lanterns: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for lanterns

Color Vision and the Railways: Part 2. Comparison of the CN Lantern Used on the Canadian Railways and Railway LED Lantern Tests.

PubMed

Dain, Stephen J; Casolin, Armand; Long, Jennifer

2015-02-01

There are two currently available lantern tests that have their design based solely on the practices of the rail industry. These are the CN Lantern (CNLAN) used on the Canadian Railways and the Railway LED Lantern Tests (RLLT). In the same way that the signaling practices differ in the two jurisdictions, the design of the lanterns also differ. The CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage)-recommended color vision standards for transport predate both lanterns. The study was undertaken to assess the appropriateness of these lanterns in CIE Color Vision Standard 1. CIE Standard 1 is called "Normal color vision" but some very mild anomalous trichromats may pass the specified "lantern test that presents a high level of difficulty." The lantern tests were undertaken by 46 color vision-normal and 37 color vision-deficient subjects. Subjects made more errors on the RLLT, and the pattern of errors is different, partly because there are blank presentations in the RLLT and "no light" is an acceptable response. The two lanterns showed agreement on the pass/fail categorization of 73 of the 83 subjects. The RLLT fails more color vision-normal subjects. Despite the different construction principles, the RLLT and CNLAN have pass/fail levels that are comparable with the Holmes-Wright Type B lantern, which is nominated in CIE Color Vision Standard 1 but is no longer commercially available. The higher failure rate of color vision-normal subjects on the RLLT has been addressed by changing the intensities of the two darkest red lights.
Identification of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and Potato latent virus (PotLV) as mixed infection in Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi L., family Solanaceae) is a popular ornamental plant in the United State because of its colorful inflated calyx (similar to a paper lantern). On the other hand, Chinese lantern can spread aggressively, becoming a weedy plant and pathogen reservoir. During the summ...
The Farnsworth Flashlight is not equivalent to the Farnsworth Lantern.

PubMed

Dain, Stephen

2012-02-01

The Farnsworth Lantern has been accepted in many occupational applications. Modern instruments purporting to be equivalent were inevitable given the ubiquity of its use. The OPTEC900® (Stereo Optical) has been validated and adopted as an acceptable substitute, although the fail rate is slightly higher. The Farnsworth Flashlight (Gulden Ophthalmics) has been marketed without validation. The color and luminous intensities of the three lanterns' stimuli were measured using a Topcon SR-3 telespectroradiometer and compared with Farnsworth's recommendations. The OPTEC900® chromaticities comply with Farnsworth's recommendations, but the luminous intensities are rather different. The Farnsworth Flashlight differs from the Farnsworth Lantern in both chromaticity and luminous intensities. A cheap and portable equivalent to the Farnsworth Lantern is a highly attractive product. However, the Farnsworth Flashlight is significantly different in construction from the Farnsworth Lantern. © 2012 Optical Society of America
Analysis of Free-Space Coupling to Photonic Lanterns in the Presence of Tilt Errors

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

Analysis of Free- Space Coupling to Photonic Lanterns in the Presence of Tilt Errors Timothy M. Yarnall, David J. Geisler, Curt M. Schieler...Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Abstract—Free space coupling to photonic lanterns is more tolerant to tilt errors and F -number mismatch than...these errors. I. INTRODUCTION Photonic lanterns provide a means for transitioning from the free space regime to the single-mode fiber (SMF) regime by
Performance of red-green color deficient subjects on the Holmes-Wright lantern (Type A) in photopic viewing.

PubMed

Birch, J

1999-09-01

The Holmes-Wright lantern (Type A) is an approved occupational color vision test for airline pilots in the European Economic Community and for specific occupations in the British Armed Forces. The colors shown are red, green and white signal lights. The Holmes-Wright lantern is a sensitive screening test for red-green color deficiency in photopic viewing and the pass/fail level is similar to that of the Farnsworth Lantern (Falant) if the same scoring method is applied. There were 138 color deficient subjects identified with the Ishihara plates and diagnosed with the Nagel anomaloscope, completed a color vision test battery which included three runs of the nine color pairs of the Holmes-Wright lantern at high brightness in normal room illumination. Screening sensitivity on a single error was found to be 97% compared with the Ishihara plates. Using the Falant scoring method, 20 subjects passed. These were 1 deuteranope, 2 protanomalous trichromats and 17 deuteranomalous trichromats (22% of 88 anomalous trichromats). The mean error score was greater for protans than for deutans but the mean number of qualitative error categories was smaller. Green/white confusions were the most frequent errors. It was not possible to predict who would pass the lantern test from other test results but all subjects with a Nagel anomaloscope matching range > 15 scale units who failed the Farnsworth D15 test or were grading as moderate/severe with the American Optical Company (Hardy, Rand and Rittler) plates failed. The Holmes-Wright lantern is a sensitive screening test for red-green color deficiency. Although a similar percentage of anomalous trichromats fail the Holmes-Wright lantern as fail the Falant, if the same scoring method is used, the superior correlation between the Holmes-Wright result and other color vision tests designed to grade the severity of color deficiency suggests that the two lantern results are not equivalent.
Color Vision and the Railways: Part 3. Comparison of FaLant, OPTEC 900, and Railway LED Lantern Tests.

PubMed

Dain, Stephen J; Casolin, Armand; Long, Jennifer

2015-02-01

The Farnsworth Lantern (FaLant) and the OPTEC 900 are nominated in the Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) Color Vision Standard 2. Neither test uses the railway signal color code of red, yellow, and green, and only the OPTEC 900 is commercially available. The Railway LED Lantern Test (RLLT) is based on railway signaling practices in New South Wales, Australia, and is nominated in the Australian railway medical standard. The objective of this study is to compare the performance of the three lantern tests. The RLLT, FaLant, and OPTEC 900 were administered to 46 color vision-normal and 37 color vision-deficient (CVD) subjects. The pattern of errors on the RLLT was different from that of the FaLant and OPTEC 900. This may be accounted for, at least in part, by the different colors and the use of blank presentations in the RLLT. The three lanterns showed agreement in failing 21 and passing 6 of the CVD subjects (72.9%). The lanterns gave different results for 10 CVD subjects (27.9%): n = 5 passed only the RLLT and n = 3 passed only the FaLant; n = 1 failed only the FaLant and n = 1 failed only the RLLT. The overall failure rate by CVD for each lantern was 67.6% (RLLT), 73.0% (FaLant), and 78.4% (OPTEC 900). Despite the different construction principles, the pass/fail levels of the RLLT, FaLant, and OPTEC 900 are comparable and consistent with the performance of other lanterns listed by the CIE for Color Vision Standard 2. The RLLT may be a little easier to pass and is based on the signal color code used and actual signaling practice. We propose that the RLLT is also an appropriate lantern for CIE Color Vision Standard 2.
78 FR 39992 - Safety Zone; Feast of Lanterns Fireworks Display, Pacific Grove, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-03

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Feast of Lanterns Fireworks Display, Pacific Grove, CA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... zone in the navigable waters near Lover's Point Park in the Pacific Grove, CA in support of The Feast of Lanterns Fireworks Event on July 27, 2013. This safety zone is established to ensure the safety of...
Efficient multi-mode to single-mode coupling in a photonic lantern.

PubMed

Noordegraaf, Danny; Skovgaard, Peter M W; Nielsen, Martin D; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss

2009-02-02

We demonstrate the fabrication of a high performance multi-mode (MM) to single-mode (SM) splitter or "photonic lantern", first described by Leon-Saval et al. (2005). Our photonic lantern is a solid all-glass version, and we show experimentally that this device can be used to achieve efficient and reversible coupling between a MM fiber and a number of SM fibers, when perfectly matched launch conditions into the MM fiber are ensured. The fabricated photonic lantern has a coupling loss for a MM to SM tapered transition of only 0.32 dB which proves the feasibility of the technology.
Luciferase from Fulgeochlizus bruchi (Coleoptera:Elateridae), a Brazilian click-beetle with a single abdominal lantern: molecular evolution, biological function and comparison with other click-beetle luciferases.

PubMed

Amaral, Danilo T; Prado, Rogilene A; Viviani, Vadim R

2012-07-01

Bioluminescent click-beetles emit a wide range of bioluminescence colors (λ(Max) = 534-594 nm) from thoracic and abdominal lanterns, which are used for courtship. Only the luciferases from Pyrophorus and Pyrearinus species were cloned and sequenced. The Brazilian Fulgeochlizus bruchi click-beetle, which inhabits the Central-west Cerrado (Savannas), is noteworthy because, differently from other click-beetles, the adult stage displays only a functional abdominal lantern, which produces a bright green bioluminescence for sexual attraction purposes, and lacks functional thoracic lanterns. We cloned the cDNA for the abdominal lantern luciferase of this species. Notably, the primary sequence of this luciferase showed slightly higher identity with the green emitting dorsal lantern luciferases of the Pyrophorus genus instead of the abdominal lanterns luciferases. This luciferase displays a blue-shifted spectrum (λ(Max) = 540 nm), which is pH-insensitive from pH 7.5 to 9.5 and undergoes a slight red shift and broadening above this pH; the lowest K(M) for luciferin among studied click-beetle luciferases, and the highest optimum pH (9.0) ever reported for a beetle luciferase. At pH 9.0, the K(M) for luciferin increases, showing a decrease of affinity for this substrate, despite the higher activity. The slow luminescence decay rate of F. bruchi luciferase in vitro reaction could be an adaptation of this luciferase for the long and sustained in vivo luminescence display of the click-beetle during the courtship, and could be useful for in vivo intracellular imaging.
Improving the quality of life of aged care residents through the joy of food: The Lantern Project.

PubMed

Hugo, Cherie; Dwonczyk, Marcia; Skinner, Jan; Isenring, Liz

2018-03-23

Mealtimes directly impact the quality of life of residents in aged care. The objective of The Lantern Project is to improve the dining experience of aged care residents to reduce malnutrition risk through improving dietary intake, meal. A transdisciplinary team of aged care professionals and resident advocates was formed as a collaboration collectively known as The Lantern Project. This paper outlines the journey and timeline of The Lantern Project collaboration since its inception and the interplay between the monthly stakeholder meetings and inter-related research projects demonstrating improved outcomes. Transdisciplinary collaboration offers well-grounded benefits and realistic strategies sensitive to the complexity of the aged care setting. © 2018 AJA Inc.
Pt–Mg, Pt–Ca, and Pt–Zn lantern complexes and metal-only donor–acceptor interactions [Pt-Mg Pt-Ca and Pt-Zn compounds with metal-only donor-acceptor interactions

DOE PAGES

Baddour, Frederick G.; Hyre, Ariel S.; Guillet, Jesse L.; ...

2016-12-12

Here, Pt-based heterobimetallic lantern complexes of the form [PtM(SOCR) 4(L)] have been shown previously to form intermolecular metallophilic interactions and engage in antiferromagnetic coupling between lanterns having M atoms with open shell configurations. In order to understand better the influence of the carboxylate bridge and terminal ligand on the electronic structure, as well as the metal–metal interactions within each lantern unit, a series of diamagnetic lantern complexes, [PtMg(SAc) 4(OH 2)] (1), [PtMg(tba) 4(OH 2)] (2), [PtCa(tba) 4(OH 2)] (3), [PtZn(tba) 4(OH 2)] (4), and a mononuclear control (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5) have been synthesized. Crystallographic data show close Pt–Mmore » contacts enforced by the lantern structure in each dinuclear case. 195Pt-NMR spectroscopy of 1–4, (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5), and several previously reported lanterns revealed a strong chemical shift dependence on the identity of the second metal (M), mild influence by the thiocarboxylate ligand (SOCR; R = CH 3 (thioacetate, SAc), C 6H 5 (thiobenzoate, tba)), and modest influence from the terminal ligand (L). Fluorescence spectroscopy has provided evidence for a Pt···Zn metallophilic interaction in [PtZn(SAc) 4(OH 2)], and computational studies demonstrate significant dative character. In all of 1–4, the short Pt–M distances suggest that metal-only Lewis donor (Pt)–Lewis acceptor (M) interactions could be present. DFT and NBO calculations, however, show that only the Zn examples have appreciable covalent character, whereas the Mg and Ca complexes are much more ionic.« less
Pt–Mg, Pt–Ca, and Pt–Zn lantern complexes and metal-only donor–acceptor interactions [Pt-Mg Pt-Ca and Pt-Zn compounds with metal-only donor-acceptor interactions

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

Baddour, Frederick G.; Hyre, Ariel S.; Guillet, Jesse L.

Here, Pt-based heterobimetallic lantern complexes of the form [PtM(SOCR) 4(L)] have been shown previously to form intermolecular metallophilic interactions and engage in antiferromagnetic coupling between lanterns having M atoms with open shell configurations. In order to understand better the influence of the carboxylate bridge and terminal ligand on the electronic structure, as well as the metal–metal interactions within each lantern unit, a series of diamagnetic lantern complexes, [PtMg(SAc) 4(OH 2)] (1), [PtMg(tba) 4(OH 2)] (2), [PtCa(tba) 4(OH 2)] (3), [PtZn(tba) 4(OH 2)] (4), and a mononuclear control (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5) have been synthesized. Crystallographic data show close Pt–Mmore » contacts enforced by the lantern structure in each dinuclear case. 195Pt-NMR spectroscopy of 1–4, (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5), and several previously reported lanterns revealed a strong chemical shift dependence on the identity of the second metal (M), mild influence by the thiocarboxylate ligand (SOCR; R = CH 3 (thioacetate, SAc), C 6H 5 (thiobenzoate, tba)), and modest influence from the terminal ligand (L). Fluorescence spectroscopy has provided evidence for a Pt···Zn metallophilic interaction in [PtZn(SAc) 4(OH 2)], and computational studies demonstrate significant dative character. In all of 1–4, the short Pt–M distances suggest that metal-only Lewis donor (Pt)–Lewis acceptor (M) interactions could be present. DFT and NBO calculations, however, show that only the Zn examples have appreciable covalent character, whereas the Mg and Ca complexes are much more ionic.« less
Quantitative and transformation product analysis of major active physalins from Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese lantern) using ultraperformance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zheng, Yunliang; Chen, Yong; Ren, Yiping; Luan, Lianjun; Wu, Yongjiang

2012-01-01

Chinese lantern is the calyx or calyx-with-fruit of the plant Physalis alkekengi .var. franchetii (Solanaceae), and is potential material for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Physalins are the most active and representative secondary metabolites of Chinese lantern. A separation and quantification method based on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS was developed for the quantitative analysis of five active physalins. The transformation products were also detected and identified for the first time. To establish a LC-MS/MS method to quantify five physalins in Chinese lantern for the purpose of quality control, and to identify the transformation products of 4,7-didehydrophysalin B. The separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP C₁₈-column with water and acetonitrile as the mobile phase under gradient conditions. ESI-MS/MS was used as the detector to quantify the five physalins. The transformation products of 4,7-didehydroneophysalin B were detected by UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS and identified through comparing their HRMS and MS² ion fragmentations with corresponding references. All the compounds showed good linearity (R² > 0.998). The recoveries, measured at three concentration levels, varied from 98.8 to 101.4% with RSDs < 4.5%. The total contents of the five physalins in Chinese lantern varied significantly. Three transformation products of 4,7-didehydroneophysalin B were detected and tentatively identified. The present study developed a highly effective analytical method for the quality control of Chinese lantern, and it could provide comprehensive information for quality evaluation and new drug development of Chinese lantern. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Few Mode Multicore Photonic Lantern Multiplexer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

2015, Valencia (2015). [6] S. G. Leon-Saval, T. A. Birks, J. Bland- Hawthorn , and M. Englund, “Multimode fiber devices with single-mode performance...Opt. Lett. 30, 2545–2547 (2005). [7] D. Noordegraaf, P. M. W. Skovgaard, M. D. Nielsen, and J. Bland- Hawthorn , “Efficient multi-mode to single mode...coupling in a photonic lantern,” Opt. Express 17, 1988–1994 (2009). [8] S. G. Leon-Saval, A. Argyros, and J. Bland- Hawthorn , “Photonic lanterns: a
Preservation of Lantern Slides for Use in Today's Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillier, A. S.

2007-10-01

Lantern slides will keep a long time, which is a good quality for preservation. However, as I have found, they break. Unless there is a lantern slide projector available, there is no way to show these valuable assets to others. This poster will explain my project to bring these pictures to life, to use them in education projects, and to simply show a bit of history to an attentive audience. With today's technology they can be placed on computers and stored more easily and be a joy to all.
9. Mispillion Lighthouse, Tower Lantern Floor Hatch Mispillion Lighthouse, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. Mispillion Lighthouse, Tower Lantern Floor Hatch - Mispillion Lighthouse, South bank of Mispillion River at its confluence with Delaware River at northeast end of County Road 203, 7 miles east of Milford, Milford, Sussex County, DE
Color Vision and the Railways: Part 1. The Railway LED Lantern Test.

PubMed

Dain, Stephen J; Casolin, Armand; Long, Jennifer; Hilmi, Mohd Radzi

2015-02-01

Lantern tests and practical tests are often used in the assessment of prospective railway employees. The lantern tests rarely embody the actual colors used in signaling on the railways. Practical tests have a number of problems, most notably consistency of application and practicability. This work was carried out to provide the Railway LED Lantern Test (RLLT) as a validated method of assessing the color vision of railway workers. The RLLT, a simulated practical test using the same LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as are used in modern railway signals, was developed. It was tested on 46 color vision-normal (CVN) and 37 color vision-deficient (CVD) subjects. A modified prototype was then tested on 106 CVN subjects. All 106 CVN subjects and most mildly affected CVD subjects passed the modified lantern at 3 m. At 6 m, 1 of the 106 normal color vision subjects failed by missing a single red light. All the CVD subjects failed. The RLLT carried out at 3 m allowed mildly affected CVD subjects to pass and demonstrate adequate color vision for the less demanding railway tasks. Carried out at 6 m, it essentially reinforced normal color vision as the standard. The RLLT is a simply administered test that has a direct link to the actual visual task of the rail worker. The RLLT lantern has been adopted as an approved test in the Australian National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers in place of a practical test. It has the potential to be a valid part of any railway color vision standard.
Design of elliptical-core mode-selective photonic lanterns with six modes for MIMO-free mode division multiplexing systems.

PubMed

Sai, Xiaowei; Li, Yan; Yang, Chen; Li, Wei; Qiu, Jifang; Hong, Xiaobin; Zuo, Yong; Guo, Hongxiang; Tong, Weijun; Wu, Jian

2017-11-01

Elliptical-core few mode fiber (EC-FMF) is used in a mode division multiplexing (MDM) transmission system to release multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) digital-signal-processing, which reduces the cost and the complexity of the receiver. However, EC-FMF does not match with conventional multiplexers/de-multiplexers (MUXs/DeMUXs) such as a photonic lantern, leading to extra mode coupling loss and crosstalk. We design elliptical-core mode-selective photonic lanterns (EC-MSPLs) with six modes, which can match well with EC-FMF in MIMO-free MDM systems. Simulation of the EC-MSPL using the beam propagation method was demonstrated employing a combination of either step-index or graded-index fibers with six different sizes of cores, and the taper transition length of 8 cm or 4 cm. Through numerical simulations and optimizations, both types of photonic lanterns can realize low loss transmission and low crosstalk of below -20.0 dB for all modes.
46 CFR 112.39-3 - Operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Operation. 112.39-3 Section 112.39-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-3 Operation. (a) The lanterns must be capable of providing...
46 CFR 112.39-3 - Operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Operation. 112.39-3 Section 112.39-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-3 Operation. (a) The lanterns must be capable of providing...

46 CFR 112.39-3 - Operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Operation. 112.39-3 Section 112.39-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-3 Operation. (a) The lanterns must be capable of providing...
46 CFR 112.39-3 - Operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Operation. 112.39-3 Section 112.39-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-3 Operation. (a) The lanterns must be capable of providing...
46 CFR 112.39-3 - Operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Operation. 112.39-3 Section 112.39-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-3 Operation. (a) The lanterns must be capable of providing...
46 CFR 112.39-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-1 General. (a) Each battery-operated, relay-controlled lantern used in accordance with Table 112.05-5(a) must: (1) Have rechargeable batteries; (2) Have an automatic battery charger that maintains the battery in a fully charged condition; and (3) Not be readily portable. [CGD 74...
46 CFR 112.39-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-1 General. (a) Each battery-operated, relay-controlled lantern used in accordance with Table 112.05-5(a) must: (1) Have rechargeable batteries; (2) Have an automatic battery charger that maintains the battery in a fully charged condition; and (3) Not be readily portable. [CGD 74...
46 CFR 112.39-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-1 General. (a) Each battery-operated, relay-controlled lantern used in accordance with Table 112.05-5(a) must: (1) Have rechargeable batteries; (2) Have an automatic battery charger that maintains the battery in a fully charged condition; and (3) Not be readily portable. [CGD 74...
46 CFR 112.39-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-1 General. (a) Each battery-operated, relay-controlled lantern used in accordance with Table 112.05-5(a) must: (1) Have rechargeable batteries; (2) Have an automatic battery charger that maintains the battery in a fully charged condition; and (3) Not be readily portable. [CGD 74...
46 CFR 112.39-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Battery Operated Lanterns § 112.39-1 General. (a) Each battery-operated, relay-controlled lantern used in accordance with Table 112.05-5(a) must: (1) Have rechargeable batteries; (2) Have an automatic battery charger that maintains the battery in a fully charged condition; and (3) Not be readily portable. [CGD 74...
SOLAR-POWERED LED LANTERNS FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF OIL LAMPS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

EPA Science Inventory

The design process yielded an inexpensive yet highly useful lantern design which is attuned to the needs of the impoverished population. Keeping in mind the $20 off-the-shelf cost limit, the bulk-manufacturing cost was limited to $10 in order to allow for overhead (profit, tra...
"Photonic lantern" spectral filters in multi-core Fiber.

PubMed

Birks, T A; Mangan, B J; Díez, A; Cruz, J L; Murphy, D F

2012-06-18

Fiber Bragg gratings are written across all 120 single-mode cores of a multi-core optical Fiber. The Fiber is interfaced to multimode ports by tapering it within a depressed-index glass jacket. The result is a compact multimode "photonic lantern" filter with astrophotonic applications. The tapered structure is also an effective mode scrambler.
In the Zone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valentino, Carla

2012-01-01

This article describes a project that was inspired by the Chinese Festival of Lanterns. In this project, students had the opportunity and challenge of using a variety of media to represent a range of values to create form from shape. The lanterns proved to be an interesting subject for the drawings, as well as a way to increase students' knowledge…
A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws

PubMed Central

Frank, Michael B.; Naleway, Steven E.; Wirth, Taylor S.; Jung, Jae-Young; Cheung, Charlene L.; Loera, Faviola B.; Medina, Sandra; Sato, Kirk N.; Taylor, Jennifer R. A.; McKittrick, Joanna

2016-01-01

Bioinspired design is an emerging field that takes inspiration from nature to develop high-performance materials and devices. The sea urchin mouthpiece, known as the Aristotle's lantern, is a compelling source of bioinspiration with an intricate network of musculature and calcareous teeth that can scrape, cut, chew food and bore holes into rocky substrates. We describe the bioinspiration process as including animal observation, specimen characterization, device fabrication and mechanism bioexploration. The last step of bioexploration allows for a deeper understanding of the initial biology. The design architecture of the Aristotle's lantern is analyzed with micro-computed tomography and individual teeth are examined with scanning electron microscopy to identify the microstructure. Bioinspired designs are fabricated with a 3D printer, assembled and tested to determine the most efficient lantern opening and closing mechanism. Teeth from the bioinspired lantern design are bioexplored via finite element analysis to explain from a mechanical perspective why keeled tooth structures evolved in the modern sea urchins we observed. This circular approach allows for new conclusions to be drawn from biology and nature. PMID:27166636
Photonic lantern with multimode fibers embedded

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Hai-Jiao; Yan, Qi; Huang, Zong-Jun; Tian, He; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Yong-Jun; Zhang, Jian-Zhong; Sun, Wei-Min

2014-08-01

A photonic lantern is studied which is formed by seven multimode fibers inserted into a pure silica capillary tube. The core of the tapered end has a uniform refractive index because the polymer claddings are removed before the fibers are inserted. Consequently, the light distribution is also uniform. Two theories describing a slowly varying waveguide and multimode coupling are used to analyze the photonic lantern. The transmission loss decreases as the length of the tapered part increases. For a device with a taper length of 3.4 cm, the loss is about 1.06 dB on average for light propagating through the taper from an inserted fiber to the tapered end and 0.99 dB in the reverse direction. For a device with a taper length of 0.7 cm, the two loss values are 2.63 dB and 2.53 dB, respectively. The results show that it is possible to achieve a uniform light distribution with the tapered end and a low-loss transmission in the device if parameters related to the lantern are reasonably defined.
Lively Jack-O'-Lantern Still Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanzaro, Christy

2010-01-01

Pumpkin carving is a favorite classroom activity. Around late October, the halls are filled with the sour smell of raw pumpkin innards, as parents, teachers and students are up to their elbows in yellowish strings and slime. These round, orange squash are transformed into jack-o'-lanterns that are placed around the school. The day after Halloween,…
"The living picture": on the circulation of microscope-slide knowledge in 1903.

PubMed

Gaycken, Oliver

2013-01-01

Microscope slides allowed preparations to circulate among scientific and educational contexts. An extension of the circulation of microscope slides was how they became part of lantern exhibition culture. This article considers an early example of the adoption of microscope lantern show conventions by another medium, the cinema. E Martin Duncan, who was employed by Charles Urban to produce a series of popular-science films beginning in 1903, brought his experience with microphotography to bear on the challenge of adapting cinema to the purpose of public instruction. Duncan's first series of films, entitled "The Unseen World," demonstrated both profound links to the display tradition of the lantern lecture as well as the transformation of that tradition by the cinema's representational possibilities.
Free solar lanterns to below poverty line girls in India: a step toward achieving millennium development goals.

PubMed

Garg, Rajesh

2014-01-01

Development sectors like health cannot function in isolation. Intersectoral coordination between various departments helps in bringing a positive change in the health-seeking behavior of society in the long run. The decision by the Government of India to provide free solar lanterns (lamps) to the school-going girls of below poverty line families is a welcome step in this context. This initiative would help in reducing the number of school dropout girls and thus help in improving the health indicators that are directly related to women's education. Thus it is an initiative that will help in attainment of Millennium Development Goals through women's education and empowerment. Along with that, the environment-friendly approach will definitely have an impact on health of the girls by switching from kerosene/wood stoves to solar lantern light. Also this initiative would pave the path of real "intersectoral coordination" in the health sector in India that is marred with watertight functioning of various departments. There is an urgent need to popularize the scheme and involve different stakeholders like corporate houses, media, nongovernment organizations, multinational welfare agencies, and local governing bodies for ensuring the availability and utilization of solar lanterns in India.
Biologically inspired LED lens from cuticular nanostructures of firefly lantern

PubMed Central

Kim, Jae-Jun; Lee, Youngseop; Kim, Ha Gon; Choi, Ki-Ju; Kweon, Hee-Seok; Park, Seongchong; Jeong, Ki-Hun

2012-01-01

Cuticular nanostructures found in insects effectively manage light for light polarization, structural color, or optical index matching within an ultrathin natural scale. These nanostructures are mainly dedicated to manage incoming light and recently inspired many imaging and display applications. A bioluminescent organ, such as a firefly lantern, helps to out-couple light from the body in a highly efficient fashion for delivering strong optical signals in sexual communication. However, the cuticular nanostructures, except the light-producing reactions, have not been well investigated for physical principles and engineering biomimetics. Here we report a unique observation of high-transmission nanostructures on a firefly lantern and its biological inspiration for highly efficient LED illumination. Both numerical and experimental results clearly reveal high transmission through the nanostructures inspired from the lantern cuticle. The nanostructures on an LED lens surface were fabricated by using a large-area nanotemplating and reconfigurable nanomolding with heat-induced shear thinning. The biologically inspired LED lens, distinct from a smooth surface lens, substantially increases light transmission over visible ranges, comparable to conventional antireflection coating. This biological inspiration can offer new opportunities for increasing the light extraction efficiency of high-power LED packages. PMID:23112185
The Lantern: The Journal of Nursing Stories. Winter 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Page 2 Articles: Storytelling and The Lantern Page 3 by Loretta Aiken, MSN, RN The Girl ...general, and most little girls throughout the world knew about what Florence had ac- complished for womankind. The Times in England wrote: “She is...little girls still play with Florence Nightingale dolls. The lamp itself has become a universal symbol for nursing and for over 100 years, nurses
Influences of fireworks on chemical characteristics of atmospheric fine and coarse particles during Taiwan's Lantern Festival

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Hsieh-Hung; Chien, Li-Hsing; Yuan, Chung-Shin; Lin, Yuan-Chung; Jen, Yi-Hsiu; Ie, Iau-Ren

2012-12-01

In recent years, the celebration activities of various folk-custom festivals have been getting more and more attention from the citizens in Taiwan. Festivities throughout the whole island are traditionally accompanied by loud and brightly colored firework displays. Among these activities, the firework displays during Taiwan's Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung harbor is one of the largest festivals in Taiwan each year. Therefore, it is of importance to investigate the influence of fireworks displays on the ambient air quality during the Taiwan's Lantern Festival. Field measurements of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) were conducted on February 9th-11th, 2009 during Taiwan's Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung City. Moreover, three kinds of fireworks powders obtained from the same manufacturing factory producing Kaohsiung Lantern Festival fireworks were burned in a self-designed combustion chamber to determine the physicochemical properties of the fireworks' particles and to establish the source profile of firework burning. Several metallic elements of PM during the firework display periods were notably higher than those during the non-firework periods. The concentrations of Mg, K, Pb, and Sr in PM2.5 during the firework periods were 10 times higher than those during the non-firework periods. Additionally, the Cl-/Na+ ratio was approximately 3 during the firework display periods as Cl- came from the chlorine content of the firework powder. Moreover, the OC/EC ratio increased up to 2.8. Results obtained from PCA and CMB receptor modeling showed that major sources of atmospheric particles during the firework display periods in Kaohsiung harbor were fireworks, vehicular exhausts, soil dusts and marine sprays. Particularly, on February 10th, the firework displays contributed approximately 25.2% and 16.6% of PM10 at two downwind sampling sites, respectively.
Bioinspired photonic structures by the reflector layer of firefly lantern for highly efficient chemiluminescence

PubMed Central

Chen, Linfeng; Shi, Xiaodi; Li, Mingzhu; Hu, Junping; Sun, Shufeng; Su, Bin; Wen, Yongqiang; Han, Dong; Jiang, Lei; Song, Yanlin

2015-01-01

Fireflies have drawn considerable attention for thousands of years due to their highly efficient bioluminescence, which is important for fundamental research and photonic applications. However, there are few reports on the reflector layer (RL) of firefly lantern, which contributes to the bright luminescence. Here we presented the detailed microstructure of the RL consisting of random hollow granules, which had high reflectance in the range from 450 nm to 800 nm. Inspired by the firefly lantern, artificial films with high reflectance in the visible region were fabricated using hollow silica microparticles mimicking the structure of the RL. Additionally, the bioinspired structures provided an efficient RL for the chemiluminescence system and could substantially enhance the initial chemiluminescence intensity. The work not only provides new insight into the bright bioluminescence of fireflies, but also is importance for the design of photonic materials for theranostics, detection, and imaging. PMID:26264643

Efficacy and Safety of Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) Versus Salmeterol/Fluticasone in Chinese Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The Chinese Cohort from the LANTERN Study.

PubMed

Zhong, Nanshan; Wang, Changzheng; Zhou, Xiangdong; Zhang, Nuofu; Humphries, Michael; Wang, Linda; Patalano, Francesco; Banerji, Donald

2016-12-01

Inhaled indacaterol/glycopyrronium fixed-dose combination (IND/GLY) is approved in over 80 countries, including the EU, Japan, Australia and Switzerland and the US. The LANTERN study evaluated the efficacy of IND/GLY compared with inhaled long-acting β 2 -agonist (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or salmeterol/fluticasone (SFC) in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD with a history of ≤1 exacerbation in the previous year. Here we present the efficacy and safety of IND/GLY versus SFC in the Chinese cohort from the LANTERN study. LANTERN was a 26-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study conducted in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD with a history of ≤1 exacerbation in the previous year. The patients were randomized (1:1) to once-daily IND/GLY (110/50 μg) or twice-daily SFC (50/500 μg). The primary endpoint was non-inferiority of IND/GLY versus SFC in terms of trough FEV 1 . Of the total 744 patients randomized in the LANTERN study, 598 (80.4%) were from Mainland China and randomized to IND/GLY (n = 298) or SFC (n = 300), and 553 (92.5%) completed the study. IND/GLY showed superiority over SFC with a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in trough FEV 1 , FEV 1 AUC 0-4h , peak FEV 1 and trough forced vital capacity (FVC) change from the baseline. Annualized rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations was significantly lower (43%) with IND/GLY compared with SFC (rate ratio: 0.57, p = 0.015). Overall, adverse events were lower for IND/GLY (34.6%) versus SFC (43.1%). IND/GLY was superior in achieving bronchodilation versus SFC in a Chinese subgroup of patients from this study. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01709903.
Mode-Selective Amplification in a Large Mode Area Yb-Doped Fiber Using a Photonic Lantern

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-15

in a few mode, double- clad Yb-doped large mode area (LMA) fiber, utilizing an all-fiber photonic lantern. Amplification to multi-watt output power is...that could enable dynamic spatial mode control in high power fiber lasers . © 2016 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (060.2320) Fiber optics...amplifiers and oscillators; (060.2340) Fiber optics components. http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.41.002157 The impressive growth experienced by fiber lasers and
Photonic lantern adaptive spatial mode control in LMA fiber amplifiers.

PubMed

Montoya, Juan; Aleshire, Chris; Hwang, Christopher; Fontaine, Nicolas K; Velázquez-Benítez, Amado; Martz, Dale H; Fan, T Y; Ripin, Dan

2016-02-22

We demonstrate adaptive-spatial mode control (ASMC) in few-moded double-clad large mode area (LMA) fiber amplifiers by using an all-fiber-based photonic lantern. Three single-mode fiber inputs are used to adaptively inject the appropriate superposition of input modes in a multimode gain fiber to achieve the desired mode at the output. By actively adjusting the relative phase of the single-mode inputs, near-unity coherent combination resulting in a single fundamental mode at the output is achieved.
The lantern shark's light switch: turning shallow water crypsis into midwater camouflage

PubMed Central

Claes, Julien M.; Mallefet, Jérôme

2010-01-01

Bioluminescence is a common feature in the permanent darkness of the deep-sea. In fishes, light is emitted by organs containing either photogenic cells (intrinsic photophores), which are under direct nervous control, or symbiotic luminous bacteria (symbiotic photophores), whose light is controlled by secondary means such as mechanical occlusion or physiological suppression. The intrinsic photophores of the lantern shark Etmopterus spinax were recently shown as an exception to this rule since they appear to be under hormonal control. Here, we show that hormones operate what amounts to a unique light switch, by acting on a chromatophore iris, which regulates light emission by pigment translocation. This result strongly suggests that this shark's luminescence control originates from the mechanism for physiological colour change found in shallow water sharks that also involves hormonally controlled chromatophores: the lantern shark would have turned the initial shallow water crypsis mechanism into a midwater luminous camouflage, more efficient in the deep-sea environment. PMID:20410033
Biosynthesis of firefly luciferin in adult lantern: decarboxylation of L-cysteine is a key step for benzothiazole ring formation in firefly luciferin synthesis.

PubMed

Oba, Yuichi; Yoshida, Naoki; Kanie, Shusei; Ojika, Makoto; Inouye, Satoshi

2013-01-01

Bioluminescence in fireflies and click beetles is produced by a luciferase-luciferin reaction. The luminescence property and protein structure of firefly luciferase have been investigated, and its cDNA has been used for various assay systems. The chemical structure of firefly luciferin was identified as the D-form in 1963 and studies on the biosynthesis of firefly luciferin began early in the 1970's. Incorporation experiments using (14)C-labeled compounds were performed, and cysteine and benzoquinone/hydroquinone were proposed to be biosynthetic component for firefly luciferin. However, there have been no clear conclusions regarding the biosynthetic components of firefly luciferin over 30 years. Incorporation studies were performed by injecting stable isotope-labeled compounds, including L-[U-(13)C3]-cysteine, L-[1-(13)C]-cysteine, L-[3-(13)C]-cysteine, 1,4-[D6]-hydroquinone, and p-[2,3,5,6-D]-benzoquinone, into the adult lantern of the living Japanese firefly Luciola lateralis. After extracting firefly luciferin from the lantern, the incorporation of stable isotope-labeled compounds into firefly luciferin was identified by LC/ESI-TOF-MS. The positions of the stable isotope atoms in firefly luciferin were determined by the mass fragmentation of firefly luciferin. We demonstrated for the first time that D- and L-firefly luciferins are biosynthesized in the lantern of the adult firefly from two L-cysteine molecules with p-benzoquinone/1,4-hydroquinone, accompanied by the decarboxylation of L-cysteine.
Expanded palette of Nano-lanterns for real-time multicolor luminescence imaging.

PubMed

Takai, Akira; Nakano, Masahiro; Saito, Kenta; Haruno, Remi; Watanabe, Tomonobu M; Ohyanagi, Tatsuya; Jin, Takashi; Okada, Yasushi; Nagai, Takeharu

2015-04-07

Fluorescence live imaging has become an essential methodology in modern cell biology. However, fluorescence requires excitation light, which can sometimes cause potential problems, such as autofluorescence, phototoxicity, and photobleaching. Furthermore, combined with recent optogenetic tools, the light illumination can trigger their unintended activation. Because luminescence imaging does not require excitation light, it is a good candidate as an alternative imaging modality to circumvent these problems. The application of luminescence imaging, however, has been limited by the two drawbacks of existing luminescent protein probes, such as luciferases: namely, low brightness and poor color variants. Here, we report the development of bright cyan and orange luminescent proteins by extending our previous development of the bright yellowish-green luminescent protein Nano-lantern. The color change and the enhancement of brightness were both achieved by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) from enhanced Renilla luciferase to a fluorescent protein. The brightness of these cyan and orange Nano-lanterns was ∼20 times brighter than wild-type Renilla luciferase, which allowed us to perform multicolor live imaging of intracellular submicron structures. The rapid dynamics of endosomes and peroxisomes were visualized at around 1-s temporal resolution, and the slow dynamics of focal adhesions were continuously imaged for longer than a few hours without photobleaching or photodamage. In addition, we extended the application of these multicolor Nano-lanterns to simultaneous monitoring of multiple gene expression or Ca(2+) dynamics in different cellular compartments in a single cell.
Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide no. 20 of drawing. Located in wooden pine box #23 in box 84 of 94 at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center, Work and industry Division, Washington, D.C. Original photographer, Milton R. Homes, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Illustrator Unknown. DRAWING ENTITLED THE SAND ISLAND METHOD. - Huey P. Long Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River approximately midway between nine & twelve mile points upstream from & west of New Orleans, Jefferson, Jefferson Parish, LA
Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide no. 1 of map. Located in wooden pine box #23 in box 84 of 94 at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center, Work and industry Division, Washington, D.C. Original photographer, Milton R. Homes, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MAP SHOWING SITES OF MAJOR BRIDGES ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI BELOW ST. LOUIS. - Huey P. Long Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River approximately midway between nine & twelve mile points upstream from & west of New Orleans, Jefferson, Jefferson Parish, LA
A study protocol for a non-randomised comparison trial evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of a mobile cognitive–behavioural programme with integrated coaching for anxious adults in primary care

PubMed Central

Szigethy, Eva; Solano, Francis; Wallace, Meredith; Perry, Dina L; Morrell, Lauren; Scott, Kathryn; Bell, Megan Jones

2018-01-01

Introduction Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and subclinical GAD are highly prevalent in primary care. Unmanaged anxiety worsens quality of life in patients seen in primary care practices and leads to increased medical utilisation and costs. Programmes that teach patients cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques have been shown to improve anxiety and to prevent the evolution of anxiety symptoms to disorders, but access and engagement have hampered integration of CBT into medical settings. Methods and analysis This pragmatic study takes place in University of Pittsburgh Medical Center primary care practices to evaluate a coach-supported mobile cognitive– behavioural programme (Lantern) on anxiety symptoms and quality of life. Clinics were non-randomly assigned to either enhanced treatment as usual or Lantern. All clinics provide electronic screening for anxiety and, within clinics assigned to Lantern, patients meeting a threshold level of mild anxiety (ie, >5 on Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Questionnaire (GAD-7)) are referred to Lantern. The first study phase is aimed at establishing feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness. The second phase focuses on long-term impact on psychosocial outcomes, healthcare utilisation and clinic/provider adoption/sustainable implementation using a propensity score matched parallel group study design. Primary outcomes are changes in anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) and quality of life (Short-Form Health Survey) between baseline and 6-month follow-ups, comparing control and intervention. Secondary outcomes include provider and patient satisfaction, patient engagement, durability of changes in anxiety symptoms and quality of life over 12 months and the impact of Lantern on healthcare utilisation over 12 months. Patients from control sites will be matched to the patients who use the mobile app. Ethics and dissemination Ethics and human subject research approval were obtained. A data safety monitoring board is overseeing trial data and ethics. Results will be communicated to participating primary care practices, published and presented at clinical and scientific conferences. Trial registration number NCT03035019. PMID:29331971
A study protocol for a non-randomised comparison trial evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of a mobile cognitive-behavioural programme with integrated coaching for anxious adults in primary care.

PubMed

Szigethy, Eva; Solano, Francis; Wallace, Meredith; Perry, Dina L; Morrell, Lauren; Scott, Kathryn; Bell, Megan Jones; Oser, Megan

2018-01-13

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and subclinical GAD are highly prevalent in primary care. Unmanaged anxiety worsens quality of life in patients seen in primary care practices and leads to increased medical utilisation and costs. Programmes that teach patients cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques have been shown to improve anxiety and to prevent the evolution of anxiety symptoms to disorders, but access and engagement have hampered integration of CBT into medical settings. This pragmatic study takes place in University of Pittsburgh Medical Center primary care practices to evaluate a coach-supported mobile cognitive- behavioural programme (Lantern) on anxiety symptoms and quality of life. Clinics were non-randomly assigned to either enhanced treatment as usual or Lantern. All clinics provide electronic screening for anxiety and, within clinics assigned to Lantern, patients meeting a threshold level of mild anxiety (ie, >5 on Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Questionnaire (GAD-7)) are referred to Lantern. The first study phase is aimed at establishing feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness. The second phase focuses on long-term impact on psychosocial outcomes, healthcare utilisation and clinic/provider adoption/sustainable implementation using a propensity score matched parallel group study design. Primary outcomes are changes in anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) and quality of life (Short-Form Health Survey) between baseline and 6-month follow-ups, comparing control and intervention. Secondary outcomes include provider and patient satisfaction, patient engagement, durability of changes in anxiety symptoms and quality of life over 12 months and the impact of Lantern on healthcare utilisation over 12 months. Patients from control sites will be matched to the patients who use the mobile app. Ethics and human subject research approval were obtained. A data safety monitoring board is overseeing trial data and ethics. Results will be communicated to participating primary care practices, published and presented at clinical and scientific conferences. NCT03035019. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide no. 2 of March 1925 drawing by Ralph Modjeski, Consulting Engineer. Located in wooden pine box #23 in box 84 of 94 at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center, Work and industry Division, Washington, D.C. MARCH 1925 DRAWING OF PROPOSED BRIDGE OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NORTH OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, PLAN E. - Huey P. Long Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River approximately midway between nine & twelve mile points upstream from & west of New Orleans, Jefferson, Jefferson Parish, LA
Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide no. 11 of map. Located in wooden pine box #23 in box 84 of 94 at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center, Work and industry Division, Washington, D.C. Original photographer, Milton R. Homes, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. EARLY MAP OF LOCATION OF NEW ORLEANS BRIDGE AND THE VARIOUS RAILROADS SERVING THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA. - Huey P. Long Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River approximately midway between nine & twelve mile points upstream from & west of New Orleans, Jefferson, Jefferson Parish, LA
Laser Atmospheric Transmitter Receiver-Network (LAnTeRN): A new approach for active measurement of atmospheric greenhouse gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobler, J. T.; Braun, M.; Zaccheo, T.

2012-12-01

The Laser Atmospheric Transmitter Receiver-Network (LAnTeRN) is a new measurement concept that will enable local, regional and continental determination of key greenhouse gases, with unparalleled accuracy and precision. This new approach will offer the ability to make low bias, high precision, quasi-continuous, measurements to the accuracies required for separating anthropogenic and biogenic sources and sinks. In 2004 ITT Exelis developed an airborne demonstration unit, based on an intensity modulated continuous wave (IM-CW) lidar approach, for actively measuring atmospheric CO2 and O2. The multi-functional fiber laser lidar (MFLL) system relies on low peak power, high reliability, and efficient telecom laser components to implement this unique measurement approach. While evaluating methods for discriminating against thin clouds for the MFLL instrument, a new measurement concept was conceived. LAnTeRN has several fundamental characteristics in common with the MFLL instrument, but is a fundamentally different implementation and capability. The key difference is that LAnTeRN operates in transmission rather than in the traditional backscatter lidar configuration, which has several distinct advantages. Operating as a forward scatter, bistatic lidar system, LAnTeRN enables consideration of continuous monitoring from a geostationary orbit to multiple locations on the ground. Having the receivers on the ground significantly lowers cost and risk compared to an all space based mission, and allows the transmitter subsystem to be implemented, near term, as a hosted payload. Furthermore, the LAnTeRN measurement approach is also applicable for ground to ground measurements where high precision measurements over a long open path is required, such as facilities monitoring, or monitoring of passive volcanoes and fault lines. Using narrow linewidth laser sources allows flexibility to select the position on the absorption feature being probed. This feature allows for weighting the absorption toward lower altitudes for the space implementation or to handle large dynamic range measurements as would be required for volcano monitoring. This presentation will discuss results from a detailed instrument performance analyses, retrieval simulations, and from initial testing of a proof of concept demonstration unit being developed by Exelis. Initial analysis indicate that measurements from a transmitter in geostationary orbit to 25 ground receivers in the eastern U.S. can retrieve column integrated CO2 values to a precision of <0.2 ppm on monthly averages and <0.06 ppm on yearly averages, using conservative estimates of cloud cover and aerosol loading. The capability for continuous monitoring over a fixed geometry makes it possible to independently characterize the atmospheric column, using existing capabilities (e.g. aircore, aircraft and in-situ instrumentation), for quantification of bias. Furthermore, the ability to selectively locate the ground receivers can enable focused studies for specific applications.
Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of 3 ½ x 5 glass lantern slide no. 5A of June 1926 and November 1930 drawing by Ralph Modjeski, Consulting Engineer. Located in wooden pine box #23 in box 84 of 94 at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Archives Center, Work and Industry Division, Washington, D.C. Original photographer unknown. JUNE 1926 AND NOVEMBER 1930 DRAWING OF PROPOSED BRIDGE OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NORTH OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, PLAN E. - Huey P. Long Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River approximately midway between nine & twelve mile points upstream from & west of New Orleans, Jefferson, Jefferson Parish, LA
High brightness photonic lantern kW-class amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montoya, Juan; Hwang, Chris; Aleshire, Chris; Reed, Patricia; Martz, Dale; Riley, Mike; Trainor, Michael; Belley, Catherine; Shaw, Scot; Fan, T. Y.; Ripin, Dan

2018-02-01

Pump-limited kW-class operation in a multimode fiber amplifier using adaptive mode control was achieved. A photonic lantern front end was used to inject an arbitrary superposition of modes on the input to a kW-class fiber amplifier to achieve a nearly diffraction-limited output. We report on the adaptive spatial mode control architecture which allows for compensating transverse-mode disturbances at high power. We also describe the advantages of adaptive spatial mode control for optical phased array systems. In particular, we show that the additional degrees of freedom allow for broader steering and improved atmospheric turbulence compensation relative to piston-only optical phased arrays.
Serial lantern-shaped draft tube enhanced flashing light effect for improving CO2 fixation with microalgae in a gas-lift circumflux column photobioreactor.

PubMed

Ye, Qing; Cheng, Jun; Guo, Wangbiao; Xu, Junchen; Li, Ke; Zhou, Junhu

2018-05-01

A novel serial lantern-shaped draft tube (LDT) that generates vortices is proposed to increase radial velocity between dark and light regions for improving CO 2 fixation with microalgae in a gas-lift circumflux column (GCC) photobioreactor. Clockwise vortices are generated in the downflow outerloop of the GCC photobioreactor with LDT. Radial velocity was improved from 1.50 to 4.35 × 10 -2  m/s, thereby decreased liquid cycle period between dark and light regions by 1.9 times. Mixing time decreased by 21%, and mass transfer coefficient increased by 26% with LDT. Liquid radial velocity in the downflow outerloop and mass transfer coefficient in the GCC photobioreactor both first increased and then decreased when single-lantern height was increased. Peak CO 2 fixation rate increased from 0.62 to 0.87 g/L/d, microalgal biomass yield increased by 50%. Removal efficiencies of pollutants (chemical oxygen demand, ammonium, tilmicosin, and ethinylestradiol) in wastewater were 62-90% with microalgae growth in GCC photobioreactor with LDT. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Identification and characterization of the Luc2-type luciferase in the Japanese firefly, Luciola parvula, involved in a dim luminescence in immobile stages.

PubMed

Bessho-Uehara, Manabu; Oba, Yuichi

2017-09-01

Nocturnal Japanese fireflies, Luciola parvula, emit from their lanterns a yellow light, one of the most red-shifted colors found among fireflies. Previously, we isolated and characterized two different types of luciferase gene, Luc1 and Luc2, from the fireflies Luciola cruciata and Luciola lateralis; Luc1 is responsible for the green-yellow luminescence of larval and adult lanterns, whereas Luc2 is responsible for the dim greenish glow of eggs and pupal bodies. The biological role of firefly lanterns in adults is related to sexual communication, but why the eggs and pupae glow remains uncertain. In this study, we isolated the gene Luc2 from L. parvula, and compared its expression profiles and enzymatic characteristics with those of Luc1. A semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that Luc1 was predominantly expressed in larvae, prepupae, pupae and adults, whereas Luc2 was expressed in eggs, prepupae, pupae and adult females. Enzymatic analyses showed that the luminescent color of Luc1 matches the visual sensitivity of L. parvula eyes, whereas that of Luc2 is very different from it. These results suggest that the biological role of Luc2 expressed in immobile stages is not intraspecific communication. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of the Potential Optical Radiation Hazards with Led Lamps Intended for Home Use.

PubMed

James, Robert H; Landry, Robert J; Walker, Bennett N; Ilev, Ilko K

2017-01-01

The authors evaluated the potential for ocular damage from optical radiation emitted by Light Emitting Diode (LED) based lamps used for general illumination. Ten LED lamps were randomly selected off the shelf from a local home improvement store. The LEDs were behind diffusers in half of these lamps, while in the other half, the LEDs were clearly visible. In addition, a battery powered LED lantern having a LED source behind a diffuser was measured. The optical radiation emissions from two common incandescent lamps were also measured to compare the relative hazards of LED and incandescent lamps. All lamp samples were evaluated in accordance with procedures specified in the American National Standards Institute/Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (ANSI/IESNA) Standard RP-27.3. For comparison purposes, the lantern and 100 W incandescent lamps were also evaluated according to ANSI RP-27.1. These measurements indicate that no lamp evaluated poses any photobiological hazard, and therefore, all lamps fall in the RP-27.3 category of Exempt Group. However, when evaluated in accordance with RP-27.1, the 100 W incandescent lamp would be classified in Risk Group 1 (low risk), while the LED lantern would be classified in Risk Group 2 (moderate risk).
The air pollution caused by the burning of fireworks during the lantern festival in Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ying; Zhuang, Guoshun; Xu, Chang; An, Zhisheng

The effects of the burning of fireworks on air quality in Beijing was firstly assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants (SO 2, NO 2, PM 2.5, PM 10 and chemical components in the particles) during the lantern festival in 2006. Eighteen ions, 20 elements, and black carbon were measured in PM 2.5 and PM 10, and the levels of organic carbon could be well estimated from the concentrations of dicarboxylic acids. Primary components of Ba, K, Sr, Cl -, Pb, Mg and secondary components of C 5H 6O 42-, C 3H 2O 42-, C 2O 42-, C 4H 4O 42-, SO 42-, NO 3- were over five times higher in the lantern days than in the normal days. The firework particles were acidic and of inorganic matter mostly with less amounts of secondary components. Primary aerosols from the burning of fireworks were mainly in the fine mode, while secondary formation of acidic anions mainly took place on the coarse particles. Nitrate was mainly formed through homogeneous gas-phase reactions of NO 2, while sulfate was largely from heterogeneous catalytic transformations of SO 2. Fe could catalyze the formation of nitrate through the reaction of α-Fe 2O 3 with HNO 3, while in the formation of sulfate, Fe is not only the catalyst, but also the oxidant. A simple method using the concentration of potassium and a modified method using the ratio of Mg/Al have been developed to quantify the source contribution of fireworks. It was found that over 90% of the total mineral aerosol and 98% of Pb, 43% of total carbon, 28% of Zn, 8% of NO 3-, and 3% of SO 42- in PM 2.5 were from the emissions of fireworks on the lantern night.
49 CFR 192.16 - Customer notification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS... serve yard lanterns, pool heaters, or other types of secondary equipment. Also, “maintain” means monitor...

Stylization levels of industrial design objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukhta, M. S.; Sokolov, A. P.; Krauinsh, D. P.; Bouchard, C.

2017-01-01

The urgency of the research of form making problem in design is associated with the necessity of new understanding of visual culture and new approaches to design engineering representing the integration of artistic and designed problems. The aim of this research is to study the levels of stylization of design objects and dependance (relation) on the specific project objectives and existing technologies. On the ground of quantitative evaluation, the stylization measures are emphasized: figurative image, stylized image and abstract image. Theoretic conclusions are complemented by practical problem solution over creating openwork metal lantern. Variants of both the traditional mains supply of the lantern and the autonomic supply system based on solar energy were offered. The role of semantic factor, affecting the depth of perception of design objects semantic space, is represented in this paper.
Facts About Color Blindness

MedlinePlus

... color perception of its employees, such as graphic design, photography, and food quality inspection. The Farnsworth Lantern ... challenging. Color blindness can go undetected for some time since children will often try to hide their ...
Winter Weather: Indoor Safety

MedlinePlus

... Use flashlights or lanterns instead. Never use an electric generator or a gas or charcoal grill indoors. ... heater. Make sure that the cord of an electric space heater is not a tripping hazard but ...
59. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

59. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 27, 1940. LANTERN OVER SACRISTY (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Mission Road, Tucson, Pima County, AZ
58. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

58. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 27, 1940. LANTERN OVER SACRISTY, CIMBORIO (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Mission Road, Tucson, Pima County, AZ
8. EXTERIOR DETAIL OF FRONT ENTRY PORCH SHOWING ORIGINAL ARTS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. EXTERIOR DETAIL OF FRONT ENTRY PORCH SHOWING ORIGINAL ARTS AND CRAFTS STYLE ELECTRICAL LANTERN. VIEW TO SOUTH. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Clubhouse Cottage, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA
41. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

41. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April 10, 1940. WEST TOWER, RAIL AND LANTERN (EAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Mission Road, Tucson, Pima County, AZ
Detail view of east northeast elevation to show steps and ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Detail view of east northeast elevation to show steps and lanterns; note causeway to Swiss Chalet in background - National Park Seminary, Japanese Pagoda, 2805 Linden Lane, Silver Spring, Montgomery County, MD
Tracks Seam Like Airbags

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-28

Bearing a striking resemblance to a cluster of paper lanterns, these inflated airbags show a pattern of seams exactly like those left in the martian soil by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during landing at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
Heterobimetallic Lantern Complexes and Their Novel Structural and Magnetic Properties.

PubMed

Beach, Stephanie A; Doerrer, Linda H

2018-05-15

As the scale of microelectronic circuit devices approaches the atomic limit, the study of molecular-based wires and magnets has become more prevalent. Compounds with quasi-1D geometries have been investigated for their electronic conductivity and magnetic properties with potential use as nanoscale circuit components and information storage devices. To increase the number of compositionally tailored molecular systems available to study, we have taken a building-block, bottom-up approach to the development of improved electronic structure and magnetic properties of quasi-1D arrays. Over the past decade, a large family of asymmetric complexes that can assemble into extended arrays has resulted. Lantern (or paddle-wheel) complexes with conventional {O, O} donor carboxylates are legion, but by the use of monothiocarboxylate ligands and hard-soft Lewis acid-base principles, dozens of new lantern complexes of the form [PtM(SOCR) 4 (L)] (M = Mg, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn; R = Ph (tba = thiobenzoate), CH 3 (SAc = thioacetate); L = neutral or anionic ligand) have been prepared. Depending on M and L, new intermolecular arrangements have resulted, and the magnetic properties have proven particularly interesting. In the solid state, the [PtM(SOCR) 4 (L)] building blocks are sometimes isolated, sometimes form dimers, and can be induced to form infinite chains. The versatility of the lantern motif was demonstrated with a range of axial ligands to form both terminal and bridged complexes with various 3d metals and two different substituted thiocarboxylate backbone ligands. Within the dozens of crystallographically characterized compounds that make up this family of lanterns, several different structural motifs of solid-state dimerization were observed and divided into four distinct categories on the basis of their Pt···Pt and Pt···S distances and relative monomer orientations. Among all of these compounds, three novel magnetic phenomena were observed. Initially, long-range antiferromagnetic coupling between two metals more than 8 Å apart was observed in solid-state dimers formed via metallophilic Pt···Pt interactions and could induced by choice of the terminal L group. An infinite chain was prepared in [PtCr(tba) 4 (NCS)] ∞ that displays ferromagnetic coupling between Cr centers with J/ k B = 1.7(4) K. Homobimetallic quasi-1D chains of the form [Ni 2 (SOCR) 4 (L)] ∞ (R = Ph, CH 3 ; L = DABCO, pyz) were also prepared with S = 1 {Ni 2 } building blocks in which the Ni centers have two different spin states with weak antiferromagnetic coupling along the chain, such that -0.18 > J/ k B > -0.24 K. In the [Ni 2 (tba) 4 (quin)] derivative, a solid-state dimer forms with a bridging square conformation by interlantern Ni 2 S 2 interactions and displays unusual S = 1 configurations on both Ni centers and weak antiferromagnetic coupling between them.
Thiocyanate-Ligated Heterobimetallic {PtM} Lantern Complexes Including a Ferromagnetically Coupled 1D Coordination Polymer.

PubMed

Guillet, Jesse L; Bhowmick, Indrani; Shores, Matthew P; Daley, Christopher J A; Gembicky, Milan; Golen, James A; Rheingold, Arnold L; Doerrer, Linda H

2016-08-15

A series of heterobimetallic lantern complexes with the central unit {PtM(SAc)4(NCS)} have been prepared and thoroughly characterized. The {Na(15C5)}[PtM(SAc)4(NCS)] series, 1 (Co), 2 (Ni), 3 (Zn), are discrete compounds in the solid state, whereas the {Na(12C4)2)}[PtM(SAc)4(NCS)] series, 4 (Co), 5 (Ni), 6 (Zn), and 7 (Mn), are ion-separated species. Compound 7 is the first {PtMn} lantern of any bridging ligand (carboxylate, amide, etc.). Monomeric 1-7 have M(2+), necessitating counter cations that have been prepared as {(15C5)Na}(+) and {(12C4)2Na}(+) variants, none of which form extended structures. In contrast, neutral [PtCr(tba)4(NCS)]∞ 8 forms a coordination polymer of {PtCr}(+) units linked by (NCS)(-) in a zigzag chain. All eight compounds have been thoroughly characterized and analyzed in comparison to a previously reported family of compounds. Crystal structures are presented for compounds 1-6 and 8, and solution magnetic susceptibility measurements are presented for compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7. Further structural analysis of dimerized {PtM} units reinforces the empirical observation that greater charge density along the Pt-M vector leads to more Pt···Pt interactions in the solid state. Four structural classes, one new, of {MPt}···{PtM} units are presented. Solid state magnetic characterization of 8 reveals a ferromagnetic interaction in the {PtCr(NCS)} chain between the Cr centers of J/kB = 1.7(4) K.
Lantern-like bismuth oxyiodide embedded typha-based carbon via in situ self-template and ion exchange-recrystallization for high-performance photocatalysis.

PubMed

Hou, Jianhua; Wei, Rui; Wu, Xiaoge; Tahir, Muhammad; Wang, Xiaozhi; Butt, Faheem K; Cao, Chuanbao

2018-05-15

Efficient photocatalysts induced by visible light (e.g. BiOI) have attracted wide attention for energy storage and environmental pollutant rehabilitation. In this work, N-doped bamboo tube-like carbon (NTC) was derived directly from the carbonization of bio-waste (withered typha grass) under an ammonia atmosphere. During fabrication, the BiOI/NTC material was used as a self-sacrificing template and I- ions were gradually replaced by OH- ions from NH3·H2O solution. Then Bi7O9I3/NTC was formed with micro-/nanohierarchical structures, which could exactly be explained by the in situ ion exchange-recrystallization mechanism. Thereinto, the well-defined hierarchical lantern-like Bi7O9I3 composed of interconnecting ultrathin nanosheets firmly embedded the "bamboo tubes" of NTC, which endow sufficient interface and high specific surface area (40 m2 g-1). The multiple synergistic effects of the lantern-like structure with ultrathin nanosheets, low iodine content and well-contacted interface endow the synthesized Bi7O9I3/NTC with outstanding visible-light catalytic activity. The results show that the obtained Bi7O9I3/NTC degraded 93.5% of methyl orange and 97.6% of rhodamine B within 2 hours, showing superior performance as compared to the pure BiOI. Therefore, our work demonstrates a controllable approach that can provide guidelines for designing optimized bismuth oxyiodide-based photocatalyst materials and has the potential for application in environmental remediation.
The role of lantern fish (Myctophidae) in the life-cycle of cetacean parasites from western Mediterranean waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateu, Paula; Nardi, Valentina; Fraija-Fernández, Natalia; Mattiucci, Simonetta; Gil de Sola, Luis; Raga, Juan Antonio; Fernández, Mercedes; Aznar, Francisco Javier

2015-01-01

Myctophids (lantern fish) and cephalopods play a key role in trophic webs from the continental slope and oceanic waters linking the zooplankton to top predators. Many cetaceans feed on both lantern fish and cephalopods, and such prey would thus be expected to bridge the trophic gap in the life-cycles of helminths infecting cetaceans. However, information on the life-cycles of most of these helminths is extremely scanty. We examined the parasite fauna of myctophids and cephalopods in two areas from the western Mediterranean where at least 21 helminth taxa from cetaceans have been reported and both cetacean diversity and abundance is high. A total of 1012 individuals of 8 lantern fish species, namely, Ceratoscopelus maderensis, Lampanyctus crocodilus, Notoscopelus elongatus, Benthosema glaciale, Myctophum punctatum, Lobianchia dofleini, Diaphus holti and Hygophum benoiti, and 792 individuals of 2 cephalopod species, Alloteuthis media and Sepietta oweniana, were collected from the Gulf of Valencia and Alboran Sea (Spanish Mediterranean) during 2010-2012 and examined for larval helminths. All these species have been reported as prey for at least some cetacean species in the area. Only five helminth taxa were found. The nematodes Anisakis pegreffii and Anisakis physeteris were detected in N. elongatus and C. maderensis (overall prevalence for Anisakis: 8.1% and 0.5%, respectively). Their prevalence in N. elongatus was significantly higher than that from the other three myctophid species with n>50 individuals. A single individual of Hysterothylacium sp. was found in N. elongatus (prevalence: 0.5%) and Raphidascarididae gen. spp. in N. elongatus and L. crocodilus (prevalence: 20.3% and 0.7%, respectively). Juvenile didymozoid digeneans (Torticaecum type) were detected in N. elongatus and L. crocodilus (prevalence: 18.5% and 4.3%, respectively). Two unidentified cestode plerocercoids were collected from N. elongatus. Our study suggests, for the first time, that myctophids could play a role as paratenic hosts in the oceanic life-cycle of A. pegreffii and A. physeteris in the western Mediterranean. None of the other larvae identified at least to family level infect cetaceans, but some of them can be transmitted to large predatory fish. The extreme scarcity of such cetacean parasites in this, and previous parasitological surveys of mesopelagic fish and cephalopods is at odds with the key role of these preys in the diet of oceanic cetaceans.
SOLAR LIGHTING FOR REMOTE RURAL COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

The 132 students enrolled in the fall 2007 freshman course, “Engineering Design and Problem Solving”, were presented with a choice of five projects; one was a challenge to “Design, build and evaluate – a portable, rechargeable lantern that can be used &...
Tips for Teens: The Truth about Methamphetamine

MedlinePlus

... www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov. Q.Isn’t methamphetamine less harmful than crack,cocaine, or heroin? A.Some users get hooked the first time they snort,smoke,or inject meth.Because it can be made from lethal ingredients like battery acid,drain cleaner, lantern fuel,and ...
Predictive validities of several clinical color vision tests for aviation signal light gun performance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-01-01

Scores on the American Optical Company (AOC) test (1965 edition), Dvorine test, Farnsworth Lantern test, Color Threshold Tester, Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test, Farnsworth Panel D-15 test, and Schmidt-Haensch Anomaloscope were obtained from 137 men ...
14. Bottom floor, tower interior showing base of stairway to ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

14. Bottom floor, tower interior showing base of stairway to lantern; details shown of iron castings for newel post, railing, and stair treads and risers. - Block Island Southeast Light, Spring Street & Mohegan Trail at Mohegan Bluffs, New Shoreham, Washington County, RI
Evolution of a Novel Muscle Design in Sea Urchins (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

PubMed Central

Ziegler, Alexander; Schröder, Leif; Ogurreck, Malte; Faber, Cornelius; Stach, Thomas

2012-01-01

The sea urchin (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) masticatory apparatus, or Aristotle's lantern, is a complex structure composed of numerous hard and soft components. The lantern is powered by various paired and unpaired muscle groups. We describe how one set of these muscles, the lantern protractor muscles, has evolved a specialized morphology. This morphology is characterized by the formation of adaxially-facing lobes perpendicular to the main orientation of the muscle, giving the protractor a frilled aspect in horizontal section. Histological and ultrastructural analyses show that the microstructure of frilled muscles is largely identical to that of conventional, flat muscles. Measurements of muscle dimensions in equally-sized specimens demonstrate that the frilled muscle design, in comparison to that of the flat muscle type, considerably increases muscle volume as well as the muscle's surface directed towards the interradial cavity, a compartment of the peripharyngeal coelom. Scanning electron microscopical observations reveal that the insertions of frilled and flat protractor muscles result in characteristic muscle scars on the stereom, reflecting the shapes of individual muscles. Our comparative study of 49 derived “regular” echinoid species using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that frilled protractor muscles are found only in taxa belonging to the families Toxopneustidae, Echinometridae, and Strongylocentrotidae. The onset of lobe formation during ontogenesis varies between species of these three families. Because frilled protractor muscles are best observed in situ, the application of a non-invasive imaging technique was crucial for the unequivocal identification of this morphological character on a large scale. Although it is currently possible only to speculate on the functional advantages which the frilled muscle morphology might confer, our study forms the anatomical and evolutionary framework for future analyses of this unusual muscle design among sea urchins. PMID:22624043
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alstone, Peter; Jacobson, Arne; Mills, Evan

Efforts to promote rechargeable electric lighting as a replacement for fuel-based light sources in developing countries are typically predicated on the notion that lighting service levels can be maintained or improved while reducing the costs and environmental impacts of existing practices. However, the extremely low incomes of those who depend on fuel-based lighting create a need to balance the hypothetically possible or desirable levels of light with those that are sufficient and affordable. In a pilot study of four night vendors in Kenya, we document a field technique we developed to simultaneously measure the effectiveness of lighting service provided bymore » a lighting system and conduct a survey of lighting service demand by end-users. We took gridded illuminance measurements across each vendor's working and selling area, with users indicating the sufficiency of light at each point. User light sources included a mix of kerosene-fueled hurricane lanterns, pressure lamps, and LED lanterns.We observed illuminance levels ranging from just above zero to 150 lux. The LED systems markedly improved the lighting service levels over those provided by kerosene-fueled hurricane lanterns. Users reported that the minimum acceptable threshold was about 2 lux. The results also indicated that the LED lamps in use by the subjects did not always provide sufficient illumination over the desired retail areas. Our sample size is much too small, however, to reach any conclusions about requirements in the broader population. Given the small number of subjects and very specific type of user, our results should be regarded as indicative rather than conclusive. We recommend replicating the method at larger scales and across a variety of user types and contexts. Policymakers should revisit the subject of recommended illuminance levels regularly as LED technology advances and the price/service balance point evolves.« less
Selective turn-off phosphorescent and colorimetric detection of mercury(II) in water by half-lantern platinum(II) complexes.

PubMed

Sicilia, Violeta; Borja, Pilar; Baya, Miguel; Casas, José M

2015-04-21

The platinum(ii) half-lantern dinuclear complexes [{Pt(bzq)(μ-C7H4NS2-κN,S)}2] () and [{Pt(bzq)(μ-C7H4NOS-κN,S)}2] () [bzq = benzo[h]quinolinate, C7H4NS2 = 2-mercaptobenzothiazolate, C7H4NOS = 2-mercaptobenzoxazolate] in solution of DMSO-H2O undergo a dramatic color change from yellowish-orange to purple and turn-off phosphorescence in the presence of a small amount of Hg(2+), being discernible by the naked-eye and by spectroscopic methods. Other metal ions as Ag(+), Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Ba(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Zn(2+) and Tl(+) were tested and, even in a big excess, showed no interference in the selective detection of Hg(2+) in water. Job's plot analysis indicated a 1 : 1 stoichiometry in the complexation mode of Hg(2+) by /. The phosphorescence quenching attributed to the formation of [/ : Hg(2+)] complexes showed binding constants of K = 1.13 × 10(5) M(-1) () and K = 1.99 × 10(4) M(-1) (). The limit of detection has been also evaluated. In addition, dried paper test strips impregnated in DMSO solutions of and can detect concentration of Hg(2+) in water as low as 1 × 10(-5) M for and 5 × 10(-5) M for , making these complexes good candidates to be used as real-time Hg(2+) detectors. The nature of the interaction of the Pt2 half-lantern complex with the Hg(2+) cation, has been investigated by theoretical calculations.

Growth and survival of the pearl oyster Pteria hirundo (L.,1758) in an intermediate stage of culture in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

PubMed

Albuquerque, M C P; Alves, R; Zanandrea, A C V; Ferreira, J F; Melo, C M R; Magalhães, A R M

2012-02-01

There are no records in Brazil for the culture of Pteridae family oysters, genus Pteria and Pinctada. The intermediate culture can be considered one of the critical stages during the oyster farming. The changes in life conditions from a semi-closed environment provided by the collector to the structures utilized for the growth represents a considerable stress factor to which the animals are subjected. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the growth and survival of the pearl oyster Pteria hirundo (Linnaeus, 1758) kept in intermediate lanterns. Seeds of P. hirundo, obtained through larviculture carried out at the Marine Molluscs Laboratory (UFSC), southern Brazil were detached from the collectors, transferred and kept in an intermediate culture system (oyster lantern). During 6 months, growth (dorso-ventral height - DVH in mm) and survival (%) were evaluated. Two size classes were tested: medium (M), between 3.4 and 4.4 mm, and large (L), bigger than 4.5 mm. The density of occupation in each floor of the lantern was 50%. At the end of the experiment, the survivals observed were 90 and 94% for the sizes M and L, respectively. Medium juveniles of Pteria hirundo had an average (Std) increase of 16.1 (±4.38) mm in the dorso-ventral height, and large juveniles an average increase of 11.4 (±3.77) mm after six months of experiment. The results observed during the intermediate stage of cultivation indicate that Pteria hirundo presents survival and growth similar to other species of pearl oysters traditionally used in the pearl industry in several countries.
14 CFR 125.49 - Airport requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airport requirements. 125.49 Section 125.49 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR CARRIERS... landing is marked by flare pots or lanterns, their use must be approved by the Administrator. ...
14 CFR 125.49 - Airport requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airport requirements. 125.49 Section 125.49 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR CARRIERS... landing is marked by flare pots or lanterns, their use must be approved by the Administrator. ...
Multiplexed single-mode wavelength-to-time mapping of multimode light

PubMed Central

Chandrasekharan, Harikumar K; Izdebski, Frauke; Gris-Sánchez, Itandehui; Krstajić, Nikola; Walker, Richard; Bridle, Helen L.; Dalgarno, Paul A.; MacPherson, William N.; Henderson, Robert K.; Birks, Tim A.; Thomson, Robert R.

2017-01-01

When an optical pulse propagates along an optical fibre, different wavelengths travel at different group velocities. As a result, wavelength information is converted into arrival-time information, a process known as wavelength-to-time mapping. This phenomenon is most cleanly observed using a single-mode fibre transmission line, where spatial mode dispersion is not present, but the use of such fibres restricts possible applications. Here we demonstrate that photonic lanterns based on tapered single-mode multicore fibres provide an efficient way to couple multimode light to an array of single-photon avalanche detectors, each of which has its own time-to-digital converter for time-correlated single-photon counting. Exploiting this capability, we demonstrate the multiplexed single-mode wavelength-to-time mapping of multimode light using a multicore fibre photonic lantern with 121 single-mode cores, coupled to 121 detectors on a 32 × 32 detector array. This work paves the way to efficient multimode wavelength-to-time mapping systems with the spectral performance of single-mode systems. PMID:28120822
37. ALTERNATE DESIGN, SIMILAR TO THAT ULTIMATELY SELECTED, BUT USING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

37. ALTERNATE DESIGN, SIMILAR TO THAT ULTIMATELY SELECTED, BUT USING STEPPED TOWERS, AND WITH PYLONS CAPPED BY LANTERNS Pen-and-ink drawing by project architect Alfred Eichler, ca. 1934. - Sacramento River Bridge, Spanning Sacramento River at California State Highway 275, Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA
49 CFR 192.16 - Customer notification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... serve yard lanterns, pool heaters, or other types of secondary equipment. Also, “maintain” means monitor... notify each customer once in writing of the following information: (1) The operator does not maintain the... in advance, and the excavation done by hand. (5) The operator (if applicable), plumbing contractors...
24 CFR 3280.704 - Fuel supply systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... temporarily, inside any manufactured home except for listed, completely self-contained hand torches, lanterns... the material to be used. (4) LP-gas container valves and accessories. (i) Valves in the assembly of a...) Systems mounted on the “A” frame assembly shall be so located that the discharge from the safety relief...
24 CFR 3280.704 - Fuel supply systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... temporarily, inside any manufactured home except for listed, completely self-contained hand torches, lanterns... the material to be used. (4) LP-gas container valves and accessories. (i) Valves in the assembly of a...) Systems mounted on the “A” frame assembly shall be so located that the discharge from the safety relief...
36 CFR 1002.13 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fires. 1002.13 Section 1002... § 1002.13 Fires. (a) The following are prohibited: (1) Lighting or maintaining a fire, except in... or lanterns in violation of established restrictions. (3) Lighting, tending, or using a fire, stove...
The Demise of the Magic Lantern Show

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Edward W.

2006-01-01

Extracting and applying lessons from history is rarely easy and sometimes risky but there are moments when historical records are so compelling that they rise above mere proof to the level of interocular impact. In this article, the author shares his similar experience while visiting his colleague, Professor Bruce Clark, at the University of…
76 FR 33641 - Safety Zone; The Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns, Fireworks Display, Pacific Grove, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-09

... ensure the safety of participants and spectators from the dangers associated with the pyrotechnics... completed. Because of the dangers posed by the pyrotechnics used in these fireworks displays, the safety... property from the hazards associated with the pyrotechnics over the water. The Coast Guard has granted the...
Reduction of mosquito biting pressure by timed-release 0.3% aerosolized geraniol

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We conducted a study to determine the degree of personal protection provided by the Terminix® ALLCLEAR® Mosquito Mister – Lantern Edition. This outdoor unit was operated to disperse an aerosolized aqueous 0.3% geraniol emulsion in timed-release intervals of 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 min. Human volunteers ...
77 FR 74738 - Petition for Waiver of Compliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-17

...), this document provides the public notice that by a document dated May 29, 2012, Peter J. Douglas, on... pack, and lantern to board the end platform or ride while standing on the sill step, and maintain three... available for review online at www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of Transportation's...
Utility of several clinical tests of color defective vision in predicting daytime and nighttime performance with the aviation signal light gun.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-12-01

Subjects of varying type and degree of color deficiency were tested on a battery of color tests, including the American Optical Company Plates (both 1940 and 1965 editions), the Dvorine Plates, the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue, the Farnsworth Lantern, ...
5. Historic American Buildings Survey Photocopy of elevation drawing dated ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. Historic American Buildings Survey Photocopy of elevation drawing dated 1888 in office of First Coast Guard District, J. F. Kennedy Federal Building, Government Center, Boston, Mass. 02203 LIGHT-TOWER AT BOON ISLAND, MAINE SHOWING WROUGHT IRON WORK PROPOSED FOR ARRESTING VIBRATION OF LANTERN - Boon Island Light Tower, Cape Neddick, York County, ME
Oxidation of Half-Lantern Pt2(II,II) Compounds by Halocarbons. Evidence of Dioxygen Insertion into a Pt(III)-CH3 Bond.

PubMed

Sicilia, V; Baya, M; Borja, P; Martín, A

2015-08-03

The half-lantern compound [{Pt(bzq)(μ-N^S)}2] (1) [bzq = benzo[h]quinoline, HN^S = 2-mercaptopyrimidine (C4H3N2HS)] reacts with CH3I and haloforms CHX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) to give the corresponding oxidized diplatinum(III) derivatives [{Pt(bzq)(μ-N^S)X}2] (X = Cl 2a, Br 2b, I 2c). These compounds exhibit half-lantern structures with short intermetallic distances (∼2.6 Å) due to Pt-Pt bond formation. The halogen abstraction mechanisms from the halocarbon molecules by the Pt2(II,II) compound 1 were investigated. NMR spectroscopic evidence using labeled reagents support that in the case of (13)CH3I the reaction initiates with an oxidative addition through an SN2 mechanism giving rise to the intermediate species [I(bzq)Pt(μ-N^S)2Pt(bzq)((13)CH3)}]. However, with haloforms the reactions proceed through a radical-like mechanism, thermally (CHBr3, CHI3) or photochemically (CHCl3) activated, giving rise to mixtures of species [X(bzq)Pt(μ-N^S)2Pt(bzq)R] (3a-c) and [X(bzq)Pt(μ-N^S)2Pt(bzq)X] (2a-c). In these cases the presence of O2 favors the formation of species 2 over 3. Transformation of 3 into 2 was possible upon irradiation with UV light. In the case of [I(bzq)Pt(μ-N^S)2Pt(bzq)((13)CH3)}] (3d), in the presence of O2 the formation of the unusual methylperoxo derivative [I(bzq)Pt(μ-N^S)2Pt(bzq)(O-O(13)CH3)}] (4d) was detected, which in the presence of (13)CH3I rendered the final product [{Pt(bzq)(μ-N^S)I}2] (2c) and (13)CH3OH.
Embryonic, Larval, and Juvenile Development of the Sea Biscuit Clypeaster subdepressus (Echinodermata: Clypeasteroida)

PubMed Central

Vellutini, Bruno C.; Migotto, Alvaro E.

2010-01-01

Sea biscuits and sand dollars diverged from other irregular echinoids approximately 55 million years ago and rapidly dispersed to oceans worldwide. A series of morphological changes were associated with the occupation of sand beds such as flattening of the body, shortening of primary spines, multiplication of podia, and retention of the lantern of Aristotle into adulthood. To investigate the developmental basis of such morphological changes we documented the ontogeny of Clypeaster subdepressus. We obtained gametes from adult specimens by KCl injection and raised the embryos at 26C. Ciliated blastulae hatched 7.5 h after sperm entry. During gastrulation the archenteron elongated continuously while ectodermal red-pigmented cells migrated synchronously to the apical plate. Pluteus larvae began to feed in 3 d and were 20 d old at metamorphosis; starved larvae died 17 d after fertilization. Postlarval juveniles had neither mouth nor anus nor plates on the aboral side, except for the remnants of larval spicules, but their bilateral symmetry became evident after the resorption of larval tissues. Ossicles of the lantern were present and organized in 5 groups. Each group had 1 tooth, 2 demipyramids, and 2 epiphyses with a rotula in between. Early appendages consisted of 15 spines, 15 podia (2 types), and 5 sphaeridia. Podial types were distributed in accordance to Lovén's rule and the first podium of each ambulacrum was not encircled by the skeleton. Seven days after metamorphosis juveniles began to feed by rasping sand grains with the lantern. Juveniles survived in laboratory cultures for 9 months and died with wide, a single open sphaeridium per ambulacrum, aboral anus, and no differentiated food grooves or petaloids. Tracking the morphogenesis of early juveniles is a necessary step to elucidate the developmental mechanisms of echinoid growth and important groundwork to clarify homologies between irregular urchins. PMID:20339592
46 CFR 10.215 - Medical and physical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... complete annual medical exams and, unless exempt per 46 CFR 16.220, pass annual chemical tests for....215(b)(1) § 10.215(c) § 10.215(d)(1) § 10.215(e)(1) (ii) Engineering officer § 10.215(b)(2) § 10.215(c...) Titmus Optical Vision Tester. (viii) Williams Lantern. (2) Engineering, radio operator, tankerman, and...
Comics as Art Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulholland, Matthew J.

2004-01-01

Spider Man and the Green Lantern are not the first images that most people conjure up when someone mentions "important art." In the world of fine art, comic books are often viewed as the bottom rung of the artistic ladder. In the early half of the 1900s, such an assessment would not have been unreasonable. With their rudimentary visuals and…
An Ambient Awareness Tool for Supporting Supervised Collaborative Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alavi, H. S.; Dillenbourg, P.

2012-01-01

We describe an ambient awareness tool, named "Lantern", designed for supporting the learning process in recitation sections, (i.e., when students work in small teams on the exercise sets with the help of tutors). Each team is provided with an interactive lamp that displays their work status: the exercise they are working on, if they have…

Lanterns and Drums: Changing Representations of Chinese Songs in Australian School Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southcott, Jane Elizabeth; Lee, Angela Hao-Chun

2013-01-01

Contemporary Australia is an evolving nation of diverse cultures, but in the past various understandings of national identity were held, first as part of the British empire, then as part of an assimilationist monocultural British society and subsequently as a nation where integration allowed different cultures to be celebrated but within the…
Moving Teaching and Learning with Technology from Adoption to Transformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartman, Joel L.

2008-01-01

Information technology has been an important part of higher education since the development of the lantern slide in the mid-1800s. However, occasions in which the academy has been "transformed" by technology are rare. Viewed in a historical perspective, these occasions can be considered as a series of three epochs: the online public-access catalog…
46 CFR 35.30-1 - Warning signals and signs-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... § 35.30-1 Warning signals and signs—TB/ALL. (a) Red warning signals. During transfer of bulk cargo while fast to a dock, a red signal (flag by day and electric lantern at night) shall be so placed that it will be visible on all sides. While transferring bulk cargo at anchor, a red flag only shall be...
46 CFR 35.30-1 - Warning signals and signs-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... § 35.30-1 Warning signals and signs—TB/ALL. (a) Red warning signals. During transfer of bulk cargo while fast to a dock, a red signal (flag by day and electric lantern at night) shall be so placed that it will be visible on all sides. While transferring bulk cargo at anchor, a red flag only shall be...
46 CFR 35.30-1 - Warning signals and signs-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... § 35.30-1 Warning signals and signs—TB/ALL. (a) Red warning signals. During transfer of bulk cargo while fast to a dock, a red signal (flag by day and electric lantern at night) shall be so placed that it will be visible on all sides. While transferring bulk cargo at anchor, a red flag only shall be...
33 CFR 83.21 - Definitions (Rule 21).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... horizon of 225 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam... light over an arc of the horizon of 112.5 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to... side lights may be combined in one lantern carried on the fore and aft centerline of the vessel, except...
Scientific Encounters of the Mysterious Sea. Reading Activities That Explore the Mysterious Creatures of the Deep Blue Sea. Grades 4-7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Embry, Lynn

This activity book presents reading activities for grades 4-7 exploring the mysterious creatures of the deep sea. The creatures include: angel sharks; argonauts; barberfish; comb jelly; croakers; electric rays; flying fish; giganturid; lantern fish; narwhals; northern basket starfish; ocean sunfish; Portuguese man-of-war; sea cucumbers; sea…
33 CFR 83.25 - Sailing vessels underway and vessels under oars (Rule 25).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... exhibit: (1) Sidelights; and (2) A sternlight. (b) Sailing vessels of less than 20 meters in length. In a... with the combined lantern permitted by paragraph (b) of this Rule. (d) Sailing vessels of less than 7... practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule, but if she does not, she...
33 CFR 83.25 - Sailing vessels underway and vessels under oars (Rule 25).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... exhibit: (1) Sidelights; and (2) A sternlight. (b) Sailing vessels of less than 20 meters in length. In a... with the combined lantern permitted by paragraph (b) of this Rule. (d) Sailing vessels of less than 7... practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule, but if she does not, she...
33 CFR 83.25 - Sailing vessels underway and vessels under oars (Rule 25).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... exhibit: (1) Sidelights; and (2) A sternlight. (b) Sailing vessels of less than 20 meters in length. In a... with the combined lantern permitted by paragraph (b) of this Rule. (d) Sailing vessels of less than 7... practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule, but if she does not, she...
Second generation OH suppression filters using multicore fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynes, R.; Birks, T. A.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Cruz, J. L.; Diez, A.; Ellis, S. C.; Haynes, D.; Krämer, R. G.; Mangan, B. J.; Min, S.; Murphy, D. F.; Nolte, S.; Olaya, J. C.; Thomas, J. U.; Trinh, C. Q.; Tünnermann, A.; Voigtländer, Christian

2012-09-01

Ground based near-infrared observations have long been plagued by poor sensitivity when compared to visible observations as a result of the bright narrow line emission from atmospheric OH molecules. The GNOSIS instrument recently commissioned at the Australian Astronomical Observatory uses Photonic Lanterns in combination with individually printed single mode fibre Bragg gratings to filter out the brightest OH-emission lines between 1.47 and 1.70μm. GNOSIS, reported in a separate paper in this conference, demonstrates excellent OH-suppression, providing very “clean” filtering of the lines. It represents a major step forward in the goal to improve the sensitivity of ground based near-infrared observation to that possible at visible wavelengths, however, the filter units are relatively bulky and costly to produce. The 2nd generation fibre OH-Suppression filters based on multicore fibres are currently under development. The development aims to produce high quality, cost effective, compact and robust OH-Suppression units in a single optical fibre with numerous isolated single mode cores that replicate the function and performance of the current generation of “conventional” photonic lantern based devices. In this paper we present the early results from the multicore fibre development and multicore fibre Bragg grating imprinting process.
Flaring radio lanterns along the ridge line: long-term oscillatory motion in the jet of S5 1803+784

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kun, E.; Karouzos, M.; Gabányi, K. É.; Britzen, S.; Kurtanidze, O. M.; Gergely, L. Á.

2018-07-01

We present a detailed analysis of 30 very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations of the BL Lac object S5 1803+784 (z= 0.679), obtained between mean observational time 1994.67 and 2012.91 at observational frequency 15 GHz. The long-term behaviour of the jet ridge line reveals the jet experiences an oscillatory motion superposed on its helical jet kinematics on a time-scale of about 6 yr. The excess variance of the positional variability indicates the jet components being farther from the VLBI core have larger amplitude in their position variations. The fractional variability amplitude shows slight changes in 3 yrbins of the component's position. The temporal variability in the Doppler boosting of the ridge line results in jet regions behaving as flaring `radio lanterns'. We offer a qualitative scenario leading to the oscillation of the jet ridge line that utilizes the orbital motion of the jet emitter black hole due to a binary black hole companion. A correlation analysis implies composite origin of the flux variability of the jet components, emerging due to possibly both the evolving jet structure and its intrinsic variability.
Nuclear physics experiments with low cost instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira Bastos, Rodrigo; Adelar Boff, Cleber; Melquiades, Fábio Luiz

2016-11-01

One of the difficulties in modern physics teaching is the limited availability of experimental activities. This is particularly true for teaching nuclear physics in high school or college. The activities suggested in the literature generally symbolise real phenomenon, using simulations. It happens because the experimental practices mostly include some kind of expensive radiation detector and an ionising radiation source that requires special care for handling and storage, being subject to a highly bureaucratic regulation in some countries. This study overcomes these difficulties and proposes three nuclear physics experiments using a low-cost ion chamber which construction is explained: the measurement of 222Rn progeny collected from the indoor air; the measurement of the range of alpha particles emitted by the 232Th progeny, present in lantern mantles and in thoriated welding rods, and by the air filter containing 222Rn progeny; and the measurement of 220Rn half-life collected from the emanation of the lantern mantles. This paper presents the experimental procedures and the expected results, indicating that the experiments may provide support for nuclear physics classes. These practices may outreach wide access to either college or high-school didactic laboratories, and the apparatus has the potential for the development of new teaching activities for nuclear physics.
KSC-07pd0574

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane is ready to lift a refurbished lantern to the top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
KSC-07pd0580

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane lowers a refurbished lantern on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
KSC-07pd0579

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers help guide a refurbished lantern on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
KSC-07pd0578

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane begins lowering a refurbished lantern on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Flaring radio lanterns along the ridge line: long-term oscillatory motion in the jet of S5 1803+784

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kun, E.; Karouzos, M.; Gabányi, K. É.; Britzen, S.; Kurtanidze, O. M.; Gergely, L. Á.

2018-04-01

We present a detailed analysis of 30 very long baseline interferometric observations of the BL Lac object S5 1803+784 (z = 0.679), obtained between mean observational time 1994.67 and 2012.91 at observational frequency 15 GHz. The long-term behaviour of the jet ridge line reveals the jet experiences an oscillatory motion superposed on its helical jet kinematics on a time-scale of about 6 years. The excess variance of the positional variability indicates the jet components being farther from the VLBI core have larger amplitude in their position variations. The fractional variability amplitude shows slight changes in 3-year bins of the component's position. The temporal variability in the Doppler boosting of the ridge line results in jet regions behaving as flaring "radio lanterns". We offer a qualitative scenario leading to the oscillation of the jet ridge line, that utilizes the orbital motion of the jet emitter black hole due to a binary black hole companion. A correlation analysis implies composite origin of the flux variability of the jet components, emerging due to possibly both the evolving jet-structure and its intrinsic variability.
An ultra-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of three physalins in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese lantern) in rats.

PubMed

Zheng, Yunliang; Chen, Yong; Ren, Yiping; Luan, Lianjun; Wu, Yongjiang

2012-01-25

An ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the quantification of three major ingredients in Chinese lantern preparations (CLP) in rat plasma. Following extraction by ethyl acetate, the analytes were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP C(18) column using a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile-water. Electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem interface was employed prior to mass spectrometric detection. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 5.0-500.0 ng/ml for physalin D, 2.3-230.0 ng/ml for physalin G and 0.71-71.0 ng/ml for 4,7-didehydroneophysalin B. The average extraction recoveries, examined at four concentration levels, carried from 57.1% to 76.9%, and the accuracies ranged from 94.0% to 113.3% with precision (RSD) <15%. The validated method was successfully applied to the determination of the three physalins in rat plasma after intragastric administration of CLP suspension. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Photocopy of measured drawing (from Records of the U. S. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of measured drawing (from Records of the U. S. Coast Guard, Record Group 26, National Archives) Light House Engineers' Office, ca. 1882 "PORTLAND HEAD L. H. SHOWING THE TOWER BEFORE IT WAS RAISED, BUT WITH A NEW LANTERN" (5" x 7" print; 4" x 5" negative) - Portland Head Light, Portland Head, approximately 1/2 mile East of Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland County, ME

Validating tyrosinase homologue melA as a photoacoustic reporter gene for imaging Escherichia coli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paproski, Robert J.; Li, Yan; Barber, Quinn; Lewis, John D.; Campbell, Robert E.; Zemp, Roger

2015-10-01

To understand the pathogenic processes for infectious bacteria, appropriate research tools are required for replicating and characterizing infections. Fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging have primarily been used to image infections in animal models, but optical scattering in tissue significantly limits imaging depth and resolution. Photoacoustic imaging, which has improved depth-to-resolution ratio compared to conventional optical imaging, could be useful for visualizing melA-expressing bacteria since melA is a bacterial tyrosinase homologue which produces melanin. Escherichia coli-expressing melA was visibly dark in liquid culture. When melA-expressing bacteria in tubes were imaged with a VisualSonics Vevo LAZR system, the signal-to-noise ratio of a 9× dilution sample was 55, suggesting that ˜20 bacteria cells could be detected with our system. Multispectral (680, 700, 750, 800, 850, and 900 nm) analysis of the photoacoustic signal allowed unmixing of melA-expressing bacteria from blood. To compare photoacoustic reporter gene melA (using Vevo system) with luminescent and fluorescent reporter gene Nano-lantern (using Bruker Xtreme In-Vivo system), tubes of bacteria expressing melA or Nano-lantern were submerged 10 mm in 1% Intralipid, spaced between <1 and 20 mm apart from each other, and imaged with the appropriate imaging modality. Photoacoustic imaging could resolve the two tubes of melA-expressing bacteria even when the tubes were less than 1 mm from each other, while bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging could not resolve the two tubes of Nano-lantern-expressing bacteria even when the tubes were spaced 10 mm from each other. After injecting 100-μL of melA-expressing bacteria in the back flank of a chicken embryo, photoacoustic imaging allowed visualization of melA-expressing bacteria up to 10-mm deep into the embryo. Photoacoustic signal from melA could also be separated from deoxy- and oxy-hemoglobin signal observed within the embryo and chorioallantoic membrane. Our results suggest that melA is a useful photoacoustic reporter gene for visualizing bacteria, and further work incorporating photoacoustic reporters into infectious bacterial strains is warranted.
KSC-07pd0576

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane lifts a refurbished lantern to place on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward a $1 million restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
KSC-07pd0575

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane lifts a refurbished lantern to place on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward a $1 million restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
TEACHING VALUES IN MEDICINE VIA AWARENESS CREATED THROUGH ART.

PubMed

Karam, George H

2016-01-01

The design of a new medical education building sought through art to create awareness of important values in physicians. An antique silk embroidery depicting Aesculapius crowning a man charged to protect the medical profession from quackery is placed at the beginning of the space leading into the simulation laboratories to highlight the importance of competency. A charcoal drawing by an important regional artist conveys the message that trust can arise from vulnerability, with optimal mentoring being the outcome. A round table with an authentic French Art Deco lantern and a commissioned table designed as an interpretation of the lantern create the sense of importance that fosters critical thinking and professionalism. An outdoor terrace was designed to challenge residents and medical students to become in touch with their capacity for humanism in medicine. Included among the various elements to nurture this core value are an outdoor classroom, conversation gardens, open spaces under plane trees (which are within the family of trees under which Hippocrates taught), and a reflection cove (reminiscent of those sought by poets who travelled to Ravello, Italy, in an attempt to find the meaning of life). The major focal point on the terrace is a commissioned Dale Chihuly sculpture of red reeds intended to encourage art as a form of healing and as a source of humanism.
TEACHING VALUES IN MEDICINE VIA AWARENESS CREATED THROUGH ART

PubMed Central

KARAM, GEORGE H.

2016-01-01

The design of a new medical education building sought through art to create awareness of important values in physicians. An antique silk embroidery depicting Aesculapius crowning a man charged to protect the medical profession from quackery is placed at the beginning of the space leading into the simulation laboratories to highlight the importance of competency. A charcoal drawing by an important regional artist conveys the message that trust can arise from vulnerability, with optimal mentoring being the outcome. A round table with an authentic French Art Deco lantern and a commissioned table designed as an interpretation of the lantern create the sense of importance that fosters critical thinking and professionalism. An outdoor terrace was designed to challenge residents and medical students to become in touch with their capacity for humanism in medicine. Included among the various elements to nurture this core value are an outdoor classroom, conversation gardens, open spaces under plane trees (which are within the family of trees under which Hippocrates taught), and a reflection cove (reminiscent of those sought by poets who travelled to Ravello, Italy, in an attempt to find the meaning of life). The major focal point on the terrace is a commissioned Dale Chihuly sculpture of red reeds intended to encourage art as a form of healing and as a source of humanism. PMID:28066041
KSC-07pd0577

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crane lifts a refurbished lantern to place on top of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, capping more than a year's work toward a $1 million restoration of the 150-year-old beacon. The work included sandblasting the metal shell and filling the corrosion pits with epoxy, refurbishing the balcony and repairing the lantern. To further the restoration, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the lighthouse keeper's quarters from the original plans, as well as establish space for its archives and develop a meeting place. The only lighthouse in the nation operated by the Air Force, it began guiding mariners in 1868. An encroaching sea caused it to be moved inland and it was re-lighted in 1894 at its present location. The refurbishment was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, whose officials said they wanted to help preserve the area's history. The original brass roof, which had been in storage since its removal years ago, has been restored and once again tops the lighthouse. As it is an active aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to be responsible for the optic, or light, which has a range of up to 22 nautical miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety and Security Council. Volume 72, Number 2, Summer 2015

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

environ- mentally friendly power -producing and -saving technolo- gies on physical ATONs; using photovoltaic cells as supple- mental power sources, such...ATON positioning, solar power , and self-contained LED lanterns. And, as technological advancements have made accessing and transiting the MTS more...Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) charts up to date. However, with the vast increase in com- puting power and system interconnectivity, there is a rec
Photonic Lantern Adaptive Spatial Mode Control in LMA Fiber Amplifiers using SPGD

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-15

ll.mit.edu Abstract: We demonstrate adaptive-spatial mode control (ASMC) in few- moded double- clad large mode area (LMA) fiber amplifiers by using an...combination resulting in a single fundamental mode at the output is achieved. 2015 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (140.3510) Lasers ...fiber; (140.3425) Laser stabilization; (060.2340) Fiber optics components; (110.1080) Active or adaptive optics; References and links 1. C
Super-duper chemiluminescent proteins applicable to wide range of bioimaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Kazushi; Nagai, Takeharu

2017-02-01

We report five new spectral variants of bright luminescent protein made by concatenation of the brightest luciferase, NanoLuc, with various color hues of fluorescent proteins. These proteins, which we call enhanced Nano-lanterns (eNLs), allow five-color live-cell imaging without external light illumination as well as detection of single molecules. Furthermore, eNL-based Ca2+ indicators could be used to image long-term Ca2+ dynamics in iPS-derived cardiomyocytes.
The Role of the Private Sector in the National Response System

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

p. 1). In addition, the authors also stress some of the obstacles preventing even further cooperation including access to information, sharing...classified a disaster. However, a simple event, such as a cow tipping over a lantern in a barn, can lead to an entire city burning down, claiming 1,200 lives...thousands of people trapped in the stifling heat of the convention center and Superdome, these supplies would have been instrumental in helping them
2005 Science and Technology for Chem-Bio Information Systems (S and T CBIS). Volume 2 - Wednesday

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-28

historical example of using both an audible and visual alerting method. In April 1775, Revere hung two lanterns in the bell-tower of Christ Church in...individual building systems, outdoor systems, telephone notification systems and a network of alert sensors . Fire protection systems are often... sensor , be it a pushbutton at a gate, a wireless “panic” button or a CBRNE detector, may be programmed to trigger notifications without further
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Jinhee; Chen, Ying-Pin; Perry, Zachary

A series of molybdenum- and copper-based MOPs were synthesized through coordination-driven process of a bridging ligand (3,3 -PDBAD, L1) and dimetal paddlewheel clusters. Three conformers of the ligand exist with an ideal bridging angle between the two carboxylate groups of 0° (H2α-L1), 120° (H2β-L1), and of 90° (H2γ-L1), respectively. At ambient or lower temperature, H2L1 and Mo2(OAc)4 or Cu2(OAc)4 were crystallized into a molecular square with γ-L1 and Mo2/Cu2 units. With proper temperature elevation, not only the molecular square with γ-L1 but also a lantern-shaped cage with α-L1 formed simultaneously. Similar to how Watson–Crick pairs stabilize the helical structure ofmore » duplex DNA, the core–shell molecular assembly possesses favorable H-bonding interaction sites. This is dictated by the ligand conformation in the shell, coding for the formation and providing stabilization of the central lantern shaped core, which was not observed without this complementary interaction. On the basis of the crystallographic implications, a heterobimetallic cage was obtained through a postsynthetic metal ion metathesis, showing different reactivity of coordination bonds in the core and shell. As an innovative synthetic strategy, the site-selective metathesis broadens the structural diversity and properties of coordination assemblies.« less
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, J; Chen, YP; Perry, Z

A series of molybdenum- and copper-based MOPs were synthesized through coordination-driven process of a bridging ligand (3,3'-PDBAD, L-1) and dimetal paddlewheel clusters. Three conformers of the ligand exist with an ideal bridging angle between the two carboxylate groups of 0 degrees (H-2 zeta-L(1)), 120 degrees (H-2 beta-L-1), and of 90 degrees (H-2 beta-L-1), respectively. At ambient or lower temperature, (HL1)-L-2 and Mo-2(OAc)(4) or Cu-2(OAc)(4) were crystallized into a molecular square with ?-L-1 and Mo-2/Cu-2 units. With proper temperature elevation, not only the molecular square with ?-L-1 but also a lantern-shaped cage with a-L-1 formed simultaneously. Similar to how Watson-Crick pairsmore » stabilize the helical structure of duplex DNA, the core-shell molecular assembly possesses favorable H-bonding interaction sites. This is dictated by the ligand conformation in the shell, coding for the formation and providing stabilization of the central lantern shaped core, which was not observed without this complementary interaction. On the basis of the crystallographic implications, a heterobimetallic cage was obtained through a postsynthetic metal ion metathesis, showing different reactivity of coordination bonds in the core and shell. As an innovative synthetic strategy, the site-selective metathesis broadens the structural diversity and properties of coordination assemblies.« less
Multicore fibre photonic lanterns for precision radial velocity Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gris-Sánchez, Itandehui; Haynes, Dionne M.; Ehrlich, Katjana; Haynes, Roger; Birks, Tim A.

2018-04-01

Incomplete fibre scrambling and fibre modal noise can degrade high-precision spectroscopic applications (typically high spectral resolution and high signal to noise). For example, it can be the dominating error source for exoplanet finding spectrographs, limiting the maximum measurement precision possible with such facilities. This limitation is exacerbated in the next generation of infra-red based systems, as the number of modes supported by the fibre scales inversely with the wavelength squared and more modes typically equates to better scrambling. Substantial effort has been made by major research groups in this area to improve the fibre link performance by employing non-circular fibres, double scramblers, fibre shakers, and fibre stretchers. We present an original design of a multicore fibre (MCF) terminated with multimode photonic lantern ports. It is designed to act as a relay fibre with the coupling efficiency of a multimode fibre (MMF), modal stability similar to a single-mode fibre and low loss in a wide range of wavelengths (380 nm to 860 nm). It provides phase and amplitude scrambling to achieve a stable near field and far-field output illumination pattern despite input coupling variations, and low modal noise for increased stability for high signal-to-noise applications such as precision radial velocity (PRV) science. Preliminary results are presented for a 511-core MCF and compared with current state of the art octagonal fibre.
Biochemical characteristics and gene expression profiles of two paralogous luciferases from the Japanese firefly Pyrocoelia atripennis (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Lampyrinae): insight into the evolution of firefly luciferase genes.

PubMed

Bessho-Uehara, Manabu; Konishi, Kaori; Oba, Yuichi

2017-08-09

Two paralogous genes of firefly luciferase, Luc1 and Luc2, have been isolated from the species in two subfamilies, Luciolinae and Photurinae, of the family Lampyridae. The gene expression profiles have previously been examined only in the species of Luciolinae. Here we isolated Luc1 and Luc2 genes from the Japanese firefly Pyrocoelia atripennis. This is the first report of the presence of both Luc1 and Luc2 genes in the species of the subfamily Lampyrinae and of the exon-intron structure of Luc2 in the family Lampyridae. The luminescence of both gene products peaked at 547 nm under neutral buffer conditions, and the spectrum of Luc1, but not Luc2, was red-shifted under acidic conditions, as observed for Luc2 in the Luciolinae species. The semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction suggested that Luc1 was expressed in lanterns of all the stages except eggs, while Luc2 was expressed in the non-lantern bodies of eggs, prepupae, pupae, and female adults. These expression profiles are consistent with those in the Luciolinae species. Considering the distant phylogenetic relationship between Lampyrinae and Luciolinae in Lampyridae, we propose that fireflies generally possess two different luciferase genes and the biochemical properties and gene expression profiles for each paralog are conserved among lampyrid species.
Cedar River and Tributaries, Black Hawk County, Iowa, and Vicinity

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-01

Camp Cabins and Dormitories x Dining Hall x Infirmaries x Amphitheaters x x Caretaker Quarters x Outdoor Cooking x x Beaches x x Docks x x Camping pads...x x Swimming Beaches x x Visitor Center xZ/ x Nature Center x Historical Centers x Archeological Centers x Environmental - Education Centers x Lodges...Benches x x Camping Pads x x Flag Poles x Lantern Hangers x x VI. Play Facilities Courts Multiple Use x7/ x Tennis x Basketball x Handball x
Design of control system based on SCM music fountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Biqing; Li, Zhao; Jiang, Suping

2018-06-01

The design of the design of a microprocessor controlled by simple circuit, introduced this design applied to the components, and draw the main flow chart presentation. System is the use of an external music source, the intensity of the input audio signal lights will affect the light off, the fountain spray of water level will be based on changes in the lantern light off. This design uses a single-chip system is simple, powerful, good reliability and low cost.
Gain-Controlled Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier Using Mode-Selective Photonic Lantern

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

schematic diagram of the MSPL integrated with the FM-EDFA is shown in Fig. 3. Two laser diodes (LDs) at λp = 976 nm are connected to the MSPL through a...to co-directionally core pump the FM-EDFA. A tunable semiconductor laser (Santec TSL-210) was used to provide the signal. An optical isolator was...placed in the signal path to avoid spurious optical reflections that could destabilize the laser . In a similar configuration, the delivered signal was
A Label-Free and Sensitive Fluorescent Qualitative Assay for Bisphenol A Based on Rolling Circle Amplification/Exonuclease III-Combined Cascade Amplification.

PubMed

Li, Xia; Song, Juan; Xue, Qing-Wang; You, Fu-Heng; Lu, Xia; Kong, Yan-Cong; Ma, Shu-Yi; Jiang, Wei; Li, Chen-Zhong

2016-10-21

Bisphenol A (BPA) detection in drinking water and food packaging materials has attracted much attention since the discovery that BPA can interfere with normal physiological processes and cause adverse health effects. Here, we constructed a label-free aptamer fluorescent assay for selective and sensitive detection of BPA based on the rolling circle amplification (RCA)/Exonuclease III (Exo III)-combined cascade amplification strategy. First, the duplex DNA probe (RP) with anti-BPA aptamer and trigger sequence was designed for BPA recognition and signal amplification. Next, under the action of BPA, the trigger probe was liberated from RP to initiate RCA reaction as primary amplification. Subsequently, the RCA products were used to trigger Exo III assisted secondary amplification with the help of hairpin probes, producing plenty of "G-quadruplex" in lantern-like structures. Finally, the continuously enriched "G-quadruplex lanterns" were lightened by zinc(II)-protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX) generating enhanced fluorescence signals. By integrating the primary RCA and secondary Exo III mediated cascade amplification strategy, this method displayed an excellent sensitivity with the detection limits of 5.4 × 10 -17 M. In addition, the anti-BPA aptamer exhibits high recognition ability with BPA, guaranteeing the specificity of detection. The reporter signal probe (G-quadruplex with ZnPPIX) provides a label-free fluorescence signals readout without complicated labeling procedures, making the method simple in design and cost-effective in operation. Moreover, environmental samples analysis was also performed, suggesting that our strategy was reliable and had a great potential application in environmental monitoring.
Shedding genomic light on Aristotle's lantern.

PubMed

Sodergren, Erica; Shen, Yufeng; Song, Xingzhi; Zhang, Lan; Gibbs, Richard A; Weinstock, George M

2006-12-01

Sea urchins have proved fascinating to biologists since the time of Aristotle who compared the appearance of their bony mouth structure to a lantern in The History of Animals. Throughout modern times it has been a model system for research in developmental biology. Now, the genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is the first echinoderm genome to be sequenced. A high quality draft sequence assembly was produced using the Atlas assembler to combine whole genome shotgun sequences with sequences from a collection of BACs selected to form a minimal tiling path along the genome. A formidable challenge was presented by the high degree of heterozygosity between the two haplotypes of the selected male representative of this marine organism. This was overcome by use of the BAC tiling path backbone, in which each BAC represents a single haplotype, as well as by improvements in the Atlas software. Another innovation introduced in this project was the sequencing of pools of tiling path BACs rather than individual BAC sequencing. The Clone-Array Pooled Shotgun Strategy greatly reduced the cost and time devoted to preparing shotgun libraries from BAC clones. The genome sequence was analyzed with several gene prediction methods to produce a comprehensive gene list that was then manually refined and annotated by a volunteer team of sea urchin experts. This latter annotation community edited over 9000 gene models and uncovered many unexpected aspects of the sea urchin genetic content impacting transcriptional regulation, immunology, sensory perception, and an organism's development. Analysis of the basic deuterostome genetic complement supports the sea urchin's role as a model system for deuterostome and, by extension, chordate development.

STS-34 Atlantis, OV-104, crew eats preflight breakfast at KSC O and C Bldg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-34 crewmembers, wearing mission t-shirts, eat preflight breakfast at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Operations and Checkout (O and C) Building before boarding Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104. Sitting around table (left to right) are Commmander Donald E. Williams, Mission Specialist (MS) Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, MS Shannon W. Lucid, MS Ellen S. Baker, and Pilot Michael J. McCulley. A jack-o-lantern (pumpkin) carved with the STS-34 mission insignia is in the center of the table decorated with a mission baseball cap and sitting atop a flight jacket.
An unprecedented up-field shift in the 13C NMR spectrum of the carboxyl carbons of the lantern-type dinuclear complex TBA[Ru2(O2CCH3)4Cl2] (TBA+ = tetra(n-butyl)ammonium cation).

PubMed

Hiraoka, Yuya; Ikeue, Takahisa; Sakiyama, Hiroshi; Guégan, Frédéric; Luneau, Dominique; Gillon, Béatrice; Hiromitsu, Ichiro; Yoshioka, Daisuke; Mikuriya, Masahiro; Kataoka, Yusuke; Handa, Makoto

2015-08-14

A large up-field shift (-763 ppm) has been observed for the carboxyl carbons of the dichlorido complex TBA[Ru(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)Cl(2)] (TBA(+) = tetra(n-butyl)ammonium cation) in the (13)C NMR spectrum (CD(2)Cl(2) at 25 °C). The DFT calculations showed spin delocalization from the paramagnetic Ru(2)(5+) core to the ligands, in agreement with the large up-field shift.
Cost-effectiveness of indacaterol/glycopyrronium in comparison with salmeterol/fluticasone combination for patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a LANTERN population analysis from Singapore.

PubMed

Tee, Augustine; Chow, Wai Leng; Burke, Colin; Basavarajaiah, Guruprasad

2018-03-16

In light of the growing evidence base for better clinical results with the use of the dual bronchodilator indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) over inhaled corticosteroid-containing salmeterol/fluticasone combination (SFC), this study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of IND/GLY over SFC in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are at low risk of exacerbations in the Singapore healthcare setting. A previously published patient-level simulation model was adapted for use in Singapore by applying local unit costs. The model was populated with clinical data from the LANTERN and ECLIPSE studies. Both costs and health outcomes were predicted for the lifetime horizon from a payer's perspective and were discounted at 3% per annum. Costs were expressed in 2015 USD. Uncertainty was assessed through probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Compared to SFC, use of IND/GLY increased mean life expectancy by 0.316 years and mean quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) by 0.246 years, and decreased mean total treatment costs (drug costs and management of associated events) by USD 1,474 over the entire lifetime horizon. IND/GLY was considered to be 100% cost-effective at a threshold of 1 × gross domestic product per capita. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis results showed that IND/GLY was 100% cost-effective at a threshold of USD 2,000 when compared to SFC. IND/GLY was estimated to be highly cost-effective compared to SFC in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD who are not at high risk of exacerbations in the Singapore healthcare setting.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alstone, Peter; Mills, Evan; Jacobson, Arne

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fuel-based lighting are substantial given the paltry levels of lighting service provided to users, leading to a great opportunity for GHG mitigation byencouraging the switch from fuel-based to rechargeable LED lighting. However, as with most new energy technology, switching to efficient lighting requires an up-front investment of energy(and GHGs) embedded in the manufacture of replacement components. We studied a population of off-grid lighting users in 2008-2009 in Kenya who were given the opportunity to adopt LEDlighting. Based on their use patterns with the LED lights and the levels of kerosene offset we observed, wemore » found that the embodied energy of the LED lamp was"paid for" in only one month for grid charged products and two months for solar charged products. Furthermore, the energyreturn-on investment-ratio (energy produced or offset over the product's service life divided by energy embedded) for off-grid LED lighting ranges from 12 to 24, which is on par with on-gridsolar and large-scale wind energy. We also found that the energy embodied in the manufacture of a typical hurricane lantern is about one-half to one-sixth of that embodied in the particular LEDlights that we evaluated, indicating that the energy payback time would be moderately faster if LEDs ultimately displace the production of kerosene lanterns. As LED products improve, weanticipate longer service lives and more successful displacement of kerosene lighting, both of which will speed the already rapid recovery of embodied energy in these products. Our studyprovides a detailed appendix with embodied energy values for a variety of components used to construct off-grid LED lighting, which can be used to analyze other products.« less
Multicore fibre technology: the road to multimode photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Min, Seong-Sik; Lindley, Emma; Leon-Saval, Sergio; Ellis, Simon; Lawrence, Jon; Beyrand, Nicolas; Roth, Martin; Löhmannsröben, Hans-Gerd; Veilleux, Sylvain

2016-07-01

For the past forty years, optical fibres have found widespread use in ground-based and space-based instruments. In most applications, these fibres are used in conjunction with conventional optics to transport light. But photonics offers a huge range of optical manipulations beyond light transport that were rarely exploited before 2001. The fundamental obstacle to the broader use of photonics is the difficulty of achieving photonic action in a multimode fibre. The first step towards a general solution was the invention of the photonic lantern1 in 2004 and the delivery of high-efficiency devices (< 1 dB loss) five years on2. Multicore fibres (MCF), used in conjunction with lanterns, are now enabling an even bigger leap towards multimode photonics. Until recently, the single-moded cores in MCFs were not sufficiently uniform to achieve telecom (SMF-28) performance. Now that high-quality MCFs have been realized, we turn our attention to printing complex functions (e.g. Bragg gratings for OH suppression) into their N cores. Our first work in this direction used a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (near-field phase mask) but this approach was only adequate for N=7 MCFs as measured by the grating uniformity3. We have now built a Sagnac interferometer that gives a three-fold increase in the depth of field sufficient to print across N >= 127 cores. We achieved first light this year with our 500mW Sabre FRED laser. These are sophisticated and complex interferometers. We report on our progress to date and summarize our first-year goals which include multimode OH suppression fibres for the Anglo-Australian Telescope/PRAXIS instrument and the Discovery Channel Telescope/MOHSIS instrument under development at the University of Maryland.
Mg and Sr in Arctic echinoderm calcite: Nature or nurture?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iglikowska, A.; Borszcz, T.; Drewnik, A.; Grabowska, M.; Humphreys-Williams, E.; Kędra, M.; Krzemińska, M.; Piwoni-Piórewicz, A.; Kukliński, P.

2018-04-01

The Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in echinoderm skeletal calcite are used as a proxy for Phanerozoic seawater changes, since the skeletal concentrations are, to some extent, controlled by environmental factors. However, it remains unclear how the influence of environmental factors is modified by vital effects, especially in polar waters. Therefore, the goal of this study was to compare the ratios of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca among the skeletal parts of 10 common Arctic echinoderm species belonging to three classes Echinoidea, Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea that contribute substantially to the carbon cycle in the Arctic benthic system. Significant differences were recorded in echinoid skeletal element concentrations among specific skeletal parts. The lowest Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios were detected in the spines (mean Mg/Ca 37.5 ± 8.8 SD; Sr/Ca 1.8 ± 0.1). The components of the Aristotle's lantern (epiphyses, pyramids and rotulas) were characterised by the highest Mg levels (Mg/Ca 79.9 ± 6.0; 75.2 ± 9.1; 60.1 ± 3.8, respectively). It is likely that mouth parts experience greater mechanical pressure compared to other body parts, and the higher content of Mg in the Aristotle's lantern contributes to its robustness. We did not find any distinctive trends in the distribution of skeletal elements in the asteroid and ophiuroid skeletal parts. The heterogeneous concentrations of Mg and Sr in different skeleton parts of the echinoids suggest possible physiological regulation of the chemical composition rather than the composition only being influenced by the environment. We cannot recommend echinoderm skeletons as reliable indicators in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions due to the possible biological control of skeletal chemistry, which may interfere with the effect of environmental variables.
Heterotopic expression of MPF2 is the key to the evolution of the Chinese lantern of Physalis, a morphological novelty in Solanaceae

PubMed Central

He, Chaoying; Saedler, Heinz

2005-01-01

Morphological novelties arise through changes in development, but the underlying causes of such changes are largely unknown. In the genus Physalis, sepals resume growth after pollination to encapsulate the mature fruit, forming the “Chinese lantern,” a trait also termed inflated-calyx syndrome (ICS). STMADS16, which encodes a MADS-box transcription factor, is expressed only in vegetative tissues in Solanum tuberosum. Its ortholog in Physalis pubescens, MPF2, is expressed in floral tissues. Knockdown of MPF2 function in Physalis by RNA interference (RNAi) reveals that MPF2 function is essential for the development of the ICS. The phenotypes of transgenic S. tuberosum plants that overexpress MPF2 or STMADS16 corroborate these findings: these plants display enlarged sepals. Although heterotopic expression of MPF2 is crucial for ICS, remarkably, fertilization is also required. Although the ICS is less prominent or absent in the knockdown transgenic plants, epidermal cells are larger, suggesting that MPF2 exerts its function by inhibiting cell elongation and promoting cell division. In addition, severely affected Physalis knockdown lines are male sterile. Thus, heterotopic expression of MPF2 in floral tissues is involved in two novel traits: expression of the ICS and control of male fertility. Sequence differences between the promoter regions of the MPF2 and STMADS16 genes perhaps reflect exposure to different selection pressures during evolution, and correlate with the observed differences in their expression patterns. In any case, the effects of heterotopic expression of MPF2 underline the importance of recruitment of preexisting transcription factors in the evolution of novel floral traits. PMID:15824316
Foods of northern fulmars associated with high-seas drift nets in the transitional region of the North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gould, Patrick J.; Walker, William; Ostrom, Peggy H.

1997-01-01

We examined digestive tract contents and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in breast muscles of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) salvaged from squid and large-mesh drift nets in the transitional North Pacific. Lantern fishes (Myctophidae) were the principal prey item found in the digestive tracts. Pieces of unidentified fishes (probably Pacific pomfret Brama japonica) and shredded squid tissue (probably neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartrami) indicate scavenging at fishing operations. Although soft-bodied prey such as Velella were not found in the digestive tracts, δ 15N values suggest that fulmars may feed heavily on such low trophic-level animals.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plas, R.J. van der

This paper presents results of two recent World Bank efforts made in Kenya, Niger, and Cameroon to study the impact of two different renewable projects, one a Micro-Lights program involving about 500 lanterns and the second a survey of 410 households using solar electricity systems. The Micro-Lights program showed that users have distinct preferences in the style of the lamps, that they are willing to spend cash, and that they demand good quality. They may be initially satisfied, but rapidly want more from their purchases. The photoelectric system survey touched less than 1% of such households, and looked at usermore » education, system size, satisfaction, expectations, age of system, appliances, and expectations.« less
Florence Nightingale: light to illuminate the world from the woman with the lantern.

PubMed

Dinc, Gulten; Naderi, Sait; Kanpolat, Yücel

2013-01-01

The Ottoman-Russian war of 1853 to 1855 was significant not only as a war, but also in response to a reflex from the West brought with itself novel approaches related to care of patients under severe health conditions. Florence Nightingale and her associates assigned at that time to care for soldiers in Istanbul who were severely ailing as a result of battle conditions were instrumental in the emergence of a hitherto unknown profession. This article examines the progress of events in the London-Istanbul axis that led to this development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
New multicore low mode noise scrambling fiber for applications in high-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynes, Dionne M.; Gris-Sanchez, Itandehui; Ehrlich, Katjana; Birks, Tim A.; Giannone, Domenico; Haynes, Roger

2014-07-01

We present a new type of multicore fiber (MCF) and photonic lantern that consists of 511 individual cores designed to operate over a broadband visible wavelength range (380-860nm). It combines the coupling efficiency of a multimode fiber with modal stability intrinsic to a single mode fibre. It is designed to provide phase and amplitude scrambling to achieve a stable near field and far field illumination pattern during input coupling variations; it also has low modal noise for increased photometric stability. Preliminary results are presented for the new MCF as well as current state of the art octagonal fiber for comparison.
Radioactivity of Consumer Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, David; Jokisch, Derek; Fulmer, Philip

2006-11-01

A variety of consumer products and household items contain varying amounts of radioactivity. Examples of these items include: FiestaWare and similar glazed china, salt substitute, bananas, brazil nuts, lantern mantles, smoke detectors and depression glass. Many of these items contain natural sources of radioactivity such as Uranium, Thorium, Radium and Potassium. A few contain man-made sources like Americium. This presentation will detail the sources and relative radioactivity of these items (including demonstrations). Further, measurements of the isotopic ratios of Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 in several pieces of china will be compared to historical uses of natural and depleted Uranium. Finally, the presenters will discuss radiation safety as it pertains to the use of these items.
The Effects of Instruction of Creative Invention on Students' Situational Interest in Physics Lesson

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, Tim

There are a few empirical studies (Palmer, 2008; Dohn, 2010) or intervention programs (Hidi & Harackiewicz, 2000) about students' situational interest in physics lessons, although the declining interest in physics among students has been well documented in the research literature (Gardner, 1998 ; International Bureau for Education, 2001; European Commission, 2007; Oon & Subramaniam, 2011). Even in the research area of science education, yet little is known about how to trigger students' catching and holding situational interest in a physics lesson. In this study, five intervention lessons of creative invention were developed. Each lesson consists of three parts including Eberle's (1971, 1972) SCAMPER technique on the creative thinking, knowledge and concepts of physics curriculum, hands-on activities related to both SCAMPER technique and physics concepts. Two surveys were developed and used to measure the situational interest and individual interest of students in physics lessons. Qualitative conversational interviews were used to interpret the sources of situational interest of students in physics lessons. Results in this study indicate that new inventive products and television programs or films related to SCAMPER can trigger the catching interest in physics lessons. Meaningful hands-on activities related to both SCAMPER technique and physics concepts can trigger the holding interest in physics lessons. There is no significant difference in situational interest among students with different academic abilities except in the topic related to electronic components. The students with lower academic ability have greater situational interest than the students with higher academic ability in learning the topic related to electronic components. There is no significant difference in situational interest between boys and girls except in the topic related to revolving paper lantern. Girls have higher situational interest than boys in learning the topic related to revolving paper lantern. The findings in this study suggest that educators can use instruction of creative invention to trigger students' situational interest and enhance students' individual interest in physics lessons.
Cost Effectiveness of the Long-Acting β2-Adrenergic Agonist (LABA)/Long-Acting Muscarinic Antagonist Dual Bronchodilator Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium Versus the LABA/Inhaled Corticosteroid Combination Salmeterol/Fluticasone in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Analyses Conducted for Canada, France, Italy, and Portugal.

PubMed

Reza Maleki-Yazdi, M; Molimard, Mathieu; Keininger, Dorothy L; Gruenberger, Jean-Bernard; Carrasco, Joao; Pitotti, Claudia; Sauvage, Elsa; Chehab, Sara; Price, David

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to assess the cost effectiveness of the dual bronchodilator indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) compared with salmeterol/fluticasone combination (SFC) in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had a history of one or no exacerbations in the previous year, in Canada, France, Italy, and Portugal. A patient-level simulation was developed to compare the costs and outcomes of IND/GLY versus SFC based on data from the LANTERN trial (NCT01709903). Monte-Carlo simulation methods were employed to follow individual patients over various time horizons. Population and efficacy inputs were derived from the LANTERN trial. Considering the payers' perspective, only direct costs were included. Costs and health outcomes were discounted annually at 3.0 % for all countries. Unit costs were taken from publically available sources with all costs converted to euros (€). The cost base year was 2015. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were undertaken to test the robustness of the model results. IND/GLY was found to be the dominant (more effective and less costly) treatment option compared with SFC in all four countries. The use of IND/GLY was associated with mean total cost savings per patient over a lifetime of €6202, €1974, €1611, and €220 in Canada, France, Italy, and Portugal, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that exacerbation rates had the largest impact on incremental costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The probability of IND/GLY being cost effective was estimated to be >95 % for thresholds above €5000/QALY. In patients with moderate to severe COPD, IND/GLY is likely to be a cost-effective treatment alternative compared with SFC.
Few-mode fiber, splice and SDM component characterization by spatially-diverse optical vector network analysis.

PubMed

Rommel, Simon; Mendinueta, José Manuel Delgado; Klaus, Werner; Sakaguchi, Jun; Olmos, Juan José Vegas; Awaji, Yoshinari; Monroy, Idelfonso Tafur; Wada, Naoya

2017-09-18

This paper discusses spatially diverse optical vector network analysis for space division multiplexing (SDM) component and system characterization, which is becoming essential as SDM is widely considered to increase the capacity of optical communication systems. Characterization of a 108-channel photonic lantern spatial multiplexer, coupled to a 36-core 3-mode fiber, is experimentally demonstrated, extracting the full impulse response and complex transfer function matrices as well as insertion loss (IL) and mode-dependent loss (MDL) data. Moreover, the mode-mixing behavior of fiber splices in the few-mode multi-core fiber and their impact on system IL and MDL are analyzed, finding splices to cause significant mode-mixing and to be non-negligible in system capacity analysis.
Experimental study on the statistic characteristics of a 3x3 RF MIMO channel over a single conventional multimode fiber.

PubMed

Lei, Yi; Li, Jianqiang; Wu, Rui; Fan, Yuting; Fu, Songnian; Yin, Feifei; Dai, Yitang; Xu, Kun

2017-06-01

Based on the observed random fluctuation phenomenon of speckle pattern across multimode fiber (MMF) facet and received optical power distribution across three output ports, we experimentally investigate the statistic characteristics of a 3×3 radio frequency multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel enabled by mode division multiplexing in a conventional 50 µm MMF using non-mode-selective three-dimensional waveguide photonic lanterns as mode multiplexer and demultiplexer. The impacts of mode coupling on the MIMO channel coefficients, channel matrix, and channel capacity have been analyzed over different fiber lengths. The results indicate that spatial multiplexing benefits from the greater fiber length with stronger mode coupling, despite a higher optical loss.
Product Quality Assurance for Off-Grid Lighting in Africa

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

World Bank; Mills, Evan; Mills, Evan

Although the emergence of markets for high efficiency off-grid lighting technologies holds promise, realizing the potential of this opportunity on a long-term, sustainable basis requires careful attention to issues of product quality, consumer protection, and the potential for significant 'market spoiling', in anticipation of increases of sales of low cost, low performance off-grid lighting products. The goal of the Lighting Africa quality assurance workshop was to articulate strategies to mitigate the dangers of market spoiling and to explore ways to protect consumers from misleading advertising for sales of inferior, off-grid lighting products in the context of Lighting Africa's overarching objectivemore » to support the industry in developing a robust off-grid lighting market in Africa. The workshop resulted in the identification of two strategic approaches for meeting Lighting Africa quality assurance programmatic needs. The first strategy is intended to meet a short-term programmatic need for quality associated with requests for lighting products by bulk procurement agents, such as in a World Bank-financed project. The development of procurement specifications and test procedures that could be used in a quality/usability screening method in order to provide guidance for forthcoming large volume purchases emerged as the best solution to meet this need. Such approaches are used in World Bank-financed solar home systems (SHSs) projects in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China, among others. However, unlike the SHSs which have multiple balance-of-system (BOS) components warranting the need for an array of specifications for individual components, stand alone lighting systems require specifications that are amenable to individual light points. To test this approach, Lighting Africa elected to use the technical specifications issued by the Photovoltaic Global Approval Program for solar lanterns that use CFL bulbs (PVRS11A) as the basis of qualifying such products. A contract has been competitively awarded to the Global Approval Program for Photovoltaics (PV GAP) under the Lighting Africa Program to select and test ten solar lantern product models. Lantern selection will be determined based on a number of criteria, among them, the ability to provide a daily duty cycle of at least 3 hours of light, the number of days of autonomy of battery, the volume of sales (especially in Africa), and whether or not the manufacturing facility is ISO 9000 certified. Those that are confirmed as meeting the specifications may be eligible to receive a PVGAP quality seal. The work is being carried out in partnership with the Photovoltaic and Wind Quality Test Center in Beijing, China and TUV Rhineland in Koeln, Germany. As off-grid LED-based stand-alone lighting products is in a nascent stage of development compared to CFL-based lanterns, Lighting Africa will support the development of a 'Quality Screening' approach to selecting LED lighting, in order not to delay consumers benefiting from such advances. The screening methodology could be used by procurement agencies to qualify LED lighting products for bulk or programmatic procurements. The main elements of this work comprises of developing a procurement specification and test procedure for undertaking a 'quick' quality/usability screening to be used for procuring LED lights and to test up to 30 LED-based lights to screen products that meet the requirement. The second strategy is intended to meet a longer-term need associated with creating a self-sustaining product quality assurance program that will effectively protect the African consumer, prevent significant market spoiling, adapt with expected technological advancements over the long-term--in other words, give consumers the ability to detect quality products and the information needed to find products that meet their specific needs from among the myriad of lighting products that become available commercially. Workshop discussions and the discussions evolving from the workshop led the Lighting Africa team to opt for an approach similar to that of the 'Fair Trade' model, involving the creation of a set of voluntary criteria which companies can elect to subscribe to in order to receive a product evaluation/certification. This solution was proposed as it has the widest capacity to incorporate the largest number of recommendations from the workshop sessions. This code of conduct will be made available for companies to comment on later in 2008. These workshop proceedings provide an overview of workshop discussions and a summary of the key points identified around various workshop topic areas, contributing to the two strategy approach Lighting Africa will take as it moves forward with developing its quality assurance program.« less
Six mode selective fiber optic spatial multiplexer.

PubMed

Velazquez-Benitez, A M; Alvarado, J C; Lopez-Galmiche, G; Antonio-Lopez, J E; Hernández-Cordero, J; Sanchez-Mondragon, J; Sillard, P; Okonkwo, C M; Amezcua-Correa, R

2015-04-15

Low-loss all-fiber photonic lantern (PL) mode multiplexers (MUXs) capable of selectively exciting the first six fiber modes of a multimode fiber (LP₀₁, LP_11a, LP_11b, LP_21a, LP_21b, and LP₀₂) are demonstrated. Fabrication of the spatial mode multiplexers was successfully achieved employing a combination of either six step or six graded index fibers of four different core sizes. Insertion losses of 0.2-0.3 dB and mode purities above 9 dB are achieved. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the use of graded index fibers in a PL eases the length requirements of the adiabatic tapered transition and could enable scaling to large numbers.
Studies on the reduction of radon plate-out

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

Bruemmer, M.; Nakib, M.; Calkins, R.

The decay of common radioactive gases, such as radon, produces stable isotopes by a sequence of daughter particles with varied half-lives. These daughter particles are a significant source of gamma, neutron, and alpha (α) particle backgrounds that can mimic desired signals in dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. In the LUMINA Laboratory at Southern Methodist University (SMU), studies of radon plate-out onto copper samples are conducted using one of XIA’s first five UltraLo 1800 alpha counters. We present results from investigations into various mitigation approaches. A custom-built copper holder (in either plastic or metal) has been designed andmore » produced to maximize the copper’s exposure to {sup 220}Rn. The {sup 220}Rn source is a collection of camping lantern mantles. We present the current status of control and experimental methods for addressing radon exposure levels.« less
The Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes with herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - Synthesis and structural studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drzewiecka-Antonik, Aleksandra; Ferenc, Wiesława; Wolska, Anna; Klepka, Marcin T.; Cristóvão, Beata; Sarzyński, Jan; Rejmak, Paweł; Osypiuk, Dariusz

2017-01-01

The Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes with herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were synthesized and structurally characterized. The geometry of metal-ligand interaction was refined using XAFS and DFT studies. The Co(2,4-D)2·6H2O and Ni(2,4-D)2·4H2O complexes have octahedral geometry with two carboxylate groups of 2,4-D anions and four water molecules in the coordination sphere. The square planar geometry around metal cations formed by the carboxylate groups from two monodentate ligands and two water molecules, is observed for Cu(2,4-D)2·4H2O complex. In the recrystallized Ni(II) complex dinuclear 'Chinese lantern' structures with bridging carboxylate groups of 2,4-D were observed.

LANTERN: a randomized study of QVA149 versus salmeterol/fluticasone combination in patients with COPD.

PubMed

Zhong, Nanshan; Wang, Changzheng; Zhou, Xiangdong; Zhang, Nuofu; Humphries, Michael; Wang, Linda; Thach, Chau; Patalano, Francesco; Banerji, Donald

2015-01-01

The current Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) treatment strategy recommends the use of one or more bronchodilators according to the patient's airflow limitation, their history of exacerbations, and symptoms. The LANTERN study evaluated the effect of the long-acting β2-agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) dual bronchodilator, QVA149 (indacaterol/glycopyrronium), as compared with the LABA/inhaled corticosteroid, salmeterol/fluticasone (SFC), in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD with a history of ≤1 exacerbation in the previous year. In this double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study, 744 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD with a history of ≤1 exacerbations in the previous year were randomized (1:1) to QVA149 110/50 μg once daily or SFC 50/500 μg twice daily for 26 weeks. The primary endpoint was noninferiority of QVA149 versus SFC for trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) at week 26. Overall, 676 patients completed the study. The primary objective of noninferiority between QVA149 and SFC in trough FEV1 at week 26 was met. QVA149 demonstrated statistically significant superiority to SFC for trough FEV1 (treatment difference [Δ]=75 mL; P<0.001). QVA149 demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in standardized area under the curve (AUC) from 0 hours to 4 hours for FEV1 (FEV1 AUC0-4h) at week 26 versus SFC (Δ=122 mL; P<0.001). QVA149 and SFC had similar improvements in transition dyspnea index focal score, St George Respiratory Questionnaire total score, and rescue medication use. However, QVA149 significantly reduced the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations by 31% (P=0.048) over SFC. Overall, the incidence of adverse events was comparable between QVA149 (40.1%) and SFC (47.4%). The incidence of pneumonia was threefold lower with QVA149 (0.8%) versus SFC (2.7%). These findings support the use of the LABA/LAMA, QVA149 as an alternative treatment, over LABA/inhaled corticosteroid, in the management of moderate-to-severe COPD patients (GOLD B and GOLD D) with a history of ≤1 exacerbation in the previous year.
Synthesis, characterization and biological activities of semicarbazones and their copper complexes.

PubMed

Venkatachalam, Taracad K; Bernhardt, Paul V; Noble, Chris J; Fletcher, Nicholas; Pierens, Gregory K; Thurecht, Kris J; Reutens, David C

2016-09-01

Substituted semicarbazones/thiosemicarbazones and their copper complexes have been prepared and several single crystal structures examined. The copper complexes of these semicarbazone/thiosemicarbazones were prepared and several crystal structures examined. The single crystal X-ray structure of the pyridyl-substituted semicarbazone showed two types of copper complexes, a monomer and a dimer. We also found that the p-nitrophenyl semicarbazone formed a conventional 'magic lantern' acetate-bridged dimer. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) of several of the copper complexes was consistent with the results of single crystal X-ray crystallography. The EPR spectra of the p-nitrophenyl semicarbazone copper complex in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) showed the presence of two species, confirming the structural information. Since thiosemicarbazones and semicarbazones have been reported to exhibit anticancer activity, we examined the anticancer activity of several of the derivatives reported in the present study and interestingly only the thiosemicarbazone showed activity while the semicarbazones were not active indicating that introduction of sulphur atom alters the biological profile of these thiosemicarbazones. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
An Experience to be Remembered

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Peimbert, S.

1999-05-01

In August 1960 the 106th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society took place in Mexico City (it was the first time such a meeting took place in Mexico). There were 80 technical papers presented. A highlight of the meeting was the Russell Memorial lecture, given by Martin Schwarzschild, of Princeton University Observatory; Schwarzschild spoke on convection in stars. A public lecture was given by Donald H. Menzel, director of Harvard Observatory. Among the social activities were the banquet at Chapultepec Castle and a visit to Observatorio Astrofísico de Tonantzintla. I was an undergraduate in Physics associated with the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional. My job was to assist with the projection of lantern slides (heavy 3 1/4" by 4" glass mounted films). It was an extraordinary experience to meet, in the flesh, authors of textbooks I was reading and to witness the scientific presentations and heated arguments that took place around them. This meeting indeed marked my life, because it was then that I decided to become a professional astronomer.
Organic matrix-related mineralization of sea urchin spicules, spines, test and teeth.

PubMed

Veis, Arthur

2011-06-01

The camarodont echinoderms have five distinct mineralized skeletal elements: embryonic spicules, mature test, spines, lantern stereom and teeth. The spicules are transient structural elements whereas the spines, and test plates are permanent. The teeth grow continuously. The mineral is a high magnesium calcite, but the magnesium content is different in each type of skeletal element, varying from 5 to 40 mole% Mg. The organic matrix creates the spaces and environments for crystal initiation and growth. The detailed mechanisms of crystal regulation are not known, but acidic and phosphorylated matrix proteins may be of special importance. Biochemical studies, sequencing of the complete genome, and high-throughput proteomic analysis have not yet provided insight into the mechanisms of crystallization, calcite composition, and orientation applicable to all skeletal elements. The embryonic spicules are not representative of the mature skeletal elements. The next phase of research will have to focus on the specific localization of the proteins and individual biochemistries of each system with regard to mineral content and placement.
The Feasibility, Acceptability, and Efficacy of Delivering Internet-Based Self-Help and Guided Self-Help Interventions for Generalized Anxiety Disorder to Indian University Students: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Kanuri, Nitya; Newman, Michelle G; Ruzek, Josef I; Kuhn, Eric; Manjula, M; Jones, Megan; Thomas, Neil; Abbott, Jo-Anne M; Sharma, Smita; Taylor, C Barr

2015-12-11

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common mental disorders among university students; however, many students go untreated due to treatment costs, stigma concerns, and limited access to trained mental health professionals. These barriers are heightened in universities in India, where there are scant mental health care services and severe stigma surrounding help seeking. To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of Internet-based, or "online," cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based unguided and guided self-help interventions (using the programs GAD Online and Lantern, respectively) to reduce GAD symptoms in students with clinical and subthreshold GAD and, ultimately, reduce the prevalence and incidence of GAD among the student population. Students will be recruited via 3 colleges in Hyderabad, India, and referred for a campus-wide online screening. Self-report data will be collected entirely online. A total of 300 qualifying students will be randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive GAD Online, Lantern, or to be in a wait-list control condition, stratified by clinical and subthreshold GAD symptomatology. Students will complete a postintervention assessment after 3 months and a follow-up assessment 6 months later, at which point students in the wait-list control condition will receive one of the programs. The primary outcome is GAD symptom severity at 3 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes include GAD caseness at 9 months, other anxiety and depression symptoms, self-efficacy, and functional measures (eg, sleep, social functioning) at 3 and 9 months, respectively. Primary analyses will be differences between each of the intervention groups and the wait-list control group, analyzed on an intention-to-treat (ITT) basis using mixed-design ANOVA. The study commenced in February 2015. The sample was recruited over a 3-week period at each college. The trial is expected to end in December 2015. This trial will be the first to evaluate the use of Internet-based CBT programs compared with a wait-list control group for the treatment of GAD among students in Indian universities. If effective, these programs have the potential to reduce the mental health care treatment gap by providing readily accessible, private, and cost-effective evidence-based care to students with GAD who do not currently receive the treatment they need. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02410265 http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02410265 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ddqH6Rbt).
Muscles advance the teeth in sand dollars and other sea urchins

PubMed Central

Ellers, O.; Telford, M.

1997-01-01

We demonstrate the action of the dental promoter muscles in advancing the continuously growing teeth of sand dollars and sea urchins. Teeth wear at the occlusal end, while new calcite is added to the opposite end. Dental ligaments rigidly hold teeth during chewing, but soften and reform during advancement. The source of forces that advance the teeth was unknown until our discovery of the dental promoter muscles. The muscles, which underly the tooth, attach centrally to the stereom of the pyramid of the Aristotle's lantern (jaw) and peripherally to a membrane that covers the distal end of the tooth. The muscles shorten along an axis nearly parallel to the long axis of the tooth. We stimulated contraction by addition of acetylcholine, with increasing concentrations of acetylcholine generating higher forces. Forces exerted by this muscle are appropriate for its size and are 1000 times lower than forces exerted by interpyramidal muscles that generate chewing forces. In sand dollars, a single muscle contraction of the dental promoter muscle can account for half the mean daily advancement of the teeth.
Laboratory discharge studies of a 6 V alkaline lantern-type battery Eveready Energizer no. 528, under various ambient temperatures (-15 deg C and + 22 deg C) and loads (30 omega and 60 omega)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahrens, S. T.

1984-01-01

The voltages of two Eveready No. 528 batteries, one the test battery, the other the control battery, were simultaneously recorded as they were discharged across 30 omega loads using a dual chart recorder. The test battery was initially put in a freezer at -15 + or - 3 C. After its voltage had fallen to .6 V, it was brought back out into the room at 22 + or - 3 C. A second run was made with 60 omega loads. Assuming a 3.0 V cut-off, the total energy output of the test battery at -15 C was 26 WHr 30 omega and 35 WHr 60 omega, and the corresponding numbers for the control battery at 22 C were 91 WHr and 100 WHr. When the test battery was subsequently allowed to warm up, the voltage rose above 4 V and the total energy output rose to 80 WHr 30 omega and 82 WHR 60 omega.
The ISIS project: Fault-tolerance in large distributed systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birman, Kenneth P.; Marzullo, Keith

1990-01-01

The semi-annual status report covers activities of the ISIS project during the second half of 1989. The project had several independent objectives: (1) At the level of the ISIS Toolkit, ISIS release V2.0 was completed, containing bypass communication protocols. Performance of the system is greatly enhanced by this change, but the initial software release is limited in some respects. (2) The Meta project focused on the definition of the Lomita programming language for specifying rules that monitor sensors for conditions of interest and triggering appropriate reactions. This design was completed, and implementation of Lomita is underway on the Meta 2.0 platform. (3) The Deceit file system effort completed a prototype. It is planned to make Deceit available for use in two hospital information systems. (4) A long-haul communication subsystem project was completed and can be used as part of ISIS. This effort resulted in tools for linking ISIS systems on different LANs together over long-haul communications lines. (5) Magic Lantern, a graphical tool for building application monitoring and control interfaces, is included as part of the general ISIS releases.
Space-division-multiplexed transmission of 3x3 multiple-input multiple-output wireless signals over conventional graded-index multimode fiber.

PubMed

Lei, Yi; Li, Jianqiang; Fan, Yuting; Yu, Dawei; Fu, Songnian; Yin, Feifei; Dai, Yitang; Xu, Kun

2016-12-12

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate space-division-multiplexed (SDM) transmission of IEEE 802.11ac-compliant 3-spatial-stream WLAN signals over 3 spatial modes of conventional 50um graded-index (GI) multimode fiber (MMF) employing non-mode-selective 3D-waveguide photonic lantern. Two kinds of scenarios, including fiber-only transmission and fiber-wireless hybrid transmission, were investigated by measuring error vector magnitude (EVM) performance for each stream and condition number (CN) of the channel matrix. The experimental results show that, SDM-based MMF link could offer a CN< 20dB well-conditioned MIMO channel over up to 1km fiber length within 0-6GHz, achieving as low as 2.38%, 2.97% and 2.11% EVM performance for 1km MMF link at 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz, and 200m MMF link followed by 1m air distance at 2.7GHz, respectively. These results indicate the possibility to distribute wireless MIMO signals over existing in-building commercially-available MMFs with enormous cost-saving.
Valve leakage inspection, testing, and maintenance process

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

Aikin, J.A.; Reinwald, J.W.

1989-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited-Research Company (AECL-RC), Chalk River, has more than 50 person-years dedicated toward the leak-free valve. In the early 1970s, the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories (CRNL) developed valve stem live-loading and recently completed the packing tests for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)-funded Valve Packing Improvement Study. Current safety concerns with asbestos-based valve packings and the difficulty in removing newer graphite packings prompted CRNL to investigate methods to improve valve repacking procedures. The present practice of valve packing replacement is very labor-intensive, requiring use of hand tools such as corkscrew devices and special packing picks. Use ofmore » water jets to cut or fragment the packing for withdrawal from the stuffing box does improve the process, but removal of the lantern or junk rings is still difficult. To address these problems, AECL-RC has developed a unique valve maintenance process designed to reduce person-rem exposures, the risk of scoring the stem or stuffing box, and maintenance costs and to improve the engineering quality of valve repair.« less
The Feasibility, Acceptability, and Efficacy of Delivering Internet-Based Self-Help and Guided Self-Help Interventions for Generalized Anxiety Disorder to Indian University Students: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Newman, Michelle G; Ruzek, Josef I; Kuhn, Eric; Manjula, M; Jones, Megan; Thomas, Neil; Abbott, Jo-Anne M; Sharma, Smita; Taylor, C. Barr

2015-01-01

Background Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common mental disorders among university students; however, many students go untreated due to treatment costs, stigma concerns, and limited access to trained mental health professionals. These barriers are heightened in universities in India, where there are scant mental health care services and severe stigma surrounding help seeking. Objective To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of Internet-based, or “online,” cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based unguided and guided self-help interventions (using the programs GAD Online and Lantern, respectively) to reduce GAD symptoms in students with clinical and subthreshold GAD and, ultimately, reduce the prevalence and incidence of GAD among the student population. Methods Students will be recruited via 3 colleges in Hyderabad, India, and referred for a campus-wide online screening. Self-report data will be collected entirely online. A total of 300 qualifying students will be randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive GAD Online, Lantern, or to be in a wait-list control condition, stratified by clinical and subthreshold GAD symptomatology. Students will complete a postintervention assessment after 3 months and a follow-up assessment 6 months later, at which point students in the wait-list control condition will receive one of the programs. The primary outcome is GAD symptom severity at 3 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes include GAD caseness at 9 months, other anxiety and depression symptoms, self-efficacy, and functional measures (eg, sleep, social functioning) at 3 and 9 months, respectively. Primary analyses will be differences between each of the intervention groups and the wait-list control group, analyzed on an intention-to-treat (ITT) basis using mixed-design ANOVA. Results The study commenced in February 2015. The sample was recruited over a 3-week period at each college. The trial is expected to end in December 2015. Conclusions This trial will be the first to evaluate the use of Internet-based CBT programs compared with a wait-list control group for the treatment of GAD among students in Indian universities. If effective, these programs have the potential to reduce the mental health care treatment gap by providing readily accessible, private, and cost-effective evidence-based care to students with GAD who do not currently receive the treatment they need. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02410265 http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02410265 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ddqH6Rbt). PMID:26679295
Identification of absorbed constituents and in vivo metabolites in rats after oral administration of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Feng, Xinchi; Huo, Xiaoguang; Liu, Hongxia; Chai, Liwei; Ding, Liqin; Qiu, Feng

2018-03-01

The calyces of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese Lantern, JDL) are well-known as traditional Chinese medicine owing to its various therapeutic effects. However, the bioactive constituents responsible for the pharmacological effects of JDL and their metabolites in vivo are still unclear to date. In this paper, an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS) method was established to identify absorbed constituents and in vivo metabolites in rat biological fluids after oral administration of JDL. Based on the proposed strategy, 33 compounds were observed in dosed rat biosamples. Twelve of 33 compounds were indicated as prototype components of JDL, and 21 compounds were predicted to be metabolites of JDL. Finally, the metabolic pathways were proposed, which were glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation and dehydroxylation for flavonoid constituents and sulfonation and hydroxylation for physalin consitituents. This is the first systematic study on the absorbed constituents and metabolic profiling of JDL and will provide a useful template for screening and characterizing the ingredients and metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The expression of embryonic primary mesenchyme genes of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, in the adult skeletogenic tissues of this and other species of echinoderms.

PubMed

Drager, B J; Harkey, M A; Iwata, M; Whiteley, A H

1989-05-01

Adult tissues of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, were analyzed for the products of a set of genes whose expression, in the embryo, is restricted to the skeletogenic primary mesenchyme (PM). Three embryonic PM-specific mRNAs were found to be abundant in adult skeletal tissues (test and lantern), but not in a variety of soft tissues. Homologous mRNAs were also found in skeletal tissues of the congeneric sea urchin, S. droebachiensis, as well as a more distantly related echinoid, Dendraster excentricus, and an asteroid, Evasterias troschellii. The distributions of two of these RNAs were analyzed in regenerating spines of adult S. purpuratus using in situ hybridization. These gene products were localized primarily in the calcoblasts that accumulated at the regeneration site. In nonregenerating spines SpLM 18 RNAs, the most abundant of these gene products, were localized in a small population of noncalcoblast cells scattered through the spine shaft, and were absent from calcoblasts. These observations suggest that a program of gene expression associated with the process of calcification is conserved both developmentally through the period of metamorphosis and evolutionarily among the echinoderms.
A new orange emitting luciferase from the Southern-Amazon Pyrophorus angustus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) click-beetle: structure and bioluminescence color relationship, evolutional and ecological considerations.

PubMed

Amaral, Danilo T; Oliveira, Gabriela; Silva, Jaqueline R; Viviani, Vadim R

2016-08-31

Bioluminescent click-beetles display a wide variation of bioluminescence colors ranging from green to orange, including an unusual intra-specific color variation in the Jamaican Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus. Recently, we collected individuals of the Pyrophorus angustus species from the Southern Amazon forest, in Brazil, which displays an orange light emitting abdominal lantern. This species was also previously described from Central America, but displaying a bioluminescence spectrum from 536 nm (dorsal) to 578 nm (ventral). The biogeographic variation of the bioluminescence color in this species could be an adaptation to environmental reflectance and inter/intraspecific sexual competition. Here, we cloned, sequenced, characterized and performed site-direct mutagenesis of this new orange emitting luciferase. The in vitro luciferase spectrum displayed a peak at 594 nm, KM values for ATP and d-luciferin of 160 μM and 17 μM, respectively, and an optimum pH of approximately 8.5. Comparative multialignment and site-directed mutagenesis using different color emitting click-beetle luciferases from P. angustus, Fulgeochlizus bruchi and Pyrearinus termitilluminans luciferases cloned by our group showed an integral role of residue 247 in bioluminescence color modulation.
Supersymmetric Transformations in Optical Fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macho, Andrés; Llorente, Roberto; García-Meca, Carlos

2018-01-01

Supersymmetry (SUSY) has recently emerged as a tool to design unique optical structures with degenerate spectra. Here, we study several fundamental aspects and variants of one-dimensional SUSY in axially symmetric optical media, including their basic spectral features and the conditions for degeneracy breaking. Surprisingly, we find that the SUSY degeneracy theorem is partially (totally) violated in optical systems connected by isospectral (broken) SUSY transformations due to a degradation of the paraxial approximation. In addition, we show that isospectral constructions provide a dimension-independent design control over the group delay in SUSY fibers. Moreover, we find that the studied unbroken and isospectral SUSY transformations allow us to generate refractive-index superpartners with an extremely large phase-matching bandwidth spanning the S +C +L optical bands. These singular features define a class of optical fibers with a number of potential applications. To illustrate this, we numerically demonstrate the possibility of building photonic lanterns supporting broadband heterogeneous supermodes with large effective area, a broadband all-fiber true-mode (de)multiplexer requiring no mode conversion, and different mode-filtering, mode-conversion, and pulse-shaping devices. Finally, we discuss the possibility of extrapolating our results to acoustics and quantum mechanics.
PRAXIS: low thermal emission high efficiency OH suppressed fibre spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Content, Robert; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Ellis, Simon; Gers, Luke; Haynes, Roger; Horton, Anthony; Lawrence, Jon; Leon-Saval, Sergio; Lindley, Emma; Min, Seong-Sik; Shortridge, Keith; Staszak, Nick; Trinh, Christopher; Xavier, Pascal; Zhelem, Ross

2014-07-01

PRAXIS is a second generation instrument that follows on from GNOSIS, which was the first instrument using fibre Bragg gratings for OH suppression to be deployed on a telescope. The Bragg gratings reflect the NIR OH lines while being transparent to the light between the lines. This gives in principle a much higher signal-noise ratio at low resolution spectroscopy but also at higher resolutions by removing the scattered wings of the OH lines. The specifications call for high throughput and very low thermal and detector noise so that PRAXIS will remain sky noise limited even with the low sky background levels remaining after OH suppression. The optical and mechanical designs are presented. The optical train starts with fore-optics that image the telescope focal plane on an IFU which has 19 hexagonal microlenses each feeding a multi-mode fibre. Seven of these fibres are attached to a fibre Bragg grating OH suppression system while the others are reference/acquisition fibres. The light from each of the seven OH suppression fibres is then split by a photonic lantern into many single mode fibres where the Bragg gratings are imprinted. Another lantern recombines the light from the single mode fibres into a multi-mode fibre. A trade-off was made in the design of the IFU between field of view and transmission to maximize the signal-noise ratio for observations of faint, compact objects under typical seeing. GNOSIS used the pre-existing IRIS2 spectrograph while PRAXIS will use a new spectrograph specifically designed for the fibre Bragg grating OH suppression and optimised for 1.47 μm to 1.7 μm (it can also be used in the 1.09 μm to 1.26 μm band by changing the grating and refocussing). This results in a significantly higher transmission due to high efficiency coatings, a VPH grating at low incident angle and optimized for our small bandwidth, and low absorption glasses. The detector noise will also be lower thanks to the use of a current generation HAWAII-2RG detector. Throughout the PRAXIS design, from the fore-optics to the detector enclosure, special care was taken at every step along the optical path to reduce thermal emission or stop it leaking into the system. The spectrograph design itself was particularly challenging in this aspect because practical constraints required that the detector and the spectrograph enclosures be physically separate with air at ambient temperature between them. At present, the instrument uses the GNOSIS fibre Bragg grating OH suppression unit. We intend to soon use a new OH suppression unit based on multicore fibre Bragg gratings which will allow an increased field of view per fibre. Theoretical calculations show that the gain in interline sky background signal-noise ratio over GNOSIS may very well be as high as 9 with the GNOSIS OH suppression unit and 17 with the multicore fibre OH suppression unit.
D Modeling of Components of a Garden by Using Point Cloud Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumazakia, R.; Kunii, Y.

2016-06-01

Laser measurement is currently applied to several tasks such as plumbing management, road investigation through mobile mapping systems, and elevation model utilization through airborne LiDAR. Effective laser measurement methods have been well-documented in civil engineering, but few attempts have been made to establish equally effective methods in landscape engineering. By using point cloud data acquired through laser measurement, the aesthetic landscaping of Japanese gardens can be enhanced. This study focuses on simple landscape simulations for pruning and rearranging trees as well as rearranging rocks, lanterns, and other garden features by using point cloud data. However, such simulations lack concreteness. Therefore, this study considers the construction of a library of garden features extracted from point cloud data. The library would serve as a resource for creating new gardens and simulating gardens prior to conducting repairs. Extracted garden features are imported as 3ds Max objects, and realistic 3D models are generated by using a material editor system. As further work toward the publication of a 3D model library, file formats for tree crowns and trunks should be adjusted. Moreover, reducing the size of created models is necessary. Models created using point cloud data are informative because simply shaped garden features such as trees are often seen in the 3D industry.
Annual reversible plasticity of feeding structures: cyclical changes of jaw allometry in a sea urchin

PubMed Central

Ebert, Thomas A.; Hernández, José Carlos; Clemente, Sabrina

2014-01-01

A wide variety of organisms show morphologically plastic responses to environmental stressors but in general these changes are not reversible. Though less common, reversible morphological structures are shown by a range of species in response to changes in predators, competitors or food. Theoretical analysis indicates that reversible plasticity increases fitness if organisms are long-lived relative to the frequency of changes in the stressor and morphological changes are rapid. Many sea urchin species show differences in the sizes of jaws (demi-pyramids) of the feeding apparatus, Aristotle's lantern, relative to overall body size, and these differences have been correlated with available food. The question addressed here is whether reversible changes of relative jaw size occur in the field as available food changes with season. Monthly samples of the North American Pacific coast sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus were collected from Gregory Point on the Oregon (USA) coast and showed an annual cycle of relative jaw size together with a linear trend from 2007 to 2009. Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is a long-lived species and under field conditions individuals experience multiple episodes of changes in food resources both seasonally and from year to year. Their rapid and reversible jaw plasticity fits well with theoretical expectations. PMID:24500161
Development of integrated photonic-dicers for reformatting the point-spread-function of a telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLachlan, David G.; Harris, Robert; Choudhury, Debaditya; Arriola, Alexander; Brown, Graeme; Allington-Smith, Jeremy; Thomson, Robert R.

2014-07-01

Spectroscopy is a technique of paramount importance to astronomy, as it enables the chemical composition, distances and velocities of celestial objects to be determined. As the diameter of a ground-based telescope increases, the pointspread- function (PSF) becomes increasingly degraded due to atmospheric seeing. A degraded PSF requires a larger spectrograph slit-width for efficient coupling and current spectrographs for large telescopes are already on the metre scale. This presents numerous issues in terms of manufacturability, cost and stability. As proposed in 2010 by Bland-Hawthorn et al, one approach which may help to improve spectrograph stability is a guided wave transition, known as a "photonic-lantern". These devices enable the low-loss reformatting of a multimode PSF into a diffraction-limited source (in one direction). This pseudo-slit can then be used as the input to a traditional spectrograph operating at the diffraction limit. In essence, this approach may enable the use of diffractionlimited spectrographs on large telescopes without an unacceptable reduction in throughput. We have recently demonstrated that ultrafast laser inscription can be used to realize "integrated" photoniclanterns, by directly writing three-dimensional optical waveguide structures inside a glass substrate. This paper presents our work on developing ultrafast laser inscribed devices capable of reformatting a multimode telescope PSF into a diffraction-limited slit.
Compact high-resolution spectrographs for large and extremely large telescopes: using the diffraction limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, J. Gordon; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss

2012-09-01

As telescopes get larger, the size of a seeing-limited spectrograph for a given resolving power becomes larger also, and for ELTs the size will be so great that high resolution instruments of simple design will be infeasible. Solutions include adaptive optics (but not providing full correction for short wavelengths) or image slicers (which give feasible but still large instruments). Here we develop the solution proposed by Bland-Hawthorn and Horton: the use of diffraction-limited spectrographs which are compact even for high resolving power. Their use is made possible by the photonic lantern, which splits a multi-mode optical fiber into a number of single-mode fibers. We describe preliminary designs for such spectrographs, at a resolving power of R ~ 50,000. While they are small and use relatively simple optics, the challenges are to accommodate the longest possible fiber slit (hence maximum number of single-mode fibers in one spectrograph) and to accept the beam from each fiber at a focal ratio considerably faster than for most spectrograph collimators, while maintaining diffraction-limited imaging quality. It is possible to obtain excellent performance despite these challenges. We also briefly consider the number of such spectrographs required, which can be reduced by full or partial adaptive optics correction, and/or moving towards longer wavelengths.

Modern projection of the old electroscope for nuclear radiation quantitative work and demonstrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira Bastos, Rodrigo; Baltokoski Boch, Layara

2017-11-01

Although quantitative measurements in radioactivity teaching and research are only believed to be possible with high technology, early work in this area was fully accomplished with very simple apparatus such as zinc sulphide screens and electroscopes. This article presents an experimental practice using the electroscope, which is a very simple apparatus that has been widely used for educational purposes, although generally for qualitative work. The main objective is to show the possibility of measuring radioactivity not only in qualitative demonstrations, but also in quantitative experimental practices. The experimental set-up is a low-cost ion chamber connected to an electroscope in a configuration that is very similar to that used by Marie and Pierre Currie, Rutherford, Geiger, Pacini, Hess and other great researchers from the time of the big discoveries in nuclear and high-energy particle physics. An electroscope leaf is filmed and projected, permitting the collection of quantitative data for the measurement of the 220Rn half-life, collected from the emanation of the lantern mantles. The article presents the experimental procedures and the expected results, indicating that the experiment may provide support for nuclear physics classes. These practices could spread widely to either university or school didactic laboratories, and the apparatus has the potential to allow the development of new teaching activity for nuclear physics.
KSC-2012-3673

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-05

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. -- The lantern room of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, with its modern first-order optic, takes on a warm glow as dawn breaks and a full moon still shines overhead. The Canaveral light is the only operating lighthouse owned by the U.S. Air Force. In 2000, the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse structure and its grounds to the Air Force, which is now responsible for maintaining it. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate the beacon as an active navigational aid. The first lighthouse at Cape Canaveral was built near the tip of the Cape in 1848. The structure was only about 60 feet high with a rather dim light powered by whale oil. In 1859, work began nearby on a new, taller iron structure. Construction was halted during the Civil War, and the lighthouse finally was finished in 1868. The structure, with a brick lining inside its iron exterior, was painted with its "daymark" black and white horizontal bands in 1873 to make it easier to identify during the day as a navigation point. Between 1892 and 1894, the lighthouse was dismantled and moved to its new home about a mile from the coast, where it stands today. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
KSC-2012-3674

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-05

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. -- The lantern room of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, with its modern first-order optic, takes on a warm glow as dawn breaks and a full moon still shines overhead. The Canaveral light is the only operating lighthouse owned by the U.S. Air Force. In 2000, the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse structure and its grounds to the Air Force, which is now responsible for maintaining it. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate the beacon as an active navigational aid. The first lighthouse at Cape Canaveral was built near the tip of the Cape in 1848. The structure was only about 60 feet high with a rather dim light powered by whale oil. In 1859, work began nearby on a new, taller iron structure. Construction was halted during the Civil War, and the lighthouse finally was finished in 1868. The structure, with a brick lining inside its iron exterior, was painted with its "daymark" black and white horizontal bands in 1873 to make it easier to identify during the day as a navigation point. Between 1892 and 1894, the lighthouse was dismantled and moved to its new home about a mile from the coast, where it stands today. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
KSC-2012-3675

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-05

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. -- The lantern room of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, with its modern first-order optic, takes on a warm glow as dawn breaks and a full moon still shines overhead. The Canaveral light is the only operating lighthouse owned by the U.S. Air Force. In 2000, the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse structure and its grounds to the Air Force, which is now responsible for maintaining it. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate the beacon as an active navigational aid. The first lighthouse at Cape Canaveral was built near the tip of the Cape in 1848. The structure was only about 60 feet high with a rather dim light powered by whale oil. In 1859, work began nearby on a new, taller iron structure. Construction was halted during the Civil War, and the lighthouse finally was finished in 1868. The structure, with a brick lining inside its iron exterior, was painted with its "daymark" black and white horizontal bands in 1873 to make it easier to identify during the day as a navigation point. Between 1892 and 1894, the lighthouse was dismantled and moved to its new home about a mile from the coast, where it stands today. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
KSC-2012-3670

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-05

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. -- The lantern room of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, with its modern first-order optic, takes on a warm glow as dawn breaks and a full moon still shines overhead. The Canaveral light is the only operating lighthouse owned by the U.S. Air Force. In 2000, the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse structure and its grounds to the Air Force, which is now responsible for maintaining it. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate the beacon as an active navigational aid. The first lighthouse at Cape Canaveral was built near the tip of the Cape in 1848. The structure was only about 60 feet high with a rather dim light powered by whale oil. In 1859, work began nearby on a new, taller iron structure. Construction was halted during the Civil War, and the lighthouse finally was finished in 1868. The structure, with a brick lining inside its iron exterior, was painted with its "daymark" black and white horizontal bands in 1873 to make it easier to identify during the day as a navigation point. Between 1892 and 1894, the lighthouse was dismantled and moved to its new home about a mile from the coast, where it stands today. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
From niche to stigma-Headshops to prison: Exploring the rise and fall of synthetic cannabinoid use among young adults.

PubMed

Blackman, Shane; Bradley, Rick

2017-02-01

The aim of this paper will be to consider the rise and subsequent fall in NPS use at national and local level with a focus on synthetic cannabinoid products in Kent. We will examine the local practice and policy responses by Kent's Young Persons' Drug and Alcohol Service towards a possible change in patterns of NPS drug consumption. The county has seen an expansion in the number of Headshops and we present local media coverage on NPS, and the Trading Standards and Kent Police intervention Operation Lantern to regulate Headshops. Through quantitative and qualitative data sets on socially vulnerable young people and prison populations we explore young adults' perception of pleasure and harm in the use of NPS. Emergent data suggests young adults are now assessing the differences between NPS and more traditional illicit drugs, with this impacting on decision-making about the substances being used. When 'legal highs' first appeared they were associated with a more niche middle class demographic, 'psychonauts' and experimental users interested in pursuing recreational drug diversity. We examine macro and micro data to suggest that populations most likely to become involved in NPS use are those with degrees of stigma linked to socially vulnerable young adults suggesting that Spice is no longer a feature of middle class recreational drug use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rotation of vertically oriented objects during earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinzen, Klaus-G.

2012-10-01

Vertically oriented objects, such as tombstones, monuments, columns, and stone lanterns, are often observed to shift and rotate during earthquake ground motion. Such observations are usually limited to the mesoseismal zone. Whether near-field rotational ground motion components are necessary in addition to pure translational movements to explain the observed rotations is an open question. We summarize rotation data from seven earthquakes between 1925 and 2009 and perform analog and numeric rotation testing with vertically oriented objects. The free-rocking motion of a marble block on a sliding table is disturbed by a pulse in the direction orthogonal to the rocking motion. When the impulse is sufficiently strong and occurs at the `right' moment, it induces significant rotation of the block. Numeric experiments of a free-rocking block show that the initiation of vertical block rotation by a cycloidal acceleration pulse applied orthogonal to the rocking axis depends on the amplitude of the pulse and its phase relation to the rocking cycle. Rotation occurs when the pulse acceleration exceeds the threshold necessary to provoke rocking of a resting block, and the rocking block approaches its equilibrium position. Experiments with blocks subjected to full 3D strong motion signals measured during the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake confirm the observations from the tests with analytic ground motions. Significant differences in the rotational behavior of a monolithic block and two stacked blocks exist.
Combinatorial chemistry on solid support in the search for central nervous system agents.

PubMed

Zajdel, Paweł; Pawłowski, Maciej; Martinez, Jean; Subra, Gilles

2009-08-01

The advent of combinatorial chemistry was one of the most important developments, that has significantly contributed to the drug discovery process. Within just a few years, its initial concept aimed at production of libraries containing huge number of compounds (thousands to millions), so called screening libraries, has shifted towards preparation of small and medium-sized rationally designed libraries. When applicable, the use of solid supports for the generation of libraries has been a real breakthrough in enhancing productivity. With a limited amount of resin and simple manual workups, the split/mix procedure may generate thousands of bead-tethered compounds. Beads can be chemically or physically encoded to facilitate the identification of a hit after the biological assay. Compartmentalization of solid supports using small reactors like teabags, kans or pellicular discrete supports like Lanterns resulted in powerful sort and combine technologies, relying on codes 'written' on the reactor, and thus reducing the need for automation and improving the number of compounds synthesized. These methods of solid-phase combinatorial chemistry have been recently supported by introduction of solid-supported reagents and scavenger resins. The first part of this review discusses the general premises of combinatorial chemistry and some methods used in the design of primary and focused combinatorial libraries. The aim of the second part is to present combinatorial chemistry methodologies aimed at discovering bioactive compounds acting on diverse GPCR involved in central nervous system disorders.
THEMIS Images as Art #31

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Welcome to the second annual THEMIS ART MONTH. From Jan. 31 through March 4 we will be showcasing images for their aesthetic value, rather than their science content. Portions of these images resemble things in our everyday lives, from animals to letters of the alphabet. We hope you enjoy our fanciful look at Mars!
Perhaps we should have saved this Jack-O-Lantern face for Halloween?
Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Multicore fiber beamforming network for broadband satellite communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainullin, Airat; Vidal, Borja; Macho, Andres; Llorente, Roberto

2017-02-01

Multi-core fiber (MCF) has been one of the main innovations in fiber optics in the last decade. Reported work on MCF has been focused on increasing the transmission capacity of optical communication links by exploiting space-division multiplexing. Additionally, MCF presents a strong potential in optical beamforming networks. The use of MCF can increase the compactness of the broadband antenna array controller. This is of utmost importance in platforms where size and weight are critical parameters such as communications satellites and airplanes. Here, an optical beamforming architecture that exploits the space-division capacity of MCF to implement compact optical beamforming networks is proposed, being a new application field for MCF. The experimental demonstration of this system using a 4-core MCF that controls a four-element antenna array is reported. An analysis of the impact of MCF on the performance of antenna arrays is presented. The analysis indicates that the main limitation comes from the relatively high insertion loss in the MCF fan-in and fan-out devices, which leads to angle dependent losses which can be mitigated by using fixed optical attenuators or a photonic lantern to reduce MCF insertion loss. The crosstalk requirements are also experimentally evaluated for the proposed MCF-based architecture. The potential signal impairment in the beamforming network is analytically evaluated, being of special importance when MCF with a large number of cores is considered. Finally, the optimization of the proposed MCF-based beamforming network is addressed targeting the scalability to large arrays.
Solid-State Gas Adsorption Studies with Discrete Palladium(II) [Pd2 (L)4 ]4+ Cages.

PubMed

Preston, Dan; White, Keith F; Lewis, James E M; Vasdev, Roan A S; Abrahams, Brendan F; Crowley, James D

2017-08-04

The need for effective CO 2 capture systems remains high, and due to their tunability, metallosupramolecular architectures are an attractive option for gas sorption. While the use of extended metal organic frameworks for gas adsorption has been extensively explored, the exploitation of discrete metallocage architectures to bind gases remains in its infancy. Herein the solid state gas adsorption properties of a series of [Pd 2 (L) 4 ] 4+ lantern shaped coordination cages (L = variants of 2,6-bis(pyridin-3-ylethynyl)pyridine), which had solvent accessible internal cavities suitable for gas binding, have been investigated. The cages showed little interaction with dinitrogen gas but were able to take up CO 2 . The best performing cage reversibly sorbed 1.4 mol CO 2 per mol cage at 298 K, and 2.3 mol CO 2 per mol cage at 258 K (1 bar). The enthalpy of binding was calculated to be 25-35 kJ mol -1 , across the number of equivalents bound, while DFT calculations on the CO 2 binding in the cage gave ΔE for the cage-CO 2 interaction of 23-28 kJ mol -1 , across the same range. DFT modelling suggested that the binding mode is a hydrogen bond between the carbonyl oxygen of CO 2 and the internally directed hydrogen atoms of the cage. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Late season commercial mosquito trap and host seeking activity evaluation against mosquitoes in a malarious area of the Republic of Korea

PubMed Central

Burkett, Douglas A.; Lee, Kwan-Woo; Kim, Heung-Chul; Lee, Hee-Il; Lee, Jong-Soo; Shin, E-Hyun; Wirtz, Robert A.; Cho, Hae-Wol; Claborn, David M.; Coleman, Russel E.; Kim, Wan Y; Klein, Terry A.

2002-01-01

Field trials evaluating selected commercially available mosquito traps variously baited with light, carbon dioxide, and/or octenol were conducted from 18-27 September 2000 in a malarious area near Paekyeon-ri (Tongil-Chon ) and Camp Greaves in Paju County, Kyonggi Province, Republic of Korea. The host-seeking activity for common mosquito species, including the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, was determined using hourly aspirator collections from a human and propane lantern-baited Shannon trap during hours when temperatures exceeded 15℃. The total number of mosquitoes and number of each species captured during the test was compared using a block design. Significant differences were observed for the total number of mosquitoes collected, such that, the Mosquito MagnetTM with octenol > Shannon trap > ABC light trap with light and dry ice > Miniature Black Light trap (manufactured by John W. Hock) ≥ New Jersey Trap > ABC light trap with light only. Significant differences in numbers collected among traps were noted for several species including: Aedes vexans (Meigen), Anopheles lesteri Baisas and Hu, An. sinensis Weidemann, An. sineroides Yamada, An. yatsushiroensis Miyazaki, Culex pipiens pallens Coquillett L., Cx. orientalis Edwards and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. Host-seeking activity for most common species showed a similar bimodal pattern. Results from these field trap evaluations can significantly enhance current vector and disease surveillance efforts especially for the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. PMID:11949213
Efficient conversion of sand to nano-silicon and its energetic Si-C composite anode design for high volumetric capacity lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furquan, Mohammad; Raj Khatribail, Anish; Vijayalakshmi, Savithri; Mitra, Sagar

2018-04-01

Silicon is an attractive anode material for Li-ion cells, which can provide energy density 30% higher than any of the today's commercial Li-ion cells. In the current study, environmentally benign, high abundant, and low cost sand (SiO2) source has been used to prepare nano-silicon via scalable metallothermic reduction method using micro wave heating. In this research, we have developed and optimized a method to synthesis high purity nano silicon powder that takes only 5 min microwave heating of sand and magnesium mixture at 800 °C. Carbon coated nano-silicon electrode material is prepared by a unique method of coating, polymerization and finally in-situ carbonization of furfuryl alcohol on to the high purity nano-silicon. The electrochemical performance of a half cell using the carbon coated high purity Si is showed a stable capacity of 1500 mAh g-1 at 6 A g-1 for over 200 cycles. A full cell is fabricated using lithium cobalt oxide having thickness ≈56 μm as cathode and carbon coated silicon thin anode of thickness ≈9 μm. The fabricated full cell of compact size exhibits excellent volumetric capacity retention of 1649 mAh cm-3 at 0.5 C rate (C = 4200 mAh g-1) and extended cycle life (600 cycles). The full cell is demonstrated on an LED lantern and LED display board.
Determining the utility and durability of medical equipment donated to a rural clinic in a low-income country

PubMed Central

Bauserman, Melissa; Hailey, Claire; Gado, Justin; Lokangaka, Adrien; Williams, Jessica; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Tshefu, Antoinette; Bose, Carl

2015-01-01

Background Health centers in low-income countries often depend on donations to provide appropriate diagnostic equipment. However, donations are sometimes made without an understanding of the recipient's needs, practical constraints or sustainability of supplies. Methods We donated a set of physical diagnostic equipment, non-invasive instrument tests and laboratory supplies to a rural health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We collected information on the usage and durability of equipment and supplies for each patient encounter over a 1-year period. Results We recorded 913 patient encounters. The most commonly used physical diagnostic equipment were the stethoscope (98.9%; 903/913), thermometer (81.7%; 746/913), adult scale (81.4%; 744/913), stop watch (62.6%; 572/913), adult sphygmomanometer (55.8%; 510/913), infant scale (24.9%; 228/913), measuring tape (24.3%; 222/913) and fetoscope (23.8%; 218/913). The most commonly used laboratory tests were the blood smear for malaria (53.7%; 491/913), hematocrit (23.5%; 215/913), urinalysis (20.1%; 184/913) and sputum stain for TB (13.3%; 122/913). With the exception of a penlight and solar lantern, all equipment remained functional. Conclusions This study adds valuable information about the utility and durability of equipment supplied to a health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our results might aid in determining the appropriateness of donated medical equipment in similar settings. The selection of donated goods should be made with knowledge of the context in which it will be used, and utilization should be monitored. PMID:25525132
Efficient photonic reformatting of celestial light for diffraction-limited spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLachlan, D. G.; Harris, R. J.; Gris-Sánchez, I.; Morris, T. J.; Choudhury, D.; Gendron, E.; Basden, A. G.; Spaleniak, I.; Arriola, A.; Birks, T. A.; Allington-Smith, J. R.; Thomson, R. R.

2017-02-01

The spectral resolution of a dispersive astronomical spectrograph is limited by the trade-off between throughput and the width of the entrance slit. Photonic guided wave transitions have been proposed as a route to bypass this trade-off, by enabling the efficient reformatting of incoherent seeing-limited light collected by the telescope into a linear array of single modes: a pseudo-slit which is highly multimode in one axis but diffraction-limited in the dispersion axis of the spectrograph. It is anticipated that the size of a single-object spectrograph fed with light in this manner would be essentially independent of the telescope aperture size. A further anticipated benefit is that such spectrographs would be free of `modal noise', a phenomenon that occurs in high-resolution multimode fibre-fed spectrographs due to the coherent nature of the telescope point spread function (PSF). We seek to address these aspects by integrating a multicore fibre photonic lantern with an ultrafast laser inscribed three-dimensional waveguide interconnect to spatially reformat the modes within the PSF into a diffraction-limited pseudo-slit. Using the CANARY adaptive optics (AO) demonstrator on the William Herschel Telescope, and 1530 ± 80 nm stellar light, the device exhibits a transmission of 47-53 per cent depending upon the mode of AO correction applied. We also show the advantage of using AO to couple light into such a device by sampling only the core of the CANARY PSF. This result underscores the possibility that a fully optimized guided-wave device can be used with AO to provide efficient spectroscopy at high spectral resolution.
Analysis of multi-mode to single-mode conversion at 635 nm and 1550 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamora, Vanessa; Bogatzki, Angelina; Arndt-Staufenbiel, Norbert; Hofmann, Jens; Schröder, Henning

2016-03-01

We propose two low-cost and robust optical fiber systems based on the photonic lantern (PL) technology for operating at 635 nm and 1550 nm. The PL is an emerging technology that couples light from a multi-mode (MM) fiber to several single-mode (SM) fibers via a low-loss adiabatic transition. This bundle of SM fibers is observed as a MM fiber system whose spatial modes are the degenerate supermodes of the bundle. The adiabatic transition allows that those supermodes evolve into the modes of the MM fiber. Simulations of the MM fiber end structure and its taper transition have been performed via functional mode solver tools in order to understand the modal evolution in PLs. The modelled design consists of 7 SM fibers inserted into a low-index capillary. The material and geometry of the PLs are chosen such that the supermodes match to the spatial modes of the desired step-index MM fiber in a moderate loss transmission. The dispersion of materials is also considered. These parameters are studied in two PL systems in order to reach a spectral transmission from 450 nm to 1600 nm. Additionally, an analysis of the geometry and losses due to the mismatching of modes is presented. PLs are typically used in the fields of astrophotonics and space photonics. Recently, they are demonstrated as mode converters in telecommunications, especially focusing on spatial division multiplexing. In this study, we show the use of PLs as a promising interconnecting tool for the development of miniaturized spectrometers operating in a broad wavelength range.
A Label-Free and Sensitive Fluorescent Qualitative Assay for Bisphenol A Based on Rolling Circle Amplification/Exonuclease III-Combined Cascade Amplification

PubMed Central

Li, Xia; Song, Juan; Xue, Qing-Wang; You, Fu-Heng; Lu, Xia; Kong, Yan-Cong; Ma, Shu-Yi; Jiang, Wei; Li, Chen-Zhong

2016-01-01

Bisphenol A (BPA) detection in drinking water and food packaging materials has attracted much attention since the discovery that BPA can interfere with normal physiological processes and cause adverse health effects. Here, we constructed a label-free aptamer fluorescent assay for selective and sensitive detection of BPA based on the rolling circle amplification (RCA)/Exonuclease III (Exo III)-combined cascade amplification strategy. First, the duplex DNA probe (RP) with anti-BPA aptamer and trigger sequence was designed for BPA recognition and signal amplification. Next, under the action of BPA, the trigger probe was liberated from RP to initiate RCA reaction as primary amplification. Subsequently, the RCA products were used to trigger Exo III assisted secondary amplification with the help of hairpin probes, producing plenty of “G-quadruplex” in lantern-like structures. Finally, the continuously enriched “G-quadruplex lanterns” were lightened by zinc(II)-protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX) generating enhanced fluorescence signals. By integrating the primary RCA and secondary Exo III mediated cascade amplification strategy, this method displayed an excellent sensitivity with the detection limits of 5.4 × 10−17 M. In addition, the anti-BPA aptamer exhibits high recognition ability with BPA, guaranteeing the specificity of detection. The reporter signal probe (G-quadruplex with ZnPPIX) provides a label-free fluorescence signals readout without complicated labeling procedures, making the method simple in design and cost-effective in operation. Moreover, environmental samples analysis was also performed, suggesting that our strategy was reliable and had a great potential application in environmental monitoring. PMID:28335318
Air pollution holiday effect in metropolitan Kaohsiung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, P.; Chen, P. Y.

2014-12-01

Different from Taipei, the metropolitan Kaohsiung which is a coastal and industrial city has the major pollution sources from stationary sources such as coal-fired power plants, petrochemical facilities and steel plants, rather than mobile sources. This study was an attempt to conduct a comprehensive and systematical examination of the holiday effect, defined as the difference in air pollutant concentrations between holiday and non-holiday periods, over the Kaohsiung metropolitan area. We documented evidence of a "holiday effect", where concentrations of NOx, CO, NMHC, SO2 and PM10 were significantly different between holidays and non-holidays, in the Kaohsiung metropolitan area from daily surface measurements of seven air quality monitoring stations of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration during the Chinese New Year (CNY) and non-Chinese New Year (NCNY) periods of 1994-2010. Concentrations of the five pollutants were lower in the CNY than in the NCNY period, however, that of O3 was higher in the CNY than in the NCNY period and had no holiday effect. The exclusion of the bad air quality day (PSI > 100) and the Lantern Festival Day showed no significant effects on the holiday effects of air pollutants. Ship transportation data of Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau showed a statistically significant difference in the CNY and NCNY period. This difference was consistent with those found in air pollutant concentrations of some industrial and general stations in coastal areas, implying the possible impact of traffic activity on the air quality of coastal areas. Holiday effects of air pollutants over the Taipei metropolitan area by Tan et al. (2009) are also compared.
Organic Matrix-related mineralization of sea urchin spicules, spines, test and teeth

PubMed Central

Veis, Arthur

2012-01-01

The camarodont echinoderms have five distinct mineralized skeletal elements: the embryonic spicules and mature test; spines, lantern stereom and teeth. The embryonic spicules are transient structural elements of the larval skeleton whereas the spines and test plates are permanent structural elements. The teeth are continuously growing structures, matching wear at the incisal adoral end to the rate of new production at the aboral plumula. The mineral in all cases is a high magnesium calcite, but the magnesium content, crystal shape and growth pattern is different in each type of skeletal element. The crystal shape and organization into macro structures depends on the presence of an organic matrix which creates the spaces and controls the environments for crystal initiation and growth. The detailed mechanisms of crystal regulation are not known, but much work has been done on defining the proteins which appear to be involved. Phosphorylated matrix proteins may be of special importance. Biochemical isolation of proteins, construction and analysis of cDNA libraries, and most recently high-throughput proteomic analysis in conjunction with the sequencing of the complete genome have yielded a detailed list of protein components likely to be involved in the mineralization processes. However, the proteome-genome analyses have not yet provided insight into the mechanisms of crystallization, calcite composition, and orientation applicable to all skeletal elements. Although the embryonic pluteus and their spicules are the best studied system, it appears that spicule is not representative of the mature skeletal elements. Now armed with the compositions of most of the proteins involved, the next phase of research will have to focus on the specific localization of the proteins and individual biochemistries of each system with regard to mineral content and placement. PMID:21622194
Determining the utility and durability of medical equipment donated to a rural clinic in a low-income country.

PubMed

Bauserman, Melissa; Hailey, Claire; Gado, Justin; Lokangaka, Adrien; Williams, Jessica; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Tshefu, Antoinette; Bose, Carl

2015-07-01

Health centers in low-income countries often depend on donations to provide appropriate diagnostic equipment. However, donations are sometimes made without an understanding of the recipient's needs, practical constraints or sustainability of supplies. We donated a set of physical diagnostic equipment, non-invasive instrument tests and laboratory supplies to a rural health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We collected information on the usage and durability of equipment and supplies for each patient encounter over a 1-year period. We recorded 913 patient encounters. The most commonly used physical diagnostic equipment were the stethoscope (98.9%; 903/913), thermometer (81.7%; 746/913), adult scale (81.4%; 744/913), stop watch (62.6%; 572/913), adult sphygmomanometer (55.8%; 510/913), infant scale (24.9%; 228/913), measuring tape (24.3%; 222/913) and fetoscope (23.8%; 218/913). The most commonly used laboratory tests were the blood smear for malaria (53.7%; 491/913), hematocrit (23.5%; 215/913), urinalysis (20.1%; 184/913) and sputum stain for TB (13.3%; 122/913). With the exception of a penlight and solar lantern, all equipment remained functional. This study adds valuable information about the utility and durability of equipment supplied to a health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our results might aid in determining the appropriateness of donated medical equipment in similar settings. The selection of donated goods should be made with knowledge of the context in which it will be used, and utilization should be monitored. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hunting strategies used in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil

PubMed Central

Alves, Rômulo RN; Mendonça, Lívia ET; Confessor, Maine VA; Vieira, Washington LS; Lopez, Luiz CS

2009-01-01

Hunting for wild animals is stimulated by the many different human uses of faunal resources, and these animals constitute important subsistence items in local communities in the Caatinga region. In order to gain access to these resources, hunters have developed a series of techniques and strategies that are described in the present work. The principal hunting techniques encountered were: waiting, especially directed towards hunting diurnal birds; calling ("arremedo"), a technique in which the hunters imitate the animal's call to attract it to close range; hunting with dogs, a technique mostly used for capturing mammals; tracking, a technique used by only a few hunters who can recognize and follow animal tracks; and "facheado", in which the hunters go out at night with lanterns to catch birds in their nests. Additionally, many animal species are captured using mechanical traps. The types of traps used by the interviewees were: dead-fall traps ("quixó"), iron-jaw snap traps ("arataca"), wooden cages with bait ("arapuca"), iron-cage traps ("gaiola'), "visgo", multi-compartment bird cages ("alçapão"), buried ground traps with pivoted tops ("fojo"), and nooses and cages for carnivorous. The choice of which technique to use depends on the habits of the species being hunted, indicating that the hunters possess a wide knowledge of the biology of these animals. From a conservation perspective, active hunting techniques (waiting, imitation, hunting with dogs, and "facheado") have the greatest impact on the local fauna. The use of firearm and dogs brought greater efficiency to hunting activities. Additional studies concerning these hunting activities will be useful to contribute to proposals for management plans regulating hunting in the region – with the objective of attaining sustainable use of faunal resources of great importance to the local human communities. PMID:19386121
Regulatory effects on particulate pollution in the early hours of Chinese New Year, 2015.

PubMed

Lai, Yonghang; Brimblecombe, Peter

2017-08-23

Human activities are a key driver of air pollution, so it is hardly surprising that celebrations affect air quality. The use of fireworks contributes to high particulate concentrations in many parts of the world, with the Chinese Lunar New Year (spring festival) particularly noticeable, as firecrackers are traditionally used to drive off evil spirits. Fireworks lead to short-term peaks in the concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and SO 2 . Regulatory actions that restrict the use of fireworks have been evident in China since the 1990s. This paper investigates the particulate concentrations in nine Chinese cities (Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin, Xi'an, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, along with Hong Kong (a Special Administrative Region) and Taipei and Kaohsiung (Taiwan) with a particular focus on the celebrations of 2015. Extremely high concentrations of particulate matter were observed, with some sites revealing peak PM10 concentrations in excess of 1000 μg m -3 in the early hours of the New Year. In Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing, the activities caused high particulate matter concentrations at most sites throughout the city. These peaks in particulate load in the early hours of Chinese New Year do not appear to be closely related to meteorological parameters. However, in cities where fireworks appear to be better regulated, there are fewer sharp pollution peaks just after midnight, although lowered air quality can still be found in the outer parts of some cities, remote from regulatory pressures. A few cities seem to have been effective at reducing the impact of the celebrations on air quality, with Nanjing a recent example. An increasing focus on light displays and electric lanterns also seems to offer a sense of celebration with much reduced impacts on air quality.
Neurturin overexpression in dopaminergic neurons induces presynaptic and postsynaptic structural changes in rats with chronic 6-hydroxydopamine lesion

PubMed Central

Reyes-Corona, David; Vázquez-Hernández, Nallely; Escobedo, Lourdes; Orozco-Barrios, Carlos E.; Ayala-Davila, Jose; Moreno, Mario Gil; Amaro-Lara, Miriam E.; Flores-Martinez, Yazmin M.; Espadas-Alvarez, Armando J.; Fernandez-Parrilla, Manuel A.; Gonzalez-Barrios, Juan A.; Gutierrez-Castillo, ME; González-Burgos, Ignacio

2017-01-01

The structural effect of neurturin (NRTN) on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in animals remains unknown, although NRTN has been shown to be effective in Parkinson’s disease animal models. Herein, we aimed to demonstrate that NRTN overexpression in dopaminergic neurons stimulates both neurite outgrowths in the nigrostriatal pathway and striatal dendritic spines in aging rats with chronic 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion. At week 12 after lesion, pTracer-mNRTN-His or pGreenLantern-1 plasmids were intranigrally transfected using the NTS-polyplex nanoparticles system. We showed that the transgenic expression in dopaminergic neurons remained until the end of the study (12 weeks). Only animals expressing NRTN-His showed recovery of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)+ cells (28 ± 2%), their neurites (32 ± 2%) and the neuron-specific cytoskeletal marker β-III-tubulin in the substantia nigra; striatal TH(+) fibers were also recovered (52 ± 3%), when compared to the healthy condition. Neurotensin receptor type 1 levels were also significantly recovered in the substantia nigra and striatum. Dopamine recovery was 70 ± 4% in the striatum and complete in the substantia nigra. The number of dendritic spines of striatal medium spiny neurons was also significantly increased, but the recovery was not complete. Drug-activated circling behavior decreased by 73 ± 2% (methamphetamine) and 89 ± 1% (apomorphine). Similar decrease was observed in the spontaneous motor behavior. Our results demonstrate that NRTN causes presynaptic and postsynaptic restoration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system after a 6-OHDA-induced chronic lesion. However, those improvements did not reach the healthy condition, suggesting that NRTN exerts lesser neurotrophic effects than other neurotrophic approaches. PMID:29176874
A NEW MODEL OF PODIAL DEPOSIT FEEDING IN THE SAND DOLLAR, MELLITA QUINQUJESPERFORATA (LESKE): THE SIEVE HYPOTHESIS CHALLENGED.

PubMed

Telford, Malcolm; Mooi, Rich; Ellers, Olaf

1985-10-01

The feeding mechanism of Mellita quinquiesperforata (Leske) has been examined in detail. This sand dollar is a deposit feeder, ingesting particles mostly in the range of 100-250 µm. The particles are picked out of the substrate individually by specialized long barrel-tipped podia, which form a narrow palisade surrounding the geniculate spine fields on the oral surface. Selected food items are passed to short barrel-tipped podia, thence from podium to podium until they reach the food grooves where they are finally aggregated into mucus cords. The cords are passed to the mouth by the activity of food groove podia. At the peristome, the cord is passed between the circumoral spines by large food groove podia and steered into the mouth by five pairs of buccal podia. The lantern is powerfully muscled and has hardened teeth which crush diatoms and fracture many sand grains. For this reason, there is an apparent accumulation of fine particles (<50 µm) in the gut. Analysis of size frequencies of the material in the mucus cords and substrate indicates that no selection of fine particles occurs and, in fact, that they are virtually absent from the native sediment. An account of spine and podial morphology and distribution is included with descriptions and measurements of surface ciliary currents. It is shown that the formerly accepted sieve hypothesis of feeding cannot be entirely rejected on theoretical grounds. However, during feeding there was no evidence of the operation of any of the elements of the supposed sieve mechanism. Furthermore, the ciliary currents are not fast enough to account for the movement of most ingested material. Patterns of ciliary flow on the oral surface are not simply centripetal, but are much more complex than previously supposed.
Performance status of a small robot-mounted or hand-held, solar-blind, standoff chemical, biological, and explosives (CBE) sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hug, W. F.; Reid, R. D.; Bhartia, R.; Lane, A. L.

2009-05-01

Photon Systems and JPL are continuing development of a new technology robot-mounted or hand-held sensor for reagentless, short-range, standoff detection and identification of trace levels CBE materials on surfaces. This deep ultraviolet CBE sensor is the result of ongoing Army STTR and DTRA programs. The evolving 6 lb, 15W, lantern-size sensor can discriminate CBE from background clutter materials using a combination of deep UV excited resonance Raman (RR) and laser induced native fluorescence (LINF) emissions resulting from excitation by a new technology deep UV laser. Standoff excitation of suspicious packages, vehicles, persons, and other objects that may contain hazardous materials is accomplished using wavelengths below 250nm where RR and LINF emissions occupy distinctly different wavelength regions. This enables simultaneous detection of RR and LINF emissions with no spectral overlap or interference of LINF over RR or RR over LINF. The new eye-safe targeted ultraviolet chemical, biological, and explosives (TUCBE) sensor can detect and identify less than 1 μg/cm2 of explosives or 104 bacterial spores at 10 meters standoff, or 10 ng/cm2 of explosives or 102 bacterial spores/cm2 at 1 meter standoff. Detection and identification requires less than 1 ms and has a sample rate up to 20 Hz. Lower concentrations of contamination can be detected and identified as closer ranges and higher concentrations at longer ranges. The sensor is solar blind and can be operated in full daylight conditions as a result of excitation and detection in the deep UV and the use of a gated detection system.
Chemical composition and source apportionment of PM2.5 during Chinese Spring Festival at Xinxiang, a heavily polluted city in North China: Fireworks and health risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Jinglan; Yu, Hao; Su, Xianfa; Liu, Shuhui; Li, Yi; Pan, Yuepeng; Sun, Jian-Hui

2016-12-01

Twenty-four PM2.5 samples were collected at a suburban site of Xinxiang during Chinese Spring Festival (SF) in 2015. 10 water-soluble ions, 19 trace elements and 8 fractions of carbonaceous species in PM2.5 were analyzed. Potential sources of PM2.5 were quantitatively apportioned using principal component analysis (PCA)-multivariate linear regressions (MLR). The threat of heavy metals in PM2.5 was assessed using incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR). During the whole period, serious regional haze pollution persisted, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 111 ± 54 μg m- 3, with 95.8% and 79.2% of the daily samples exhibiting higher PM2.5 concentrations than the national air quality standard I and II. Chemical species declined due to holiday effect with the exception of K, Fe, Mg, Al and K+, Cl-, which increased on Chinese New Year (CNY)'s Eve and Lantern Festival in 2015, indicating the injection of firework burning particles in certain short period. PM2.5 mass closure showed that secondary inorganic species were the dominant fractions of PM2.5 over the entire sampling (37.3%). 72-hour backward trajectory clusters indicated that most serious air pollution occurred when air masses transported from the Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Zhengzhou. Health risk assessment revealed that noncancerous effects of heavy metals in PM2.5 of Xinxiang were unlikely happened, while lifetime cancer risks of heavy metals obviously exceeded the threshold, which might have a cancer risk for residents in Xinxiang. This study provided detailed composition data and first comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 during the Spring Festival period in Xinxiang.
Characteristics and source apportionment of fine haze aerosol in Beijing during the winter of 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Xiaona; Zhang, Kai; Meng, Fan; Wang, Shihao; Lee, Meehye; Suh, Inseon; Kim, Daigon; Jeon, Kwonho; Park, Hyunju; Wang, Xuezhong; Zhao, Yuxi

2018-02-01

For PM2.5 filter samples collected daily at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (Beijing, China) from December of 2013 to February of 2014 (the winter period), chemical characteristics and sources were investigated with an emphasis on haze events in different alert levels. During the 3 months, the average PM2.5 concentration was 89 µg m-3, exceeding the Chinese national standard of 75 µg m-3 in 24 h. The maximum PM2.5 concentration was 307 µg m-3, which characterizes developed-type pollution (PM2.5 / PM10>0.5) in the World Health Organization criteria. PM2.5 was dominated by SO42-, NO3-, and pseudo-carbonaceous compounds with obvious differences in concentrations and proportions between non-haze and haze episodes. The non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) analysis provided reasonable PM2.5 source profiles, by which five sources were identified: soil dust, traffic emission, biomass combustion, industrial emission, and coal combustion accounting for 13, 22, 12, 28, and 25 % of the total, respectively. The dust impact increased with northwesterlies during non-haze periods and decreased under stagnant conditions during haze periods. A blue alert of heavy air pollution was characterized by the greatest contribution from industrial emissions (61 %). During the Chinese Lantern Festival, an orange alert was issued and biomass combustion was found to be the major source owing to firework explosions. Red-alert haze was almost equally contributed by local traffic and transported coal combustion emissions from the vicinity of Beijing (approximately 40 % each) that was distinguished by the highest levels of NO3- and SO42-, respectively. This study also reveals that the severity and source of haze are largely dependent on meteorological conditions.
Household resources as determinants of child mortality in Ghana.

PubMed

Nutor, Jerry John; Bell, Janice F; Slaughter-Acey, Jaime C; Joseph, Jill G; Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina; de Leon Siantz, Mary Lou

2017-01-01

Although the association between child mortality and socioeconomic status is well established, the role of household assets as predictors of child mortality, over and above other measures of socioeconomic status, is not well studied in developing nations. This study investigated the contribution of several household resources to child mortality, beyond the influence of maternal education as a measure of socioeconomic status. This secondary analysis used data from the 2007 Ghana Maternal Health Survey to explore the relationship of child mortality to household resources. The analysis of 7183 parous women aged 15-45 years examined household resources for their association with maternal reports of any child's death for children aged less than 5 years using a survey-weighted logistic regression model while controlling for sociodemographic and health covariates. The overall household resources index was significantly associated with the death of one or more child in the entire sample (adjusted odd ratios (OR)=0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92, 0.98]. In stratified analysis, this finding held for women living in rural but not in urban areas. Having a refrigerator at the time of interview was associated with lower odds of reporting child mortality (OR=0.63; 95%CI: 0.48, 0.83). Having a kerosene lantern (OR=1.40; 95%CI: 1.06, 1.85) or flush toilet (OR=1.84; 95%CI: 1.23, 2.75) was associated with higher odds of reporting child mortality. Adjusted regression models showed only possession of a refrigerator retained significance. Possession of a refrigerator may play a role in child mortality. This finding may reflect unmeasured socioeconomic status or the importance of access to refrigeration in preventing diarrheal disease or other proximal causes of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Neurturin overexpression in dopaminergic neurons induces presynaptic and postsynaptic structural changes in rats with chronic 6-hydroxydopamine lesion.

PubMed

Reyes-Corona, David; Vázquez-Hernández, Nallely; Escobedo, Lourdes; Orozco-Barrios, Carlos E; Ayala-Davila, Jose; Moreno, Mario Gil; Amaro-Lara, Miriam E; Flores-Martinez, Yazmin M; Espadas-Alvarez, Armando J; Fernandez-Parrilla, Manuel A; Gonzalez-Barrios, Juan A; Gutierrez-Castillo, M E; González-Burgos, Ignacio; Martinez-Fong, Daniel

2017-01-01

The structural effect of neurturin (NRTN) on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in animals remains unknown, although NRTN has been shown to be effective in Parkinson's disease animal models. Herein, we aimed to demonstrate that NRTN overexpression in dopaminergic neurons stimulates both neurite outgrowths in the nigrostriatal pathway and striatal dendritic spines in aging rats with chronic 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion. At week 12 after lesion, pTracer-mNRTN-His or pGreenLantern-1 plasmids were intranigrally transfected using the NTS-polyplex nanoparticles system. We showed that the transgenic expression in dopaminergic neurons remained until the end of the study (12 weeks). Only animals expressing NRTN-His showed recovery of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)+ cells (28 ± 2%), their neurites (32 ± 2%) and the neuron-specific cytoskeletal marker β-III-tubulin in the substantia nigra; striatal TH(+) fibers were also recovered (52 ± 3%), when compared to the healthy condition. Neurotensin receptor type 1 levels were also significantly recovered in the substantia nigra and striatum. Dopamine recovery was 70 ± 4% in the striatum and complete in the substantia nigra. The number of dendritic spines of striatal medium spiny neurons was also significantly increased, but the recovery was not complete. Drug-activated circling behavior decreased by 73 ± 2% (methamphetamine) and 89 ± 1% (apomorphine). Similar decrease was observed in the spontaneous motor behavior. Our results demonstrate that NRTN causes presynaptic and postsynaptic restoration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system after a 6-OHDA-induced chronic lesion. However, those improvements did not reach the healthy condition, suggesting that NRTN exerts lesser neurotrophic effects than other neurotrophic approaches.
Acetate-Bridged Platinum(III) Complexes Derived from Cisplatin

PubMed Central

Wilson, Justin J.

2012-01-01

Oxidation of the acetate-bridged half-lantern platinum(II) complex, cis-[PtII(NH3)2(µ-OAc)2PtII(NH3)2](NO3)2, [1](NO3)2, with iodobenzene dichloride or bromine generates the halide-capped platinum(III) species, cis-[XPtIII(NH3)2(µ-OAc)2PtIII(NH3)2X](NO3)2, where X is Cl in [2](NO3)2, or Br in [3](NO3)2, respectively. These three complexes, characterized structurally by X-ray crystallography, feature short (≈ 2.6 Å) Pt–Pt separations, consistent with formation of a formal metal-metal bond upon oxidation. Elongated axial Pt–X distances occur, reflecting the strong trans influence of the metal-metal bond. The three structures are compared to those of other known dinuclear platinum complexes. A combination of 1H, 13C, 14N, and 195Pt NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize [1]2+–[3]2+ in solution. All resonances shift downfield upon oxidation of [1]2+ to [2]2+ and [3]2+. For the platinum(III) complexes, the 14N and 195Pt resonances exhibit decreased linewidths by comparison to those of [1]2+. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the decrease in 14N linewidth arises from a diminished electric field gradient (EFG) at the 14N nuclei in the higher valent compounds. The oxidation of [1](NO3)2 with the alternative oxidizing agent, bis(trifluoroacetoxy) iodobenzene, affords the novel tetranuclear complex, cis-[(O2CCF3)PtIII(NH3)2(µ-OAc)2PtIII(NH3)(µ-NH2)]2(NO3)4, [4](NO3)4, also characterized structurally by X-ray crystallography. In solution, this complex exists as a mixture of species, the identities of which are proposed. PMID:22946515
Comparative Characterization of the Leaf Tissue of Physalis alkekengi and Physalis peruviana Using RNA-seq and Metabolite Profiling

PubMed Central

Fukushima, Atsushi; Nakamura, Michimi; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Yamazaki, Mami; Knoch, Eva; Mori, Tetsuya; Umemoto, Naoyuki; Morita, Masaki; Hirai, Go; Sodeoka, Mikiko; Saito, Kazuki

2016-01-01

The genus Physalis in the Solanaceae family contains several species of benefit to humans. Examples include P. alkekengi (Chinese-lantern plant, hôzuki in Japanese) used for medicinal and for decorative purposes, and P. peruviana, also known as Cape gooseberry, which bears an edible, vitamin-rich fruit. Members of the Physalis genus are a valuable resource for phytochemicals needed for the development of medicines and functional foods. To fully utilize the potential of these phytochemicals we need to understand their biosynthesis, and for this we need genomic data, especially comprehensive transcriptome datasets for gene discovery. We report the de novo assembly of the transcriptome from leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana using Illumina RNA-seq technologies. We identified 75,221 unigenes in P. alkekengi and 54,513 in P. peruviana. All unigenes were annotated with gene ontology (GO), Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers, and pathway information from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We classified unigenes encoding enzyme candidates putatively involved in the secondary metabolism and identified more than one unigenes for each step in terpenoid backbone- and steroid biosynthesis in P. alkekengi and P. peruviana. To measure the variability of the withanolides including physalins and provide insights into their chemical diversity in Physalis, we also analyzed the metabolite content in leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana at five different developmental stages by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We discuss that comprehensive transcriptome approaches within a family can yield a clue for gene discovery in Physalis and provide insights into their complex chemical diversity. The transcriptome information we submit here will serve as an important public resource for further studies of the specialized metabolism of Physalis species. PMID:28066454
Comparative Characterization of the Leaf Tissue of Physalis alkekengi and Physalis peruviana Using RNA-seq and Metabolite Profiling.

PubMed

Fukushima, Atsushi; Nakamura, Michimi; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Yamazaki, Mami; Knoch, Eva; Mori, Tetsuya; Umemoto, Naoyuki; Morita, Masaki; Hirai, Go; Sodeoka, Mikiko; Saito, Kazuki

2016-01-01

The genus Physalis in the Solanaceae family contains several species of benefit to humans. Examples include P. alkekengi (Chinese-lantern plant, hôzuki in Japanese) used for medicinal and for decorative purposes, and P. peruviana , also known as Cape gooseberry, which bears an edible, vitamin-rich fruit. Members of the Physalis genus are a valuable resource for phytochemicals needed for the development of medicines and functional foods. To fully utilize the potential of these phytochemicals we need to understand their biosynthesis, and for this we need genomic data, especially comprehensive transcriptome datasets for gene discovery. We report the de novo assembly of the transcriptome from leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana using Illumina RNA-seq technologies. We identified 75,221 unigenes in P. alkekengi and 54,513 in P. peruviana . All unigenes were annotated with gene ontology (GO), Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers, and pathway information from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We classified unigenes encoding enzyme candidates putatively involved in the secondary metabolism and identified more than one unigenes for each step in terpenoid backbone- and steroid biosynthesis in P. alkekengi and P. peruviana . To measure the variability of the withanolides including physalins and provide insights into their chemical diversity in Physalis , we also analyzed the metabolite content in leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana at five different developmental stages by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We discuss that comprehensive transcriptome approaches within a family can yield a clue for gene discovery in Physalis and provide insights into their complex chemical diversity. The transcriptome information we submit here will serve as an important public resource for further studies of the specialized metabolism of Physalis species.
Synergy of irofulven in combination with other DNA damaging agents: synergistic interaction with altretamine, alkylating, and platinum-derived agents in the MV522 lung tumor model.

PubMed

Kelner, Michael J; McMorris, Trevor C; Rojas, Rafael J; Estes, Leita A; Suthipinijtham, Pharnuk

2008-12-01

Irofulven (MGI 114, NSC 683863) is a semisynthetic derivative of illudin S, a natural product present in the Omphalotus illudins (Jack O'Lantern) mushroom. This novel agent produces DNA damage, that in contrast to other agents, is predominately ignored by the global genome repair pathway of the nucleotide excision repair (NER)(2) system. The aim of this study was to determine the antitumor activity of irofulven when administered in combination with 44 different DNA damaging agents, whose damage is in general detected and repaired by the genome repair pathway. The human lung carcinoma MV522 cell line and its corresponding xenograft model were used to evaluate the activity of irofulven in combination with different DNA damaging agents. Two main classes of DNA damaging agents, platinum-derived agents, and select bifunctional alkylating agents, demonstrated in vivo synergistic or super-additive interaction with irofulven. DNA helicase inhibiting agents also demonstrated synergy in vitro, but an enhanced interaction with irofulven could not be demonstrated in vivo. There was no detectable synergistic activity between irofulven and agents capable of inducing DNA cleavage or intercalating into DNA. These results indicate that the antitumor activity of irofulven is enhanced when combined with platinum-derived agents, altretamine, and select alkylating agents such as melphalan or chlorambucil. A common factor between these agents appears to be the production of intrastrand DNA crosslinks. The synergistic interaction between irofulven and other agents may stem from the nucleotide excision repair system being selectively overwhelmed at two distinct points in the pathway, resulting in prolonged stalling of transcription forks, and subsequent initiation of apoptosis.
Cascading Effects of Ocean Acidification in a Rocky Subtidal Community

PubMed Central

Asnaghi, Valentina; Chiantore, Mariachiara; Mangialajo, Luisa; Gazeau, Frédéric; Francour, Patrice; Alliouane, Samir; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Temperate marine rocky habitats may be alternatively characterized by well vegetated macroalgal assemblages or barren grounds, as a consequence of direct and indirect human impacts (e.g. overfishing) and grazing pressure by herbivorous organisms. In future scenarios of ocean acidification, calcifying organisms are expected to be less competitive: among these two key elements of the rocky subtidal food web, coralline algae and sea urchins. In order to highlight how the effects of increased pCO2 on individual calcifying species will be exacerbated by interactions with other trophic levels, we performed an experiment simultaneously testing ocean acidification effects on primary producers (calcifying and non-calcifying algae) and their grazers (sea urchins). Artificial communities, composed by juveniles of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and calcifying (Corallina elongata) and non-calcifying (Cystoseira amentacea var stricta, Dictyota dichotoma) macroalgae, were subjected to pCO2 levels of 390, 550, 750 and 1000 µatm in the laboratory. Our study highlighted a direct pCO2 effect on coralline algae and on sea urchin defense from predation (test robustness). There was no direct effect on the non-calcifying macroalgae. More interestingly, we highlighted diet-mediated effects on test robustness and on the Aristotle's lantern size. In a future scenario of ocean acidification a decrease of sea urchins' density is expected, due to lower defense from predation, as a direct consequence of pH decrease, and to a reduced availability of calcifying macroalgae, important component of urchins' diet. The effects of ocean acidification may therefore be contrasting on well vegetated macroalgal assemblages and barren grounds: in the absence of other human impacts, a decrease of biodiversity can be predicted in vegetated macroalgal assemblages, whereas a lower density of sea urchin could help the recovery of shallow subtidal rocky areas affected by overfishing from barren grounds to assemblages dominated by fleshy macroalgae. PMID:23613994
Cascading effects of ocean acidification in a rocky subtidal community.

PubMed

Asnaghi, Valentina; Chiantore, Mariachiara; Mangialajo, Luisa; Gazeau, Frédéric; Francour, Patrice; Alliouane, Samir; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Temperate marine rocky habitats may be alternatively characterized by well vegetated macroalgal assemblages or barren grounds, as a consequence of direct and indirect human impacts (e.g. overfishing) and grazing pressure by herbivorous organisms. In future scenarios of ocean acidification, calcifying organisms are expected to be less competitive: among these two key elements of the rocky subtidal food web, coralline algae and sea urchins. In order to highlight how the effects of increased pCO2 on individual calcifying species will be exacerbated by interactions with other trophic levels, we performed an experiment simultaneously testing ocean acidification effects on primary producers (calcifying and non-calcifying algae) and their grazers (sea urchins). Artificial communities, composed by juveniles of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and calcifying (Corallina elongata) and non-calcifying (Cystoseira amentacea var stricta, Dictyota dichotoma) macroalgae, were subjected to pCO2 levels of 390, 550, 750 and 1000 µatm in the laboratory. Our study highlighted a direct pCO2 effect on coralline algae and on sea urchin defense from predation (test robustness). There was no direct effect on the non-calcifying macroalgae. More interestingly, we highlighted diet-mediated effects on test robustness and on the Aristotle's lantern size. In a future scenario of ocean acidification a decrease of sea urchins' density is expected, due to lower defense from predation, as a direct consequence of pH decrease, and to a reduced availability of calcifying macroalgae, important component of urchins' diet. The effects of ocean acidification may therefore be contrasting on well vegetated macroalgal assemblages and barren grounds: in the absence of other human impacts, a decrease of biodiversity can be predicted in vegetated macroalgal assemblages, whereas a lower density of sea urchin could help the recovery of shallow subtidal rocky areas affected by overfishing from barren grounds to assemblages dominated by fleshy macroalgae.
The perception of visitors towards the level of satisfaction on park (Case study: Singha Merjosari Park Malang)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priadaniswari, R.

2017-06-01

Park is one of the public spaces which is used by people to get happiness and comfort. Singha Merjosari Park is one of the parks in Malang that is functioned as a recreational and educational park for the citizen. In weekends and national holidays Singha Merjosari park get visited by so many visitors. But if we see the reality, there are still some problems regarding visitor satisfaction. Also, there are attributes that has performance levels decrease that will become another new problem. The purpose of this study is to analyze the perception of visitors about the level of visitor satisfaction and what attributes that need to be improved and developed by managers in the future. The approach method in this research is descriptive quantitative. Primary data is based on measurement and observation. The number of samples used is 100 respondents referring to the number of samples determination by Slovin formula with the sample selection used is accidental sampling technique. The analysis technique used is Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Costumer Satisfaction Index (CSI). Based on the results of IPA analysis, the things that should get important attention and should be improved is the aesthetics of lighting, cleanliness of parking area and toilet, shade in park area, and availability of clean water. While the result of CSI value analysis is 65,30%. This means visitors are satisfied, but visitors are still not satisfied overall. Implications or changes that should be given is the aesthetics of lighting should be more creative and become the identity of the park (for example, lamp lanterns should be suitable with the concept of the park). Also, the change of toilet look so that visitors can enjoy the look and it can be iconic (toilet concept according to local culture of Malang) and the prevalence of lighting in the park area at night.
A new miniature hand-held solar-blind reagentless standoff chemical, biological, and explosives (CBE) sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hug, W. F.; Reid, R. D.; Bhartia, R.; Lane, A. L.

2008-04-01

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), and suicide bombers are a major threat to many countries and their citizenry. The ability to detect trace levels of these threats with a miniature, hand-held, reagentless, standoff sensor represents a major improvement in the state of the art of CBE surface sensors. Photon Systems, Inc., in collaboration with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, recently demonstrated a new technology hand-held sensor for reagentless, close-range, standoff detection and identification of trace levels CBE materials on surfaces. This targeted ultraviolet CBE (TUCBE) sensor is the result of an Army Phase I STTR program. The resulting 5lb, 5W, flashlight-sized sensor can discriminate CBE from background materials using a combination of deep UV excited resonance Raman (RR) and laser induced native fluorescence (LINF) emissions resulting from excitation by a new technology deep UV laser. Detection and identification is accomplished in less than 1ms. Standoff excitation of suspicious packages, vehicles, persons, and other objects that may contain hazardous materials is accomplished using wavelengths below 250nm where Raman and native fluorescence emissions occupy distinctly different wavelength regions. This enables simultaneous detection of RR and LINF emissions with no interferences. The sensor employs fused RR/LINF chemometric methods to extract the identity of targeted materials from background clutter. Photon Systems has demonstrated detection and identification of 100ng/cm2 of explosives materials at a distance of 1 meter using a sensor with 3.8 cm optical aperture. Expansion of the optical aperture to 38 cm in a lantern-sized sensor will enable similar detection and identification of CBE materials at standoff distances of 10 meters. As a result of excitation and detection in the deep UV and the use of a gated detection system, the sensor is solar blind and can operate in full daylight conditions.
Identification of Chinese medicine syndromes in persistent insomnia associated with major depressive disorder: a latent tree analysis.

PubMed

Yeung, Wing-Fai; Chung, Ka-Fai; Zhang, Nevin Lian-Wen; Zhang, Shi Ping; Yung, Kam-Ping; Chen, Pei-Xian; Ho, Yan-Yee

2016-01-01

Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome (zheng) differentiation is based on the co-occurrence of CM manifestation profiles, such as signs and symptoms, and pulse and tongue features. Insomnia is a symptom that frequently occurs in major depressive disorder despite adequate antidepressant treatment. This study aims to identify co-occurrence patterns in participants with persistent insomnia and major depressive disorder from clinical feature data using latent tree analysis, and to compare the latent variables with relevant CM syndromes. One hundred and forty-two participants with persistent insomnia and a history of major depressive disorder completed a standardized checklist (the Chinese Medicine Insomnia Symptom Checklist) specially developed for CM syndrome classification of insomnia. The checklist covers symptoms and signs, including tongue and pulse features. The clinical features assessed by the checklist were analyzed using Lantern software. CM practitioners with relevant experience compared the clinical feature variables under each latent variable with reference to relevant CM syndromes, based on a previous review of CM syndromes. The symptom data were analyzed to build the latent tree model and the model with the highest Bayes information criterion score was regarded as the best model. This model contained 18 latent variables, each of which divided participants into two clusters. Six clusters represented more than 50 % of the sample. The clinical feature co-occurrence patterns of these six clusters were interpreted as the CM syndromes Liver qi stagnation transforming into fire, Liver fire flaming upward, Stomach disharmony, Hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency, Heart-kidney noninteraction, and Qi deficiency of the heart and gallbladder. The clinical feature variables that contributed significant cumulative information coverage (at least 95 %) were identified. Latent tree model analysis on a sample of depressed participants with insomnia revealed 13 clinical feature co-occurrence patterns, four mutual-exclusion patterns, and one pattern with a single clinical feature variable.
Virtual Reality: Bringing the Awe of Our Science into The Classroom with VR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, R. E.; Turrin, M.; Frearson, N.; Boghosian, A.; Ferrini, V. L.; Simpson, F.

2016-12-01

The geosciences are rich in imagery, making them compelling material for immersive teaching experiences. We often work in remote locations, places where few others are able to travel. Flat 2 D images from the field have served explorers and scientists well from the lantern slides brought back from Antarctica to the images scientists and educators now use in powerpoint presentations. These images provide a backdrop to introduce the experience for formal classes and informal presentations. Our stories from the field bring the setting alive for the participants. The travelers presented and the audience passively listened. Immersive learning opportunities are much more powerful than lecturing. We have enlisted both VR and drone imagery to bring learners fully into the experience of science. A 360 VR image brings the viewer into the moment of discovery. Both have been shown to create an active learning setting fully under the learner's control; they explore at their own pace and following their own interest. This learning `sticks', becoming part of the participant's own unique experience in the space. We are building VR images of field experiences and VR data immersion experiences that will transport people into new locations, building a field experience that they can not only see but fully explore. Through VR we introduce new experiences that showcase our science, our careers and our collaborations. Users can spin the view up to see the helicopter landing in a remote field location by the ice. Spin to the right and see a colleague collecting a reading from instruments that have been pulled from the LC130 aircraft. Turn the view to the left and see the harsh windswept environment along the edge of an ice shelf. Look down and note that you feet are encased in snow boots to keep them warm and stable on the ice. The viewer is in the field as part of the science team. Learning in the classroom and through social media is now fully 360 and fully immersive.
Sea birds as proxies of marine habitats and food webs in the western Aleutian Arc

USGS Publications Warehouse

Springer, Alan M.; Piatt, John F.; Van Vliet, Gus B.

1996-01-01

We propose that ocean conditions of the Near Islands in the western Aleutian Arc mimic those of the shallow continental shelf of the eastern Bering Sea to the extent that the marine community, including assemblages of forage fishes and their avian predators, has distinctly coastal characteristics. In contrast, marine avifauna and their prey at neighbouring Buldir Island are distinctly oceanic. For example, at the Near Islands, the ratio of thick-billed to common murres, Vria lomvia and U. aalge, is low and black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla, but not red-legged kittiwakes, R. brevirostris, nest there. Diets of murres and kittiwakes are dominated by sand lance, Ammodytes hexapterus, an abundant coastal species. At Buldir Island, thick-billed murres greatly outnumber common murres, red-legged kittiwakes and black-legged kittiwakes are both abundant, and diets of the birds consist primarily of oceanic squid and lantern-fish (Myctophidae). This mesoscale difference in food webs is apparently a consequence of the local physiography. A broad escarpment on the Near physiographic block creates a comparatively expansive, shallow, shelflike habitat around the Near Islands, where a pelagic community typical of coastal regions flourishes. Buldir Island is the only emergent feature of the Buldir physiographic block, with little shallow water surrounding it and, apparently, little opportunity for other than oceanic species to exist. Patterns in the distribution of fishes, and thus of sea birds, throughout the Aleutian Islands might be largely explained by the presence or absence of shelf-like habitat and the relationship between physical environments and food webs. In the larger context of fisheries oceanography, this model for the Aleutian Islands improves our ability to interpret physical and biological heterogeneity in the ocean and its relationship to regional community dynamics and trends in the abundance and productivity of individual species at higher trophic levels.

Larval fish assemblages across an upwelling front: Indication for active and passive retention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiedemann, Maik; Brehmer, Patrice

2017-03-01

In upwelling areas, enrichment, concentration and retention are physical processes that have major consequences for larval fish survival. While these processes generally increase larval survival, strong upwelling can also increase mortality due to an offshore transport of larvae towards unfavorable habitats. In 2013 a survey was conducted along the Senegalese coast to investigate the upwelling effect with regard to larval fish assemblages and possible larval fish retention. According to water column characteristics two distinct habitats during an upwelling event were discriminated, i.e. the inshore upwelled water and the transition area over the deepest part of the Senegalese shelf. Along the two areas 42,162 fish larvae were collected representing 133 species within 40 families. Highest larval fish abundances were observed in the inshore area and decreasing abundances towards the transition, indicating that certain fish species make use of the retentive function of the inner shelf area as spawning grounds. Two larval fish assemblages overlap both habitats, which are sharply delimited by a strong upwelling front. One assemblage inhabited the inshore/upwelling area characterized by majorly neritic and pelagic species (Sparidae spp., Sardinella aurita), that seem to take the advantage of a passive retention on the shelf. The second assemblage consisted of a mix of pelagic and mesopelagic species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Carangidae spp. and Myctophidae spp.). Some species of the second assemblage, e.g. horse mackerels (Trachurus trachurus and Trachurus trecae), large finned-lantern fish (Hygophum macrochir) and foureyed sole (Microchirus ocellatus), revealed larval peak occurrences at intermediate and deep water layers, where the near-ground upwelling layer is able to transport larvae back to the shelf. This indicates active larval retention for species that are dominant in the transition area. Diel vertical migration patterns of S. aurita, E. encrasicolus and M. ocellatus revealed that a larval fish species may adapt its behavior to the local environment and do not necessarily follow a diurnal cycle. Field observations are essential to be integrated in larval drift models, since the vertical and horizontal larval distribution will have major consequences for survival. Comprehending larval survival mechanisms is necessary for the ultimate goal to understand and predict recruitment.
All-optical wavelength conversion for mode division multiplexed superchannels.

PubMed

Gong, Jiaxin; Xu, Jing; Luo, Ming; Li, Xiang; Qiu, Ying; Yang, Qi; Zhang, Xinliang; Yu, Shaohua

2016-04-18

We report in this work the first all-optical wavelength conversion (AOWC) of a mode division multiplexed (MDM) superchannel consisting of 2N modes by dividing the superchannel into N single-mode (SM) tributaries, wavelength converting N SM signals using well developed SM-AOWC techniques, and finally combining the N SM tributaries back to an MDM superchannel at the converted wavelength, inspired by the idea of using SM filtering techniques to filter multimode signals in astronomy. The conversions between multimode and SM are realized by 3D laser-writing photonic lanterns and SM-AOWCs are realized based on polarization insensitive four wave mixing (FWM) configuration in N semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). As a proof of concept demonstration, the conversion of a 6-mode MDM superchannel with each mode modulated with orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK)/16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals is demonstrated in this work, indicating that the scheme is transparent to data format, polarization and compatible with multi-carrier signals. Data integrity of the converted superchannel has been verified by using coherent detection and digital signal processing (DSP). Bit error rates (BERs) below the forward error correction (FEC) hard limit (3.8 × 10^-3) have been obtained for QPSK modulation at a net bitrate of 104.2 Gbit/s and BERs below the soft decision FEC threshold (1.98 × 10^-2) have been achieved for 16-QAM format, giving a total aggregate bit rate of 185.8 Gbit/s when taking 20% coding overhead into account. Add and drop functionalities that usually come along with wavelength conversion in flexible network nodes have also been demonstrated. The working conditions of the SOAs, especially the pump and signal power levels, are critical for the quality of the converted signal and have been thoroughly discussed. The impact of imbalanced FWM conversion efficiency among different SM tributaries has also been analyzed. This work illustrates a promising way to perform all-optical signal processing for MDM superchannels.
GNOSIS: THE FIRST INSTRUMENT TO USE FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS FOR OH SUPPRESSION

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

Trinh, Christopher Q.; Ellis, Simon C.; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss

The near-infrared is an important part of the spectrum in astronomy, especially in cosmology because the light from objects in the early universe is redshifted to these wavelengths. However, deep near-infrared observations are extremely difficult to make from ground-based telescopes due to the bright background from the atmosphere. Nearly all of this background comes from the bright and narrow emission lines of atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) molecules. The atmospheric background cannot be easily removed from data because the brightness fluctuates unpredictably on short timescales. The sensitivity of ground-based optical astronomy far exceeds that of near-infrared astronomy because of this long-standing problem.more » GNOSIS is a prototype astrophotonic instrument that utilizes 'OH suppression fibers' consisting of fiber Bragg gratings and photonic lanterns to suppress the 103 brightest atmospheric emission doublets between 1.47 and 1.7 {mu}m. GNOSIS was commissioned at the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope with the IRIS2 spectrograph to demonstrate the potential of OH suppression fibers, but may be potentially used with any telescope and spectrograph combination. Unlike previous atmospheric suppression techniques GNOSIS suppresses the lines before dispersion and in a manner that depends purely on wavelength. We present the instrument design and report the results of laboratory and on-sky tests from commissioning. While these tests demonstrated high throughput ( Almost-Equal-To 60%) and excellent suppression of the skylines by the OH suppression fibers, surprisingly GNOSIS produced no significant reduction in the interline background and the sensitivity of GNOSIS+IRIS2 is about the same as IRIS2. It is unclear whether the lack of reduction in the interline background is due to physical sources or systematic errors as the observations are detector noise dominated. OH suppression fibers could potentially impact ground-based astronomy at the level of adaptive optics or greater. However, until a clear reduction in the interline background and the corresponding increasing in sensitivity is demonstrated optimized OH suppression fibers paired with a fiber-fed spectrograph will at least provide a real benefit at low resolving powers.« less
GNOSIS: The First Instrument to Use Fiber Bragg Gratings for OH Suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trinh, Christopher Q.; Ellis, Simon C.; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Lawrence, Jon S.; Horton, Anthony J.; Leon-Saval, Sergio G.; Shortridge, Keith; Bryant, Julia; Case, Scott; Colless, Matthew; Couch, Warrick; Freeman, Kenneth; Löhmannsröben, Hans-Gerd; Gers, Luke; Glazebrook, Karl; Haynes, Roger; Lee, Steve; O'Byrne, John; Miziarski, Stan; Roth, Martin M.; Schmidt, Brian; Tinney, Christopher G.; Zheng, Jessica

2013-02-01

The near-infrared is an important part of the spectrum in astronomy, especially in cosmology because the light from objects in the early universe is redshifted to these wavelengths. However, deep near-infrared observations are extremely difficult to make from ground-based telescopes due to the bright background from the atmosphere. Nearly all of this background comes from the bright and narrow emission lines of atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) molecules. The atmospheric background cannot be easily removed from data because the brightness fluctuates unpredictably on short timescales. The sensitivity of ground-based optical astronomy far exceeds that of near-infrared astronomy because of this long-standing problem. GNOSIS is a prototype astrophotonic instrument that utilizes "OH suppression fibers" consisting of fiber Bragg gratings and photonic lanterns to suppress the 103 brightest atmospheric emission doublets between 1.47 and 1.7 μm. GNOSIS was commissioned at the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope with the IRIS2 spectrograph to demonstrate the potential of OH suppression fibers, but may be potentially used with any telescope and spectrograph combination. Unlike previous atmospheric suppression techniques GNOSIS suppresses the lines before dispersion and in a manner that depends purely on wavelength. We present the instrument design and report the results of laboratory and on-sky tests from commissioning. While these tests demonstrated high throughput (≈60%) and excellent suppression of the skylines by the OH suppression fibers, surprisingly GNOSIS produced no significant reduction in the interline background and the sensitivity of GNOSIS+IRIS2 is about the same as IRIS2. It is unclear whether the lack of reduction in the interline background is due to physical sources or systematic errors as the observations are detector noise dominated. OH suppression fibers could potentially impact ground-based astronomy at the level of adaptive optics or greater. However, until a clear reduction in the interline background and the corresponding increasing in sensitivity is demonstrated optimized OH suppression fibers paired with a fiber-fed spectrograph will at least provide a real benefit at low resolving powers.
[The methods of Western medicine in on ancient medicine].

PubMed

Ban, Deokjin

2010-06-30

The treatise On Ancient Medicine attests that questions of method were being debated both in medicine and in philosophy and is important evidence of cross-discipline methodological controversy. The treatise On Ancient Medicine is the first attempt in the history of Greek thought to provide a detailed account of the development of a science from a starting point in observation and experience. The author of it criticizes philosophical physicians who attempt to systematized medicine by reducing it to the interaction of one or more of the opposites hot, cold, wet, and dry, factors. He regards the theory of his opponents as hypothesis(hypothesis). Medicine has long been in possession of both an archē and a hodos, a principle and a method, which have enabled it to make discoveries over a long period of time. As far as method is concerned, the traditional science of medicine attained the knowledge of the visible by starting from observation and experience, but it recommended the use of reasoning and analogies with familiar objects as a means of learning about the invisible. It also utilized inference from the visible to the visible(epilogismos) and inference from the visible to the invisible(analogismos). The use of analogy as a means of learning about the obscure was also part of the common heritage of early philosophy and medicine. But the author's use of the analogical method distinguishes it from Empedocles' well-known analogy comparisons of the eye to a lantern and the process of respiration to the operations of a clepsydra. According to the author, traditional science of medicine used functional analogy like wine example and cheese example to know the function of humors within the body and utilized structured analogy like a tube example and a cupping instrument example to acknowledge an organ or structure within the body. But the author didn't distinguish between the claim that medicine has a systematic method of making discoveries and very different claim that it has a systematic method of treatment. The reason for this is that he thought that discoveries are the end point of the method of investigation and the starting point of the procedures used in treatment.
Isolation of immune-relating 185/333-1 gene from Sea Urchin ( Strongylocentrotus intermedius) and Its expression analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yinan; Ding, Jun; Liu, Yang; Liu, Xuewei; Chang, Yaqing

2016-02-01

The 185/333 gene family involved in the immune response of sea urchin. One 185/333 cDNA was isolated from Strongylocentrotus intermedius, and named as Si185/333-1. Its full-length cDNA was 1246 bp in length with a 906 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 301 aa. The molecular weight of the deduced protein was approximately 33.1 kD with an estimated PI of pH 6.26. Si185/333-1 had high identities (70%-86%) to most of Sp185/333. An extraordinary identity of 92% was found between Si185/333-1 and Sp185/333 C5 alpha (ABR22474). Moderate identities (63%-64%) were displayed between Si185/333-1 and He185/333. Si185/333-1 had similar structure to Sp185/333. A signal-peptide, a gly-rich region and a his-rich region were found in its secondary structure. RGD motif was found in gly-rich region at position 116-118aa. There was no transmembrane region in Si185/333-1. The element pattern of Si185/333-1 is different from any available pattern that identified in Sp185/333. Si185/333-1 clustered together with pattern C Sp185/333 in phylogenetic tree. The Si185/333-1 mRNA could be detected in tißsues including peristomial membrane, coelomocytes, muscle of Aristotles lantern, gut and tube feet, with the highest expression level detected in peristomial membrane and a relatively low expression in ovary and testis. The temporal expression of Si185/333-1 in peristomial membrane and coelomocytes were up-regulated after bacterial, ß-D-glucan and dsRNA challenges, reaching the maximum at 12 h post-stimulation. The up-regulation was more obvious in coelomocytes, and bacterial challenge triggered the highest response. These results proved that 185/333-1 gene was involved in the immune defense of S. intermedius, while more studies were necessary for its function in S. intermedius immunity.
The clinical use of dynamic posturography in the elderly.

PubMed

Shepard, N T

1989-12-01

We provide an overview of the clinical uses of dynamic posturography. Although the equipment described to perform this testing is expensive, the concepts, especially those for sensory organization, can be applied for +20.00. To apply the six sensory organization conditions, one merely needs some way to disrupt proprioceptive information by maintaining ankle angle and providing for visual conflict stimuli. We found that proprioceptive information can be disrupted easily by asking the patient to stand on a thick (4-inch) dense piece of foam rubber like that used in cushions for furniture. Visual stabilization conflict can be provided by having the patient wear a 19- to 20-inch Japanese lantern with a head-mounting system in the center so that the patient's movements do not reflect themselves in relative movements to the visual environment. With use of these two simple tools, the six sensory organization tests can be approximated in a clinical situation in a short time and can provide some relative information about a patient's postural control capabilities. With minor additional work, a quantitative measure of output that gives indications of the amount of anterior-posterior sway also can be provided. For elderly patients with a variety of problems ranging from general unsteadiness to frank vertigo, the risk of falling can be devastating, and it is important to provide a thorough investigation of the total balance system. The systematic investigation, qualitatively or quantitatively, of integration of sensory input and motor outputs provides a dimension that typically has been lacking in the routine "dizzy patient workup" for all ages but especially for elderly patients. Therefore, the application of the postural maintenance theory with the above-described procedures or variations in these procedures appears to have a great deal of clinical relevance in the evaluation of patients with gait and balance disorders. These types of evaluations represent an adjunct or addition to the evaluation of the vestibular system and the vestibulo-ocular reflexes and by no means should be considered a substitute for that traditional evaluation. It is the combination of information that can provide the clinician with a more global picture of the entire balance system and its functional capabilities.
Parent knowledge on paediatric burn prevention related to the home environment.

PubMed

Cox, Sharon G; Burahee, Abdus; Albertyn, Rene; Makahabane, Jahelihle; Rode, Heinz

2016-12-01

Burns amongst children in South Africa are common and usually occur in the immediate home environment. In surveys many parents have requested ongoing educational burn prevention programs. This exploratory thematic parent orientation study assessed the level of parental knowledge on burn prevention strategies in the home. Study populations included: Parent with a burned child admitted to hospital, parents of non-burnt hospital attenders and hospital naive parents unbiased by previous exposure to burns. Participants answered a burn prevention questionnaire consisting of five sections. In this, two pictures depicting the circumstances associated with paediatric burns sustained at home were used, one with 15 potential danger points and one sanitized. There was no educational intervention prior to parents viewing the pictures. There were 268 participants; 72 burnt inpatient, 97 non-burnt outpatients and 99 hospital naive participants. The inpatient population displayed the highest incidence of informal housing. A positive relationship was identified between the overall study population and burns general knowledge and prevention. Educated participants were more knowledgeable about burns and better at identifying risk factors. Knowledge about burns was higher in the outpatient population and the highest in the Naïve group when compared to the Inpatients group (p<0.01). The naïve group scored higher in prior knowledge about burns and burn prevention. Of the potential 15 danger points only four of 72 inpatients and three of 97 outpatients identified more than 80% of the potential danger points as compared to 43 of 99 of the naïve group. The dangling kettle cord, the use of a mug to pour paraffin into a lantern and the child pulling a tablecloth were the most common dangerous aspects identified. We demonstrated a positive correlation between participants' ability to identify potential dangers, identify safe practice and implementing safe practice. Our findings show that people living in environments optimal for burn incidents know relatively little about burn prevention strategies. Future intervention needs to not only target the population's behavior but most importantly needs to promote better education models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
Mechanical Properties of the Compass Depressors of the Sea-Urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata, Echinoidea) and the Effects of Enzymes, Neurotransmitters and Synthetic Tensilin-Like Protein

PubMed Central

Wilkie, Iain C.; Fassini, Dario; Cullorà, Emanuele; Barbaglio, Alice; Tricarico, Serena; Sugni, Michela; Del Giacco, Luca; Candia Carnevali, M. Daniela

2015-01-01

The compass depressors (CDs) of the sea-urchin lantern are ligaments consisting mainly of discontinuous collagen fibrils associated with a small population of myocytes. They are mutable collagenous structures, which can change their mechanical properties rapidly and reversibly under nervous control. The aims of this investigation were to characterise the baseline (i.e. unmanipulated) static mechanical properties of the CDs of Paracentrotus lividus by means of creep tests and incremental force-extension tests, and to determine the effects on their mechanical behaviour of a range of agents. Under constant load the CDs exhibited a three-phase creep curve, the mean coefficient of viscosity being 561±365 MPa.s. The stress-strain curve showed toe, linear and yield regions; the mean strain at the toe-linear inflection was 0.86±0.61; the mean Young’s modulus was 18.62±10.30 MPa; and the mean tensile strength was 8.14±5.73 MPa. Hyaluronidase from Streptomyces hyalurolyticus had no effect on creep behaviour, whilst chondroitinase ABC prolonged primary creep but had no effect on secondary creep or on any force-extension parameters; it thus appears that neither hyaluronic acid nor sulphated glycosaminoglycans have an interfibrillar load transfer function in the CD. Acetylcholine, the muscarinic agonists arecoline and methacholine, and the nicotinic agonists nicotine and 1-[1-(3,4-dimethyl-phenyl)-ethyl]-piperazine produced an abrupt increase in CD viscosity; the CDs were not differentially sensitive to muscarinic or nicotinic agonists. CDs showed either no, or no consistent, response to adrenaline, L-glutamic acid, 5-hydroxytryptamine and γ-aminobutyric acid. Synthetic echinoid tensilin-like protein had a weak and inconsistent stiffening effect, indicating that, in contrast to holothurian tensilins, the echinoid molecule may not be involved in the regulation of collagenous tissue tensility. We compare in detail the mechanical behaviour of the CD with that of mammalian tendon and highlight its potential as a model system for investigating poorly understood aspects of the ontogeny and phylogeny of vertebrate collagenous tissues. PMID:25786033
Personal exposures to fine particulate matter and black carbon in households cooking with biomass fuels in rural Ghana

PubMed Central

Van Vliet, Eleanne D.S.; Asante, Kwakupoku; Jack, Darby W.; Kinney, Patrick L.; Whyatt, Robin M.; Chillrud, Steven N.; Abokyi, Livesy; Zandoh, Charles; Owusu-Agyei, Seth

2014-01-01

Objective To examine cooking practices and 24-h personal and kitchen area exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon in cooks using biomass in Ghana. Methods Researchers administered a detailed survey to 421 households. In a sub-sample of 36 households, researchers collected 24-h integrated PM2.5 samples (personal and kitchen area); in addition, the primary cook was monitored for real-time PM2.5. All filters were also analyzed for black carbon using a multi-wavelength reflectance method. Predictors of PM2.5 exposure were analyzed, including cooking behaviors, fuel, stove and kitchen type, weather, demographic factors and other smoke sources. Results The majority of households cooked outdoors (55%; 231/417), used biomass (wood or charcoal) as their primary fuel (99%; 412/413), and cooked on traditional fires (77%, 323/421). In the sub-sample of 29 households with complete, valid exposure monitoring data, the 24-h integrated concentrations of PM2.5 were substantially higher in the kitchen sample (mean 446.8 μg/m3) than in the personal air sample (mean 128.5 μg/m3). Black carbon concentrations followed the same pattern such that concentrations were higher in the kitchen sample (14.5 μg/m3) than in the personal air sample (8.8 μg/m3). Spikes in real-time personal concentrations of PM2.5 accounted for the majority of exposure; the most polluted 5%, or 72 min, of the 24-h monitoring period accounted for 75% of all exposure. Two variables that had some predictive power for personal PM2.5 exposures were primary fuel type and ethnicity, while reported kerosene lantern use was associated with increased personal and kitchen area concentrations of black carbon. Conclusion Personal concentrations of PM2.5 exhibited considerable inter-subject variability across kitchen types (enclosed, semi-enclosed, outdoor), and can be elevated even in outdoor cooking settings. Furthermore, personal concentrations of PM2.5 were not associated with kitchen type and were not predicted by kitchen area samples; rather they were driven by spikes in PM2.5 concentrations during cooking. Personal exposures were more enriched with black carbon when compared to kitchen area samples, underscoring the need to explore other sources of incomplete combustion such as roadway emissions, charcoal production and kerosene use. PMID:24176411
Pilot project in rural western Madhya Pradesh, India, to assess the feasibility of using LED and solar-powered lanterns to remove kerosene lamps and related hazards from homes.

PubMed

Chamania, S; Chouhan, R; Awasthi, A; Bendell, R; Marsden, N; Gibson, J; Whitaker, I S; Potokar, T S

2015-05-01

Globally, 300,000 deaths are estimated to occur annually and the incidence is far greater as a large majority of burns are small and go unreported. Ninety-five percent of the global burden of burns is found in low- and middle-income countries; however, there is relatively little in the literature regarding effective primary prevention in these areas. Flame is the most common cause of burn in Madhya Pradesh, the central state of India. The most common demographic among the burn unit inpatient of Choithram hospital Indore, is young women from 21 to 40 years of age, whose burns are primarily caused by kerosene lamps. A non electrical source of illumination is essential for every household in rural areas due to the infrequent and poor power supply. At the baseline, 23 kerosene lamp burns were reported by villagers in the past 5 years among the study population of this pilot project. A pilot project to investigate the strategies for reducing the incidence of domestic burns in rural villages around the city of Indore was performed, by replacing kerosene lamps with safer and more sustainable alternatives, including solar-powered and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. A total of 1042 households were randomly chosen from 18 villages within the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh (population of 28,825) to receive the alternative light source (670 LED and 372 solar lamps). We investigated the efficacy of this strategy of reducing the incidence of burns, measured the social acceptance by villagers, and quantified the cost implications and availability of LED lamps in rural communities with a high incidence of burns. Replacing kerosene lamps with LED and solar alternatives was deemed socially acceptable by 99.34% of the participants and reduced the cost of lighting for impoverished rural villagers by 85% over 1 year. We successfully demonstrated a significant decrease in the use of kerosene lamps (p<0.01). More evidence is required to investigate the efficacy of this strategy in reducing burns. This pilot study highlights the viability of the approach of replacing kerosene lamps as an effective primary prevention strategy for reducing burns in rural areas. However, barriers remain to the wider adoption of these lamps, including accessibility and availability for the populations of rural India. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
Juvenile skeletogenesis in anciently diverged sea urchin clades.

PubMed

Gao, Feng; Thompson, Jeffrey R; Petsios, Elizabeth; Erkenbrack, Eric; Moats, Rex A; Bottjer, David J; Davidson, Eric H

2015-04-01

Mechanistic understanding of evolutionary divergence in animal body plans devolves from analysis of those developmental processes that, in forms descendant from a common ancestor, are responsible for their morphological differences. The last common ancestor of the two extant subclasses of sea urchins, i.e., euechinoids and cidaroids, existed well before the Permian/Triassic extinction (252 mya). Subsequent evolutionary divergence of these clades offers in principle a rare opportunity to solve the developmental regulatory events underlying a defined evolutionary divergence process. Thus (i) there is an excellent and fairly dense (if yet incompletely analyzed) fossil record; (ii) cladistically confined features of the skeletal structures of modern euechinoid and cidaroid sea urchins are preserved in fossils of ancestral forms; (iii) euechinoids and cidaroids are among current laboratory model systems in molecular developmental biology (here Strongylocentrotus purpuratus [Sp] and Eucidaris tribuloides [Et]); (iv) skeletogenic specification in sea urchins is uncommonly well understood at the causal level of interactions of regulatory genes with one another, and with known skeletogenic effector genes, providing a ready arsenal of available molecular tools. Here we focus on differences in test and perignathic girdle skeletal morphology that distinguish all modern euechinoid from all modern cidaroid sea urchins. We demonstrate distinct canonical test and girdle morphologies in juveniles of both species by use of SEM and X-ray microtomography. Among the sharply distinct morphological features of these clades are the internal skeletal structures of the perignathic girdle to which attach homologous muscles utilized for retraction and protraction of Aristotles׳ lantern and its teeth. We demonstrate that these structures develop de novo between one and four weeks after metamorphosis. In order to study the underlying developmental processes, a method of section whole mount in situ hybridization was adapted. This method displays current gene expression in the developing test and perignathic girdle skeletal elements of both Sp and Et juveniles. Active, specific expression of the sm37 biomineralization gene in these muscle attachment structures accompanies morphogenetic development of these clade-specific features in juveniles of both species. Skeletogenesis at these clade-specific muscle attachment structures displays molecular earmarks of the well understood embryonic skeletogenic GRN: thus the upstream regulatory gene alx1 and the gene encoding the vegfR signaling receptor are both expressed at the sites where they are formed. This work opens the way to analysis of the alternative spatial specification processes that were installed at the evolutionary divergence of the two extant subclasses of sea urchins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Evolution of technology in teaching: Blackboard and beyond in Medical Education

PubMed Central

Mendis, Susirith; John, Lisha Jenny; Shanthakumari, Nisha; Sreedharan, Jayadevan; Shaikh, Rizwana B

2016-01-01

Teaching and learning the passing of knowledge from one generation to another - has been in existence from the earliest times of human civilization. It began in 1801, with a large piece of slate hung on the wall in a school in Scotland to provide information to a large audience at one time. In the US by mid-19th century, every class room had a blackboard to teach students. The modern version of the blackboard is either green or brown board. This was introduced in late 1960s. The whiteboards came into use during the late 1980s. Projected aids have been used since 1420. The various devices used are the epidiascope, slide projector, overhead projector for transparencies and the micro projector. An instrument to project images from a horizontal surface onto a vertical screen was invented in the 1870s. By the 1960s, transparencies were in use in classrooms. The ‘Hyalotype’, a transparent image of a photograph using actual black and white photographs on a glass slide that could be projected was invented in 1851. By 1916, the German company Agfa started producing colored lantern slides. The first version of PowerPoint was released by Microsoft in the year 1990. Cell phones, palmtops, and handheld computers; tablets, laptops, and media players are included under mobile learning devices. With the evolution of technology, students achieved competence and interested in interactive learning. The education industry has moved from distance learning to e-learning and finally to m-learning as knowledge expanded exponentially and the demand escalated. While using teaching aids with advanced technology, we must not forget the lessons from the past, striking a balance between embracing new methods of teaching and learning while upholding the timeless principles of education. The newer educational technology can be part of a comprehensive system for lifelong education. Conclusion: Use of technology in education has come a long way since the earliest times of human civilization. While embarking on aids with advanced technology, we need to take full cognizance of the lessons from the past, striking a balance between embracing new methods of teaching and learning while holding on to the timeless principles of education. Thus, the newer educational technology can be effective tools of teaching and learning in this rapidly changing technological world and be part of a comprehensive system for lifelong education. Acknowledgements: The authors wish to acknowledge Prof. Raja Bandaranayake for his valuable suggestions and editing this manuscript. PMID:27822404
Evolution of technology in teaching: Blackboard and beyond in Medical Education.

PubMed

Muttappallymyalil, Jayakumary; Mendis, Susirith; John, Lisha Jenny; Shanthakumari, Nisha; Sreedharan, Jayadevan; Shaikh, Rizwana B

2016-10-01

the passing of knowledge from one generation to another - has been in existence from the earliest times of human civilization. It began in 1801, with a large piece of slate hung on the wall in a school in Scotland to provide information to a large audience at one time. In the US by mid-19th century, every class room had a blackboard to teach students. The modern version of the blackboard is either green or brown board. This was introduced in late 1960s. The whiteboards came into use during the late 1980s. Projected aids have been used since 1420. The various devices used are the epidiascope, slide projector, overhead projector for transparencies and the micro projector. An instrument to project images from a horizontal surface onto a vertical screen was invented in the 1870s. By the 1960s, transparencies were in use in classrooms. The 'Hyalotype', a transparent image of a photograph using actual black and white photographs on a glass slide that could be projected was invented in 1851. By 1916, the German company Agfa started producing colored lantern slides. The first version of PowerPoint was released by Microsoft in the year 1990. Cell phones, palmtops, and handheld computers; tablets, laptops, and media players are included under mobile learning devices. With the evolution of technology, students achieved competence and interested in interactive learning. The education industry has moved from distance learning to e-learning and finally to m-learning as knowledge expanded exponentially and the demand escalated. While using teaching aids with advanced technology, we must not forget the lessons from the past, striking a balance between embracing new methods of teaching and learning while upholding the timeless principles of education. The newer educational technology can be part of a comprehensive system for lifelong education. Use of technology in education has come a long way since the earliest times of human civilization. While embarking on aids with advanced technology, we need to take full cognizance of the lessons from the past, striking a balance between embracing new methods of teaching and learning while holding on to the timeless principles of education. Thus, the newer educational technology can be effective tools of teaching and learning in this rapidly changing technological world and be part of a comprehensive system for lifelong education. The authors wish to acknowledge Prof. Raja Bandaranayake for his valuable suggestions and editing this manuscript.
Resource utilization by deep-sea sharks at the Le Danois Bank, Cantabrian Sea, north-east Atlantic Ocean.

PubMed

Preciado, I; Cartes, J E; Serrano, A; Velasco, F; Olaso, I; Sánchez, F; Frutos, I

2009-10-01

The feeding habits of birdbeak dogfish Deania calcea, velvet belly lantern shark Etmopterus spinax and blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus at Le Danois Bank, Cantabrian Sea, south Bay of Biscay were studied in relation to their bathymetric distribution. Deep-sea sharks were collected during two multidisciplinary surveys carried out in October 2003 and April 2004 at the Le Danois Bank. Two different habitats were defined: (1) the top of the bank, ranging from 454 to 642 m depth and covered by fine-sand sediments with a low percentage of organic matter, and (2) the inner basin located between the bank and the Cantabrian Sea's continental shelf, at depths of 810-1048 m, which was characterized by a high proportion of silt and organic matter. Deania calcea was not present at the top of the bank but was abundant below 642 m, while E. spinax was abundant in the shallower top of the bank but was not found in the deeper inner basin. There was almost no bathymetric overlap between these two deep-sea shark species. Galeus melastomus was found over the whole depth range. There seemed to be an ontogenetic segregation with depth for this species, however, since 80% of the specimens collected at the top of the bank were < 600 mm total length (L(T)) (mean 510 mm L(T)), whereas larger individuals (mean 620 mm L(T)) inhabited deeper zones. Galeus melastomus exhibited a significantly higher feeding intensity than both E. spinax at the top of the bank and D. calcea in the inner basin. Little dietary overlap between D. calcea and G. melastomus in the inner basin was found, with D. calcea being an ichthyophagous predator while the diet of G. melastomus at these depths was composed of a variety of meso-bathypelagic shrimps (e.g. Acantephyra pelagica, Pasiphaea spp. and Sergia robusta), cephalopods and fishes. The diets of E. spinax and G. melastomus at the top of the bank showed a high dietary overlap of euphausiids, which represented the main prey taxa for both species. Euphausiids declined in abundance with depth which was reflected in the diet of G. melastomus. The cluster analysis of prey affinities among hauls depicted two major groups, corresponding to the two different habitats (top of the bank and inner basin). Redundancy analysis also indicated top-basin segregation, with euphausiids representing the main prey taxa at the top of the bank and bathypelagic shrimps in the inner basin. Euphausiids and Micromesistius poutassou were key prey within the Le Danois Bank ecosystem since they were positively selected by the three deep-sea shark species. These results show that the feeding ecology of these predators in Le Danois Bank ecosystem is highly influenced by depth-related variables, as a result of changes in prey availability. Overall results were analysed in relation to the deep-sea Le Danois ecosystem structure and functioning.
Rare Earth Garnet Selective Emitter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowe, Roland A.; Chubb, Donald L.; Farmer, Serene C.; Good, Brian S.

1994-01-01

Thin film Ho-YAG and Er-YAG emitters with a platinum substrate exhibit high spectral emittance in the emission band (epsilon(sub lambda) approx. = 0.75, sup 4)|(sub 15/2) - (sup 4)|(sub 13/2),for Er-YAG and epsilon(sub lambda) approx. = 0.65, (sup 5)|(sub 7) - (sup 5)|(sub 8) for Ho-YAG) at 1500 K. In addition, low out-of-band spectral emittance, epsilon(sub lambda) less than 0.2, suggest these materials would be excellent candidates for high efficiency selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems operating at moderate temperatures (1200-1500 K). Spectral emittance measurements of the thin films were made (1.2 less than lambda less than 3.0 microns) and compared to the theoretical emittances calculated using measured values of the spectral extinction coefficient. In this paper we present the results for a new class of rare earth ion selective emitters. These emitters are thin sections (less than 1 mm) of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) single crystal with a rare earth substitutional impurity. Selective emitters in the near IR are of special interest for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion. The most promising solid selective emitters for use in a TPV system are rare earth oxides. Early spectral emittance work on rare earth oxides showed strong emission bands in the infrared (0.9 - 3 microns). However, the emittance outside the emission band was also significant and the efficiency of these emitters was low. Recent improvements in efficiency have been made with emitters fabricated from fine (5 - 10 microns) rare earth oxide fibers similar to the Welsbach mantle used in gas lanterns. However, the rare earth garnet emitters are more rugged than the mantle type emitters. A thin film selective emitter on a low emissivity substrate such as gold, platinum etc., is rugged and easily adapted to a wide variety of thermal sources. The garnet structure and its many subgroups have been successfully used as hosts for rare earth ions, introduced as substitutional impurities, in the development of solid state laser crystals. Doping, dependent on the particular ion and crystal structure, may be as high as 100 at. % (complete substitution of yttrium ion with the rare earth ion). These materials have high melting points, 1940 C for YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet), and low emissivity in the near infrared making them excellent candidates for a thin film selective emitter. As previously stated, the spectral emittance of a rare earth emitter is characterized by one or more well defined emission bands. Outside the emission band the emittance(absorptance) is much lower. Therefore, it is expected that emission outside the band for a thin film selective emitter will be dominated by the emitter substrate. For an efficient emitter (power in the emission band/total emitted power) the substrate must have low emittance, epsilon(sub S). This paper presents normal spectral emittance, epsilon(sub lambda), measurements of holmium(Ho) and erbium (Er) doped YAG thin film selective emitters at (1500 K), and compares those results with the theoretical spectral emittance.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tracy, Jennifer; Mills, Evan

The Lumina Project and Lighting Africa conducted a full-scale field test involving a switch from kerosene to solar-LED lighting for commercial broiler chicken production at an off-grid farm in Kenya. The test achieved lower operating costs, produced substantially more light, improved the working environment, and had no adverse effect on yields. A strategy using conventional solar-fluorescent lighting also achieved comparable yields, but entailed a six-fold higher capital cost and significantly higher recurring battery replacement costs. Thanks to higher energy and optical efficiencies, the LED system provided approximately twice the illumination to the chicken-production area and yet drew less than halfmore » the power.At the study farm, 3000 chickens were grown in each of three identical houses under kerosene, fluorescent, and LED lighting configurations. Under baseline conditions, a yearly expenditure of 1,200 USD is required to illuminate the three houses with kerosene. The LED system eliminates this fuel use and expense with a corresponding simple payback time of 1.5 years, while the solar-fluorescent system has a payback time of 9.3 years. The corresponding reduction in fuel expenditure in both cases represents a 15percent increase in after-tax net income (revenues minus expenses) across the entire business operation. The differential cost-effectiveness between the LED and fluorescent systems would be substantially greater if the fluorescent system were upsized to provide the same light as the LED system. Providing light with the fluorescent or LED systems is also far more economical than connecting to the grid in this case. The estimated grid-connection cost at this facility is 1.7 million Kenya Schillings (approximately 21,250 USD), which is nearly six-times the cost of the fluorescent system and 35-times the cost of the LED system.The LED system also confers various non-energy benefits. The relative uniformity of LED lighting, compared to the fluorescent or kerosene lighting, reduced crowding which in turn created a less stressful environment for the chickens. The far higher levels of illumination also created a better environment for the workers, while eliminating the time required for obtaining fuel and maintaining kerosene lanterns. An additional advantage of the LED system relative to the solar fluorescent system was that the former does not require a skilled technician to carry out the installation. The portable LED system lighting layout is also more easily adjusted than that of the hardwired fluorescent systems. Furthermore, switching to the LED system avoids over one metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions per house on an annual basis compared to kerosene. There is high potential for replication of this particular LED lighting strategy in the developing world. In order to estimate the scale of kerosene use and the potential for savings, more information is needed on the numbers of chickens produced off-grid, as well as lighting uses for other categories of poultry production (egg layers, indigenous broilers ). Our discovery that weight gain did not slow in the solar-fluorescent house after it experienced extended lighting outages beginning on day 14 of the 35-day study suggests that conventional farming practices in Kenyan broiler operations may call for more hours of lighting than is needed to achieve least-cost production.« less
Annual laminae as measured using fluorescence in historic stalagmites from Baradla Cave, Aggtelek National Park, Hungary.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Beynen, P.; Ford, D.; Schwarcz, H.

2012-04-01

Calcite and aragonite speleothems (stalactites and stalagmites) deposited in caves often display fluorescence. It may take the form of couplets of greater and lesser intensity that have been shown to be annual pairs in some carefully controlled instances such as deposits in 20th Century canal tunnels. The variations of intensity are related to seasonal variations in concentrations of fluorophores (chiefly fulvic acids) in the feed water to the speleothem. To test for the possibility and replicability of couplet formation two small stalagmites likely to be of historic age were collected in Baradla Cave, Aggtelek National Park, Hungary, in 1992. This is a large cave in Triassic limestones and dolomites that have been intensely deformed by Carpathian tectonism to allow ready ground water penetration. As a consequence, it is profusely decorated with speleothems and has been a tourist attraction since the 18th Century. The samples were taken ten metres apart in an abandoned river passage at a depth of 40-60 m beneath the surface, which is mantled with terra rossas, rendzinas and luvisols mostly less than 50 cm in thickness. The vegetation cover is deciduous forest with small patches of grassland, spruce and pine. At a nearby meteorological station 30-year mean January and July temperatures are -3.5o C and 18.5o C respectively. Annual mean precipitation is 560 mm, with a summer maximum and actual evapotranspiration less than 400 mm. Samples AGG-1 and -2 were bright white calcite stalagmites 90 and 70 mm in length respectively and 40-50 mm in width. They were growing on the blackened stumps of larger stalagmites that had been taken as souvenirs. Blackening was caused by smoky torches used in the earliest days of tourism, and replaced by lanterns around 1820 CE. 2 mm thick slices were cut perpendicular to the growth axes of the samples, polished, excited by electronic flash gun and photographed at 1/60th second with Kodak TMAX ISO 3200 film, using multiple exposures to capture delayed fluorescence. Experiments determined that there was negligible phosphorescence, that results were reproducible and were not affected by the grain of the film. Images were imported into IP-LAB Spectrum for data retrieval. They displayed strong couplet development with repeated layers of high-low fluorescence. Assuming that each couplet represents one climatic year, Sample AGG-1 was 165 years in age when collected; i.e. it commenced growing in 1827 CE. The true base of Sample AGG-2 was destroyed in extraction; it yielded an age of 156 years. Both are in excellent agreement with the expected ages. Correlation of fluorescence intensity and derived laminae thickness between the two samples is also excellent when fitted with a three-year running mean to avoid misallocation of individual years. Interannual fluorescence intensity grew slightly between ~1830 and 1900 CE, then was stable until minor decline commenced after 1970. Annual calcite lamina generally range between 0.5 and 1.0 mm in thickness in AGG-1 after 1900 CE, slightly less before that time. Thicknesses in AGG-2 follow the same trend but are consistently 0.1 -0.2 mm thinner. There is little correlation with the matching mean temperature and precipitation records from a nearby meteorological station that began operating in 1962. Relationships with much lengthier meteorological records from Miskolc and Budapest are being investigated.

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