linking directive process: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for linking directive process

The combination of direct and paired link graphs can boost repetitive genome assembly

PubMed Central

Shi, Wenyu; Ji, Peifeng

2017-01-01

Abstract Currently, most paired link based scaffolding algorithms intrinsically mask the sequences between two linked contigs and bypass their direct link information embedded in the original de Bruijn assembly graph. Such disadvantage substantially complicates the scaffolding process and leads to the inability of resolving repetitive contig assembly. Here we present a novel algorithm, inGAP-sf, for effectively generating high-quality and continuous scaffolds. inGAP-sf achieves this by using a new strategy based on the combination of direct link and paired link graphs, in which direct link is used to increase graph connectivity and to decrease graph complexity and paired link is employed to supervise the traversing process on the direct link graph. Such advantage greatly facilitates the assembly of short-repeat enriched regions. Moreover, a new comprehensive decision model is developed to eliminate the noise routes accompanying with the introduced direct link. Through extensive evaluations on both simulated and real datasets, we demonstrated that inGAP-sf outperforms most of the genome scaffolding algorithms by generating more accurate and continuous assembly, especially for short repetitive regions. PMID:27924003
Psychological Pathways Linking Social Support to Health Outcomes: A Visit with the “Ghosts” of Research Past, Present, and Future

PubMed Central

Uchino, Bert N.; Bowen, Kimberly; Carlisle, McKenzie; Birmingham, Wendy

2012-01-01

Contemporary models postulate the importance of psychological mechanisms linking perceived and received social support to physical health outcomes. In this review, we examine studies that directly tested the potential psychological mechanisms responsible for links between social support and health-relevant physiological processes (1980s to 2010). Inconsistent with existing theoretical models, no evidence was found that psychological mechanisms such as depression, perceived stress, and other affective processes are directly responsible for links between support and health. We discuss the importance of considering statistical/design issues, emerging conceptual perspectives, and limitations of our existing models for future research aimed at elucidating the psychological mechanisms responsible for links between social support and physical health outcomes. PMID:22326104
Longitudinal Evidence Linking Processing Speed to the Development of Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kail, Robert V.; Lervåg, Arne; Hulme, Charles

2016-01-01

Age-related change in processing speed has been linked directly to increases in reasoning as well as indirectly via increases in the capacity of working memory (WM). Most of the evidence linking change in speed to reasoning has come from cross-sectional research; in this article we present the findings from a 2½-year longitudinal study of 277 6-…
Electrophysiological Evidence for Use of the Animacy Hierarchy, but not Thematic Role Assignment, During Verb Argument Processing

PubMed Central

Paczynski, Martin; Kuperberg, Gina R.

2011-01-01

Animacy is known to play an important role in language processing and production, but debate remains as to how it exerts its effects: 1) through links to syntactic ordering, 2) through inherent differences between animate and inanimate entities in their salience/lexico-semantic accessibility, 3) through links to specific thematic roles. We contrasted these three accounts in two event related potential (ERP) experiments examining the processing of direct object arguments in simple English sentences. In Experiment 1, we found a larger N400 to animate than inanimate direct object arguments assigned the Patient role, ruling out the second account. In Experiment 2 we found no difference in the N400 evoked by animate direct object arguments assigned the Patient role (prototypically inanimate) and those assigned the Experiencer role (prototypically animate), ruling out the third account. We therefore suggest that animacy may impact processing through a direct link to syntactic linear ordering, at least on post-verbal arguments in English. We also examined processing on direct object arguments that violated the animacy-based selection restriction constraints of their preceding verbs. These violations evoked a robust P600, which was not modulated by thematic role assignment or reversibility, suggesting that the so-called semantic P600 is driven by overall propositional impossibility, rather than thematic role reanalysis. PMID:22199415
Processes Linking Social Class and Racial Socialization in African American Dual-Earner Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crouter, Ann C.; Baril, Megan E.; Davis, Kelly D.; McHale, Susan M.

2008-01-01

We examined the links between social class, occupational self-direction, self-efficacy, and racial socialization in a sample of 128 two-parent African American couples raising adolescents. A series of multivariate, multilevel models revealed that mothers' SES was connected to self-efficacy via its association with occupational self-direction; in…
Biological causal links on physiological and evolutionary time scales.

PubMed

Karmon, Amit; Pilpel, Yitzhak

2016-04-26

Correlation does not imply causation. If two variables, say A and B, are correlated, it could be because A causes B, or that B causes A, or because a third factor affects them both. We suggest that in many cases in biology, the causal link might be bi-directional: A causes B through a fast-acting physiological process, while B causes A through a slowly accumulating evolutionary process. Furthermore, many trained biologists tend to consistently focus at first on the fast-acting direction, and overlook the slower process in the opposite direction. We analyse several examples from modern biology that demonstrate this bias (codon usage optimality and gene expression, gene duplication and genetic dispensability, stem cell division and cancer risk, and the microbiome and host metabolism) and also discuss an example from linguistics. These examples demonstrate mutual effects between the fast physiological processes and the slow evolutionary ones. We believe that building awareness of inference biases among biologists who tend to prefer one causal direction over another could improve scientific reasoning.
Cliques of Neurons Bound into Cavities Provide a Missing Link between Structure and Function.

PubMed

Reimann, Michael W; Nolte, Max; Scolamiero, Martina; Turner, Katharine; Perin, Rodrigo; Chindemi, Giuseppe; Dłotko, Paweł; Levi, Ran; Hess, Kathryn; Markram, Henry

2017-01-01

The lack of a formal link between neural network structure and its emergent function has hampered our understanding of how the brain processes information. We have now come closer to describing such a link by taking the direction of synaptic transmission into account, constructing graphs of a network that reflect the direction of information flow, and analyzing these directed graphs using algebraic topology. Applying this approach to a local network of neurons in the neocortex revealed a remarkably intricate and previously unseen topology of synaptic connectivity. The synaptic network contains an abundance of cliques of neurons bound into cavities that guide the emergence of correlated activity. In response to stimuli, correlated activity binds synaptically connected neurons into functional cliques and cavities that evolve in a stereotypical sequence toward peak complexity. We propose that the brain processes stimuli by forming increasingly complex functional cliques and cavities.
Does Engaging in Prosocial Behavior Make Children See the World through Rose-Colored Glasses?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laible, Deborah; McGinley, Meredith; Carlo, Gustavo; Augustine, Mairin; Murphy, Tia

2014-01-01

Sparse research suggests that children's social information processing has links not just with aggressive behavior but also with children's prosocial behavior (e.g., Nelson & Crick, 1999). However, the past work that has been done has not been longitudinal, so the direction of links between social information processing and prosocial…
Dynamic Training Elements in a Circuit Theory Course to Implement a Self-Directed Learning Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krouk, B. I.; Zhuravleva, O. B.

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the implementation of a self-directed learning process in a circuit theory course, incorporating dynamic training elements which were designed on the basis of a cybernetic model of cognitive process management. These elements are centrally linked in a dynamic learning frame, created on the monitor screen, which displays the…
Wikipedia mining of hidden links between political leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frahm, Klaus M.; Jaffrès-Runser, Katia; Shepelyansky, Dima L.

2016-12-01

We describe a new method of reduced Google matrix which allows to establish direct and hidden links between a subset of nodes of a large directed network. This approach uses parallels with quantum scattering theory, developed for processes in nuclear and mesoscopic physics and quantum chaos. The method is applied to the Wikipedia networks in different language editions analyzing several groups of political leaders of USA, UK, Germany, France, Russia and G20. We demonstrate that this approach allows to recover reliably direct and hidden links among political leaders. We argue that the reduced Google matrix method can form the mathematical basis for studies in social and political sciences analyzing Leader-Members eXchange (LMX).
Computerized training management system

DOEpatents

Rice, H.B.; McNair, R.C.; White, K.; Maugeri, T.

1998-08-04

A Computerized Training Management System (CTMS) is disclosed for providing a procedurally defined process that is employed to develop accreditable performance based training programs for job classifications that are sensitive to documented regulations and technical information. CTMS is a database that links information needed to maintain a five-phase approach to training-analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation independent of training program design. CTMS is designed using R-Base{trademark}, an-SQL compliant software platform. Information is logically entered and linked in CTMS. Each task is linked directly to a performance objective, which, in turn, is linked directly to a learning objective; then, each enabling objective is linked to its respective test items. In addition, tasks, performance objectives, enabling objectives, and test items are linked to their associated reference documents. CTMS keeps all information up to date since it automatically sorts, files and links all data; CTMS includes key word and reference document searches. 18 figs.
Computerized training management system

DOEpatents

Rice, Harold B.; McNair, Robert C.; White, Kenneth; Maugeri, Terry

1998-08-04

A Computerized Training Management System (CTMS) for providing a procedurally defined process that is employed to develop accreditable performance based training programs for job classifications that are sensitive to documented regulations and technical information. CTMS is a database that links information needed to maintain a five-phase approach to training-analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation independent of training program design. CTMS is designed using R-Base.RTM., an-SQL compliant software platform. Information is logically entered and linked in CTMS. Each task is linked directly to a performance objective, which, in turn, is linked directly to a learning objective; then, each enabling objective is linked to its respective test items. In addition, tasks, performance objectives, enabling objectives, and test items are linked to their associated reference documents. CTMS keeps all information up to date since it automatically sorts, files and links all data; CTMS includes key word and reference document searches.
A photo-cross-linking approach to monitor folding and assembly of newly synthesized proteins in a living cell.

PubMed

Miyazaki, Ryoji; Myougo, Naomi; Mori, Hiroyuki; Akiyama, Yoshinori

2018-01-12

Many proteins form multimeric complexes that play crucial roles in various cellular processes. Studying how proteins are correctly folded and assembled into such complexes in a living cell is important for understanding the physiological roles and the qualitative and quantitative regulation of the complex. However, few methods are suitable for analyzing these rapidly occurring processes. Site-directed in vivo photo-cross-linking is an elegant technique that enables analysis of protein-protein interactions in living cells with high spatial resolution. However, the conventional site-directed in vivo photo-cross-linking method is unsuitable for analyzing dynamic processes. Here, by combining an improved site-directed in vivo photo-cross-linking technique with a pulse-chase approach, we developed a new method that can analyze the folding and assembly of a newly synthesized protein with high spatiotemporal resolution. We demonstrate that this method, named the pulse-chase and in vivo photo-cross-linking experiment (PiXie), enables the kinetic analysis of the formation of an Escherichia coli periplasmic (soluble) protein complex (PhoA). We also used our new technique to investigate assembly/folding processes of two membrane complexes (SecD-SecF in the inner membrane and LptD-LptE in the outer membrane), which provided new insights into the biogenesis of these complexes. Our PiXie method permits analysis of the dynamic behavior of various proteins and enables examination of protein-protein interactions at the level of individual amino acid residues. We anticipate that our new technique will have valuable utility for studies of protein dynamics in many organisms. © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
From memory to prospection: what are the overlapping and the distinct components between remembering and imagining?

PubMed Central

Zheng, Huimin; Luo, Jiayi; Yu, Rongjun

2014-01-01

Reflecting on past events and reflecting on future events are two fundamentally different processes, each traveling in the opposite direction of the other through conceptual time. But what we are able to imagine seems to be constrained by what we have previously experienced, suggesting a close link between memory and prospection. Recent theories suggest that recalling the past lies at the core of imagining and planning for the future. The existence of this link is supported by evidence gathered from neuroimaging, lesion, and developmental studies. Yet it is not clear exactly how the novel episodes people construct in their sense of the future develop out of their historical memories. There must be intermediary processes that utilize memory as a basis on which to generate future oriented thinking. Here, we review studies on goal-directed processing, associative learning, cognitive control, and creativity and link them with research on prospection. We suggest that memory cooperates with additional functions like goal-directed learning to construct and simulate novel events, especially self-referential events. The coupling between memory-related hippocampus and other brain regions may underlie such memory-based prospection. Abnormalities in this constructive process may contribute to mental disorders such as schizophrenia. PMID:25147532
The Coordination Dynamics of Observational Learning: Relative Motion Direction and Relative Phase as Informational Content Linking Action-Perception to Action-Production.

PubMed

Buchanan, John J

2016-01-01

The primary goal of this chapter is to merge together the visual perception perspective of observational learning and the coordination dynamics theory of pattern formation in perception and action. Emphasis is placed on identifying movement features that constrain and inform action-perception and action-production processes. Two sources of visual information are examined, relative motion direction and relative phase. The visual perception perspective states that the topological features of relative motion between limbs and joints remains invariant across an actor's motion and therefore are available for pickup by an observer. Relative phase has been put forth as an informational variable that links perception to action within the coordination dynamics theory. A primary assumption of the coordination dynamics approach is that environmental information is meaningful only in terms of the behavior it modifies. Across a series of single limb tasks and bimanual tasks it is shown that the relative motion and relative phase between limbs and joints is picked up through visual processes and supports observational learning of motor skills. Moreover, internal estimations of motor skill proficiency and competency are linked to the informational content found in relative motion and relative phase. Thus, the chapter links action to perception and vice versa and also links cognitive evaluations to the coordination dynamics that support action-perception and action-production processes.
Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance: linkages among scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes.

PubMed

Thomas, J B; Clark, S M; Gioia, D A

1993-04-01

This study investigated the strategic "sensemaking" processes of scanning, interpretation, and action and how those activities are linked to organizational performance. Using path analyses on data from 156 hospitals, we tested the direct and indirect effects among these sensemaking processes and performance outcomes and developed a model of their relationships. In a more general sense, the research represents an attempt to provide insight not only into relationships between cognition and action, but also into the links between those fundamental processes and organizational performance outcomes.
Participatory evaluation and process use within a social aid organization for at-risk families and youth.

PubMed

Jacob, Steve; Ouvrard, Laurence; Bélanger, Jean-François

2011-05-01

Participatory evaluation has been developing over the last several years, particularly in the social sector. Concurrently, research on the effects of evaluation has evolved significantly. Recently, one type of result has been the object of particular attention: the effects and lessons directly attributable to the evaluative process, or process use. Analyses generally underline the direct link between participatory approaches and this type of result. However, few empirical studies testing this concept are available. Our analysis aims to enrich evaluative research on this theme and is founded on a case study of a participatory evaluation project on practices carried out in a social services organization (Centre Jeunesse de Québec--Institut universitaire [Québec Youth Centre--University Institute, Canada]). The results of our analysis show that the evaluative process favours participant learning and has had several direct and indirect effects on the practices of the involved clinical teams. The results also demonstrate the existence of a link between the intensity of actor participation (individuals, groups) and process use. Both constraining factors and factors favourable to participation and the development of the evaluative process are identified, and avenues for improvement are suggested to accentuate the effects of process use. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Percolation of networks with directed dependency links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Dunbiao; Yuan, Xin; Du, Minhui; Stanley, H. Eugene; Hu, Yanqing

2016-04-01

The self-consistent probabilistic approach has proven itself powerful in studying the percolation behavior of interdependent or multiplex networks without tracking the percolation process through each cascading step. In order to understand how directed dependency links impact criticality, we employ this approach to study the percolation properties of networks with both undirected connectivity links and directed dependency links. We find that when a random network with a given degree distribution undergoes a second-order phase transition, the critical point and the unstable regime surrounding the second-order phase transition regime are determined by the proportion of nodes that do not depend on any other nodes. Moreover, we also find that the triple point and the boundary between first- and second-order transitions are determined by the proportion of nodes that depend on no more than one node. This implies that it is maybe general for multiplex network systems, some important properties of phase transitions can be determined only by a few parameters. We illustrate our findings using Erdős-Rényi networks.
Investigation of grafted ETFE-based polymer membranes as alternative electrolyte for direct methanol fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aricò, A. S.; Baglio, V.; Cretı̀, P.; Di Blasi, A.; Antonucci, V.; Brunea, J.; Chapotot, A.; Bozzi, A.; Schoemans, J.

Low cost ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE)-based grafted membranes have been prepared by a process based on electron beam irradiation, subsequent grafting, cross-linking and sulfonation procedure. Two different grafted membranes varying by their grafting and cross-linking levels have been investigated for applications in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) operating between 90 and 130 °C. DMFC assemblies based on these membranes showed cell resistance and performance values comparable to Nafion 117. Stable electrochemical performance was recorded during 1 month of cycled operation. Tailoring of grafting and cross-linking properties allows a significant reduction of methanol cross-over while maintaining suitable conductivity and performance levels.
JPSS Science Data Services for the Direct Readout Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chander, Gyanesh; Lutz, Bob

2014-01-01

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) High Rate Data (HRD) link provides Direct Broadcast data to users in real-time, utilizing their own remote field terminals. The Field Terminal Support (FTS) provides the resources needed to support the Direct Readout communities by providing software, documentation, and periodic updates to enable them to produce data products from SNPP and JPSS. The FTS distribution server will also provide the necessary ancillary and auxiliary data needed for processing the broadcasts, as well as making orbital data available to assist in locating the satellites of interest. In addition, the FTS provides development support for the algorithm and software through GSFC Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) and University of Wisconsin (UWISC) Community Satellite Processing Package (CSPP), to enable users to integrate the algorithms into their remote terminals. The support the JPSS Program provides to the institutions developing and maintaining these two software packages, will demonstrate the ability to produce ready-to-use products from the HRD link and provide risk reduction effort at a minimal cost. This paper discusses the key functions and system architecture of FTS.

Fire and fish: A synthesis of observation and experience

Treesearch

Bruce Rieman; Robert Gresswell; John Rinne

2012-01-01

The effects of wildfire on aquatic systems and fishes occurring in them has been linked to the direct or immediate influence of the fire on water quality and the indirect or subsequent effects on watershed characteristics and processes that influence water quality and quantity, stream channels, and aquatic biota (Gresswell 1999). Early research linking fire and aquatic...
Excitation energy migration processes in various multi-porphyrin assemblies.

PubMed

Yang, Jaesung; Kim, Dongho

2012-08-13

The electronic interactions and excitation energy transfer (EET) processes of a variety of multi-porphyrin arrays with linear, cyclic and box architectures have been explored. Directly meso-meso linked linear arrays (Z(N)) exhibit strong excitonic coupling with an exciton coherence length of approximately 6 porphyrin units, while fused linear arrays (T(N)) exhibit extensive π-conjugation over the whole array. The excitonic coherence length in directly linked cyclic porphyrin rings (CZ(N)) was determined to be approximately 2.7 porphyrin units by simultaneous analysis of fluorescence intensities and lifetimes at the single-molecule level. By performing transient absorption (TA) and TA anisotropy decay measurements, the EET rates in m-phenylene linked cyclic porphyrin wheels C12ZA and C24ZB were determined to be 4 and 36 ps(-1), respectively. With increasing the size of C(N)ZA, the EET efficiencies decrease owing to the structural distortions that produce considerable non-radiative decay pathways. Finally, the EET rates of self-assembled porphyrin boxes consisting of directly linked diporphyrins, B1A, B2A and B3A, are 48, 98 and 361 ps(-1), respectively. The EET rates of porphyrin boxes consisting of alkynylene-bridged diporphyrins, B2B and B4B, depend on the conformation of building blocks (planar or orthogonal) rather than the length of alkynylene linkers.
Polarised Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of EGFR During Chemotactic Invasion

PubMed Central

Mutch, Laura Jane; Howden, Jake Davey; Jenner, Emma Poppy Louise; Poulter, Natalie Sarah; Rappoport, Joshua Zachary

2014-01-01

Directed cell migration is critical for numerous physiological processes including development and wound healing. However chemotaxis is also exploited during cancer progression. Recent reports have suggested links between vesicle trafficking pathways and directed cell migration. Very little is known about the potential roles of endocytosis pathways during metastasis. Therefore we performed a series of studies employing a previously characterised model for chemotactic invasion of cancer cells to assess specific hypotheses potentially linking endocytosis to directed cell migration. Our results demonstrate that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is indispensable for epidermal growth factor (EGF) directed chemotactic invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, caveolar endocytosis is not required in this mode of migration. We further found that chemoattractant receptor (EGFR) trafficking occurs by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and is polarised towards the front of migrating cells. However, we found no role for clathrin-mediated endocytosis in focal adhesion disassembly in this migration model. Thus, this study has characterised the role of endocytosis during chemotactic invasion and has identified functions mechanistically linking clathrin-mediated endocytosis to directed cell motility. PMID:24921075
Self-disgust as a potential mechanism underlying the association between PTSD and suicide risk.

PubMed

Brake, C Alex; Rojas, Sasha M; Badour, Christal L; Dutton, Courtney E; Feldner, Matthew T

2017-04-01

Suicide risk is highly prevalent among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Self-disgust, defined as disgust directed internally and comprised of disgust with oneself (disgusting self) and with one's behaviors (disgusting ways), may impact this increased risk. The present study examined self-disgust as a putative mechanism linking PTSD symptoms with suicide risk. A sample of 347 trauma-exposed undergraduates completed measures of PTSD symptoms, suicide risk, self-disgust, and depressive symptoms. Controlling for depressive symptoms, a process model indicated PTSD symptoms were positively linked to suicide risk via increased disgusting self but not disgusting ways. Process models examining individual PTSD symptom clusters revealed positive, indirect links between all PTSD symptom clusters except alterations in arousal and reactivity and suicide risk via disgusting self. These findings expand on growing literature documenting the importance of self-disgust in trauma-related pathology by identifying connections with suicide risk. Future directions and clinical considerations are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of Language Comprehension on Visual Processing--MEG Dissociates Early Perceptual and Late N400 Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirschfeld, Gerrit; Zwitserlood, Pienie; Dobel, Christian

2011-01-01

We investigated whether and when information conveyed by spoken language impacts on the processing of visually presented objects. In contrast to traditional views, grounded-cognition posits direct links between language comprehension and perceptual processing. We used a magnetoencephalographic cross-modal priming paradigm to disentangle these…
Selective Photophysical Modification on Light-Emitting Polymer Films for Micro- and Nano-Patterning

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xinping; Liu, Feifei; Li, Hongwei

2016-01-01

Laser-induced cross-linking in polymeric semiconductors was utilized to achieve micro- and nano-structuring in thin films. Single- and two-photon cross-linking processes led to the reduction in both the refractive index and thickness of the polymer films. The resultant photonic structures combine the features of both relief- and phase-gratings. Selective cross-linking in polymer blend films based on different optical response of different molecular phases enabled “solidification” of the phase-separation scheme, providing a stable template for further photonic structuring. Dielectric and metallic structures are demonstrated for the fabrication methods using cross-linking in polymer films. Selective cross-linking enables direct patterning into polymer films without introducing additional fabrication procedures or additional materials. The diffraction processes of the emission of the patterned polymeric semiconductors may provide enhanced output coupling for light-emitting diodes or distributed feedback for lasers. PMID:28773248
Linking School Effectiveness and School Improvement: The Background and Outline of the Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creemers, Bert P. M.; Reezigt, Gerry J.

2005-01-01

School effectiveness and school improvement have different origins: School effectiveness is more directed to finding out "what works" in education and "why"; school improvement is practice and policy oriented and intended to change education in the desired direction. However, in their orientation to outcomes, input, processes,…
The Effect of Processing Fluency on Impressions of Familiarity and Liking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westerman, Deanne L.; Lanska, Meredith; Olds, Justin M.

2015-01-01

Processing fluency has been shown to have wide-ranging effects on disparate evaluative judgments, including judgments of liking and familiarity. One account of such effects is the hedonic marking hypothesis (Winkielman, Schwarz, Fazendeiro, & Reber, 2003), which posits that fluency is directly linked to affective preferences via a positive…
New Directions for Evaporative Cooling Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robison, Rita

1981-01-01

New energy saving technology can be applied to older cooling towers; in addition, evaporative chilling, a process that links a cooling tower to the chilling equipment, can reduce energy use by 80 percent. (Author/MLF)
Authentically Assessing an Assembly Line.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkwood, James J.; Kendrick, Martha L.

1999-01-01

Authentic assessment in elementary school technology education is linked to a continuum of teacher behavior: nondirective, mediating, directive, and concurrent with teaching. It should be a two-way process between the students and the activity. (JOW)
Spatial distribution of structural defects in Cz-seeded directionally solidified silicon ingots: An etch pit study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lantreibecq, A.; Legros, M.; Plassat, N.; Monchoux, J. P.; Pihan, E.

2018-02-01

The PV properties of wafers processed from Cz-seeded directionally solidified silicon ingots suffer from variable structural defects. In this study, we draw an overview on the types of structural defects encountered in the specific case of full 〈1 0 0〉 oriented growth. We found micro twins, background dislocations, and subgrains boundaries. We discuss the possible links between thermomechanical stresses and growth processes with spatial evolution of both background dislocation densities and subgrain boundaries length.
How Can Evolution Learn?

PubMed

Watson, Richard A; Szathmáry, Eörs

2016-02-01

The theory of evolution links random variation and selection to incremental adaptation. In a different intellectual domain, learning theory links incremental adaptation (e.g., from positive and/or negative reinforcement) to intelligent behaviour. Specifically, learning theory explains how incremental adaptation can acquire knowledge from past experience and use it to direct future behaviours toward favourable outcomes. Until recently such cognitive learning seemed irrelevant to the 'uninformed' process of evolution. In our opinion, however, new results formally linking evolutionary processes to the principles of learning might provide solutions to several evolutionary puzzles - the evolution of evolvability, the evolution of ecological organisation, and evolutionary transitions in individuality. If so, the ability for evolution to learn might explain how it produces such apparently intelligent designs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
How to Rapidly Construct a Spatial-Numerical Representation in Preliterate Children (At Least Temporarily)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patro, Katarzyna; Fischer, Ursula; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Cress, Ulrike

2016-01-01

Spatial processing of numbers has emerged as one of the basic properties of humans' mathematical thinking. However, how and when number-space relations develop is a highly contested issue. One dominant view has been that a link between numbers and left/right spatial directions is constructed based on directional experience associated with reading…
Identity Processes and Personality Traits and Types in Adolescence: Directionality of Effects and Developmental Trajectories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luyckx, Koen; Teppers, Eveline; Klimstra, Theo A.; Rassart, Jessica

2014-01-01

Personality traits are hypothesized to be among the most important factors contributing to individual differences in identity development. However, longitudinal studies linking Big Five personality traits to contemporary identity models (in which multiple exploration and commitment processes are distinguished) are largely lacking. To gain more…
Psychometric Characteristics of the EEAA (Scale of Affective Strategies in the Learning Process)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villardón-Gallego, Lourdes; Yániz, Concepción

2014-01-01

Introduction: Affective strategies for coping with affective states linked to the learning process may be oriented toward controlling emotions or toward controlling motivation. Both types affect performance, directly and indirectly. The objective of this research was to design an instrument for measuring the affective strategies used by university…
Information for Institutional Renewal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Richard L.

1979-01-01

Discusses a planning, management, and evaluation system, an objective-based planning process, research databases, analytical reports, and transactional data as state-of-the-art tools available to generate data which link research directly to planning for institutional renewal. (RC)
Direct link of a mid-infrared QCL to a frequency comb by optical injection.

PubMed

Borri, S; Galli, I; Cappelli, F; Bismuto, A; Bartalini, S; Cancio, P; Giusfredi, G; Mazzotti, D; Faist, J; De Natale, P

2012-03-15

A narrow-linewidth comb-linked nonlinear source is used as master radiation to injection lock a room-temperature mid-infrared quantum cascade laser (QCL). This process leads to a direct lock of the QCL to the optical frequency comb, providing the unique features of narrow linewidth, absolute frequency, higher output power, and wide mode-hop-free tunability. The QCL reproduces the injected radiation within more than 94%, with a reduction of the frequency-noise spectral density by 3 to 4 orders of magnitude up to about 100 kHz, and a linewidth narrowing from a few MHz to 20 kHz.
Reversible TAD Chemistry as a Convenient Tool for the Design of (Re)processable PCL-Based Shape-Memory Materials.

PubMed

Defize, Thomas; Riva, Raphaël; Thomassin, Jean-Michel; Alexandre, Michaël; Herck, Niels Van; Prez, Filip Du; Jérôme, Christine

2017-01-01

A chemically cross-linked but remarkably (re)processable shape-memory polymer (SMP) is designed by cross-linking poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) stars via the efficient triazolinedione click chemistry, based on the very fast and reversible Alder-ene reaction of 1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (TAD) with indole compounds. Typically, a six-arm star-shaped PCL functionalized by indole moieties at the chain ends is melt-blended with a bisfunctional TAD, directly resulting in a cross-linked PCL-based SMP without the need of post-curing treatment. As demonstrated by the stress relaxation measurement, the labile character of the TAD-indole adducts under stress allows for the solid-state plasticity reprocessing of the permanent shape at will by compression molding of the raw cross-linked material, while keeping excellent shape-memory properties. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarocki, John Charles; Zage, David John; Fisher, Andrew N.

LinkShop is a software tool for applying the method of Linkography to the analysis time-sequence data. LinkShop provides command line, web, and application programming interfaces (API) for input and processing of time-sequence data, abstraction models, and ontologies. The software creates graph representations of the abstraction model, ontology, and derived linkograph. Finally, the tool allows the user to perform statistical measurements of the linkograph and refine the ontology through direct manipulation of the linkograph.
WHEN DO "THE DARK PERSONALITIES" BECOME LESS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE? THE MODERATING ROLE OF JOB CONTROL AND SOCIAL SUPPORT.

PubMed

Baka, Łukasz

2018-04-13

The objective of the study is to examine how job resources modify the relationship between Dark Triad (DT) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Specifically the study examined (1) the direct link between DT and CWB, (2) the moderation effects of two kinds of job resources (job control and social support), and (3) the moderated moderation effect of the job resources (job control x social support) on the DT-CWB link. Moreover, the effect of social approval on CWB was controlled. Data were collected among 659 white- and blue-collar workers. The hypotheses were tested by means of the PROCESS method. As expected in the hypotheses, high DT was found to be directly related to high CWB, and job control moderated (intensified) the link. Social support did not moderate the DT-CWB link. The moderated moderation effect was supported. Social support increases the moderation effect of job control on the DT-CWB link. The lowest level of CWB is observed when job control was low and social support was high.

Using multi-disciplinary strategic master facilities planning for organizations experiencing programmatic re-direction

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

Heubach, J.G.; Weimer, W.C.; Bruce, W.A.

Facility master planning is critical to the future productivity of a laboratory and the quality of worklife for the laboratory staff. For organizations undergoing programmatic re-direction, a master facility planning approach linked to the organization`s strategic planning process is even more important. Major changes in an organization such as programmatic re-direction can significantly impact a broad range of variables which exceed the expertise of traditional planning teams, e.g., capacity variability, work team organization, organizational culture, and work process simplification. By expanding the diversity of the participants of the planning team, there is a greater likelihood that a research organization`s scientific,more » organizational, economic, and employees` needs can be meshed in the strategic plan and facility plan. Recent recommendations from facility planners suggest drawing from diverse fields in building multi-disciplinary planning teams: Architecture, engineering, natural science, social psychology, and strategic planning (Gibson,1993). For organizations undergoing significant operational or culture change, the master facility planning team should also include members with expertise in organizational effectiveness, industrial engineering, human resources, and environmental psychology. A recent planning and design project provides an example which illustrates the use of an expanded multi-disciplinary team engaged in planning laboratory renovations for a research organization undergoing programmatic re-direction. The purpose of the proposed poster session is to present a multi-disciplinary master facility planning process linked to an organization`s strategic planning process or organizational strategies.« less
When locomotion is used to interact with the environment: investigation of the link between emotions and the twofold goal-directed locomotion in humans.

PubMed

Vernazza-Martin, S; Longuet, S; Damry, T; Chamot, J M; Dru, V

2015-10-01

Walking as a means to interact with the environment has a twofold goal: body displacement (intermediate goal) and the future action on the environment (final representational goal). This involves different processes that plan, program, and control goal-directed locomotion linked to motivation as an "emotional state," which leads to achieving this twofold goal. The aim of the present study was to determine whether emotional valence associated with the final representational goal influences these processes or whether they depend more on the emotional valence associated with the intermediate goal in young adults. Twenty subjects, aged 18-35 years, were instructed to erase an emotional picture that appeared on a wall as soon as they saw it. They had to press a stop button located 5 m in front of them with their right hand. Their gait was analyzed using a force platform and the Vicon system. The main results suggest that the emotional valence of the intermediate goal has the greatest effect on the processes that organize and modulate goal-directed locomotion. A positive valence facilitates cognitive processes involved in the temporal organization of locomotion. A negative valence disturbs the cognitive processes involved in the spatial organization of the locomotion and online motor control, leading to a deviating trajectory and a final body position that is more distant from the stop button. These results are discussed in line with the motivational direction hypothesis and with the affective meaning of the intended response goal.
Identification of novel direct protein-protein interactions by irradiating living cells with femtosecond UV laser pulses.

PubMed

Itri, Francesco; Monti, Daria Maria; Chino, Marco; Vinciguerra, Roberto; Altucci, Carlo; Lombardi, Angela; Piccoli, Renata; Birolo, Leila; Arciello, Angela

2017-10-07

The identification of protein-protein interaction networks in living cells is becoming increasingly fundamental to elucidate main biological processes and to understand disease molecular bases on a system-wide level. We recently described a method (LUCK, Laser UV Cross-linKing) to cross-link interacting protein surfaces in living cells by UV laser irradiation. By using this innovative methodology, that does not require any protein modification or cell engineering, here we demonstrate that, upon UV laser irradiation of HeLa cells, a direct interaction between GAPDH and alpha-enolase was "frozen" by a cross-linking event. We validated the occurrence of this direct interaction by co-immunoprecipitation and Immuno-FRET analyses. This represents a proof of principle of the LUCK capability to reveal direct protein interactions in their physiological environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Workflow for Integrating Mesoscale Heterogeneities in Materials Structure with Process Simulation of Titanium Alloys (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

offer a practical solution to calculating the grain -scale hetero- geneity present in the deformation field. Consequently, crystal plasticity models...process/performance simulation codes (e.g., crystal plasticity finite element method). 15. SUBJECT TERMS ICME; microstructure informatics; higher...iii) protocols for direct and efficient linking of materials models/databases into process/performance simulation codes (e.g., crystal plasticity
An Enriched Unified Medical Language System Semantic Network with a Multiple Subsumption Hierarchy

PubMed Central

Zhang, Li; Perl, Yehoshua; Halper, Michael; Geller, James; Cimino, James J.

2004-01-01

Objective: The Unified Medical Language System's (UMLS's) Semantic Network's (SN's) two-tree structure is restrictive because it does not allow a semantic type to be a specialization of several other semantic types. In this article, the SN is expanded into a multiple subsumption structure with a directed acyclic graph (DAG) IS-A hierarchy, allowing a semantic type to have multiple parents. New viable IS-A links are added as warranted. Design: Two methodologies are presented to identify and add new viable IS-A links. The first methodology is based on imposing the characteristic of connectivity on a previously presented partition of the SN. Four transformations are provided to find viable IS-A links in the process of converting the partition's disconnected groups into connected ones. The second methodology identifies new IS-A links through a string matching process involving names and definitions of various semantic types in the SN. A domain expert is needed to review all the results to determine the validity of the new IS-A links. Results: Nineteen new IS-A links are added to the SN, and four new semantic types are also created to support the multiple subsumption framework. The resulting network, called the Enriched Semantic Network (ESN), exhibits a DAG-structured hierarchy. A partition of the ESN containing 19 connected groups is also derived. Conclusion: The ESN is an expanded abstraction of the UMLS compared with the original SN. Its multiple subsumption hierarchy can accommodate semantic types with multiple parents. Its representation thus provides direct access to a broader range of subsumption knowledge. PMID:14764611
Towards Linked Open Services and Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krummenacher, Reto; Norton, Barry; Marte, Adrian

The combination of semantic technology and Web services in form of 'Semantic Web Services' has until now been oriented towards extension of the WS-* stack with ontology-based descriptions. The same time, there is a strong movement away from this stack - for which the 'Web' part is little more than branding - towards RESTful services. The Linked Open Data initiative is a keen adopter of this approach and exposes many datasets via SPARQL endpoints and RESTful services. Our developing approach of 'Linked Open Services', whose current state is described in this paper, accommodates such Linked Data endpoints and general RESTful services alongside WS-* stack-based services with descriptions based on RDF and SPARQL. This capitalises on the Linked Data Cloud and makes service description and comprehension more easy and direct to the growing Linked Data community. Along the way, we show how the existing link between service messaging and the semantic viewpoint, commonly called 'lifting and lowering', is usually unduly restricted to ontology-based classification and misses how the effect of a service contributes to the knowledge of its consumer. Our SPARQL-based approach helps also in the composition of services as knowledge-centric processes, and encourages the development and exposure of services that communicate RDF.
Outcome producing potential influences twelve-month-olds' interpretation of a novel action as goal-directed.

PubMed

Biro, Szilvia; Verschoor, Stephan; Coalter, Esther; Leslie, Alan M

2014-11-01

Learning about a novel, goal-directed action is a complex process. It requires identifying the outcome of the action and linking the action to its outcome for later use in new situations to predict the action or to anticipate its outcome. We investigated the hypothesis that linking a novel action to a salient change in the environment is critical for infants to assign a goal to the novel action. We report a study in which we show that 12-month-old infants, who were provided with prior experience with a novel action accompanied with a salient visible outcome in one context, can interpret the same action as goal-directed even in the absence of the outcome in another context. Our control condition shows that prior experience with the action, but without the salient effect, does not lead to goal-directed interpretation of the novel action. We also found that, for the case of 9-month-olds infants, prior experience with the outcome producing potential of the novel action does not facilitate a goal-directed interpretation of the action. However, this failure was possibly due to difficulties with generalizing the learnt association to another context rather than with linking the action to its outcome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
And There Was Light: Prospects for the Creation of Micro- and Nanostructures through Maskless Photolithography.

PubMed

Rühe, J

2017-09-26

In photolithographic processes, the light inducing the photochemical reactions is confined to a small volume, which enables direct writing of micro- and nanoscale features onto solid surfaces without the need of a predefined photomask. The direct writing process can be used to generate topographic patterns through photopolymerization or photo-cross-linking or can be employed to use light to generate chemical patterns on the surface with high spatial control, which would make such processes attractive for bioapplications. The prospects of maskless photolithography technologies with a focus on two-photon lithography and scanning-probe-based photochemical processes based on scanning near-field optical microscopy or beam pen lithography are discussed.
Microeconomics of advanced process window control for 50-nm gates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monahan, Kevin M.; Chen, Xuemei; Falessi, Georges; Garvin, Craig; Hankinson, Matt; Lev, Amir; Levy, Ady; Slessor, Michael D.

2002-07-01

Fundamentally, advanced process control enables accelerated design-rule reduction, but simple microeconomic models that directly link the effects of advanced process control to profitability are rare or non-existent. In this work, we derive these links using a simplified model for the rate of profit generated by the semiconductor manufacturing process. We use it to explain why and how microprocessor manufacturers strive to avoid commoditization by producing only the number of dies required to satisfy the time-varying demand in each performance segment. This strategy is realized using the tactic known as speed binning, the deliberate creation of an unnatural distribution of microprocessor performance that varies according to market demand. We show that the ability of APC to achieve these economic objectives may be limited by variability in the larger manufacturing context, including measurement delays and process window variation.
Protein Viability on Au Nanoparticles during an Electrospray and Electrostatic-Force-Directed Assembly Process

DOE PAGES

Mao, Shun; Lu, Ganhua; Yu, Kehan; ...

2010-01-01

We study the protein viability on Au nanoparticles during an electrospray and electrostatic-force-directed assembly process, through which Au nanoparticle-antibody conjugates are assembled onto the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to fabricate carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNTFET) biosensors. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and field-effect transistor (FET) measurements have been used to investigate the antibody activity after the nanoparticle assembly. Upon the introduction of matching antigens, the colored reaction from the ELISA and the change in the electrical characteristic of the CNTFET device confirm that the antibody activity is preserved during the assembly process.
Identity processes and personality traits and types in adolescence: directionality of effects and developmental trajectories.

PubMed

Luyckx, Koen; Teppers, Eveline; Klimstra, Theo A; Rassart, Jessica

2014-08-01

Personality traits are hypothesized to be among the most important factors contributing to individual differences in identity development. However, longitudinal studies linking Big Five personality traits to contemporary identity models (in which multiple exploration and commitment processes are distinguished) are largely lacking. To gain more insight in the directionality of effect and the developmental interdependence of the Big Five and identity processes as forwarded in multilayered personality models, the present study assessed personality and identity in 1,037 adolescents 4 times over a period of 3 years. First, using cross-lagged path analysis, Big Five traits emerged as consistent predictors of identity exploration processes, whereas only one significant path from identity exploration to the Big Five was found. Second, using latent class growth analysis, 3 Big Five trajectory classes were identified, resembling the distinctions typically made between resilients, overcontrollers, and undercontrollers. These classes were characterized by different initial levels and (to a lesser extent) rates of change in commitment and exploration processes. In sum, important developmental associations linking personality traits to identity processes were uncovered, emphasizing the potential role of personality traits in identity development. Developmental implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
A CAF-1–PCNA-Mediated Chromatin Assembly Pathway Triggered by Sensing DNA Damage

PubMed Central

Moggs, Jonathan G.; Grandi, Paola; Quivy, Jean-Pierre; Jónsson, Zophonías O.; Hübscher, Ulrich; Becker, Peter B.; Almouzni, Geneviève

2000-01-01

Sensing DNA damage is crucial for the maintenance of genomic integrity and cell cycle progression. The participation of chromatin in these events is becoming of increasing interest. We show that the presence of single-strand breaks and gaps, formed either directly or during DNA damage processing, can trigger the propagation of nucleosomal arrays. This nucleosome assembly pathway involves the histone chaperone chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1). The largest subunit (p150) of this factor interacts directly with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and critical regions for this interaction on both proteins have been mapped. To isolate proteins specifically recruited during DNA repair, damaged DNA linked to magnetic beads was used. The binding of both PCNA and CAF-1 to this damaged DNA was dependent on the number of DNA lesions and required ATP. Chromatin assembly linked to the repair of single-strand breaks was disrupted by depletion of PCNA from a cell-free system. This defect was rescued by complementation with recombinant PCNA, arguing for role of PCNA in mediating chromatin assembly linked to DNA repair. We discuss the importance of the PCNA–CAF-1 interaction in the context of DNA damage processing and checkpoint control. PMID:10648606
Linking sounds to meanings: infant statistical learning in a natural language.

PubMed

Hay, Jessica F; Pelucchi, Bruna; Graf Estes, Katharine; Saffran, Jenny R

2011-09-01

The processes of infant word segmentation and infant word learning have largely been studied separately. However, the ease with which potential word forms are segmented from fluent speech seems likely to influence subsequent mappings between words and their referents. To explore this process, we tested the link between the statistical coherence of sequences presented in fluent speech and infants' subsequent use of those sequences as labels for novel objects. Notably, the materials were drawn from a natural language unfamiliar to the infants (Italian). The results of three experiments suggest that there is a close relationship between the statistics of the speech stream and subsequent mapping of labels to referents. Mapping was facilitated when the labels contained high transitional probabilities in the forward and/or backward direction (Experiment 1). When no transitional probability information was available (Experiment 2), or when the internal transitional probabilities of the labels were low in both directions (Experiment 3), infants failed to link the labels to their referents. Word learning appears to be strongly influenced by infants' prior experience with the distribution of sounds that make up words in natural languages. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Web site may be accessed through links on the MMS Offshore Web site at: http://www.mms.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You...
School Systems' Practices of Controlling Socialization during Principal Succession: Looking through the Lens of an Organizational Socialization Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bengtson, Ed; Zepeda, Sally J.; Parylo, Oksana

2013-01-01

The importance of effective school leadership is well known. The inevitable changing of school leaders raises concerns over the successfulness of the succession process. Directly linked to leader succession is socialization; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the processes and practices of school systems that control the…
Ultra-stable long distance optical frequency distribution using the Internet fiber network.

PubMed

Lopez, Olivier; Haboucha, Adil; Chanteau, Bruno; Chardonnet, Christian; Amy-Klein, Anne; Santarelli, Giorgio

2012-10-08

We report an optical link of 540 km for ultrastable frequency distribution over the Internet fiber network. The stable frequency optical signal is processed enabling uninterrupted propagation on both directions. The robustness and the performance of the link are enhanced by a cost effective fully automated optoelectronic station. This device is able to coherently regenerate the return optical signal with a heterodyne optical phase locking of a low noise laser diode. Moreover the incoming signal polarization variation are tracked and processed in order to maintain beat note amplitudes within the operation range. Stable fibered optical interferometer enables optical detection of the link round trip phase signal. The phase-noise compensated link shows a fractional frequency instability in 10 Hz bandwidth of 5 × 10(-15) at one second measurement time and 2 × 10(-19) at 30,000 s. This work is a significant step towards a sustainable wide area ultrastable optical frequency distribution and comparison network.
A Developmental Perspective on Peer Rejection, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Conduct Problems Among Youth.

PubMed

Chen, Diane; Drabick, Deborah A G; Burgers, Darcy E

2015-12-01

Peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are linked consistently to the development and maintenance of conduct problems. Two proposed models may account for longitudinal relations among these peer processes and conduct problems: the (a) sequential mediation model, in which peer rejection in childhood and deviant peer affiliation in adolescence mediate the link between early externalizing behaviors and more serious adolescent conduct problems; and (b) parallel process model, in which peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are considered independent processes that operate simultaneously to increment risk for conduct problems. In this review, we evaluate theoretical models and evidence for associations among conduct problems and (a) peer rejection and (b) deviant peer affiliation. We then consider support for the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Next, we propose an integrated model incorporating both the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.
A Developmental Perspective on Peer Rejection, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Conduct Problems among Youth

PubMed Central

Chen, Diane; Drabick, Deborah A. G.; Burgers, Darcy E.

2015-01-01

Peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are linked consistently to the development and maintenance of conduct problems. Two proposed models may account for longitudinal relations among these peer processes and conduct problems: the (a) sequential mediation model, in which peer rejection in childhood and deviant peer affiliation in adolescence mediate the link between early externalizing behaviors and more serious adolescent conduct problems; and (b) parallel process model, in which peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are considered independent processes that operate simultaneously to increment risk for conduct problems. In this review, we evaluate theoretical models and evidence for associations among conduct problems and (a) peer rejection and (b) deviant peer affiliation. We then consider support for the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Next, we propose an integrated model incorporating both the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed. PMID:25410430
Computational models of spatial updating in peri-saccadic perception

PubMed Central

Hamker, Fred H.; Zirnsak, Marc; Ziesche, Arnold; Lappe, Markus

2011-01-01

Perceptual phenomena that occur around the time of a saccade, such as peri-saccadic mislocalization or saccadic suppression of displacement, have often been linked to mechanisms of spatial stability. These phenomena are usually regarded as errors in processes of trans-saccadic spatial transformations and they provide important tools to study these processes. However, a true understanding of the underlying brain processes that participate in the preparation for a saccade and in the transfer of information across it requires a closer, more quantitative approach that links different perceptual phenomena with each other and with the functional requirements of ensuring spatial stability. We review a number of computational models of peri-saccadic spatial perception that provide steps in that direction. Although most models are concerned with only specific phenomena, some generalization and interconnection between them can be obtained from a comparison. Our analysis shows how different perceptual effects can coherently be brought together and linked back to neuronal mechanisms on the way to explaining vision across saccades. PMID:21242143
DNA adductomics to study the genotoxic effects of red meat consumption with and without added animal fat in rats.

PubMed

Hemeryck, Lieselot Y; Van Hecke, Thomas; Vossen, Els; De Smet, Stefaan; Vanhaecke, Lynn

2017-09-01

Digestion of red and processed meat has been linked to the formation of genotoxic N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) and lipid peroxidation products (LPOs) in the gut. In this study, rats were fed a meat based diet to compare the possible genotoxic effects of red vs. white meat, and the interfering role of dietary fat. To this purpose, liver, duodenum and colon DNA adductomes were analyzed with UHPLC-HRMS. The results demonstrate that the consumed meat type alters the DNA adductome; the levels of 22 different DNA adduct types significantly increased upon the consumption of beef (compared to chicken) and/or lard supplemented beef or chicken. Furthermore, the chemical constitution of the retrieved DNA adducts hint at a direct link with an increase in NOCs and LPOs upon red (and processed) meat digestion, supporting the current hypotheses on the causal link between red and processed meat consumption and the development of colorectal cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LANDSAT D data processing facility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Mission planning of the LANDSAT D is discussed which will present several major advances in the spacecraft, sensor (Thematic Mapper), ground systems and overall system design. The system provides for two data links-direct satellite to ground, and via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.
Linking Soil Microbial Ecology to Ecosystem Functioning in Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Enhanced soil stability, nutrient cycling and C sequestration potential are important ecosystem functions driven by soil microbial processes and are directly influenced by agricultural management. Integrated crop-livestock agroecosystems (ICL) can enhance these functions via high-residue returning c...
Facts and Fables of Performance Management in the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wingrove, Clinton

2002-01-01

Discusses performance management which links the strategic partnership between human resources and line management and enterprise direction. Considers the challenges in measuring an individual's success within an organization and explains 11 different processes that comprise performance management. (Author/LRW)
Recyclable cross-linked anion exchange membrane for alkaline fuel cell application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Jianqiu; Liu, Yazhi; Ge, Qianqian; Yang, Zhengjin; Wu, Liang; Xu, Tongwen

2018-01-01

Cross-linking can effectively solve the conductivity-swelling dilemma in anion exchange membranes (AEMs) but will generate solid wastes. To address this, we developed an AEM cross-linked via disulfide bonds, bearing quaternary ammonium groups, which can be easily recycled. The membrane (RC-QPPO) with IEC of 1.78 mmol g-1, when cross-linked, showed enhanced mechanical properties and good hydroxide conductivity (24.6 mS cm-1 at 30 °C). Even at higher IEC value (2.13 mmol g-1), it still has low water uptake, low swelling ratio and delivers a peak power density of 150 mW cm-2 at 65 °C. Exploiting the formation of disulfide bonds from -SH groups, the membrane can be readily cross-linked in alkaline condition and recycled by reversibly breaking disulfide bonds with dithiothreitol (DTT). The recycled membrane solution can be directly utilized to cast a brand-new AEM. By washing away the residual DTT with water and exposure to air, it can be cross-linked again and this process is repeatable. During the recycling and cross-linking processes, the membrane showed a slight IEC decrease of 5% due to functional group degradation. The strategy presented here is promising in enhancing AEM properties and reducing the impact of artificial polymers on the environment.
Linking microbial and ecosystem ecology using ecological stoichiometry: a synthesis of conceptual and empirical approaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, E.K.; Maixner, F.; Franklin, O.; Daims, H.; Richter, A.; Battin, T.

2011-01-01

Currently, one of the biggest challenges in microbial and ecosystem ecology is to develop conceptual models that organize the growing body of information on environmental microbiology into a clear mechanistic framework with a direct link to ecosystem processes. Doing so will enable development of testable hypotheses to better direct future research and increase understanding of key constraints on biogeochemical networks. Although the understanding of phenotypic and genotypic diversity of microorganisms in the environment is rapidly accumulating, how controls on microbial physiology ultimately affect biogeochemical fluxes remains poorly understood. We propose that insight into constraints on biogeochemical cycles can be achieved by a more rigorous evaluation of microbial community biomass composition within the context of ecological stoichiometry. Multiple recent studies have pointed to microbial biomass stoichiometry as an important determinant of when microorganisms retain or recycle mineral nutrients. We identify the relevant cellular components that most likely drive changes in microbial biomass stoichiometry by defining a conceptual model rooted in ecological stoichiometry. More importantly, we show how X-ray microanalysis (XRMA), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectroscopy (NanoSIMS), Raman microspectroscopy, and in situ hybridization techniques (for example, FISH) can be applied in concert to allow for direct empirical evaluation of the proposed conceptual framework. This approach links an important piece of the ecological literature, ecological stoichiometry, with the molecular front of the microbial revolution, in an attempt to provide new insight into how microbial physiology could constrain ecosystem processes.
Influence of additive laser manufacturing parameters on surface using density of partially melted particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, Benoit; Brient, Antoine; Samper, Serge; Hascoët, Jean-Yves

2016-12-01

Mastering the additive laser manufacturing surface is a real challenge and would allow functional surfaces to be obtained without finishing. Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) surfaces are composed by directional and chaotic textures that are directly linked to the process principles. The aim of this work is to obtain surface topographies by mastering the operating process parameters. Based on experimental investigation, the influence of operating parameters on the surface finish has been modeled. Topography parameters and multi-scale analysis have been used in order to characterize the DMD obtained surfaces. This study also proposes a methodology to characterize DMD chaotic texture through topography filtering and 3D image treatment. In parallel, a new parameter is proposed: density of particles (D p). Finally, this study proposes a regression modeling between process parameters and density of particles parameter.
Microeconomics of process control in semiconductor manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monahan, Kevin M.

2003-06-01

Process window control enables accelerated design-rule shrinks for both logic and memory manufacturers, but simple microeconomic models that directly link the effects of process window control to maximum profitability are rare. In this work, we derive these links using a simplified model for the maximum rate of profit generated by the semiconductor manufacturing process. We show that the ability of process window control to achieve these economic objectives may be limited by variability in the larger manufacturing context, including measurement delays and process variation at the lot, wafer, x-wafer, x-field, and x-chip levels. We conclude that x-wafer and x-field CD control strategies will be critical enablers of density, performance and optimum profitability at the 90 and 65nm technology nodes. These analyses correlate well with actual factory data and often identify millions of dollars in potential incremental revenue and cost savings. As an example, we show that a scatterometry-based CD Process Window Monitor is an economically justified, enabling technology for the 65nm node.
Direct mechanical stimulation of tip links in hair cells through DNA tethers

PubMed Central

Basu, Aakash; Lagier, Samuel; Vologodskaia, Maria; Fabella, Brian A; Hudspeth, AJ

2016-01-01

Mechanoelectrical transduction by hair cells commences with hair-bundle deflection, which is postulated to tense filamentous tip links connected to transduction channels. Because direct mechanical stimulation of tip links has not been experimentally possible, this hypothesis has not been tested. We have engineered DNA tethers that link superparamagnetic beads to tip links and exert mechanical forces on the links when exposed to a magnetic-field gradient. By pulling directly on tip links of the bullfrog's sacculus we have evoked transduction currents from hair cells, confirming the hypothesis that tension in the tip links opens transduction channels. This demonstration of direct mechanical access to tip links additionally lays a foundation for experiments probing the mechanics of individual channels. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16041.001 PMID:27331611
Role of N-linked oligosaccharides in processing and intracellular transport of E2 glycoprotein of rubella virus.

PubMed Central

Qiu, Z; Hobman, T C; McDonald, H L; Seto, N O; Gillam, S

1992-01-01

The role of N-linked glycosylation in processing and intracellular transport of rubella virus glycoprotein E2 has been studied by expressing glycosylation mutants of E2 in COS cells. A panel of E2 glycosylation mutants were generated by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. Each of the three potential N-linked glycosylation sites was eliminated separately as well as in combination with the other two sites. Expression of the E2 mutant proteins in COS cells indicated that in rubella virus M33 strain, all three sites are used for the addition of N-linked oligosaccharides. Removal of any of the glycosylation sites resulted in slower glycan processing, lower stability, and aberrant disulfide bonding of the mutant proteins, with the severity of defect depending on the number of deleted carbohydrate sites. The mutant proteins were transported to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex but were not detected on the cell surface. However, the secretion of the anchor-free form of E2 into the medium was not completely blocked by the removal of any one of its glycosylation sites. This effect was dependent on the position of the deleted glycosylation site. Images PMID:1583721
Coparenting Conflict and Academic Readiness in Children of Teen Mothers: Effortful Control as a Mediator.

PubMed

Jahromi, Laudan B; Zeiders, Katharine H; Updegraff, Kimberly A; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J; Bayless, Sara Douglass

2017-04-24

Children's exposure to coparenting conflict has important implications for their developmental functioning, yet limited work has focused on such processes in families with diverse structures or ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds. This longitudinal study examined the processes by which Mexican-origin adolescent mothers' coparenting conflict with their 3-year-old children's grandmothers and biological fathers (N = 133 families) were linked to children's academic and social skills at 5 years of age, and whether children's effortful control at 4 years of age mediated the link between coparenting conflict and indices of children's academic readiness. Findings revealed that adolescent mothers' coparenting conflict with their child's biological father was linked to indices of children's academic and social school readiness through children's effortful control among girls, but not boys, whereas conflict with grandmothers was directly linked to boys' and girls' social functioning 2 years later. Findings offer information about different mechanisms by which multiple coparenting units in families of adolescent mothers are related to their children's outcomes, and this work has important implications for practitioners working with families of adolescent mothers. © 2017 Family Process Institute.
Oral alprazolam acutely increases nucleus accumbens perfusion

PubMed Central

Wolf, Daniel H.; Pinkham, Amy E.; Satterthwaite, Theodore D.; Ruparel, Kosha; Elliott, Mark A.; Valdez, Jeffrey; Smith, Mark A.; Detre, John A.; Gur, Ruben C.; Gur, Raquel E.

2014-01-01

Benzodiazepines treat anxiety, but can also produce euphoric effects, contributing to abuse. Using perfusion magnetic resonance imaging, we provide the first direct evidence in humans that alprazolam (Xanax) acutely increases perfusion in the nucleus accumbens, a key reward-processing region linked to addiction. PMID:23070072
A generic rate equation for catalysed, template-directed polymerisation.

PubMed

Hofmeyr, Jan-Hendrik S; Gqwaka, Olona P C; Rohwer, Johann M

2013-09-02

Biosynthetic networks link to growth and reproduction processes through template-directed synthesis of macromolecules such as polynucleotides and polypeptides. No rate equation exists that captures this link in a way that it can effectively be incorporated into a single computational model of the overall process. This paper describes the derivation of such a generic steady-state rate equation for catalysed, template-directed polymerisation reactions with varying monomer stoichiometry and varying chain length. The derivation is based on a classical Michaelis-Menten mechanism with template binding and an arbitrary number of chain elongation steps that produce a polymer composed of an arbitrary number of monomer types. The rate equation only requires the identity of the first dimer in the polymer sequence; for the remainder only the monomer composition needs be known. Further simplification of a term in the denominator yielded an equation requiring no positional information at all, only the monomer composition of the polymer; this equation still gave an excellent estimate of the reaction rate provided that either the monomer concentrations are at least half-saturating, or the polymer is very long. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Google matrix of business process management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abel, M. W.; Shepelyansky, D. L.

2011-12-01

Development of efficient business process models and determination of their characteristic properties are subject of intense interdisciplinary research. Here, we consider a business process model as a directed graph. Its nodes correspond to the units identified by the modeler and the link direction indicates the causal dependencies between units. It is of primary interest to obtain the stationary flow on such a directed graph, which corresponds to the steady-state of a firm during the business process. Following the ideas developed recently for the World Wide Web, we construct the Google matrix for our business process model and analyze its spectral properties. The importance of nodes is characterized by PageRank and recently proposed CheiRank and 2DRank, respectively. The results show that this two-dimensional ranking gives a significant information about the influence and communication properties of business model units. We argue that the Google matrix method, described here, provides a new efficient tool helping companies to make their decisions on how to evolve in the exceedingly dynamic global market.
A Social Psychological Perspective on the Links between Close Relationships and Health.

PubMed

Slatcher, Richard B; Selcuk, Emre

2017-02-01

The association between the quality of people's close relationships and their physical health is well-established. But from a psychological perspective, how do close relationships impact physical health? This article summarizes recent work seeking to identify the relationship processes, psychological mediators and moderators of the links between close relationships and health, with an emphasis on studies of married and cohabitating couples. We begin with a brief review of a recent meta-analysis of the links between marital quality and health. We then describe our strength and strain model of marriage and health, homing in on one process- partner responsiveness -and one moderator- adult attachment style -to illustrate ways in which basic relationship science can inform our understanding of how relationships impact physical health. We conclude with a brief discussion of promising directions in the study of close relationships and health.
Bridging the Gap: Contextualizing Professional Ethics in Collaborative Writing Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, J. A.

2007-01-01

Many business and technical writing students find classroom discussions of professional ethics interesting and enjoyable. However, when trying to incorporate the content of discussions directly into their writing practices, they often experience difficulties linking ethical concepts to writing process. This article discusses how instructors can…
36 CFR 219.54 - Filing an objection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... or regulation. (2) Forest Service Directive System documents and land management plans or other... the objection process. (b) Including documents by reference is not allowed, except for the following... relevant section of the cited document. All other documents or Web links to those documents, or both must...
36 CFR 219.54 - Filing an objection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... or regulation. (2) Forest Service Directive System documents and land management plans or other... the objection process. (b) Including documents by reference is not allowed, except for the following... relevant section of the cited document. All other documents or Web links to those documents, or both must...
Effect-directed analysis of cold-pressed hemp, flax and canola seed oils by planar chromatography linked with (bio)assays and mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Teh, Sue-Siang; Morlock, Gertrud E

2015-11-15

Cold-pressed hemp, flax and canola seed oils are healthy oils for human consumption as these are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and bioactive phytochemicals. However, bioactive information on the food intake side is mainly focused on target analysis. For more comprehensive information with regard to effects, single bioactive compounds present in the seed oil extracts were detected by effect-directed assays, like bioassays or an enzymatic assay, directly linked with chromatography and further characterized by mass spectrometry. This effect-directed analysis is a streamlined method for the analysis of bioactive compounds in the seed oil extracts. All effective compounds with regard to the five assays or bioassays applied were detected in the samples, meaning also bioactive breakdown products caused during oil processing, residues or contaminants, aside the naturally present bioactive phytochemicals. The investigated cold-pressed oils contained compounds that exert antioxidative, antimicrobial, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and estrogenic activities. This effect-directed analysis can be recommended for bioactivity profiling of food to obtain profound effect-directed information on the food intake side. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electron tomography provides a direct link between the Payne effect and the inter-particle spacing of rubber composites

PubMed Central

Staniewicz, Lech; Vaudey, Thomas; Degrandcourt, Christophe; Couty, Marc; Gaboriaud, Fabien; Midgley, Paul

2014-01-01

Rubber-filler composites are a key component in the manufacture of tyres. The filler provides mechanical reinforcement and additional wear resistance to the rubber, but it in turn introduces non-linear mechanical behaviour to the material which most likely arises from interactions between the filler particles, mediated by the rubber matrix. While various studies have been made on the bulk mechanical properties and of the filler network structure (both imaging and by simulations), there presently does not exist any work directly linking filler particle spacing and mechanical properties. Here we show that using STEM tomography, aided by a machine learning image analysis procedure, to measure silica particle spacings provides a direct link between the inter-particle spacing and the reduction in shear modulus as a function of strain (the Payne effect), measured using dynamic mechanical analysis. Simulations of filler network formation using attractive, repulsive and non-interacting potentials were processed using the same method and compared with the experimental data, with the net result being that an attractive inter-particle potential is the most accurate way of modelling styrene-butadiene rubber-silica composite formation. PMID:25487130
Virtual experiments in electronics: beyond logistics, budgets, and the art of the possible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, Brian

1999-09-01

It is common and correct to suppose that computers support flexible delivery of educational resources by offering virtual experiments that replicate and substitute for experiments traditionally offered in conventional teaching laboratories. However, traditional methods are limited by logistics, costs, and what is physically possible to accomplish on a laboratory bench. Virtual experiments allow experimental approaches to teaching and learning to transcend these limits. This paper analyses recent and current developments in educational software for 1st- year physics, 2nd-year electronics engineering and 3rd-year communication engineering, based on three criteria: (1)Is the virtual experiment possible in a real laboratory? (2)How direct is the link between the experimental manipulation and the reinforcement of theoretical learning? (3) What impact might the virtual experiment have on the learner's acquisition of practical measurement skills? Virtual experiments allow more flexibility in the directness of the link between experimental manipulation and the theoretical message. However, increasing the directness of this link may reduce or even abolish the measurement processes associated with traditional experiments. Virtual experiments thus pose educational challenges: (a) expanding the design of experimentally based curricula beyond traditional boundaries and (b) ensuring that the learner acquires sufficient experience in making practical measurements.

A strategic approach for direct recovery and stabilization of Fusarium sp. ICT SAC1 cutinase from solid state fermented broth by carrier free cross-linked enzyme aggregates.

PubMed

Chaudhari, Sandeep A; Singhal, Rekha S

2017-05-01

The major hurdles in commercial exploitation of cutinase (having both esterolytic and lipolytic activities) with potent industrial applications are its high production cost, operational instability and reusability. Although commercially available in immobilized form, its immobilization process (synthesis of support/carrier) makes it expensive. Herein we tried to address multiple issues of production cost, stability, and reusability, associated with cutinase. Waste watermelon rinds, an agroindustrial waste was considered as a cheap support for solid state fermentation (SSF) for cutinase production by newly isolated Fusarium sp. ICT SAC1. Subsequently, carrier free cross-linked enzyme aggregates of cutinase (cut-CLEA) directly from the SSF crude broth were developed. All the process variables affecting CLEA formation along with the different additives were evaluated. It was found that 50% (w/v) of ammonium sulphate, 125μmol of glutaraldehyde, cross-linking for 1h at 30°C and broth pH of 7.0, yielded 58.12% activity recovery. All other additives (hexane, butyric acid, sodium dodecyl sulphate, Trition-X 100, Tween-20, BSA) evaluated presented negative results to our hypothesis. Kinetics and morphology studies confirmed the diffusive nature of cut-CLEA and BSA cut-CLEA. Developed CLEA showed better thermal, solvent, detergent and storage stability, making it more elegant and efficient for industrial biocatalytic process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Conceptualizing Child Health Disparities: A Role for Developmental Neurogenomics

PubMed Central

Francis, Darlene D.

2010-01-01

Biological, psychological, and social processes interact over a lifetime to influence health and vulnerability to disease. Those interested in studying and understanding how and why racial/ethnic and social disparities emerge need to focus on the intersection of these processes. Recent work exploring molecular epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression (in humans as well and other mammalian systems) has provided evidence demonstrating that the genome is subject to regulation by surrounding contexts (eg, cytoplasmic, cellular, organismic, social). The developing stress axis is exquisitely sensitive to regulation by social forces represented at the level of the epigenome. Old assumptions about an inert genome are simply incorrect. Epigenetic processes may provide the missing link that will allow us to understand how social and political conditions, along with individual subjective experiences, can directly alter gene expression and thereby contribute to observed social inequalities in health. Developmental neurogenomics may provide the direct link between the biological and social/psychological worlds. These biological mechanisms of plasticity (at the level of gene expression and regulation) may play a profound role in how we conceptualize health inequalities by informing our concepts regarding the somatization or embodiment of social inequalities. PMID:19861470
Ecosystem services: a new NRS-FIA analytical science initiative

Treesearch

Brian G. Tavernia; Mark D. Nelson; James D. Garner

2015-01-01

Forest ecosystem services (ES) are linked to sustaining human well-being. Recognizing an inappropriate economic valuation of ecosystem properties and processes, many ecologists, economists, and political scientists have pushed for an increasing awareness and appreciation of ES. Many definitions of ES include both direct and indirect benefits humans derive from...
Cell-cycle control in the face of damage--a matter of life or death.

PubMed

Clarke, Paul R; Allan, Lindsey A

2009-03-01

Cells respond to DNA damage or defects in the mitotic spindle by activating checkpoints that arrest the cell cycle. Alternatively, damaged cells can undergo cell death by the process of apoptosis. The correct balance between these pathways is important for the maintenance of genomic integrity while preventing unnecessary cell death. Although the molecular mechanisms of the cell cycle and apoptosis have been elucidated, the links between them have not been clear. Recent work, however, indicates that common components directly link the regulation of apoptosis with cell-cycle checkpoints operating during interphase, whereas in mitosis, the control of apoptosis is directly coupled to the cell-cycle machinery. These findings shed new light on how the balance between cell-cycle progression and cell death is controlled.
College drinking behaviors: mediational links between parenting styles, impulse control, and alcohol-related outcomes.

PubMed

Patock-Peckham, Julie A; Morgan-Lopez, Antonio A

2006-06-01

Mediational links between parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive), impulsiveness (general control), drinking control (specific control), and alcohol use and abuse were tested. A pattern-mixture approach (for modeling non-ignorable missing data) with multiple-group structural equation models with 421 (206 female, 215 male) college students was used. Gender was examined as a potential moderator of parenting styles on control processes related to drinking. Specifically, the parent-child gender match was found to have implications for increased levels of impulsiveness (a significant mediator of parenting effects on drinking control). These findings suggest that a parent with a permissive parenting style who is the same gender as the respondent can directly influence control processes and indirectly influence alcohol use and abuse.
Family Types, Direct Money Transfers from Parents, and School Enrollment among Youths.

PubMed

Ono, Hiromi

2011-01-01

Intrafamily resource transfers have not been studied extensively as a process that may help reduce the well-being disadvantage of stepchildren in parental remarriages relative to biological children in parental first marriages. The process is examined here by analyzing the link between direct parental money transfers and academic outcomes, as measured by enrollment. I develop and test two alternative hypotheses pertaining to a part of this link, which distinctly applies to children of remarried stepfamilies--the component not shared with children in intact families. An adaptive strategy hypothesis posits a well-being enhancing distinct component, operationalized as a positive interaction effect between measures of parental transfers × stepchildren in parental remarriages. A compromised use hypothesis posits a well-being compromising one, implying a negative interaction effect. Two sets of results from analyzing data on 18-21 year olds over multiple years (Nyouth-age=5,736, Nperson=3,615) in the first five waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) support the adaptive strategy hypothesis: a) the interaction effect (income received from parents × being a stepchild in a parental remarriage) has a positive sign; and b) this interaction effect is consistently positive, whether the youth is at risk of attending high school or college, even when the direction of the shared component of the link, as measured by the main effect of income from parents, varies by the level of schooling. The results suggest the presence of a robust well-being enhancing money transfer mechanism supporting children in some remarried stepparent families.
Family Types, Direct Money Transfers from Parents, and School Enrollment among Youths

PubMed Central

Ono, Hiromi

2011-01-01

Intrafamily resource transfers have not been studied extensively as a process that may help reduce the well-being disadvantage of stepchildren in parental remarriages relative to biological children in parental first marriages. The process is examined here by analyzing the link between direct parental money transfers and academic outcomes, as measured by enrollment. I develop and test two alternative hypotheses pertaining to a part of this link, which distinctly applies to children of remarried stepfamilies--the component not shared with children in intact families. An adaptive strategy hypothesis posits a well-being enhancing distinct component, operationalized as a positive interaction effect between measures of parental transfers × stepchildren in parental remarriages. A compromised use hypothesis posits a well-being compromising one, implying a negative interaction effect. Two sets of results from analyzing data on 18–21 year olds over multiple years (Nyouth-age=5,736, Nperson=3,615) in the first five waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) support the adaptive strategy hypothesis: a) the interaction effect (income received from parents × being a stepchild in a parental remarriage) has a positive sign; and b) this interaction effect is consistently positive, whether the youth is at risk of attending high school or college, even when the direction of the shared component of the link, as measured by the main effect of income from parents, varies by the level of schooling. The results suggest the presence of a robust well-being enhancing money transfer mechanism supporting children in some remarried stepparent families. PMID:21731122
Marital Processes Linking Gender Role Attitudes and Marital Satisfaction Among Mexican-Origin Couples: Application of an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model.

PubMed

Helms, Heather M; Supple, Andrew J; Hengstebeck, Natalie D; Wood, Claire A; Rodriguez, Yuliana

2018-01-24

Informed by dyadic approaches and culturally informed, ecological perspectives of marriage, we applied an actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) in a sample of 120 Mexican-origin couples to examine (a) the associations linking Mexican immigrant husbands' and wives' gender role attitudes to marital satisfaction directly and indirectly through marital processes (i.e., warmth and negativity) and (b) whether the associations between spouses' gender role attitudes and marital processes were moderated by wives' employment. Although previous research has identified spouses' gender role attitudes as potential predictors of spouses' marital satisfaction, no study has examined these links in a dyadic model that elucidates how gender role attitudes may operate through processes to shape marital satisfaction and conditions under which associations may differ. We found that when spouses reported less sex-typed attitudes, their partners reported feeling more connected to them and more satisfied with the marriage, regardless of whether wives were employed. Our results suggest that marital satisfaction was highest for those Mexican-origin couples in which marital partners were less sex-typed in their attitudes about marital roles to the extent that partners' attitudinal role flexibility promoted spouses' feelings of warmth and connection to their partner. © 2018 Family Process Institute.
Digital signal processing based on inverse scattering transform.

PubMed

Turitsyna, Elena G; Turitsyn, Sergei K

2013-10-15

Through numerical modeling, we illustrate the possibility of a new approach to digital signal processing in coherent optical communications based on the application of the so-called inverse scattering transform. Considering without loss of generality a fiber link with normal dispersion and quadrature phase shift keying signal modulation, we demonstrate how an initial information pattern can be recovered (without direct backward propagation) through the calculation of nonlinear spectral data of the received optical signal.
Direct kinematics solution architectures for industrial robot manipulators: Bit-serial versus parallel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Kim, K.

A Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) architecture for robot direct kinematic computation suitable for industrial robot manipulators was investigated. The Denavit-Hartenberg transformations are reviewed to exploit a proper processing element, namely an augmented CORDIC. Specifically, two distinct implementations are elaborated on, such as the bit-serial and parallel. Performance of each scheme is analyzed with respect to the time to compute one location of the end-effector of a 6-links manipulator, and the number of transistors required.
Direct kinematics solution architectures for industrial robot manipulators: Bit-serial versus parallel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J.; Kim, K.

1991-01-01

A Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) architecture for robot direct kinematic computation suitable for industrial robot manipulators was investigated. The Denavit-Hartenberg transformations are reviewed to exploit a proper processing element, namely an augmented CORDIC. Specifically, two distinct implementations are elaborated on, such as the bit-serial and parallel. Performance of each scheme is analyzed with respect to the time to compute one location of the end-effector of a 6-links manipulator, and the number of transistors required.
Specific and reversible DNA-directed self-assembly of oil-in-water emulsion droplets

PubMed Central

Hadorn, Maik; Boenzli, Eva; Sørensen, Kristian T.; Fellermann, Harold; Eggenberger Hotz, Peter; Hanczyc, Martin M.

2012-01-01

Higher-order structures that originate from the specific and reversible DNA-directed self-assembly of microscopic building blocks hold great promise for future technologies. Here, we functionalized biotinylated soft colloid oil-in-water emulsion droplets with biotinylated single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides using streptavidin as an intermediary linker. We show the components of this modular linking system to be stable and to induce sequence-specific aggregation of binary mixtures of emulsion droplets. Three length scales were thereby involved: nanoscale DNA base pairing linking microscopic building blocks resulted in macroscopic aggregates visible to the naked eye. The aggregation process was reversible by changing the temperature and electrolyte concentration and by the addition of competing oligonucleotides. The system was reset and reused by subsequent refunctionalization of the emulsion droplets. DNA-directed self-assembly of oil-in-water emulsion droplets, therefore, offers a solid basis for programmable and recyclable soft materials that undergo structural rearrangements on demand and that range in application from information technology to medicine. PMID:23175791
Neuroanatomical and Cognitive Mediators of Age-Related Differences in Episodic Memory

PubMed Central

Head, Denise; Rodrigue, Karen M.; Kennedy, Kristen M.; Raz, Naftali

2009-01-01

Aging is associated with declines in episodic memory. In this study, the authors used a path analysis framework to explore the mediating role of differences in brain structure, executive functions, and processing speed in age-related differences in episodic memory. Measures of regional brain volume (prefrontal gray and white matter, caudate, hippocampus, visual cortex), executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, task switching, temporal processing), processing speed, and episodic memory were obtained in a sample of young and older adults. As expected, age was linked to reduction in regional brain volumes and cognitive performance. Moreover, neural and cognitive factors completely mediated age differences in episodic memory. Whereas hippocampal shrinkage directly affected episodic memory, prefrontal volumetric reductions influenced episodic memory via limitations in working memory and inhibitory control. Age-related slowing predicted reduced efficiency in temporal processing, working memory, and inhibitory control. Lastly, poorer temporal processing directly affected episodic memory. No direct effects of age on episodic memory remained once these factors were taken into account. These analyses highlight the value of a multivariate approach with the understanding of complex relationships in cognitive and brain aging. PMID:18590361
The Relationship of Communication to Productivity: Quality Circles as a Mediating Variable.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creagh, Sara; Smeltzer, Larry

Quality circles, small groups of employees working voluntarily toward performance improvement, have become a popular business strategy in the past decade. When effective, the quality circle may be linked directly to the increased productivity of the work group. The quality circle process may be divided into four components: identification and…
Technology in the Classroom: Using Video Links to Enable Long Distance Experiential Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chilton, Michael A.

2012-01-01

The experiential learning process is a method by which students learn from direct exposure to relevant applications within the discipline being taught. One way in which MIS students can benefit from experiential learning occurs when organizations in some way sponsor curricular outcomes. Sponsorship can range from classroom visits during which…
Mechanisms of Habitual Approach

PubMed Central

Anderson, Brian A.; Folk, Charles L.; Garrison, Rebecca; Rogers, Leeland

2016-01-01

Reward learning has a powerful influence on the attention system, causing previously reward-associated stimuli to automatically capture attention. Difficulty ignoring stimuli associated with drug reward has been linked to addiction relapse, and the attention system of drug-dependent patients seems especially influenced by reward history. This and other evidence suggests that value-driven attention has consequences for behavior and decision-making, facilitating a bias to approach and consume the previously reward-associated stimulus even when doing so runs counter to current goals and priorities. Yet, a mechanism linking value-driven attention to behavioral responding and a general approach bias is lacking. Here we show that previously reward-associated stimuli escape inhibitory processing in a go/no-go task. Control experiments confirmed that this value-dependent failure of goal-directed inhibition could not be explained by search history or residual motivation, but depended specifically on the learned association between particular stimuli and reward outcome. When a previously high-value stimulus is encountered, the response codes generated by that stimulus are automatically afforded high priority, bypassing goal-directed cognitive processes involved in suppressing task-irrelevant behavior. PMID:27054684
Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports.

PubMed

Lanou, Amy Joy; Svenson, Barbara

2010-12-20

This report reviews current evidence regarding the relationship between vegetarian eating patterns and cancer risk. Although plant-based diets including vegetarian and vegan diets are generally considered to be cancer protective, very few studies have directly addressed this question. Most large prospective observational studies show that vegetarian diets are at least modestly cancer protective (10%-12% reduction in overall cancer risk) although results for specific cancers are less clear. No long-term randomized clinical trials have been conducted to address this relationship. However, a broad body of evidence links specific plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, plant constituents such as fiber, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight to reduced risk of cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Also, research links the consumption of meat, especially red and processed meats, to increased risk of several types of cancer. Vegetarian and vegan diets increase beneficial plant foods and plant constituents, eliminate the intake of red and processed meat, and aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The direct and indirect evidence taken together suggests that vegetarian diets are a useful strategy for reducing risk of cancer.
The process behind the expression of mdr-1/P-gp and mrp/MRP in human leukemia/lymphoma.

PubMed

Hirose, Masao

2009-04-01

There is a controversy over the link between phenotypes of multidrug resistance (MDR) and clinical outcome in leukemia/lymphoma patients. This may be because the process behind the induction and loss of expression of genotypes and phenotypes by which MDR develops and the role of MDR in fresh cells of human leukemia/lymphoma are not clearly defined. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) increased and decreased along with mdr-1 expression in three cell lines out of five vincristine (VCR)-resistant cell lines. MRP appeared with increased mrp expression in the other two cell lines. After the drug was removed from the culture system, mdr-1/P-gp changed in parallel with the level of VCR resistance, although mrp and MRP did not. It was concluded that P-gp is directly derived from mdr-1 and that mdr-1/P-gp supports the VCR-resistance but mrp/MRP is not directly linked to the VCR-resistance. These results should contribute to a better understanding of MDR phenomenon in cancer.
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY'S NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION OF NEAR REAL-TIME HYDROLOGICAL DATA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shope, William G.; ,

1987-01-01

The US Geological Survey is utilizing a national network of more than 1000 satellite data-collection stations, four satellite-relay direct-readout ground stations, and more than 50 computers linked together in a private telecommunications network to acquire, process, and distribute hydrological data in near real-time. The four Survey offices operating a satellite direct-readout ground station provide near real-time hydrological data to computers located in other Survey offices through the Survey's Distributed Information System. The computerized distribution system permits automated data processing and distribution to be carried out in a timely manner under the control and operation of the Survey office responsible for the data-collection stations and for the dissemination of hydrological information to the water-data users.
Linking Individual and Collective Behavior in Adaptive Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinheiro, Flávio L.; Santos, Francisco C.; Pacheco, Jorge M.

2016-03-01

Adaptive social structures are known to promote the evolution of cooperation. However, up to now the characterization of the collective, population-wide dynamics resulting from the self-organization of individual strategies on a coevolving, adaptive network has remained unfeasible. Here we establish a (reversible) link between individual (micro)behavior and collective (macro)behavior for coevolutionary processes. We demonstrate that an adaptive network transforms a two-person social dilemma locally faced by individuals into a collective dynamics that resembles that associated with an N -person coordination game, whose characterization depends sensitively on the relative time scales between the entangled behavioral and network evolutions. In particular, we show that the faster the relative rate of adaptation of the network, the smaller the critical fraction of cooperators required for cooperation to prevail, thus establishing a direct link between network adaptation and the evolution of cooperation. The framework developed here is general and may be readily applied to other dynamical processes occurring on adaptive networks, notably, the spreading of contagious diseases or the diffusion of innovations.

Involvement of Serotonin Transporter Gene Polymorphisms (5-HTT) in Impulsive Behavior in the Japanese Population

PubMed Central

Nomura, Michio; Kaneko, Masayuki; Okuma, Yasunobu; Nomura, Jun; Kusumi, Ichiro; Koyama, Tsukasa; Nomura, Yasuyuki

2015-01-01

The serotonergic pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of impulsivity, and sensitivity to aversive outcomes may be linked to serotonin (5-HT) levels. Polymorphisms in the gene that encodes the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), which have differential effects on the level of serotonin transmission, display alternate responses to aversive stimuli. However, recent studies have shown that 5-HT does not affect motor function, which suggests that the functioning of the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) does not directly affect the behavioral regulatory process itself, but instead exerts an effect via the evaluation of the potential risk associated with particular behavioral outputs. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of specific 5-HTTLPR genotypes on the motor regulatory process, as observed during a Go/Nogo punishment feedback task. 5-HTT gene-linked promoter polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, using lymphocytes from 61 healthy Japanese volunteers. Impulsivity was defined as the number of commission errors (responding when one should not) made during a Go/Nogo task. We found that the s/s genotype group made fewer impulsive responses, specifically under aversive conditions for committing such errors, compared to those in the s/l group, without affecting overall motor inhibition. These results suggest that 5-HTTLPRs do not directly affect the behavioral regulatory process itself, but may instead exert an effect on the evaluation of potential risk. The results also indicate that under such aversive conditions, decreased expression of 5-HTT may promote motor inhibitory control. PMID:25775400
Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi Beam Directional Links

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-05

Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi-Beam Directional Links R. Bruce MacLeod Member, IEEE, and Adam Margetts Member, IEEE MIT...provide new techniques for increasing throughput in airborne adaptive directional net- works. By adaptive directional linking, we mean systems that can...techniques can dramatically increase the capacity in airborne networks. Advances in digital array technology are beginning to put these gains within reach
A 4-channel coil array interconnection by analog direct modulation optical link for 1.5-T MRI.

PubMed

Yuan, Jing; Wei, Juan; Shen, Gary X

2008-10-01

Optical glass fiber shows great advantages over coaxial cables in terms of electromagnetic interference, thus, it should be considered a potential alternative for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) receive coil interconnection, especially for a large number coil array at high field. In this paper, we propose a 4-channel analog direct modulation optical link for a 1.5-T MRI coil array interconnection. First, a general direct modulated optical link is compared to an external modulated optical link. And then the link performances of the proposed direct modulated optical link, including power gain, frequency response, and dynamic range, are analyzed and measured. Phantom and in vivo head images obtained using this optical link are demonstrated for comparison with those obtained by cable connections. The signal-to-noise (SNR) analysis shows that the optical link achieves 6%-8% SNR a improvement over coaxial cables by elimination of electrical interference between cables during MR signal transmission.
The Devil is in the Concepts: Lessons Learned from World War II Planning Staffs for Transitioning from Conceptual to Detailed Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

the planning process. Current US Army doctrine links conceptual planning to the Army Design Methodology and detailed planning to the Military...Decision Making Process. By associating conceptual and detailed planning with doctrinal methodologies , it is easy to regard the transition as a set period...plans into detailed directives resulting in changes to the operational environment. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Design; Army Design Methodology ; Conceptual
Decentering and Related Constructs: A Critical Review and Metacognitive Processes Model

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Amit; Hadash, Yuval; Lichtash, Yael; Tanay, Galia; Shepherd, Kathrine; Fresco, David M.

2016-01-01

The capacity to shift experiential perspective—from within one’s subjective experience onto that experience—is fundamental to being human. Scholars have long theorized that this metacognitive capacity—which we refer to as decentering—may play an important role in mental health. To help illuminate this mental phenomenon and its links to mental health, we critically examine decentering-related constructs and their respective literatures (e.g., self-distanced perspective, cognitive distancing, cognitive defusion). First, we introduce a novel metacognitive processes model of decentering. Specifically, we propose that, to varying degrees, decentering-related constructs reflect a common mental phenomenon subserved by three interrelated metacognitive processes: meta-awareness, disidentification from internal experience, and reduced reactivity to thought content. Second, we examine extant research linking decentering-related constructs and their underlying metacognitive processes to mental health. We conclude by proposing future directions for research that transcends decentering-related constructs in an effort to advance the field’s understanding of this facet of human experience and its role in (mal)adaptation. PMID:26385999
Neural bases of eye and gaze processing: The core of social cognition

PubMed Central

Itier, Roxane J.; Batty, Magali

2014-01-01

Eyes and gaze are very important stimuli for human social interactions. Recent studies suggest that impairments in recognizing face identity, facial emotions or in inferring attention and intentions of others could be linked to difficulties in extracting the relevant information from the eye region including gaze direction. In this review, we address the central role of eyes and gaze in social cognition. We start with behavioral data demonstrating the importance of the eye region and the impact of gaze on the most significant aspects of face processing. We review neuropsychological cases and data from various imaging techniques such as fMRI/PET and ERP/MEG, in an attempt to best describe the spatio-temporal networks underlying these processes. The existence of a neuronal eye detector mechanism is discussed as well as the links between eye gaze and social cognition impairments in autism. We suggest impairments in processing eyes and gaze may represent a core deficiency in several other brain pathologies and may be central to abnormal social cognition. PMID:19428496
Cell identity regulators link development and stress responses in the Arabidopsis root.

PubMed

Iyer-Pascuzzi, Anjali S; Jackson, Terry; Cui, Hongchang; Petricka, Jalean J; Busch, Wolfgang; Tsukagoshi, Hironaka; Benfey, Philip N

2011-10-18

Stress responses in plants are tightly coordinated with developmental processes, but interaction of these pathways is poorly understood. We used genome-wide assays at high spatiotemporal resolution to understand the processes that link development and stress in the Arabidopsis root. Our meta-analysis finds little evidence for a universal stress response. However, common stress responses appear to exist with many showing cell type specificity. Common stress responses may be mediated by cell identity regulators because mutations in these genes resulted in altered responses to stress. Evidence for a direct role for cell identity regulators came from genome-wide binding profiling of the key regulator SCARECROW, which showed binding to regulatory regions of stress-responsive genes. Coexpression in response to stress was used to identify genes involved in specific developmental processes. These results reveal surprising linkages between stress and development at cellular resolution, and show the power of multiple genome-wide data sets to elucidate biological processes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Potential Theory for Directed Networks

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qian-Ming; Lü, Linyuan; Wang, Wen-Qiang; Zhou, Tao

2013-01-01

Uncovering factors underlying the network formation is a long-standing challenge for data mining and network analysis. In particular, the microscopic organizing principles of directed networks are less understood than those of undirected networks. This article proposes a hypothesis named potential theory, which assumes that every directed link corresponds to a decrease of a unit potential and subgraphs with definable potential values for all nodes are preferred. Combining the potential theory with the clustering and homophily mechanisms, it is deduced that the Bi-fan structure consisting of 4 nodes and 4 directed links is the most favored local structure in directed networks. Our hypothesis receives strongly positive supports from extensive experiments on 15 directed networks drawn from disparate fields, as indicated by the most accurate and robust performance of Bi-fan predictor within the link prediction framework. In summary, our main contribution is twofold: (i) We propose a new mechanism for the local organization of directed networks; (ii) We design the corresponding link prediction algorithm, which can not only testify our hypothesis, but also find out direct applications in missing link prediction and friendship recommendation. PMID:23408979
Thioredoxin links redox to the regulation of fundamental processes of plant mitochondria

PubMed Central

Balmer, Yves; Vensel, William H.; Tanaka, Charlene K.; Hurkman, William J.; Gelhaye, Eric; Rouhier, Nicolas; Jacquot, Jean-Pierre; Manieri, Wanda; Schürmann, Peter; Droux, Michel; Buchanan, Bob B.

2004-01-01

Mitochondria contain thioredoxin (Trx), a regulatory disulfide protein, and an associated flavoenzyme, NADP/Trx reductase, which provide a link to NADPH in the organelle. Unlike animal and yeast counterparts, the function of Trx in plant mitochondria is largely unknown. Accordingly, we have applied recently devised proteomic approaches to identify soluble Trx-linked proteins in mitochondria isolated from photosynthetic (pea and spinach leaves) and heterotrophic (potato tubers) sources. Application of the mitochondrial extracts to mutant Trx affinity columns in conjunction with proteomics led to the identification of 50 potential Trx-linked proteins functional in 12 processes: photorespiration, citric acid cycle and associated reactions, lipid metabolism, electron transport, ATP synthesis/transformation, membrane transport, translation, protein assembly/folding, nitrogen metabolism, sulfur metabolism, hormone synthesis, and stress-related reactions. Almost all of these targets were also identified by a fluorescent gel electrophoresis procedure in which reduction by Trx can be observed directly. In some cases, the processes targeted by Trx depended on the source of the mitochondria. The results support the view that Trx acts as a sensor and enables mitochondria to adjust key reactions in accord with prevailing redox state. These and earlier findings further suggest that, by sensing redox in chloroplasts and mitochondria, Trx enables the two organelles of photosynthetic tissues to communicate by means of a network of transportable metabolites such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, malate, and glycolate. In this way, light absorbed and processed by means of chlorophyll can be perceived and function in regulating fundamental mitochondrial processes akin to its mode of action in chloroplasts. PMID:14983062
Thioredoxin links redox to the regulation of fundamental processes of plant mitochondria.

PubMed

Balmer, Yves; Vensel, William H; Tanaka, Charlene K; Hurkman, William J; Gelhaye, Eric; Rouhier, Nicolas; Jacquot, Jean-Pierre; Manieri, Wanda; Schürmann, Peter; Droux, Michel; Buchanan, Bob B

2004-02-24

Mitochondria contain thioredoxin (Trx), a regulatory disulfide protein, and an associated flavoenzyme, NADP/Trx reductase, which provide a link to NADPH in the organelle. Unlike animal and yeast counterparts, the function of Trx in plant mitochondria is largely unknown. Accordingly, we have applied recently devised proteomic approaches to identify soluble Trx-linked proteins in mitochondria isolated from photosynthetic (pea and spinach leaves) and heterotrophic (potato tubers) sources. Application of the mitochondrial extracts to mutant Trx affinity columns in conjunction with proteomics led to the identification of 50 potential Trx-linked proteins functional in 12 processes: photorespiration, citric acid cycle and associated reactions, lipid metabolism, electron transport, ATP synthesis/transformation, membrane transport, translation, protein assembly/folding, nitrogen metabolism, sulfur metabolism, hormone synthesis, and stress-related reactions. Almost all of these targets were also identified by a fluorescent gel electrophoresis procedure in which reduction by Trx can be observed directly. In some cases, the processes targeted by Trx depended on the source of the mitochondria. The results support the view that Trx acts as a sensor and enables mitochondria to adjust key reactions in accord with prevailing redox state. These and earlier findings further suggest that, by sensing redox in chloroplasts and mitochondria, Trx enables the two organelles of photosynthetic tissues to communicate by means of a network of transportable metabolites such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, malate, and glycolate. In this way, light absorbed and processed by means of chlorophyll can be perceived and function in regulating fundamental mitochondrial processes akin to its mode of action in chloroplasts.
The Transcription Factor EB Links Cellular Stress to the Immune Response  

PubMed Central

Nabar, Neel R.; Kehrl, John H.

2017-01-01

The transcription factor EB (TFEB) is the master transcriptional regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis. Recent advances have led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of lysosomes from a housekeeping cellular waste bin to a dynamically regulated pathway that is efficiently turned up or down based on cellular needs. TFEB coordinates the cellular response to nutrient deprivation and other forms of cell stress through the lysosome system, and regulates a myriad of cellular processes associated with this system including endocytosis, phagocytosis, autophagy, and lysosomal exocytosis. Autophagy and the endolysosomal system are critical to both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, with functions in effector cell priming and direct pathogen clearance. Recent studies have linked TFEB to the regulation of the immune response through the endolysosmal pathway and by direct transcriptional activation of immune related genes. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of TFEB’s function and the molecular mechanisms behind TFEB activation. Finally, we discuss recent advances linking TFEB to the immune response that positions lysosomal signaling as a potential target for immune modulation. PMID:28656016
The Transcription Factor EB Links Cellular Stress to the Immune Response  .

PubMed

Nabar, Neel R; Kehrl, John H

2017-06-01

The transcription factor EB (TFEB) is the master transcriptional regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis. Recent advances have led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of lysosomes from a housekeeping cellular waste bin to a dynamically regulated pathway that is efficiently turned up or down based on cellular needs. TFEB coordinates the cellular response to nutrient deprivation and other forms of cell stress through the lysosome system, and regulates a myriad of cellular processes associated with this system including endocytosis, phagocytosis, autophagy, and lysosomal exocytosis. Autophagy and the endolysosomal system are critical to both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, with functions in effector cell priming and direct pathogen clearance. Recent studies have linked TFEB to the regulation of the immune response through the endolysosmal pathway and by direct transcriptional activation of immune related genes. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of TFEB's function and the molecular mechanisms behind TFEB activation. Finally, we discuss recent advances linking TFEB to the immune response that positions lysosomal signaling as a potential target for immune modulation.
Autism, Context/Noncontext Information Processing, and Atypical Development

PubMed Central

Skoyles, John R.

2011-01-01

Autism has been attributed to a deficit in contextual information processing. Attempts to understand autism in terms of such a defect, however, do not include more recent computational work upon context. This work has identified that context information processing depends upon the extraction and use of the information hidden in higher-order (or indirect) associations. Higher-order associations underlie the cognition of context rather than that of situations. This paper starts by examining the differences between higher-order and first-order (or direct) associations. Higher-order associations link entities not directly (as with first-order ones) but indirectly through all the connections they have via other entities. Extracting this information requires the processing of past episodes as a totality. As a result, this extraction depends upon specialised extraction processes separate from cognition. This information is then consolidated. Due to this difference, the extraction/consolidation of higher-order information can be impaired whilst cognition remains intact. Although not directly impaired, cognition will be indirectly impaired by knock on effects such as cognition compensating for absent higher-order information with information extracted from first-order associations. This paper discusses the implications of this for the inflexible, literal/immediate, and inappropriate information processing of autistic individuals. PMID:22937255
Phase-modulated radio over fiber multimode links.

PubMed

Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José

2012-05-21

We present the first experimental demonstration of a phase-modulated MMF link implementing high-frequency digital transmission in a cost-effective solution based on direct detection. Successful subcarrier transmission of QPSK, 16-QAM and 64-QAM data channels for bit rates up to 120 Mb/s through a 5 km MMF link is achieved over the microwave region comprised between 6 and 20 GHz. The overall capacity of the proposed approach can be further increased by properly accommodating more passband channels in the operative frequency range determined by the phase-to-intensity conversion process provided by the dispersive nature of the optical fiber. In this sense, our results show the possibility of achieving an aggregate bit rate per length product of 144 Gb/s · km and confirm, in consequence, the possibility of broadband phase-modulated radio over fiber transmission through MMF links suitable for multichannel SCM signal distribution.
Direct brain recordings reveal hippocampal rhythm underpinnings of language processing.

PubMed

Piai, Vitória; Anderson, Kristopher L; Lin, Jack J; Dewar, Callum; Parvizi, Josef; Dronkers, Nina F; Knight, Robert T

2016-10-04

Language is classically thought to be supported by perisylvian cortical regions. Here we provide intracranial evidence linking the hippocampal complex to linguistic processing. We used direct recordings from the hippocampal structures to investigate whether theta oscillations, pivotal in memory function, track the amount of contextual linguistic information provided in sentences. Twelve participants heard sentences that were either constrained ("She locked the door with the") or unconstrained ("She walked in here with the") before presentation of the final word ("key"), shown as a picture that participants had to name. Hippocampal theta power increased for constrained relative to unconstrained contexts during sentence processing, preceding picture presentation. Our study implicates hippocampal theta oscillations in a language task using natural language associations that do not require memorization. These findings reveal that the hippocampal complex contributes to language in an active fashion, relating incoming words to stored semantic knowledge, a necessary process in the generation of sentence meaning.
Combustion and structure formation in SHS processes under microgravity conditions: SHS plans for microgravity experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merzhanov, A. G.

1995-01-01

This paper outlines ISMAN suggestions for the joint NASA-RSA project 'Combustion and Structure formation in SHS Processes under Microgravity Conditions'. The basic ideas of this work naturally follow from our almost 30-year experience in the field of SHS. As a matter of fact, we have already obtained some results in the following two directions closely related to the microgravity problem. One is the studies on SHS processes in the field of centrifugal forces. These studies aimed at the intensification of gravity-sensitive SHS processes in multicomponent highly caloric systems forming melts at high overloads (up to 2000 g). In other words, these studies had the objectives that are inverse to those in the microgravity studies. The second group of results directly relates to the microgravity problem and the project under consideration. These experiments played the important role in establishing links between SHS and microgravity.
Walking Back to the Future.

PubMed

Loeffler, Jonna; Raab, Markus; Cañal-Bruland, Rouwen

2017-09-01

Embodied cognition frameworks suggest a direct link between sensorimotor experience and cognitive representations of concepts ( Shapiro, 2011 ). We examined whether this holds also true for concepts that cannot be directly perceived with the sensorimotor system (i.e., temporal concepts). To test this, participants learned object-space (Exp. 1) or object-time (Exp. 2) associations. Afterwards, participants were asked to assign the objects to their location in space/time meanwhile they walked backward, forward, or stood on a treadmill. We hypothesized that walking backward should facilitate the online processing of "behind"/"past"-related stimuli, but hinder the processing of "ahead"/"future"-related stimuli, and a reversed effect for forward walking. Indeed, "ahead"- and "future"-related stimuli were processed slower during backward walking. During forward walking and standing, stimuli were processed equally fast. The results provide partial evidence for the activation of specific spatial and temporal concepts by whole-body movements and are discussed in the context of movement familiarity.
Applications of Emerging Parallel Optical Link Technology to High Energy Physics Experiments

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

Chramowicz, J.; Kwan, S.; Prosser, A.

2011-09-01

Modern particle detectors depend upon optical fiber links to deliver event data to upstream trigger and data processing systems. Future detector systems can benefit from the development of dense arrangements of high speed optical links emerging from the telecommunications and storage area network market segments. These links support data transfers in each direction at rates up to 120 Gbps in packages that minimize or even eliminate edge connector requirements. Emerging products include a class of devices known as optical engines which permit assembly of the optical transceivers in close proximity to the electrical interfaces of ASICs and FPGAs which handlemore » the data in parallel electrical format. Such assemblies will reduce required printed circuit board area and minimize electromagnetic interference and susceptibility. We will present test results of some of these parallel components and report on the development of pluggable FPGA Mezzanine Cards equipped with optical engines to provide to collaborators on the Versatile Link Common Project for the HI-LHC at CERN.« less
Quantifying planetary limits of Earth system processes relevant to human activity using a thermodynamic view of the whole Earth system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleidon, Axel

2014-05-01

Food, water, and energy play, obviously, a central role in maintaining human activity. In this contribution, I derive estimates for the fundamental limits on the rates by which these resources are provided by Earth system processes and the levels at which these can be used sustainably. The key idea here is that these resources are, directly or indirectly, generated out of the energy associated with the absorption of sunlight, and that the energy conversions from sunlight to other forms ultimately limit the generation of these resources. In order to derive these conversion limits, we need to trace the links between the processes that generate food, water and energy to the absorption of sunlight. The resource "food" results from biomass production by photosynthesis, which requires light and a sufficient magnitude of gas exchange of carbon dioxide at the surface, which is maintained by atmospheric motion which in turn is generated out of differential radiative heating and cooling. The resource "water" is linked to hydrologic cycling, with its magnitude being linked to the latent heat flux of the surface energy balance and water vapor transport in the atmosphere which is also driven by differential radiative heating and cooling. The availability of (renewable) energy is directly related to the generation of different forms of energy of climate system processes, such as the kinetic energy of atmospheric motion, which, again, relates to radiative heating differences. I use thermodynamics and its limits as a basis to establish the planetary limits of these processes and use a simple model to derive first-order estimates. These estimates compare quite well with observations, suggesting that this thermodynamic view of the whole Earth system provides an objective, physical basis to define and quantify planetary boundaries as well as the factors that shape these boundaries.
Vestibulo-cortical Hemispheric Dominance: the link between Anxiety and the Vestibular System?

PubMed

Bednarczuk, Nadja F; Casanovas Ortega, Marta; Fluri, Anne-Sophie; Arshad, Qadeer

2018-05-16

Vestibular processing and anxiety networks are functionally intertwined, as demonstrated by reports of reciprocal influences upon each other. Yet whether there is an underlying link between these two systems remains unknown Previous findings have highlighted the involvement of hemispheric lateralisation in processing of both anxiety and vestibular signals. Accordingly, we explored the interaction between vestibular cortical processing and anxiety by assessing the relationship between anxiety levels and the degree of hemispheric lateralisation of vestibulo-cortical processing in 64 right-handed, healthy individuals. Vestibulo-cortical hemispheric lateralisation was determined by gaging the degree of caloric-induced nystagmus suppression following modulation of cortical excitability using trans-cranial direct current stimulation targeted over the posterior parietal cortex, an area implicated in the processing of vestibular signals. The degree of nystagmus suppression yields an objective biomarker, allowing the quantification of the degree of right vestibulo-cortical hemisphere dominance. Anxiety levels were quantified using the Trait component of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire. Our findings demonstrate that the degree of an individual's vestibulo-cortical hemispheric dominance correlates with their anxiety levels. That is, those individuals with greater right hemispheric vestibulo-cortical dominance exhibited lower levels of anxiety. By extension, our results support the notion that hemispheric lateralisation determines an individual's emotional processing, thereby linking cortical circuits involved in processing anxiety and vestibular signals respectively. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Process control and recovery in the Link Monitor and Control Operator Assistant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Lorrine; Hill, Randall W., Jr.

1993-01-01

This paper describes our approach to providing process control and recovery functions in the Link Monitor and Control Operator Assistant (LMCOA). The focus of the LMCOA is to provide semi-automated monitor and control to support station operations in the Deep Space Network. The LMCOA will be demonstrated with precalibration operations for Very Long Baseline Interferometry on a 70-meter antenna. Precalibration, the task of setting up the equipment to support a communications link with a spacecraft, is a manual, time consuming and error-prone process. One problem with the current system is that it does not provide explicit feedback about the effects of control actions. The LMCOA uses a Temporal Dependency Network (TDN) to represent an end-to-end sequence of operational procedures and a Situation Manager (SM) module to provide process control, diagnosis, and recovery functions. The TDN is a directed network representing precedence, parallelism, precondition, and postcondition constraints. The SM maintains an internal model of the expected and actual states of the subsystems in order to determine if each control action executed successfully and to provide feedback to the user. The LMCOA is implemented on a NeXT workstation using Objective C, Interface Builder and the C Language Integrated Production System.
31 CFR 363.6 - What special terms do I need to know to understand this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... TreasuryDirect account at account establishment using an online verification service or offline... the online process by which all securities contained within the minor linked account are moved to the... transaction to convert a definitive savings bond to a book-entry bond. Online means use of the Internet. Owner...
31 CFR 363.6 - What special terms do I need to know to understand this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... TreasuryDirect account at account establishment using an online verification service or offline... the online process by which all securities contained within the minor linked account are moved to the... transaction to convert a definitive savings bond to a book-entry bond. Online means use of the Internet. Owner...
31 CFR 363.6 - What special terms do I need to know to understand this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... TreasuryDirect account at account establishment using an online verification service or offline... the online process by which all securities contained within the minor linked account are moved to the... transaction to convert a definitive savings bond to a book-entry bond. Online means use of the Internet. Owner...
30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the MMS Offshore Web site at: http://www.mms.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...
30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...
30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...
30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...
Connecting Learning: Brain-Based Strategies for Linking Prior Knowledge in the Library Media Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanderbilt, Kathi L.

2005-01-01

The brain is a complex organ and learning is a complex process. While there is not complete agreement among researchers about brain-based learning and its direct connection to neuroscience, knowledge about the brain as well as the examination of cognitive psychology, anthropology, professional experience, and educational research can provide…
Opportunity Knocks! Inquiry, the New National Social Studies and Science Standards, and You

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratzer, Mary Boyd

2014-01-01

To be recognized and adopted, the promise and potential of national standards must validate the instructional role of the school librarian and build formative knowledge through authentic process and products. Inquiry is a direct link to those dimensions. Standards that are rigorous and relevant optimize the developing brain's affinity for building…
Plan for a Statewide On-Line Information System for Libraries (MnLINK).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Education, St. Paul.

The 1996 Legislature directed the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (HESO), in cooperation with the Library Planning Task Force to, "create a plan and process to develop a statewide on-line information system for libraries"; this memo with attached information was submitted in fulfillment of that request. The name chosen for the…
The MicronEye Motion Monitor: A New Tool for Class and Laboratory Demonstrations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nissan, M.; And Others

1988-01-01

Describes a special camera that can be directly linked to a computer that has been adapted for studying movement. Discusses capture, processing, and analysis of two-dimensional data with either IBM PC or Apple II computers. Gives examples of a variety of mechanical tests including pendulum motion, air track, and air table. (CW)
A Platform for Change? Inclusive Research about "Choice and Control"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Val; Ponting, Lisa; Ford, Kerrie

2015-01-01

Participation, voice and control have long been central concerns in the research at Norah Fry. This paper focuses on inclusive research relating to choice and control, as experienced by people with learning disabilities who use personal budgets and direct payments, and aims to question how the process of inclusive research can be linked to wider…
World Wide Web Indexes and Hierarchical Lists: Finding Tools for the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munson, Kurt I.

1996-01-01

In World Wide Web indexing: (1) the creation process is automated; (2) the indexes are merely descriptive, not analytical of document content; (3) results may be sorted differently depending on the search engine; and (4) indexes link directly to the resources. This article compares the indexing methods and querying options of the search engines…
Adolescent Women's Sports Involvement and Sexual Behavior/Health: A Process-Level Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Stephanie Jacobs; Koerner, Susan Silverberg

2004-01-01

This multimethod study explored the promising link between organized sports involvement during the high school years and sexual behavior/health among 176 adolescent women. Using more sensitive and appropriate measures than those in existing studies and directed, in part, by cultural resource theory, this study helped to fill a gap in the…
From Labour Market to Labour Process: Finding a Basis for Curriculum in TVET

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamble, Jeanne

2016-01-01

In the sociology of education the relation between education and work is analysed in many ways and, since the rise of neoliberalism, increasingly in market terms. Skills are the dominant labour market currency, described in terms of competence profiles that seek to link educational qualifications directly to work. Contrary to the widespread appeal…
Development of a Mixed Methods Investigation of Process and Outcomes of Community-Based Participatory Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucero, Julie; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie; Alegria, Margarita; Greene-Moton, Ella; Israel, Barbara; Kastelic, Sarah; Magarati, Maya; Oetzel, John; Pearson, Cynthia; Schulz, Amy; Villegas, Malia; White Hat, Emily R.

2018-01-01

This article describes a mixed methods study of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership practices and the links between these practices and changes in health status and disparities outcomes. Directed by a CBPR conceptual model and grounded in indigenous-transformative theory, our nation-wide, cross-site study showcases the value…
Does Individual Secularism Promote Life Satisfaction? The Moderating Role of Societal Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Liman Man Wai; Bond, Michael H.

2010-01-01

This study was designed to examine the link between values and life satisfaction, examining the role of culture in this process. Secularism was found to predict life satisfaction scores at a small but statistically very significant level in persons from all nations participating in all four waves of the World Values Survey. The direction and…
Personal Responsibility versus God's Will: Religious and Non-religious Attributions for the Death of a Friend.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Crystal L.; Cohen, Lawrence H.

Attributions, attempts to link an event with its causes, enable people to understand and react to their surroundings. Because attributions are directly related to understanding events, and because this understanding influences how individuals then deal with events, attributions play a vital role in the coping process. To explore the nature of…
A 30 Gb/s full-duplex bi-directional transmission optical wireless-over fiber integration system at W-band.

PubMed

Tang, Chanjuan; Yu, Jianjun; Li, Xinying; Chi, Nan; Xiao, Jiangnan; Tian, Yumin; Zhang, Junwen

2014-01-13

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a full-duplex bi-directional transmission optical wireless-over fiber integration system at W-band (75-100 GHz) with the speed up to 15 Gb/s for both 95.4 GHz link and 88.6 GHz link for the first time. The generation of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless signal is based on the photonic technique by heterodyne mixing of an optical quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) signal with a free-running light at different wavelength. After 20 km fiber transmission, up to 30 Gb/s mm-wave signal is delivered over 2 m wireless link, and then converted to the optical signal for another 20 km fiber transmission. At the wireless receiver, coherent detection and advanced digital signal processing (DSP) are introduced to improve receiver sensitivity and system performance. With the OSNR of 15 dB, the bit error ratios (BERs) for 10 Gb/s signal transmission at 95.4 GHz and 88.6 GHz are below the forward-error-correction (FEC) threshold of 3.8 × 10(-3) whether post filter is used or not, while the BER for 15 Gb/s QPSK signal employing post filter in the link of 95.4 GHz is 2.9 × 10(-3).

STIM proteins and the endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions.

PubMed

Carrasco, Silvia; Meyer, Tobias

2011-01-01

Eukaryotic organelles can interact with each other through stable junctions where the two membranes are kept in close apposition. The junction that connects the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane (ER-PM junction) is unique in providing a direct communication link between the ER and the PM. In a recently discovered signaling process, STIM (stromal-interacting molecule) proteins sense a drop in ER Ca(2+) levels and directly activate Orai PM Ca(2+) channels across the junction space. In an inverse process, a voltage-gated PM Ca(2+) channel can directly open ER ryanodine-receptor Ca(2+) channels in striated-muscle cells. Although ER-PM junctions were first described 50 years ago, their broad importance in Ca(2+) signaling, as well as in the regulation of cholesterol and phosphatidylinositol lipid transfer, has only recently been realized. Here, we discuss research from different fields to provide a broad perspective on the structures and unique roles of ER-PM junctions in controlling signaling and metabolic processes.
Using minimal spanning trees to compare the reliability of network topologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leister, Karen J.; White, Allan L.; Hayhurst, Kelly J.

1990-01-01

Graph theoretic methods are applied to compute the reliability for several types of networks of moderate size. The graph theory methods used are minimal spanning trees for networks with bi-directional links and the related concept of strongly connected directed graphs for networks with uni-directional links. A comparison is conducted of ring networks and braided networks. The case is covered where just the links fail and the case where both links and nodes fail. Two different failure modes for the links are considered. For one failure mode, the link no longer carries messages. For the other failure mode, the link delivers incorrect messages. There is a description and comparison of link-redundancy versus path-redundancy as methods to achieve reliability. All the computations are carried out by means of a fault tree program.
Narrative and the social construction of adulthood.

PubMed

Hammack, Phillip L; Toolis, Erin

2014-01-01

This chapter develops three points of elaboration and theoretical expansion upon Cohler's (1982) treatise on personal narrative and life course. First, we highlight Cohler's emphasis on an interpretive, idiographic approach to the study of lives and reveal the radicalism of this approach, particularly in its ability to interrogate the lived experience of social categorization. Second, we link Cohler's position directly to cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and consider the link between inner and social speech through the idea of narrative engagement. Finally, following Cohler's life course perspective on human development, we suggest that adulthood is best conceived as a cultural discourse to which individuals orient their personal narratives through a dynamic process of narrative engagement rather than a clearly demarcated life stage. Emerging adulthood is linked to cultural and economic processes of globalization in the 21st century and challenges static notions of social roles traditionally associated with compulsory heterosexuality (e.g., marriage and parenthood). Narrative processes in emerging adulthood occur through both situated storytelling and the formation of a life story that provides coherence and social meaning, both of which have key implications for social stasis and change. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A direct modulated optical link for MRI RF receive coil interconnection.

PubMed

Yuan, Jing; Wei, Juan; Shen, G X

2007-11-01

Optical glass fiber is a promising alternative to traditional coaxial cables for MRI RF receive coil interconnection to avoid any crosstalk and electromagnetic interference between multiple channels. A direct modulated optical link is proposed for MRI coil interconnection in this paper. The link performances of power gain, frequency response and dynamic range are measured. Phantom and in vivo human head images have been demonstrated by the connection of this direct modulated optical link to a head coil on a 0.3T MRI scanner for the first time. Comparable image qualities to coaxial cable link verify the feasibility of using the optical link for imaging with minor modification on the existing scanners. This optical link could also be easily extended for multi-channel array interconnections at high field of 1.5 T.
The Myth of Spatial Reuse with Directional Antennas in Indoor Wireless Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshmanan, Sriram; Sundaresan, Karthikeyan; Rangarajan, Sampath; Sivakumar, Raghupathy

Interference among co-channel users is a fundamental problem in wireless networks, which prevents nearby links from operating concurrently. Directional antennas allow the radiation patterns of wireless transmitters to be shaped to form directed beams. Conventionally, such beams are assumed to improve the spatial reuse (i.e. concurrency) in indoor wireless networks. In this paper, we use experiments in an indoor office setting of Wifi Access points equipped with directional antennas, to study their potential for interference mitigation and spatial reuse. In contrast to conventional wisdom, we observe that the interference mitigation benefits of directional antennas are minimal. On analyzing our experimental traces we observe that directional links do not reduce interference to nearby links due to the lack of signal confinement due to indoor multipath fading. We then use the insights derived from our study to develop an alternative approach that provides better interference reduction in indoor networks compared to directional links.
Neurons in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Multiplex Information about Reward and Action

PubMed Central

Hayden, Benjamin Y.; Platt, Michael L.

2010-01-01

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is thought to play a critical role in forming associations between rewards and actions. Currently available physiological data, however, remain inconclusive regarding the question of whether dACC neurons carry information linking particular actions to reward or, instead, encode abstract reward information independent of specific actions. Here we show that firing rates of a majority of dACC neurons in a population studied in an eight-option variably rewarded choice task were sensitive to both saccade direction and reward value. Furthermore, the influences of reward and saccade direction on neuronal activity were roughly equal in magnitude over the range of rewards tested and were statistically independent. Our results indicate that dACC neurons multiplex information about both reward and action, endorsing the idea that this area links motivational outcomes to behavior and undermining the notion that its neurons solely contribute to reward processing in the abstract. PMID:20203193
Experimental demonstration of real-time adaptively modulated DDO-OFDM systems with a high spectral efficiency up to 5.76bit/s/Hz transmission over SMF links.

PubMed

Chen, Ming; He, Jing; Tang, Jin; Wu, Xian; Chen, Lin

2014-07-28

In this paper, a FPGAs-based real-time adaptively modulated 256/64/16QAM-encoded base-band OFDM transceiver with a high spectral efficiency up to 5.76bit/s/Hz is successfully developed, and experimentally demonstrated in a simple intensity-modulated direct-detection optical communication system. Experimental results show that it is feasible to transmit a raw signal bit rate of 7.19Gbps adaptively modulated real-time optical OFDM signal over 20km and 50km single mode fibers (SMFs). The performance comparison between real-time and off-line digital signal processing is performed, and the results show that there is a negligible power penalty. In addition, to obtain the best transmission performance, direct-current (DC) bias voltage for MZM and launch power into optical fiber links are explored in the real-time optical OFDM systems.
Pathomechanisms in Lysosomal Storage Disorders

PubMed Central

Walkley, Steven U.; Vanier, Marie T.

2015-01-01

Lysosomal diseases are inherited metabolic disorders caused by defects in a wide spectrum of lysosomal and a few non-lysosomal proteins. In most cases a single type of primary storage material is identified, which has been used to name and classify the disorders: hence the terms sphingolipidoses, gangliosidoses, mucopolysaccharidoses, glycoproteinoses, and so forth. In addition to this primary storage, however, a host of secondary storage products can also be identified, more often than not having no direct link to the primary protein defect. Lipids - glycosphingolipids and phospholipids, as well as cholesterol - are the most ubiquitous and best studied of these secondary storage materials. While in the past typically considered nonspecific and nonconsequential features of these diseases, newer studies suggest direct links between secondary storage and disease pathogenesis and support the view that understanding all aspects of this sequestration process will provide important insights into the cell biology and treatment of lysosomal disease. PMID:19111580
Modeling and Simulation of High Dimensional Stochastic Multiscale PDE Systems at the Exascale

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

Kevrekidis, Ioannis

2017-03-22

The thrust of the proposal was to exploit modern data-mining tools in a way that will create a systematic, computer-assisted approach to the representation of random media -- and also to the representation of the solutions of an array of important physicochemical processes that take place in/on such media. A parsimonious representation/parametrization of the random media links directly (via uncertainty quantification tools) to good sampling of the distribution of random media realizations. It also links directly to modern multiscale computational algorithms (like the equation-free approach that has been developed in our group) and plays a crucial role in accelerating themore » scientific computation of solutions of nonlinear PDE models (deterministic or stochastic) in such media – both solutions in particular realizations of the random media, and estimation of the statistics of the solutions over multiple realizations (e.g. expectations).« less
Direct simulation Monte Carlo method for the Uehling-Uhlenbeck-Boltzmann equation.

PubMed

Garcia, Alejandro L; Wagner, Wolfgang

2003-11-01

In this paper we describe a direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithm for the Uehling-Uhlenbeck-Boltzmann equation in terms of Markov processes. This provides a unifying framework for both the classical Boltzmann case as well as the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein cases. We establish the foundation of the algorithm by demonstrating its link to the kinetic equation. By numerical experiments we study its sensitivity to the number of simulation particles and to the discretization of the velocity space, when approximating the steady-state distribution.
Linking quality indicators to clinical trials: an automated approach

PubMed Central

Coiera, Enrico; Choong, Miew Keen; Tsafnat, Guy; Hibbert, Peter; Runciman, William B.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective Quality improvement of health care requires robust measurable indicators to track performance. However identifying which indicators are supported by strong clinical evidence, typically from clinical trials, is often laborious. This study tests a novel method for automatically linking indicators to clinical trial registrations. Design A set of 522 quality of care indicators for 22 common conditions drawn from the CareTrack study were automatically mapped to outcome measures reported in 13 971 trials from ClinicalTrials.gov. Intervention Text mining methods extracted phrases mentioning indicators and outcome phrases, and these were compared using the Levenshtein edit distance ratio to measure similarity. Main Outcome Measure Number of care indicators that mapped to outcome measures in clinical trials. Results While only 13% of the 522 CareTrack indicators were thought to have Level I or II evidence behind them, 353 (68%) could be directly linked to randomized controlled trials. Within these 522, 50 of 70 (71%) Level I and II evidence-based indicators, and 268 of 370 (72%) Level V (consensus-based) indicators could be linked to evidence. Of the indicators known to have evidence behind them, only 5.7% (4 of 70) were mentioned in the trial reports but were missed by our method. Conclusions We automatically linked indicators to clinical trial registrations with high precision. Whilst the majority of quality indicators studied could be directly linked to research evidence, a small portion could not and these require closer scrutiny. It is feasible to support the process of indicator development using automated methods to identify research evidence. PMID:28651340
Adjustable link for kinematic mounting systems

DOEpatents

Hale, Layton C.

1997-01-01

An adjustable link for kinematic mounting systems. The adjustable link is a low-cost, passive device that provides backlash-free adjustment along its single constraint direction and flexural freedom in all other directions. The adjustable link comprises two spheres, two sockets in which the spheres are adjustable retain, and a connection link threadly connected at each end to the spheres, to provide a single direction of restraint and to adjust the length or distance between the sockets. Six such adjustable links provide for six degrees of freedom for mounting an instrument on a support. The adjustable link has applications in any machine or instrument requiring precision adjustment in six degrees of freedom, isolation from deformations of the supporting platform, and/or additional structural damping. The damping is accomplished by using a hollow connection link that contains an inner rod and a viscoelastic separation layer between the two.
Adjustable link for kinematic mounting systems

DOEpatents

Hale, L.C.

1997-07-01

An adjustable link for kinematic mounting systems is disclosed. The adjustable link is a low-cost, passive device that provides backlash-free adjustment along its single constraint direction and flexural freedom in all other directions. The adjustable link comprises two spheres, two sockets in which the spheres are adjustable retain, and a connection link threadly connected at each end to the spheres, to provide a single direction of restraint and to adjust the length or distance between the sockets. Six such adjustable links provide for six degrees of freedom for mounting an instrument on a support. The adjustable link has applications in any machine or instrument requiring precision adjustment in six degrees of freedom, isolation from deformations of the supporting platform, and/or additional structural damping. The damping is accomplished by using a hollow connection link that contains an inner rod and a viscoelastic separation layer between the two. 3 figs.
Oscillatory theta activity during memory formation and its impact on overnight consolidation: a missing link?

PubMed

Heib, Dominik P J; Hoedlmoser, Kerstin; Anderer, Peter; Gruber, Georg; Zeitlhofer, Josef; Schabus, Manuel

2015-08-01

Sleep has been shown to promote memory consolidation driven by certain oscillatory patterns, such as sleep spindles. However, sleep does not consolidate all newly encoded information uniformly but rather "selects" certain memories for consolidation. It is assumed that such selection depends on salience tags attached to the new memories before sleep. However, little is known about the underlying neuronal processes reflecting presleep memory tagging. The current study sought to address the question of whether event-related changes in spectral theta power (theta ERSP) during presleep memory formation could reflect memory tagging that influences subsequent consolidation during sleep. Twenty-four participants memorized 160 word pairs before sleep; in a separate laboratory visit, they performed a nonlearning control task. Memory performance was tested twice, directly before and after 8 hr of sleep. Results indicate that participants who improved their memory performance overnight displayed stronger theta ERSP during the memory task in comparison with the control task. They also displayed stronger memory task-related increases in fast sleep spindle activity. Furthermore, presleep theta activity was directly linked to fast sleep spindle activity, indicating that processes during memory formation might indeed reflect memory tagging that influences subsequent consolidation during sleep. Interestingly, our results further indicate that the suggested relation between sleep spindles and overnight performance change is not as direct as once believed. Rather, it appears to be mediated by processes beginning during presleep memory formation. We conclude that theta ERSP during presleep memory formation reflects cortico-hippocampal interactions that lead to a better long-term accessibility by tagging memories for sleep spindle-related reprocessing.
Manifold decoding for neural representations of face viewpoint and gaze direction using magnetoencephalographic data.

PubMed

Kuo, Po-Chih; Chen, Yong-Sheng; Chen, Li-Fen

2018-05-01

The main challenge in decoding neural representations lies in linking neural activity to representational content or abstract concepts. The transformation from a neural-based to a low-dimensional representation may hold the key to encoding perceptual processes in the human brain. In this study, we developed a novel model by which to represent two changeable features of faces: face viewpoint and gaze direction. These features are embedded in spatiotemporal brain activity derived from magnetoencephalographic data. Our decoding results demonstrate that face viewpoint and gaze direction can be represented by manifold structures constructed from brain responses in the bilateral occipital face area and right superior temporal sulcus, respectively. Our results also show that the superposition of brain activity in the manifold space reveals the viewpoints of faces as well as directions of gazes as perceived by the subject. The proposed manifold representation model provides a novel opportunity to gain further insight into the processing of information in the human brain. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Gazing at me: the importance of social meaning in understanding direct-gaze cues

PubMed Central

Hamilton, Antonia F. de C.

2016-01-01

Direct gaze is an engaging and important social cue, but the meaning of direct gaze depends heavily on the surrounding context. This paper reviews some recent studies of direct gaze, to understand more about what neural and cognitive systems are engaged by this social cue and why. The data show that gaze can act as an arousal cue and can modulate actions, and can activate brain regions linked to theory of mind and self-related processing. However, all these results are strongly modulated by the social meaning of a gaze cue and by whether participants believe that another person is really watching them. The implications of these contextual effects and audience effects for our theories of gaze are considered. PMID:26644598
Psoralen interstrand cross-link repair is specifically altered by an adjacent triple-stranded structure

PubMed Central

Guillonneau, F.; Guieysse, A. L.; Nocentini, S.; Giovannangeli, C.; Praseuth, D.

2004-01-01

Targeting DNA-damaging agents to specific DNA sites by using sequence-specific DNA ligands has been successful in directing genomic modifications. The understanding of repair processing of such targeted damage and the influence of the adjacent complex is largely unknown. In this way, directed interstrand cross-links (ICLs) have already been generated by psoralen targeting. The mechanisms responsible for ICL removal are far from being understood in mammalian cells, with the proposed involvement of both mutagenic and recombinogenic pathways. Here, a unique ICL was introduced at a selected site by photoactivation of a psoralen moiety with the use of psoralen conjugates of triplex-forming oligonucleotides. The processing of psoralen ICL was evaluated in vitro and in cells for two types of cross-linked substrates, either containing a psoralen ICL alone or with an adjacent triple-stranded structure. We show that the presence of a neighbouring triplex structure interferes with different stages of psoralen ICL processing: (i) the ICL-induced DNA repair synthesis in HeLa cell extracts is inhibited by the triplex structure, as measured by the efficiency of ‘true’ and futile repair synthesis, stopping at the ICL site; (ii) in HeLa cells, the ICL removal via a nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway is delayed in the presence of a neighbouring triplex; and (iii) the binding to ICL of recombinant xeroderma pigmentosum A protein, which is involved in pre-incision recruitment of NER factors is impaired by the presence of the third DNA strand. These data characterize triplex-induced modulation of ICL repair pathways at specific steps, which might have implications for the controlled induction of targeted genomic modifications and for the associated cellular responses. PMID:14966263
Neural Correlates of Opposing Effects of Emotional Distraction on Perception and Episodic Memory: An Event-Related fMRI Investigation

PubMed Central

Shafer, Andrea T.; Dolcos, Florin

2012-01-01

A main question in emotion and memory literature concerns the relationship between the immediate impact of emotional distraction on perception and the long-term impact of emotion on memory. While previous research shows both automatic and resource-mediated mechanisms to be involved in initial emotion processing and memory, it remains unclear what the exact relationship between the immediate and long-term effects is, and how this relationship may change as a function of manipulations at perception favoring the engagement of either more automatic or mediated mechanisms. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we varied the degree of resource availability for processing task-irrelevant emotional information, to determine how the initial (impairing) impact of emotional distraction related to the long-term (enhancing) impact of emotion on memory. Results showed that a direct relationship between emotional distraction and memory was dependent on automatic mechanisms, as this was found only under conditions of limited resource availability and engagement of amygdala (AMY)-hippocampal (HC) mechanisms to both impairing and enhancing effects. A hemispheric disassociation was also identified in AMY-HC, where while both sides were associated with emotional distraction and left AMY and anterior HC were linked to emotional memory, functional asymmetry was only identified in the posterior HC, with only the left side contributing to emotional memory. Finally, areas dissociating between the two opposing effects included the medial frontal, precentral, superior temporal, and middle occipital gyri (linked to emotional distraction), and the superior parietal cortex (linked to emotional memory). These findings demonstrate the relationship between emotional distraction and memory is context dependent and that specific brain regions may be more or less susceptible to the direction of emotional modulation (increased or decreased), depending on the task manipulation, and processes investigated. PMID:23049502
The Verriest Lecture: Color lessons from space, time, and motion

PubMed Central

Shevell, Steven K.

2012-01-01

The appearance of a chromatic stimulus depends on more than the wavelengths composing it. The scientific literature has countless examples showing that spatial and temporal features of light influence the colors we see. Studying chromatic stimuli that vary over space, time or direction of motion has a further benefit beyond predicting color appearance: the unveiling of otherwise concealed neural processes of color vision. Spatial or temporal stimulus variation uncovers multiple mechanisms of brightness and color perception at distinct levels of the visual pathway. Spatial variation in chromaticity and luminance can change perceived three-dimensional shape, an example of chromatic signals that affect a percept other than color. Chromatic objects in motion expose the surprisingly weak link between the chromaticity of objects and their physical direction of motion, and the role of color in inducing an illusory motion direction. Space, time and motion – color’s colleagues – reveal the richness of chromatic neural processing. PMID:22330398
Children and violence: the role of children's regulation in the marital aggression-child adjustment link.

PubMed

Cummings, E Mark; El-Sheikh, Mona; Kouros, Chrystyna D; Buckhalt, Joseph A

2009-03-01

Exposure to marital psychological and physical abuse has been established as a risk factor for children's socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Understanding the processes by which children develop symptoms of psychopathology and deficits in cognitive functioning in the context of marital aggression is imperative for developing efficient and effective treatment programs for children and families, and has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper outlines our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Aggression, which focuses on children's emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation as pathways in the marital aggression-child development link. Findings from our research program, which highlight the importance of children's regulatory processes for understanding children's adjustment in contexts of intimate partner violence, are presented, and future directions in this line of inquiry are outlined.

Where syntax meets math: Right Intraparietal Sulcus activation in response to grammatical number agreement violations

PubMed Central

Carreiras, Manuel; Carr, Lindsay; Barber, Horacio A.; Hernandez, Arturo

2009-01-01

Previous research has shown that the processing of words referring to actions activated motor areas. Here we show activation of the right intraparietal sulcus, an area that has been associated with quantity processing, when participants are asked to read pairs of words with number agreement violations as opposed to phrases with gender agreement violations or with no violation. In addition, we show activation in the left premotor and left inferior frontal areas when either gender or number agreement is violated. We argue that number violation automatically activates processes linked to quantity processing which are not directly related to language mechanisms. PMID:19800410
Sex differences in adults' relative visual interest in female and male faces, toys, and play styles.

PubMed

Alexander, Gerianne M; Charles, Nora

2009-06-01

An individual's reproductive potential appears to influence response to attractive faces of the opposite sex. Otherwise, relatively little is known about the characteristics of the adult observer that may influence his or her affective evaluation of male and female faces. An untested hypothesis (based on the proposed role of attractive faces in mate selection) is that most women would show greater interest in male faces whereas most men would show greater interest in female faces. Further, evidence from individuals with preferences for same-sex sexual partners suggests that response to attractive male and female faces may be influenced by gender-linked play preferences. To test these hypotheses, visual attention directed to sex-linked stimuli (faces, toys, play styles) was measured in 39 men and 44 women using eye tracking technology. Consistent with our predictions, men directed greater visual attention to all male-typical stimuli and visual attention to male and female faces was associated with visual attention to gender conforming or nonconforming stimuli in a manner consistent with previous research on sexual orientation. In contrast, women showed a visual preference for female-typical toys, but no visual preference for male faces or female-typical play styles. These findings indicate that sex differences in visual processing extend beyond stimuli associated with adult sexual behavior. We speculate that sex differences in visual processing are a component of the expression of gender phenotypes across the lifespan that may reflect sex differences in the motivational properties of gender-linked stimuli.
The Effect of Pinyin Input Experience on the Link between Semantic and Phonology of Chinese Character in Digital Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jingjun; Luo, Rong; Liu, Huashan

2017-01-01

With the development of ICT, digital writing is becoming much more common in people's life. Differently from keyboarding alphabets directly to input English words, keyboarding Chinese character is always through typing phonetic alphabets and then identify the glyph provided by Pinyin input-method software while in this process which do not need…
Intuition and Insight: Two Concepts That Illuminate the Tacit in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Richard

2015-01-01

Tacit knowledge, that is knowledge not expressible in words, may play a role in learning science, yet it is difficult to study directly. Intuition and insight, two processes that link the tacit and the explicit, are proposed as a route to investigating tacit knowledge. Intuitions are defined as tacit hunches or feelings that influence thought with…
Morning nutrition and executive function processes in preadolescents: modulation of frontal event-related theta, beta and gamma EEG oscillations during a go/ no-go task

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Executive functions (i.e., goal-directed behavior such as inhibition and flexibility of action) have been linked to frontal brain regions and to covariations in oscillatory brain activity, e.g., theta and gamma activity. We studied the effects of morning nutritional status on executive function rel...
Toward Bridging the Mechanistic Gap between Genes and Traits by Emphasizing the Role of Proteins in a Computational Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haskel-Ittah, Michal; Yarden, Anat

2017-01-01

Previous studies have shown that students often ignore molecular mechanisms when describing genetic phenomena. Specifically, students tend to directly link genes to their encoded traits, ignoring the role of proteins as mediators in this process. We tested the ability of 10th grade students to connect genes to traits through proteins, using…
Noise model for low-frequency through-the-Earth communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raab, Frederick H.

2010-12-01

Analysis and simulation of through-the-Earth communication links and signal processing techniques require a more complete noise model than is needed for the analysis of conventional communication systems. This paper presents a multicomponent noise model that includes impulsive characteristics, direction-of-arrival characteristics, and effects of local geology. The noise model is derived from theoretical considerations and confirmed by field tests.
75 FR 7209 - Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Corporation (RRC) AE 3007A Series Turbofan Engines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-18

... any comments on this proposed AD by March 22, 2010. ADDRESSES: Use one of the following addresses to... field data to have a causal link to a manufacturing process that led to incomplete shot peening on the... determined to have been fully shot peened in the drive arm fillet are excluded from the inspection...
Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports

PubMed Central

Lanou, Amy Joy; Svenson, Barbara

2011-01-01

This report reviews current evidence regarding the relationship between vegetarian eating patterns and cancer risk. Although plant-based diets including vegetarian and vegan diets are generally considered to be cancer protective, very few studies have directly addressed this question. Most large prospective observational studies show that vegetarian diets are at least modestly cancer protective (10%–12% reduction in overall cancer risk) although results for specific cancers are less clear. No long-term randomized clinical trials have been conducted to address this relationship. However, a broad body of evidence links specific plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, plant constituents such as fiber, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight to reduced risk of cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Also, research links the consumption of meat, especially red and processed meats, to increased risk of several types of cancer. Vegetarian and vegan diets increase beneficial plant foods and plant constituents, eliminate the intake of red and processed meat, and aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The direct and indirect evidence taken together suggests that vegetarian diets are a useful strategy for reducing risk of cancer. PMID:21407994
Functional O-GlcNAc modifications: Implications in molecular regulation and pathophysiology

PubMed Central

Wells, Lance

2016-01-01

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a regulatory post-translational modification of intracellular proteins. The dynamic and inducible cycling of the modification is governed by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) in response to UDP-GlcNAc levels in the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). Due to its reliance on glucose flux and substrate availability, a major focus in the field has been on how O-GlcNAc contributes to metabolic disease. For years this post-translational modification has been known to modify thousands of proteins implicated in various disorders, but direct functional connections have until recently remained elusive. New research is beginning to reveal the specific mechanisms through which O-GlcNAc influences cell dynamics and disease pathology including clear examples of O-GlcNAc modification at a specific site on a given protein altering its biological functions. The following review intends to focus primarily on studies in the last half decade linking O-GlcNAc modification of proteins with chromatin-directed gene regulation, developmental processes, and several metabolically related disorders including Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer. These studies illustrate the emerging importance of this post-translational modification in biological processes and multiple pathophysiologies. PMID:24524620
The effects of serotonin manipulations on emotional information processing and mood.

PubMed

Merens, Wendelien; Willem Van der Does, A J; Spinhoven, Philip

2007-11-01

Serotonin is implicated in both mood and cognition. It has recently been shown that antidepressant treatment has immediate effects on emotional information processing, which is much faster than any clinically significant effects. This review aims to investigate whether the effects on emotional information processing are reliable, and whether these effects are related to eventual clinical outcome. Treatment-efficiency may be greatly improved if early changes in emotional information processing are found to predict clinical outcome following antidepressant treatment. Review of studies investigating the short-term effects of serotonin manipulations (including medication) on the processing of emotional information, using PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Twenty-five studies were identified. Serotonin manipulations were found to affect attentional bias, facial emotion recognition, emotional memory, dysfunctional attitudes and decision making. The sequential link between changes in emotional processing and mood remains to be further investigated. The number of studies on serotonin manipulations and emotional information processing in currently depressed subjects is small. No studies yet have directly tested the link between emotional information processing and clinical outcome during the course of antidepressant treatment. Serotonin function is related to several aspects of emotional information processing, but it is unknown whether these changes predict or have any relationship with clinical outcome. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Driving Protein Conformational Changes with Light: Photoinduced Structural Rearrangement in a Heterobimetallic Oxidase.

PubMed

Maugeri, Pearson T; Griese, Julia J; Branca, Rui M; Miller, Effie K; Smith, Zachary R; Eirich, Jürgen; Högbom, Martin; Shafaat, Hannah S

2018-01-31

The heterobimetallic R2lox protein binds both manganese and iron ions in a site-selective fashion and activates oxygen, ultimately performing C-H bond oxidation to generate a tyrosine-valine cross-link near the active site. In this work, we demonstrate that, following assembly, R2lox undergoes photoinduced changes to the active site geometry and metal coordination motif. Through spectroscopic, structural, and mass spectrometric characterization, the photoconverted species is found to consist of a tyrosinate-bound iron center following light-induced decarboxylation of a coordinating glutamate residue and cleavage of the tyrosine-valine cross-link. This process occurs with high quantum efficiencies (Φ = 3%) using violet and near-ultraviolet light, suggesting that the photodecarboxylation is initiated via ligand-to-metal charge transfer excitation. Site-directed mutagenesis and structural analysis suggest that the cross-linked tyrosine-162 is the coordinating residue. One primary product is observed following irradiation, indicating potential use of this class of proteins, which contains a putative substrate channel, for controlled photoinduced decarboxylation processes, with relevance for in vivo functionality of R2lox as well as application in environmental remediation.
Near Theoretical Gigabit Link Efficiency for Distributed Data Acquisition Systems

PubMed Central

Abu-Nimeh, Faisal T.; Choong, Woon-Seng

2017-01-01

Link efficiency, data integrity, and continuity for high-throughput and real-time systems is crucial. Most of these applications require specialized hardware and operating systems as well as extensive tuning in order to achieve high efficiency. Here, we present an implementation of gigabit Ethernet data streaming which can achieve 99.26% link efficiency while maintaining no packet losses. The design and implementation are built on OpenPET, an opensource data acquisition platform for nuclear medical imaging, where (a) a crate hosting multiple OpenPET detector boards uses a User Datagram Protocol over Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) Ethernet soft-core, that is capable of understanding PAUSE frames, to stream data out to a computer workstation; (b) the receiving computer uses Netmap to allow the processing software (i.e., user space), which is written in Python, to directly receive and manage the network card’s ring buffers, bypassing the operating system kernel’s networking stack; and (c) a multi-threaded application using synchronized queues is implemented in the processing software (Python) to free up the ring buffers as quickly as possible while preserving data integrity and flow continuity. PMID:28630948
Near Theoretical Gigabit Link Efficiency for Distributed Data Acquisition Systems.

PubMed

Abu-Nimeh, Faisal T; Choong, Woon-Seng

2017-03-01

Link efficiency, data integrity, and continuity for high-throughput and real-time systems is crucial. Most of these applications require specialized hardware and operating systems as well as extensive tuning in order to achieve high efficiency. Here, we present an implementation of gigabit Ethernet data streaming which can achieve 99.26% link efficiency while maintaining no packet losses. The design and implementation are built on OpenPET, an opensource data acquisition platform for nuclear medical imaging, where (a) a crate hosting multiple OpenPET detector boards uses a User Datagram Protocol over Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) Ethernet soft-core, that is capable of understanding PAUSE frames, to stream data out to a computer workstation; (b) the receiving computer uses Netmap to allow the processing software (i.e., user space), which is written in Python, to directly receive and manage the network card's ring buffers, bypassing the operating system kernel's networking stack; and (c) a multi-threaded application using synchronized queues is implemented in the processing software (Python) to free up the ring buffers as quickly as possible while preserving data integrity and flow continuity.
Benchmarking facilities providing care: An international overview of initiatives

PubMed Central

Thonon, Frédérique; Watson, Jonathan; Saghatchian, Mahasti

2015-01-01

We performed a literature review of existing benchmarking projects of health facilities to explore (1) the rationales for those projects, (2) the motivation for health facilities to participate, (3) the indicators used and (4) the success and threat factors linked to those projects. We studied both peer-reviewed and grey literature. We examined 23 benchmarking projects of different medical specialities. The majority of projects used a mix of structure, process and outcome indicators. For some projects, participants had a direct or indirect financial incentive to participate (such as reimbursement by Medicaid/Medicare or litigation costs related to quality of care). A positive impact was reported for most projects, mainly in terms of improvement of practice and adoption of guidelines and, to a lesser extent, improvement in communication. Only 1 project reported positive impact in terms of clinical outcomes. Success factors and threats are linked to both the benchmarking process (such as organisation of meetings, link with existing projects) and indicators used (such as adjustment for diagnostic-related groups). The results of this review will help coordinators of a benchmarking project to set it up successfully. PMID:26770800
Fostering Resilience: A Necessary Skill for Teacher Retention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doney, Patricia A.

2013-06-01

The goal of this qualitative 2-year study was to examine the resilience building process in four novice secondary science teachers and its link to teacher retention. To achieve the research goal, a resilience framework was established. Three factors were instrumental in creating the framework. The first focused on stressors and protective factors in the lives of novice secondary science teachers and provided direction and goals for the research. Second, a case study was developed for each of the four teachers participating in the research in order to emphasize the detailed analysis of factors linked to resilience. Finally, cross-case analysis was employed to identify similarities and differences and provide insight into issues concerning the resilience process. Results of this study suggest that the interaction between stressors and protective factors acts as a primary force in the resilience process and stimulate responses to help counteract negative effects of resulting stress. Therefore, it can be reasoned that resilience can be fostered in novice teachers as a means to encourage teacher retention.
Modeling Global Biogenic Emission of Isoprene: Exploration of Model Drivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Susan E.; Potter, Christopher S.; Coughlan, Joseph C.; Klooster, Steven A.; Lerdau, Manuel T.; Chatfield, Robert B.; Peterson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

Vegetation provides the major source of isoprene emission to the atmosphere. We present a modeling approach to estimate global biogenic isoprene emission. The isoprene flux model is linked to a process-based computer simulation model of biogenic trace-gas fluxes that operates on scales that link regional and global data sets and ecosystem nutrient transformations Isoprene emission estimates are determined from estimates of ecosystem specific biomass, emission factors, and algorithms based on light and temperature. Our approach differs from an existing modeling framework by including the process-based global model for terrestrial ecosystem production, satellite derived ecosystem classification, and isoprene emission measurements from a tropical deciduous forest. We explore the sensitivity of model estimates to input parameters. The resulting emission products from the global 1 degree x 1 degree coverage provided by the satellite datasets and the process model allow flux estimations across large spatial scales and enable direct linkage to atmospheric models of trace-gas transport and transformation.
A Wireless Implantable Switched-Capacitor Based Optogenetic Stimulating System

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyung-Min; Kwon, Ki-Yong; Li, Wen

2015-01-01

This paper presents a power-efficient implantable optogenetic interface using a wireless switched-capacitor based stimulating (SCS) system. The SCS efficiently charges storage capacitors directly from an inductive link and periodically discharges them into an array of micro-LEDs, providing high instantaneous power without affecting wireless link and system supply voltage. A custom-designed computer interface in LabVIEW environment wirelessly controls stimulation parameters through the inductive link, and an optrode array enables simultaneous neural recording along with optical stimulation. The 4-channel SCS system prototype has been implemented in a 0.35-μm CMOS process and combined with the optrode array. In vivo experiments involving light-induced local field potentials verified the efficacy of the SCS system. An implantable version of the SCS system with flexible hermetic sealing is under development for chronic experiments. PMID:25570099
Linked strategy for the production of fuels via formose reaction

PubMed Central

Deng, Jin; Pan, Tao; Xu, Qing; Chen, Meng-Yuan; Zhang, Ying; Guo, Qing-Xiang; Fu, Yao

2013-01-01

Formose reaction converts formaldehyde to carbohydrates. We found that formose reaction can be used linking the biomass gasification with the aqueous-phase processing (APP) to produce liquid transportation fuel in three steps. First, formaldehyde from syn-gas was converted to triose. This was followed by aldol condensation and dehydration to 4-hydroxymethylfurfural (4-HMF). Finally, 4-HMF was hydrogenated to produce 2,4-dimethylfuran (2,4-DMF) or C9-C15 branched-chain alkanes as liquid transportation fuels. In the linked strategy, high energy-consuming pretreatment as well as expensive and polluting hydrolysis of biomass were omitted, but the high energy recovery of APP was inherited. In addition, the hexoketoses via formose reaction could be converted to HMFs directly without isomerization. A potential platform molecule 4-HMF was formed simultaneously in APP. PMID:23393625
Origins of Children's Externalizing Behavior Problems in Low-Income Families: Toddlers’ Willing Stance toward their Mothers as the Missing Link

PubMed Central

Kochanska, Grazyna; Kim, Sanghag; Boldt, Lea J.

2013-01-01

Although children's active role in socialization has been long acknowledged, relevant research has typically focused on children's difficult temperament or negative behaviors that elicit coercive and adversarial processes, largely overlooking their capacity to act as positive, willing, even enthusiastic, active socialization agents. We studied the willing, receptive stance toward their mothers in 186 24-44-month-old children in a low-income sample. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a latent construct of willing stance, manifested as children's responsiveness to mothers in naturalistic interactions, responsive imitation in teaching contexts, and committed compliance with maternal prohibitions, all observed in the laboratory. Structural Equation Modeling analyses confirmed that ecological adversity undermined maternal responsiveness and responsiveness, in turn, was linked to children's willing stance. A compromised willing stance predicted externalizing behavior problems, assessed 10 months later, and fully mediated the links between maternal responsiveness and those outcomes. Ecological adversity had a direct, unmediated effect on internalizing behavior problems. Considering children's active role as willing, receptive agents capable of embracing parental influence can lead to a more complete understanding of detrimental mechanisms that link ecological adversity with antisocial developmental pathways. It can also inform research on the normative socialization process, consistent with the objectives of developmental psychopathology. PMID:24229537

Sirtuins, Melatonin and Circadian Rhythms: Building a Bridge between Aging and Cancer

PubMed Central

Jung-Hynes, Brittney; Reiter, Russel J.; Ahmad, Nihal

2010-01-01

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been under intense scientific investigation for a number of years. However, only recently the unique class III HDACs, sirtuins, have gained increasing investigational momentum. Originally linked to longevity in yeast, sirtuins and more specifically, SIRT1 have been implicated in numerous biological processes having both protective and/or detrimental effects. SIRT1 appears to play a critical role in the process of carcinogenesis, especially in age-related neoplasms. Similarly, alterations in circadian rhythms as well as production of the pineal hormone melatonin have been linked to aging and cancer risk. Melatonin has been found act as a differentiating agent in some cancer cells and to lower their invasive and metastatic status. In addition, melatonin synthesis and release occurs in a circadian rhythm fashion and it has been linked to the core circadian machinery genes (Clock, Bmal1, Periods, and Cryptochromes). Melatonin has also been associated with chronotherapy, the timely administration of chemotherapy agents to optimize trends in biological cycles. Interestingly, a recent set of studies have linked SIRT1 to the circadian rhythm machinery through direct deacetylation activity as well as through the NAD+ salvage pathway. In this review, we provide evidence for a possible connection between sirtuins, melatonin, and the circadian rhythm circuitry and their implications in aging, chronomodulation and cancer. PMID:20025641
Proposal and performance analysis on the PDM microwave photonic link for the mm-wave signal with hybrid QAM-MPPM-RZ modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Bo; Zhang, Qi; Ma, Jianxin; Tao, Ying; Shen, Yufei; Wang, Yang; Zhang, Geng; Zhou, Wenmao; Zhao, Yi; Pan, Xiaolong

2018-07-01

A polarization division multiplexed (PDM) microwave photonic link for the millimeter (MM)-wave signal with hybrid modulation scheme is proposed in this paper, which is based on the combination of quadrature amplitude modulation, multi-pulse pulse-position modulation and return to zero modulation (QAM-MPPM-RZ). In this scheme, the two orthogonal polarization states enable simultaneous transmission of four data flows, which can provide different services for users according to the data rate requirement. To generate hybrid QAM-MPPM-RZ mm-wave signal, the QAM mm-wave signal is directly modulated by MPPM-RZ signal without using digital signal processing (DSP) devices, which reduces the overhead of the encoding process. Then, the generated QAM-MPPM-RZ mm-wave signal is transmitted in PDM microwave photonic link based on SSB modulation. The sparsity characteristic of QAM-MPPM-RZ not only improves the power efficiency, but also decreases the degradation caused by the fiber chromatic dispersion. The simulation results show that, under the constraint of the same transmitted data rate, the PDM microwave photonic link with 50 GHz QAM-MPPM-RZ mm-wave signal achieves much lower levels of bit-error rate than ordinary 32-QAM. In addition, the increase of laser linewidth brings no additional impact to the proposed scheme.
The neuron-specific RNA-binding protein ELAV regulates neuroglian alternative splicing in neurons and binds directly to its pre-mRNA

PubMed Central

Lisbin, Michael J.; Qiu, Jan; White, Kalpana

2001-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster neural-specific protein, ELAV, has been shown to regulate the neural-specific splicing of three genes: neuroglian (nrg), erect wing, and armadillo. Alternative splicing of the nrg transcript involves alternative inclusion of a 3′-terminal exon. Here, using a minigene reporter, we show that the nrg alternatively spliced intron (nASI) has all the determinants required to recreate proper neural-specific RNA processing seen with the endogenous nrg transcript, including regulation by ELAV. An in vitro UV cross-linking assay revealed that ELAV from nuclear extracts cross-links to four distinct sites along the 3200 nucleotide long nASI; one EXS is positioned at the polypyrimidine tract of the default 3′ splice site. ELAV cross-linking sites (EXSs) have in common long tracts of (U)-rich sequence rather than a precise consensus; moreover, each tract has at least two 8/10U elements; their importance is validated by mutant transgene reporter analysis. Further, we propose criteria for ELAV target sequence recognition based on the four EXSs, sites within the nASI that are (U) rich but do not cross-link with ELAV, and predicted EXSs from a phylogenetic comparison with Drosophila virilis nASI. These results suggest that ELAV regulates nrg alternative splicing by direct interaction with the nASI. PMID:11581160
The neuron-specific RNA-binding protein ELAV regulates neuroglian alternative splicing in neurons and binds directly to its pre-mRNA.

PubMed

Lisbin, M J; Qiu, J; White, K

2001-10-01

Drosophila melanogaster neural-specific protein, ELAV, has been shown to regulate the neural-specific splicing of three genes: neuroglian (nrg), erect wing, and armadillo. Alternative splicing of the nrg transcript involves alternative inclusion of a 3'-terminal exon. Here, using a minigene reporter, we show that the nrg alternatively spliced intron (nASI) has all the determinants required to recreate proper neural-specific RNA processing seen with the endogenous nrg transcript, including regulation by ELAV. An in vitro UV cross-linking assay revealed that ELAV from nuclear extracts cross-links to four distinct sites along the 3200 nucleotide long nASI; one EXS is positioned at the polypyrimidine tract of the default 3' splice site. ELAV cross-linking sites (EXSs) have in common long tracts of (U)-rich sequence rather than a precise consensus; moreover, each tract has at least two 8/10U elements; their importance is validated by mutant transgene reporter analysis. Further, we propose criteria for ELAV target sequence recognition based on the four EXSs, sites within the nASI that are (U) rich but do not cross-link with ELAV, and predicted EXSs from a phylogenetic comparison with Drosophila virilis nASI. These results suggest that ELAV regulates nrg alternative splicing by direct interaction with the nASI.
Study of spacecraft direct readout meteorological systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartlett, R.; Elam, W.; Hoedemaker, R.

1973-01-01

Characteristics are defined of the next generation direct readout meteorological satellite system with particular application to Tiros N. Both space and ground systems are included. The recommended space system is composed of four geosynchronous satellites and two low altitude satellites in sun-synchronous orbit. The goesynchronous satellites transmit to direct readout ground stations via a shared S-band link, relayed FOFAX satellite cloud cover pictures (visible and infrared) and weather charts (WEFAX). Basic sensor data is transmitted to regional Data Utilization Stations via the same S-band link. Basic sensor data consists of 0.5 n.m. sub-point resolution data in the 0.55 - 0.7 micron spectral region, and 4.0 n.m. resolution data in the 10.5 - 12.6 micron spectral region. The two low altitude satellites in sun-synchronous orbit provide data to direct readout ground stations via a 137 MHz link, a 400 Mhz link, and an S-band link.
Exploring the link between clinical managers involvement in budgeting and performance: Insights from the Italian public health care sector.

PubMed

Macinati, Manuela S; Rizzo, Marco G

2016-01-01

The public health care sector has had an increase in initiatives, mostly inspired by New Public Management principles, aimed at assigning financial accountability to clinical managers. However, clinical managers might experience a scarce alignment between professional values and organizational requirements, which is a potentially important phenomena that may result in negative consequences on clinical managers' job performance. Building on Psychological Ownership Theory and adopting a psychology-based management accounting research approach, we focus on the managerial (nonmedical) role the clinical manager fulfills and explore the budgetary participation-performance link via the indirect effects of job-based psychological ownership, role clarity, and clinical managers' affective commitment toward managerial roles. The data were collected by a survey conducted in an Italian hospital. The research hypotheses were tested employing a path model. Our study revealed new insights that shed some light on underexplored processes through which mental states mediate the participation-performance link. Among these latter, the findings demonstrate that (a) budgetary participation has a direct effect on job-based psychological ownership; (b) role clarity mediates participation- and job-based psychological ownership link; (c) role clarity and job-based psychological ownership partially mediate the participation-commitment link; and (d) job-based psychological ownership, role clarity, and commitment fully mediate the participation-performance link. From a managerial viewpoint, an understanding of how clinical managers' feelings of ownership toward managerial roles could be enhanced is imperative in health care because ownership accounts for important attitudinal and organizational consequences. Results suggest that health care organizations that invest in budgetary participation will directly and indirectly affect clinical managers' psychological ownership, and this, along with role clarity, motivates clinical managers' managerial work attitudes and performance.
Melanin-concentrating hormone directly inhibits GnRH neurons and blocks kisspeptin activation, linking energy balance to reproduction.

PubMed

Wu, Min; Dumalska, Iryna; Morozova, Elena; van den Pol, Anthony; Alreja, Meenakshi

2009-10-06

A link between energy balance and reproduction is critical for the survival of all species. Energy-consuming reproductive processes need to be aborted in the face of a negative energy balance, yet knowledge of the pathways mediating this link remains limited. Fasting and food restriction that inhibit fertility also upregulate the hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) system that promotes feeding and decreases energy expenditure; MCH knockout mice are lean and have a higher metabolism but remain fertile. MCH also modulates sleep, drug abuse behavior, and mood, and MCH receptor antagonists are currently being developed as antiobesity and antidepressant drugs. Despite the clinical implications of MCH, the direct postsynaptic effects of MCH have never been reported in CNS neurons. Using patch-clamp recordings in brain slices from multiple lines of transgenic GFP mice, we demonstrate a strong inhibitory effect of MCH on an exclusive population of septal vGluT2-GnRH neurons that is activated by the puberty-triggering and preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge-mediating peptide, kisspeptin. MCH has no effect on kisspeptin-insensitive GnRH, vGluT2, cholinergic, or GABAergic neurons located within the same nucleus. The inhibitory effects of MCH are reproducible and nondesensitizing and are mediated via a direct postsynaptic Ba(2+)-sensitive K(+) channel mechanism involving the MCHR1 receptor. MCH immunoreactive fibers are in close proximity to vGluT2-GFP and GnRH-GFP neurons. Importantly, MCH blocks the excitatory effect of kisspeptin on vGluT2-GnRH neurons. Considering the role of MCH in regulating energy balance and of GnRH and kisspeptin in triggering puberty and maintaining fertility, MCH may provide a critical link between energy balance and reproduction directly at the level of the kisspeptin-activated vGluT2-GnRH neuron.
Bridging the Gap between Structures and Properties: An Investigation and Evaluation of Students' Representational Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Underwood, Sonia Miller

2011-01-01

The heart of learning chemistry is the ability to connect a compound's structure to its function; Lewis structures provide an essential link in this process. In many cases, their construction is taught using an algorithmic approach, containing a set of step-by-step rules. We believe that this approach is in direct conflict with the precepts of…
Linking microbial community structure and microbial processes: An empirical and conceptual overview

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bier, R.L.; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Boot, Claudia M.; Graham, Emily B.; Hall, Edward K.; Lennon, Jay T.; Nemergut, Diana R.; Osborne, Brooke B.; Ruiz-Gonzalez, Clara; Schimel, Joshua P.; Waldrop, Mark P.; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

2015-01-01

A major goal of microbial ecology is to identify links between microbial community structure and microbial processes. Although this objective seems straightforward, there are conceptual and methodological challenges to designing studies that explicitly evaluate this link. Here, we analyzed literature documenting structure and process responses to manipulations to determine the frequency of structure-process links and whether experimental approaches and techniques influence link detection. We examined nine journals (published 2009–13) and retained 148 experimental studies measuring microbial community structure and processes. Many qualifying papers (112 of 148) documented structure and process responses, but few (38 of 112 papers) reported statistically testing for a link. Of these tested links, 75% were significant and typically used Spearman or Pearson's correlation analysis (68%). No particular approach for characterizing structure or processes was more likely to produce significant links. Process responses were detected earlier on average than responses in structure or both structure and process. Together, our findings suggest that few publications report statistically testing structure-process links. However, when links are tested for they often occur but share few commonalities in the processes or structures that were linked and the techniques used for measuring them.
Gazing at me: the importance of social meaning in understanding direct-gaze cues.

PubMed

de C Hamilton, Antonia F

2016-01-19

Direct gaze is an engaging and important social cue, but the meaning of direct gaze depends heavily on the surrounding context. This paper reviews some recent studies of direct gaze, to understand more about what neural and cognitive systems are engaged by this social cue and why. The data show that gaze can act as an arousal cue and can modulate actions, and can activate brain regions linked to theory of mind and self-related processing. However, all these results are strongly modulated by the social meaning of a gaze cue and by whether participants believe that another person is really watching them. The implications of these contextual effects and audience effects for our theories of gaze are considered. © 2015 The Author(s).
Precipitation links (PrecipLinks) - a prototype directory for precipitation information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velanthapillia, Balendran; Stocker, Erich Franz

2006-01-01

This poster describes a web directory of research oriented precipitation links. In this era of sophisticated search engines and web agents, it might seem counterproductive to establish such a directory of links. However, entering precipitation into a search engine like google will yield over one million hits. To further exacerbate this situation many of the returned links are dead, duplicates of other links, incomplete, or only marginally related to research precipitation or even the broader precipitation area. Sometimes connecting the linked URL causes the browser to lose context and not be able to get back to the original page. Even using more sophisticated search engines query parameters or agents while reducing the overall return doesn't eliminate all of the other issues listed. As part of the development of the measurement-based Precipitation Processing System (PPS) that will support Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) version 7 reprocessing and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission a precipitation links (PrecipLinks) facility is being developed. PrecipLinks is intended to share locations of other sites that contain information or data pertaining to precipitation research. Potential contributors can log-on to the PrecipLinks website and register their site for inclusion in the directory. The price for inclusion is the requirement to place a link back to PrecipLinks on the webpage that is registered. This ensures that users will be able to easily get back to PrecipLinks regardless of any context issues that browsers might have. Perhaps more importantly users while visiting one site that they know can be referred to a location that has many others sites with which they might not be familiar. PrecipLinks is designed to have a very flat structure. This poster summarizes these categories (information, data, services) and the reasons for their selection. Providers may register multiple pages to which they wish to direct users. However, each page may be attached to only one of these categories. Each page to which they refer users will also have a return link to PrecipLinks. The poster describes the operation of the system both the automated and the human processes. It also provides images for the various steps in the registration and use.
Fatigue Damage Assessment Leveraging Nondestructive Evaluation Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazur, K.; Wisner, B.; Kontsos, A.

2018-05-01

Fatigue in materials depends on several microstructural parameters. The length and time scales involved in such processes have been investigated by characterization methods that target microstructural effects or that rely on specimen-level observations. Combinations of in situ and ex situ techniques are also used to correlate microstructural changes to bulk properties. We present herein an effort to directly link local changes with specimen-level fatigue damage assessment. To achieve this goal, grain-scale observations in an aluminum alloy are linked with deformation measurements made by digital image correlation and with acoustic emission monitoring obtained from inside the scanning electron microscope. Damage assessment is attempted using a data-processing framework that involves noise removal, data reduction, and classification. The results demonstrate that nondestructive evaluation combined with small-scale testing can provide a means for fatigue damage assessment applicable to a broad range of materials and testing conditions.
Children and Violence: The Role of Children’s Regulation in the Marital Aggression–Child Adjustment Link

PubMed Central

Cummings, E. Mark; El-Sheikh, Mona; Kouros, Chrystyna D.; Buckhalt, Joseph A.

2010-01-01

Exposure to marital psychological and physical abuse has been established as a risk factor for children’s socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Understanding the processes by which children develop symptoms of psychopathology and deficits in cognitive functioning in the context of marital aggression is imperative for developing efficient and effective treatment programs for children and families, and has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper outlines our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Aggression, which focuses on children’s emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation as pathways in the marital aggression–child development link. Findings from our research program, which highlight the importance of children’s regulatory processes for understanding children’s adjustment in contexts of intimate partner violence, are presented, and future directions in this line of inquiry are outlined. PMID:19247833
Age of acquisition predicts rate of lexical evolution.

PubMed

Monaghan, Padraic

2014-12-01

The processes taking place during language acquisition are proposed to influence language evolution. However, evidence demonstrating the link between language learning and language evolution is, at best, indirect, constituting studies of laboratory-based artificial language learning studies or computational simulations of diachronic change. In the current study, a direct link between acquisition and evolution is established, showing that for two hundred fundamental vocabulary items, the age at which words are acquired is a predictor of the rate at which they have changed in studies of language evolution. Early-acquired words are more salient and easier to process than late-acquired words, and these early-acquired words are also more stably represented within the community's language. Analysing the properties of these early-acquired words potentially provides insight into the origins of communication, highlighting features of words that have been ultra-conserved in language. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Crosstalk between telomere maintenance and radiation effects: A key player in the process of radiation-induced carcinogenesis

PubMed Central

Shim, Grace; Ricoul, Michelle; Hempel, William M.; Azzam, Edouard I.; Sabatier, Laure

2014-01-01

It is well established that ionizing radiation induces chromosomal damage, both following direct radiation exposure and via non-targeted (bystander) effects, activating DNA damage repair pathways, of which the proteins are closely linked to telomeric proteins and telomere maintenance. Long-term propagation of this radiation-induced chromosomal damage during cell proliferation results in chromosomal instability. Many studies have shown the link between radiation exposure and radiation-induced changes in oxidative stress and DNA damage repair in both targeted and non-targeted cells. However, the effect of these factors on telomeres, long established as guardians of the genome, still remains to be clarified. In this review, we will focus on what is known about how telomeres are affected by exposure to low- and high-LET ionizing radiation and during proliferation, and will discuss how telomeres may be a key player in the process of radiation-induced carcinogenesis. PMID:24486376
Reaching Beijing to the grassroots.

PubMed

1996-01-01

India's Working Women's Forum (WWF) adopted a training strategy that allows participants to share their own experiences, identify the obstacles to their development, and devise strategies to overcome these obstacles. In order to improve the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), the WWF established communication links throughout its vast membership to facilitate the quick transmission of issues and ideas during the FWCW preparatory process and the postconference implementation process. To solidify these links, the WWF holds participatory workshops to foster interaction, disseminate ideas, and develop traditional communication materials to increase awareness and change attitudes in grassroots communities. Issues of concern aired at a recent workshop include the commercialization of the fishing industry that has eroded the livelihood of fisher women, the government policy of direct exportation of yarn needed by the traditional hand-loom sector, the status of the girl child, and prevention of female infanticide.
Sexual motivation is reflected by stimulus-dependent motor cortex excitability.

PubMed

Schecklmann, Martin; Engelhardt, Kristina; Konzok, Julian; Rupprecht, Rainer; Greenlee, Mark W; Mokros, Andreas; Langguth, Berthold; Poeppl, Timm B

2015-08-01

Sexual behavior involves motivational processes. Findings from both animal models and neuroimaging in humans suggest that the recruitment of neural motor networks is an integral part of the sexual response. However, no study so far has directly linked sexual motivation to physiologically measurable changes in cerebral motor systems in humans. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation in hetero- and homosexual men, we here show that sexual motivation modulates cortical excitability. More specifically, our results demonstrate that visual sexual stimuli corresponding with one's sexual orientation, compared with non-corresponding visual sexual stimuli, increase the excitability of the motor cortex. The reflection of sexual motivation in motor cortex excitability provides evidence for motor preparation processes in sexual behavior in humans. Moreover, such interrelationship links theoretical models and previous neuroimaging findings of sexual behavior. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
The direct heat measurement of mechanical energy storage metal-organic frameworks.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Julien; Beurroies, Isabelle; Loiseau, Thierry; Denoyel, Renaud; Llewellyn, Philip L

2015-04-07

In any process, the heat exchanged is an essential property required in its development. Whilst the work related to structural transitions of some flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been quantified and linked with potential applications such as molecular springs or shock absorbers, the heat related to such transitions has never been directly measured. This has now been carried out with MIL-53(Al) using specifically devised calorimetry experiments. We project the importance of these heats in devices such as molecular springs or dampers. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Distributed Load Shedding over Directed Communication Networks with Time Delays

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

Yang, Tao; Wu, Di

When generation is insufficient to support all loads under emergencies, effective and efficient load shedding needs to be deployed in order to maintain the supply-demand balance. This paper presents a distributed load shedding algorithm, which makes efficient decision based on the discovered global information. In the global information discovery process, each load only communicates with its neighboring load via directed communication links possibly with arbitrarily large but bounded time varying communication delays. We propose a novel distributed information discovery algorithm based on ratio consensus. Simulation results are used to validate the proposed method.
Comparison of direct and heterodyne detection optical intersatellite communication links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, C. C.; Gardner, C. S.

1987-01-01

The performance of direct and heterodyne detection optical intersatellite communication links are evaluated and compared. It is shown that the performance of optical links is very sensitive to the pointing and tracking errors at the transmitter and receiver. In the presence of random pointing and tracking errors, optimal antenna gains exist that will minimize the required transmitter power. In addition to limiting the antenna gains, random pointing and tracking errors also impose a power penalty in the link budget. This power penalty is between 1.6 to 3 dB for a direct detection QPPM link, and 3 to 5 dB for a heterodyne QFSK system. For the heterodyne systems, the carrier phase noise presents another major factor of performance degradation that must be considered. In contrast, the loss due to synchronization error is small. The link budgets for direct and heterodyne detection systems are evaluated. It is shown that, for systems with large pointing and tracking errors, the link budget is dominated by the spatial tracking error, and the direct detection system shows a superior performance because it is less sensitive to the spatial tracking error. On the other hand, for systems with small pointing and tracking jitters, the antenna gains are in general limited by the launch cost, and suboptimal antenna gains are often used in practice. In which case, the heterodyne system has a slightly higher power margin because of higher receiver sensitivity.

Color-Word Stroop test performance across the adult life span.

PubMed

Uttl, B; Graf, P

1997-06-01

In the Color-Word Stroop test (CWST), the basic task is to name the ink color of rows of XXXs, and performance in this condition is compared with performance in naming the ink-color of color words under conditions where word meanings and ink colors mismatch or are incongruent (e.g., the word red printed in green ink). The present study investigated whether Stroop test interference, defined as the cost associated with ink-color naming in the incongruous stimulus condition versus in the basic color-naming condition, provides positive evidence for a kind of processing qualitatively different than that which is required for color naming or for word reading. Does the pattern of age-related differences in Stroop interference force the conclusion that the incongruous condition taps a qualitatively different kind of processing than that required for color naming or for word reading? We gave the CWST to 310 healthy adults. Their performance in each condition of the test replicates and extends previous findings. Structural equation modeling of the data showed a significant, direct link between age and performance in the latent factor associated with the incongruent condition. However, this direct link with age produced a relatively small increase in the model's fit; it amounted to only a .024 increase in the proportion of variance explained in the incongruent condition. In light of this small direct influence due to age, the most parsimonious explanation of our findings is that age effects in Stroop interference are due to age-related slowing (which is also indexed by color naming and by word reading) primarily; the findings do not provide evidence for a qualitatively different kind of processing that declines with age.
Parallel interconnect for a novel system approach to short distance high information transfer data links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raskin, Glenn; Lebby, Michael S.; Carney, F.; Kazakia, M.; Schwartz, Daniel B.; Gaw, Craig A.

1997-04-01

The OPTOBUSTM family of products provides for high performance parallel interconnection utilizing optical links in a 10-bit wide bi-directional configuration. The link is architected to be 'transparent' in that it is totally asynchronous and dc coupled so that it can be treated as a perfect cable with extremely low skew and no losses. An optical link consists of two identical transceiver modules and a pair of connectorized 62.5 micrometer multi mode fiber ribbon cables. The OPTOBUSTM I link provides bi- directional functionality at 4 Gbps (400 Mbps per channel), while the OPTOBUSTM II link will offer the same capability at 8 Gbps (800 Mbps per channel). The transparent structure of the OPTOBUSTM links allow for an arbitrary data stream regardless of its structure. Both the OPTOBUSTM I and OPTOBUSTM II transceiver modules are packaged as partially populated 14 by 14 pin grid arrays (PGA) with optical receptacles on one side of the module. The modules themselves are composed of several elements; including passives, integrated circuits optoelectronic devices and optical interface units (OIUs) (which consist of polymer waveguides and a specially designed lead frame). The initial offering of the modules electrical interface utilizes differential CML. The CML line driver sinks 5 mA of current into one of two pins. When terminated with 50 ohm pull-up resistors tied to a voltage between VCC and VCC-2, the result is a differential swing of plus or minus 250 mV, capable of driving standard PECL I/Os. Future offerings of the OPTOBUSTM links will incorporate LVDS and PECL interfaces as well as CML. The integrated circuits are silicon based. For OPTOBUSTM I links, a 1.5 micrometer drawn emitter NPN bipolar process is used for the receiver and an enhanced 0.8 micrometer CMOS process for the laser driver. For OPTOBUSTM II links, a 0.8 micrometer drawn emitter NPN bipolar process is used for the receiver and the driver IC utilizes 0.8 micrometer BiCMOS technology. The OPTOBUSTM architecture uses AlGaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) at 850 nm in conjunction with unique opto-electronic packaging concepts. Most laser based transmitter subsystems are incapable of carrying an arbitrary NRZ data stream at high data rates. The receiver subsystem utilizes a conventional GaAs PIN photo-detector. In parallel interconnect systems. The design must take into account the simultaneous switching noise from the neighboring systems. If not well controlled, the high density of the multiple interconnects can limit the sensitivity and therefore the performance of the system. The packaging approach of the VCSEL and PIN arrays allow for high bandwidths and provide the coupling mechanisms necessary to interface to the 62.5 micrometer multi mode fiber. To allow for extremely high electrical signals the OPTOBUSTM package utilizes a multilayer tape automated bonded (TAB) lead frame. The lead frame contains separate signal and ground layers. The ground layer successfully provides for a pseudo-coaxial environment (low inductance and effective signal coupling to the ground plane).
Ara h 2 cross-linking catalyzed by MTGase decreases its allergenicity.

PubMed

Wu, Zhihua; Lian, Jun; Zhao, Ruifang; Li, Kun; Li, Xin; Yang, Anshu; Tong, Ping; Chen, Hongbing

2017-03-22

Peanuts, whose major allergen is Ara h 2, are included among the eight major food allergens. After reduction using dithiothreitol (DTT), cross-linking of Ara h 2 could be catalyzed by microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), a widely used enzyme in the food industry. In this study, Ara h 2 cross-linking was catalyzed by MTGase after it was reduced by DTT. Using mass spectrometry and PLINK software, five cross-linkers were identified, and five linear allergen epitopes were found to be involved in the reactions. The IgE binding capacity of cross-linked Ara h 2 was found to be significantly lower compared to that of native and reduced Ara h 2. After simulated gastric fluid (SGF) digestion, the digested products of the cross-linked Ara h 2, again, had a significantly lower IgE binding capacity compared to untreated and reduced Ara h 2. Furthermore, reduced and cross-linked Ara h 2 (RC-Ara h 2) induced lower sensitization in mice, indicating its lower allergenicity. Reduction and MTGase-catalyzed cross-linking are effective methods to decrease the allergenicity of Ara h 2. The reactions involved linear allergen epitopes destroying the material basis of the allergenicity, and this might develop a new direction for protein desensitization processes.
Colour-induced relationship between affect and reaching kinematics during a goal-directed aiming task.

PubMed

Williams, Camille K; Grierson, Lawrence E M; Carnahan, Heather

2011-08-01

A link between affect and action has been supported by the discovery that threat information is prioritized through an action-centred pathway--the dorsal visual stream. Magnocellular afferents, which originate from the retina and project to dorsal stream structures, are suppressed by exposure to diffuse red light, which diminishes humans' perception of threat-based images. In order to explore the role of colour in the relationship between affect and action, participants donned different pairs of coloured glasses (red, yellow, green, blue and clear) and completed Positive and Negative Affect Scale questionnaires as well as a series of target-directed aiming movements. Analyses of affect scores revealed a significant main effect for affect valence and a significant interaction between colour and valence: perceived positive affect was significantly smaller for the red condition. Kinematic analyses of variable error in the primary movement direction and Pearson correlation analyses between the displacements travelled prior to and following peak velocity indicated reduced accuracy and application of online control processes while wearing red glasses. Variable error of aiming was also positively and significantly correlated with negative affect scores under the red condition. These results suggest that only red light modulates the affect-action link by suppressing magnocellular activity, which disrupts visual processing for movement control. Furthermore, previous research examining the effect of the colour red on psychomotor tasks and perceptual acceleration of threat-based imagery suggest that stimulus-driven motor performance tasks requiring online control may be particularly susceptible to this effect.
Running accuracy analysis of a 3-RRR parallel kinematic machine considering the deformations of the links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Liping; Jiang, Yao; Li, Tiemin

2014-09-01

Parallel kinematic machines have drawn considerable attention and have been widely used in some special fields. However, high precision is still one of the challenges when they are used for advanced machine tools. One of the main reasons is that the kinematic chains of parallel kinematic machines are composed of elongated links that can easily suffer deformations, especially at high speeds and under heavy loads. A 3-RRR parallel kinematic machine is taken as a study object for investigating its accuracy with the consideration of the deformations of its links during the motion process. Based on the dynamic model constructed by the Newton-Euler method, all the inertia loads and constraint forces of the links are computed and their deformations are derived. Then the kinematic errors of the machine are derived with the consideration of the deformations of the links. Through further derivation, the accuracy of the machine is given in a simple explicit expression, which will be helpful to increase the calculating speed. The accuracy of this machine when following a selected circle path is simulated. The influences of magnitude of the maximum acceleration and external loads on the running accuracy of the machine are investigated. The results show that the external loads will deteriorate the accuracy of the machine tremendously when their direction coincides with the direction of the worst stiffness of the machine. The proposed method provides a solution for predicting the running accuracy of the parallel kinematic machines and can also be used in their design optimization as well as selection of suitable running parameters.
The CCSDS Next Generation Space Data Link Protocol (NGSLP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazz, Greg J.; Greenberg, Edward

2014-01-01

The CCSDS space link protocols i.e., Telemetry (TM), Telecommand (TC), Advanced Orbiting Systems (AOS) were developed in the early growth period of the space program. They were designed to meet the needs of the early missions, be compatible with the available technology and focused on the specific link environments. Digital technology was in its infancy and spacecraft power and mass issues enforced severe constraints on flight implementations. Therefore the Telecommand protocol was designed around a simple Bose, Hocquenghem, Chaudhuri (BCH) code that provided little coding gain and limited error detection but was relatively simple to decode on board. The infusion of the concatenated Convolutional and Reed-Solomon codes5 for telemetry was a major milestone and transformed telemetry applications by providing them the ability to more efficiently utilize the telemetry link and its ability to deliver user data. The ability to significantly lower the error rates on the telemetry links enabled the use of packet telemetry and data compression. The infusion of the high performance codes for telemetry was enabled by the advent of digital processing, but it was limited to earth based systems supporting telemetry. The latest CCSDS space link protocol, Proximity-1 was developed in early 2000 to meet the needs of short-range, bi-directional, fixed or mobile radio links characterized by short time delays, moderate but not weak signals, and short independent sessions. Proximity-1 has been successfully deployed on both NASA and ESA missions at Mars and is planned to be utilized by all Mars missions in development. A new age has arisen, one that now provides the means to perform advanced digital processing in spacecraft systems enabling the use of improved transponders, digital correlators, and high performance forward error correcting codes for all communications links. Flight transponders utilizing digital technology have emerged and can efficiently provide the means to make the next leap in performance for space link communications. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) provide the capability to incorporate high performance forward error correcting codes implemented within software transponders providing improved performance in data transfer, ranging, link security, and time correlation. Given these synergistic technological breakthroughs, the time has come to take advantage of them in applying them to both on going (e.g., command, telemetry) and emerging (e.g., space link security, optical communication) space link applications. However one of the constraining factors within the Data Link Layer in realizing these performance gains is the lack of a generic transfer frame format and common supporting services amongst the existing CCSDS link layer protocols. Currently each of the four CCSDS link layer protocols (TM, TC, AOS, and Proximity-1) have unique formats and services which prohibits their reuse across the totality of all space link applications of CCSDS member space agencies. For example, Mars missions. These missions implement their proximity data link layer using the Proximity-1 frame format and the services it supports but is still required to support the direct from Earth (TC) protocols and the Direct To Earth (AOS/TM) protocols. The prime purpose of this paper, is to describe a new general purpose CCSDS Data Link layer protocol, the NGSLP that will provide the required services along with a common transfer frame format for all the CCSDS space links (ground to/from space and space to space links) targeted for emerging missions after a CCSDS agency-wide coordinated date. This paper will also describe related options that can be included for the Coding and Synchronization sub-layer of the Data Link layer to extend the capacities of the link and additionally provide an independence of the transfer frame sub-layer from the coding sublayer. This feature will provide missions the option of running either the currently performed synchronous coding and transfer frame data link or an asynchronous coding/frame data link, in which the transfer frame length is independent of the block size of the code. The benefits from the elimination of this constraint (frame synchronized to the code block) will simplify the interface between the transponder and the data handling equipment and reduce implementation costs and complexities. The benefits include: inclusion of encoders/decoders into transmitters and receivers without regard to data link protocols, providing the ability to insert latency sensitive messages into the link to support launch, landing/docking, telerobotics. and Variable Coded Modulation (VCM). In addition the ability to transfer different sized frames can provide a backup for delivering stored anomaly engineering data simultaneously with real time data, or relaying of frames from various sources onto a trunk line for delivery to Earth.
Template-directed synthesis using the heterogeneous templates produced by montmorillonite catalysis. A possible bridge between the prebiotic and RNA worlds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ertem, G.; Ferris, J. P.

1997-01-01

The synthesis of oligoguanylates [oligo(G)s] is catalyzed by a template of oligocytidylates [oligo(C)s] containing 2',5'- and 3',5'-linked phosphodiester bonds with and without incorporated C5'ppC groupings. An oligo(C) template containing exclusively 2',5'-phosphodiester bonds also serves as a template for the synthesis of complementary oligo(G)s. The oligo(C) template was prepared by the condensation of the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of cytidine on montmorillonite clay. These studies establish that RNA oligomers prepared by mineral catalysis, or other routes on the primitive earth, did not have to be exclusively 3',5'-linked to catalyze template-directed synthesis, since oligo(C)s containing a variety of linkage isomers serve as templates for the formation of complementary oligo(G)s. These findings support the postulate that origin of the RNA world was initiated by the RNA oligomers produced by polymerization of activated monomers formed by prebiotic processes.
Networks of Interacting Processes: Relationships Between Drivers and Deltaic Variables to Understand Water and Sediment Transport in Wax Lake Delta, Coastal Louisiana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sendrowski, A.; Passalacqua, P.; Wagner, W.; Mohrig, D. C.; Meselhe, E. A.; Sadid, K. M.; Castañeda-Moya, E.; Twilley, R.

2017-12-01

Studying distributary channel networks in river deltaic systems provides important insight into deltaic functioning and evolution. This view of networks highlights the physical connection along channels and can also encompass the structural link between channels and deltaic islands (termed structural connectivity). An alternate view of the deltaic network is one composed of interacting processes, such as relationships between external drivers (e.g., river discharge, tides, and wind) and internal deltaic response variables (e.g., water level and sediment concentration). This network, also referred to as process connectivity, is dynamic across space and time, often comprises nonlinear relationships, and contributes to the development of complex channel networks and ecologically rich island platforms. The importance of process connectivity has been acknowledged, however, few studies have directly quantified these network interactions. In this work, we quantify process connections in Wax Lake Delta (WLD), coastal Louisiana. WLD is a naturally prograding delta that serves as an analogue for river diversion projects, thus it provides an excellent setting for understanding the influence of river discharge, tides, and wind on water and sediment in a delta. Time series of water level and sediment concentration were collected in three channels from November 2013 to February 2014, while water level and turbidity were collected on an island from April 2014 to August 2015. Additionally, a model run on WLD bathymetry generated two years of sediment concentration time series in multiple channels. River discharge, tide, and wind measurements were collected from the USGS and NOAA, respectively. We analyze this data with information theory (IT), a set of statistics that measure uncertainty in signals and communication between signals. Using IT, the timescale, strength, and direction of network links are quantified by measuring the synchronization and direct influence from one variable to another. We compare channel and island process connections, which show distinct differences. Our study captures the temporal evolution of variable transport at multiple locations. While WLD is river dominated, tides and wind show unique transport signatures related to tidal spring and neap transitions and wind events.
Factors affecting the silver corrosion performance of jet fuel from the Merox process

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

Viljoen, C.L.; Hietkamp, S.; Marais, B.

1995-05-01

The Natref refinery at Sasolburg, South Africa, which is 63,6% owned by Sasol and 36,5% by Total, is producing Jet A-1 fuel at a rate of 80 m{sup 3}/h by means of a UOP Merox process. A substantial part of the crude oil slate is made up from crudes which have been stored for considerable times in underground mines. Since the 1970`s, Natref has experienced sporadic non-conformance of its treated jet fuel to the silver corrosion (IP 227) test. Various causes and explanations for the sporadic silver corrosion occurrence have been put forward but a direct causal link has remainedmore » obscure. The paper addresses these possible causes for silver corrosion and some of the process changes which have been made to alleviate the problem. Emphasis is placed on the most recent approaches which were taken to identify the origin of the sporadic silver corrosion. An inventory of all the potential causes was made, such a bacterial action, elemental sulphur formation in storage, etc. and experiments designed to test the validity of these causes, are discussed. A statistical evaluation which was done of the historical process data over a 2 year period, failed to link the use of mine crudes directly to Ag-corrosion occurrence. However, a correlation between elemental sulphur and H{sub 2}S levels in the feed to the Merox reactor and Ag-corrosion was observed. Finally, the outcome of the experiments are discussed, as well as the conclusions which were reached from the observed results.« less
Fast interrupt platform for extended DOS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duryea, T. W.

1995-01-01

Extended DOS offers the unique combination of a simple operating system which allows direct access to the interrupt tables, 32 bit protected mode access to 4096 MByte address space, and the use of industry standard C compilers. The drawback is that fast interrupt handling requires both 32 bit and 16 bit versions of each real-time process interrupt handler to avoid mode switches on the interrupts. A set of tools has been developed which automates the process of transforming the output of a standard 32 bit C compiler to 16 bit interrupt code which directly handles the real mode interrupts. The entire process compiles one set of source code via a make file, which boosts productivity by making the management of the compile-link cycle very simple. The software components are in the form of classes written mostly in C. A foreground process written as a conventional application which can use the standard C libraries can communicate with the background real-time classes via a message passing mechanism. The platform thus enables the integration of high performance real-time processing into a conventional application framework.
The Level 0 Pixel Trigger system for the ALICE experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aglieri Rinella, G.; Kluge, A.; Krivda, M.; ALICE Silicon Pixel Detector project

2007-01-01

The ALICE Silicon Pixel Detector contains 1200 readout chips. Fast-OR signals indicate the presence of at least one hit in the 8192 pixel matrix of each chip. The 1200 bits are transmitted every 100 ns on 120 data readout optical links using the G-Link protocol. The Pixel Trigger System extracts and processes them to deliver an input signal to the Level 0 trigger processor targeting a latency of 800 ns. The system is compact, modular and based on FPGA devices. The architecture allows the user to define and implement various trigger algorithms. The system uses advanced 12-channel parallel optical fiber modules operating at 1310 nm as optical receivers and 12 deserializer chips closely packed in small area receiver boards. Alternative solutions with multi-channel G-Link deserializers implemented directly in programmable hardware devices were investigated. The design of the system and the progress of the ALICE Pixel Trigger project are described in this paper.
Flow, affect and visual creativity.

PubMed

Cseh, Genevieve M; Phillips, Louise H; Pearson, David G

2015-01-01

Flow (being in the zone) is purported to have positive consequences in terms of affect and performance; however, there is no empirical evidence about these links in visual creativity. Positive affect often--but inconsistently--facilitates creativity, and both may be linked to experiencing flow. This study aimed to determine relationships between these variables within visual creativity. Participants performed the creative mental synthesis task to simulate the creative process. Affect change (pre- vs. post-task) and flow were measured via questionnaires. The creativity of synthesis drawings was rated objectively and subjectively by judges. Findings empirically demonstrate that flow is related to affect improvement during visual creativity. Affect change was linked to productivity and self-rated creativity, but no other objective or subjective performance measures. Flow was unrelated to all external performance measures but was highly correlated with self-rated creativity; flow may therefore motivate perseverance towards eventual excellence rather than provide direct cognitive enhancement.
A simple hyperbolic model for communication in parallel processing environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoica, Ion; Sultan, Florin; Keyes, David

1994-01-01

We introduce a model for communication costs in parallel processing environments called the 'hyperbolic model,' which generalizes two-parameter dedicated-link models in an analytically simple way. Dedicated interprocessor links parameterized by a latency and a transfer rate that are independent of load are assumed by many existing communication models; such models are unrealistic for workstation networks. The communication system is modeled as a directed communication graph in which terminal nodes represent the application processes that initiate the sending and receiving of the information and in which internal nodes, called communication blocks (CBs), reflect the layered structure of the underlying communication architecture. The direction of graph edges specifies the flow of the information carried through messages. Each CB is characterized by a two-parameter hyperbolic function of the message size that represents the service time needed for processing the message. The parameters are evaluated in the limits of very large and very small messages. Rules are given for reducing a communication graph consisting of many to an equivalent two-parameter form, while maintaining an approximation for the service time that is exact in both large and small limits. The model is validated on a dedicated Ethernet network of workstations by experiments with communication subprograms arising in scientific applications, for which a tight fit of the model predictions with actual measurements of the communication and synchronization time between end processes is demonstrated. The model is then used to evaluate the performance of two simple parallel scientific applications from partial differential equations: domain decomposition and time-parallel multigrid. In an appropriate limit, we also show the compatibility of the hyperbolic model with the recently proposed LogP model.
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: where and how does genetic counseling fit?

PubMed

Middleton, Anna; Mendes, Álvaro; Benjamin, Caroline M; Howard, Heidi Carmen

2017-05-01

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for disease ranges from well-validated diagnostic and predictive tests to 'research' results conferring increased risks. While being targeted at public curious about their health, they are also marketed for use in reproductive decision-making or management of disease. By virtue of being 'direct-to-consumer' much of this testing bypasses traditional healthcare systems. We argue that direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies should make genetic counseling available, pre- as well as post-test. While we do not advocate that mandatory genetic counseling should gate-keep access to direct-to-consumer genetic testing, if the testing process has the potential to cause psychological distress, then companies have a responsibility to provide support and should not rely on traditional healthcare systems to pick up the pieces. A video abstract is available for this article via this link .
Internet over a Bi-Directional Satellite Link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griner, Jim; Allman, Mark; Mallasch, Paul; Stewart, David

1998-01-01

Various issues associated with "Internet over a Bi-Directional Satellite Link" are presented in viewgraph form. Specific topics include: 1) Comarison of HTTP over several network channels; 2) Improved performance of HTTP when compared to off-the-shelf software; 3) Demonstration setup of the link between Sheraton Airport Hotel, Dulles and NASA LeRC; and 4) HTTP comparison pages.
Marital conflict management skills, parenting style, and early-onset conduct problems: processes and pathways.

PubMed

Webster-Stratton, C; Hammond, M

1999-09-01

This study examined whether the link between marital conflict management style and child conduct problems with peers and parents is direct or mediated by mothers' and fathers' parenting style (critical parenting and low emotional responsivity). One hundred and twenty children, aged 4 to 7 years, were observed interacting in our laboratory playroom solving a problem with their best friend as well as at home with their parents. In addition, all the children's parents were observed in our laboratory trying to solve two family problems as well as at home interacting under more natural conditions with each other and with their children. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing marital problem solving as well as reports of their children's behavior problems. Results indicated that a negative marital conflict management style had direct links with children's conduct problems. In addition, the linkage between negative marital conflict management and children's interactions with parents and peers was found to be mediated by both mothers' and fathers' critical parenting and low emotional responsivity, thereby supporting the indirect as well as the direct model of negative family interactions. The findings are discussed in relation to the implications for treatment.
In situ observations of the atomistic mechanisms of Ni catalyzed low temperature graphene growth.

PubMed

Patera, Laerte L; Africh, Cristina; Weatherup, Robert S; Blume, Raoul; Bhardwaj, Sunil; Castellarin-Cudia, Carla; Knop-Gericke, Axel; Schloegl, Robert; Comelli, Giovanni; Hofmann, Stephan; Cepek, Cinzia

2013-09-24

The key atomistic mechanisms of graphene formation on Ni for technologically relevant hydrocarbon exposures below 600 °C are directly revealed via complementary in situ scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For clean Ni(111) below 500 °C, two different surface carbide (Ni2C) conversion mechanisms are dominant which both yield epitaxial graphene, whereas above 500 °C, graphene predominantly grows directly on Ni(111) via replacement mechanisms leading to embedded epitaxial and/or rotated graphene domains. Upon cooling, additional carbon structures form exclusively underneath rotated graphene domains. The dominant graphene growth mechanism also critically depends on the near-surface carbon concentration and hence is intimately linked to the full history of the catalyst and all possible sources of contamination. The detailed XPS fingerprinting of these processes allows a direct link to high pressure XPS measurements of a wide range of growth conditions, including polycrystalline Ni catalysts and recipes commonly used in industrial reactors for graphene and carbon nanotube CVD. This enables an unambiguous and consistent interpretation of prior literature and an assessment of how the quality/structure of as-grown carbon nanostructures relates to the growth modes.
Glucose, epithelium, and enteric nervous system: dialogue in the dark.

PubMed

Pfannkuche, H; Gäbel, G

2009-06-01

The gastrointestinal epithelium is in close contact with the various components of the chymus, including nutrients, bacteria and toxins. The epithelial barrier has to decide which components are effectively absorbed and which components are extruded. In the small intestine, a nutrient like glucose is mainly absorbed by the sodium linked glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) and the glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2). The expression and activity of both transport proteins is directly linked to the amount of intraluminal glucose. Besides the direct interaction between glucose and the enterocytes, glucose also stimulates different sensory mechanisms within the intestinal wall. The most important types of cells involved in the sensing of intraluminal contents are enteroendocrine cells and neurones of the enteric nervous system. Regarding glucosensing, a distinct type of enteroendocrine cells, the enterochromaffine (EC) cells are involved. Excitation of EC cells by intraluminal glucose results in the release of serotonin (5-HT), which modulates epithelial functions and activates enteric secretomotorneurones. Enteric neurones are not only activated by 5-HT, but also directly by glucose. The activation of different cell types and the subsequent crosstalk between these cells may trigger appropriate absorptive and secretory processes within the intestine.
JPRS Report, Science & Technology Europe & Latin America

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-18

announced the development in his laboratory of a hormone and cancer cell immunosensor linked directly to a fluorescent microscope. In addition, an...was initiated. It seeks to list all food resources and the transformation processes to adapt them to our constantly changing eating habits and our...since 1980, its plant in Freeport, Texas. Currently, production is being beefed up in Southeast Asia with the launch last year of Nippon Rare Earth
Avionic Radome Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-10-01

polyester chains. Cross-linking, normally known as the curing process, is brought about by free radicals supplied by a catalyst, usually an organic...peroxide. Cure is normally carried out at room temperature, but a higher tenmerature may be used, depending on the reactivity of the catalyst. In the...selection of an elevated cure temperature permits wide versatility and a large measure of control over the proces-ing of these resins. Since the direct

Moving without a purpose: an experimental study of swarm guidance in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera.

PubMed

Makinson, James C; Beekman, Madeleine

2014-06-01

During reproductive swarming, honey bee scouts perform two very important functions. Firstly, they find new nesting locations and return to the swarm cluster to communicate their discoveries. Secondly, once the swarm is ready to depart, informed scout bees act as guides, leading the swarm to its final destination. We have previously hypothesised that the two processes, selecting a new nest site and swarm guidance, are tightly linked in honey bees. When swarms can be laissez faire about where they nest, reaching directional consensus prior to lift off seems unnecessary. If, in contrast, it is essential that the swarm reaches a precise location, either directional consensus must be near unanimous prior to swarm departure or only a select subgroup of the scouts guide the swarm. Here, we tested experimentally whether directional consensus is necessary for the successful guidance of swarms of the Western honey bee Apis mellifera by forcing swarms into the air prior to the completion of the decision-making process. Our results show that swarms were unable to guide themselves prior to the swarm reaching the pre-flight buzzing phase of the decision-making process, even when directional consensus was high. We therefore suggest that not all scouts involved in the decision-making process attempt to guide the swarm. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
Effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on inhibitory and executive control over prepotent responses in Parkinson's disease

PubMed Central

Jahanshahi, Marjan

2013-01-01

Inhibition of inappropriate, habitual or prepotent responses is an essential component of executive control and a cornerstone of self-control. Via the hyperdirect pathway, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) receives inputs from frontal areas involved in inhibition and executive control. Evidence is reviewed from our own work and the literature suggesting that in Parkinson's disease (PD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the STN has an impact on executive control during attention-demanding tasks or in situations of conflict when habitual or prepotent responses have to be inhibited. These results support a role for the STN in an inter-related set of processes: switching from automatic to controlled processing, inhibitory and executive control, adjusting response thresholds and influencing speed-accuracy trade-offs. Such STN DBS-induced deficits in inhibitory and executive control may contribute to some of the psychiatric problems experienced by a proportion of operated cases after STN DBS surgery in PD. However, as no direct evidence for such a link is currently available, there is a need to provide direct evidence for such a link between STN DBS-induced deficits in inhibitory and executive control and post-surgical psychiatric complications experienced by operated patients. PMID:24399941
Inferring the background traffic arrival process in the Internet.

PubMed

Hága, Péter; Csabai, István; Vattay, Gábor

2009-12-01

Phase transition has been found in many complex interactivity systems. Complex networks are not exception either but there are quite few real systems where we can directly understand the emergence of this nontrivial behavior from the microscopic view. In this paper, we present the emergence of the phase transition between the congested and uncongested phases of a network link. We demonstrate a method to infer the background traffic arrival process, which is one of the key state parameters of the Internet traffic. The traffic arrival process in the Internet has been investigated in several studies, since the recognition of its self-similar nature. The statistical properties of the traffic arrival process are very important since they are fundamental in modeling the dynamical behavior. Here, we demonstrate how the widely used packet train technique can be used to determine the main properties of the traffic arrival process. We show that the packet train dispersion is sensitive to the congestion on the network path. We introduce the packet train stretch as an order parameter to describe the phase transition between the congested and uncongested phases of the bottleneck link in the path. We find that the distribution of the background traffic arrival process can be determined from the average packet train dispersion at the critical point of the system.
Syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis via direct interspecies electron transfer

DOE PAGES

Ha, Phuc T.; Lindemann, Stephen R.; Shi, Liang; ...

2017-01-09

Microbial phototrophs, key primary producers on Earth, use H 2O, H 2, H 2S and other reduced inorganic compounds as electron donors. Here we describe a form of metabolism linking anoxygenic photosynthesis to anaerobic respiration that we call ‘syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis’. We show that photoautotrophy in the green sulfur bacterium Prosthecochloris aestaurii can be driven by either electrons from a solid electrode or acetate oxidation via direct interspecies electron transfer from a heterotrophic partner bacterium, Geobacter sulfurreducens. Photosynthetic growth of P. aestuarii using reductant provided by either an electrode or syntrophy is robust and light-dependent. In contrast, P. aestuarii doesmore » not grow in co-culture with a G. sulfurreducens mutant lacking a trans-outer membrane porin-cytochrome protein complex required for direct intercellular electron transfer. Syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis is therefore a carbon cycling process that could take place in anoxic environments. Lastly, this process could be exploited for biotechnological applications, such as waste treatment and bioenergy production, using engineered phototrophic microbial communities.« less
Syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis via direct interspecies electron transfer

PubMed Central

Ha, Phuc T.; Lindemann, Stephen R.; Shi, Liang; Dohnalkova, Alice C.; Fredrickson, James K.; Madigan, Michael T.; Beyenal, Haluk

2017-01-01

Microbial phototrophs, key primary producers on Earth, use H2O, H2, H2S and other reduced inorganic compounds as electron donors. Here we describe a form of metabolism linking anoxygenic photosynthesis to anaerobic respiration that we call ‘syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis'. We show that photoautotrophy in the green sulfur bacterium Prosthecochloris aestaurii can be driven by either electrons from a solid electrode or acetate oxidation via direct interspecies electron transfer from a heterotrophic partner bacterium, Geobacter sulfurreducens. Photosynthetic growth of P. aestuarii using reductant provided by either an electrode or syntrophy is robust and light-dependent. In contrast, P. aestuarii does not grow in co-culture with a G. sulfurreducens mutant lacking a trans-outer membrane porin-cytochrome protein complex required for direct intercellular electron transfer. Syntrophic anaerobic photosynthesis is therefore a carbon cycling process that could take place in anoxic environments. This process could be exploited for biotechnological applications, such as waste treatment and bioenergy production, using engineered phototrophic microbial communities. PMID:28067226
Isoform-specific tethering links the Golgi ribbon to maintain compartmentalization

PubMed Central

Jarvela, Timothy; Linstedt, Adam D.

2014-01-01

Homotypic membrane tethering by the Golgi reassembly and stacking proteins (GRASPs) is required for the lateral linkage of mammalian Golgi ministacks into a ribbon-like membrane network. Although GRASP65 and GRASP55 are specifically localized to cis and medial/trans cisternae, respectively, it is unknown whether each GRASP mediates cisternae-specific tethering and whether such specificity is necessary for Golgi compartmentalization. Here each GRASP was tagged with KillerRed (KR), expressed in HeLa cells, and inhibited by 1-min exposure to light. Significantly, inactivation of either GRASP unlinked the Golgi ribbon, and the immediate effect of GRASP65-KR inactivation was a loss of cis- rather than trans-Golgi integrity, whereas inactivation of GRASP55-KR first affected the trans- and not the cis-Golgi. Thus each GRASP appears to play a direct and cisternae-specific role in linking ministacks into a continuous membrane network. To test the consequence of loss of cisternae-specific tethering, we generated Golgi membranes with a single GRASP on all cisternae. Remarkably, the membranes exhibited the full connectivity of wild-type Golgi ribbons but were decompartmentalized and defective in glycan processing. Thus the GRASP isoforms specifically link analogous cisternae to ensure Golgi compartmentalization and proper processing. PMID:24227884
Emotions and voluntary action: what link in children with autism?

PubMed

Vernazza-Martin, S; Longuet, S; Chamot, J M; Orève, M J

2013-08-15

This research focuses on the impact of emotions--defined as "motivational states"--on the organization of goal directed locomotion in children with autism. Walking toward a goal involves both cognitive processes responsible for movement planning and automatic processes linked to movement programming. To these processes, motivation leading to achieving the goal is added. For some authors, a deficit of planning and/or programming processes is highlighted in autism. Others stand for some impairment of the emotional system. The aim of this research is to link these two viewpoints and to determine if, in children with autism, the organization of locomotion is affected by a positive/aversive emotion conferred to an object to fetch. Twenty-nine children participated in the study (11 children with autism--mean age 122 months; 9 mental age-matched controls--mean age 36 months; and 9 chronological age-matched controls--mean age 122 months). They were instructed to go and get a positive or aversive emotional valence object located straight ahead, at 30° to the right or straight ahead then moved at mid-distance to the right. Gait analysis was performed using the Vicon system. The main results suggest that a positive emotional context promotes the cognitive processes involved in movement planning while an aversive emotional context blocks it or disturbs it in children with autism. No emotions effect is observed on movement programming. It is suggested that emotions triggered off and modulated movement planning and that the deficit observed was related to a developmental impairment rather than to a developmental delay. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Two-Systems Account of Theory of Mind: Testing the Links to Social- Perceptual and Cognitive Abilities

PubMed Central

Meinhardt-Injac, Bozana; Daum, Moritz M.; Meinhardt, Günter; Persike, Malte

2018-01-01

According to the two-systems account of theory of mind (ToM), understanding mental states of others involves both fast social-perceptual processes, as well as slower, reflexive cognitive operations (Frith and Frith, 2008; Apperly and Butterfill, 2009). To test the respective roles of specific abilities in either of these processes we administered 15 experimental procedures to a large sample of 343 participants, testing ability in face recognition and holistic perception, language, and reasoning. ToM was measured by a set of tasks requiring ability to track and to infer complex emotional and mental states of others from faces, eyes, spoken language, and prosody. We used structural equation modeling to test the relative strengths of a social-perceptual (face processing related) and reflexive-cognitive (language and reasoning related) path in predicting ToM ability. The two paths accounted for 58% of ToM variance, thus validating a general two-systems framework. Testing specific predictor paths revealed language and face recognition as strong and significant predictors of ToM. For reasoning, there were neither direct nor mediated effects, albeit reasoning was strongly associated with language. Holistic face perception also failed to show a direct link with ToM ability, while there was a mediated effect via face recognition. These results highlight the respective roles of face recognition and language for the social brain, and contribute closer empirical specification of the general two-systems account. PMID:29445336
The immobilization of a direct thrombin inhibitor to a polyurethane as a nonthrombogenic surface coating for extracorporeal circulation.

PubMed

Yu, Jane; Brisbois, Elizabeth; Handa, Hitesh; Annich, Gail; Meyerhoff, Mark; Bartlett, Robert; Major, Terry

2016-04-07

A biomaterial with both antithrombin and antiplatelet properties is the ideal surface for use in extracorporeal circulation (ECC) as it targets both fibrin generation and platelet adhesion. A hemocompatible surface coating avoids the need for systemic anticoagulation by providing a local anticoagulant effect at the polymer-blood interface. Previous work has demonstrated the potential use of argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, as a nonthrombogenic material for extracorporeal devices. The work reported here focuses on the characterization of argatroban linked to a polyurethane-silicone polymer, CarboSil®. Chemical immobilization, the amount of argatroban, incubation times, and saturation point were evaluated to achieve maximal antithrombin activity at the polymer surface. Cross-linked polymer coatings reacted with 10 and 30 µmole of argatroban were prepared and tested. These coatings resulted in argatroban activity levels of 0.131 µM and 0.446 µM, respectively. After refining the cross-linking process, argatroban activity increased by approximately 3.6 fold. Maintenance of activity and leaching from the polymer surface were also evaluated. Using the refined process for linking argatroban to polymer, the resulting polymer was applied as a surface coating to the inner lumen of poly(vinyl chloride) ECC circuit tubing and its antithrombin effect evaluated using a 4 h rabbit ECC model. Following 4 h of blood exposure, the argatroban circuit demonstrated significantly less thrombus formation compared to the control CarboSil® coating with a 4.1 cm 2 thrombus average area for the control coating compared to 1.2 cm 2 for the argatroban coating (n=4). There was no significant change in thrombin time from baseline in plasma from animals in which the argatroban coated circuit was used, with a thrombin time of 16.2 s at t=0 and 14.5 s after 4 h. These results demonstrate the potential efficacy of immobilized argatroban as a hemocompatible biomaterial for extracorporeal life support devices.
The immobilization of a direct thrombin inhibitor to a polyurethane as a nonthrombogenic surface coating for extracorporeal circulation

PubMed Central

Yu, Jane; Brisbois, Elizabeth; Handa, Hitesh; Annich, Gail; Meyerhoff, Mark; Bartlett, Robert; Major, Terry

2016-01-01

A biomaterial with both antithrombin and antiplatelet properties is the ideal surface for use in extracorporeal circulation (ECC) as it targets both fibrin generation and platelet adhesion. A hemocompatible surface coating avoids the need for systemic anticoagulation by providing a local anticoagulant effect at the polymer-blood interface. Previous work has demonstrated the potential use of argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, as a nonthrombogenic material for extracorporeal devices. The work reported here focuses on the characterization of argatroban linked to a polyurethane-silicone polymer, CarboSil®. Chemical immobilization, the amount of argatroban, incubation times, and saturation point were evaluated to achieve maximal antithrombin activity at the polymer surface. Cross-linked polymer coatings reacted with 10 and 30 µmole of argatroban were prepared and tested. These coatings resulted in argatroban activity levels of 0.131 µM and 0.446 µM, respectively. After refining the cross-linking process, argatroban activity increased by approximately 3.6 fold. Maintenance of activity and leaching from the polymer surface were also evaluated. Using the refined process for linking argatroban to polymer, the resulting polymer was applied as a surface coating to the inner lumen of poly(vinyl chloride) ECC circuit tubing and its antithrombin effect evaluated using a 4 h rabbit ECC model. Following 4 h of blood exposure, the argatroban circuit demonstrated significantly less thrombus formation compared to the control CarboSil® coating with a 4.1 cm2 thrombus average area for the control coating compared to 1.2 cm2 for the argatroban coating (n=4). There was no significant change in thrombin time from baseline in plasma from animals in which the argatroban coated circuit was used, with a thrombin time of 16.2 s at t=0 and 14.5 s after 4 h. These results demonstrate the potential efficacy of immobilized argatroban as a hemocompatible biomaterial for extracorporeal life support devices. PMID:27458521
Surface growth kinematics via local curve evolution.

PubMed

Moulton, Derek E; Goriely, Alain

2014-01-01

A mathematical framework is developed to model the kinematics of surface growth for objects that can be generated by evolving a curve in space, such as seashells and horns. Growth is dictated by a growth velocity vector field defined at every point on a generating curve. A local orthonormal basis is attached to each point of the generating curve and the velocity field is given in terms of the local coordinate directions, leading to a fully local and elegant mathematical structure. Several examples of increasing complexity are provided, and we demonstrate how biologically relevant structures such as logarithmic shells and horns emerge as analytical solutions of the kinematics equations with a small number of parameters that can be linked to the underlying growth process. Direct access to cell tracks and local orientation enables for connections to be made to the underlying growth process.
77 FR 2439 - Airworthiness Directives; Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Models 1900, 1900C, and 1900D Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-18

... down position (control column forward), the link must form an angle between the link attachment point... Airworthiness Directives; Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Models 1900, 1900C, and 1900D Airplanes AGENCY: Federal... new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Models 1900, 1900C, and...
The visualization and availability of experimental research data at Elsevier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keall, Bethan

2014-05-01

In the digital age, the visualization and availability of experimental research data is an increasingly prominent aspect of the research process and of the scientific output that researchers generate. We expect that the importance of data will continue to grow, driven by technological advancements, requirements from funding bodies to make research data available, and a developing research data infrastructure that is supported by data repositories, science publishers, and other stakeholders. Elsevier is actively contributing to these efforts, for example by setting up bidirectional links between online articles on ScienceDirect and relevant data sets on trusted data repositories. A key aspect of Elsevier's "Article of the Future" program, these links enrich the online article and make it easier for researchers to find relevant data and articles and help place data in the right context for re-use. Recently, we have set up such links with some of the leading data repositories in Earth Sciences, including the British Geological Survey, Integrated Earth Data Applications, the UK Natural Environment Research Council, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC. Building on these links, Elsevier has also developed a number of data integration and visualization tools, such as an interactive map viewer that displays the locations of relevant data from PANGAEA next to articles on ScienceDirect. In this presentation we will give an overview of these and other capabilities of the Article of the Future, focusing on how they help advance communication of research in the digital age.
Exploring the physical layer frontiers of cellular uplink: The Vienna LTE-A Uplink Simulator.

PubMed

Zöchmann, Erich; Schwarz, Stefan; Pratschner, Stefan; Nagel, Lukas; Lerch, Martin; Rupp, Markus

Communication systems in practice are subject to many technical/technological constraints and restrictions. Multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) processing in current wireless communications, as an example, mostly employs codebook-based pre-coding to save computational complexity at the transmitters and receivers. In such cases, closed form expressions for capacity or bit-error probability are often unattainable; effects of realistic signal processing algorithms on the performance of practical communication systems rather have to be studied in simulation environments. The Vienna LTE-A Uplink Simulator is a 3GPP LTE-A standard compliant MATLAB-based link level simulator that is publicly available under an academic use license, facilitating reproducible evaluations of signal processing algorithms and transceiver designs in wireless communications. This paper reviews research results that have been obtained by means of the Vienna LTE-A Uplink Simulator, highlights the effects of single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (as the distinguishing feature to LTE-A downlink), extends known link adaptation concepts to uplink transmission, shows the implications of the uplink pilot pattern for gathering channel state information at the receiver and completes with possible future research directions.
Understanding the social effects of emotion regulation: the mediating role of authenticity for individual differences in suppression.

PubMed

English, Tammy; John, Oliver P

2013-04-01

Individuals differ in the strategies they use to regulate their emotions (e.g., suppression, reappraisal), and these regulatory strategies can differentially influence social outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying these social effects remain to be specified. We examined one potential mediator that arises directly from emotion-regulatory effort (expression of positive emotion), and another mediator that does not involve emotion processes per se, but instead results from the link between regulation and self-processes (subjective inauthenticity). Across three studies, only inauthenticity mediated the link between habitual use of suppression and poor social functioning (lower relationship satisfaction, lower social support). These findings replicated across individuals socialized in Western and East Asian cultural contexts, younger and older adults, when predicting social functioning concurrently and a decade later, and even when broader adjustment was controlled. Thus, the social costs of suppression do not seem to be due to reduced positive emotion expression but rather the incongruence between inner-self and outer-behavior. Reappraisal was not consistently related to social functioning. Implications of these findings for emotion processes, self processes, and interpersonal relationships are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.
An official American thoracic society workshop report: developing performance measures from clinical practice guidelines.

PubMed

Kahn, Jeremy M; Gould, Michael K; Krishnan, Jerry A; Wilson, Kevin C; Au, David H; Cooke, Colin R; Douglas, Ivor S; Feemster, Laura C; Mularski, Richard A; Slatore, Christopher G; Wiener, Renda Soylemez

2014-05-01

Many health care performance measures are either not based on high-quality clinical evidence or not tightly linked to patient-centered outcomes, limiting their usefulness in quality improvement. In this report we summarize the proceedings of an American Thoracic Society workshop convened to address this problem by reviewing current approaches to performance measure development and creating a framework for developing high-quality performance measures by basing them directly on recommendations from well-constructed clinical practice guidelines. Workshop participants concluded that ideally performance measures addressing care processes should be linked to clinical practice guidelines that explicitly rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations, such as the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process. Under this framework, process-based performance measures would only be developed from strong recommendations based on high- or moderate-quality evidence. This approach would help ensure that clinical processes specified in performance measures are both of clear benefit to patients and supported by strong evidence. Although this approach may result in fewer performance measures, it would substantially increase the likelihood that quality-improvement programs based on these measures actually improve patient care.
Optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM): Effects of biological and photolytic degradation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansen, Angela; Kraus, Tamara; Pellerin, Brian; Fleck, Jacob; Downing, Bryan D.; Bergamaschi, Brian

2016-01-01

Advances in spectroscopic techniques have led to an increase in the use of optical properties (absorbance and fluorescence) to assess dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and infer sources and processing. However, little information is available to assess the impact of biological and photolytic processing on the optical properties of original DOM source materials. We measured changes in commonly used optical properties and indices in DOM leached from peat soil, plants, and algae following biological and photochemical degradation to determine whether they provide unique signatures that can be linked to original DOM source. Changes in individual optical parameters varied by source material and process, with biodegradation and photodegradation often causing values to shift in opposite directions. Although values for different source materials overlapped at the end of the 111-day lab experiment, multivariate statistical analyses showed that unique optical signatures could be linked to original DOM source material even after degradation, with 17 optical properties determined by discriminant analysis to be significant (p<0.05) in distinguishing between DOM source and environmental processing. These results demonstrate that inferring the source material from optical properties is possible when parameters are evaluated in combination even after extensive biological and photochemical alteration.
Dynamics of financial crises in the world trade network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askari, Marziyeh; Shirazi, Homayoun; Aghababaei Samani, Keivan

2018-07-01

A simple dynamical model is introduced to simulate the spreading of financial crises in the world trade network. In this model a directed network is constructed in which a weighted and directed link indicates the export value between two countries. The weights are subject to the change by a simple dynamical rule. The process begins with a crisis, i.e. a sudden decrease in the export value of a certain country and spreads throughout the whole network. We compare our results with the real values corresponding to the global financial crisis of 2008 and show that the results of our model are in good agreement with reality.
Lignin plays a negative role in the biochemical process for producing lignocellulosic biofuels.

PubMed

Zeng, Yining; Zhao, Shuai; Yang, Shihui; Ding, Shi-You

2014-06-01

A biochemical platform holds the most promising route toward lignocellulosic biofuels, in which polysaccharides are hydrolyzed by cellulase enzymes into simple sugars and fermented to ethanol by microbes. However, these polysaccharides are cross-linked in the plant cell walls with the hydrophobic network of lignin that physically impedes enzymatic deconstruction. A thermochemical pretreatment process is often required to remove or delocalize lignin, which may also generate inhibitors that hamper enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Here we review recent advances in understanding lignin structure in the plant cell walls and the negative roles of lignin in the processes of converting biomass to biofuels. Perspectives and future directions to improve the biomass conversion process are also discussed. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Self-assembly of knots and links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlandini, Enzo; Polles, Guido; Marenduzzo, Davide; Micheletti, Cristian

2017-03-01

Guiding the self-assembly of identical building blocks towards complex three-dimensional structures with a set of desired properties is a major goal in material science, chemistry and physics. A particularly challenging problem, especially explored in synthetic chemistry, is that of self-assembling closed structures with a target topology starting by simple geometrical templates. Here we overview and revisit recent advancements, based on stochastic simulations, where the geometry of rigid helical templates with functionalised sticky ends has been designed for self-assembling efficiently and reproducibly into a wide range of three-dimensional closed structures. Notably, these include non trivial topologies of links and knots, including the 819 knot that we had predicted to be highly encodable and that has only recently been obtained experimentally. By appropriately tuning the parameters that define the template shape, we show that, for fixed concentration of templates, the assembly process can be directed towards the formation of specific knotted and linked structures such as the trefoils, pentafoil knots, Hopf and Solomon links. More exotic and unexpected knots and links are also found. Our results should be relevant to the design of new protocols that can both increase and broaden the population of synthetise molecular knots and catenanes.

Stress hormones link food availability and population processes in seabirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kitaysky, A.S.; Piatt, John F.; Wingfield, J.C.

2007-01-01

Catastrophic population declines in marine top predators in the northern Pacific have been hypothesized to result from nutritional stress affecting reproduction and survival of individuals. However, empirical evidence for food-related stress in wild animals is frequently lacking or inconclusive. We used a field endocrinology approach to measure stress, identify its causes, and examine a link between stress and population processes in the common murre Uria aalge. We tested the empirical relationship between variations in the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) and food abundance, reproduction, and persistence of individuals at declining and increasing colonies in Cook Inlet, Alaska, from 1996 to 2001. We found that CORT secretion in murres is independent of colony, reproductive stage effects, and gender of individuals, but is directly negatively correlated with abundance of their food. Baseline CORT reflected current food abundance, whereas acute stress-induced CORT reflected food abundance in the previous month. As food supply diminished, increased CORT secretion predicted a decrease in reproductive performance. At a declining colony, increased baseline levels of CORT during reproduction predicted disappearance of individuals from the population. Persistence of individuals in a growing colony was independent of CORT during reproduction. The obtained results support the hypothesis that nutritional stress during reproduction affects reproduction and survival in seabirds. This study provides the first unequivocal evidence for CORT secretion as a mechanistic link between fluctuations in food abundance and population processes in seabirds. ?? Inter-Research 2007.
Developing a Standard Method for Link-Layer Security of CCSDS Space Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biggerstaff, Craig

2009-01-01

Communications security for space systems has been a specialized field generally far removed from considerations of mission interoperability and cross-support in fact, these considerations often have been viewed as intrinsically opposed to security objectives. The space communications protocols defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) have a twenty-five year history of successful use in over 400 missions. While the CCSDS Telemetry, Telecommand, and Advancing Orbiting Systems protocols for use at OSI Layer 2 are operationally mature, there has been no direct support within these protocols for communications security techniques. Link-layer communications security has been successfully implemented in the past using mission-unique methods, but never before with an objective of facilitating cross-support and interoperability. This paper discusses the design of a standard method for cryptographic authentication, encryption, and replay protection at the data link layer that can be integrated into existing CCSDS protocols without disruption to legacy communications services. Integrating cryptographic operations into existing data structures and processing sequences requires a careful assessment of the potential impediments within spacecraft, ground stations, and operations centers. The objective of this work is to provide a sound method for cryptographic encapsulation of frame data that also facilitates Layer 2 virtual channel switching, such that a mission may procure data transport services as needed without involving third parties in the cryptographic processing, or split independent data streams for separate cryptographic processing.
Radiography for intensive care: participatory process analysis in a PACS-equipped and film/screen environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peer, Regina; Peer, Siegfried; Sander, Heike; Marsolek, Ingo; Koller, Wolfgang; Pappert, Dirk; Hierholzer, Johannes

2002-05-01

If new technology is introduced into medical practice it must prove to make a difference. However traditional approaches of outcome analysis failed to show a direct benefit of PACS on patient care and economical benefits are still in debate. A participatory process analysis was performed to compare workflow in a film based hospital and a PACS environment. This included direct observation of work processes, interview of involved staff, structural analysis and discussion of observations with staff members. After definition of common structures strong and weak workflow steps were evaluated. With a common workflow structure in both hospitals, benefits of PACS were revealed in workflow steps related to image reporting with simultaneous image access for ICU-physicians and radiologists, archiving of images as well as image and report distribution. However PACS alone is not able to cover the complete process of 'radiography for intensive care' from ordering of an image till provision of the final product equals image + report. Interference of electronic workflow with analogue process steps such as paper based ordering reduces the potential benefits of PACS. In this regard workflow modeling proved to be very helpful for the evaluation of complex work processes linking radiology and the ICU.
Comparison of the One- and Bi-Direction Chained Equipercentile Equating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Hyeonjoo; Moses, Tim

2012-01-01

This study investigated differences between two approaches to chained equipercentile (CE) equating (one- and bi-direction CE equating) in nearly equal groups and relatively unequal groups. In one-direction CE equating, the new form is linked to the anchor in one sample of examinees and the anchor is linked to the reference form in the other…
Yadage and Packtivity - analysis preservation using parametrized workflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranmer, Kyle; Heinrich, Lukas

2017-10-01

Preserving data analyses produced by the collaborations at LHC in a parametrized fashion is crucial in order to maintain reproducibility and re-usability. We argue for a declarative description in terms of individual processing steps - “packtivities” - linked through a dynamic directed acyclic graph (DAG) and present an initial set of JSON schemas for such a description and an implementation - “yadage” - capable of executing workflows of analysis preserved via Linux containers.
Scale-free characteristics of random networks: the topology of the world-wide web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barabási, Albert-László; Albert, Réka; Jeong, Hawoong

2000-06-01

The world-wide web forms a large directed graph, whose vertices are documents and edges are links pointing from one document to another. Here we demonstrate that despite its apparent random character, the topology of this graph has a number of universal scale-free characteristics. We introduce a model that leads to a scale-free network, capturing in a minimal fashion the self-organization processes governing the world-wide web.
Que La Tortilla Se Vuelvai A History of U.S. Agribusiness Companies in Mexico. (May the Tortilla Return! A History of U.S. Agribusiness Companies in Mexico.)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdy, Jack

1978-01-01

There is a direct link, today and historically, between Mexico's underdevelopment and maldistribution of wealth, and U.S. domination of Mexico's economy, including the current penetration by U.S. transnationals. Activity in the food production and processing industries is just one facet of the total picture, but one of the most important.…
Friction and Wear on the Atomic Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnecco, Enrico; Bennewitz, Roland; Pfeiffer, Oliver; Socoliuc, Anisoara; Meyer, Ernst

Friction has long been the subject of research: the empirical da Vinci-Amontons friction laws have been common knowledge for centuries. Macroscopic experiments performed by the school of Bowden and Tabor revealed that macroscopic friction can be related to the collective action of small asperities. Over the last 15 years, experiments performed with the atomic force microscope have provided new insights into the physics of single asperities sliding over surfaces. This development, together with the results from complementary experiments using surface force apparatus and the quartz microbalance, have led to the new field of nanotribology. At the same time, increasing computing power has permitted the simulation of processes that occur during sliding contact involving several hundreds of atoms. It has become clear that atomic processes cannot be neglected when interpreting nanotribology experiments. Even on well-defined surfaces, experiments have revealed that atomic structure is directly linked to friction force. This chapter will describe friction force microscopy experiments that reveal, more or less directly, atomic processes during sliding contact.
Algorithms in nature: the convergence of systems biology and computational thinking

PubMed Central

Navlakha, Saket; Bar-Joseph, Ziv

2011-01-01

Computer science and biology have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship for decades. Biologists rely on computational methods to analyze and integrate large data sets, while several computational methods were inspired by the high-level design principles of biological systems. Recently, these two directions have been converging. In this review, we argue that thinking computationally about biological processes may lead to more accurate models, which in turn can be used to improve the design of algorithms. We discuss the similar mechanisms and requirements shared by computational and biological processes and then present several recent studies that apply this joint analysis strategy to problems related to coordination, network analysis, and tracking and vision. We also discuss additional biological processes that can be studied in a similar manner and link them to potential computational problems. With the rapid accumulation of data detailing the inner workings of biological systems, we expect this direction of coupling biological and computational studies to greatly expand in the future. PMID:22068329
Neurogenetics of Depression: A Focus on Reward Processing and Stress Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Bogdan, Ryan; Nikolova, Yuliya S.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.

2013-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is etiologically complex and has a heterogeneous presentation. This heterogeneity hinders the ability of molecular genetic research to reliably detect the small effects conferred by common genetic variation. As a result, significant research efforts have been directed at investigating more homogenous intermediate phenotypes believed to be more proximal to gene function and lie between genes and/or environmental effects and disease processes. In the current review we survey and integrate research on two promising intermediate phenotypes linked to depression: reward processing and stress sensitivity. A synthesis of this burgeoning literature indicates that a molecular genetic approach focused on intermediate phenotypes holds significant promise to fundamentally improve our understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of depression, which will be required for improved diagnostic definitions and the development of novel and more efficacious treatment and prevention strategies. We conclude by highlighting challenges facing intermediate phenotype research and future development that will be required to propel this pivotal research into new directions. PMID:22659304
Age-Sex Structure of the Population and Demographic Processes in Environmentally Challenged Mining Region (on the example of Kemerovo region)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leshukov, Timofey; Brel, Olga; Zaytseva, Anna; Kaizer, Philipp; Makarov, Kirill

2017-11-01

The main goal of the article is to show the influence of the age-sex structure of the population on the basic demographic processes in the Kemerovo region. During research the authors have established correlation links between the sex-age structure of the population and the main demographic indicators (birth and mortality rate, morbidity rate, migration and others) based on the analysis of official statistical data. The direct influence of internal and external factors on the age-sex structure of the population is revealed. Conclusions about the impact of demographic processes on the sex-age structure of the population of the Kemerovo region are drawn.
Phosphoinositide Signaling Regulates the Exocyst Complex and Polarized Integrin Trafficking in Directionally Migrating Cells

PubMed Central

Thapa, Narendra; Sun, Yue; Schramp, Mark; Choi, Suyoung; Ling, Kun; Anderson, Richard A

2011-01-01

Summary Polarized delivery of signaling and adhesion molecules to the leading edge is required for directional migration of cells. Here, we describe a role for the PIP2 synthesizing enzyme, PIPKIγi2, in regulation of exocyst complex control of cell polarity and polarized integrin trafficking during migration. Loss of PIPKIγi2 impaired directional migration, formation of cell polarity, and integrin trafficking to the leading edge. Upon initiation of directional migration PIPKIγi2 via PIP2 generation controls the integration of the exocyst complex into an integrin-containing trafficking compartment(s) that requires the talin-binding ability of PIPKIγi2, and talin for integrin recruitment to the leading edge. A PIP2 requirement is further emphasized by inhibition of PIPKIγi2-regulated directional migration by an Exo70 mutant deficient in PIP2 binding. These results reveal how phosphoinositide generation orchestrates polarized trafficking of integrin in coordination with talin that links integrins to the actin cytoskeleton, processes that are required for directional migration. PMID:22264730
Thermal conductivity of cross-linked polyethylene from molecular dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Xue; Yang, Ming; Liu, Changlin; Li, Xiaobo; Tang, Dawei

2017-07-01

The thermal conductivity of cross-linked bulk polyethylene is studied using molecular dynamics simulation. The atomic structure of the cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is generated through simulated bond formation using LAMMPS. The thermal conductivity of PEX is studied with different degrees of crosslinking, chain length, and tensile strain. Generally, the thermal conductivity increases with the increasing degree of crosslinking. When the length of the primitive chain increases, the thermal conductivity increases linearly. When the polymer is stretched along one direction, the thermal conductivity increases in the stretched direction and decreases in the direction perpendicular to it. However, the thermal conductivity varies slightly when the polymer is stretched in three directions simultaneously.
Directional antenna array (DAA) for communications, control, and data link protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molchanov, Pavlo A.; Contarino, Vincent M.

2013-06-01

A next generation of Smart antennas with point-to-point communication and jam, spoof protection capability by verification of spatial position is offered. A directional antenna array (DAA) with narrow irradiation beam provides counter terrorism protection for communications, data link, control and GPS. Communications are "invisible" to guided missiles because of 20 dB smaller irradiation outside the beam and spatial separation. This solution can be implemented with current technology. Directional antennas have higher gain and can be multi-frequency or have wide frequency band in contrast to phase antenna arrays. This multi-directional antenna array provides a multi-functional communication network and simultaneously can be used for command control, data link and GPS.
Disorganization and real-world functioning in schizophrenia: Results from the multicenter study of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses.

PubMed

Rocca, P; Galderisi, S; Rossi, A; Bertolino, A; Rucci, P; Gibertoni, D; Montemagni, C; Bellino, S; Aguglia, E; Amore, M; Bellomo, A; Biondi, M; Carpiniello, B; Cuomo, A; D'Ambrosio, E; dell'Osso, L; Girardi, P; Marchesi, C; Monteleone, P; Montemitro, C; Oldani, L; Pacitti, F; Roncone, R; Siracusano, A; Tenconi, E; Vita, A; Zeppegno, P; Steardo, L; Vignapiano, A; Maj, M

2018-06-10

A general consensus has not yet been reached regarding the role of disorganization symptoms in real-world functioning in schizophrenia. We used structural equations modeling (SEM) to analyze the direct and indirect associations between disorganization and real-world functioning assessed through the Specific Levels of Functioning Scale (SLOF) in 880 subjects with schizophrenia. We found that: 1) conceptual disorganization was directly and strongly connected with SLOF daily activities; difficulty in abstract thinking was associated with moderate strength to all SLOF domains, and poor attention was connected with SLOF work skills; 2) grandiosity was only related with poor work skills, and delusions were associated with poor functioning in all SLOF domains; interpersonal relationships were weakly indirectly influenced by hallucinatory behavior, delusions and unusual thought contents through the mediation of social cognition (SC); 3) among the negative symptoms, avolition had only direct links with SLOF work skills and SLOF activities; anhedonia had direct links with SLOF work skills and SLOF interpersonal and indirect link with SLOF work skills through functional capacity (FC); asociality with SLOF interpersonal; blunted affect had direct links with SLOF activities and indirect links with SLOF interpersonal relationships mediated by SC. Lastly, alogia had only indirect links mediated by SC, FC, and neurocognition (NC). Overall conceptual disorganization is the symptom that contributed more (both directly and indirectly) to the activities of community living in real-world. Thus, it should be considered as a treatment target in intervention programs for patients with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.
First direct observation of the link between supercritical flow processes, crescent-shape bedforms and massive sand deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hage, Sophie; Cartigny, Matthieu; Clare, Michael; Sumner, Esther; Talling, Peter; Vendettuoli, Daniela; Hughes Clarke, John; Hubbard, Stephen

2017-04-01

Massive sandstones have been studied in many outcrops worldwide as they form a building stone of good subsurface petroleum reservoirs. Massive sands are often associated with turbidites sequences in ancient sedimentary successions. Turbidites are widely known to result from the deceleration of turbidity currents, these underwater flows driven by the excess density of sediments they carry in suspension. Depositional processes that are associated with the formation of massive sands are still under debate in the literature and many theoretical mechanisms have been suggested based on outcrops interpretations, lab experiments and numerical models. Here we present the first field observations that show how massive sands are generated from flow instabilities associated with supercritical flow processes occurring in turbidity currents. We combine turbidity current measurements with seafloor topography observations on the active Squamish Delta, British Columbia (Canada). We show that supercritical flow processes shape crescent-shape bedforms on the seafloor, and how these crescent-shape bedforms are built by massive sands. This modern process-product link is then used to interpret massive sandstone successions found in ancient outcrops. We demonstrate that supercritical-flow processes can be recognised in outcrops and that these processes produce highly diachronous stratigraphic surfaces in the rock record. This has profound implications on how to interpret ancient geological successions and the Earth history they archive.
Empowering pharmacoinformatics by linked life science data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldmann, Daria; Zdrazil, Barbara; Digles, Daniela; Ecker, Gerhard F.

2017-03-01

With the public availability of large data sources such as ChEMBLdb and the Open PHACTS Discovery Platform, retrieval of data sets for certain protein targets of interest with consistent assay conditions is no longer a time consuming process. Especially the use of workflow engines such as KNIME or Pipeline Pilot allows complex queries and enables to simultaneously search for several targets. Data can then directly be used as input to various ligand- and structure-based studies. In this contribution, using in-house projects on P-gp inhibition, transporter selectivity, and TRPV1 modulation we outline how the incorporation of linked life science data in the daily execution of projects allowed to expand our approaches from conventional Hansch analysis to complex, integrated multilayer models.
Hypothetical link between infertility and genetically modified food.

PubMed

Gao, Mingxia; Li, Bin; Yuan, Wenzhen; Zhao, Lihui; Zhang, Xuehong

2014-01-01

It is speculated that genetically modified food (GMF)/genetically modified organism (GMO) is responsible for infertility development. The risk linked with a wide use of GMFs/GMOs offers the basic elements for social criticism. However, to date, it has not been justified whether the bad effects are directly resulted from products of genetic modifications or trans-genesis process. Extensive experience with the risk assessment of whole foods has been applied recently on the safety and nutritional testing of GMFs/GMOs. Investigations have tested the safety of GMFs including sub-acute, chronic, reproductive, multi-generation and carcinogenicity studies. We extrapolated the potential risks associated with GMFs/GMOs on reproduction, and analyzed the multi-aspect linked between infertility and GMFs/GMOs. It could be conjectured that GMFs/GMOs could be potential hazard on reproduction, linking to the development of infertility through influencing the endocrine metabolism, endometriosis. However, little evidence shows the impaction on embryo or reproductive related tumor due to the limited literatures, and needs further research. The article presents some related patents on GMFs/GMOs, and some methods for tracking GMOs.
Revealing a Novel Otubain-like Enzyme from Leishmania infantum with Deubiquitinating Activity toward K48-linked Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo, Clênia S.; Guido, Bruna C.; Pereira, Jhonata L.; Nolasco, Diego O.; Corrêa, Rafael; Magalhães, Kelly G.; Motta, Flávia N.; Santana, Jaime M.; Grellier, Philippe; Bastos, Izabela M. D.

2017-03-01

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) play an important role in regulating a variety of eukaryotic processes. In this context, exploring the role of deubiquitination in Leishmania infantum could be a promising alternative to search new therapeutic targets for leishmaniasis. Here we present the first characterization of a DUB from L. infantum, otubain (OtuLi), and its localization within parasite. The recombinant OtuLi (rOtuLi) showed improved activity on lysine 48 (K48)-linked over K63-linked tetra-ubiquitin (Ub) and site-directed mutations on amino acids close to the catalytic site (F82) or involved in Ub interaction (L265 and F182) caused structural changes as shown by molecular dynamics, resulting in a reduction or loss of enzyme activity, respectively. Furthermore, rOtuLi stimulates lipid droplet biogenesis (an inflammatory marker) in peritoneal macrophages and induces IL-6 and TNF-α secretion in peritoneal macrophages, both proinflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest that OtuLi is a cytoplasmic enzyme with K48-linked substrate specificity that could play a part in proinflammatory response in stimulated murine macrophages.
SpaceWire: IP, Components, Development Support and Test Equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parkes, S.; McClements, C.; Mills, S.; Martin, I.

SpaceWire is a communications network for use onboard spacecraft. It is designed to connect high data-rate sensors, large solid-state memories, processing units and the downlink telemetry subsystem providing an integrated data-handling network. SpaceWire links are serial, high-speed (2 Mbits/sec to 400 Mbits/sec), bi-directional, full-duplex, pointto- point data links which connect together SpaceWire equipment. Application information is sent along a SpaceWire link in discrete packets. Control and time information can also be sent along SpaceWire links. SpaceWire is defined in the ECSS-E50-12A standard [1]. With the adoption of SpaceWire on many space missions the ready availability of intellectual property (IP) cores, components, software drivers, development support, and test equipment becomes a major issue for those developing satellites and their electronic subsystems. This paper describes the work being done at the University of Dundee and STAR-Dundee Ltd with ESA, BNSC and internal funding to make these essential items available. STAR-Dundee is a spin-out company of the University of Dundee set up specifically to support users of SpaceWire.

Life hassles and delusional ideation: Scoping the potential role of cognitive and affective mediators.

PubMed

Kingston, Cara; Schuurmans-Stekhoven, James

2016-12-01

An intertemporal association between major psychological stress and subsequent delusion formation has been established by others. The current study explores (1) whether the stress from life hassles predicts delusional ideation and (2) if so, do self-criticism, self-reassurance, and positive and negative affectivity (PA and NA, respectively) mediate this link. This paper thus aimed to scope-out viable psychological processes involved in the formation of stress-induced delusions. A cross-sectional survey using a non-clinical community sample. Responses (N = 251) to an online community survey were tested via a nonparametric bootstrap sampling approach to examine the effects of multiple mediators. Self-criticism and NA appear to mediate a connection found between life hassles and delusions. A second mediation analysis found that life hassles positively predicts NA directly and indirectly (via self-criticism). NA in turn predicted delusional tendencies. Life events had direct statistical effects on delusions in all models. Neither PA nor self-reassurance mediated the stress-delusion link. Self-criticism and NA seem to be viable mediators worth contemplating when elaborating upon the connection between life hassles and delusions. Compared to self-criticism, NA appears to be the intervening variable most proximal to delusions and explains more variance. Even if these cross-sectional results were interpreted as causative, life hassles and delusions remained directly interconnected in all mediation models (suggesting much of the association remains unexplained). Although the results are theory-consistent, investigations using longitudinal, known-group, and experimental methods are now warranted to establish causation and possible feedback loops - especially from delusion to life hassles. Self-criticism and negative affectivity (NA) mediate the link between stressful life events and delusions suggesting they might actively elicit delusional ideation, whereas self-reassurance and PA (although negatively associated with life hassles) have no unique predictive link to delusions. This study offers initial evidence that NA and self-criticism may be viable clinical intervention targets for early psychosis-sufferers under stress - especially for medically non-compliant and marginal (where drug treatment is not clinically indicated) cases. The clinical efficacy of alleviating self-criticism and/or negative emotional processes in those displaying early psychosis or at high risk appear worthy of exploration using both practice-based case studies and formal experimental research methods. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.
Biosynthesis of small proteoglycan II (decorin) by chondrocytes and evidence for a procore protein.

PubMed

Sawhney, R S; Hering, T M; Sandell, L J

1991-05-15

We have studied the biosynthesis of cartilage dermatan sulfate proteoglycan II (DS-PGII) (decorin) using in vitro translation of mRNA to determine the size of the primary gene product and by radiolabeling the protein in the presence of tunicamycin to inhibit the addition of Asn-linked oligosaccharides. Pulse-chase experiments were performed to examine post-translational processing and secretion. Inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing were used to determine whether DS-PGII molecules containing partially processed oligosaccharides could become proteoglycans and be secreted. Cell-free translation of sucrose gradient-fractionated RNA and subsequent immunoprecipitation of the core protein confirmed that the functional translated mRNA is in the size range of the two mRNA species observed by hybridization of chondrocyte RNA with a bone PGII cloned probe and that the translation product is a single protein with an apparent molecular mass of 42 kDa. Digestion of the intact proteoglycan (average molecular mass = 103 kDa) with chondroitinase ABC or AC results in an approximately 48-49-kDa product. Chondrocytes treated with tunicamycin to inhibit Asn-linked oligosaccharide addition synthesize and secrete a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-substituted proteoglycan (average molecular mass = 86 kDa), yielding a 42-kDa core protein after chondroitinase ABC digestion, showing that Asn-linked oligosaccharides are not required for the addition of GAG chains or secretion. Following a short pulse (10 min) of [3H]leucine, three glycosylated forms of the DS-PGII core protein were observed, one of which is likely to be the precursor form of PGII predicted by the implied protein sequence of both bovine and human cDNA clones. Following the apparent cleavage of the propeptide, GAG-substituted intracellular core protein is detectable. Susceptibility to endoglycosidase H indicates that approximately one-third of the secreted core protein contains exclusively complex-type Asn-linked oligosaccharides and approximately two-thirds contain high mannose as well as complex-type oligosaccharides. Secreted DS-PGII appears to be fully substituted with three Asn-linked oligosaccharide chains. Inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing, however, permitted secretion of GAG-substituted DS-PGII that was fully (three chains) or incompletely (one or two chains) substituted with partially processed Asn-linked carbohydrate chains. By comparison of chondrocyte DS-PGII with fibroblast DS-PGII, we conclude that the addition and processing of Asn-linked carbohydrate chains are directed by the amino acid sequence of the core protein. The results reported here also suggest that the addition of xylose, the initial step in GAG chain synthesis, occurs early in biosynthesis and is determined by the primary amino acid sequence of the core protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
BACKWARD ESTIMATION OF STOCHASTIC PROCESSES WITH FAILURE EVENTS AS TIME ORIGINS1

PubMed Central

Gary Chan, Kwun Chuen; Wang, Mei-Cheng

2011-01-01

Stochastic processes often exhibit sudden systematic changes in pattern a short time before certain failure events. Examples include increase in medical costs before death and decrease in CD4 counts before AIDS diagnosis. To study such terminal behavior of stochastic processes, a natural and direct way is to align the processes using failure events as time origins. This paper studies backward stochastic processes counting time backward from failure events, and proposes one-sample nonparametric estimation of the mean of backward processes when follow-up is subject to left truncation and right censoring. We will discuss benefits of including prevalent cohort data to enlarge the identifiable region and large sample properties of the proposed estimator with related extensions. A SEER–Medicare linked data set is used to illustrate the proposed methodologies. PMID:21359167
Risks posed by climate change to the delivery of Water Framework Directive objectives in the UK.

PubMed

Wilby, R L; Orr, H G; Hedger, M; Forrow, D; Blackmore, M

2006-12-01

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is novel because it integrates water quality, water resources, physical habitat and, to some extent, flooding for all surface and groundwaters and takes forward river basin management. However, the WFD does not explicitly mention risks posed by climate change to the achievement of its environmental objectives. This is despite the fact that the time scale for the implementation process and achieving particular objectives extends into the 2020s, when climate models project changes in average temperature and precipitation. This paper begins by reviewing the latest UK climate change scenarios and the wider policy and science context of the WFD. We then examine the potential risks of climate change to key phases of the River Basin Management Process that underpin the WFD (such as characterisation of river basins and their water bodies, risk assessments to identify pressures and impacts, programmes of measures (POMs) options appraisal, monitoring and modelling, policy and management activities). Despite these risks the WFD could link new policy and participative mechanisms (being established for the River Basin Management Plans) to the emerging framework of national and regional climate change adaptation policy. The risks are identified with a view to informing policy opportunities, objective setting, adaptation strategies and the research agenda. Key knowledge gaps have already been identified during the implementation of the WFD, such as the links between hydromorphology and ecosystem status, but the overarching importance of linking climate change to these considerations needs to be highlighted. The next generation of (probabilistic) climate change scenarios will present new opportunities and challenges for risk analysis and policy-making.
Exploring Site-Specific N-Glycosylation Microheterogeneity of Haptoglobin using Glycopeptide CID Tandem Mass Spectra and Glycan Database Search

PubMed Central

Chandler, Kevin Brown; Pompach, Petr; Goldman, Radoslav

2013-01-01

Glycosylation is a common protein modification with a significant role in many vital cellular processes and human diseases, making the characterization of protein-attached glycan structures important for understanding cell biology and disease processes. Direct analysis of protein N-glycosylation by tandem mass spectrometry of glycopeptides promises site-specific elucidation of N-glycan microheterogeneity, something which detached N-glycan and de-glycosylated peptide analyses cannot provide. However, successful implementation of direct N-glycopeptide analysis by tandem mass spectrometry remains a challenge. In this work, we consider algorithmic techniques for the analysis of LC-MS/MS data acquired from glycopeptide-enriched fractions of enzymatic digests of purified proteins. We implement a computational strategy which takes advantage of the properties of CID fragmentation spectra of N-glycopeptides, matching the MS/MS spectra to peptide-glycan pairs from protein sequences and glycan structure databases. Significantly, we also propose a novel false-discovery-rate estimation technique to estimate and manage the number of false identifications. We use a human glycoprotein standard, haptoglobin, digested with trypsin and GluC, enriched for glycopeptides using HILIC chromatography, and analyzed by LC-MS/MS to demonstrate our algorithmic strategy and evaluate its performance. Our software, GlycoPeptideSearch (GPS), assigned glycopeptide identifications to 246 of the spectra at false-discovery-rate 5.58%, identifying 42 distinct haptoglobin peptide-glycan pairs at each of the four haptoglobin N-linked glycosylation sites. We further demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by analyzing plasma-derived haptoglobin, identifying 136 N-linked glycopeptide spectra at false-discovery-rate 0.4%, representing 15 distinct glycopeptides on at least three of the four N-linked glycosylation sites. The software, GlycoPeptideSearch, is available for download from http://edwardslab.bmcb.georgetown.edu/GPS. PMID:23829323
Deletion of the Tail Domain of the Kinesin-5 Cin8 Affects Its Directionality*

PubMed Central

Düselder, André; Fridman, Vladimir; Thiede, Christina; Wiesbaum, Alice; Goldstein, Alina; Klopfenstein, Dieter R.; Zaitseva, Olga; Janson, Marcel E.; Gheber, Larisa; Schmidt, Christoph F.

2015-01-01

The bipolar kinesin-5 motors are one of the major players that govern mitotic spindle dynamics. Their bipolar structure enables them to cross-link and slide apart antiparallel microtubules (MTs) emanating from the opposing spindle poles. The budding yeast kinesin-5 Cin8 was shown to switch from fast minus-end- to slow plus-end-directed motility upon binding between antiparallel MTs. This unexpected finding revealed a new dimension of cellular control of transport, the mechanism of which is unknown. Here we have examined the role of the C-terminal tail domain of Cin8 in regulating directionality. We first constructed a stable dimeric Cin8/kinesin-1 chimera (Cin8Kin), consisting of head and neck linker of Cin8 fused to the stalk of kinesin-1. As a single dimeric motor, Cin8Kin switched frequently between plus and minus directionality along single MTs, demonstrating that the Cin8 head domains are inherently bidirectional, but control over directionality was lost. We next examined the activity of a tetrameric Cin8 lacking only the tail domains (Cin8Δtail). In contrast to wild-type Cin8, the motility of single molecules of Cin8Δtail in high ionic strength was slow and bidirectional, with almost no directionality switches. Cin8Δtail showed only a weak ability to cross-link MTs in vitro. In vivo, Cin8Δtail exhibited bias toward the plus-end of the MTs and was unable to support viability of cells as the sole kinesin-5 motor. We conclude that the tail of Cin8 is not necessary for bidirectional processive motion, but is controlling the switch between plus- and minus-end-directed motility. PMID:25991727
Long-Range Vibrational Dynamics Are Directed by Watson-Crick Base Pairing in Duplex DNA.

PubMed

Hithell, Gordon; Shaw, Daniel J; Donaldson, Paul M; Greetham, Gregory M; Towrie, Michael; Burley, Glenn A; Parker, Anthony W; Hunt, Neil T

2016-05-05

Ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy of a 15-mer A-T DNA duplex in solution has revealed structure-dependent vibrational coupling and energy transfer processes linking bases with the sugar-phosphate backbone. Duplex melting induces significant changes in the positions of off-diagonal peaks linking carbonyl and ring-stretching vibrational modes of the adenine and thymine bases with vibrations of the phosphate group and phosphodiester linkage. These indicate that Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding and helix formation lead to a unique vibrational coupling arrangement of base vibrational modes with those of the phosphate unit. On the basis of observations from time-resolved 2D-IR data, we conclude that rapid energy transfer processes occur between base and backbone, mediated by additional modes located on the deoxyribose moiety within the same nucleotide. These relaxation dynamics are insensitive to duplex melting, showing that efficient intramolecular energy relaxation to the solvent via the phosphate groups is the key to excess energy dissipation in both single- and double-stranded DNA.
Through the looking glass: Unraveling the network structure of coal

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

Gregory, D. M.; Stec, D. F.; Botto, R. E.

1999-12-23

Since the original idea by Sanada and Honda of treating coal as a three-dimensional cross-linked network, coal structure has been probed by monitoring ingress of solvents using traditional volumetric or gravimetric methods. However, using these techniques has allowed only an indirect observation of the swelling process. More recently, the authors have developed magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) approaches for studying solvent ingress in polymeric systems, about which fundamental aspects of the swelling process can be deduced directly and quantitatively. The aim of their work is to utilize solvent transport and network response parameters obtained from these methods to assess fundamental propertiesmore » of the system under investigation. Polymer and coal samples have been studied to date. Numerous swelling parameters measured by magnetic resonance microscopy are found to correlate with cross-link density of the polymer network under investigation. Use of these parameters to assess the three-dimensional network structure of coal is discussed.« less
Linking departmental priorities to knowledge management: the experiences of Santa Cruz County's Human Services Department.

PubMed

Lindberg, Arley

2012-01-01

Federal welfare reform, local service collaborations, and the evolution of statewide information systems inspired agency interest in evidence-informed practice and knowledge sharing systems. Four agency leaders, including the Director, Deputy Director, Director of Planning and Evaluation, and Staff Development Program Manager championed the development of a learning organization based on knowledge management throughout the agency. Internal department restructuring helped to strengthen the Planning and Evaluation, Staff Development, and Personnel units, which have become central to supporting knowledge sharing activities. The Four Pillars of Knowledge framework was designed to capture agency directions in relationship to future knowledge management goals. Featuring People, Practice, Technology and Budget, the framework links the agency's services, mission and goals to the process of becoming a learning organization. Built through an iterative process, the framework was created by observing existing activities in each department rather than being designed from the top down. Knowledge management can help the department to fulfill its mission despite reduced resources. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Sedimentology and preservation of aeolian sediments on steep terrains: Incipient sand ramps on the Atacama coast (northern Chile)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ventra, Dario; Rodríguez-López, Juan Pedro; de Boer, Poppe L.

2017-05-01

The origin of topographically controlled aeolian landforms in high-relief settings is difficult to synthesize under general models, given the dependence of such accumulations on local morphology. Quaternary sand ramps have been linked to palaeoclimate, regional geomorphology and wind patterns; however, controls on the early development and preservation of such landforms are poorly known. This study describes the morphology and sedimentology of complex sedimentary aprons along steep coastal slopes in the Atacama Desert (Chile). Direct slope accessibility and continuous stratigraphic exposures enable comparisons between active processes and stratigraphic signatures. Stratigraphic facies distribution and its links with patterns of aeolian deposition show that the preservation of wind-laid sediments depends on the morphology and processes of specific slope sectors. The spatial organization of runoff depends on bedrock configuration and directly controls the permanence or erosion of aeolian sediment. The occurrence of either water or mass flows depends on the role of aeolian fines in the rheology of flash floods. In turn, the establishment of a rugged surface topography controlled by patterns of mass-flow deposition creates local accommodation for aeolian fines, sustaining the initial aggradation of a colluvial-aeolian system. By contrast, slopes subject to runoff develop a thin, extensive aeolian mantle whose featureless surface is subject mostly to sediment bypass down- and across-slope; the corresponding stratigraphic record comprises almost exclusively thin debris-flow and sheetflood deposits. Slope morphology and processes are fundamental in promoting or inhibiting aeolian aggradation in mountain settings. Long-term sand-ramp construction depends on climate and regional topography, but the initial development is probably controlled by local geomorphic factors. The observed interactions between wind and topography in the study area may also represent a process analogue for the interpretation of similar geomorphic features on Mars.
Investigation into response characteristics of the chitosan gel artificial muscle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Gang; Yang, Junjie; Wang, Yujian; Zhao, Honghao; Fu, Yu; Zhang, Guangli; Yu, Shuqin; Wu, Yuda; Wei, Chengye; Liu, Xuxiong; Wang, Zhijie

2018-01-01

Bionic artificial muscle made from chitosan gel is an emerging type of the ionic electro active polymer with advantages of large deformation, low cost and environmental protection etc, which leads to a research focus and wide application in the fields of bionic engineering and intelligence material recently. In this paper, effects and improvement mechanisms of the direct casting and genipin cross-linking processes on response speed properties of the chitosan gel artificial muscle (CGAM) were mainly studied. Based on in-depth analysis of the CGAM response mechanism, a platform was built for testing the response performance of the CGAM, then its equivalent circuit and mathematical models were also established. Furthermore, control experiments were carried out to test and analyze several performances of the CGAM on response speed, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and microstructure with different control variables. The experimental results illustrated that the CGAM assembled by direct casting enabled its electric actuating membrane and non-metallic electrode membrane tightly attached together with low contact resistance, which dramatically promoted the electrical conductivity of the CGAM resulting in nearly doubled response speed. Besides, different concentrations of genipin were adopted to cross-link the CGAM actuating membranes, and then it was found that the response speed of the uncross-linked CGAM was fast in the initial stage, but as time increased, it declined rapidly with poor steadiness. While there was no obvious decrease over time on the response speed of the CGAM cross-linked with low genipin concentration. Namely, its stability was getting better and better. In addition, the response speed of the CGAM cross-linked with low concentration of genipin was roughly the same as uncross-linked CGAM, which was quicker than that of high concentration. In this work, its internal mechanisms, feasible assembly technique and green modification method were provided to further explore the practical applications significantly.
Validity of deterministic record linkage using multiple indirect personal identifiers: linking a large registry to claims data.

PubMed

Setoguchi, Soko; Zhu, Ying; Jalbert, Jessica J; Williams, Lauren A; Chen, Chih-Ying

2014-05-01

Linking patient registries with administrative databases can enhance the utility of the databases for epidemiological and comparative effectiveness research. However, registries often lack direct personal identifiers, and the validity of record linkage using multiple indirect personal identifiers is not well understood. Using a large contemporary national cardiovascular device registry and 100% Medicare inpatient data, we linked hospitalization-level records. The main outcomes were the validity measures of several deterministic linkage rules using multiple indirect personal identifiers compared with rules using both direct and indirect personal identifiers. Linkage rules using 2 or 3 indirect, patient-level identifiers (ie, date of birth, sex, admission date) and hospital ID produced linkages with sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 98% compared with a gold standard linkage rule using a combination of both direct and indirect identifiers. Ours is the first large-scale study to validate the performance of deterministic linkage rules without direct personal identifiers. When linking hospitalization-level records in the absence of direct personal identifiers, provider information is necessary for successful linkage. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.
Communications Technology Assessment for the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) Link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bretmersky, Steven C.; Bishop, William D.; Dailey, Justin E.; Chevalier, Christine T.

2014-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is performing communications systems research for the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project. One of the goals of the communications element is to select and test a communications technology for the UAS Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) link. The GRC UAS Modeling and Simulation (M/S) Sub Team will evaluate the performance of several potential technologies for the CNPC link through detailed software simulations. In parallel, an industry partner will implement a technology in hardware to be used for flight testing. The task necessitated a technical assessment of existing Radio Frequency (RF) communications technologies to identify the best candidate systems for use as the UAS CNPC link. The assessment provides a basis for selecting the technologies for the M/S effort and the hardware radio design. The process developed for the technical assessments for the Future Communications Study1 (FCS) was used as an initial starting point for this assessment. The FCS is a joint Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Eurocontrol study on technologies for use as a future aeronautical communications link. The FCS technology assessment process methodology can be applied to the UAS CNPC link; however the findings of the FCS are not directly applicable because of different requirements between a CNPC link and a general aeronautical data link. Additional technologies were added to the potential technologies list from the State of the Art Unmanned Aircraft System Communication Assessment developed by NASA GRC2. This document investigates the state of the art of communications as related to UAS. A portion of the document examines potential communications systems for a UAS communication architecture. Like the FCS, the state of the art assessment surveyed existing communications technologies. It did not, however, perform a detailed assessment of the technology necessary to recommend a technology for the UAS CNPC link. The technical assessment process, as shown in Figure 1, consists of the following steps. First, candidate RF communications technologies are identified. An initial review of each of these technologies is then performed to determine if the technology appears to be a good candidate and requires further review. Any technology that can be shown to be inadequate at that point is removed from consideration to allow for more detailed analysis of the remaining technologies. Criteria for the detailed assessments are defined and a scoring methodology is devised. This is followed by the detailed review and scoring of each technology. The least favorable technologies are removed during the process until only the few best candidates remain.
Evaluation of the content and accessibility of web sites for accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships.

PubMed

Mulcahey, Mary K; Gosselin, Michelle M; Fadale, Paul D

2013-06-19

The Internet is a common source of information for orthopaedic residents applying for sports medicine fellowships, with the web sites of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and the San Francisco Match serving as central databases. We sought to evaluate the web sites for accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships with regard to content and accessibility. We reviewed the existing web sites of the ninety-five accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships included in the AOSSM and San Francisco Match databases from February to March 2012. A Google search was performed to determine the overall accessibility of program web sites and to supplement information obtained from the AOSSM and San Francisco Match web sites. The study sample consisted of the eighty-seven programs whose web sites connected to information about the fellowship. Each web site was evaluated for its informational value. Of the ninety-five programs, fifty-one (54%) had links listed in the AOSSM database. Three (3%) of all accredited programs had web sites that were linked directly to information about the fellowship. Eighty-eight (93%) had links listed in the San Francisco Match database; however, only five (5%) had links that connected directly to information about the fellowship. Of the eighty-seven programs analyzed in our study, all eighty-seven web sites (100%) provided a description of the program and seventy-six web sites (87%) included information about the application process. Twenty-one web sites (24%) included a list of current fellows. Fifty-six web sites (64%) described the didactic instruction, seventy (80%) described team coverage responsibilities, forty-seven (54%) included a description of cases routinely performed by fellows, forty-one (47%) described the role of the fellow in seeing patients in the office, eleven (13%) included call responsibilities, and seventeen (20%) described a rotation schedule. Two Google searches identified direct links for 67% to 71% of all accredited programs. Most accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships lack easily accessible or complete web sites in the AOSSM or San Francisco Match databases. Improvement in the accessibility and quality of information on orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship web sites would facilitate the ability of applicants to obtain useful information.
Figure-ground activity in V1 and guidance of saccadic eye movements.

PubMed

Supèr, Hans

2006-01-01

Every day we shift our gaze about 150.000 times mostly without noticing it. The direction of these gaze shifts are not random but directed by sensory information and internal factors. After each movement the eyes hold still for a brief moment so that visual information at the center of our gaze can be processed in detail. This means that visual information at the saccade target location is sufficient to accurately guide the gaze shift but yet is not sufficiently processed to be fully perceived. In this paper I will discuss the possible role of activity in the primary visual cortex (V1), in particular figure-ground activity, in oculo-motor behavior. Figure-ground activity occurs during the late response period of V1 neurons and correlates with perception. The strength of figure-ground responses predicts the direction and moment of saccadic eye movements. The superior colliculus, a gaze control center that integrates visual and motor signals, receives direct anatomical connections from V1. These projections may convey the perceptual information that is required for appropriate gaze shifts. In conclusion, figure-ground activity in V1 may act as an intermediate component linking visual and motor signals.
Neural activity in the posterior superior temporal region during eye contact perception correlates with autistic traits.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Naoya; Kitamura, Hideaki; Murakami, Hiroatsu; Kameyama, Shigeki; Sasagawa, Mutsuo; Egawa, Jun; Endo, Taro; Someya, Toshiyuki

2013-08-09

The present study investigated the relationship between neural activity associated with gaze processing and autistic traits in typically developed subjects using magnetoencephalography. Autistic traits in 24 typically developed college students with normal intelligence were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). The Minimum Current Estimates method was applied to estimate the cortical sources of magnetic responses to gaze stimuli. These stimuli consisted of apparent motion of the eyes, displaying direct or averted gaze motion. Results revealed gaze-related brain activations in the 150-250 ms time window in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and in the 150-450 ms time window in medial prefrontal regions. In addition, the mean amplitude in the 150-250 ms time window in the right pSTS region was modulated by gaze direction, and its activity in response to direct gaze stimuli correlated with AQ score. pSTS activation in response to direct gaze is thought to be related to higher-order social processes. Thus, these results suggest that brain activity linking eye contact and social signals is associated with autistic traits in a typical population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder are associated with abnormalities in processing visual information.

PubMed

Li, W; Lai, T M; Bohon, C; Loo, S K; McCurdy, D; Strober, M; Bookheimer, S; Feusner, J

2015-07-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are characterized by distorted body image and are frequently co-morbid with each other, although their relationship remains little studied. While there is evidence of abnormalities in visual and visuospatial processing in both disorders, no study has directly compared the two. We used two complementary modalities--event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)--to test for abnormal activity associated with early visual signaling. We acquired fMRI and ERP data in separate sessions from 15 unmedicated individuals in each of three groups (weight-restored AN, BDD, and healthy controls) while they viewed images of faces and houses of different spatial frequencies. We used joint independent component analyses to compare activity in visual systems. AN and BDD groups demonstrated similar hypoactivity in early secondary visual processing regions and the dorsal visual stream when viewing low spatial frequency faces, linked to the N170 component, as well as in early secondary visual processing regions when viewing low spatial frequency houses, linked to the P100 component. Additionally, the BDD group exhibited hyperactivity in fusiform cortex when viewing high spatial frequency houses, linked to the N170 component. Greater activity in this component was associated with lower attractiveness ratings of faces. Results provide preliminary evidence of similar abnormal spatiotemporal activation in AN and BDD for configural/holistic information for appearance- and non-appearance-related stimuli. This suggests a common phenotype of abnormal early visual system functioning, which may contribute to perceptual distortions.
The Conference Proceedings of the 1999 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG) of the WCTR Society. Volume 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Anming (Editor); Bowen, Brent D. (Editor)

1999-01-01

Issues around direct flights across Taiwan Strait are always one of the hottest topics in eastern Asia transport market. Although the direct links have not been connected yet, they are still highly concerned by different disciplines of politics, laws, and management. Airlines and related business also watch closely to these issues for policy changes will easily affect their interests in Chinese market which the future of the air transportation in eastern Asia is heavily depending on. In the past decades, Hong Kong was the most important hub in this market; it will still be an important one in the future. It is proved, however, traffic on the link between Hong Kong and Taiwan can be shifted to the link between Macau and Taiwan, so can it be shifted to the links across Taiwan Strait. Moreover, outgoing passengers from China transferred in Hong Kong can also find transit services in Taiwan. These movements will possibly cause a big change in eastern Asian air transport system for there are millions of passengers travelling in this area. The uncertainties of direct links across Taiwan Strait are still leaving, some problems unsolved. Whether the direct links will be defined as international routes or domestic' routes are not clear; the selection of hubs and airlines to provide direct services are not yet made; even the type of freedoms and bilateral agreements can also change the market and network quite a lot. A much bigger volume of passengers can also be found if further travelling deregulation for Chinese to travel across Taiwan Strait can be made. All these variables are making issues around direct flights worthy of continuous observant.
Thalamocortical integration of instrumental learning and performance and their disintegration in addiction.

PubMed

Balleine, Bernard W; Morris, Richard W; Leung, Beatrice K

2015-12-02

A recent focus of addiction research has been on the effect of drug exposure on the neural processes that mediate the acquisition and performance of goal-directed instrumental actions. Deficits in goal-directed control and a consequent dysregulation of habit learning processes have been described as resulting in compulsive drug seeking. Similarly, considerable research has focussed on the motivational and emotional changes that drugs produce and that result in changes in the incentive processes that modulate goal-directed performance. Although these areas have developed independently, we argue that the effects they described are likely not independent. Here we hypothesize that these changes result from a core deficit in the way the learning and performance factors that support goal-directed action are integrated at a neural level to maintain behavioural control. A dorsal basal ganglia stream mediating goal-directed learning and a ventral stream mediating various performance factors find several points of integration in the cortical basal ganglia system, most notably in the thalamocortical network linking basal ganglia output to a variety of cortical control centres. Recent research in humans and other animals is reviewed suggesting that learning and performance factors are integrated in a network centred on the mediodorsal thalamus and that disintegration in this network may provide the basis for a 'switch' from recreational to dysregulated drug seeking resulting in the well documented changes associated with addiction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The time-course of lexical activation in Japanese morphographic word recognition: evidence for a character-driven processing model.

PubMed

Miwa, Koji; Libben, Gary; Dijkstra, Ton; Baayen, Harald

2014-01-01

This lexical decision study with eye tracking of Japanese two-kanji-character words investigated the order in which a whole two-character word and its morphographic constituents are activated in the course of lexical access, the relative contributions of the left and the right characters in lexical decision, the depth to which semantic radicals are processed, and how nonlinguistic factors affect lexical processes. Mixed-effects regression analyses of response times and subgaze durations (i.e., first-pass fixation time spent on each of the two characters) revealed joint contributions of morphographic units at all levels of the linguistic structure with the magnitude and the direction of the lexical effects modulated by readers' locus of attention in a left-to-right preferred processing path. During the early time frame, character effects were larger in magnitude and more robust than radical and whole-word effects, regardless of the font size and the type of nonwords. Extending previous radical-based and character-based models, we propose a task/decision-sensitive character-driven processing model with a level-skipping assumption: Connections from the feature level bypass the lower radical level and link up directly to the higher character level.

Couples coping with stress: Between-person differences and within-person processes.

PubMed

Hilpert, Peter; Xu, Feng; Milek, Anne; Atkins, David C; Bodenmann, Guy; Bradbury, Thomas N

2018-04-01

In intimate relationships, spousal support (or dyadic coping) can directly benefit relationships (i.e., direct effect) and protect the relationship against the negative spillover effects of stress (i.e., buffer effect). As stress-coping theories suggest, both processes can vary between persons as well as within persons. However, empirically, this distinction is not always made explicit, resulting in potentially misleading conclusions about dyadic stress-coping processes. In the current study, we investigated stress and coping processes in couples at both between- and within-person levels. Participants were 84 Chinese dual-earning couples (N = 168 individuals) participated in a 7-day diary study. Between persons, our multilevel analyses replicated well-established buffering effects: The link between average stress and relationship outcomes was reduced if the partner provided more support on average. Within persons, results implied a significant buffer effect only in women; their relationship satisfaction was highest on days when they experienced higher levels of stress and higher levels of partner support. The present findings demonstrate how distinguishing between- and within-person effects can provide a better conceptual understanding of dyadic processes in intimate relationships while examining stress-coping associations in an understudied group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Tying supply chain costs to patient care.

PubMed

Parkinson, Rosalind C

2014-05-01

In September 2014, the FDA will establish a unique device identification (UDI) system to aid hospitals in better tracking and managing medical devices and analyzing their effectiveness. When these identifiers become part of patient medical records, the UDI system will provide a much-needed link between supply cost and patient outcomes. Hospitals should invest in technology and processes that can enable them to trace supply usage patterns directly to patients and analyze how these usage patterns affect cost and quality.
The Use of Systemic-Functional Linguistics in Automated Text Mining

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

what degree two or more documents are similar in terms of their meaning. Simply put, such a cognitive model aims to link the physical manifestation...These features, both in terms of frequency and their chaining across a text, were taken as salient stylistic features that had a direct relationship to...because SFL attempts to model these cognitive processes, this has the potential to improve NLP tasks by making them more ’human-like’. Secondly
Epigenetic regulation of persistent pain

PubMed Central

Bai, Guang; Ren, Ke; Dubner, Ronald

2014-01-01

Persistent or chronic pain is tightly associated with various environmental changes and linked to abnormal gene expression within cells processing nociceptive signaling. Epigenetic regulation governs gene expression in response to environmental cues. Recent animal model and clinical studies indicate that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the development/maintenance of persistent pain and, possibly the transition of acute pain to chronic pain, thus shedding light in a direction for development of new therapeutics for persistent pain. PMID:24948399
Characterization of the spatial variability of channel morphology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moody, J.A.; Troutman, B.M.

2002-01-01

The spatial variability of two fundamental morphological variables is investigated for rivers having a wide range of discharge (five orders of magnitude). The variables, water-surface width and average depth, were measured at 58 to 888 equally spaced cross-sections in channel links (river reaches between major tributaries). These measurements provide data to characterize the two-dimensional structure of a channel link which is the fundamental unit of a channel network. The morphological variables have nearly log-normal probability distributions. A general relation was determined which relates the means of the log-transformed variables to the logarithm of discharge similar to previously published downstream hydraulic geometry relations. The spatial variability of the variables is described by two properties: (1) the coefficient of variation which was nearly constant (0.13-0.42) over a wide range of discharge; and (2) the integral length scale in the downstream direction which was approximately equal to one to two mean channel widths. The joint probability distribution of the morphological variables in the downstream direction was modelled as a first-order, bivariate autoregressive process. This model accounted for up to 76 per cent of the total variance. The two-dimensional morphological variables can be scaled such that the channel width-depth process is independent of discharge. The scaling properties will be valuable to modellers of both basin and channel dynamics. Published in 2002 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Dissecting patterns of preparatory activity in the frontal eye fields during pursuit target selection.

PubMed

Raghavan, Ramanujan T; Joshua, Mati

2017-10-01

We investigated the composition of preparatory activity of frontal eye field (FEF) neurons in monkeys performing a pursuit target selection task. In response to the orthogonal motion of a large and a small reward target, monkeys initiated pursuit biased toward the direction of large reward target motion. FEF neurons exhibited robust preparatory activity preceding movement initiation in this task. Preparatory activity consisted of two components, ramping activity that was constant across target selection conditions, and a flat offset in firing rates that signaled the target selection condition. Ramping activity accounted for 50% of the variance in the preparatory activity and was linked most strongly, on a trial-by-trial basis, to pursuit eye movement latency rather than to its direction or gain. The offset in firing rates that discriminated target selection conditions accounted for 25% of the variance in the preparatory activity and was commensurate with a winner-take-all representation, signaling the direction of large reward target motion rather than a representation that matched the parameters of the upcoming movement. These offer new insights into the role that the frontal eye fields play in target selection and pursuit control. They show that preparatory activity in the FEF signals more strongly when to move rather than where or how to move and suggest that structures outside the FEF augment its contributions to the target selection process. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We used the smooth eye movement pursuit system to link between patterns of preparatory activity in the frontal eye fields and movement during a target selection task. The dominant pattern was a ramping signal that did not discriminate between selection conditions and was linked, on trial-by-trial basis, to movement latency. A weaker pattern was composed of a constant signal that discriminated between selection conditions but was only weakly linked to the movement parameters. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
Affiliative and prosocial motives and emotions in mental health.

PubMed

Gilbert, Paul

2015-12-01

This paper argues that studies of mental health and wellbeing can be contextualized within an evolutionary approach that highlights the coregulating processes of emotions and motives. In particular, it suggests that, although many mental health symptoms are commonly linked to threat processing, attention also needs to be directed to the major regulators of threat processing, ie, prosocial and affiliative interactions with self and others. Given that human sociality has been a central driver for a whole range of human adaptations, a better understanding of the effects of prosocial interactions on health is required, and should be integrated into psychiatric formulations and interventions. Insight into the coregulating processes of motives and emotions, especially prosocial ones, offers improved ways of understanding mental health difficulties and their prevention and relief.
Affiliative and prosocial motives and emotions in mental health

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Paul

2015-01-01

This paper argues that studies of mental health and wellbeing can be contextualized within an evolutionary approach that highlights the coregulating processes of emotions and motives. In particular, it suggests that, although many mental health symptoms are commonly linked to threat processing, attention also needs to be directed to the major regulators of threat processing, ie, prosocial and affiliative interactions with self and others. Given that human sociality has been a central driver for a whole range of human adaptations, a better understanding of the effects of prosocial interactions on health is required, and should be integrated into psychiatric formulations and interventions. Insight into the coregulating processes of motives and emotions, especially prosocial ones, offers improved ways of understanding mental health difficulties and their prevention and relief. PMID:26869839
Using the Seismic Amplitude Decay of Low-Frequency Events to Constrain Magma Properties.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, P. J.; Neuberg, J. W.

2007-12-01

Low-frequency events are considered a key part of volcanic monitoring, as they are one of the few tools available that can link surface observations directly to internal volcanic processes and properties. Our model for their generation on the Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, is brittle fracturing of the magma at the conduit walls, providing the seismic trigger mechanism, followed by conduit resonance. The attenuation of seismic waves in a viscous magma is highly dependent on the properties of the attenuating material, in particular the viscous friction, controlled by the melt viscosity, gas content and diffusivity. Therefore we can use the seismicity to gain information on these magma properties. This research uses a two-dimensional viscoelastic finite-difference model, with the attenuative behaviour of the magma parameterised by an array of Standard Linear Solids. By examining the relationship between the amplitude decay of the synthetic low-frequency events, the intrinsic attenuation and the elastic parameter contrast, this research aims to link observables such as amplitude decay of the coda directly to properties such as the magma viscosity.
Mood, food, and obesity.

PubMed

Singh, Minati

2014-01-01

Food is a potent natural reward and food intake is a complex process. Reward and gratification associated with food consumption leads to dopamine (DA) production, which in turn activates reward and pleasure centers in the brain. An individual will repeatedly eat a particular food to experience this positive feeling of gratification. This type of repetitive behavior of food intake leads to the activation of brain reward pathways that eventually overrides other signals of satiety and hunger. Thus, a gratification habit through a favorable food leads to overeating and morbid obesity. Overeating and obesity stems from many biological factors engaging both central and peripheral systems in a bi-directional manner involving mood and emotions. Emotional eating and altered mood can also lead to altered food choice and intake leading to overeating and obesity. Research findings from human and animal studies support a two-way link between three concepts, mood, food, and obesity. The focus of this article is to provide an overview of complex nature of food intake where various biological factors link mood, food intake, and brain signaling that engages both peripheral and central nervous system signaling pathways in a bi-directional manner in obesity.
Scratch that itch: revisiting links between self-directed behaviour and parasitological, social and environmental factors in a free-ranging primate

PubMed Central

Romano, Valéria; MacIntosh, Andrew J. J.

2016-01-01

Different hypotheses explain variation in the occurrence of self-directed behaviour such as scratching and self-grooming: a parasite hypothesis linked with ectoparasite load, an environmental hypothesis linked with seasonal conditions and a social hypothesis linked with social factors. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive but are often considered separately. Here, we revisited these hypotheses together in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata fuscata) of Kōjima islet, Japan. We input occurrences of scratching and self-grooming during focal observations in models combining parasitological (lice load), social (dominance rank, social grooming, aggression received and proximity), and environmental (rainfall, temperature and season) variables. Using an information-theory approach, we simultaneously compared the explanatory value of models against each other using variation in Akaike's information criterion and Akaike's weights. We found that evidence for models with lice load, with or without environmental–social parameters, was stronger than that for other models. In these models, scratching was positively associated with lice load and social grooming whereas self-grooming was negatively associated with lice load and positively associated with social grooming, dominance rank and number of female neighbours. This study indicates that the study animals scratch primarily because of an immune/stimulus itch, possibly triggered by ectoparasite bites/movements. It also confirms that self-grooming could act as a displacement activity in the case of social uncertainty. We advocate that biological hypotheses be more broadly considered even when investigating social processes, as one does not exclude the other. PMID:28018646
Webinar Presentation: Linking Regional Aerosol Emission Changes with Multiple Impact Measures through Direct and Cloud-Related Forcing Estimates

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This presentation, Linking Regional Aerosol Emission Changes with Multiple Impact Measures through Direct and Cloud-Related Forcing Estimates, was given at the STAR Black Carbon 2016 Webinar Series: Accounting for Impact, Emissions, and Uncertainty.
Neural evidence that utterance-processing entails mentalizing: the case of irony.

PubMed

Spotorno, Nicola; Koun, Eric; Prado, Jérôme; Van Der Henst, Jean-Baptiste; Noveck, Ira A

2012-10-15

It is now well established that communicators interpret others' mental states through what has been called "Theory of Mind" (ToM). From a linguistic-pragmatics perspective, this mentalizing ability is considered critical because it is assumed that the linguistic code in all utterances underdetermines the speaker's meaning, leaving a vital role for ToM to fill the gap. From a neuroscience perspective, understanding others' intentions has been shown to activate a neural ToM network that includes the right and left temporal parietal junction (rTPJ, lTPJ), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the precuneus (PC). Surprisingly, however, there are no studies - to our knowledge - that aim to uncover a direct, on-line link between language processing and ToM through neuroimaging. This is why we focus on verbal irony, an obviously pragmatic phenomenon that compels a listener to detect the speaker's (dissociated, mocking) attitude (Wilson, 2009). In the present fMRI investigation, we compare participants' comprehension of 18 target sentences as contexts make them either ironic or literal. Consider an opera singer who tells her interlocutor: "Tonight we gave a superb performance!" when the performance in question was clearly awful (making the statement ironic) or very good (making the statement literal). We demonstrate that the ToM network becomes active while a participant is understanding verbal irony. Moreover, we demonstrate - through Psychophysiological Interactions (PPI) analyses - that ToM activity is directly linked with language comprehension processes. The paradigm, its predictions, and the reported results contrast dramatically with those from seven prior fMRI studies on irony. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Automated Recognition of 3D Features in GPIR Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Han; Stough, Timothy; Fijany, Amir

2007-01-01

A method of automated recognition of three-dimensional (3D) features in images generated by ground-penetrating imaging radar (GPIR) is undergoing development. GPIR 3D images can be analyzed to detect and identify such subsurface features as pipes and other utility conduits. Until now, much of the analysis of GPIR images has been performed manually by expert operators who must visually identify and track each feature. The present method is intended to satisfy a need for more efficient and accurate analysis by means of algorithms that can automatically identify and track subsurface features, with minimal supervision by human operators. In this method, data from multiple sources (for example, data on different features extracted by different algorithms) are fused together for identifying subsurface objects. The algorithms of this method can be classified in several different ways. In one classification, the algorithms fall into three classes: (1) image-processing algorithms, (2) feature- extraction algorithms, and (3) a multiaxis data-fusion/pattern-recognition algorithm that includes a combination of machine-learning, pattern-recognition, and object-linking algorithms. The image-processing class includes preprocessing algorithms for reducing noise and enhancing target features for pattern recognition. The feature-extraction algorithms operate on preprocessed data to extract such specific features in images as two-dimensional (2D) slices of a pipe. Then the multiaxis data-fusion/ pattern-recognition algorithm identifies, classifies, and reconstructs 3D objects from the extracted features. In this process, multiple 2D features extracted by use of different algorithms and representing views along different directions are used to identify and reconstruct 3D objects. In object linking, which is an essential part of this process, features identified in successive 2D slices and located within a threshold radius of identical features in adjacent slices are linked in a directed-graph data structure. Relative to past approaches, this multiaxis approach offers the advantages of more reliable detections, better discrimination of objects, and provision of redundant information, which can be helpful in filling gaps in feature recognition by one of the component algorithms. The image-processing class also includes postprocessing algorithms that enhance identified features to prepare them for further scrutiny by human analysts (see figure). Enhancement of images as a postprocessing step is a significant departure from traditional practice, in which enhancement of images is a preprocessing step.
[How to build the legitimacy of patient and consumer participation in health issues?].

PubMed

Ghadi, V; Naiditch, M

2006-06-01

Initially introduced by Juppé in 1996, the legislative reforms of January 2nd and March 4th 2002 legally enacted new forms of consumer representation and participation in the development of the health system. However, it appears that while this new role which was created to ensure legitimate participation has been recognised by law in theory, it has not necessarily received the same recognition and incorporation in practice at the grass roots level. As a result, it is now essential to think about practical methods of representation in order to sustain local legitimacy of consumers and patients on the ground and construct it from the bottom-up. The goal of this work was to understand how and under what conditions local legitimacy for health care system consumers, as a particular group of actors, can be effectively built, independently and irrespective of the specific question of elective democratic processes. The foundation of this work is based on material which resides in the collection of data from various local participation experiments that we or other researchers have contributed to establishing in a select group of health care settings. The results of this analysis serve to update a list of principle factors through which the legitimacy of the health care system's users is constructed. Such factors include the following: the promoting agents' expectations vis-à-vis the system's users and the a priori status which is given to them; the identification and selection methods used for choosing users, and the link to the types of users in terms of representation; the nature of the "generalisation" process for decision-making, understood as the process which transforms individuals' words and perspectives into collective ones; and the conditions for and modes of interaction between laypersons and professional experts. Finally, the paper presents the potential conflictive relationship or tension which may exist between representation and legitimacy with regard to the process for building legitimacy. The authors discuss the links between local, direct and elective democracy. The paper describes how effective democratic conditions can be built on the ground (from self-administered legitimacy to externally acknowledged legitimacy). In conclusion the paper succinctly distinguishes the articulation between representative democracy and participatory democracy, and how local processes relying upon direct democracy may be properly linked to the more "classical representative model of democracy".
Neural substrates of interactive musical improvisation: an FMRI study of 'trading fours' in jazz.

PubMed

Donnay, Gabriel F; Rankin, Summer K; Lopez-Gonzalez, Monica; Jiradejvong, Patpong; Limb, Charles J

2014-01-01

Interactive generative musical performance provides a suitable model for communication because, like natural linguistic discourse, it involves an exchange of ideas that is unpredictable, collaborative, and emergent. Here we show that interactive improvisation between two musicians is characterized by activation of perisylvian language areas linked to processing of syntactic elements in music, including inferior frontal gyrus and posterior superior temporal gyrus, and deactivation of angular gyrus and supramarginal gyrus, brain structures directly implicated in semantic processing of language. These findings support the hypothesis that musical discourse engages language areas of the brain specialized for processing of syntax but in a manner that is not contingent upon semantic processing. Therefore, we argue that neural regions for syntactic processing are not domain-specific for language but instead may be domain-general for communication.
Neural Substrates of Interactive Musical Improvisation: An fMRI Study of ‘Trading Fours’ in Jazz

PubMed Central

Donnay, Gabriel F.; Rankin, Summer K.; Lopez-Gonzalez, Monica; Jiradejvong, Patpong; Limb, Charles J.

2014-01-01

Interactive generative musical performance provides a suitable model for communication because, like natural linguistic discourse, it involves an exchange of ideas that is unpredictable, collaborative, and emergent. Here we show that interactive improvisation between two musicians is characterized by activation of perisylvian language areas linked to processing of syntactic elements in music, including inferior frontal gyrus and posterior superior temporal gyrus, and deactivation of angular gyrus and supramarginal gyrus, brain structures directly implicated in semantic processing of language. These findings support the hypothesis that musical discourse engages language areas of the brain specialized for processing of syntax but in a manner that is not contingent upon semantic processing. Therefore, we argue that neural regions for syntactic processing are not domain-specific for language but instead may be domain-general for communication. PMID:24586366
Geodetic analysis of disputed accurate qibla direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saksono, Tono; Fulazzaky, Mohamad Ali; Sari, Zamah

2018-04-01

Muslims perform the prayers facing towards the correct qibla direction would be the only one of the practical issues in linking theoretical studies with practice. The concept of facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca during the prayers has long been the source of controversy among the muslim communities to not only in poor and developing countries but also in developed countries. The aims of this study were to analyse the geodetic azimuths of qibla calculated using three different models of the Earth. The use of ellipsoidal model of the Earth could be the best method for determining the accurate direction of Kaaba from anywhere on the Earth's surface. A muslim cannot direct himself towards the qibla correctly if he cannot see the Kaaba due to setting out process and certain motions during the prayer this can significantly shift the qibla direction from the actual position of the Kaaba. The requirement of muslim prayed facing towards the Kaaba is more as spiritual prerequisite rather than physical evidence.
Bubble Induced Disruption of a Planar Solid-Liquid Interface During Controlled Directional Solidification in a Microgravity Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, Richard N.; Brush, Lucien N.; Anilkumar, Amrutur V.

2013-01-01

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) experiments were conducted in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station with the intent of better understanding the role entrained porosity/bubbles play during controlled directional solidification. The planar interface in a slowing growing succinonitrile - 0.24 wt% water alloy was being observed when a nitrogen bubble traversed the mushy zone and remained at the solid-liquid interface. Breakdown of the interface to shallow cells subsequently occurred, and was later evaluated using down-linked data from a nearby thermocouple. These results and other detrimental effects due to the presence of bubbles during solidification processing in a microgravity environment are presented and discussed.
Implicit measurement of the latent heat in a magnetocaloric NiMnIn Heusler alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghahremani, Mohammadreza; ElBidweihy, Hatem; Bennett, Lawrence H.; Della Torre, Edward; Zou, Min; Johnson, Francis

2013-05-01

The latent heat linked with the first-order transformation of a NiMnIn Heusler alloy has been studied through direct measurements of the adiabatic temperature change, ΔTad, during magnetization process. The experimental procedure used guarantees independent data points and negates any contribution of hysteretic losses to the magnetocaloric effect. Thus, the differences between the magnitudes of ΔTad measurements during the magnetization with the initial temperature change directions from low-to-high and high-to-low are solely attributed to the latent heat exchange, which accompanies the irreversible structural first-order transformation. An estimate of the latent heat inducing such differences is about 0.292 J/g.

Communications terminal breadboard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A baseline design is presented of a digital communications link between an advanced manned spacecraft (AMS) and an earth terminal via an Intelsat 4 type communications satellite used as a geosynchronous orbiting relay station. The fabrication, integration, and testing of terminal elements at each end of the link are discussed. In the baseline link design, the information carrying capacity of the link was estimated for both the forward direction (earth terminal to AMS) and the return direction, based upon orbital geometry, relay satellite characteristics, terminal characteristics, and the improvement that can be achieved by the use of convolutional coding/Viterbi decoding techniques.
Imprinted and X-linked non-coding RNAs as potential regulators of human placental function

PubMed Central

Buckberry, Sam; Bianco-Miotto, Tina; Roberts, Claire T

2014-01-01

Pregnancy outcome is inextricably linked to placental development, which is strictly controlled temporally and spatially through mechanisms that are only partially understood. However, increasing evidence suggests non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) direct and regulate a considerable number of biological processes and therefore may constitute a previously hidden layer of regulatory information in the placenta. Many ncRNAs, including both microRNAs and long non-coding transcripts, show almost exclusive or predominant expression in the placenta compared with other somatic tissues and display altered expression patterns in placentas from complicated pregnancies. In this review, we explore the results of recent genome-scale and single gene expression studies using human placental tissue, but include studies in the mouse where human data are lacking. Our review focuses on the ncRNAs epigenetically regulated through genomic imprinting or X-chromosome inactivation and includes recent evidence surrounding the H19 lincRNA, the imprinted C19MC cluster microRNAs, and X-linked miRNAs associated with pregnancy complications. PMID:24081302
Automating Traceability for Generated Software Artifacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, Julian; Green, Jeffrey

2004-01-01

Program synthesis automatically derives programs from specifications of their behavior. One advantage of program synthesis, as opposed to manual coding, is that there is a direct link between the specification and the derived program. This link is, however, not very fine-grained: it can be best characterized as Program is-derived- from Specification. When the generated program needs to be understood or modified, more $ne-grained linking is useful. In this paper, we present a novel technique for automatically deriving traceability relations between parts of a specification and parts of the synthesized program. The technique is very lightweight and works -- with varying degrees of success - for any process in which one artifact is automatically derived from another. We illustrate the generality of the technique by applying it to two kinds of automatic generation: synthesis of Kalman Filter programs from speci3cations using the Aut- oFilter program synthesis system, and generation of assembly language programs from C source code using the GCC C compilel: We evaluate the effectiveness of the technique in the latter application.
Variable and complex food web structures revealed by exploring missing trophic links between birds and biofilm.

PubMed

Kuwae, Tomohiro; Miyoshi, Eiichi; Hosokawa, Shinya; Ichimi, Kazuhiko; Hosoya, Jun; Amano, Tatsuya; Moriya, Toshifumi; Kondoh, Michio; Ydenberg, Ronald C; Elner, Robert W

2012-04-01

Food webs are comprised of a network of trophic interactions and are essential to elucidating ecosystem processes and functions. However, the presence of unknown, but critical networks hampers understanding of complex and dynamic food webs in nature. Here, we empirically demonstrate a missing link, both critical and variable, by revealing that direct predator-prey relationships between shorebirds and biofilm are widespread and mediated by multiple ecological and evolutionary determinants. Food source mixing models and energy budget estimates indicate that the strength of the missing linkage is dependent on predator traits (body mass and foraging action rate) and the environment that determines food density. Morphological analyses, showing that smaller bodied species possess more developed feeding apparatus to consume biofilm, suggest that the linkage is also phylogenetically dependent and affords a compelling re-interpretation of niche differentiation. We contend that exploring missing links is a necessity for revealing true network structure and dynamics. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.
Linking Major Depression and The Neural Substrates of Associative Processing

PubMed Central

Harel, Eiran Vadim; Tennyson, Robert Langley; Fava, Maurizio; Bar, Moshe

2016-01-01

It has been proposed that mood correlates with the breadth of associative thinking. Here we set to test this hypothesis in healthy and depressed individuals. Generating contextual associations engages a network of cortical regions including the parahippocampal cortex (PHC), retrosplenial complex, and medial prefrontal cortex. The link between mood, associative processing, and its underlying cortical infrastructure provides a promising avenue for elucidating the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairments in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Participants included fifteen non-medicated individuals with acute Major Depressive Episode and fifteen healthy matched controls. In an fMRI experiment, participants viewed images of objects that are either strongly or weakly associated with a specific context (e.g., a beach chair vs. a water bottle), while rating the commonality of each object. Analyses were performed to examine brain activation and structural differences between groups. Consistent with our hypothesis, controls showed greater activation of the contextual associations network compared with depressed participants. In addition, PHC structural volume was correlated with ruminative tendency and, volumes of the hippocampal subfields were significantly smaller in depressed participants. Surprisingly, depressed participants showed increased activity in the entorhinal cortex (ERC) compared with controls. We integrate these findings within a mechanistic account linking mood and associative thinking, and suggest directions for the future. PMID:27553369
Evaluating the sources and functions of gradiency in phoneme categorization: An individual differences approach.

PubMed

Kapnoula, Efthymia C; Winn, Matthew B; Kong, Eun Jong; Edwards, Jan; McMurray, Bob

2017-09-01

During spoken language comprehension listeners transform continuous acoustic cues into categories (e.g., /b/ and /p/). While long-standing research suggests that phonetic categories are activated in a gradient way, there are also clear individual differences in that more gradient categorization has been linked to various communication impairments such as dyslexia and specific language impairments (Joanisse, Manis, Keating, & Seidenberg, 2000; López-Zamora, Luque, Álvarez, & Cobos, 2012; Serniclaes, Van Heghe, Mousty, Carré, & Sprenger-Charolles, 2004; Werker & Tees, 1987). Crucially, most studies have used 2-alternative forced choice (2AFC) tasks to measure the sharpness of between-category boundaries. Here we propose an alternative paradigm that allows us to measure categorization gradiency in a more direct way. Furthermore, we follow an individual differences approach to (a) link this measure of gradiency to multiple cue integration, (b) explore its relationship to a set of other cognitive processes, and (c) evaluate its role in individuals' ability to perceive speech in noise. Our results provide validation for this new method of assessing phoneme categorization gradiency and offer preliminary insights into how different aspects of speech perception may be linked to each other and to more general cognitive processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories: the role of catastrophic events.

PubMed

Richardson, Lindsey; Small, Will; Kerr, Thomas

2016-01-01

People affected by substance use disorders often experience sub-optimal employment outcomes. The role of drug use in processes that produce and entrench labour market precarity among people who inject drugs (PWID) have not, however, been fully described. We recruited 22 PWID from ongoing prospective cohort studies in Vancouver, Canada, with whom we conducted semi-structured retrospective interviews and then employed a thematic analysis that drew on concepts from life course theory to explore the mechanisms and pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories. The participants' narratives identified processes corresponding to causation, whereby suboptimal employment outcomes led to harmful drug use; direct selection, where impairment, health complications or drug-seeking activities selected individuals out of employment; and indirect selection, where external factors, such as catastrophic events, marked the initiation or intensification of substance use concurrent with sudden changes in capacities for employment. Catastrophic events linking negative transitions in both drug use and labour market trajectories were of primary importance, demarcating critical initiation and transitional events in individual risk trajectories. These results challenge conventional assumptions about the primacy of drug use in determining employment outcomes among PWID and suggest the importance of multidimensional support to mitigate the initiation, accumulation and entrenchment of labour market and drug-related disadvantage. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.
Pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories: the role of catastrophic events

PubMed Central

Richardson, Lindsey; Small, Will; Kerr, Thomas

2015-01-01

People affected by substance use disorders often experience sub-optimal employment outcomes. The role of drug use in processes that produce and entrench labour market precarity among people who inject drugs (PWID) have not, however, been fully described. We recruited 22 PWID from ongoing prospective cohort studies in Vancouver, Canada and conducted semi-structured retrospective interviews and employed a thematic analysis that draws on concepts from life course theory to explore mechanisms and pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories. Narratives identified processes corresponding to: causation, whereby suboptimal employment outcomes led to harmful drug use; direct selection, where impairment, health complications or drug seeking activities selected individuals out of employment; and indirect selection, where external factors, such as catastrophic events, marked the initiation or intensification of substance use concurrent with sudden changes in capacities for employment. Catastrophic events linking negative transitions in both drug use and labour market trajectories were of primary importance, demarcating critical initiation and transitional events in individual risk trajectories. These results challenge conventional assumptions about the primacy of drug use in determining employment outcomes among PWID, and suggest the importance of multi-dimensional supports to mitigate the initiation, accumulation and entrenchment of labour market and drug-related disadvantage. PMID:26358407
A painful link between the TRPV1 channel and lysophosphatidic acid.

PubMed

Morales-Lázaro, Sara L; Rosenbaum, Tamara

2015-03-15

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) ion channel is expressed mainly by sensory neurons that detect noxious stimuli from the environment such as high temperatures and pungent compounds (such as allicin and capsaicin) and has been extensively linked to painful and inflammatory processes. This extraordinary protein also responds to endogenous stimuli among which we find molecules of a lipidic nature. We recently described that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive lysophospholipid linked to the generation and maintenance of pain, can directly activate TRPV1 and produce pain by binding to the channels' C-terminal region, specifically to residue K710. In an effort to further understand how activation of TRPV1 is achieved by this negatively-charged lipid, we used several synthetic and naturally-occurring lipids to determine the structural requirements that need to be met by these charged lipids in order to produce the activation of TRPV1. In this review, we detail the findings obtained by other research groups and our own on the field of TRPV1-regulation by negatively-charged lipids and discuss the possible therapeutic relevance of these findings on the basis of the role of TRPV1 in pathophysiological processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Linking the Primary Cilium to Cell Migration in Tissue Repair and Brain Development

PubMed Central

Veland, Iben Rønn; Lindbæk, Louise; Christensen, Søren Tvorup

2014-01-01

Primary cilia are unique sensory organelles that coordinate cellular signaling networks in vertebrates. Inevitably, defects in the formation or function of primary cilia lead to imbalanced regulation of cellular processes that causes multisystemic disorders and diseases, commonly known as ciliopathies. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that primary cilia coordinate multiple activities that are required for cell migration, which, when they are aberrantly regulated, lead to defects in organogenesis and tissue repair, as well as metastasis of tumors. Here, we present an overview on how primary cilia may contribute to the regulation of the cellular signaling pathways that control cyclic processes in directional cell migration. PMID:26955067
Engineering controllable architecture in matrigel for 3D cell alignment.

PubMed

Jang, Jae Myung; Tran, Si-Hoai-Trung; Na, Sang Cheol; Jeon, Noo Li

2015-02-04

We report a microfluidic approach to impart alignment in ECM components in 3D hydrogels by continuously applying fluid flow across the bulk gel during the gelation process. The microfluidic device where each channel can be independently filled was tilted at 90° to generate continuous flow across the Matrigel as it gelled. The presence of flow helped that more than 70% of ECM components were oriented along the direction of flow, compared with randomly cross-linked Matrigel. Following the oriented ECM components, primary rat cortical neurons and mouse neural stem cells showed oriented outgrowth of neuronal processes within the 3D Matrigel matrix.
An innovative approach to developing the reflective skills of medical students

PubMed Central

Henderson, Penny; Johnson, Martin H

2002-01-01

Background Development of the reflective skills of medical students is an acknowledged objective of medical education. Description Description of an educational exercise which uses an email-based process for developing the reflective skills of undergraduate medical students. Student quotations illustrate learning outcomes qualitatively. Discussion The process described is immediate, direct, linked to learning objectives, enables rapid responses to be given to the students individually, and is followed by group sharing of learning. It provides a rigorous and robust feedback loop for students. It is relatively economic for teachers and incidentally benefits curriculum design and evolution. The approach supports development of a reflective approach to learning. PMID:12003640
How can the study of physiological reactivity contribute to our understanding of adversity and resilience processes in development?

PubMed

Obradović, Jelena

2012-05-01

The focus of this article is to present current progress in understanding the interplay among adversity, physiological sensitivity to context, and adaptive functioning, with an emphasis on implications and future directions for resilience researchers. It includes a review of current literature that demonstrates (a) links between various levels of adversity exposure and variability in physiological reactivity, (b) how the interplay between children's physiological reactivity and different sources of risk and adversity relates to variability in adaptive functioning, and (c) various approaches for capturing a more dynamic nature of physiological reactivity and related processes. Throughout, important conceptual and empirical issues are highlighted.
Constructing Social Networks from Unstructured Group Dialog in Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Fahad; Sukthankar, Gita

Virtual worlds and massively multi-player online games are rich sources of information about large-scale teams and groups, offering the tantalizing possibility of harvesting data about group formation, social networks, and network evolution. However these environments lack many of the cues that facilitate natural language processing in other conversational settings and different types of social media. Public chat data often features players who speak simultaneously, use jargon and emoticons, and only erratically adhere to conversational norms. In this paper, we present techniques for inferring the existence of social links from unstructured conversational data collected from groups of participants in the Second Life virtual world. We present an algorithm for addressing this problem, Shallow Semantic Temporal Overlap (SSTO), that combines temporal and language information to create directional links between participants, and a second approach that relies on temporal overlap alone to create undirected links between participants. Relying on temporal overlap is noisy, resulting in a low precision and networks with many extraneous links. In this paper, we demonstrate that we can ameliorate this problem by using network modularity optimization to perform community detection in the noisy networks and severing cross-community links. Although using the content of the communications still results in the best performance, community detection is effective as a noise reduction technique for eliminating the extra links created by temporal overlap alone.
PREFACE: Quantum information processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Andrew; Ferry, David; Stoneham, Marshall

2006-05-01

Microelectronics and the classical information technologies transformed the physics of semiconductors. Photonics has given optical materials a new direction. Quantum information technologies, we believe, will have immense impact on condensed matter physics. The novel systems of quantum information processing need to be designed and made. Their behaviours must be manipulated in ways that are intrinsically quantal and generally nanoscale. Both in this special issue and in previous issues (see e.g., Spiller T P and Munro W J 2006 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18 V1-10) we see the emergence of new ideas that link the fundamentals of science to the pragmatism of market-led industry. We hope these papers will be followed by many others on quantum information processing in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
Video requirements for materials processing experiments in the space station US laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baugher, Charles R.

1989-01-01

Full utilization of the potential of the materials research on the Space Station can be achieved only if adequate means are available for interactive experimentation between the science facilities and ground-based investigators. Extensive video interfaces linking these three elements are the only alternative for establishing a viable relation. Because of the limit in the downlink capability, a comprehensive complement of on-board video processing, and video compression is needed. The application of video compression will be an absolute necessity since it's effectiveness will directly impact the quantity of data which will be available to ground investigator teams, and their ability to review the effects of process changes and the experiment progress. Video data compression utilization on the Space Station is discussed.
Pathways From Toddler Information Processing to Adolescent Lexical Proficiency.

PubMed

Rose, Susan A; Feldman, Judith F; Jankowski, Jeffery J

2015-01-01

This study examined the relation of 3-year core information-processing abilities to lexical growth and development. The core abilities covered four domains-memory, representational competence (cross-modal transfer), processing speed, and attention. Lexical proficiency was assessed at 3 and 13 years with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and verbal fluency. The sample (N = 128) consisted of 43 preterms (< 1750 g) and 85 full-terms. Structural equation modeling indicated concurrent relations of toddler information processing and language proficiency and, independent of stability in language, direct predictive links between (a) 3-year cross-modal ability and 13-year PPVT and (b) 3-year processing speed and both 13-year measures, PPVT and verbal fluency. Thus, toddler information processing was related to growth in lexical proficiency from 3 to 13 years. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Presentation format effects in a levels-of-processing task.

PubMed

Foos, Paul W; Goolkasian, Paula

2008-01-01

Three experiments were conducted to examine better performance in long-term memory when stimulus items are pictures or spoken words compared to printed words. Hypotheses regarding the allocation of attention to printed words, the semantic link between pictures and processing, and a rich long-term representation for pictures were tested. Using levels-of-processing tasks eliminated format effects when no memory test was expected and processing was deep (El), and when study and test formats did not match (E3). Pictures produced superior performance when a memory test was expected (El & 2) and when study and test formats were the same (E3). Results of all experiments support the attenuation of attention model and that picture superiority is due to a more direct access to semantic processing and a richer visual code. General principles to guide the processing of stimulus information are discussed.
Covalent dimers of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran for singlet fission: synthesis and electrochemistry.

PubMed

Akdag, Akin; Wahab, Abdul; Beran, Pavel; Rulíšek, Lubomír; Dron, Paul I; Ludvík, Jiří; Michl, Josef

2015-01-02

The synthesis of covalent dimers in which two 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran units are connected through one phenyl substituent on each is reported. In three of the dimers, the subunits are linked directly, and in three others, they are linked via an alkane chain. A seventh new compound in which two 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran units share a phenyl substituent is also described. These materials are needed for investigations of the singlet fission process, which promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells. The electrochemical oxidation and reduction of the monomer, two previously known dimers, and the seven new compounds have been examined, and reversible redox potentials have been compared with results obtained from density functional theory. Although the overall agreement is satisfactory, some discrepancies are noted and discussed.
Mental Models of Invisible Logical Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanderson, P.

1984-01-01

Subjects were required to discover the structure of a logical network whose links were invisible. Network structure had to be inferred from the behavior of the components after a failure. It was hypothesized that since such failure diagnosis tasks often draw on spatial processes, a good deal of spatial complexity in the network should affect network discovery. Results show that the ability to discover the linkages in the network is directly related to the spatial complexity of the pathway described by the linkages. This effect was generally independent of the amount of evidence available to subjects about the existence of the link. These results raise the question of whether inferences about spatially complex pathways were simply not made, or whether they were made but not retained because of a high load on memory resources.

The 3D Entangled Structure of the Proton: Transverse Degrees of Freedom in QCD, Momenta, Spins and More

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulders, P. J.

2018-03-01

Light-front quantized quark and gluon states (partons) play a dominant role in high energy scattering processes. Initial state hadrons are mixed ensembles of partons, while produced pure partonic states appear as mixed ensembles of hadrons. The transition from collinear hard physics to the 3D structure including partonic transverse momenta is related to confinement which links color and spatial degrees of freedom. We outline ideas on emergent symmetries in the Standard Model and their connection to the 3D structure of hadrons. Wilson loops, including those with light-like Wilson lines such as used in the studies of transverse momentum dependent distribution functions may play a crucial role here, establishing a direct link between transverse spatial degrees of freedom and gluonic degrees of freedom.
Cross-cultural differences in relationship- and group-based trust.

PubMed

Yuki, Masaki; Maddux, William W; Brewer, Marilynn B; Takemura, Kosuke

2005-01-01

Two experiments explored differences in depersonalized trust (trust toward a relatively unknown target person) across cultures. Based on a recent theoretical framework that postulates predominantly different bases for group behaviors in Western cultures versus Eastern cultures, it was predicted that Americans would tend to trust people primarily based on whether they shared category memberships; however, trust for Japanese was expected to be based on the likelihood of sharing direct or indirect interpersonal links. Results supported these predictions. In both Study 1 (questionnaire study) and Study 2 (online money allocation game), Americans trusted ingroup members more than outgroup members; however, the existence of a potential indirect relationship link increased trust for outgroup members more for Japanese than for Americans. Implications for understanding group processes across cultures are discussed.
Mitochondrial morphology transitions and functions: implications for retrograde signaling?

PubMed Central

Picard, Martin; Shirihai, Orian S.; Gentil, Benoit J.

2013-01-01

In response to cellular and environmental stresses, mitochondria undergo morphology transitions regulated by dynamic processes of membrane fusion and fission. These events of mitochondrial dynamics are central regulators of cellular activity, but the mechanisms linking mitochondrial shape to cell function remain unclear. One possibility evaluated in this review is that mitochondrial morphological transitions (from elongated to fragmented, and vice-versa) directly modify canonical aspects of the organelle's function, including susceptibility to mitochondrial permeability transition, respiratory properties of the electron transport chain, and reactive oxygen species production. Because outputs derived from mitochondrial metabolism are linked to defined cellular signaling pathways, fusion/fission morphology transitions could regulate mitochondrial function and retrograde signaling. This is hypothesized to provide a dynamic interface between the cell, its genome, and the fluctuating metabolic environment. PMID:23364527
Accessibility and quality of online information for pediatric orthopaedic surgery fellowships.

PubMed

Davidson, Austin R; Murphy, Robert F; Spence, David D; Kelly, Derek M; Warner, William C; Sawyer, Jeffrey R

2014-12-01

Pediatric orthopaedic fellowship applicants commonly use online-based resources for information on potential programs. Two primary sources are the San Francisco Match (SF Match) database and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) database. We sought to determine the accessibility and quality of information that could be obtained by using these 2 sources. The online databases of the SF Match and POSNA were reviewed to determine the availability of embedded program links or external links for the included programs. If not available in the SF Match or POSNA data, Web sites for listed programs were located with a Google search. All identified Web sites were analyzed for accessibility, content volume, and content quality. At the time of online review, 50 programs, offering 68 positions, were listed in the SF Match database. Although 46 programs had links included with their information, 36 (72%) of them simply listed http://www.sfmatch.org as their unique Web site. Ten programs (20%) had external links listed, but only 2 (4%) linked directly to the fellowship web page. The POSNA database does not list any links to the 47 programs it lists, which offer 70 positions. On the basis of a Google search of the 50 programs listed in the SF Match database, web pages were found for 35. Of programs with independent web pages, all had a description of the program and 26 (74%) described their application process. Twenty-nine (83%) listed research requirements, 22 (63%) described the rotation schedule, and 12 (34%) discussed the on-call expectations. A contact telephone number and/or email address was provided by 97% of programs. Twenty (57%) listed both the coordinator and fellowship director, 9 (26%) listed the coordinator only, 5 (14%) listed the fellowship director only, and 1 (3%) had no contact information given. The SF Match and POSNA databases provide few direct links to fellowship Web sites, and individual program Web sites either do not exist or do not effectively convey information about the programs. Improved accessibility and accurate information online would allow potential applicants to obtain information about pediatric fellowships in a more efficient manner.
Exploring context and content links in social media: a latent space method.

PubMed

Qi, Guo-Jun; Aggarwal, Charu; Tian, Qi; Ji, Heng; Huang, Thomas S

2012-05-01

Social media networks contain both content and context-specific information. Most existing methods work with either of the two for the purpose of multimedia mining and retrieval. In reality, both content and context information are rich sources of information for mining, and the full power of mining and processing algorithms can be realized only with the use of a combination of the two. This paper proposes a new algorithm which mines both context and content links in social media networks to discover the underlying latent semantic space. This mapping of the multimedia objects into latent feature vectors enables the use of any off-the-shelf multimedia retrieval algorithms. Compared to the state-of-the-art latent methods in multimedia analysis, this algorithm effectively solves the problem of sparse context links by mining the geometric structure underlying the content links between multimedia objects. Specifically for multimedia annotation, we show that an effective algorithm can be developed to directly construct annotation models by simultaneously leveraging both context and content information based on latent structure between correlated semantic concepts. We conduct experiments on the Flickr data set, which contains user tags linked with images. We illustrate the advantages of our approach over the state-of-the-art multimedia retrieval techniques.
Duplex Direct Data Distribution System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenfield, Israel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is developing and demonstrating communications and network technologies that are helping to enable the near-Earth space Internet. GRC envisions several service categories. The first of these categories is direct data distribution or D3 (pronounced "D-cubed"). Commercially provided D3 will make it possible to download a data set from a spacecraft, like the International Space Station. as easily as one can extract a file from a remote server today, using a file transfer protocol. In a second category, NASA spacecraft will make use of commercial satellite communication (SATCOM) systems. Some of those services will come from purchasing time on unused transponders that cover landmasses. While it is likely there will be gaps in service coverage, Internet services should be available using these systems. This report addresses alternative methods of implementing a full duplex enhancement of the GRC developed experimental Ka-Band Direct Data Distribution (D3) space-to-ground communication link. The resulting duplex version is called the Duplex Direct Data Distribution (D4) system. The D4 system is intended to provide high-data-rate commercial direct or internet-based communications service between the NASA spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO) and the respective principal investigators associated with these spacecraft. Candidate commercial services were assessed regarding their near-term potential to meet NASA requirements. Candidates included Ka-band and V-band geostationary orbit and non-geostationary orbit satellite relay services and direct downlink ("LEO teleport") services. End-to-end systems concepts were examined and characterized in terms of alternative link layer architectures. Alternatives included a Direct Link, a Relay Link, a Hybrid Link, and a Dual Mode Link. The direct link assessment examined sample ground terminal placements and antenna angle issues. The SATCOM-based alternatives examined existing or proposed commercial SATCOM services that could be available in the 2005 time frame. The alternatives were evaluated and compared in terms of average daily system throughput and cost per bit. Throughput was estimated based on hypothetical scenarios supporting the International Space Station and polar orbiting missions. The feasibility of using standard TCP and a modified TCP was evaluated and risks were identified. An estimate of the TCP acknowledgment data rate required to support a return channel rate of 622 Mbps was developed using OPNET.
Segregation and microstructure evolution in chill cast and directionally solidified Ni-Mn-Sn metamagnetic shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czaja, P.; Wierzbicka-Miernik, A.; Rogal, Ł.

2018-06-01

A multiphase solidification behaviour is confirmed for a range of Ni-rich and Ni-deficient Ni-Mn-Sn induction cast and directionally solidified (Bridgman) alloys. The composition variation is primarily linked to the changing Mn/Sn ratio, whereas the content of Ni remains largely stable. The partitioning coefficients for the Ni50Mn37Sn13 and Ni46Mn41.5Sn12.5 Bridgman alloys were obtained according to the Scheil equation based on the composition distribution along the longitudinal cross section of the ingots. Homogenization heat treatment performed for 72 h at 1220 K turned out sufficient for ensuring chemical uniformity on the macro- and microscale. It is owed to a limited segregation length scale due to slow cooling rates adopted for the directional solidification process.
Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) Mediated Regulation of Ganglioside Homeostasis Linking Alzheimer's Disease Pathology with Ganglioside Metabolism

PubMed Central

Grimm, Marcus O. W.; Zinser, Eva G.; Grösgen, Sven; Hundsdörfer, Benjamin; Rothhaar, Tatjana L.; Burg, Verena K.; Kaestner, Lars; Bayer, Thomas A.; Lipp, Peter; Müller, Ulrike; Grimm, Heike S.; Hartmann, Tobias

2012-01-01

Gangliosides are important players for controlling neuronal function and are directly involved in AD pathology. They are among the most potent stimulators of Aβ production, are enriched in amyloid plaques and bind amyloid beta (Aβ). However, the molecular mechanisms linking gangliosides with AD are unknown. Here we identified the previously unknown function of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), specifically its cleavage products Aβ and the APP intracellular domain (AICD), of regulating GD3-synthase (GD3S). Since GD3S is the key enzyme converting a- to b-series gangliosides, it therefore plays a major role in controlling the levels of major brain gangliosides. This regulation occurs by two separate and additive mechanisms. The first mechanism directly targets the enzymatic activity of GD3S: Upon binding of Aβ to the ganglioside GM3, the immediate substrate of the GD3S, enzymatic turnover of GM3 by GD3S was strongly reduced. The second mechanism targets GD3S expression. APP cleavage results, in addition to Aβ release, in the release of AICD, a known candidate for gene transcriptional regulation. AICD strongly down regulated GD3S transcription and knock-in of an AICD deletion mutant of APP in vivo, or knock-down of Fe65 in neuroblastoma cells, was sufficient to abrogate normal GD3S functionality. Equally, knock-out of the presenilin genes, presenilin 1 and presenilin 2, essential for Aβ and AICD production, or of APP itself, increased GD3S activity and expression and consequently resulted in a major shift of a- to b-series gangliosides. In addition to GD3S regulation by APP processing, gangliosides in turn altered APP cleavage. GM3 decreased, whereas the ganglioside GD3, the GD3S product, increased Aβ production, resulting in a regulatory feedback cycle, directly linking ganglioside metabolism with APP processing and Aβ generation. A central aspect of this homeostatic control is the reduction of GD3S activity via an Aβ-GM3 complex and AICD-mediated repression of GD3S transcription. PMID:22470521
Linking EEG signals, brain functions and mental operations: Advantages of the Laplacian transformation.

PubMed

Vidal, Franck; Burle, Boris; Spieser, Laure; Carbonnell, Laurence; Meckler, Cédric; Casini, Laurence; Hasbroucq, Thierry

2015-09-01

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a very popular technique for investigating brain functions and/or mental processes. To this aim, EEG activities must be interpreted in terms of brain and/or mental processes. EEG signals being a direct manifestation of neuronal activity it is often assumed that such interpretations are quite obvious or, at least, straightforward. However, they often rely on (explicit or even implicit) assumptions regarding the structures supposed to generate the EEG activities of interest. For these assumptions to be used appropriately, reliable links between EEG activities and the underlying brain structures must be established. Because of volume conduction effects and the mixture of activities they induce, these links are difficult to establish with scalp potential recordings. We present different examples showing how the Laplacian transformation, acting as an efficient source separation method, allowed to establish more reliable links between EEG activities and brain generators and, ultimately, with mental operations. The nature of those links depends on the depth of inferences that can vary from weak to strong. Along this continuum, we show that 1) while the effects of experimental manipulation can appear widely distributed with scalp potentials, Laplacian transformation allows to reveal several generators contributing (in different manners) to these modulations, 2) amplitude variations within the same set of generators can generate spurious differences in scalp potential topographies, often interpreted as reflecting different source configurations. In such a case, Laplacian transformation provides much more similar topographies, evidencing the same generator(s) set, and 3) using the LRP as an index of response activation most often produces ambiguous results, Laplacian-transformed response-locked ERPs obtained over motor areas allow resolving these ambiguities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Role of Intuition in the Generation and Evaluation Stages of Creativity

PubMed Central

Pétervári, Judit; Osman, Magda; Bhattacharya, Joydeep

2016-01-01

Both intuition and creativity are associated with knowledge creation, yet a clear link between them has not been adequately established. First, the available empirical evidence for an underlying relationship between intuition and creativity is sparse in nature. Further, this evidence is arguable as the concepts are diversely operationalized and the measures adopted are often not validated sufficiently. Combined, these issues make the findings from various studies examining the link between intuition and creativity difficult to replicate. Nevertheless, the role of intuition in creativity should not be neglected as it is often reported to be a core component of the idea generation process, which in conjunction with idea evaluation are crucial phases of creative cognition. We review the prior research findings in respect of idea generation and idea evaluation from the view that intuition can be construed as the gradual accumulation of cues to coherence. Thus, we summarize the literature on what role intuitive processes play in the main stages of the creative problem-solving process and outline a conceptual framework of the interaction between intuition and creativity. Finally, we discuss the main challenges of measuring intuition as well as possible directions for future research. PMID:27703439
The Mediating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in Uncontrolled Drinking: A Look at Gender-Specific Parental Influences.

PubMed

Ebbert, Ashley M; Patock-Peckham, Julie A; Luk, Jeremy W; Voorhies, Kirsten; Warner, Olivia; Leeman, Robert F

2018-05-01

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) reflects an individual's belief that experiencing anxiety will cause illness or embarrassment, and may be a reason individuals self-medicate with alcohol. Harsh or indulgent parenting could contribute to the development of AS. We examined the direct and indirect associations between parenting styles and alcohol-related variables through AS and impaired control over drinking (IC; i.e., perceived failure to adhere to limits on alcohol consumption in the future). A multiple-group structural equation model with 614 university students (344 men; 270 women) was examined. Structural invariance tests were conducted to evaluate moderation by gender. We used a bias corrected bootstrap technique to obtain the mediated effects. Father authoritarianism and mother permissiveness were directly linked to AS among women, whereas father permissiveness was directly linked to AS among men. This suggests unique parental influences based on gender regarding AS. While AS was directly linked to alcohol-related problems for both men and women, several gender-specific associations were found. AS was directly linked to IC for men but not for women. For men, father permissiveness was directly related to AS, and AS mediated the indirect link between father permissiveness and IC along both the heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems pathways. Similar to other internalizing constructs (e.g., neuroticism and depression), higher AS was directly associated with less heavy episodic drinking but more alcohol-related problems. Our findings highlight the dangers of AS for men as an important correlate of under-controlled drinking behaviors. Additionally, permissive parenting of the same-gender parent was associated with AS, which is consistent with the gender-matching hypothesis. Together, these results underscore the importance of measuring the independent influence of both parents. Copyright © 2018 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Asymmetrical squaraines for high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells with a short circuit current of over 12 mA cm(-2).

PubMed

Chen, Yao; Zhu, Youqin; Yang, Daobin; Luo, Qian; Yang, Lin; Huang, Yan; Zhao, Suling; Lu, Zhiyun

2015-04-11

An asymmetrical squaraine dye (Py-3) with its two electron-donating aryl groups directly linked to the electron-withdrawing squaric acid core possesses an ideal bandgap of 1.33 eV, together with an intense and broad absorption band in the range 550-950 nm. Hence, the resulting solution-processed solar cells display an impressive Jsc of 12.03 mA cm(-2) and a PCE of 4.35%.
White-collar foreign workers in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kanjanapan, W

1992-01-01

"This paper will provide some insights on both capital-assisted and non capital-assisted migrants. Drawing upon government statistics from various sources, the analysis will begin with an examination of the links between DFI [direct foreign investment] inflows and the movement of foreign professionals. Then, a qualitative analysis of case studies of Americans who are language teachers will be used to assess some background characteristics of this particular group of migrants, their international migration process, their work experience as well as their adjustment to the host society." excerpt
Microeconomics of 300-mm process module control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monahan, Kevin M.; Chatterjee, Arun K.; Falessi, Georges; Levy, Ady; Stoller, Meryl D.

2001-08-01

Simple microeconomic models that directly link metrology, yield, and profitability are rare or non-existent. In this work, we validate and apply such a model. Using a small number of input parameters, we explain current yield management practices in 200 mm factories. The model is then used to extrapolate requirements for 300 mm factories, including the impact of simultaneous technology transitions to 130nm lithography and integrated metrology. To support our conclusions, we use examples relevant to factory-wide photo module control.
Telemetry link for an automatic salmon migration monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, H. A.; Freyman, R. W.

1973-01-01

The antenna and transmitter described in this report were designed for integration into the remote acoustic assessment system for detection of sockeye salmon in the Bristol Bay region of the Bering Sea. The assessment system configuration consists of an upward directed sonar buoy anchored 150 ft below the surface and attached by cable to a spar buoy tethered some 300 ft laterally. The spar buoy contains a telemetry transmitter, power supply, data processing electronics, an antenna and a beacon light.
Molecular-Level Processing of Si-(B)-C Materials with Tailored Nano/Microstructures.

PubMed

Schmidt, Marion; Durif, Charlotte; Acosta, Emanoelle Diz; Salameh, Chrystelle; Plaisantin, Hervé; Miele, Philippe; Backov, Rénal; Machado, Ricardo; Gervais, Christel; Alauzun, Johan G; Chollon, Georges; Bernard, Samuel

2017-12-01

The design of Si-(B)-C materials is investigated, with detailed insight into the precursor chemistry and processing, the precursor-to-ceramic transformation, and the ceramic microstructural evolution at high temperatures. In the early stage of the process, the reaction between allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) and borane dimethyl sulfide is achieved. This is investigated in detail through solid-state NMR and FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analyses for Si/B ratios ranging from 200 to 30. Boron-based bridges linking AHPCS monomeric fragments act as crosslinking units, extending the processability range of AHPCS and suppressing the distillation of oligomeric fragments during the low-temperature pyrolysis regime. Polymers with low boron contents display appropriate requirements for facile processing in solution, leading to the design of monoliths with hierarchical porosity, significant pore volume, and high specific surface area after pyrolysis. Polymers with high boron contents are more appropriate for the preparation of dense ceramics through direct solid shaping and pyrolysis. We provide a comprehensive study of the thermal decomposition mechanisms, and a subsequent detailed study of the high-temperature behavior of the ceramics produced at 1000 °C. The nanostructure and microstructure of the final SiC-based ceramics are intimately linked to the boron content of the polymers. B 4 C/C/SiC nanocomposites can be obtained from the polymer with the highest boron content. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Overexpression of OCT4A ortholog elevates endogenous XIST in porcine parthenogenic blastocysts.

PubMed

Hwang, Jae Yeon; Choi, Kwang-Hwan; Lee, Dong-Kyung; Kim, Seung-Hun; Kim, Eun Bae; Hyun, Sang-Hwan; Lee, Chang-Kyu

2015-01-01

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic process that equalizes expression of X-borne genes between male and female eutherians. This process is observed in early eutherian embryo development in a species-specific manner. Until recently, various pluripotent factors have been suggested to regulate the process of XCI by repressing XIST expression, which is the master inducer for XCI. Recent insights into the process and its regulation have been restricted in mouse species despite the evolutionary diversity of the process and molecular mechanism among the species. OCT4A is one of the represented pluripotent factors, the gate-keeper for maintaining pluripotency, and an XIST repressor. Therefore, in here, we examined the relation between OCT4A and X-linked genes in porcine preimplantation embryos. Three X-linked genes, XIST, LOC102165544, and RLIM, were selected in present study because their orthologues have been known to regulate XCI in mice. Expression levels of OCT4A were positively correlated with XIST and LOC102165544 in female blastocysts. Furthermore, overexpression of exogenous human OCT4A in cleaved parthenotes generated blastocysts with increased XIST expression levels. However, increased XIST expression was not observed when exogenous OCT4A was obtained from early blastocysts. These results suggest the possibility that OCT4A would be directly or indirectly involved in XIST expression in earlier stage porcine embryos rather than blastocysts.
Measuring distance through dense weighted networks: The case of hospital-associated pathogens

PubMed Central

Smieszek, Timo; Henderson, Katherine L.; Johnson, Alan P.

2017-01-01

Hospital networks, formed by patients visiting multiple hospitals, affect the spread of hospital-associated infections, resulting in differences in risks for hospitals depending on their network position. These networks are increasingly used to inform strategies to prevent and control the spread of hospital-associated pathogens. However, many studies only consider patients that are received directly from the initial hospital, without considering the effect of indirect trajectories through the network. We determine the optimal way to measure the distance between hospitals within the network, by reconstructing the English hospital network based on shared patients in 2014–2015, and simulating the spread of a hospital-associated pathogen between hospitals, taking into consideration that each intermediate hospital conveys a delay in the further spread of the pathogen. While the risk of transferring a hospital-associated pathogen between directly neighbouring hospitals is a direct reflection of the number of shared patients, the distance between two hospitals far-away in the network is determined largely by the number of intermediate hospitals in the network. Because the network is dense, most long distance transmission chains in fact involve only few intermediate steps, spreading along the many weak links. The dense connectivity of hospital networks, together with a strong regional structure, causes hospital-associated pathogens to spread from the initial outbreak in a two-step process: first, the directly surrounding hospitals are affected through the strong connections, second all other hospitals receive introductions through the multitude of weaker links. Although the strong connections matter for local spread, weak links in the network can offer ideal routes for hospital-associated pathogens to travel further faster. This hold important implications for infection prevention and control efforts: if a local outbreak is not controlled in time, colonised patients will appear in other regions, irrespective of the distance to the initial outbreak, making import screening ever more difficult. PMID:28771581
Reversible large–scale modification of cortical networks during neuroprosthetic control

PubMed Central

Ganguly, Karunesh; Wallis, Jonathan D.

2012-01-01

Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI) provide a framework to study cortical dynamics and the neural correlates of learning. Neuroprosthetic control has been associated with tuning changes in specific neurons directly projecting to the BMI (hereafter ‘direct neurons’). However, little is known about the larger network dynamics. By monitoring ensembles of neurons that were either causally linked to BMI control or indirectly involved, here we show that proficient neuroprosthetic control is associated with large-scale modifications to the cortical network in macaque monkeys. Specifically, there were changes in the preferred direction of both direct and indirect neurons. Interestingly, with learning, there was a relative decrease in the net modulation of indirect neural activity in comparison to the direct activity. These widespread differential changes in the direct and indirect population activity were remarkably stable from one day to the next and readily coexisted with the long-standing cortical network for upper limb control. Thus, the process of learning BMI control is associated with differential modification of neural populations based on their specific relation to movement control. PMID:21499255
Reversible large-scale modification of cortical networks during neuroprosthetic control.

PubMed

Ganguly, Karunesh; Dimitrov, Dragan F; Wallis, Jonathan D; Carmena, Jose M

2011-05-01

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) provide a framework for studying cortical dynamics and the neural correlates of learning. Neuroprosthetic control has been associated with tuning changes in specific neurons directly projecting to the BMI (hereafter referred to as direct neurons). However, little is known about the larger network dynamics. By monitoring ensembles of neurons that were either causally linked to BMI control or indirectly involved, we found that proficient neuroprosthetic control is associated with large-scale modifications to the cortical network in macaque monkeys. Specifically, there were changes in the preferred direction of both direct and indirect neurons. Notably, with learning, there was a relative decrease in the net modulation of indirect neural activity in comparison with direct activity. These widespread differential changes in the direct and indirect population activity were markedly stable from one day to the next and readily coexisted with the long-standing cortical network for upper limb control. Thus, the process of learning BMI control is associated with differential modification of neural populations based on their specific relation to movement control.

Fanconi anemia (FA) binding protein FAAP20 stabilizes FA complementation group A (FANCA) and participates in interstrand cross-link repair.

PubMed

Leung, Justin Wai Chung; Wang, Yucai; Fong, Ka Wing; Huen, Michael Shing Yan; Li, Lei; Chen, Junjie

2012-03-20

The Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway participates in interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair and the maintenance of genomic stability. The FA core complex consists of eight FA proteins and two Fanconi anemia-associated proteins (FAAP24 and FAAP100). The FA core complex has ubiquitin ligase activity responsible for monoubiquitination of the FANCI-FANCD2 (ID) complex, which in turn initiates a cascade of biochemical events that allow processing and removal of cross-linked DNA and thereby promotes cell survival following DNA damage. Here, we report the identification of a unique component of the FA core complex, namely, FAAP20, which contains a RAD18-like ubiquitin-binding zinc-finger domain. Our data suggest that FAAP20 promotes the functional integrity of the FA core complex via its direct interaction with the FA gene product, FANCA. Indeed, somatic knockout cells devoid of FAAP20 displayed the hallmarks of FA cells, including hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, chromosome aberrations, and reduced FANCD2 monoubiquitination. Taking these data together, our study indicates that FAAP20 is an important player involved in the FA pathway.
Fanconi anemia (FA) binding protein FAAP20 stabilizes FA complementation group A (FANCA) and participates in interstrand cross-link repair

PubMed Central

Leung, Justin Wai Chung; Wang, Yucai; Fong, Ka Wing; Huen, Michael Shing Yan; Li, Lei; Chen, Junjie

2012-01-01

The Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway participates in interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair and the maintenance of genomic stability. The FA core complex consists of eight FA proteins and two Fanconi anemia-associated proteins (FAAP24 and FAAP100). The FA core complex has ubiquitin ligase activity responsible for monoubiquitination of the FANCI-FANCD2 (ID) complex, which in turn initiates a cascade of biochemical events that allow processing and removal of cross-linked DNA and thereby promotes cell survival following DNA damage. Here, we report the identification of a unique component of the FA core complex, namely, FAAP20, which contains a RAD18-like ubiquitin-binding zinc-finger domain. Our data suggest that FAAP20 promotes the functional integrity of the FA core complex via its direct interaction with the FA gene product, FANCA. Indeed, somatic knockout cells devoid of FAAP20 displayed the hallmarks of FA cells, including hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, chromosome aberrations, and reduced FANCD2 monoubiquitination. Taking these data together, our study indicates that FAAP20 is an important player involved in the FA pathway. PMID:22396592
Force-induced rupture of double-stranded DNA in the absence and presence of covalently bonded anti-tumor drugs: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyaya, Anurag; Nath, Shesh; Kumar, Sanjay

2018-06-01

DNA intra-strand cross-link (ICL) agents are widely used in the treatment of cancer. ICLs are thought to form a link between the same strand (intra-strand) or complimentary strand (inter-strand) and thereby increase the stability of DNA, which forbids the processes like replication and transcription. As a result, cell death occurs. In this work, we have studied the enhanced stability of a double stranded DNA in the presence of ICLs and compared our findings with the results obtained in the absence of these links. Using atomistic simulations with explicit solvent, a force is applied along and perpendicular to the direction of the helix and we measured the rupture force and the unzipping force of DNA-ICL complexes. Our results show that the rupture and the unzipping forces increase significantly in the presence of these links. The ICLs bind to the minor groove of DNA, which enhance the DNA stabilisation. Such information may be used to design alternative drugs that can stall replication and transcription that are critical to a growing number of anticancer drug discovery efforts.
Nondestructive assessment of collagen hydrogel cross-linking using time-resolved autofluorescence imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherlock, Benjamin E.; Harvestine, Jenna N.; Mitra, Debika; Haudenschild, Anne; Hu, Jerry; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A.; Leach, J. Kent; Marcu, Laura

2018-03-01

We investigate the use of a fiber-based, multispectral fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) system to nondestructively monitor changes in mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels caused by controlled application of widely used cross-linking agents, glutaraldehyde (GTA) and ribose. Postcross-linking, fluorescence lifetime images are acquired prior to the hydrogels being processed by rheological or tensile testing to directly probe gel mechanical properties. To preserve the sterility of the ribose-treated gels, FLIm is performed inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC). A pairwise correlation analysis is used to quantify the relationship between mean hydrogel fluorescence lifetimes and the storage or Young's moduli of the gels. In the GTA study, we observe strong and specific correlations between fluorescence lifetime and the storage and Young's moduli. Similar correlations are not observed in the ribose study and we postulate a reason for this. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of FLIm to longitudinally monitor dynamic cross-link formation. The strength of the GTA correlations and deployment of our fiber-based FLIm system inside the aseptic environment of a BSC suggests that this technique may be a valuable tool for the tissue engineering community where longitudinal assessment of tissue construct maturation in vitro is highly desirable.
Cross-linking staphylococcal enterotoxin A bound to major histocompatibility complex class I is required for TNF-alpha secretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, A. D.; Chapes, S. K.

1999-01-01

The mechanism of how superantigens function to activate cells has been linked to their ability to bind and cross-link the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) molecule. Cells that lack the MHCII molecule also respond to superantigens, however, with much less efficiency. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to confirm that staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) could bind the MHCI molecule and to test the hypothesis that cross-linking SEA bound to MHCII-deficient macrophages would induce a more robust cytokine response than without cross-linking. We used a capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an immunprecipitation assay to directly demonstrate that MHCI molecules bind SEA. Directly cross-linking MHCI using monoclonal antibodies or cross-linking bound SEA with an anti-SEA antibody or biotinylated SEA with avidin increased TNF-alpha and IL-6 secretion by MHCII(-/-) macrophages. The induction of a vigorous macrophage cytokine response by SEA/anti-SEA cross-linking of MHCI offers a mechanism to explain how MHCI could play an important role in superantigen-mediated pathogenesis. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
Temporal dynamics of 2D motion integration for ocular following in macaque monkeys.

PubMed

Barthélemy, Fréderic V; Fleuriet, Jérome; Masson, Guillaume S

2010-03-01

Several recent studies have shown that extracting pattern motion direction is a dynamical process where edge motion is first extracted and pattern-related information is encoded with a small time lag by MT neurons. A similar dynamics was found for human reflexive or voluntary tracking. Here, we bring an essential, but still missing, piece of information by documenting macaque ocular following responses to gratings, unikinetic plaids, and barber-poles. We found that ocular tracking was always initiated first in the grating motion direction with ultra-short latencies (approximately 55 ms). A second component was driven only 10-15 ms later, rotating tracking toward pattern motion direction. At the end the open-loop period, tracking direction was aligned with pattern motion direction (plaids) or the average of the line-ending motion directions (barber-poles). We characterized the dependency on contrast of each component. Both timing and direction of ocular following were quantitatively very consistent with the dynamics of neuronal responses reported by others. Overall, we found a remarkable consistency between neuronal dynamics and monkey behavior, advocating for a direct link between the neuronal solution of the aperture problem and primate perception and action.
77 FR 65613 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-30

... related reaction link assembly, and replacing the rudder PCU and its related reaction link assembly if... substrate because of the use of liquid nitrogen during installation of the bushing into the reaction link... identify the condition of its related reaction link assembly, and replacing the rudder PCU and its related...
Titanium dioxide nanowire sensor array integration on CMOS platform using deterministic assembly.

PubMed

Gall, Oren Z; Zhong, Xiahua; Schulman, Daniel S; Kang, Myungkoo; Razavieh, Ali; Mayer, Theresa S

2017-06-30

Nanosensor arrays have recently received significant attention due to their utility in a wide range of applications, including gas sensing, fuel cells, internet of things, and portable health monitoring systems. Less attention has been given to the production of sensor platforms in the μW range for ultra-low power applications. Here, we discuss how to scale the nanosensor energy demand by developing a process for integration of nanowire sensing arrays on a monolithic CMOS chip. This work demonstrates an off-chip nanowire fabrication method; subsequently nanowires link to a fused SiO 2 substrate using electric-field assisted directed assembly. The nanowire resistances shown in this work have the highest resistance uniformity reported to date of 18%, which enables a practical roadmap towards the coupling of nanosensors to CMOS circuits and signal processing systems. The article also presents the utility of optimizing annealing conditions of the off-chip metal-oxides prior to CMOS integration to avoid limitations of thermal budget and process incompatibility. In the context of the platform demonstrated here, directed assembly is a powerful tool that can realize highly uniform, cross-reactive arrays of different types of metal-oxide nanosensors suited for gas discrimination and signal processing systems.
Titanium dioxide nanowire sensor array integration on CMOS platform using deterministic assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gall, Oren Z.; Zhong, Xiahua; Schulman, Daniel S.; Kang, Myungkoo; Razavieh, Ali; Mayer, Theresa S.

2017-06-01

Nanosensor arrays have recently received significant attention due to their utility in a wide range of applications, including gas sensing, fuel cells, internet of things, and portable health monitoring systems. Less attention has been given to the production of sensor platforms in the μW range for ultra-low power applications. Here, we discuss how to scale the nanosensor energy demand by developing a process for integration of nanowire sensing arrays on a monolithic CMOS chip. This work demonstrates an off-chip nanowire fabrication method; subsequently nanowires link to a fused SiO2 substrate using electric-field assisted directed assembly. The nanowire resistances shown in this work have the highest resistance uniformity reported to date of 18%, which enables a practical roadmap towards the coupling of nanosensors to CMOS circuits and signal processing systems. The article also presents the utility of optimizing annealing conditions of the off-chip metal-oxides prior to CMOS integration to avoid limitations of thermal budget and process incompatibility. In the context of the platform demonstrated here, directed assembly is a powerful tool that can realize highly uniform, cross-reactive arrays of different types of metal-oxide nanosensors suited for gas discrimination and signal processing systems.
Micromechanics Analysis Code Post-Processing (MACPOST) User Guide. 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Robert K.; Comiskey, Michele D.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.

1999-01-01

As advanced composite materials have gained wider usage. the need for analytical models and computer codes to predict the thermomechanical deformation response of these materials has increased significantly. Recently, a micromechanics technique called the generalized method of cells (GMC) has been developed, which has the capability to fulfill this -oal. Tc provide a framework for GMC, the Micromechanics Analysis Code with Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC) has been developed. As MAC/GMC has been updated, significant improvements have been made to the post-processing capabilities of the code. Through the MACPOST program, which operates directly within the MSC/PATRAN graphical pre- and post-processing package, a direct link between the analysis capabilities of MAC/GMC and the post-processing capabilities of MSC/PATRAN has been established. MACPOST has simplified the production, printing. and exportation of results for unit cells analyzed by MAC/GMC. MACPOST allows different micro-level quantities to be plotted quickly and easily in contour plots. In addition, meaningful data for X-Y plots can be examined. MACPOST thus serves as an important analysis and visualization tool for the macro- and micro-level data generated by MAC/GMC. This report serves as the user's manual for the MACPOST program.
Suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing: from perception to intelligence

PubMed Central

Tadin, Duje

2015-01-01

Perception operates on an immense amount of incoming information that greatly exceeds the brain's processing capacity. Because of this fundamental limitation, the ability to suppress irrelevant information is a key determinant of perceptual efficiency. Here, I will review a series of studies investigating suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing, namely perceptual suppression of large, background-like motions. These spatial suppression mechanisms are adaptive, operating only when sensory inputs are sufficiently robust to guarantee visibility. Converging correlational and causal evidence links these behavioral results with inhibitory center-surround mechanisms, namely those in cortical area MT. Spatial suppression is abnormally weak in several special populations, including the elderly and those with schizophrenia—a deficit that is evidenced by better-than-normal direction discriminations of large moving stimuli. Theoretical work shows that this abnormal weakening of spatial suppression should result in motion segregation deficits, but direct behavioral support of this hypothesis is lacking. Finally, I will argue that the ability to suppress information is a fundamental neural process that applies not only to perception but also to cognition in general. Supporting this argument, I will discuss recent research that shows individual differences in spatial suppression of motion signals strongly predict individual variations in IQ scores. PMID:26299386
Method and system for ultra-precision positioning

DOEpatents

Montesanti, Richard C.; Locke, Stanley F.; Thompson, Samuel L.

2005-01-11

An apparatus and method is disclosed for ultra-precision positioning. A slide base provides a foundational support. A slide plate moves with respect to the slide base along a first geometric axis. Either a ball-screw or a piezoelectric actuator working separate or in conjunction displaces the slide plate with respect to the slide base along the first geometric axis. A linking device directs a primary force vector into a center-line of the ball-screw. The linking device consists of a first link which directs a first portion of the primary force vector to an apex point, located along the center-line of the ball-screw, and a second link for directing a second portion of the primary force vector to the apex point. A set of rails, oriented substantially parallel to the center-line of the ball-screw, direct movement of the slide plate with respect to the slide base along the first geometric axis and are positioned such that the apex point falls within a geometric plane formed by the rails. The slide base, the slide plate, the ball-screw, and the linking device together form a slide assembly. Multiple slide assemblies can be distributed about a platform. In such a configuration, the platform may be raised and lowered, or tipped and tilted by jointly or independently displacing the slide plates.
Ultra-precision positioning assembly

DOEpatents

Montesanti, Richard C.; Locke, Stanley F.; Thompson, Samuel L.

2002-01-01

An apparatus and method is disclosed for ultra-precision positioning. A slide base provides a foundational support. A slide plate moves with respect to the slide base along a first geometric axis. Either a ball-screw or a piezoelectric actuator working separate or in conjunction displaces the slide plate with respect to the slide base along the first geometric axis. A linking device directs a primary force vector into a center-line of the ball-screw. The linking device consists of a first link which directs a first portion of the primary force vector to an apex point, located along the center-line of the ball-screw, and a second link for directing a second portion of the primary force vector to the apex point. A set of rails, oriented substantially parallel to the center-line of the ball-screw, direct movement of the slide plate with respect to the slide base along the first geometric axis and are positioned such that the apex point falls within a geometric plane formed by the rails. The slide base, the slide plate, the ball-screw, and the linking device together form a slide assembly. Multiple slide assemblies can be distributed about a platform. In such a configuration, the platform may be raised and lowered, or tipped and tilted by jointly or independently displacing the slide plates.
Emotion Decoding and Incidental Processing Fluency as Antecedents of Attitude Certainty.

PubMed

Petrocelli, John V; Whitmire, Melanie B

2017-07-01

Previous research demonstrates that attitude certainty influences the degree to which an attitude changes in response to persuasive appeals. In the current research, decoding emotions from facial expressions and incidental processing fluency, during attitude formation, are examined as antecedents of both attitude certainty and attitude change. In Experiment 1, participants who decoded anger or happiness during attitude formation expressed their greater attitude certainty, and showed more resistance to persuasion than participants who decoded sadness. By manipulating the emotion decoded, the diagnosticity of processing fluency experienced during emotion decoding, and the gaze direction of the social targets, Experiment 2 suggests that the link between emotion decoding and attitude certainty results from incidental processing fluency. Experiment 3 demonstrated that fluency in processing irrelevant stimuli influences attitude certainty, which in turn influences resistance to persuasion. Implications for appraisal-based accounts of attitude formation and attitude change are discussed.
Interaction and the structures of coal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opaprakasit, Pakorn

The origin of a decrease in the amount of soluble material from coal upon a reflux treatment has been investigated in an attempt to obtain insight into the nature of the interaction in the macromolecular network structure of coal. This decrease in the extractable material is a result of an increase in the amount of physical cross-links associated with secondary interactions. The alternate possibility of covalent cross-link formation by ether linkage was found to be unlikely because the coal hydroxyl content remains unchanged upon heat treatment. The functional groups responsible for forming these physical cross-links and their contents vary from coal to coal with coal rank. Carboxylate/cation complexes, similar to those found in ionomers, dominate in low rank coal. In high rank coal, the clusters involving pi-cation interactions were observed. Both mechanisms seem to play a role in mid rank coals. These physical cross-links are responsible for a lowering of the extraction yield of coal, but are disrupted by a treatment with acid solution, resulting in an increase in the extraction yield. As a consequence, the cross-links in coal structure should be classified into two types; a "permanent" covalent cross-link, which break under extreme conditions such as chemical reaction and pyrolysis, and "reversible" cross-links, largely associated with ionomer-like structure and pi-cation interactions. The interaction between a "magic" solvent of N-methylpyrollidone and carbon disulfide (NMP/CS2) and its role in the unusual extractability enhancement of Upper Freeport coal has also been investigated. The results strongly suggest that NMP/CS2 mixed solvents form complexes with cations. These mixed solvents are capable of forming a solid complex with cations from NaOH and some simple salts, such as NaCl and LiCl. Given that Upper Freeport coal contains a large amount of mineral matter, it is not surprising that these types of complexes could be formed in the present of the mixed solvents, which in turn enhances the coal extraction yield. Finally, the evidence for the presence of a glass transition temperature in coal was examined. The results from Differential Scanning Calorimetry showed that no transition similar to the Tg can be observed in bulk coal or its low-molecular weight fraction, pyridine soluble extracted material, at a temperature near 110°C. In contrast, an irreversible transition that is due to water evaporation has been found. Thermomechanical measurements, which are very sensitive to the presence of a Tg in synthetic polymers, also provided no evidence for a Tg below temperatures where chemical reactions occur. Additionally, the results from Thermomechanical Analysis showed an expansion in size when the coal was heated to 300°C, which is associated with a "caking" process. The degree of expansion during this "caking" process is about five times greater in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane than the parallel, indicating an accommodation of anisotropic strain relaxation, which was generated in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane during the coalification process.
Optimization and resilience of complex supply-demand networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Si-Ping; Huang, Zi-Gang; Dong, Jia-Qi; Eisenberg, Daniel; Seager, Thomas P.; Lai, Ying-Cheng

2015-06-01

Supply-demand processes take place on a large variety of real-world networked systems ranging from power grids and the internet to social networking and urban systems. In a modern infrastructure, supply-demand systems are constantly expanding, leading to constant increase in load requirement for resources and consequently, to problems such as low efficiency, resource scarcity, and partial system failures. Under certain conditions global catastrophe on the scale of the whole system can occur through the dynamical process of cascading failures. We investigate optimization and resilience of time-varying supply-demand systems by constructing network models of such systems, where resources are transported from the supplier sites to users through various links. Here by optimization we mean minimization of the maximum load on links, and system resilience can be characterized using the cascading failure size of users who fail to connect with suppliers. We consider two representative classes of supply schemes: load driven supply and fix fraction supply. Our findings are: (1) optimized systems are more robust since relatively smaller cascading failures occur when triggered by external perturbation to the links; (2) a large fraction of links can be free of load if resources are directed to transport through the shortest paths; (3) redundant links in the performance of the system can help to reroute the traffic but may undesirably transmit and enlarge the failure size of the system; (4) the patterns of cascading failures depend strongly upon the capacity of links; (5) the specific location of the trigger determines the specific route of cascading failure, but has little effect on the final cascading size; (6) system expansion typically reduces the efficiency; and (7) when the locations of the suppliers are optimized over a long expanding period, fewer suppliers are required. These results hold for heterogeneous networks in general, providing insights into designing optimal and resilient complex supply-demand systems that expand constantly in time.
The Global Food System as a Transport Pathway for Hazardous Chemicals: The Missing Link between Emissions and Exposure.

PubMed

Ng, Carla A; von Goetz, Natalie

2017-01-01

Food is a major pathway for human exposure to hazardous chemicals. The modern food system is becoming increasingly complex and globalized, but models for food-borne exposure typically assume locally derived diets or use concentrations directly measured in foods without accounting for food origin. Such approaches may not reflect actual chemical intakes because concentrations depend on food origin, and representative analysis is seldom available. Processing, packaging, storage, and transportation also impart different chemicals to food and are not yet adequately addressed. Thus, the link between environmental emissions and realistic human exposure is effectively broken. We discuss the need for a fully integrated treatment of the modern industrialized food system, and we propose strategies for using existing models and relevant supporting data sources to track chemicals during production, processing, packaging, storage, and transport. Fate and bioaccumulation models describe how chemicals distribute in the environment and accumulate through local food webs. Human exposure models can use concentrations in food to determine body burdens based on individual or population characteristics. New models now include the impacts of processing and packaging but are far from comprehensive. We propose to close the gap between emissions and exposure by utilizing a wider variety of models and data sources, including global food trade data, processing, and packaging models. A comprehensive approach that takes into account the complexity of the modern global food system is essential to enable better prediction of human exposure to chemicals in food, sound risk assessments, and more focused risk abatement strategies. Citation: Ng CA, von Goetz N. 2017. The global food system as a transport pathway for hazardous chemicals: the missing link between emissions and exposure. Environ Health Perspect 125:1-7; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP168.
Synergistic selection between ecological niche and mate preference primes diversification.

PubMed

Boughman, Janette W; Svanbäck, Richard

2017-01-01

The ecological niche and mate preferences have independently been shown to be important for the process of speciation. Here, we articulate a novel mechanism by which ecological niche use and mate preference can be linked to promote speciation. The degree to which individual niches are narrow and clustered affects the strength of divergent natural selection and population splitting. Similarly, the degree to which individual mate preferences are narrow and clustered affects the strength of divergent sexual selection and assortative mating between diverging forms. This novel perspective is inspired by the literature on ecological niches; it also explores mate preferences and how they may contribute to speciation. Unlike much comparative work, we do not search for evolutionary patterns using proxies for adaptation and sexual selection, but rather we elucidate how ideas from niche theory relate to mate preference, and how this relationship can foster speciation. Recognizing that individual and population niches are conceptually and ecologically linked to individual and population mate preference functions will significantly increase our understanding of rapid evolutionary diversification in nature. It has potential to help solve the difficult challenge of testing the role of sexual selection in the speciation process. We also identify ecological factors that are likely to affect individual niche and individual mate preference in synergistic ways and as a consequence to promote speciation. The ecological niche an individual occupies can directly affect its mate preference. Clusters of individuals with narrow, differentiated niches are likely to have narrow, differentiated mate preference functions. Our approach integrates ecological and sexual selection research to further our understanding of diversification processes. Such integration may be necessary for progress because these processes seem inextricably linked in the natural world. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution © 2016 The Society for the Study of Evolution.
Linking demographic processes and foraging ecology in wandering albatross-Conservation implications.

PubMed

Weimerskirch, Henri

2018-07-01

Population dynamics and foraging ecology are two fields of the population ecology that are generally studied separately. Yet, foraging determines allocation processes and therefore demography. Studies on wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans over the past 50 years have contributed to better understand the links between population dynamics and foraging ecology. This article reviews how these two facets of population ecology have been combined to better understand ecological processes, but also have contributed fundamentally for the conservation of this long-lived threatened species. Wandering albatross research has combined a 50-year long-term study of marked individuals with two decades of tracking studies that have been initiated on this species, favoured by its large size and tameness. At all stages of their life history, the body mass of individuals plays a central role in allocation processes, in particular in influencing adult and juvenile survival, decisions to recruit into the population or to invest into provisioning the offspring or into maintenance. Strong age-related variations in demographic parameters are observed and are linked to age-related differences in foraging distribution and efficiency. Marked sex-specific differences in foraging distribution, foraging efficiency and changes in mass over lifetime are directly related to the strong sex-specific investment in breeding and survival trajectories of the two sexes, with body mass playing a pivotal role especially in males. Long-term study has allowed determining the sex-specific and age-specific demographic causes of population decline, and the tracking studies have been able to derive where and how these impacts occur, in particular the role of long-line fisheries. © 2018 The Author. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
A selective impairment of perception of sound motion direction in peripheral space: A case study.

PubMed

Thaler, Lore; Paciocco, Joseph; Daley, Mark; Lesniak, Gabriella D; Purcell, David W; Fraser, J Alexander; Dutton, Gordon N; Rossit, Stephanie; Goodale, Melvyn A; Culham, Jody C

2016-01-08

It is still an open question if the auditory system, similar to the visual system, processes auditory motion independently from other aspects of spatial hearing, such as static location. Here, we report psychophysical data from a patient (female, 42 and 44 years old at the time of two testing sessions), who suffered a bilateral occipital infarction over 12 years earlier, and who has extensive damage in the occipital lobe bilaterally, extending into inferior posterior temporal cortex bilaterally and into right parietal cortex. We measured the patient's spatial hearing ability to discriminate static location, detect motion and perceive motion direction in both central (straight ahead), and right and left peripheral auditory space (50° to the left and right of straight ahead). Compared to control subjects, the patient was impaired in her perception of direction of auditory motion in peripheral auditory space, and the deficit was more pronounced on the right side. However, there was no impairment in her perception of the direction of auditory motion in central space. Furthermore, detection of motion and discrimination of static location were normal in both central and peripheral space. The patient also performed normally in a wide battery of non-spatial audiological tests. Our data are consistent with previous neuropsychological and neuroimaging results that link posterior temporal cortex and parietal cortex with the processing of auditory motion. Most importantly, however, our data break new ground by suggesting a division of auditory motion processing in terms of speed and direction and in terms of central and peripheral space. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Close relationship processes and health: implications of attachment theory for health and disease.

PubMed

Pietromonaco, Paula R; Uchino, Bert; Dunkel Schetter, Christine

2013-05-01

Health psychology has contributed significantly to understanding the link between psychological factors and health and well-being, but it has not often incorporated advances in relationship science into hypothesis generation and study design. We present one example of a theoretical model, following from a major relationship theory (attachment theory) that integrates relationship constructs and processes with biopsychosocial processes and health outcomes. We briefly describe attachment theory and present a general framework linking it to dyadic relationship processes (relationship behaviors, mediators, and outcomes) and health processes (physiology, affective states, health behavior, and health outcomes). We discuss the utility of the model for research in several health domains (e.g., self-regulation of health behavior, pain, chronic disease) and its implications for interventions and future research. This framework revealed important gaps in knowledge about relationships and health. Future work in this area will benefit from taking into account individual differences in attachment, adopting a more explicit dyadic approach, examining more integrated models that test for mediating processes, and incorporating a broader range of relationship constructs that have implications for health. A theoretical framework for studying health that is based in relationship science can accelerate progress by generating new research directions designed to pinpoint the mechanisms through which close relationships promote or undermine health. Furthermore, this knowledge can be applied to develop more effective interventions to help individuals and their relationship partners with health-related challenges. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.
Close Relationship Processes and Health: Implications of Attachment Theory for Health and Disease

PubMed Central

Pietromonaco, Paula R.; Uchino, Bert; Dunkel Schetter, Christine

2013-01-01

Objectives Health psychology has contributed significantly to understanding the link between psychological factors and health and well-being, but it has not often incorporated advances in relationship science into hypothesis generation and study design. We present one example of a theoretical model following from a major relationship theory (attachment theory) that integrates relationship constructs and processes with biopsychosocial processes and health outcomes. Methods We briefly describe attachment theory and present a general framework linking it to dyadic relationship processes (relationship behaviors, mediators and outcomes) and health processes (physiology, affective states, health behavior and health outcomes). We discuss the utility of the model for research in several health domains (e.g., self-regulation of health behavior, pain, chronic disease) and its implications for interventions and future research. Results This framework revealed important gaps in knowledge about relationships and health. Future work in this area will benefit from taking into account individual differences in attachment, adopting a more explicit dyadic approach, examining more integrated models that test for mediating processes, and incorporating a broader range of relationship constructs that have implications for health. Conclusions A theoretical framework for studying health that is based in relationship science can accelerate progress by generating new research directions designed to pinpoint the mechanisms through which close relationships promote or undermine health. Furthermore, this knowledge can be applied to develop more effective interventions to help individuals and their relationship partners with health-related challenges. PMID:23646833
The influence of simulator input conditions on the wear of total knee replacements: An experimental and computational study

PubMed Central

Brockett, Claire L; Abdelgaied, Abdellatif; Haythornthwaite, Tony; Hardaker, Catherine; Fisher, John; Jennings, Louise M

2016-01-01

Advancements in knee replacement design, material and sterilisation processes have provided improved clinical results. However, surface wear of the polyethylene leading to osteolysis is still considered the longer-term risk factor. Experimental wear simulation is an established method for evaluating the wear performance of total joint replacements. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of simulation input conditions, specifically input kinematic magnitudes, waveforms and directions of motion and position of the femoral centre of rotation, on the wear performance of a fixed-bearing total knee replacement through a combined experimental and computational approach. Studies were completed using conventional and moderately cross-linked polyethylene to determine whether the influence of these simulation input conditions varied with material. The position of the femoral centre of rotation and the input kinematics were shown to have a significant influence on the wear rates. Similar trends were shown for both the conventional and moderately cross-linked polyethylene materials, although lower wear rates were found for the moderately cross-linked polyethylene due to the higher level of cross-linking. The most important factor influencing the wear was the position of the relative contact point at the femoral component and tibial insert interface. This was dependent on the combination of input displacement magnitudes, waveforms, direction of motion and femoral centre of rotation. This study provides further evidence that in order to study variables such as design and material in total knee replacement, it is important to carefully control knee simulation conditions. This can be more effectively achieved through the use of displacement control simulation. PMID:27160561
Family functioning and children's adjustment: associations among parents' depressed mood, marital hostility, parent-child hostility, and children's adjustment.

PubMed

Low, Sabina M; Stocker, Clare

2005-09-01

Relations between parents' depressed mood, marital conflict, parent-child hostility, and children's adjustment were examined in a community sample of 136 ten-year-olds and their parents. Videotaped observational and self-report data were used to examine these relations in path analyses. A proposed model was tested in which mothers' and fathers' depressed mood and marital hostility were associated with children's adjustment problems through disruptions in parent-child relationships. Results showed that both mothers' and fathers' marital hostility were linked to parent-child hostility, which in turn was linked to children's internalizing problems. Fathers' depressed mood was linked to children's internalizing problems indirectly through father-child hostility. Fathers' depressed mood was directly linked to children's externalizing problems and indirectly linked through father-child hostility. For mothers, marital hostility was directly linked to children's externalizing problems, and marital hostility in fathers was indirectly linked to children's externalizing problems through father-child hostility. (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved
Optimized scalable network switch

DOEpatents

Blumrich, Matthias A [Ridgefield, CT; Chen, Dong [Croton On Hudson, NY; Coteus, Paul W [Yorktown Heights, NY; Gara, Alan G [Mount Kisco, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Irvington, NY; Heidelberger, Philip [Cortlandt Manor, NY; Steinmacher-Burow, Burkhard D [Mount Kisco, NY; Takken, Todd E [Mount Kisco, NY; Vranas, Pavlos M [Bedford Hills, NY

2007-12-04

In a massively parallel computing system having a plurality of nodes configured in m multi-dimensions, each node including a computing device, a method for routing packets towards their destination nodes is provided which includes generating at least one of a 2m plurality of compact bit vectors containing information derived from downstream nodes. A multilevel arbitration process in which downstream information stored in the compact vectors, such as link status information and fullness of downstream buffers, is used to determine a preferred direction and virtual channel for packet transmission. Preferred direction ranges are encoded and virtual channels are selected by examining the plurality of compact bit vectors. This dynamic routing method eliminates the necessity of routing tables, thus enhancing scalability of the switch.
Optimized scalable network switch

DOEpatents

Blumrich, Matthias A.; Chen, Dong; Coteus, Paul W.

2010-02-23

In a massively parallel computing system having a plurality of nodes configured in m multi-dimensions, each node including a computing device, a method for routing packets towards their destination nodes is provided which includes generating at least one of a 2m plurality of compact bit vectors containing information derived from downstream nodes. A multilevel arbitration process in which downstream information stored in the compact vectors, such as link status information and fullness of downstream buffers, is used to determine a preferred direction and virtual channel for packet transmission. Preferred direction ranges are encoded and virtual channels are selected by examining the plurality of compact bit vectors. This dynamic routing method eliminates the necessity of routing tables, thus enhancing scalability of the switch.
Molecular evolution and the latitudinal biodiversity gradient.

PubMed

Dowle, E J; Morgan-Richards, M; Trewick, S A

2013-06-01

Species density is higher in the tropics (low latitude) than in temperate regions (high latitude) resulting in a latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG). The LBG must be generated by differential rates of speciation and/or extinction and/or immigration among regions, but the role of each of these processes is still unclear. Recent studies examining differences in rates of molecular evolution have inferred a direct link between rate of molecular evolution and rate of speciation, and postulated these as important drivers of the LBG. Here we review the molecular genetic evidence and examine the factors that might be responsible for differences in rates of molecular evolution. Critical to this is the directionality of the relationship between speciation rates and rates of molecular evolution.
Preparation of a DNA matrix via an electrochemically directed copolymerization of pyrrole and oligonucleotides bearing a pyrrole group.

PubMed Central

Livache, T; Roget, A; Dejean, E; Barthet, C; Bidan, G; Téoule, R

1994-01-01

A new methodology for the preparation of addressed DNA matrices is described. The process includes an electrochemically directed copolymerization of pyrrole and oligonucleotides bearing on their 5' end a pyrrole moiety introduced by phosphoramidite chemistry. The electro-controlled synthesis of the copolymer (poly-pyrrole) gives, in one step, a solid conducting film deposited on the surface of an electrode. The resulting polymer consists of pyrrole chains bearing covalently linked oligonucleotide. The polymer growth is limited to the electrode surface, so that it is possible to prepare a DNA matrix on a multiple electrode device by successive copolymerizations. A support bearing four oligonucleotides was used to detect three ras mutations on a synthetic DNA fragment. PMID:8065902
Generation and transmission of DPSK signals using a directly modulated passive feedback laser.

PubMed

Karar, Abdullah S; Gao, Ying; Zhong, Kang Ping; Ke, Jian Hong; Cartledge, John C

2012-12-10

The generation of differential-phase-shift keying (DPSK) signals is demonstrated using a directly modulated passive feedback laser at 10.709-Gb/s, 14-Gb/s and 16-Gb/s. The quality of the DPSK signals is assessed using both noncoherent detection for a bit rate of 10.709-Gb/s and coherent detection with digital signal processing involving a look-up table pattern-dependent distortion compensator. Transmission over a passive link consisting of 100 km of single mode fiber at a bit rate of 10.709-Gb/s is achieved with a received optical power of -45 dBm at a bit-error-ratio of 3.8 × 10(-3) and a 49 dB loss margin.
Membrane guanylate cyclase, a multimodal transduction machine: history, present, and future directions

PubMed Central

Sharma, Rameshwar K.; Duda, Teresa

2014-01-01

A sequel to these authors' earlier comprehensive reviews which covered the field of mammalian membrane guanylate cyclase (MGC) from its origin to the year 2010, this article contains 13 sections. The first is historical and covers MGC from the year 1963–1987, summarizing its colorful developmental stages from its passionate pursuit to its consolidation. The second deals with the establishment of its biochemical identity. MGC becomes the transducer of a hormonal signal and founder of the peptide hormone receptor family, and creates the notion that hormone signal transduction is its sole physiological function. The third defines its expansion. The discovery of ROS-GC subfamily is made and it links ROS-GC with the physiology of phototransduction. Sections ROS-GC, a Ca2+-Modulated Two Component Transduction System to Migration Patterns and Translations of the GCAP Signals Into Production of Cyclic GMP are Different cover its biochemistry and physiology. The noteworthy events are that augmented by GCAPs, ROS-GC proves to be a transducer of the free Ca2+ signals generated within neurons; ROS-GC becomes a two-component transduction system and establishes itself as a source of cyclic GMP, the second messenger of phototransduction. Section ROS-GC1 Gene Linked Retinal Dystrophies demonstrates how this knowledge begins to be translated into the diagnosis and providing the molecular definition of retinal dystrophies. Section Controlled By Low and High Levels of [Ca2+]i, ROS-GC1 is a Bimodal Transduction Switch discusses a striking property of ROS-GC where it becomes a “[Ca2+]i bimodal switch” and transcends its signaling role in other neural processes. In this course, discovery of the first CD-GCAP (Ca2+-dependent guanylate cyclase activator), the S100B protein, is made. It extends the role of the ROS-GC transduction system beyond the phototransduction to the signaling processes in the synapse region between photoreceptor and cone ON-bipolar cells; in section Ca2+-Modulated Neurocalcin δ ROS-GC1 Transduction System Exists in the Inner Plexiform Layer (IPL) of the Retinal Neurons, discovery of another CD-GCAP, NCδ, is made and its linkage with signaling of the inner plexiform layer neurons is established. Section ROS-GC Linkage With Other Than Vision-Linked Neurons discusses linkage of the ROS-GC transduction system with other sensory transduction processes: Pineal gland, Olfaction and Gustation. In the next, section Evolution of a General Ca2+-Interlocked ROS-GC Signal Transduction Concept in Sensory and Sensory-Linked Neurons, a theoretical concept is proposed where “Ca2+-interlocked ROS-GC signal transduction” machinery becomes a common signaling component of the sensory and sensory-linked neurons. Closure to the review is brought by the conclusion and future directions. PMID:25071437
Epidemic threshold in directed networks.

PubMed

Li, Cong; Wang, Huijuan; Van Mieghem, Piet

2013-12-01

Epidemics have so far been mostly studied in undirected networks. However, many real-world networks, such as the online social network Twitter and the world wide web, on which information, emotion, or malware spreads, are directed networks, composed of both unidirectional links and bidirectional links. We define the directionality ξ as the percentage of unidirectional links. The epidemic threshold τ(c) for the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) epidemic is lower bounded by 1/λ(1) in directed networks, where λ(1), also called the spectral radius, is the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix. In this work, we propose two algorithms to generate directed networks with a given directionality ξ. The effect of ξ on the spectral radius λ(1), principal eigenvector x(1), spectral gap (λ(1)-|λ(2)|), and algebraic connectivity μ(N-1) is studied. Important findings are that the spectral radius λ(1) decreases with the directionality ξ, whereas the spectral gap and the algebraic connectivity increase with the directionality ξ. The extent of the decrease of the spectral radius depends on both the degree distribution and the degree-degree correlation ρ(D). Hence, in directed networks, the epidemic threshold is larger and a random walk converges to its steady state faster than that in undirected networks with the same degree distribution.
Epidemic threshold in directed networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cong; Wang, Huijuan; Van Mieghem, Piet

2013-12-01

Epidemics have so far been mostly studied in undirected networks. However, many real-world networks, such as the online social network Twitter and the world wide web, on which information, emotion, or malware spreads, are directed networks, composed of both unidirectional links and bidirectional links. We define the directionality ξ as the percentage of unidirectional links. The epidemic threshold τc for the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) epidemic is lower bounded by 1/λ1 in directed networks, where λ1, also called the spectral radius, is the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix. In this work, we propose two algorithms to generate directed networks with a given directionality ξ. The effect of ξ on the spectral radius λ1, principal eigenvector x1, spectral gap (λ1-λ2), and algebraic connectivity μN-1 is studied. Important findings are that the spectral radius λ1 decreases with the directionality ξ, whereas the spectral gap and the algebraic connectivity increase with the directionality ξ. The extent of the decrease of the spectral radius depends on both the degree distribution and the degree-degree correlation ρD. Hence, in directed networks, the epidemic threshold is larger and a random walk converges to its steady state faster than that in undirected networks with the same degree distribution.
Cut-and-connect of two antiparallel vortex tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melander, Mogens V.; Hussain, Fazle

1988-01-01

Motivated by an early conjecture that vortex cut-and-connect plays a key role in mixing and production of turbulence, helicity and aerodynamic noise, the cross-linking of two antiparallel viscous vortex tubes via direct numerical simulation is studied. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved by a dealiased pseudo-spectral method with 64 cubed grid points in a periodic domain for initial Reynolds numbers Re up to 1000. The vortex tubes are given an initial sinusoidal perturbation to induce a collision and keep the two tubes pressed against each other as annihilation continues. Cross-sectional and wire plots of various properties depict three stages of evolution: (1) Inviscid induction causing vortex cores to first approach and form a contact zone with a dipole cross-section, and then to flatten and stretch; (2) Vorticity annihilation in the contact zone accompanied by bridging between the two vortices at both ends of the contact zone due to a collection of cross-linked vortex lines, now orthogonal to the initial vortex tubes. The direction of dipole advection in the contact zone reverses; and (3) Threading of the remnants of the original vortices in between the bridges as they pull apart. The crucial stage 2 is shown to be a simple consequence of vorticity annihilation in the contact zone, link-up of the un-annihilated parts of vortex lines, and stretching and advection by the vortex tube swirl of the cross-linked lines, which accumulate at stagnation points in front of the annihilating vortex dipole. It is claimed that bridging is the essence of any vorticity cross-linking and that annihilation is sustained by stretching of the dipole by the bridges. Vortex reconnection details are found to be insensitive to asymmetry. Modeling of the reconnection process is briefly examined. The 3D spatial details of scalar transport (at unity Schmidt number), enstrophy production, dissipation and helicity are also examined.
How do formulation and process parameters impact blend and unit dose uniformity? Further analysis of the product quality research institute blend uniformity working group industry survey.

PubMed

Hancock, Bruno C; Garcia-Munoz, Salvador

2013-03-01

Responses from the second Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) Blend Uniformity Working Group (BUWG) survey of industry have been reanalyzed to identify potential links between formulation and processing variables and the measured uniformity of blends and unit dosage forms. As expected, the variability of the blend potency and tablet potency data increased with a decrease in the loading of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). There was also an inverse relationship between the nominal strength of the unit dose and the blend uniformity data. The data from the PQRI industry survey do not support the commonly held viewpoint that granulation processes are necessary to create and sustain tablet and capsule formulations with a high degree of API uniformity. There was no correlation between the blend or tablet potency variability and the type of process used to manufacture the product. Although it is commonly believed that direct compression processes should be avoided for low API loading formulations because of blend and tablet content uniformity concerns, the data for direct compression processes reported by the respondents to the PQRI survey suggest that such processes are being used routinely to manufacture solid dosage forms of acceptable quality even when the drug loading is quite low. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Speech reception with different bilateral directional processing schemes: Influence of binaural hearing, audiometric asymmetry, and acoustic scenario.

PubMed

Neher, Tobias; Wagener, Kirsten C; Latzel, Matthias

2017-09-01

Hearing aid (HA) users can differ markedly in their benefit from directional processing (or beamforming) algorithms. The current study therefore investigated candidacy for different bilateral directional processing schemes. Groups of elderly listeners with symmetric (N = 20) or asymmetric (N = 19) hearing thresholds for frequencies below 2 kHz, a large spread in the binaural intelligibility level difference (BILD), and no difference in age, overall degree of hearing loss, or performance on a measure of selective attention took part. Aided speech reception was measured using virtual acoustics together with a simulation of a linked pair of completely occluding behind-the-ear HAs. Five processing schemes and three acoustic scenarios were used. The processing schemes differed in the tradeoff between signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement and binaural cue preservation. The acoustic scenarios consisted of a frontal target talker presented against two speech maskers from ±60° azimuth or spatially diffuse cafeteria noise. For both groups, a significant interaction between BILD, processing scheme, and acoustic scenario was found. This interaction implied that, in situations with lateral speech maskers, HA users with BILDs larger than about 2 dB profited more from preserved low-frequency binaural cues than from greater SNR improvement, whereas for smaller BILDs the opposite was true. Audiometric asymmetry reduced the influence of binaural hearing. In spatially diffuse noise, the maximal SNR improvement was generally beneficial. N 0 S π detection performance at 500 Hz predicted the benefit from low-frequency binaural cues. Together, these findings provide a basis for adapting bilateral directional processing to individual and situational influences. Further research is needed to investigate their generalizability to more realistic HA conditions (e.g., with low-frequency vent-transmitted sound). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Study on the preparation process of cross-linked porous cassava starch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Xiulian; You, Qinghong; Wan, Miaomiao; Zhang, Xuejuan; Dai, Chunhua

2017-04-01

Using cassava starch as raw material, preparation process of porous cross-linked cassava starch was studied. Using TSTP as cross-linking agents, Orthogonal design was applied for the optimization of cross-linked porous starch preparation process. The results showed that the opitmal conditions of cross-linked porous cassava starch were as follows: reaction temperature 45°C, reaction time 20 h, 1% of the amount of the enzyme, the enzyme ratio of 1:5, pH 5.50, substrate concentration of 40%.
Air Force Research Laboratory space technology strategic investment model: analysis and outcomes for warfighter capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preiss, Bruce; Greene, Lloyd; Kriebel, Jamie; Wasson, Robert

2006-05-01

The Air Force Research Laboratory utilizes a value model as a primary input for space technology planning and budgeting. The Space Sector at AFRL headquarters manages space technology investment across all the geographically disparate technical directorates and ensures that integrated planning is achieved across the space community. The space investment portfolio must ultimately balance near, mid, and far-term investments across all the critical space mission areas. Investment levels and growth areas can always be identified by a typical capability analysis or gap analysis, but the value model approach goes one step deeper and helps identify the potential payoff of technology investments by linking the technology directly to an existing or potential concept. The value of the technology is then viewed from the enabling performance perspective of the concept that ultimately fulfills the Air Force mission. The process of linking space technologies to future concepts and technology roadmaps will be reviewed in this paper, along with representative results from this planning cycle. The initial assumptions in this process will be identified along with the strengths and weaknesses of this planning methodology.
Integrating Decision Making and Mental Health Interventions Research: Research Directions

PubMed Central

Wills, Celia E.; Holmes-Rovner, Margaret

2006-01-01

The importance of incorporating patient and provider decision-making processes is in the forefront of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) agenda for improving mental health interventions and services. Key concepts in patient decision making are highlighted within a simplified model of patient decision making that links patient-level/“micro” variables to services-level/“macro” variables via the decision-making process that is a target for interventions. The prospective agenda for incorporating decision-making concepts in mental health research includes (a) improved measures for characterizing decision-making processes that are matched to study populations, complexity, and types of decision making; (b) testing decision aids in effectiveness research for diverse populations and clinical settings; and (c) improving the understanding and incorporation of preference concepts in enhanced intervention designs. PMID:16724158
Information Theory Broadens the Spectrum of Molecular Ecology and Evolution.

PubMed

Sherwin, W B; Chao, A; Jost, L; Smouse, P E

2017-12-01

Information or entropy analysis of diversity is used extensively in community ecology, and has recently been exploited for prediction and analysis in molecular ecology and evolution. Information measures belong to a spectrum (or q profile) of measures whose contrasting properties provide a rich summary of diversity, including allelic richness (q=0), Shannon information (q=1), and heterozygosity (q=2). We present the merits of information measures for describing and forecasting molecular variation within and among groups, comparing forecasts with data, and evaluating underlying processes such as dispersal. Importantly, information measures directly link causal processes and divergence outcomes, have straightforward relationship to allele frequency differences (including monotonicity that q=2 lacks), and show additivity across hierarchical layers such as ecology, behaviour, cellular processes, and nongenetic inheritance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
CIM at GE's factory of the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldman, H.

Functional features of a highly automated aircraft component batch processing factory are described. The system has processing, working, and methodology components. A rotating parts operation installed 20 yr ago features a high density of numerically controlled machines, and is connected to a hierarchical network of data communications and apparatus for moving the rotating parts and tools of engines. Designs produced at one location in the country are sent by telephone link to other sites for development of manufacturing plans, tooling, numerical control programs, and process instructions for the rotating parts. Direct numerical control is implemented at the work stations, which have instructions stored on tape for back-up in case the host computer goes down. Each machine is automatically monitored at 48 points and notice of failure can originate from any point in the system.

ACE: Automatic Centroid Extractor for real time target tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, K.; Whitaker, S.; Canaris, J.

1990-01-01

A high performance video image processor has been implemented which is capable of grouping contiguous pixels from a raster scan image into groups and then calculating centroid information for each object in a frame. The algorithm employed to group pixels is very efficient and is guaranteed to work properly for all convex shapes as well as most concave shapes. Processing speeds are adequate for real time processing of video images having a pixel rate of up to 20 million pixels per second. Pixels may be up to 8 bits wide. The processor is designed to interface directly to a transputer serial link communications channel with no additional hardware. The full custom VLSI processor was implemented in a 1.6 mu m CMOS process and measures 7200 mu m on a side.
Stable isotope probing in the metagenomics era: a bridge towards improved bioremediation

PubMed Central

Uhlik, Ondrej; Leewis, Mary-Cathrine; Strejcek, Michal; Musilova, Lucie; Mackova, Martina; Leigh, Mary Beth; Macek, Tomas

2012-01-01

Microbial biodegradation and biotransformation reactions are essential to most bioremediation processes, yet the specific organisms, genes, and mechanisms involved are often not well understood. Stable isotope probing (SIP) enables researchers to directly link microbial metabolic capability to phylogenetic and metagenomic information within a community context by tracking isotopically labeled substances into phylogenetically and functionally informative biomarkers. SIP is thus applicable as a tool for the identification of active members of the microbial community and associated genes integral to the community functional potential, such as biodegradative processes. The rapid evolution of SIP over the last decade and integration with metagenomics provides researchers with a much deeper insight into potential biodegradative genes, processes, and applications, thereby enabling an improved mechanistic understanding that can facilitate advances in the field of bioremediation. PMID:23022353
Behavioral modeling and digital compensation of nonlinearity in DFB lasers for multi-band directly modulated radio-over-fiber systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianqiang; Yin, Chunjing; Chen, Hao; Yin, Feifei; Dai, Yitang; Xu, Kun

2014-11-01

The envisioned C-RAN concept in wireless communication sector replies on distributed antenna systems (DAS) which consist of a central unit (CU), multiple remote antenna units (RAUs) and the fronthaul links between them. As the legacy and emerging wireless communication standards will coexist for a long time, the fronthaul links are preferred to carry multi-band multi-standard wireless signals. Directly-modulated radio-over-fiber (ROF) links can serve as a lowcost option to make fronthaul connections conveying multi-band wireless signals. However, directly-modulated radioover- fiber (ROF) systems often suffer from inherent nonlinearities from directly-modulated lasers. Unlike ROF systems working at the single-band mode, the modulation nonlinearities in multi-band ROF systems can result in both in-band and cross-band nonlinear distortions. In order to address this issue, we have recently investigated the multi-band nonlinear behavior of directly-modulated DFB lasers based on multi-dimensional memory polynomial model. Based on this model, an efficient multi-dimensional baseband digital predistortion technique was developed and experimentally demonstrated for linearization of multi-band directly-modulated ROF systems.
PDK1-mediated activation of MRCKα regulates directional cell migration and lamellipodia retraction

PubMed Central

Gagliardi, Paolo Armando; di Blasio, Laura; Puliafito, Alberto; Seano, Giorgio; Sessa, Roberto; Chianale, Federica; Leung, Thomas; Bussolino, Federico

2014-01-01

Directional cell migration is of paramount importance in both physiological and pathological processes, such as development, wound healing, immune response, and cancer invasion. Here, we report that 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) regulates epithelial directional migration and invasion by binding and activating myotonic dystrophy kinase–related CDC42-binding kinase α (MRCKα). We show that the effect of PDK1 on cell migration does not involve its kinase activity but instead relies on its ability to bind membrane phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate. Upon epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation, PDK1 and MRCKα colocalize at the cell membrane in lamellipodia. We demonstrate that PDK1 positively modulates MRCKα activity and drives its localization within lamellipodia. Likewise, the retraction phase of lamellipodia is controlled by PDK1 through an MRCKα-dependent mechanism. In summary, we discovered a functional pathway involving PDK1-mediated activation of MRCKα, which links EGF signaling to myosin contraction and directional migration. PMID:25092657
The whole relationship between environmental variables and firm performance: competitive advantage and firm resources as mediator variables.

PubMed

López-Gamero, María D; Molina-Azorín, José F; Claver-Cortés, Enrique

2009-07-01

The examination of the possible direct link between environmental protection and firm performance in the literature has generally produced mixed results. The present paper contributes to the literature by using the resource-based view as a mediating process in this relationship. The study specifically tests whether or not the resource-based view of the firm mediates the positive relationships of proactive environmental management and improved environmental performance with competitive advantage, which also has consequences for financial performance. We also check the possible link between the adoption of a pioneering approach and good environmental management practices. Our findings support that early investment timing and intensity in environmental issues impact on the adoption of a proactive environmental management, which in turn helps to improve environmental performance. The findings also show that a firm's resources and competitive advantage act as mediator variables for a positive relationship between environmental protection and financial performance. This contribution is original because the present paper develops a comprehensive whole picture of this path process, which has previously only been partially discussed in the literature. In addition, this study clarifies a relevant point in the literature, namely that the effect of environmental protection on firm performance is not direct and can vary depending on the sector considered. Whereas competitive advantage in relation to costs influences financial performance in the IPPC law sector, the relevant influence in the hotel sector comes from competitive advantage through differentiation.
A cannabinoid link between mitochondria and memory.

PubMed

Hebert-Chatelain, Etienne; Desprez, Tifany; Serrat, Román; Bellocchio, Luigi; Soria-Gomez, Edgar; Busquets-Garcia, Arnau; Pagano Zottola, Antonio Christian; Delamarre, Anna; Cannich, Astrid; Vincent, Peggy; Varilh, Marjorie; Robin, Laurie M; Terral, Geoffrey; García-Fernández, M Dolores; Colavita, Michelangelo; Mazier, Wilfrid; Drago, Filippo; Puente, Nagore; Reguero, Leire; Elezgarai, Izaskun; Dupuy, Jean-William; Cota, Daniela; Lopez-Rodriguez, Maria-Luz; Barreda-Gómez, Gabriel; Massa, Federico; Grandes, Pedro; Bénard, Giovanni; Marsicano, Giovanni

2016-11-24

Cellular activity in the brain depends on the high energetic support provided by mitochondria, the cell organelles which use energy sources to generate ATP. Acute cannabinoid intoxication induces amnesia in humans and animals, and the activation of type-1 cannabinoid receptors present at brain mitochondria membranes (mtCB 1 ) can directly alter mitochondrial energetic activity. Although the pathological impact of chronic mitochondrial dysfunctions in the brain is well established, the involvement of acute modulation of mitochondrial activity in high brain functions, including learning and memory, is unknown. Here, we show that acute cannabinoid-induced memory impairment in mice requires activation of hippocampal mtCB 1 receptors. Genetic exclusion of CB 1 receptors from hippocampal mitochondria prevents cannabinoid-induced reduction of mitochondrial mobility, synaptic transmission and memory formation. mtCB 1 receptors signal through intra-mitochondrial Gα i protein activation and consequent inhibition of soluble-adenylyl cyclase (sAC). The resulting inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation of specific subunits of the mitochondrial electron transport system eventually leads to decreased cellular respiration. Hippocampal inhibition of sAC activity or manipulation of intra-mitochondrial PKA signalling or phosphorylation of the Complex I subunit NDUFS2 inhibit bioenergetic and amnesic effects of cannabinoids. Thus, the G protein-coupled mtCB 1 receptors regulate memory processes via modulation of mitochondrial energy metabolism. By directly linking mitochondrial activity to memory formation, these data reveal that bioenergetic processes are primary acute regulators of cognitive functions.
The paradox of pharmacy: A profession's house divided.

PubMed

Brown, Daniel

2012-01-01

To describe the paradox in pharmacy between the vision of patient care and the reality of community pharmacy practice and to explore how integrated reimbursement for the retail prescription and linking cognitive patient care services directly to prescription processing could benefit the profession. A dichotomy exists between what many pharmacists do and what they've been trained to do. Pharmacy leaders have formulated a vision for pharmacists to become more involved in direct patient care. All graduates now receive PharmD-level training, and some leaders call for requirements of postgraduate residency training and board certification for pharmacists who provide patient care. How such requirements would relate to community pharmacy practice is unclear. The retail prescription remains the primary link between the pharmacist and the health care consumer. Cognitive services, such as medication therapy management (MTM), need to be integrated into the standard workflow of community pharmacies so as to become a natural extension of the professional services rendered in the process of filling a prescription. Current prescription fees are not sufficient to support legitimate professional services. A proposed integrated pricing system for retail prescriptions includes a $15 professional fee that is scaled upward for value-added services, such as MTM. Pharmacy includes a diversity of practice that has historically been a source of division. For pharmacists to reach their potential as patient care providers, the various factions within the profession must forge a unified vision of the future that addresses all realms of practice.
Counter-regulating on the Internet: Threat elicits preferential processing of positive information.

PubMed

Greving, Hannah; Sassenberg, Kai; Fetterman, Adam

2015-09-01

The Internet is a central source of information. It is increasingly used for information search in self-relevant domains (e.g., health). Self-relevant topics are also associated with specific emotions and motivational states. For example, individuals may fear serious illness and feel threatened. Thus far, the impact of threat has received little attention in Internet-based research. The current studies investigated how threat influences Internet search. Threat is known to elicit the preferential processing of positive information. The self-directed nature of Internet search should particularly provide opportunities for such processing behavior. We predicted that during Internet search, more positive information would be processed (i.e., allocated more attention to) and more positive knowledge would be acquired under threat than in a control condition. Three experiments supported this prediction: Under threat, attention is directed more to positive web pages (Study 1) and positive links (Study 2), and more positive information is acquired (Studies 1 and 3) than in a control condition. Notably, the effect on knowledge acquisition was mediated by the effect on attention allocation during an actual Internet search (Study 1). Thus, Internet search under threat leads to selective processing of positive information and dampens threatened individuals' negative affect. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Symptom-specific amygdala hyperactivity modulates motor control network in conversion disorder.

PubMed

Hassa, Thomas; Sebastian, Alexandra; Liepert, Joachim; Weiller, Cornelius; Schmidt, Roger; Tüscher, Oliver

2017-01-01

Initial historical accounts as well as recent data suggest that emotion processing is dysfunctional in conversion disorder patients and that this alteration may be the pathomechanistic neurocognitive basis for symptoms in conversion disorder. However, to date evidence of direct interaction of altered negative emotion processing with motor control networks in conversion disorder is still lacking. To specifically study the neural correlates of emotion processing interacting with motor networks we used a task combining emotional and sensorimotor stimuli both separately as well as simultaneously during functional magnetic resonance imaging in a well characterized group of 13 conversion disorder patients with functional hemiparesis and 19 demographically matched healthy controls. We performed voxelwise statistical parametrical mapping for a priori regions of interest within emotion processing and motor control networks. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) was used to test altered functional connectivity of emotion and motor control networks. Only during simultaneous emotional stimulation and passive movement of the affected hand patients displayed left amygdala hyperactivity. PPI revealed increased functional connectivity in patients between the left amygdala and the (pre-)supplemental motor area and the subthalamic nucleus, key regions within the motor control network. These findings suggest a novel mechanistic direct link between dysregulated emotion processing and motor control circuitry in conversion disorder.
Establishment of an equivalence acceptance criterion for accelerated stability studies.

PubMed

Burdick, Richard K; Sidor, Leslie

2013-01-01

In this article, the use of statistical equivalence testing for providing evidence of process comparability in an accelerated stability study is advocated over the use of a test of differences. The objective of such a study is to demonstrate comparability by showing that the stability profiles under nonrecommended storage conditions of two processes are equivalent. Because it is difficult at accelerated conditions to find a direct link to product specifications, and hence product safety and efficacy, an equivalence acceptance criterion is proposed that is based on the statistical concept of effect size. As with all statistical tests of equivalence, it is important to collect input from appropriate subject-matter experts when defining the acceptance criterion.
The Good Appraisal Toolkit for Primary Care Chambers Ruth et al The Good Appraisal Toolkit for Primary Care 189pp Radcliffe Publishing 9781857756029 1857756029.

PubMed

2005-03-02

The principles and frameworks demonstrated in this book could be used in many other healthcare settings. The text is divided neatly into nine chapters and addresses practical issues such as being an effective appraiser, developing and demonstrating competence, linking appraisal with career development, and evaluation of the appraisal process. The comprehensive approach to all aspects of appraisal makes this a must-have book for all health professionals and managers undertaking appraisals. It should also appeal to clinical governance leads and individuals being appraised. There are excellent tips on how to prepare for appraisals and how to link this with reflection, lifelong learning, career direction, and so on. The book is well referenced and contains an appendix with useful examples for the appraiser.
Readout Electronics for the Central Drift Chamber of the Belle-II Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchida, Tomohisa; Taniguchi, Takashi; Ikeno, Masahiro; Iwasaki, Yoshihito; Saito, Masatoshi; Shimazaki, Shoichi; Tanaka, Manobu M.; Taniguchi, Nanae; Uno, Shoji

2015-08-01

We have developed readout electronics for the central drift chamber (CDC) of the Belle-II detector. The space near the endplate of the CDC for installation of the electronics was limited by the detector structure. Due to the large amounts of data generated by the CDC, a high-speed data link, with a greater than one gigabit transfer rate, was required to transfer the data to a back-end computer. A new readout module was required to satisfy these requirements. This module processes 48 signals from the CDC, converts them to digital data and transfers it directly to the computer. All functions that transfer digital data via the high speed link were implemented on the single module. We have measured its electrical characteristics and confirmed that the results satisfy the requirements of the Belle-II experiment.
Microeconomics of yield learning and process control in semiconductor manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monahan, Kevin M.

2003-06-01

Simple microeconomic models that directly link yield learning to profitability in semiconductor manufacturing have been rare or non-existent. In this work, we review such a model and provide links to inspection capability and cost. Using a small number of input parameters, we explain current yield management practices in 200mm factories. The model is then used to extrapolate requirements for 300mm factories, including the impact of technology transitions to 130nm design rules and below. We show that the dramatic increase in value per wafer at the 300mm transition becomes a driver for increasing metrology and inspection capability and sampling. These analyses correlate well wtih actual factory data and often identify millions of dollars in potential cost savings. We demonstrate this using the example of grating-based overlay metrology for the 65nm node.
Measuring directional urban spatial interaction in China: A migration perspective

PubMed Central

Li, Fangzhou; Feng, Zhiming; Li, Peng; You, Zhen

2017-01-01

The study of urban spatial interaction is closely linked to that of economic geography, urban planning, regional development, and so on. Currently, this topic is generating a great deal of interest among researchers who are striving to find accurate ways to measure urban spatial interaction. Classical spatial interaction models lack theoretical guidance and require complicated parameter-adjusting processes. The radiation model, however, as proposed by Simini et al. with rigorous formula derivation, can simulate directional urban spatial interaction. We applied the radiation model in China to simulate the directional migration number among 337 nationwide research units, comprising 4 municipalities and 333 prefecture-level cities. We then analyzed the overall situation in Chinese cities, the interaction intensity hierarchy, and the prime urban agglomerations from the perspective of migration. This was done to ascertain China’s urban spatial interaction and regional development from 2000 to 2010 to reveal ground realities. PMID:28141853
Measuring directional urban spatial interaction in China: A migration perspective.

PubMed

Li, Fangzhou; Feng, Zhiming; Li, Peng; You, Zhen

2017-01-01

The study of urban spatial interaction is closely linked to that of economic geography, urban planning, regional development, and so on. Currently, this topic is generating a great deal of interest among researchers who are striving to find accurate ways to measure urban spatial interaction. Classical spatial interaction models lack theoretical guidance and require complicated parameter-adjusting processes. The radiation model, however, as proposed by Simini et al. with rigorous formula derivation, can simulate directional urban spatial interaction. We applied the radiation model in China to simulate the directional migration number among 337 nationwide research units, comprising 4 municipalities and 333 prefecture-level cities. We then analyzed the overall situation in Chinese cities, the interaction intensity hierarchy, and the prime urban agglomerations from the perspective of migration. This was done to ascertain China's urban spatial interaction and regional development from 2000 to 2010 to reveal ground realities.
Simulation of anisotropic fracture behaviour of polycrystalline round blank tungsten using cohesive zone model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahler, Michael; Gaganidze, Ermile; Aktaa, Jarir

2018-04-01

The experimental observation of anisotropic fracture behaviour of round blank polycrystalline tungsten was simulated using finite element (FE) method in combination with cohesive zone model. Experiments in the past had shown that due to the anisotropic microstructure the fracture toughness varies by factor of about two for different orientations. The reason is the crack propagation direction, which is - in some orientations - not the typical crack propagation direction for mode I fracture. In some directions the crack is not growing perpendicular to the crack opening tensile load. Nevertheless, in the present paper, the microstructure is modelled by FE mesh including cohesive zone elements which mimic grain boundaries (GB). This is based on the assumption that GB's are the weakest links in the structure. The use of the correct parameters to describe the fracture process allows the description of the observed experimental orientation dependent fracture toughness.
Work and Mexican American Parent-Adolescent Relationships: The Mediating Role of Parent Well-Being

PubMed Central

Wheeler, Lorey A.; Updegraff, Kimberly A.

2011-01-01

This study of Mexican American two-parent families (N = 246) examined the role of parents’ well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms, role overload) as a potential mechanism through which parent occupational conditions (i.e., self-direction, hazardous conditions, physical activity, work pressure) are linked to parent-adolescent relationship qualities (i.e., warmth, conflict, disclosure). Depressive symptoms mediated the links between maternal and paternal work pressure and parent-adolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure. For mothers, depressive symptoms also mediated the links between self-direction and mother-adolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure; for fathers, role overload mediated the links between work pressure and hazardous conditions with father-adolescent warmth. PMID:21355651
Epidemic spreading in annealed directed networks: susceptible-infected-susceptible model and contact process.

PubMed

Kwon, Sungchul; Kim, Yup

2013-01-01

We investigate epidemic spreading in annealed directed scale-free networks with the in-degree (k) distribution P(in)(k)~k(-γ(in)) and the out-degree (ℓ) distribution, P(out)(ℓ)~ℓ(-γ(out)). The correlation of each node on the networks is controlled by the probability r(0≤r≤1) in two different algorithms, the so-called k and ℓ algorithms. For r=1, the k algorithm gives =, whereas the ℓ algorithm gives =<ℓ(2)>. For r=0, =<ℓ> for both algorithms. As the prototype of epidemic spreading, the susceptible-infected-susceptible model and contact process on the networks are analyzed using the heterogeneous mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. The directedness of links and the correlation of the network are found to play important roles in the spreading, so that critical behaviors of both models are distinct from those on undirected scale-free networks.
Capturing the genetic makeup of the active microbiome in situ.

PubMed

Singer, Esther; Wagner, Michael; Woyke, Tanja

2017-09-01

More than any other technology, nucleic acid sequencing has enabled microbial ecology studies to be complemented with the data volumes necessary to capture the extent of microbial diversity and dynamics in a wide range of environments. In order to truly understand and predict environmental processes, however, the distinction between active, inactive and dead microbial cells is critical. Also, experimental designs need to be sensitive toward varying population complexity and activity, and temporal as well as spatial scales of process rates. There are a number of approaches, including single-cell techniques, which were designed to study in situ microbial activity and that have been successively coupled to nucleic acid sequencing. The exciting new discoveries regarding in situ microbial activity provide evidence that future microbial ecology studies will indispensably rely on techniques that specifically capture members of the microbiome active in the environment. Herein, we review those currently used activity-based approaches that can be directly linked to shotgun nucleic acid sequencing, evaluate their relevance to ecology studies, and discuss future directions.
Capturing the genetic makeup of the active microbiome in situ

PubMed Central

Singer, Esther; Wagner, Michael; Woyke, Tanja

2017-01-01

More than any other technology, nucleic acid sequencing has enabled microbial ecology studies to be complemented with the data volumes necessary to capture the extent of microbial diversity and dynamics in a wide range of environments. In order to truly understand and predict environmental processes, however, the distinction between active, inactive and dead microbial cells is critical. Also, experimental designs need to be sensitive toward varying population complexity and activity, and temporal as well as spatial scales of process rates. There are a number of approaches, including single-cell techniques, which were designed to study in situ microbial activity and that have been successively coupled to nucleic acid sequencing. The exciting new discoveries regarding in situ microbial activity provide evidence that future microbial ecology studies will indispensably rely on techniques that specifically capture members of the microbiome active in the environment. Herein, we review those currently used activity-based approaches that can be directly linked to shotgun nucleic acid sequencing, evaluate their relevance to ecology studies, and discuss future directions. PMID:28574490

Mapping higher-order relations between brain structure and function with embedded vector representations of connectomes.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Gideon; Váša, František; Griffa, Alessandra; Hagmann, Patric; Amico, Enrico; Goñi, Joaquín; Avidan, Galia; Sporns, Olaf

2018-06-05

Connectomics generates comprehensive maps of brain networks, represented as nodes and their pairwise connections. The functional roles of nodes are defined by their direct and indirect connectivity with the rest of the network. However, the network context is not directly accessible at the level of individual nodes. Similar problems in language processing have been addressed with algorithms such as word2vec that create embeddings of words and their relations in a meaningful low-dimensional vector space. Here we apply this approach to create embedded vector representations of brain networks or connectome embeddings (CE). CE can characterize correspondence relations among brain regions, and can be used to infer links that are lacking from the original structural diffusion imaging, e.g., inter-hemispheric homotopic connections. Moreover, we construct predictive deep models of functional and structural connectivity, and simulate network-wide lesion effects using the face processing system as our application domain. We suggest that CE offers a novel approach to revealing relations between connectome structure and function.
Aberrant Processing of Deviant Stimuli in Schizophrenia Revealed by Fusion of FMRI and EEG Data

PubMed Central

Calhoun, VD; Wu, L; Kiehl, KA; Eichele, T; Pearlson, GD

2010-01-01

Background Aberrant electrophysiological and hemodynamic processing of auditory oddball stimuli is among the most robustly documented findings in patients with schizophrenia. However, no study to date has directly examined linked patterns of electrical and hemodynamic differences in patients and controls. Methods In a recent paper we demonstrated a data-driven approach, joint independent component analysis (jICA) to fuse together functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potential (ERP) data and elucidated the chronometry of auditory oddball target detection in healthy control subjects. In this paper we extend our fusion method to identify specific differences in the neuronal chronometry of target detection for chronic schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. Results We found one linked source, consistent with the N2 response, known to be related to cognitive processing of deviant stimuli, spatially localized to bilateral fronto-temporal regions. This source showed significant between-group differences both in amplitude response and in the fMRI/ERP distribution pattern. These findings are consistent with previous work showing N2 amplitude and latency abnormalities in schizophrenia, and provide new information about the linkage between the two. Conclusions In summary, we use a novel approach to isolate and identify a linked fMRI/ERP component which shows marked differences in chronic schizophrenia patients. We also demonstrate that jointly using both fMRI and ERP measures provides a fully picture of the underlying hemodynamic and electrical changes which are present in patients. Our approach also has broad applicability to other diseases such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, or bipolar disorder. PMID:21331320
Radioisotope trithiol complexes

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

Jurisson, Silvia S.; Cutler, Cathy S.; Degraffenreid, Anthony J.

The present invention is directed to a series of stable radioisotope trithiol complexes that provide a simplified route for the direct complexation of radioisotopes present in low concentrations. In certain embodiments, the complex contains a linking domain configured to conjugate the radioisotope trithiol complex to a targeting vector. The invention is also directed to a novel method of linking the radioisotope to a trithiol compound to form the radioisotope trithiol complex. The inventive radioisotope trithiol complexes may be utilized for a variety of applications, including diagnostics and/or treatment in nuclear medicine.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Contextual Behavioral Science: Examining the Progress of a Distinctive Model of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy

PubMed Central

Hayes, Steven C.; Levin, Michael E.; Plumb-Vilardaga, Jennifer; Villatte, Jennifer L.; Pistorello, Jacqueline

2012-01-01

A number of recent authors have compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The present article describes ACT as a distinct and unified model of behavior change, linked to a specific strategy of scientific development, which we term “contextual behavioral science.” We outline the empirical progress of ACT and describe its distinctive development strategy. A contextual behavioral science approach is an inductive attempt to build more adequate psychological systems based on philosophical clarity; the development of basic principles and theories; the development of applied theories linked to basic ones; techniques and components linked to these processes and principles; measurement of theoretically key processes; an emphasis on mediation and moderation in the analysis of applied impact; an interest in effectiveness, dissemination, and training; empirical testing of the research program across a broad range of areas and levels of analysis; and the creation of a more effective scientific and clinical community. We argue that this is a reasonable approach, focused on long-term progress, and that in broad terms it seems to be working. ACT is not hostile to traditional CBT, and is not directly buoyed by whatever weaknesses traditional CBT may have. ACT should be measured at least in part against its own goals as specified by its own developmental strategy. PMID:23611068
Acceptance and commitment therapy and contextual behavioral science: examining the progress of a distinctive model of behavioral and cognitive therapy.

PubMed

Hayes, Steven C; Levin, Michael E; Plumb-Vilardaga, Jennifer; Villatte, Jennifer L; Pistorello, Jacqueline

2013-06-01

A number of recent authors have compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The present article describes ACT as a distinct and unified model of behavior change, linked to a specific strategy of scientific development, which we term "contextual behavioral science." We outline the empirical progress of ACT and describe its distinctive development strategy. A contextual behavioral science approach is an inductive attempt to build more adequate psychological systems based on philosophical clarity; the development of basic principles and theories; the development of applied theories linked to basic ones; techniques and components linked to these processes and principles; measurement of theoretically key processes; an emphasis on mediation and moderation in the analysis of applied impact; an interest in effectiveness, dissemination, and training; empirical testing of the research program across a broad range of areas and levels of analysis; and the creation of a more effective scientific and clinical community. We argue that this is a reasonable approach, focused on long-term progress, and that in broad terms it seems to be working. ACT is not hostile to traditional CBT, and is not directly buoyed by whatever weaknesses traditional CBT may have. ACT should be measured at least in part against its own goals as specified by its own developmental strategy. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The decision neuroscience perspective on suicidal behavior: evidence and hypotheses

PubMed Central

Dombrovski, Alexandre Y.; Hallquist, Michael N.

2017-01-01

Purpose of review Suicide attempts are usually regretted by people who survive them. Furthermore, addiction and gambling are over-represented among people who attempt or die by suicide, raising the question whether their decision-making is impaired. Advances in decision neuroscience have enabled us to investigate decision processes in suicidal people and to elucidate putative neural substrates of disadvantageous decision-making. Recent findings Early studies have linked attempted suicide to poor performance on gambling tasks. More recently, functional MRI augmented with a reinforcement learning computational model revealed that impaired decision-making in suicide attempters is paralleled by disrupted expected value (expected reward) signals in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Behavioral studies have linked increased delay discounting to low-lethality/poorly planned attempts, multiple attempts, and the co-occurrence of attempted suicide and addiction. This behavioral tendency may be related to altered integrity of the basal ganglia. By contrast, well-planned, serious suicide attempts were associated with intact/diminished delay discounting. One study has linked high-lethality suicide attempts and impaired social decision-making. Summary This emerging literature supports the notion that various impairments in decision-making – often broadly related to impulsivity – may mark different pathways to suicide. We propose that aggressive and self-destructive responses to social stressors in people prone to suicide result from a predominance of automatic, Pavlovian processes over goal-directed computations. PMID:27875379
Application of an Externded CCSDS Telecommand Standard for All Mars In-Situ Telecommunication Links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazz, G.; Greenberg, E.; MacMedan, M.

1998-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to propose a link layer standard for bi-directional telecommunication for in-situ links for data transfer between landers, rovers, and orbiters based upon the CCSDS Telecommand Recommendation.
Adult Attachment Styles, Destructive Conflict Resolution, and the Experience of Intimate Partner Violence.

PubMed

Bonache, Helena; Gonzalez-Mendez, Rosaura; Krahé, Barbara

2016-04-01

Although there is ample evidence linking insecure attachment styles and intimate partner violence (IPV), little is known about the psychological processes underlying this association, especially from the victim's perspective. The present study examined how attachment styles relate to the experience of sexual and psychological abuse, directly or indirectly through destructive conflict resolution strategies, both self-reported and attributed to their opposite-sex romantic partner. In an online survey, 216 Spanish undergraduates completed measures of adult attachment style, engagement and withdrawal conflict resolution styles shown by self and partner, and victimization by an intimate partner in the form of sexual coercion and psychological abuse. As predicted, anxious and avoidant attachment styles were directly related to both forms of victimization. Also, an indirect path from anxious attachment to IPV victimization was detected via destructive conflict resolution strategies. Specifically, anxiously attached participants reported a higher use of conflict engagement by themselves and by their partners. In addition, engagement reported by the self and perceived in the partner was linked to an increased probability of experiencing sexual coercion and psychological abuse. Avoidant attachment was linked to higher withdrawal in conflict situations, but the paths from withdrawal to perceived partner engagement, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse were non-significant. No gender differences in the associations were found. The discussion highlights the role of anxious attachment in understanding escalating patterns of destructive conflict resolution strategies, which may increase the vulnerability to IPV victimization. © The Author(s) 2016.
Quantum dot-linked immunosorbent assay (QLISA) using orientation-directed antibodies.

PubMed

Suzuki, Miho; Udaka, Hikari; Fukuda, Takeshi

2017-09-05

An approach similar to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with the advantage of saving time and effort but exhibiting high performance, was developed using orientation-directed half-part antibodies immobilized on CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. ELISA is a widely accepted assay used to detect the presence of a target substance. However, it takes time to quantify the target with specificity and sensitivity owing to signal amplification. In this study, CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are introduced as bright and photobleaching-tolerant fluorescent materials. Since hydrophilic surface coating of quantum dots rendered biocompatibility and functional groups for chemical reactions, the quantum dots were modified with half-sized antibodies after partial reduction. The half-sized antibody could be bound to a quantum dot through a unique thiol site to properly display the recognition domain for the core process of ELISA, which is an antigen-antibody interaction. The reducing conditions were investigated to generate efficient conjugates of quantum dots and half-sized antibodies. This was applied to IL-6 detection, as the quantification of IL-6 is significant owing to its close relationships with various biomedical phenomena that cause different diseases. An ELISA-like assay with CdSe/ZnS quantum dot institution (QLISA; Quantum dot-linked immunosorbent assay) was developed to detect 0.05ng/mL IL-6, which makes it sufficiently sensitive as an immunosorbent assay. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Amides are novel protein modifications formed by physiological sugars.

PubMed

Glomb, M A; Pfahler, C

2001-11-09

The Maillard reaction, or nonenzymatic browning, proceeds in vivo, and the resulting protein modifications (advanced glycation end products) have been associated with various pathologies. Despite intensive research only very few structures have been established in vivo. We report here for the first time N(6)-[2-[(5-amino-5-carboxypentyl)amino]-2-oxoethyl]lysine (GOLA) and N(6)-glycoloyllysine (GALA) as prototypes for novel amide protein modifications produced by reducing sugars. Their identity was confirmed by independent synthesis and coupled liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Model reactions with N(alpha)-t-butoxycarbonyl-lysine showed that glyoxal and glycolaldehyde are immediate precursors, and reaction pathways are directly linked to N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine via glyoxal-imine structures. GOLA, the amide cross-link, and 1,3-bis(5-amino-5-carboxypentyl)imidazolium salt (GOLD), the imidazolium cross-link, share a common intermediate. The ratio of GOLA to GOLD is greater when glyoxal levels are low at constant lysine concentrations. GOLA and GALA formation from the Amadori product of glucose and lysine depends directly upon oxidation. With the advanced glycation end product inhibitors aminoguanidine and pyridoxamine we were able to dissect oxidative fragmentation of the Amadori product as a second mechanism of GOLA formation exactly coinciding with N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine synthesis. In contrast, the formation of GALA appears to depend solely upon glyoxal-imines. After enzymatic hydrolysis GOLA was found at 66 pmol/mg of brunescent lens protein. This suggests amide protein modifications as important markers of pathophysiological processes.
Delusions and decision-making style: use of the Need for Closure Scale.

PubMed

Freeman, Daniel; Garety, Philippa; Kuipers, Elizabeth; Colbert, Susannah; Jolley, Suzanne; Fowler, David; Dunn, Graham; Bebbington, Paul

2006-08-01

Clinicians and researchers have suggested that rapidity in belief formation, due to having a high 'need for closure' (NFC), may contribute to the acceptance of delusional explanations. The aim of the study is to determine whether NFC has such a direct link with delusions. A secondary aim is to examine if NFC is related to the delusion-associated reasoning process of 'jumping to conclusions'. One hundred and eighty-seven patients with psychosis, recruited for a treatment trial of psychological therapy (the PRP trial), completed the Need for Closure Scale (NFCS), symptom measures, and probabilistic reasoning tasks. The NFCS was considered in terms of its two dimensions: a desire for simple structure and a preference for quick, decisive answers. The individuals with psychosis reported being poor at making quick, decisive answers but required a greater need for simple structure. NFC was associated with levels of anxiety and depression. There were weak links between NFC and both positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, but these were explained by differences in affect. NFCS scores were unrelated to jumping to conclusions. Contrary to the argument that NFC is directly linked to delusions, individuals with delusions actually perceive themselves as indecisive. There was no evidence that NFC-at least as assessed by the NFCS-could be a proximal cause of delusions. Any potential effect on psychotic symptom presentation is indirect, mediated through affect. The use of the NFCS on its own in the study of psychotic symptoms cannot be recommended.
Links between ammonia oxidizer species composition, functional diversity and nitrification kinetics in grassland soils.

PubMed

Webster, Gordon; Embley, T Martin; Freitag, Thomas E; Smith, Zena; Prosser, James I

2005-05-01

Molecular approaches have revealed considerable diversity and uncultured novelty in natural prokaryotic populations, but not direct links between the new genotypes detected and ecosystem processes. Here we describe the influence of the structure of communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria on nitrogen cycling in microcosms containing natural and managed grasslands and amended with artificial sheep urine, a major factor determining local ammonia concentrations in these environments. Nitrification kinetics were assessed by analysis of changes in urea, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations and ammonia oxidizer communities were characterized by analysis of 16S rRNA genes amplified from extracted DNA using ammonia oxidizer-specific primers. In natural soils, ammonia oxidizer community structure determined the delay preceding nitrification, which depended on the relative abundance of two Nitrosospira clusters, termed 3a and 3b. In batch cultures, pure culture and enrichment culture representatives of Nitrosospira 3a were sensitive to high ammonia concentration, while Nitrosospira cluster 3b representatives and Nitrosomonas europaea were tolerant. Delays in nitrification occurred in natural soils dominated by Nitrosospira cluster 3a and resulted from the time required for growth of low concentrations of Nitrosospira cluster 3b. In microcosms dominated by Nitrosospira cluster 3b and Nitrosomonas, no substantial delays were observed. In managed soils, no delays in nitrification were detected, regardless of initial ammonia oxidizer community structure, most probably resulting from higher ammonia oxidizer cell concentrations. The data therefore demonstrate a direct link between bacterial community structure, physiological diversity and ecosystem function.
Neural competition as a developmental process: Early hemispheric specialization for word processing delays specialization for face processing

PubMed Central

Li, Su; Lee, Kang; Zhao, Jing; Yang, Zhi; He, Sheng; Weng, Xuchu

2013-01-01

Little is known about the impact of learning to read on early neural development for word processing and its collateral effects on neural development in non-word domains. Here, we examined the effect of early exposure to reading on neural responses to both word and face processing in preschool children with the use of the Event Related Potential (ERP) methodology. We specifically linked children’s reading experience (indexed by their sight vocabulary) to two major neural markers: the amplitude differences between the left and right N170 on the bilateral posterior scalp sites and the hemispheric spectrum power differences in the γ band on the same scalp sites. The results showed that the left-lateralization of both the word N170 and the spectrum power in the γ band were significantly positively related to vocabulary. In contrast, vocabulary and the word left-lateralization both had a strong negative direct effect on the face right-lateralization. Also, vocabulary negatively correlated with the right-lateralized face spectrum power in the γ band even after the effects of age and the word spectrum power were partialled out. The present study provides direct evidence regarding the role of reading experience in the neural specialization of word and face processing above and beyond the effect of maturation. The present findings taken together suggest that the neural development of visual word processing competes with that of face processing before the process of neural specialization has been consolidated. PMID:23462239
Using testate amoeba as potential biointegrators of atmospheric deposition of phenanthrene (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) on "moss/soil interface-testate amoeba community" microecosystems.

PubMed

Meyer, Caroline; Desalme, Dorine; Bernard, Nadine; Binet, Philippe; Toussaint, Marie-Laure; Gilbert, Daniel

2013-03-01

Microecosystem models could allow understanding of the impacts of pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on ecosystem functioning. We studied the effects of atmospheric phenanthrene (PHE) deposition on the microecosystem "moss/soil interface-testate amoebae (TA) community" over a 1-month period under controlled conditions. We found that PHE had an impact on the microecosystem. PHE was accumulated by the moss/soil interface and was significantly negatively correlated (0.4 < r(2) < 0.7) with total TA abundance and the abundance of five species of TA (Arcella sp., Centropyxis sp., Nebela lageniformis, Nebela tincta and Phryganella sp.). Among sensitive species, species with a superior trophic level (determined by the test aperture size) were more sensitive than other TA species. This result suggests that links between microbial groups in the microecosystems are disrupted by PHE and that this pollutant had effects both direct (ingestion of the pollutant or direct contact with cell) and/or indirect (decrease of prey) on the TA community. The TA community seems to offer a potential integrative tool to understand mechanisms and processes by which the atmospheric PHE deposition affects the links between microbial communities.
Linking Mother and Youth Parenting Attitudes: Indirect Effects via Maltreatment, Parent Involvement, and Youth Functioning

PubMed Central

Thompson, Richard; Jones, Deborah J.; Litrownik, Alan J.; English, Diana J.; Kotch, Jonathan B.; Lewis, Terri; Dubowitz, Howard

2014-01-01

Evidence suggests that parenting attitudes are transmitted within families. However, limited research has examined this prospectively. The current prospective study examined direct effects of early maternal attitudes toward parenting (as measured at child age 4 by the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory [AAPI]) on later youth parenting attitudes (as measured by the AAPI at youth age 18). Indirect effects via child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment), parent involvement, and youth functioning (internalizing and externalizing problems) were also assessed. Analyses were conducted on data from 412 families enrolled in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). There were significant direct effects for three of the four classes of mother parenting attitudes (appropriate developmental expectations of children, empathy toward children, and appropriate family roles) on youth attitudes but not for rejection of punishment. In addition, the following indirect effects were obtained: Mother expectations influenced youth expectations via neglect; mother empathy influenced youth empathy via both parental involvement and youth externalizing problems; and mother rejection of punishment influenced youth rejection of punishment via youth internalizing problems. None of the child or family process variables, however, affected the link between mother and youth attitudes about roles. PMID:25113632
The influence of group membership on cross-contextual imitation.

PubMed

Genschow, Oliver; Schindler, Simon

2016-08-01

Research on mimicry has demonstrated that individuals imitate in-group members more strongly than out-group members. In the present study, we tested whether such top-down modulation also applies for more extreme forms of direct mapping, such as for cross-contextual imitation settings, in which individuals imitate others' movements without sharing a common goal or context. Models on self-other control suggest that top-down modulations are based merely on a direct link between social sensory processing and imitation. That is, perceived similarities between oneself and another person is sufficient to amplify a shared representation between own and others' actions, which then trigger imitation. However, motivational accounts explain such findings with the assumption that individuals are motivated to affiliate with others. Because imitation is linked to positive social consequences, individuals should imitate in-group members more strongly than out-group members. We tested these two theoretical accounts against each other by applying a cross-contextual imitation paradigm. The results demonstrate that in-group members are more strongly cross-contextually imitated than out-group members the higher individuals' motivation to affiliate with the in-group is. This supports motivational models but not self-other control accounts. Further theoretical implications are discussed.
Mood, food, and obesity

PubMed Central

Singh, Minati

2014-01-01

Food is a potent natural reward and food intake is a complex process. Reward and gratification associated with food consumption leads to dopamine (DA) production, which in turn activates reward and pleasure centers in the brain. An individual will repeatedly eat a particular food to experience this positive feeling of gratification. This type of repetitive behavior of food intake leads to the activation of brain reward pathways that eventually overrides other signals of satiety and hunger. Thus, a gratification habit through a favorable food leads to overeating and morbid obesity. Overeating and obesity stems from many biological factors engaging both central and peripheral systems in a bi-directional manner involving mood and emotions. Emotional eating and altered mood can also lead to altered food choice and intake leading to overeating and obesity. Research findings from human and animal studies support a two-way link between three concepts, mood, food, and obesity. The focus of this article is to provide an overview of complex nature of food intake where various biological factors link mood, food intake, and brain signaling that engages both peripheral and central nervous system signaling pathways in a bi-directional manner in obesity. PMID:25225489
Transmembrane protein MIG-13 links the Wnt signaling and Hox genes to the cell polarity in neuronal migration

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiangming; Zhou, Fanli; Lv, Sijing; Yi, Peishan; Zhu, Zhiwen; Yang, Yihong; Feng, Guoxin; Li, Wei; Ou, Guangshuo

2013-01-01

Directional cell migration is a fundamental process in neural development. In Caenorhabditis elegans, Q neuroblasts on the left (QL) and right (QR) sides of the animal generate cells that migrate in opposite directions along the anteroposterior body axis. The homeobox (Hox) gene lin-39 promotes the anterior migration of QR descendants (QR.x), whereas the canonical Wnt signaling pathway activates another Hox gene, mab-5, to ensure the QL descendants’ (QL.x) posterior migration. However, the regulatory targets of LIN-39 and MAB-5 remain elusive. Here, we showed that MIG-13, an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane protein, cell-autonomously regulates the asymmetric distribution of the actin cytoskeleton in the leading migratory edge. We identified mig-13 as a cellular target of LIN-39 and MAB-5. LIN-39 establishes QR.x anterior polarity by binding to the mig-13 promoter and promoting mig-13 expression, whereas MAB-5 inhibits QL.x anterior polarity by associating with the lin-39 promoter and downregulating lin-39 and mig-13 expression. Thus, MIG-13 links the Wnt signaling and Hox genes that guide migrations, to the actin cytoskeleton, which executes the motility response in neuronal migration. PMID:23784779
SLAM-seq defines direct gene-regulatory functions of the BRD4-MYC axis.

PubMed

Muhar, Matthias; Ebert, Anja; Neumann, Tobias; Umkehrer, Christian; Jude, Julian; Wieshofer, Corinna; Rescheneder, Philipp; Lipp, Jesse J; Herzog, Veronika A; Reichholf, Brian; Cisneros, David A; Hoffmann, Thomas; Schlapansky, Moritz F; Bhat, Pooja; von Haeseler, Arndt; Köcher, Thomas; Obenauf, Anna C; Popow, Johannes; Ameres, Stefan L; Zuber, Johannes

2018-05-18

Defining direct targets of transcription factors and regulatory pathways is key to understanding their roles in physiology and disease. We combined SLAM-seq [thiol(SH)-linked alkylation for the metabolic sequencing of RNA], a method for direct quantification of newly synthesized messenger RNAs (mRNAs), with pharmacological and chemical-genetic perturbation in order to define regulatory functions of two transcriptional hubs in cancer, BRD4 and MYC, and to interrogate direct responses to BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETis). We found that BRD4 acts as general coactivator of RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription, which is broadly repressed upon high-dose BETi treatment. At doses triggering selective effects in leukemia, BETis deregulate a small set of hypersensitive targets including MYC. In contrast to BRD4, MYC primarily acts as a selective transcriptional activator controlling metabolic processes such as ribosome biogenesis and de novo purine synthesis. Our study establishes a simple and scalable strategy to identify direct transcriptional targets of any gene or pathway. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
Regulation of Yersina pestis Virulence by AI-2 Mediated Quorum Sensing

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

Segelke, B; Hok, S; Lao, V

The proposed research was motivated by an interest in understanding Y. pestis virulence mechanisms and bacteria cell-cell communication. It is expected that a greater understanding of virulence mechanisms will ultimately lead to biothreat countermeasures and novel therapeutics. Y. pestis is the etiological agent of plague, the most devastating disease in human history. Y. pestis infection has a high mortality rate and a short incubation before mortality. There is no widely available and effective vaccine for Y. pestis and multi-drug resistant strains are emerging. Y. pestis is a recognized biothreat agent based on the wide distribution of the bacteria in researchmore » laboratories around the world and on the knowledge that methods exist to produce and aerosolize large amounts of bacteria. We hypothesized that cell-cell communication via signaling molecules, or quorum sensing, by Y. pestis is important for the regulation of virulence factor gene expression during host invasion, though a causative link had never been established. Quorum sensing is a mode of intercellular communication which enables orchestration of gene expression for many bacteria as a function of population density and available evidence suggests there may be a link between quorum sensing and regulation of Y. pesits virulence. Several pathogenic bacteria have been shown to regulate expression of virulence factor genes, including genes encoding type III secretion, via quorum sensing. The Y. pestis genome encodes several cell-cell signaling pathways and the interaction of at least three of these are thought to be involved in one or more modes of host invasion. Furthermore, Y. pestis gene expression array studies carried out at LLNL have established a correlation between expression of known virulence factors and genes involved in processing of the AI-2 quorum sensing signal. This was a basic research project that was intended to provide new insights into bacterial intercellular communication and how it is used to regulate virulence in Y. pestis. It is known that many bacteria use intercellular signaling molecules to orchestrate gene expression and cellular function. A fair amount is known about production and uptake of signaling molecules, but very little is known about how intercellular signaling regulates other pathways. Although several studies demonstrate that intercellular signaling plays a role in regulating virulence in other pathogens, the link between signaling and regulation of virulence has not been established. Very little work had been done directly with Y. pestis intercellular signaling apart from the work carried out at LLNL. The research we proposed was intended to both establish a causative link between AI-2 intercellular signaling and regulation of virulence in Y. pestis and elucidate the fate of the AI-2 signaling molecule after it is taken up and processed by Y. pestis. Elucidating the fate of AI-2 was expected to lead directly to the understanding of how AI-2 signal processing regulates other pathways as well as provide new insights in this direction.« less

Direct Retrieval of Exterior Orientation Parameters Using A 2-D Projective Transformation

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

Seedahmed, Gamal H.

2006-09-01

Direct solutions are very attractive because they obviate the need for initial approximations associated with non-linear solutions. The Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) establishes itself as a method of choice for direct solutions in photogrammetry and other fields. The use of the DLT with coplanar object space points leads to a rank deficient model. This rank deficient model leaves the DLT defined up to a 2-D projective transformation, which makes the direct retrieval of the exterior orientation parameters (EOPs) a non-trivial task. This paper presents a novel direct algorithm to retrieve the EOPs from the 2-D projective transformation. It is basedmore » on a direct relationship between the 2-D projective transformation and the collinearity model using homogeneous coordinates representation. This representation offers a direct matrix correspondence between the 2-D projective transformation parameters and the collinearity model parameters. This correspondence lends itself to a direct matrix factorization to retrieve the EOPs. An important step in the proposed algorithm is a normalization process that provides the actual link between the 2-D projective transformation and the collinearity model. This paper explains the theoretical basis of the proposed algorithm as well as the necessary steps for its practical implementation. In addition, numerical examples are provided to demonstrate its validity.« less
A Method to Access Absolute fIPAR fo Vegetation in Spatially Complex Ecosystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessman, Carol A.; Nel, Elizabeth M.; Bateson, C. Ann; Asner, Gregory P.

1998-01-01

Arid and semi-arid lands compose a large fraction of the earth's terrestrial vegetation, and thereby contribute significantly to global atmospheric-biospheric interactions. The thorny shrubs and small trees in these semi-arid shrub lands have counterparts throughout much of the world's tropical and subtropical zones and have captured substantial areas of the world's former grasslands. The objective of our field and remotely sensed measurements in the semi-arid shrublands of Texas is to monitor interannual variability and directional change in landscape structure, ecosystem processes and atmosphere-biosphere exchanges. To understand the role ecosystems play in controlling the composition of the atmosphere, it is necessary to quantify processes such as photosynthesis and primary production, decomposition and soil carbon storage, and trace gas exchanges. Photosynthesis is the link whereby surface-atmosphere exchanges such as the radiation balance and exchange of heat, moisture, and gas can be inferred. It also describes the efficiency of carbon dioxide exchange and is directly related to the primary production of vegetation. Our efforts in this paper focus on the indirect, quantification of photosynthesis, and thereby carbon flux and net primary production, via remote sensing and direct measurements of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR).
Convolution Operations on Coding Metasurface to Reach Flexible and Continuous Controls of Terahertz Beams.

PubMed

Liu, Shuo; Cui, Tie Jun; Zhang, Lei; Xu, Quan; Wang, Qiu; Wan, Xiang; Gu, Jian Qiang; Tang, Wen Xuan; Qing Qi, Mei; Han, Jia Guang; Zhang, Wei Li; Zhou, Xiao Yang; Cheng, Qiang

2016-10-01

The concept of coding metasurface makes a link between physically metamaterial particles and digital codes, and hence it is possible to perform digital signal processing on the coding metasurface to realize unusual physical phenomena. Here, this study presents to perform Fourier operations on coding metasurfaces and proposes a principle called as scattering-pattern shift using the convolution theorem, which allows steering of the scattering pattern to an arbitrarily predesigned direction. Owing to the constant reflection amplitude of coding particles, the required coding pattern can be simply achieved by the modulus of two coding matrices. This study demonstrates that the scattering patterns that are directly calculated from the coding pattern using the Fourier transform have excellent agreements to the numerical simulations based on realistic coding structures, providing an efficient method in optimizing coding patterns to achieve predesigned scattering beams. The most important advantage of this approach over the previous schemes in producing anomalous single-beam scattering is its flexible and continuous controls to arbitrary directions. This work opens a new route to study metamaterial from a fully digital perspective, predicting the possibility of combining conventional theorems in digital signal processing with the coding metasurface to realize more powerful manipulations of electromagnetic waves.
Direct Nanoscale Characterization of Submolecular Mobility in Complex Organic Non-linear Optical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, Daniel; Gray, Tomoko; Kim, Tae-Dong; Luo, Jingdong; Jen, Alex; Overney, Rene

2008-03-01

For organic non-linear optical (NLO) materials composed of intricate molecular building blocks, the challenge is to deduce meaningful molecular scale mobility information to understand complex relaxation and phase behavior. This is crucial, as the process of achieving a robust acentric alignment strongly depends on the availability of inter- and intra-molecular mobilities outside the temperature range of the device operation window. Here, we introduce a nanoscale methodology based on scanning probe microscopy that provides direct insight into structural relaxations and shows great potential to direct material design of sophisticated macromolecules. It also offers a means by which mesoscale dynamics and cooperativity involved in relaxation processes can be quantified in terms of dynamic entropy and enthalpy. This study demonstrates this methodology to describe the mesocale dynamics of two systems (1) organic networking dendronized NLO molecular glasses that self-assemble into physically linked polymers due to quadrupolar phenyl-perfluorophenyl interactions and (2) dendronized side-chain electro-optic (EO) polymers. For the self assembling glasses, the degree of intermolecular cooperativity can be deduced using this methodology, while for the dendronized side-chain polymers, specific side chain mobilities are exploited to improve EO properties.
Valence evaluation with approaching or withdrawing cues: directly testing valence-arousal conflict theory.

PubMed

Wang, Yan Mei; Li, Ting; Li, Lin

2017-07-19

The valence-arousal conflict theory assumes that both valence and arousal will trigger approaching or withdrawing tendencies. It also predicts that the speed of processing emotional stimuli will depend on whether valence and arousal trigger conflicting or congruent motivational tendencies. However, most previous studies have provided evidence of the interaction between valence and arousal only, and have not provided direct proof of the interactive links between valence, arousal and motivational tendencies. The present study provides direct evidence for the relationship between approach-withdrawal tendencies and the valence-arousal conflict. In an empirical test, participants were instructed to judge the valence of emotional words after visual-spatial cues that appeared to be either approaching or withdrawing from participants. A three-way interaction (valence, arousal, and approach-withdrawal tendency) was observed such that the response time was shorter if participants responded to a negative high-arousal stimulus after a withdrawing cue, or to a positive low-arousal stimulus after an approaching cue. These findings suggest that the approach-withdrawal tendency indeed plays a crucial role in valence-arousal conflict, and that the effect depends on the congruency of valence, arousal and tendency at an early stage of processing.
Molecular-Level Simulations of the Turbulent Taylor-Green Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallis, M. A.; Bitter, N. P.; Koehler, T. P.; Plimpton, S. J.; Torczynski, J. R.; Papadakis, G.

2017-11-01

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, a statistical, molecular-level technique that provides accurate solutions to the Boltzmann equation, is applied to the turbulent Taylor-Green vortex flow. The goal of this work is to investigate whether DSMC can accurately simulate energy decay in a turbulent flow. If so, then simulating turbulent flows at the molecular level can provide new insights because the energy decay can be examined in detail from molecular to macroscopic length scales, thereby directly linking molecular relaxation processes to macroscopic transport processes. The DSMC simulations are performed on half a million cores of Sequoia, the 17 Pflop platform at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the kinetic-energy dissipation rate and the energy spectrum are computed directly from the molecular velocities. The DSMC simulations are found to reproduce the Kolmogorov -5/3 law and to agree with corresponding Navier-Stokes simulations obtained using a spectral method. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
A Hierarchical Generative Framework of Language Processing: Linking Language Perception, Interpretation, and Production Abnormalities in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Brown, Meredith; Kuperberg, Gina R.

2015-01-01

Language and thought dysfunction are central to the schizophrenia syndrome. They are evident in the major symptoms of psychosis itself, particularly as disorganized language output (positive thought disorder) and auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), and they also manifest as abnormalities in both high-level semantic and contextual processing and low-level perception. However, the literatures characterizing these abnormalities have largely been separate and have sometimes provided mutually exclusive accounts of aberrant language in schizophrenia. In this review, we propose that recent generative probabilistic frameworks of language processing can provide crucial insights that link these four lines of research. We first outline neural and cognitive evidence that real-time language comprehension and production normally involve internal generative circuits that propagate probabilistic predictions to perceptual cortices — predictions that are incrementally updated based on prediction error signals as new inputs are encountered. We then explain how disruptions to these circuits may compromise communicative abilities in schizophrenia by reducing the efficiency and robustness of both high-level language processing and low-level speech perception. We also argue that such disruptions may contribute to the phenomenology of thought-disordered speech and false perceptual inferences in the language system (i.e., AVHs). This perspective suggests a number of productive avenues for future research that may elucidate not only the mechanisms of language abnormalities in schizophrenia, but also promising directions for cognitive rehabilitation. PMID:26640435
75 FR 43876 - Airworthiness Directives; Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 0100 Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-27

... aeroplanes, one of the bolts that connect the horizontal stabilizer control unit actuator with the dog-links... single dog-link connection fails, the complete stabilizer load is taken up by the remaining dog-link... the horizontal stabilizer control unit actuator with the dog-links was found broken (one on the nut...
Architecture Studies Done for High-Rate Duplex Direct Data Distribution (D4) Services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

A study was sponsored to investigate a set of end-to-end system concepts for implementing a high-rate duplex direct data distribution (D4) space-to-ground communications link. The NASA Glenn Research Center is investigating these systems (both commercial and Government) as a possible method of providing a D4 communications service between NASA spacecraft in low Earth orbit and the respective principal investigators using or monitoring instruments aboard these spacecraft. Candidate commercial services were assessed regarding their near-term potential to provide a D4 type of service. The candidates included K-band and V-band geostationary orbit and nongeostationary orbit satellite relay services and direct downlink (D3) services. Internet protocol (IP) networking technologies were evaluated to enable the user-directed distribution and delivery of science data. Four realistic, near-future concepts were analyzed: 1) A duplex direct link (uplink plus downlink communication paths) between a low-Earth-orbit spacecraft and a principal-investigator-based autonomous Earth station; 2) A space-based relay using a future K-band nongeosynchronous-orbit system to handle both the uplink and downlink communication paths; 3) A hybrid link using both direct and relay services to achieve full duplex capability; 4) A dual-mode concept consisting of both a duplex direct link and a space relay duplex link operating independently. The concepts were analyzed in terms of contact time between the NASA spacecraft and the communications service and the achievable data throughput. Throughput estimates for the D4 systems were based on the infusion of advanced communications technology products (single and multibeam K-band phased-arrays and digital modems) being developed by Glenn. Cost estimates were also performed using extrapolated information from both terrestrial and current satellite communications providers. The throughput and cost estimates were used to compare the concepts.
Laser Direct Routing for High Density Interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Wilfrido Alejandro

The laser restructuring of electronic circuits fabricated using standard Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) process techniques, is an excellent alternative that allows low-cost quick turnaround production with full circuit similarity between the Laser Restructured prototype and the customized product for mass production. Laser Restructurable VLSI (LRVLSI) would allow design engineers the capability to interconnect cells that implement generic logic functions and signal processing schemes to achieve a higher level of design complexity. LRVLSI of a particular circuit at the wafer or packaged chip level is accomplished using an integrated computer controlled laser system to create low electrical resistance links between conductors and to cut conductor lines. An infrastructure for rapid prototyping and quick turnaround using Laser Restructuring of VLSI circuits was developed to meet three main parallel objectives: to pursue research on novel interconnect technologies using LRVLSI, to develop the capability of operating in a quick turnaround mode, and to maintain standardization and compatibility with commercially available equipment for feasible technology transfer. The system is to possess a high degree of flexibility, high data quality, total controllability, full documentation, short downtime, a user-friendly operator interface, automation, historical record keeping, and error indication and logging. A specially designed chip "SLINKY" was used as the test vehicle for the complete characterization of the Laser Restructuring system. With the use of Design of Experiment techniques the Lateral Diffused Link (LDL), developed originally at MIT Lincoln Laboratories, was completely characterized and for the first time a set of optimum process parameters was obtained. With the designed infrastructure fully operational, the priority objective was the search for a substitute for the high resistance, high current leakage to substrate, and relatively low density Lateral Diffused Link. A high density Laser Vertical Link with resistance values below 10 ohms was developed, studied and tested using design of experiment methodologies. The vertical link offers excellent advantages in the area of quick prototyping of electronic circuits, but even more important, due to having similar characteristics to a foundry produced via, it gives quick transfer from the prototype system verification stage to the mass production stage.
Caffeine-catalyzed gels.

PubMed

DiCiccio, Angela M; Lee, Young-Ah Lucy; Glettig, Dean L; Walton, Elizabeth S E; de la Serna, Eva L; Montgomery, Veronica A; Grant, Tyler M; Langer, Robert; Traverso, Giovanni

2018-07-01

Covalently cross-linked gels are utilized in a broad range of biomedical applications though their synthesis often compromises easy implementation. Cross-linking reactions commonly utilize catalysts or conditions that can damage biologics and sensitive compounds, producing materials that require extensive post processing to achieve acceptable biocompatibility. As an alternative, we report a batch synthesis platform to produce covalently cross-linked materials appropriate for direct biomedical application enabled by green chemistry and commonly available food grade ingredients. Using caffeine, a mild base, to catalyze anhydrous carboxylate ring-opening of diglycidyl-ether functionalized monomers with citric acid as a tri-functional crosslinking agent we introduce a novel poly(ester-ether) gel synthesis platform. We demonstrate that biocompatible Caffeine Catalyzed Gels (CCGs) exhibit dynamic physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, which can be tailored in shape, surface texture, solvent response, cargo release, shear and tensile strength, among other potential attributes. The demonstrated versatility, low cost and facile synthesis of these CCGs renders them appropriate for a broad range of customized engineering applications including drug delivery constructs, tissue engineering scaffolds, and medical devices. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Cognition-related brain networks underpin the symptoms of unipolar depression: Evidence from a systematic review.

PubMed

Rayner, Genevieve; Jackson, Graeme; Wilson, Sarah

2016-02-01

This systematic review sources the latest neuroimaging evidence for the role of cognition-related brain networks in depression, and relates their abnormal functioning to symptoms of the disorder. Using theoretically informed and rigorous inclusion criteria, we integrate findings from 59 functional neuroimaging studies of adults with unipolar depression using a narrative approach. Results demonstrate that two distinct neurocognitive networks, the autobiographic memory network (AMN) and the cognitive control network (CCN), are central to the symptomatology of depression. Specifically, hyperactivity of the introspective AMN is linked to pathological brooding, self-blame, rumination. Anticorrelated under-engagement of the CCN is associated with indecisiveness, negative automatic thoughts, poor concentration, distorted cognitive processing. Downstream effects of this imbalance include reduced regulation of networks linked to the vegetative and affective symptoms of depression. The configurations of these networks can change between individuals and over time, plausibly accounting for both the variable presentation of depressive disorders and their fluctuating course. Framing depression as a disorder of neurocognitive networks directly links neurobiology to psychiatric practice, aiding researchers and clinicians alike. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modulation of type II TGF-β receptor degradation by integrin-linked kinase.

PubMed

Vi, Linda; Boo, Stellar; Sayedyahossein, Samar; Singh, Randeep K; McLean, Sarah; Di Guglielmo, Gianni M; Dagnino, Lina

2015-03-01

Cutaneous responses to injury, infection, and tumor formation involve the activation of resident dermal fibroblasts and subsequent transition to myofibroblasts. The key for induction of myofibroblast differentiation is the activation of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptors and stimulation of integrins and their associated proteins, including integrin-linked kinase (ILK). Cross-talk processes between TGF-β and ILK are crucial for myofibroblast formation, as ILK-deficient dermal fibroblasts exhibit impaired responses to TGF-β receptor stimulation. We now show that ILK associates with type II TGF-β receptors (TβRII) in ligand- and receptor kinase activity-independent manners. In cells with targeted Ilk gene inactivation, cellular levels of TβRII are decreased, through mechanisms that involve enhanced ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Partitioning of TGF-β receptors into membrane has been linked to proteasome-dependent receptor degradation. We found that interfering with membrane raft formation in ILK-deficient cells restored TβRII levels and signaling. These observations support a model whereby ILK functions in fibroblasts to direct TβRII away from degradative pathways during their differentiation into myofibroblasts.
Waterborne Polyurethane Coatings with Covalently Linked Black Dye Sudan Black B

PubMed Central

Sun, Wei; Xu, Haiyan; Xu, Fei

2017-01-01

Colored waterborne polyurethanes have been widely used in paintings, leathers, textiles, and coatings. Here, a series of black waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) with different ratios of black dye, Sudan Black B (SDB), were prepared by step-growth polymerization. WPU emulsions as obtained exhibit low particle sizes and remarkable storage stability at the same time. At different dye loadings, essential structural, statistical and thermal properties are characterized. FTIR (fourier transform infrared) spectra indicate that SDB is covalently linked into waterborne polyurethane chains. All of the WPUs with covalently linked SDB show better color fastness and resistance of thermal migration than those with SDB mixed physically. Besides, WPUs incorporated SDB covalently with different polymeric diols, polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), poly-1, 4-butylene adipate glycol (PBA) and polycaprolactone glycol (PCL), were prepared to obtain different properties to cater to a variety of practical demands. By a spraying method, the black WPUs can be directly used as metal coatings without complex dyeing process by simply mixing coating additive and other waterborne resins, which exhibit excellent coating performance. PMID:29143785
Understanding How Mindful Parenting May Be Linked to Mother-Adolescent Communication.

PubMed

Lippold, Melissa A; Duncan, Larissa G; Coatsworth, J Douglas; Nix, Robert L; Greenberg, Mark T

2015-09-01

Researchers have sought to understand the processes that may promote effective parent-adolescent communication because of the strong links to adolescent adjustment. Mindfulness, a relatively new construct in Western psychology that derives from ancient Eastern traditions, has been shown to facilitate communication and to be beneficial when applied in the parenting context. In this article, we tested if and how mindful parenting was linked to routine adolescent disclosure and parental solicitation within a longitudinal sample of rural and suburban, early adolescents and their mothers (n = 432; mean adolescent age = 12.14, 46 % male, 72 % Caucasian). We found that three factors-negative parental reactions to disclosure, adolescent feelings of parental over-control, and the affective quality of the parent-adolescent relationship-mediated the association between mindful parenting and adolescent disclosure and parental solicitation. Results suggest that mindful parenting may improve mother-adolescent communication by reducing parental negative reactions to information, adolescent perceptions of over-control, and by improving the affective quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. The discussion highlights intervention implications and future directions for research.
Motif formation and industry specific topologies in the Japanese business firm network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maluck, Julian; Donner, Reik V.; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

2017-05-01

Motifs and roles are basic quantities for the characterization of interactions among 3-node subsets in complex networks. In this work, we investigate how the distribution of 3-node motifs can be influenced by modifying the rules of an evolving network model while keeping the statistics of simpler network characteristics, such as the link density and the degree distribution, invariant. We exemplify this problem for the special case of the Japanese Business Firm Network, where a well-studied and relatively simple yet realistic evolving network model is available, and compare the resulting motif distribution in the real-world and simulated networks. To better approximate the motif distribution of the real-world network in the model, we introduce both subgraph dependent and global additional rules. We find that a specific rule that allows only for the merging process between nodes with similar link directionality patterns reduces the observed excess of densely connected motifs with bidirectional links. Our study improves the mechanistic understanding of motif formation in evolving network models to better describe the characteristic features of real-world networks with a scale-free topology.
O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase directs cell proliferation in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

PubMed

Barnes, Jarrod W; Tian, Liping; Heresi, Gustavo A; Farver, Carol F; Asosingh, Kewal; Comhair, Suzy A A; Aulak, Kulwant S; Dweik, Raed A

2015-04-07

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a cardiopulmonary disease characterized by cellular proliferation and vascular remodeling. A more recently recognized characteristic of the disease is the dysregulation of glucose metabolism. The primary link between altered glucose metabolism and cell proliferation in IPAH has not been elucidated. We aimed to determine the relationship between glucose metabolism and smooth muscle cell proliferation in IPAH. Human IPAH and control patient lung tissues and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were used to analyze a specific pathway of glucose metabolism, the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. We measured the levels of O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine modification, O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT), and O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine hydrolase in control and IPAH cells and tissues. Our data suggest that the activation of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway directly increased OGT levels and activity, triggering changes in glycosylation and PASMC proliferation. Partial knockdown of OGT in IPAH PASMCs resulted in reduced global O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine modification levels and abrogated PASMC proliferation. The increased proliferation observed in IPAH PASMCs was directly impacted by proteolytic activation of the cell cycle regulator, host cell factor-1. Our data demonstrate that hexosamine biosynthetic pathway flux is increased in IPAH and drives OGT-facilitated PASMC proliferation through specific proteolysis and direct activation of host cell factor-1. These findings establish a novel regulatory role for OGT in IPAH, shed a new light on our understanding of the disease pathobiology, and provide opportunities to design novel therapeutic strategies for IPAH. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.
Assembly of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in baby hamster kidney cells treated with castanospermine, an inhibitor of processing glucosidases.

PubMed

Foddy, L; Hughes, R C

1988-08-01

We have shown previously that the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells is blocked only partially by the glucosidase inhibitors, 1-deoxynojirimycin and N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimycin [Hughes, R. C., Foddy, L. & Bause, E. (1987) Biochem. J. 247, 537-544]. Similar results are now reported for castanospermine, another inhibitor of processing glucosidases, and a detailed study of oligosaccharide processing in the inhibited cells is reported. In steady-state conditions the major endo-H-released oligosaccharides contained glucose residues but non-glycosylated oligosaccharides, including Man9GlcNAc to Man5GlcNAc, were also present. To determine the processing sequences occurring in the presence of castanospermine, BHK cells were pulse-labelled for various times with [3H]mannose and the oligosaccharide intermediates, isolated by gel filtration and paper chromatography, characterized by acetolysis and sensitivity to jack bean alpha-mannosidase. The data show that Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 is transferred to protein and undergoes processing to produce Glc3Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc3Man7GlcNAc2 as major species as well as a smaller amount of Man9GlcNAc2. Glucosidase-processed intermediates, Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2, were also obtained as well as a Man7GlcNAc2 species derived from Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 and different from the Man7GlcNAc2 isomer formed in the usual processing pathway. No evidence for the direct transfer of non-glucosylated oligosaccharides to proteins was obtained and we conclude that the continued assembly of complex-type glycans in castanospermine-inhibited BHK cells results from residual activity of processing glucosidases.
Network of likes and dislikes: Conflict and membership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Hye Jin; Yi, Su Do; Kim, Dae Joong; Kim, Beom Jun

2016-11-01

We all have friends and foes. In the study of complex networks, such a pairwise interaction is described by a directed link since the relation is not necessarily symmetric. We study a real network constructed from a survey in which each individual chooses five members (s)he wants to work with, and other five (s)he does not like to work together. Although everyone's outdegrees for such like and dislike links are fixed to five, respectively, it is found that indegree sequence for each type of links exhibits very different behaviors. We also pursue to answer the question of proper divisions of the organization based on the concept of happiness defined for each directed relation. For example, two individuals connected by like (dislike) links in both directions are happy if they belong to the same (different) group(s). We then adopt the framework of the q-state Potts model with long-ranged ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions and discuss the group structure in the organization that minimizes a suitably defined unhappiness.
A Longitudinal Investigation of Direct and Indirect Links between Reading Skills in Kindergarten and Reading Comprehension in Tenth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Christopher T.; Petscher, Yaacov; Catts, Hugh

2018-01-01

In this study, researchers examined the extent to which several fundamental measures of reading proficiency from kindergarten students (N = 3180) were linked to reading comprehension in tenth grade while controlling for third grade vocabulary and oral reading fluency. Analyses tested the direct and indirect relations between and among…

Psychological needs and the facilitation of integrative processes.

PubMed

Ryan, R M

1995-09-01

The assumption that there are innate integrative or actualizing tendencies underlying personality and social development is reexamined. Rather than viewing such processes as either nonexistent or as automatic, I argue that they are dynamic and dependent upon social-contextual supports pertaining to basic human psychological needs. To develop this viewpoint, I conceptually link the notion of integrative tendencies to specific developmental processes, namely intrinsic motivation; internalization; and emotional integration. These processes are then shown to be facilitated by conditions that fulfill psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and forestalled within contexts that frustrate these needs. Interactions between psychological needs and contextual supports account, in part, for the domain and situational specificity of motivation, experience, and relative integration. The meaning of psychological needs (vs. wants) is directly considered, as are the relations between concepts of integration and autonomy and those of independence, individualism, efficacy, and cognitive models of "multiple selves."
The TORC1-Regulated CPA Complex Rewires an RNA Processing Network to Drive Autophagy and Metabolic Reprogramming.

PubMed

Tang, Hong-Wen; Hu, Yanhui; Chen, Chiao-Lin; Xia, Baolong; Zirin, Jonathan; Yuan, Min; Asara, John M; Rabinow, Leonard; Perrimon, Norbert

2018-05-01

Nutrient deprivation induces autophagy through inhibiting TORC1 activity. We describe a novel mechanism in Drosophila by which TORC1 regulates RNA processing of Atg transcripts and alters ATG protein levels and activities via the cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) complex. We show that TORC1 signaling inhibits CDK8 and DOA kinases, which directly phosphorylate CPSF6, a component of the CPA complex. These phosphorylation events regulate CPSF6 localization, RNA binding, and starvation-induced alternative RNA processing of transcripts involved in autophagy, nutrient, and energy metabolism, thereby controlling autophagosome formation and metabolism. Similarly, we find that mammalian CDK8 and CLK2, a DOA ortholog, phosphorylate CPSF6 to regulate autophagy and metabolic changes upon starvation, revealing an evolutionarily conserved mechanism linking TORC1 signaling with RNA processing, autophagy, and metabolism. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recombination, Pairing, and Synapsis of Homologs during Meiosis

PubMed Central

Zickler, Denise; Kleckner, Nancy

2015-01-01

Recombination is a prominent feature of meiosis in which it plays an important role in increasing genetic diversity during inheritance. Additionally, in most organisms, recombination also plays mechanical roles in chromosomal processes, most notably to mediate pairing of homologous chromosomes during prophase and, ultimately, to ensure regular segregation of homologous chromosomes when they separate at the first meiotic division. Recombinational interactions are also subject to important spatial patterning at both early and late stages. Recombination-mediated processes occur in physical and functional linkage with meiotic axial chromosome structure, with interplay in both directions, before, during, and after formation and dissolution of the synaptonemal complex (SC), a highly conserved meiosis-specific structure that links homolog axes along their lengths. These diverse processes also are integrated with recombination-independent interactions between homologous chromosomes, nonhomology-based chromosome couplings/clusterings, and diverse types of chromosome movement. This review provides an overview of these diverse processes and their interrelationships. PMID:25986558
Altered Brain Dynamics in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes During Working Memory Processing.

PubMed

Embury, Christine M; Wiesman, Alex I; Proskovec, Amy L; Heinrichs-Graham, Elizabeth; McDermott, Timothy J; Lord, Grace H; Brau, Kaitlin L; Drincic, Andjela T; Desouza, Cyrus V; Wilson, Tony W

2018-06-01

It is now generally accepted that diabetes increases the risk for cognitive impairment, but the precise mechanisms are poorly understood. A critical problem in linking diabetes to cognitive impairment is that patients often have multiple comorbidities (e.g., obesity, hypertension) that have been independently linked to cognitive deficits. In the study reported here we focused on young adults with and without type 1 diabetes who were virtually free of such comorbidities. The two groups were matched on major health and demographic factors, and all participants completed a verbal working memory task during magnetoencephalographic brain imaging. We hypothesized that patients would have altered neural dynamics in verbal working memory processing and that these differences would directly relate to clinical disease measures. Accordingly, we found that patients had significantly stronger neural responses in the superior parietal cortices during memory encoding and significantly weaker activity in parietal-occipital regions during maintenance compared with control subjects. Moreover, disease duration and glycemic control were both significantly correlated with neural responses in various brain regions. In conclusion, young healthy adults with type 1 diabetes already have aberrant neural processing relative to their peers without diabetes, using compensatory responses to perform the task, and glucose management and duration may play a central role. © 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.
FERMT2 links cortical actin structures, plasma membrane tension and focal adhesion function to stabilize podocyte morphology.

PubMed

Yasuda-Yamahara, M; Rogg, M; Frimmel, J; Trachte, P; Helmstaedter, M; Schroder, P; Schiffer, M; Schell, C; Huber, T B

2018-01-11

Simplification and retraction of podocyte protrusions, generally termed as foot process effacement, is a uniform pathological pattern observed in the majority of glomerular disease, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. However, it is still incompletely understood how the interaction of cortical actin structures, actomyosin contractility and focal adhesions, is being orchestrated to control foot process morphology in health and disease. By uncovering the functional role of fermitin family member 2 (FERMT2 or kindlin-2) in podocytes, we provide now evidence, how cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions modulate membrane tension and actomyosin contractility. A genetic modeling approach was applied by deleting FERMT2 in a set of in vivo systems as well as in CRISPR/Cas9 modified human podocytes. Loss of FERMT2 results in altered cortical actin composition, cell cortex destabilization associated with plasma membrane blebbing and a remodeling of focal adhesions. We further show that FERMT2 knockout podocytes have high levels of RhoA activation and concomitantly increased actomyosin contractility. Inhibition of actomyosin tension reverses the membrane blebbing phenotype. Thus, our findings establish a direct link between cell-matrix adhesions, cortical actin structures and plasma membrane tension allowing to better explain cell morphological changes in foot process effacement. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Nageswara S.; Liu, Qiang

We consider tracking of a target with elliptical nonlinear constraints on its motion dynamics. The state estimates are generated by sensors and sent over long-haul links to a remote fusion center for fusion. We show that the constraints can be projected onto the known ellipse and hence incorporated into the estimation and fusion process. In particular, two methods based on (i) direct connection to the center, and (ii) shortest distance to the ellipse are discussed. A tracking example is used to illustrate the tracking performance using projection-based methods with various fusers in the lossy long-haul tracking environment.
A genetic algorithm for optimization of neural network capable of learning to search for food in a maze

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budilova, E. V.; Terekhin, A. T.; Chepurnov, S. A.

1994-09-01

A hypothetical neural scheme is proposed that ensures efficient decision making by an animal searching for food in a maze. Only the general structure of the network is fixed; its quantitative characteristics are found by numerical optimization that simulates the process of natural selection. Selection is aimed at maximization of the expected number of descendants, which is directly related to the energy stored during the reproductive cycle. The main parameters to be optimized are the increments of the interneuronal links and the working-memory constants.
A manifold learning approach to data-driven computational materials and processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibañez, Ruben; Abisset-Chavanne, Emmanuelle; Aguado, Jose Vicente; Gonzalez, David; Cueto, Elias; Duval, Jean Louis; Chinesta, Francisco

2017-10-01

Standard simulation in classical mechanics is based on the use of two very different types of equations. The first one, of axiomatic character, is related to balance laws (momentum, mass, energy, …), whereas the second one consists of models that scientists have extracted from collected, natural or synthetic data. In this work we propose a new method, able to directly link data to computers in order to perform numerical simulations. These simulations will employ universal laws while minimizing the need of explicit, often phenomenological, models. They are based on manifold learning methodologies.
Deep space communication - Past, present, and future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Posner, E. C.; Stevens, R.

1984-01-01

This paper reviews the progress made in deep space communication from its beginnings until now, describes the development and applications of NASA's Deep Space Network, and indicates directions for the future. Limiting factors in deep space communication are examined using the upcoming Voyager encounter with Uranus, centered on the downlink telemetry from spacecraft to earth, as an example. A link calculation for Voyager at Uranus over Australia is exhibited. Seven basic deep space communication functions are discussed, and technical aspects of spacecraft communication equipment, ground antennas, and ground electronics and processing are considered.
Information Switching Processor (ISP) contention analysis and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shyy, D.; Inukai, T.

1993-01-01

Future satellite communications, as a viable means of communications and an alternative to terrestrial networks, demand flexibility and low end-user cost. On-board switching/processing satellites potentially provide these features, allowing flexible interconnection among multiple spot beams, direct to the user communications services using very small aperture terminals (VSAT's), independent uplink and downlink access/transmission system designs optimized to user's traffic requirements, efficient TDM downlink transmission, and better link performance. A flexible switching system on the satellite in conjunction with low-cost user terminals will likely benefit future satellite network users.
Influence of ionizing radiation on the mechanical properties of BisGMA/TEGDMA based experimental resin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LMP, Campos; Boaro, LC; LKG, Santos; Parra, DF; Lugão, AB

2015-10-01

Dental restorative composites are activated by visible light and the polymerization process, known as direct technique, is initiated by absorbing light in a specific wavelength range (450-500 nm). However this technique presented some disadvantages. If light is not inserted correctly, layers uncured can cause countless damage to restoration, especially with regard to mechanical properties. A clinical alternative used to reduce the shortcomings of direct application is the use of composite resins for indirect application. These composites are adaptations of resins prepared for direct use, with differences mainly in the healing process. Besides the traditional photoactivation, indirect application composites may be submitted to particular curing conditions, such as a slow curing rate, heating, vacuum, and inert-gas pressure leading to an oxygen-free environment. However few studies have been conducted on the process of post-curing by ionizing radiation at low doses. On this sense the purpose of this study was to evaluate possible interactions of ionizing radiation in the post-curing process of the experimental composites based on BisGMA/TEGDMA filled with silica Aerosil OX-50 silanized. Characterization of the experimental composites was performed by thermogravimetry analysis, infrared spectroscopy, elastic modulus and flexural strength. Statistical analysis of results was calculated by one-way ANOVA/Tukey's test. Cross-linking of the polymeric matrix caused by ionizing radiation, influenced the thermal stability of irradiated specimens. FTIR analysis showed that the ionizing radiation induced a post-cure reaction in the specimens. The irradiation dose influenced directly the mechanical properties that showed a strong positive correlation between flexural strength and irradiation and between modulus strength and irradiation.
Linking to EPA Publications in the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Linking to a document at NSCEP rather than uploading your own copy meets EPA standards and best practices for web content. If you follow this procedure, you can link directly to the PDF document without NSCEP's viewing pane or navigation.
Integrated system links cost data, patient satisfaction scores for the first time.

PubMed

1999-10-01

Linking cost data, patient satisfaction scores. HBS International and The Picker Institute have joined forces to make integrated data available that directly links operational efficiency and patient satisfaction. Find out how the systems lets providers know when reducing expenses compromises care.
Introducing Products to DoD Using Specifications and Standards

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-18

to utilize the Product Introduction Tool. Search ~Favorites .S » Links ~Customize Links ~ EDS-NMCI ~Free Hotmail Product Introduction Process User...the Product Introduction Tool. Search ~Favorites .S » Links ~Customize Links ~ EDS-NMCI ~Free Hotmail Product Introduction Process User Pol icy...Links i1 EDS-NMCI ~ Free Hotmail i] I] Go ldentitify Categories/Subcategories Identify the category/subcategory that most closely covers your
Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of factory-produced RDX and HMX.

PubMed

Howa, John D; Lott, Michael J; Chesson, Lesley A; Ehleringer, James R

2014-07-01

RDX and HMX are explosive compounds commonly used by the military and also occasionally associated with acts of terrorism. The isotopic characterization of an explosive can be a powerful approach to link evidence to an event or an explosives cache. We sampled explosive products and their reactants from commercial RDX manufacturers that used the direct nitration and/or the Bachmann synthesis process, and then analyzed these materials for carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. For manufacturers using the Bachmann process, RDX (13)C enrichment relative to the hexamine substrate was small (+0.9‰) compared to RDX produced using the direct nitration process (+8.2‰ to +12.0‰). RDX (15)N depletion relative to the nitrogen-containing substrates (-3.6‰) was smaller in the Bachmann process than in the direct nitration process (-12.6‰ to -10.6‰). The sign and scale of these differences agree with theorized mechanisms of mass-dependent fractionation. We also examined the isotopic relationship between RDX and HMX isolated from explosive samples. The δ(13)C and δ(15)N values of RDX generally matched those of the HMX with few exceptions, most notably from a manufacturer known to make RDX using two different synthesis processes. The range in δ(13)C values of RDX in a survey of 100 samples from 12 manufacturers spanned 33‰ while the range spanned by δ(15)N values was 26‰; these ranges were much greater than any previously published observations. Understanding the relationship between products and reactants further explains the observed variation in industrially manufactured RDX and can be used as a diagnostic tool to analyze explosives found at a crime scene. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Explosive percolation on directed networks due to monotonic flow of activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waagen, Alex; D'Souza, Raissa M.; Lu, Tsai-Ching

2017-07-01

An important class of real-world networks has directed edges, and in addition, some rank ordering on the nodes, for instance the popularity of users in online social networks. Yet, nearly all research related to explosive percolation has been restricted to undirected networks. Furthermore, information on such rank-ordered networks typically flows from higher-ranked to lower-ranked individuals, such as follower relations, replies, and retweets on Twitter. Here we introduce a simple percolation process on an ordered, directed network where edges are added monotonically with respect to the rank ordering. We show with a numerical approach that the emergence of a dominant strongly connected component appears to be discontinuous. Large-scale connectivity occurs at very high density compared with most percolation processes, and this holds not just for the strongly connected component structure but for the weakly connected component structure as well. We present analysis with branching processes, which explains this unusual behavior and gives basic intuition for the underlying mechanisms. We also show that before the emergence of a dominant strongly connected component, multiple giant strongly connected components may exist simultaneously. By adding a competitive percolation rule with a small bias to link uses of similar rank, we show this leads to formation of two distinct components, one of high-ranked users, and one of low-ranked users, with little flow between the two components.
Present Status and Future Prospects in Bulk Processing of HIGH-Tc Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, S.; Chu, C. W.

The following sections are included: * INTRODUCTION * HIGH SUPERCONDUCTING TRANSITION TEMPERATURE * HIGH CRITICAL CURRENT DENSITY * Grain Boundary Weak Links * Nature of Weak Links * Possible Processing Approaches for Weak Link Problem * Processing Techniques for Texture Formation * Flux Creep in HTSC * Desirable Pinning Defects * Processing for Flux Pinning Enhancement * PROSPECTS FOR BULK APPLICATIONS * Magnetic Field Gener * Energy Storage * Magnetic Shielding * Other Applications * CONCLUDING REMARKS * ACKNOWLEDGMENT * REFERENCES
Analysis of an international collaboration for capacity building of human resources for eye care: case study of the college-college VISION 2020 LINK.

PubMed

Mwangi, Nyawira; Zondervan, Marcia; Bascaran, Covadonga

2017-03-14

There is an extreme health workforce shortage in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa. Shortage of eye care workers impedes effective implementation of prevention of blindness programs. The World Health Organization has identified education, partnership, leadership, financing, and policy as intertwined interventions that are critical to resolving this crisis on the long term. The VISION 2020 LINK between the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom aims to increase the quantity and quality of eye care training in East, Central, and Southern Africa through a focus on five strategic areas: fellowship examination for ophthalmologists, training the trainers, curriculum development for residents in ophthalmology and ophthalmic clinical officers, continuous professional development (CPD), and mentoring program for young ophthalmologists. This study examined how education and partnership can be linked to improve eye care, through an evaluation of this north-south link based on its own targets and established frameworks to guide north-south links. An exploratory qualitative case study design was used. Twenty-nine link representatives were recruited through purposive sampling and snowballing. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule that incorporated the components of a successful link from an existing framework. Documents pertaining to the link were also examined. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The findings revealed that the perception to the contribution of the link to eye care in the region is generally positive. Process indicators showed that the targets in three strategic objectives of the link have been achieved. Framework-based evaluation also showed that the link is successful. Mutual learning and development of friendships were the most commonly identified success factors. Inadequate awareness of the link by college members is a key challenge. The study concludes that the link is active and evolving and has achieved most of its targets. Further developments should be directed to influence health system strengthening in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa more strategically. The study recommends expansion of the scope of collaboration to involve multiple health system building blocks.
Nondestructive assessment of collagen hydrogel cross-linking using time-resolved autofluorescence imaging.

PubMed

Sherlock, Benjamin E; Harvestine, Jenna N; Mitra, Debika; Haudenschild, Anne; Hu, Jerry; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A; Leach, J Kent; Marcu, Laura

2018-03-01

We investigate the use of a fiber-based, multispectral fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) system to nondestructively monitor changes in mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels caused by controlled application of widely used cross-linking agents, glutaraldehyde (GTA) and ribose. Postcross-linking, fluorescence lifetime images are acquired prior to the hydrogels being processed by rheological or tensile testing to directly probe gel mechanical properties. To preserve the sterility of the ribose-treated gels, FLIm is performed inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC). A pairwise correlation analysis is used to quantify the relationship between mean hydrogel fluorescence lifetimes and the storage or Young's moduli of the gels. In the GTA study, we observe strong and specific correlations between fluorescence lifetime and the storage and Young's moduli. Similar correlations are not observed in the ribose study and we postulate a reason for this. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of FLIm to longitudinally monitor dynamic cross-link formation. The strength of the GTA correlations and deployment of our fiber-based FLIm system inside the aseptic environment of a BSC suggests that this technique may be a valuable tool for the tissue engineering community where longitudinal assessment of tissue construct maturation in vitro is highly desirable. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
Heteroscedasticity as a Basis of Direction Dependence in Reversible Linear Regression Models.

PubMed

Wiedermann, Wolfgang; Artner, Richard; von Eye, Alexander

2017-01-01

Heteroscedasticity is a well-known issue in linear regression modeling. When heteroscedasticity is observed, researchers are advised to remedy possible model misspecification of the explanatory part of the model (e.g., considering alternative functional forms and/or omitted variables). The present contribution discusses another source of heteroscedasticity in observational data: Directional model misspecifications in the case of nonnormal variables. Directional misspecification refers to situations where alternative models are equally likely to explain the data-generating process (e.g., x → y versus y → x). It is shown that the homoscedasticity assumption is likely to be violated in models that erroneously treat true nonnormal predictors as response variables. Recently, Direction Dependence Analysis (DDA) has been proposed as a framework to empirically evaluate the direction of effects in linear models. The present study links the phenomenon of heteroscedasticity with DDA and describes visual diagnostics and nine homoscedasticity tests that can be used to make decisions concerning the direction of effects in linear models. Results of a Monte Carlo simulation that demonstrate the adequacy of the approach are presented. An empirical example is provided, and applicability of the methodology in cases of violated assumptions is discussed.

Twenty and thirty GHz millimeter wave experiments with the ATS-6 satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ippolito, L. J. (Compiler)

1975-01-01

The ATS-6 millimeter wave experiment, provided the first direct measurements of 20 and 30 GHz earth-space links from an orbiting satellite. Studies at eleven locations in the continental United States were directed at an evaluation of rain attenuation effects, scintillations, depolarization, site diversity, coherence bandwidth, and analog and digital communications techniques. In addition to direct measurements on the 20 and 30 GHz links, methods of attenuation prediction with radars, rain gages, and radiometers were developed and compared with the directly measured attenuation. Initial data results of the ATS-6 millimeter wave experiment from the major participating organizations are presented.
Time Transfer Methodologies for International Atomic Time (TAI)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

International Atomic Time (TAI) and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) involve either GPS or Two Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer ( TWSTFT ). This paper...NRCan, provide real-time carrier-phase based time transfer as well [3,4] Beginning in 2000, time-transfer links using TWSTFT replaced some GPS...links as the primary operational link, and currently over half the clocks used for TAI-generation are linked to other sites via a direct TWSTFT link
Emotional competence relating to perceived stress and burnout in Spanish teachers: a mediator model.

PubMed

Rey, Lourdes; Extremera, Natalio; Pena, Mario

2016-01-01

This study examined direct associations between emotional competence, perceived stress and burnout in 489 Spanish teachers. In addition, a model in which perceived stress mediated pathways linking emotional competence to teacher burnout symptoms was also examined. Results showed that emotional competence and stress were significantly correlated with teacher burnout symptoms in the expected direction. Moreover, mediational analysis indicated that perceived stress partly mediated the relationship between emotional competence and the three dimensions of burnout even when controlling for salient background characteristics. These findings suggest an underlying process by which high emotional competence may increase the capacity to cope with symptoms of burnout, by reducing the experience of stress. Implications of these findings for future research and for working with teachers to prevent burnout are discussed.
Work stress, substance use, and depression among young adult workers: an examination of main and moderator effect model.

PubMed

Wiesner, Margit; Windle, Michael; Freeman, Amy

2005-04-01

In this cross-sectional study, main and moderated relationships between 5 job stressors and alcohol consumption, drug use, and depression were examined using data from a community sample of 583 young adults (mean age = 23.68 years). Analyses revealed a few direct associations between high job boredom, low skill variety, and low autonomy and depression measures and heavy alcohol use. There were no direct relationships between job stress and binge drinking, alcohol consumption, drug use, or heavy drug use. In a few cases, job stress-outcome relationships were moderated by intrinsic job motivation or gender. The findings supported a specificity-of-effects hypothesis and underscored the need for examining the processes linking occupational stress to substance use and depression. Copyright 2005 APA, all rights reserved.
Emotional competence relating to perceived stress and burnout in Spanish teachers: a mediator model

PubMed Central

Extremera, Natalio

2016-01-01

This study examined direct associations between emotional competence, perceived stress and burnout in 489 Spanish teachers. In addition, a model in which perceived stress mediated pathways linking emotional competence to teacher burnout symptoms was also examined. Results showed that emotional competence and stress were significantly correlated with teacher burnout symptoms in the expected direction. Moreover, mediational analysis indicated that perceived stress partly mediated the relationship between emotional competence and the three dimensions of burnout even when controlling for salient background characteristics. These findings suggest an underlying process by which high emotional competence may increase the capacity to cope with symptoms of burnout, by reducing the experience of stress. Implications of these findings for future research and for working with teachers to prevent burnout are discussed. PMID:27280077
Introduction to the Special Issue on Digital Signal Processing in Radio Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, D. C.; Kocz, J.; Bailes, M.; Greenhill, L. J.

2016-03-01

Advances in astronomy are intimately linked to advances in digital signal processing (DSP). This special issue is focused upon advances in DSP within radio astronomy. The trend within that community is to use off-the-shelf digital hardware where possible and leverage advances in high performance computing. In particular, graphics processing units (GPUs) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being used in place of application-specific circuits (ASICs); high-speed Ethernet and Infiniband are being used for interconnect in place of custom backplanes. Further, to lower hurdles in digital engineering, communities have designed and released general-purpose FPGA-based DSP systems, such as the CASPER ROACH board, ASTRON Uniboard, and CSIRO Redback board. In this introductory paper, we give a brief historical overview, a summary of recent trends, and provide an outlook on future directions.
Circadian rhythms and memory: not so simple as cogs and gears.

PubMed

Eckel-Mahan, Kristin L; Storm, Daniel R

2009-06-01

The influence of circadian rhythms on memory has long been studied; however, the molecular prerequisites for their interaction remain elusive. The hippocampus, which is a region of the brain important for long-term memory formation and temporary maintenance, shows circadian rhythmicity in pathways central to the memory-consolidation process. As neuronal plasticity is the translation of numerous inputs, illuminating the direct molecular links between circadian rhythms and memory consolidation remains a daunting task. However, the elucidation of how clock genes contribute to synaptic plasticity could provide such a link. Furthermore, the idea that memory training could actually function as a zeitgeber for hippocampal neurons is worth consideration, based on our knowledge of the entrainment of the circadian clock system. The integration of many inputs in the hippocampus affects memory consolidation at both the cellular and the systems level, leaving the molecular connections between circadian rhythmicity and memory relatively obscure but ripe for investigation.
Experimental metrology to obtain thermal phonon transmission coefficients at solid interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Chengyun; Chen, Xiangwen; Ravichandran, Navaneetha K.; Minnich, Austin J.

2017-05-01

Interfaces play an essential role in phonon-mediated heat conduction in solids, impacting applications ranging from thermoelectric waste heat recovery to heat dissipation in electronics. From the microscopic perspective, interfacial phonon transport is described by transmission coefficients that link vibrational modes in the materials composing the interface. However, direct experimental determination of these coefficients is challenging because most experiments provide a mode-averaged interface conductance that obscures the microscopic detail. Here, we report a metrology to extract thermal phonon transmission coefficients at solid interfaces using ab initio phonon transport modeling and a thermal characterization technique, time-domain thermoreflectance. In combination with transmission electron microscopy characterization of the interface, our approach allows us to link the atomic structure of an interface to the spectral content of the heat crossing it. Our work provides a useful perspective on the microscopic processes governing interfacial heat conduction.
Design, development, and field demonstration of a remotely deployable water quality monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, J. W.; Lovelady, R. W.; Ferguson, R. L.

1981-01-01

A prototype water quality monitoring system is described which offers almost continuous in situ monitoring. The two-man portable system features: (1) a microprocessor controlled central processing unit which allows preprogrammed sampling schedules and reprogramming in situ; (2) a subsurface unit for multiple depth capability and security from vandalism; (3) an acoustic data link for communications between the subsurface unit and the surface control unit; (4) eight water quality parameter sensors; (5) a nonvolatile magnetic bubble memory which prevents data loss in the event of power interruption; (6) a rechargeable power supply sufficient for 2 weeks of unattended operation; (7) a water sampler which can collect samples for laboratory analysis; (8) data output in direct engineering units on printed tape or through a computer compatible link; (9) internal electronic calibration eliminating external sensor adjustment; and (10) acoustic location and recovery systems. Data obtained in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron are tabulated.
Feel like you belong: on the bidirectional link between emotional fit and group identification in task groups

PubMed Central

Delvaux, Ellen; Meeussen, Loes; Mesquita, Batja

2015-01-01

Three studies investigated the association between members’ group identification and the emotional fit with their group. In the first study, a cross-sectional study in a large organization, we replicated earlier research by showing that group identification and emotional fit are positively associated, using a broader range of emotions and using profile correlations to measure group members’ emotional fit. In addition, in two longitudinal studies, where groups of students were followed at several time points during their collaboration on a project, we tested the directionality of the relationship between group identification and emotional fit. The results showed a bidirectional, positive link between group identification and emotional fit, such that group identification and emotional fit either mutually reinforce or mutually dampen each other over time. We discuss how these findings increase insights in group functioning and how they may be used to change group processes for better or worse. PMID:26300806
Epilepsy and the immune system: is there a link?

PubMed

Billiau, An D; Wouters, Carine H; Lagae, Lieven G

2005-01-01

The concept that the immune system plays a role in the epileptogenic process of some epileptic syndromes was first proposed more than 20 years ago. Since then, numerous studies have reported on the existence of a variety of immunological alterations in epileptic patients, on the observation of favourable responses of refractory epilepsy syndromes to immunomodulatory treatment, and on the association of certain well-known immune-mediated disease states with epilepsy. This review comprehensively recapitulates the currently available evidence supporting or arguing against the possible involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of certain types of epilepsy. It is concluded that an abundance of facts is in support of this concept and that further studies should be directed at substantiating the pathogenic significance of (auto)immune responses in certain types of epilepsy. Current progress in the functional and molecular immunological research techniques will indisputably contribute to the elucidation of this link.
The molecular mechanism of thermal noise in rod photoreceptors.

PubMed

Gozem, Samer; Schapiro, Igor; Ferré, Nicolas; Olivucci, Massimo

2012-09-07

Spontaneous electrical signals in the retina's photoreceptors impose a limit on visual sensitivity. Their origin is attributed to a thermal, rather than photochemical, activation of the transduction cascade. Although the mechanism of such a process is under debate, the observation of a relationship between the maximum absorption wavelength (λ(max)) and the thermal activation kinetic constant (k) of different visual pigments (the Barlow correlation) indicates that the thermal and photochemical activations are related. Here we show that a quantum chemical model of the bovine rod pigment provides a molecular-level understanding of the Barlow correlation. The transition state mediating thermal activation has the same electronic structure as the photoreceptor excited state, thus creating a direct link between λ(max) and k. Such a link appears to be the manifestation of intrinsic chromophore features associated with the existence of a conical intersection between its ground and excited states.
Experimental metrology to obtain thermal phonon transmission coefficients at solid interfaces

DOE PAGES

Hua, Chengyun; Chen, Xiangwen; Ravichandran, Navaneetha K.; ...

2017-05-17

Interfaces play an essential role in phonon-mediated heat conduction in solids, impacting applications ranging from thermoelectric waste heat recovery to heat dissipation in electronics. From the microscopic perspective, interfacial phonon transport is described by transmission coefficients that link vibrational modes in the materials composing the interface. But, direct experimental determination of these coefficients is challenging because most experiments provide a mode-averaged interface conductance that obscures the microscopic detail. Here, we report a metrology to extract thermal phonon transmission coefficients at solid interfaces using ab initio phonon transport modeling and a thermal characterization technique, time-domain thermoreflectance. In combination with transmission electronmore » microscopy characterization of the interface, our approach allows us to link the atomic structure of an interface to the spectral content of the heat crossing it. This work provides a useful perspective on the microscopic processes governing interfacial heat conduction.« less
A Model of Consumer Response to Over-the-Counter Drug Advertising: Antecedents and Influencing Factors.

PubMed

Huh, Jisu; Delorme, Denise E; Reid, Leonard N

2016-01-01

Given the importance of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in the health care marketplace and lack of systematic research on OTC drug advertising (OTCA) effects, this study tested a theory-based, product category-specific OTCA effects model. Structural equation modeling analysis of data for 1 OTC drug category, analgesics, supported the proposed model, explaining the OTCA effect process from key consumer antecedents to ad involvement, from ad involvement to ad attention, from ad attention to cognitive responses, then to affective/evaluative responses, leading to the final behavioral outcome. Several noteworthy patterns also emerged: (a) Product involvement was directly linked to ad attention, rather than exerting an indirect influence through ad involvement; (b) ad attention was significantly related to both cognitive and affective/evaluative responses to different degrees, with stronger links to cognitive responses; and (c) ad-prompted actions were influenced by both ad trust and ad attitude.
Semantic Analysis of Email Using Domain Ontologies and WordNet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrios, Daniel C.; Keller, Richard M.

2005-01-01

The problem of capturing and accessing knowledge in paper form has been supplanted by a problem of providing structure to vast amounts of electronic information. Systems that can construct semantic links for natural language documents like email messages automatically will be a crucial element of semantic email tools. We have designed an information extraction process that can leverage the knowledge already contained in an existing semantic web, recognizing references in email to existing nodes in a network of ontology instances by using linguistic knowledge and knowledge of the structure of the semantic web. We developed a heuristic score that uses several forms of evidence to detect references in email to existing nodes in the Semanticorganizer repository's network. While these scores cannot directly support automated probabilistic inference, they can be used to rank nodes by relevance and link those deemed most relevant to email messages.
Serendipitous discovery in mice links inflammation directly to stroke | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

In 30 percent to 40 percent of stroke cases, doctors can’t identify the biological cause. Certain risk factors for stroke, such as smoking and diabetes, cause inflammation. Scientists have long suspected that chronic inflammation can in turn trigger a stroke, but they have not made a direct link. Now, CCR researchers have reported that experiments with mice suggest
Effectiveness evaluation of double-layered satellite network with laser and microwave hybrid links based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Rao, Qiaomeng

2018-01-01

In order to solve the problem of high speed, large capacity and limited spectrum resources of satellite communication network, a double-layered satellite network with global seamless coverage based on laser and microwave hybrid links is proposed in this paper. By analyzing the characteristics of the double-layered satellite network with laser and microwave hybrid links, an effectiveness evaluation index system for the network is established. And then, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, which combines the analytic hierarchy process and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation theory, is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the double-layered satellite network with laser and microwave hybrid links. Furthermore, the evaluation result of the proposed hybrid link network is obtained by simulation. The effectiveness evaluation process of the proposed double-layered satellite network with laser and microwave hybrid links can help to optimize the design of hybrid link double-layered satellite network and improve the operating efficiency of the satellite system.
Cross-disciplinary links in environmental systems science: Current state and claimed needs identified in a meta-review of process models.

PubMed

Ayllón, Daniel; Grimm, Volker; Attinger, Sabine; Hauhs, Michael; Simmer, Clemens; Vereecken, Harry; Lischeid, Gunnar

2018-05-01

Terrestrial environmental systems are characterised by numerous feedback links between their different compartments. However, scientific research is organized into disciplines that focus on processes within the respective compartments rather than on interdisciplinary links. Major feedback mechanisms between compartments might therefore have been systematically overlooked so far. Without identifying these gaps, initiatives on future comprehensive environmental monitoring schemes and experimental platforms might fail. We performed a comprehensive overview of feedbacks between compartments currently represented in environmental sciences and explores to what degree missing links have already been acknowledged in the literature. We focused on process models as they can be regarded as repositories of scientific knowledge that compile findings of numerous single studies. In total, 118 simulation models from 23 model types were analysed. Missing processes linking different environmental compartments were identified based on a meta-review of 346 published reviews, model intercomparison studies, and model descriptions. Eight disciplines of environmental sciences were considered and 396 linking processes were identified and ascribed to the physical, chemical or biological domain. There were significant differences between model types and scientific disciplines regarding implemented interdisciplinary links. The most wide-spread interdisciplinary links were between physical processes in meteorology, hydrology and soil science that drive or set the boundary conditions for other processes (e.g., ecological processes). In contrast, most chemical and biological processes were restricted to links within the same compartment. Integration of multiple environmental compartments and interdisciplinary knowledge was scarce in most model types. There was a strong bias of suggested future research foci and model extensions towards reinforcing existing interdisciplinary knowledge rather than to open up new interdisciplinary pathways. No clear pattern across disciplines exists with respect to suggested future research efforts. There is no evidence that environmental research would clearly converge towards more integrated approaches or towards an overarching environmental systems theory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cognitive functioning in healthy aging: the role of reserve and lifestyle factors early in life.

PubMed

Fritsch, Thomas; McClendon, McKee J; Smyth, Kathleen A; Lerner, Alan J; Friedland, Robert P; Larsen, Janet D

2007-06-01

According to the reserve perspective on cognitive aging, individuals are born with or can develop resources that help them resist normal and disease-related cognitive changes that occur in aging. The reserve perspective is becoming more sophisticated, but gaps in knowledge persist. In the present research, we considered three understudied questions about reserve: Is reserve primarily static (unchangeable) throughout the life course or dynamic (changeable, in terms of increases or decreases)? Can reserve be increased at any point in life, or are there optimal time periods--such as early life, midlife, or late life--to increase it? Does participation in different types of leisure and occupational activities in early life and midlife have different effects depending on specific domains of late-life cognitive functioning? Here we link early cognitive and activity data--gathered from archival sources--with cognitive data from older adults to examine these issues. 349 participants, all mid-1940s graduates of the same high school, underwent telephone cognitive screening. All participants provided access to adolescent IQ scores; we determined activity levels from yearbooks. We used path analysis to evaluate the complex relationships between early life, midlife, and late-life variables. Adolescent IQ had strong direct effects on global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed. Participants' high school mental activities had direct effects on verbal fluency, but physical and social activities did not predict any cognitive measure. Education had direct effects on global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, and, most strongly, processing speed, but other midlife factors (notably, occupational demands) were not significant predictors of late-life cognition. There were weak indirect effects of adolescent IQ on global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, and processing speed, working through high school mental activities and education. Verbal fluency, in contrast, was affected by adolescent IQ through links with high school mental activities, but not education. Our study suggests that reserve is dynamic, but it is most amenable to change in early life. We conclude that an active, engaged lifestyle, emphasizing mental activity and educational pursuits in early life, can have a positive impact on cognitive functioning in late life.
Database constraints applied to metabolic pathway reconstruction tools.

PubMed

Vilaplana, Jordi; Solsona, Francesc; Teixido, Ivan; Usié, Anabel; Karathia, Hiren; Alves, Rui; Mateo, Jordi

2014-01-01

Our group developed two biological applications, Biblio-MetReS and Homol-MetReS, accessing the same database of organisms with annotated genes. Biblio-MetReS is a data-mining application that facilitates the reconstruction of molecular networks based on automated text-mining analysis of published scientific literature. Homol-MetReS allows functional (re)annotation of proteomes, to properly identify both the individual proteins involved in the process(es) of interest and their function. It also enables the sets of proteins involved in the process(es) in different organisms to be compared directly. The efficiency of these biological applications is directly related to the design of the shared database. We classified and analyzed the different kinds of access to the database. Based on this study, we tried to adjust and tune the configurable parameters of the database server to reach the best performance of the communication data link to/from the database system. Different database technologies were analyzed. We started the study with a public relational SQL database, MySQL. Then, the same database was implemented by a MapReduce-based database named HBase. The results indicated that the standard configuration of MySQL gives an acceptable performance for low or medium size databases. Nevertheless, tuning database parameters can greatly improve the performance and lead to very competitive runtimes.

Suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing: From perception to intelligence.

PubMed

Tadin, Duje

2015-10-01

Perception operates on an immense amount of incoming information that greatly exceeds the brain's processing capacity. Because of this fundamental limitation, the ability to suppress irrelevant information is a key determinant of perceptual efficiency. Here, I will review a series of studies investigating suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing, namely perceptual suppression of large, background-like motions. These spatial suppression mechanisms are adaptive, operating only when sensory inputs are sufficiently robust to guarantee visibility. Converging correlational and causal evidence links these behavioral results with inhibitory center-surround mechanisms, namely those in cortical area MT. Spatial suppression is abnormally weak in several special populations, including the elderly and individuals with schizophrenia-a deficit that is evidenced by better-than-normal direction discriminations of large moving stimuli. Theoretical work shows that this abnormal weakening of spatial suppression should result in motion segregation deficits, but direct behavioral support of this hypothesis is lacking. Finally, I will argue that the ability to suppress information is a fundamental neural process that applies not only to perception but also to cognition in general. Supporting this argument, I will discuss recent research that shows individual differences in spatial suppression of motion signals strongly predict individual variations in IQ scores. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Digestion in sea urchin larvae impaired under ocean acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stumpp, Meike; Hu, Marian; Casties, Isabel; Saborowski, Reinhard; Bleich, Markus; Melzner, Frank; Dupont, Sam

2013-12-01

Larval stages are considered as the weakest link when a species is exposed to challenging environmental changes. Reduced rates of growth and development in larval stages of calcifying invertebrates in response to ocean acidification might be caused by energetic limitations. So far no information exists on how ocean acidification affects digestive processes in marine larval stages. Here we reveal alkaline (~pH 9.5) conditions in the stomach of sea urchin larvae. Larvae exposed to decreased seawater pH suffer from a drop in gastric pH, which directly translates into decreased digestive efficiencies and triggers compensatory feeding. These results suggest that larval digestion represents a critical process in the context of ocean acidification, which has been overlooked so far.
Can injured adult CNS axons regenerate by recapitulating development?

PubMed

Hilton, Brett J; Bradke, Frank

2017-10-01

In the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), neurons typically fail to regenerate their axons after injury. During development, by contrast, neurons extend axons effectively. A variety of intracellular mechanisms mediate this difference, including changes in gene expression, the ability to form a growth cone, differences in mitochondrial function/axonal transport and the efficacy of synaptic transmission. In turn, these intracellular processes are linked to extracellular differences between the developing and adult CNS. During development, the extracellular environment directs axon growth and circuit formation. In adulthood, by contrast, extracellular factors, such as myelin and the extracellular matrix, restrict axon growth. Here, we discuss whether the reactivation of developmental processes can elicit axon regeneration in the injured CNS. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
Aptamers as tools for target prioritization and lead identification.

PubMed

Burgstaller, Petra; Girod, Anne; Blind, Michael

2002-12-15

The increasing number of potential drug target candidates has driven the development of novel technologies designed to identify functionally important targets and enhance the subsequent lead discovery process. Highly specific synthetic nucleic acid ligands--also known as aptamers--offer a new exciting route in the drug discovery process by linking target validation directly with HTS. Recently, aptamers have proven to be valuable tools for modulating the function of endogenous cellular proteins in their natural environment. A set of technologies has been developed to use these sophisticated ligands for the validation of potential drug targets in disease models. Moreover, aptamers that are specific antagonists of protein function can act as substitute interaction partners in HTS assays to facilitate the identification of small-molecule lead compounds.
The Integrative Self: How Self-Reference Integrates Perception and Memory.

PubMed

Sui, Jie; Humphreys, Glyn W

2015-12-01

We propose a new account of how self-reference affects information processing. We report evidence that self-reference affects the binding of memory to source, the integration of parts into perceptual wholes, and the ability to switch from a prior association to new associations. Self-reference also influences the integration of different stages of processing, linking attention to decision making, and affects the coupling between brain regions mediating self-representation and attention to the environment. Taken together, the data suggest that self-reference acts as a form of 'integrative glue' which can either enhance or disrupt performance, depending on the task context. We discuss the implications for understanding the self, and future directions for research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution: Part II

DOE PAGES

Clarke, Amy Jean

2015-10-30

The activities of the Phase Transformations Committee of the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division (MPMD) of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) are oriented toward understanding the fundamental aspects of phase transformations. Emphasis is placed on the thermodynamic driving forces for phase transformations, the kinetics of nucleation and growth, interfacial structures and energies, transformation crystallography, surface reliefs, and, above all, the atomic mechanisms of phase transformations. Phase transformations and microstructural evolution are directly linked to materials processing, properties, and performance. In this issue, aspects of liquid–solid and solid-state phase transformations and microstructural evolution are highlighted. Many papers in thismore » issue are highlighted by this paper, giving a brief summary of what they bring to the scientific community.« less
Shuttle payload S-band communications study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Springett, J. C.

1979-01-01

The work to identify, evaluate, and make recommendations concerning the functions and interfaces of those orbiter avionic subsystems which are dedicated to, or play some part in, handling communication signals (telemetry and command) to/from payloads (spacecraft) that will be carried into orbit by the shuttle is reported. Some principal directions of the research are: (1) analysis of the ability of the various avionic equipment to interface with and appropriately process payload signals; (2) development of criteria which will foster equipment compatibility with diverse types of payloads and signals; (3) study of operational procedures, especially those affecting signal acquisition; (4) trade-off analysis for end-to-end data link performance optimization; (5) identification of possible hardware design weakness which might degrade signal processing performance.
Expanding Horizons in Self-Directed Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Huey B.; And Others

The following papers are included: "Preface" (Huey B. Long); "Self-Directed Learning: Smoke and Mirrors?" (Huey B. Long); "From Self-Culture to Self-Direction: An Historical Analysis of Self-Directed Learning" (Amy D. Rose); "The Link between Self-Directed and Transformative Learning" (Jane Pilling-Cormick);…
Effect of the cross-linking agent on performances of NaCS-CS/WSC microcapsules.

PubMed

Wu, Qing-Xi; Xu, Xin; Wang, Zu-Li; Yao, Shan-Jing; Tong, Wang-Yu; Chen, Yan

2016-11-01

Based on the properties of oppositely charged natural polysaccharides, the polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) prepared with chitosan-related polycationic polyelectrolytes and cellulose-related polyanionic polyelectrolytes have been widely concerned for their potential applications as micro-drug-carriers for colon. However, the poor mechanical property of the PECs becomes the obstacle encountered in practical applications. This study investigated the effect of the cross-linking agent (sodium polyphosphate, PPS) on the performances of sodium cellulose sulfate -chitosan/water soluble chitosan (NaCS-CS/WSC) microcapsules. The results revealed that PPS could penetrate through the PEC film and form tighter interior structures compared with the microcapsules without the addition of cross-linking agent. The NaCS-CS microcapsules and NaCS-WSC microcapsules with or without PPS had distinct microstructures, which could be ascribed to the different physicochemical properties of CS and WSC. During the formation process, CS can be dissolved in water under acidic conditions, while WSC can be directly dissolved and protonated in acid-free aqueous providing NH3(+) groups quickly, which resulted in the microstructure's difference. Further analysis showed the NaCS-CS-PPS microcapsules and NaCS-WSC-PPS microcapsules had lower swelling ratios due to their tighter interior microstructures that formed. The cross-linking agent had important effect on the total mass of PECs that produced; moreover, the decline of zeta potential of NaCS-CS-PPS microcapsules was lower than that of NaCS-CS microcapsules, similar trend was found in the NaCS-WSC-PPS microcapsules compared with NaCS-WSC microcapsules, indicating the PPS participated in the interactions and played a role in the microcapsules' formation process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Investigating Environmental Links Between Parent Depression and Child Depressive/Anxiety Symptoms Using an Assisted Conception Design

PubMed Central

Lewis, Gemma; Rice, Frances; Harold, Gordon T.; Collishaw, Stephan; Thapar, Anita

2011-01-01

Objective Links between maternal and offspring depression symptoms could arise from inherited factors, direct environmental exposure, or shared adversity. A novel genetically sensitive design was used to test the extent of environmental links between maternal depression symptoms and child depression/anxiety symptoms, accounting for inherited effects, shared adversity, and child age and gender. Method Eight hundred fifty-two families with a child born by assisted conception provided questionnaire data. Mothers and fathers were genetically related or unrelated to the child depending on conception method. Parental depression symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Child depression/anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings questionnaire and six items tapping generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Associations between maternal and child symptoms were examined separately for genetically unrelated and related mother–child pairs, adjusting for three measurements of shared adversity: negative life events, family income, and socioeconomic status. Analyses were then run separately for boys and girls and for children and adolescents, and the role of paternal depression symptoms was also examined. Results Significant associations between parent and child symptoms were found for genetically unrelated mother–child (r = 0.32, p < .001) and father–child (r = 0.17, p < .05) pairs and genetically related mother–child (r = 0.31, p < .001) and father–child (r = 0.23, p < .001) pairs and were not explained by the shared adversity measurements. Environmental links were present for children and adolescents and were stronger for girls. Conclusions The transmission of depression symptoms is due in part to environmental processes independent of inherited effects and is not accounted for by shared adversity measurements. Girls may be more sensitive to the negative effects of maternal depression symptoms than boys through environmental processes. PMID:21515194
Phylogenetically resolving epidemiologic linkage

PubMed Central

Romero-Severson, Ethan O.; Bulla, Ingo; Leitner, Thomas

2016-01-01

Although the use of phylogenetic trees in epidemiological investigations has become commonplace, their epidemiological interpretation has not been systematically evaluated. Here, we use an HIV-1 within-host coalescent model to probabilistically evaluate transmission histories of two epidemiologically linked hosts. Previous critique of phylogenetic reconstruction has claimed that direction of transmission is difficult to infer, and that the existence of unsampled intermediary links or common sources can never be excluded. The phylogenetic relationship between the HIV populations of epidemiologically linked hosts can be classified into six types of trees, based on cladistic relationships and whether the reconstruction is consistent with the true transmission history or not. We show that the direction of transmission and whether unsampled intermediary links or common sources existed make very different predictions about expected phylogenetic relationships: (i) Direction of transmission can often be established when paraphyly exists, (ii) intermediary links can be excluded when multiple lineages were transmitted, and (iii) when the sampled individuals’ HIV populations both are monophyletic a common source was likely the origin. Inconsistent results, suggesting the wrong transmission direction, were generally rare. In addition, the expected tree topology also depends on the number of transmitted lineages, the sample size, the time of the sample relative to transmission, and how fast the diversity increases after infection. Typically, 20 or more sequences per subject give robust results. We confirm our theoretical evaluations with analyses of real transmission histories and discuss how our findings should aid in interpreting phylogenetic results. PMID:26903617
Phylogenetically resolving epidemiologic linkage

DOE PAGES

Romero-Severson, Ethan O.; Bulla, Ingo; Leitner, Thomas

2016-02-22

The use of phylogenetic trees in epidemiological investigations has become commonplace, but their epidemiological interpretation has not been systematically evaluated. Here, we use an HIV-1 within-host coalescent model to probabilistically evaluate transmission histories of two epidemiologically linked hosts. Previous critique of phylogenetic reconstruction has claimed that direction of transmission is difficult to infer, and that the existence of unsampled intermediary links or common sources can never be excluded. The phylogenetic relationship between the HIV populations of epidemiologically linked hosts can be classified into six types of trees, based on cladistic relationships and whether the reconstruction is consistent with the truemore » transmission history or not. We show that the direction of transmission and whether unsampled intermediary links or common sources existed make very different predictions about expected phylogenetic relationships: (i) Direction of transmission can often be established when paraphyly exists, (ii) intermediary links can be excluded when multiple lineages were transmitted, and (iii) when the sampled individuals’ HIV populations both are monophyletic a common source was likely the origin. Inconsistent results, suggesting the wrong transmission direction, were generally rare. In addition, the expected tree topology also depends on the number of transmitted lineages, the sample size, the time of the sample relative to transmission, and how fast the diversity increases after infection. Typically, 20 or more sequences per subject give robust results. Moreover, we confirm our theoretical evaluations with analyses of real transmission histories and discuss how our findings should aid in interpreting phylogenetic results.« less
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero-Severson, Ethan O.; Bulla, Ingo; Leitner, Thomas

The use of phylogenetic trees in epidemiological investigations has become commonplace, but their epidemiological interpretation has not been systematically evaluated. Here, we use an HIV-1 within-host coalescent model to probabilistically evaluate transmission histories of two epidemiologically linked hosts. Previous critique of phylogenetic reconstruction has claimed that direction of transmission is difficult to infer, and that the existence of unsampled intermediary links or common sources can never be excluded. The phylogenetic relationship between the HIV populations of epidemiologically linked hosts can be classified into six types of trees, based on cladistic relationships and whether the reconstruction is consistent with the truemore » transmission history or not. We show that the direction of transmission and whether unsampled intermediary links or common sources existed make very different predictions about expected phylogenetic relationships: (i) Direction of transmission can often be established when paraphyly exists, (ii) intermediary links can be excluded when multiple lineages were transmitted, and (iii) when the sampled individuals’ HIV populations both are monophyletic a common source was likely the origin. Inconsistent results, suggesting the wrong transmission direction, were generally rare. In addition, the expected tree topology also depends on the number of transmitted lineages, the sample size, the time of the sample relative to transmission, and how fast the diversity increases after infection. Typically, 20 or more sequences per subject give robust results. Moreover, we confirm our theoretical evaluations with analyses of real transmission histories and discuss how our findings should aid in interpreting phylogenetic results.« less
Submitting Publications to, and Linking to EPA Publications in, the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Linking to a document at NSCEP rather than uploading your own copy meets EPA standards and best practices for web content. If you follow this procedure, you can link directly to the PDF document without NSCEP's viewing pane or navigation.
77 FR 63268 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-16

... link bolts, center sway link bolts, and thrust link bolts on the forward engine mounts. This proposed... forward engine mounts. This condition, if left uncorrected, could result in a deterioration of the structural integrity of the front engine mount bolts [and possible damage to an engine or wing]. For the...
77 FR 40828 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-11

... certain main landing gear (MLG) upper torque link bolts is reduced significantly due to incorrect fabrication. This proposed AD would require replacing certain MLG upper torque link bolts with a new or... safe life limit on certain MLG upper torque link bolts is reduced significantly due to incorrect...
Obama cares about visuo-spatial attention: perception of political figures moves attention and determines gaze direction.

PubMed

Mills, Mark; Smith, Kevin B; Hibbing, John R; Dodd, Michael D

2015-02-01

Processing an abstract concept such as political ideology by itself is difficult but becomes easier when a background situation contextualizes it. Political ideology within American politics, for example, is commonly processed using space metaphorically, i.e., the political "left" and "right" (referring to Democrat and Republican views, respectively), presumably to provide a common metric to which abstract features of ideology can be grounded and understood. Commonplace use of space as metaphor raises the question of whether an inherently non-spatial stimulus (e.g., picture of the political "left" leader, Barack Obama) can trigger a spatially-specific response (e.g., attentional bias toward "left" regions of the visual field). Accordingly, pictures of well-known Democrats and Republicans were presented as central cues in peripheral target detection (Experiment 1) and saccadic free-choice (Experiment 2) tasks to determine whether perception of stimuli lacking a direct association with physical space nonetheless induce attentional and oculomotor biases in the direction compatible with the ideological category of the cue (i.e., Democrat/left and Republican/right). In Experiment 1, target detection following presentation of a Democrat (Republican) was facilitated for targets appearing to the left (right). In Experiment 2, participants were more likely to look left (right) following presentation of a Democrat (Republican). Thus, activating an internal representation of political ideology induced a shift of attention and biased choice of gaze direction in a spatially-specific manner. These findings demonstrate that the link between conceptual processing and spatial attention can be totally arbitrary, with no reference to physical or symbolic spatial information. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Scenario driven data modelling: a method for integrating diverse sources of data and data streams

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Biology is rapidly becoming a data intensive, data-driven science. It is essential that data is represented and connected in ways that best represent its full conceptual content and allows both automated integration and data driven decision-making. Recent advancements in distributed multi-relational directed graphs, implemented in the form of the Semantic Web make it possible to deal with complicated heterogeneous data in new and interesting ways. Results This paper presents a new approach, scenario driven data modelling (SDDM), that integrates multi-relational directed graphs with data streams. SDDM can be applied to virtually any data integration challenge with widely divergent types of data and data streams. In this work, we explored integrating genetics data with reports from traditional media. SDDM was applied to the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase gene (NDM-1), an emerging global health threat. The SDDM process constructed a scenario, created a RDF multi-relational directed graph that linked diverse types of data to the Semantic Web, implemented RDF conversion tools (RDFizers) to bring content into the Sematic Web, identified data streams and analytical routines to analyse those streams, and identified user requirements and graph traversals to meet end-user requirements. Conclusions We provided an example where SDDM was applied to a complex data integration challenge. The process created a model of the emerging NDM-1 health threat, identified and filled gaps in that model, and constructed reliable software that monitored data streams based on the scenario derived multi-relational directed graph. The SDDM process significantly reduced the software requirements phase by letting the scenario and resulting multi-relational directed graph define what is possible and then set the scope of the user requirements. Approaches like SDDM will be critical to the future of data intensive, data-driven science because they automate the process of converting massive data streams into usable knowledge. PMID:22165854
Linking the Teacher Appraisal Process to the School Improvement Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddekopp, Therese

2007-01-01

If a school improvement plan includes input from all stakeholders and focuses on data-driven processes that are linked to teacher appraisal, it can be powerful in leading the school toward the common mission of achieving student success. Linking the school improvement plan to the teacher appraisal process creates a system whereby all individuals…
CBM First-level Event Selector Input Interface Demonstrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Dirk; de Cuveland, Jan; Lindenstruth, Volker

2017-10-01

CBM is a heavy-ion experiment at the future FAIR facility in Darmstadt, Germany. Featuring self-triggered front-end electronics and free-streaming read-out, event selection will exclusively be done by the First Level Event Selector (FLES). Designed as an HPC cluster with several hundred nodes its task is an online analysis and selection of the physics data at a total input data rate exceeding 1 TByte/s. To allow efficient event selection, the FLES performs timeslice building, which combines the data from all given input links to self-contained, potentially overlapping processing intervals and distributes them to compute nodes. Partitioning the input data streams into specialized containers allows performing this task very efficiently. The FLES Input Interface defines the linkage between the FEE and the FLES data transport framework. A custom FPGA PCIe board, the FLES Interface Board (FLIB), is used to receive data via optical links and transfer them via DMA to the host’s memory. The current prototype of the FLIB features a Kintex-7 FPGA and provides up to eight 10 GBit/s optical links. A custom FPGA design has been developed for this board. DMA transfers and data structures are optimized for subsequent timeslice building. Index tables generated by the FPGA enable fast random access to the written data containers. In addition the DMA target buffers can directly serve as InfiniBand RDMA source buffers without copying the data. The usage of POSIX shared memory for these buffers allows data access from multiple processes. An accompanying HDL module has been developed to integrate the FLES link into the front-end FPGA designs. It implements the front-end logic interface as well as the link protocol. Prototypes of all Input Interface components have been implemented and integrated into the FLES test framework. This allows the implementation and evaluation of the foreseen CBM read-out chain.

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