We show that this change in free enzyme abundance compensates for the Arrhenius-type temperature dependence of the reaction coefficient. Taking the example of circadian clocks with cyanobacterial proteins KaiABC, consisting of several phosphorylation sites, we show that this temperature compensation mechanism is indeed valid. Specifically, if the activation energy for phosphorylation is larger than that for dephosphorylation, competition for KaiA shared among the phosphorylation reactions leads to temperature compensation. Moreover, taking a simpler model, we demonstrate the generality of the proposed compensation mechanism, suggesting relevance not only to circadian clocks but to other (bio)chemical oscillators as well. PMID:22566655

Generic temperature compensation of biological clocks by autonomous regulation of catalyst concentration.

PubMed

Hatakeyama, Tetsuhiro S; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2012-05-22

Circadian clocks--ubiquitous in life forms ranging from bacteria to multicellular organisms--often exhibit intrinsic temperature compensation; the period of circadian oscillators is maintained constant over a range of physiological temperatures, despite the expected Arrhenius form for the reaction coefficient. Observations have shown that the amplitude of the oscillation depends on the temperature but the period does not; this suggests that although not every reaction step is temperature independent, the total system comprising several reactions still exhibits compensation. Here we present a general mechanism for such temperature compensation. Consider a system with multiple activation energy barriers for reactions, with a common enzyme shared across several reaction steps. The steps with the highest activation energy rate-limit the cycle when the temperature is not high. If the total abundance of the enzyme is limited, the amount of free enzyme available to catalyze a specific reaction decreases as more substrates bind to the common enzyme. We show that this change in free enzyme abundance compensates for the Arrhenius-type temperature dependence of the reaction coefficient. Taking the example of circadian clocks with cyanobacterial proteins KaiABC, consisting of several phosphorylation sites, we show that this temperature compensation mechanism is indeed valid. Specifically, if the activation energy for phosphorylation is larger than that for dephosphorylation, competition for KaiA shared among the phosphorylation reactions leads to temperature compensation. Moreover, taking a simpler model, we demonstrate the generality of the proposed compensation mechanism, suggesting relevance not only to circadian clocks but to other (bio)chemical oscillators as well.

Volatile components of ethanolic extract from broccolini leaves.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoqin; Zhang, Bochao; Wang, Bingfang; Zhang, Xuewu

2012-01-01

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea Italica × Alboglabra) is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli. To date, no study has been reported on the chemical composition of the volatile fractions of this raw material. In this study, the volatile constituents from the ethanolic extract of broccolini leaves were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sixteen compounds were identified. The major components include 5-phenyl-undecane (11%), n-hexadecanoic acid (9.34%), octadecanoic acid (6.39%), 1,1,3-trimethyl-3-phenyl-indan (4.0%), 3-(2-phenylethyl)benzonitrile (3.48%) and phytol (3.37%).

HBCU Equipment for AFOSR Project 13RSL012: The Mechanism by which ADP Regulates the Structure and Function of the Protein KaiC

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-18

4 , as well as increases the risk of obesity 5-7 , diabetes 8, 9 , heart disease 10 , and cancer 11, 12 . Our lab studies the circadian clock of a...2013) Two Antagonistic Clock-Regulated Histidine Kinases Time the Activation of Circadian Gene Expression. Mol. Cell 50, 288-294. 10.1016/j.molcel...Circadian Clock-associated Histidine Kinase SasA. J. Mol. Biol. 342, 9-17. 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.07.010. 19. Smith R. M., Williams S. B. (2006) Circadian

A High Frequency Inverse Scattering Model to Recover the Specular Point Curvature from Polarimetric Scattering Data.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-21

MAY A2 B FO0 N00014-80-C0708 UNCLASSIFIED EMID-CL-1982-05-21-Ol NL12fflllllfl I Eh|hEEEE| h |hEE EEEE|hEEEEE|hI EEllllEEEEEEEE EEEEmnhEmhEEEE m|hEE...hEE| h |hE EEEEEEEEEEnllI COMMUNICATN LABORATOR Y Oeprtment of information E ngineering University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Box 4348. Chicago IL...Recommendation concurred irDr. Wolfpan-M. Boornor AA4 -’, : Dr. Bruc H ..M ~ ri kC m it- Dr. Wai-Kai Chen on Dr. Piergiorgio L. E. Uslengh

Photonic Analog-to-Digital Converter Preprocessing Using the Robust Symmetrical Number System for Direct Digitization of Antenna Signals

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

sample and hold circuit was reported by Urata et al. [6–9]. A 160 megasamples/s sampling rate with 3.5 ENOB was achieved using this design. The...2006. [6] R. Urata , L. Y. Nathawad, R. Takahashi, Kai Ma, D. A. B. Miller, B. A. Wooley and J. S. Harris Jr., “Photonic A/D conversion using low... Urata , R. Takahashi, V. A. Sabnis, D. A. B. Miller, and J. S. Harris Jr., “Ultrafast differential sample and hold using low-temperature-grown GaAs MSM

Antidepressant effects of Kai-Xin-San in fluoxetine-resistant depression rats.

PubMed

Dong, X Z; Wang, D X; Lu, Y P; Yuan, S; Liu, P; Hu, Y

2017-08-17

This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant effect and the mechanism of action of Kai-Xin-San (KXS) in fluoxetine-resistant depressive (FRD) rats. Two hundred male Wistar rats weighing 200±10 g were exposed to chronic and unpredictable mild stresses (CUMS) for 4 weeks and given fluoxetine treatment simultaneously. The rats that did not show significant improvement in behavioral indexes were chosen as the FRD model rats. These rats were randomly divided into four groups: FRD model control; oral fluoxetine and aspirin; oral KXS at a dose of 338 mg·kg-1·day-1; and oral KXS at a dose of 676 mg·kg-1·day-1. Rats continued to be exposed to CUMS and underwent treatment once a day for 3 weeks, then cytokine (COX-2, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β, and TNF-α) levels in the hippocampus and serum, and organ coefficients were measured. Both doses of KXS improved the crossing and rearing frequencies, sucrose-preference index, and body weight in FRD rats. KXS at a dose of 338 mg·kg-1·day-1reduced COX-2, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α levels, increased IL-10 level in the hippocampus, and reduced IL-2 and TNF-α levels in serum. KXS at a dose of 676 mg·kg-1·day-1reduced TNF-α level in the hippocampus, reduced IL-2 and TNF-α levels in serum, and increased IFN-γ and IL-10 levels in the hippocampus and serum. There were no significant differences in organ-coefficients of the spleen among and between groups. The results suggested that oral administration of KXS in FRD rats was effective in improving behavior disorders by influencing various inflammatory pathways.

Orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya: results from a nationally representative population-based survey.

PubMed

Lee, Veronica C; Muriithi, Patrick; Gilbert-Nandra, Ulrike; Kim, Andrea A; Schmitz, Mary E; Odek, James; Mokaya, Rose; Galbraith, Jennifer S

2014-05-01

In Kenya, it is estimated that there are approximately 3.6 million children aged <18 years who have been orphaned or who are vulnerable. We examined the data from the second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) to determine the number and profile of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya who were aged <18 years. KAIS 2012 was a nationally representative, population-based household survey. We analyzed the data for all the children from birth to age 17 years who resided in an eligible household so as to determine whether their parents were alive or had been very ill to define their OVC status. We estimated that there were 2.6 million OVC in Kenya in 2012, of whom 1.8 million were orphans and 750,000 were vulnerable. Among orphans, 15% were double orphans. Over one-third of all the OVC were aged between 10 and 14 years. Households with ≥1 OVC (12% of all households) were usually in the lowest 2 wealth quintiles, and 22% of OVC households had experienced moderate or severe hunger. Receipt of OVC support services was low for medical (3.7%), psychological (4.1%), social (1.3%), and material support (6.2%); educational support was slightly more common (11.5%). Orphanhood among children aged <15 years increased from 1993 to 2003 (P < 0.01) but declined from 2003 to 2012 (P < 0.01). The 2.6 million OVC constitute a significant proportion of Kenya's population aged <18 years. Special attention should be paid to OVC to prevent further vulnerability and ensure their well-being and development as they transition into adulthood.

A community-based, culturally tailored behavioral intervention for Korean Americans with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Kim, Miyong T; Han, Hae-Ra; Song, Hee-Jung; Lee, Jong-Eun; Kim, Jiyun; Ryu, Jai P; Kim, Kim B

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a culturally tailored comprehensive type 2 diabetes management intervention for Korean American immigrants (KAIs) with type 2 diabetes. A randomized controlled pilot trial with 2 parallel arms (intervention vs control) with a delayed intervention design was used. A total of 79 KAIs, recruited from the Baltimore-Washington area, completed baseline, 18-week, and 30-week follow-ups (intervention, n = 40; control, n = 39). All participants had uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1C >or=7.5%) at baseline. The authors' comprehensive, self-help intervention program for type 2 diabetes management (SHIP-DM) consisted of a 6-week structured psychobehavioral education, home glucose monitoring with teletransmission, and bilingual nurse telephone counseling for 24 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was A1C level, and secondary outcomes included an array of psychobehavioral variables. Using analysis of covariance, the findings support that the proposed intervention was effective in significantly lowering A1C and fasting glucose and also in improving psychosocial outcomes in the sample. Specifically, the amount of reduction in A1C among intervention group participants was 1.19% at 18 weeks and 1.31% at 30 weeks, with 10% and 15.5% of the participants achieving the suggested goal of A1C <7% at 18 and 30 weeks of follow-up, respectively. The results highlight the clinical efficacy of the SHIP-DM intervention composed of a 6-week education program, self-monitoring, and follow-up counseling, in terms of maintaining the improved intervention effects obtained and in terms of glucose control.

Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Kenya: Results From a Nationally Representative Population-Based Survey

PubMed Central

Lee, Veronica C.; Muriithi, Patrick; Gilbert-Nandra, Ulrike; Kim, Andrea A.; Schmitz, Mary E.; Odek, James; Mokaya, Rose; Galbraith, Jennifer S.

2016-01-01

Background In Kenya, it is estimated that there are approximately 3.6 million children aged <18 years who have been orphaned or who are vulnerable. We examined the data from the second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) to determine the number and profile of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya who were aged <18 years. Methods KAIS 2012 was a nationally representative, population-based household survey. We analyzed the data for all the children from birth to age 17 years who resided in an eligible household so as to determine whether their parents were alive or had been very ill to define their OVC status. Results We estimated that there were 2.6 million OVC in Kenya in 2012, of whom 1.8 million were orphans and 750,000 were vulnerable. Among orphans, 15% were double orphans. Over one-third of all the OVC were aged between 10 and 14 years. Households with ≥1 OVC (12% of all households) were usually in the lowest 2 wealth quintiles, and 22% of OVC households had experienced moderate or severe hunger. Receipt of OVC support services was low for medical (3.7%), psychological (4.1%), social (1.3%), and material support (6.2%); educational support was slightly more common (11.5%). Orphanhood among children aged <15 years increased from 1993 to 2003 (P < 0.01) but declined from 2003 to 2012 (P < 0.01). Conclusions The 2.6 million OVC constitute a significant proportion of Kenya’s population aged <18 years. Special attention should be paid to OVC to prevent further vulnerability and ensure their well-being and development as they transition into adulthood. PMID:24732824

A spectroscopic study of phenylbutazone and aspirin bound to serum albumin in rheumatoid diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciążek-Jurczyk, M.; Sułkowska, A.; Bojko, B.; Równicka-Zubik, J.; Sułkowski, W. W.

2011-11-01

Interaction of phenylbutazone (PBZ) and aspirin (ASA), two drugs recommended in rheumatoid diseases (RDs), when binding to human (HSA) and bovine (BSA) serum albumins, has been studied by quenching of fluorescence and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1HNMR) techniques. On the basis of spectrofluorescence measurements high affinity binding sites of PBZ and ASA on albumin as well as their interaction within the binding sites were described. A low affinity binding site has been studied by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Using fluorescence spectroscopy the location of binding site in serum albumin (SA) for PBZ and ASA was found. Association constants Ka were determined for binary (i.e. PBZ-SA and ASA-SA) and ternary complexes (i.e. PBZ-[ASA]-SA and ASA-[PBZ]-SA). PBZ and ASA change the affinity of each other to the binding site in serum albumin (SA). The presence of ASA causes the increase of association constants KaI of PBZ-SA complex. Similarly, PBZ influences KaI of ASA-SA complex. This phenomenon shows that the strength of binding and the stability of the complexes increase in the presence of the second drug. The decrease of KaII values suggests that the competition between PBZ and ASA in binding to serum albumin in the second class of binding sites occurs. The analysis of 1HNMR spectral parameters i.e. changes of chemical shifts and relaxation times of the drug indicate that the presence of ASA weakens the interaction of PBZ with albumin. Similarly PBZ weakens the interaction of ASA with albumin. This conclusion points to the necessity of using a monitoring therapy owning to the possible increase of uncontrolled toxic effects.

Functional redundancy in the control of seedling growth by the karrikin signaling pathway.

PubMed

Stanga, John P; Morffy, Nicholas; Nelson, David C

2016-06-01

SMAX1 and SMXL2 control seedling growth, demonstrating functional redundancy within a gene family that mediates karrikin and strigolactone responses. Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones with butenolide moieties that control diverse aspects of plant growth, including shoot branching. Karrikins (KARs) are butenolide molecules found in smoke that enhance seed germination and seedling photomorphogenesis. In Arabidopsis thaliana, SLs and KARs signal through the α/β hydrolases D14 and KAI2, respectively. The F-box protein MAX2 is essential for both signaling pathways. SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 (SMAX1) plays a prominent role in KAR-regulated growth downstream of MAX2, and SMAX1-LIKE genes SMXL6, SMXL7, and SMXL8 mediate SL responses. We previously found that smax1 loss-of-function mutants display constitutive KAR response phenotypes, including reduced seed dormancy and hypersensitive growth responses to light in seedlings. However, smax1 seedlings remain slightly responsive to KARs, suggesting that there is functional redundancy in karrikin signaling. SMXL2 is a strong candidate for this redundancy because it is the closest paralog of SMAX1, and because its expression is regulated by KAR signaling. Here, we present evidence that SMXL2 controls hypocotyl growth and expression of the KAR/SL transcriptional markers KUF1, IAA1, and DLK2 redundantly with SMAX1. Hypocotyl growth in the smax1 smxl2 double mutant is insensitive to KAR and SL, and etiolated smax1 smxl2 seedlings have reduced hypocotyl elongation. However, smxl2 has little or no effect on seed germination, leaf shape, or petiole orientation, which appear to be predominantly controlled by SMAX1. Neither SMAX1 nor SMXL2 affect axillary branching or inflorescence height, traits that are under SL control. These data support the model that karrikin and strigolactone responses are mediated by distinct subclades of the SMXL family, and further the case for parallel butenolide signaling pathways that evolved through ancient KAI2 and SMXL duplications.

Production of proinflammatory cytokines without invocation of cytotoxic effects by an Epstein-Barr virus-infected natural killer cell line established from a patient with hypersensitivity to mosquito bites.

PubMed

Suzuki, Daisuke; Tsuji, Kazuhide; Yamamoto, Takenobu; Fujii, Kazuyasu; Iwatsuki, Keiji

2010-10-01

Cumulative evidence supports that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected natural killer (NK) cells induce severe systemic and cutaneous inflammation in patients with hypersensitivity to mosquito bites (HMB). In order to understand the pathogenesis of HMB, we established an EBV-infected cell line and characterized the cytological profiles. A novel EBV-infected NK-cell line, designated NKED, was established from a patient with HMB and used for the present study along with two other NK-cell lines, KAI3 and KHYG-1. NKED expressed the latency II-related transcripts. NKED cells were positive for CD2 and CD161 antigens, and negative for CD3, CD16, CD34, CD56, and T-cell receptor α/β and γ/δ antigens. Although NKED cells contained several cytotoxic molecules, the cells had an extremely poor cytotoxic activity. The majority of NKED cells were negative for perforin, major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted NK-cell receptors, CD94 and KIR2D, and an activating receptor, NKG2D. NKED cells, however, secreted higher levels of tumor necrosis factor-α. Stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or tumor necrosis factor-α induced expression of BZLF1 messenger RNA in the NKED and KAI3 cells, indicating the transition from the latent- to the lytic-cycle infection. These data suggested that NKED cells revealed a very low cytotoxic effect probably because of the low expression levels of perforin, but had the ability to release proinflammatory cytokines. NKED cells did not reflect the characteristics of HMB, as they were different from pathogenic NK cells proliferating in the HMB patient, but the difference indicated that pathogenic NK cells could change their character in the presence of interleukin-2. Copyright © 2010 ISEH - Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RecA family proteins in archaea: RadA and its cousins.

PubMed

Haldenby, Sam; White, Malcolm F; Allers, Thorsten

2009-02-01

Recombinases of the RecA family are essential for homologous recombination and underpin genome stability, by promoting the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks and the rescue of collapsed DNA replication forks. Until now, our understanding of homologous recombination has relied on studies of bacterial and eukaryotic model organisms. Archaea provide new opportunities to study how recombination operates in a lineage distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes. In the present paper, we focus on RadA, the archaeal RecA family recombinase, and its homologues in archaea and other domains. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, we propose that a family of archaeal proteins with a single RecA domain, which are currently annotated as KaiC, be renamed aRadC.

Hit 'em where it hurts: The growing and structurally diverse family of peptides that target lipid-II.

PubMed

Oppedijk, Sabine F; Martin, Nathaniel I; Breukink, Eefjan

2016-05-01

Understanding the mode of action of antibiotics is becoming more and more important in the time that microorganisms start to develop resistance. One very well validated target of several classes of antibiotics is the peptidoglycan precursor lipid II. In this review different classes of lipid II targeting antibiotics will be discussed in detail, including the lantibiotics, human invertebrate defensins and the recently discovered teixobactin. By hitting bacteria where it hurts, at the level of lipid II, we expect to be able to develop efficient antibacterial agents in the future. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hierarchy of models: From qualitative to quantitative analysis of circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaves, M.; Preto, M.

2013-06-01

A hierarchy of models, ranging from high to lower levels of abstraction, is proposed to construct "minimal" but predictive and explanatory models of biological systems. Three hierarchical levels will be considered: Boolean networks, piecewise affine differential (PWA) equations, and a class of continuous, ordinary, differential equations' models derived from the PWA model. This hierarchy provides different levels of approximation of the biological system and, crucially, allows the use of theoretical tools to more exactly analyze and understand the mechanisms of the system. The Kai ABC oscillator, which is at the core of the cyanobacterial circadian rhythm, is analyzed as a case study, showing how several fundamental properties—order of oscillations, synchronization when mixing oscillating samples, structural robustness, and entrainment by external cues—can be obtained from basic mechanisms.

Reversal of behavioral depression by infusion of an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist into the locus coeruleus.

PubMed

Simson, P G; Weiss, J M; Hoffman, L J; Ambrose, M J

1986-04-01

This experiment demonstrated that behavioral depression produced by exposure of rats to strong uncontrollable shocks could be reversed by infusion of the alpha-2 adrenergic agonist clonidine into the region of the locus coeruleus (LC). A 20-min infusion, through bilateral cannulae, into the locus coeruleus of clonidine, piperoxane (alpha-2 antagonist) or inactive vehicle (0.85% saline), was given beginning 70 min after the animals were removed from the stress situation. The dose and volume of drug given in the infusion (0.16 microgram/microliter, 0.1 microliter/min) had been previously shown to produce effects specific to the locus coeruleus (Weiss, Simson, Hoffman, Ambrose, Cooper and Webster, 1986; Neuropharmacology 25: 367-384). At the conclusion of the infusion, active behavior of animals was measured in a 15-min swim test. Results showed that stressed animals infused with vehicle exhibited significantly less active behavior in the swim test than did non-stressed animals infused with vehicle, thereby showing the usual behavioral depression seen after exposure to an uncontrollable stress. Stressed animals infused with clonidine showed no difference in active behavior in comparison to non-stressed animals infused with vehicle and showed significantly more activity than did the stressed animals infused with vehicle. Stressed animals infused with piperoxane showed no significant difference in activity in comparison to the stressed animals infused with vehicle and were significantly less active than either the non-stressed animals infused with vehicle or the stressed animals infused with clonidine. Thus, infusion into the locus coeruleus of the alpha-2 agonist clonidine, but not the alpha-2 antagonist piperoxane, eliminated behavioral depression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetone-butanol-ethanol competitive sorption simulation from single, binary, and ternary systems in a fixed-bed of KA-I resin.

PubMed

Wu, Jinglan; Zhuang, Wei; Ying, Hanjie; Jiao, Pengfei; Li, Renjie; Wen, Qingshi; Wang, Lili; Zhou, Jingwei; Yang, Pengpeng

2015-01-01

Separation of butanol based on sorption methodology from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation broth has advantages in terms of biocompatibility and stability, as well as economy, and therefore gains much attention. In this work a chromatographic column model based on the solid film linear driving force approach and the competitive Langmuir isotherm equations was used to predict the competitive sorption behaviors of ABE single, binary, and ternary mixture. It was observed that the outlet concentration of weaker retained components exceeded the inlet concentration, which is an evidence of competitive adsorption. Butanol, the strongest retained component, could replace ethanol almost completely and also most of acetone. In the end of this work, the proposed model was validated by comparison of the experimental and predicted ABE ternary breakthrough curves using the real ABE fermentation broth as a feed solution. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

In vitro antitumor activity of broccolini seeds extracts.

PubMed

Yang, Yanjing; Zhang, Xuewu

2011-01-01

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea Italica × Alboglabra) is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli. To date, no report on antitumor activity of Broccolini (NOT Broccoli) is available. In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative effects of broccolini seeds extract (BSE) on human lung and ovarian cancer cells. It was found that BSE induces A549 and OVCAR-3 cells apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by using MTT assay. The IC(50) values of BSE in A549 and OVCAR-3 cells were estimated to be 81.94 and 78.6 µg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, the phase contrast microscope showed that in high-dose group (90∼120 µg/ml), the morphology structure of OVCAR-3 cells become irregular and exhibited characteristics of apoptosis such as cell membrane shrinkage, condensation and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin as well as formation of apoptotic bodies. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Extraction and identification of isothiocyanates from broccolini seeds.

PubMed

Zhang, Bochao; Wang, Xiaoqin; Yang, Yanjing; Zhang, Xuewu

2011-01-01

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea Italica x Alboglabra) is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan (Chinese broccoli), which contains abundant glucosinolates. The intact glucosinolates are believed to be inactive, while their hydrolysis products, such as isothiocyanates (ITCs), are found to have bacteriocidal and anticarcinogenic activities. So far, no report is available about generation of ITCs during the process of glucosinolate hydrolysis in broccolini. In this study, the hydrolysis of broccolini seed glucosinolates was investigated under controlled conditions of pH, time and temperature, and the ITCs produced were determined. The results showed that an optimum hydrolysis of glucosinolates could be achieved at a temperature of 250C, at pH 7.0, and a reaction time of eight hours. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis indicated that the extracted ITCs primarily were: 3-BITC (3-benzyl-ITC) (10.8%), 4-methylpentyl-ITC (0.5%), 1-isothiocyanato-butane (26.8%), PEITC (phenethyl-ITC) (22.6%) and SFN (sulforaphane) (19.2%).

Inexpensive Neutron Imaging Cameras Using CCDs for Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewat, A. W.

We have developed inexpensive neutron imaging cameras using CCDs originally designed for amateur astronomical observation. The low-light, high resolution requirements of such CCDs are similar to those for neutron imaging, except that noise as well as cost is reduced by using slower read-out electronics. For example, we use the same 2048x2048 pixel ;Kodak; KAI-4022 CCD as used in the high performance PCO-2000 CCD camera, but our electronics requires ∼5 sec for full-frame read-out, ten times slower than the PCO-2000. Since neutron exposures also require several seconds, this is not seen as a serious disadvantage for many applications. If higher frame rates are needed, the CCD unit on our camera can be easily swapped for a faster readout detector with similar chip size and resolution, such as the PCO-2000 or the sCMOS PCO.edge 4.2.

Determination of acrylamide in Thai-conventional snacks from Nong Mon market, Chonburi using GC-MS technique.

PubMed

Komthong, P; Suriyaphan, O; Charoenpanich, J

2012-01-01

Acrylamide in Thai-conventional snacks was analysed by GC/MS with a linear response ranged of 5-50 µg and r² > 0.99. The limit of detection (s/n = 3) and limit of quantification (s/n = 10) were 4 and 15 µg kg⁻¹, respectively, and RSD < 2%. Acrylamide in 19 food samples ranged from <15 µg kg⁻¹ to 1.26 mg kg⁻¹ with highest concentrations in Kanom Jak. Moderate levels (150-500 µg kg⁻¹) were detected mostly in deep-fried products, especially sweet potato and taro crisps, Kanom Kai Hong, banana fritters, durian chips and spring rolls. Thai-conventional snacks possessed low concentrations (<150 µg kg⁻¹) including Khao Larm, Pa Tong Koo, sweet banana crisps and deep-fried Chinese wonton. Acrylamide was lowest (<15 µg kg⁻¹) in fish strips, rice crackers, Hoi Jor and fried fish balls. Dietary habits by 400 tourists indicate a daily intake of acrylamide <150 ng, well below a toxic dose.

RAF Woodbridge, UK. Revised Uniform Summary of Surface Weather Observations. Parts A-F.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-02-01

LOPFILt I ?CKS AL L AVAI L A L c i tiATI(NS 6 "LK~ ISCL UC tS -’ CUPLY OO-rVATT! n Ns lP AP C %’ P 4r L(CEL) IIN LOLIIMSS E(-7 3, 1.4 F LLMS I / I... P "A121 N S Aw 51,0 TO 595b IR 012,1 91v S I ( . .0C . .c 3.2 3. 7. 1 3. . 3 03-G5 I .: e9.9 95. ’.0 .3 !5 06OA-0. 3 7.4 4. 33. I 2ŕ.. 19. z3 09-11...Pt:C 4 -: ION1h: S57 I fAIN FRINU SNO. A Of MOOL I % ,) HOURS IT4S LO p kAI N O HAIL !ITH ft LIAR LU. iNu 7iC A’ItH03 57:10: (LST I u’I ZLL L UI SLEET

The cyanobacterial circadian clock follows midday in vivo and in vitro

PubMed Central

Leypunskiy, Eugene; Lin, Jenny; Yoo, Haneul; Lee, UnJin; Dinner, Aaron R; Rust, Michael J

2017-01-01

Circadian rhythms are biological oscillations that schedule daily changes in physiology. Outside the laboratory, circadian clocks do not generally free-run but are driven by daily cues whose timing varies with the seasons. The principles that determine how circadian clocks align to these external cycles are not well understood. Here, we report experimental platforms for driving the cyanobacterial circadian clock both in vivo and in vitro. We find that the phase of the circadian rhythm follows a simple scaling law in light-dark cycles, tracking midday across conditions with variable day length. The core biochemical oscillator comprised of the Kai proteins behaves similarly when driven by metabolic pulses in vitro, indicating that such dynamics are intrinsic to these proteins. We develop a general mathematical framework based on instantaneous transformation of the clock cycle by external cues, which successfully predicts clock behavior under many cycling environments. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23539.001 PMID:28686160

TADtool: visual parameter identification for TAD-calling algorithms.

PubMed

Kruse, Kai; Hug, Clemens B; Hernández-Rodríguez, Benjamín; Vaquerizas, Juan M

2016-10-15

Eukaryotic genomes are hierarchically organized into topologically associating domains (TADs). The computational identification of these domains and their associated properties critically depends on the choice of suitable parameters of TAD-calling algorithms. To reduce the element of trial-and-error in parameter selection, we have developed TADtool: an interactive plot to find robust TAD-calling parameters with immediate visual feedback. TADtool allows the direct export of TADs called with a chosen set of parameters for two of the most common TAD calling algorithms: directionality and insulation index. It can be used as an intuitive, standalone application or as a Python package for maximum flexibility. TADtool is available as a Python package from GitHub (https://github.com/vaquerizaslab/tadtool) or can be installed directly via PyPI, the Python package index (tadtool). kai.kruse@mpi-muenster.mpg.de, jmv@mpi-muenster.mpg.deSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Application of Barcoding to Reduce Error of Patient Identification and to Increase Patient's Information Confidentiality of Test Tube Labelling in a Psychiatric Teaching Hospital.

PubMed

Liu, Hsiu-Chu; Li, Hsing; Chang, Hsin-Fei; Lu, Mei-Rou; Chen, Feng-Chuan

2015-01-01

Learning from the experience of another medical center in Taiwan, Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Suan Psychiatric Hospital has changed the nursing informatics system step by step in the past year and a half . We considered ethics in the original idea of implementing barcodes on the test tube labels to process the identification of the psychiatric patients. The main aims of this project are to maintain the confidential information and to transport the sample effectively. The primary nurses had been using different work sheets for this project to ensure the acceptance of the new barcode system. In the past two years the errors in the blood testing process were as high as 11,000 in 14,000 events per year, resulting in wastage of resources. The actions taken by the nurses and the new barcode system implementation can improve the clinical nursing care quality, safety of the patients, and efficiency, while decreasing the cost due to the human error.

Spanning the scales of mechanical metamaterials using time domain simulations in transformed crystals, graphene flakes and structured soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aznavourian, Ronald; Puvirajesinghe, Tania M.; Brûlé, Stéphane; Enoch, Stefan; Guenneau, Sébastien

2017-11-01

We begin with a brief historical survey of discoveries of quasi-crystals and graphene, and then introduce the concept of transformation crystallography, which consists of the application of geometric transforms to periodic structures. We consider motifs with three-fold, four-fold and six-fold symmetries according to the crystallographic restriction theorem. Furthermore, we define motifs with five-fold symmetry such as quasi-crystals generated by a cut-and-projection method from periodic structures in higher-dimensional space. We analyze elastic wave propagation in the transformed crystals and (Penrose-type) quasi-crystals with the finite difference time domain freeware SimSonic. We consider geometric transforms underpinning the design of seismic cloaks with square, circular, elliptical and peanut shapes in the context of honeycomb crystals that can be viewed as scaled-up versions of graphene. Interestingly, the use of morphing techniques leads to the design of cloaks with interpolated geometries reminiscent of Victor Vasarely’s artwork. Employing the case of transformed graphene-like (honeycomb) structures allows one to draw useful analogies between large-scale seismic metamaterials such as soils structured with columns of concrete or grout with soil and nanoscale biochemical metamaterials. We further identify similarities in designs of cloaks for elastodynamic and hydrodynamic waves and cloaks for diffusion (heat or mass) processes, as these are underpinned by geometric transforms. Experimental data extracted from field test analysis of soil structured with boreholes demonstrates the application of crystallography to large scale phononic crystals, coined as seismic metamaterials, as they might exhibit low frequency stop bands. This brings us to the outlook of mechanical metamaterials, with control of phonon emission in graphene through extreme anisotropy, attenuation of vibrations of suspension bridges via low frequency stop bands and the concept of transformed meta-cities. We conclude that these novel materials hold strong applications spanning different disciplines or across different scales from biophysics to geophysics.

Colonial modernity and networks in the Japanese empire: the role of Gotō Shinpei.

PubMed

Low, Morris

2010-01-01

This paper examines how Gotō Shinpei (1857-1929) sought to develop imperial networks emanating out of Tokyo in the fields of public health, railways, and communications. These areas helped define colonial modernity in the Japanese empire. In public health, Gotō's friendship with the bacteriologist Kitasato Shibasaburō led to the establishment of an Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo. Key scientists from the institute took up positions in colonial medical colleges, creating a public health network that serviced the empire. Much of the empire itself was linked by a network of railways. Gotō was the first president of the South Manchuria Railway company (SMR). Communication technologies, especially radio, helped to bring the empire closer. By 1925, the Tokyo Broadcasting Station had begun its public radio broadcasts. Broadcasting soon came under the umbrella of the new organization, the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK). Gotō was NHK's first president. The empire would soon be linked by radio, and it was by radio that Emperor Hirohito announced to the nation in 1945 that the empire had been lost.

Novel Functional Properties of Drosophila CNS Glutamate Receptors

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

Li, Yan; Dharkar, Poorva; Han, Tae-Hee

Phylogenetic analysis reveals AMPA, kainate, and NMDA receptor families in insect genomes, suggesting conserved functional properties corresponding to their vertebrate counterparts. However, heterologous expression of the Drosophila kainate receptor DKaiR1D and the AMPA receptor DGluR1A revealed novel ligand selectivity at odds with the classification used for vertebrate glutamate receptor ion channels (iGluRs). DKaiR1D forms a rapidly activating and desensitizing receptor that is inhibited by both NMDA and the NMDA receptor antagonist AP5; crystallization of the KaiR1D ligand-binding domain reveals that these ligands stabilize open cleft conformations, explaining their action as antagonists. Surprisingly, the AMPA receptor DGluR1A shows weak activation bymore » its namesake agonist AMPA and also by quisqualate. Crystallization of the DGluR1A ligand-binding domain reveals amino acid exchanges that interfere with binding of these ligands. The unexpected ligand-binding profiles of insect iGluRs allows classical tools to be used in novel approaches for the study of synaptic regulation.« less

Nuclear waste`s human dimension

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

Erikson, K.; Colglazier, E.W.; White, G.F.

1994-12-31

The United States has pinned its hopes for a permanent underground repository for its high-level nuclear wastes on Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Nevertheless, the Department of Energy`s (DOE) site research efforts have failed {open_quotes}to adequately consider human behavior and emotions,{close_quotes} write Kai Erikson of Yale University, E. William Colglazier of the National Academy of Sciences, and Gilbert F. White of the University of Colorado. The authors maintain that it is impossible to predict changes in geology, seismology, and hydrology that may affect the Yucca Mountain area over the next 1,000 years. Predicting human behavior in that time frame remains even moremore » daunting, they insist. They admit that {open_quotes}DOE...has been given the impossible assignment to take tens of thousands of metric tons of the most hazardous materials ever created and, in the face of growing opposition, entomb them so that they will do little harm for thousands of years.{close_quotes} The researchers suggest that the government seek a secure, retrievable storage arrangement while it continues its search for safer long-term options.« less

Advancing Cancer Survivorship in a Country with 1.35 Billion People: The China Lymphoma Project

PubMed Central

Coughlin, Steven; Reno, Jamie

2016-01-01

Rates of lymphoma are rising rapidly and lymphoma is now the ninth most common cancer among Chinese males. The China Lymphoma Project was founded to increase awareness of lymphoma in China, including the survivability of the disease and the availability of potentially life-saving treatments, and to provide social support for men, women, and children in China who are living with the disease. The project is working with China government officials, several of the top cancer hospitals in China and the U.S., internationally known oncologists and cancer researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies in China and the U.S., healthcare and environmental companies, the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University, and the Asian Heritage Society. Advances in e-Health are being utilized to provide patient education and social support. The project will provide free e-books that profile lymphoma survivors (e.g., Kai-Fu Lee, creator of Google China), new videos, websites, pamphlets, blogs, video logs (vlogs), peer-to-peer counseling and support, and information about the latest treatments and oncology clinical trials. PMID:27570834

Advancing Cancer Survivorship in a Country with 1.35 Billion People: The China Lymphoma Project.

PubMed

Coughlin, Steven; Reno, Jamie

Rates of lymphoma are rising rapidly and lymphoma is now the ninth most common cancer among Chinese males. The China Lymphoma Project was founded to increase awareness of lymphoma in China, including the survivability of the disease and the availability of potentially life-saving treatments, and to provide social support for men, women, and children in China who are living with the disease. The project is working with China government officials, several of the top cancer hospitals in China and the U.S., internationally known oncologists and cancer researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies in China and the U.S., healthcare and environmental companies, the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University, and the Asian Heritage Society. Advances in e-Health are being utilized to provide patient education and social support. The project will provide free e-books that profile lymphoma survivors (e.g., Kai-Fu Lee, creator of Google China), new videos, websites, pamphlets, blogs, video logs (vlogs), peer-to-peer counseling and support, and information about the latest treatments and oncology clinical trials.

Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Medicine: State of Research and Clinical Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Woedtke, Thomas

2015-09-01

Basic research in plasma medicine has made excellent progress and resulted in the fundamental insights that biological effects of cold atmospheric plasmas (CAP) are significantly caused by changes of the liquid environment of cells, and are dominated by redox-active species. First CAP sources are CE-certified as medical devices. Main focus of plasma application is on wound healing and treatment of infective skin diseases. Clinical applications in this field confirm the supportive effect of cold plasma treatment in acceleration of healing of chronic wounds above all in cases where conventional treatment fails. Cancer treatment is another actual and emerging field of CAP application. The ability of CAP to kill cancer cells by induction of apoptosis has been proved in vitro. First clinical applications of CAP in palliative care of cancer are realized. In collaboration with Hans-Robert Metelmann, University Medicine Greifswald; Helmut Uhlemann, Klinikum Altenburger Land GmbH Altenburg; Anke Schmidt and Kai Masur, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP Greifswald); Renate Schönebeck, Neoplas Tools GmbH Greifswald; and Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP Greifswald).

Mono- and bis-tolyl­terpyridine iridium(III) complexes

PubMed Central

Hinkle, Lindsay M.; Young, Victor G.; Mann, Kent R.

2010-01-01

The first structure report of trichlorido[4′-(p-tolyl)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine]iridium(III) dimethyl sulfoxide solvate, [IrCl3(C22H17N3)]·C2H6OS, (I), is presented, along with a higher-symmetry setting of previously reported bis­[4′-(p-tolyl)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine]iridium(III) tris­(hexa­fluorido­phosphate) acetonitrile disolvate, [Ir(C22H17N3)2](PF6)3·2C2H3N, (II) [Yoshikawa, Yamabe, Kanehisa, Kai, Takashima & Tsukahara (2007 ▶). Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. pp. 1911–1919]. For (I), the data were collected with synchrotron radiation and the dimethyl sulfoxide solvent mol­ecule is disordered over three positions, one of which is an inversion center. The previously reported structure of (II) is presented in the more appropriate C2/c space group. The iridium complex and one PF6 − anion lie on twofold axes in this structure, making half of the mol­ecule unique. PMID:20203396

Mono- and bis-tolylterpyridine iridium(III) complexes

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

Hinkle, Lindsay M.; Young, Jr., Victor G.; Mann, Kent R.

The first structure report of trichlorido[4'-(p-tolyl)-2,2':6',2{double_prime}-terpyridine]iridium(III) dimethyl sulfoxide solvate, [IrCl{sub 3}(C{sub 22}H{sub 17}N{sub 3})] {center_dot} C{sub 2}H{sub 6}OS, (I), is presented, along with a higher-symmetry setting of previously reported bis[4'-(p-tolyl)-2,2':6',2{double_prime}-terpyridine]iridium(III) tris(hexafluoridophosphate) acetonitrile disolvate, [Ir(C{sub 22}H{sub 17}N{sub 3})2](PF{sub 6}){sub 3} {center_dot} 2C{sub 2}H{sub 3}N, (II) [Yoshikawa, Yamabe, Kanehisa, Kai, Takashima & Tsukahara (2007). Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. pp. 1911-1919]. For (I), the data were collected with synchrotron radiation and the dimethyl sulfoxide solvent molecule is disordered over three positions, one of which is an inversion center. The previously reported structure of (II) is presented in the more appropriate C2/c space group.more » The iridium complex and one PF{sub 6}{sup -} anion lie on twofold axes in this structure, making half of the molecule unique.« less

Novel Functional Properties of Drosophila CNS Glutamate Receptors.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Dharkar, Poorva; Han, Tae-Hee; Serpe, Mihaela; Lee, Chi-Hon; Mayer, Mark L

2016-12-07

Phylogenetic analysis reveals AMPA, kainate, and NMDA receptor families in insect genomes, suggesting conserved functional properties corresponding to their vertebrate counterparts. However, heterologous expression of the Drosophila kainate receptor DKaiR1D and the AMPA receptor DGluR1A revealed novel ligand selectivity at odds with the classification used for vertebrate glutamate receptor ion channels (iGluRs). DKaiR1D forms a rapidly activating and desensitizing receptor that is inhibited by both NMDA and the NMDA receptor antagonist AP5; crystallization of the KaiR1D ligand-binding domain reveals that these ligands stabilize open cleft conformations, explaining their action as antagonists. Surprisingly, the AMPA receptor DGluR1A shows weak activation by its namesake agonist AMPA and also by quisqualate. Crystallization of the DGluR1A ligand-binding domain reveals amino acid exchanges that interfere with binding of these ligands. The unexpected ligand-binding profiles of insect iGluRs allows classical tools to be used in novel approaches for the study of synaptic regulation. VIDEO ABSTRACT. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Determination of Vitamin C, b-carotene and Riboflavin Contents in Five Green Vegetables Organically and Conventionally Grown.

PubMed

Ismail, Amin; Cheah, Sook Fun

2003-03-01

As consumer interest in organically grown vegetables is increasing in Malaysia, there is a need to answer whether the vegetables are more nutritious than those conventionally grown. This study investigates commercially available vegetables grown organically and conventionally, purchased from retailers to analyse β-carotene, vitamin C and riboflavin contents. Five types of green vegetables were selected, namely Chinese mustard (sawi) (Brassica juncea), Chinese kale (kai-lan) (Brassica alboglabra), lettuce (daun salad) (Lactuca sativa), spinach (bayam putih) (Amaranthus viridis) and swamp cabbage (kangkung) (Ipomoea aquatica). For vitamin analysis, a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography was used to identify and quantify β -carotene, vitamin C and riboflavin. The findings showed that not all of the organically grown vegetables were higher in vitamins than that conventionally grown. This study found that only swamp cabbage grown organically was highest in β -carotene, vitamin C and riboflavin contents among the entire samples studied. The various nutrients in organically grown vegetables need to be analysed for the generation of a database on nutritional value which is important for future research.

Neurobehavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure: an international perspective.

PubMed

Riley, Edward P; Mattson, Sarah N; Li, Ting-Kai; Jacobson, Sandra W; Coles, Claire D; Kodituwakku, P W; Adnams, Colleen M; Korkman, Marit I

2003-02-01

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2002 Research Society on Alcoholism/International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism meeting in San Francisco, CA. The organizers were Edward P. Riley and Sarah N. Mattson, and the chairperson was Edward P. Riley. The presentations were (1) Neurobehavioral deficits in alcohol-exposed South African infants: preliminary findings, by Sandra W. Jacobson, Christopher D. Molteno, Denis Viljoen, and Joseph L. Jacobson; (2) A pilot study of classroom intervention for learners with fetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa, by Colleen Adnams, M. W. Rossouw, M. D. Perold, P. W. Kodituwakku, and W. Kalberg; (3) Differential effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on fluid versus crystallized intelligence, by P. W. Kodituwakku, W. Kalberg, L. Robinson, and P. A. May; (4) Neurobehavioral outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure: early identification of alcohol effects, by Claire D. Coles; (5) Fetal alcohol syndrome in Moscow, Russia: neuropsychology test performance, by Sarah N. Mattson, E. P. Riley, A. Matveeva, and G. Marintcheva; and (6) Long-term follow-up of Finnish children exposed to alcohol in utero in various durations, by Marit I. Korkman and I. Autti-Rämö. The discussant was Ting-Kai Li.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: M67 variable stars photometry (Nardiello+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nardiello, D.; Libralato, M.; Bedin, L. R.; Piotto, G.; Ochner, P.; Cunial, A.; Borsato, L.; Granata, V.

2016-07-01

All images of the OC M 67 [(RA,DE)=(08:51:18,+11:48:00)] were collected with the Asiago 67/92cm Schmidt Telescope located on Mount Ekar (longitude 11.5710°E, latitude 45.8430°N, altitude 1370m), that belongs to the Astronomical Observatory of Padova (OAPD), which is part of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF). At the focus of the Schmidt telescope there is a SBIG STL-11000M camera, equipped with a Kodak KAI-11000M detector (4050x2672 pixel, field of view: 58x38-arcmin2, pixel scale: 862.5mas/pixel). In the first observing season (2012) M 67 data were collected in white light (hereafter indicated with filter N, where N stands for 'None'), with exposure time of 120s, and 60s (during the almost-full moon nights); during the second (2013) and the third season (2014) we collected 180s+15s R-filter and 180s B-filter images. Finally, during the fourth season (2015), the observations were carried out in I band (240s+15s) and V band (240s). A catalogue for variable stars in M 67 field is presented. (3 data files).

Quantifying the robustness of circadian oscillations at the single-cell level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, Guillaume; Rust, Michael

2014-03-01

Cyanobacteria are light-harvesting microorganisms that contribute to 30% of the photosynthetic activity on Earth and contain one of the simplest circadian systems in the animal kingdom. In Synechococcus elongatus , a species of freshwater cyanobacterium, circadian oscillations are regulated by the KaiABC system, a trio of interacting proteins that act as a biomolecular pacemaker of the circadian system. While the core oscillator precisely anticipates Earth's 24h light/dark cycle, it is unclear how much individual cells benefit from the expression and maintenance of a circadian clock. By studying the growth dynamics of individual S . elongatus cells under sudden light variations, we show that several aspects of cellular growth, such as a cell's division probability and its elongation rate, are tightly coupled to the circadian clock. We propose that the evolution and maintenance of a circadian clock increases the fitness of cells by allowing them to take advantage of cyclical light/dark environments by alternating between two phenotypes: expansionary, where cells grow and divide at a fast pace during the first part of the day, and conservative, where cells enter a more quiescent state to better prepare to the stresses associated with the night's prolonged darkness.

The relationship between shellbed type and sequence architecture: examples from Japan and New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, Yasuo; Abbott, Stephen T.; Kitamura, Akihisa; Kamp, Peter J. J.; Naish, Tim R.; Kamataki, Takanobu; Saul, Gordon S.

1998-12-01

Examples of lithology, fossil content and taphonomic features of shellbeds and intervening less fossiliferous intervals are presented from four Plio-Pleistocene successions (Shimosa Group, Boso Peninsula, Omma Formation, Hokuriku area, Japan, and Okehu, Kai-iwi, and Shakespeare groups in Wanganui, and the Rangitikei Group along the Rangitikei River in New Zealand). As for pre-Pliocene 3rd- and 4th-order depositional sequences, Plio-Pleistocene 5th- to 7th-order depositional sequences contain a variety of shellbeds which are often associated with surfaces or intervals that are characterized by sedimentary condensation, omission or erosion (e.g. sequence boundaries, ravinement surfaces, downlap surfaces and condensed sections). Stratigraphic patterns of shellbed type tend to be similar and repetitive within a basin and a locality. This demonstrates that a specific palaeogeography played an important role in determining the nature of shellbeds. For example, shellbeds formed in the context of toplap are common only in the Shimosa Group, which was deposited in a moderately sheltered sea, the palaeo-Tokyo Bay. Toplap shellbeds are rare in other sequences formed in more open conditions. Despite the variability resulting from such basin characteristics, common styles of shellbeds can be recognized that formed under conditions of marine onlap, backlap, downlap and toplap. Each type of shellbed has a characteristic fossil composition and taphonomy. Onlap and toplap shellbeds contain low-diversity macrobenthic associations including Glycymeris, Mercenaria, Paphies or other bivalves having robust shells, which are often abraded or fragmented. Backlap shellbeds, which are equivalent to the condensed section formed at the maximum transgression, are characterized by dominance of epifaunal macrobenthos such as bryozoa, brachiopoda, pectinid and ostreid bivalves, preserved in a slightly cemented, glauconitic muddy matrix. In contrast to fossils in such condensed sections, the shell density and species diversity of downlap shellbed associations are rather low, and in a few examples the macrobenthic association was buried rapidly in a lower unit of the highstand systems tract (HST) stratigraphically located above the condensed sections. Variations in the stratigraphic distribution of shellbed types are reflected in symmetrical and asymmetrical sequence architectures. Symmetrical sequences have roughly the same thickness of transgressive systems tracts (TST) and highstand systems tracts (HST), and have well segregated shellbeds that were formed during marine onlap and backlap. Asymmetrical cycles have very thin TSTs and much thicker HSTs, and are characterized by the amalgamation of condensed onlap and backlap shellbeds. Such contrasting cycle architectures are interpreted to reflect inner (symmetrical) and outer (asymmetrical) shelf palaeodepositional settings. The amalgamated onlap/backlap shellbeds appear to be common in Plio-Pleistocene sequences. Owing to the short duration of glacio-eustatic sea-level changes with dominant frequencies of 20,000, 40,000 or 100,000 years, shellbeds in the Plio-Pleistocene are relatively simple and thin compared to those formed in ordinary third-order depositional sequences. Infauna-dominated benthic associations are generally more common than in third-order cycles, and epifaunal associations facilitated by taphonomic feedback on sediment-starved shell-gravel substrates occur only in the condensed section corresponding to maximum transgression in most Plio-Pleistocene sequences.

Education of Sustainability Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oleschko, K.; Perrier, E.; Tarquis, A. M.

2010-05-01

It's not the same to educate the sustainable engineers as to prepare the engineers of Sustainability. In the latter case all existing methods of inventive creativity (Altshuller, 1988) should be introduced in the teaching and research processes in order to create a culture of innovation at a group. The Theory of Inventing Problem Solving (TRIZ) is based on the pioneer works of Genrich Altshuller (1988) and his associated. Altshuller reviewed over 2 million patents beginning in 1946 (Orlov, 2006) and developed the Laws of Evolution of Technological Systems; An Algorithm for Inventive Problem Solving (ARIZ); forty typical Techniques for Overcoming System Conflicts (TOSC); a system of 76 Standard Approaches to Inventive Problems (Standards) etc. (Fey and Rivin, 1997). Nowadays, "a theory and constructive instrument package for the controlled synthesis of ideas and the focused transformation of the object to be improved" (Orlov, 2006) are used with high efficacy as the teaching and thinking inventive problem-solving methods in some high schools (Barak and Mesika, 2006; Sokoi et al., 2008) as well as a framework for research (Moehrle, 2005) in construction industry (Zhang et al., 2009); chemical engineering (Cortes Robles et al., 2008) etc. In 2005 US Congress passed the innovation act with the intent of increasing research investment (Gupta, 2007), while China had included inventive principles of TRIZ in strategy and decision making structure design (Kai Yang, 2010). The integrating of TRIZ into eco-innovation diminishes the common conflicts between technology and environment (Chang and Chen, 2004). In our presentation we show discuss some examples of future patents elaborated by the master degree students of Queretaro University, Faculty of Engineering, Mexico using TRIZ methods. References 1. Altshuller, G., 1988. Creativity as an Exact Science. Gordon and Breach, New York. 2. Chang, Hsiang-Tang and Chen, Jahau Lewis, 2004. The conflict-problem-solving CAD software integrating TRIZ into eco-innovation. Advances in Engineering Software, 35: 553-566. 3. Cortes Robles, G., Negny, S. and Le Lann, J.M., 2008. Case-based reasoning and TRIZ: A coupling for innovative conception in Chemical Engineering. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, 48 (1): 239-249. 4. Gupta, P., 2007. Real Innovation Commentary. http://www. RealInnovation.com. 5. Kai Yang, 2010. Inventive principles of TRIZ with Chinás 36 strategies. TRIZ J., 1-20. 6. Moehrle, M. G., 2005. What is TRIZ? From conceptual basics to a framework for research. Social Science research Network, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol13/papers.cfm?abstract_id=674062. 7. Orlov, M., 2006. Inventive Thinking through TRIZ. A practical Guide, Springer, Berlin, 351. 8. Zhang, X., Mao, X. and AbouRizk, S.M, 2009. Developing a knowledge management system for improved value engineering practices in the construction industry. Automation in Construction, 18 (6): 777-789. 9. Sokol, A., Oget, D., Sonntag, M. and Khomenko, N., 2008. The development of inventive thinking skills in the upper secondary language classroom. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 3 (1): 34-46.

Inhibition of VEGF-dependent angiogenesis by the anti-CD82 monoclonal antibody 4F9 through regulation of lipid raft microdomains

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

Nomura, Sayaka; Iwata, Satoshi; Hatano, Ryo

CD82 (also known as KAI1) belongs to the tetraspanin superfamily of type III transmembrane proteins, and is involved in regulating cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. In contrast to these well-established roles of CD82 in tumor biology, its function in endothelial cell (EC) activity and tumor angiogenesis is yet to be determined. In this study, we show that suppression of CD82 negatively regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis. Moreover, we demonstrate that the anti-CD82 mAb 4F9 effectively inhibits phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), which is the principal mediator of the VEGF-induced angiogenic signaling process in tumor angiogenesis, by regulatingmore » the organization of the lipid raft microdomain signaling platform in human EC. Our present work therefore suggests that CD82 on EC is a potential target for anti-angiogenic therapy in VEGFR2-dependent tumor angiogenesis. -- Highlights: •Knockdown of CD82 decreases EC migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. •Anti-CD82 mAb 4F9 inhibits EC migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. •4F9 inhibits VEGFR2 phosphorylation via control of CD82 distribution in lipid rafts.« less

Collagen Fibrils and Proteoglycans of Macular Dystrophy Cornea: Ultrastructure and 3D Transmission Electron Tomography.

PubMed

Akhtar, Saeed; Alkatan, Hind M; Kirat, Omar; Khan, Adnan A; Almubrad, Turki

2015-06-01

We report the ultrastructure and 3D transmission electron tomography of collagen fibrils (CFs), proteoglycans (PGs), and microfibrils within the CF of corneas of patients with macular corneal dystrophy (MCD). Three normal corneas and three MCD corneas from three Saudi patients (aged 25, 31, and 49 years, respectively) were used for this study. The corneas were processed for light and electron microscopy studies. 3D images were composed from a set of 120 ultrastructural images using the program "Composer" and visualized using the program "Visuliser Kai". 3D image analysis of MCD cornea showed a clear organization of PGs around the CF at very high magnification and degeneration of the microfibrils within the CF. Within the MCD cornea, the PG area in the anterior stroma was significantly larger than in the middle and posterior stroma. The PG area in the MCD cornea was significantly larger compared with the PG area in the normal cornea. The CF diameter and inter-fibrillar spacing of the MCD cornea were significantly smaller compared with those of the normal cornea. Ultrastructural 3D imaging showed that the production of unsulfated keratin sulfate (KS) may lead to the degeneration of micro-CFs within the CFs. The effect of the unsulfated KS was higher in the anterior stroma compared with the posterior stroma.

Night airglow in RGB mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhalev, Aleksandr; Podlesny, Stepan; Stoeva, Penka

2016-09-01

To study dynamics of the upper atmosphere, we consider results of the night sky photometry, using a color CCD camera and taking into account the night airglow and features of its spectral composition. We use night airglow observations for 2010-2015, which have been obtained at the ISTP SB RAS Geophysical Observatory (52° N, 103° E) by the camera with KODAK KAI-11002 CCD sensor. We estimate the average brightness of the night sky in R, G, B channels of the color camera for eastern Siberia with typical values ranging from ~0.008 to 0.01 erg*cm-2*s-1. Besides, we determine seasonal variations in the night sky luminosities in R, G, B channels of the color camera. In these channels, luminosities decrease in spring, increase in autumn, and have a pronounced summer maximum, which can be explained by scattered light and is associated with the location of the Geophysical Observatory. We consider geophysical phenomena with their optical effects in R, G, B channels of the color camera. For some geophysical phenomena (geomagnetic storms, sudden stratospheric warmings), we demonstrate the possibility of the quantitative relationship between enhanced signals in R and G channels and increases in intensities of discrete 557.7 and 630 nm emissions, which are predominant in the airglow spectrum.

Pilot Testing of an Intensive Cooking Course for New Zealand Adolescents: The Create-Our-Own Kai Study

PubMed Central

Black, Katherine; Thomson, Carla; Chryssidis, Themis; Finigan, Rosie; Hann, Callum; Jackson, Rosalie; Robinson, Caleb; Toldi, Olivia; Skidmore, Paula

2018-01-01

The role of cooking on health and wellbeing is a recent area of scientific interest. In order to investigate this role, a cooking program that is suitable for each target population is needed e.g., a program designed for American or Australian children might not be appropriate for teenagers in New Zealand. As there was no similar previously evaluated program already available, the study’s purpose was to test an intensive cooking intervention on cooking confidence and knowledge amongst a group of adolescents from Dunedin, New Zealand, and to assess its acceptability to participants. This five-day program comprised interactive cooking sessions and informal nutrition education and ran from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday during school holidays. Participants completed questionnaires on cooking skills and confidence at baseline and the end of intervention and took part in a group interview, which aimed to investigate the acceptability and outcome of the program. Twenty-one participants aged between 12 and 16 years old completed the program. At the end of the program, significant increases were seen in both skills and confidence levels, and feedback from the group interview indicated that the participants enjoyed the program and that it provided additional results other than those that were cooking related. PMID:29710863

Improving short antimicrobial peptides despite elusive rules for activity.

PubMed

Mikut, Ralf; Ruden, Serge; Reischl, Markus; Breitling, Frank; Volkmer, Rudolf; Hilpert, Kai

2016-05-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can effectively kill a broad range of life threatening multidrug-resistant bacteria, a serious threat to public health worldwide. However, despite great hopes novel drugs based on AMPs are still rare. To accelerate drug development we studied different approaches to improve the antibacterial activity of short antimicrobial peptides. Short antimicrobial peptides seem to be ideal drug candidates since they can be synthesized quickly and easily, modified and optimized. In addition, manufacturing a short peptide drug will be more cost efficient than long and structured ones. In contrast to longer and structured peptides short AMPs seem hard to design and predict. Here, we designed, synthesized and screened five different peptide libraries, each consisting of 600 9-mer peptides, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Each library is presenting a different approach to investigate effectiveness of an optimization strategy. The data for the 3000 peptides were analyzed using models based on fuzzy logic bioinformatics and plausible descriptors. The rate of active or superior active peptides was improved from 31.0% in a semi-random library from a previous study to 97.8% in the best new designed library. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of bone fracture unevenness on ultrasound axial transmission measurements: A pilot 2D simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machado, Christiano B.; Pereira, Wagner C. A.; Padilla, Frédéric; Laugier, Pascal

2012-05-01

Ultrasound axial transmission (UAT) has been proposed to the diagnosis and follow-up of fracture healing. Some researchers have already pointed out the influence of fracture length, geometry and callus composition on the ultrasound time-of-flight and attenuation, with experimental and simulation studies. The aim of this work was to develop a pilot study on the effect of bone fracture unevenness on UAT measurements. Two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations of ultrasound wave propagation were run using a custom-made finite-difference time domain code (SimSonic2D). Numerical models were composed of two 4-mm thick bone plates, with fracture lengths varying from 0 to 4 mm. For each case, an upward (UWun) and downward (DWun) unevenness of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mm was implemented in the second plate. The 1-MHz emitter and receptor transducers were placed at 40 mm from each other, 20 mm apart from the center fracture. Two configurations were considered: 1.5 mm above the plates (for the 0-mm unevenness case) and transducers in contact with bone plate. For each situation, the time-of-flight of the first arriving signal (TOFFAS) and the FAS energy amplitude loss measured by the sound pressure level (SPLFAS) were computed. Results showed that there was a linear increase in TOFFAS with increasing fracture length, and a decrease of SPLFAS with the presence of a discontinuity. TOFFAS values were decreased with UWun (-0.87 μs for UWun = 1.5 mm), and increased with DWun (+0.99 μs for DWun = 1.5 mm). The SPLFAS increased with both UWun (+3.54 dB for UWun = 1.5 mm) and DWun (+8.15 dB for DWun = 1.5 mm). Both parameters showed the same variability. When transducers were put in contact with bone surface, fracture unevenness had no influence on TOF and SPL estimates. Previous works have already demonstrated that a fracture of 3 mm can increase TOFFAS in an order of 1 μs. Considering these preliminary results, it can be concluded that, although the variable fracture unevenness (until 1.5 mm) produced small parameters changes, and since it may not be changed significantly during the regeneration process, it may not sufficiently affect UAT measurements for an adequate diagnosis and fracture follow up.

Ancient lenses in art and sculpture and the objects viewed through them, dating back 4500 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enoch, Jay M.

1998-07-01

The early history of lenses is controversial. The author has sought to address the problem by identifying lens elements (mainly convex/plano) which remain associated with objects intended to be viewed through them (i.e., in their original context). These are found in museums in sculptures, rings, pendants, etc. A number of outstanding examples will be illustrated in the talk; these sophisticated pieces of art are certainly not first constructs. Most are of rock crystal, rose quartz, or glass. Lenses have origin among artisans rather than scientists. Clearly, skills were often lost and rediscovered. Early lens-like objects have been found broadly in the eastern Mediterranean area/Middle East, in France, in Italy (Rome), and possibly in Peru and Scandinavia, etc. To date, the earliest lenses identified in context are from the IV/V Dynasties of Egypt, dating back to about 4500 years ago (e.g., the superb `Le Scribe Accroupi' and `the Kai' in the Louvre; added fine examples are located in the Cairo Museum). Latter examples have been found in Knossos (Minoan [Herakleion Museum]; ca. 3500 years ago); others had origin in Greece (examples in the Athens National Archeological Museum and the British Museum equals BM), in Rome (Metropolitan Museum, NY; BM; Vatican Museums; Bologna Archeological Museum), etc. Also. of great interest is the study of possible lens applications. This is a fascinating scientific, artistic and intellectual project.

Strigolactones Inhibit Caulonema Elongation and Cell Division in the Moss Physcomitrella patens

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Beate; Proust, Hélène; Belcram, Katia; Labrune, Cécile; Boyer, François-Didier; Rameau, Catherine; Bonhomme, Sandrine

2014-01-01

In vascular plants, strigolactones (SLs) are known for their hormonal role and for their role as signal molecules in the rhizosphere. SLs are also produced by the moss Physcomitrella patens, in which they act as signaling factors for controlling filament extension and possibly interaction with neighboring individuals. To gain a better understanding of SL action at the cellular level, we investigated the effect of exogenously added molecules (SLs or analogs) in moss growth media. We used the previously characterized Ppccd8 mutant that is deficient in SL synthesis and showed that SLs affect moss protonema extension by reducing caulonema cell elongation and mainly cell division rate, both in light and dark conditions. Based on this effect, we set up bioassays to examine chemical structure requirements for SL activity in moss. The results suggest that compounds GR24, GR5, and 5-deoxystrigol are active in moss (as in pea), while other analogs that are highly active in the control of pea branching show little activity in moss. Interestingly, the karrikinolide KAR1, which shares molecular features with SLs, did not have any effect on filament growth, even though the moss genome contains several genes homologous to KAI2 (encoding the KAR1 receptor) and no canonical homologue to D14 (encoding the SL receptor). Further studies should investigate whether SL signaling pathways have been conserved during land plant evolution. PMID:24911649

Global Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Phelipanche aegyptiaca Seed Germination

PubMed Central

Yao, Zhaoqun; Tian, Fang; Cao, Xiaolei; Xu, Ying; Chen, Meixiu; Xiang, Benchun; Zhao, Sifeng

2016-01-01

Phelipanche aegyptiaca is one of the most destructive root parasitic plants of Orobanchaceae. This plant has significant impacts on crop yields worldwide. Conditioned and host root stimulants, in particular, strigolactones, are needed for unique seed germination. However, no extensive study on this phenomenon has been conducted because of insufficient genomic information. Deep RNA sequencing, including de novo assembly and functional annotation was performed on P. aegyptiaca germinating seeds. The assembled transcriptome was used to analyze transcriptional dynamics during seed germination. Key gene categories involved were identified. A total of 274,964 transcripts were determined, and 53,921 unigenes were annotated according to the NR, GO, COG, KOG, and KEGG databases. Overall, 5324 differentially expressed genes among dormant, conditioned, and GR24-treated seeds were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses demonstrated numerous DEGs related to DNA, RNA, and protein repair and biosynthesis, as well as carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Moreover, ABA and ethylene were found to play important roles in this process. GR24 application resulted in dramatic changes in ABA and ethylene-associated genes. Fluridone, a carotenoid biosynthesis inhibitor, alone could induce P. aegyptiaca seed germination. In addition, conditioning was probably not the indispensable stage for P. aegyptiaca, because the transcript level variation of MAX2 and KAI2 genes (relate to strigolactone signaling) was not up-regulated by conditioning treatment. PMID:27428962

Global Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Phelipanche aegyptiaca Seed Germination.

PubMed

Yao, Zhaoqun; Tian, Fang; Cao, Xiaolei; Xu, Ying; Chen, Meixiu; Xiang, Benchun; Zhao, Sifeng

2016-07-15

Phelipanche aegyptiaca is one of the most destructive root parasitic plants of Orobanchaceae. This plant has significant impacts on crop yields worldwide. Conditioned and host root stimulants, in particular, strigolactones, are needed for unique seed germination. However, no extensive study on this phenomenon has been conducted because of insufficient genomic information. Deep RNA sequencing, including de novo assembly and functional annotation was performed on P. aegyptiaca germinating seeds. The assembled transcriptome was used to analyze transcriptional dynamics during seed germination. Key gene categories involved were identified. A total of 274,964 transcripts were determined, and 53,921 unigenes were annotated according to the NR, GO, COG, KOG, and KEGG databases. Overall, 5324 differentially expressed genes among dormant, conditioned, and GR24-treated seeds were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses demonstrated numerous DEGs related to DNA, RNA, and protein repair and biosynthesis, as well as carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Moreover, ABA and ethylene were found to play important roles in this process. GR24 application resulted in dramatic changes in ABA and ethylene-associated genes. Fluridone, a carotenoid biosynthesis inhibitor, alone could induce P. aegyptiaca seed germination. In addition, conditioning was probably not the indispensable stage for P. aegyptiaca, because the transcript level variation of MAX2 and KAI2 genes (relate to strigolactone signaling) was not up-regulated by conditioning treatment.

Implementation green and low cost on landscape design of Manggarai Integrated Station, Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryanti, T.; Meilianti, H.

2018-01-01

The Manggarai Integrated Station is the transit of various transportation modes. The Integrated Station located in Manggarai Jakarta and managed by PT. KAI. The Manggarai station is integrated and have terminal nature of transit areas (switching mode of transportation). There are several problems in the site, such as the problem of the site conditions in the urban area, topography, soil, vegetation, space, visual, users on the site can provide ideas for the concepts. The data was analyzed using the quantitative descriptive methode. The purpose of this research is to design the integrated station atmosphere, not only can support of the activities station users, but can also accommodate the needs of the community. It will “Green, Low cost” at the Manggarai integrated transport transit station in Jakarta. The potential that exists in this area is the lowliest integrated from various areas of the mode of transportation that make the users to facilitate transit transportation to the other. The basic concept of this design refers to the “Green, Low Cost” which unite with theme “user friendly” land use on a more efficient and effective site. The result of this research is landscape design development of Manggarai integrated station. Its consists of landscape design in west and east area, transition area, parking area, solar panel area, and social interaction area.

Areal Feature Matching Based on Similarity Using Critic Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Yu, K.

2015-10-01

In this paper, we propose an areal feature matching method that can be applied for many-to-many matching, which involves matching a simple entity with an aggregate of several polygons or two aggregates of several polygons with fewer user intervention. To this end, an affine transformation is applied to two datasets by using polygon pairs for which the building name is the same. Then, two datasets are overlaid with intersected polygon pairs that are selected as candidate matching pairs. If many polygons intersect at this time, we calculate the inclusion function between such polygons. When the value is more than 0.4, many of the polygons are aggregated as single polygons by using a convex hull. Finally, the shape similarity is calculated between the candidate pairs according to the linear sum of the weights computed in CRITIC method and the position similarity, shape ratio similarity, and overlap similarity. The candidate pairs for which the value of the shape similarity is more than 0.7 are determined as matching pairs. We applied the method to two geospatial datasets: the digital topographic map and the KAIS map in South Korea. As a result, the visual evaluation showed two polygons that had been well detected by using the proposed method. The statistical evaluation indicates that the proposed method is accurate when using our test dataset with a high F-measure of 0.91.

Culture heritage and identity - some cases in Taiwan on the protection of cultural heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, R. W.-C.

2015-09-01

The protection of cultural heritage relates to an issue of identity. How a nation or a state tries to face to its history is often revealed on the protection of cultural heritage. Taiwan is as a country with complex history, especially the period after World War II. This article will work on some significant cases, regarded as ideological representation of identity. This article works on the cultural identity by observing and analyzing different cases of classified Historic Monuments. In different political periods, we see how the government tries to fabricate on the identity issue by working on Historic Monuments preservation. During the presidency of Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo, the classification of Historic Monuments tried to focus on those make by former Chinese migrants. They tried hard to establish and reaffirm the ever existing "fact" of people in Taiwan. Whereas after the late 1980s and 1990s, after Chiang's reign, local conscience has been awaken. Political ambience turned to a new era. This freedom of speech of post-Chiang's reign encourages people to seek on their identity. The complex political situation of Taiwan makes this seeking cultural identity related to the seeking of independence of Taiwan. The respect to the aboriginal people also reoriented to include the preservation of their tribes and villages.

"Healthy Eating - Healthy Action": evaluating New Zealand's obesity prevention strategy.

PubMed

McLean, Rachael M; Hoek, Janet A; Buckley, Sue; Croxson, Bronwyn; Cumming, Jacqueline; Ehau, Terry H; Tanuvasa, Ausaga Fa'asalele; Johnston, Margaret; Mann, Jim I; Schofield, Grant

2009-12-06

New Zealand rates of obesity and overweight have increased since the 1980s, particularly among indigenous Māori people, Pacific people and those living in areas of high deprivation. New Zealand's response to the obesity epidemic has been The Healthy Eating-Healthy Action: Oranga Kai - Oranga Pumau (HEHA) Strategy ('the Strategy'), launched in 2003. Because the HEHA Strategy explicitly recognises the importance of evaluation and the need to create an evidence base to support future initiatives, the Ministry of Health has commissioned a Consortium of researchers to evaluate the Strategy as a whole. This paper discusses the Consortium's approach to evaluating the HEHA Strategy. It includes an outline of the conceptual framework underpinning the evaluation, and describes the critical components of the evaluation which are: judging to what extent stakeholders were engaged in the process of the strategy implementation and to what extent their feedback was incorporated in to future iterations of the Strategy (continuous improvement), to what extent the programmes, policies, and initiatives implemented span the target populations and priority areas, whether there have been any population changes in nutrition and/or physical activity outcomes or behaviours relating to those outcomes, and to what extent HEHA Strategy and spending can be considered value for money. This paper outlines our approach to evaluating a complex national health promotion strategy. Not only does the Evaluation have the potential to identify interventions that could be adopted internationally, but also the development of the Evaluation design can inform other complex evaluations.

Structures of D14 and D14L in the strigolactone and karrikin signaling pathways.

PubMed

Kagiyama, Megumi; Hirano, Yoshinori; Mori, Tomoyuki; Kim, Sun-Yong; Kyozuka, Junko; Seto, Yoshiya; Yamaguchi, Shinjiro; Hakoshima, Toshio

2013-02-01

Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that inhibit shoot branching. DWARF14 (D14) inhibits rice tillering and is an SL receptor candidate in the branching inhibition pathway, whereas the close homologue DWARF14-LIKE (D14L) participates in the signaling pathway of karrikins (KARs), which are derived from burnt vegetation as smoke stimulants of seed germination. We provide the first evidence for direct binding of the bioactive SL analogue GR24 to D14. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements show a D14-GR24 binding affinity in the sub-micromolar range. Similarly, bioactive KAR1 directly binds D14L in the micromolar range. The crystal structure of rice D14 shows a compact α-/β-fold hydrolase domain forming a deep ligand-binding pocket capable of accommodating GR24. Insertion of four α-helices between β6 strand and αD helix forms the helical cap of the pocket, although the pocket is open to the solvent. The pocket contains the conserved catalytic triad Ser-His-Asp aligned with the oxyanion hole, suggesting hydrolase activity. Although these structural characteristics are conserved in D14L, the D14L pocket is smaller than that of D14. The KAR-insensitive mutation kai2-1 is located at the prominent long β6-αD1 loop, which is characteristic in D14 and D14L, but not in related α-/β-fold hydrolases. © 2013 The Authors Genes to Cells © 2013 by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Prices of Healthy and Unhealthy Beverages in High and Low Per Capita Income Areas

PubMed Central

Corrado, Rachel S; Chaloupka, Frank J

2013-01-01

To better understand availability and price of beverages in Hawai‘i, the prices of healthy (milk, orange juice, unsweetened tea, unsweetened coffee, diet soda) and unhealthy beverages (regular soda, fruit drink, sports drink, sweetened tea, flavored water) were collected and the beverage prices in lower per capita income areas and higher per capita income areas were compared. Cross-sectional data on prices of healthy and unhealthy beverages were collected from supermarkets, convenience stores, and quick serve restaurants from two lower per capita income areas (Waimanalo and Wai‘anae) and two higher per capita income areas (Hawai‘i Kai and Manoa) on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i from May 15 to June 10, 2012. Using composite data from across all areas, there was a significant difference of $0.58 (95% CI 0.46, 0.70) between the healthy beverages' mean price per 20 ounces ($1.76 ± $0.86) and the unhealthy beverages' mean price per 20 ounces ($1.18 ± $0.38) (P <.001). Although there was no statistically significant difference between per capita income areas, the lower per capita income areas' mean price per 20 ounces of healthy beverages was slightly higher and mean price per 20 ounces of unhealthy beverages was slightly lower than the higher per capita income areas. Pricing strategies that enable healthy beverages to be less expensive than unhealthy beverages is one method to increase consumption of healthy beverages and decrease consumption of unhealthy beverages. Reduction in unhealthy beverage consumption is needed to help reduce obesity, especially in the lower per capita income areas that have higher obesity prevalence. PMID:23520564

CCD image sensor induced error in PIV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legrand, M.; Nogueira, J.; Vargas, A. A.; Ventas, R.; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, M. C.

2014-06-01

The readout procedure of charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras is known to generate some image degradation in different scientific imaging fields, especially in astrophysics. In the particular field of particle image velocimetry (PIV), widely extended in the scientific community, the readout procedure of the interline CCD sensor induces a bias in the registered position of particle images. This work proposes simple procedures to predict the magnitude of the associated measurement error. Generally, there are differences in the position bias for the different images of a certain particle at each PIV frame. This leads to a substantial bias error in the PIV velocity measurement (˜0.1 pixels). This is the order of magnitude that other typical PIV errors such as peak-locking may reach. Based on modern CCD technology and architecture, this work offers a description of the readout phenomenon and proposes a modeling for the CCD readout bias error magnitude. This bias, in turn, generates a velocity measurement bias error when there is an illumination difference between two successive PIV exposures. The model predictions match the experiments performed with two 12-bit-depth interline CCD cameras (MegaPlus ES 4.0/E incorporating the Kodak KAI-4000M CCD sensor with 4 megapixels). For different cameras, only two constant values are needed to fit the proposed calibration model and predict the error from the readout procedure. Tests by different researchers using different cameras would allow verification of the model, that can be used to optimize acquisition setups. Simple procedures to obtain these two calibration values are also described.

Human aflatoxin exposure in Kenya, 2007: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Yard, Ellen E.; Daniel, Johnni H.; Lewis, Lauren S.; Rybak, Michael E.; Paliakov, Ekaterina M.; Kim, Andrea A.; Montgomery, Joel M.; Bunnell, Rebecca; Abudo, Mamo Umuro; Akhwale, Willis; Breiman, Robert F.; Sharif, Shahnaaz K.

2013-01-01

Aflatoxins contaminate approximately 25% of agricultural products worldwide. They can cause liver failure and liver cancer. Kenya has experienced multiple aflatoxicosis outbreaks in recent years, often resulting in fatalities. However, the full extent of aflatoxin exposure in Kenya has been unknown. Our objective was to quantify aflatoxin exposure across Kenya. We analysed aflatoxin levels in serum specimens from the 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey – a nationally representative, cross-sectional serosurvey. KAIS collected 15,853 blood specimens. Of the 3180 human immunodeficiency virus-negative specimens with ≥1 mL sera, we randomly selected 600 specimens stratified by province and sex. We analysed serum specimens for aflatoxin albumin adducts by using isotope dilution MS/MS to quantify aflatoxin B1-lysine, and normalised with serum albumin. Aflatoxin concentrations were then compared by demographic, socioeconomic and geographic characteristics. We detected serum aflatoxin B1-lysine in 78% of serum specimens (range =

Traditional Knowledge Strengthens NOAA's Environmental Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stovall, W. K.; McBride, M. A.; Lewinski, S.; Bennett, S.

2010-12-01

Environmental education efforts are increasingly recognizing the value of traditional knowledge, or indigenous science, as a basis to teach the importance of stewardship. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Services Center incorporates Polynesian indigenous science into formal and informal education components of its environmental literacy program. By presenting indigenous science side by side with NOAA science, it becomes clear that the scientific results are the same, although the methods may differ. The platforms for these tools span a vast spectrum, utilizing media from 3-D visualizations to storytelling and lecture. Navigating the Pacific Islands is a Second Life project in which users navigate a virtual Polynesian voyaging canoe between two islands, one featuring native Hawaiian practices and the other where users learn about NOAA research and ships. In partnership with the University of Hawai‘i Waikiki Aquarium, the Nana I Ke Kai (Look to the Sea) series focuses on connecting culture and science during cross-discipline, publicly held discussions between cultural practitioners and research scientists. The Indigenous Science Video Series is a multi-use, animated collection of short films that showcase the efforts of NOAA fisheries management and ship navigation in combination with the accompanying Polynesian perspectives. Formal education resources and lesson plans for grades 3-5 focusing on marine science have also been developed and incorporate indigenous science practices as examples of conservation success. By merging traditional knowledge and stewardship practices with NOAA science in educational tools and resources, NOAA's Pacific Services Center is helping to build and increase environmental literacy through the development of educational tools and resources that are applicable to place-based understanding and approaches.

Forgotten research from 19th century: science should not follow fashion.

PubMed

Galler, Stefan

2015-02-01

The fine structure of cross-striated muscle and its changes during contraction were known already in considerable detail in the 19th century. This knowledge was the result of studying birefringence properties of muscle fibres under the polarization microscope, a method mainly established by Brücke (Denk Kais Akad Wiss Math Naturwiss Cl 15:69-84, 1858) in Vienna, Austria. The knowledge was seemingly forgotten in the first half of the 20th century before it was rediscovered in 1954. This rediscovery was essential for the formulation of the sliding filament theory which represents the commonly accepted concept of muscle contraction (A.F. Huxley and Niedergerke, Nature 173:971-973, 1954; H.E. Huxley and Hanson, Nature 173:973-976, 1954). The loss of knowledge was the result of prevailing views within the scientific community which could be attributed to "fashion": it was thought that the changes of cross-striations, which were observed under the microscope, were inconsequential for contraction since other types of movements like cell crawling and smooth muscle contraction were not associated with similar changes of the fine structure. The basis for this assumption was the view that all types of movements associated with life must be caused by the same mechanisms. Furthermore, it was assumed that the light microscopy was of little use, because the individual molecules that carry out life functions cannot be seen under the light microscope. This unfortunate episode of science history teaches us that the progress of science can severely be retarded by fashion.

Striving for best practice: standardising New Zealand nursing procedures, 1930-1960.

PubMed

Wood, Pamela J; Nelson, Katherine

2013-11-01

To identify how nurses in the past determined best practice, using the context of New Zealand, 1930-1960. In the current context of evidence-based practice, nurses strive to provide the best care, based on clinical research. We cannot assume that nurses in the past, prior to the evidence-based practice movement, did not also have a deliberate process for pursuing best practice. Discovering historical approaches to determining best practice will enrich our understanding of how nurses' current efforts are part of a continuing commitment to ensuring quality care. Historical research. The records of the Nursing Education Committee of the New Zealand Registered Nurses' Association, 1940-1959, and the 309 issues of New Zealand's nursing journal, Kai Tiaki, 1930-1960, were analysed to identify the profession's approach to ensuring best practice. This approach was then interpreted within the international context, particularly Canada and the USA. For nearly 30 years, nurse leaders collaborated in undertaking national surveys of training hospitals requesting information on different nursing practices. They subsequently distributed instructions for a range of procedures and other aspects of nursing care to standardise practice. Standardising nursing care was an effective way to ensure quality nursing at a time when hospital care was delivered mostly by nurses in training. The reasons for and timing of standardisation of nursing care in New Zealand differed from the international move towards standardisation, particularly in the USA. Historically, nurses also pursued best practice, based on standardising nursing procedures. Examining the antecedents of the present evidence-based approach to care reminds us that the process and reasons for determining best practice change through time. As knowledge and practice continually change, current confident assertions of best practice should and will continue to be challenged in future. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Drying characteristics of hui ink at 25 °C and 35 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yang; Yao, Yao; Liu, Le; Wang, Fengwen; Yang, Shuyun

2018-05-01

Temperature and humidity are the main factors affecting the drying of Hui ink. For the experiment, fresh Hui ink billets from two big ink industries were selected. We tried to find the fast and efficient drying conditions of Hui ink and calculate effective diffusion coefficient by performing manual control of temperature and relative humidity (RH). Several dry kinetic models were fitted. A constant temperature incubator was utilized for temperature control, while humidification and dehumidification were implemented accordingly for RH control. Setups of 25 °C and 35 °C were designed, and a relative humidity of 60%, 65%, 70%, and 75% was applied for each temperature. The process of ink drying was recorded, and the drying effect of Hui ink was estimated through expert decision. The appropriate drying temperature and humidity of the Jinbuhuan(J) and Huangshansongyan(H) ink billets from Lao Hu Kai Wen Ink Industry are at (31.99 ± 1.41) °C and (55.84 ± 10.38)% RH, whereas those of the Songyantanhei(ST), Chunyouyan(CY), and Quansongyan(QS) ink billets from Ju Mo Tang Ink Industry are at (23.70 ± 2.19) °C and (60.56 ± 2.16)% RH or (34.56 ± 2.37) °C and (59.16 ± 6.38)% RH; Initial moisture content of Hui ink has great influence on the water loss in the drying process; The effective diffusion coefficient of the ink lump ranges from 8.41538E-07 to 1.95891E-06 m2·s-1, and increases mainly with the temperature's rising; Logarithmic model fits best of the chosen models.

Microwave Spectrum of Hydrogen Bonded HEXAFLUOROISOPROPANOL•••WATER Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahi, Abhishek; Arunan, Elangannan

2014-06-01

Stabilizing α-helical structure of protein and dissolving a hard to dissolve polymer, polythene terphthalete, are some of the unique properties of the organic solvent Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). After determining the complete microwave spectrum of HFIP monomer, we have recorded the spectrum of HFIP***H_2O complex. Ab initio calculations were used to optimize three different possible structures. The global minimum, structure 1, had HFIP as proton donor. Another promising structure, Structure 2, has been obtained from a molecular dynamic study. A total of 46 observed lines have been fitted well for obtaining the rotational and distortion constants within experimental uncertainty. The observed rotational constants are A = 1134.53898(77) MHz, B = 989.67594(44) MHz and C = 705.26602(20) MHz. Interestingly, the rotational constants of structure 1, structure 2 and experiments were very close. Experimentally observed distortion constants were close to structure 1. b-type transitions were stronger than c-type which is also consistent with the calculated dipole moment components of structure 1. Calculations predict a non-zero a-dipole moment but experimentally a-type transitions were absent. Microwave spectra of two of the deuterium isotopologues of this complex i.e. HFIP***D_2O (30 transitions) and HFIP***HOD (33 transitions) have been also observed. Search for other isotopologues are in progress. To characterize the nature of hydrogen bonding, Atoms in Molecules and Natural Bond Orbital theoretical analysis have been done. Experimental structure and these theoretical analyses indicate that the hydrogen bonding in HFIP***H_2O complex is stronger than that in water dimer. A. Shahi and E. Arunan, Talk number RK16, 68th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy 2013, Ohio, USA. Yamaguchi, T.; Imura, S.; Kai, T.; Yoshida, K. Zeitschrift für Naturforsch. A 2013, 68a, 145.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover Mastcam instruments: Preflight and in-flight calibration, validation, and data archiving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, J. F.; Godber, A.; McNair, S.; Caplinger, M. A.; Maki, J. N.; Lemmon, M. T.; Van Beek, J.; Malin, M. C.; Wellington, D.; Kinch, K. M.; Madsen, M. B.; Hardgrove, C.; Ravine, M. A.; Jensen, E.; Harker, D.; Anderson, R. B.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Morris, R. V.; Cisneros, E.; Deen, R. G.

2017-07-01

The NASA Curiosity rover Mast Camera (Mastcam) system is a pair of fixed-focal length, multispectral, color CCD imagers mounted 2 m above the surface on the rover's remote sensing mast, along with associated electronics and an onboard calibration target. The left Mastcam (M-34) has a 34 mm focal length, an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of 0.22 mrad, and a FOV of 20° × 15° over the full 1648 × 1200 pixel span of its Kodak KAI-2020 CCD. The right Mastcam (M-100) has a 100 mm focal length, an IFOV of 0.074 mrad, and a FOV of 6.8° × 5.1° using the same detector. The cameras are separated by 24.2 cm on the mast, allowing stereo images to be obtained at the resolution of the M-34 camera. Each camera has an eight-position filter wheel, enabling it to take Bayer pattern red, green, and blue (RGB) "true color" images, multispectral images in nine additional bands spanning 400-1100 nm, and images of the Sun in two colors through neutral density-coated filters. An associated Digital Electronics Assembly provides command and data interfaces to the rover, 8 Gb of image storage per camera, 11 bit to 8 bit companding, JPEG compression, and acquisition of high-definition video. Here we describe the preflight and in-flight calibration of Mastcam images, the ways that they are being archived in the NASA Planetary Data System, and the ways that calibration refinements are being developed as the investigation progresses on Mars. We also provide some examples of data sets and analyses that help to validate the accuracy and precision of the calibration.

CD39 improves survival in microbial sepsis by attenuating systemic inflammation

PubMed Central

Csóka, Balázs; Németh, Zoltán H.; Törő, Gábor; Koscsó, Balázs; Kókai, Endre; Robson, Simon C.; Enjyoji, Keiichi; Rolandelli, Rolando H.; Erdélyi, Katalin; Pacher, Pál; Haskó, György

2015-01-01

Sepsis remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Excessive inflammation is a major cause of organ failure and mortality in sepsis. Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1, ENTPDase1 (CD39) is a cell surface nucleotide-metabolizing enzyme, which degrades the extracellular purines ATP and ADP, thereby regulating purinergic receptor signaling. Although the role of purinergic receptor signaling in regulating inflammation and sepsis has been addressed previously, the role of CD39 in regulating the host’s response to sepsis is unknown. We found that the CD39 mimic apyrase (250 U/kg) decreased and knockout or pharmacologic blockade with sodium polyoxotungstate (5 mg/kg; IC50 ≈ 10 μM) of CD39 increased mortality of mice with polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture. CD39 decreased inflammation, organ damage, immune cell apoptosis, and bacterial load. Use of bone marrow chimeric mice revealed that CD39 expression on myeloid cells decreases inflammation in septic mice. CD39 expression is upregulated during sepsis in mice, as well as in both murine and human macrophages stimulated with Escherichia coli. Moreover, E. coli increases CD39 promoter activity in macrophages. Altogether, these data indicate CD39 as an evolutionarily conserved inducible protective pathway during sepsis. We propose CD39 as a novel therapeutic target in the management of sepsis.—Csóka, B., Németh, Z. H., Törő, G., Koscsó, B., Kókai, E., Robson, S. C., Enjyoji, K., Rolandelli, R. H., Erdélyi, K., Pacher, P., Haskó, G. CD39 improves survival in microbial sepsis by attenuating systemic inflammation. PMID:25318479

Managing boundaries between professional and lay nursing following the influenza pandemic, 1918-1919: insights for professional resilience today?

PubMed

Wood, Pamela J

2017-03-01

To examine lay-professional nursing boundaries, using challenges to the New Zealand nursing profession following the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic as the example. The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 had an overwhelming international impact on communities and the nursing profession. After the pandemic, the expectation for communities to be able to nurse the sick reflects today's increasing reliance on families to care for people at home. It similarly raised questions about the profession's role and professional boundaries in relation to volunteer or lay nursing. In New Zealand, the postpandemic challenge to build community lay nursing capacity tested these boundaries. Historical research. Analysis of historical primary sources of official reports, newspaper accounts, articles in New Zealand's professional nursing journal Kai Tiaki and the memoir of Hester Maclean, the country's chief nurse. Interpretation of findings in relation to secondary sources examining similar historical tensions between professional and lay nursing, and to the more recent notion of professional resilience. Maclean guarded nursing's professional boundaries by maintaining considerable control over community instruction in nursing and by strenuously resisting the suggestion that this should be done in hospitals where professional nurses trained. This historical example shows how the nursing profession faced the perceived threat to its professional boundaries. It also shows how competing goals of building community lay nursing capacity and protecting professional boundaries can be effectively managed. In the context of a global nursing shortage, limited healthcare budgets and a consequently increasing reliance on households to provide care for family members, this historical research shows nurses today that similar issues have been faced and effectively managed in the past. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metastasis suppressor proteins in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Bozdogan, Onder; Vargel, Ibrahim; Cavusoglu, Tarik; Karabulut, Ayse A; Karahan, Gurbet; Sayar, Nilufer; Atasoy, Pınar; Yulug, Isik G

2016-07-01

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) are common human carcinomas. Despite having metastasizing capacities, they usually show less aggressive progression compared to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of other organs. Metastasis suppressor proteins (MSPs) are a group of proteins that control and slow-down the metastatic process. In this study, we established the importance of seven well-defined MSPs including NDRG1, NM23-H1, RhoGDI2, E-cadherin, CD82/KAI1, MKK4, and AKAP12 in cSCCs. Protein expression levels of the selected MSPs were detected in 32 cSCCs, 6 in situ SCCs, and two skin cell lines (HaCaT, A-431) by immunohistochemistry. The results were evaluated semi-quantitatively using the HSCORE system. In addition, mRNA expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR in the cell lines. The HSCOREs of NM23-H1 were similar in cSCCs and normal skin tissues, while RGHOGDI2, E-cadherin and AKAP12 were significantly downregulated in cSCCs compared to normal skin. The levels of MKK4, NDRG1 and CD82 were partially conserved in cSCCs. In stage I SCCs, nuclear staining of NM23-H1 (NM23-H1nuc) was significantly lower than in stage II/III SCCs. Only nuclear staining of MKK4 (MKK4nuc) showed significantly higher scores in in situ carcinomas compared to invasive SCCs. In conclusion, similar to other human tumors, we have demonstrated complex differential expression patterns for the MSPs in in-situ and invasive cSCCs. This complex MSP signature warrants further biological and experimental pathway research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

KITENIN is associated with tumor progression in human gastric cancer.

PubMed

Ryu, Ho-Seong; Park, Young-Lan; Park, Su-Jin; Lee, Ji-Hee; Cho, Sung-Bum; Lee, Wan-Sik; Chung, Ik-Joo; Kim, Kyung-Keun; Lee, Kyung-Hwa; Kweon, Sun-Seog; Joo, Young-Eun

2010-09-01

KAI1 COOH-terminal interacting tetraspanin (KITENIN) promotes tumor cell migration, invasion and metastasis in colon, bladder, head and neck cancer. The aims of current study were to evaluate whether KITENIN affects tumor cell behavior in human gastric cancer cell line and to document the expression of KITENIN in a well-defined series of gastric tumors, including complete long-term follow-up, with special reference to patient prognosis. To evaluate the impact of KITENIN knockdown on behavior of a human gastric cancer cell line, AGS, migration, invasion and proliferation assays using small-interfering RNA were performed. The expression of activator protein-1 (AP-1) target genes and AP-1 transcriptional activity were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and luciferase reporter assay. The expression of KITENIN and AP-1 target genes by RT-PCR and Western blotting or immunohistochemistry was also investigated in human gastric cancer tissues. The knockdown of KITENIN suppressed tumor cell migration, invasion and proliferation in AGS cells. The mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), MMP-3, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and CD44 was reduced by knockdown of KITENIN in AGS. AP-1 transcriptional activity was significantly decreased by knockdown of KITENIN in AGS cells. KITENIN expression was significantly increased in human cancer tissues at RNA and protein levels. Expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, COX-2 and CD44 were significantly increased in human gastric cancer tissues. Immunostaining of KITENIN was predominantly identified in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Expression of KITENIN was significantly associated with tumor size, Lauren classification, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage and poor survival. These results indicate that KITENIN plays an important role in human gastric cancer progression by AP-1 activation.

The prognostic value of the QT interval and QT interval dispersion in all-cause and cardiac mortality and morbidity in a population of Danish citizens.

PubMed

Elming, H; Holm, E; Jun, L; Torp-Pedersen, C; Køber, L; Kircshoff, M; Malik, M; Camm, J

1998-09-01

To evaluate the prognostic value of the QT interval and QT interval dispersion in total and in cardiovascular mortality, as well as in cardiac morbidity, in a general population. The QT interval was measured in all leads from a standard 12-lead ECG in a random sample of 1658 women and 1797 men aged 30-60 years. QT interval dispersion was calculated from the maximal difference between QT intervals in any two leads. All cause mortality over 13 years, and cardiovascular mortality as well as cardiac morbidity over 11 years, were the main outcome parameters. Subjects with a prolonged QT interval (430 ms or more) or prolonged QT interval dispersion (80 ms or more) were at higher risk of cardiovascular death and cardiac morbidity than subjects whose QT interval was less than 360 ms, or whose QT interval dispersion was less than 30 ms. Cardiovascular death relative risk ratios, adjusted for age, gender, myocardial infarct, angina pectoris, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, smoking habits, serum cholesterol level, and heart rate were 2.9 for the QT interval (95% confidence interval 1.1-7.8) and 4.4 for QT interval dispersion (95% confidence interval 1.0-19-1). Fatal and non-fatal cardiac morbidity relative risk ratios were similar, at 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1.4-5.5) for the QT interval and 2.2 (95% confidence interval 1.1-4.0) for QT interval dispersion. Prolongation of the QT interval and QT interval dispersion independently affected the prognosis of cardiovascular mortality and cardiac fatal and non-fatal morbidity in a general population over 11 years.

Orders on Intervals Over Partially Ordered Sets: Extending Allen's Algebra and Interval Graph Results

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

Zapata, Francisco; Kreinovich, Vladik; Joslyn, Cliff A.

2013-08-01

To make a decision, we need to compare the values of quantities. In many practical situations, we know the values with interval uncertainty. In such situations, we need to compare intervals. Allen’s algebra describes all possible relations between intervals on the real line, and ordering relations between such intervals are well studied. In this paper, we extend this description to intervals in an arbitrary partially ordered set (poset). In particular, we explicitly describe ordering relations between intervals that generalize relation between points. As auxiliary results, we provide a logical interpretation of the relation between intervals, and extend the results aboutmore » interval graphs to intervals over posets.« less

Filling the blanks in temporal intervals: the type of filling influences perceived duration and discrimination performance

PubMed Central

Horr, Ninja K.; Di Luca, Massimiliano

2015-01-01

In this work we investigate how judgments of perceived duration are influenced by the properties of the signals that define the intervals. Participants compared two auditory intervals that could be any combination of the following four types: intervals filled with continuous tones (filled intervals), intervals filled with regularly-timed short tones (isochronous intervals), intervals filled with irregularly-timed short tones (anisochronous intervals), and intervals demarcated by two short tones (empty intervals). Results indicate that the type of intervals to be compared affects discrimination performance and induces distortions in perceived duration. In particular, we find that duration judgments are most precise when comparing two isochronous and two continuous intervals, while the comparison of two anisochronous intervals leads to the worst performance. Moreover, we determined that the magnitude of the distortions in perceived duration (an effect akin to the filled duration illusion) is higher for tone sequences (no matter whether isochronous or anisochronous) than for continuous tones. Further analysis of how duration distortions depend on the type of filling suggests that distortions are not only due to the perceived duration of the two individual intervals, but they may also be due to the comparison of two different filling types. PMID:25717310

Pigeons' Choices between Fixed-Interval and Random-Interval Schedules: Utility of Variability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrzejewski, Matthew E.; Cardinal, Claudia D.; Field, Douglas P.; Flannery, Barbara A.; Johnson, Michael; Bailey, Kathleen; Hineline, Philip N.

2005-01-01

Pigeons' choosing between fixed-interval and random-interval schedules of reinforcement was investigated in three experiments using a discrete-trial procedure. In all three experiments, the random-interval schedule was generated by sampling a probability distribution at an interval (and in multiples of the interval) equal to that of the…

One-way ANOVA based on interval information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesamian, Gholamreza

2016-08-01

This paper deals with extending the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to the case where the observed data are represented by closed intervals rather than real numbers. In this approach, first a notion of interval random variable is introduced. Especially, a normal distribution with interval parameters is introduced to investigate hypotheses about the equality of interval means or test the homogeneity of interval variances assumption. Moreover, the least significant difference (LSD method) for investigating multiple comparison of interval means is developed when the null hypothesis about the equality of means is rejected. Then, at a given interval significance level, an index is applied to compare the interval test statistic and the related interval critical value as a criterion to accept or reject the null interval hypothesis of interest. Finally, the method of decision-making leads to some degrees to accept or reject the interval hypotheses. An applied example will be used to show the performance of this method.

System implications of the ambulance arrival-to-patient contact interval on response interval compliance.

PubMed

Campbell, J P; Gratton, M C; Salomone, J A; Lindholm, D J; Watson, W A

1994-01-01

In some emergency medical services (EMS) system designs, response time intervals are mandated with monetary penalties for noncompliance. These times are set with the goal of providing rapid, definitive patient care. The time interval of vehicle at scene-to-patient access (VSPA) has been measured, but its effect on response time interval compliance has not been determined. To determine the effect of the VSPA interval on the mandated code 1 (< 9 min) and code 2 (< 13 min) response time interval compliance in an urban, public-utility model system. A prospective, observational study used independent third-party riders to collect the VSPA interval for emergency life-threatening (code 1) and emergency nonlife-threatening (code 2) calls. The VSPA interval was added to the 9-1-1 call-to-dispatch and vehicle dispatch-to-scene intervals to determine the total time interval from call received until paramedic access to the patient (9-1-1 call-to-patient access). Compliance with the mandated response time intervals was determined using the traditional time intervals (9-1-1 call-to-scene) plus the VSPA time intervals (9-1-1 call-to-patient access). Chi-square was used to determine statistical significance. Of the 216 observed calls, 198 were matched to the traditional time intervals. Sixty-three were code 1, and 135 were code 2. Of the code 1 calls, 90.5% were compliant using 9-1-1 call-to-scene intervals dropping to 63.5% using 9-1-1 call-to-patient access intervals (p < 0.0005). Of the code 2 calls, 94.1% were compliant using 9-1-1 call-to-scene intervals. Compliance decreased to 83.7% using 9-1-1 call-to-patient access intervals (p = 0.012). The addition of the VSPA interval to the traditional time intervals impacts system response time compliance. Using 9-1-1 call-to-scene compliance as a basis for measuring system performance underestimates the time for the delivery of definitive care. This must be considered when response time interval compliances are defined.

Melodic interval perception by normal-hearing listeners and cochlear implant users

PubMed Central

Luo, Xin; Masterson, Megan E.; Wu, Ching-Chih

2014-01-01

The perception of melodic intervals (sequential pitch differences) is essential to music perception. This study tested melodic interval perception in normal-hearing (NH) listeners and cochlear implant (CI) users. Melodic interval ranking was tested using an adaptive procedure. CI users had slightly higher interval ranking thresholds than NH listeners. Both groups' interval ranking thresholds, although not affected by root note, significantly increased with standard interval size and were higher for descending intervals than for ascending intervals. The pitch direction effect may be due to a procedural artifact or a difference in central processing. In another test, familiar melodies were played with all the intervals scaled by a single factor. Subjects rated how in tune the melodies were and adjusted the scaling factor until the melodies sounded the most in tune. CI users had lower final interval ratings and less change in interval rating as a function of scaling factor than NH listeners. For CI users, the root-mean-square error of the final scaling factors and the width of the interval rating function were significantly correlated with the average ranking threshold for ascending rather than descending intervals, suggesting that CI users may have focused on ascending intervals when rating and adjusting the melodies. PMID:25324084

On Some Nonclassical Algebraic Properties of Interval-Valued Fuzzy Soft Sets

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Interval-valued fuzzy soft sets realize a hybrid soft computing model in a general framework. Both Molodtsov's soft sets and interval-valued fuzzy sets can be seen as special cases of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. In this study, we first compare four different types of interval-valued fuzzy soft subsets and reveal the relations among them. Then we concentrate on investigating some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets under the soft product operations. We show that some fundamental algebraic properties including the commutative and associative laws do not hold in the conventional sense, but hold in weaker forms characterized in terms of the relation =L. We obtain a number of algebraic inequalities of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets characterized by interval-valued fuzzy soft inclusions. We also establish the weak idempotent law and the weak absorptive law of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets using interval-valued fuzzy soft J-equal relations. It is revealed that the soft product operations ∧ and ∨ of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets do not always have similar algebraic properties. Moreover, we find that only distributive inequalities described by the interval-valued fuzzy soft L-inclusions hold for interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. PMID:25143964

On some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoyan; Feng, Feng; Zhang, Hui

2014-01-01

Interval-valued fuzzy soft sets realize a hybrid soft computing model in a general framework. Both Molodtsov's soft sets and interval-valued fuzzy sets can be seen as special cases of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. In this study, we first compare four different types of interval-valued fuzzy soft subsets and reveal the relations among them. Then we concentrate on investigating some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets under the soft product operations. We show that some fundamental algebraic properties including the commutative and associative laws do not hold in the conventional sense, but hold in weaker forms characterized in terms of the relation = L . We obtain a number of algebraic inequalities of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets characterized by interval-valued fuzzy soft inclusions. We also establish the weak idempotent law and the weak absorptive law of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets using interval-valued fuzzy soft J-equal relations. It is revealed that the soft product operations ∧ and ∨ of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets do not always have similar algebraic properties. Moreover, we find that only distributive inequalities described by the interval-valued fuzzy soft L-inclusions hold for interval-valued fuzzy soft sets.

A modified Wald interval for the area under the ROC curve (AUC) in diagnostic case-control studies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, referred to as the AUC, is an appropriate measure for describing the overall accuracy of a diagnostic test or a biomarker in early phase trials without having to choose a threshold. There are many approaches for estimating the confidence interval for the AUC. However, all are relatively complicated to implement. Furthermore, many approaches perform poorly for large AUC values or small sample sizes. Methods The AUC is actually a probability. So we propose a modified Wald interval for a single proportion, which can be calculated on a pocket calculator. We performed a simulation study to compare this modified Wald interval (without and with continuity correction) with other intervals regarding coverage probability and statistical power. Results The main result is that the proposed modified Wald intervals maintain and exploit the type I error much better than the intervals of Agresti-Coull, Wilson, and Clopper-Pearson. The interval suggested by Bamber, the Mann-Whitney interval without transformation and also the interval of the binormal AUC are very liberal. For small sample sizes the Wald interval with continuity has a comparable coverage probability as the LT interval and higher power. For large sample sizes the results of the LT interval and of the Wald interval without continuity correction are comparable. Conclusions If individual patient data is not available, but only the estimated AUC and the total sample size, the modified Wald intervals can be recommended as confidence intervals for the AUC. For small sample sizes the continuity correction should be used. PMID:24552686

A modified Wald interval for the area under the ROC curve (AUC) in diagnostic case-control studies.

PubMed

Kottas, Martina; Kuss, Oliver; Zapf, Antonia

2014-02-19

The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, referred to as the AUC, is an appropriate measure for describing the overall accuracy of a diagnostic test or a biomarker in early phase trials without having to choose a threshold. There are many approaches for estimating the confidence interval for the AUC. However, all are relatively complicated to implement. Furthermore, many approaches perform poorly for large AUC values or small sample sizes. The AUC is actually a probability. So we propose a modified Wald interval for a single proportion, which can be calculated on a pocket calculator. We performed a simulation study to compare this modified Wald interval (without and with continuity correction) with other intervals regarding coverage probability and statistical power. The main result is that the proposed modified Wald intervals maintain and exploit the type I error much better than the intervals of Agresti-Coull, Wilson, and Clopper-Pearson. The interval suggested by Bamber, the Mann-Whitney interval without transformation and also the interval of the binormal AUC are very liberal. For small sample sizes the Wald interval with continuity has a comparable coverage probability as the LT interval and higher power. For large sample sizes the results of the LT interval and of the Wald interval without continuity correction are comparable. If individual patient data is not available, but only the estimated AUC and the total sample size, the modified Wald intervals can be recommended as confidence intervals for the AUC. For small sample sizes the continuity correction should be used.

How Different Are Our Perceptions of Equal-Tempered and Microtonal Intervals? A Behavioural and EEG Survey.

PubMed

Bailes, Freya; Dean, Roger T; Broughton, Mary C

2015-01-01

For listeners familiar with Western twelve-tone equal-tempered (12-TET) music, a novel microtonal tuning system is expected to present additional processing challenges. We aimed to determine whether this was the case, focusing on the extent to which our perceptions can be considered bottom-up (psychoacoustic and primarily perceptual) and top-down (dependent on familiarity and cognitive processing). We elicited both overt response ratings, and covert event-related potentials (ERPs), so as to compare subjective impressions of sounds with the neurophysiological processing of the acoustic signal. We hypothesised that microtonal intervals are perceived differently from 12-TET intervals, and that the responses of musicians (n = 10) and non-musicians (n = 10) are distinct. Two-note chords were presented comprising 12-TET intervals (consonant and dissonant) or microtonal (quarter tone) intervals, and ERP, subjective roughness ratings, and liking ratings were recorded successively. Musical experience mediated the perception of differences between dissonant and microtone intervals, with non-musicians giving similar ratings for each, and musicians preferring dissonant over the less commonly used microtonal intervals, rating them as less rough. ERP response amplitude was greater for consonant intervals than other intervals. Musical experience interacted with interval type, suggesting that musical expertise facilitates the sensory and perceptual discrimination of microtonal intervals from 12-TET intervals, and an increased ability to categorize such intervals. Non-musicians appear to have perceived microtonal intervals as instances of neighbouring 12-TET intervals.

Timescale- and Sensory Modality-Dependency of the Central Tendency of Time Perception.

PubMed

Murai, Yuki; Yotsumoto, Yuko

2016-01-01

When individuals are asked to reproduce intervals of stimuli that are intermixedly presented at various times, longer intervals are often underestimated and shorter intervals overestimated. This phenomenon may be attributed to the central tendency of time perception, and suggests that our brain optimally encodes a stimulus interval based on current stimulus input and prior knowledge of the distribution of stimulus intervals. Two distinct systems are thought to be recruited in the perception of sub- and supra-second intervals. Sub-second timing is subject to local sensory processing, whereas supra-second timing depends on more centralized mechanisms. To clarify the factors that influence time perception, the present study investigated how both sensory modality and timescale affect the central tendency. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to reproduce sub- or supra-second intervals, defined by visual or auditory stimuli. In the sub-second range, the magnitude of the central tendency was significantly larger for visual intervals compared to auditory intervals, while visual and auditory intervals exhibited a correlated and comparable central tendency in the supra-second range. In Experiment 2, the ability to discriminate sub-second intervals in the reproduction task was controlled across modalities by using an interval discrimination task. Even when the ability to discriminate intervals was controlled, visual intervals exhibited a larger central tendency than auditory intervals in the sub-second range. In addition, the magnitude of the central tendency for visual and auditory sub-second intervals was significantly correlated. These results suggest that a common modality-independent mechanism is responsible for the supra-second central tendency, and that both the modality-dependent and modality-independent components of the timing system contribute to the central tendency in the sub-second range.

Interval-based reconstruction for uncertainty quantification in PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucharczak, Florentin; Loquin, Kevin; Buvat, Irène; Strauss, Olivier; Mariano-Goulart, Denis

2018-02-01

A new directed interval-based tomographic reconstruction algorithm, called non-additive interval based expectation maximization (NIBEM) is presented. It uses non-additive modeling of the forward operator that provides intervals instead of single-valued projections. The detailed approach is an extension of the maximum likelihood—expectation maximization algorithm based on intervals. The main motivation for this extension is that the resulting intervals have appealing properties for estimating the statistical uncertainty associated with the reconstructed activity values. After reviewing previously published theoretical concepts related to interval-based projectors, this paper describes the NIBEM algorithm and gives examples that highlight the properties and advantages of this interval valued reconstruction.

Neural activity related to discrimination and vocal production of consonant and dissonant musical intervals.

PubMed

González-García, Nadia; González, Martha A; Rendón, Pablo L

2016-07-15

Relationships between musical pitches are described as either consonant, when associated with a pleasant and harmonious sensation, or dissonant, when associated with an inharmonious feeling. The accurate singing of musical intervals requires communication between auditory feedback processing and vocal motor control (i.e. audio-vocal integration) to ensure that each note is produced correctly. The objective of this study is to investigate the neural mechanisms through which trained musicians produce consonant and dissonant intervals. We utilized 4 musical intervals (specifically, an octave, a major seventh, a fifth, and a tritone) as the main stimuli for auditory discrimination testing, and we used the same interval tasks to assess vocal accuracy in a group of musicians (11 subjects, all female vocal students at conservatory level). The intervals were chosen so as to test for differences in recognition and production of consonant and dissonant intervals, as well as narrow and wide intervals. The subjects were studied using fMRI during performance of the interval tasks; the control condition consisted of passive listening. Singing dissonant intervals as opposed to singing consonant intervals led to an increase in activation in several regions, most notably the primary auditory cortex, the primary somatosensory cortex, the amygdala, the left putamen, and the right insula. Singing wide intervals as opposed to singing narrow intervals resulted in the activation of the right anterior insula. Moreover, we also observed a correlation between singing in tune and brain activity in the premotor cortex, and a positive correlation between training and activation of primary somatosensory cortex, primary motor cortex, and premotor cortex during singing. When singing dissonant intervals, a higher degree of training correlated with the right thalamus and the left putamen. Our results indicate that singing dissonant intervals requires greater involvement of neural mechanisms associated with integrating external feedback from auditory and sensorimotor systems than singing consonant intervals, and it would then seem likely that dissonant intervals are intoned by adjusting the neural mechanisms used for the production of consonant intervals. Singing wide intervals requires a greater degree of control than singing narrow intervals, as it involves neural mechanisms which again involve the integration of internal and external feedback. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bootstrap Prediction Intervals in Non-Parametric Regression with Applications to Anomaly Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Sricharan; Srivistava, Ashok N.

2012-01-01

Prediction intervals provide a measure of the probable interval in which the outputs of a regression model can be expected to occur. Subsequently, these prediction intervals can be used to determine if the observed output is anomalous or not, conditioned on the input. In this paper, a procedure for determining prediction intervals for outputs of nonparametric regression models using bootstrap methods is proposed. Bootstrap methods allow for a non-parametric approach to computing prediction intervals with no specific assumptions about the sampling distribution of the noise or the data. The asymptotic fidelity of the proposed prediction intervals is theoretically proved. Subsequently, the validity of the bootstrap based prediction intervals is illustrated via simulations. Finally, the bootstrap prediction intervals are applied to the problem of anomaly detection on aviation data.

Successful extension of tocilizumab infusion intervals from 4 weeks to 6 or 5 weeks in 90% of RA patients with good response to 4-week intervals.

PubMed

Saiki, Osamu; Uda, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

A period of 4 weeks (w) has been recommended as the interval between tocilizumab (TCZ) infusions for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, treating the patients with TCZ (8 mg/kg), we experienced that longer intervals were also effective. We conducted the study to investigate whether the intervals of TCZ infusions could extend from 4w to 5 or 6w. This was a retrospective observational study. RA patients who had shown good response to TCZ infusions at 4w intervals were enrolled, and the intervals of TCZ infusions were extended to 5w. Next, the intervals of TCZ infusion were extended to 6w for the patients who had maintained good response with 5w intervals. The patients who had maintained good response for more than two years were estimated as responders. One hundred patients were enrolled in the present study, and 62 patients maintained good response with 6w-interval infusions, and 28 patients with 5w-interval infusions, indicating that 90% of patients who had shown good response with 4w intervals could extend the intervals from 4w to 5 or 6w. The present study provides evidence that most of RA patients who showed good response to TCZ infusions at 4w could extend the intervals to 6w or 5w. This finding should be of great interest for both financial and labour reasons.

CIMP status of interval colon cancers: another piece to the puzzle.

PubMed

Arain, Mustafa A; Sawhney, Mandeep; Sheikh, Shehla; Anway, Ruth; Thyagarajan, Bharat; Bond, John H; Shaukat, Aasma

2010-05-01

Colon cancers diagnosed in the interval after a complete colonoscopy may occur due to limitations of colonoscopy or due to the development of new tumors, possibly reflecting molecular and environmental differences in tumorigenesis resulting in rapid tumor growth. In a previous study from our group, interval cancers (colon cancers diagnosed within 5 years of a complete colonoscopy) were almost four times more likely to demonstrate microsatellite instability (MSI) than non-interval cancers. In this study we extended our molecular analysis to compare the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status of interval and non-interval colorectal cancers and investigate the relationship between the CIMP and MSI pathways in the pathogenesis of interval cancers. We searched our institution's cancer registry for interval cancers, defined as colon cancers that developed within 5 years of a complete colonoscopy. These were frequency matched in a 1:2 ratio by age and sex to patients with non-interval cancers (defined as colon cancers diagnosed on a patient's first recorded colonoscopy). Archived cancer specimens for all subjects were retrieved and tested for CIMP gene markers. The MSI status of subjects identified between 1989 and 2004 was known from our previous study. Tissue specimens of newly identified cases and controls (between 2005 and 2006) were tested for MSI. There were 1,323 cases of colon cancer diagnosed over the 17-year study period, of which 63 were identified as having interval cancer and matched to 131 subjects with non-interval cancer. Study subjects were almost all Caucasian men. CIMP was present in 57% of interval cancers compared to 33% of non-interval cancers (P=0.004). As shown previously, interval cancers were more likely than non-interval cancers to occur in the proximal colon (63% vs. 39%; P=0.002), and have MSI 29% vs. 11%, P=0.004). In multivariable logistic regression model, proximal location (odds ratio (OR) 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-3.8), MSI (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.1-6.8) and CIMP (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.2-4.9) were independently associated with interval cancers. CIMP was associated with interval cancers independent of MSI status. There was no difference in 5-year survival between the two groups. Interval cancers are more likely to arise in the proximal colon and demonstrate CIMP, which suggests there may be differences in biology between these and non-interval CRC. Additional studies are needed to determine whether interval cancers arise as a result of missed lesions or accelerated neoplastic progression.

Prevalence of QT interval prolongation in patients admitted to cardiac care units and frequency of subsequent administration of QT interval-prolonging drugs: a prospective, observational study in a large urban academic medical center in the US.

PubMed

Tisdale, James E; Wroblewski, Heather A; Overholser, Brian R; Kingery, Joanna R; Trujillo, Tate N; Kovacs, Richard J

2012-06-01

Cardiac arrest due to torsades de pointes (TdP) is a rare but catastrophic event in hospitals. Patients admitted to cardiac units are at higher risk of drug-induced QT interval prolongation and TdP, due to a preponderance of risk factors. Few data exist regarding the prevalence of QT interval prolongation in patients admitted to cardiac units or the frequency of administering QT interval-prolonging drugs to patients presenting with QT interval prolongation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Bazett's-corrected QT (QT(c)) interval prolongation upon admission to cardiac units and the proportion of patients presenting with QT(c) interval prolongation who are subsequently administered QT interval-prolonging drugs during hospitalization. This was a prospective, observational study conducted over a 1-year period (October 2008-October 2009) in 1159 consecutive patients admitted to two cardiac units in a large urban academic medical centre located in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Patients were enrolled into the study at the time of admission to the hospital and were followed daily during hospitalization. Exclusion criteria were age <18 years, ECG rhythm of complete ventricular pacing, and patient designation as 'outpatient' in a bed and/or duration of stay <24 hours. Data collected included demographic information, past medical history, daily progress notes, medication administration records, laboratory data, ECGs, telemetry monitoring strips and diagnostic reports. All patients underwent continuous cardiac telemetry monitoring and/or had a baseline 12-lead ECG obtained within 4 hours of admission. QT intervals were determined manually from lead II of 12-lead ECGs or from continuous lead II telemetry monitoring strips. QT(c) interval prolongation was defined as ≥470 ms for males and ≥480 ms for females. In both males and females, QT(c) interval >500 ms was considered abnormally high. A medication was classified as QT interval-prolonging if there were published data indicating that the drug causes QT interval prolongation and/or TdP. Study endpoints were (i) prevalence of QT(c) interval prolongation upon admission to the Cardiac Medical Critical Care Unit (CMCCU) or an Advanced Heart Care Unit (AHCU); (ii) proportion of patients admitted to the CMCCU/AHCU with QT(c) interval prolongation who subsequently were administered QT interval-prolonging drugs during hospitalization; (iii) the proportion of these higher-risk patients in whom TdP risk factor monitoring was performed; (iv) proportion of patients with QT(c) interval prolongation who subsequently received QT-prolonging drugs and who experienced further QT(c) interval prolongation. Of 1159 patients enrolled, 259 patients met exclusion criteria, resulting in a final sample size of 900 patients. mean (± SD) age, 65 ± 15 years; female, 47%; Caucasian, 70%. Admitting diagnoses: heart failure (22%), myocardial infarction (16%), atrial fibrillation (9%), sudden cardiac arrest (3%). QT(c) interval prolongation was present in 27.9% of patients on admission; 18.2% had QT(c) interval >500 ms. Of 251 patients admitted with QT(c) interval prolongation, 87 (34.7%) were subsequently administered QT interval-prolonging drugs. Of 166 patients admitted with QT(c) interval >500 ms, 70 (42.2%) were subsequently administered QT interval-prolonging drugs; additional QT(c) interval prolongation ≥60 ms occurred in 57.1% of these patients. QT(c) interval prolongation is common among patients admitted to cardiac units. QT interval-prolonging drugs are commonly prescribed to patients presenting with QT(c) interval prolongation.

A framework for interval-valued information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yunfei; Gong, Guanghong; Han, Liang

2012-09-01

Interval-valued information system is used to transform the conventional dataset into the interval-valued form. To conduct the interval-valued data mining, we conduct two investigations: (1) construct the interval-valued information system, and (2) conduct the interval-valued knowledge discovery. In constructing the interval-valued information system, we first make the paired attributes in the database discovered, and then, make them stored in the neighbour locations in a common database and regard them as 'one' new field. In conducting the interval-valued knowledge discovery, we utilise some related priori knowledge and regard the priori knowledge as the control objectives; and design an approximate closed-loop control mining system. On the implemented experimental platform (prototype), we conduct the corresponding experiments and compare the proposed algorithms with several typical algorithms, such as the Apriori algorithm, the FP-growth algorithm and the CLOSE+ algorithm. The experimental results show that the interval-valued information system method is more effective than the conventional algorithms in discovering interval-valued patterns.

Inconsistencies in Numerical Simulations of Dynamical Systems Using Interval Arithmetic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nepomuceno, Erivelton G.; Peixoto, Márcia L. C.; Martins, Samir A. M.; Rodrigues, Heitor M.; Perc, Matjaž

Over the past few decades, interval arithmetic has been attracting widespread interest from the scientific community. With the expansion of computing power, scientific computing is encountering a noteworthy shift from floating-point arithmetic toward increased use of interval arithmetic. Notwithstanding the significant reliability of interval arithmetic, this paper presents a theoretical inconsistency in a simulation of dynamical systems using a well-known implementation of arithmetic interval. We have observed that two natural interval extensions present an empty intersection during a finite time range, which is contrary to the fundamental theorem of interval analysis. We have proposed a procedure to at least partially overcome this problem, based on the union of the two generated pseudo-orbits. This paper also shows a successful case of interval arithmetic application in the reduction of interval width size on the simulation of discrete map. The implications of our findings on the reliability of scientific computing using interval arithmetic have been properly addressed using two numerical examples.

40 CFR 1065.672 - Drift correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... interval gas analyzer response to the span gas concentration. x postspan = post-test interval gas analyzer... = post-test interval gas analyzer response to the zero gas concentration. Example: x refzero = 0 µmol/mol... occurred before one or more previous test intervals. (4) For any post-test interval concentrations, use...

40 CFR 1065.672 - Drift correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... interval gas analyzer response to the span gas concentration. x postspan = post-test interval gas analyzer... = post-test interval gas analyzer response to the zero gas concentration. Example: x refzero = 0 µmol/mol... occurred before one or more previous test intervals. (4) For any post-test interval concentrations, use...

40 CFR 1065.672 - Drift correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... interval gas analyzer response to the span gas concentration. x postspan = post-test interval gas analyzer... = post-test interval gas analyzer response to the zero gas concentration. Example: x refzero = 0 µmol/mol... occurred before one or more previous test intervals. (4) For any post-test interval concentrations, use...

40 CFR 1065.672 - Drift correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... interval gas analyzer response to the span gas concentration. x postspan = post-test interval gas analyzer... = post-test interval gas analyzer response to the zero gas concentration. Example: x refzero = 0 µmol/mol... occurred before one or more previous test intervals. (4) For any post-test interval concentrations, use...

40 CFR 1065.672 - Drift correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... interval gas analyzer response to the span gas concentration. x postspan = post-test interval gas analyzer... = post-test interval gas analyzer response to the zero gas concentration. Example: x refzero = 0 µmol/mol... occurred before one or more previous test intervals. (4) For any post-test interval concentrations, use...

An Introduction to Confidence Intervals for Both Statistical Estimates and Effect Sizes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Mary Margaret

This paper summarizes methods of estimating confidence intervals, including classical intervals and intervals for effect sizes. The recent American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Statistical Inference report suggested that confidence intervals should always be reported, and the fifth edition of the APA "Publication Manual"…

Bootstrap Confidence Intervals for Ordinary Least Squares Factor Loadings and Correlations in Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangjian; Preacher, Kristopher J.; Luo, Shanhong

2010-01-01

This article is concerned with using the bootstrap to assign confidence intervals for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations in ordinary least squares exploratory factor analysis. Coverage performances of "SE"-based intervals, percentile intervals, bias-corrected percentile intervals, bias-corrected accelerated percentile…

An Event Restriction Interval Theory of Tense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beamer, Brandon Robert

2012-01-01

This dissertation presents a novel theory of tense and tense-like constructions. It is named after a key theoretical component of the theory, the event restriction interval. In Event Restriction Interval (ERI) Theory, sentences are semantically evaluated relative to an index which contains two key intervals, the evaluation interval and the event…

Chosen interval methods for solving linear interval systems with special type of matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szyszka, Barbara

2013-10-01

The paper is devoted to chosen direct interval methods for solving linear interval systems with special type of matrix. This kind of matrix: band matrix with a parameter, from finite difference problem is obtained. Such linear systems occur while solving one dimensional wave equation (Partial Differential Equations of hyperbolic type) by using the central difference interval method of the second order. Interval methods are constructed so as the errors of method are enclosed in obtained results, therefore presented linear interval systems contain elements that determining the errors of difference method. The chosen direct algorithms have been applied for solving linear systems because they have no errors of method. All calculations were performed in floating-point interval arithmetic.

Extended Task Space Control for Robotic Manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Backes, Paul G. (Inventor); Long, Mark K. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

The invention is a method of operating a robot in successive sampling intervals to perform a task, the robot having joints and joint actuators with actuator control loops, by decomposing the task into behavior forces, accelerations, velocities and positions of plural behaviors to be exhibited by the robot simultaneously, computing actuator accelerations of the joint actuators for the current sampling interval from both behavior forces, accelerations velocities and positions of the current sampling interval and actuator velocities and positions of the previous sampling interval, computing actuator velocities and positions of the joint actuators for the current sampling interval from the actuator velocities and positions of the previous sampling interval, and, finally, controlling the actuators in accordance with the actuator accelerations, velocities and positions of the current sampling interval. The actuator accelerations, velocities and positions of the current sampling interval are stored for use during the next sampling interval.

Ratio-based lengths of intervals to improve fuzzy time series forecasting.

PubMed

Huarng, Kunhuang; Yu, Tiffany Hui-Kuang

2006-04-01

The objective of this study is to explore ways of determining the useful lengths of intervals in fuzzy time series. It is suggested that ratios, instead of equal lengths of intervals, can more properly represent the intervals among observations. Ratio-based lengths of intervals are, therefore, proposed to improve fuzzy time series forecasting. Algebraic growth data, such as enrollments and the stock index, and exponential growth data, such as inventory demand, are chosen as the forecasting targets, before forecasting based on the various lengths of intervals is performed. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are also carried out for various percentiles. The ratio-based lengths of intervals are found to outperform the effective lengths of intervals, as well as the arbitrary ones in regard to the different statistical measures. The empirical analysis suggests that the ratio-based lengths of intervals can also be used to improve fuzzy time series forecasting.

An interval model updating strategy using interval response surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Sheng-En; Zhang, Qiu-Hu; Ren, Wei-Xin

2015-08-01

Stochastic model updating provides an effective way of handling uncertainties existing in real-world structures. In general, probabilistic theories, fuzzy mathematics or interval analyses are involved in the solution of inverse problems. However in practice, probability distributions or membership functions of structural parameters are often unavailable due to insufficient information of a structure. At this moment an interval model updating procedure shows its superiority in the aspect of problem simplification since only the upper and lower bounds of parameters and responses are sought. To this end, this study develops a new concept of interval response surface models for the purpose of efficiently implementing the interval model updating procedure. The frequent interval overestimation due to the use of interval arithmetic can be maximally avoided leading to accurate estimation of parameter intervals. Meanwhile, the establishment of an interval inverse problem is highly simplified, accompanied by a saving of computational costs. By this means a relatively simple and cost-efficient interval updating process can be achieved. Lastly, the feasibility and reliability of the developed method have been verified against a numerical mass-spring system and also against a set of experimentally tested steel plates.

Statistics of return intervals between long heartbeat intervals and their usability for online prediction of disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogachev, Mikhail I.; Kireenkov, Igor S.; Nifontov, Eugene M.; Bunde, Armin

2009-06-01

We study the statistics of return intervals between large heartbeat intervals (above a certain threshold Q) in 24 h records obtained from healthy subjects. We find that both the linear and the nonlinear long-term memory inherent in the heartbeat intervals lead to power-laws in the probability density function PQ(r) of the return intervals. As a consequence, the probability WQ(t; Δt) that at least one large heartbeat interval will occur within the next Δt heartbeat intervals, with an increasing elapsed number of intervals t after the last large heartbeat interval, follows a power-law. Based on these results, we suggest a method of obtaining a priori information about the occurrence of the next large heartbeat interval, and thus to predict it. We show explicitly that the proposed method, which exploits long-term memory, is superior to the conventional precursory pattern recognition technique, which focuses solely on short-term memory. We believe that our results can be straightforwardly extended to obtain more reliable predictions in other physiological signals like blood pressure, as well as in other complex records exhibiting multifractal behaviour, e.g. turbulent flow, precipitation, river flows and network traffic.

Reference Intervals of Common Clinical Chemistry Analytes for Adults in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Lo, Y C; Armbruster, David A

2012-04-01

Defining reference intervals is a major challenge because of the difficulty in recruiting volunteers to participate and testing samples from a significant number of healthy reference individuals. Historical literature citation intervals are often suboptimal because they're be based on obsolete methods and/or only a small number of poorly defined reference samples. Blood donors in Hong Kong gave permission for additional blood to be collected for reference interval testing. The samples were tested for twenty-five routine analytes on the Abbott ARCHITECT clinical chemistry system. Results were analyzed using the Rhoads EP evaluator software program, which is based on the CLSI/IFCC C28-A guideline, and defines the reference interval as the 95% central range. Method specific reference intervals were established for twenty-five common clinical chemistry analytes for a Chinese ethnic population. The intervals were defined for each gender separately and for genders combined. Gender specific or combined gender intervals were adapted as appropriate for each analyte. A large number of healthy, apparently normal blood donors from a local ethnic population were tested to provide current reference intervals for a new clinical chemistry system. Intervals were determined following an accepted international guideline. Laboratories using the same or similar methodologies may adapt these intervals if deemed validated and deemed suitable for their patient population. Laboratories using different methodologies may be able to successfully adapt the intervals for their facilities using the reference interval transference technique based on a method comparison study.

Effect of the time interval between fusion and activation on epigenetic reprogramming and development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

PubMed

Liu, Jun; Wang, Yongsheng; Su, Jianmin; Wang, Lijun; Li, Ruizhe; Li, Qian; Wu, Yongyan; Hua, Song; Quan, Fusheng; Guo, Zekun; Zhang, Yong

2013-04-01

Previous studies have shown that the time interval between fusion and activation (FA interval) play an important role in nuclear remodeling and in vitro development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. However, the effects of FA interval on the epigenetic reprogramming and in vivo developmental competence of SCNT embryos remain unknown. In the present study, the effects of different FA intervals (0 h, 2 h, and 4 h) on the epigenetic reprogramming and developmental competence of bovine SCNT embryos were assessed. The results demonstrated that H3 lysine 9 (H3K9ac) levels decreased rapidly after fusion in all three groups. H3K9ac was practically undetectable 2 h after fusion in the 2-h and 4-h FA interval groups. However, H3K9ac was still evidently detectable in the 0-h FA interval group. The H3K9ac levels increased 10 h after fusion in all three groups, but were higher in the 2-h and 4-h FA interval groups than that in the 0-h FA interval group. The methylation levels of the satellite I region in day-7 blastocysts derived from the 2-h or 4-h FA interval groups was similar to that of in vitro fertilization blastocysts and is significantly lower than that of the 0-h FA interval group. SCNT embryos derived from 2-h FA interval group showed higher developmental competence than those from the 0-h and 4-h FA interval groups in terms of cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate, apoptosis index, and pregnancy and calving rates. Hence, the FA interval is an important factor influencing the epigenetic reprogramming and developmental competence of bovine SCNT embryos.

National Survey of Adult and Pediatric Reference Intervals in Clinical Laboratories across Canada: A Report of the CSCC Working Group on Reference Interval Harmonization.

PubMed

Adeli, Khosrow; Higgins, Victoria; Seccombe, David; Collier, Christine P; Balion, Cynthia M; Cembrowski, George; Venner, Allison A; Shaw, Julie

2017-11-01

Reference intervals are widely used decision-making tools in laboratory medicine, serving as health-associated standards to interpret laboratory test results. Numerous studies have shown wide variation in reference intervals, even between laboratories using assays from the same manufacturer. Lack of consistency in either sample measurement or reference intervals across laboratories challenges the expectation of standardized patient care regardless of testing location. Here, we present data from a national survey conducted by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) Reference Interval Harmonization (hRI) Working Group that examines variation in laboratory reference sample measurements, as well as pediatric and adult reference intervals currently used in clinical practice across Canada. Data on reference intervals currently used by 37 laboratories were collected through a national survey to examine the variation in reference intervals for seven common laboratory tests. Additionally, 40 clinical laboratories participated in a baseline assessment by measuring six analytes in a reference sample. Of the seven analytes examined, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and creatinine reference intervals were most variable. As expected, reference interval variation was more substantial in the pediatric population and varied between laboratories using the same instrumentation. Reference sample results differed between laboratories, particularly for ALT and free thyroxine (FT4). Reference interval variation was greater than test result variation for the majority of analytes. It is evident that there is a critical lack of harmonization in laboratory reference intervals, particularly for the pediatric population. Furthermore, the observed variation in reference intervals across instruments cannot be explained by the bias between the results obtained on instruments by different manufacturers. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Xenon does not increase heart rate-corrected cardiac QT interval in volunteers and in patients free of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Neukirchen, Martin; Schaefer, Maximilian S; Kern, Carolin; Brett, Sarah; Werdehausen, Robert; Rellecke, Philipp; Reyle-Hahn, Matthias; Kienbaum, Peter

2015-09-01

Impaired cardiac repolarization, indicated by prolonged QT interval, may cause critical ventricular arrhythmias. Many anesthetics increase the QT interval by blockade of rapidly acting potassium rectifier channels. Although xenon does not affect these channels in isolated cardiomyocytes, the authors hypothesized that xenon increases the QT interval by direct and/or indirect sympathomimetic effects. Thus, the authors tested the hypothesis that xenon alters the heart rate-corrected cardiac QT (QTc) interval in anesthetic concentrations. The effect of xenon on the QTc interval was evaluated in eight healthy volunteers and in 35 patients undergoing abdominal or trauma surgery. The QTc interval was recorded on subjects in awake state, after their denitrogenation, and during xenon monoanesthesia (FetXe > 0.65). In patients, the QTc interval was recorded while awake, after anesthesia induction with propofol and remifentanil, and during steady state of xenon/remifentanil anesthesia (FetXe > 0.65). The QTc interval was determined from three consecutive cardiac intervals on electrocardiogram printouts in a blinded manner and corrected with Bazett formula. In healthy volunteers, xenon did not alter the QTc interval (mean difference: +0.11 ms [95% CI, -22.4 to 22.7]). In patients, after anesthesia induction with propofol/remifentanil, no alteration of QTc interval was noted. After propofol was replaced with xenon, the QTc interval remained unaffected (417 ± 32 ms vs. awake: 414 ± 25 ms) with a mean difference of 4.4 ms (95% CI, -4.6 to 13.5). Xenon monoanesthesia in healthy volunteers and xenon/remifentanil anesthesia in patients without clinically relevant cardiovascular disease do not increase QTc interval.

An Efficient Method for Adventitious Root Induction from Stem Segments of Brassica Species

PubMed Central

Srikanth, Sandhya; Choong, Tsui Wei; Yan, An; He, Jie; Chen, Zhong

2016-01-01

Plant propagation via in vitro culture is a very laborious and time-consuming process. The growth cycle of some of the crop species is slow even in the field and the consistent commercial production is hard to maintain. Enhanced methods of reduced cost, materials and labor significantly impact the research and commercial production of field crops. In our studies, stem-segment explants of Brassica species were found to generate adventitious roots (AR) in aeroponic systems in less than a week. As such, the efficiency of rooting from stem explants of six cultivar varieties of Brassica spp was tested without using any plant hormones. New roots and shoots were developed from Brassica alboglabra (Kai Lan), B. oleracea var. acephala (purple kale), B. rapa L. ssp. chinensis L (Pai Tsai, Nai Bai C, and Nai Bai T) explants after 3 to 5 days of growing under 20 ± 2°C cool root zone temperature (C-RZT) and 4 to 7 days in 30 ± 2°C ambient root zone temperature (A-RZT). At the base of cut end, anticlinal and periclinal divisions of the cambial cells resulted in secondary xylem toward pith and secondary phloem toward cortex. The continuing mitotic activity of phloem parenchyma cells led to a ring of conspicuous white callus. Root initials formed from the callus which in turn developed into ARs. However, B. rapa var. nipposinica (Mizuna) explants were only able to root in C-RZT. All rooted explants were able to develop into whole plants, with higher biomass obtained from plants that grown in C-RZT. Moreover, explants from both RZTs produced higher biomass than plants grown from seeds (control plants). Rooting efficiency was affected by RZTs and explant cuttings of donor plants. Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (Asat) and stomatal conductance (gssat) were significantly differentiated between plants derived from seeds and explants at both RZTs. All plants in A-RZT had highest transpiration rates. PMID:27446170

The bioinformatics of nucleotide sequence coding for proteins requiring metal coenzymes and proteins embedded with metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremberger, G.; Dehipawala, Sunil; Cheung, E.; Holden, T.; Sullivan, R.; Nguyen, A.; Lieberman, D.; Cheung, T.

2015-09-01

All metallo-proteins need post-translation metal incorporation. In fact, the isotope ratio of Fe, Cu, and Zn in physiology and oncology have emerged as an important tool. The nickel containing F430 is the prosthetic group of the enzyme methyl coenzyme M reductase which catalyzes the release of methane in the final step of methano-genesis, a prime energy metabolism candidate for life exploration space mission in the solar system. The 3.5 Gyr early life sulfite reductase as a life switch energy metabolism had Fe-Mo clusters. The nitrogenase for nitrogen fixation 3 billion years ago had Mo. The early life arsenite oxidase needed for anoxygenic photosynthesis energy metabolism 2.8 billion years ago had Mo and Fe. The selection pressure in metal incorporation inside a protein would be quantifiable in terms of the related nucleotide sequence complexity with fractal dimension and entropy values. Simulation model showed that the studied metal-required energy metabolism sequences had at least ten times more selection pressure relatively in comparison to the horizontal transferred sequences in Mealybug, guided by the outcome histogram of the correlation R-sq values. The metal energy metabolism sequence group was compared to the circadian clock KaiC sequence group using magnesium atomic level bond shifting mechanism in the protein, and the simulation model would suggest a much higher selection pressure for the energy life switch sequence group. The possibility of using Kepler 444 as an example of ancient life in Galaxy with the associated exoplanets has been proposed and is further discussed in this report. Examples of arsenic metal bonding shift probed by Synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy data and Zn controlled FOXP2 regulated pathways in human and chimp brain studied tissue samples are studied in relationship to the sequence bioinformatics. The analysis results suggest that relatively large metal bonding shift amount is associated with low probability correlation R-sq outcome in the bioinformatics simulation.

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover Mastcam instruments: Preflight and in-flight calibration, validation, and data archiving

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bell, James F.; Godber, A.; McNair, S.; Caplinger, M.A.; Maki, J.N.; Lemmon, M.T.; Van Beek, J.; Malin, M.C.; Wellington, D.; Kinch, K.M.; Madsen, M.B.; Hardgrove, C.; Ravine, M.A.; Jensen, E.; Harker, D.; Anderson, Ryan; Herkenhoff, Kenneth E.; Morris, R.V.; Cisneros, E.; Deen, R.G.

2017-01-01

The NASA Curiosity rover Mast Camera (Mastcam) system is a pair of fixed-focal length, multispectral, color CCD imagers mounted ~2 m above the surface on the rover's remote sensing mast, along with associated electronics and an onboard calibration target. The left Mastcam (M-34) has a 34 mm focal length, an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of 0.22 mrad, and a FOV of 20° × 15° over the full 1648 × 1200 pixel span of its Kodak KAI-2020 CCD. The right Mastcam (M-100) has a 100 mm focal length, an IFOV of 0.074 mrad, and a FOV of 6.8° × 5.1° using the same detector. The cameras are separated by 24.2 cm on the mast, allowing stereo images to be obtained at the resolution of the M-34 camera. Each camera has an eight-position filter wheel, enabling it to take Bayer pattern red, green, and blue (RGB) “true color” images, multispectral images in nine additional bands spanning ~400–1100 nm, and images of the Sun in two colors through neutral density-coated filters. An associated Digital Electronics Assembly provides command and data interfaces to the rover, 8 Gb of image storage per camera, 11 bit to 8 bit companding, JPEG compression, and acquisition of high-definition video. Here we describe the preflight and in-flight calibration of Mastcam images, the ways that they are being archived in the NASA Planetary Data System, and the ways that calibration refinements are being developed as the investigation progresses on Mars. We also provide some examples of data sets and analyses that help to validate the accuracy and precision of the calibration

Measuring the style of innovative thinking among engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passig, David; Cohen, Lizi

2014-01-01

Background: Many tools have been developed to measure the ability of workers to innovate. However, all of them are based on self-reporting questionnaires, which raises questions about their validity Purpose: The aim was to develop and validate a tool, called Ideas Generation Implementation (IGI), to objectively measure the style and potential of engineering students in generating innovative technological ideas. The cognitive framework of IGI is based on the Architectural Innovation Model (AIM). Tool description: The IGI tool was designed to measure the level of innovation in generating technological ideas and their potential to be implemented. These variables rely on the definition of innovation as 'creativity, implemented in a high degree of success'. The levels of innovative thinking are based on the AIM and consist of four levels: incremental innovation, modular innovation, architectural innovation and radical innovation. Sample: Sixty experts in technological innovation developed the tool. We checked its face validity and calculated its reliability in a pilot study (kappa = 0.73). Then, 145 undergraduate students were sampled at random from the seven Israeli universities offering engineering programs and asked to complete the questionnaire. Design and methods: We examined the construct validity of the tool by conducting a variance analysis and measuring the correlations between the innovator's style of each student, as suggested by the AIM, and the three subscale factors of creative styles (efficient, conformist and original), as suggested by the Kirton Adaptors and Innovators (KAI) questionnaire. Results: Students with a radical innovator's style inclined more than those with an incremental innovator's style towards the three creative cognitive styles. Students with an architectural innovator's style inclined moderately, but not significantly, towards the three creative styles. Conclusions: The IGI tool objectively measures innovative thinking among students, thus allowing screening of potential employees at an early stage, during their undergraduate studies. The tool was found to be reliable and valid in measuring the style and potential of technological innovation among engineering students.

Downregulated long non-coding RNA MEG3 in breast cancer regulates proliferation, migration and invasion by depending on p53’s transcriptional activity

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

Sun, Lin; Li, Yu; Yang, Bangxiang, E-mail: b19933009@qq.coom

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was found to play critical roles in tumorigenesis, hence, screen of tumor-related lncRNAs, identification of their biological roles is important for understanding the processes of tumorigenesis. In this study, we identified the expressing difference of several tumor-related lncRNAs in breast cancer samples and found that, MEG3, which is downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor tissues, is also downregulated in breast cancer samples compared with adjacent tissues. For figuring out the effect of MEG3 in breast cancer cells MCF7 and MB231, we overexpressed MEG3 in these cells, and found that it resulted the inhibition ofmore » proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion capacities by enhancing p53’s transcriptional activity on its target genes, including p21, Maspin and KAI1. MEG3 presented similar effects in MB157, which is a p53-null breast cancer cell line, when functional p53 but not p53R273H mutant, which lacks transcriptional activity, was introduced. Surprisingly, overexpression of MEG3 activates p53’s transcriptional activity by decreasing MDM2’s transcription level, and thus stabilizes and accumulates P53. Taken together, our findings indicate that MEG3 is downregulated in breast cancer tissues and affects breast cancer cells’ malignant behaviors, which indicate MEG3 a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer. - Highlights: • MEG3 RNA is widely downregulated in breast tumor tissue. • MEG3 regulates P53 indirectly through transcriptional regulation of MDM2. • Under unstressed condition, MEG3-related P53 accumulation transcriptionally activates p53’s target genes. • MEG3 expression level tightly regulates proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in breast tumor cells.« less

Readout of the UFFO Slewing Mirror Telescope to detect UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J. E.; Lim, H.; Nam, J. W.; Brandt, S.; Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Chen, P.; Choi, H. S.; Grossan, B.; Huang, M. A.; Jeong, S.; Jung, A.; Kim, M. B.; Kim, S.-W.; Lee, J.; Linder, E. V.; Liu, T.-C.; Na, G. W.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Park, I. H.; Ripa, J.; Reglero, V.; Smoot, G. F.; Svertilov, S.; Vedenkin, N.; Yashin, I.

2013-07-01

The Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) was proposed for rapid response to prompt UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The SMT is a key component of the Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO)-pathfinder, which will be launched aboard the Lomonosov spacecraft at the end of 2013. The SMT utilizes a motorized mirror that slews rapidly forward to its target within a second after triggering by an X-ray coded mask camera, which makes unnecessary a reorientation of the entire spacecraft. Subsequent measurement of the UV/optical is accomplished by a 10 cm aperture Ritchey-Chrètien telescope and the focal plane detector of Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD). The ICCD is sensitive to UV/optical photons of 200-650 nm in wavelength by using a UV-enhanced S20 photocathode and amplifies photoelectrons at a gain of 104-106 in double Micro-Channel Plates. These photons are read out by a Kodak KAI-0340 interline CCD sensor and a CCD Signal Processor with 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter. Various control clocks for CCD readout are implemented using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The SMT readout is in charge of not only data acquisition, storage and transfer, but also control of the slewing mirror, the ICCD high voltage adjustments, power distribution, and system monitoring by interfacing to the UFFO-pathfinder. These functions are realized in the FPGA to minimize power consumption and to enhance processing time. The SMT readout electronics are designed and built to meet the spacecraft's constraints of power consumption, mass, and volume. The entire system is integrated with the SMT optics, as is the UFFO-pathfinder. The system has been tested and satisfies the conditions of launch and those of operation in space: those associated with shock and vibration and those associated with thermal and vacuum, respectively. In this paper, we present the SMT readout electronics: the design, construction, and performance, as well as the results of space environment test.

Perceived empty duration between sounds of different lengths: Possible relation with repetition and rhythmic grouping.

PubMed

Kuroda, Tsuyoshi; Tomimatsu, Erika; Grondin, Simon; Miyazaki, Makoto

2016-11-01

We investigated how perceived duration of empty time intervals would be modulated by the length of sounds marking those intervals. Three sounds were successively presented in Experiment 1. Each sound was short (S) or long (L), and the temporal position of the middle sound's onset was varied. The lengthening of each sound resulted in delayed perception of the onset; thus, the middle sound's onset had to be presented earlier in the SLS than in the LSL sequence so that participants perceived the three sounds as presented at equal interonset intervals. In Experiment 2, a short sound and a long sound were alternated repeatedly, and the relative duration of the SL interval to the LS interval was varied. This repeated sequence was perceived as consisting of equal interonset intervals when the onsets of all sounds were aligned at physically equal intervals. If the same onset delay as in the preceding experiment had occurred, participants should have perceived equality between the interonset intervals in the repeated sequence when the SL interval was physically shortened relative to the LS interval. The effects of sound length seemed to be canceled out when the presentation of intervals was repeated. Finally, the perceived duration of the interonset intervals in the repeated sequence was not influenced by whether the participant's native language was French or Japanese, or by how the repeated sequence was perceptually segmented into rhythmic groups.

Sampling Theory and Confidence Intervals for Effect Sizes: Using ESCI To Illustrate "Bouncing"; Confidence Intervals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Yunfei

This paper discusses the impact of sampling error on the construction of confidence intervals around effect sizes. Sampling error affects the location and precision of confidence intervals. Meta-analytic resampling demonstrates that confidence intervals can haphazardly bounce around the true population parameter. Special software with graphical…

On Some Confidence Intervals for Estimating the Mean of a Skewed Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, W.; Kibria, B. M. Golam

2007-01-01

A number of methods are available in the literature to measure confidence intervals. Here, confidence intervals for estimating the population mean of a skewed distribution are considered. This note proposes two alternative confidence intervals, namely, Median t and Mad t, which are simple adjustments to the Student's t confidence interval. In…

Intertrial interval duration and learning in autistic children.

PubMed Central

Koegel, R L; Dunlap, G; Dyer, K

1980-01-01

This study investigated the influence of intertrial interval duration on the performance of autistic children during teaching situations. The children were taught under the same conditions existing in their regular programs, except that the length of time between trials was systematically manipulated. With both multiple baseline and repeated reversal designs, two lengths of intertrial interval were employed; short intervals with the SD for any given trial presented approximately one second following the reinforcer for the previous trial versus long intervals with the SD presented four or more seconds following the reinforcer for the previous trial. The results showed that: (1) the short intertrial intervals always produced higher levels of correct responding than the long intervals; and (2) there were improving trends in performance and rapid acquisition with the short intertrial intervals, in contrast to minimal or no change with the long intervals. The results are discussed in terms of utilizing information about child and task characteristics in terms of selecting optimal intervals. The data suggest that manipulations made between trials have a large influence on autistic children's learning. PMID:7364701

Interval Timing Is Preserved Despite Circadian Desynchrony in Rats: Constant Light and Heavy Water Studies.

PubMed

Petersen, Christian C; Mistlberger, Ralph E

2017-08-01

The mechanisms that enable mammals to time events that recur at 24-h intervals (circadian timing) and at arbitrary intervals in the seconds-to-minutes range (interval timing) are thought to be distinct at the computational and neurobiological levels. Recent evidence that disruption of circadian rhythmicity by constant light (LL) abolishes interval timing in mice challenges this assumption and suggests a critical role for circadian clocks in short interval timing. We sought to confirm and extend this finding by examining interval timing in rats in which circadian rhythmicity was disrupted by long-term exposure to LL or by chronic intake of 25% D 2 O. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were housed in a light-dark (LD) cycle or in LL until free-running circadian rhythmicity was markedly disrupted or abolished. The rats were then trained and tested on 15- and 30-sec peak-interval procedures, with water restriction used to motivate task performance. Interval timing was found to be unimpaired in LL rats, but a weak circadian activity rhythm was apparently rescued by the training procedure, possibly due to binge feeding that occurred during the 15-min water access period that followed training each day. A second group of rats in LL were therefore restricted to 6 daily meals scheduled at 4-h intervals. Despite a complete absence of circadian rhythmicity in this group, interval timing was again unaffected. To eliminate all possible temporal cues, we tested a third group of rats in LL by using a pseudo-randomized schedule. Again, interval timing remained accurate. Finally, rats tested in LD received 25% D 2 O in place of drinking water. This markedly lengthened the circadian period and caused a failure of LD entrainment but did not disrupt interval timing. These results indicate that interval timing in rats is resistant to disruption by manipulations of circadian timekeeping previously shown to impair interval timing in mice.

Change in Breast Cancer Screening Intervals Since the 2009 USPSTF Guideline.

PubMed

Wernli, Karen J; Arao, Robert F; Hubbard, Rebecca A; Sprague, Brian L; Alford-Teaster, Jennifer; Haas, Jennifer S; Henderson, Louise; Hill, Deidre; Lee, Christoph I; Tosteson, Anna N A; Onega, Tracy

2017-08-01

In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended biennial mammography for women aged 50-74 years and shared decision-making for women aged 40-49 years for breast cancer screening. We evaluated changes in mammography screening interval after the 2009 recommendations. We conducted a prospective cohort study of women aged 40-74 years who received 821,052 screening mammograms between 2006 and 2012 using data from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. We compared changes in screening intervals and stratified intervals based on whether the mammogram at the end of the interval occurred before or after the 2009 recommendation. Differences in mean interval length by woman-level characteristics were compared using linear regression. The mean interval (in months) minimally decreased after the 2009 USPSTF recommendations. Among women aged 40-49 years, the mean interval decreased from 17.2 months to 17.1 months (difference -0.16%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.30 to -0.01). Similar small reductions were seen for most age groups. The largest change in interval length in the post-USPSTF period was declines among women with a first-degree family history of breast cancer (difference -0.68%, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.54) or a 5-year breast cancer risk ≥2.5% (difference -0.58%, 95% CI -0.73 to -0.44). The 2009 USPSTF recommendation did not lengthen the average mammography interval among women routinely participating in mammography screening. Future studies should evaluate whether breast cancer screening intervals lengthen toward biennial intervals following new national 2016 breast cancer screening recommendations, particularly among women less than 50 years of age.

Solar-geophysical activity reports for STIP (study of travelling interplanetary phenomena) Interval 15, 12-21 February 1984 ground-level event and STIP Interval 16, 20 April-4 May 1984 Forbush decrease

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

Coffey, H.E.; Allen, J.H.

1987-07-01

Contents include: solar-geophysical activity reports for STIP Interval XV 12-21 February 1984 ground-level event and STIP interval XVI 20 April-4 May 1984 Forbush decrease; overview of solar-terrestrial physics phenomena for STIP interval XV (12-21 February 1984) and STIP interval XVI (20 April-4 May 1984) (solar optical reports, solar radio events, spacecraft observations, cosmic ray observations, ionosphere, geomagnetism).

Alternative Confidence Interval Methods Used in the Diagnostic Accuracy Studies

PubMed Central

Gülhan, Orekıcı Temel

2016-01-01

Background/Aim. It is necessary to decide whether the newly improved methods are better than the standard or reference test or not. To decide whether the new diagnostics test is better than the gold standard test/imperfect standard test, the differences of estimated sensitivity/specificity are calculated with the help of information obtained from samples. However, to generalize this value to the population, it should be given with the confidence intervals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the confidence interval methods developed for the differences between the two dependent sensitivity/specificity values on a clinical application. Materials and Methods. In this study, confidence interval methods like Asymptotic Intervals, Conditional Intervals, Unconditional Interval, Score Intervals, and Nonparametric Methods Based on Relative Effects Intervals are used. Besides, as clinical application, data used in diagnostics study by Dickel et al. (2010) has been taken as a sample. Results. The results belonging to the alternative confidence interval methods for Nickel Sulfate, Potassium Dichromate, and Lanolin Alcohol are given as a table. Conclusion. While preferring the confidence interval methods, the researchers have to consider whether the case to be compared is single ratio or dependent binary ratio differences, the correlation coefficient between the rates in two dependent ratios and the sample sizes. PMID:27478491

Alternative Confidence Interval Methods Used in the Diagnostic Accuracy Studies.

PubMed

Erdoğan, Semra; Gülhan, Orekıcı Temel

2016-01-01

Background/Aim. It is necessary to decide whether the newly improved methods are better than the standard or reference test or not. To decide whether the new diagnostics test is better than the gold standard test/imperfect standard test, the differences of estimated sensitivity/specificity are calculated with the help of information obtained from samples. However, to generalize this value to the population, it should be given with the confidence intervals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the confidence interval methods developed for the differences between the two dependent sensitivity/specificity values on a clinical application. Materials and Methods. In this study, confidence interval methods like Asymptotic Intervals, Conditional Intervals, Unconditional Interval, Score Intervals, and Nonparametric Methods Based on Relative Effects Intervals are used. Besides, as clinical application, data used in diagnostics study by Dickel et al. (2010) has been taken as a sample. Results. The results belonging to the alternative confidence interval methods for Nickel Sulfate, Potassium Dichromate, and Lanolin Alcohol are given as a table. Conclusion. While preferring the confidence interval methods, the researchers have to consider whether the case to be compared is single ratio or dependent binary ratio differences, the correlation coefficient between the rates in two dependent ratios and the sample sizes.

A scoping review of the psychological responses to interval exercise: is interval exercise a viable alternative to traditional exercise?

PubMed

Stork, Matthew J; Banfield, Laura E; Gibala, Martin J; Martin Ginis, Kathleen A

2017-12-01

While considerable evidence suggests that interval exercise confers numerous physiological adaptations linked to improved health, its psychological consequences and behavioural implications are less clear and the subject of intense debate. The purpose of this scoping review was to catalogue studies investigating the psychological responses to interval exercise in order to identify what psychological outcomes have been assessed, the research methods used, and the results. A secondary objective was to identify research issues and gaps. Forty-two published articles met the review inclusion/exclusion criteria. These studies involved 1258 participants drawn from various active/inactive and healthy/unhealthy populations, and 55 interval exercise protocols (69% high-intensity interval training [HIIT], 27% sprint interval training [SIT], and 4% body-weight interval training [BWIT]). Affect and enjoyment were the most frequently studied psychological outcomes. Post-exercise assessments indicate that overall, enjoyment of, and preferences for interval exercise are equal or greater than for continuous exercise, and participants can hold relatively positive social cognitions regarding interval exercise. Although several methodological issues (e.g., inconsistent use of terminology, measures and protocols) and gaps (e.g., data on adherence and real-world protocols) require attention, from a psychological perspective, the emerging data support the viability of interval exercise as an alternative to continuous exercise.

The temporal organization of behavior on periodic food schedules.

PubMed Central

Reid, A K; Bacha, G; Morán, C

1993-01-01

Various theories of temporal control and schedule induction imply that periodic schedules temporally modulate an organism's motivational states within interreinforcement intervals. This speculation has been fueled by frequently observed multimodal activity distributions created by averaging across interreinforcement intervals. We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the cost associated with schedule-induced activities and the availability of other activities to determine the degree to which (a) the temporal distributions of activities within the interreinforcement interval are fixed or can be temporally displaced, (b) rats can reallocate activities across different interreinforcement intervals, and (c) noninduced activities can substitute for schedule-induced activities. Obtained multimodal activity distributions created by averaging across interreinforcement intervals were not representative of the transitions occurring within individual intervals, so the averaged multimodal distributions should not be assumed to represent changes in the subject's motivational states within the interval. Rather, the multimodal distributions often result from averaging across interreinforcement intervals in which only a single activity occurs. A direct influence of the periodic schedule on the motivational states implies that drinking and running should occur at different periods within the interval, but in three experiments the starting times of drinking and running within interreinforcement intervals were equal. Thus, the sequential pattern of drinking and running on periodic schedules does not result from temporal modulation of motivational states within interreinforcement intervals. PMID:8433061

Identification of low-overpressure interval and its implication to hydrocarbon migration: Case study in the Yanan sag of the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea

PubMed Central

Xu, Qinghai; Shi, Wanzhong; Xie, Yuhong; Wang, Zhenfeng; Li, Xusheng; Tong, Chuanxin

2017-01-01

The Qiongdongnan Basin is a strongly overpressured basin with the maximum pressure coefficient (the ratio of the actual pore pressure versus hydrostatic pressure at the same depth) over 2.27. However, there exists a widespread low-overpressure interval between the strong overpressure intervals in the Yanan Sag of western basin. The mechanisms of the low-overpressure interval are not well understood. Three main approaches, pore pressure test data and well-log analysis, pressure prediction based on the relationship between the deviation of the velocity and the pressure coefficients, and numerical modeling, were employed to illustrate the distribution and evolution of the low-overpressure interval. And we analyzed and explained the phenomenon of the low-overpressure interval that is both underlain and overlain by high overpressure internal. The low-overpressure interval between the strong overpressure intervals can be identified and modelled by drilling data of P-wave sonic and the mud weight, and the numerical modeling using the PetroMod software. Results show that the low-overpressure interval is mainly composed of sandstone sediments. The porosities of sandstone in the low-overpressure interval primarily range from 15%-20%, and the permeabilities range from 10–100 md. Analysis of the geochemical parameters of C1, iC4/nC4, ΔR3, and numerical modeling shows that oil and gas migrated upward into the sandstone in the low-overpressure interval, and then migrated along the sandstone of low-overpressure interval into the Yacheng uplift. The low-overpressure both underlain and overlain by overpressure resulted from the fluids migrating along the sandstones in the low-overpressure interval into the Yacheng uplift since 1.9Ma. The mudstone in the strong overpressure interval is good cap overlain the sandstone of low-overpressure interval, therefore up-dip pinchouts or isolated sandstone in the low-overpressure interval locating the migration path of oil and gas are good plays for hydrocarbon exploration. PMID:28934237

Binary Interval Search: a scalable algorithm for counting interval intersections.

PubMed

Layer, Ryan M; Skadron, Kevin; Robins, Gabriel; Hall, Ira M; Quinlan, Aaron R

2013-01-01

The comparison of diverse genomic datasets is fundamental to understand genome biology. Researchers must explore many large datasets of genome intervals (e.g. genes, sequence alignments) to place their experimental results in a broader context and to make new discoveries. Relationships between genomic datasets are typically measured by identifying intervals that intersect, that is, they overlap and thus share a common genome interval. Given the continued advances in DNA sequencing technologies, efficient methods for measuring statistically significant relationships between many sets of genomic features are crucial for future discovery. We introduce the Binary Interval Search (BITS) algorithm, a novel and scalable approach to interval set intersection. We demonstrate that BITS outperforms existing methods at counting interval intersections. Moreover, we show that BITS is intrinsically suited to parallel computing architectures, such as graphics processing units by illustrating its utility for efficient Monte Carlo simulations measuring the significance of relationships between sets of genomic intervals. https://github.com/arq5x/bits.

Robotic fish tracking method based on suboptimal interval Kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Xiaohong; Tang, Chao

2017-11-01

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) research focused on tracking and positioning, precise guidance and return to dock and other fields. The robotic fish of AUV has become a hot application in intelligent education, civil and military etc. In nonlinear tracking analysis of robotic fish, which was found that the interval Kalman filter algorithm contains all possible filter results, but the range is wide, relatively conservative, and the interval data vector is uncertain before implementation. This paper proposes a ptimization algorithm of suboptimal interval Kalman filter. Suboptimal interval Kalman filter scheme used the interval inverse matrix with its worst inverse instead, is more approximate nonlinear state equation and measurement equation than the standard interval Kalman filter, increases the accuracy of the nominal dynamic system model, improves the speed and precision of tracking system. Monte-Carlo simulation results show that the optimal trajectory of sub optimal interval Kalman filter algorithm is better than that of the interval Kalman filter method and the standard method of the filter.

[Classification and characteristics of interval cancers in the Principality of Asturias's Breast Cancer Screening Program].

PubMed

Prieto García, M A; Delgado Sevillano, R; Baldó Sierra, C; González Díaz, E; López Secades, A; Llavona Amor, J A; Vidal Marín, B

2013-09-01

To review and classify the interval cancers found in the Principality of Asturias's Breast Cancer Screening Program (PDPCM). A secondary objective was to determine the histological characteristics, size, and stage of the interval cancers at the time of diagnosis. We included the interval cancers in the PDPCM in the period 2003-2007. Interval cancers were classified according to the breast cancer screening program protocol, with double reading without consensus, without blinding, with arbitration. Mammograms were interpreted by 10 radiologists in the PDPCM. A total of 33.7% of the interval cancers could not be classified; of the interval cancers that could be classified, 40.67% were labeled true interval cancers, 31.4% were labeled false negatives on screening, 23.7% had minimal signs, and 4.23% were considered occult. A total of 70% of the interval cancers were diagnosed in the year of the period between screening examinations and 71.7% were diagnosed after subsequent screening. A total of 76.9% were invasive ductal carcinomas, 61.1% were stage II when detected, and 78.7% were larger than 10mm when detected. The rate of interval cancers and the rate of false negatives in the PDPCM are higher than those recommended in the European guidelines. Interval cancers are diagnosed later than the tumors detected at screening. Studying interval cancers provides significant training for the radiologists in the PDPCM. Copyright © 2011 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Human sinus arrhythmia as an index of vagal cardiac outflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckberg, D. L.

1983-01-01

The human central vagal mechanisms were investigated by measuring the intervals between heartbeats during controlled breathing (at breathing intervals of 2.5-10 s and nominal tidal volumes of 1000 and 1500 ml) in six young men and women. It was found that as the breathing interval increased, the longest heart periods became longer, the shortest heart periods became shorter, and the peak-valley P-P intervals increased asymptotically. Peak-valley intervals also increased in proportion to tidal volume, although this influence was small. The phase angles between heart period changes and respiration were found to vary as linear functions of breathing interval. Heart period shortening began in inspiration at short breathing intervals and in expiration at long breathing intervals, while heart period lengthening began in early expiration at all breathing intervals studied. It is concluded that a close relationship exists between variations of respiratory depth and interval and the quantity, periodicity, and timing of vagal cardiac outflow in conscious humans. The results indicate that at usual breathing rates, phasic respiration-related changes of vagal motoneuron activity begin in expiration, progress slowly, and are incompletely expressed at fast breathing ratges.

Quantitative survival impact of composite treatment delays in head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Ho, Allen S; Kim, Sungjin; Tighiouart, Mourad; Mita, Alain; Scher, Kevin S; Epstein, Joel B; Laury, Anna; Prasad, Ravi; Ali, Nabilah; Patio, Chrysanta; St-Clair, Jon Mallen; Zumsteg, Zachary S

2018-05-09

Multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancer (HNC) must reconcile increasingly sophisticated subspecialty care with timeliness of care. Prior studies examined the individual effects of delays in diagnosis-to-treatment interval, postoperative interval, and radiation interval but did not consider them collectively. The objective of the current study was to investigate the combined impact of these interwoven intervals on patients with HNC. Patients with HNC who underwent curative-intent surgery with radiation were identified in the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2013. Multivariable models were constructed using restricted cubic splines to determine nonlinear relations with overall survival. Overall, 15,064 patients were evaluated. After adjustment for covariates, only prolonged postoperative interval (P < .001) and radiation interval (P < .001) independently predicted for worse outcomes, whereas the association of diagnosis-to-treatment interval with survival disappeared. By using multivariable restricted cubic spline functions, increasing postoperative interval did not affect mortality until 40 days after surgery, and each day of delay beyond this increased the risk of mortality until 70 days after surgery (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.28; P = .029). For radiation interval, mortality escalated continuously with each additional day of delay, plateauing at 55 days (hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.41; P < .001). Delays beyond these change points were not associated with further survival decrements. Increasing delays in postoperative and radiation intervals are associated independently with an escalating risk of mortality that plateaus beyond certain thresholds. Delays in initiating therapy, conversely, are eclipsed in importance when appraised in conjunction with the entire treatment course. Such findings may redirect focus to streamlining those intervals that are most sensitive to delays when considering survival burden. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Empirical likelihood-based confidence intervals for mean medical cost with censored data.

PubMed

Jeyarajah, Jenny; Qin, Gengsheng

2017-11-10

In this paper, we propose empirical likelihood methods based on influence function and jackknife techniques for constructing confidence intervals for mean medical cost with censored data. We conduct a simulation study to compare the coverage probabilities and interval lengths of our proposed confidence intervals with that of the existing normal approximation-based confidence intervals and bootstrap confidence intervals. The proposed methods have better finite-sample performances than existing methods. Finally, we illustrate our proposed methods with a relevant example. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Estimation of the atrioventricular time interval by pulse Doppler in the normal fetal heart].

PubMed

Hamela-Olkowska, Anita; Dangel, Joanna

2009-08-01

To assess normative values of the fetal atrioventricular (AV) time interval by pulse-wave Doppler methods on 5-chamber view. Fetal echocardiography exams were performed using Acuson Sequoia 512 in 140 singleton fetuses at 18 to 40 weeks of gestation with sinus rhythm and normal cardiac and extracardiac anatomy. Pulsed Doppler derived AV intervals were measured from left ventricular inflow/outflow view using transabdominal convex 3.5-6 MHz probe. The values of AV time interval ranged from 100 to 150 ms (mean 123 +/- 11.2). The AV interval was negatively correlated with the heart rhythm (p<0.001). Fetal heart rate decreased as gestation progressed (p<0.001). Thus, the AV intervals increased with the age of gestation (p=0.007). However, in the same subgroup of the fetal heart rate there was no relation between AV intervals and gestational age. Therefore, the AV intervals showed only the heart rate dependence. The 95th percentiles of AV intervals according to FHR ranged from 135 to 148 ms. 1. The AV interval duration was negatively correlated with the heart rhythm. 2. Measurement of AV time interval is easy to perform and has a good reproducibility. It may be used for the fetal heart block screening in anti-Ro and anti-La positive pregnancies. 3. Normative values established in the study may help obstetricians in assessing fetal abnormalities of the AV conduction.

Interval Training

MedlinePlus

Healthy Lifestyle Fitness Interval training can help you get the most out of your workout. By Mayo Clinic Staff Are you ready to shake ... spending more time at the gym? Consider aerobic interval training. Once the domain of elite athletes, interval training ...

A new technique to determine the correlation between the QT interval and heart-rate for control and SIDS babies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadeh, D.; Shannon, D. C.; Abboud, S.; Akselrod, S.; Cohen, R. J.

1987-01-01

The ability of the autonomic nervous system to alter the QT interval in response to heart rate changes is essential to cardiovascular control. An accurate way to determine the relation between QT intervals and their corresponding RR intervals is described. A computer algorithm measures the RR intervals using digital filtering and cross-correlating the QRS sections of consecutive waveforms. The QT intervals is calculated by choosing a section of, the ECG that includes the T wave and cross-correlating it with all the consecutive T waves. At least 4000 pairs of QT-RR intervals are computed for each subject and a best fit correlation function determines the relations between the QT and RR intervals. This technique enables to establish a precise correlation between RR and QT in order to distinguish between control and SIDS babies.

Volatility return intervals analysis of the Japanese market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, W.-S.; Wang, F. Z.; Havlin, S.; Kaizoji, T.; Moon, H.-T.; Stanley, H. E.

2008-03-01

We investigate scaling and memory effects in return intervals between price volatilities above a certain threshold q for the Japanese stock market using daily and intraday data sets. We find that the distribution of return intervals can be approximated by a scaling function that depends only on the ratio between the return interval τ and its mean <τ>. We also find memory effects such that a large (or small) return interval follows a large (or small) interval by investigating the conditional distribution and mean return interval. The results are similar to previous studies of other markets and indicate that similar statistical features appear in different financial markets. We also compare our results between the period before and after the big crash at the end of 1989. We find that scaling and memory effects of the return intervals show similar features although the statistical properties of the returns are different.

Increasing accuracy in the interval analysis by the improved format of interval extension based on the first order Taylor series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Xu, Yan Long

2018-05-01

When the dependence of the function on uncertain variables is non-monotonic in interval, the interval of function obtained by the classic interval extension based on the first order Taylor series will exhibit significant errors. In order to reduce theses errors, the improved format of the interval extension with the first order Taylor series is developed here considering the monotonicity of function. Two typical mathematic examples are given to illustrate this methodology. The vibration of a beam with lumped masses is studied to demonstrate the usefulness of this method in the practical application, and the necessary input data of which are only the function value at the central point of interval, sensitivity and deviation of function. The results of above examples show that the interval of function from the method developed by this paper is more accurate than the ones obtained by the classic method.

ELECTRICAL LOAD ANTICIPATOR AND RECORDER

DOEpatents

Werme, J.E.

1961-09-01

A system is described in which an indication of the prevailing energy consumption in an electrical power metering system and a projected power demand for one demand in terval is provided at selected increments of time within the demand interval. Each watt-hour meter in the system is provided with an impulse generator that generates two impulses for each revolution of the meter disc. In each demand interval, for example, one half-hour, of the metering system, the total impulses received from all of the meters are continuously totaled for each 5-minute interval and multiplied by a number from 6 to 1 depending upon which 5- minute interval the impulses were received. This value is added to the total pulses received in the intervals preceding the current 5-minute interval within the half-hour demand interval tc thereby provide an indication of the projected power demand every 5 minutes in the demand interval.

High resolution data acquisition

DOEpatents

Thornton, G.W.; Fuller, K.R.

1993-04-06

A high resolution event interval timing system measures short time intervals such as occur in high energy physics or laser ranging. Timing is provided from a clock, pulse train, and analog circuitry for generating a triangular wave synchronously with the pulse train (as seen in diagram on patent). The triangular wave has an amplitude and slope functionally related to the time elapsed during each clock pulse in the train. A converter forms a first digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the start of the event interval and a second digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the end of the event interval. A counter counts the clock pulse train during the interval to form a gross event interval time. A computer then combines the gross event interval time and the first and second digital values to output a high resolution value for the event interval.

High resolution data acquisition

DOEpatents

Thornton, Glenn W.; Fuller, Kenneth R.

1993-01-01

A high resolution event interval timing system measures short time intervals such as occur in high energy physics or laser ranging. Timing is provided from a clock (38) pulse train (37) and analog circuitry (44) for generating a triangular wave (46) synchronously with the pulse train (37). The triangular wave (46) has an amplitude and slope functionally related to the time elapsed during each clock pulse in the train. A converter (18, 32) forms a first digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the start of the event interval and a second digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the end of the event interval. A counter (26) counts the clock pulse train (37) during the interval to form a gross event interval time. A computer (52) then combines the gross event interval time and the first and second digital values to output a high resolution value for the event interval.

The influence of interpregnancy interval on infant mortality.

PubMed

McKinney, David; House, Melissa; Chen, Aimin; Muglia, Louis; DeFranco, Emily

2017-03-01

In Ohio, the infant mortality rate is above the national average and the black infant mortality rate is more than twice the white infant mortality rate. Having a short interpregnancy interval has been shown to correlate with preterm birth and low birthweight, but the effect of short interpregnancy interval on infant mortality is less well established. We sought to quantify the population impact of interpregnancy interval on the risk of infant mortality. This was a statewide population-based retrospective cohort study of all births (n = 1,131,070) and infant mortalities (n = 8152) using linked Ohio birth and infant death records from January 2007 through September 2014. For this study we analyzed 5 interpregnancy interval categories: 0-<6, 6-<12, 12-<24, 24-<60, and ≥60 months. The primary outcome for this study was infant mortality. During the study period, 3701 infant mortalities were linked to a live birth certificate with an interpregnancy interval available. We calculated the frequency and relative risk of infant mortality for each interval compared to a referent interval of 12-<24 months. Stratified analyses by maternal race were also performed. Adjusted risks were estimated after accounting for statistically significant and biologically plausible confounding variables. Adjusted relative risk was utilized to calculate the attributable risk percent of short interpregnancy intervals on infant mortality. Short interpregnancy intervals were common in Ohio during the study period. Of all multiparous births, 20.5% followed an interval of <12 months. The overall infant mortality rate during this time was 7.2 per 1000 live births (6.0 for white mothers and 13.1 for black mothers). Infant mortalities occurred more frequently for births following short intervals of 0-<6 months (9.2 per 1000) and 6-<12 months (7.1 per 1000) compared to 12-<24 months (5.6 per 1000) (P < .001 and <.001). The highest risk for infant mortality followed interpregnancy intervals of 0-<6 months (adjusted relative risk, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.49) followed by interpregnancy intervals of 6-<12 months (adjusted relative risk, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.30). Analysis stratified by maternal race revealed similar findings. Attributable risk calculation showed that 24.2% of infant mortalities following intervals of 0-<6 months and 14.1% with intervals of 6-<12 months are attributable to the short interpregnancy interval. By avoiding short interpregnancy intervals of ≤12 months we estimate that in the state of Ohio 31 infant mortalities (20 white and 8 black) per year could have been prevented and the infant mortality rate could have been reduced from 7.2-7.0 during this time frame. An interpregnancy interval of 12-60 months (1-5 years) between birth and conception of next pregnancy is associated with lowest risk of infant mortality. Public health initiatives and provider counseling to optimize birth spacing has the potential to significantly reduce infant mortality for both white and black mothers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short-Term Depression, Temporal Summation, and Onset Inhibition Shape Interval Tuning in Midbrain Neurons

PubMed Central

Baker, Christa A.

2014-01-01

A variety of synaptic mechanisms can contribute to single-neuron selectivity for temporal intervals in sensory stimuli. However, it remains unknown how these mechanisms interact to establish single-neuron sensitivity to temporal patterns of sensory stimulation in vivo. Here we address this question in a circuit that allows us to control the precise temporal patterns of synaptic input to interval-tuned neurons in behaviorally relevant ways. We obtained in vivo intracellular recordings under multiple levels of current clamp from midbrain neurons in the mormyrid weakly electric fish Brienomyrus brachyistius during stimulation with electrosensory pulse trains. To reveal the excitatory and inhibitory inputs onto interval-tuned neurons, we then estimated the synaptic conductances underlying responses. We found short-term depression in excitatory and inhibitory pathways onto all interval-tuned neurons. Short-interval selectivity was associated with excitation that depressed less than inhibition at short intervals, as well as temporally summating excitation. Long-interval selectivity was associated with long-lasting onset inhibition. We investigated tuning after separately nullifying the contributions of temporal summation and depression, and found the greatest diversity of interval selectivity among neurons when both mechanisms were at play. Furthermore, eliminating the effects of depression decreased sensitivity to directional changes in interval. These findings demonstrate that variation in depression and summation of excitation and inhibition helps to establish tuning to behaviorally relevant intervals in communication signals, and that depression contributes to neural coding of interval sequences. This work reveals for the first time how the interplay between short-term plasticity and temporal summation mediates the decoding of temporal sequences in awake, behaving animals. PMID:25339741

Factors influencing pre-hospital care time intervals in Iran: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Khorasani-Zavareh, Davoud; Mohammadi, Reza; Bohm, Katarina

2018-06-23

Pre-hospital time management provides better access to victims of road traffic crashes (RTCs) and can help minimize preventable deaths, injuries and disabilities. While most studies have been focused on measuring various time intervals in the pre-hospital phase, to our best knowledge there is no study exploring the barriers and facilitators that affects these various intervals qualitatively. The present study aimed to explore factors affecting various time intervals relating to road traffic incidents in the pre-hospital phase and provides suggestions for improvements in Iran. The study was conducted during 2013-2014 at both the national and local level in Iran. Overall, 18 face-to-face interviews with emergency medical services (EMS) personnel were used for data collection. Qualitative content analysis was employed to analyze the data. The most important barriers in relation to pre-hospital intervals were related to the manner of cooperation by members of the public with the EMS and their involvement at the crash scene, as well as to pre-hospital system factors, including the number and location of EMS facilities, type and number of ambulances and manpower. These factors usually affect how rapidly the EMS can arrive at the scene of the crash and how quickly victims can be transferred to hospital. These two categories have six main themes: notification interval; activation interval; response interval; on-scene interval; transport interval; and delivery interval. Despite more focus on physical resources, cooperation from members of the public needs to be taken in account in order to achieve better pre-hospital management of the various intervals, possibly through the use of public education campaigns.

Prolonged corrected QT interval is predictive of future stroke events even in subjects without ECG-diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy.

PubMed

Ishikawa, Joji; Ishikawa, Shizukiyo; Kario, Kazuomi

2015-03-01

We attempted to evaluate whether subjects who exhibit prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval (≥440 ms in men and ≥460 ms in women) on ECG, with and without ECG-diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH; Cornell product, ≥244 mV×ms), are at increased risk of stroke. Among the 10 643 subjects, there were a total of 375 stroke events during the follow-up period (128.7±28.1 months; 114 142 person-years). The subjects with prolonged QTc interval (hazard ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.73) had an increased risk of stroke even after adjustment for ECG-LVH (hazard ratio, 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-2.40). When we stratified the subjects into those with neither a prolonged QTc interval nor ECG-LVH, those with a prolonged QTc interval but without ECG-LVH, and those with ECG-LVH, multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis demonstrated that the subjects with prolonged QTc intervals but not ECG-LVH (1.2% of all subjects; incidence, 10.7%; hazard ratio, 2.70, 95% confidence interval, 1.48-4.94) and those with ECG-LVH (incidence, 7.9%; hazard ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.57) had an increased risk of stroke events, compared with those with neither a prolonged QTc interval nor ECG-LVH. In conclusion, prolonged QTc interval was associated with stroke risk even among patients without ECG-LVH in the general population. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Binary Interval Search: a scalable algorithm for counting interval intersections

PubMed Central

Layer, Ryan M.; Skadron, Kevin; Robins, Gabriel; Hall, Ira M.; Quinlan, Aaron R.

2013-01-01

Motivation: The comparison of diverse genomic datasets is fundamental to understand genome biology. Researchers must explore many large datasets of genome intervals (e.g. genes, sequence alignments) to place their experimental results in a broader context and to make new discoveries. Relationships between genomic datasets are typically measured by identifying intervals that intersect, that is, they overlap and thus share a common genome interval. Given the continued advances in DNA sequencing technologies, efficient methods for measuring statistically significant relationships between many sets of genomic features are crucial for future discovery. Results: We introduce the Binary Interval Search (BITS) algorithm, a novel and scalable approach to interval set intersection. We demonstrate that BITS outperforms existing methods at counting interval intersections. Moreover, we show that BITS is intrinsically suited to parallel computing architectures, such as graphics processing units by illustrating its utility for efficient Monte Carlo simulations measuring the significance of relationships between sets of genomic intervals. Availability: https://github.com/arq5x/bits. Contact: arq5x@virginia.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:23129298

An approach to solve group-decision-making problems with ordinal interval numbers.

PubMed

Fan, Zhi-Ping; Liu, Yang

2010-10-01

The ordinal interval number is a form of uncertain preference information in group decision making (GDM), while it is seldom discussed in the existing research. This paper investigates how the ranking order of alternatives is determined based on preference information of ordinal interval numbers in GDM problems. When ranking a large quantity of ordinal interval numbers, the efficiency and accuracy of the ranking process are critical. A new approach is proposed to rank alternatives using ordinal interval numbers when every ranking ordinal in an ordinal interval number is thought to be uniformly and independently distributed in its interval. First, we give the definition of possibility degree on comparing two ordinal interval numbers and the related theory analysis. Then, to rank alternatives, by comparing multiple ordinal interval numbers, a collective expectation possibility degree matrix on pairwise comparisons of alternatives is built, and an optimization model based on this matrix is constructed. Furthermore, an algorithm is also presented to rank alternatives by solving the model. Finally, two examples are used to illustrate the use of the proposed approach.

Evaluation of confidence intervals for a steady-state leaky aquifer model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christensen, S.; Cooley, R.L.

1999-01-01

The fact that dependent variables of groundwater models are generally nonlinear functions of model parameters is shown to be a potentially significant factor in calculating accurate confidence intervals for both model parameters and functions of the parameters, such as the values of dependent variables calculated by the model. The Lagrangian method of Vecchia and Cooley [Vecchia, A.V. and Cooley, R.L., Water Resources Research, 1987, 23(7), 1237-1250] was used to calculate nonlinear Scheffe-type confidence intervals for the parameters and the simulated heads of a steady-state groundwater flow model covering 450 km2 of a leaky aquifer. The nonlinear confidence intervals are compared to corresponding linear intervals. As suggested by the significant nonlinearity of the regression model, linear confidence intervals are often not accurate. The commonly made assumption that widths of linear confidence intervals always underestimate the actual (nonlinear) widths was not correct. Results show that nonlinear effects can cause the nonlinear intervals to be asymmetric and either larger or smaller than the linear approximations. Prior information on transmissivities helps reduce the size of the confidence intervals, with the most notable effects occurring for the parameters on which there is prior information and for head values in parameter zones for which there is prior information on the parameters.The fact that dependent variables of groundwater models are generally nonlinear functions of model parameters is shown to be a potentially significant factor in calculating accurate confidence intervals for both model parameters and functions of the parameters, such as the values of dependent variables calculated by the model. The Lagrangian method of Vecchia and Cooley was used to calculate nonlinear Scheffe-type confidence intervals for the parameters and the simulated heads of a steady-state groundwater flow model covering 450 km2 of a leaky aquifer. The nonlinear confidence intervals are compared to corresponding linear intervals. As suggested by the significant nonlinearity of the regression model, linear confidence intervals are often not accurate. The commonly made assumption that widths of linear confidence intervals always underestimate the actual (nonlinear) widths was not correct. Results show that nonlinear effects can cause the nonlinear intervals to be asymmetric and either larger or smaller than the linear approximations. Prior information on transmissivities helps reduce the size of the confidence intervals, with the most notable effects occurring for the parameters on which there is prior information and for head values in parameter zones for which there is prior information on the parameters.

A Microsoft Excel® 2010 Based Tool for Calculating Interobserver Agreement

PubMed Central

Azulay, Richard L

2011-01-01

This technical report provides detailed information on the rationale for using a common computer spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel®) to calculate various forms of interobserver agreement for both continuous and discontinuous data sets. In addition, we provide a brief tutorial on how to use an Excel spreadsheet to automatically compute traditional total count, partial agreement-within-intervals, exact agreement, trial-by-trial, interval-by-interval, scored-interval, unscored-interval, total duration, and mean duration-per-interval interobserver agreement algorithms. We conclude with a discussion of how practitioners may integrate this tool into their clinical work. PMID:22649578

A microsoft excel(®) 2010 based tool for calculating interobserver agreement.

PubMed

Reed, Derek D; Azulay, Richard L

2011-01-01

This technical report provides detailed information on the rationale for using a common computer spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel(®)) to calculate various forms of interobserver agreement for both continuous and discontinuous data sets. In addition, we provide a brief tutorial on how to use an Excel spreadsheet to automatically compute traditional total count, partial agreement-within-intervals, exact agreement, trial-by-trial, interval-by-interval, scored-interval, unscored-interval, total duration, and mean duration-per-interval interobserver agreement algorithms. We conclude with a discussion of how practitioners may integrate this tool into their clinical work.

Limited Rationality and Its Quantification Through the Interval Number Judgments With Permutations.

PubMed

Liu, Fang; Pedrycz, Witold; Zhang, Wei-Guo

2017-12-01

The relative importance of alternatives expressed in terms of interval numbers in the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process aims to capture the uncertainty experienced by decision makers (DMs) when making a series of comparisons. Under the assumption of full rationality, the judgements of DMs in the typical analytic hierarchy process could be consistent. However, since the uncertainty in articulating the opinions of DMs is unavoidable, the interval number judgements are associated with the limited rationality. In this paper, we investigate the concept of limited rationality by introducing interval multiplicative reciprocal comparison matrices. By analyzing the consistency of interval multiplicative reciprocal comparison matrices, it is observed that the interval number judgements are inconsistent. By considering the permutations of alternatives, the concepts of approximation-consistency and acceptable approximation-consistency of interval multiplicative reciprocal comparison matrices are proposed. The exchange method is designed to generate all the permutations. A novel method of determining the interval weight vector is proposed under the consideration of randomness in comparing alternatives, and a vector of interval weights is determined. A new algorithm of solving decision making problems with interval multiplicative reciprocal preference relations is provided. Two numerical examples are carried out to illustrate the proposed approach and offer a comparison with the methods available in the literature.

The dose delivery effect of the different Beam ON interval in FFF SBRT: TrueBEAM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawonwong, T.; Suriyapee, S.; Oonsiri, S.; Sanghangthum, T.; Oonsiri, P.

2016-03-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the dose delivery effect of the different Beam ON interval in Flattening Filter Free Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (FFF-SBRT). The three 10MV-FFF SBRT plans (2 half rotating Rapid Arc, 9 to10 Gray/Fraction) were selected and irradiated in three different intervals (100%, 50% and 25%) using the RPM gating system. The plan verification was performed by the ArcCHECK for gamma analysis and the ionization chamber for point dose measurement. The dose delivery time of each interval were observed. For gamma analysis (2%&2mm criteria), the average percent pass of all plans for 100%, 50% and 25% intervals were 86.1±3.3%, 86.0±3.0% and 86.1±3.3%, respectively. For point dose measurement, the average ratios of each interval to the treatment planning were 1.012±0.015, 1.011±0.014 and 1.011±0.013 for 100%, 50% and 25% interval, respectively. The average dose delivery time was increasing from 74.3±5.0 second for 100% interval to 154.3±12.6 and 347.9±20.3 second for 50% and 25% interval, respectively. The same quality of the dose delivery from different Beam ON intervals in FFF-SBRT by TrueBEAM was illustrated. While the 100% interval represents the breath-hold treatment technique, the differences for the free-breathing using RPM gating system can be treated confidently.

[Association between oxytocin augmentation intervals and the risk of postpartum haemorrhage].

PubMed

Loscul, C; Chantry, A-A; Caubit, L; Deneux-Tharaux, C; Goffinet, F; Le Ray, C

2016-09-01

To study the association between the duration of oxytocin augmentation intervals and the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) among primiparous women in spontaneous labour. Retrospective cohort including primiparous women in spontaneous labour who received oxytocin during labour (n=454). Oxytocin augmentation intervals were dichotomized in intervals<20minutes and≥20minutes. Obstetrical and neonatal issues were analyzed according to the duration oxytocin augmentation intervals. The association between oxytocin augmentation intervals and PPH was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis. Oxytocin augmentation intervals were shorter than 20minutes for 43.8% of the study population. The rate of PPH was higher (9.1% vs 3.5%; P=0.014), and the use of sulprostone was more frequent (6.5% vs 3.5%; P=0.013) if oxytocin augmentation intervals were shorter than 20minutes in comparison with intervals≥20minutes. The association between oxytocin augmentation intervals and PPH remains significant after adjustment on other PPH risk factors (adjusted OR=3.48, 95% CI [1.45-8.34]). The rate of adverse neonatal issue, defined by arterial pH at birth≤7.10 and/or 5minutes score d'Apgar≤7, was higher if oxytocin augmentation intervals were<20minutes (12.1% vs 4.3%; P=0.002). Our study demonstrated an increased risk of PPH for primiparous women in spontaneous labour who received oxytocin with augmentation intervals shorter than 20minutes. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Statistical analysis on multifractal detrended cross-correlation coefficient for return interval by oriented percolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Wei; Wang, Jun

2015-06-01

We investigate and quantify the multifractal detrended cross-correlation of return interval series for Chinese stock markets and a proposed price model, the price model is established by oriented percolation. The return interval describes the waiting time between two successive price volatilities which are above some threshold, the present work is an attempt to quantify the level of multifractal detrended cross-correlation for the return intervals. Further, the concept of MF-DCCA coefficient of return intervals is introduced, and the corresponding empirical research is performed. The empirical results show that the return intervals of SSE and SZSE are weakly positive multifractal power-law cross-correlated, and exhibit the fluctuation patterns of MF-DCCA coefficients. The similar behaviors of return intervals for the price model is also demonstrated.

Minimax confidence intervals in geomagnetism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, Philip B.

1992-01-01

The present paper uses theory of Donoho (1989) to find lower bounds on the lengths of optimally short fixed-length confidence intervals (minimax confidence intervals) for Gauss coefficients of the field of degree 1-12 using the heat flow constraint. The bounds on optimal minimax intervals are about 40 percent shorter than Backus' intervals: no procedure for producing fixed-length confidence intervals, linear or nonlinear, can give intervals shorter than about 60 percent the length of Backus' in this problem. While both methods rigorously account for the fact that core field models are infinite-dimensional, the application of the techniques to the geomagnetic problem involves approximations and counterfactual assumptions about the data errors, and so these results are likely to be extremely optimistic estimates of the actual uncertainty in Gauss coefficients.

IBM system/360 assembly language interval arithmetic software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, E. J.

1972-01-01

Computer software designed to perform interval arithmetic is described. An interval is defined as the set of all real numbers between two given numbers including or excluding one or both endpoints. Interval arithmetic consists of the various elementary arithmetic operations defined on the set of all intervals, such as interval addition, subtraction, union, etc. One of the main applications of interval arithmetic is in the area of error analysis of computer calculations. For example, it has been used sucessfully to compute bounds on sounding errors in the solution of linear algebraic systems, error bounds in numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations, as well as integral equations and boundary value problems. The described software enables users to implement algorithms of the type described in references efficiently on the IBM 360 system.

Reversing the Course of Forgetting

PubMed Central

White, K. Geoffrey; Brown, Glenn S

2011-01-01

Forgetting functions were generated for pigeons in a delayed matching-to-sample task, in which accuracy decreased with increasing retention-interval duration. In baseline training with dark retention intervals, accuracy was high overall. Illumination of the experimental chamber by a houselight during the retention interval impaired performance accuracy by increasing the rate of forgetting. In novel conditions, the houselight was lit at the beginning of a retention interval and then turned off partway through the retention interval. Accuracy was low at the beginning of the retention interval and then increased later in the interval. Thus the course of forgetting was reversed. Such a dissociation of forgetting from the passage of time is consistent with an interference account in which attention or stimulus control switches between the remembering task and extraneous events. PMID:21909163

Comparing interval estimates for small sample ordinal CFA models

PubMed Central

Natesan, Prathiba

2015-01-01

Robust maximum likelihood (RML) and asymptotically generalized least squares (AGLS) methods have been recommended for fitting ordinal structural equation models. Studies show that some of these methods underestimate standard errors. However, these studies have not investigated the coverage and bias of interval estimates. An estimate with a reasonable standard error could still be severely biased. This can only be known by systematically investigating the interval estimates. The present study compares Bayesian, RML, and AGLS interval estimates of factor correlations in ordinal confirmatory factor analysis models (CFA) for small sample data. Six sample sizes, 3 factor correlations, and 2 factor score distributions (multivariate normal and multivariate mildly skewed) were studied. Two Bayesian prior specifications, informative and relatively less informative were studied. Undercoverage of confidence intervals and underestimation of standard errors was common in non-Bayesian methods. Underestimated standard errors may lead to inflated Type-I error rates. Non-Bayesian intervals were more positive biased than negatively biased, that is, most intervals that did not contain the true value were greater than the true value. Some non-Bayesian methods had non-converging and inadmissible solutions for small samples and non-normal data. Bayesian empirical standard error estimates for informative and relatively less informative priors were closer to the average standard errors of the estimates. The coverage of Bayesian credibility intervals was closer to what was expected with overcoverage in a few cases. Although some Bayesian credibility intervals were wider, they reflected the nature of statistical uncertainty that comes with the data (e.g., small sample). Bayesian point estimates were also more accurate than non-Bayesian estimates. The results illustrate the importance of analyzing coverage and bias of interval estimates, and how ignoring interval estimates can be misleading. Therefore, editors and policymakers should continue to emphasize the inclusion of interval estimates in research. PMID:26579002

QT-RR relationships and suitable QT correction formulas for halothane-anesthetized dogs.

PubMed

Tabo, Mitsuyasu; Nakamura, Mikiko; Kimura, Kazuya; Ito, Shigeo

2006-10-01

Several QT correction (QTc) formulas have been used for assessing the QT liability of drugs. However, they are known to under- and over-correct the QT interval and tend to be specific to species and experimental conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine a suitable formula for halothane-anesthetized dogs highly sensitive to drug-induced QT interval prolongation. Twenty dogs were anesthetized with 1.5% halothane and the relationship between the QT and RR intervals were obtained by changing the heart rate under atrial pacing conditions. The QT interval was corrected for the RR interval by applying 4 published formulas (Bazett, Fridericia, Van de Water, and Matsunaga); Fridericia's formula (QTcF = QT/RR(0.33)) showed the least slope and lowest R(2) value for the linear regression of QTc intervals against RR intervals, indicating that it dissociated changes in heart rate most effectively. An optimized formula (QTcX = QT/RR(0.3879)) is defined by analysis of covariance and represents a correction algorithm superior to Fridericia's formula. For both Fridericia's and the optimized formula, QT-prolonging drugs (d,l-sotalol, astemizole) showed QTc interval prolongation. A non-QT-prolonging drug (d,l-propranolol) failed to prolong the QTc interval. In addition, drug-induced changes in QTcF and QTcX intervals were highly correlated with those of the QT interval paced at a cycle length of 500 msec. These findings suggest that Fridericia's and the optimized formula, although the optimized is a little bit better, are suitable for correcting the QT interval in halothane-anesthetized dogs and help to evaluate the potential QT prolongation of drugs with high accuracy.

CLSI-based transference of CALIPER pediatric reference intervals to Beckman Coulter AU biochemical assays.

PubMed

Abou El Hassan, Mohamed; Stoianov, Alexandra; Araújo, Petra A T; Sadeghieh, Tara; Chan, Man Khun; Chen, Yunqi; Randell, Edward; Nieuwesteeg, Michelle; Adeli, Khosrow

2015-11-01

The CALIPER program has established a comprehensive database of pediatric reference intervals using largely the Abbott ARCHITECT biochemical assays. To expand clinical application of CALIPER reference standards, the present study is aimed at transferring CALIPER reference intervals from the Abbott ARCHITECT to Beckman Coulter AU assays. Transference of CALIPER reference intervals was performed based on the CLSI guidelines C28-A3 and EP9-A2. The new reference intervals were directly verified using up to 100 reference samples from the healthy CALIPER cohort. We found a strong correlation between Abbott ARCHITECT and Beckman Coulter AU biochemical assays, allowing the transference of the vast majority (94%; 30 out of 32 assays) of CALIPER reference intervals previously established using Abbott assays. Transferred reference intervals were, in general, similar to previously published CALIPER reference intervals, with some exceptions. Most of the transferred reference intervals were sex-specific and were verified using healthy reference samples from the CALIPER biobank based on CLSI criteria. It is important to note that the comparisons performed between the Abbott and Beckman Coulter assays make no assumptions as to assay accuracy or which system is more correct/accurate. The majority of CALIPER reference intervals were transferrable to Beckman Coulter AU assays, allowing the establishment of a new database of pediatric reference intervals. This further expands the utility of the CALIPER database to clinical laboratories using the AU assays; however, each laboratory should validate these intervals for their analytical platform and local population as recommended by the CLSI. Copyright © 2015 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the EMS patient access time interval and the impact of responding to high-rise buildings.

PubMed

Morrison, Laurie J; Angelini, Mark P; Vermeulen, Marian J; Schwartz, Brian

2005-01-01

To measure the patient access time interval and characterize its contribution to the total emergency medical services (EMS) response time interval; to compare the patient access time intervals for patients located three or more floors above ground with those less than three floors above or below ground, and specifically in the apartment subgroup; and to identify barriers that significantly impede EMS access to patients in high-rise apartments. An observational study of all patients treated by an emergency medical technician paramedics (EMT-P) crew was conducted using a trained independent observer to collect time intervals and identify potential barriers to access. Of 118 observed calls, 25 (21%) originated from patients three or more floors above ground. The overall median and 90th percentile (95% confidence interval) patient access time intervals were 1.61 (1.27, 1.91) and 3.47 (3.08, 4.05) minutes, respectively. The median interval was 2.73 (2.22, 3.03) minutes among calls from patients located three or more stories above ground compared with 1.25 (1.07, 1.55) minutes among those at lower levels. The patient access time interval represented 23.5% of the total EMS response time interval among calls originating less than three floors above or below ground and 32.2% of those located three or more stories above ground. The most frequently encountered barriers to access included security code entry requirements, lack of directional signs, and inability to fit the stretcher into the elevator. The patient access time interval is significantly long and represents a substantial component of the total EMS response time interval, especially among ambulance calls originating three or more floors above ground. A number of barriers appear to contribute to delayed paramedic access.

Patient satisfaction with extended-interval warfarin monitoring.

PubMed

Carris, Nicholas W; Hwang, Andrew Y; Smith, Steven M; Taylor, James R; Sando, Karen; Powell, Jason; Rosenberg, Eric I; Zumberg, Marc S; Gums, John G; Dietrich, Eric A; Anderson, Katherine Vogel

2016-11-01

Extended-interval monitoring of warfarin has been proposed to reduce follow-up burden and improve patient satisfaction. We aimed to make an initial assessment of anticoagulation satisfaction before and after an extended-interval warfarin monitoring intervention. We conducted a translational prospective single-arm pilot study of extended-interval warfarin monitoring in five pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics. Patients meeting CHEST guideline criteria for extended-interval warfarin monitoring began progressive extended-interval follow-up (6, 8, and 12 weeks thereafter). The Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) was administered at baseline and at end-of-study or study removal (in patients no longer appropriate for extended interval follow-up). Forty-six patients had evaluable pre- and post-intervention DASS survey data. Mean age of patients was 66.5 years, 74 % were non-Hispanic whites, and 48 % were men. Patients completed a mean ± SD of 34 ± 22 weeks of follow-up. Mean ± SD total DASS score at baseline was 45.2 ± 14.2 versus 49.1 ± 14.9 at end-of-study (mean change, +3.9 [95 % CI -0.6-8.4; p = 0.09]), indicating no benefit-and trending toward decrement-to anticoagulation satisfaction. Change in anticoagulation satisfaction varied substantially following extended-interval monitoring, with no evidence of improved satisfaction. Plausible reasons for patients not preferring extended-interval monitoring include increased anxiety and disengagement from self-management activities, both potentially related to less frequent feedback and reassurance during extended interval-monitoring. Additional research is needed to identify who is likely to benefit most from extended-interval monitoring. Anticoagulation satisfaction should be considered with clinical factors and shared-decision making when implementing extended-interval warfarin monitoring.

Musical training generalises across modalities and reveals efficient and adaptive mechanisms for reproducing temporal intervals.

PubMed

Aagten-Murphy, David; Cappagli, Giulia; Burr, David

2014-03-01

Expert musicians are able to time their actions accurately and consistently during a musical performance. We investigated how musical expertise influences the ability to reproduce auditory intervals and how this generalises across different techniques and sensory modalities. We first compared various reproduction strategies and interval length, to examine the effects in general and to optimise experimental conditions for testing the effect of music, and found that the effects were robust and consistent across different paradigms. Focussing on a 'ready-set-go' paradigm subjects reproduced time intervals drawn from distributions varying in total length (176, 352 or 704 ms) or in the number of discrete intervals within the total length (3, 5, 11 or 21 discrete intervals). Overall, Musicians performed more veridical than Non-Musicians, and all subjects reproduced auditory-defined intervals more accurately than visually-defined intervals. However, Non-Musicians, particularly with visual stimuli, consistently exhibited a substantial and systematic regression towards the mean interval. When subjects judged intervals from distributions of longer total length they tended to regress more towards the mean, while the ability to discriminate between discrete intervals within the distribution had little influence on subject error. These results are consistent with a Bayesian model that minimizes reproduction errors by incorporating a central tendency prior weighted by the subject's own temporal precision relative to the current distribution of intervals. Finally a strong correlation was observed between all durations of formal musical training and total reproduction errors in both modalities (accounting for 30% of the variance). Taken together these results demonstrate that formal musical training improves temporal reproduction, and that this improvement transfers from audition to vision. They further demonstrate the flexibility of sensorimotor mechanisms in adapting to different task conditions to minimise temporal estimation errors. © 2013.

Comparing interval estimates for small sample ordinal CFA models.

PubMed

Natesan, Prathiba

2015-01-01

Robust maximum likelihood (RML) and asymptotically generalized least squares (AGLS) methods have been recommended for fitting ordinal structural equation models. Studies show that some of these methods underestimate standard errors. However, these studies have not investigated the coverage and bias of interval estimates. An estimate with a reasonable standard error could still be severely biased. This can only be known by systematically investigating the interval estimates. The present study compares Bayesian, RML, and AGLS interval estimates of factor correlations in ordinal confirmatory factor analysis models (CFA) for small sample data. Six sample sizes, 3 factor correlations, and 2 factor score distributions (multivariate normal and multivariate mildly skewed) were studied. Two Bayesian prior specifications, informative and relatively less informative were studied. Undercoverage of confidence intervals and underestimation of standard errors was common in non-Bayesian methods. Underestimated standard errors may lead to inflated Type-I error rates. Non-Bayesian intervals were more positive biased than negatively biased, that is, most intervals that did not contain the true value were greater than the true value. Some non-Bayesian methods had non-converging and inadmissible solutions for small samples and non-normal data. Bayesian empirical standard error estimates for informative and relatively less informative priors were closer to the average standard errors of the estimates. The coverage of Bayesian credibility intervals was closer to what was expected with overcoverage in a few cases. Although some Bayesian credibility intervals were wider, they reflected the nature of statistical uncertainty that comes with the data (e.g., small sample). Bayesian point estimates were also more accurate than non-Bayesian estimates. The results illustrate the importance of analyzing coverage and bias of interval estimates, and how ignoring interval estimates can be misleading. Therefore, editors and policymakers should continue to emphasize the inclusion of interval estimates in research.

Application of Normative Occipital Condyle-C1 Interval Measurements to Detect Atlanto-Occipital Injury in Children.

PubMed

Corcoran, B; Linscott, L L; Leach, J L; Vadivelu, S

2016-05-01

Prior studies have found that widening or asymmetry of the occipital condyle-C1 interval on CT is a sensitive and specific marker for atlanto-occipital dislocation. Previously reported abnormal occipital condyle-C1 interval values are not age-specific, possibly leading to false-positive findings in younger children, in whom this joint space is normally larger than that in adults. This study assesses the utility of applying age-specific normative occipital condyle-C1 interval ranges to documented cases of atlanto-occipital injury compared with previously reported abnormal cutoff values. Retrospective review of CT and MR imaging of 14 subjects with atlanto-occipital injury was performed, and occipital condyle-C1 interval measurements were made for each subject. Sensitivities and specificities of proposed occipital condyle-C1 interval cutoffs of 2 and 3 SDs above the mean and previously published occipital condyle-C1 interval cutoffs for atlanto-occipital injury were then calculated on the basis of occipital condyle-C1 interval measurements for each subject. An occipital condyle-C1 interval 2 SDs above the age-specific mean has a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 89%-100%, depending on the age group. An occipital condyle-C1 interval 3 SDs above the age-specific mean has a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 95%-100%. A 4.0-mm occipital condyle-C1 interval has a sensitivity of 36% and a specificity of 100% in all age groups. A 2.5-mm occipital condyle-C1 interval has a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 18%-100%. Occipital condyle-C1 interval widening cutoffs used to establish atlanto-occipital injury lack both sensitivity and specificity in children and young teenagers. MR imaging is necessary to establish a diagnosis of atlanto-occipital injury in children and young teenagers when the appropriate mechanism of injury is present. © 2016 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Effect of long interval between hyperthermochemoradiation therapy and surgery for rectal cancer on apoptosis, proliferation and tumor response.

PubMed

Kato, Toshihide; Fujii, Takaaki; Ide, Munenori; Takada, Takahiro; Sutoh, Toshinaga; Morita, Hiroki; Yajima, Reina; Yamaguchi, Satoru; Tsutsumi, Soichi; Asao, Takayuki; Oyama, Tetsunari; Kuwano, Hiroyuki

2014-06-01

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is commonly used to improve the local control and resectability of locally advanced rectal cancer, with surgery performed after an interval of a number of weeks. We have been conducting a clinical trial of preoperative chemoradiotherapy in combination with regional hyperthermia (hyperthermo-chemoradiation therapy; HCRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer. In the current study we assessed the effect of a longer (>10 weeks) interval after neoadjuvant HCRT on pathological response, oncological outcome and especially on apoptosis, proliferation and p53 expression in patients with rectal cancer. Forty-eight patients with proven rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent HCRT followed by surgery were identified for inclusion in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the interval between HCRT and surgery, ≤ 10 weeks (short-interval group) and >10 weeks (long-interval group). Patients in the long-interval group had a significantly higher rate of pathological complete response (pCR) (43.5% vs. 16.0%) than patients of the short-interval group. Patients of the long-interval group had a significantly higher rate of down-staging of T-stage (78.3% vs. 36.0%) and relatively higher rate of that of N-stage (52.2% vs. 36.0%) than patients of the short-interval group. Furthermore, apoptosis in the long-interval group was relatively higher compared to that of the short-interval group, without a significant difference in the Ki-67 proliferative index and expression of p53 in the primary tumor. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a longer interval after HCRT (>10 weeks) seemed to result in a better chance of a pCR, a result confirmed by the trends in tumor response markers, including apoptosis, proliferation and p53 expression. Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

46 CFR 176.675 - Extension of examination intervals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Extension of examination intervals. 176.675 Section 176... 100 GROSS TONS) INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION Hull and Tailshaft Examinations § 176.675 Extension of examination intervals. The intervals between drydock examinations and internal structural examinations...

Reducing the width of confidence intervals for the difference between two population means by inverting adaptive tests.

PubMed

O'Gorman, Thomas W

2018-05-01

In the last decade, it has been shown that an adaptive testing method could be used, along with the Robbins-Monro search procedure, to obtain confidence intervals that are often narrower than traditional confidence intervals. However, these confidence interval limits require a great deal of computation and some familiarity with stochastic search methods. We propose a method for estimating the limits of confidence intervals that uses only a few tests of significance. We compare these limits to those obtained by a lengthy Robbins-Monro stochastic search and find that the proposed method is nearly as accurate as the Robbins-Monro search. Adaptive confidence intervals that are produced by the proposed method are often narrower than traditional confidence intervals when the distributions are long-tailed, skewed, or bimodal. Moreover, the proposed method of estimating confidence interval limits is easy to understand, because it is based solely on the p-values from a few tests of significance.

Interval stability for complex systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klinshov, Vladimir V.; Kirillov, Sergey; Kurths, Jürgen; Nekorkin, Vladimir I.

2018-04-01

Stability of dynamical systems against strong perturbations is an important problem of nonlinear dynamics relevant to many applications in various areas. Here, we develop a novel concept of interval stability, referring to the behavior of the perturbed system during a finite time interval. Based on this concept, we suggest new measures of stability, namely interval basin stability (IBS) and interval stability threshold (IST). IBS characterizes the likelihood that the perturbed system returns to the stable regime (attractor) in a given time. IST provides the minimal magnitude of the perturbation capable to disrupt the stable regime for a given interval of time. The suggested measures provide important information about the system susceptibility to external perturbations which may be useful for practical applications. Moreover, from a theoretical viewpoint the interval stability measures are shown to bridge the gap between linear and asymptotic stability. We also suggest numerical algorithms for quantification of the interval stability characteristics and demonstrate their potential for several dynamical systems of various nature, such as power grids and neural networks.

Final screening round of the NELSON lung cancer screening trial: the effect of a 2.5-year screening interval.

PubMed

Yousaf-Khan, Uraujh; van der Aalst, Carlijn; de Jong, Pim A; Heuvelmans, Marjolein; Scholten, Ernst; Lammers, Jan-Willem; van Ooijen, Peter; Nackaerts, Kristiaan; Weenink, Carla; Groen, Harry; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Ten Haaf, Kevin; Oudkerk, Matthijs; de Koning, Harry

2017-01-01

In the USA annual lung cancer screening is recommended. However, the optimal screening strategy (eg, screening interval, screening rounds) is unknown. This study provides results of the fourth screening round after a 2.5-year interval in the Dutch-Belgian Lung Cancer Screening trial (NELSON). Europe's largest, sufficiently powered randomised lung cancer screening trial was designed to determine whether low-dose CT screening reduces lung cancer mortality by ≥25% compared with no screening after 10 years of follow-up. The screening arm (n=7915) received screening at baseline, after 1 year, 2 years and 2.5 years. Performance of the NELSON screening strategy in the final fourth round was evaluated. Comparisons were made between lung cancers detected in the first three rounds, in the final round and during the 2.5-year interval. In round 4, 46 cancers were screen-detected and there were 28 interval cancers between the third and fourth screenings. Compared with the second round screening (1-year interval), in round 4 a higher proportion of stage IIIb/IV cancers (17.3% vs 6.8%, p=0.02) and higher proportions of squamous-cell, bronchoalveolar and small-cell carcinomas (p=0.001) were detected. Compared with a 2-year interval, the 2.5-year interval showed a higher non-significant stage distribution (stage IIIb/IV 17.3% vs 5.2%, p=0.10). Additionally, more interval cancers manifested in the 2.5-year interval than in the intervals of previous rounds (28 vs 5 and 28 vs 19). A 2.5-year interval reduced the effect of screening: the interval cancer rate was higher compared with the 1-year and 2-year intervals, and proportion of advanced disease stage in the final round was higher compared with the previous rounds. ISRCTN63545820. 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/.

Interval sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma: a digital pathology analysis of Ki67 expression and microvascular density.

PubMed

Marinaccio, Christian; Giudice, Giuseppe; Nacchiero, Eleonora; Robusto, Fabio; Opinto, Giuseppina; Lastilla, Gaetano; Maiorano, Eugenio; Ribatti, Domenico

2016-08-01

The presence of interval sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma is documented in several studies, but controversies still exist about the management of these lymph nodes. In this study, an immunohistochemical evaluation of tumor cell proliferation and neo-angiogenesis has been performed with the aim of establishing a correlation between these two parameters between positive and negative interval sentinel lymph nodes. This retrospective study reviewed data of 23 patients diagnosed with melanoma. Bioptic specimens of interval sentinel lymph node were retrieved, and immunohistochemical reactions on tissue sections were performed using Ki67 as a marker of proliferation and CD31 as a blood vessel marker for the study of angiogenesis. The entire stained tissue sections for each case were digitized using Aperio Scanscope Cs whole-slide scanning platform and stored as high-resolution images. Image analysis was carried out on three selected fields of equal area using IHC Nuclear and Microvessel analysis algorithms to determine positive Ki67 nuclei and vessel number. Patients were divided into positive and negative interval sentinel lymph node groups, and the positive interval sentinel lymph node group was further divided into interval positive with micrometastasis and interval positive with macrometastasis subgroups. The analysis revealed a significant difference between positive and negative interval sentinel lymph nodes in the percentage of Ki67-positive nuclei and mean vessel number suggestive of an increased cellular proliferation and angiogenesis in positive interval sentinel lymph nodes. Further analysis in the interval positive lymph node group showed a significant difference between micro- and macrometastasis subgroups in the percentage of Ki67-positive nuclei and mean vessel number. Percentage of Ki67-positive nuclei was increased in the macrometastasis subgroup, while mean vessel number was increased in the micrometastasis subgroup. The results of this study suggest that the correlation between tumor cell proliferation and neo-angiogenesis in interval sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma could be used as a good predictive marker to distinguish interval positive sentinel lymph nodes with micrometastasis from interval positive lymph nodes with macrometastasis subgroups.

Association of low-moderate urine arsenic and QT interval: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from the Strong Heart Study.

PubMed

Moon, Katherine A; Zhang, Yiyi; Guallar, Eliseo; Francesconi, Kevin A; Goessler, Walter; Umans, Jason G; Best, Lyle G; Howard, Barbara V; Devereux, Richard B; Okin, Peter M; Navas-Acien, Ana

2018-05-21

Epidemiologic studies suggest that chronic exposure to arsenic is related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the pathophysiological link remains uncertain. We evaluated the association of chronic low-moderate arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with baseline difference and annual change in ECG measures (QT interval, JT interval, PR interval, QRS duration, and QT dispersion) using linear mixed models in the Strong Heart Study main cohort (N = 1174, median age 55 years) and family study (N = 1695 diabetes-free, median age 36 years). At baseline, arsenic exposure was measured as the sum of inorganic and methylated species in urine (ΣAs) and arsenic metabolism was measured as the relative percentage of arsenic species. Median ΣAs and Bazett heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) were 8.6 μg/g creatinine and 424 ms in the main cohort and 4.3 μg/g and 414 ms in the family study, respectively. In the main cohort, a comparison of the highest to lowest ΣAs quartile (>14.4 vs. <5.2 μg/g creatinine) was associated with a 5.3 (95% CI: 1.2, 9.5) ms higher mean baseline QTc interval but no difference in annual change in QTc interval. In the family study, a comparison of the highest to lowest quartile (>7.1 vs. <2.9 μg/g creatinine) was associated with a 3.2 (95% CI: 0.6, 5.7) ms higher baseline QTc interval and a 0.6 (95% CI: 0.04, 1.2) ms larger annual increase in QTc interval. Associations with JTc interval were similar but stronger in magnitude compared to QTc interval. Arsenic exposure was largely not associated with PR interval, QRS duration or QT dispersion. Similar to arsenic exposure, a pattern of lower %MMA and higher %DMA was associated with longer baseline QTc interval in both cohorts and with a larger annual change in QTc interval in the family study. Chronic low-moderate arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism were associated with prolonged ventricular repolarization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RR-Interval variance of electrocardiogram for atrial fibrillation detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuryani, N.; Solikhah, M.; Nugoho, A. S.; Afdala, A.; Anzihory, E.

2016-11-01

Atrial fibrillation is a serious heart problem originated from the upper chamber of the heart. The common indication of atrial fibrillation is irregularity of R peak-to-R-peak time interval, which is shortly called RR interval. The irregularity could be represented using variance or spread of RR interval. This article presents a system to detect atrial fibrillation using variances. Using clinical data of patients with atrial fibrillation attack, it is shown that the variance of electrocardiographic RR interval are higher during atrial fibrillation, compared to the normal one. Utilizing a simple detection technique and variances of RR intervals, we find a good performance of atrial fibrillation detection.

Estimating the duration of geologic intervals from a small number of age determinations: A challenge common to petrology and paleobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glazner, Allen F.; Sadler, Peter M.

2016-12-01

The duration of a geologic interval, such as the time over which a given volume of magma accumulated to form a pluton, or the lifespan of a large igneous province, is commonly determined from a relatively small number of geochronologic determinations (e.g., 4-10) within that interval. Such sample sets can underestimate the true length of the interval by a significant amount. For example, the average interval determined from a sample of size n = 5, drawn from a uniform random distribution, will underestimate the true interval by 50%. Even for n = 10, the average sample only captures ˜80% of the interval. If the underlying distribution is known then a correction factor can be determined from theory or Monte Carlo analysis; for a uniform random distribution, this factor is n+1n-1. Systematic undersampling of interval lengths can have a large effect on calculated magma fluxes in plutonic systems. The problem is analogous to determining the duration of an extinct species from its fossil occurrences. Confidence interval statistics developed for species origination and extinction times are applicable to the onset and cessation of magmatic events.

Exponential operations and aggregation operators of interval neutrosophic sets and their decision making methods.

PubMed

Ye, Jun

2016-01-01

An interval neutrosophic set (INS) is a subclass of a neutrosophic set and a generalization of an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set, and then the characteristics of INS are independently described by the interval numbers of its truth-membership, indeterminacy-membership, and falsity-membership degrees. However, the exponential parameters (weights) of all the existing exponential operational laws of INSs and the corresponding exponential aggregation operators are crisp values in interval neutrosophic decision making problems. As a supplement, this paper firstly introduces new exponential operational laws of INSs, where the bases are crisp values or interval numbers and the exponents are interval neutrosophic numbers (INNs), which are basic elements in INSs. Then, we propose an interval neutrosophic weighted exponential aggregation (INWEA) operator and a dual interval neutrosophic weighted exponential aggregation (DINWEA) operator based on these exponential operational laws and introduce comparative methods based on cosine measure functions for INNs and dual INNs. Further, we develop decision-making methods based on the INWEA and DINWEA operators. Finally, a practical example on the selecting problem of global suppliers is provided to illustrate the applicability and rationality of the proposed methods.

Determinants and consequences of short birth interval in rural Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

de Jonge, Hendrik C C; Azad, Kishwar; Seward, Nadine; Kuddus, Abdul; Shaha, Sanjit; Beard, James; Costello, Anthony; Houweling, Tanja A J; Fottrell, Ed

2014-12-24

Short birth intervals are known to have negative effects on pregnancy outcomes. We analysed data from a large population surveillance system in rural Bangladesh to identify predictors of short birth interval and determine consequences of short intervals on pregnancy outcomes. The study was conducted in three districts of Bangladesh - Bogra, Moulavibazar and Faridpur (population 282,643, 54,668 women of reproductive age). We used data between January 2010 and June 2011 from a key informant surveillance system that recorded all births, deaths and stillbirths. Short birth interval was defined as an interval between consecutive births of less than 33 months. Initially, risk factors of a short birth interval were determined using a multivariate mixed effects logistic regression model. Independent risk factors were selected using a priori knowledge from literature review. An adjusted mixed effects logistic regression model was then used to determine the effect of up to 21-, 21-32-, 33-44- and 45-month and higher birth-to-birth intervals on pregnancy outcomes controlling for confounders selected through a directed acyclic graph. We analysed 5,571 second or higher order deliveries. Average birth interval was 55 months and 1368/5571 women (24.6%) had a short birth interval (<33 months). Younger women (AOR 1.11 95% CI 1.08-1.15 per year increase in age), women who started their reproductive life later (AOR 0.95, 0.92-0.98 per year) and those who achieve higher order parities were less likely to experience short birth intervals (AOR 0.28, 0.19-0.41 parity 4 compared to 1). Women who were socioeconomically disadvantaged were more likely to experience a short birth interval (AOR 1.42, 1.22-1.65) and a previous adverse outcome was an important determinant of interval (AOR 2.10, 1.83-2.40). Very short birth intervals of less than 21 months were associated with increased stillbirth rate (AOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.28-3.53) and neonatal mortality (AOR 2.28 95% CI 1.28-4.05). Birth spacing remains a reproductive health problem in Bangladesh. Disadvantaged women are more likely to experience short birth intervals and to have increased perinatal deaths. Research into causal pathways and strategies to improve spacing between pregnancies should be intensified.

RADIO ALTIMETERS

DOEpatents

Bogle, R.W.

1960-11-22

A radio ranging device is described which utilizes a superregenerative oscillator having alternate sending and receiving phases with an intervening ranging interval between said phases, means for varying said ranging interval, means responsive to an on-range noise reduction condition for stopping said means for varying the ranging interval and indicating means coupled to the ranging interval varying means and calibrated in accordance with one-half the product of the ranging interval times the velocity of light whereby the range is indicated.

Fuzzy interval Finite Element/Statistical Energy Analysis for mid-frequency analysis of built-up systems with mixed fuzzy and interval parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Hui; Yu, Dejie; Yin, Shengwen; Xia, Baizhan

2016-10-01

This paper introduces mixed fuzzy and interval parametric uncertainties into the FE components of the hybrid Finite Element/Statistical Energy Analysis (FE/SEA) model for mid-frequency analysis of built-up systems, thus an uncertain ensemble combining non-parametric with mixed fuzzy and interval parametric uncertainties comes into being. A fuzzy interval Finite Element/Statistical Energy Analysis (FIFE/SEA) framework is proposed to obtain the uncertain responses of built-up systems, which are described as intervals with fuzzy bounds, termed as fuzzy-bounded intervals (FBIs) in this paper. Based on the level-cut technique, a first-order fuzzy interval perturbation FE/SEA (FFIPFE/SEA) and a second-order fuzzy interval perturbation FE/SEA method (SFIPFE/SEA) are developed to handle the mixed parametric uncertainties efficiently. FFIPFE/SEA approximates the response functions by the first-order Taylor series, while SFIPFE/SEA improves the accuracy by considering the second-order items of Taylor series, in which all the mixed second-order items are neglected. To further improve the accuracy, a Chebyshev fuzzy interval method (CFIM) is proposed, in which the Chebyshev polynomials is used to approximate the response functions. The FBIs are eventually reconstructed by assembling the extrema solutions at all cut levels. Numerical results on two built-up systems verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Confidence intervals for the population mean tailored to small sample sizes, with applications to survey sampling.

PubMed

Rosenblum, Michael A; Laan, Mark J van der

2009-01-07

The validity of standard confidence intervals constructed in survey sampling is based on the central limit theorem. For small sample sizes, the central limit theorem may give a poor approximation, resulting in confidence intervals that are misleading. We discuss this issue and propose methods for constructing confidence intervals for the population mean tailored to small sample sizes. We present a simple approach for constructing confidence intervals for the population mean based on tail bounds for the sample mean that are correct for all sample sizes. Bernstein's inequality provides one such tail bound. The resulting confidence intervals have guaranteed coverage probability under much weaker assumptions than are required for standard methods. A drawback of this approach, as we show, is that these confidence intervals are often quite wide. In response to this, we present a method for constructing much narrower confidence intervals, which are better suited for practical applications, and that are still more robust than confidence intervals based on standard methods, when dealing with small sample sizes. We show how to extend our approaches to much more general estimation problems than estimating the sample mean. We describe how these methods can be used to obtain more reliable confidence intervals in survey sampling. As a concrete example, we construct confidence intervals using our methods for the number of violent deaths between March 2003 and July 2006 in Iraq, based on data from the study "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: A cross sectional cluster sample survey," by Burnham et al. (2006).

Effects of long memory in the order submission process on the properties of recurrence intervals of large price fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Hao; Ren, Fei; Gu, Gao-Feng; Xiong, Xiong; Zhang, Yong-Jie; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Zhang, Wei

2012-05-01

Understanding the statistical properties of recurrence intervals (also termed return intervals in econophysics literature) of extreme events is crucial to risk assessment and management of complex systems. The probability distributions and correlations of recurrence intervals for many systems have been extensively investigated. However, the impacts of microscopic rules of a complex system on the macroscopic properties of its recurrence intervals are less studied. In this letter, we adopt an order-driven stock model to address this issue for stock returns. We find that the distributions of the scaled recurrence intervals of simulated returns have a power-law scaling with stretched exponential cutoff and the intervals possess multifractal nature, which are consistent with empirical results. We further investigate the effects of long memory in the directions (or signs) and relative prices of the order flow on the characteristic quantities of these properties. It is found that the long memory in the order directions (Hurst index Hs) has a negligible effect on the interval distributions and the multifractal nature. In contrast, the power-law exponent of the interval distribution increases linearly with respect to the Hurst index Hx of the relative prices, and the singularity width of the multifractal nature fluctuates around a constant value when Hx<0.7 and then increases with Hx. No evident effects of Hs and Hx are found on the long memory of the recurrence intervals. Our results indicate that the nontrivial properties of the recurrence intervals of returns are mainly caused by traders' behaviors of persistently placing new orders around the best bid and ask prices.

Impact of full field digital mammography on the classification and mammographic characteristics of interval breast cancers.

PubMed

Knox, Mark; O'Brien, Angela; Szabó, Endre; Smith, Clare S; Fenlon, Helen M; McNicholas, Michelle M; Flanagan, Fidelma L

2015-06-01

Full field digital mammography (FFDM) is increasingly replacing screen film mammography (SFM) in breast screening programs. Interval breast cancers are an issue in all screening programs and the purpose of our study is to assess the impact of FFDM on the classification of interval breast cancers at independent blind review and to compare the mammographic features of interval cancers at FFDM and SFM. This study included 138 cases of interval breast cancer, 76 following an FFDM screening examination and 62 following screening with SFM. The prior screening mammogram was assessed by each of five consultant breast radiologists who were blinded to the site of subsequent cancer. Subsequent review of the diagnostic mammogram was performed and cases were classified as missed, minimal signs, occult or true interval. Mammographic features of the interval cancer at diagnosis and any abnormality identified on the prior screening mammogram were recorded. The percentages of cancers classified as missed at FFDM and SFM did not differ significantly, 10.5% (8 of 76) at FFDM and 8.1% (5 of 62) at SFM (p=.77). There were significantly less interval cancers presenting as microcalcifications (alone or in association with another abnormality) following screening with FFDM, 16% (12 of 76) than following a SFM examination, 32% (20 of 62) (p=.02). Interval breast cancers continue to pose a problem at FFDM. The switch to FFDM has changed the mammographic presentation of interval breast cancer, with less interval cancers presenting in association with microcalcifications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Interpregnancy Interval on Infant Mortality

PubMed Central

MCKINNEY, David; HOUSE, Melissa; CHEN, Aimin; MUGLIA, Louis; DEFRANCO, Emily

2017-01-01

Background In Ohio the infant mortality rate is above the national average and the black infant mortality rate is more than twice the white infant mortality rate. Having a short interpregnancy interval has been shown to correlate with preterm birth and low birth weight, but the effect of short interpregnancy interval on infant mortality is less well established. Objective To quantify the population impact of interpregnancy interval on the risk of infant mortality. Study Design This was a statewide population-based retrospective cohort study of all births (n=1,131,070) and infant mortalities (n=8,152) using linked Ohio birth and infant death records from 1/2007 through 9/2014. For this study we analyzed 5 interpregnancy interval categories: 0 to < 6 months, 6 to < 12 months, 12 to < 24 months, 24 to < 60 months, and ≥ 60 months. The primary outcome for this study was infant mortality. During the study period, 3701 infant mortalities were linked to a live birth certificate with an interpregnancy interval available. We calculated the frequency and relative risk (RR) of infant mortality for each interval compared to a referent interval of 12 to < 24 months. Stratified analyses by maternal race were also performed. Adjusted risks were estimated after accounting for statistically significant and biologically plausible confounding variables. Adjusted relative risk was utilized to calculate the attributable risk percent of short interpregnancy intervals on infant mortality. Results Short interpregnancy intervals were common in Ohio during the study period. 20.5% of all multiparous births followed an interval of < 12 months. The overall infant mortality rate during this time was 7.2 per 1000 live births (6.0 for white mothers and 13.1 for black mothers). Infant mortalities occurred more frequently for births that occurred following short intervals of 0 to < 6 months (9.2 per 1000) and 6 to < 12 months (7.1 per 1000) compared to 12 to < 24 months (5.6 per 1000), (p= <0.001 and <0.001). The highest risk for infant mortality followed interpregnancy intervals of 0 to < 6 months, adjRR 1.32 (95% CI 1.17–1.49) followed by interpregnancy intervals of 6 to < 12 months, adjRR 1.16 (95% CI 1.04–1.30). Analysis stratified by maternal race revealed similar findings. Attributable risk calculation showed that 24.2% of infant mortalities following intervals of 0 to < 6 months and 14.1% with intervals of 6 to < 12 months are attributable to the short interpregnancy interval. By avoiding short interpregnancy intervals of 12 months or less we estimate that in the state of Ohio 31 infant mortalities (20 white and 8 black) per year could have been prevented and the infant mortality rate could have been reduced from 7.2 to 7.0 during this time frame. Conclusion An interpregnancy interval of 12–60 months (1–5 years) between birth and conception of next pregnancy is associated with lowest risk of infant mortality. Public health initiatives and provider counseling to optimize birth spacing has the potential to significantly reduce infant mortality for both white and black mothers. PMID:28034653

Constructing Confidence Intervals for Reliability Coefficients Using Central and Noncentral Distributions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Deborah A.

Greater understanding and use of confidence intervals is central to changes in statistical practice (G. Cumming and S. Finch, 2001). Reliability coefficients and confidence intervals for reliability coefficients can be computed using a variety of methods. Estimating confidence intervals includes both central and noncentral distribution approaches.…

The Effects of Interval Duration on Temporal Tracking and Alternation Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludvig, Elliot A.; Staddon, John E. R.

2005-01-01

On cyclic-interval reinforcement schedules, animals typically show a postreinforcement pause that is a function of the immediately preceding time interval ("temporal tracking"). Animals, however, do not track single-alternation schedules--when two different intervals are presented in strict alternation on successive trials. In this experiment,…

Interresponse Time Structures in Variable-Ratio and Variable-Interval Schedules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowers, Matthew T.; Hill, Jade; Palya, William L.

2008-01-01

The interresponse-time structures of pigeon key pecking were examined under variable-ratio, variable-interval, and variable-interval plus linear feedback schedules. Whereas the variable-ratio and variable-interval plus linear feedback schedules generally resulted in a distinct group of short interresponse times and a broad distribution of longer…

Can 3-dimensional power Doppler indices improve the prenatal diagnosis of a potentially morbidly adherent placenta in patients with placenta previa?

PubMed

Haidar, Ziad A; Papanna, Ramesha; Sibai, Baha M; Tatevian, Nina; Viteri, Oscar A; Vowels, Patricia C; Blackwell, Sean C; Moise, Kenneth J

2017-08-01

Traditionally, 2-dimensional ultrasound parameters have been used for the diagnosis of a suspected morbidly adherent placenta previa. More objective techniques have not been well studied yet. The objective of the study was to determine the ability of prenatal 3-dimensional power Doppler analysis of flow and vascular indices to predict the morbidly adherent placenta objectively. A prospective cohort study was performed in women between 28 and 32 gestational weeks with known placenta previa. Patients underwent a two-dimensional gray-scale ultrasound that determined management decisions. 3-Dimensional power Doppler volumes were obtained during the same examination and vascular, flow, and vascular flow indices were calculated after manual tracing of the viewed placenta in the sweep; data were blinded to obstetricians. Morbidly adherent placenta was confirmed by histology. Severe morbidly adherent placenta was defined as increta/percreta on histology, blood loss >2000 mL, and >2 units of PRBC transfused. Sensitivities, specificities, predictive values, and likelihood ratios were calculated. Student t and χ 2 tests, logistic regression, receiver-operating characteristic curves, and intra- and interrater agreements using Kappa statistics were performed. The following results were found: (1) 50 women were studied: 23 had morbidly adherent placenta, of which 12 (52.2%) were severe morbidly adherent placenta; (2) 2-dimensional parameters diagnosed morbidly adherent placenta with a sensitivity of 82.6% (95% confidence interval, 60.4-94.2), a specificity of 88.9% (95% confidence interval, 69.7-97.1), a positive predictive value of 86.3% (95% confidence interval, 64.0-96.4), a negative predictive value of 85.7% (95% confidence interval, 66.4-95.3), a positive likelihood ratio of 7.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.5-21.9), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.2 (95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.48); (3) mean values of the vascular index (32.8 ± 7.4) and the vascular flow index (14.2 ± 3.8) were higher in morbidly adherent placenta (P < .001); (4) area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for the vascular and vascular flow indices were 0.99 and 0.97, respectively; (5) the vascular index ≥21 predicted morbidly adherent placenta with a sensitivity and a specificity of 95% (95% confidence interval, 88.2-96.9) and 91%, respectively (95% confidence interval, 87.5-92.4), 92% positive predictive value (95% confidence interval, 85.5-94.3), 90% negative predictive value (95% confidence interval, 79.9-95.3), positive likelihood ratio of 10.55 (95% confidence interval, 7.06-12.75), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.05 (95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.13); and (6) for the severe morbidly adherent placenta, 2-dimensional ultrasound had a sensitivity of 33.3% (95% confidence interval, 11.3-64.6), a specificity of 81.8% (95% confidence interval, 47.8-96.8), a positive predictive value of 66.7% (95% confidence interval, 24.1-94.1), a negative predictive value of 52.9% (95% confidence interval, 28.5-76.1), a positive likelihood ratio of 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.41-8.11), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.26). A vascular index ≥31 predicted the diagnosis of a severe morbidly adherent placenta with a 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, 72-100), a 90% specificity (95% confidence interval, 81.7-93.8), an 88% positive predictive value (95% confidence interval, 55.0-91.3), a 100% negative predictive value (95% confidence interval, 90.9-100), a positive likelihood ratio of 10.0 (95% confidence interval, 3.93-16.13), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0 (95% confidence interval, 0-0.34). Intrarater and interrater agreements were 94% (P < .001) and 93% (P < .001), respectively. The vascular index accurately predicts the morbidly adherent placenta in patients with placenta previa. In addition, 3-dimensional power Doppler vascular and vascular flow indices were more predictive of severe cases of morbidly adherent placenta compared with 2-dimensional ultrasound. This objective technique may limit the variations in diagnosing morbidly adherent placenta because of the subjectivity of 2-dimensional ultrasound interpretations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Programming with Intervals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsakis, Nicholas D.; Gross, Thomas R.

Intervals are a new, higher-level primitive for parallel programming with which programmers directly construct the program schedule. Programs using intervals can be statically analyzed to ensure that they do not deadlock or contain data races. In this paper, we demonstrate the flexibility of intervals by showing how to use them to emulate common parallel control-flow constructs like barriers and signals, as well as higher-level patterns such as bounded-buffer producer-consumer. We have implemented intervals as a publicly available library for Java and Scala.

High-precision optical measurement of the 2S hyperfine interval in atomic hydrogen.

PubMed

Kolachevsky, N; Fischer, M; Karshenboim, S G; Hänsch, T W

2004-01-23

We have applied an optical method to the measurement of the 2S hyperfine interval in atomic hydrogen. The interval has been measured by means of two-photon spectroscopy of the 1S-2S transition on a hydrogen atomic beam shielded from external magnetic fields. The measured value of the 2S hyperfine interval is equal to 177 556 860(16) Hz and represents the most precise measurement of this interval to date. The theoretical evaluation of the specific combination of 1S and 2S hyperfine intervals D21 is in fair agreement (within 1.4 sigma) with the value for D21 deduced from our measurement.

Modeling Relationships Between Flight Crew Demographics and Perceptions of Interval Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remy, Benjamin; Wilson, Sara R.

2016-01-01

The Interval Management Alternative Clearances (IMAC) human-in-the-loop simulation experiment was conducted to assess interval management system performance and participants' acceptability and workload while performing three interval management clearance types. Twenty-four subject pilots and eight subject controllers flew ten high-density arrival scenarios into Denver International Airport during two weeks of data collection. This analysis examined the possible relationships between subject pilot demographics on reported perceptions of interval management in IMAC. Multiple linear regression models were created with a new software tool to predict subject pilot questionnaire item responses from demographic information. General patterns were noted across models that may indicate flight crew demographics influence perceptions of interval management.

Temporal Structure of Volatility Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fengzhong; Yamasaki, Kazuko; Stanley, H. Eugene; Havlin, Shlomo

Volatility fluctuations are of great importance for the study of financial markets, and the temporal structure is an essential feature of fluctuations. To explore the temporal structure, we employ a new approach based on the return interval, which is defined as the time interval between two successive volatility values that are above a given threshold. We find that the distribution of the return intervals follows a scaling law over a wide range of thresholds, and over a broad range of sampling intervals. Moreover, this scaling law is universal for stocks of different countries, for commodities, for interest rates, and for currencies. However, further and more detailed analysis of the return intervals shows some systematic deviations from the scaling law. We also demonstrate a significant memory effect in the return intervals time organization. We find that the distribution of return intervals is strongly related to the correlations in the volatility.

[Heart rate variability study based on a novel RdR RR Intervals Scatter Plot].

PubMed

Lu, Hongwei; Lu, Xiuyun; Wang, Chunfang; Hua, Youyuan; Tian, Jiajia; Liu, Shihai

2014-08-01

On the basis of Poincare scatter plot and first order difference scatter plot, a novel heart rate variability (HRV) analysis method based on scatter plots of RR intervals and first order difference of RR intervals (namely, RdR) was proposed. The abscissa of the RdR scatter plot, the x-axis, is RR intervals and the ordinate, y-axis, is the difference between successive RR intervals. The RdR scatter plot includes the information of RR intervals and the difference between successive RR intervals, which captures more HRV information. By RdR scatter plot analysis of some records of MIT-BIH arrhythmias database, we found that the scatter plot of uncoupled premature ventricular contraction (PVC), coupled ventricular bigeminy and ventricular trigeminy PVC had specific graphic characteristics. The RdR scatter plot method has higher detecting performance than the Poincare scatter plot method, and simpler and more intuitive than the first order difference method.

Hematology and biochemistry reference intervals for Ontario commercial nursing pigs close to the time of weaning

PubMed Central

Perri, Amanda M.; O’Sullivan, Terri L.; Harding, John C.S.; Wood, R. Darren; Friendship, Robert M.

2017-01-01

The evaluation of pig hematology and biochemistry parameters is rarely done largely due to the costs associated with laboratory testing and labor, and the limited availability of reference intervals needed for interpretation. Within-herd and between-herd biological variation of these values also make it difficult to establish reference intervals. Regardless, baseline reference intervals are important to aid veterinarians in the interpretation of blood parameters for the diagnosis and treatment of diseased swine. The objective of this research was to provide reference intervals for hematology and biochemistry parameters of 3-week-old commercial nursing piglets in Ontario. A total of 1032 pigs lacking clinical signs of disease from 20 swine farms were sampled for hematology and iron panel evaluation, with biochemistry analysis performed on a subset of 189 randomly selected pigs. The 95% reference interval, mean, median, range, and 90% confidence intervals were calculated for each parameter. PMID:28373729

Computing the variations in the self-similar properties of the various gait intervals in Parkinson disease patients.

PubMed

Manjeri Keloth, Sana; Arjunan, Sridhar P; Kumar, Dinesh

2017-07-01

This study has investigated the stride, swing, stance and double support intervals of gait for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with different levels of severity. Self-similar properties of the gait signal were analyzed to investigate the changes in the gait pattern of the healthy and PD patients. To understand the self-similar property, detrended fluctuation analysis was performed. The analysis shows that the PD patients have less defined gait when compared to healthy. The study also shows that among the stance and swing phase of stride interval, the self-similarity is less for swing interval when compared to the stance interval of gait and decreases with the severity of gait. Also, PD patients show decreased self-similar patterns in double support interval of gait. This suggest that there are less rhythmic gait intervals and a sense of urgency to remain in support phase of gait by the PD patients.

Proportion of the Litter Farrowed, Litter Size, and Progesterone and Estradiol Effects on Piglet Birth Intervals and Stillbirths

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stillbirth in swine ranges from 2 to 9%, resulting in a significant loss of piglets. Previous studies clearly indicate a relationship between prolonged birth intervals and stillbirth, but factors influencing birth intervals are not fully known. To characterize birth intervals and stillbirth, farrowi...

Fixed-interval performance and self-control in children.

PubMed Central

Darcheville, J C; Rivière, V; Wearden, J H

1992-01-01

Operant responses of 16 children (mean age 6 years and 1 month) were reinforced according to different fixed-interval schedules (with interreinforcer intervals of 20, 30, or 40 s) in which the reinforcers were either 20-s or 40-s presentations of a cartoon. In another procedure, they received training on a self-control paradigm in which both reinforcer delay (0.5 s or 40 s) and reinforcer duration (20 s or 40 s of cartoons) varied, and subjects were offered a choice between various combinations of delay and duration. Individual differences in behavior under the self-control procedure were precisely mirrored by individual differences under the fixed-interval schedule. Children who chose the smaller immediate reinforcer on the self-control procedure (impulsive) produced short postreinforcement pauses and high response rates in the fixed-interval conditions, and both measures changed little with changes in fixed-interval value. Conversely, children who chose the larger delayed reinforcer in the self-control condition (the self-controlled subjects) exhibited lower response rates and long postreinforcement pauses, which changed systematically with changes in the interval, in their fixed-interval performances. PMID:1573372

Defining Incident Cases of Epilepsy in Administrative Data

PubMed Central

Bakaki, Paul M.; Koroukian, Siran M.; Jackson, Leila W.; Albert, Jeffrey M.; Kaiboriboon, Kitti

2013-01-01

Purpose To determine the minimum enrollment duration for identifying incident cases of epilepsy in administrative data. Methods We performed a retrospective dynamic cohort study using Ohio Medicaid data from 1992–2006 to identify a total of 5,037 incident epilepsy cases who had at least 1 year of follow-up prior to epilepsy diagnosis (epilepsy-free interval). The incidence for epilepsy-free intervals from 1 to 8 years, overall and stratified by pre-existing disability status, was examined. The graphical approach between the slopes of incidence estimates and the epilepsy-free intervals was used to identify the minimum epilepsy-free interval that minimized misclassification of prevalent as incident epilepsy cases. Results As the length of epilepsy-free interval increased, the incidence rates decreased. A graphical plot showed that the decline in incidence of epilepsy became nearly flat beyond the third epilepsy-free interval. Conclusion The minimum of 3-year epilepsy-free interval is needed to differentiate incident from prevalent cases in administrative data. Shorter or longer epilepsy-free intervals could result in over- or under-estimation of epilepsy incidence. PMID:23791310

Effect of aeration interval on oxygen consumption and GHG emission during pig manure composting.

PubMed

Zeng, Jianfei; Yin, Hongjie; Shen, Xiuli; Liu, Ning; Ge, Jinyi; Han, Lujia; Huang, Guangqun

2018-02-01

To verify the optimal aeration interval for oxygen supply and consumption and investigate the effect of aeration interval on GHG emission, reactor-scale composting was conducted with different aeration intervals (0, 10, 30 and 50 min). Although O 2 was sufficiently supplied during aeration period, it could be consumed to <10 vol% only when the aeration interval was 50 min, indicating that an aeration interval more than 50 min would be inadvisable. Compared to continuous aeration, reductions of the total CH 4 and N 2 O emissions as well as the total GHG emission equivalent by 22.26-61.36%, 8.24-49.80% and 12.36-53.20%, respectively, was achieved through intermittent aeration. Specifically, both the total CH 4 and N 2 O emissions as well as the total GHG emission equivalent were inversely proportional to the duration of aeration interval (R 2  > 0.902), suggesting that lengthening the duration of aeration interval to some extent could effectively reduce GHG emission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel approach based on preference-based index for interval bilevel linear programming problem.

PubMed

Ren, Aihong; Wang, Yuping; Xue, Xingsi

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a new methodology for solving the interval bilevel linear programming problem in which all coefficients of both objective functions and constraints are considered as interval numbers. In order to keep as much uncertainty of the original constraint region as possible, the original problem is first converted into an interval bilevel programming problem with interval coefficients in both objective functions only through normal variation of interval number and chance-constrained programming. With the consideration of different preferences of different decision makers, the concept of the preference level that the interval objective function is preferred to a target interval is defined based on the preference-based index. Then a preference-based deterministic bilevel programming problem is constructed in terms of the preference level and the order relation [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, the concept of a preference δ -optimal solution is given. Subsequently, the constructed deterministic nonlinear bilevel problem is solved with the help of estimation of distribution algorithm. Finally, several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Modelling volatility recurrence intervals in the Chinese commodity futures market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Weijie; Wang, Zhengxin; Guo, Haiming

2016-09-01

The law of extreme event occurrence attracts much research. The volatility recurrence intervals of Chinese commodity futures market prices are studied: the results show that the probability distributions of the scaled volatility recurrence intervals have a uniform scaling curve for different thresholds q. So we can deduce the probability distribution of extreme events from normal events. The tail of a scaling curve can be well fitted by a Weibull form, which is significance-tested by KS measures. Both short-term and long-term memories are present in the recurrence intervals with different thresholds q, which denotes that the recurrence intervals can be predicted. In addition, similar to volatility, volatility recurrence intervals also have clustering features. Through Monte Carlo simulation, we artificially synthesise ARMA, GARCH-class sequences similar to the original data, and find out the reason behind the clustering. The larger the parameter d of the FIGARCH model, the stronger the clustering effect is. Finally, we use the Fractionally Integrated Autoregressive Conditional Duration model (FIACD) to analyse the recurrence interval characteristics. The results indicated that the FIACD model may provide a method to analyse volatility recurrence intervals.

Exact Scheffé-type confidence intervals for output from groundwater flow models: 2. Combined use of hydrogeologic information and calibration data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cooley, Richard L.

1993-01-01

Calibration data (observed values corresponding to model-computed values of dependent variables) are incorporated into a general method of computing exact Scheffé-type confidence intervals analogous to the confidence intervals developed in part 1 (Cooley, this issue) for a function of parameters derived from a groundwater flow model. Parameter uncertainty is specified by a distribution of parameters conditioned on the calibration data. This distribution was obtained as a posterior distribution by applying Bayes' theorem to the hydrogeologically derived prior distribution of parameters from part 1 and a distribution of differences between the calibration data and corresponding model-computed dependent variables. Tests show that the new confidence intervals can be much smaller than the intervals of part 1 because the prior parameter variance-covariance structure is altered so that combinations of parameters that give poor model fit to the data are unlikely. The confidence intervals of part 1 and the new confidence intervals can be effectively employed in a sequential method of model construction whereby new information is used to reduce confidence interval widths at each stage.

Effects of intervals between jumps or bouts on osteogenic response to loading.

PubMed

Umemura, Yoshihisa; Sogo, Naota; Honda, Akiko

2002-10-01

Prolonged loading repetitions can diminish the mechanosensitivity of bones, and increased intervals between loading might restore sensitivity. This study was designed to investigate the effects of intervals between loadings or bouts on osteogenic response. Forty female Fisher 344 rats aged 5 wk were divided into a control group and three exercise groups: 20 jumps in a single bout with a 3-s (S3) or 30-s (S30) jump interval, or 20 jumps in 2 bouts (10 x 2) separated by a 6-h interval with a 3-s jump interval (D3). After 8 wk of training, the bone masses per body weight of the femur and tibia were significantly greater in the three exercise groups than in the control group, and these values were also greater in S30 than in S3, although they were at the same level in D3 and S3. These data suggest that a longer interval (30 s) between individual loading had more effective anabolic effects on bone than a shorter interval (3 s).

Uptake of recommended common reference intervals for chemical pathology in Australia.

PubMed

Jones, Graham Rd; Koetsier, Sabrina

2017-05-01

Background Reference intervals are a vital part of reporting numerical pathology results. It is known, however, that variation in reference intervals between laboratories is common, even when analytical methods support common reference intervals. In response to this, in Australia, the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists together with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia published in 2014 a set of recommended common reference intervals for 11 common serum analytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, creatinine male, creatinine female, calcium, calcium adjusted for albumin, phosphate, magnesium, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and total protein). Methods Uptake of recommended common reference intervals in Australian laboratories was assessed using data from four annual cycles of the RCPAQAP reference intervals external quality assurance programme. Results Over three years, from 2013 to 2016, the use of the recommended upper and lower reference limits has increased from 40% to 83%. Nearly half of the intervals in use by enrolled laboratories in 2016 have been changed in this time period, indicating an active response to the guidelines. Conclusions These data support the activities of the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists and Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in demonstrating a change in laboratory behaviour to reduce unnecessary variation in reference intervals and thus provide a consistent message to doctor and patients irrespective of the laboratory used.

Confidence intervals for distinguishing ordinal and disordinal interactions in multiple regression.

PubMed

Lee, Sunbok; Lei, Man-Kit; Brody, Gene H

2015-06-01

Distinguishing between ordinal and disordinal interaction in multiple regression is useful in testing many interesting theoretical hypotheses. Because the distinction is made based on the location of a crossover point of 2 simple regression lines, confidence intervals of the crossover point can be used to distinguish ordinal and disordinal interactions. This study examined 2 factors that need to be considered in constructing confidence intervals of the crossover point: (a) the assumption about the sampling distribution of the crossover point, and (b) the possibility of abnormally wide confidence intervals for the crossover point. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to compare 6 different methods for constructing confidence intervals of the crossover point in terms of the coverage rate, the proportion of true values that fall to the left or right of the confidence intervals, and the average width of the confidence intervals. The methods include the reparameterization, delta, Fieller, basic bootstrap, percentile bootstrap, and bias-corrected accelerated bootstrap methods. The results of our Monte Carlo simulation study suggest that statistical inference using confidence intervals to distinguish ordinal and disordinal interaction requires sample sizes more than 500 to be able to provide sufficiently narrow confidence intervals to identify the location of the crossover point. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Choice in situations of time-based diminishing returns: immediate versus delayed consequences of action.

PubMed Central

Hackenberg, T D; Hineline, P N

1992-01-01

Pigeons chose between two schedules of food presentation, a fixed-interval schedule and a progressive-interval schedule that began at 0 s and increased by 20 s with each food delivery provided by that schedule. Choosing one schedule disabled the alternate schedule and stimuli until the requirements of the chosen schedule were satisfied, at which point both schedules were again made available. Fixed-interval duration remained constant within individual sessions but varied across conditions. Under reset conditions, completing the fixed-interval schedule not only produced food but also reset the progressive interval to its minimum. Blocks of sessions under the reset procedure were interspersed with sessions under a no-reset procedure, in which the progressive schedule value increased independent of fixed-interval choices. Median points of switching from the progressive to the fixed schedule varied systematically with fixed-interval value, and were consistently lower during reset than during no-reset conditions. Under the latter, each subject's choices of the progressive-interval schedule persisted beyond the point at which its requirements equaled those of the fixed-interval schedule at all but the highest fixed-interval value. Under the reset procedure, switching occurred at or prior to that equality point. These results qualitatively confirm molar analyses of schedule preference and some versions of optimality theory, but they are more adequately characterized by a model of schedule preference based on the cumulated values of multiple reinforcers, weighted in inverse proportion to the delay between the choice and each successive reinforcer. PMID:1548449

Indirect methods for reference interval determination - review and recommendations.

PubMed

Jones, Graham R D; Haeckel, Rainer; Loh, Tze Ping; Sikaris, Ken; Streichert, Thomas; Katayev, Alex; Barth, Julian H; Ozarda, Yesim

2018-04-19

Reference intervals are a vital part of the information supplied by clinical laboratories to support interpretation of numerical pathology results such as are produced in clinical chemistry and hematology laboratories. The traditional method for establishing reference intervals, known as the direct approach, is based on collecting samples from members of a preselected reference population, making the measurements and then determining the intervals. An alternative approach is to perform analysis of results generated as part of routine pathology testing and using appropriate statistical techniques to determine reference intervals. This is known as the indirect approach. This paper from a working group of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits (C-RIDL) aims to summarize current thinking on indirect approaches to reference intervals. The indirect approach has some major potential advantages compared with direct methods. The processes are faster, cheaper and do not involve patient inconvenience, discomfort or the risks associated with generating new patient health information. Indirect methods also use the same preanalytical and analytical techniques used for patient management and can provide very large numbers for assessment. Limitations to the indirect methods include possible effects of diseased subpopulations on the derived interval. The IFCC C-RIDL aims to encourage the use of indirect methods to establish and verify reference intervals, to promote publication of such intervals with clear explanation of the process used and also to support the development of improved statistical techniques for these studies.

The effect of inter-set rest intervals on resistance exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy.

PubMed

Henselmans, Menno; Schoenfeld, Brad J

2014-12-01

Due to a scarcity of longitudinal trials directly measuring changes in muscle girth, previous recommendations for inter-set rest intervals in resistance training programs designed to stimulate muscular hypertrophy were primarily based on the post-exercise endocrinological response and other mechanisms theoretically related to muscle growth. New research regarding the effects of inter-set rest interval manipulation on resistance training-induced muscular hypertrophy is reviewed here to evaluate current practices and provide directions for future research. Of the studies measuring long-term muscle hypertrophy in groups employing different rest intervals, none have found superior muscle growth in the shorter compared with the longer rest interval group and one study has found the opposite. Rest intervals less than 1 minute can result in acute increases in serum growth hormone levels and these rest intervals also decrease the serum testosterone to cortisol ratio. Long-term adaptations may abate the post-exercise endocrinological response and the relationship between the transient change in hormonal production and chronic muscular hypertrophy is highly contentious and appears to be weak. The relationship between the rest interval-mediated effect on immune system response, muscle damage, metabolic stress, or energy production capacity and muscle hypertrophy is still ambiguous and largely theoretical. In conclusion, the literature does not support the hypothesis that training for muscle hypertrophy requires shorter rest intervals than training for strength development or that predetermined rest intervals are preferable to auto-regulated rest periods in this regard.

Breast screening: What can the interval cancer review teach us? Are we perhaps being a bit too hard on ourselves?

PubMed

Lekanidi, Katerina; Dilks, Phil; Suaris, Tamara; Kennett, Steffan; Purushothaman, Hema

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to determine the features that make interval cancers apparent on the preceding screening mammogram and determine whether changes in the ways of performing the interval cancer review will affect the true interval cancer rate. This study was approved by the clinical governance committee. Mammograms of women diagnosed with an interval cancer were included in the study if they had been allocated to either the "suspicious signs" group or "subtle signs" group, during the historic interval cancer review. Three radiologists, individually and blinded to the site of interval cancer, reviewed the mammograms and documented the presence, site, characteristics and classification of any abnormality. Findings were compared with the appearances of the abnormality at the site of subsequent cancer development by a different breast radiologist. The chi-squared test was used in the analysis of the results, seeking associations between recall concordance and cancer mammographic or histological characteristics. 111/590 interval cancers fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. In 17% of the cases none of the readers identified the relevant abnormality on the screening mammogram. 1/3 readers identified the relevant lesion in 22% of the cases, 2/3 readers in 28% of cases and all 3 readers in 33% of cases. The commonest unanimously recalled abnormality was microcalcification and the most challenging mammographic abnormality to detect was asymmetric density. We did not find any statistically significant association between recall concordance and time to interval cancer, position of lesion in the breast, breast density or cancer grade. Even the simple step of performing an independent blinded review of interval cancers reduces the rate of interval cancers classified as missed by up to 39%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects on milk yield of milking interval regularity and teat cup attachment failures with robotic milking systems.

PubMed

Bach, Alex; Busto, Isabel

2005-02-01

A database consisting of 35291 milking records from 83 cows was built over a period of 10 months with the objectives of studying the effect of teat cup attachment failures and milking interval regularity on milk production with an automated milking system (AMS). The database collected records of lactation number, days in milk (DIM), milk production, interval between milkings (for both the entire udder and individual quarters in case of a teat cup attachment failure) and average and peak milk flows for each milking. The weekly coefficient of variation (CV) of milking intervals was used as a measure of milking regularity. DIM, milking intervals, and CV of milking intervals were divided into four categories coinciding with the four quartiles of their respective distributions. The data were analysed by analysis of variance with cow as a random effect and lactation number, DIM, the occurrence of a milking failure, and the intervals between milkings or the weekly CV of milking intervals as fixed effects. The incidence of attachment failures was 7.6% of total milkings. Milk production by quarters affected by a milking failure following the failure was numerically greater owing to the longer interval between milkings. When accounting for the effect of milking intervals, milk production by affected quarters following a milking failure was 26% lower than with regular milkings. However, the decrease in milk production by quarters affected by milking failures was more severe as DIM increased. Average and peak milk flows by quarters affected by a milking failure were lower than when milkings occurred normally. However, milk production recovered its former level within seven milkings following a milking failure. Uneven frequency (weekly CV of milking intervals >27%) decreased daily milk yield, and affected multiparous more negatively than primiparous cows.

Comparison of automated measurements of electrocardiographic intervals and durations by computer-based algorithms of digital electrocardiographs.

PubMed

Kligfield, Paul; Badilini, Fabio; Rowlandson, Ian; Xue, Joel; Clark, Elaine; Devine, Brian; Macfarlane, Peter; de Bie, Johan; Mortara, David; Babaeizadeh, Saeed; Gregg, Richard; Helfenbein, Eric D; Green, Cynthia L

2014-02-01

Automated measurements of electrocardiographic (ECG) intervals are widely used by clinicians for individual patient diagnosis and by investigators in population studies. We examined whether clinically significant systematic differences exist in ECG intervals measured by current generation digital electrocardiographs from different manufacturers and whether differences, if present, are dependent on the degree of abnormality of the selected ECGs. Measurements of RR interval, PR interval, QRS duration, and QT interval were made blindly by 4 major manufacturers of digital electrocardiographs used in the United States from 600 XML files of ECG tracings stored in the US FDA ECG warehouse and released for the purpose of this study by the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium. Included were 3 groups based on expected QT interval and degree of repolarization abnormality, comprising 200 ECGs each from (1) placebo or baseline study period in normal subjects during thorough QT studies, (2) peak moxifloxacin effect in otherwise normal subjects during thorough QT studies, and (3) patients with genotyped variants of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS). Differences of means between manufacturers were generally small in the normal and moxifloxacin subjects, but in the LQTS patients, differences of means ranged from 2.0 to 14.0 ms for QRS duration and from 0.8 to 18.1 ms for the QT interval. Mean absolute differences between algorithms were similar for QRS duration and QT intervals in the normal and in the moxifloxacin subjects (mean ≤6 ms) but were significantly larger in patients with LQTS. Small but statistically significant group differences in mean interval and duration measurements and means of individual absolute differences exist among automated algorithms of widely used, current generation digital electrocardiographs. Measurement differences, including QRS duration and the QT interval, are greatest for the most abnormal ECGs. © 2014.

Effect of Age and Sex on the QTc Interval in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 and 2 Long-QT Syndrome.

PubMed

Vink, Arja S; Clur, Sally-Ann B; Geskus, Ronald B; Blank, Andreas C; De Kezel, Charlotte C A; Yoshinaga, Masao; Hofman, Nynke; Wilde, Arthur A M; Blom, Nico A

2017-04-01

In congenital long-QT syndrome, age, sex, and genotype have been associated with cardiac events, but their effect on the trend in QTc interval has never been established. We, therefore, aimed to assess the effect of age and sex on the QTc interval in children and adolescents with type 1 (LQT1) and type 2 (LQT2) long-QT syndrome. QTc intervals of 12-lead resting electrocardiograms were determined, and trends over time were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. The study included 278 patients with a median follow-up of 4 years (interquartile range, 1-9) and a median number of 6 (interquartile range, 2-10) electrocardiograms per patient. Both LQT1 and LQT2 male patients showed QTc interval shortening after the onset of puberty. In LQT2 male patients, this was preceded by a progressive QTc interval prolongation. In LQT1, after the age of 12 years, male patients had a significantly shorter QTc interval than female patients. In LQT2, during the first years of life and from 14 to 26 years, male patients had a significantly shorter QTc interval than female patients. On the contrary, between 5 and 14 years, LQT2 male patients had significantly longer QTc interval than LQT2 female patients. There is a significant effect of age and sex on the QTc interval in long-QT syndrome, with a unique pattern per genotype. The age of 12 to 14 years is an important transitional period. In the risk stratification and management of long-QT syndrome patients, clinicians should be aware of these age-, sex-, and genotype-related trends in QTc interval and especially the important role of the onset of puberty. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Confidence intervals for the between-study variance in random-effects meta-analysis using generalised heterogeneity statistics: should we use unequal tails?

PubMed

Jackson, Dan; Bowden, Jack

2016-09-07

Confidence intervals for the between study variance are useful in random-effects meta-analyses because they quantify the uncertainty in the corresponding point estimates. Methods for calculating these confidence intervals have been developed that are based on inverting hypothesis tests using generalised heterogeneity statistics. Whilst, under the random effects model, these new methods furnish confidence intervals with the correct coverage, the resulting intervals are usually very wide, making them uninformative. We discuss a simple strategy for obtaining 95 % confidence intervals for the between-study variance with a markedly reduced width, whilst retaining the nominal coverage probability. Specifically, we consider the possibility of using methods based on generalised heterogeneity statistics with unequal tail probabilities, where the tail probability used to compute the upper bound is greater than 2.5 %. This idea is assessed using four real examples and a variety of simulation studies. Supporting analytical results are also obtained. Our results provide evidence that using unequal tail probabilities can result in shorter 95 % confidence intervals for the between-study variance. We also show some further results for a real example that illustrates how shorter confidence intervals for the between-study variance can be useful when performing sensitivity analyses for the average effect, which is usually the parameter of primary interest. We conclude that using unequal tail probabilities when computing 95 % confidence intervals for the between-study variance, when using methods based on generalised heterogeneity statistics, can result in shorter confidence intervals. We suggest that those who find the case for using unequal tail probabilities convincing should use the '1-4 % split', where greater tail probability is allocated to the upper confidence bound. The 'width-optimal' interval that we present deserves further investigation.

[Primary Study on Predicting the Termination of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Based on a Novel RdR RR Intervals Scatter Plot].

PubMed

Lu, Hongwei; Zhang, Chenxi; Sun, Ying; Hao, Zhidong; Wang, Chunfang; Tian, Jiajia

2015-08-01

Predicting the termination of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) may provide a signal to decide whether there is a need to intervene the AF timely. We proposed a novel RdR RR intervals scatter plot in our study. The abscissa of the RdR scatter plot was set to RR intervals and the ordinate was set as the difference between successive RR intervals. The RdR scatter plot includes information of RR intervals and difference between successive RR intervals, which captures more heart rate variability (HRV) information. By RdR scatter plot analysis of one minute RR intervals for 50 segments with non-terminating AF and immediately terminating AF, it was found that the points in RdR scatter plot of non-terminating AF were more decentralized than the ones of immediately terminating AF. By dividing the RdR scatter plot into uniform grids and counting the number of non-empty grids, non-terminating AF and immediately terminating AF segments were differentiated. By utilizing 49 RR intervals, for 20 segments of learning set, 17 segments were correctly detected, and for 30 segments of test set, 20 segments were detected. While utilizing 66 RR intervals, for 18 segments of learning set, 16 segments were correctly detected, and for 28 segments of test set, 20 segments were detected. The results demonstrated that during the last one minute before the termination of paroxysmal AF, the variance of the RR intervals and the difference of the neighboring two RR intervals became smaller. The termination of paroxysmal AF could be successfully predicted by utilizing the RdR scatter plot, while the predicting accuracy should be further improved.

Prevalence, Risk Factors and In-hospital Outcomes of QTc Interval Prolongation in Liver Cirrhosis.

PubMed

Zhao, Jiancheng; Qi, Xingshun; Hou, Feifei; Ning, Zheng; Zhang, Xintong; Deng, Han; Peng, Ying; Li, Jing; Wang, Xiaoxi; Li, Hongyu; Guo, Xiaozhong

2016-09-01

QTc interval prolongation is an electrocardiographic abnormality in liver cirrhosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and in-hospital outcomes of QTc interval prolongation in Chinese patients with liver cirrhosis. This was a retrospective analysis of a total of 1,268 patients with liver cirrhosis who were consecutively admitted to our hospital between January 2011 and June 2014. QTc interval data were collected from the medical records. QTc interval prolongation was defined as QTc interval > 440 milliseconds. The prevalence of QTc interval prolongation was 38.2% (485 of 1268). In the entire cohort, the risk factors for QTc interval prolongation included an older age, a higher proportion of alcohol abuse and ascites, higher bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver diseases score, and lower red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), albumin (ALB), alanine aminotransferase and calcium. The in-hospital mortality was not significantly different between patients with and without QTc interval prolongation (2.1% versus 1.3%, P = 0.276). In the subgroup analyses of patients with hepatitis B virus or alcohol alone-related liver cirrhosis, the risk factors included higher bilirubin, creatinine, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver diseases score, and lower RBC, Hb and ALB. In the subgroups analyses of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding or ascites, the risk factors included lower RBC, Hb and ALB. QTc interval prolongation was frequent in liver cirrhosis. Although QTc interval prolongation was positively associated with alcohol-related liver cirrhosis and more severe liver dysfunction, it did not significantly influence the in-hospital mortality. Copyright © 2016 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A risk/cost analysis of alternative screening intervals for occupational tuberculosis infection.

PubMed

Nicas, M

1998-02-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that new health care employees receive a baseline skin test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection and that testing be repeated periodically. However, CDC does not explain the quantitative basis for its suggested screening intervals. This article examines the efficacy of alternative screening intervals for workers subject to different annual rates of M. tb infection and estimates the costs. An equation is developed for the cumulative risk of tuberculosis (TB) at 12 years given a specified annual rate of infection (ARI), screening interval, and a combined proportion (p) of successful skin testing and antibiotic prophylaxis. Equations for total cost of screening and cost per disease case prevented are provided. Results assume: (a) costs of $10 per skin test and $10,000 per TB disease case; (b) p = 0.88; and (c) and acceptable cumulative TB risk of 1 per 1000. For ARIs that might be deemed low (0.2% to 0.5%) and medium (1%), CDC screening intervals of 12 months and 6-12 months, respectively, minimize the cost per disease case prevented but permit residual disease risks greater than 1 per 1000. Recommended screening intervals are (i) 6 months for low-risk employee groups and (ii) 3 months for medium- and high-risk (e.g., ARIs of > or = 5%) groups. Interval (i) limits risk to 1 per 1000 and is approximately 50% shorter than the CDC interval for a low-risk group. Interval (ii), which is 67% shorter than the CDC interval for medium-risk groups but equal to that recommended for high-risk groups, permits a risk above 1 per 1000, but is likely the shortest feasible interval.

Frequency and Determinants of a Short-Interval Follow-up Recommendation After an Abnormal Screening Mammogram.

PubMed

Pelletier, Eric; Daigle, Jean-Marc; Defay, Fannie; Major, Diane; Guertin, Marie-Hélène; Brisson, Jacques

2016-11-01

After imaging assessment of an abnormal screening mammogram, a follow-up examination 6 months later is recommended to some women. Our aim was to identify which characteristics of lesions, women, and physicians are associated to such short-interval follow-up recommendation in the Quebec Breast Cancer Screening Program. Between 1998 and 2008, 1,839,396 screening mammograms were performed and a total of 114,781 abnormal screens were assessed by imaging only. Multivariate analysis was done with multilevel Poisson regression models with robust variance and generalized linear mixed models. A short-interval follow-up was recommended in 26.7% of assessments with imaging only, representing 2.3% of all screens. Case-mix adjusted proportion of short-interval follow-up recommendations varied substantially across physicians (range: 4%-64%). Radiologists with high recall rates (≥15%) had a high proportion of short-interval follow-up recommendation (risk ratio: 1.82; 95% confidence interval: 1.35-2.45) compared to radiologists with low recall rates (<5%). The adjusted proportion of short-interval follow-up was high (22.8%) even when a previous mammogram was usually available. Short-interval follow-up recommendation at assessment is frequent in this Canadian screening program, even when a previous mammogram is available. Characteristics related to radiologists appear to be key determinants of short-interval follow-up recommendation, rather than characteristics of lesions or patient mix. Given that it can cause anxiety to women and adds pressure on the health system, it appears important to record and report short-interval follow-up and to identify ways to reduce its frequency. Short-interval follow-up recommendations should be considered when assessing the burden of mammography screening. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of increasing the sampling interval to 2 seconds on the radiation dose and accuracy of CT perfusion of the head and neck.

PubMed

Tawfik, Ahmed M; Razek, Ahmed A; Elhawary, Galal; Batouty, Nihal M

2014-01-01

To evaluate the effect of increasing the sampling interval from 1 second (1 image per second) to 2 seconds (1 image every 2 seconds) on computed tomographic (CT) perfusion (CTP) of head and neck tumors. Twenty patients underwent CTP studies of head and neck tumors with images acquired in cine mode for 50 seconds using sampling interval of 1 second. Using deconvolution-based software, analysis of CTP was done with sampling interval of 1 second and then 2 seconds. Perfusion maps representing blood flow, blood volume, mean transit time, and permeability surface area product (PS) were obtained. Quantitative tumor CTP values were compared between the 2 sampling intervals. Two blinded radiologists compared the subjective quality of CTP maps using a 3-point scale between the 2 sampling intervals. Radiation dose parameters were recorded for the 2 sampling interval rates. No significant differences were observed between the means of the 4 perfusion parameters generated using both sampling intervals; all P >0.05. The 95% limits of agreement between the 2 sampling intervals were -65.9 to 48.1) mL/min per 100 g for blood flow, -3.6 to 3.1 mL/100 g for blood volume, -2.9 to 3.8 seconds for mean transit time, and -10.0 to 12.5 mL/min per 100 g for PS. There was no significant difference between the subjective quality scores of CTP maps obtained using the 2 sampling intervals; all P > 0.05. Radiation dose was halved when sampling interval increased from 1 to 2 seconds. Increasing the sampling interval rate to 1 image every 2 seconds does not compromise the image quality and has no significant effect on quantitative perfusion parameters of head and neck tumors. The radiation dose is halved.

Effect of Missing Inter-Beat Interval Data on Heart Rate Variability Analysis Using Wrist-Worn Wearables.

PubMed

Baek, Hyun Jae; Shin, JaeWook

2017-08-15

Most of the wrist-worn devices on the market provide a continuous heart rate measurement function using photoplethysmography, but have not yet provided a function to measure the continuous heart rate variability (HRV) using beat-to-beat pulse interval. The reason for such is the difficulty of measuring a continuous pulse interval during movement using a wearable device because of the nature of photoplethysmography, which is susceptible to motion noise. This study investigated the effect of missing heart beat interval data on the HRV analysis in cases where pulse interval cannot be measured because of movement noise. First, we performed simulations by randomly removing data from the RR interval of the electrocardiogram measured from 39 subjects and observed the changes of the relative and normalized errors for the HRV parameters according to the total length of the missing heart beat interval data. Second, we measured the pulse interval from 20 subjects using a wrist-worn device for 24 h and observed the error value for the missing pulse interval data caused by the movement during actual daily life. The experimental results showed that mean NN and RMSSD were the most robust for the missing heart beat interval data among all the parameters in the time and frequency domains. Most of the pulse interval data could not be obtained during daily life. In other words, the sample number was too small for spectral analysis because of the long missing duration. Therefore, the frequency domain parameters often could not be calculated, except for the sleep state with little motion. The errors of the HRV parameters were proportional to the missing data duration in the presence of missing heart beat interval data. Based on the results of this study, the maximum missing duration for acceptable errors for each parameter is recommended for use when the HRV analysis is performed on a wrist-worn device.

ECG parameters predict left ventricular conduction delay in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

PubMed

Pastore, Gianni; Maines, Massimiliano; Marcantoni, Lina; Zanon, Francesco; Noventa, Franco; Corbucci, Giorgio; Baracca, Enrico; Aggio, Silvio; Picariello, Claudio; Lanza, Daniela; Rigatelli, Gianluca; Carraro, Mauro; Roncon, Loris; Barold, S Serge

2016-12-01

Estimating left ventricular electrical delay (Q-LV) from a 12-lead ECG may be important in evaluating cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Q-LV interval on ECG configuration. One hundred ninety-two consecutive patients undergoing CRT implantation were divided electrocardiographically into 3 groups: left bundle branch block (LBBB), right bundle branch block (RBBB), and nonspecific intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD). The IVCD group was further subdivided into 81 patients with left (L)-IVCD and 15 patients with right (R)-IVCD (resembling RBBB, but without S wave in leads I and aVL). The Q-LV interval in the different groups and the relationship between ECG parameters and the maximum Q-LV interval were analyzed. Patients with LBBB presented a long Q-LV interval (147.7 ± 14.6 ms, all exceeding cutoff value of 110 ms), whereas RBBB patients presented a very short Q-LV interval (75.2 ± 16.3 ms, all <110 ms). Patients with an IVCD displayed a wide range of Q-LV intervals. In L-IVCD, mid-QRS notching/slurring showed the strongest correlation with a longer Q-LV interval, followed, in decreasing order, by QRS duration >150 ms and intrinsicoid deflection >60 ms. Isolated mid-QRS notching/slurring predicted Q-LV interval >110 ms in 68% of patients. The R-IVCD group presented an unexpectedly longer Q-LV interval (127.0 ± 12.5 ms; 13/15 patients had Q-LV >110 ms). Patients with LBBB have a very prolonged Q-LV interval. Mid-QRS notching in lateral leads strongly predicts a longer Q-LV interval in L-IVCD patients. Patients with R-IVCD constitute a subgroup of patients with a long Q-LV interval. Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interval breast cancer characteristics before, during and after the transition from screen-film to full-field digital screening mammography.

PubMed

van Bommel, Rob M G; Weber, Roy; Voogd, Adri C; Nederend, Joost; Louwman, Marieke W J; Venderink, Dick; Strobbe, Luc J A; Rutten, Matthieu J C; Plaisier, Menno L; Lohle, Paul N; Hooijen, Marianne J H; Tjan-Heijnen, Vivianne C G; Duijm, Lucien E M

2017-05-05

To determine the proportion of "true" interval cancers and tumor characteristics of interval breast cancers prior to, during and after the transition from screen-film mammography screening (SFM) to full-field digital mammography screening (FFDM). We included all women with interval cancers detected between January 2006 and January 2014. Breast imaging reports, biopsy results and breast surgery reports of all women recalled at screening mammography and of all women with interval breast cancers were collected. Two experienced screening radiologists reviewed the diagnostic mammograms, on which the interval cancers were diagnosed, as well as the prior screening mammograms and determined whether or not the interval cancer had been missed on the most recent screening mammogram. If not missed, the cancer was considered an occult ("true") interval cancer. A total of 442 interval cancers had been diagnosed, of which 144 at SFM with a prior SFM (SFM-SFM), 159 at FFDM with a prior SFM (FFDM-SFM) and 139 at FFDM with a prior FFDM (FFDM-FFDM). The transition from SFM to FFDM screening resulted in the diagnosis of more occult ("true") interval cancers at FFDM-SFM than at SFM-SFM (65.4% (104/159) versus 49.3% (71/144), P < 0.01), but this increase was no longer statistically significant in women who had been screened digitally for the second time (57.6% (80/139) at FFDM-FFDM versus 49.3% (71/144) at SFM-SFM). Tumor characteristics were comparable for the three interval cancer cohorts, except of a lower porportion (75.7 and 78.0% versus 67.2% af FFDM-FFDM, P < 0.05) of invasive ductal cancers at FFDM with prior FFDM. An increase in the proportion of occult interval cancers is observed during the transition from SFM to FFDM screening mammography. However, this increase seems temporary and is no longer detectable after the second round of digital screening. Tumor characteristics and type of surgery are comparable for interval cancers detected prior to, during and after the transition from SFM to FFDM screening mammography, except of a lower proportion of invasive ductal cancers after the transition.

[The effect of esmolol on corrected-QT interval, corrected-QT interval dispersion changes seen during anesthesia induction in hypertensive patients taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor].

PubMed

Ceker, Zahit; Takmaz, Suna Akın; Baltaci, Bülent; Başar, Hülya

2015-01-01

The importance of minimizing the exaggerated sympatho-adrenergic responses and QT interval and QT interval dispersion changes that may develop due to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation during anesthesia induction in the hypertensive patients is clear. Esmolol decreases the hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation. However, the effect of esmolol in decreasing the prolonged QT interval and QT interval dispersion as induced by laryngoscopy and intubation is controversial. We investigated the effect of esmolol on the hemodynamic, and corrected-QT interval and corrected-QT interval dispersion changes seen during anesthesia induction in hypertensive patients using angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. 60 ASA I-II patients, with essential hypertension using angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors were included in the study. The esmolol group received esmolol at a bolus dose of 500mcg/kg followed by a 100mcg/kg/min infusion which continued until the 4th min after intubation. The control group received 0.9% saline similar to the esmolol group. The mean blood pressure, heart rate values and the electrocardiogram records were obtained as baseline values before the anesthesia, 5min after esmolol and saline administration, 3min after the induction and 30s, 2min and 4min after intubation. The corrected-QT interval was shorter in the esmolol group (p=0.012), the corrected-QT interval dispersion interval was longer in the control group (p=0.034) and the mean heart rate was higher in the control group (p=0.022) 30s after intubation. The risk of arrhythmia frequency was higher in the control group in the 4-min period following intubation (p=0.038). Endotracheal intubation was found to prolong corrected-QT interval and corrected-QT interval dispersion, and increase the heart rate during anesthesia induction with propofol in hypertensive patients using angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. These effects were prevented with esmolol (500mcg/kg bolus, followed by 100mcg/kg/min infusion). During induction, the blood pressure tends to decrease with esmolol where care is needed. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Setting the Revisit Interval in Primary Care

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Lisa M; Woloshin, Steven; Wasson, John H; Renfrew, Roger A; Welch, H Gilbert

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE Although longitudinal care constitutes the bulk of primary care, physicians receive little guidance on the fundamental question of how to time follow-up visits. We sought to identify important predictors of the revisit interval and to describe the variability in how physicians set these intervals when caring for patients with common medical conditions. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey of physicians performed at the end of office visits for consecutive patients with hypertension, angina, diabetes, or musculoskeletal pain. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING One hundred sixty-four patients under the care of 11 primary care physicians in the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Research Network. MEASUREMENTS The main outcome measures were the variability in mean revisit intervals across physicians and the proportion of explained variance by potential determinants of revisit intervals. We assessed the relation between the revisit interval (dependent variable) and three groups of independent variables, patient characteristics (e.g., age, physician perception of patient health), identification of individual physician, and physician characterization of the visit (e.g., routine visit, visit requiring a change in management, or visit occurring on a “hectic” day), using multiple regression that accounted for the natural grouping of patients within physician. MAIN RESULTS Revisit intervals ranged from 1 week to over 1 year. The most common intervals were 12 and 16 weeks. Physicians’ perception of fair-poor health status and visits involving a change in management were most strongly related to shorter revisit intervals. In multivariate analyses, patient characteristics explained about 18% of the variance in revisit intervals, and adding identification of the individual provider doubled the explained variance to about 40%. Physician characterization of the visit increased explained variance to 57%. The average revisit interval adjusted for patient characteristics for each of the 11 physicians varied from 4 to 20 weeks. Although all physicians lengthened revisit intervals for routine visits and shortened them when changing management, the relative ranking of mean revisit intervals for each physician changed little for different visit characterizations—some physicians were consistently long and others were consistently short. CONCLUSION Physicians vary widely in their recommendations for office revisits. Patient factors accounted for only a small part of this variation. Although physicians responded to visits in predictable ways, each physician appeared to have a unique set point for the length of the revisits interval. PMID:10203635

Gas, water, and oil production from Wattenberg field in the Denver Basin, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Philip H.; Santus, Stephen L.

2011-01-01

Gas, oil, and water production data were compiled from selected wells in two tight gas reservoirs-the Codell-Niobrara interval, comprised of the Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale and the Niobrara Formation; and the Dakota J interval, comprised mostly of the Muddy (J) Sandstone of the Dakota Group; both intervals are of Cretaceous age-in the Wattenberg field in the Denver Basin of Colorado. Production from each well is represented by two samples spaced five years apart, the first sample typically taken two years after production commenced, which generally was in the 1990s. For each producing interval, summary diagrams and tables of oil-versus-gas production and water-versus-gas production are shown with fluid-production rates, the change in production over five years, the water-gas and oil-gas ratios, and the fluid type. These diagrams and tables permit well-to-well and field-to-field comparisons. Fields producing water at low rates (water dissolved in gas in the reservoir) can be distinguished from fields producing water at moderate or high rates, and the water-gas ratios are quantified. The Dakota J interval produces gas on a per-well basis at roughly three times the rate of the Codell-Niobrara interval. After five years of production, gas data from the second samples show that both intervals produce gas, on average, at about one-half the rate as the first sample. Oil-gas ratios in the Codell-Niobrara interval are characteristic of a retrograde gas and are considerably higher than oil-gas ratios in the Dakota J interval, which are characteristic of a wet gas. Water production from both intervals is low, and records in many wells are discontinuous, particularly in the Codell-Niobrara interval. Water-gas ratios are broadly variable, with some of the variability possibly due to the difficulty of measuring small production rates. Most wells for which water is reported have water-gas ratios exceeding the amount that could exist dissolved in gas at reservoir pressure and temperature. The Codell-Niobrara interval is reported to be overpressured (that is, pressure greater than hydrostatic) whereas the underlying Dakota J interval is underpressured (less than hydrostatic), demonstrating a lack of hydraulic communication between the two intervals despite their proximity over a broad geographical area. The underpressuring in the Dakota J interval has been attributed by others to outcropping strata east of the basin. We agree with this interpretation and postulate that the gas accumulation also may contribute to hydraulic isolation from outcrops immediately west of the basin.

Temporal structure in the light response of relay cells in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat.

PubMed Central

Funke, K; Wörgötter, F

1995-01-01

1. The spike interval pattern during the light responses of 155 on- and 81 off-centre cells of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) was studied in anaesthetized and paralysed cats by the use of a novel analysis. Temporally localized interval distributions were computed from a 100 ms time window, which was shifted along the time axis in 10 ms steps, resulting in a 90% overlap between two adjacent windows. For each step the interval distribution was computed inside the time window with 1 ms resolution, and plotted as a greyscale-coded pixel line orthogonal to the time axis. For visual stimulation, light or dark spots of different size and contrast were presented with different background illumination levels. 2. Two characteristic interval patterns were observed during the sustained response component of the cells. Mainly on-cells (77%) responded with multimodal interval distributions, resulting in elongated 'bands' in the 2-dimensional time window plots. In similar situations, the interval distributions for most (71%) off-cells were rather wide and featureless. In those cases where interval bands (i.e. multimodal interval distributions) were observed for off-cells (14%), they were always much wider than for the on-cells. This difference between the on- and off-cell population was independent of the background illumination and the contrast of the stimulus. Y on-cells also tended to produce wider interval bands than X on-cells. 3. For most stimulation situations the first interval band was centred around 6-9 ms, which has been called the fundamental interval; higher order bands are multiples thereof. The fundamental interval shifted towards larger sizes with decreasing stimulus contrast. Increasing stimulus size, on the other hand, resulted in a redistribution of the intervals into higher order bands, while at the same time the location of the fundamental interval remained largely unaffected. This was interpreted as an effect of the increasing surround inhibition at the geniculate level, by which individual retinal EPSPs were cancelled. A changing level of adaptation can result in a mixed shift/redistribution effect because of the changing stimulus contrast and changing level of tonic inhibition. 4. The occurrence of interval bands is not directly related to the shape of the autocorrelation function, which can be flat, weakly oscillatory or strongly oscillatory, regardless of the interval band pattern. 5. A simple computer model was devised to account for the observed cell behaviour. The model is highly robust against parameter variations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 15 PMID:7562612

About Hemispheric Differences in the Processing of Temporal Intervals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grondin, S.; Girard, C.

2005-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to identify differences between cerebral hemispheres for processing temporal intervals ranging from .9 to 1.4s. The intervals to be judged were marked by series of brief visual signals located in the left or the right visual field. Series of three (two standards and one comparison) or five intervals (four…

Introduction to Sample Size Choice for Confidence Intervals Based on "t" Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xiaofeng Steven; Loudermilk, Brandon; Simpson, Thomas

2014-01-01

Sample size can be chosen to achieve a specified width in a confidence interval. The probability of obtaining a narrow width given that the confidence interval includes the population parameter is defined as the power of the confidence interval, a concept unfamiliar to many practitioners. This article shows how to utilize the Statistical Analysis…

Time between the first and second operations for staged total knee arthroplasties when the interval is determined by the patient.

PubMed

Ishii, Yoshinori; Noguchi, Hideo; Takeda, Mitsuhiro; Sato, Junko; Toyabe, Shin-Ichi

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interval between the first and second operations for staged total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis. Depending on satisfactory preoperative health status, the patients determined the timing of the second operation. We also analysed correlations between the interval and patient characteristics. Eighty-six patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis were analysed. The mean follow-up time from the first TKA was 96 months. The side of the first TKA was chosen by the patients. The timing of the second TKA was determined by the patients, depending on their perceived ability to tolerate the additional pain and limitations to activities of daily living. The median interval between the first and second operations was 12.5 months, with a range of 2 to 113 months. In 43 (50%) patients, the interval was <12 months. There was no difference in the interval between females and males (p=0.861), and no correlation between the interval and body mass index or age. There was weak correlation between the year of the first TKA and the interval (R=-0.251, p=0.020), with the interval getting significantly shorter as the years progressed (p=0.032). The median interval between the first and second operations in patients who underwent staged TKAs for bilateral knee osteoarthritis was about 1 year. The results of the current study may help patients and physicians to plan effective treatment strategies for staged TKAs. Level II. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sample size planning for composite reliability coefficients: accuracy in parameter estimation via narrow confidence intervals.

PubMed

Terry, Leann; Kelley, Ken

2012-11-01

Composite measures play an important role in psychology and related disciplines. Composite measures almost always have error. Correspondingly, it is important to understand the reliability of the scores from any particular composite measure. However, the point estimates of the reliability of composite measures are fallible and thus all such point estimates should be accompanied by a confidence interval. When confidence intervals are wide, there is much uncertainty in the population value of the reliability coefficient. Given the importance of reporting confidence intervals for estimates of reliability, coupled with the undesirability of wide confidence intervals, we develop methods that allow researchers to plan sample size in order to obtain narrow confidence intervals for population reliability coefficients. We first discuss composite reliability coefficients and then provide a discussion on confidence interval formation for the corresponding population value. Using the accuracy in parameter estimation approach, we develop two methods to obtain accurate estimates of reliability by planning sample size. The first method provides a way to plan sample size so that the expected confidence interval width for the population reliability coefficient is sufficiently narrow. The second method ensures that the confidence interval width will be sufficiently narrow with some desired degree of assurance (e.g., 99% assurance that the 95% confidence interval for the population reliability coefficient will be less than W units wide). The effectiveness of our methods was verified with Monte Carlo simulation studies. We demonstrate how to easily implement the methods with easy-to-use and freely available software. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Interval MULTIMOORA method with target values of attributes based on interval distance and preference degree: biomaterials selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafezalkotob, Arian; Hafezalkotob, Ashkan

2017-06-01

A target-based MADM method covers beneficial and non-beneficial attributes besides target values for some attributes. Such techniques are considered as the comprehensive forms of MADM approaches. Target-based MADM methods can also be used in traditional decision-making problems in which beneficial and non-beneficial attributes only exist. In many practical selection problems, some attributes have given target values. The values of decision matrix and target-based attributes can be provided as intervals in some of such problems. Some target-based decision-making methods have recently been developed; however, a research gap exists in the area of MADM techniques with target-based attributes under uncertainty of information. We extend the MULTIMOORA method for solving practical material selection problems in which material properties and their target values are given as interval numbers. We employ various concepts of interval computations to reduce degeneration of uncertain data. In this regard, we use interval arithmetic and introduce innovative formula for interval distance of interval numbers to create interval target-based normalization technique. Furthermore, we use a pairwise preference matrix based on the concept of degree of preference of interval numbers to calculate the maximum, minimum, and ranking of these numbers. Two decision-making problems regarding biomaterials selection of hip and knee prostheses are discussed. Preference degree-based ranking lists for subordinate parts of the extended MULTIMOORA method are generated by calculating the relative degrees of preference for the arranged assessment values of the biomaterials. The resultant rankings for the problem are compared with the outcomes of other target-based models in the literature.

Fast transfer of crossmodal time interval training.

PubMed

Chen, Lihan; Zhou, Xiaolin

2014-06-01

Sub-second time perception is essential for many important sensory and perceptual tasks including speech perception, motion perception, motor coordination, and crossmodal interaction. This study investigates to what extent the ability to discriminate sub-second time intervals acquired in one sensory modality can be transferred to another modality. To this end, we used perceptual classification of visual Ternus display (Ternus in Psychol Forsch 7:81-136, 1926) to implicitly measure participants' interval perception in pre- and posttests and implemented an intra- or crossmodal sub-second interval discrimination training protocol in between the tests. The Ternus display elicited either an "element motion" or a "group motion" percept, depending on the inter-stimulus interval between the two visual frames. The training protocol required participants to explicitly compare the interval length between a pair of visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli with a standard interval or to implicitly perceive the length of visual, auditory, or tactile intervals by completing a non-temporal task (discrimination of auditory pitch or tactile intensity). Results showed that after fast explicit training of interval discrimination (about 15 min), participants improved their ability to categorize the visual apparent motion in Ternus displays, although the training benefits were mild for visual timing training. However, the benefits were absent for implicit interval training protocols. This finding suggests that the timing ability in one modality can be rapidly acquired and used to improve timing-related performance in another modality and that there may exist a central clock for sub-second temporal processing, although modality-specific perceptual properties may constrain the functioning of this clock.

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Aerobic Capacity in Cardiac Patients: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Xie, Bin; Yan, Xianfeng

2017-01-01

Purpose. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (INTERVAL) and moderate-intensity continuous training (CONTINUOUS) on aerobic capacity in cardiac patients. Methods. A meta-analysis identified by searching the PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through December 2016 compared the effects of INTERVAL and CONTINUOUS among cardiac patients. Results. Twenty-one studies involving 736 participants with cardiac diseases were included. Compared with CONTINUOUS, INTERVAL was associated with greater improvement in peak VO2 (mean difference 1.76 mL/kg/min, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.46 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001) and VO2 at AT (mean difference 0.90 mL/kg/min, 95% confidence interval 0.0 to 1.72 mL/kg/min, p = 0.03). No significant difference between the INTERVAL and CONTINUOUS groups was observed in terms of peak heart rate, peak minute ventilation, VE/VCO2 slope and respiratory exchange ratio, body mass, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride or low- or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, flow-mediated dilation, or left ventricular ejection fraction. Conclusions. This study showed that INTERVAL improves aerobic capacity more effectively than does CONTINUOUS in cardiac patients. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm our observations. PMID:28386556

Importance of the Time Interval between Bowel Preparation and Colonoscopy in Determining the Quality of Bowel Preparation for Full-Dose Polyethylene Glycol Preparation

PubMed Central

Kim, Tae Kyung; Kim, Hyung Wook; Kim, Su Jin; Ha, Jong Kun; Jang, Hyung Ha; Hong, Young Mi; Park, Su Bum; Choi, Cheol Woong; Kang, Dae Hwan

2014-01-01

Background/Aims The quality of bowel preparation (QBP) is the important factor in performing a successful colonoscopy. Several factors influencing QBP have been reported; however, some factors, such as the optimal preparation-to-colonoscopy time interval, remain controversial. This study aimed to determine the factors influencing QBP and the optimal time interval for full-dose polyethylene glycol (PEG) preparation. Methods A total of 165 patients who underwent colonoscopy from June 2012 to August 2012 were prospectively evaluated. The QBP was assessed using the Ottawa Bowel Preparation Scale (Ottawa) score according to several factors influencing the QBP were analyzed. Results Colonoscopies with a time interval of 5 to 6 hours had the best Ottawa score in all parts of the colon. Patients with time intervals of 6 hours or less had the better QBP than those with time intervals of more than 6 hours (p=0.046). In the multivariate analysis, the time interval (odds ratio, 1.897; 95% confidence interval, 1.006 to 3.577; p=0.048) was the only significant contributor to a satisfactory bowel preparation. Conclusions The optimal time was 5 to 6 hours for the full-dose PEG method, and the time interval was the only significant contributor to a satisfactory bowel preparation. PMID:25368750

Electrocardiogram: his bundle potentials can be recorded noninvasively beat by beat on surface electrocardiogram.

PubMed

Wang, Gaopin; Liu, Renguang; Chang, Qinghua; Xu, Zhaolong; Zhang, Yingjie; Pan, Dianzhu

2017-03-15

The micro waveform of His bundle potential can't be recorded beat-to-beat on surface electrocardiogram yet. We have found that the micro-wavelets before QRS complex may be related to atrioventricular conduction system potentials. This study is to explore the possibility of His bundle potential can be noninvasively recorded on surface electrocardiogram. We randomized 65 patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation of paroxysmal superventricular tachycardia (exclude overt Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) to receive "conventional electrocardiogram" and "new electrocardiogram" before the procedure. His bundle electrogram was collected during the procedure. Comparative analysis of PA s (PA interval recorded on surface electrocardiogram), AH s (AH interval recorded on surface electrocardiogram) and HV s (HV interval recorded on surface electrocardiogram) interval recorded on surface "new electrocardiogram" and PA, AH, HV interval recorded on His bundle electrogram was investigated. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between groups in HV s interval (49.63 ± 6.19 ms) and HV interval (49.35 ± 6.49 ms). Results of correlational analysis found that HV S interval was significantly positively associated with HV interval (r = 0.929; P < 0.01). His bundle potentials can be noninvasively recorded on surface electrocardiogram. Noninvasive His bundle potential tracing might represent a new method for locating the site of atrioventricular block and identifying the origin of a wide QRS complex.

Adjusted Wald Confidence Interval for a Difference of Binomial Proportions Based on Paired Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonett, Douglas G.; Price, Robert M.

2012-01-01

Adjusted Wald intervals for binomial proportions in one-sample and two-sample designs have been shown to perform about as well as the best available methods. The adjusted Wald intervals are easy to compute and have been incorporated into introductory statistics courses. An adjusted Wald interval for paired binomial proportions is proposed here and…

New Estimates of Intergenerational Time Intervals for the Calculation of Age and Origins of Mutations

PubMed Central

Tremblay, Marc; Vézina, Hélène

2000-01-01

Summary Intergenerational time intervals are frequently used in human population-genetics studies concerned with the ages and origins of mutations. In most cases, mean intervals of 20 or 25 years are used, regardless of the demographic characteristics of the population under study. Although these characteristics may vary from prehistoric to historical times, we suggest that this value is probably too low, and that the ages of some mutations may have been underestimated. Analyses were performed by using the BALSAC Population Register (Quebec, Canada), from which several intergenerational comparisons can be made. Family reconstitutions were used to measure interval lengths and variations in descending lineages. Various parameters were considered, such as spouse age at marriage, parental age, and reproduction levels. Mother-child and father-child intervals were compared. Intergenerational male and female intervals were also analyzed in 100 extended ascending genealogies. Results showed that a mean value of 30 years is a better estimate of intergenerational intervals than 20 or 25 years. As marked differences between male and female interval length were observed, specific values are proposed for mtDNA, autosomal, X-chromosomal, and Y-chromosomal loci. The applicability of these results for age estimates of mutations is discussed. PMID:10677323

Experimental and numerical investigation of low-drag intervals in turbulent boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae Sung; Ryu, Sangjin; Lee, Jin

2017-11-01

It has been widely investigated that there is a substantial intermittency between high and low drag states in wall-bounded shear flows. Recent experimental and computational studies in a turbulent channel flow have identified low-drag time intervals based on wall shear stress measurements. These intervals are a weak turbulence state characterized by low-speed streaks and weak streamwise vortices. In this study, the spatiotemporal dynamics of low-drag intervals in a turbulent boundary layer is investigated using experiments and simulations. The low-drag intervals are monitored based on the wall shear stress measurement. We show that near the wall conditionally-sampled mean velocity profiles during low-drag intervals closely approach that of a low-drag nonlinear traveling wave solution as well as that of the so-called maximum drag reduction asymptote. This observation is consistent with the channel flow studies. Interestingly, the large spatial stretching of the streak is very evident in the wall-normal direction during low-drag intervals. Lastly, a possible connection between the mean velocity profile during the low-drag intervals and the Blasius profile will be discussed. This work was supported by startup funds from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Investigating the correlation between paediatric stride interval persistence and gross energy expenditure.

PubMed

Fairley, Jillian A; Sejdić, Ervin; Chau, Tom

2010-02-26

Stride interval persistence, a term used to describe the correlation structure of stride interval time series, is thought to provide insight into neuromotor control, though its exact clinical meaning has not yet been realized. Since human locomotion is shaped by energy efficient movements, it has been hypothesized that stride interval dynamics and energy expenditure may be inherently tied, both having demonstrated similar sensitivities to age, disease, and pace-constrained walking. This study tested for correlations between stride interval persistence and measures of energy expenditure including mass-specific gross oxygen consumption per minute (VO₂), mass-specific gross oxygen cost per meter (VO₂) and heart rate (HR). Metabolic and stride interval data were collected from 30 asymptomatic children who completed one 10-minute walking trial under each of the following conditions: (i) overground walking, (ii) hands-free treadmill walking, and (iii) handrail-supported treadmill walking. Stride interval persistence was not significantly correlated with (p > 0.32), VO₂ (p > 0.18) or HR (p > 0.56). No simple linear dependence exists between stride interval persistence and measures of gross energy expenditure in asymptomatic children when walking overground and on a treadmill.

Approximation Set of the Interval Set in Pawlak's Space

PubMed Central

Wang, Jin; Wang, Guoyin

2014-01-01

The interval set is a special set, which describes uncertainty of an uncertain concept or set Z with its two crisp boundaries named upper-bound set and lower-bound set. In this paper, the concept of similarity degree between two interval sets is defined at first, and then the similarity degrees between an interval set and its two approximations (i.e., upper approximation set R¯(Z) and lower approximation set R_(Z)) are presented, respectively. The disadvantages of using upper-approximation set R¯(Z) or lower-approximation set R_(Z) as approximation sets of the uncertain set (uncertain concept) Z are analyzed, and a new method for looking for a better approximation set of the interval set Z is proposed. The conclusion that the approximation set R 0.5(Z) is an optimal approximation set of interval set Z is drawn and proved successfully. The change rules of R 0.5(Z) with different binary relations are analyzed in detail. Finally, a kind of crisp approximation set of the interval set Z is constructed. We hope this research work will promote the development of both the interval set model and granular computing theory. PMID:25177721

The effects of morphine on fixed-interval patterning and temporal discrimination.

PubMed Central

Odum, A L; Schaal, D W

2000-01-01

Changes produced by drugs in response patterns under fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement have been interpreted to result from changes in temporal discrimination. To examine this possibility, this experiment determined the effects of morphine on the response patterning of 4 pigeons during a fixed-interval 1-min schedule of food delivery with interpolated temporal discrimination trials. Twenty of the 50 total intervals were interrupted by choice trials. Pecks to one key color produced food if the interval was interrupted after a short time (after 2 or 4.64 s). Pecks to another key color produced food if the interval was interrupted after a long time (after 24.99 or 58 s). Morphine (1.0 to 10.0 mg/kg) decreased the index of curvature (a measure of response patterning) during fixed intervals and accuracy during temporal discrimination trials. Accuracy was equally disrupted following short and long sample durations. Although morphine disrupted temporal discrimination in the context of a fixed-interval schedule, these effects are inconsistent with interpretations of the disruption of response patterning as a selective overestimation of elapsed time. The effects of morphine may be related to the effects of more conventional external stimuli on response patterning. PMID:11029024

Context-Dependent Duration Signals in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex

PubMed Central

Genovesio, Aldo; Seitz, Lucia K.; Tsujimoto, Satoshi; Wise, Steven P.

2016-01-01

The activity of some prefrontal (PF) cortex neurons distinguishes short from long time intervals. Here, we examined whether this property reflected a general timing mechanism or one dependent on behavioral context. In one task, monkeys discriminated the relative duration of 2 stimuli; in the other, they discriminated the relative distance of 2 stimuli from a fixed reference point. Both tasks had a pre-cue period (interval 1) and a delay period (interval 2) with no discriminant stimulus. Interval 1 elapsed before the presentation of the first discriminant stimulus, and interval 2 began after that stimulus. Both intervals had durations of either 400 or 800 ms. Most PF neurons distinguished short from long durations in one task or interval, but not in the others. When neurons did signal something about duration for both intervals, they did so in an uncorrelated or weakly correlated manner. These results demonstrate a high degree of context dependency in PF time processing. The PF, therefore, does not appear to signal durations abstractedly, as would be expected of a general temporal encoder, but instead does so in a highly context-dependent manner, both within and between tasks. PMID:26209845

Capacity planning for waste management systems: an interval fuzzy robust dynamic programming approach.

PubMed

Nie, Xianghui; Huang, Guo H; Li, Yongping

2009-11-01

This study integrates the concepts of interval numbers and fuzzy sets into optimization analysis by dynamic programming as a means of accounting for system uncertainty. The developed interval fuzzy robust dynamic programming (IFRDP) model improves upon previous interval dynamic programming methods. It allows highly uncertain information to be effectively communicated into the optimization process through introducing the concept of fuzzy boundary interval and providing an interval-parameter fuzzy robust programming method for an embedded linear programming problem. Consequently, robustness of the optimization process and solution can be enhanced. The modeling approach is applied to a hypothetical problem for the planning of waste-flow allocation and treatment/disposal facility expansion within a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. Interval solutions for capacity expansion of waste management facilities and relevant waste-flow allocation are generated and interpreted to provide useful decision alternatives. The results indicate that robust and useful solutions can be obtained, and the proposed IFRDP approach is applicable to practical problems that are associated with highly complex and uncertain information.

Fixed-interval matching-to-sample: intermatching time and intermatching error runs1

PubMed Central

Nelson, Thomas D.

1978-01-01

Four pigeons were trained on a matching-to-sample task in which reinforcers followed either the first matching response (fixed interval) or the fifth matching response (tandem fixed-interval fixed-ratio) that occurred 80 seconds or longer after the last reinforcement. Relative frequency distributions of the matching-to-sample responses that concluded intermatching times and runs of mismatches (intermatching error runs) were computed for the final matching responses directly followed by grain access and also for the three matching responses immediately preceding the final match. Comparison of these two distributions showed that the fixed-interval schedule arranged for the preferential reinforcement of matches concluding relatively extended intermatching times and runs of mismatches. Differences in matching accuracy and rate during the fixed interval, compared to the tandem fixed-interval fixed-ratio, suggested that reinforcers following matches concluding various intermatching times and runs of mismatches influenced the rate and accuracy of the last few matches before grain access, but did not control rate and accuracy throughout the entire fixed-interval period. PMID:16812032

Extraction and LOD control of colored interval volumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyamura, Hiroko N.; Takeshima, Yuriko; Fujishiro, Issei; Saito, Takafumi

2005-03-01

Interval volume serves as a generalized isosurface and represents a three-dimensional subvolume for which the associated scalar filed values lie within a user-specified closed interval. In general, it is not an easy task for novices to specify the scalar field interval corresponding to their ROIs. In order to extract interval volumes from which desirable geometric features can be mined effectively, we propose a suggestive technique which extracts interval volumes automatically based on the global examination of the field contrast structure. Also proposed here is a simplification scheme for decimating resultant triangle patches to realize efficient transmission and rendition of large-scale interval volumes. Color distributions as well as geometric features are taken into account to select best edges to be collapsed. In addition, when a user wants to selectively display and analyze the original dataset, the simplified dataset is restructured to the original quality. Several simulated and acquired datasets are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the present methods.

Improved confidence intervals when the sample is counted an integer times longer than the blank.

PubMed

Potter, William Edward; Strzelczyk, Jadwiga Jodi

2011-05-01

Past computer solutions for confidence intervals in paired counting are extended to the case where the ratio of the sample count time to the blank count time is taken to be an integer, IRR. Previously, confidence intervals have been named Neyman-Pearson confidence intervals; more correctly they should have been named Neyman confidence intervals or simply confidence intervals. The technique utilized mimics a technique used by Pearson and Hartley to tabulate confidence intervals for the expected value of the discrete Poisson and Binomial distributions. The blank count and the contribution of the sample to the gross count are assumed to be Poisson distributed. The expected value of the blank count, in the sample count time, is assumed known. The net count, OC, is taken to be the gross count minus the product of IRR with the blank count. The probability density function (PDF) for the net count can be determined in a straightforward manner.

Cross-cultural estimation of the human generation interval for use in genetics-based population divergence studies.

PubMed

Fenner, Jack N

2005-10-01

The length of the human generation interval is a key parameter when using genetics to date population divergence events. However, no consensus exists regarding the generation interval length, and a wide variety of interval lengths have been used in recent studies. This makes comparison between studies difficult, and questions the accuracy of divergence date estimations. Recent genealogy-based research suggests that the male generation interval is substantially longer than the female interval, and that both are greater than the values commonly used in genetics studies. This study evaluates each of these hypotheses in a broader cross-cultural context, using data from both nation states and recent hunter-gatherer societies. Both hypotheses are supported by this study; therefore, revised estimates of male, female, and overall human generation interval lengths are proposed. The nearly universal, cross-cultural nature of the evidence justifies using these proposed estimates in Y-chromosomal, mitochondrial, and autosomal DNA-based population divergence studies.

Multilayer Perceptron for Robust Nonlinear Interval Regression Analysis Using Genetic Algorithms

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

On the basis of fuzzy regression, computational models in intelligence such as neural networks have the capability to be applied to nonlinear interval regression analysis for dealing with uncertain and imprecise data. When training data are not contaminated by outliers, computational models perform well by including almost all given training data in the data interval. Nevertheless, since training data are often corrupted by outliers, robust learning algorithms employed to resist outliers for interval regression analysis have been an interesting area of research. Several approaches involving computational intelligence are effective for resisting outliers, but the required parameters for these approaches are related to whether the collected data contain outliers or not. Since it seems difficult to prespecify the degree of contamination beforehand, this paper uses multilayer perceptron to construct the robust nonlinear interval regression model using the genetic algorithm. Outliers beyond or beneath the data interval will impose slight effect on the determination of data interval. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method performs well for contaminated datasets. PMID:25110755

Multilayer perceptron for robust nonlinear interval regression analysis using genetic algorithms.

PubMed

Hu, Yi-Chung

2014-01-01

On the basis of fuzzy regression, computational models in intelligence such as neural networks have the capability to be applied to nonlinear interval regression analysis for dealing with uncertain and imprecise data. When training data are not contaminated by outliers, computational models perform well by including almost all given training data in the data interval. Nevertheless, since training data are often corrupted by outliers, robust learning algorithms employed to resist outliers for interval regression analysis have been an interesting area of research. Several approaches involving computational intelligence are effective for resisting outliers, but the required parameters for these approaches are related to whether the collected data contain outliers or not. Since it seems difficult to prespecify the degree of contamination beforehand, this paper uses multilayer perceptron to construct the robust nonlinear interval regression model using the genetic algorithm. Outliers beyond or beneath the data interval will impose slight effect on the determination of data interval. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method performs well for contaminated datasets.

CALCULATION OF NONLINEAR CONFIDENCE AND PREDICTION INTERVALS FOR GROUND-WATER FLOW MODELS.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cooley, Richard L.; Vecchia, Aldo V.

1987-01-01

A method is derived to efficiently compute nonlinear confidence and prediction intervals on any function of parameters derived as output from a mathematical model of a physical system. The method is applied to the problem of obtaining confidence and prediction intervals for manually-calibrated ground-water flow models. To obtain confidence and prediction intervals resulting from uncertainties in parameters, the calibrated model and information on extreme ranges and ordering of the model parameters within one or more independent groups are required. If random errors in the dependent variable are present in addition to uncertainties in parameters, then calculation of prediction intervals also requires information on the extreme range of error expected. A simple Monte Carlo method is used to compute the quantiles necessary to establish probability levels for the confidence and prediction intervals. Application of the method to a hypothetical example showed that inclusion of random errors in the dependent variable in addition to uncertainties in parameters can considerably widen the prediction intervals.

Intervals for posttest probabilities: a comparison of 5 methods.

PubMed

Mossman, D; Berger, J O

2001-01-01

Several medical articles discuss methods of constructing confidence intervals for single proportions and the likelihood ratio, but scant attention has been given to the systematic study of intervals for the posterior odds, or the positive predictive value, of a test. The authors describe 5 methods of constructing confidence intervals for posttest probabilities when estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and the pretest probability of a disorder are derived from empirical data. They then evaluate each method to determine how well the intervals' coverage properties correspond to their nominal value. When the estimates of pretest probabilities, sensitivity, and specificity are derived from more than 80 subjects and are not close to 0 or 1, all methods generate intervals with appropriate coverage properties. When these conditions are not met, however, the best-performing method is an objective Bayesian approach implemented by a simple simulation using a spreadsheet. Physicians and investigators can generate accurate confidence intervals for posttest probabilities in small-sample situations using the objective Bayesian approach.

Whys and Hows of the Parameterized Interval Analyses: A Guide for the Perplexed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elishakoff, I.

2013-10-01

Novel elements of the parameterized interval analysis developed in [1, 2] are emphasized in this response, to Professor E.D. Popova, or possibly to others who may be perplexed by the parameterized interval analysis. It is also shown that the overwhelming majority of comments by Popova [3] are based on a misreading of our paper [1]. Partial responsibility for this misreading can be attributed to the fact that explanations provided in [1] were laconic. These could have been more extensive in view of the novelty of our approach [1, 2]. It is our duty, therefore, to reiterate, in this response, the whys and hows of parameterization of intervals, introduced in [1] to incorporate the possibly available information on dependencies between various intervals describing the problem at hand. This possibility appears to have been discarded by the standard interval analysis, which may, as a result, lead to overdesign, leading to the possible divorce of engineers from the otherwise beautiful interval analysis.

Buffered coscheduling for parallel programming and enhanced fault tolerance

DOEpatents

Petrini, Fabrizio [Los Alamos, NM; Feng, Wu-chun [Los Alamos, NM

2006-01-31

A computer implemented method schedules processor jobs on a network of parallel machine processors or distributed system processors. Control information communications generated by each process performed by each processor during a defined time interval is accumulated in buffers, where adjacent time intervals are separated by strobe intervals for a global exchange of control information. A global exchange of the control information communications at the end of each defined time interval is performed during an intervening strobe interval so that each processor is informed by all of the other processors of the number of incoming jobs to be received by each processor in a subsequent time interval. The buffered coscheduling method of this invention also enhances the fault tolerance of a network of parallel machine processors or distributed system processors

RISMA: A Rule-based Interval State Machine Algorithm for Alerts Generation, Performance Analysis and Monitoring Real-Time Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laban, Shaban; El-Desouky, Aly

2013-04-01

The monitoring of real-time systems is a challenging and complicated process. So, there is a continuous need to improve the monitoring process through the use of new intelligent techniques and algorithms for detecting exceptions, anomalous behaviours and generating the necessary alerts during the workflow monitoring of such systems. The interval-based or period-based theorems have been discussed, analysed, and used by many researches in Artificial Intelligence (AI), philosophy, and linguistics. As explained by Allen, there are 13 relations between any two intervals. Also, there have also been many studies of interval-based temporal reasoning and logics over the past decades. Interval-based theorems can be used for monitoring real-time interval-based data processing. However, increasing the number of processed intervals makes the implementation of such theorems a complex and time consuming process as the relationships between such intervals are increasing exponentially. To overcome the previous problem, this paper presents a Rule-based Interval State Machine Algorithm (RISMA) for processing, monitoring, and analysing the behaviour of interval-based data, received from real-time sensors. The proposed intelligent algorithm uses the Interval State Machine (ISM) approach to model any number of interval-based data into well-defined states as well as inferring them. An interval-based state transition model and methodology are presented to identify the relationships between the different states of the proposed algorithm. By using such model, the unlimited number of relationships between similar large numbers of intervals can be reduced to only 18 direct relationships using the proposed well-defined states. For testing the proposed algorithm, necessary inference rules and code have been designed and applied to the continuous data received in near real-time from the stations of International Monitoring System (IMS) by the International Data Centre (IDC) of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The CLIPS expert system shell has been used as the main rule engine for implementing the algorithm rules. Python programming language and the module "PyCLIPS" are used for building the necessary code for algorithm implementation. More than 1.7 million intervals constitute the Concise List of Frames (CLF) from 20 different seismic stations have been used for evaluating the proposed algorithm and evaluating stations behaviour and performance. The initial results showed that proposed algorithm can help in better understanding of the operation and performance of those stations. Different important information, such as alerts and some station performance parameters, can be derived from the proposed algorithm. For IMS interval-based data and at any period of time it is possible to analyze station behavior, determine the missing data, generate necessary alerts, and to measure some of station performance attributes. The details of the proposed algorithm, methodology, implementation, experimental results, advantages, and limitations of this research are presented. Finally, future directions and recommendations are discussed.

Graphing within-subjects confidence intervals using SPSS and S-Plus.

PubMed

Wright, Daniel B

2007-02-01

Within-subjects confidence intervals are often appropriate to report and to display. Loftus and Masson (1994) have reported methods to calculate these, and their use is becoming common. In the present article, procedures for calculating within-subjects confidence intervals in SPSS and S-Plus are presented (an R version is on the accompanying Web site). The procedure in S-Plus allows the user to report the bias corrected and adjusted bootstrap confidence intervals as well as the standard confidence intervals based on traditional methods. The presented code can be easily altered to fit the individual user's needs.

Short-Duration Spaceflight Does Not Prolong QTc Intervals in Male Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Brett M.; Meck, Janice V.

2004-01-01

Although ventricular dysrhythmias are not increased during, and QTc intervals are not prolonged after, short-duration (5 to 16 days) spaceflights, QTc intervals have not previously been reported during these shorter flights. Holter monitor recordings, obtained in 11 male astronauts who flew on shuttle missions ranging from 5 to 10 days, showed that QTc intervals did not change significantly 10 days before launch, on 2 separate days of spaceflight, and 2 days after landing. Taken together, these data and our previous report show that QTc interval prolongation occurs sometime between the 9th and 30th days of spaceflight.

Tumor phenotype and breast density in distinct categories of interval cancer: results of population-based mammography screening in Spain

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Interval cancers are tumors arising after a negative screening episode and before the next screening invitation. They can be classified into true interval cancers, false-negatives, minimal-sign cancers, and occult tumors based on mammographic findings in screening and diagnostic mammograms. This study aimed to describe tumor-related characteristics and the association of breast density and tumor phenotype within four interval cancer categories. Methods We included 2,245 invasive tumors (1,297 screening-detected and 948 interval cancers) diagnosed from 2000 to 2009 among 645,764 women aged 45 to 69 who underwent biennial screening in Spain. Interval cancers were classified by a semi-informed retrospective review into true interval cancers (n = 455), false-negatives (n = 224), minimal-sign (n = 166), and occult tumors (n = 103). Breast density was evaluated using Boyd’s scale and was conflated into: <25%; 25 to 50%; 50 to 75%; >75%. Tumor-related information was obtained from cancer registries and clinical records. Tumor phenotype was defined as follows: luminal A: ER+/HER2- or PR+/HER2-; luminal B: ER+/HER2+ or PR+/HER2+; HER2: ER-/PR-/HER2+; triple-negative: ER-/PR-/HER2-. The association of tumor phenotype and breast density was assessed using a multinomial logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Forty-eight percent of interval cancers were true interval cancers and 23.6% false-negatives. True interval cancers were associated with HER2 and triple-negative phenotypes (OR = 1.91 (95% CI:1.22-2.96), OR = 2.07 (95% CI:1.42-3.01), respectively) and extremely dense breasts (>75%) (OR = 1.67 (95% CI:1.08-2.56)). However, among true interval cancers a higher proportion of triple-negative tumors was observed in predominantly fatty breasts (<25%) than in denser breasts (28.7%, 21.4%, 11.3% and 14.3%, respectively; <0.001). False-negatives and occult tumors had similar phenotypic characteristics to screening-detected cancers, extreme breast density being strongly associated with occult tumors (OR = 6.23 (95% CI:2.65-14.66)). Minimal-sign cancers were biologically close to true interval cancers but showed no association with breast density. Conclusions Our findings revealed that both the distribution of tumor phenotype and breast density play specific and independent roles in each category of interval cancer. Further research is needed to understand the biological basis of the overrepresentation of triple-negative phenotype among predominantly fatty breasts in true interval cancers. PMID:24410848

Hospital factors impact variation in emergency department length of stay more than physician factors.

PubMed

Krall, Scott P; Cornelius, Angela P; Addison, J Bruce

2014-03-01

To analyze the correlation between the many different emergency department (ED) treatment metric intervals and determine if the metrics directly impacted by the physician correlate to the "door to room" interval in an ED (interval determined by ED bed availability). Our null hypothesis was that the cause of the variation in delay to receiving a room was multifactorial and does not correlate to any one metric interval. We collected daily interval averages from the ED information system, Meditech©. Patient flow metrics were collected on a 24-hour basis. We analyzed the relationship between the time intervals that make up an ED visit and the "arrival to room" interval using simple correlation (Pearson Correlation coefficients). Summary statistics of industry standard metrics were also done by dividing the intervals into 2 groups, based on the average ED length of stay (LOS) from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2008 Emergency Department Summary. Simple correlation analysis showed that the doctor-to-discharge time interval had no correlation to the interval of "door to room (waiting room time)", correlation coefficient (CC) (CC=0.000, p=0.96). "Room to doctor" had a low correlation to "door to room" CC=0.143, while "decision to admitted patients departing the ED time" had a moderate correlation of 0.29 (p <0.001). "New arrivals" (daily patient census) had a strong correlation to longer "door to room" times, 0.657, p<0.001. The "door to discharge" times had a very strong correlation CC=0.804 (p<0.001), to the extended "door to room" time. Physician-dependent intervals had minimal correlation to the variation in arrival to room time. The "door to room" interval was a significant component to the variation in "door to discharge" i.e. LOS. The hospital-influenced "admit decision to hospital bed" i.e. hospital inpatient capacity, interval had a correlation to delayed "door to room" time. The other major factor affecting department bed availability was the "total patients per day." The correlation to the increasing "door to room" time also reflects the effect of availability of ED resources (beds) on the patient evaluation time. The time that it took for a patient to receive a room appeared more dependent on the system resources, for example, beds in the ED, as well as in the hospital, than on the physician.

Re-evaluation of link between interpregnancy interval and adverse birth outcomes: retrospective cohort study matching two intervals per mother

PubMed Central

Pereira, Gavin; Jacoby, Peter; de Klerk, Nicholas; Stanley, Fiona J

2014-01-01

Objective To re-evaluate the causal effect of interpregnancy interval on adverse birth outcomes, on the basis that previous studies relying on between mother comparisons may have inadequately adjusted for confounding by maternal risk factors. Design Retrospective cohort study using conditional logistic regression (matching two intervals per mother so each mother acts as her own control) to model the incidence of adverse birth outcomes as a function of interpregnancy interval; additional unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for confounders enabled comparison with the unmatched design of previous studies. Setting Perth, Western Australia, 1980-2010. Participants 40 441 mothers who each delivered three liveborn singleton neonates. Main outcome measures Preterm birth (<37 weeks), small for gestational age birth (<10th centile of birth weight by sex and gestational age), and low birth weight (<2500 g). Results Within mother analysis of interpregnancy intervals indicated a much weaker effect of short intervals on the odds of preterm birth and low birth weight compared with estimates generated using a traditional between mother analysis. The traditional unmatched design estimated an adjusted odds ratio for an interpregnancy interval of 0-5 months (relative to the reference category of 18-23 months) of 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.31 to 1.51) for preterm birth, 1.26 (1.15 to 1.37) for low birth weight, and 0.98 (0.92 to 1.06) for small for gestational age birth. In comparison, the matched design showed a much weaker effect of short interpregnancy interval on preterm birth (odds ratio 1.07, 0.86 to 1.34) and low birth weight (1.03, 0.79 to 1.34), and the effect for small for gestational age birth remained small (1.08, 0.87 to 1.34). Both the unmatched and matched models estimated a high odds of small for gestational age birth and low birth weight for long interpregnancy intervals (longer than 59 months), but the estimated effect of long interpregnancy intervals on the odds of preterm birth was much weaker in the matched model than in the unmatched model. Conclusion This study questions the causal effect of short interpregnancy intervals on adverse birth outcomes and points to the possibility of unmeasured or inadequately specified maternal factors in previous studies. PMID:25056260

Twenty-one-year development of Douglas-fir stands repeatedly thinned at varying intervals.

Treesearch

Donald L. Reukema

1972-01-01

Douglas-fir stands first thinned at about age 38 have been observed for 21 years. Four treatments were compared; no thinning, light thinning at 3-year intervals, moderate thinning at 6-year intervals, and heavy thinning at 9-year intervals. Eighteen years after initial thinnings (the first common end to all thinning cycles), all thinned stands had virtually the same...

Coffee, alcohol, smoking, physical activity and QT interval duration: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiyi; Post, Wendy S; Dalal, Darshan; Blasco-Colmenares, Elena; Tomaselli, Gordon F; Guallar, Eliseo

2011-02-28

Abnormalities in the electrocardiographic QT interval duration have been associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. However, there is substantial uncertainty about the effect of modifiable factors such as coffee intake, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity on QT interval duration. We studied 7795 men and women from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994). Baseline QT interval was measured from the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram. Coffee and tea intake, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activities over the past month, and lifetime smoking habits were determined using validated questionnaires during the home interview. In the fully adjusted model, the average differences in QT interval comparing participants drinking ≥6 cups/day to those who did not drink any were -1.2 ms (95% CI -4.4 to 2.0) for coffee, and -2.0 ms (-11.2 to 7.3) for tea, respectively. The average differences in QT interval duration comparing current to never smokers was 1.2 ms (-0.6 to 2.9) while the average difference in QT interval duration comparing participants drinking ≥7 drinks/week to non-drinkers was 1.8 ms (-0.5 to 4.0). The age, race/ethnicity, and RR-interval adjusted differences in average QT interval duration comparing men with binge drinking episodes to non-drinkers or drinkers without binge drinking were 2.8 ms (0.4 to 5.3) and 4.0 ms (1.6 to 6.4), respectively. The corresponding differences in women were 1.1 (-2.9 to 5.2) and 1.7 ms (-2.3 to 5.7). Finally, the average differences in QT interval comparing the highest vs. the lowest categories of total physical activity was -0.8 ms (-3.0 to 1.4). Binge drinking was associated with longer QT interval in men but not in women. QT interval duration was not associated with other modifiable factors including coffee and tea intake, smoking, and physical activity.

Coffee, Alcohol, Smoking, Physical Activity and QT Interval Duration: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yiyi; Post, Wendy S.; Dalal, Darshan; Blasco-Colmenares, Elena; Tomaselli, Gordon F.; Guallar, Eliseo

2011-01-01

Background Abnormalities in the electrocardiographic QT interval duration have been associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. However, there is substantial uncertainty about the effect of modifiable factors such as coffee intake, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity on QT interval duration. Methods We studied 7795 men and women from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994). Baseline QT interval was measured from the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram. Coffee and tea intake, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activities over the past month, and lifetime smoking habits were determined using validated questionnaires during the home interview. Results In the fully adjusted model, the average differences in QT interval comparing participants drinking ≥6 cups/day to those who did not drink any were −1.2 ms (95% CI −4.4 to 2.0) for coffee, and −2.0 ms (−11.2 to 7.3) for tea, respectively. The average differences in QT interval duration comparing current to never smokers was 1.2 ms (−0.6 to 2.9) while the average difference in QT interval duration comparing participants drinking ≥7 drinks/week to non-drinkers was 1.8 ms (−0.5 to 4.0). The age, race/ethnicity, and RR-interval adjusted differences in average QT interval duration comparing men with binge drinking episodes to non-drinkers or drinkers without binge drinking were 2.8 ms (0.4 to 5.3) and 4.0 ms (1.6 to 6.4), respectively. The corresponding differences in women were 1.1 (−2.9 to 5.2) and 1.7 ms (−2.3 to 5.7). Finally, the average differences in QT interval comparing the highest vs. the lowest categories of total physical activity was −0.8 ms (−3.0 to 1.4). Conclusion Binge drinking was associated with longer QT interval in men but not in women. QT interval duration was not associated with other modifiable factors including coffee and tea intake, smoking, and physical activity. PMID:21386989

Evaluation of locally established reference intervals for hematology and biochemistry parameters in Western Kenya.

PubMed

Odhiambo, Collins; Oyaro, Boaz; Odipo, Richard; Otieno, Fredrick; Alemnji, George; Williamson, John; Zeh, Clement

2015-01-01

Important differences have been demonstrated in laboratory parameters from healthy persons in different geographical regions and populations, mostly driven by a combination of genetic, demographic, nutritional, and environmental factors. Despite this, European and North American derived laboratory reference intervals are used in African countries for patient management, clinical trial eligibility, and toxicity determination; which can result in misclassification of healthy persons as having laboratory abnormalities. An observational prospective cohort study known as the Kisumu Incidence Cohort Study (KICoS) was conducted to estimate the incidence of HIV seroconversion and identify determinants of successful recruitment and retention in preparation for an HIV vaccine/prevention trial among young adults and adolescents in western Kenya. Laboratory values generated from the KICoS were compared to published region-specific reference intervals and the 2004 NIH DAIDS toxicity tables used for the trial. About 1106 participants were screened for the KICoS between January 2007 and June 2010. Nine hundred and fifty-three participants aged 16 to 34 years, HIV-seronegative, clinically healthy, and non-pregnant were selected for this analysis. Median and 95% reference intervals were calculated for hematological and biochemistry parameters. When compared with both published region-specific reference values and the 2004 NIH DAIDS toxicity table, it was shown that the use of locally established reference intervals would have resulted in fewer participants classified as having abnormal hematological or biochemistry values compared to US derived reference intervals from DAIDS (10% classified as abnormal by local parameters vs. >40% by US DAIDS). Blood urea nitrogen was most often out of range if US based intervals were used: <10% abnormal by local intervals compared to >83% by US based reference intervals. Differences in reference intervals for hematological and biochemical parameters between western and African populations highlight importance of developing local reference intervals for clinical care and trials in Africa.

Comprehensive haematological indices reference intervals for a healthy Omani population: First comprehensive study in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle Eastern countries based on age, gender and ABO blood group comparison.

PubMed

Al-Mawali, Adhra; Pinto, Avinash Daniel; Al-Busaidi, Raiya; Al-Lawati, Rabab H; Morsi, Magdi

2018-01-01

Reference intervals for venous blood parameters differs with age, gender, geographic region, and ethnic groups. Hence local laboratory reference intervals are important to improve the diagnostic accuracy of health assessments and diseases. However, there have been no comprehensive published reference intervals established in Oman, the Gulf Cooperation Council or Middle Eastern countries. Hence, the aim of this study was to establish reference intervals for full blood count in healthy Omani adults. Venous blood specimens were collected from 2202 healthy individuals aged 18 to 69 years from January 2012 to April 2017, and analysed by Sysmex XS-1000i and Cell-Dyn Sapphire automated haematology analysers. Results were statistically analysed and compared by gender, age, and ABO blood group. The lower and upper reference limits of the haematology reference intervals were established at the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles respectively. Reference intervals were calculated for 17 haematology parameters which included red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet parameters. Red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HCT), platelet and platelet haematocrit counts of the healthy donors were significantly different between males and females at all ages (p < 0.05), with males having higher mean values of RBC, HGB and HCT than females. Other complete blood count parameters showed no significant differences between genders, age groups, instruments, or blood groups. Our study showed a lower haemoglobin limit for the normal reference interval in males and females than the currently used in Oman. Data from this study established specific reference intervals which could be considered for general use in Oman. The differences in haematology reference intervals highlights the necessity to establish reference intervals for venous blood parameters among the healthy population in each country or at least in each region.

Influence of Inter-Training Intervals on Intermanual Transfer Effects in Upper-Limb Prosthesis Training: A Randomized Pre-Posttest Study.

PubMed

Romkema, Sietske; Bongers, Raoul M; van der Sluis, Corry K

2015-01-01

Improvement in prosthetic training using intermanual transfer (the transfer of motor skills from the trained, “unaffected” hand to the untrained, “affected” hand) has been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the inter-training interval on the magnitude of the intermanual transfer effects. This was done using a mechanistic, randomized, single-blinded pretest-posttest design. Sixty-four able-bodied, right-handed participants were randomly assigned to the Short and Long Interval Training Groups and the Short and Long Interval Control Groups. The Short and Long Interval Training Groups used a prosthesis simulator in their training program. The Short and Long Interval Control Groups executed a sham training program, that is, a dummy training program in which the same muscles were trained as with the prosthesis simulator. The Short Interval Training Group and the Short Interval Control Groups trained on consecutive days, while the Long Interval Training Group and Long Interval Control Group trained twice a week. To determine the improvement in skills, a test was administered before, immediately after, and at two points in time after the training. Training was performed with the “unaffected” arm; tests were performed with the “affected” arm. The outcome measurements were: the movement time (the time from the beginning of the movement until completion of the task); the duration of maximum hand opening, (the opening of the prosthetic hand while grasping an object); and the grip-force control (the error from the required grip-force during a tracking task). Intermanual transfer was found in movement times, but not in hand opening or grip-force control. The length of the inter-training interval did not affect the magnitude of intermanual transfer effects. No difference in the intermanual transfer effect in upper-limb prosthesis training was found for training on a daily basis as compared to training twice a week. Nederlands Trial Register NTR3888.

Influence of Inter-Training Intervals on Intermanual Transfer Effects in Upper-Limb Prosthesis Training: A Randomized Pre-Posttest Study

PubMed Central

Romkema, Sietske; Bongers, Raoul M.; van der Sluis, Corry K.

2015-01-01

Improvement in prosthetic training using intermanual transfer (the transfer of motor skills from the trained, “unaffected” hand to the untrained, “affected” hand) has been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the inter-training interval on the magnitude of the intermanual transfer effects. This was done using a mechanistic, randomized, single-blinded pretest-posttest design. Sixty-four able-bodied, right-handed participants were randomly assigned to the Short and Long Interval Training Groups and the Short and Long Interval Control Groups. The Short and Long Interval Training Groups used a prosthesis simulator in their training program. The Short and Long Interval Control Groups executed a sham training program, that is, a dummy training program in which the same muscles were trained as with the prosthesis simulator. The Short Interval Training Group and the Short Interval Control Groups trained on consecutive days, while the Long Interval Training Group and Long Interval Control Group trained twice a week. To determine the improvement in skills, a test was administered before, immediately after, and at two points in time after the training. Training was performed with the “unaffected” arm; tests were performed with the “affected” arm. The outcome measurements were: the movement time (the time from the beginning of the movement until completion of the task); the duration of maximum hand opening, (the opening of the prosthetic hand while grasping an object); and the grip-force control (the error from the required grip-force during a tracking task). Intermanual transfer was found in movement times, but not in hand opening or grip-force control. The length of the inter-training interval did not affect the magnitude of intermanual transfer effects. No difference in the intermanual transfer effect in upper-limb prosthesis training was found for training on a daily basis as compared to training twice a week. Trial Registration Nederlands Trial Register NTR3888 PMID:26075396

Overuse of short-interval bone densitometry: assessing rates of low-value care.

PubMed

Morden, N E; Schpero, W L; Zaha, R; Sequist, T D; Colla, C H

2014-09-01

We evaluated the prevalence and geographic variation of short-interval (repeated in under 2 years) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry tests (DXAs) among Medicare beneficiaries. Short-interval DXA use varied across regions (coefficient of variation = 0.64), and unlike other DXAs, rates decreased with payment cuts. The American College of Rheumatology, through the Choosing Wisely initiative, identified measuring bone density more often than every 2 years as care "physicians and patients should question." We measured the prevalence and described the geographic variation of short-interval (repeated in under 2 years) DXAs among Medicare beneficiaries and estimated the cost of this testing and its responsiveness to payment change. Using 100 % Medicare claims data, 2006-2011, we identified DXAs and short-interval DXAs for female Medicare beneficiaries over age 66. We determined the population rate of DXAs and short-interval DXAs, as well as Medicare spending on short-interval DXAs, nationally and by hospital referral region (HRR). DXA use was stable 2008-2011 (12.4 to 11.5 DXAs per 100 women). DXA use varied across HRRs: in 2011, overall DXA use ranged from 6.3 to 23.0 per 100 women (coefficient of variation = 0.18), and short-interval DXAs ranged from 0.3 to 8.0 per 100 women (coefficient of variation = 0.64). Short-interval DXA use fluctuated substantially with payment changes; other DXAs did not. Short-interval DXAs, which represented 10.1 % of all DXAs, cost Medicare approximately US$16 million in 2011. One out of ten DXAs was administered in a time frame shorter than recommended and at a substantial cost to Medicare. DXA use varied across regions. Short-interval DXA use was responsive to reimbursement changes, suggesting carefully designed policy and payment reform may reduce this care identified by rheumatologists as low value.

Circadian rhythm in QT interval is preserved in mice deficient of potassium channel interacting protein 2.

PubMed

Gottlieb, Lisa A; Lubberding, Anniek; Larsen, Anders Peter; Thomsen, Morten B

2017-01-01

Potassium Channel Interacting Protein 2 (KChIP2) is suggested to be responsible for the circadian rhythm in repolarization duration, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. We investigated the hypothesis that there is no circadian rhythm in QT interval in the absence of KChIP2. Implanted telemetric devices recorded electrocardiogram continuously for 5 days in conscious wild-type mice (WT, n = 9) and KChIP2 -/- mice (n = 9) in light:dark periods and in complete darkness. QT intervals were determined from all RR intervals and corrected for heart rate (QT 100 = QT/(RR/100) 1/2 ). Moreover, QT intervals were determined from complexes within the RR range of mean-RR ± 1% in the individual mouse (QT mean-RR ). We find that RR intervals are 125 ± 5 ms in WT and 123 ± 4 ms in KChIP2 -/- (p = 0.81), and QT intervals are 52 ± 1 and 52 ± 1 ms, respectively(p = 0.89). No ventricular arrhythmias or sudden cardiac deaths were observed. We find similar diurnal (light:dark) and circadian (darkness) rhythms of RR intervals in WT and KChIP2 -/- mice. Circadian rhythms in QT 100 intervals are present in both groups, but at physiological small amplitudes: 1.6 ± 0.2 and 1.0 ± 0.3 ms in WT and KChIP2 -/- , respectively (p = 0.15). A diurnal rhythm in QT 100 intervals was only found in WT mice. QT mean-RR intervals display clear diurnal and circadian rhythms in both WT and KChIP2 -/- . The amplitude of the circadian rhythm in QT mean-RR is 4.0 ± 0.3 and 3.1 ± 0.5 ms in WT and KChIP2 -/- , respectively (p = 0.16). In conclusion, KChIP2 expression does not appear to underlie the circadian rhythm in repolarization duration.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy and interval cholecystectomy are reasonable alternatives to index cholecystectomy in severe acute gallstone pancreatitis (GSP).

PubMed

Sanjay, Pandanaboyana; Yeeting, Sim; Whigham, Carole; Judson, Hannah; Polignano, Francesco M; Tait, Iain S

2008-08-01

UK guidelines for gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) advocate definitive treatment during the index admission, or within 2 weeks of discharge. However, this target may not always be achievable. This study reviewed current management of GSP in a university hospital and evaluated the risk associated with interval cholecystectomy. All patients that presented with GSP over a 4-year period (2002-2005) were stratified for disease severity (APACHE II). Patient demographics, time to definitive therapy [index cholecystectomy; endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES); Interval cholecystectomy], and readmission rates were analysed retrospectively. 100 patients admitted with GSP. Disease severity was mild in 54 patients and severe in 46 patients. Twenty-two patients unsuitable for surgery underwent ES as definitive treatment with no readmissions. Seventy-eight patients underwent cholecystectomy, of which 40 (58%) had an index cholecystectomy, and 38 (42%) an interval cholecystectomy. Only 10 patients with severe GSP had an index cholecystectomy, whilst 30 were readmitted for Interval cholecystectomy (p = 0.04). The median APACHE score was 4 [standard deviation (SD) 3.8] for index cholecystectomy and 8 (SD 2.6) for Interval cholecystectomy (p < 0.05). Median time (range) to surgery was 7.5 (2-30) days for index cholecystectomy and 63 (13-210) days for Interval cholecystectomy. Fifty percent (19/38) of patients with GSP had ES prior to discharge for interval cholecystectomy. Two (5%) patients were readmitted: with acute cholecystitis (n = 1) and acute pancreatitis (n = 1) , whilst awaiting interval cholecystectomy. No mortality was noted in the Index or Interval group. This study demonstrates that overall 62% (22 endoscopic sphincterotomy and 40 index cholecystectomy) of patients with GSP have definitive therapy during the Index admission. However, surgery was deferred in the majority (n = 30) of patients with severe GSP, and 19/30 underwent ES prior to discharge. ES and interval cholecystectomy in severe GSP is associated with minimal morbidity and readmission rates, and is considered a reasonable alternative to an index cholecystectomy in patients with severe GSP.

Evaluation of SAMe-TT2R2 Score on Predicting Success With Extended-Interval Warfarin Monitoring.

PubMed

Hwang, Andrew Y; Carris, Nicholas W; Dietrich, Eric A; Gums, John G; Smith, Steven M

2018-06-01

In patients with stable international normalized ratios, 12-week extended-interval warfarin monitoring can be considered; however, predictors of success with this strategy are unknown. The previously validated SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score (considering sex, age, medical history, treatment, tobacco, and race) predicts anticoagulation control during standard follow-up (every 4 weeks), with lower scores associated with greater time in therapeutic range. To evaluate the ability of the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score in predicting success with extended-interval warfarin follow-up in patients with previously stable warfarin doses. In this post hoc analysis of a single-arm feasibility study, baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores were calculated for patients with ≥1 extended-interval follow-up visit. The primary analysis assessed achieved weeks of extended-interval follow-up according to baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores. A total of 47 patients receiving chronic anticoagulation completed a median of 36 weeks of extended-interval follow-up. The median baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score was 1 (range 0-5). Lower SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores appeared to be associated with greater duration of extended-interval follow-up achieved, though the differences between scores were not statistically significant. No individual variable of the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score was associated with achieved weeks of extended-interval follow-up. Analysis of additional patient factors found that longer duration (≥24 weeks) of prior stable treatment was significantly associated with greater weeks of extended-interval follow-up completed ( P = 0.04). Conclusion and Relevance: This pilot study provides limited evidence that the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score predicts success with extended-interval warfarin follow-up but requires confirmation in a larger study. Further research is also necessary to establish additional predictors of successful extended-interval warfarin follow-up.

Stimulus-to-matching-stimulus interval influences N1, P2, and P3b in an equiprobable Go/NoGo task.

PubMed

Steiner, Genevieve Z; Barry, Robert J; Gonsalvez, Craig J

2014-10-01

Previous research has shown that as the stimulus-to-matching-stimulus interval (including the target-to-target interval, TTI, and nontarget-to-nontarget interval, NNI) increases, the amplitude of the P300 ERP component increases systematically. Here, we extended previous P300 research and explored TTI and NNI effects on the various ERP components elicited in an auditory equiprobable Go/NoGo task. We also examined whether a similar mechanism was underpinning interval effects in early ERP components (e.g., N1). Thirty participants completed a specially-designed variable-ISI equiprobable task whilst their EEG activity was recorded. Component amplitudes were extracted using temporal PCA with unrestricted Varimax rotation. As expected, N1, P2, and P3b amplitudes increased as TTI and NNI increased, however, Processing Negativity (PN) and Slow Wave (SW) did not show the same systematic change with interval increments. To determine the origin of interval effects in sequential processing, a multiple regression analysis was conducted on each ERP component including stimulus type, interval, and all preceding components as predictors. These analyses showed that matching-stimulus interval predicted N1, P3b, and weakly predicted P2, but not PN or SW; SW was determined by P3b only. These results suggest that N1, P3b, and to some extent, P2, are affected by a similar temporal mechanism. However, the dissimilar pattern of results obtained for sequential ERP components indicates that matching-stimulus intervals are not affecting all aspects of stimulus processing. This argues against a global mechanism, such as a pathway-specific refractory effect, and suggests that stimulus processing is occurring in parallel pathways, some of which are not affected by temporal manipulations of matching-stimulus interval. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survival Analysis of Patients with Interval Cancer Undergoing Gastric Cancer Screening by Endoscopy

PubMed Central

Hamashima, Chisato; Shabana, Michiko; Okamoto, Mikizo; Osaki, Yoneatsu; Kishimoto, Takuji

2015-01-01

Aims Interval cancer is a key factor that influences the effectiveness of a cancer screening program. To evaluate the impact of interval cancer on the effectiveness of endoscopic screening, the survival rates of patients with interval cancer were analyzed. Methods We performed gastric cancer-specific and all-causes survival analyses of patients with screen-detected cancer and patients with interval cancer in the endoscopic screening group and radiographic screening group using the Kaplan-Meier method. Since the screening interval was 1 year, interval cancer was defined as gastric cancer detected within 1 year after a negative result. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the risk factors associated with gastric cancer-specific and all-causes death. Results A total of 1,493 gastric cancer patients (endoscopic screening group: n = 347; radiographic screening group: n = 166; outpatient group: n = 980) were identified from the Tottori Cancer Registry from 2001 to 2008. The gastric cancer-specific survival rates were higher in the endoscopic screening group than in the radiographic screening group and the outpatients group. In the endoscopic screening group, the gastric cancer-specific survival rate of the patients with screen-detected cancer and the patients with interval cancer were nearly equal (P = 0.869). In the radiographic screening group, the gastric cancer-specific survival rate of the patients with screen-detected cancer was higher than that of the patients with interval cancer (P = 0.009). For gastric cancer-specific death, the hazard ratio of interval cancer in the endoscopic screening group was 0.216 for gastric cancer death (95%CI: 0.054-0.868) compared with the outpatient group. Conclusion The survival rate and the risk of gastric cancer death among the patients with screen-detected cancer and patients with interval cancer were not significantly different in the annual endoscopic screening. These results suggest the potential of endoscopic screening in reducing mortality from gastric cancer. PMID:26023768

First Definition of Reference Intervals of Liver Function Tests in China: A Large-Population-Based Multi-Center Study about Healthy Adults

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chuanbao; Guo, Wei; Huang, Hengjian; Ma, Yueyun; Zhuang, Junhua; Zhang, Jie

2013-01-01

Background Reference intervals of Liver function tests are very important for the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of liver diseases. We aim to establish common reference intervals of liver function tests specifically for the Chinese adult population. Methods A total of 3210 individuals (20–79 years) were enrolled in six representative geographical regions in China. Analytes of ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, total protein, albumin and total bilirubin were measured using three analytical systems mainly used in China. The newly established reference intervals were based on the results of traceability or multiple systems, and then validated in 21 large hospitals located nationwide qualified by the National External Quality Assessment (EQA) of China. Results We had been established reference intervals of the seven liver function tests for the Chinese adult population and found there were apparent variances of reference values for the variables for partitioning analysis such as gender(ALT, GGT, total bilirubin), age(ALP, albumin) and region(total protein). More than 86% of the 21 laboratories passed the validation in all subgroup of reference intervals and overall about 95.3% to 98.8% of the 1220 validation results fell within the range of the new reference interval for all liver function tests. In comparison with the currently recommended reference intervals in China, the single side observed proportions of out of range of reference values from our study for most of the tests deviated significantly from the nominal 2.5% such as total bilirubin (15.2%), ALP (0.2%), albumin (0.0%). Most of reference intervals in our study were obviously different from that of other races. Conclusion These used reference intervals are no longer applicable for the current Chinese population. We have established common reference intervals of liver function tests that are defined specifically for Chinese population and can be universally used among EQA-approved laboratories located all over China. PMID:24058449

Minimizing pre- and post-defibrillation pauses increases the likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

PubMed

Sell, Rebecca E; Sarno, Renee; Lawrence, Brenna; Castillo, Edward M; Fisher, Roger; Brainard, Criss; Dunford, James V; Davis, Daniel P

2010-07-01

The three-phase model of ventricular fibrillation (VF) arrest suggests a period of compressions to "prime" the heart prior to defibrillation attempts. In addition, post-shock compressions may increase the likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The optimal intervals for shock delivery following cessation of compressions (pre-shock interval) and resumption of compressions following a shock (post-shock interval) remain unclear. To define optimal pre- and post-defibrillation compression pauses for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA). All patients suffering OOHCA from VF were identified over a 1-month period. Defibrillator data were abstracted and analyzed using the combination of ECG, impedance, and audio recording. Receiver-operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to define the optimal pre- and post-shock compression intervals. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the relationship between these intervals and ROSC. Covariates included cumulative number of defibrillation attempts, intubation status, and administration of epinephrine in the immediate pre-shock compression cycle. Cluster adjustment was performed due to the possibility of multiple defibrillation attempts for each patient. A total of 36 patients with 96 defibrillation attempts were included. The ROC analysis identified an optimal pre-shock interval of <3s and an optimal post-shock interval of <6s. Increased likelihood of ROSC was observed with a pre-shock interval <3s (adjusted OR 6.7, 95% CI 2.0-22.3, p=0.002) and a post-shock interval of <6s (adjusted OR 10.7, 95% CI 2.8-41.4, p=0.001). Likelihood of ROSC was substantially increased with the optimization of both pre- and post-shock intervals (adjusted OR 13.1, 95% CI 3.4-49.9, p<0.001). Decreasing pre- and post-shock compression intervals increases the likelihood of ROSC in OOHCA from VF.

Variations in rupture process with recurrence interval in a repeated small earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vidale, J.E.; Ellsworth, W.L.; Cole, A.; Marone, Chris

1994-01-01

In theory and in laboratory experiments, friction on sliding surfaces such as rock, glass and metal increases with time since the previous episode of slip. This time dependence is a central pillar of the friction laws widely used to model earthquake phenomena. On natural faults, other properties, such as rupture velocity, porosity and fluid pressure, may also vary with the recurrence interval. Eighteen repetitions of the same small earthquake, separated by intervals ranging from a few days to several years, allow us to test these laboratory predictions in situ. The events with the longest time since the previous earthquake tend to have about 15% larger seismic moment than those with the shortest intervals, although this trend is weak. In addition, the rupture durations of the events with the longest recurrence intervals are more than a factor of two shorter than for the events with the shortest intervals. Both decreased duration and increased friction are consistent with progressive fault healing during the time of stationary contact.In theory and in laboratory experiments, friction on sliding surfaces such as rock, glass and metal increases with time since the previous episode of slip. This time dependence is a central pillar of the friction laws widely used to model earthquake phenomena. On natural faults, other properties, such as rupture velocity, porosity and fluid pressure, may also vary with the recurrence interval. Eighteen repetitions of the same small earthquake, separated by intervals ranging from a few days to several years, allow us to test these laboratory predictions in situ. The events with the longest time since the previous earthquake tend to have about 15% larger seismic moment than those with the shortest intervals, although this trend is weak. In addition, the rupture durations of the events with the longest recurrence intervals are more than a factor of two shorter than for the events with the shortest intervals. Both decreased duration and increased friction are consistent with progressive fault healing during the time of stationary contact.

The prevalence and significance of a short QT interval in 18,825 low-risk individuals including athletes.

PubMed

Dhutia, Harshil; Malhotra, Aneil; Parpia, Sameer; Gabus, Vincent; Finocchiaro, Gherardo; Mellor, Greg; Merghani, Ahmed; Millar, Lynne; Narain, Rajay; Sheikh, Nabeel; Behr, Elijah R; Papadakis, Michael; Sharma, Sanjay

2016-01-01

The short QT syndrome is a cardiac channelopathy characterised by accelerated repolarisation which manifests as a short QT interval on the ECG. The definition of a short QT interval is debated, ranging from <390 to ≤320 ms, and its clinical significance in healthy young individuals is unknown. We assessed the prevalence and medium-term significance of an isolated short QT interval in a diverse young British population. Between 2005 and 2013, 18 825 apparently healthy people aged 14-35 years underwent cardiovascular evaluation with history, physical examination and ECG. QT intervals were measured by cardiologists using 4 recommended guidelines (Seattle 2013, Heart Rhythm Society 2013, European Society of Cardiology 2010 and American Heart Association 2009). The prevalence of a short QT interval was 0.1% (26 patients, ≤320 ms), 0.2% (44 patients, ≤330 ms), 7.9% (1478 patients, <380 ms), 15.8% (2973 patients, <390 ms). Male gender and Afro-Caribbean ethnicity had the strongest association with short QT intervals. Athletes had shorter QT intervals than non-athletes but athletic status did not predict short QT intervals. Individuals with short QT intervals ≤320 ms did not report syncope or a sinister family history, and during a follow-up period of 5.3±1.2 years, there were no deaths in this group. The prevalence of a short QT interval depends on the recommended cut-off value. Even at values ≤320 ms, there was an excellent medium-term prognosis among 14 people followed. We conclude that a definition of ≤320 ms is realistic to prevent overdiagnosis and excessive investigations. 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/

Weighted regression analysis and interval estimators

Treesearch

Donald W. Seegrist

1974-01-01

A method for deriving the weighted least squares estimators for the parameters of a multiple regression model. Confidence intervals for expected values, and prediction intervals for the means of future samples are given.

Myocardial perfusion magnetic resonance imaging using sliding-window conjugate-gradient highly constrained back-projection reconstruction for detection of coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Ma, Heng; Yang, Jun; Liu, Jing; Ge, Lan; An, Jing; Tang, Qing; Li, Han; Zhang, Yu; Chen, David; Wang, Yong; Liu, Jiabin; Liang, Zhigang; Lin, Kai; Jin, Lixin; Bi, Xiaoming; Li, Kuncheng; Li, Debiao

2012-04-15

Myocardial perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with sliding-window conjugate-gradient highly constrained back-projection reconstruction (SW-CG-HYPR) allows whole left ventricular coverage, improved temporal and spatial resolution and signal/noise ratio, and reduced cardiac motion-related image artifacts. The accuracy of this technique for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been determined in a large number of patients. We prospectively evaluated the diagnostic performance of myocardial perfusion MRI with SW-CG-HYPR in patients with suspected CAD. A total of 50 consecutive patients who were scheduled for coronary angiography with suspected CAD underwent myocardial perfusion MRI with SW-CG-HYPR at 3.0 T. The perfusion defects were interpreted qualitatively by 2 blinded observers and were correlated with x-ray angiographic stenoses ≥50%. The prevalence of CAD was 56%. In the per-patient analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of SW-CG-HYPR was 96% (95% confidence interval 82% to 100%), 82% (95% confidence interval 60% to 95%), 87% (95% confidence interval 70% to 96%), 95% (95% confidence interval 74% to100%), and 90% (95% confidence interval 82% to 98%), respectively. In the per-vessel analysis, the corresponding values were 98% (95% confidence interval 91% to 100%), 89% (95% confidence interval 80% to 94%), 86% (95% confidence interval 76% to 93%), 99% (95% confidence interval 93% to 100%), and 93% (95% confidence interval 89% to 97%), respectively. In conclusion, myocardial perfusion MRI using SW-CG-HYPR allows whole left ventricular coverage and high resolution and has high diagnostic accuracy in patients with suspected CAD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between heart rate and quiescent interval of the cardiac cycle in children using MRI.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Bogale, Saivivek; Golriz, Farahnaz; Krishnamurthy, Rajesh

2017-11-01

Imaging the heart in children comes with the challenge of constant cardiac motion. A prospective electrocardiography-triggered CT scan allows for scanning during a predetermined phase of the cardiac cycle with least motion. This technique requires knowing the optimal quiescent intervals of cardiac cycles in a pediatric population. To evaluate high-temporal-resolution cine MRI of the heart in children to determine the relationship of heart rate to the optimal quiescent interval within the cardiac cycle. We included a total of 225 consecutive patients ages 0-18 years who had high-temporal-resolution cine steady-state free-precession sequence performed as part of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or magnetic resonance angiography study of the heart. We determined the location and duration of the quiescent interval in systole and diastole for heart rates ranging 40-178 beats per minute (bpm). We performed the Wilcoxon signed rank test to compare the duration of quiescent interval in systole and diastole for each heart rate group. The duration of the quiescent interval at heart rates <80 bpm and >90 bpm was significantly longer in diastole and systole, respectively (P<.0001 for all ranges, except for 90-99 bpm [P=.02]). For heart rates 80-89 bpm, diastolic interval was longer than systolic interval, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=.06). We created a chart depicting optimal quiescent intervals across a range of heart rates that could be applied for prospective electrocardiography-triggered CT imaging of the heart. The optimal quiescent interval at heart rates <80 bpm is in diastole and at heart rates ≥90 bpm is in systole. The period of quiescence at heart rates 80-89 bpm is uniformly short in systole and diastole.

Nationwide Multicenter Reference Interval Study for 28 Common Biochemical Analytes in China.

PubMed

Xia, Liangyu; Chen, Ming; Liu, Min; Tao, Zhihua; Li, Shijun; Wang, Liang; Cheng, Xinqi; Qin, Xuzhen; Han, Jianhua; Li, Pengchang; Hou, Li'an; Yu, Songlin; Ichihara, Kiyoshi; Qiu, Ling

2016-03-01

A nationwide multicenter study was conducted in the China to explore sources of variation of reference values and establish reference intervals for 28 common biochemical analytes, as a part of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits (IFCC/C-RIDL) global study on reference values. A total of 3148 apparently healthy volunteers were recruited in 6 cities covering a wide area in China. Blood samples were tested in 2 central laboratories using Beckman Coulter AU5800 chemistry analyzers. Certified reference materials and value-assigned serum panel were used for standardization of test results. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explore sources of variation. Need for partition of reference intervals was evaluated based on 3-level nested ANOVA. After secondary exclusion using the latent abnormal values exclusion method, reference intervals were derived by a parametric method using the modified Box-Cox formula. Test results of 20 analytes were made traceable to reference measurement procedures. By the ANOVA, significant sex-related and age-related differences were observed in 12 and 12 analytes, respectively. A small regional difference was observed in the results for albumin, glucose, and sodium. Multiple regression analysis revealed BMI-related changes in results of 9 analytes for man and 6 for woman. Reference intervals of 28 analytes were computed with 17 analytes partitioned by sex and/or age. In conclusion, reference intervals of 28 common chemistry analytes applicable to Chinese Han population were established by use of the latest methodology. Reference intervals of 20 analytes traceable to reference measurement procedures can be used as common reference intervals, whereas others can be used as the assay system-specific reference intervals in China.

Pediatric reference value distributions and covariate-stratified reference intervals for 29 endocrine and special chemistry biomarkers on the Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems: a CALIPER study of healthy community children.

PubMed

Karbasy, Kimiya; Lin, Danny C C; Stoianov, Alexandra; Chan, Man Khun; Bevilacqua, Victoria; Chen, Yunqi; Adeli, Khosrow

2016-04-01

The CALIPER program is a national research initiative aimed at closing the gaps in pediatric reference intervals. CALIPER previously reported reference intervals for endocrine and special chemistry markers on Abbott immunoassays. We now report new pediatric reference intervals for immunoassays on the Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems and assess platform-specific differences in reference values. A total of 711 healthy children and adolescents from birth to <19 years of age were recruited from the community. Serum samples were collected for measurement of 29 biomarkers on the Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems. Statistically relevant age and/or gender-based partitions were determined, outliers removed, and reference intervals calculated in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP28-A3c guidelines. Complex profiles were observed for all 29 analytes, necessitating unique age and/or sex-specific partitions. Overall, changes in analyte concentrations observed over the course of development were similar to trends previously reported, and are consistent with biochemical and physiological changes that occur during childhood. Marked differences were observed for some assays including progesterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone where reference intervals were higher than those reported on Abbott immunoassays and parathyroid hormone where intervals were lower. This study highlights the importance of determining reference intervals specific for each analytical platform. The CALIPER Pediatric Reference Interval database will enable accurate diagnosis and laboratory assessment of children monitored by Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems in health care institutions worldwide. These reference intervals must however be validated by individual labs for the local pediatric population as recommended by CLSI.

Nationwide Multicenter Reference Interval Study for 28 Common Biochemical Analytes in China

PubMed Central

Xia, Liangyu; Chen, Ming; Liu, Min; Tao, Zhihua; Li, Shijun; Wang, Liang; Cheng, Xinqi; Qin, Xuzhen; Han, Jianhua; Li, Pengchang; Hou, Li’an; Yu, Songlin; Ichihara, Kiyoshi; Qiu, Ling

2016-01-01

Abstract A nationwide multicenter study was conducted in the China to explore sources of variation of reference values and establish reference intervals for 28 common biochemical analytes, as a part of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits (IFCC/C-RIDL) global study on reference values. A total of 3148 apparently healthy volunteers were recruited in 6 cities covering a wide area in China. Blood samples were tested in 2 central laboratories using Beckman Coulter AU5800 chemistry analyzers. Certified reference materials and value-assigned serum panel were used for standardization of test results. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explore sources of variation. Need for partition of reference intervals was evaluated based on 3-level nested ANOVA. After secondary exclusion using the latent abnormal values exclusion method, reference intervals were derived by a parametric method using the modified Box–Cox formula. Test results of 20 analytes were made traceable to reference measurement procedures. By the ANOVA, significant sex-related and age-related differences were observed in 12 and 12 analytes, respectively. A small regional difference was observed in the results for albumin, glucose, and sodium. Multiple regression analysis revealed BMI-related changes in results of 9 analytes for man and 6 for woman. Reference intervals of 28 analytes were computed with 17 analytes partitioned by sex and/or age. In conclusion, reference intervals of 28 common chemistry analytes applicable to Chinese Han population were established by use of the latest methodology. Reference intervals of 20 analytes traceable to reference measurement procedures can be used as common reference intervals, whereas others can be used as the assay system-specific reference intervals in China. PMID:26945390

On the Modeling of the Residual Effects of the Clock Behavior and the Atmosphere Effects in the Analysis of VLBI Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bo, Zhang; Li, Jin-Ling; Wang, Guan-Gli

2002-01-01

We checked the dependence of the estimation of parameters on the choice of piecewise interval in the continuous piecewise linear modeling of the residual clock and atmosphere effects by single analysis of 27 VLBI experiments involving Shanghai station (Seshan 25m). The following are tentatively shown: (1) Different choices of the piecewise interval lead to differences in the estimation of station coordinates and in the weighted root mean squares ( wrms ) of the delay residuals, which can be of the order of centimeters or dozens of picoseconds respectively. So the choice of piecewise interval should not be arbitrary . (2) The piecewise interval should not be too long, otherwise the short - term variations in the residual clock and atmospheric effects can not be properly modeled. While in order to maintain enough degrees of freedom in parameter estimation, the interval can not be too short, otherwise the normal equation may become near or solely singular and the noises can not be constrained as well. Therefore the choice of the interval should be within some reasonable range. (3) Since the conditions of clock and atmosphere are different from experiment to experiment and from station to station, the reasonable range of the piecewise interval should be tested and chosen separately for each experiment as well as for each station by real data analysis. This is really arduous work in routine data analysis. (4) Generally speaking, with the default interval for clock as 60min, the reasonable range of piecewise interval for residual atmospheric effect modeling is between 10min to 40min, while with the default interval for atmosphere as 20min, that for residual clock behavior is between 20min to 100min.

R-R interval variations influence the degree of mitral regurgitation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

PubMed

Reimann, M J; Møller, J E; Häggström, J; Markussen, B; Holen, A E W; Falk, T; Olsen, L H

2014-03-01

Mitral regurgitation (MR) due to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a frequent finding in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs). Sinus arrhythmia and atrial premature complexes leading to R-R interval variations occur in dogs. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the duration of the R-R interval immediately influences the degree of MR assessed by echocardiography in dogs. Clinical examination including echocardiography was performed in 103 privately-owned dogs: 16 control Beagles, 70 CKCSs with different degree of MR and 17 dogs of different breeds with clinical signs of congestive heart failure due to MMVD. The severity of MR was evaluated in apical four-chamber view using colour Doppler flow mapping (maximum % of the left atrium area) and colour Doppler M-mode (duration in ms). The influence of the ratio between present and preceding R-R interval on MR severity was evaluated in 10 consecutive R-R intervals using a linear mixed model for repeated measurements. MR severity was increased when a short R-R interval was followed by a long R-R interval in CKCSs with different degrees of MR (P<0.005 when adjusted for multiple testing). The relationship was not significant in control dogs with minimal MR and in dogs with severe MR and clinical signs of heart failure. In conclusion, MR severity increases in long R-R intervals when these follow a short R-R interval in CKCSs with different degrees of MR due to asymptomatic MMVD. Thus, R-R interval variations may affect the echocardiographic grading of MR in CKCSs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the Workup and Surgical Treatment of Interval and Screen-Detected Breast Cancer in Older Women

PubMed Central

Goodrich, Martha E.; Weiss, Julie; Onega, Tracy; Balch, Steve L.; Buist, Diana S.M.; Kerlikowske, Karla; Henderson, Louise M.; Hubbard, Rebecca A.

2016-01-01

Goals We describe the relationship between preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the utilization of additional imaging, biopsy, and primary surgical treatment for subgroups of women with interval versus screen-detected breast cancer. We determined the proportion of women receiving additional breast imaging or biopsy and type of primary surgical treatment, stratified by use of preoperative MRI, separately for both groups. Methods Using Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) data, we identified a cohort of women age 66 and older with an interval or screen-detected breast cancer diagnosis between 2005–2010. Using logistic regression, we explored associations between primary surgical treatment type and preoperative MRI use for interval and screen-detected cancers. Results There were 204 women with an interval cancer and 1254 with a screen-detected cancer. The interval cancer group was more likely to receive preoperative MRI (21% vs. 13%). In both groups, women receiving MRI were more likely to receive additional imaging and/or biopsy. Receipt of MRI was not associated with increased odds of mastectomy (OR =0.99, 95% CI: 0.67–1.50), while interval cancer diagnosis was associated with significantly higher odds of mastectomy (OR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.11–2.42). Conclusion Older women with interval cancer were more likely than women with a screen-detected cancer to have preoperative MRI, however, those with an interval cancer had 64% higher odds of mastectomy regardless of receipt of MRI. Given women with interval cancer are reported to have a worse prognosis, more research is needed to understand effectiveness of imaging modalities and treatment consequences within this group. PMID:27550072

Ventricular Cycle Length Characteristics Estimative of Prolonged RR Interval during Atrial Fibrillation

PubMed Central

CIACCIO, EDWARD J.; BIVIANO, ANGELO B.; GAMBHIR, ALOK; EINSTEIN, ANDREW J.; GARAN, HASAN

2014-01-01

Background When atrial fibrillation (AF) is incessant, imaging during a prolonged ventricular RR interval may improve image quality. It was hypothesized that long RR intervals could be predicted from preceding RR values. Methods From the PhysioNet database, electrocardiogram RR intervals were obtained from 74 persistent AF patients. An RR interval lengthened by at least 250 ms beyond the immediately preceding RR interval (termed T0 and T1, respectively) was considered prolonged. A two-parameter scatterplot was used to predict the occurrence of a prolonged interval T0. The scatterplot parameters were: (1) RR variability (RRv) estimated as the average second derivative from 10 previous pairs of RR differences, T13–T2, and (2) Tm–T1, the difference between Tm, the mean from T13 to T2, and T1. For each patient, scatterplots were constructed using preliminary data from the first hour. The ranges of parameters 1 and 2 were adjusted to maximize the proportion of prolonged RR intervals within range. These constraints were used for prediction of prolonged RR in test data collected during the second hour. Results The mean prolonged event was 1.0 seconds in duration. Actual prolonged events were identified with a mean positive predictive value (PPV) of 80% in the test set. PPV was >80% in 36 of 74 patients. An average of 10.8 prolonged RR intervals per 60 minutes was correctly identified. Conclusions A method was developed to predict prolonged RR intervals using two parameters and prior statistical sampling for each patient. This or similar methodology may help improve cardiac imaging in many longstanding persistent AF patients. PMID:23998759

Effects of 4-aminopyridine on cardiac repolarization, PR interval, and heart rate in patients with spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Isoda, Wakana C; Segal, Jack L

2003-02-01

To determine the effects of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on heart rate and PR, QT, and QTc intervals in patients with longstanding spinal cord injury (SCI). Randomized, active-treatment-controlled, dose level-blinded study, with allocation concealed. University-affiliated, tertiary care medical center. Sixty otherwise healthy male and female outpatients with traumatic SCI of more than 1 year's duration. Intervention. Oral administration and dose titration to tolerance of an immediate-release formulation of 4-AP. The PR interval, heart rate, QT interval, and QTc interval obtained from standard 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) at baseline (before administration of 4-AP) and after 1 month of treatment were compared. The QTc intervals were derived by using Bazett's formula (equation) incorporated into standard computerized analyses of 12-lead ECG printouts. The paired t test was performed to test for the significance of differences between means and variances. No statistically significant differences were noted in heart rate or between ECG time intervals measured at baseline and after 1 month of treatment with 4-AP among all patients with SCI or between subgroups stratified by injury level (tetraplegia, paraplegia) or sex. During the 1-month period that 4-AP was administered, the heart rate and PR, QT, and QTc intervals all remained unchanged and stayed well within normal range in comparison to literature-derived control values. 4-Aminopyridine does not appear to influence the length of cardiac time intervals or heart rate and, hence, is unlikely to cause potentially life-threatening ventricular dysrrhythmias when administered long-term and taken orally in dosages of up to 30 mg/day. Specifically, cardiac repolarization (QTc interval) is unaffected in patients with SCI who continuously receive 4-AP for up to 1 month.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD): Different from PMS?

MedlinePlus

... taking SSRIs all month or only in the interval between ovulation and the start of your period. ... Taking birth control pills with no pill-free interval or with a shortened pill-free interval may ...

Multiscale multifractal DCCA and complexity behaviors of return intervals for Potts price model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jie; Wang, Jun; Stanley, H. Eugene

2018-02-01

To investigate the characteristics of extreme events in financial markets and the corresponding return intervals among these events, we use a Potts dynamic system to construct a random financial time series model of the attitudes of market traders. We use multiscale multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MM-DCCA) and Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) perform numerical research of the return intervals for two significant China's stock market indices and for the proposed model. The new MM-DCCA method is based on the Hurst surface and provides more interpretable cross-correlations of the dynamic mechanism between different return interval series. We scale the LZC method with different exponents to illustrate the complexity of return intervals in different scales. Empirical studies indicate that the proposed return intervals from the Potts system and the real stock market indices hold similar statistical properties.

Interval sampling methods and measurement error: a computer simulation.

PubMed

Wirth, Oliver; Slaven, James; Taylor, Matthew A

2014-01-01

A simulation study was conducted to provide a more thorough account of measurement error associated with interval sampling methods. A computer program simulated the application of momentary time sampling, partial-interval recording, and whole-interval recording methods on target events randomly distributed across an observation period. The simulation yielded measures of error for multiple combinations of observation period, interval duration, event duration, and cumulative event duration. The simulations were conducted up to 100 times to yield measures of error variability. Although the present simulation confirmed some previously reported characteristics of interval sampling methods, it also revealed many new findings that pertain to each method's inherent strengths and weaknesses. The analysis and resulting error tables can help guide the selection of the most appropriate sampling method for observation-based behavioral assessments. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris-Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact.

PubMed

Santana, Victor M; Alday, Josu G; Lee, HyoHyeMi; Allen, Katherine A; Marrs, Rob H

2016-01-01

A present challenge in fire ecology is to optimize management techniques so that ecological services are maximized and C emissions minimized. Here, we modeled the effects of different prescribed-burning rotation intervals and wildfires on carbon emissions (present and future) in British moorlands. Biomass-accumulation curves from four Calluna-dominated ecosystems along a north-south gradient in Great Britain were calculated and used within a matrix-model based on Markov Chains to calculate above-ground biomass-loads and annual C emissions under different prescribed-burning rotation intervals. Additionally, we assessed the interaction of these parameters with a decreasing wildfire return intervals. We observed that litter accumulation patterns varied between sites. Northern sites (colder and wetter) accumulated lower amounts of litter with time than southern sites (hotter and drier). The accumulation patterns of the living vegetation dominated by Calluna were determined by site-specific conditions. The optimal prescribed-burning rotation interval for minimizing annual carbon emissions also differed between sites: the optimal rotation interval for northern sites was between 30 and 50 years, whereas for southern sites a hump-backed relationship was found with the optimal interval either between 8 to 10 years or between 30 to 50 years. Increasing wildfire frequency interacted with prescribed-burning rotation intervals by both increasing C emissions and modifying the optimum prescribed-burning interval for minimum C emission. This highlights the importance of studying site-specific biomass accumulation patterns with respect to environmental conditions for identifying suitable fire-rotation intervals to minimize C emissions.

Clinical feasibility of exercise-based A-V interval optimization for cardiac resynchronization: a pilot study.

PubMed

Choudhuri, Indrajit; MacCarter, Dean; Shaw, Rachael; Anderson, Steve; St Cyr, John; Niazi, Imran

2014-11-01

One-third of eligible patients fail to respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Current methods to "optimize" the atrio-ventricular (A-V) interval are performed at rest, which may limit its efficacy during daily activities. We hypothesized that low-intensity cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) could identify the most favorable physiologic combination of specific gas exchange parameters reflecting pulmonary blood flow or cardiac output, stroke volume, and left atrial pressure to guide determination of the optimal A-V interval. We assessed relative feasibility of determining the optimal A-V interval by three methods in 17 patients who underwent optimization of CRT: (1) resting echocardiographic optimization (the Ritter method), (2) resting electrical optimization (intrinsic A-V interval and QRS duration), and (3) during low-intensity, steady-state CPX. Five sequential, incremental A-V intervals were programmed in each method. Assessment of cardiopulmonary stability and potential influence on the CPX-based method were assessed. CPX and determination of a physiological optimal A-V interval was successfully completed in 94.1% of patients, slightly higher than the resting echo-based approach (88.2%). There was a wide variation in the optimal A-V delay determined by each method. There was no observed cardiopulmonary instability or impact of the implant procedure that affected determination of the CPX-based optimized A-V interval. Determining optimized A-V intervals by CPX is feasible. Proposed mechanisms explaining this finding and long-term impact require further study. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Feeding Intervals in Premature Infants ≤1750 g: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Binchy, Áine; Moore, Zena; Patton, Declan

2018-06-01

The timely establishment of enteral feeds and a reduction in the number of feeding interruptions are key to achieving optimal nutrition in premature infants. Nutritional guidelines vary widely regarding feeding regimens and there is not a widely accepted consensus on the optimal feeding interval. To critically examine the evidence to determine whether there is a relationship to feeding intervals and feeding outcomes in premature infants. A systematic review of the literature in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The search strategy used the terms infant premature, low birth weight, enteral feeding, feed tolerance and feed intervals. Search results yielded 10 studies involving 1269 infants (birth weight ≤1750 g). No significant differences in feed intolerance, growth, or incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis were observed. Evidence suggests that infants fed at 2 hourly intervals reached full feeds faster than at 3 hourly intervals, had fewer days on parenteral nutrition, and fewer days in which feedings were withheld. Decrease in the volume of gastric residuals and feeding interruptions were observed in the infants fed at 3 hourly intervals than those who were continuously fed. Reducing the feed interval from 3 to 2 hourly increases nurse workload, yet may improve feeding outcomes by reducing the time to achieve full enteral feeding. Studies varied greatly in the definition and management of feeding intolerance and in how outcomes were measured, analyzed, and reported. The term "intermittent" is used widely but can refer to a 2 or 3 hourly interval.

Modulation of human time processing by subthalamic deep brain stimulation.

PubMed

Wojtecki, Lars; Elben, Saskia; Timmermann, Lars; Reck, Christiane; Maarouf, Mohammad; Jörgens, Silke; Ploner, Markus; Südmeyer, Martin; Groiss, Stefan Jun; Sturm, Volker; Niedeggen, Michael; Schnitzler, Alfons

2011-01-01

Timing in the range of seconds referred to as interval timing is crucial for cognitive operations and conscious time processing. According to recent models of interval timing basal ganglia (BG) oscillatory loops are involved in time interval recognition. Parkinsońs disease (PD) is a typical disease of the basal ganglia that shows distortions in interval timing. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a powerful treatment of PD which modulates motor and cognitive functions depending on stimulation frequency by affecting subcortical-cortical oscillatory loops. Thus, for the understanding of BG-involvement in interval timing it is of interest whether STN-DBS can modulate timing in a frequency dependent manner by interference with oscillatory time recognition processes. We examined production and reproduction of 5 and 15 second intervals and millisecond timing in a double blind, randomised, within-subject repeated-measures design of 12 PD-patients applying no, 10-Hz- and ≥ 130-Hz-STN-DBS compared to healthy controls. We found under(re-)production of the 15-second interval and a significant enhancement of this under(re-)production by 10-Hz-stimulation compared to no stimulation, ≥ 130-Hz-STN-DBS and controls. Milliseconds timing was not affected. We provide first evidence for a frequency-specific modulatory effect of STN-DBS on interval timing. Our results corroborate the involvement of BG in general and of the STN in particular in the cognitive representation of time intervals in the range of multiple seconds.

Modulation of Human Time Processing by Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation

PubMed Central

Timmermann, Lars; Reck, Christiane; Maarouf, Mohammad; Jörgens, Silke; Ploner, Markus; Südmeyer, Martin; Groiss, Stefan Jun; Sturm, Volker; Niedeggen, Michael; Schnitzler, Alfons

2011-01-01

Timing in the range of seconds referred to as interval timing is crucial for cognitive operations and conscious time processing. According to recent models of interval timing basal ganglia (BG) oscillatory loops are involved in time interval recognition. Parkinsońs disease (PD) is a typical disease of the basal ganglia that shows distortions in interval timing. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a powerful treatment of PD which modulates motor and cognitive functions depending on stimulation frequency by affecting subcortical-cortical oscillatory loops. Thus, for the understanding of BG-involvement in interval timing it is of interest whether STN-DBS can modulate timing in a frequency dependent manner by interference with oscillatory time recognition processes. We examined production and reproduction of 5 and 15 second intervals and millisecond timing in a double blind, randomised, within-subject repeated-measures design of 12 PD-patients applying no, 10-Hz- and ≥130-Hz-STN-DBS compared to healthy controls. We found under(re-)production of the 15-second interval and a significant enhancement of this under(re-)production by 10-Hz-stimulation compared to no stimulation, ≥130-Hz-STN-DBS and controls. Milliseconds timing was not affected. We provide first evidence for a frequency-specific modulatory effect of STN-DBS on interval timing. Our results corroborate the involvement of BG in general and of the STN in particular in the cognitive representation of time intervals in the range of multiple seconds. PMID:21931767

Place avoidance learning and memory in a jumping spider.

PubMed

Peckmezian, Tina; Taylor, Phillip W

2017-03-01

Using a conditioned passive place avoidance paradigm, we investigated the relative importance of three experimental parameters on learning and memory in a salticid, Servaea incana. Spiders encountered an aversive electric shock stimulus paired with one side of a two-sided arena. Our three parameters were the ecological relevance of the visual stimulus, the time interval between trials and the time interval before test. We paired electric shock with either a black or white visual stimulus, as prior studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that S. incana prefer dark 'safe' regions to light ones. We additionally evaluated the influence of two temporal features (time interval between trials and time interval before test) on learning and memory. Spiders exposed to the shock stimulus learned to associate shock with the visual background cue, but the extent to which they did so was dependent on which visual stimulus was present and the time interval between trials. Spiders trained with a long interval between trials (24 h) maintained performance throughout training, whereas spiders trained with a short interval (10 min) maintained performance only when the safe side was black. When the safe side was white, performance worsened steadily over time. There was no difference between spiders tested after a short (10 min) or long (24 h) interval before test. These results suggest that the ecological relevance of the stimuli used and the duration of the interval between trials can influence learning and memory in jumping spiders.

Technical note: Instantaneous sampling intervals validated from continuous video observation for behavioral recording of feedlot lambs.

PubMed

Pullin, A N; Pairis-Garcia, M D; Campbell, B J; Campler, M R; Proudfoot, K L

2017-11-01

When considering methodologies for collecting behavioral data, continuous sampling provides the most complete and accurate data set whereas instantaneous sampling can provide similar results and also increase the efficiency of data collection. However, instantaneous time intervals require validation to ensure accurate estimation of the data. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate scan sampling intervals for lambs housed in a feedlot environment. Feeding, lying, standing, drinking, locomotion, and oral manipulation were measured on 18 crossbred lambs housed in an indoor feedlot facility for 14 h (0600-2000 h). Data from continuous sampling were compared with data from instantaneous scan sampling intervals of 5, 10, 15, and 20 min using a linear regression analysis. Three criteria determined if a time interval accurately estimated behaviors: 1) ≥ 0.90, 2) slope not statistically different from 1 ( > 0.05), and 3) intercept not statistically different from 0 ( > 0.05). Estimations for lying behavior were accurate up to 20-min intervals, whereas feeding and standing behaviors were accurate only at 5-min intervals (i.e., met all 3 regression criteria). Drinking, locomotion, and oral manipulation demonstrated poor associations () for all tested intervals. The results from this study suggest that a 5-min instantaneous sampling interval will accurately estimate lying, feeding, and standing behaviors for lambs housed in a feedlot, whereas continuous sampling is recommended for the remaining behaviors. This methodology will contribute toward the efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of future behavioral data collection in lamb behavior research.

Fast and nondestructive determination of protein content in rapeseeds (Brassica napus L.) using Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS).

PubMed

Lu, Yuzhen; Du, Changwen; Yu, Changbing; Zhou, Jianmin

2014-08-01

Fast and non-destructive determination of rapeseed protein content carries significant implications in rapeseed production. This study presented the first attempt of using Fourier transform mid-infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) to quantify protein content of rapeseed. The full-spectrum model was first built using partial least squares (PLS). Interval selection methods including interval partial least squares (iPLS), synergy interval partial least squares (siPLS), backward elimination interval partial least squares (biPLS) and dynamic backward elimination interval partial least squares (dyn-biPLS) were then employed to select the relevant band or band combination for PLS modeling. The full-spectrum PLS model achieved an ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) of 2.047. In comparison, all interval selection methods produced better results than full-spectrum modeling. siPLS achieved the best predictive accuracy with an RPD of 3.215 when the spectrum was sectioned into 25 intervals, and two intervals (1198-1335 and 1614-1753 cm(-1) ) were selected. iPLS excelled biPLS and dyn-biPLS, and dyn-biPLS performed slightly better than biPLS. FTIR-PAS was verified as a promising analytical tool to quantify rapeseed protein content. Interval selection could extract the relevant individual band or synergy band associated with the sample constituent of interest, and then improve the prediction accuracy of the full-spectrum model. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Improved central confidence intervals for the ratio of Poisson means

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cousins, R. D.

The problem of confidence intervals for the ratio of two unknown Poisson means was "solved" decades ago, but a closer examination reveals that the standard solution is far from optimal from the frequentist point of view. We construct a more powerful set of central confidence intervals, each of which is a (typically proper) subinterval of the corresponding standard interval. They also provide upper and lower confidence limits which are more restrictive than the standard limits. The construction follows Neyman's original prescription, though discreteness of the Poisson distribution and the presence of a nuisance parameter (one of the unknown means) lead to slightly conservative intervals. Philosophically, the issue of the appropriateness of the construction method is similar to the issue of conditioning on the margins in 2×2 contingency tables. From a frequentist point of view, the new set maintains (over) coverage of the unknown true value of the ratio of means at each stated confidence level, even though the new intervals are shorter than the old intervals by any measure (except for two cases where they are identical). As an example, when the number 2 is drawn from each Poisson population, the 90% CL central confidence interval on the ratio of means is (0.169, 5.196), rather than (0.108, 9.245). In the cited literature, such confidence intervals have applications in numerous branches of pure and applied science, including agriculture, wildlife studies, manufacturing, medicine, reliability theory, and elementary particle physics.

Free Interval Duration: Clinical Evidence of the Primary Role of Excitement in Bipolar Disorder.

PubMed

Sani, Gabriele; Simonetti, Alessio; Reginaldi, Daniela; Koukopoulos, Alexia E; Del Casale, Antonio; Manfredi, Giovanni; Kotzalidis, Georgios D; Girardi, Paolo

2017-04-01

Cyclicity is the essential feature of Bipolar disorder, but the effect of different cycle patterns on the clinical features is poorly understood. Moreover, no studies investigated the relationship between mania and depression inside the manic-depressive cycle. The aim of this study is to verify the presence of a relationship between the manic and the depressive phase during the course of bipolar disorder. 160 consecutive patients with BD type I were recruited and followed for a mean period of 10 years. During the follow-up period, four types of euthymic phases were collected: free intervals present between a depressive and a manic/hypomanic episode (D-M); free intervals present between a manic/hypomanic and a depressive episode (M-D); free intervals present between two depressive episodes (D-D); free intervals present between two manic/hypomanic episodes (M-M). One-way ANOVA using the groups as independent variable and the duration of the free intervals as dependent variables was used. Furthermore, ANOVA was followed by Fisher's Protected Least Significant Difference post-hoc test to measure between-group differences. M-D-free interval phases were shorter than D-M-free intervals. M-D intervals were the shortest ones, the D-D and D-M did not differ, and the M-M were the longest. The strict temporal link between manic and depressive phases supports the idea that the manic-depressive cycle usually begins with a manic episode, and that the subsequent depression is often the consequence of subsiding mania.

Moderate irrigation intervals facilitate establishment of two desert shrubs in the Taklimakan Desert Highway Shelterbelt in China.

PubMed

Li, Congjuan; Shi, Xiang; Mohamad, Osama Abdalla; Gao, Jie; Xu, Xinwen; Xie, Yijun

2017-01-01

Water influences various physiological and ecological processes of plants in different ecosystems, especially in desert ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the response of physiological and morphological acclimation of two shrubs Haloxylon ammodendron and Calligonum mongolicunl to variations in irrigation intervals. The irrigation frequency was set as 1-, 2-, 4-, 8- and 12-week intervals respectively from March to October during 2012-2014 to investigate the response of physiological and morphological acclimation of two desert shrubs Haloxylon ammodendron and Calligonum mongolicunl to variations in the irrigation system. The irrigation interval significantly affected the individual-scale carbon acquisition and biomass allocation pattern of both species. Under good water conditions (1- and 2-week intervals), carbon assimilation was significantly higher than other treatments; while, under water shortage conditions (8- and 12-week intervals), there was much defoliation; and under moderate irrigation intervals (4 weeks), the assimilative organs grew gently with almost no defoliation occurring. Both studied species maintained similar ecophysiologically adaptive strategies, while C. mongolicunl was more sensitive to drought stress because of its shallow root system and preferential belowground allocation of resources. A moderate irrigation interval of 4 weeks was a suitable pattern for both plants since it not only saved water but also met the water demands of the plants.

Interval training attenuates the metabolic disturbances in type 1 diabetes rat model.

PubMed

Rocha, Ricelli Endrigo Ruppel; Coelho, Isabela; Pequito, Daniela Cristina T; Yamagushi, Adriana; Borghetti, Gina; Yamazaki, Ricardo Key; Brito, Gleisson Alisson Pereira de; Machado, Juliano; Kryczyk, Marcelo; Nunes, Everson Araújo; Venera, Graciela; Fernandes, Luiz Claudio

2013-11-01

This study investigated the effect of interval training on blood biochemistry and immune parameters in type 1 diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: sedentary (SE, n = 15), interval training (IT, n = 17), diabetic sedentary (DSE, n = 17), diabetic interval training (DIT, n = 17). Diabetes was induced by i.v. injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Swimming Interval Training consisted of 30-s exercise with 30-s rest, for 30 minutes, during 6 weeks, four times a week, with an overload of 15% of body mass. Plasma glucose, lactate, triacylglycerol and total cholesterol concentrations, phagocytic capacity, cationic vesicle content, and superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide production by blood neutrophils and peritoneal macrophages were evaluated. Proliferation of mesenteric lymphocytes was also estimated. Interval training resulted in attenuation of the resting hyperglycemic state and decreased blood lipids in the DIT group. Diabetes increased the functionality of blood neutrophils and peritoneal macrophages in the DSE group. Interval training increased all functionality parameters of peritoneal macrophages in the IT group. Interval training also led to a twofold increase in the proliferation of mesenteric lymphocytes after 6 weeks of exercise in the DIT group. Low-volume high-intensity physical exercise attenuates hyperglycemia and dislipidemia induced by type 1 diabetes, and induces changes in the functionality of innate and acquired immunity.

TOPSIS-based consensus model for group decision-making with incomplete interval fuzzy preference relations.

PubMed

Liu, Fang; Zhang, Wei-Guo

2014-08-01

Due to the vagueness of real-world environments and the subjective nature of human judgments, it is natural for experts to estimate their judgements by using incomplete interval fuzzy preference relations. In this paper, based on the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution method, we present a consensus model for group decision-making (GDM) with incomplete interval fuzzy preference relations. To do this, we first define a new consistency measure for incomplete interval fuzzy preference relations. Second, a goal programming model is proposed to estimate the missing interval preference values and it is guided by the consistency property. Third, an ideal interval fuzzy preference relation is constructed by using the induced ordered weighted averaging operator, where the associated weights of characterizing the operator are based on the defined consistency measure. Fourth, a similarity degree between complete interval fuzzy preference relations and the ideal one is defined. The similarity degree is related to the associated weights, and used to aggregate the experts' preference relations in such a way that more importance is given to ones with the higher similarity degree. Finally, a new algorithm is given to solve the GDM problem with incomplete interval fuzzy preference relations, which is further applied to partnership selection in formation of virtual enterprises.

Impact of bowel preparation on surveillance colonoscopy interval.

PubMed

Singhal, Shashideep; Virk, Muhammad Asif; Momeni, Mojdeh; Krishnaiah, Mahesh; Anand, Sury

2014-07-01

Atpresent there are no guidelines for colonoscopy surveillance interval in subjects with unsatisfactory bowel preparation. Study was designed to compare outcomes of repeat colonoscopy at different surveillance intervals in patients with unsatisfactory preparation on index exam. Ten thousand nine hundred and eight colonoscopies were done during the study period. Patients with index colonoscopy exam complete up to cecum but suboptimal bowel prep were included. Two hundred and ninety-seven patients met the inclusion criteria. The interval for repeat colonoscopy was <1 year in 38.5%, 1-2 years in 33.3%, 2-3 years in 16.7%, and 3-5 years in 11.5% subjects. Adenoma detection rate (ADR) was 24%, high-risk adenoma detection rate (HR-ADR) was 8.4%, and colorectal cancer detection rate was 1.7%. The HR-ADR based on surveillance intervals <1 year, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, and 3-5 years was 8%, 7.9%, 2%, and 19.4%, respectively. The HR-ADR was significantly higher at surveillance interval 3-5 years (p < 0.05). Colonoscopies repeated at interval >3 years showed a significant HR-ADR. The study indicates that a surveillance interval of 3 years can be reasonable for subjects having an index colonoscopy with suboptimal/fair/poor bowel prep and complete colon examination. Colonoscopy should be repeated earlier if symptoms develop.

Confidence intervals for correlations when data are not normal.

PubMed

Bishara, Anthony J; Hittner, James B

2017-02-01

With nonnormal data, the typical confidence interval of the correlation (Fisher z') may be inaccurate. The literature has been unclear as to which of several alternative methods should be used instead, and how extreme a violation of normality is needed to justify an alternative. Through Monte Carlo simulation, 11 confidence interval methods were compared, including Fisher z', two Spearman rank-order methods, the Box-Cox transformation, rank-based inverse normal (RIN) transformation, and various bootstrap methods. Nonnormality often distorted the Fisher z' confidence interval-for example, leading to a 95 % confidence interval that had actual coverage as low as 68 %. Increasing the sample size sometimes worsened this problem. Inaccurate Fisher z' intervals could be predicted by a sample kurtosis of at least 2, an absolute sample skewness of at least 1, or significant violations of normality hypothesis tests. Only the Spearman rank-order and RIN transformation methods were universally robust to nonnormality. Among the bootstrap methods, an observed imposed bootstrap came closest to accurate coverage, though it often resulted in an overly long interval. The results suggest that sample nonnormality can justify avoidance of the Fisher z' interval in favor of a more robust alternative. R code for the relevant methods is provided in supplementary materials.

Reduced birth intervals following the birth of children with long-term illness: evidence supporting a conditional evolved response.

PubMed

Waynforth, David

2015-10-01

Human birth interval length is indicative of the level of parental investment that a child will receive: a short interval following birth means that parental resources must be split with a younger sibling during a period when the older sibling remains highly dependent on their parents. From a life-history theoretical perspective, it is likely that there are evolved mechanisms that serve to maximize fitness depending on context. One context that would be expected to result in short birth intervals, and lowered parental investment, is after a child with low expected fitness is born. Here, data drawn from a longitudinal British birth cohort study were used to test whether birth intervals were shorter following the birth of a child with a long-term health problem. Data on the timing of 4543 births were analysed using discrete-time event history analysis. The results were consistent with the hypothesis: birth intervals were shorter following the birth of a child diagnosed by a medical professional with a severe but non-fatal medical condition. Covariates in the analysis were also significantly associated with birth interval length: births of twins or multiple births, and relationship break-up were associated with significantly longer birth intervals. © 2015 The Author(s).

Confidence intervals and sample size calculations for the standardized mean difference effect size between two normal populations under heteroscedasticity.

PubMed

Shieh, G

2013-12-01

The use of effect sizes and associated confidence intervals in all empirical research has been strongly emphasized by journal publication guidelines. To help advance theory and practice in the social sciences, this article describes an improved procedure for constructing confidence intervals of the standardized mean difference effect size between two independent normal populations with unknown and possibly unequal variances. The presented approach has advantages over the existing formula in both theoretical justification and computational simplicity. In addition, simulation results show that the suggested one- and two-sided confidence intervals are more accurate in achieving the nominal coverage probability. The proposed estimation method provides a feasible alternative to the most commonly used measure of Cohen's d and the corresponding interval procedure when the assumption of homogeneous variances is not tenable. To further improve the potential applicability of the suggested methodology, the sample size procedures for precise interval estimation of the standardized mean difference are also delineated. The desired precision of a confidence interval is assessed with respect to the control of expected width and to the assurance probability of interval width within a designated value. Supplementary computer programs are developed to aid in the usefulness and implementation of the introduced techniques.

Important influence of respiration on human R-R interval power spectra is largely ignored

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, T. E.; Beightol, L. A.; Koh, J.; Eckberg, D. L.

1993-01-01

Frequency-domain analyses of R-R intervals are used widely to estimate levels of autonomic neural traffic to the human heart. Because respiration modulates autonomic activity, we determined for nine healthy subjects the influence of breathing frequency and tidal volume on R-R interval power spectra (fast-Fourier transform method). We also surveyed published literature to determine current practices in this burgeoning field of scientific inquiry. Supine subjects breathed at rates of 6, 7.5, 10, 15, 17.1, 20, and 24 breaths/min and with nominal tidal volumes of 1,000 and 1,500 ml. R-R interval power at respiratory and low (0.06-0.14 Hz) frequencies declined significantly as breathing frequency increased. R-R interval power at respiratory frequencies was significantly greater at a tidal volume of 1,500 than 1,000 ml. Neither breathing frequency nor tidal volume influenced average R-R intervals significantly. Our review of studies reporting human R-R interval power spectra showed that 51% of the studies controlled respiratory rate, 11% controlled tidal volume, and 11% controlled both respiratory rate and tidal volume. The major implications of our analyses are that breathing parameters strongly influence low-frequency as well as respiratory frequency R-R interval power spectra and that this influence is largely ignored in published research.

Interval Graph Limits

PubMed Central

Diaconis, Persi; Holmes, Susan; Janson, Svante

2015-01-01

We work out a graph limit theory for dense interval graphs. The theory developed departs from the usual description of a graph limit as a symmetric function W (x, y) on the unit square, with x and y uniform on the interval (0, 1). Instead, we fix a W and change the underlying distribution of the coordinates x and y. We find choices such that our limits are continuous. Connections to random interval graphs are given, including some examples. We also show a continuity result for the chromatic number and clique number of interval graphs. Some results on uniqueness of the limit description are given for general graph limits. PMID:26405368

Local rollback for fault-tolerance in parallel computing systems

DOEpatents

Blumrich, Matthias A [Yorktown Heights, NY; Chen, Dong [Yorktown Heights, NY; Gara, Alan [Yorktown Heights, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Yorktown Heights, NY; Heidelberger, Philip [Yorktown Heights, NY; Ohmacht, Martin [Yorktown Heights, NY; Steinmacher-Burow, Burkhard [Boeblingen, DE; Sugavanam, Krishnan [Yorktown Heights, NY

2012-01-24

A control logic device performs a local rollback in a parallel super computing system. The super computing system includes at least one cache memory device. The control logic device determines a local rollback interval. The control logic device runs at least one instruction in the local rollback interval. The control logic device evaluates whether an unrecoverable condition occurs while running the at least one instruction during the local rollback interval. The control logic device checks whether an error occurs during the local rollback. The control logic device restarts the local rollback interval if the error occurs and the unrecoverable condition does not occur during the local rollback interval.

Identification of atrial fibrillation using electrocardiographic RR-interval difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliana, M.; Nuryani, N.

2017-11-01

Automated detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) is an interesting topic. It is an account of very dangerous, not only as a trigger of embolic stroke, but it’s also related to some else chronical disease. In this study, we analyse the presence of AF by determining irregularities of RR-interval. We utilize the interval comparison to measure the degree of irregularities of RR-interval in a defined segment. The series of RR-interval is segmented with the length of 10 of them. In this study, we use interval comparison for the method. We were comparing all of the intervals there each other. Then we put the threshold to define the low difference and high difference (δ). A segment is defined as AF or Normal Sinus by the number of high δ, so we put the tolerance (β) of high δ there. We have used this method to test the 23 patients data from MIT-BIH. Using the approach and the clinical data we find accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 84.98%, 91.99%, and 77.85% respectively.

Atlas of interoccurrence intervals for selected thresholds of daily precipitation in Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, William H.; Roussel, Meghan C.

2003-01-01

A Poisson process model is used to define the distribution of interoccurrence intervals of daily precipitation in Texas. A precipitation interoccurrence interval is the time period between two successive rainfall events. Rainfall events are defined as daily precipitation equaling or exceeding a specified depth threshold. Ten precipitation thresholds are considered: 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 inches. Site-specific mean interoccurrence interval and ancillary statistics are presented for each threshold and for each of 1,306 National Weather Service daily precipitation gages. Maps depicting the spatial variation across Texas of the mean interoccurrence interval for each threshold are presented. The percent change from the statewide standard deviation of the interoccurrence intervals to the root-mean-square error ranges from a magnitude minimum of (negative) -24 to a magnitude maximum of -60 percent for the 0.05- and 2.0-inch thresholds, respectively. Because of the substantial negative percent change, the maps are considered more reliable estimators of the mean interoccurrence interval for most locations in Texas than the statewide mean values.

A pilot study of the effects of interview content, retention interval, and grade on accuracy of dietary information from children

PubMed Central

Baxter, Suzanne Domel; Hitchcock, David B; Guinn, Caroline H; Royer, Julie A; Wilson, Dawn K; Pate, Russell R; McIver, Kerry L; Dowda, Marsha

2013-01-01

Objective Investigate differences in dietary recall accuracy by interview content (diet-only; diet-and-physical-activity), retention interval (same-day; previous-day), and grade (3rd; 5th). Methods Thirty-two children observed eating school-provided meals and interviewed once each; interview content and retention interval randomly assigned. Multivariate analysis of variance on rates for omissions (foods observed but unreported) and intrusions (foods reported but unobserved); independent variables—interview content, retention interval, grade. Results Accuracy differed by retention interval (P = .05; better for same-day [omission rate, intrusion rate: 28%, 20%] than previous-day [54%, 45%]) but not interview content (P > .48; diet-only: 41%, 33%; diet-and-physical-activity: 41%, 33%) or grade (P > .27; 3rd: 48%, 42%; 5th: 34%, 24%). Conclusions and Implications Although the small sample limits firm conclusions, results provide evidence-based direction to enhance accuracy; specifically, to shorten the retention interval. Larger validation studies need to investigate the combined effect of interview content, retention interval, and grade on accuracy. PMID:23562487

Recurrence interval analysis of trading volumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Fei; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2010-06-01

We study the statistical properties of the recurrence intervals τ between successive trading volumes exceeding a certain threshold q . The recurrence interval analysis is carried out for the 20 liquid Chinese stocks covering a period from January 2000 to May 2009, and two Chinese indices from January 2003 to April 2009. Similar to the recurrence interval distribution of the price returns, the tail of the recurrence interval distribution of the trading volumes follows a power-law scaling, and the results are verified by the goodness-of-fit tests using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) statistic, the weighted KS statistic and the Cramér-von Mises criterion. The measurements of the conditional probability distribution and the detrended fluctuation function show that both short-term and long-term memory effects exist in the recurrence intervals between trading volumes. We further study the relationship between trading volumes and price returns based on the recurrence interval analysis method. It is found that large trading volumes are more likely to occur following large price returns, and the comovement between trading volumes and price returns is more pronounced for large trading volumes.

Reference Intervals of Alpha-Fetoprotein and Carcinoembryonic Antigen in the Apparently Healthy Population.

PubMed

Zhang, Gao-Ming; Guo, Xu-Xiao; Ma, Xiao-Bo; Zhang, Guo-Ming

2016-12-12

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to calculate 95% reference intervals and double-sided limits of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) according to the CLSI EP28-A3 guideline. MATERIAL AND METHODS Serum AFP and CEA values were measured in samples from 26 000 healthy subjects in the Shuyang area receiving general health checkups. The 95% reference intervals and upper limits were calculated by using MedCalc. RESULTS We provided continuous reference intervals from 20 years old to 90 years old for AFP and CEA. The reference intervals were: AFP, 1.31-7.89 ng/ml (males) and 1.01-7.10 ng/ml (females); CEA, 0.51-4.86 ng/ml (males) and 0.35-3.45ng/ml (females). AFP and CEA were significantly positively correlated with age in both males (r=0.196 and r=0.198) and females (r=0.121 and r=0.197). CONCLUSIONS Different races or populations and different detection systems may result in different reference intervals for AFP and CEA. Continuous reference intervals of age changes are more accurate than age groups.

Recurrence interval analysis of trading volumes.

PubMed

Ren, Fei; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2010-06-01

We study the statistical properties of the recurrence intervals τ between successive trading volumes exceeding a certain threshold q. The recurrence interval analysis is carried out for the 20 liquid Chinese stocks covering a period from January 2000 to May 2009, and two Chinese indices from January 2003 to April 2009. Similar to the recurrence interval distribution of the price returns, the tail of the recurrence interval distribution of the trading volumes follows a power-law scaling, and the results are verified by the goodness-of-fit tests using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) statistic, the weighted KS statistic and the Cramér-von Mises criterion. The measurements of the conditional probability distribution and the detrended fluctuation function show that both short-term and long-term memory effects exist in the recurrence intervals between trading volumes. We further study the relationship between trading volumes and price returns based on the recurrence interval analysis method. It is found that large trading volumes are more likely to occur following large price returns, and the comovement between trading volumes and price returns is more pronounced for large trading volumes.

Sex Hormones and the QT Interval: A Review

PubMed Central

Sedlak, Tara; Shufelt, Chrisandra; Iribarren, Carlos

2012-01-01

Abstract A prolonged QT interval is a marker for an increased risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Both endogenous and exogenous sex hormones have been shown to affect the QT interval. Endogenous testosterone and progesterone shorten the action potential, and estrogen lengthens the QT interval. During a single menstrual cycle, progesterone levels, but not estrogen levels, have the dominant effect on ventricular repolarization in women. Studies of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the form of estrogen-alone therapy (ET) and estrogen plus progesterone therapy (EPT) have suggested a counterbalancing effect of exogenous estrogen and progesterone on the QT. Specifically, ET lengthens the QT, whereas EPT has no effect. To date, there are no studies on oral contraception (OC) and the QT interval, and future research is needed. This review outlines the current literature on sex hormones and QT interval, including the endogenous effects of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone and the exogenous effects of estrogen and progesterone therapy in the forms of MHT and hormone contraception. Further, we review the potential mechanisms and pathophysiology of sex hormones on the QT interval. PMID:22663191

Modified Confidence Intervals for the Mean of an Autoregressive Process.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-01

Validity of the method 45 3.6 Theorem 47 4 Derivation of corrections 48 Introduction 48 The zero order pivot 50 4.1 Algorithm 50 CONTENTS The first...of standard confidence intervals. There are several standard methods of setting confidence intervals in simulations, including the regener- ative... method , batch means, and time series methods . We-will focus-s on improved confidence intervals for the mean of an autoregressive process, and as such our

Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis: Confidence Intervals for Rosenthal's Fail-Safe Number.

PubMed

Fragkos, Konstantinos C; Tsagris, Michail; Frangos, Christos C

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to assess the efficacy of confidence intervals for Rosenthal's fail-safe number. Although Rosenthal's estimator is highly used by researchers, its statistical properties are largely unexplored. First of all, we developed statistical theory which allowed us to produce confidence intervals for Rosenthal's fail-safe number. This was produced by discerning whether the number of studies analysed in a meta-analysis is fixed or random. Each case produces different variance estimators. For a given number of studies and a given distribution, we provided five variance estimators. Confidence intervals are examined with a normal approximation and a nonparametric bootstrap. The accuracy of the different confidence interval estimates was then tested by methods of simulation under different distributional assumptions. The half normal distribution variance estimator has the best probability coverage. Finally, we provide a table of lower confidence intervals for Rosenthal's estimator.

Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis: Confidence Intervals for Rosenthal's Fail-Safe Number

PubMed Central

Fragkos, Konstantinos C.; Tsagris, Michail; Frangos, Christos C.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to assess the efficacy of confidence intervals for Rosenthal's fail-safe number. Although Rosenthal's estimator is highly used by researchers, its statistical properties are largely unexplored. First of all, we developed statistical theory which allowed us to produce confidence intervals for Rosenthal's fail-safe number. This was produced by discerning whether the number of studies analysed in a meta-analysis is fixed or random. Each case produces different variance estimators. For a given number of studies and a given distribution, we provided five variance estimators. Confidence intervals are examined with a normal approximation and a nonparametric bootstrap. The accuracy of the different confidence interval estimates was then tested by methods of simulation under different distributional assumptions. The half normal distribution variance estimator has the best probability coverage. Finally, we provide a table of lower confidence intervals for Rosenthal's estimator. PMID:27437470

A sequential solution for anisotropic total variation image denoising with interval constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jingyan; Noo, Frédéric

2017-09-01

We show that two problems involving the anisotropic total variation (TV) and interval constraints on the unknown variables admit, under some conditions, a simple sequential solution. Problem 1 is a constrained TV penalized image denoising problem; problem 2 is a constrained fused lasso signal approximator. The sequential solution entails finding first the solution to the unconstrained problem, and then applying a thresholding to satisfy the constraints. If the interval constraints are uniform, this sequential solution solves problem 1. If the interval constraints furthermore contain zero, the sequential solution solves problem 2. Here uniform interval constraints refer to all unknowns being constrained to the same interval. A typical example of application is image denoising in x-ray CT, where the image intensities are non-negative as they physically represent linear attenuation coefficient in the patient body. Our results are simple yet seem unknown; we establish them using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions for constrained convex optimization.

VARIABLE TIME-INTERVAL GENERATOR

DOEpatents

Gross, J.E.

1959-10-31

This patent relates to a pulse generator and more particularly to a time interval generator wherein the time interval between pulses is precisely determined. The variable time generator comprises two oscillators with one having a variable frequency output and the other a fixed frequency output. A frequency divider is connected to the variable oscillator for dividing its frequency by a selected factor and a counter is used for counting the periods of the fixed oscillator occurring during a cycle of the divided frequency of the variable oscillator. This defines the period of the variable oscillator in terms of that of the fixed oscillator. A circuit is provided for selecting as a time interval a predetermined number of periods of the variable oscillator. The output of the generator consists of a first pulse produced by a trigger circuit at the start of the time interval and a second pulse marking the end of the time interval produced by the same trigger circuit.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A FIBRINOGEN REFERENCE INTERVAL IN ORNATE BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE ORNATA ORNATA).

PubMed

Parkinson, Lily; Olea-Popelka, Francisco; Klaphake, Eric; Dadone, Liza; Johnston, Matthew

2016-09-01

This study sought to establish a reference interval for fibrinogen in healthy ornate box turtles ( Terrapene ornata ornata). A total of 48 turtles were enrolled, with 42 turtles deemed to be noninflammatory and thus fitting the inclusion criteria and utilized to estimate a fibrinogen reference interval. Turtles were excluded based upon physical examination and blood work abnormalities. A Shapiro-Wilk normality test indicated that the noninflammatory turtle fibrinogen values were normally distributed (Gaussian distribution) with an average of 108 mg/dl and a 95% confidence interval of the mean of 97.9-117 mg/dl. Those turtles excluded from the reference interval because of abnormalities affecting their health had significantly different fibrinogen values (P = 0.313). A reference interval for healthy ornate box turtles was calculated. Further investigation into the utility of fibrinogen measurement for clinical usage in ornate box turtles is warranted.

Evaluation about the performance of E-government based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set.

PubMed

Zhang, Shuai; Yu, Dejian; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Wenyu

2014-01-01

The evaluation is an important approach to promote the development of the E-Government. Since the rapid development of E-Government in the world, the E-Government performance evaluation has become a hot issue in the academia. In this paper, we develop a new evaluation method for the development of the E-Government based on the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set which is a powerful technique in expressing the uncertainty of the real situation. First, we extend the geometric Heronian mean (GHM) operator to interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment and proposed the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy GHM (IIFGHM) operator. Then, we investigate the relationships between the IIFGHM operator and some existing ones, such as generalized interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy HM (GIIFHM) and interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy weighted Bonferoni mean operator. Furthermore, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed method using a real case about the E-Government evaluation in Hangzhou City, China.

Expressing Intervals in Automated Service Negotiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Kassidy P.; Warnier, Martijn; van Splunter, Sander; Brazier, Frances M. T.

During automated negotiation of services between autonomous agents, utility functions are used to evaluate the terms of negotiation. These terms often include intervals of values which are prone to misinterpretation. It is often unclear if an interval embodies a continuum of real numbers or a subset of natural numbers. Furthermore, it is often unclear if an agent is expected to choose only one value, multiple values, a sub-interval or even multiple sub-intervals. Additional semantics are needed to clarify these issues. Normally, these semantics are stored in a domain ontology. However, ontologies are typically domain specific and static in nature. For dynamic environments, in which autonomous agents negotiate resources whose attributes and relationships change rapidly, semantics should be made explicit in the service negotiation. This paper identifies issues that are prone to misinterpretation and proposes a notation for expressing intervals. This notation is illustrated using an example in WS-Agreement.

Inter-Pregnancy Intervals and Maternal Morbidity: New Evidence from Rwanda.

PubMed

Habimana-Kabano, Ignace; Broekhuis, Annelet; Hooimeijer, Pieter

2015-09-01

The effects of short and long pregnancy intervals on maternal morbidity have hardly been investigated. This research analyses these effects using logistic regression in two steps. First, data from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey 2010 are used to study delivery referrals to District hospitals. Second, Kibagabaga District Hospital's maternity records are used to study the effect of inter-pregnancy intervals on maternal morbidity. The results show that both short and long intervals lead to higher odds of being referred because of pregnancy or delivery complications. Once admitted, short intervals were not associated with higher levels of maternal morbidity. Long intervals are associated with higher risks of third trimester bleeding, premature rupture of membrane and lower limb edema, while a higher age at conception is associated with lower risks. Poor women from rural areas and with limited health insurance are less often admitted to a hospital, which might bias the results.

Trends and racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Northern California: 1996-2014.

PubMed

Peng, Tiffany Y; Ehrlich, Samantha F; Crites, Yvonne; Kitzmiller, John L; Kuzniewicz, Michael W; Hedderson, Monique M; Ferrara, Assiamira

2017-02-01

Despite concern for adverse perinatal outcomes in women with diabetes mellitus before pregnancy, recent data on the prevalence of pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States are lacking. The purpose of this study was to estimate changes in the prevalence of overall pregestational diabetes mellitus (all types) and pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and to estimate whether changes varied by race-ethnicity from 1996-2014. We conducted a cohort study among 655,428 pregnancies at a Northern California integrated health delivery system from 1996-2014. Logistic regression analyses provided estimates of prevalence and trends. The age-adjusted prevalence (per 100 deliveries) of overall pregestational diabetes mellitus increased from 1996-1999 to 2012-2014 (from 0.58 [95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.63] to 1.06 [95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.12]; P trend <.0001). Significant increases occurred in all racial-ethnic groups; the largest relative increase was among Hispanic women (121.8% [95% confidence interval, 84.4-166.7]); the smallest relative increase was among non-Hispanic white women (49.6% [95% confidence interval, 27.5-75.4]). The age-adjusted prevalence of pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus increased from 0.14 (95% confidence interval, 0.12-0.16) to 0.23 (95% confidence interval, 0.21-0.27; P trend <.0001) and from 0.42 (95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.46) to 0.78 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.83; P trend <.0001), respectively. The greatest relative increase in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus was in non-Hispanic white women (118.4% [95% confidence interval, 70.0-180.5]), who had the lowest increases in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (13.6% [95% confidence interval, -8.0 to 40.1]). The greatest relative increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was in Hispanic women (125.2% [95% confidence interval, 84.8-174.4]), followed by African American women (102.0% [95% confidence interval, 38.3-194.3]) and Asian women (93.3% [95% confidence interval, 48.9-150.9]). The prevalence of overall pregestational diabetes mellitus and pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus increased from 1996-1999 to 2012-2014 and racial-ethnic disparities were observed, possibly because of differing prevalence of maternal obesity. Targeted prevention efforts, preconception care, and disease management strategies are needed to reduce the burden of diabetes mellitus and its sequelae. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of atrial electromechanical interval using echocardiography after catheter ablation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiaodong; Chen, Minglong; Wang, Yingying; Yang, Bing; Ju, Weizhu; Zhang, Fengxiang; Cao, Kejiang

2016-01-01

Abstract We sought to investigate variation of atrial electromechanical interval after catheter ablation procedure in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation using pulse Doppler (PW) and pulse tissue Doppler imaging (PW-TDI). A total of 25 consecutive in-patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, who restored sinus rhythm after ablation procedure, were recruited in our cardiac center. Echocardiography was performed on each patient at 2 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 1 month and 3 months after the ablation therapy, and atrial electromechanical delay was measured simultaneously by PW and PW-TDI. There was no significant difference between PW and TDI in measuring atrial electromechanical delay. However, at postoperative 2 hours, peak A detection rates were mathematically but nonsignificantly greater by PW-TDI than by PW. Second, there was a significant decreasing trend in atrial electromechanical interval from postoperative 2 hours to 3 months, but only postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval was significantly greater than atrial electromechanical interval at other time. Lastly, patients without postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval had a significantly longer duration of atrial fibrillation as compared to those with postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval, by the PW or by PW-TDI, respectively. In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, atrial electromechanical interval may decrease significantly within the first 24 hours after ablation but remain consistent later, and was significantly related to patients’ duration of atrial fibrillation. Atrial electromechanical interval, as a potential predicted factor, is recommended to be measured by either PW or TDI after 24 hours, when patients had recovered sinus rhythm by radiofrequency ablation. PMID:27924066

Military Applicability of Interval Training for Health and Performance.

PubMed

Gibala, Martin J; Gagnon, Patrick J; Nindl, Bradley C

2015-11-01

Militaries from around the globe have predominantly used endurance training as their primary mode of aerobic physical conditioning, with historical emphasis placed on the long distance run. In contrast to this traditional exercise approach to training, interval training is characterized by brief, intermittent bouts of intense exercise, separated by periods of lower intensity exercise or rest for recovery. Although hardly a novel concept, research over the past decade has shed new light on the potency of interval training to elicit physiological adaptations in a time-efficient manner. This work has largely focused on the benefits of low-volume interval training, which involves a relatively small total amount of exercise, as compared with the traditional high-volume approach to training historically favored by militaries. Studies that have directly compared interval and moderate-intensity continuous training have shown similar improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and the capacity for aerobic energy metabolism, despite large differences in total exercise and training time commitment. Interval training can also be applied in a calisthenics manner to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and strength, and this approach could easily be incorporated into a military conditioning environment. Although interval training can elicit physiological changes in men and women, the potential for sex-specific adaptations in the adaptive response to interval training warrants further investigation. Additional work is needed to clarify adaptations occurring over the longer term; however, interval training deserves consideration from a military applicability standpoint as a time-efficient training strategy to enhance soldier health and performance. There is value for military leaders in identifying strategies that reduce the time required for exercise, but nonetheless provide an effective training stimulus.

Systematic review of serum steroid reference intervals developed using mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Tavita, Nevada; Greaves, Ronda F

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the published literature to determine the available serum/plasma steroid reference intervals generated by mass spectrometry (MS) methods across all age groups in healthy subjects and to suggest recommendations to achieve common MS based reference intervals for serum steroids. MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed databases were used to conduct a comprehensive search for English language, MS-based reference interval studies for serum/plasma steroids. Selection of steroids to include was based on those listed in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, Chemical Pathology, Endocrine Program. This methodology has been registered onto the PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (ID number: CRD42015029637). After accounting for duplicates, a total of 60 manuscripts were identified through the search strategy. Following critical evaluation, a total of 16 studies were selected. Of the 16 studies, 12 reported reference intervals for testosterone, 11 for 17 hydroxy-progesterone, nine for androstenedione, six for cortisol, three for progesterone, two for dihydrotestosterone and only one for aldosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. No studies established MS-based reference intervals for oestradiol. As far as we are aware, this report provides the first comparison of the peer reviewed literature for serum/plasma steroid reference intervals generated by MS-based methods. The reference intervals based on these published studies can be used to inform the process to develop common reference intervals, and agreed reporting units for mass spectrometry based steroid methods. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time intervals in the treatment of fractured femurs as indicators of the quality of trauma systems.

PubMed

Matityahu, Amir; Elliott, Iain; Marmor, Meir; Caldwell, Amber; Coughlin, Richard; Gosselin, Richard A

2014-01-01

To investigate the use of time intervals in the treatment of fractured femurs as indicators of the quality of trauma systems. Time intervals from injury to admission, admission to surgery and surgery to discharge for patients with isolated femur fractures in four low- and middle-income countries were compared with the corresponding values from one German hospital, an Israeli hospital and the National Trauma Data Bank of the United States of America by means of Student's t-tests. The correlations between the time intervals recorded in a country and that country's expenditure on health and gross domestic product (GDP) were also evaluated using Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. Relative to patients from high-income countries, those from low- and middle-income countries were significantly more likely to be male and to have been treated by open femoral nailing, and their intervals from injury to admission, admission to surgery and surgery to discharge were significantly longer. Strong negative correlations were detected between the interval from injury to admission and government expenditure on health, and between the interval from admission to surgery and the per capita values for total expenditure on health, government expenditure on health and GDP. Strong positive correlations were detected between the interval from surgery to discharge and general government expenditure on health. The time intervals for the treatment of femur fractures are relatively long in low- and middle-income countries, can easily be measured, and are highly correlated with accessible and quantifiable country data on health and economics.

Effect of mood states on QT interval and QT dispersion in eating disorder patients.

PubMed

Takimoto, Yoshiyuki; Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro; Akabayashi, Akira

2008-04-01

Prolonged QT interval and QT dispersion have been reported in patients with eating disorders. Although the factors that cause prolongation remain unclear, mood states such as anxiety have been reported to influence QT interval and dispersion, probably via the autonomic nervous system. Therefore the aim of the present paper was to investigate mood effect on prolonged QT interval and QT dispersion. The subjects were 47 female anorexia nervosa (AN) and 48 female bulimia nervosa (BN) patients. In all of the patients, serum electrolyte levels were normal. QT interval and QT dispersion were measured from 12-lead electrocardiographic recordings. Mood states in each patient were measured using a Profile of Mood States (POMS) evaluation, and the patients were divided into high- and low-score groups for each POMS subscale. The differences in QT variables were compared between the two groups for each subscale. In the BN group, QT interval and QT dispersion in the high depression score group were significantly longer than those in the low depression score group, and QT dispersion was significantly greater in the high anxiety score group than in the low anxiety score group. In addition, QT interval and QT dispersion were significantly correlated with depression scores. In the AN group there were no significant differences in QT interval or QT dispersion between the high- and low-score groups for any POMS subscale. BN patients with worse states of depression or anxiety had longer QT intervals and larger QT dispersion. In BN patients, mood disturbance might increase the risk of arrhythmias.

Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris–Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact

PubMed Central

Santana, Victor M.; Alday, Josu G.; Lee, HyoHyeMi; Allen, Katherine A.; Marrs, Rob H.

2016-01-01

A present challenge in fire ecology is to optimize management techniques so that ecological services are maximized and C emissions minimized. Here, we modeled the effects of different prescribed-burning rotation intervals and wildfires on carbon emissions (present and future) in British moorlands. Biomass-accumulation curves from four Calluna-dominated ecosystems along a north-south gradient in Great Britain were calculated and used within a matrix-model based on Markov Chains to calculate above-ground biomass-loads and annual C emissions under different prescribed-burning rotation intervals. Additionally, we assessed the interaction of these parameters with a decreasing wildfire return intervals. We observed that litter accumulation patterns varied between sites. Northern sites (colder and wetter) accumulated lower amounts of litter with time than southern sites (hotter and drier). The accumulation patterns of the living vegetation dominated by Calluna were determined by site-specific conditions. The optimal prescribed-burning rotation interval for minimizing annual carbon emissions also differed between sites: the optimal rotation interval for northern sites was between 30 and 50 years, whereas for southern sites a hump-backed relationship was found with the optimal interval either between 8 to 10 years or between 30 to 50 years. Increasing wildfire frequency interacted with prescribed-burning rotation intervals by both increasing C emissions and modifying the optimum prescribed-burning interval for minimum C emission. This highlights the importance of studying site-specific biomass accumulation patterns with respect to environmental conditions for identifying suitable fire-rotation intervals to minimize C emissions. PMID:27880840