Structured Low-Density Parity-Check Codes with Bandwidth Efficient Modulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Michael K.; Divsalar, Dariush; Duy, Stephanie

2009-01-01

In this work, we study the performance of structured Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) Codes together with bandwidth efficient modulations. We consider protograph-based LDPC codes that facilitate high-speed hardware implementations and have minimum distances that grow linearly with block sizes. We cover various higher- order modulations such as 8-PSK, 16-APSK, and 16-QAM. During demodulation, a demapper transforms the received in-phase and quadrature samples into reliability information that feeds the binary LDPC decoder. We will compare various low-complexity demappers and provide simulation results for assorted coded-modulation combinations on the additive white Gaussian noise and independent Rayleigh fading channels.

Protograph-Based Raptor-Like Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Chen, Tsung-Yi; Wang, Jiadong; Wesel, Richard D.

2014-01-01

Theoretical analysis has long indicated that feedback improves the error exponent but not the capacity of pointto- point memoryless channels. The analytic and empirical results indicate that at short blocklength regime, practical rate-compatible punctured convolutional (RCPC) codes achieve low latency with the use of noiseless feedback. In 3GPP, standard rate-compatible turbo codes (RCPT) did not outperform the convolutional codes in the short blocklength regime. The reason is the convolutional codes for low number of states can be decoded optimally using Viterbi decoder. Despite excellent performance of convolutional codes at very short blocklengths, the strength of convolutional codes does not scale with the blocklength for a fixed number of states in its trellis.

Accumulate-Repeat-Accumulate-Accumulate Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Dolinar, Samuel; Thorpe, Jeremy

2007-01-01

Accumulate-repeat-accumulate-accumulate (ARAA) codes have been proposed, inspired by the recently proposed accumulate-repeat-accumulate (ARA) codes. These are error-correcting codes suitable for use in a variety of wireless data-communication systems that include noisy channels. ARAA codes can be regarded as serial turbolike codes or as a subclass of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, and, like ARA codes they have projected graph or protograph representations; these characteristics make it possible to design high-speed iterative decoders that utilize belief-propagation algorithms. The objective in proposing ARAA codes as a subclass of ARA codes was to enhance the error-floor performance of ARA codes while maintaining simple encoding structures and low maximum variable node degree.

NASA Tech Briefs, August 2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2013-01-01

Topics covered include: Radial Internal Material Handling System (RIMS) for Circular Habitat Volumes; Conical Seat Shut-Off Valve; Impact-Actuated Digging Tool for Lunar Excavation; Flexible Mechanical Conveyors for Regolith Extraction and Transport; Remote Memory Access Protocol Target Node Intellectual Property; Soft Decision Analyzer; Distributed Prognostics and Health Management with a Wireless Network Architecture; Minimal Power Latch for Single-Slope ADCs; Bismuth Passivation Technique for High-Resolution X-Ray Detectors; High-Strength, Super-elastic Compounds; Cu-Cr-Nb-Zr Alloy for Rocket Engines and Other High-Heat- Flux Applications; Microgravity Storage Vessels and Conveying-Line Feeders for Cohesive Regolith; CRUQS: A Miniature Fine Sun Sensor for Nanosatellites; On-Chip Microfluidic Components for In Situ Analysis, Separation, and Detection of Amino Acids; Spectroscopic Determination of Trace Contaminants in High-Purity Oxygen; Method of Separating Oxygen From Spacecraft Cabin Air to Enable Extravehicular Activities; Atomic Force Microscope Mediated Chromatography; Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Simulator; Access Control of Web- and Java-Based Applications; Tool for Automated Retrieval of Generic Event Tracks (TARGET); Bilayer Protograph Codes for Half-Duplex Relay Channels; Influence of Computational Drop Representation in LES of a Droplet-Laden Mixing Layer.

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2014

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2014-01-01

Topics include: Multi-Source Autonomous Response for Targeting and Monitoring of Volcanic Activity; Software Suite to Support In-Flight Characterization of Remote Sensing Systems; Visual Image Sensor Organ Replacement; Ultra-Wideband, Dual-Polarized, Beam-Steering P-Band Array Antenna; Centering a DDR Strobe in the Middle of a Data Packet; Using a Commercial Ethernet PHY Device in a Radiation Environment; Submerged AUV Charging Station; Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Vertical Cylinder Habitat; Origami-Inspired Folding of Thick, Rigid Panels; A Novel Protocol for Decoating and Permeabilizing Bacterial Spores for Epifluorescent Microscopy; Method and Apparatus for Automated Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Small Cell Samples; Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing of Microchannels; On-Command Force and Torque Impeding Devices (OC-FTID) Using ERF; Deployable Fresnel Rings; Transition-Edge Hot-Electron Microbolometers for Millimeter and Submillimeter Astrophysics; Spacecraft Trajectory Analysis and Mission Planning Simulation (STAMPS) Software; Cross Support Transfer Service (CSTS) Framework Library; Arbitrary Shape Deformation in CFD Design; Range Safety Flight Elevation Limit Calculation Software; Frequency-Modulated, Continuous-Wave Laser Ranging Using Photon-Counting Detectors; Calculation of Operations Efficiency Factors for Mars Surface Missions; GPU Lossless Hyperspectral Data Compression System; Robust, Optimal Subsonic Airfoil Shapes; Protograph-Based Raptor-Like Codes; Fuzzy Neuron: Method and Hardware Realization; Kalman Filter Input Processor for Boresight Calibration; Organizing Compression of Hyperspectral Imagery to Allow Efficient Parallel Decompression; and Temperature Dependences of Mechanisms Responsible for the Water-Vapor Continuum Absorption.

Constructing LDPC Codes from Loop-Free Encoding Modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Dolinar, Samuel; Jones, Christopher; Thorpe, Jeremy; Andrews, Kenneth

2009-01-01

A method of constructing certain low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes by use of relatively simple loop-free coding modules has been developed. The subclasses of LDPC codes to which the method applies includes accumulate-repeat-accumulate (ARA) codes, accumulate-repeat-check-accumulate codes, and the codes described in Accumulate-Repeat-Accumulate-Accumulate Codes (NPO-41305), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 9 (September 2007), page 90. All of the affected codes can be characterized as serial/parallel (hybrid) concatenations of such relatively simple modules as accumulators, repetition codes, differentiators, and punctured single-parity check codes. These are error-correcting codes suitable for use in a variety of wireless data-communication systems that include noisy channels. These codes can also be characterized as hybrid turbolike codes that have projected graph or protograph representations (for example see figure); these characteristics make it possible to design high-speed iterative decoders that utilize belief-propagation algorithms. The present method comprises two related submethods for constructing LDPC codes from simple loop-free modules with circulant permutations. The first submethod is an iterative encoding method based on the erasure-decoding algorithm. The computations required by this method are well organized because they involve a parity-check matrix having a block-circulant structure. The second submethod involves the use of block-circulant generator matrices. The encoders of this method are very similar to those of recursive convolutional codes. Some encoders according to this second submethod have been implemented in a small field-programmable gate array that operates at a speed of 100 megasymbols per second. By use of density evolution (a computational- simulation technique for analyzing performances of LDPC codes), it has been shown through some examples that as the block size goes to infinity, low iterative decoding thresholds close to channel capacity limits can be achieved for the codes of the type in question having low maximum variable node degrees. The decoding thresholds in these examples are lower than those of the best-known unstructured irregular LDPC codes constrained to have the same maximum node degrees. Furthermore, the present method enables the construction of codes of any desired rate with thresholds that stay uniformly close to their respective channel capacity thresholds.

LDPC Codes with Minimum Distance Proportional to Block Size

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Jones, Christopher; Dolinar, Samuel; Thorpe, Jeremy

2009-01-01

Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes characterized by minimum Hamming distances proportional to block sizes have been demonstrated. Like the codes mentioned in the immediately preceding article, the present codes are error-correcting codes suitable for use in a variety of wireless data-communication systems that include noisy channels. The previously mentioned codes have low decoding thresholds and reasonably low error floors. However, the minimum Hamming distances of those codes do not grow linearly with code-block sizes. Codes that have this minimum-distance property exhibit very low error floors. Examples of such codes include regular LDPC codes with variable degrees of at least 3. Unfortunately, the decoding thresholds of regular LDPC codes are high. Hence, there is a need for LDPC codes characterized by both low decoding thresholds and, in order to obtain acceptably low error floors, minimum Hamming distances that are proportional to code-block sizes. The present codes were developed to satisfy this need. The minimum Hamming distances of the present codes have been shown, through consideration of ensemble-average weight enumerators, to be proportional to code block sizes. As in the cases of irregular ensembles, the properties of these codes are sensitive to the proportion of degree-2 variable nodes. A code having too few such nodes tends to have an iterative decoding threshold that is far from the capacity threshold. A code having too many such nodes tends not to exhibit a minimum distance that is proportional to block size. Results of computational simulations have shown that the decoding thresholds of codes of the present type are lower than those of regular LDPC codes. Included in the simulations were a few examples from a family of codes characterized by rates ranging from low to high and by thresholds that adhere closely to their respective channel capacity thresholds; the simulation results from these examples showed that the codes in question have low error floors as well as low decoding thresholds. As an example, the illustration shows the protograph (which represents the blueprint for overall construction) of one proposed code family for code rates greater than or equal to 1.2. Any size LDPC code can be obtained by copying the protograph structure N times, then permuting the edges. The illustration also provides Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware performance simulations for this code family. In addition, the illustration provides minimum signal-to-noise ratios (Eb/No) in decibels (decoding thresholds) to achieve zero error rates as the code block size goes to infinity for various code rates. In comparison with the codes mentioned in the preceding article, these codes have slightly higher decoding thresholds.

Accumulate repeat accumulate codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbasfar, Aliazam; Divsalar, Dariush; Yao, Kung

2004-01-01

In this paper we propose an innovative channel coding scheme called 'Accumulate Repeat Accumulate codes' (ARA). This class of codes can be viewed as serial turbo-like codes, or as a subclass of Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes, thus belief propagation can be used for iterative decoding of ARA codes on a graph. The structure of encoder for this class can be viewed as precoded Repeat Accumulate (RA) code or as precoded Irregular Repeat Accumulate (IRA) code, where simply an accumulator is chosen as a precoder. Thus ARA codes have simple, and very fast encoder structure when they representing LDPC codes. Based on density evolution for LDPC codes through some examples for ARA codes, we show that for maximum variable node degree 5 a minimum bit SNR as low as 0.08 dB from channel capacity for rate 1/2 can be achieved as the block size goes to infinity. Thus based on fixed low maximum variable node degree, its threshold outperforms not only the RA and IRA codes but also the best known LDPC codes with the dame maximum node degree. Furthermore by puncturing the accumulators any desired high rate codes close to code rate 1 can be obtained with thresholds that stay close to the channel capacity thresholds uniformly. Iterative decoding simulation results are provided. The ARA codes also have projected graph or protograph representation that allows for high speed decoder implementation.

The CREATE Method Does Not Result in Greater Gains in Critical Thinking than a More Traditional Method of Analyzing the Primary Literature †

PubMed Central

Segura-Totten, Miriam; Dalman, Nancy E.

2013-01-01

Analysis of the primary literature in the undergraduate curriculum is associated with gains in student learning. In particular, the CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) method is associated with an increase in student critical thinking skills. We adapted the CREATE method within a required cell biology class and compared the learning gains of students using CREATE to those of students involved in less structured literature discussions. We found that while both sets of students had gains in critical thinking, students who used the CREATE method did not show significant improvement over students engaged in a more traditional method for dissecting the literature. Students also reported similar learning gains for both literature discussion methods. Our study suggests that, at least in our educational context, the CREATE method does not lead to higher learning gains than a less structured way of reading primary literature. PMID:24358379

Synthesis of triazole-based and imidazole-based zinc catalysts

DOEpatents

Valdez, Carlos A.; Satcher, Jr., Joe H.; Aines, Roger D.; Baker, Sarah E.

2013-03-12

Various methods and structures of complexes and molecules are described herein related to a zinc-centered catalyst for removing carbon dioxide from atmospheric or aqueous environments. According to one embodiment, a method for creating a tris(triazolyl)pentaerythritol molecule includes contacting a pentaerythritol molecule with a propargyl halide molecule to create a trialkyne molecule, and contacting the trialkyne molecule with an azide molecule to create the tris(triazolyl)pentaerythritol molecule. In another embodiment, a method for creating a tris(imidazolyl)pentaerythritol molecule includes alkylating an imidazole 2-carbaldehyde molecule to create a monoalkylated aldehyde molecule, reducing the monoalkylated aldehyde molecule to create an alcohol molecule, converting the alcohol molecule to create an alkyl halide molecule using thionyl halide, and reacting the alkyl halide molecule with a pentaerythritol molecule to create a tris(imidazolyl)pentaerythritol molecule. In another embodiment, zinc is bound to the tris(triazolyl)pentaerythritol molecule to create a zinc-centered tris(triazolyl)pentaerythritol catalyst for removing carbon dioxide from atmospheric or aqueous environments.

Simplified method for creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve for the low dose range from Gafchromic EBT3 film.

PubMed

Gotanda, Tatsuhiro; Katsuda, Toshizo; Gotanda, Rumi; Kuwano, Tadao; Akagawa, Takuya; Tanki, Nobuyoshi; Tabuchi, Akihiko; Shimono, Tetsunori; Kawaji, Yasuyuki

2016-01-01

Radiochromic film dosimeters have a disadvantage in comparison with an ionization chamber in that the dosimetry process is time-consuming for creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve. The purpose of this study was the development of a simplified method of creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve from radiochromic film within a short time. This simplified method was performed using Gafchromic EBT3 film with a low energy dependence and step-shaped Al filter. The simplified method was compared with the standard method. The density-absorbed dose calibration curves created using the simplified and standard methods exhibited approximately similar straight lines, and the gradients of the density-absorbed dose calibration curves were -32.336 and -33.746, respectively. The simplified method can obtain calibration curves within a much shorter time compared to the standard method. It is considered that the simplified method for EBT3 film offers a more time-efficient means of determining the density-absorbed dose calibration curve within a low absorbed dose range such as the diagnostic range.

Simplified method for creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve for the low dose range from Gafchromic EBT3 film

PubMed Central

Gotanda, Tatsuhiro; Katsuda, Toshizo; Gotanda, Rumi; Kuwano, Tadao; Akagawa, Takuya; Tanki, Nobuyoshi; Tabuchi, Akihiko; Shimono, Tetsunori; Kawaji, Yasuyuki

2016-01-01

Radiochromic film dosimeters have a disadvantage in comparison with an ionization chamber in that the dosimetry process is time-consuming for creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve. The purpose of this study was the development of a simplified method of creating a density-absorbed dose calibration curve from radiochromic film within a short time. This simplified method was performed using Gafchromic EBT3 film with a low energy dependence and step-shaped Al filter. The simplified method was compared with the standard method. The density-absorbed dose calibration curves created using the simplified and standard methods exhibited approximately similar straight lines, and the gradients of the density-absorbed dose calibration curves were −32.336 and −33.746, respectively. The simplified method can obtain calibration curves within a much shorter time compared to the standard method. It is considered that the simplified method for EBT3 film offers a more time-efficient means of determining the density-absorbed dose calibration curve within a low absorbed dose range such as the diagnostic range. PMID:28144120

SELECTING SITES FOR COMPARISON WITH CREATED WETLANDS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper describes the method used for selecting natural wetlands to compare with created wetlands. The results of the selection process and the advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. The random site selection method required extensive field work and may have ...

Creating a VAPEPS database: A VAPEPS tutorial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graves, George

1989-01-01

A procedural method is outlined for creating a Vibroacoustic Payload Environment Prediction System (VAPEPS) Database. The method of presentation employs flowcharts of sequential VAPEPS Commands used to create a VAPEPS Database. The commands are accompanied by explanatory text to the right of the command in order to minimize the need for repetitive reference to the VAPEPS user's manual. The method is demonstrated by examples of varying complexity. It is assumed that the reader has acquired a basic knowledge of the VAPEPS software program.

Two-step method for creating a gastric tube during laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy.

PubMed

Liu, Yu; Li, Ji-Jia; Zu, Peng; Liu, Hong-Xu; Yu, Zhan-Wu; Ren, Yi

2017-12-07

To introduce a two-step method for creating a gastric tube during laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy and assess its clinical application. One hundred and twenty-two patients with middle or lower esophageal cancer who underwent laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy at Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute from March 2014 to March 2016 were included in this study, and divided into two groups based on the procedure used for creating a gastric tube. One group used a two-step method for creating a gastric tube, and the other group used the conventional method. The two groups were compared regarding the operating time, surgical complications, and number of stapler cartridges used. The mean operating time was significantly shorter in the two-step method group than in the conventional method group [238 (179-293) min vs 272 (189-347) min, P < 0.01]. No postoperative death occurred in either group. There was no significant difference in the rate of complications [14 (21.9%) vs 13 (22.4%), P = 0.55] or mean number of stapler cartridges used [5 (4-6) vs 5.2 (5-6), P = 0.007] between the two groups. The two-step method for creating a gastric tube during laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy has the advantages of simple operation, minimal damage to the tubular stomach, and reduced use of stapler cartridges.

Method and Apparatus for Creating a Topography at a Surface

DOEpatents

Adams, David P.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Mayer, Thomas M.; Vasile, Michael J.; Sweatt, William C.

2008-11-11

Methods and apparatus whereby an optical interferometer is utilized to monitor and provide feedback control to an integrated energetic particle column, to create desired topographies, including the depth, shape and/or roughness of features, at a surface of a specimen. Energetic particle columns can direct energetic species including, ions, photons and/or neutral particles to a surface to create features having in-plane dimensions on the order of 1 micron, and a height or depth on the order of 1 nanometer. Energetic processes can include subtractive processes such as sputtering, ablation, focused ion beam milling and, additive processes, such as energetic beam induced chemical vapor deposition. The integration of interferometric methods with processing by energetic species offers the ability to create desired topographies at surfaces, including planar and curved shapes.

Creating objects and object categories for studying perception and perceptual learning.

PubMed

Hauffen, Karin; Bart, Eugene; Brady, Mark; Kersten, Daniel; Hegdé, Jay

2012-11-02

In order to quantitatively study object perception, be it perception by biological systems or by machines, one needs to create objects and object categories with precisely definable, preferably naturalistic, properties. Furthermore, for studies on perceptual learning, it is useful to create novel objects and object categories (or object classes) with such properties. Many innovative and useful methods currently exist for creating novel objects and object categories (also see refs. 7,8). However, generally speaking, the existing methods have three broad types of shortcomings. First, shape variations are generally imposed by the experimenter, and may therefore be different from the variability in natural categories, and optimized for a particular recognition algorithm. It would be desirable to have the variations arise independently of the externally imposed constraints. Second, the existing methods have difficulty capturing the shape complexity of natural objects. If the goal is to study natural object perception, it is desirable for objects and object categories to be naturalistic, so as to avoid possible confounds and special cases. Third, it is generally hard to quantitatively measure the available information in the stimuli created by conventional methods. It would be desirable to create objects and object categories where the available information can be precisely measured and, where necessary, systematically manipulated (or 'tuned'). This allows one to formulate the underlying object recognition tasks in quantitative terms. Here we describe a set of algorithms, or methods, that meet all three of the above criteria. Virtual morphogenesis (VM) creates novel, naturalistic virtual 3-D objects called 'digital embryos' by simulating the biological process of embryogenesis. Virtual phylogenesis (VP) creates novel, naturalistic object categories by simulating the evolutionary process of natural selection. Objects and object categories created by these simulations can be further manipulated by various morphing methods to generate systematic variations of shape characteristics. The VP and morphing methods can also be applied, in principle, to novel virtual objects other than digital embryos, or to virtual versions of real-world objects. Virtual objects created in this fashion can be rendered as visual images using a conventional graphical toolkit, with desired manipulations of surface texture, illumination, size, viewpoint and background. The virtual objects can also be 'printed' as haptic objects using a conventional 3-D prototyper. We also describe some implementations of these computational algorithms to help illustrate the potential utility of the algorithms. It is important to distinguish the algorithms from their implementations. The implementations are demonstrations offered solely as a 'proof of principle' of the underlying algorithms. It is important to note that, in general, an implementation of a computational algorithm often has limitations that the algorithm itself does not have. Together, these methods represent a set of powerful and flexible tools for studying object recognition and perceptual learning by biological and computational systems alike. With appropriate extensions, these methods may also prove useful in the study of morphogenesis and phylogenesis.

Method for facilitating the introduction of material into cells

DOEpatents

Holcomb, David E.; McKnight, Timothy E.

2000-01-01

The present invention is a method for creating a localized disruption within a boundary of a cell or structure by exposing a boundary of a cell or structure to a set of energetically charged particles while regulating the energy of the charged particles so that the charged particles have an amount of kinetic energy sufficient to create a localized disruption within an area of the boundary of the cell or structure, then upon creation of the localized disruption, the amount of kinetic energy decreases to an amount insufficient to create further damage within the cell or structure beyond the boundary. The present invention is also a method for facilitating the introduction of a material into a cell or structure using the same methodology then further exciting the area of the boundary of the cell or structure where the localized disruption was created so to create a localized temporary opening within the boundary then further introducing the material through the temporary opening into the cell or structure.

A rapid, automated approach to optimisation of multiple reaction monitoring conditions for quantitative bioanalytical mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Higton, D M

2001-01-01

An improvement to the procedure for the rapid optimisation of mass spectrometry (PROMS), for the development of multiple reaction methods (MRM) for quantitative bioanalytical liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), is presented. PROMS is an automated protocol that uses flow-injection analysis (FIA) and AppleScripts to create methods and acquire the data for optimisation. The protocol determines the optimum orifice potential, the MRM conditions for each compound, and finally creates the MRM methods needed for sample analysis. The sensitivities of the MRM methods created by PROMS approach those created manually. MRM method development using PROMS currently takes less than three minutes per compound compared to at least fifteen minutes manually. To further enhance throughput, approaches to MRM optimisation using one injection per compound, two injections per pool of five compounds and one injection per pool of five compounds have been investigated. No significant difference in the optimised instrumental parameters for MRM methods were found between the original PROMS approach and these new methods, which are up to ten times faster. The time taken for an AppleScript to determine the optimum conditions and build the MRM methods is the same with all approaches. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Force Management Methods Task II. Volume III. Attack/Fighter/Trainer Aircraft Evaluation of Potential Improved Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-01

structural manager. The designation "ASIMISH is used in the subsequent discussions to avoid the impression that a new organization must be created to...mission changes on the structural integrity of the airframe. New maintenance action schedules are created to conform with the operational realities of... created to further divide this information. In fact, the ASIP maintenance action parameters and data for the A-7D ( and other airplanes) is being

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

PubMed Central

Hauffen, Karin; Bart, Eugene; Brady, Mark; Kersten, Daniel; Hegdé, Jay

2012-01-01

In order to quantitatively study object perception, be it perception by biological systems or by machines, one needs to create objects and object categories with precisely definable, preferably naturalistic, properties1. Furthermore, for studies on perceptual learning, it is useful to create novel objects and object categories (or object classes) with such properties2. Many innovative and useful methods currently exist for creating novel objects and object categories3-6 (also see refs. 7,8). However, generally speaking, the existing methods have three broad types of shortcomings. First, shape variations are generally imposed by the experimenter5,9,10, and may therefore be different from the variability in natural categories, and optimized for a particular recognition algorithm. It would be desirable to have the variations arise independently of the externally imposed constraints. Second, the existing methods have difficulty capturing the shape complexity of natural objects11-13. If the goal is to study natural object perception, it is desirable for objects and object categories to be naturalistic, so as to avoid possible confounds and special cases. Third, it is generally hard to quantitatively measure the available information in the stimuli created by conventional methods. It would be desirable to create objects and object categories where the available information can be precisely measured and, where necessary, systematically manipulated (or 'tuned'). This allows one to formulate the underlying object recognition tasks in quantitative terms. Here we describe a set of algorithms, or methods, that meet all three of the above criteria. Virtual morphogenesis (VM) creates novel, naturalistic virtual 3-D objects called 'digital embryos' by simulating the biological process of embryogenesis14. Virtual phylogenesis (VP) creates novel, naturalistic object categories by simulating the evolutionary process of natural selection9,12,13. Objects and object categories created by these simulations can be further manipulated by various morphing methods to generate systematic variations of shape characteristics15,16. The VP and morphing methods can also be applied, in principle, to novel virtual objects other than digital embryos, or to virtual versions of real-world objects9,13. Virtual objects created in this fashion can be rendered as visual images using a conventional graphical toolkit, with desired manipulations of surface texture, illumination, size, viewpoint and background. The virtual objects can also be 'printed' as haptic objects using a conventional 3-D prototyper. We also describe some implementations of these computational algorithms to help illustrate the potential utility of the algorithms. It is important to distinguish the algorithms from their implementations. The implementations are demonstrations offered solely as a 'proof of principle' of the underlying algorithms. It is important to note that, in general, an implementation of a computational algorithm often has limitations that the algorithm itself does not have. Together, these methods represent a set of powerful and flexible tools for studying object recognition and perceptual learning by biological and computational systems alike. With appropriate extensions, these methods may also prove useful in the study of morphogenesis and phylogenesis. PMID:23149420

Comparison of estimation methods for creating small area rates of acute myocardial infarction among Medicare beneficiaries in California.

PubMed

Yasaitis, Laura C; Arcaya, Mariana C; Subramanian, S V

2015-09-01

Creating local population health measures from administrative data would be useful for health policy and public health monitoring purposes. While a wide range of options--from simple spatial smoothers to model-based methods--for estimating such rates exists, there are relatively few side-by-side comparisons, especially not with real-world data. In this paper, we compare methods for creating local estimates of acute myocardial infarction rates from Medicare claims data. A Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov Chain estimator that incorporated spatial and local random effects performed best, followed by a method-of-moments spatial Empirical Bayes estimator. As the former is more complicated and time-consuming, spatial linear Empirical Bayes methods may represent a good alternative for non-specialist investigators. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation of pyrolysis reference samples: evaluation of a standard method using a tube furnace.

PubMed

Sandercock, P Mark L

2012-05-01

A new, simple method for the reproducible creation of pyrolysis products from different materials that may be found at a fire scene is described. A temperature programmable steady-state tube furnace was used to generate pyrolysis products from different substrates, including softwoods, paper, vinyl sheet flooring, and carpet. The temperature profile of the tube furnace was characterized, and the suitability of the method to reproducibly create pyrolysates similar to those found in real fire debris was assessed. The use of this method to create proficiency tests to realistically test an examiner's ability to interpret complex gas chromatograph-mass spectrometric fire debris data, and to create a library of pyrolsates generated from materials commonly found at a fire scene, is demonstrated. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Spinal Tissue Loading Created by Different Methods of Spinal Manipulative Therapy Application

PubMed Central

Funabashi, Martha; Nougarou, François; Descarreaux, Martin; Prasad, Narasimha; Kawchuk, Gregory N.

2017-01-01

Study Design. Comparative study using robotic replication of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) vertebral kinematics together with serial dissection. Objective. The aim of this study was to quantify loads created in cadaveric spinal tissues arising from three different forms of SMT application. Summary of Background Data. There exist many distinct methods by which to apply SMT. It is not known presently whether different forms of SMT application have different effects on spinal tissues. Should the method of SMT application modulate spinal tissue loading, quantifying this relation may help explain the varied outcomes of SMT in terms of effect and safety. Methods. SMT was applied to the third lumbar vertebra in 12 porcine cadavers using three SMT techniques: a clinical device that applies forces through a hand-held instrument (INST), a manual technique of applying SMT clinically (MAN) and a research device that applies parameters of manual SMT through a servo-controlled linear actuator motor (SERVO). The resulting kinematics from each SMT application were tracked optically via indwelling bone pins. The L3/L4 segment was then removed, mounted in a parallel robot and the resulting kinematics from SMT replayed for each SMT application technique. Serial dissection of spinal structures was conducted to quantify loading characteristics of discrete spinal tissues. Results. In terms of load magnitude, SMT application with MAN and SERVO created greater forces than INST in all conditions (P < 0.05). Additionally, MAN and SERVO created comparable posterior forces in the intact specimen, but MAN created greater posterior forces on IVD structures compared to SERVO (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Specific methods of SMT application create unique vertebral loading characteristics, which may help explain the varied outcomes of SMT in terms of effect and safety. Level of Evidence: N/A PMID:28146021

iTemplate: A template-based eye movement data analysis approach.

PubMed

Xiao, Naiqi G; Lee, Kang

2018-02-08

Current eye movement data analysis methods rely on defining areas of interest (AOIs). Due to the fact that AOIs are created and modified manually, variances in their size, shape, and location are unavoidable. These variances affect not only the consistency of the AOI definitions, but also the validity of the eye movement analyses based on the AOIs. To reduce the variances in AOI creation and modification and achieve a procedure to process eye movement data with high precision and efficiency, we propose a template-based eye movement data analysis method. Using a linear transformation algorithm, this method registers the eye movement data from each individual stimulus to a template. Thus, users only need to create one set of AOIs for the template in order to analyze eye movement data, rather than creating a unique set of AOIs for all individual stimuli. This change greatly reduces the error caused by the variance from manually created AOIs and boosts the efficiency of the data analysis. Furthermore, this method can help researchers prepare eye movement data for some advanced analysis approaches, such as iMap. We have developed software (iTemplate) with a graphic user interface to make this analysis method available to researchers.

Matching Learning Style Preferences with Suitable Delivery Methods on Textile Design Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayer, Kate; Studd, Rachel

2006-01-01

Textile design is a subject that encompasses both design and technology; aesthetically pleasing patterns and forms must be set within technical parameters to create successful fabrics. When considering education methods in design programmes, identifying the most relevant learning approach is key to creating future successes. Yet are the most…

Automated Test Case Generator for Phishing Prevention Using Generative Grammars and Discriminative Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palka, Sean

2015-01-01

This research details a methodology designed for creating content in support of various phishing prevention tasks including live exercises and detection algorithm research. Our system uses probabilistic context-free grammars (PCFG) and variable interpolation as part of a multi-pass method to create diverse and consistent phishing email content on…

Dynamic Pathfinders: Leveraging Your OPAC to Create Resource Guides

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Ben

2008-01-01

Library pathfinders are a time-tested method of leading library users to important resources. However, paper-based pathfinders suffer from space limitations, and both paper-based and Web-based pathfinders require frequent updates to keep up with new library acquisitions. This article details a step-by-step method to create an online dynamic…

Origami by frontal photopolymerization.

PubMed

Zhao, Zeang; Wu, Jiangtao; Mu, Xiaoming; Chen, Haosen; Qi, H Jerry; Fang, Daining

2017-04-01

Origami structures are of great interest in microelectronics, soft actuators, mechanical metamaterials, and biomedical devices. Current methods of fabricating origami structures still have several limitations, such as complex material systems or tedious processing steps. We present a simple approach for creating three-dimensional (3D) origami structures by the frontal photopolymerization method, which can be easily implemented by using a commercial projector. The concept of our method is based on the volume shrinkage during photopolymerization. By adding photoabsorbers into the polymer resin, an attenuated light field is created and leads to a nonuniform curing along the thickness direction. The layer directly exposed to light cures faster than the next layer; this nonuniform curing degree leads to nonuniform curing-induced volume shrinkage. This further introduces a nonuniform stress field, which drives the film to bend toward the newly formed side. The degree of bending can be controlled by adjusting the gray scale and the irradiation time, an easy approach for creating origami structures. The behavior is examined both experimentally and theoretically. Two methods are also proposed to create different types of 3D origami structures.

Continuous flow synthesis of VO2 nanoparticles or nanorods by using a microreactor

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

Li, Jie; Sun, Yugang; Muehleisen, Ralph T.

The invention provides a method for producing composite nanoparticles, the method using a first compound capable of transitioning from a monoclinic to a tetragonal rutile crystal state upon heating, and having the steps of subjecting the first compound to a hydrothermal synthesis to create anisotropic crystals of the compound; encapsulating the first compound with a second compound to create a core-shell construct; and annealing the construct as needed. Also provided is a device for continuously synthesizing composite nanoparticles, the device having a first precursor supply and a second precursor supply; a mixer to homogeneously combine the first precursor and secondmore » precursor to create a liquor; a first microreactor to subject the liquor to hydrothermic conditions to create an\\isotropic particles in a continuous operation mode; and a second microreactor for coating the particles with a third precursor to create a core-shell construct.« less

Process to create simulated lunar agglutinate particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gustafson, Robert J. (Inventor); Gustafson, Marty A. (Inventor); White, Brant C. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A method of creating simulated agglutinate particles by applying a heat source sufficient to partially melt a raw material is provided. The raw material is preferably any lunar soil simulant, crushed mineral, mixture of crushed minerals, or similar material, and the heat source creates localized heating of the raw material.

Creating and Sharing: Teens' Information Practices in Digital Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlan, Mary Ann; Bruce, Christine; Lupton, Mandy

2014-01-01

Introduction: In a connected world youth are participating in digital content creating communities. This paper introduces a description of teens' information practices in digital content creating and sharing communities. Method: The research design was a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Seventeen interviews with eleven teens were…

The Enrollment Funnel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perna, Mark C.

2005-01-01

A smart marketing plan creates emotional attachment and loyalty in a school's prospective students, but how does a school go about creating this type of positive environment?. In this brief paper, the author describes a step-by-step approach that he created--the enrollment funnel. The enrollment funnel is a systematic method of moving…

Method of making a coating of a microtextured surface

DOEpatents

Affinito, John D [Tucson, AZ; Graff, Gordon L [West Richland, WA; Martin, Peter M [Kennewick, WA; Gross, Mark E [Pasco, WA; Burrows, Paul E [Kennewick, WA; Sapochak, Linda S [Henderson, NV

2004-11-02

A method for conformally coating a microtextured surface. The method includes flash evaporating a polymer precursor forming an evaporate, passing the evaporate to a glow discharge electrode creating a glow discharge polymer precursor plasma from the evaporate, cryocondensing the glow discharge polymer precursor plasma on the microtextured surface and crosslinking the glow discharge polymer precursor plasma thereon, wherein the crosslinking resulting from radicals created in the glow discharge polymer precursor plasma.

Using of CBA Method for Evaluation of the Investments in the Link with Social Responsible Business

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mrvová, Ľubica; Vaňová, Jaromíra

2012-12-01

The paper presents knowledge from the area of economic efficiency assessment of the environmental investments, in the link with environmental management with context of social responsible business and their mutual connection, on the base of CBA method. CBA method creates basis for the software CBA1.1, which was created for the needs of business practise for the small and medium enterprises in the Slovak Republic.

Development of steel design details and selection criteria for cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado : CDOT study no. 85-00 final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

This research focuses on finding a method for creating cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado. The design method that was discovered to create this cost efficiency was designing the beams as simply supported for non-composite dead lo...

A Maze Game on Android Using Growing Tree Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrawan, Y. F.

2018-01-01

A maze is a type of puzzle games where a player moves in complex and branched passages to find a particular target or location. One method to create a maze is the Growing Tree method. The method creates a tree that has branches which are the paths of a maze. This research explored three types of Growing Tree method implementations for maze generation on Android mobile devices. The layouts produced could be played in first and third-person perspectives. The experiment results showed that it took 17.3 seconds on average to generate 20 cells x 20 cells dynamic maze layouts.

Displaying R spatial statistics on Google dynamic maps with web applications created by Rwui

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The R project includes a large variety of packages designed for spatial statistics. Google dynamic maps provide web based access to global maps and satellite imagery. We describe a method for displaying directly the spatial output from an R script on to a Google dynamic map. Methods This is achieved by creating a Java based web application which runs the R script and then displays the results on the dynamic map. In order to make this method easy to implement by those unfamiliar with programming Java based web applications, we have added the method to the options available in the R Web User Interface (Rwui) application. Rwui is an established web application for creating web applications for running R scripts. A feature of Rwui is that all the code for the web application being created is generated automatically so that someone with no knowledge of web programming can make a fully functional web application for running an R script in a matter of minutes. Results Rwui can now be used to create web applications that will display the results from an R script on a Google dynamic map. Results may be displayed as discrete markers and/or as continuous overlays. In addition, users of the web application may select regions of interest on the dynamic map with mouse clicks and the coordinates of the region of interest will automatically be made available for use by the R script. Conclusions This method of displaying R output on dynamic maps is designed to be of use in a number of areas. Firstly it allows statisticians, working in R and developing methods in spatial statistics, to easily visualise the results of applying their methods to real world data. Secondly, it allows researchers who are using R to study health geographics data, to display their results directly onto dynamic maps. Thirdly, by creating a web application for running an R script, a statistician can enable users entirely unfamiliar with R to run R coded statistical analyses of health geographics data. Fourthly, we envisage an educational role for such applications. PMID:22998945

Method for stabilizing low-level mixed wastes at room temperature

DOEpatents

Wagh, A.S.; Singh, D.

1997-07-08

A method to stabilize solid and liquid waste at room temperature is provided comprising combining solid waste with a starter oxide to obtain a powder, contacting the powder with an acid solution to create a slurry, said acid solution containing the liquid waste, shaping the now-mixed slurry into a predetermined form, and allowing the now-formed slurry to set. The invention also provides for a method to encapsulate and stabilize waste containing cesium comprising combining the waste with Zr(OH){sub 4} to create a solid-phase mixture, mixing phosphoric acid with the solid-phase mixture to create a slurry, subjecting the slurry to pressure; and allowing the now pressurized slurry to set. Lastly, the invention provides for a method to stabilize liquid waste, comprising supplying a powder containing magnesium, sodium and phosphate in predetermined proportions, mixing said powder with the liquid waste, such as tritium, and allowing the resulting slurry to set. 4 figs.

Method for stabilizing low-level mixed wastes at room temperature

DOEpatents

Wagh, Arun S.; Singh, Dileep

1997-01-01

A method to stabilize solid and liquid waste at room temperature is provided comprising combining solid waste with a starter oxide to obtain a powder, contacting the powder with an acid solution to create a slurry, said acid solution containing the liquid waste, shaping the now-mixed slurry into a predetermined form, and allowing the now-formed slurry to set. The invention also provides for a method to encapsulate and stabilize waste containing cesium comprising combining the waste with Zr(OH).sub.4 to create a solid-phase mixture, mixing phosphoric acid with the solid-phase mixture to create a slurry, subjecting the slurry to pressure; and allowing the now pressurized slurry to set. Lastly, the invention provides for a method to stabilize liquid waste, comprising supplying a powder containing magnesium, sodium and phosphate in predetermined proportions, mixing said powder with the liquid waste, such as tritium, and allowing the resulting slurry to set.

Creating Cost-Effective DNA Size Standards for Use in Teaching and Research Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shultz, Jeff

2011-01-01

I have devised a method with which a molecular size standard can be readily manufactured using Lambda DNA and PCR. This method allows the production of specific sized DNA fragments and is easily performed in a standard molecular biology laboratory. The material required to create these markers can also be used to provide a highly robust and…

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of Exemplary University Presidents and the Behaviors They Use to Create Personal and Organizational Meaning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartels, Barbara E.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this thematic, mixed method case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that exemplary university presidents use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration. Further, this study surveyed followers to assess the degree of…

A Modified Method for Creating Elastase-Induced Aneurysms by Ligation of Common Carotid Arteries in Rabbits and Its Effect on Surrounding Arteries.

PubMed

Kainth, Daraspreet; Salazar, Pascal; Safinia, Cyrus; Chow, Ricky; Bachour, Ornina; Andalib, Sasan; McKinney, Alexander M; Divani, Afshin A

2017-01-01

Rabbit models of intracranial aneurysms are frequently used in pre-clinical settings. This study aimed to demonstrate an alternative, extravascular method for creating elastase-induced aneurysms, and how ligation of the right common carotid arteries (RCCA) can impact flow redistribution into left CCA (LCCA). Elastase-induced aneurysms in 18 New Zealand rabbits (4.14 ± 0.314 kg) were created by applying 3-5 U of concentrated elastase solution to the exterior of the right and left CCA roots (RCCA and LCCA). After the induction of the aneurysm, the aneurysm was either kept intact to the rest of the corresponding CCA, severed from the rest of the CCA to allow for a free standing aneurysm, or was anchored to nearby tissue to influence the angle and orientation of the aneurysm with respect to the parent vessel. Ultrasound studies were performed before and after creation of aneurysms to collect blood flow measurements inside the aneurysm pouch and surrounding arteries. Prior to sacrificing the animals, computed tomography angiography studies were performed. Harvested aneurysmal tissues were used for histological analysis. Elastase-induced aneurysms were successfully created by the extravascular approach. Histological studies showed that the biological response was similar to human cerebral aneurysms and previously published elastase-induced rabbit aneurysm models. Ultrasound measurements indicated that after the RCCA was ligated, blood flow significantly increased in the LCCA at one-month follow-up. An alternate method for creating elastase-induced aneurysms has been demonstrated. The novel aspects of our method allow for ligation of one or both common carotid arteries to create a single or bilateral aneurysm with an ability to control the orientation of the induced aneurysm.

System and method for creating expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Peter M. (Inventor); Luczak, Edward C. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

A system and method provides for the creation of a highly graphical expert system without the need for programming in code. An expert system is created by initially building a data interface, defining appropriate Mission, User-Defined, Inferred, and externally-generated GenSAA (EGG) data variables whose data values will be updated and input into the expert system. Next, rules of the expert system are created by building appropriate conditions of the rules which must be satisfied and then by building appropriate actions of rules which are to be executed upon corresponding conditions being satisfied. Finally, an appropriate user interface is built which can be highly graphical in nature and which can include appropriate message display and/or modification of display characteristics of a graphical display object, to visually alert a user of the expert system of varying data values, upon conditions of a created rule being satisfied. The data interface building, rule building, and user interface building are done in an efficient manner and can be created without the need for programming in code.

Enhancing the Capacity to Create Behavior Change: Extension Key Leaders' Opinions about Social Marketing and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Laura A.

2014-01-01

Extension educators endeavor to create and measure outcomes beyond knowledge gain. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of social marketing as a method for creating behavior change within the University of Florida Extension system through key leader opinions. Additionally, the study sought to identify perceptions about…

The Value of Developing a Mixed-Methods Program of Research.

PubMed

Simonovich, Shannon

2017-07-01

This article contributes to the discussion of the value of utilizing mixed methodological approaches to conduct nursing research. To this end, the author of this article proposes creating a mixed-methods program of research over time, where both quantitative and qualitative data are collected and analyzed simultaneously, rather than focusing efforts on designing singular mixed-methods studies. A mixed-methods program of research would allow for the best of both worlds: precision through focus on one method at a time, and the benefits of creating a robust understanding of a phenomenon over the trajectory of one's career through examination from various methodological approaches.

Building generic anatomical models using virtual model cutting and iterative registration.

PubMed

Xiao, Mei; Soh, Jung; Meruvia-Pastor, Oscar; Schmidt, Eric; Hallgrímsson, Benedikt; Sensen, Christoph W

2010-02-08

Using 3D generic models to statistically analyze trends in biological structure changes is an important tool in morphometrics research. Therefore, 3D generic models built for a range of populations are in high demand. However, due to the complexity of biological structures and the limited views of them that medical images can offer, it is still an exceptionally difficult task to quickly and accurately create 3D generic models (a model is a 3D graphical representation of a biological structure) based on medical image stacks (a stack is an ordered collection of 2D images). We show that the creation of a generic model that captures spatial information exploitable in statistical analyses is facilitated by coupling our generalized segmentation method to existing automatic image registration algorithms. The method of creating generic 3D models consists of the following processing steps: (i) scanning subjects to obtain image stacks; (ii) creating individual 3D models from the stacks; (iii) interactively extracting sub-volume by cutting each model to generate the sub-model of interest; (iv) creating image stacks that contain only the information pertaining to the sub-models; (v) iteratively registering the corresponding new 2D image stacks; (vi) averaging the newly created sub-models based on intensity to produce the generic model from all the individual sub-models. After several registration procedures are applied to the image stacks, we can create averaged image stacks with sharp boundaries. The averaged 3D model created from those image stacks is very close to the average representation of the population. The image registration time varies depending on the image size and the desired accuracy of the registration. Both volumetric data and surface model for the generic 3D model are created at the final step. Our method is very flexible and easy to use such that anyone can use image stacks to create models and retrieve a sub-region from it at their ease. Java-based implementation allows our method to be used on various visualization systems including personal computers, workstations, computers equipped with stereo displays, and even virtual reality rooms such as the CAVE Automated Virtual Environment. The technique allows biologists to build generic 3D models of their interest quickly and accurately.

Creating and Maintaining a Sense of Social Presence in Online Courses: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapp, Kiley R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine strategies that could be implemented into an online course in order to create and maintain a sense of social presence between students and their professor and students and each other. A mixed methods study utilizing interviews, document analysis, and a survey was used to conduct the research. The study…

Simulation of OSCM Concepts for HQ SACT

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

effective method for creating understanding, identifying problems and developing solutions. • Simulation of a goal driven organization is a cost...effective method to visualize some aspects of the problem space Toolbox • The team used Extend™, a COTS product from Imagine That!® (http...Nations flow Model OSCM ATARES flow Batching A/C & Pallets Model ISAF Airbridge flow Flying and unbatching A/C Fleet Create resources Calculate flight

Method of creating a controlled interior surface configuration of passages within a substrate

DOEpatents

Dembowski, Peter V.; Schilke, Peter W.

1983-01-01

A method of creating a controlled interior surface configuration of passages within a substrate, particularly cooling passages of nozzles or buckets of a gas turbine, involves the hot isostatic pressing of a leachable passage insert whose surface carries the female image of the desired interior surface configuration inside the substrate followed by leaching of the insert from the substrate.

A Quantitative Method for the Analysis of Nomothetic Relationships between Idiographic Structures: Dynamic Patterns Create Attractor States for Sustained Posttreatment Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Aaron J.; Newman, Michelle G.; Molenaar, Peter C. M.

2011-01-01

Objective: The present article aimed to demonstrate that the establishment of dynamic patterns during the course of psychotherapy can create attractor states for continued adaptive change following the conclusion of treatment. Method: This study is a secondary analysis of T. D. Borkovec and E. Costello (1993). Of the 55 participants in the…

Displaying R spatial statistics on Google dynamic maps with web applications created by Rwui.

PubMed

Newton, Richard; Deonarine, Andrew; Wernisch, Lorenz

2012-09-24

The R project includes a large variety of packages designed for spatial statistics. Google dynamic maps provide web based access to global maps and satellite imagery. We describe a method for displaying directly the spatial output from an R script on to a Google dynamic map. This is achieved by creating a Java based web application which runs the R script and then displays the results on the dynamic map. In order to make this method easy to implement by those unfamiliar with programming Java based web applications, we have added the method to the options available in the R Web User Interface (Rwui) application. Rwui is an established web application for creating web applications for running R scripts. A feature of Rwui is that all the code for the web application being created is generated automatically so that someone with no knowledge of web programming can make a fully functional web application for running an R script in a matter of minutes. Rwui can now be used to create web applications that will display the results from an R script on a Google dynamic map. Results may be displayed as discrete markers and/or as continuous overlays. In addition, users of the web application may select regions of interest on the dynamic map with mouse clicks and the coordinates of the region of interest will automatically be made available for use by the R script. This method of displaying R output on dynamic maps is designed to be of use in a number of areas. Firstly it allows statisticians, working in R and developing methods in spatial statistics, to easily visualise the results of applying their methods to real world data. Secondly, it allows researchers who are using R to study health geographics data, to display their results directly onto dynamic maps. Thirdly, by creating a web application for running an R script, a statistician can enable users entirely unfamiliar with R to run R coded statistical analyses of health geographics data. Fourthly, we envisage an educational role for such applications.

Automated solar collector installation design

DOEpatents

Wayne, Gary; Frumkin, Alexander; Zaydman, Michael; Lehman, Scott; Brenner, Jules

2014-08-26

Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre-defined "features" with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives.

Trading Rules on Stock Markets Using Genetic Network Programming with Reinforcement Learning and Importance Index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mabu, Shingo; Hirasawa, Kotaro; Furuzuki, Takayuki

Genetic Network Programming (GNP) is an evolutionary computation which represents its solutions using graph structures. Since GNP can create quite compact programs and has an implicit memory function, it has been clarified that GNP works well especially in dynamic environments. In addition, a study on creating trading rules on stock markets using GNP with Importance Index (GNP-IMX) has been done. IMX is a new element which is a criterion for decision making. In this paper, we combined GNP-IMX with Actor-Critic (GNP-IMX&AC) and create trading rules on stock markets. Evolution-based methods evolve their programs after enough period of time because they must calculate fitness values, however reinforcement learning can change programs during the period, therefore the trading rules can be created efficiently. In the simulation, the proposed method is trained using the stock prices of 10 brands in 2002 and 2003. Then the generalization ability is tested using the stock prices in 2004. The simulation results show that the proposed method can obtain larger profits than GNP-IMX without AC and Buy&Hold.

How to Create Videos for Extension Education: An Innovative Five-Step Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dev, Dipti A.; Blitch, Kimberly A.; Hatton-Bowers, Holly; Ramsay, Samantha; Garcia, Aileen S.

2018-01-01

Although the benefits of using video as a learning tool in Extension programs are well known, less is understood about effective methods for creating videos. We present a five-step procedure for developing educational videos that focus on evidence-based practices, and we provide practical examples from our use of the five steps in creating a video…

Digital Documentation: Using Computers to Create Multimedia Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speitel, Tom; And Others

1996-01-01

Describes methods for creating integrated multimedia documents using recent advances in print, audio, and video digitization that bring added usefulness to computers as data acquisition, processing, and presentation tools. Discusses advantages of digital documentation. (JRH)

Active Solution Space and Search on Job-shop Scheduling Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Masato; Ida, Kenichi; Gen, Mitsuo

In this paper we propose a new searching method of Genetic Algorithm for Job-shop scheduling problem (JSP). The coding method that represent job number in order to decide a priority to arrange a job to Gannt Chart (called the ordinal representation with a priority) in JSP, an active schedule is created by using left shift. We define an active solution at first. It is solution which can create an active schedule without using left shift, and set of its defined an active solution space. Next, we propose an algorithm named Genetic Algorithm with active solution space search (GA-asol) which can create an active solution while solution is evaluated, in order to search the active solution space effectively. We applied it for some benchmark problems to compare with other method. The experimental results show good performance.

Structural design approaches for creating fat droplet and starch granule mimetics.

PubMed

McClements, David Julian; Chung, Cheryl; Wu, Bi-Cheng

2017-02-22

This article focuses on hydrogel-based strategies for creating reduced calorie foods with desirable physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional properties. Initially, the role of fat droplets and starch granules in foods is discussed, and then different methods for fabricating hydrogel beads are reviewed, including phase separation, antisolvent precipitation, injection, and emulsion template methods. Finally, the potential application of hydrogel beads as fat droplet and starch granule replacements is discussed. There is still a need for large-scale, high-throughout, and economical methods of fabricating hydrogel beads suitable for utilization within the food industry.

About problematic peculiarities of Fault Tolerance digital regulation organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakov, V. I.; Zakharova, O. V.

2018-05-01

The solution of problems concerning estimation of working capacity of regulation chains and possibilities of preventing situations of its violation in three directions are offered. The first direction is working out (creating) the methods of representing the regulation loop (circuit) by means of uniting (combining) diffuse components and forming algorithmic tooling for building predicates of serviceability assessment separately for the components and the for regulation loops (circuits, contours) in general. The second direction is creating methods of Fault Tolerance redundancy in the process of complex assessment of current values of control actions, closure errors and their regulated parameters. The third direction is creating methods of comparing the processes of alteration (change) of control actions, errors of closure and regulating parameters with their standard models or their surroundings. This direction allows one to develop methods and algorithmic tool means, aimed at preventing loss of serviceability and effectiveness of not only a separate digital regulator, but also the whole complex of Fault Tolerance regulation.

Recovery of Trace and Heavy Metals from Coal Combustion Residues for Reuse and Safe Disposal: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ashvani; Samadder, Sukha Ranjan; Elumalai, Suresh Pandian

2016-09-01

The safe disposal of coal combustion residues (CCRs) will remain a major public issue as long as coal is used as a fuel for energy production. Both dry and wet disposal methods of CCRs create serious environmental problems. The dry disposal method creates air pollution initially, and the wet disposal method creates water pollution as a result of the presence of trace and heavy metals. These leached heavy metals from fly ash may become more hazardous when they form toxic compounds such as arsenic sulfite (As2S3) and lead nitrate (N2O6Pb). The available studies on trace and heavy metals present in CCRs cannot ensure environmentally safe utilization. In this work, a novel approach has been offered for the retrieval of trace and heavy metals from CCRs. If the proposed method becomes successful, then the recovered trace and heavy metals may become a resource and environmentally safe use of CCRs may be possible.

The Use of Edmodo in Creating an Online Learning Community of Practice for Learning to Teach Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekici, Didem Inel

2017-01-01

This study aimed to create an online community of practice by creating a virtual classroom in the Edmodo application and ascertain the opinions of pre-service primary teachers about the effects of Edmodo on their learning to teach science and availability of Edmodo. The research used a case study, which is one method of descriptive research.…

Beyond Scissors and Glue: Staff Developers Guide Teachers in Piecing Together a Vertically Aligned Curriculum and in Creating a Method to Get This Job Done

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Vickie

2005-01-01

Layers and layers of curricula stuffed into vinyl binders were the norm in this Texas district until teachers sat down with scissors and glue to create a vertically aligned curriculum. They then created standards-based lessons to support the curriculum and put them into a database readily accessible by all.

Acoustic contrast control in an arc-shaped area using a linear loudspeaker array.

PubMed

Zhao, Sipei; Qiu, Xiaojun; Burnett, Ian

2015-02-01

This paper proposes a method of creating acoustic contrast control in an arc-shaped area using a linear loudspeaker array. The boundary of the arc-shaped area is treated as the envelope of the tangent lines that can be formed by manipulating the phase profile of the loudspeakers in the array. When compared with the existing acoustic contrast control method, the proposed method is able to generate sound field inside an arc-shaped area and achieve a trade-off between acoustic uniformity and acoustic contrast. The acoustic contrast created by the proposed method increases while the acoustic uniformity decreases with frequency.

Robust Coordination for Large Sets of Simple Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Kagan; Agogino, Adrian

2006-01-01

The ability to coordinate sets of rovers in an unknown environment is critical to the long-term success of many of NASA;s exploration missions. Such coordination policies must have the ability to adapt in unmodeled or partially modeled domains and must be robust against environmental noise and rover failures. In addition such coordination policies must accommodate a large number of rovers, without excessive and burdensome hand-tuning. In this paper we present a distributed coordination method that addresses these issues in the domain of controlling a set of simple rovers. The application of these methods allows reliable and efficient robotic exploration in dangerous, dynamic, and previously unexplored domains. Most control policies for space missions are directly programmed by engineers or created through the use of planning tools, and are appropriate for single rover missions or missions requiring the coordination of a small number of rovers. Such methods typically require significant amounts of domain knowledge, and are difficult to scale to large numbers of rovers. The method described in this article aims to address cases where a large number of rovers need to coordinate to solve a complex time dependent problem in a noisy environment. In this approach, each rover decomposes a global utility, representing the overall goal of the system, into rover-specific utilities that properly assign credit to the rover s actions. Each rover then has the responsibility to create a control policy that maximizes its own rover-specific utility. We show a method of creating rover-utilities that are "aligned" with the global utility, such that when the rovers maximize their own utility, they also maximize the global utility. In addition we show that our method creates rover-utilities that allow the rovers to create their control policies quickly and reliably. Our distributed learning method allows large sets rovers be used unmodeled domains, while providing robustness against rover failures and changing environments. In experimental simulations we show that our method scales well with large numbers of rovers in addition to being robust against noisy sensor inputs and noisy servo control. The results show that our method is able to scale to large numbers of rovers and achieves up to 400% performance improvement over standard machine learning methods.

Identification of flexible structures by frequency-domain observability range context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, M. A.

2013-04-01

The well known frequency-domain observability range space extraction (FORSE) algorithm provides a powerful multivariable system-identification tool with inherent flexibility, to create state-space models from frequency-response data (FRD). This paper presents a method of using FORSE to create "context models" of a lightly damped system, from which models of individual resonant modes can be extracted. Further, it shows how to combine the extracted models of many individual modes into one large state-space model. Using this method, the author has created very high-order state-space models that accurately match measured FRD over very broad bandwidths, i.e., resonant peaks spread across five orders-of-magnitude of frequency bandwidth.

Method and Apparatus of Implementing a Magnetic Shield Flux Sweeper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadleir, John E. (Inventor)

2018-01-01

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of protecting magnetically sensitive devices with a shield, including: a non-superconducting metal or lower transition temperature (T.sub.c) material compared to a higher transition temperature material, disposed in a magnetic field; means for creating a spatially varying order parameter's |.PSI.(r,T)|.sup.2 in a non-superconducting metal or a lower transition temperature material; wherein a spatially varying order parameter is created by a proximity effect, such that the non-superconducting metal or the lower transition temperature material becomes superconductive as a temperature is lowered, creating a flux-free Meissner state at a center thereof, in order to sweep magnetic flux lines to the periphery.

Military Medical Leadership in Uniformed Medical Students: Creating a New Assessment Instrument Using the Delphi Method

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-17

healthcare management and have not focused on assessing leadership among student physicians. A systematic review of 80 Delphi method studies by...medical students ( Research Question 1), to create a leadership assessment instrument based on those important components ( Research Question 2), and... research question 2 (RQ2) saw the creation of a three page assessment instrument to assess medical leadership in student physicians. Based on critical

Method of removing the effects of electrical shorts and shunts created during the fabrication process of a solar cell

DOEpatents

Nostrand, Gerald E.; Hanak, Joseph J.

1979-01-01

A method of removing the effects of electrical shorts and shunts created during the fabrication process and improving the performance of a solar cell with a thick film cermet electrode opposite to the incident surface by applying a reverse bias voltage of sufficient magnitude to burn out the electrical shorts and shunts but less than the break down voltage of the solar cell.

Wax transfer printing to enable robust barrier definition in devices based on non-standard porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

To, Anthony; Downs, Corey; Fu, Elain

2017-05-01

Wax printing has become a common method of fabricating channels in cellulose-based microfluidic devices. However, a limitation of wax printing is that it is restricted to relatively thin, smooth substrates that are compatible with processing by a commercial wax printer. In the current report, we describe a simple patterning method that extends the utility of wax printers for creating hydrophobic barriers on non-standard porous substrates via a process called wax transfer printing. We demonstrate the use of multiple wax transfer cycles to create well-defined, robust, and reproducible barriers in a thick cellulose substrate that is not compatible with feeding through a wax printer. We characterize the method for (i) wax spreading within the substrate as a function of heating time, (ii) the ability to create functional barriers in a substrate, and (iii) reproducibility in line width.

A General Architecture for Intelligent Tutoring of Diagnostic Classification Problem Solving

PubMed Central

Crowley, Rebecca S.; Medvedeva, Olga

2003-01-01

We report on a general architecture for creating knowledge-based medical training systems to teach diagnostic classification problem solving. The approach is informed by our previous work describing the development of expertise in classification problem solving in Pathology. The architecture envelops the traditional Intelligent Tutoring System design within the Unified Problem-solving Method description Language (UPML) architecture, supporting component modularity and reuse. Based on the domain ontology, domain task ontology and case data, the abstract problem-solving methods of the expert model create a dynamic solution graph. Student interaction with the solution graph is filtered through an instructional layer, which is created by a second set of abstract problem-solving methods and pedagogic ontologies, in response to the current state of the student model. We outline the advantages and limitations of this general approach, and describe it’s implementation in SlideTutor–a developing Intelligent Tutoring System in Dermatopathology. PMID:14728159

Creating photo-realistic works in a 3D scene using layers styles to create an animation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avramescu, A. M.

2015-11-01

Creating realist objects in a 3D scene is not an easy work. We have to be very careful to make the creation very detailed. If we don't know how to make these photo-realistic works, by using the techniques and a good reference photo we can create an amazing amount of detail and realism. For example, in this article there are some of these detailed methods from which we can learn the techniques necessary to make beautiful and realistic objects in a scene. More precisely, in this paper, we present how to create a 3D animated scene, mainly using the Pen Tool and Blending Options. Indeed, this work is based on teaching some simple ways of using the Layer Styles to create some great shadows, lights, textures and a realistic sense of 3 Dimension. The present work involves also showing how some interesting ways of using the illuminating and rendering options can create a realistic effect in a scene. Moreover, this article shows how to create photo realistic 3D models from a digital image. The present work proposes to present how to use Illustrator paths, texturing, basic lighting and rendering, how to apply textures and how to parent the building and objects components. We also propose to use this proposition to recreate smaller details or 3D objects from a 2D image. After a critic art stage, we are able now to present in this paper the architecture of a design method that proposes to create an animation. The aim is to create a conceptual and methodological tutorial to address this issue both scientifically and in practice. This objective also includes proposing, on strong scientific basis, a model that gives the possibility of a better understanding of the techniques necessary to create a realistic animation.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of amplitude control ablation and bipolar ablation in creating linear lesion and discrete lesions for treating atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Yan, Shengjie; Wu, Xiaomei; Wang, Weiqi

2017-09-01

Radiofrequency (RF) energy is often used to create a linear lesion or discrete lesions for blocking the accessory conduction pathways for treating atrial fibrillation. By using finite element analysis, we study the ablation effect of amplitude control ablation mode (AcM) and bipolar ablation mode (BiM) in creating a linear lesion and discrete lesions in a 5-mm-thick atrial wall; particularly, the characteristic of lesion shape has been investigated in amplitude control ablation. Computer models of multipolar catheter were developed to study the lesion dimensions in atrial walls created through AcM, BiM and special electrodes activated ablation methods in AcM and BiM. To validate the theoretical results in this study, an in vitro experiment with porcine cardiac tissue was performed. At 40 V/20 V root mean squared (RMS) of the RF voltage for AcM, the continuous and transmural lesion was created by AcM-15s, AcM-5s and AcM-ad-20V ablation in 5-mm-thick atrial wall. At 20 V RMS for BiM, the continuous but not transmural lesion was created. AcM ablation yielded asymmetrical and discrete lesions shape, whereas the lesion shape turned to more symmetrical and continuous as the electrodes alternative activated period decreased from 15 s to 5 s. Two discrete lesions were created when using AcM, AcM-ad-40V, BiM-ad-20V and BiM-ad-40V. The experimental and computational thermal lesion shapes created in cardiac tissue were in agreement. Amplitude control ablation technology and bipolar ablation technology are feasible methods to create continuous lesion or discrete for pulmonary veins isolation.

Development of EnergyPlus Utility to Batch Simulate Building Energy Performance on a National Scale

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

Valencia, Jayson F.; Dirks, James A.

2008-08-29

EnergyPlus is a simulation program that requires a large number of details to fully define and model a building. Hundreds or even thousands of lines in a text file are needed to run the EnergyPlus simulation depending on the size of the building. To manually create these files is a time consuming process that would not be practical when trying to create input files for thousands of buildings needed to simulate national building energy performance. To streamline the process needed to create the input files for EnergyPlus, two methods were created to work in conjunction with the National Renewable Energymore » Laboratory (NREL) Preprocessor; this reduced the hundreds of inputs needed to define a building in EnergyPlus to a small set of high-level parameters. The first method uses Java routines to perform all of the preprocessing on a Windows machine while the second method carries out all of the preprocessing on the Linux cluster by using an in-house built utility called Generalized Parametrics (GPARM). A comma delimited (CSV) input file is created to define the high-level parameters for any number of buildings. Each method then takes this CSV file and uses the data entered for each parameter to populate an extensible markup language (XML) file used by the NREL Preprocessor to automatically prepare EnergyPlus input data files (idf) using automatic building routines and macro templates. Using a Linux utility called “make”, the idf files can then be automatically run through the Linux cluster and the desired data from each building can be aggregated into one table to be analyzed. Creating a large number of EnergyPlus input files results in the ability to batch simulate building energy performance and scale the result to national energy consumption estimates.« less

Effects of Perfusion on Radiofrequency Ablation in Swine Kidneys1

PubMed Central

Chang, Isaac; Mikityansky, Igor; Wray-Cahen, Diane; Pritchard, William F.; Karanian, John W.; Wood, Bradford J.

2008-01-01

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of vascular occlusion on the size of radiofrequency (RF) ablation lesions and to evaluate embolization as an occlusion method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The kidneys of six swine were surgically exposed. Fifteen RF ablation lesions were created in nine kidneys by using a 2-cm-tip single-needle ablation probe in varying conditions: Seven lesions were created with normal blood flow and eight were created with blood flow obstructed by means of vascular clamping (n = 5) or renal artery embolization (n = 3). The temperature, applied voltage, current, and impedance were recorded during RF ablation. Tissue-cooling curves acquired for 2 minutes immediately after the ablation were compared by using regression analysis. Lesions were bisected, and their maximum diameters were measured and compared by using analysis of variance. RESULTS: The mean diameter of ablation lesions created when blood flow was obstructed was 60% greater than that of lesions created when blood flow was normal (1.38 cm ± 0.05 [standard error of mean] vs 0.86 cm ± 0.07, P < .001). The two methods of flow obstruction yielded lesions of similar mean sizes: 1.40 cm ± 0.06 with vascular clamping and 1.33 cm ± 0.07 with embolization. The temperature at the probe tip when lesions were ablated with normal blood flow decreased more rapidly than did the temperature when lesions were ablated after flow obstruction (P < .001), but no significant differences in tissue-cooling curves between the two flow obstruction methods were observed. CONCLUSION: Obstruction of renal blood flow before and during RF ablation resulted in larger thermal lesions with potentially less variation in size compared with the lesions created with normal nonobstructed blood flow. Selective arterial embolization of the kidney vessels may be a useful adjunct to RF ablation of kidney tumors. PMID:15128994

Chalk It up to Experience: Using Chalkboard Paint to Create Mathematical Manipulatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Andrea; Bruhns, Kathryn

2016-01-01

In this article, we give two examples of creating portable chalkboards using chalkboard paint for students to use during cooperative learning. This provides a creative method for professors to facilitate active learning in the undergraduate mathematics classroom.

Alkali corrosion resistant coatings and ceramic foams having superfine open cell structure and method of processing

DOEpatents

Brown, Jr., Jesse J.; Hirschfeld, Deidre A.; Li, Tingkai

1993-12-07

Alkali corrosion resistant coatings and ceramic foams having superfine open cell structure are created using sol-gel processes. The processes have particular application in creating calcium magnesium zirconium phosphate, CMZP, coatings and foams.

Chalk it up to experience: using chalkboard paint to create mathematical manipulatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Andrea; Bruhns, Kathryn

2016-08-01

In this article, we give two examples of creating portable chalkboards using chalkboard paint for students to use during cooperative learning. This provides a creative method for professors to facilitate active learning in the undergraduate mathematics classroom.

A method for vreating a three dimensional model from published geologic maps and cross sections

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Gregory J.

2009-01-01

This brief report presents a relatively inexpensive and rapid method for creating a 3D model of geology from published quadrangle-scale maps and cross sections using Google Earth and Google SketchUp software. An example from the Green Mountains of Vermont, USA, is used to illustrate the step by step methods used to create such a model. A second example is provided from the Jebel Saghro region of the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The report was published to help enhance the public?s ability to use and visualize geologic map data.

A novel method for creating custom shaped ballistic gelatin trainers using plaster molds.

PubMed

Doctor, Michael; Katz, Anne; McNamara, Shannon O; Leifer, Jessica H; Bambrick-Santoyo, Gabriela; Saul, Turandot; Rose, Keith M

2018-03-01

Simulation based procedural training is an effective and frequently used method for teaching vascular access techniques which often require commercial trainers. These can be prohibitively expensive, which allows for homemade trainers made of gelatin to be a more cost-effective and attractive option. Previously described trainers are often rectangular with a flat surface that is dissimilar to human anatomy. We describe a novel method to create a more anatomically realistic trainer using ballistic gelatin, household items, and supplies commonly found in an emergency department such as the plaster wrap typically used to make splints.

Virtual reality for spherical images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilarczyk, Rafal; Skarbek, Władysław

2017-08-01

Paper presents virtual reality application framework and application concept for mobile devices. Framework uses Google Cardboard library for Android operating system. Framework allows to create virtual reality 360 video player using standard OpenGL ES rendering methods. Framework provides network methods in order to connect to web server as application resource provider. Resources are delivered using JSON response as result of HTTP requests. Web server also uses Socket.IO library for synchronous communication between application and server. Framework implements methods to create event driven process of rendering additional content based on video timestamp and virtual reality head point of view.

Fast and secure encryption-decryption method based on chaotic dynamics

DOEpatents

Protopopescu, Vladimir A.; Santoro, Robert T.; Tolliver, Johnny S.

1995-01-01

A method and system for the secure encryption of information. The method comprises the steps of dividing a message of length L into its character components; generating m chaotic iterates from m independent chaotic maps; producing an "initial" value based upon the m chaotic iterates; transforming the "initial" value to create a pseudo-random integer; repeating the steps of generating, producing and transforming until a pseudo-random integer sequence of length L is created; and encrypting the message as ciphertext based upon the pseudo random integer sequence. A system for accomplishing the invention is also provided.

Scene Analysis: Non-Linear Spatial Filtering for Automatic Target Detection.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

In this thesis, a method for two-dimensional pattern recognition was developed and tested. The method included a global search scheme for candidate...test global switch TYPEO Creating negative video file only.W 11=0 12=256 13=512 14=768 GO 70 2 1 TYPE" Creating negative and horizontally flipped video...purpose was to develop a base of image processing software for the AFIT Digital Signal Processing Laboratory NOVA- ECLIPSE minicomputer system, for

An Interactive Scheduling Method for Railway Rolling Stock Allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otsuki, Tomoshi; Nakajima, Masayoshi; Fuse, Toru; Shimizu, Tadashi; Aisu, Hideyuki; Yasumoto, Takanori; Kaneko, Kenichi; Yokoyama, Nobuyuki

Experts working for railway schedule planners still have to devote considerable time and effort for creating rolling stock allocation plans. In this paper, we propose a semiautomatic planning method for creating these plans. Our scheduler is able to interactively deal with flexible constraint-expression inputs and to output easy-to-understand failure messages. Owing to these useful features, the scheduler can provide results that are comparable to those obtained by experts and are obtained faster than before.

Microarray-based Resequencing of Multiple Bacillus anthracis Isolates

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-17

generated an Unweighted Pair Group Method Arithmetic Mean ( UPGMA ) tree (see methods [56]; Figure 3). The strains group together in a manner broadly similar...was created using DNADIST, plotted as a UPGMA tree using NEIGHBOR and the tree plotted using DRAWGRAM [56]. The B1 strain A0465 was used as an...distance matrix was created using DNADIST, plotted as a UPGMA tree using NEIGHBOR and the tree plotted using DRAWGRAM [57]. Additional data files The

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

Priel, Nadav; Landsman, Hagar; Manfredini, Alessandro

We propose a safeguard procedure for statistical inference that provides universal protection against mismodeling of the background. The method quantifies and incorporates the signal-like residuals of the background model into the likelihood function, using information available in a calibration dataset. This prevents possible false discovery claims that may arise through unknown mismodeling, and corrects the bias in limit setting created by overestimated or underestimated background. We demonstrate how the method removes the bias created by an incomplete background model using three realistic case studies.

Spatial Control of Functional Response in 4D-Printed Active Metallic Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ji; Franco, Brian; Tapia, Gustavo; Karayagiz, Kubra; Johnson, Luke; Liu, Jun; Arroyave, Raymundo; Karaman, Ibrahim; Elwany, Alaa

2017-04-01

We demonstrate a method to achieve local control of 3-dimensional thermal history in a metallic alloy, which resulted in designed spatial variations in its functional response. A nickel-titanium shape memory alloy part was created with multiple shape-recovery stages activated at different temperatures using the selective laser melting technique. The multi-stage transformation originates from differences in thermal history, and thus the precipitate structure, at various locations created from controlled variations in the hatch distance within the same part. This is a first example of precision location-dependent control of thermal history in alloys beyond the surface, and utilizes additive manufacturing techniques as a tool to create materials with novel functional response that is difficult to achieve through conventional methods.

An Endovascular Strategy for Occlusion or Stenosis with Severe Calcification in the Non-Stenting Zone, creatinG Lumens And SlitS with Crosser in Unique Technique (GLASS CUT): A Case Report.

PubMed

Maruyama, Takashi; Miyamoto, Akira

2017-12-25

In treating non-stenting zones (NSZs), such as the common femoral artery (CFA) and popliteal artery (PA), the best method to treat severely calcified NSZ lesions remains controversial. Here we describe a new method for the treatment of severely calcified PA and CFA lesions using the Crosser® system (CS). After the first wire passed the lesion, the CS was passed through the other wire to create new cracks and lumens (NCAL) in both cases. After creating NCAL around the lumen of the first wire, a large scoring balloon was inflated to crush the severe calcification like a "GLASS CUT" with a glass knife.

Method and apparatus for generating coherent near 14 and near 16 micron radiation

DOEpatents

Krupke, William F.

1977-01-01

A method and apparatus for producing coherent radiation in CO.sub.2 vibrational-rotational transitions at wavelengths near 14 and 16 microns. This is accomplished by passing a mixture of N.sub.2 and Ar through a glow discharge producing a high vibrational temperature in the N.sub.2, passing the excited N.sub.2 through a nozzle bank creating a supersonic flow thereof, injecting the CO.sub.2 in the supersonic flow creating a population inversion in the CO.sub.2, and directing the saturating pulse of radiation near 10.6 or 9.6 microns into the excited CO.sub.2 creating a population inversion producing coherent radiation at 14 or 16 microns, respectively.

Method of App Selection for Healthcare Providers Based on Consumer Needs.

PubMed

Lee, Jisan; Kim, Jeongeun

2018-01-01

Mobile device applications can be used to manage health. However, healthcare providers hesitate to use them because selection methods that consider the needs of health consumers and identify the most appropriate application are rare. This study aimed to create an effective method of identifying applications that address user needs. Women experiencing dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome were the targeted users. First, we searched for related applications from two major sources of mobile applications. Brainstorming, mind mapping, and persona and scenario techniques were used to create a checklist of relevant criteria, which was used to rate the applications. Of the 2784 applications found, 369 were analyzed quantitatively. Of those, five of the top candidates were evaluated by three groups: application experts, clinical experts, and potential users. All three groups ranked one application the highest; however, the remaining rankings differed. The results of this study suggest that the method created is useful because it considers not only the needs of various users but also the knowledge of application and clinical experts. This study proposes a method for finding and using the best among existing applications and highlights the need for nurses who can understand and combine opinions of users and application and clinical experts.

Implementation of hierarchical clustering using k-mer sparse matrix to analyze MERS-CoV genetic relationship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bustamam, A.; Ulul, E. D.; Hura, H. F. A.; Siswantining, T.

2017-07-01

Hierarchical clustering is one of effective methods in creating a phylogenetic tree based on the distance matrix between DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequences. One of the well-known methods to calculate the distance matrix is k-mer method. Generally, k-mer is more efficient than some distance matrix calculation techniques. The steps of k-mer method are started from creating k-mer sparse matrix, and followed by creating k-mer singular value vectors. The last step is computing the distance amongst vectors. In this paper, we analyze the sequences of MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus) DNA by implementing hierarchical clustering using k-mer sparse matrix in order to perform the phylogenetic analysis. Our results show that the ancestor of our MERS-CoV is coming from Egypt. Moreover, we found that the MERS-CoV infection that occurs in one country may not necessarily come from the same country of origin. This suggests that the process of MERS-CoV mutation might not only be influenced by geographical factor.

Application of In Vitro Transposon Mutagenesis to Erythromycin Strain Improvement in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

PubMed

Weber, J Mark; Reeves, Andrew; Cernota, William H; Wesley, Roy K

2017-01-01

Transposon mutagenesis is an invaluable technique in molecular biology for the creation of random mutations that can be easily identified and mapped. However, in the field of microbial strain improvement, transposon mutagenesis has scarcely been used; instead, chemical and physical mutagenic methods have been traditionally favored. Transposons have the advantage of creating single mutations in the genome, making phenotype to genotype assignments less challenging than with traditional mutagens which commonly create multiple mutations in the genome. The site of a transposon mutation can also be readily mapped using DNA sequencing primer sites engineered into the transposon termini. In this chapter an in vitro method for transposon mutagenesis of Saccharopolyspora erythraea is presented. Since in vivo transposon tools are not available for most actinomycetes including S. erythraea, an in vitro method was developed. The in vitro method involves a significant investment in time and effort to create the mutants, but once the mutants are made and screened, a large number of highly relevant mutations of direct interest to erythromycin production can be found.

Tyrosol-based liposomal behavior: Size, z-potential, TEM, QCM-D and fluorescence analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In our continued efforts to create biobased antioxidants for the food industry, we have used phospholipase D from Streptomyces sp. to create hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol phospholipids. Extrusion methods proved that both hydroxytyrosol phospholipids and tyrosol phospholipids each formed liposomes that ...

Challenging Heteronormativity: Creating a Safe and Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steck, Andy K.; Perry, David

2018-01-01

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth face hostile and exclusionary learning environments. A qualitative phenomenographic method involving semistructured interviews of seven secondary school administrators was conducted to identify perceptions of experiences creating a safe and inclusive environment for students…

But Is It Nutritious? Computer Analysis Creates Healthier Meals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrigan, Kathleen A.; Aumann, Margaret B.

1993-01-01

A computerized menu-planning method, "Nutrient Standard Menu Planning" (NSMP), uses today's technology to create healthier menus. Field tested in 20 California school districts, the advantages of NSMP are cost effectiveness, increased flexibility, greater productivity, improved public relations, improved finances, and improved student…

Genome-wide mapping of mutations at single-nucleotide resolution for protein, metabolic and genome engineering.

PubMed

Garst, Andrew D; Bassalo, Marcelo C; Pines, Gur; Lynch, Sean A; Halweg-Edwards, Andrea L; Liu, Rongming; Liang, Liya; Wang, Zhiwen; Zeitoun, Ramsey; Alexander, William G; Gill, Ryan T

2017-01-01

Improvements in DNA synthesis and sequencing have underpinned comprehensive assessment of gene function in bacteria and eukaryotes. Genome-wide analyses require high-throughput methods to generate mutations and analyze their phenotypes, but approaches to date have been unable to efficiently link the effects of mutations in coding regions or promoter elements in a highly parallel fashion. We report that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in combination with massively parallel oligomer synthesis can enable trackable editing on a genome-wide scale. Our method, CRISPR-enabled trackable genome engineering (CREATE), links each guide RNA to homologous repair cassettes that both edit loci and function as barcodes to track genotype-phenotype relationships. We apply CREATE to site saturation mutagenesis for protein engineering, reconstruction of adaptive laboratory evolution experiments, and identification of stress tolerance and antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria. We provide preliminary evidence that CREATE will work in yeast. We also provide a webtool to design multiplex CREATE libraries.

System for creating at a site, remote from a sterile environment, a parenteral solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharf, Mike (Inventor); Finley, Mike (Inventor); Veillon, Joe (Inventor); Kipp, Jim (Inventor); Dudar, Tom (Inventor); Owens, Jim (Inventor); Ogle, Jim (Inventor)

1996-01-01

The present invention relates to a container, system, and method for creating parenteral solutions at a site, remote from sterile environments. The system includes a flexible container that is empty except for a prepackaged amount of a solute that is housed in the interior of the container. The container includes at least one port and a sterilizing filter in communication with an interior of the port. The container is so constructed and arranged that a fluid flow path is created from the port through the filter and into the interior of the container. A sterile water source including means for establishing fluid flow from the sterile water source into the port is provided. Accordingly, sterile water can flow from the sterile water source through the filter into the container where it is mixed with the solute to create a parenteral solution that can then be infused into a patient. A method and container are also provided.

Implementation of Three Text to Speech Systems for Kurdish Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahrampour, Anvar; Barkhoda, Wafa; Azami, Bahram Zahir

Nowadays, concatenative method is used in most modern TTS systems to produce artificial speech. The most important challenge in this method is choosing appropriate unit for creating database. This unit must warranty smoothness and high quality speech, and also, creating database for it must reasonable and inexpensive. For example, syllable, phoneme, allophone, and, diphone are appropriate units for all-purpose systems. In this paper, we implemented three synthesis systems for Kurdish language based on syllable, allophone, and diphone and compare their quality using subjective testing.

Formalizing nursing knowledge: from theories and models to ontologies.

PubMed

Peace, Jane; Brennan, Patricia Flatley

2009-01-01

Knowledge representation in nursing is poised to address the depth of nursing knowledge about the specific phenomena of importance to nursing. Nursing theories and models may provide a starting point for making this knowledge explicit in representations. We combined knowledge building methods from nursing and ontology design methods from biomedical informatics to create a nursing representation of family health history. Our experience provides an example of how knowledge representations may be created to facilitate electronic support for nursing practice and knowledge development.

Molecular Building Block-Based Electronic Charges for High-Throughput Screening of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Adsorption Applications.

PubMed

Argueta, Edwin; Shaji, Jeena; Gopalan, Arun; Liao, Peilin; Snurr, Randall Q; Gómez-Gualdrón, Diego A

2018-01-09

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials with attractive properties for gas separation and storage. Their remarkable tunability makes it possible to create millions of MOF variations but creates the need for fast material screening to identify promising structures. Computational high-throughput screening (HTS) is a possible solution, but its usefulness is tied to accurate predictions of MOF adsorption properties. Accurate adsorption simulations often require an accurate description of electrostatic interactions, which depend on the electronic charges of the MOF atoms. HTS-compatible methods to assign charges to MOF atoms need to accurately reproduce electrostatic potentials (ESPs) and be computationally affordable, but current methods present an unsatisfactory trade-off between computational cost and accuracy. We illustrate a method to assign charges to MOF atoms based on ab initio calculations on MOF molecular building blocks. A library of building blocks with built-in charges is thus created and used by an automated MOF construction code to create hundreds of MOFs with charges "inherited" from the constituent building blocks. The molecular building block-based (MBBB) charges are similar to REPEAT charges-which are charges that reproduce ESPs obtained from ab initio calculations on crystallographic unit cells of nanoporous crystals-and thus similar predictions of adsorption loadings, heats of adsorption, and Henry's constants are obtained with either method. The presented results indicate that the MBBB method to assign charges to MOF atoms is suitable for use in computational high-throughput screening of MOFs for applications that involve adsorption of molecules such as carbon dioxide.

Role Models and Teachers: medical students perception of teaching-learning methods in clinical settings, a qualitative study from Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, Vathsala; Nazeer, Ishra; Athauda, Lathika; Perera, Jennifer

2016-02-09

Medical education research in general, and those focusing on clinical settings in particular, have been a low priority in South Asia. This explorative study from 3 medical schools in Sri Lanka, a South Asian country, describes undergraduate medical students' experiences during their final year clinical training with the aim of understanding the teaching-learning experiences. Using qualitative methods we conducted an exploratory study. Twenty eight graduates from 3 medical schools participated in individual interviews. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis method. Emergent themes reveled 2 types of teaching-learning experiences, role modeling, and purposive teaching. In role modelling, students were expected to observe teachers while they conduct their clinical work, however, this method failed to create positive learning experiences. The clinical teachers who predominantly used this method appeared to be 'figurative' role models and were not perceived as modelling professional behaviors. In contrast, purposeful teaching allowed dedicated time for teacher-student interactions and teachers who created these learning experiences were more likely to be seen as 'true' role models. Students' responses and reciprocations to these interactions were influenced by their perception of teachers' behaviors, attitudes, and the type of teaching-learning situations created for them. Making a distinction between role modeling and purposeful teaching is important for students in clinical training settings. Clinical teachers' awareness of their own manifest professional characterizes, attitudes, and behaviors, could help create better teaching-learning experiences. Moreover, broader systemic reforms are needed to address the prevailing culture of teaching by humiliation and subordination.

Unsupervised semantic indoor scene classification for robot vision based on context of features using Gist and HSV-SIFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madokoro, H.; Yamanashi, A.; Sato, K.

2013-08-01

This paper presents an unsupervised scene classification method for actualizing semantic recognition of indoor scenes. Background and foreground features are respectively extracted using Gist and color scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) as feature representations based on context. We used hue, saturation, and value SIFT (HSV-SIFT) because of its simple algorithm with low calculation costs. Our method creates bags of features for voting visual words created from both feature descriptors to a two-dimensional histogram. Moreover, our method generates labels as candidates of categories for time-series images while maintaining stability and plasticity together. Automatic labeling of category maps can be realized using labels created using adaptive resonance theory (ART) as teaching signals for counter propagation networks (CPNs). We evaluated our method for semantic scene classification using KTH's image database for robot localization (KTH-IDOL), which is popularly used for robot localization and navigation. The mean classification accuracies of Gist, gray SIFT, one class support vector machines (OC-SVM), position-invariant robust features (PIRF), and our method are, respectively, 39.7, 58.0, 56.0, 63.6, and 79.4%. The result of our method is 15.8% higher than that of PIRF. Moreover, we applied our method for fine classification using our original mobile robot. We obtained mean classification accuracy of 83.2% for six zones.

AGARD Flight Test Techniques Series. Volume 3. Identification of Dynamic Systems - Applications to Aircraft. Part 1. The Output Error Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

poorly written problem statements. We decline to artificially create difficulties for experimentation. Others have encountered these issues and treated...you lose some of the weaning. The method also does not extend well to nonlinear or time-varying system (sometimes it can be don#. but it creates ...thereby introduced creates problems and solves nothing. For variable-geometry aircraft, some projects establish reference geometry values that change as

Methods for Creating and Animating a Computer Model Depicting the Structure and Function of the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase Enzyme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Alice Y.; McKee, Nancy

1999-01-01

Describes the developmental process used to visualize the calcium ATPase enzyme of the sarcoplasmic reticulum which involves evaluating scientific information, consulting scientists, model making, storyboarding, and creating and editing in a computer medium. (Author/CCM)

Creating Learning Communities in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saville, Bryan K.; Lawrence, Natalie Kerr; Jakobsen, Krisztina V.

2012-01-01

There are many ways to construct classroom-based learning communities. Nevertheless, the emphasis is always on cooperative learning. In this article, the authors focus on three teaching methods--interteaching, team-based learning, and cooperative learning in large, lecture-based courses--that they have used successfully to create classroom-based…

A Structure for Creating Quality Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Larry C.; Bodey, Michael R.

1990-01-01

Addresses the issue of assuring quality software for use in computer-aided instruction and presents a structure by which developers can create quality courseware. Differences between courseware and computer-aided instruction software are discussed, methods for testing software are described, and human factors issues as well as instructional design…

Learning through Intermediate Problems in Creating Cognitive Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miwa, Kazuhisa; Morita, Junya; Nakaike, Ryuichi; Terai, Hitoshi

2014-01-01

Cognitive modelling is one of the representative research methods in cognitive science. It is believed that creating cognitive models promotes learners' meta-cognitive activities such as self-monitoring and reflecting on their own cognitive processing. Preceding studies have confirmed that such meta-cognitive activities actually promote learning…

Method of making in-situ whisker reinforced glass ceramic

DOEpatents

Brown, Jesse J.; Hirschfeld, Deidre A.; Lee, K. H.

1993-02-16

A heat processing procedure is used to create reinforcing whiskers of TiO.sub.2 in glass-ceramic materials in the LAS and MAS family. The heat processing procedure has particular application in creating TiO.sub.2 in-situ in a modified .beta.-eucryptite system.

75 FR 57437 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-21

... a Food Safety Education and Training Materials Database. The Database is a centralized gateway to... creating previously available education materials) (2) provide a central gateway to access the education materials (3) create a systematic and efficient method of collecting data from USDA grantees and (4) promote...

78 FR 69040 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-18

... a Food Safety Education and Training Materials Database. The Database is a centralized gateway to... creating previously available education materials), (2) provide a central gateway to access the education materials, (3) create a systematic and efficient method of collecting data from USDA grantees, and (4...

Pyrophoric metal-carbon foam composites and methods of making the same

DOEpatents

Gash, Alexander E [Brentwood, CA; Satcher, Jr., Joe H.; Simpson, Randall L [Livermore, CA; Baumann, Theodore F [Discovery Bay, CA; Worsley, Marcus A [Belmont, CA

2012-05-08

A method for creating a pyrophoric material according to one embodiment includes thermally activating a carbon foam for creating micropores therein; contacting the activated carbon foam with a liquid solution comprising a metal salt for depositing metal ions in the carbon foam; and reducing the metal ions in the foam to metal particles. A pyrophoric material in yet another embodiment includes a pyrophoric metal-carbon foam composite comprising a carbon foam having micropores and mesopores and a surface area of greater than or equal to about 2000 m.sup.2/g, and metal particles in the pores of the carbon foam. Additional methods and materials are also disclosed.

Dual initiation strip charge apparatus and methods for making and implementing the same

DOEpatents

Jakaboski, Juan-Carlos [Albuquerque, NM; Todd,; Steven, N [Rio Rancho, NM; Polisar, Stephen [Albuquerque, NM; Hughs, Chance [Tijeras, NM

2011-03-22

A Dual Initiation Strip Charge (DISC) apparatus is initiated by a single initiation source and detonates a strip of explosive charge at two separate contacts. The reflection of explosively induced stresses meet and create a fracture and breach a target along a generally single fracture contour and produce generally fragment-free scattering and no spallation. Methods for making and implementing a DISC apparatus provide numerous advantages over previous methods of creating explosive charges by utilizing steps for rapid prototyping; by implementing efficient steps and designs for metering consistent, repeatable, and controlled amount of high explosive; and by utilizing readily available materials.

Novel Principles and Techniques to Create a Natural Design in Female Hairline Correction Surgery

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: Female hairline correction surgery is becoming increasingly popular. However, no guidelines or methods of female hairline design have been introduced to date. Methods: The purpose of this study was to create an initial framework based on the novel principles of female hairline design and then use artistic ability and experience to fine tune this framework. An understanding of the concept of 5 areas (frontal area, frontotemporal recess area, temporal peak, infratemple area, and sideburns) and 5 points (C, A, B, T, and S) is required for female hairline correction surgery (the 5A5P principle). The general concepts of female hairline correction surgery and natural design methods are, herein, explained with a focus on the correlations between these 5 areas and 5 points. Results: A natural and aesthetic female hairline can be created with application of the above-mentioned concepts. Conclusion: The 5A5P principle of forming the female hairline is very useful in female hairline correction surgery. PMID:26894014

Investigation of pattern transfer to piezoelectric jetted polymer using roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menezes, Shannon John

Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) has existed since the mid 1990s as a proven concept of creating micro- and nanostructures using direct mechanical pattern transfer. Initially seen as a viable option to replace conventional lithography methods, the lack of technology to support large-scale manufacturing using NIL has motivated researchers to explore the application of NIL to create a better, more cost-efficient process with the ability to integrate NIL into a mass manufacturing system. One such method is the roll-to-roll process, similar to that used in printing presses of newspapers and plastics. This thesis is an investigation to characterize polymer deposition using a piezoelectric jetting head and attempt to create micro- and nanostructures on the polymer using R2RNIL technique.

Spatial Control of Functional Response in 4D-Printed Active Metallic Structures

PubMed Central

Ma, Ji; Franco, Brian; Tapia, Gustavo; Karayagiz, Kubra; Johnson, Luke; Liu, Jun; Arroyave, Raymundo; Karaman, Ibrahim; Elwany, Alaa

2017-01-01

We demonstrate a method to achieve local control of 3-dimensional thermal history in a metallic alloy, which resulted in designed spatial variations in its functional response. A nickel-titanium shape memory alloy part was created with multiple shape-recovery stages activated at different temperatures using the selective laser melting technique. The multi-stage transformation originates from differences in thermal history, and thus the precipitate structure, at various locations created from controlled variations in the hatch distance within the same part. This is a first example of precision location-dependent control of thermal history in alloys beyond the surface, and utilizes additive manufacturing techniques as a tool to create materials with novel functional response that is difficult to achieve through conventional methods. PMID:28429796

Method for forming a layer of synthetic corrosion products on tubing surfaces

DOEpatents

Lane, Michael H.; Salamon, Eugene J. M.

1996-01-01

A method is provided for forming a synthetic corrosion product layer on tube surfaces. The method utilizes two dissimilar materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion. An object tube and sacrificial tube are positioned one inside the other such that an annular region is created between the two tubes' surfaces. A slurry of synthetic corrosion products is injected into this annular region and the assembly is heat treated. This heat causes the tubes to expand, the inner tube with the higher coefficient of expansion expanding more than the outer tube, thereby creating internal pressures which consolidate the corrosion products and adhere the corrosion products to the tubing surfaces. The sacrificial tube may then be removed by conventional chemical etching or mechanical methods.

TH-EF-BRB-05: 4pi Non-Coplanar IMRT Beam Angle Selection by Convex Optimization with Group Sparsity Penalty

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

O’Connor, D; Nguyen, D; Voronenko, Y

Purpose: Integrated beam orientation and fluence map optimization is expected to be the foundation of robust automated planning but existing heuristic methods do not promise global optimality. We aim to develop a new method for beam angle selection in 4π non-coplanar IMRT systems based on solving (globally) a single convex optimization problem, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method by comparison with a state of the art column generation method for 4π beam angle selection. Methods: The beam angle selection problem is formulated as a large scale convex fluence map optimization problem with an additional group sparsity term thatmore » encourages most candidate beams to be inactive. The optimization problem is solved using an accelerated first-order method, the Fast Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm (FISTA). The beam angle selection and fluence map optimization algorithm is used to create non-coplanar 4π treatment plans for several cases (including head and neck, lung, and prostate cases) and the resulting treatment plans are compared with 4π treatment plans created using the column generation algorithm. Results: In our experiments the treatment plans created using the group sparsity method meet or exceed the dosimetric quality of plans created using the column generation algorithm, which was shown superior to clinical plans. Moreover, the group sparsity approach converges in about 3 minutes in these cases, as compared with runtimes of a few hours for the column generation method. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the first non-greedy approach to non-coplanar beam angle selection, based on convex optimization, for 4π IMRT systems. The method given here improves both treatment plan quality and runtime as compared with a state of the art column generation algorithm. When the group sparsity term is set to zero, we obtain an excellent method for fluence map optimization, useful when beam angles have already been selected. NIH R43CA183390, NIH R01CA188300, Varian Medical Systems; Part of this research took place while D. O’Connor was a summer intern at RefleXion Medical.« less

Continuous tone printing in silicone from CNC milled matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoskins, S.; McCallion, P.

2014-02-01

Current research at the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) at the University of the West of England, Bristol, is exploring the potential of creating coloured pictorial imagery from a continuous tone relief surface. To create the printing matrices the research team have been using CNC milled images where the height of the relief image is dictated by creating a tone curve and then milling this curve into a series of relief blocks from which the image is cast in a silicone ink. A translucent image is cast from each of the colour matrices and each colour is assembled - one on top of another - resulting is a colour continuous tone print, where colour tone is created by physical depth of colour. This process is a contemporary method of continuous tone colour printing based upon the Nineteenth Century black and white printing process of Woodburytype as developed by Walter Bentley Woodbury in 1865. Woodburytype is the only true continuous tone printing process invented, and although its delicate and subtle surfaces surpassed all other printing methods at the time. The process died out in the late nineteenth century as more expedient and cost effective methods of printing prevailed. New research at CFPR builds upon previous research that combines 19th Century Photomechanical techniques with digital technology to reappraise the potential of these processes.

Development and Testing of a High Level Axial Array Duct Sound Source for the NASA Flow Impedance Test Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Marty E.; Fuller, Chris R.; Jones, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

In this report both a frequency domain method for creating high level harmonic excitation and a time domain inverse method for creating large pulses in a duct are developed. To create controllable, high level sound an axial array of six JBL-2485 compression drivers was used. The pressure downstream is considered as input voltages to the sources filtered by the natural dynamics of the sources and the duct. It is shown that this dynamic behavior can be compensated for by filtering the inputs such that both time delays and phase changes are taken into account. The methods developed maximize the sound output while (i) keeping within the power constraints of the sources and (ii) maintaining a suitable level of reproduction accuracy. Harmonic excitation pressure levels of over 155dB were created experimentally over a wide frequency range (1000-4000Hz). For pulse excitation there is a tradeoff between accuracy of reproduction and sound level achieved. However, the accurate reproduction of a pulse with a maximum pressure level over 6500Pa was achieved experimentally. It was also shown that the throat connecting the driver to the duct makes it difficult to inject sound just below the cut-on of each acoustic mode (pre cut-on loading effect).

System and method to create three-dimensional images of non-linear acoustic properties in a region remote from a borehole

DOEpatents

Vu, Cung; Nihei, Kurt T.; Schmitt, Denis P.; Skelt, Christopher; Johnson, Paul A.; Guyer, Robert; TenCate, James A.; Le Bas, Pierre-Yves

2013-01-01

In some aspects of the disclosure, a method for creating three-dimensional images of non-linear properties and the compressional to shear velocity ratio in a region remote from a borehole using a conveyed logging tool is disclosed. In some aspects, the method includes arranging a first source in the borehole and generating a steered beam of elastic energy at a first frequency; arranging a second source in the borehole and generating a steerable beam of elastic energy at a second frequency, such that the steerable beam at the first frequency and the steerable beam at the second frequency intercept at a location away from the borehole; receiving at the borehole by a sensor a third elastic wave, created by a three wave mixing process, with a frequency equal to a difference between the first and second frequencies and a direction of propagation towards the borehole; determining a location of a three wave mixing region based on the arrangement of the first and second sources and on properties of the third wave signal; and creating three-dimensional images of the non-linear properties using data recorded by repeating the generating, receiving and determining at a plurality of azimuths, inclinations and longitudinal locations within the borehole. The method is additionally used to generate three dimensional images of the ratio of compressional to shear acoustic velocity of the same volume surrounding the borehole.

LiveDescribe: Can Amateur Describers Create High-Quality Audio Description?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branje, Carmen J.; Fels, Deborah I.

2012-01-01

Introduction: The study presented here evaluated the usability of the audio description software LiveDescribe and explored the acceptance rates of audio description created by amateur describers who used LiveDescribe to facilitate the creation of their descriptions. Methods: Twelve amateur describers with little or no previous experience with…

Developing Recruitment Methods for Vulnerable, Traumatized Adolescents: A Feminist Evaluation Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Rebecca; Greeson, Megan R.; Fehler-Cabral, Giannina

2014-01-01

This article describes the process by which we created a recruitment protocol for engaging adolescent sexual assault victims in a qualitative evaluation study. Working in collaboration with forensic nurses, rape victim advocates, adolescent rape survivors, and our institutional review board (IRB), we created a prospective recruitment method…

Magnet Marketing: Drawing Prospects to Your Center Until They Enroll.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wassom, Julie

1999-01-01

The key to achieving effective marketing of centers and services is to make messages creative, consistent, and continual. Creative marketing involves creating an awareness of the program. A consistent, identifiable image will create program recognition. Effective, continual marketing utilizes a mix of marketing methods on an ongoing basis to…

American Indians: Hands-On Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rethlefsen, Ann Lyle

2006-01-01

In this article, the author describes some of the teaching methods she uses to teach how different American Indian groups lived in different regions of the North American continent. Her lessons include a number of projects: (1) Practicing symbolic writing; (2) Creating a personal timeline; (3) Studying winter counts and creating a personalized…

"Illustrating the Machinery of Life": Viruses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodsell, David S.

2012-01-01

Data from electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and biophysical analysis are used to create illustrations of viruses in their cellular context. This report describes the scientific data and artistic methods used to create three illustrations: a depiction of the poliovirus lifecycle, budding of influenza virus from a cell surface, and a…

Toward Projects in Humanization: Research on Co-Creating and Sustaining Dialogic Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Pedro, Timothy; Kinloch, Valerie

2017-01-01

In this article, we argue that co-constructing knowledge, co-creating relationships, and exchanging stories are central to educational research. Relying on humanizing and Indigenous research methods to locate relational interactions in educational research allows us to engage in transformative praxis and storying, or Projects in Humanization…

Great Performances: Creating Classroom-Based Assessment Tasks. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shoemaker, Betty; Lewin, Larry

2011-01-01

Get an in-depth understanding of how to create fun, engaging, and challenging performance assessments that require students to elaborate on content and demonstrate mastery of skills. This update of an ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) classic includes new scoring methods, reading assessments, and insights on navigating…

Creating Spaces for Reconstructing Knowledge in Feminist Pedagogy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Audrey; Gitlin, Andrew

1995-01-01

Presents a conceptual outline for a feminist pedagogy that attempts to develop reconstructed knowledge. The paper describes how standpoint theory and conversation as method can further the aim of reconstructed knowledge, arguing that teachers and students with pedagogical relations should seek opportunities to create spaces within which to…

High Temperature Stable Nanocrystalline SiGe Thermoelectric Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, Sherwin (Inventor); Matejczyk, Daniel Edward (Inventor); Determan, William (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method of forming a nanocomposite thermoelectric material having microstructural stability at temperatures greater than 1000 C. The method includes creating nanocrystalline powder by cryomilling. The method is particularly useful in forming SiGe alloy powder.

Diabetes Diet: Create Your Healthy-Eating Plan

MedlinePlus

... methods works for you: The plate method. The American Diabetes Association offers a simple seven-step method of meal ... complications. Diabetes meal plans and a healthy diet. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/ ...

Counter traction makes endoscopic submucosal dissection easier.

PubMed

Oyama, Tsuneo

2012-11-01

Poor counter traction and poor field of vision make endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) difficult. Good counter traction allows dissections to be performed more quickly and safely. Position change, which utilizes gravity, is the simplest method to create a clear field of vision. It is useful especially for esophageal and colon ESD. The second easiest method is clip with line method. Counter traction made by clip with line accomplishes the creation of a clear field of vision and suitable counter traction thereby making ESD more efficient and safe. The author published this method in 2002. The name ESD was not established in those days; the name cutting endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or EMR with hook knife was used. The other traction methods such as external grasping forceps, internal traction, double channel scope, and double scopes method are introduced in this paper. A good strategy for creating counter traction makes ESD easier.

An easy-to-use word processing program for creating concept cards in psychology courses: a method for teachers.

PubMed

Abramson, Charles I; Robinson, Ellen Gray; Rice, Jessica; Burley, Jami; Bergman, Staci; Delougherty, Patricia; Reudy, Katherine

2002-06-01

We describe a template to create concept cards in psychology courses using a word processing program. Students create their own individualized cards, which have the look and feel of flashcards and retain the same self-testing and monitoring features. Students report the template is easy to use, that the cards help them focus their study behavior and employ critical thinking skills in learning class material. We offer several suggestions on how to use the cards.

Automatic Measurement of Fetal Brain Development from Magnetic Resonance Imaging: New Reference Data.

PubMed

Link, Daphna; Braginsky, Michael B; Joskowicz, Leo; Ben Sira, Liat; Harel, Shaul; Many, Ariel; Tarrasch, Ricardo; Malinger, Gustavo; Artzi, Moran; Kapoor, Cassandra; Miller, Elka; Ben Bashat, Dafna

2018-01-01

Accurate fetal brain volume estimation is of paramount importance in evaluating fetal development. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic method for fetal brain segmentation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, and to create for the first time a normal volumetric growth chart based on a large cohort. A semi-automatic segmentation method based on Seeded Region Growing algorithm was developed and applied to MRI data of 199 typically developed fetuses between 18 and 37 weeks' gestation. The accuracy of the algorithm was tested against a sub-cohort of ground truth manual segmentations. A quadratic regression analysis was used to create normal growth charts. The sensitivity of the method to identify developmental disorders was demonstrated on 9 fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The developed method showed high correlation with manual segmentation (r2 = 0.9183, p < 0.001) as well as mean volume and volume overlap differences of 4.77 and 18.13%, respectively. New reference data on 199 normal fetuses were created, and all 9 IUGR fetuses were at or below the third percentile of the normal growth chart. The proposed method is fast, accurate, reproducible, user independent, applicable with retrospective data, and is suggested for use in routine clinical practice. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Using design science and artificial intelligence to improve health communication: ChronologyMD case example.

PubMed

Neuhauser, Linda; Kreps, Gary L; Morrison, Kathleen; Athanasoulis, Marcos; Kirienko, Nikolai; Van Brunt, Deryk

2013-08-01

This paper describes how design science theory and methods and use of artificial intelligence (AI) components can improve the effectiveness of health communication. We identified key weaknesses of traditional health communication and features of more successful eHealth/AI communication. We examined characteristics of the design science paradigm and the value of its user-centered methods to develop eHealth/AI communication. We analyzed a case example of the participatory design of AI components in the ChronologyMD project intended to improve management of Crohn's disease. eHealth/AI communication created with user-centered design shows improved relevance to users' needs for personalized, timely and interactive communication and is associated with better health outcomes than traditional approaches. Participatory design was essential to develop ChronologyMD system architecture and software applications that benefitted patients. AI components can greatly improve eHealth/AI communication, if designed with the intended audiences. Design science theory and its iterative, participatory methods linked with traditional health communication theory and methods can create effective AI health communication. eHealth/AI communication researchers, developers and practitioners can benefit from a holistic approach that draws from theory and methods in both design sciences and also human and social sciences to create successful AI health communication. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scalable nanohelices for predictive studies and enhanced 3D visualization.

PubMed

Meagher, Kwyn A; Doblack, Benjamin N; Ramirez, Mercedes; Davila, Lilian P

2014-11-12

Spring-like materials are ubiquitous in nature and of interest in nanotechnology for energy harvesting, hydrogen storage, and biological sensing applications. For predictive simulations, it has become increasingly important to be able to model the structure of nanohelices accurately. To study the effect of local structure on the properties of these complex geometries one must develop realistic models. To date, software packages are rather limited in creating atomistic helical models. This work focuses on producing atomistic models of silica glass (SiO₂) nanoribbons and nanosprings for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Using an MD model of "bulk" silica glass, two computational procedures to precisely create the shape of nanoribbons and nanosprings are presented. The first method employs the AWK programming language and open-source software to effectively carve various shapes of silica nanoribbons from the initial bulk model, using desired dimensions and parametric equations to define a helix. With this method, accurate atomistic silica nanoribbons can be generated for a range of pitch values and dimensions. The second method involves a more robust code which allows flexibility in modeling nanohelical structures. This approach utilizes a C++ code particularly written to implement pre-screening methods as well as the mathematical equations for a helix, resulting in greater precision and efficiency when creating nanospring models. Using these codes, well-defined and scalable nanoribbons and nanosprings suited for atomistic simulations can be effectively created. An added value in both open-source codes is that they can be adapted to reproduce different helical structures, independent of material. In addition, a MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI) is used to enhance learning through visualization and interaction for a general user with the atomistic helical structures. One application of these methods is the recent study of nanohelices via MD simulations for mechanical energy harvesting purposes.

Self-informant Agreement for Personality and Evaluative Person Descriptors: Comparing Methods for Creating Informant Measures.

PubMed

Simms, Leonard J; Zelazny, Kerry; Yam, Wern How; Gros, Daniel F

2010-05-01

Little attention typically is paid to the way self-report measures are translated for use in self-informant agreement studies. We studied two possible methods for creating informant measures: (a) the traditional method in which self-report items were translated from the first- to the third-person and (b) an alternative meta-perceptual method in which informants were directed to rate their perception of the targets' self-perception. We hypothesized that the latter method would yield stronger self-informant agreement for evaluative personality dimensions measured by indirect item markers. We studied these methods in a sample of 303 undergraduate friendship dyads. Results revealed mean-level differences between methods, similar self-informant agreement across methods, stronger agreement for Big Five dimensions than for evaluative dimensions, and incremental validity for meta-perceptual informant rating methods. Limited power reduced the interpretability of several sparse acquaintanceship effects. We conclude that traditional informant methods are appropriate for most personality traits, but meta-perceptual methods may be more appropriate when personality questionnaire items reflect indirect indicators of the trait being measured, which is particularly likely for evaluative traits.

Self-informant Agreement for Personality and Evaluative Person Descriptors: Comparing Methods for Creating Informant Measures

PubMed Central

Simms, Leonard J.; Zelazny, Kerry; Yam, Wern How; Gros, Daniel F.

2011-01-01

Little attention typically is paid to the way self-report measures are translated for use in self-informant agreement studies. We studied two possible methods for creating informant measures: (a) the traditional method in which self-report items were translated from the first- to the third-person and (b) an alternative meta-perceptual method in which informants were directed to rate their perception of the targets’ self-perception. We hypothesized that the latter method would yield stronger self-informant agreement for evaluative personality dimensions measured by indirect item markers. We studied these methods in a sample of 303 undergraduate friendship dyads. Results revealed mean-level differences between methods, similar self-informant agreement across methods, stronger agreement for Big Five dimensions than for evaluative dimensions, and incremental validity for meta-perceptual informant rating methods. Limited power reduced the interpretability of several sparse acquaintanceship effects. We conclude that traditional informant methods are appropriate for most personality traits, but meta-perceptual methods may be more appropriate when personality questionnaire items reflect indirect indicators of the trait being measured, which is particularly likely for evaluative traits. PMID:21541262

Formation of droplet interface bilayers in a Teflon tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, Edmond; Feuerborn, Alexander; Cook, Peter R.

2016-09-01

Droplet-interface bilayers (DIBs) have applications in disciplines ranging from biology to computing. We present a method for forming them manually using a Teflon tube attached to a syringe pump; this method is simple enough it should be accessible to those without expertise in microfluidics. It exploits the properties of interfaces between three immiscible liquids, and uses fluid flow through the tube to pack together drops coated with lipid monolayers to create bilayers at points of contact. It is used to create functional nanopores in DIBs composed of phosphocholine using the protein α-hemolysin (αHL), to demonstrate osmotically-driven mass transfer of fluid across surfactant-based DIBs, and to create arrays of DIBs. The approach is scalable, and thousands of DIBs can be prepared using a robot in one hour; therefore, it is feasible to use it for high throughput applications.

Developing tools for digital radar image data evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domik, G.; Leberl, F.; Raggam, J.

1986-01-01

The refinement of radar image analysis methods has led to a need for a systems approach to radar image processing software. Developments stimulated through satellite radar are combined with standard image processing techniques to create a user environment to manipulate and analyze airborne and satellite radar images. One aim is to create radar products for the user from the original data to enhance the ease of understanding the contents. The results are called secondary image products and derive from the original digital images. Another aim is to support interactive SAR image analysis. Software methods permit use of a digital height model to create ortho images, synthetic images, stereo-ortho images, radar maps or color combinations of different component products. Efforts are ongoing to integrate individual tools into a combined hardware/software environment for interactive radar image analysis.

Chemically Patterned Inverse Opal Created by a Selective Photolysis Modification Process.

PubMed

Tian, Tian; Gao, Ning; Gu, Chen; Li, Jian; Wang, Hui; Lan, Yue; Yin, Xianpeng; Li, Guangtao

2015-09-02

Anisotropic photonic crystal materials have long been pursued for their broad applications. A novel method for creating chemically patterned inverse opals is proposed here. The patterning technique is based on selective photolysis of a photolabile polymer together with postmodification on released amine groups. The patterning method allows regioselective modification within an inverse opal structure, taking advantage of selective chemical reaction. Moreover, combined with the unique signal self-reporting feature of the photonic crystal, the fabricated structure is capable of various applications, including gradient photonic bandgap and dynamic chemical patterns. The proposed method provides the ability to extend the structural and chemical complexity of the photonic crystal, as well as its potential applications.

Comparison of computation time and image quality between full-parallax 4G-pixels CGHs calculated by the point cloud and polygon-based method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakatsuji, Noriaki; Matsushima, Kyoji

2017-03-01

Full-parallax high-definition CGHs composed of more than billion pixels were so far created only by the polygon-based method because of its high performance. However, GPUs recently allow us to generate CGHs much faster by the point cloud. In this paper, we measure computation time of object fields for full-parallax high-definition CGHs, which are composed of 4 billion pixels and reconstruct the same scene, by using the point cloud with GPU and the polygon-based method with CPU. In addition, we compare the optical and simulated reconstructions between CGHs created by these techniques to verify the image quality.

Insulator coating for high temperature alloys method for producing insulator coating for high temperature alloys

DOEpatents

Park, J.H.

1998-06-23

A method for fabricating an electrically insulating coating on a surface is disclosed comprising coating the surface with a metal, and reacting the metal coated surface with a nonmetal so as to create a film on the metal-coated surface. Alternatively, the invention provides for a method for producing a noncorrosive, electrically insulating coating on a surface saturated with a nonmetal comprising supplying a molten fluid, dissolving a metal in the molten fluid to create a mixture, and contacting the mixture with the saturated surface. Lastly, the invention provides an electrically insulative coating comprising an underlying structural substrate coated with an oxide or nitride compound. 2 figs.

Rapid Optimal SPH Particle Distributions in Spherical Geometries For Creating Astrophysical Initial Conditions

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

Raskin, Cody; Owen, J. Michael

Creating spherical initial conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations that are spherically conformal is a difficult task. Here in this paper, we describe two algorithmic methods for evenly distributing points on surfaces that when paired can be used to build three-dimensional spherical objects with optimal equipartition of volume between particles, commensurate with an arbitrary radial density function. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method against stretched lattice arrangements on the metrics of hydrodynamic stability, spherical conformity, and the harmonic power distribution of gravitational settling oscillations. We further demonstrate how our method is highly optimized for simulating multi-material spheres, such asmore » planets with core–mantle boundaries.« less

Rapid Optimal SPH Particle Distributions in Spherical Geometries For Creating Astrophysical Initial Conditions

DOE PAGES

Raskin, Cody; Owen, J. Michael

2016-03-24

Creating spherical initial conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations that are spherically conformal is a difficult task. Here in this paper, we describe two algorithmic methods for evenly distributing points on surfaces that when paired can be used to build three-dimensional spherical objects with optimal equipartition of volume between particles, commensurate with an arbitrary radial density function. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method against stretched lattice arrangements on the metrics of hydrodynamic stability, spherical conformity, and the harmonic power distribution of gravitational settling oscillations. We further demonstrate how our method is highly optimized for simulating multi-material spheres, such asmore » planets with core–mantle boundaries.« less

RAPID OPTIMAL SPH PARTICLE DISTRIBUTIONS IN SPHERICAL GEOMETRIES FOR CREATING ASTROPHYSICAL INITIAL CONDITIONS

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

Raskin, Cody; Owen, J. Michael

2016-04-01

Creating spherical initial conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations that are spherically conformal is a difficult task. Here, we describe two algorithmic methods for evenly distributing points on surfaces that when paired can be used to build three-dimensional spherical objects with optimal equipartition of volume between particles, commensurate with an arbitrary radial density function. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method against stretched lattice arrangements on the metrics of hydrodynamic stability, spherical conformity, and the harmonic power distribution of gravitational settling oscillations. We further demonstrate how our method is highly optimized for simulating multi-material spheres, such as planets with core–mantlemore » boundaries.« less

Computer program CDCID: an automated quality control program using CDC update

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

Singer, G.L.; Aguilar, F.

1984-04-01

A computer program, CDCID, has been developed in coordination with a quality control program to provide a highly automated method of documenting changes to computer codes at EG and G Idaho, Inc. The method uses the standard CDC UPDATE program in such a manner that updates and their associated documentation are easily made and retrieved in various formats. The method allows each card image of a source program to point to the document which describes it, who created the card, and when it was created. The method described is applicable to the quality control of computer programs in general. Themore » computer program described is executable only on CDC computing systems, but the program could be modified and applied to any computing system with an adequate updating program.« less

Retrieval of the non-depolarizing components of depolarizing Mueller matrices by using symmetry conditions and least squares minimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuntman, Ertan; Canillas, Adolf; Arteaga, Oriol

2017-11-01

Experimental Mueller matrices contain certain amount of uncertainty in their elements and these uncertainties can create difficulties for decomposition methods based on analytic solutions. In an earlier paper [1], we proposed a decomposition method for depolarizing Mueller matrices by using certain symmetry conditions. However, because of the experimental error, that method creates over-determined systems with non-unique solutions. Here we propose to use least squares minimization approach in order to improve the accuracy of our results. In this method, we are taking into account the number of independent parameters of the corresponding symmetry and the rank constraints on the component matrices to decide on our fitting model. This approach is illustrated with experimental Mueller matrices that include material media with different Mueller symmetries.

Creating Instructional Materials for All Pupils: Try COLA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotter, Kathleen

2006-01-01

With the increasing diversity of pupils in general education classes, teachers are seeking simple methods to teach all of their pupils while maintaining the integrity of the curriculum. COLA is a mnemonic device to help teachers apply the principles of layout and design when creating instructional materials. Use of the COLA strategy can enhance…

Immersive Simulations for Smart Classrooms: Exploring Evolutionary Concepts in Secondary Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lui, Michelle; Slotta, James D.

2014-01-01

This article presents the design of an immersive simulation and inquiry activity for technology-enhanced classrooms. Using a co-design method, researchers worked with a high school biology teacher to create a rainforest simulation, distributed across several large displays in the room to immerse students in the environment. The authors created and…

Make Your Voice Heard!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branzburg, Jeffrey

2006-01-01

A podcast is a method of distributing multimedia files, usually (but not limited to) audio in the MP3 format, over the Internet to subscribers. Anybody can be a subscriber--one only needs the proper software to receive the subscription. In this article, the author discusses how to create one's own podcast. Before creating the podcast, one needs a…

Creating a Positive School Culture in Newly Opened Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Michael Todd

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective practices by school administrators when creating school culture in newly opened schools. Using semi-structured interviews, four principals who opened a new school were interviewed individually and in a focus group. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Two themes…

Reflexive Management of the Professional Formation of Would-Be Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnevek, Olga Vladimirovna; Savva, Lyubov Ivanovna; Saigushev, Nikolai Yakovlevich

2016-01-01

The reflexive management of the professional formation of would-be teachers means that students develop subjective and personal attitude to the created models, so that the latter acquire some personal meaning. For this purpose, we involved students in the development of the educational content and taught them the methods of creating and solving…

Creating Complex Repository Collections, Such as Journals, with Manakin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koenig, Jack; Mikeal, Adam

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a devised method of collection organisation within a DSpace repository using a Manakin theme and descriptive metadata. Design/methodology/approach: Using a Manakin theme, a user interface for a repository collection containing the contents of a serial was created to divide the collection into…

Creating Next Generation Blended Learning Environments Using Mixed Reality, Video Games and Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkley, Sonny E.; Kirkley, Jamie R.

2005-01-01

In this article, the challenges and issues of designing next generation learning environments using current and emerging technologies are addressed. An overview of the issues is provided as well as design principles that support the design of instruction and the overall learning environment. Specific methods for creating cognitively complex,…

A Qualitative Study of Technology-Based Training in Organizations that Hire Agriculture and Life Sciences Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bedgood, Leslie; Murphrey, Theresa Pesl; Dooley, Kim E.

2008-01-01

Technological advances have created unlimited opportunities in education. Training and technology have merged to create new methods referred to as technology-based training. The purpose of this study was to identify organizations that hire agriculture and life sciences students for positions involving technology-based training and identify…

Polyimide Aerogels with Three-Dimensional Cross-Linked Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meador, Mary Ann B. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A method for creating a three dimensional cross-linked polyimide structure includes dissolving a diamine, a dianhydride, and a triamine in a solvent, imidizing a polyamic acid gel by heating the gel, extracting the gel in a second solvent, supercritically drying the gel, and removing the solvent to create a polyimide aerogel.

Fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells using thermomigration to create conductive vias

DOEpatents

Gee, James M; Schmit, Russell R.

2007-01-30

Methods of manufacturing back-contacted silicon solar cells fabricated using a gradient-driven solute transport process, such as thermomigration or electromigration, to create n-type conductive vias connecting the n-type emitter layer on the front side to n-type ohmic contacts located on the back side.

Font generation of personal handwritten Chinese characters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jeng-Wei; Wang, Chih-Yin; Ting, Chao-Lung; Chang, Ray-I.

2014-01-01

Today, digital multimedia messages have drawn more and more attention due to the great achievement of computer and network techniques. Nevertheless, text is still the most popular media for people to communicate with others. Many fonts have been developed so that product designers can choose unique fonts to demonstrate their idea gracefully. It is commonly believed that handwritings can reflect one's personality, emotion, feeling, education level, and so on. This is especially true in Chinese calligraphy. However, it is not easy for ordinary users to customize a font of their personal handwritings. In this study, we performed a process reengineering in font generation. We present a new method to create font in a batch mode. Rather than to create glyphs of characters one by one according to their codepoints, people create glyphs incrementally in an on-demand manner. A Java Implementation is developed to read a document image of user handwritten Chinese characters, and make a vector font of these handwritten Chinese characters. Preliminary experiment result shows that the proposed method can help ordinary users create their personal handwritten fonts easily and quickly.

Creating multithemed ecological regions for macroscale ecology: Testing a flexible, repeatable, and accessible clustering method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Yuan, Shuai; Webster, Katherine E.; Tan, Pang-Ning; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Collins, Sarah M.; Fergus, C. Emi; Scott, Caren E.; Norton Henry, Emily; Soranno, Patricia A.; Filstrup, Christopher T.; Wagner, Tyler

2017-01-01

Understanding broad-scale ecological patterns and processes often involves accounting for regional-scale heterogeneity. A common way to do so is to include ecological regions in sampling schemes and empirical models. However, most existing ecological regions were developed for specific purposes, using a limited set of geospatial features and irreproducible methods. Our study purpose was to: (1) describe a method that takes advantage of recent computational advances and increased availability of regional and global data sets to create customizable and reproducible ecological regions, (2) make this algorithm available for use and modification by others studying different ecosystems, variables of interest, study extents, and macroscale ecology research questions, and (3) demonstrate the power of this approach for the research question—How well do these regions capture regional-scale variation in lake water quality? To achieve our purpose we: (1) used a spatially constrained spectral clustering algorithm that balances geospatial homogeneity and region contiguity to create ecological regions using multiple terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial data for 17 northeastern U.S. states (~1,800,000 km2); (2) identified which of the 52 geospatial features were most influential in creating the resulting 100 regions; and (3) tested the ability of these ecological regions to capture regional variation in water nutrients and clarity for ~6,000 lakes. We found that: (1) a combination of terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial features influenced region creation, suggesting that the oft-ignored freshwater landscape provides novel information on landscape variability not captured by traditionally used climate and terrestrial metrics; and (2) the delineated regions captured macroscale heterogeneity in ecosystem properties not included in region delineation—approximately 40% of the variation in total phosphorus and water clarity among lakes was at the regional scale. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of this method for creating customizable and reproducible regions for research and management applications.

Creating multithemed ecological regions for macroscale ecology: Testing a flexible, repeatable, and accessible clustering method.

PubMed

Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Yuan, Shuai; Webster, Katherine E; Tan, Pang-Ning; Lapierre, Jean-François; Collins, Sarah M; Fergus, C Emi; Scott, Caren E; Henry, Emily Norton; Soranno, Patricia A; Filstrup, Christopher T; Wagner, Tyler

2017-05-01

Understanding broad-scale ecological patterns and processes often involves accounting for regional-scale heterogeneity. A common way to do so is to include ecological regions in sampling schemes and empirical models. However, most existing ecological regions were developed for specific purposes, using a limited set of geospatial features and irreproducible methods. Our study purpose was to: (1) describe a method that takes advantage of recent computational advances and increased availability of regional and global data sets to create customizable and reproducible ecological regions, (2) make this algorithm available for use and modification by others studying different ecosystems, variables of interest, study extents, and macroscale ecology research questions, and (3) demonstrate the power of this approach for the research question-How well do these regions capture regional-scale variation in lake water quality? To achieve our purpose we: (1) used a spatially constrained spectral clustering algorithm that balances geospatial homogeneity and region contiguity to create ecological regions using multiple terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial data for 17 northeastern U.S. states (~1,800,000 km 2 ); (2) identified which of the 52 geospatial features were most influential in creating the resulting 100 regions; and (3) tested the ability of these ecological regions to capture regional variation in water nutrients and clarity for ~6,000 lakes. We found that: (1) a combination of terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial features influenced region creation, suggesting that the oft-ignored freshwater landscape provides novel information on landscape variability not captured by traditionally used climate and terrestrial metrics; and (2) the delineated regions captured macroscale heterogeneity in ecosystem properties not included in region delineation-approximately 40% of the variation in total phosphorus and water clarity among lakes was at the regional scale. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of this method for creating customizable and reproducible regions for research and management applications.

Developing a new model for the invention and translation of neurotechnologies in academic neurosurgery.

PubMed

Leuthardt, Eric C

2013-01-01

There is currently an acceleration of new scientific and technical capabilities that create new opportunities for academic neurosurgery. To engage these changing dynamics, the Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology (CINT) was created on the premise that successful innovation of device-related ideas relies on collaboration between multiple disciplines. The CINT has created a unique model that integrates scientific, medical, engineering, and legal/business experts to participate in the continuum from idea generation to translation. To detail the method by which this model has been implemented in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and the experience that has been accrued thus far. The workflow is structured to enable cross-disciplinary interaction, both intramurally and extramurally between academia and industry. This involves a structured method for generating, evaluating, and prototyping promising device concepts. The process begins with the "invention session," which consists of a structured exchange between inventors from diverse technical and medical backgrounds. Successful ideas, which pass a separate triage mechanism, are then sent to industry-sponsored multidisciplinary fellowships to create functioning prototypes. After 3 years, the CINT has engaged 32 clinical and nonclinical inventors, resulting in 47 ideas, 16 fellowships, and 12 patents, for which 7 have been licensed to industry. Financial models project that if commercially successful, device sales could have a notable impact on departmental revenue. The CINT is a model that supports an integrated approach from the time an idea is created through its translational development. To date, the approach has been successful in creating numerous concepts that have led to industry licenses. In the long term, this model will create a novel revenue stream to support the academic neurosurgical mission.

Quantitative ultrasonic evaluation of concrete structures using one-sided access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khazanovich, Lev; Hoegh, Kyle

2016-02-01

Nondestructive diagnostics of concrete structures is an important and challenging problem. A recent introduction of array ultrasonic dry point contact transducer systems offers opportunities for quantitative assessment of the subsurface condition of concrete structures, including detection of defects and inclusions. The methods described in this paper are developed for signal interpretation of shear wave impulse response time histories from multiple fixed distance transducer pairs in a self-contained ultrasonic linear array. This included generalizing Kirchoff migration-based synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) reconstruction methods to handle the spatially diverse transducer pair locations, creating expanded virtual arrays with associated reconstruction methods, and creating automated reconstruction interpretation methods for reinforcement detection and stochastic flaw detection. Interpretation of the reconstruction techniques developed in this study were validated using the results of laboratory and field forensic studies. Applicability of the developed methods for solving practical engineering problems was demonstrated.

E-learning: controlling costs and increasing value.

PubMed

Walsh, Kieran

2015-04-01

E-learning now accounts for a substantial proportion of medical education provision. This progress has required significant investment and this investment has in turn come under increasing scrutiny so that the costs of e-learning may be controlled and its returns maximised. There are multiple methods by which the costs of e-learning can be controlled and its returns maximised. This short paper reviews some of those methods that are likely to be most effective and that are likely to save costs without compromising quality. Methods might include accessing free or low-cost resources from elsewhere; create short learning resources that will work on multiple devices; using open source platforms to host content; using in-house faculty to create content; sharing resources between institutions; and promoting resources to ensure high usage. Whatever methods are used to control costs or increase value, it is most important to evaluate the impact of these methods.

The C.R.E.A.T.E. Approach to Primary Literature Shifts Undergraduates’ Self-Assessed Ability to Read and Analyze Journal Articles, Attitudes about Science, and Epistemological Beliefs

PubMed Central

Hoskins, Sally G.; Lopatto, David; Stevens, Leslie M.

2011-01-01

The C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment) method uses intensive analysis of primary literature in the undergraduate classroom to demystify and humanize science. We have reported previously that the method improves students’ critical thinking and content integration abilities, while at the same time enhancing their self-reported understanding of “who does science, and why.” We report here the results of an assessment that addressed C.R.E.A.T.E. students’ attitudes about the nature of science, beliefs about learning, and confidence in their ability to read, analyze, and explain research articles. Using a Likert-style survey administered pre- and postcourse, we found significant changes in students’ confidence in their ability to read and analyze primary literature, self-assessed understanding of the nature of science, and epistemological beliefs (e.g., their sense of whether knowledge is certain and scientific talent innate). Thus, within a single semester, the inexpensive C.R.E.A.T.E. method can shift not just students’ analytical abilities and understanding of scientists as people, but can also positively affect students’ confidence with analysis of primary literature, their insight into the processes of science, and their beliefs about learning. PMID:22135371

The C.R.E.A.T.E. approach to primary literature shifts undergraduates' self-assessed ability to read and analyze journal articles, attitudes about science, and epistemological beliefs.

PubMed

Hoskins, Sally G; Lopatto, David; Stevens, Leslie M

2011-01-01

The C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment) method uses intensive analysis of primary literature in the undergraduate classroom to demystify and humanize science. We have reported previously that the method improves students' critical thinking and content integration abilities, while at the same time enhancing their self-reported understanding of "who does science, and why." We report here the results of an assessment that addressed C.R.E.A.T.E. students' attitudes about the nature of science, beliefs about learning, and confidence in their ability to read, analyze, and explain research articles. Using a Likert-style survey administered pre- and postcourse, we found significant changes in students' confidence in their ability to read and analyze primary literature, self-assessed understanding of the nature of science, and epistemological beliefs (e.g., their sense of whether knowledge is certain and scientific talent innate). Thus, within a single semester, the inexpensive C.R.E.A.T.E. method can shift not just students' analytical abilities and understanding of scientists as people, but can also positively affect students' confidence with analysis of primary literature, their insight into the processes of science, and their beliefs about learning.

Creating relationships with persons with moderate to severe dementia

PubMed Central

Kjellström, Sofia; Hellström, Ingrid

2013-01-01

The study describes how relationships are created with persons with moderate to severe dementia. The material comprises 24 video sequences of Relational Time (RT) sessions, 24 interviews with persons with dementia and eight interviews with professional caregivers. The study method was Constructivist Grounded Theory. The categories of ‘Assigning time’, ‘Establishing security and trust’ and ‘Communicating equality’ were strategies for arriving at the core category, ‘Opening up’, which was the process that led to creating relationships. Both parties had to contribute to create a relationship; the professional caregiver controlled the process, but the person with dementia permitted the caregiver's overtures and opened up, thus making the relationship possible. Interpersonal relationships are significant to enhancing the well-being of persons with dementia. Small measures like RT that do not require major resources can open paths to creating relationships. PMID:24336663

Structuring unbreakable hydrophobic barriers in paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nargang, Tobias M.; Kotz, Frederik; Rapp, Bastian E.

2018-02-01

Hydrophobic barriers are one of the key elements of microfluidic paper based analytical devices (μPADs).μPADs are simple and cost efficient and they can be carried out without the need of high standard laboratories. To carry out such a test a method is needed to create stable hydrophobic barriers. Commonly used methods like printing wax or polystyrene have the major drawback that these barriers are stiff and break if bended which means they will no longer be able to retain a liquid sample. Here we present silanes to structure hydrophobic barriers via polycondensation and show a silanization method which combines the advantages of flexible silane/siloxane layers with the short processing times of UV-light based structuring. The barriers are created by using methoxy silanes which are mixed with a photo acid generator (PAG) as photoinitiator. Also a photosensitizer was given to the mixture to increase the effectiveness of the PAG. After the PAG is activated by UV-light the silane is hydrolyzed and coupled to the cellulose via polycondensation. The created hydrophobic barriers are highly stable and do not break if being bended.

Automated finite element modeling of the lumbar spine: Using a statistical shape model to generate a virtual population of models.

PubMed

Campbell, J Q; Petrella, A J

2016-09-06

Population-based modeling of the lumbar spine has the potential to be a powerful clinical tool. However, developing a fully parameterized model of the lumbar spine with accurate geometry has remained a challenge. The current study used automated methods for landmark identification to create a statistical shape model of the lumbar spine. The shape model was evaluated using compactness, generalization ability, and specificity. The primary shape modes were analyzed visually, quantitatively, and biomechanically. The biomechanical analysis was performed by using the statistical shape model with an automated method for finite element model generation to create a fully parameterized finite element model of the lumbar spine. Functional finite element models of the mean shape and the extreme shapes (±3 standard deviations) of all 17 shape modes were created demonstrating the robust nature of the methods. This study represents an advancement in finite element modeling of the lumbar spine and will allow population-based modeling in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creating compact and microscale features in paper-based devices by laser cutting.

PubMed

Mahmud, Md Almostasim; Blondeel, Eric J M; Kaddoura, Moufeed; MacDonald, Brendan D

2016-11-14

In this work we describe a fabrication method to create compact and microscale features in paper-based microfluidic devices using a CO 2 laser cutting/engraving machine. Using this method we are able to produce the smallest features with the narrowest barriers yet reported for paper-based microfluidic devices. The method uses foil backed paper as the base material and yields inexpensive paper-based devices capable of using small fluid sample volumes and thus small reagent volumes, which is also suitable for mass production. The laser parameters (power and laser head speed) were adjusted to minimize the width of hydrophobic barriers and we were able to create barriers with a width of 39 ± 15 μm that were capable of preventing cross-barrier bleeding. We generated channels with a width of 128 ± 30 μm, which we found to be the physical limit for small features in the chromatography paper we used. We demonstrate how miniaturizing of paper-based microfluidic devices enables eight tests on a single bioassay device using only 2 μL of sample fluid volume.

Experience of creating a multifunctional safety system at the coal mining enterprise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reshetnikov, V. V.; Davkaev, K. S.; Korolkov, M. V.; Lyakhovets, M. V.

2018-05-01

The principles of creating multifunctional safety systems (MFSS) based on mathematical models with Markov properties are considered. The applicability of such models for the analysis of the safety of the created systems and their effectiveness is substantiated. The method of this analysis and the results of its testing are discussed. The variant of IFSB implementation in the conditions of the operating coal-mining enterprise is given. The functional scheme, data scheme and operating modes of the MFSS are given. The automated workplace of the industrial safety controller is described.

Modeling of serial data acquisition structure for GEM detector system in Matlab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolasinski, Piotr; Pozniak, Krzysztof T.; Czarski, Tomasz; Chernyshova, Maryna; Kasprowicz, Grzegorz; Krawczyk, Rafal D.; Wojenski, Andrzej; Zabolotny, Wojciech; Byszuk, Adrian

2016-09-01

This article presents method of modeling in Matlab hardware architecture dedicated for FPGA created by languages like VHDL or Verilog. Purposes of creating such type of model with its advantages and disadvantages are described. Rules presented in this article were exploited to create model of Serial Data Acquisition algorithm used in X-ray GEM detector system. Result were compared to real working model implemented in VHDL. After testing of basic structure, other two structures were modeled to see influence parameters of the structure on its behavior.

How to create a health care organization that can succeed in an unpredictable future.

PubMed

Olden, Peter C; Haynos, Jessika

2013-01-01

For those who manage organizations, it has been said that success does not come from predicting the future but instead comes from creating an organization that can succeed in an unpredictable future. Managers are responsible for creating such an organization. To do that, managers can apply management-related principles and methods. This article explains selected principles of organization structure, human resources, culture, decision making, and change management and how to apply them to health care organizations. If done well, that will help such organizations succeed in an unpredictable future.

One-step formation of multiple emulsions in microfluidics.

PubMed

Abate, Adam R; Thiele, Julian; Weitz, David A

2011-01-21

We present a robust way to create multiple emulsions with controllable shell thicknesses that can vary over a wide range. We use a microfluidic device to create a coaxial jet of immiscible fluids; using a dripping instability, we break the jet into multiple emulsions. By controlling the thickness of each layer of the jet, we adjust the thicknesses of the shells of the multiple emulsions. The same method is also effective in creating monodisperse emulsions from fluids that cannot otherwise be controllably emulsified, such as, for example, viscoelastic fluids.

Model reconstruction using POD method for gray-box fault detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, H. G.; Zak, M.

2003-01-01

This paper describes using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) method to create low-order dynamical models for the Model Filter component of Beacon-based Exception Analysis for Multi-missions (BEAM).

Computation Methods for NASA Data-streams for Agricultural Efficiency Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, B.; O'Hara, C. G.; Mali, P.

2007-12-01

Temporal Map Algebra (TMA) is a novel technique for analyzing time-series of satellite imageries using simple algebraic operators that treats time-series imageries as a three-dimensional dataset, where two dimensions encode planimetric position on earth surface and the third dimension encodes time. Spatio-temporal analytical processing methods such as TMA that utilize moderate spatial resolution satellite imagery having high temporal resolution to create multi-temporal composites are data intensive as well as computationally intensive. TMA analysis for multi-temporal composites provides dramatically enhanced usefulness that will yield previously unavailable capabilities to user communities, if deployment is coupled with significant High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities; and interfaces are designed to deliver the full potential for these new technological developments. In this research, cross-platform data fusion and adaptive filtering using TMA was employed to create highly useful daily datasets and cloud-free high-temporal resolution vegetation index (VI) composites with enhanced information content for vegetation and bio-productivity monitoring, surveillance, and modeling. Fusion of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data created from Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface-reflectance data (MOD09) enables the creation of daily composites which are of immense value to a broad spectrum of global and national applications. Additionally these products are highly desired by many natural resources agencies like USDA/FAS/PECAD. Utilizing data streams collected by similar sensors on different platforms that transit the same areas at slightly different times of the day offers the opportunity to develop fused data products that have enhanced cloud-free and reduced noise characteristics. Establishing a Fusion Quality Confidence Code (FQCC) provides a metadata product that quantifies the method of fusion for a given pixel and enables a relative quality and confidence factor to be established for a given daily pixel value. When coupled with metadata that quantify the source sensor, day and time of acquisition, and the fusion method of each pixel to create the daily product; a wealth of information is available to assist in deriving new data and information products. These newly developed abilities to create highly useful daily data sets imply that temporal composites for a geographic area of interest may be created for user-defined temporal intervals that emphasize a user designated day of interest. At GeoResources Institute, Mississippi State University, solutions have been developed to create custom composites and cross-platform satellite data fusion using TMA which are useful for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Rapid Prototyping Capability (RPC) and Integrated System Solutions (ISS) experiments for agricultural applications.

Interference lithography for optical devices and coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhl, Abigail Therese

Interference lithography can create large-area, defect-free nanostructures with unique optical properties. In this thesis, interference lithography will be utilized to create photonic crystals for functional devices or coatings. For instance, typical lithographic processing techniques were used to create 1, 2 and 3 dimensional photonic crystals in SU8 photoresist. These structures were in-filled with birefringent liquid crystal to make active devices, and the orientation of the liquid crystal directors within the SU8 matrix was studied. Most of this thesis will be focused on utilizing polymerization induced phase separation as a single-step method for fabrication by interference lithography. For example, layered polymer/nanoparticle composites have been created through the one-step two-beam interference lithographic exposure of a dispersion of 25 and 50 nm silica particles within a photopolymerizable mixture at a wavelength of 532 nm. In the areas of constructive interference, the monomer begins to polymerize via a free-radical process and concurrently the nanoparticles move into the regions of destructive interference. The holographic exposure of the particles within the monomer resin offers a single-step method to anisotropically structure the nanoconstituents within a composite. A one-step holographic exposure was also used to fabricate self-healing coatings that use water from the environment to catalyze polymerization. Polymerization induced phase separation was used to sequester an isocyanate monomer within an acrylate matrix. Due to the periodic modulation of the index of refraction between the monomer and polymer, the coating can reflect a desired wavelength, allowing for tunable coloration. When the coating is scratched, polymerization of the liquid isocyanate is catalyzed by moisture in air; if the indices of the two polymers are matched, the coatings turn transparent after healing. Interference lithography offers a method of creating multifunctional self-healing coatings that readout when damage has occurred.

Narratives of health and illness: Arts-based research capturing the lived experience of dementia.

PubMed

Moss, Hilary; O'Neill, Desmond

2017-01-01

Introduction This paper presents three artists' residencies in a geriatric medicine unit in a teaching hospital. The aim of the residencies was creation of new work of high artistic quality reflecting the lived experience of the person with dementia and greater understanding of service user experience of living with dementia. This paper also explores arts-based research methodologies in a medical setting. Method Arts-based research and narrative enquiry were the method used in this study. Artists had extensive access to service users with dementia, family carers and clinical team. Projects were created through collaboration between clinical staff, arts and health director, artist, patients and family carers. Each performance was accompanied by a public seminar discussing dementia. Evaluations were undertaken following each residency. The process of creating artistic responses to dementia is outlined, presented and discussed. Results The artworks were well received with repeat performances and exhibitions requested. Evaluations of each residency indicated increased understanding of dementia. The narratives within the artworks aided learning about dementia. The results are a new chamber music composition, a series of visual artworks created collaboratively between visual artist and patients and family carers and a dance film inspired by a dancer's residency, all created through narrative enquiry. These projects support the role of arts-based research as creative process and qualitative research method which contributes to illuminating and exploring the lived experience of dementia. The arts act as a reflective tool for learning and understanding a complex health condition, as well as creating opportunities for increased understanding and public awareness of dementia. Issues arising in arts-based research in medical settings are highlighted, including ethical issues, the importance of service user narrative and multidisciplinary collaboration in arts and health practice and research.

KP-LAB: Breaking New Ground on How to Create Knowledge through Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Sally; Camilleri, Anthony Fisher

2010-01-01

The 5 year KP-Lab project funded under the FP6 of the European Commission's Programme for Research and Technological Development is about developing theories, tools, practical models, and research methods that deliberately advance the ways in which knowledge is created and which help to transform knowledge practices in education and in the…

Consortium for Imaging and Biomarkers (CIB) Created: Eight Grants Awarded | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

The NCI Division of Cancer Prevention awarded eight grants to create the Consortium for Imaging and Biomarkers (CIB) on August 3, 2015. | 8 lead investigators combining imaging methods for the visualization of lesions with biomarkers to improve the accuracy of screening, early cancer detection, and the diagnosis of early stage cancers.

Vegetative composition in forested areas following application of desired forest condition treatments

Treesearch

Trent A. Danley; Andrew W. Ezell; Emily B. Schultz; John D. Hodges

2015-01-01

Desired forest conditions, or DFCs, are recently created parameters which strive to create diverse stands of hardwoods of various species and age classes, along with varying densities and canopy gaps, through the use of uneven-aged silvicultural methods and repeated stand entries. Little research has been conducted to examine residual stand composition and hardwood...

Agile Methods: Selected DoD Management and Acquisition Concerns

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

SIDRE Software Intensive Innovative Development and Reengineering/Evolution SLIM Software Lifecycle Management -Estimate SLOC source lines of code...ISBN #0321502752 Coaching Agile Teams Lyssa Adkins ISBN #0321637704 Agile Project Management : Creating Innovative Products – Second Edition Jim...Accessed July 13, 2011. [Highsmith 2009] Highsmith, J. Agile Project Management : Creating Innovative Products, 2nd ed. Addison- Wesley, 2009

Stability of Rasch Scales over Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Catherine S.; Lee, Yoonsun

2010-01-01

Item response theory (IRT) methods are generally used to create score scales for large-scale tests. Research has shown that IRT scales are stable across groups and over time. Most studies have focused on items that are dichotomously scored. Now Rasch and other IRT models are used to create scales for tests that include polytomously scored items.…

An Integrated Social, Economic, and Ecologic Conceptual (ISEEC) framework for considering rangeland sustainability

Treesearch

William E. Fox; Daniel W. McCollum; John E. Mitchell; Louis E. Swanson; Urs P. Kreuter; John A. Tanaka; Gary R. Evans; H. Theodore Heintz; Robert P. Breckenridge; Paul H. Geissler

2009-01-01

Currently, there is no standard method to assess the complex systems in rangeland ecosystems. Decision makers need baselines to create a common language of current rangeland conditions and standards for continued rangeland assessment. The Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable (SRR), a group of private and public organizations and agencies, has created a forum to discuss...

Some Methods of Applied Numerical Analysis to 3d Facial Reconstruction Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roşu, Şerban; Ianeş, Emilia; Roşu, Doina

2010-09-01

This paper deals with the collective work performed by medical doctors from the University Of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara and engineers from the Politechnical Institute Timisoara in the effort to create the first Romanian 3d reconstruction software based on CT or MRI scans and to test the created software in clinical practice.

Development of DHQ II Nutrient & Food Group Database | EGRP/DCCPS/NCI/NIH

Cancer.gov

Links to publications describing methods used to create values for the Diet History Questionnaire II (DHQ II) database using NHANES data and the addition of nutrients from the University of Minnesota’s Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R). The process used to create the Canadian DHQ II database is also described.

Software Products for Temperature Data Reduction of Platinum Resistance Thermometers (PRT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherrod, Jerry K.

1998-01-01

The main objective of this project is to create user-friendly personal computer (PC) software for reduction/analysis of platinum resistance thermometer (PRT) data. Software products were designed and created to help users of PRT data with the tasks of using the Callendar-Van Dusen method. Sample runs are illustrated in this report.

Creating Excitement and Involvement in the Foreign Language Classroom by Getting Away from the Textbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wattenmaker, Beverly; Lock, Joanne

This paper presents a method for making foreign language learning meaningful and interesting through using language as a tool for communicating about the self and others. Drawing from techniques developed by behavioral scientists, the foreign language was used to develop students' self-awareness and confidence. Learning activities were created,…

Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence: Insights from Accomplished University Team-Sport Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donoso-Morales, Daniela; Bloom, Gordon A.; Caron, Jeffrey G.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Winning several national championships is an extraordinary feat that very few university coaches have accomplished. The objective of this study was to investigate how some of Canada's most accomplished university team-sport coaches created and sustained a culture of excellence in their programs. Method: Six university coaches who had won…

A Qualitative Study Using Project-Based Learning in a Mainstream Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wurdinger, Scott; Haar, Jean; Hugg, Robert; Bezon, Jennifer

2007-01-01

Project-based learning taps into students' interests by allowing them to create projects that result in meaningful learning experiences. The method requires teachers to identify projects that challenge students to work individually or in groups to create plans, solve problems they encounter, test their ideas, and present their projects to peers.…

Fluid Flow Prediction with Development System Interwell Connectivity Influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolshakov, M.; Deeva, T.; Pustovskikh, A.

2016-03-01

In this paper interwell connectivity has been studied. First of all, literature review of existing methods was made which is divided into three groups: Statistically-Based Methods, Material (fluid) Propagation-Based Methods and Potential (pressure) Change Propagation-Based Method. The disadvantages of the first and second groups are as follows: methods do not involve fluid flow through porous media, ignore any changes of well conditions (BHP, skin factor, etc.). The last group considers changes of well conditions and fluid flow through porous media. In this work Capacitance method (CM) has been chosen for research. This method is based on material balance and uses weight coefficients lambdas to assess well influence. In the next step synthetic model was created for examining CM. This model consists of an injection well and a production well. CM gave good results, it means that flow rates which were calculated by analytical method (CM) show matching with flow rate in model. Further new synthetic model was created which includes six production and one injection wells. This model represents seven-spot pattern. To obtain lambdas weight coefficients, the delta function was entered using by minimization algorithm. Also synthetic model which has three injectors and thirteen producer wells was created. This model simulates seven-spot pattern production system. Finally Capacitance method (CM) has been adjusted on real data of oil Field Ω. In this case CM does not give enough satisfying results in terms of field data liquid rate. In conclusion, recommendations to simplify CM calculations were given. Field Ω is assumed to have one injection and one production wells. In this case, satisfying results for production rates and cumulative production were obtained.

Physics-based process model approach for detecting discontinuity during friction stir welding

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

Shrivastava, Amber; Pfefferkorn, Frank E.; Duffie, Neil A.

2015-02-12

The goal of this work is to develop a method for detecting the creation of discontinuities during friction stir welding. This in situ weld monitoring method could significantly reduce the need for post-process inspection. A process force model and a discontinuity force model were created based on the state-of-the-art understanding of flow around an friction stir welding (FSW) tool. These models are used to predict the FSW forces and size of discontinuities formed in the weld. Friction stir welds with discontinuities and welds without discontinuities were created, and the differences in force dynamics were observed. In this paper, discontinuities weremore » generated by reducing the tool rotation frequency and increasing the tool traverse speed in order to create "cold" welds. Experimental force data for welds with discontinuities and welds without discontinuities compared favorably with the predicted forces. The model currently overpredicts the discontinuity size.« less

Method and apparatus for detecting a desired behavior in digital image data

DOEpatents

Kegelmeyer, Jr., W. Philip

1997-01-01

A method for detecting stellate lesions in digitized mammographic image data includes the steps of prestoring a plurality of reference images, calculating a plurality of features for each of the pixels of the reference images, and creating a binary decision tree from features of randomly sampled pixels from each of the reference images. Once the binary decision tree has been created, a plurality of features, preferably including an ALOE feature (analysis of local oriented edges), are calculated for each of the pixels of the digitized mammographic data. Each of these plurality of features of each pixel are input into the binary decision tree and a probability is determined, for each of the pixels, corresponding to the likelihood of the presence of a stellate lesion, to create a probability image. Finally, the probability image is spatially filtered to enforce local consensus among neighboring pixels and the spatially filtered image is output.

Creating nanoscale emulsions using condensation.

PubMed

Guha, Ingrid F; Anand, Sushant; Varanasi, Kripa K

2017-11-08

Nanoscale emulsions are essential components in numerous products, ranging from processed foods to novel drug delivery systems. Existing emulsification methods rely either on the breakup of larger droplets or solvent exchange/inversion. Here we report a simple, scalable method of creating nanoscale water-in-oil emulsions by condensing water vapor onto a subcooled oil-surfactant solution. Our technique enables a bottom-up approach to forming small-scale emulsions. Nanoscale water droplets nucleate at the oil/air interface and spontaneously disperse within the oil, due to the spreading dynamics of oil on water. Oil-soluble surfactants stabilize the resulting emulsions. We find that the oil-surfactant concentration controls the spreading behavior of oil on water, as well as the peak size, polydispersity, and stability of the resulting emulsions. Using condensation, we form emulsions with peak radii around 100 nm and polydispersities around 10%. This emulsion formation technique may open different routes to creating emulsions, colloidal systems, and emulsion-based materials.

Method and apparatus for detecting a desired behavior in digital image data

DOEpatents

Kegelmeyer, Jr., W. Philip

1997-01-01

A method for detecting stellate lesions in digitized mammographic image data includes the steps of prestoring a plurality of reference images, calculating a plurality of features for each of the pixels of the reference images, and creating a binary decision tree from features of randomly sampled pixels from each of the reference images. Once the binary decision tree has been created, a plurality of features, preferably including an ALOE feature (analysis of local oriented edges), are calculated for each of the pixels of the digitized mammographic data. Each of these plurality of features of each pixel are input into the binary decision tree and a probability is determined, for each of the pixels, corresponding to the likelihood of the presence of a stellate lesion, to create a probability image. Finally, the probability image is spacially filtered to enforce local consensus among neighboring pixels and the spacially filtered image is output.

Fiber coupled optical spark delivery system

DOEpatents

Yalin, Azer; Willson, Bryan; Defoort, Morgan

2008-08-12

A spark delivery system for generating a spark using a laser beam is provided, the spark delivery system including a laser light source and a laser delivery assembly. The laser delivery assembly includes a hollow fiber and a launch assembly comprising launch focusing optics to input the laser beam in the hollow fiber. In addition, the laser delivery assembly includes exit focusing optics that demagnify an exit beam of laser light from the hollow fiber, thereby increasing the intensity of the laser beam and creating a spark. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the assembly may be used to create a spark in a combustion engine. In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, a method of using the spark delivery system is provided. In addition, a method of choosing an appropriate fiber for creating a spark using a laser beam is also presented.

Using virtual reality technology and hand tracking technology to create software for training surgical skills in 3D game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakirova, A. A.; Ganiev, B. A.; Mullin, R. I.

2015-11-01

The lack of visible and approachable ways of training surgical skills is one of the main problems in medical education. Existing simulation training devices are not designed to teach students, and are not available due to the high cost of the equipment. Using modern technologies such as virtual reality and hands movements fixation technology we want to create innovative method of learning the technics of conducting operations in 3D game format, which can make education process interesting and effective. Creating of 3D format virtual simulator will allow to solve several conceptual problems at once: opportunity of practical skills improvement unlimited by the time without the risk for patient, high realism of environment in operational and anatomic body structures, using of game mechanics for information perception relief and memorization of methods acceleration, accessibility of this program.

A Novel User Created Message Application Service Design for Bidirectional TPEG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang-Hee; Jo, Kang-Hyun

The T-DMB (Terrestrial-Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) is the national service, currently successful in use in Korea since 2008. Among other services, TPEG (Transport Protocol Experts Group) service has been spotlighted in the aspects of creating earnings. At present, TPEG service is not so popular as it fails to satisfy the user’s demands on various aspects. Thus, the variety of services including bidirectional service is necessary in stage of DMB2.0. In this paper, the limitations of existing TPEG-POI (Point of Interest) application service using the wireless communication network are indicated. To overcome such limitations, we propose a business model for TPEG-UCM (User Created Message) application service which uses individual bidirectional media. The experiment shown in this paper proves the usability and operability of the proposed method, suggesting that the implementation of the proposed method would be overcome a lack of variety and unidirectional of existing TPEG application.

Solution mechanism guide: implementing innovation within a research & development organization.

PubMed

Keeton, Kathryn E; Richard, Elizabeth E; Davis, Jeffrey R

2014-10-01

In order to create a culture more open to novel problem-solving mechanisms, NASA's Human Health and Performance Directorate (HH&P) created a strategic knowledge management tool that educates employees about innovative problem-solving techniques, the Solution Mechanism Guide (SMG). The SMG is a web-based, interactive guide that leverages existing and innovative problem-solving methods and presents this information as a unique user experience so that the employee is empowered to make the best decision about which problem-solving tool best meets their needs. By integrating new and innovative methods with existing problem solving tools, the SMG seamlessly introduces open innovation and collaboration concepts within HH&P to more effectively address human health and performance risks. This commentary reviews the path of creating a more open and innovative culture within HH&P and the process and development steps that were taken to develop the SMG.

Motion-induced eddy current thermography for high-speed inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jianbo; Li, Kongjing; Tian, Guiyun; Zhu, Junzhen; Gao, Yunlai; Tang, Chaoqing; Chen, Xiaotian

2017-08-01

This letter proposes a novel motion-induced eddy current based thermography (MIECT) for high-speed inspection. In contrast to conventional eddy current thermography (ECT) based on a time-varying magnetic field created by an AC coil, the motion-induced eddy current is induced by the relative motion between magnetic field and inspected objects. A rotating magnetic field created by three-phase windings is used to investigate the heating principle and feasibility of the proposed method. Firstly, based on Faraday's law the distribution of MIEC is investigated, which is then validated by numerical simulation. Further, experimental studies are conducted to validate the proposed method by creating rotating magnetic fields at different speeds from 600 rpm to 6000 rpm, and it is verified that rotating speed will increase MIEC intensity and thereafter improve the heating efficiency. The conclusion can be preliminarily drawn that the proposed MIECT is a platform suitable for high-speed inspection.

Moth eye-inspired anti-reflective surfaces for improved IR optical systems & visible LEDs fabricated with colloidal lithography and etching.

PubMed

Chan, Lesley W; Morse, Daniel E; Gordon, Michael J

2018-05-08

Near- and sub-wavelength photonic structures are used by numerous organisms (e.g. insects, cephalopods, fish, birds) to create vivid and often dynamically-tunable colors, as well as create, manipulate, or capture light for vision, communication, crypsis, photosynthesis, and defense. This review introduces the physics of moth eye (ME)-like, biomimetic nanostructures and discusses their application to reduce optical losses and improve efficiency of various optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors, photovoltaics, imagers, and light emitting diodes. Light-matter interactions at structured and heterogeneous surfaces over different length scales are discussed, as are the various methods used to create ME-inspired surfaces. Special interest is placed on a simple, scalable, and tunable method, namely colloidal lithography with plasma dry etching, to fabricate ME-inspired nanostructures in a vast suite of materials. Anti-reflective surfaces and coatings for IR devices and enhancing light extraction from visible light emitting diodes are highlighted.

5 CFR 850.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (asymmetric) cryptography is a method of creating a unique mark, known as a digital signature, on an... cryptography means a method of authentication in which a single key is used to sign and verify an electronic...

A site-directed mutagenesis method particularly useful for creating otherwise difficult-to-make mutants and alanine scanning.

PubMed

Wan, Haisu; Li, Yongwen; Fan, Yu; Meng, Fanrong; Chen, Chen; Zhou, Qinghua

2012-01-15

Site-directed mutagenesis has become routine in molecular biology. However, many mutants can still be very difficult to create. Complicated chimerical mutations, tandem repeats, inverted sequences, GC-rich regions, and/or heavy secondary structures can cause inefficient or incorrect binding of the mutagenic primer to the target sequence and affect the subsequent amplification. In theory, these problems can be avoided by introducing the mutations into the target sequence using mutagenic fragments and so removing the need for primer-template annealing. The cassette mutagenesis uses the mutagenic fragment in its protocol; however, in most cases it needs to perform two rounds of mutagenic primer-based mutagenesis to introduce suitable restriction enzyme sites into templates and is not suitable for routine mutagenesis. Here we describe a highly efficient method in which the template except the region to be mutated is amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the type IIs restriction enzyme-digested PCR product is directly ligated with the mutagenic fragment. Our method requires no assistance of mutagenic primers. We have used this method to create various types of difficult-to-make mutants with mutagenic frequencies of nearly 100%. Our protocol has many advantages over the prevalent QuikChange method and is a valuable tool for studies on gene structure and function. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Near-Infrared Coloring via a Contrast-Preserving Mapping Model.

PubMed

Chang-Hwan Son; Xiao-Ping Zhang

2017-11-01

Near-infrared gray images captured along with corresponding visible color images have recently proven useful for image restoration and classification. This paper introduces a new coloring method to add colors to near-infrared gray images based on a contrast-preserving mapping model. A naive coloring method directly adds the colors from the visible color image to the near-infrared gray image. However, this method results in an unrealistic image because of the discrepancies in the brightness and image structure between the captured near-infrared gray image and the visible color image. To solve the discrepancy problem, first, we present a new contrast-preserving mapping model to create a new near-infrared gray image with a similar appearance in the luminance plane to the visible color image, while preserving the contrast and details of the captured near-infrared gray image. Then, we develop a method to derive realistic colors that can be added to the newly created near-infrared gray image based on the proposed contrast-preserving mapping model. Experimental results show that the proposed new method not only preserves the local contrast and details of the captured near-infrared gray image, but also transfers the realistic colors from the visible color image to the newly created near-infrared gray image. It is also shown that the proposed near-infrared coloring can be used effectively for noise and haze removal, as well as local contrast enhancement.

Extremely high-definition full-parallax computer-generated hologram created by the polygon-based method.

PubMed

Matsushima, Kyoji; Nakahara, Sumio

2009-12-01

A large-scale full-parallax computer-generated hologram (CGH) with four billion (2(16) x 2(16)) pixels is created to reconstruct a fine true 3D image of a scene, with occlusions. The polygon-based method numerically generates the object field of a surface object, whose shape is provided by a set of vertex data of polygonal facets, while the silhouette method makes it possible to reconstruct the occluded scene. A novel technique using the segmented frame buffer is presented for handling and propagating large wave fields even in the case where the whole wave field cannot be stored in memory. We demonstrate that the full-parallax CGH, calculated by the proposed method and fabricated by a laser lithography system, reconstructs a fine 3D image accompanied by a strong sensation of depth.

Scar-less multi-part DNA assembly design automation

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

Hillson, Nathan J.

The present invention provides a method of a method of designing an implementation of a DNA assembly. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) receiving a list of DNA sequence fragments to be assembled together and an order in which to assemble the DNA sequence fragments, (2) designing DNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for each of the DNA sequence fragments, and (3) creating a plan for adding flanking homology sequences to each of the DNA oligos. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) receiving a list of DNA sequence fragments to be assembled together and an order in which tomore » assemble the DNA sequence fragments, (2) designing DNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for each of the DNA sequence fragments, and (3) creating a plan for adding optimized overhang sequences to each of the DNA oligos.« less

Supply chain value creation methodology under BSC approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golrizgashti, Seyedehfatemeh

2014-06-01

The objective of this paper is proposing a developed balanced scorecard approach to measure supply chain performance with the aim of creating more value in manufacturing and business operations. The most important metrics have been selected based on experts' opinion acquired by in-depth interviews focused on creating more value for stakeholders. Using factor analysis method, a survey research has been used to categorize selected metrics into balanced scorecard perspectives. The result identifies the intensity of correlation between perspectives and cause-and-effect chains among them using statistical method based on a real case study in home appliance manufacturing industries.

Creating fluid injectivity in tar sands formations

DOEpatents

Stegemeier, George Leo; Beer, Gary Lee; Zhang, Etuan

2012-06-05

Methods for treating a tar sands formation are described herein. Methods for treating a tar sands may include heating a portion of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from one or more heaters located in the portion. The heat may be controlled to increase the permeability of at least part of the portion to create an injection zone in the portion with an average permeability sufficient to allow injection of a fluid through the injection zone. A drive fluid and/or an oxidizing fluid may be provided into the injection zone. At least some hydrocarbons including mobilized hydrocarbons are produced from the portion.

Creating fluid injectivity in tar sands formations

DOEpatents

Stegemeier, George Leo; Beer, Gary Lee; Zhang, Etuan

2010-06-08

Methods for treating a tar sands formation are described herein. Methods for treating a tar sands may include heating a portion of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from one or more heaters located in the portion. The heat may be controlled to increase the permeability of at least part of the portion to create an injection zone in the portion with an average permeability sufficient to allow injection of a fluid through the injection zone. A drive fluid and/or an oxidizing fluid may be provided into the injection zone. At least some hydrocarbons are produced from the portion.

Making meaning in qualitative research with conversational partnerships: a methodological discussion.

PubMed

Hunter Revell, Susan M

2013-01-01

Rubin and Rubin's responsive interviewing method is based on the conversational partnership formed between researcher and participant. This method allows the researcher to understand experiences through the participant's words and stories to create meaning. In this article, the reader is guided through a 3-part interview series with a person living with traumatic spinal cord injury. The example focuses on how interview guides were developed and tailored to the participant, and how field notations were created. Findings include the importance of establishing trust and rapport in conversational partnerships for meaning making to occur.

The analysis of professional competencies of a lecturer in adult education.

PubMed

Žeravíková, Iveta; Tirpáková, Anna; Markechová, Dagmar

2015-01-01

In this article, we present the andragogical research project and evaluation of its results using nonparametric statistical methods and the semantic differential method. The presented research was realized in the years 2012-2013 in the dissertation of I. Žeravíková: Analysis of professional competencies of lecturer and creating his competence profile (Žeravíková 2013), and its purpose was based on the analysis of work activities of a lecturer to identify his most important professional competencies and to create a suggestion of competence profile of a lecturer in adult education.

Building Reflection with Word Clouds for Online RN to BSN Students.

PubMed

Volkert, Delene R

Reflection allows students to integrate learning with their personal context, developing deeper knowledge and promoting critical thinking. Word clouds help students develop themes/concepts beyond traditional methods, introducing visual aspects to an online learning environment. Students created word clouds and captions, then responded to those created by peers for a weekly discussion assignment. Students indicated overwhelming support for the use of word clouds to develop deeper understanding of the subject matter. This reflection assignment could be utilized in asynchronous, online undergraduate nursing courses for creative methods of building reflection and developing knowledge for the undergraduate RN to BSN student.

Experimental Methods to Evaluate Science Utility Relative to the Decadal Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Widergren, Cynthia

2012-01-01

The driving factor for competed missions is the science that it plans on performing once it has reached its target body. These science goals are derived from the science recommended by the most current Decadal Survey. This work focuses on science goals in previous Venus mission proposals with respect to the 2013 Decadal Survey. By looking at how the goals compare to the survey and how much confidence NASA has in the mission's ability to accomplish these goals, a method was created to assess the science return utility of each mission. This method can be used as a tool for future Venus mission formulation and serves as a starting point for future development of create science utility assessment tools.

Dilemmas of Teaching Inquiry in Elementary Science Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, William J., Jr.; Abell, Sandra K.; Hubbard, Paula D.; McDonald, James; Otaala, Justine; Martini, Mariana

2004-01-01

Because various definitions of inquiry exist in the science education literature and in classroom practice, elementary science methods students and instructors face dilemmas during the study of inquiry. Using field notes, instructor anecdotal notes, student products, and course artifacts, science methods course instructors created fictional…

Ambient intercomparison of direct and indirect methods for ambient nitrogen dioxide

EPA Science Inventory

AbstractRecent advances in measurement techniques for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), along with known interferences in the current Federal Reference Method (FRM) have created the need for NO2 measurement method research within EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Current meth...

78 FR 23961 - Request for Steering Committee Nominations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-23

... development of a methods research agenda and coordination of methods research in support of using electronic... surveillance, and methods research and application for scientific professionals. 3. IMEDS-Evaluation: Applies... transparent way to create exciting new research projects to advance regulatory science. The Foundation acts as...

Multi-criteria evaluation methods in the production scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalinowski, K.; Krenczyk, D.; Paprocka, I.; Kempa, W.; Grabowik, C.

2016-08-01

The paper presents a discussion on the practical application of different methods of multi-criteria evaluation in the process of scheduling in manufacturing systems. Among the methods two main groups are specified: methods based on the distance function (using metacriterion) and methods that create a Pareto set of possible solutions. The basic criteria used for scheduling were also described. The overall procedure of evaluation process in production scheduling was presented. It takes into account the actions in the whole scheduling process and human decision maker (HDM) participation. The specified HDM decisions are related to creating and editing a set of evaluation criteria, selection of multi-criteria evaluation method, interaction in the searching process, using informal criteria and making final changes in the schedule for implementation. According to need, process scheduling may be completely or partially automated. Full automatization is possible in case of metacriterion based objective function and if Pareto set is selected - the final decision has to be done by HDM.

Using the Psychic Blue Dot to Teach about Science (and Pseudoscience)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashton, William A.

2008-01-01

A new teaching method is described for teaching research methods in an Introductory Psychology curriculum with the goals of making the section on research methods more interesting, providing an active learning environment for research methods and to allow students to examine scientifically the claims of pseudoscience. Student groups created and…

Use of graph algorithms in the processing and analysis of images with focus on the biomedical data.

PubMed

Zdimalova, M; Roznovjak, R; Weismann, P; El Falougy, H; Kubikova, E

2017-01-01

Image segmentation is a known problem in the field of image processing. A great number of methods based on different approaches to this issue was created. One of these approaches utilizes the findings of the graph theory. Our work focuses on segmentation using shortest paths in a graph. Specifically, we deal with methods of "Intelligent Scissors," which use Dijkstra's algorithm to find the shortest paths. We created a new software in Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 integrated development environment Visual C++ in the language C++/CLI. We created a format application with a graphical users development environment for system Windows, with using the platform .Net (version 4.5). The program was used for handling and processing the original medical data. The major disadvantage of the method of "Intelligent Scissors" is the computational time length of Dijkstra's algorithm. However, after the implementation of a more efficient priority queue, this problem could be alleviated. The main advantage of this method we see in training that enables to adapt to a particular kind of edge, which we need to segment. The user involvement has a significant influence on the process of segmentation, which enormously aids to achieve high-quality results (Fig. 7, Ref. 13).

Time-Extended Policies in Mult-Agent Reinforcement Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Kagan; Agogino, Adrian K.

2004-01-01

Reinforcement learning methods perform well in many domains where a single agent needs to take a sequence of actions to perform a task. These methods use sequences of single-time-step rewards to create a policy that tries to maximize a time-extended utility, which is a (possibly discounted) sum of these rewards. In this paper we build on our previous work showing how these methods can be extended to a multi-agent environment where each agent creates its own policy that works towards maximizing a time-extended global utility over all agents actions. We show improved methods for creating time-extended utilities for the agents that are both "aligned" with the global utility and "learnable." We then show how to crate single-time-step rewards while avoiding the pi fall of having rewards aligned with the global reward leading to utilities not aligned with the global utility. Finally, we apply these reward functions to the multi-agent Gridworld problem. We explicitly quantify a utility's learnability and alignment, and show that reinforcement learning agents using the prescribed reward functions successfully tradeoff learnability and alignment. As a result they outperform both global (e.g., team games ) and local (e.g., "perfectly learnable" ) reinforcement learning solutions by as much as an order of magnitude.

Creating safety by strengthening clinicians' capacity for reflexivity

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

This commentary explores the nature of creating safety in the here-and-now. Creating safety encompasses two dimensions: revisiting specific behaviours by focusing on substandard performance (reflection), and a more broad-ranging attention to everyday behaviours that are taken as given (reflexivity). The piece pays particular attention to this second dimension of creating safety. Two techniques that promote reflexivity are discussed: video-filming real-time, everyday clinical practice and inviting clinicians' feedback about their own footage, and reflecting on the knowledge and questions that patients and families have about their care, and about unexpected outcomes and clinical incidents. The piece concludes that feedback about everyday practice using these methods is critical to enhancing the safety of everyday activity. PMID:21450780

Custom molded thermal MRg-FUS phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eames, Matthew D. C.; Snell, John W.; Hananel, Arik; Kassell, Neal F.

2012-11-01

This article describes a method for creating custom-molded thermal phantoms for use with MR-guided focused ultrasound systems. The method is defined here for intracranial applications, though it may be modified for other anatomical targets.

Method and system for mesh network embedded devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Ray (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A method and system for managing mesh network devices. A mesh network device with integrated features creates an N-way mesh network with a full mesh network topology or a partial mesh network topology.

17 CFR 242.613 - Consolidated audit trail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... data; and the basis for selecting such method(s); (ii) The time and method by which the data in the... alternative approaches to creating, implementing, and maintaining a consolidated audit trail that the plan... description of any such alternative approach; the relative advantages and disadvantages of each such...

17 CFR 242.613 - Consolidated audit trail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... data; and the basis for selecting such method(s); (ii) The time and method by which the data in the... alternative approaches to creating, implementing, and maintaining a consolidated audit trail that the plan... description of any such alternative approach; the relative advantages and disadvantages of each such...

[The development of the methods for the determination of nickel and its urine levels by inversion voltamperometry].

PubMed

Antoshina, L I; Pavlovskaia, N A

1999-01-01

The authors created a method detecting nickel through inversion voltamperometry by Russian analyzer CVA = 1BM. The method is diagnostic in hygienic, clinical and toxicologic studies for measuring quantity of nickel that enters human body during occupational activities.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in pediatric low-grade glioma.

PubMed

Paulino, Arnold C; Mazloom, Ali; Terashima, Keita; Su, Jack; Adesina, Adekunle M; Okcu, M Faith; Teh, Bin S; Chintagumpala, Murali

2013-07-15

The objective of this study was to evaluate local control and patterns of failure in pediatric patients with low-grade glioma (LGG) who received treatment with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In total, 39 children received IMRT after incomplete resection or disease progression. Three methods of target delineation were used. The first was to delineate the gross tumor volume (GTV) and add a 1-cm margin to create the clinical target volume (CTV) (Method 1; n = 19). The second was to add a 0.5-cm margin around the GTV to create the CTV (Method 2; n = 6). The prescribed dose to the GTV was the same as dose to the CTV for both Methods 1 and 2 (median, 50.4 grays [Gy]). The final method was dose painting, in which a GTV was delineated with a second target volume (2TV) created by adding 1 cm to the GTV (Method 3; n = 14). Different doses were prescribed to the GTV (median, 50.4 Gy) and the 2TV (median, 41.4 Gy). The 8-year progression-free and overall survival rates were 78.2% and 93.7%, respectively. Seven failures occurred, all of which were local in the high-dose (≥95%) region of the IMRT field. On multivariate analysis, age ≤5 years at time of IMRT had a detrimental impact on progression-free survival. IMRT provided local control rates comparable to those provided by 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional radiotherapy. Margins ≥1 cm added to the GTV may not be necessary, because excellent local control was achieved by adding a 0.5-cm margin (Method 2) and by dose painting (Method 3). © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Regenerative Medicine: Creating the Future for Military Medicine

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

research institutes, and/or small/large businesses by identifying and facilitating appropriate partnerships as well as recommending more targeted...cells without the need for prolonged culture periods to expand the cell populations. In addition, the researchers have found a method that will induce...Regenerative Medicine CREATING THE FUTURE FOR MILITARY MEDICINE U.S. ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH & MATERIEL COMMAND (USAMRMC) TELEMEDICINE & ADVANCED

Using General Outcome Measures to Predict Student Performance on State-Mandated Assessments: An Applied Approach for Establishing Predictive Cutscores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leblanc, Michael; Dufore, Emily; McDougal, James

2012-01-01

Cutscores for reading and math (general outcome measures) to predict passage on New York state-mandated assessments were created by using a freely available Excel workbook. The authors used linear regression to create the cutscores and diagnostic indicators were provided. A rationale and procedure for using this method is outlined. This method…

What Does It Mean to Be a Girl? Teachers' Representations of Gender in Supplementary Reading Materials for South African Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dentith, Audrey M.; Sailors, Misty; Sethusha, Mantsose

2016-01-01

Education reform, including methods to create greater gender equality, is an ongoing process in post-Apartheid South Africa. Using an African feminism theoretical framework and a critical content analysis approach, we examined the representation of female characters in a subset of supplementary reading titles created under an international…

Creating A Data Base For Design Of An Impeller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prueger, George H.; Chen, Wei-Chung

1993-01-01

Report describes use of Taguchi method of parametric design to create data base facilitating optimization of design of impeller in centrifugal pump. Data base enables systematic design analysis covering all significant design parameters. Reduces time and cost of parametric optimization of design: for particular impeller considered, one can cover 4,374 designs by computational simulations of performance for only 18 cases.

Computer methods in designing tourist equipment for people with disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuzda, Jolanta GraŻyna; Borkowski, Piotr; Popławska, Justyna; Latosiewicz, Robert; Moska, Eleonora

2017-11-01

Modern technologies enable disabled people to enjoy physical activity every day. Many new structures are matched individually and created for people who fancy active tourism, giving them wider opportunities for active pastime. The process of creating this type of devices in every stage, from initial design through assessment to validation, is assisted by various types of computer support software.

The Role of History in Teaching Science--A Case Study: The Popularization of Science in Nineteenth-Century France.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrick, Robert M.

1992-01-01

Examines one of the key methods used to stimulate bourgeois interest in science in France during the Second Empire and early Third Republic; the campaign to create a popularized science. Concentrates on the "science writings" of Jules Michelet and Jules Verne, both of whom were immensely successful in creating a favorable climate of…

Creating Abbreviated Rating Scales to Monitor Classroom Inattention-Overactivity, Aggression, and Peer Conflict: Reliability, Validity, and Treatment Sensitivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volpe, Robert J.; Gadow, Kenneth D.

2010-01-01

Rating scales developed to measure child emotional and behavioral problems typically are so long as to make their use in progress monitoring impractical in typical school settings. This study examined two methods of selecting items from existing rating scales to create shorter instruments for use in assessing response to intervention. The…

Inserting new technology into small missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deutsch, L. J.

2001-01-01

Part of what makes small missions small is that they have less money. Executing missions at low cost implies extensive use of cost sharing with other missions or use of existing solutions. However, in order to create many small missions, new technology must be developed, applied, and assimilated. Luckily, there are methods for creating new technology and inserting it into faster-better-cheaper (FBC) missions.

Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lofton, Kristi L.; Carr, Deborah H.

2010-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: This study identifies issues associated with creating and maintaining a wellness environment in child care centers (CCCs) participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Methods: Structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with CCC professionals and state agency personnel to develop a survey to assess…

Participatory design of an integrated information system design to support public health nurses and nurse managers.

PubMed

Reeder, Blaine; Hills, Rebecca A; Turner, Anne M; Demiris, George

2014-01-01

The objectives of the study were to use persona-driven and scenario-based design methods to create a conceptual information system design to support public health nursing. We enrolled 19 participants from two local health departments to conduct an information needs assessment, create a conceptual design, and conduct a preliminary design validation. Interviews and thematic analysis were used to characterize information needs and solicit design recommendations from participants. Personas were constructed from participant background information, and scenario-based design was used to create a conceptual information system design. Two focus groups were conducted as a first iteration validation of information needs, personas, and scenarios. Eighty-nine information needs were identified. Two personas and 89 scenarios were created. Public health nurses and nurse managers confirmed the accuracy of information needs, personas, scenarios, and the perceived usefulness of proposed features of the conceptual design. Design artifacts were modified based on focus group results. Persona-driven design and scenario-based design are feasible methods to design for common work activities in different local health departments. Public health nurses and nurse managers should be engaged in the design of systems that support their work. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Participatory Design of an Integrated Information System Design to Support Public Health Nurses and Nurse Managers

PubMed Central

Reeder, Blaine; Hills, Rebecca A.; Turner, Anne M.; Demiris, George

2014-01-01

Objectives The objectives of the study were to use persona-driven and scenario-based design methods to create a conceptual information system design to support public health nursing. Design and Sample We enrolled 19 participants from two local health departments to conduct an information needs assessment, create a conceptual design, and conduct a preliminary design validation. Measures Interviews and thematic analysis were used to characterize information needs and solicit design recommendations from participants. Personas were constructed from participant background information, and scenario-based design was used to create a conceptual information system design. Two focus groups were conducted as a first iteration validation of information needs, personas, and scenarios. Results Eighty-nine information needs were identified. Two personas and 89 scenarios were created. Public health nurses and nurse managers confirmed the accuracy of information needs, personas, scenarios, and the perceived usefulness of proposed features of the conceptual design. Design artifacts were modified based on focus group results. Conclusion Persona-driven design and scenario-based design are feasible methods to design for common work activities in different local health departments. Public health nurses and nurse managers should be engaged in the design of systems that support their work. PMID:24117760

Universal method for creating optically active nanostructures on layered materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kidd, Tim; He, Rui; Stollenwerk, Andrew; Oshea, Aaron; Beck, Ben; Spurgeon, Kyle; Gu, Genda

2014-03-01

We report a new method for the creating of nanostructures using a scanning electron microscope. Residual organic molecules on the surface of layered materials can be excited by electron beam radiation to burrow into the open spaces between the layers of these materials, and then are broken down further to form photoluminescent carbon nanoclusters. Surface characterization by atomic force microscopy shows the surface is nearly undamaged at the molecular level by this process, and a lack of nanostructure formation in non-layered materials confirms that the structures are created by sub-surface incorporation. The presence of carbon nanoclusters was determined by Raman Spectroscopy and photoluminescence in the visible light range. The nanostructures are react strongly to visible light, making them readily apparent using an optical microscope even for features measuring only a few nanometers tall. This technique can be used on apparently any layered material, with successful results on dichalcogenides, topological insulators, graphite, and high temperature copper oxide superconductors. This technique can create patterned nanostructures with vertical resolution at the nanometer scale and lateral resolution of tens of nanometers depending on beam spot size. This work is funded by University of Northern Iowa, NSF #DMR-1206530, and DOE #DE-AC02-98CH10886.

"C.R.E.A.T.E."-ing Unique Primary-Source Research Paper Assignments for a Pleasure and Pain Course Teaching Neuroscientific Principles in a Large General Education Undergraduate Course.

PubMed

Bodnar, Richard J; Rotella, Francis M; Loiacono, Ilyssa; Coke, Tricia; Olsson, Kerstin; Barrientos, Alicia; Blachorsky, Lauren; Warshaw, Deena; Buras, Agata; Sanchez, Ciara M; Azad, Raihana; Stellar, James R

2016-01-01

A large (250 registrants) General Education lecture course, Pleasure and Pain, presented basic neuroscience principles as they related to animal and human models of pleasure and pain by weaving basic findings related to food and drug addiction and analgesic states with human studies examining empathy, social neuroscience and neuroeconomics. In its first four years, the course grade was based on weighted scores from two multiple-choice exams and a five-page review of three unique peer-reviewed research articles. Although well-registered and well-received, 18% of the students received Incomplete grades, primarily due to failing to submit the paper that went largely unresolved and eventually resulted in a failing grade. To rectify this issue, a modified version of the C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment) method replaced the paper with eight structured assignments focusing on an initial general-topic article, the introduction-methods, and results-discussion of each of three related peer-review neuroscience-related articles, and a final summary. Compliance in completing these assignments was very high, resulting in only 11 INC grades out of 228 students. Thus, use of the C.R.E.A.T.E. method reduced the percentage of problematic INC grades from 18% to 4.8%, a 73% decline, without changing the overall grade distribution. Other analyses suggested the students achieved a deeper understanding of the scientific process using the C.R.E.A.T.E. method relative to the original term paper assignment.

Production of a national 1:1,000,000-scale hydrography dataset for the United States: feature selection, simplification, and refinement

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gary, Robin H.; Wilson, Zachary D.; Archuleta, Christy-Ann M.; Thompson, Florence E.; Vrabel, Joseph

2009-01-01

During 2006-09, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Atlas of the United States, produced a 1:1,000,000-scale (1:1M) hydrography dataset comprising streams and waterbodies for the entire United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for inclusion in the recompiled National Atlas. This report documents the methods used to select, simplify, and refine features in the 1:100,000-scale (1:100K) (1:63,360-scale in Alaska) National Hydrography Dataset to create the national 1:1M hydrography dataset. Custom tools and semi-automated processes were created to facilitate generalization of the 1:100K National Hydrography Dataset (1:63,360-scale in Alaska) to 1:1M on the basis of existing small-scale hydrography datasets. The first step in creating the new 1:1M dataset was to address feature selection and optimal data density in the streams network. Several existing methods were evaluated. The production method that was established for selecting features for inclusion in the 1:1M dataset uses a combination of the existing attributes and network in the National Hydrography Dataset and several of the concepts from the methods evaluated. The process for creating the 1:1M waterbodies dataset required a similar approach to that used for the streams dataset. Geometric simplification of features was the next step. Stream reaches and waterbodies indicated in the feature selection process were exported as new feature classes and then simplified using a geographic information system tool. The final step was refinement of the 1:1M streams and waterbodies. Refinement was done through the use of additional geographic information system tools.

The Regeneration of Group Selection Openings in Southern Indiana

Treesearch

Dale R. Weigel

1994-01-01

The group selection method combines some of the advantages of even-aged silvicultural methods with those of uneven-aged methods. The method maintains a fairly continuous tree canopy, which provides a more natural appearance to the forest than does any even-aged method. By creating small canopy openings, it also provides the light necessary for the growth of species...

Development of a Teen-Focused Exergame

PubMed Central

Thompson, Debbe; Cantu, Dora; Rajendran, Madhur; Rajendran, Mayur; Bhargava, Tanay; Zhang, Yuting; Chen, Cheng; Liu, Yan

2016-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Exergames require body movement to play and may be an effective method for enhancing teen physical activity (PA). However, results have been mixed. Innovative methods are needed to develop Exergames that increase and maintain PA. Self-representational avatars, or avatars created from a digital image of an individual, may increase PA (e.g., intensity, duration) during Exergame play. This article addresses this novel idea by describing the development of an Exergame played with a self-representational avatar. Materials and Methods: Twelve- to 14-year-olds, stratified by gender, body mass index, and PA, were invited to participate in two rounds of data collection. Each round consisted of an online survey, followed by a telephone interview to ensure comprehension of survey responses. After the first round, an Exergame prototype and the system for creating the self-representational avatar were created. A second round of data was collected to obtain information with which to create a fully functional Exergame and the avatar creation system. Results: Forty-eight teens were recruited. The sample was multi-ethnic (41.7% White, 37.5% Black, 18.8% Hispanic, 2.1% Mixed/Other). Complete data were obtained on 48 teens in the first round of data collection and on 43 teens in the second round. Teens provided important information regarding preferences and expectations. Gender similarities and differences were observed. Conclusion: This research contributes to the body of knowledge regarding how to design an appealing Exergame for teens navigated by a self-representational avatar. PMID:27680385

Method and apparatus for upshifting light frequency by rapid plasma creation

DOEpatents

Dawson, John M.; Wilks, Scott C.; Mori, Warren B.; Joshi, Chandrasekhar J.; Sessler, Andrew M.

1990-01-01

Photons of an electromagnetic source wave are frequency-upshifted as a plasma is rapidly created around the path of this propagating source wave. The final frequency can be controlled by adjusting the gas density. A controlled time-varying frequency (chirped) pulse can be produced by using a controlled spatially varying gas density. The plasma must be created in a time which is short compared to the transit time of the light through the plasmas region. For very fast creation over one to at most a few light periods of an overdense plasma, static magnetic fields with short wavelengths are created.

Mapping the Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stigner, Kenneth J.

2001-01-01

Discusses how aerial photography and photogrammetry technology can help schools create visual records of their campus, land, and properties. Addresses efficiency and cost effectiveness of this method. Discusses how to develop the digital photogrammetry method for mapping from aerial photos. (GR)

The Great Oil Spill Cleanup Contest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hampton, Elaine

1993-01-01

Presents an exciting way to acquaint students with current methods to clean up oil spills. Students also have the freedom to create new clean-up methods as they think through the problem and experiment to find effective solutions. (PR)

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

Chen, Dong; Heidelberger, Philip; Sugawara, Yutaka

An apparatus and method for extending the scalability and improving the partitionability of networks that contain all-to-all links for transporting packet traffic from a source endpoint to a destination endpoint with low per-endpoint (per-server) cost and a small number of hops. An all-to-all wiring in the baseline topology is decomposed into smaller all-to-all components in which each smaller all-to-all connection is replaced with star topology by using global switches. Stacking multiple copies of the star topology baseline network creates a multi-planed switching topology for transporting packet traffic. Point-to-point unified stacking method using global switch wiring methods connects multiple planes ofmore » a baseline topology by using the global switches to create a large network size with a low number of hops, i.e., low network latency. Grouped unified stacking method increases the scalability (network size) of a stacked topology.« less

Positive Discipline. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL.

This ERIC Digest suggests methods and language that can be used in handling difficult, but common, situations involving young children. Discussion focuses on: (1) 12 methods of discipline that promote self-worth; (2) the process of creating a positive climate that promotes self-discipline; (3) harmful and negative disciplinary methods; and (4)…

Are All Homeschooling Methods Created Equal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor-Hough, Deborah

2010-01-01

For parents looking to see their children develop into the self-reliant, critical thinkers John Taylor Gatto described in his essay, "Against School," and other works, a combination of unschooling and the Charlotte Mason method would have the best chance of overall success. Research shows any method of homeschooling produces standardized test…

A User Study on Tactile Graphic Generation Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krufka, S. E.; Barner, K. E.

2006-01-01

Methods to automatically convert graphics into tactile representations have been recently investigated, creating either raised-line or relief images. In particular, we briefly review one raised-line method where important features are emphasized. This paper focuses primarily on the effects of such emphasis and on comparing both raised-line and…

Producing Curious Affects: Visual Methodology as an Affecting and Conflictual Wunderkammer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staunaes, Dorthe; Kofoed, Jette

2015-01-01

Digital video cameras, smartphones, internet and iPads are increasingly used as visual research methods with the purpose of creating an affective corpus of data. Such visual methods are often combined with interviews or observations. Not only are visual methods part of the used research methods, the visual products are used as requisites in…

MO-FG-BRA-04: A Novel Time Weighted Density Correction for Stereotactic Lung Radiotherapy: A Phantom Study

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

Mohatt, D; Malhotra, H

Purpose: Conventional treatment plans for lung radiotherapy are created using either the free breathing (FB) scheme which represents the tumor at an arbitrary breathing phase of the patient’s respiratory cycle, or the average computed tomography (ACT) intensity projection over 10-binned phases. Neither method is entirely accurate because of the absence of time dependence of tumor movement. In the present “Hybrid” method, the HU of tumor in 3D space is determined by relative weighting of the HU of the tumor and lung in proportion to the time they spend at that location during the entire breathing cycle. Methods: A Quasar respiratorymore » motion phantom was employed to simulate lung tumor movement. Utilizing 4DCT image scans, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were generated for three treatment planning scenarios which included conventional FB and ACT schemes, along with a third alternative Hybrid approach. Our internal target volume (ITV) hybrid structure was created using Boolean operation in Eclipse (ver. 11) treatment planning system, where independent sub-regions created by the gross tumor volume (GTV) overlap from the 10 motion phases were each assigned a time weighted CT value. The dose-volume-histograms (DVH) for each scheme were compared and analyzed. Results: Using our hybrid technique, we have demonstrated a reduction of 1.9% – 3.4% in total monitor units with respect to conventional treatment planning strategies, along with a 6 fold improvement in high dose spillage over the FB plan. The higher density ACT and Hybrid schemes also produced a slight enhancement in target conformity and reduction in low dose spillage. Conclusion: All treatment plans created in this study exceeded RTOG protocol criteria. Our results determine the free breathing approach yields an inaccurate account of the target treatment density. A significant decrease in unnecessary lung irradiation can be achieved by implementing Hybrid HU method with ACT method second best.« less

Creating a Pilot Educational Psychiatry Website: Opportunities, Barriers, and Next Steps

PubMed Central

O'Connor, Ryan; Franzen, Jamie; Snow, Caitlin; Boland, Robert; Kitts, Robert

2015-01-01

Background While medical students and residents may be utilizing websites as online learning resources, medical trainees and educators now have the opportunity to create such educational websites and digital tools on their own. However, the process and theory of building educational websites for medical education have not yet been fully explored. Objective To understand the opportunities, barriers, and process of creating a novel medical educational website. Methods We created a pilot psychiatric educational website to better understand the options, opportunities, challenges, and processes involved in the creation of a psychiatric educational website. We sought to integrate visual and interactive Web design elements to underscore the potential of such Web technology. Results A pilot website (PsychOnCall) was created to demonstrate the potential of Web technology in medical and psychiatric education. Conclusions Creating an educational website is now technically easier than ever before, and the primary challenge no longer is technology but rather the creation, validation, and maintenance of information for such websites as well as translating text-based didactics into visual and interactive tools. Medical educators can influence the design and implementation of online educational resources through creating their own websites and engaging medical students and residents in the process. PMID:27731837

Potential mapping with charged-particle beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, J. W.; Tillery, D. G.

1979-01-01

Experimental methods of mapping the equipotential surfaces near some structure of interest rely on the detection of charged particles which have traversed the regions of interest and are detected remotely. One method is the measurement of ion energies for ions created at a point of interest and expelled from the region by the fields. The ion energy at the detector in eV corresponds to the potential where the ion was created. An ionizing beam forms the ions from background neutrals. The other method is to inject charged particles into the region of interest and to locate their exit points. A set of several trajectories becomes a data base for a systematic mapping technique. An iterative solution of a boundary value problem establishes concepts and limitations pertaining to the mapping problem.

Creating wavelet-based models for real-time synthesis of perceptually convincing environmental sounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miner, Nadine Elizabeth

1998-09-01

This dissertation presents a new wavelet-based method for synthesizing perceptually convincing, dynamic sounds using parameterized sound models. The sound synthesis method is applicable to a variety of applications including Virtual Reality (VR), multi-media, entertainment, and the World Wide Web (WWW). A unique contribution of this research is the modeling of the stochastic, or non-pitched, sound components. This stochastic-based modeling approach leads to perceptually compelling sound synthesis. Two preliminary studies conducted provide data on multi-sensory interaction and audio-visual synchronization timing. These results contributed to the design of the new sound synthesis method. The method uses a four-phase development process, including analysis, parameterization, synthesis and validation, to create the wavelet-based sound models. A patent is pending for this dynamic sound synthesis method, which provides perceptually-realistic, real-time sound generation. This dissertation also presents a battery of perceptual experiments developed to verify the sound synthesis results. These experiments are applicable for validation of any sound synthesis technique.

Method for large-scale fabrication of atomic-scale structures on material surfaces using surface vacancies

DOEpatents

Lim, Chong Wee; Ohmori, Kenji; Petrov, Ivan Georgiev; Greene, Joseph E.

2004-07-13

A method for forming atomic-scale structures on a surface of a substrate on a large-scale includes creating a predetermined amount of surface vacancies on the surface of the substrate by removing an amount of atoms on the surface of the material corresponding to the predetermined amount of the surface vacancies. Once the surface vacancies have been created, atoms of a desired structure material are deposited on the surface of the substrate to enable the surface vacancies and the atoms of the structure material to interact. The interaction causes the atoms of the structure material to form the atomic-scale structures.

Creating an effective poster presentation.

PubMed

Taggart, H M; Arslanian, C

2000-01-01

One way to build knowledge in nursing is to share research findings or clinical program outcomes. The dissemination of these findings is often a difficult final step in a project that has taken months or years to complete. One method of sharing findings in a relaxed and informal setting is a poster presentation. This method is an effective form for presenting findings using an interactive approach. The milieu of a poster presentation enables the presenters to interact and dialogue with colleagues. Guidelines for size and format require that the poster is clear and informative. Application of design helps to create visually appealing posters. This article summarizes elements of designing and conducting a poster presentation.

Fuzzy Neuron: Method and Hardware Realization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krasowski, Michael J.; Prokop, Norman F.

2014-01-01

This innovation represents a method by which single-to-multi-input, single-to-many-output system transfer functions can be estimated from input/output data sets. This innovation can be run in the background while a system is operating under other means (e.g., through human operator effort), or may be utilized offline using data sets created from observations of the estimated system. It utilizes a set of fuzzy membership functions spanning the input space for each input variable. Linear combiners associated with combinations of input membership functions are used to create the output(s) of the estimator. Coefficients are adjusted online through the use of learning algorithms.

Crowdsourcing biomedical research: leveraging communities as innovation engines

PubMed Central

Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Costello, James C.; Friend, Stephen H.; Kellen, Michael R.; Mangravite, Lara; Meyer, Pablo; Norman, Thea; Stolovitzky, Gustavo

2018-01-01

The generation of large-scale biomedical data is creating unprecedented opportunities for basic and translational science. Typically, the data producers perform initial analyses, but it is very likely that the most informative methods may reside with other groups. Crowdsourcing the analysis of complex and massive data has emerged as a framework to find robust methodologies. When the crowdsourcing is done in the form of collaborative scientific competitions, known as Challenges, the validation of the methods is inherently addressed. Challenges also encourage open innovation, create collaborative communities to solve diverse and important biomedical problems, and foster the creation and dissemination of well-curated data repositories. PMID:27418159

Crowdsourcing biomedical research: leveraging communities as innovation engines.

PubMed

Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Costello, James C; Friend, Stephen H; Kellen, Michael R; Mangravite, Lara; Meyer, Pablo; Norman, Thea; Stolovitzky, Gustavo

2016-07-15

The generation of large-scale biomedical data is creating unprecedented opportunities for basic and translational science. Typically, the data producers perform initial analyses, but it is very likely that the most informative methods may reside with other groups. Crowdsourcing the analysis of complex and massive data has emerged as a framework to find robust methodologies. When the crowdsourcing is done in the form of collaborative scientific competitions, known as Challenges, the validation of the methods is inherently addressed. Challenges also encourage open innovation, create collaborative communities to solve diverse and important biomedical problems, and foster the creation and dissemination of well-curated data repositories.

[A method for inducing standardized spiral fractures of the tibia in the animal experiment].

PubMed

Seibold, R; Schlegel, U; Cordey, J

1995-07-01

A method for the deliberate weakening of cortical bone has been developed on the basis of an already established technique for creating butterfly fractures. It enables one to create the same type of fracture, i.e., a spiral fracture, every time. The fracturing process is recorded as a force-strain curve. The results of the in vitro investigations form a basis for the preparation of experimental tasks aimed at demonstrating internal fixation techniques and their influence on the vascularity of the bone in simulated fractures. Animal protection law lays down that this fracture model must not fail in animal experiments.

Esterification of fermentation-derived acids via pervaporation

DOEpatents

Datta, R.; Tsai, S.P.

1998-03-03

A low temperature method for esterifying ammonium- and amine-containing salts is provided whereby the salt is reacted with an alcohol in the presence of heat and a catalyst and then subjected to a dehydration and deamination process using pervaporation. The invention also provides for a method for producing esters of fermentation derived, organic acid salt comprising first cleaving the salt into its cationic part and anionic part, mixing the anionic part with an alcohol to create a mixture; heating the mixture in the presence of a catalyst to create an ester; dehydrating the now heated mixture; and separating the ester from the now-dehydrated mixture. 2 figs.

Esterification of fermentation-derived acids via pervaporation

DOEpatents

Datta, Rathin; Tsai, Shih-Perng

1998-01-01

A low temperature method for esterifying ammonium- and amine-containing salts is provided whereby the salt is reacted with an alcohol in the presence of heat and a catalyst and then subjected to a dehydration and deamination process using pervaporation. The invention also provides for a method for producing esters of fermentation derived, organic acid salt comprising first cleaving the salt into its cationic part and anionic part, mixing the anionic part with an alcohol to create a mixture; heating the mixture in the presence of a catalyst to create an ester; dehydrating the now heated mixture; and separating the ester from the now-dehydrated mixture.

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

Lovelace, III, Henry H.

In accelerator physics, models of a given machine are used to predict the behaviors of the beam, magnets, and radiofrequency cavities. The use of the computational model has become wide spread to ease the development period of the accelerator lattice. There are various programs that are used to create lattices and run simulations of both transverse and longitudinal beam dynamics. The programs include Methodical Accelerator Design(MAD) MAD8, MADX, Zgoubi, Polymorphic Tracking Code (PTC), and many others. In this discussion the BMAD (Baby Methodical Accelerator Design) is presented as an additional tool in creating and simulating accelerator lattices for the studymore » of beam dynamics in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).« less

Dose conformation to the spine during palliative treatments using dynamic wedges

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

Ormsby, Matthew A., E-mail: Matthew.Ormsby@usoncology.com; Herndon, R. Craig; Kaczor, Joseph G.

2013-07-01

Radiation therapy is commonly used to alleviate pain associated with metastatic disease of the spine. Often, isodose lines are manipulated using dynamic or physical wedges to encompass the section of spine needing treatment while minimizing dose to normal tissue. We will compare 2 methods used to treat the entire thoracic spine. The first method treats the thoracic spine with a single, nonwedged posterior-anterior (PA) field. Dose is prescribed to include the entire spine. Isodose lines tightly conform to the top and bottom vertebrae, but vertebrae between these 2 received more than enough coverage. The second method uses a combination ofmore » wedges to create an isodose line that mimics the curvature of the thoracic spine. This “C”-shaped curvature is created by overlapping 2 fields with opposing dynamic wedges. Machine constraints limit the treatment length and therefore 2 isocenters are used. Each of the 2 PA fields contributes a portion of the total daily dose. This technique creates a “C”-shaped isodose line that tightly conforms to the thoracic spine, minimizing normal tissue dose. Spinal cord maximum dose is reduced, as well as mean dose to the liver, esophagus, and heart.« less

Photometric brown-dwarf classification. I. A method to identify and accurately classify large samples of brown dwarfs without spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skrzypek, N.; Warren, S. J.; Faherty, J. K.; Mortlock, D. J.; Burgasser, A. J.; Hewett, P. C.

2015-02-01

Aims: We present a method, named photo-type, to identify and accurately classify L and T dwarfs onto the standard spectral classification system using photometry alone. This enables the creation of large and deep homogeneous samples of these objects efficiently, without the need for spectroscopy. Methods: We created a catalogue of point sources with photometry in 8 bands, ranging from 0.75 to 4.6 μm, selected from an area of 3344 deg2, by combining SDSS, UKIDSS LAS, and WISE data. Sources with 13.0 0.8, were then classified by comparison against template colours of quasars, stars, and brown dwarfs. The L and T templates, spectral types L0 to T8, were created by identifying previously known sources with spectroscopic classifications, and fitting polynomial relations between colour and spectral type. Results: Of the 192 known L and T dwarfs with reliable photometry in the surveyed area and magnitude range, 189 are recovered by our selection and classification method. We have quantified the accuracy of the classification method both externally, with spectroscopy, and internally, by creating synthetic catalogues and accounting for the uncertainties. We find that, brighter than J = 17.5, photo-type classifications are accurate to one spectral sub-type, and are therefore competitive with spectroscopic classifications. The resultant catalogue of 1157 L and T dwarfs will be presented in a companion paper.

Teaching Pre-Service Teachers to Make Digital Stories That Explain Complex Mathematical Concepts in a Real-World Context: The "Math-eo" Project, Creating "Cool New Tools"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Lynne Masel; Green, Martha R.; Goldsby, Dianne; Walters, Timothy N.; Wang, Liangyan

2016-01-01

This mixed methods study examines whether engaging in a problem-solving project to create Math-eos (digital videos) increases pre-service teachers' understanding of the relationship between visual, auditory, and verbal representation and critical thinking in mathematics. Additionally, the study looks at what aspects of a digital problem solving…

Creating a physician network can pay off--with the right tools.

PubMed

1997-09-01

Putting together a physician practice group and then creating the management and administrative structure for that practice to financially succeed is one of the greatest challenges health systems face today. The marriage can work, experts tell Managed Care Strategies, but only with innovation and careful attention to details such as physician compensation design, governance issues, and methods for resolving conflict resolution.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Tool to Facilitate Learning Outcomes for Team Building in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Priscilla; Wood, Cindy; Thornton, Barry

2007-01-01

Globalization and domestic competition are forcing businesses to rethink the human resources utilization process, and one method for considering again this challenge is creating a team culture. One key to this process for human resources development is the understanding of how to create the most successful teams. The use of the Myers-Briggs Type…

Characteristics of the Model of Methodological Training of a Teacher for Working in the Conditions of an Inclusive Educational Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasskazov, Philipp Dementievich; Muller, Olga Yurievna

2017-01-01

A little amount of universities in Russia are busy in education of disabled students now. The methods were created and experience in sphere of inclusive education was gained. But mechanisms that help to create the development of the inclusive process of educational institution are absent. Teachers have problems with determination of approaches and…

Saint Mary's College Teacher Science Institute: Converting Teachers to Using Guided Inquiry for Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Deborah; Bellina, Joseph J., Jr.

2003-01-01

In 1988 Saint Mary's College received a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to create a program to improve the quality of science education in the local public and private schools. As part of applying that grant we created one-week summer work-shops for elementary and middle school teachers (K-8) based on guided inquiry methods of education. Each…

3D Photo Mosaicing of Tagiri Shallow Vent Field by an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maki, Toshihiro; Kondo, Hayato; Ura, Tamaki; Sakamaki, Takashi; Mizushima, Hayato; Yanagisawa, Masao

Although underwater visual observation is an ideal method for detailed survey of seafloors, it is currently a costly process that requires the use of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) or Human Occupied Vehicles (HOVs), and can cover only a limited area. This paper proposes an innovative method to navigate an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to create both 2D and 3D photo mosaics of seafloors with high positioning accuracy without using any vision-based matching. The vehicle finds vertical pole-like acoustic reflectors to use as positioning landmarks using a profiling sonar based on a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technique. These reflectors can be either artificial or natural objects, and so the method can be applied to shallow vent fields where conventional acoustic positioning is difficult, since bubble plumes can also be used as landmarks as well as artificial reflectors. Path-planning is performed in real-time based on the positions and types of landmarks so as to navigate safely and stably using landmarks of different types (artificial reflector or bubble plume) found at arbitrary times and locations. Terrain tracker switches control reference between depth and altitude from the seafloor based on a local map of hazardous area created in real-time using onboard perceptual sensors, in order to follow rugged terrains at an altitude of 1 to 2 meters, as this range is ideal for visual observation. The method was implemented in the AUV Tri-Dog 1 and experiments were carried out at Tagiri vent field, Kagoshima Bay in Japan. The AUV succeeded in fully autonomous observation for more than 160 minutes to create a photo mosaic with an area larger than 600 square meters, which revealed the spatial distribution of detailed features such as tube-worm colonies, bubble plumes and bacteria mats. A fine bathymetry of the same area was also created using a light-section ranging system mounted on the vehicle. Finally a 3 D representation of the environment was created by merging the visual and bathymetry data.

Establishing monitoring programs for travel time reliability.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Within the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), Project L02 focused on creating a suite of methods by which transportation agencies could monitor and evaluate travel time reliability. Creation of the methods also produced an improved u...

Studying Thermodynamics in Heavy Ion Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialas, A.; Czyz, W.; Wosiek, J.

1999-01-01

We discuss the possibility of measuring entropy of the system created in heavy ion collisions using the Ma coincidence method. The same method can also be used to test whether the system in question is in a state of equilibrium.

Assessing instrument handling and operative consequences simultaneously: a simple method for creating synced multicamera videos for endosurgical or microsurgical skills assessments.

PubMed

Jabbour, Noel; Sidman, James

2011-10-01

There has been an increasing interest in assessment of technical skills in most medical and surgical disciplines. Many of these assessments involve microscopy or endoscopy and are thus amenable to video recording for post hoc review. An ideal skills assessment video would provide the reviewer with a simultaneous view of the examinee's instrument handling and the operative field. Ideally, a reviewer should be blinded to the identity of the examinee and whether the assessment was performed as a pretest or posttest examination, when given in conjunction with an educational intervention. We describe a simple method for reliably creating deidentified, multicamera, time-synced videos, which may be used in technical skills assessments. We pilot tested this method in a pediatric airway endoscopy Objective Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS). Total video length was compared with the OSATS administration time. Thirty-nine OSATS were administered. There were no errors encountered in time-syncing the videos using this method. Mean duration of OSATS videos was 11 minutes and 20 seconds, which was significantly less than the time needed for an expert to be present at the administration of each 30-minute OSATS (P < 0.001). The described method for creating time-synced, multicamera skills assessment videos is reliable and may be used in endosurgical or microsurgical skills assessments. Compared with live review, post hoc video review using this method can save valuable expert reviewer time. Most importantly, this method allows a reviewer to simultaneously evaluate an examinee's instrument handling and the operative field while being blinded to the examinee's identity and timing of examination administration.

Aerodynamic Optimization of Rocket Control Surface Geometry Using Cartesian Methods and CAD Geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Andrea; Aftosmis, Michael J.; Nemec, Marian; Pulliam, Thomas H.

2004-01-01

Aerodynamic design is an iterative process involving geometry manipulation and complex computational analysis subject to physical constraints and aerodynamic objectives. A design cycle consists of first establishing the performance of a baseline design, which is usually created with low-fidelity engineering tools, and then progressively optimizing the design to maximize its performance. Optimization techniques have evolved from relying exclusively on designer intuition and insight in traditional trial and error methods, to sophisticated local and global search methods. Recent attempts at automating the search through a large design space with formal optimization methods include both database driven and direct evaluation schemes. Databases are being used in conjunction with surrogate and neural network models as a basis on which to run optimization algorithms. Optimization algorithms are also being driven by the direct evaluation of objectives and constraints using high-fidelity simulations. Surrogate methods use data points obtained from simulations, and possibly gradients evaluated at the data points, to create mathematical approximations of a database. Neural network models work in a similar fashion, using a number of high-fidelity database calculations as training iterations to create a database model. Optimal designs are obtained by coupling an optimization algorithm to the database model. Evaluation of the current best design then gives either a new local optima and/or increases the fidelity of the approximation model for the next iteration. Surrogate methods have also been developed that iterate on the selection of data points to decrease the uncertainty of the approximation model prior to searching for an optimal design. The database approximation models for each of these cases, however, become computationally expensive with increase in dimensionality. Thus the method of using optimization algorithms to search a database model becomes problematic as the number of design variables is increased.

Importance of Laser Scanning Resolution in the Process of Recreating the Architectural Details of Historical Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawłowicz, Joanna A.

2017-10-01

The TLS method (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) may replace the traditional building survey methods, e.g. those requiring the use measuring tapes or range finders. This technology allows for collecting digital data in the form of a point cloud, which can be used to create a 3D model of a building. In addition, it allows for collecting data with an incredible precision, which translates into the possibility to reproduce all architectural features of a building. This data is applied in reverse engineering to create a 3D model of an object existing in a physical space. This study presents the results of a research carried out using a point cloud to recreate the architectural features of a historical building with the application of reverse engineering. The research was conducted on a two-storey residential building with a basement and an attic. Out of the building’s façade sticks a veranda featuring a complicated, wooden structure. The measurements were taken at the medium and the highest resolution using a ScanStation C10 laser scanner by Leica. The data obtained was processed using specialist software, which allowed for the application of reverse engineering, especially for reproducing the sculpted details of the veranda. Following digitization, all redundant data was removed from the point cloud and the cloud was subjected to modelling. For testing purposes, a selected part of the veranda was modelled by means of two methods: surface matching and Triangulated Irregular Network. Both modelling methods were applied in the case of data collected at medium and the highest resolution. Creating a model based on data obtained at medium resolution, both by means of the surface matching and the TIN method, does not allow for a precise recreation of architectural details. The study presents certain sculpted elements recreated based on the highest resolution data with superimposed TIN juxtaposed against a digital image. The resulting model is very precise. Creating good models requires highly accurate field data. It is important to properly choose the distance between the measuring station and the measured object in order to ensure that the angles of incidence (horizontal and vertical) of the laser beam are as straight as possible. The model created based on medium resolution offers very poor quality of details, i.e. only the bigger, basic elements of each detail are clearly visible, while the smaller ones are blurred. This is why in order to obtain data sufficient to reproduce architectural details laser scanning should be performed at the highest resolution. In addition, modelling by means of the surface matching method should be avoided - a better idea is to use the TIN method. In addition to providing a realistically-looking visualization, the method has one more important advantage - it is 4 times faster than the surface matching method.

Electrocatalysts using porous polymers and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Goenaga, Gabriel A.

2016-08-02

A method of producing an electrocatalyst article using porous polymers. The method creates a porous polymer designed to receive transition metal groups disposed at ligation sites and activating the transition metals to form an electrocatalyst which can be used in a fuel cell. Electrocatalysts prepared by this method are also provided. A fuel cell which includes the electrocatalyst is also provided.

Electrocatalysts using porous polymers and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Goenaga, Gabriel A.

2015-04-21

A method of producing an electrocatalyst article using porous polymers. The method creates a porous polymer designed to receive transition metal groups disposed at ligation sites and activating the transition metals to form an electrocatalyst which can be used in a fuel cell. Electrocatalysts prepared by this method are also provided. A fuel cell which includes the electrocatalyst is also provided.

A Preliminary Rubric Design to Evaluate Mixed Methods Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

With the increase in frequency of the use of mixed methods, both in research publications and in externally funded grants there are increasing calls for a set of standards to assess the quality of mixed methods research. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to conduct a multi-phase analysis to create a preliminary rubric to evaluate mixed…

Micropatterning of poly(dimethylsiloxane) using a photoresist lift-off technique for selective electrical insulation of microelectrode arrays

PubMed Central

Park, Jaewon; Kim, Hyun Soo; Han, Arum

2009-01-01

A poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) patterning method based on a photoresist lift-off technique to make an electrical insulation layer with selective openings is presented. The method enables creating PDMS patterns with small features and various thicknesses without any limitation in the designs and without the need for complicated processes or expensive equipments. Patterned PDMS layers were created by spin-coating liquid phase PDMS on top of a substrate having sacrificial photoresist patterns, followed by a photoresist lift-off process. The thickness of the patterned PDMS layers could be accurately controlled (6.5–24 µm) by adjusting processing parameters such as PDMS spin-coating speeds, PDMS dilution ratios, and sacrificial photoresist thicknesses. PDMS features as small as 15 µm were successfully patterned and the effects of each processing parameter on the final patterns were investigated. Electrical resistance tests between adjacent electrodes with and without the insulation layer showed that the patterned PDMS layer functions properly as an electrical insulation layer. Biocompatibility of the patterned PDMS layer was confirmed by culturing primary neuron cells on top of the layer for up to two weeks. An extensive neuronal network was successfully formed, showing that this PDMS patterning method can be applied to various biosensing microdevices. The utility of this fabrication method was further demonstrated by successfully creating a patterned electrical insulation layer on flexible substrates containing multi-electrode arrays. PMID:19946385

Preparation, characterization, and silanization of 3D microporous PDMS structure with properly sized pores for endothelial cell culture.

PubMed

Zargar, Reyhaneh; Nourmohammadi, Jhamak; Amoabediny, Ghassem

2016-01-01

Nowadays, application of porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure in biomedical is becoming widespread, and many methods have been established to create such structure. Although the pores created through these methods are mostly developed on the outer surface of PDMS membrane, this study offers a simple and cost-efficient technique for creating three-dimensional (3D) microporous PDMS structure with appropriate pore size for endothelial cell culture. In this study, combination of gas foaming and particulate leaching methods, with NaHCO3 as effervescent salt and NaCl as progen are used to form a 3D PDMS sponge. The in situ chemical reaction between NaHCO3 and HCl resulted in the formation of small pores and channels. Moreover, soaking the samples in HCl solution temporarily improved the hydrophilicity of PDMS, which then facilitated the penetration of water for further leaching of NaCl. The surface chemical modification process was performed by (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane to culture endothelial cells on porous PDMS matrix. The results are an indication of positive response of endothelial cells to the fabricated PDMS sponge. Because of simplicity and practicality of this method for preparing PDMS sponge with appropriate pore size and biological properties, the fabricated matrix can perfectly be applied to future studies in blood-contacting devices. © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Genomic similarity and kernel methods I: advancements by building on mathematical and statistical foundations.

PubMed

Schaid, Daniel J

2010-01-01

Measures of genomic similarity are the basis of many statistical analytic methods. We review the mathematical and statistical basis of similarity methods, particularly based on kernel methods. A kernel function converts information for a pair of subjects to a quantitative value representing either similarity (larger values meaning more similar) or distance (smaller values meaning more similar), with the requirement that it must create a positive semidefinite matrix when applied to all pairs of subjects. This review emphasizes the wide range of statistical methods and software that can be used when similarity is based on kernel methods, such as nonparametric regression, linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models, hierarchical models, score statistics, and support vector machines. The mathematical rigor for these methods is summarized, as is the mathematical framework for making kernels. This review provides a framework to move from intuitive and heuristic approaches to define genomic similarities to more rigorous methods that can take advantage of powerful statistical modeling and existing software. A companion paper reviews novel approaches to creating kernels that might be useful for genomic analyses, providing insights with examples [1]. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Automated solar collector installation design including ability to define heterogeneous design preferences

DOEpatents

Wayne, Gary; Frumkin, Alexander; Zaydman, Michael; Lehman, Scott; Brenner, Jules

2014-04-29

Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre -defined "features" with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives. Embodiments may also include definition of one or more design apertures, each of which may correspond to boundaries in which solar collector layouts should comply with distinct sets of user-defined design preferences. Distinct apertures may provide heterogeneous regions of collector layout according to the user-defined design preferences.

Automated solar collector installation design including ability to define heterogeneous design preferences

DOEpatents

Wayne, Gary; Frumkin, Alexander; Zaydman, Michael; Lehman, Scott; Brenner, Jules

2013-01-08

Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre-defined "features" with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives. Embodiments may also include definition of one or more design apertures, each of which may correspond to boundaries in which solar collector layouts should comply with distinct sets of user-defined design preferences. Distinct apertures may provide heterogeneous regions of collector layout according to the user-defined design preferences.

Easi-CRISPR for creating knock-in and conditional knockout mouse models using long ssDNA donors.

PubMed

Miura, Hiromi; Quadros, Rolen M; Gurumurthy, Channabasavaiah B; Ohtsuka, Masato

2018-01-01

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing can easily generate knockout mouse models by disrupting the gene sequence, but its efficiency for creating models that require either insertion of exogenous DNA (knock-in) or replacement of genomic segments is very poor. The majority of mouse models used in research involve knock-in (reporters or recombinases) or gene replacement (e.g., conditional knockout alleles containing exons flanked by LoxP sites). A few methods for creating such models have been reported that use double-stranded DNA as donors, but their efficiency is typically 1-10% and therefore not suitable for routine use. We recently demonstrated that long single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) serve as very efficient donors, both for insertion and for gene replacement. We call this method efficient additions with ssDNA inserts-CRISPR (Easi-CRISPR) because it is a highly efficient technology (efficiency is typically 30-60% and reaches as high as 100% in some cases). The protocol takes ∼2 months to generate the founder mice.

Novel Principles and Techniques to Create a Natural Design in Female Hairline Correction Surgery.

PubMed

Park, Jae Hyun

2015-12-01

Female hairline correction surgery is becoming increasingly popular. However, no guidelines or methods of female hairline design have been introduced to date. The purpose of this study was to create an initial framework based on the novel principles of female hairline design and then use artistic ability and experience to fine tune this framework. An understanding of the concept of 5 areas (frontal area, frontotemporal recess area, temporal peak, infratemple area, and sideburns) and 5 points (C, A, B, T, and S) is required for female hairline correction surgery (the 5A5P principle). The general concepts of female hairline correction surgery and natural design methods are, herein, explained with a focus on the correlations between these 5 areas and 5 points. A natural and aesthetic female hairline can be created with application of the above-mentioned concepts. The 5A5P principle of forming the female hairline is very useful in female hairline correction surgery.

Creating Shape Templates for Patient Specific Biventricular Modeling in Congenital Heart Disease

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Kathleen; Farrar, Genevieve; Cowan, Brett R.; Suinesiaputra, Avan; Occleshaw, Christopher; Pontré, Beau; Perry, James; Hegde, Sanjeet; Marsden, Alison; Omens, Jeff; McCulloch, Andrew; Young, Alistair A.

2018-01-01

Survival rates for infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are improving, resulting in a growing population of adults with CHD. However, the analysis of left and right ventricular function is very time-consuming owing to the variety of congenital morphologies. Efficient customization of patient geometry and function depends on high quality shape templates specifically designed for the application. In this paper, we combine a method for creating finite element shape templates with an interactive template customization to patient MRI examinations. This enables different templates to be chosen depending on patient morphology. To demonstrate this pipeline, a new biventricular template with 162 elements was created and tested in place of an existing 82-element template. The method was able to provide fast interactive biventricular analysis with 0.31 sec per edit response time. The new template was customized to 13 CHD patients with similar biventricular topology, showing improved performance over the previous template and good agreement with clinical indices. PMID:26736353

Acoustic wayfinding: A method to measure the acoustic contrast of different paving materials for blind people.

PubMed

Secchi, Simone; Lauria, Antonio; Cellai, Gianfranco

2017-01-01

Acoustic wayfinding involves using a variety of auditory cues to create a mental map of the surrounding environment. For blind people, these auditory cues become the primary substitute for visual information in order to understand the features of the spatial context and orient themselves. This can include creating sound waves, such as tapping a cane. This paper reports the results of a research about the "acoustic contrast" parameter between paving materials functioning as a cue and the surrounding or adjacent surface functioning as a background. A number of different materials was selected in order to create a test path and a procedure was defined for the verification of the ability of blind people to distinguish different acoustic contrasts. A method is proposed for measuring acoustic contrast generated by the impact of a cane tip on the ground to provide blind people with environmental information on spatial orientation and wayfinding in urban places. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methods for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

DOEpatents

Chan, George C. Y. [Bloomington, IN; Hieftje, Gary M [Bloomington, IN

2010-08-03

A method for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). ICP-AES analysis is performed across a plurality of selected locations in the plasma on an unknown sample, collecting the light intensity at one or more selected wavelengths of one or more sought-for analytes, creating a first dataset. The first dataset is then calibrated with a calibration dataset creating a calibrated first dataset curve. If the calibrated first dataset curve has a variability along the location within the plasma for a selected wavelength, errors are present. Plasma-related errors are then corrected by diluting the unknown sample and performing the same ICP-AES analysis on the diluted unknown sample creating a calibrated second dataset curve (accounting for the dilution) for the one or more sought-for analytes. The cross-over point of the calibrated dataset curves yields the corrected value (free from plasma related errors) for each sought-for analyte.

Promotion of Physical Activity of Adolescents by Skill-Based Health Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simbar, Masoumeh; Aarabi, Zeinab; Keshavarz, Zohreh; Ramezani-Tehrani, Fahimeh; Baghestani, Ahmad Reza

2017-01-01

Purpose: Insufficient physical activity leads to an increase in chronic diseases. Skills-based health education methods are supposed to be more successful than traditional methods to promote healthy behaviors. Skills-based health education is an approach to create healthy lifestyles and skills using participatory methods. The purpose of this paper…

The Keyword Method and Children's Vocabulary Learning: An Interaction with Vocabulary Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGivern, Julie E.; Levin, Joel R.

A study explored a potential aptitude-by-treatment interaction associated with the keyword method of vocabulary acquisition. This method is a two-stage mnemonic process whereby an unfamiliar term is first transformed into a familiar concrete stimulus and then a thematic relationship is created between the transformed stimulus and the information…

Examining Classification Criteria: A Comparison of Three Cut Score Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine; Morgan, Grant

2011-01-01

This study compared 3 different methods of creating cut scores for a screening instrument, T scores, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, and the Rasch rating scale method (RSM), for use with the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Teacher Rating Scale for Children and Adolescents (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007).…

Constructing a community-level amenity index

Treesearch

Joanna Paulson Ganning; Courtney G. Flint

2010-01-01

The study of amenity-driven regional change has proliferated in recent years, especially in the American West. While methods of quantifying amenity levels have progressed, they usually rely on traditional and inflexible methods of creating indices. This research note describes a method of manual indexing that allows a flexible and replicable way of assessing amenity...

Design of Education Methods in a Virtual Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yavich, Roman; Starichenko, Boris

2017-01-01

The purpose of the presented article is to review existing approaches to modern training methods design and to create a variant of its technology in virtual educational environments in order to develop general cultural and professional students' competence in pedagogical education. The conceptual modeling of a set of methods for students' training…

Compression embedding

DOEpatents

Sandford, M.T. II; Handel, T.G.; Bradley, J.N.

1998-07-07

A method and apparatus for embedding auxiliary information into the digital representation of host data created by a lossy compression technique and a method and apparatus for constructing auxiliary data from the correspondence between values in a digital key-pair table with integer index values existing in a representation of host data created by a lossy compression technique are disclosed. The methods apply to data compressed with algorithms based on series expansion, quantization to a finite number of symbols, and entropy coding. Lossy compression methods represent the original data as ordered sequences of blocks containing integer indices having redundancy and uncertainty of value by one unit, allowing indices which are adjacent in value to be manipulated to encode auxiliary data. Also included is a method to improve the efficiency of lossy compression algorithms by embedding white noise into the integer indices. Lossy compression methods use loss-less compression to reduce to the final size the intermediate representation as indices. The efficiency of the loss-less compression, known also as entropy coding compression, is increased by manipulating the indices at the intermediate stage. Manipulation of the intermediate representation improves lossy compression performance by 1 to 10%. 21 figs.

Compression embedding

DOEpatents

Sandford, II, Maxwell T.; Handel, Theodore G.; Bradley, Jonathan N.

1998-01-01

A method and apparatus for embedding auxiliary information into the digital representation of host data created by a lossy compression technique and a method and apparatus for constructing auxiliary data from the correspondence between values in a digital key-pair table with integer index values existing in a representation of host data created by a lossy compression technique. The methods apply to data compressed with algorithms based on series expansion, quantization to a finite number of symbols, and entropy coding. Lossy compression methods represent the original data as ordered sequences of blocks containing integer indices having redundancy and uncertainty of value by one unit, allowing indices which are adjacent in value to be manipulated to encode auxiliary data. Also included is a method to improve the efficiency of lossy compression algorithms by embedding white noise into the integer indices. Lossy compression methods use loss-less compression to reduce to the final size the intermediate representation as indices. The efficiency of the loss-less compression, known also as entropy coding compression, is increased by manipulating the indices at the intermediate stage. Manipulation of the intermediate representation improves lossy compression performance by 1 to 10%.

Methods for estimating bicycling and walking in Washington state.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

This report presents the work performed in the first and second phases in the process of creating a method to : calculate Bicycle and Pedestrian Miles Traveled (BMT/PMT) for the state of Washington. First, we recommend : improvements to the existing ...

Innovative methods for calculation of freeway travel time using limited data : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

Description: Travel time estimations created by processing of simulated freeway loop detector data using proposed method have been compared with travel times reported from VISSIM model. An improved methodology was proposed to estimate freeway corrido...

An Excel macro for generating trilinear plots.

PubMed

Shikaze, Steven G; Crowe, Allan S

2007-01-01

This computer note describes a method for creating trilinear plots in Microsoft Excel. Macros have been created in MS Excel's internal language: Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). A simple form has been set up to allow the user to input data from an Excel worksheet. The VBA macro is used to convert the triangular data (which consist of three columns of percentage data) into X-Y data. The macro then generates the axes, labels, and grid for the trilinear plot. The X-Y data are plotted as scatter data in Excel. By providing this macro in Excel, users can create trilinear plots in a quick, inexpensive manner.

Real-time interferometric diagnostics of rubidium plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djotyan, G. P.; Bakos, J. S.; Kedves, M. Á.; Ráczkevi, B.; Dzsotjan, D.; Varga-Umbrich, K.; Sörlei, Zs.; Szigeti, J.; Ignácz, P.; Lévai, P.; Czitrovszky, A.; Nagy, A.; Dombi, P.; Rácz, P.

2018-03-01

A method of interferometric real-time diagnostics is developed and applied to rubidium plasma created by strong laser pulses in the femtosecond duration range at different initial rubidium vapor densities using a Michelson-type interferometer. A cosine fit with an exponentially decaying relative phase is applied to the obtained time-dependent interferometry signals to measure the density-length product of the created plasma and its recombination time constant. The presented technique may be applicable for real-time measurements of rubidium plasma dynamics in the AWAKE experiment at CERN, as well as for real-time diagnostics of plasmas created in different gaseous media and on surfaces of solid targets.

CREATE-IP and CREATE-V: Data and Services Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carriere, L.; Potter, G. L.; Hertz, J.; Peters, J.; Maxwell, T. P.; Strong, S.; Shute, J.; Shen, Y.; Duffy, D.

2017-12-01

The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) at the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) are working together to build a uniform environment for the comparative study and use of a group of reanalysis datasets of particular importance to the research community. This effort is called the Collaborative REAnalysis Technical Environment (CREATE) and it contains two components: the CREATE-Intercomparison Project (CREATE-IP) and CREATE-V. This year's efforts included generating and publishing an atmospheric reanalysis ensemble mean and spread and improving the analytics available through CREATE-V. Related activities included adding access to subsets of the reanalysis data through ArcGIS and expanding the visualization tool to GMAO forecast data. This poster will present the access mechanisms to this data and use cases including example Jupyter Notebook code. The reanalysis ensemble was generated using two methods, first using standard Python tools for regridding, extracting levels and creating the ensemble mean and spread on a virtual server in the NCCS environment. The second was using a new analytics software suite, the Earth Data Analytics Services (EDAS), coupled with a high-performance Data Analytics and Storage System (DASS) developed at the NCCS. Results were compared to validate the EDAS methodologies, and the results, including time to process, will be presented. The ensemble includes selected 6 hourly and monthly variables, regridded to 1.25 degrees, with 24 common levels used for the 3D variables. Use cases for the new data and services will be presented, including the use of EDAS for the backend analytics on CREATE-V, the use of the GMAO forecast aerosol and cloud data in CREATE-V, and the ability to connect CREATE-V data to NCCS ArcGIS services.

Objective forensic analysis of striated, quasi-striated and impressed toolmarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spotts, Ryan E.

Following the 1993 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. court case and continuing to the 2010 National Academy of Sciences report, comparative forensic toolmark examination has received many challenges to its admissibility in court cases and its scientific foundations. Many of these challenges deal with the subjective nature in determining whether toolmarks are identifiable. This questioning of current identification methods has created a demand for objective methods of identification - "objective" implying known error rates and statistically reliability. The demand for objective methods has resulted in research that created a statistical algorithm capable of comparing toolmarks to determine their statistical similarity, and thus the ability to separate matching and nonmatching toolmarks. This was expanded to the creation of virtual toolmarking (characterization of a tool to predict the toolmark it will create). The statistical algorithm, originally designed for two-dimensional striated toolmarks, had been successfully applied to striated screwdriver and quasi-striated plier toolmarks. Following this success, a blind study was conducted to validate the virtual toolmarking capability using striated screwdriver marks created at various angles of incidence. Work was also performed to optimize the statistical algorithm by implementing means to ensure the algorithm operations were constrained to logical comparison regions (e.g. the opposite ends of two toolmarks do not need to be compared because they do not coincide with each other). This work was performed on quasi-striated shear cut marks made with pliers - a previously tested, more difficult application of the statistical algorithm that could demonstrate the difference in results due to optimization. The final research conducted was performed with pseudostriated impression toolmarks made with chisels. Impression marks, which are more complex than striated marks, were analyzed using the algorithm to separate matching and nonmatching toolmarks. Results of the conducted research are presented as well as evidence of the primary assumption of forensic toolmark examination; all tools can create identifiably unique toolmarks.

Electrochemically Induced Nanobubbles between Graphene and Mica.

PubMed

Dollekamp, Edwin; Bampoulis, Pantelis; Poelsema, Bene; Zandvliet, Harold J W; Kooij, E Stefan

2016-07-05

We present a new method to create dynamic nanobubbles. The nanobubbles are created between graphene and mica by reducing intercalated water to hydrogen. The nanobubbles have a typical radius of several hundred nanometers, a height of a few tens of nanometers and an internal pressure in the range of 0.5-8 MPa. Our approach paves the way to the realization of nanobubbles of which both size and internal pressure are tunable.

Utilizing the Zero-One Linear Programming Constraints to Draw Multiple Sets of Matched Samples from a Non-Treatment Population as Control Groups for the Quasi-Experimental Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yuan H.; Yang, Yu N.; Tompkins, Leroy J.; Modarresi, Shahpar

2005-01-01

The statistical technique, "Zero-One Linear Programming," that has successfully been used to create multiple tests with similar characteristics (e.g., item difficulties, test information and test specifications) in the area of educational measurement, was deemed to be a suitable method for creating multiple sets of matched samples to be…

Engineering chimeras for Noah's ark.

PubMed

Dixon, B

1984-04-01

Chimeras, or animals containing the tissues of two or more distinct genetic types, have been successfully created from goat-sheep combinations by research teams at the ARC Institute of Animal Physiology in Cambridge, England, and the Justus-Liebig-Universitat in Giessen, West Germany. Dixon describes the methods used in this research and goes on to discuss the future potential for creating true hybrids capable of reproducing themselves, perhaps even involving human-animal combinations.

Standardization of experimental parameters for LLLT studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magrini, Taciana D.; Santos, Arnaldo R., Jr.; da Silva Martinho, Herculano

2012-03-01

The aim of this work was to create and do characterization of a setup for irradiation of cultured cells with laser light in which light intensity is homogeneous and to create a method for calculating what exactly the quantity of light used in the irradiation is. The characterization was done by evaluating intensity distributions and by evaluation of irradiated in vitro cell viability with different configurations of the apparatus.

Resilient Software Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

and tools, called model-integrated computing ( MIC ) [3] relies on the use of domain-specific modeling languages for creating models of the system to be...hence giving reflective capabilities to it. We have followed the MIC method here: we designed a domain- specific modeling language for modeling...are produced one-off and not for the mass market , the scope for price reduction based on the market demands is non-existent. Processes to create

A novel method for creating working space during endoscopic thyroidectomy via bilateral areolar approach.

PubMed

Tan, Yi-Hong; Du, Guo-Neng; Xiao, Yu-Gen; Qiu, Wan-Shou; Wu, Tao

2013-12-01

Endoscopic thyroidectomy (ET) can be performed through the bilateral areolar approach (BAA). A working space (WS) is typically created on the surface of the pectoral fascia in the chest wall and in the subplatysmal space in the neck. There are several limitations of using this WS. The aim of this study was to establish a new WS for ET. A retrospective review was performed on 85 patients with benign thyroid nodules who had undergone ET through a BAA. A WS was created between the anterior and poster layers of the superficial pectoral fascia (SPF) in the chest and underneath the deep layer of the investing layer (IL) in the neck. The time for creating the WS was 7.2 ± 2.1 (range, 5-12) minutes. No hemorrhage occurred during the procedure. Fat liquefaction occurred in 2 patients. Edema of the neck skin flap presented as lack of a suprasternal notch. No skin numbness occurred. No patient required postoperative pain medication. All patients were extremely satisfied with the cosmetic results. This new method of establishing a WS between the two layers of the SPF and underneath the IL is simple and fast, provides good exposure, yields less postoperative pain, and has a lower risk of skin burn.

Achieving 90% Adoption of Clinical Practice Guidelines Using the Delphi Consensus Method in a Large Orthopedic Group.

PubMed

Bini, Stefano A; Mahajan, John

2016-11-01

Little is known about the implementation rate of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Our purpose was to report on the adoption rate of CPGs created and implemented by a large orthopedic group using the Delphi consensus method. The draft CPGs were created before the group's annual meeting by 5 teams each assigned a subset of topics. The draft guidelines included a statement and a summary of the available evidence. Each guideline was debated in both small-group and plenary sessions. Voting was anonymous and a 75% supermajority was required for passage. A Likert scale was used to survey the patient's experience with the process at 1 week, and the Kirkpatrick evaluation model was used to gauge the efficacy of the process over a 6-month time frame. Eighty-five orthopedic surgeons attended the meeting. Fifteen guidelines grouped into 5 topics were created. All passed. Eighty-six percent of attendees found the process effective and 84% felt that participating in the process made it more likely that they would adopt the guidelines. At 1 week, an average of 62% of attendees stated they were practicing the guideline as written (range: 35%-72%), and at 6 months, 96% stated they were practicing them (range: 82%-100%). We have demonstrated that a modified Delphi method for reaching consensus can be very effective in both creating CPGs and leading to their adoption. Further we have shown that the process is well received by participants and that an inclusionary approach can be highly successful. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creation of Consistent Burn Wounds: A Rat Model

PubMed Central

Cai, Elijah Zhengyang; Ang, Chuan Han; Raju, Ashvin; Tan, Kong Bing; Hing, Eileen Chor Hoong; Loo, Yihua; Wong, Yong Chiat; Lee, Hanjing; Lim, Jane; Moochhala, Shabbir M; Hauser, Charlotte AE

2014-01-01

Background Burn infliction techniques are poorly described in rat models. An accurate study can only be achieved with wounds that are uniform in size and depth. We describe a simple reproducible method for creating consistent burn wounds in rats. Methods Ten male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and dorsum shaved. A 100 g cylindrical stainless-steel rod (1 cm diameter) was heated to 100℃ in boiling water. Temperature was monitored using a thermocouple. We performed two consecutive toe-pinch tests on different limbs to assess the depth of sedation. Burn infliction was limited to the loin. The skin was pulled upwards, away from the underlying viscera, creating a flat surface. The rod rested on its own weight for 5, 10, and 20 seconds at three different sites on each rat. Wounds were evaluated for size, morphology and depth. Results Average wound size was 0.9957 cm2 (standard deviation [SD] 0.1845) (n=30). Wounds created with duration of 5 seconds were pale, with an indistinct margin of erythema. Wounds of 10 and 20 seconds were well-defined, uniformly brown with a rim of erythema. Average depths of tissue damage were 1.30 mm (SD 0.424), 2.35 mm (SD 0.071), and 2.60 mm (SD 0.283) for duration of 5, 10, 20 seconds respectively. Burn duration of 5 seconds resulted in full-thickness damage. Burn duration of 10 seconds and 20 seconds resulted in full-thickness damage, involving subjacent skeletal muscle. Conclusions This is a simple reproducible method for creating burn wounds consistent in size and depth in a rat burn model. PMID:25075351

Beyond seismic interferometry: imaging the earth's interior with virtual sources and receivers inside the earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wapenaar, C. P. A.; Van der Neut, J.; Thorbecke, J.; Broggini, F.; Slob, E. C.; Snieder, R.

2015-12-01

Imagine one could place seismic sources and receivers at any desired position inside the earth. Since the receivers would record the full wave field (direct waves, up- and downward reflections, multiples, etc.), this would give a wealth of information about the local structures, material properties and processes in the earth's interior. Although in reality one cannot place sources and receivers anywhere inside the earth, it appears to be possible to create virtual sources and receivers at any desired position, which accurately mimics the desired situation. The underlying method involves some major steps beyond standard seismic interferometry. With seismic interferometry, virtual sources can be created at the positions of physical receivers, assuming these receivers are illuminated isotropically. Our proposed method does not need physical receivers at the positions of the virtual sources; moreover, it does not require isotropic illumination. To create virtual sources and receivers anywhere inside the earth, it suffices to record the reflection response with physical sources and receivers at the earth's surface. We do not need detailed information about the medium parameters; it suffices to have an estimate of the direct waves between the virtual-source positions and the acquisition surface. With these prerequisites, our method can create virtual sources and receivers, anywhere inside the earth, which record the full wave field. The up- and downward reflections, multiples, etc. in the virtual responses are extracted directly from the reflection response at the surface. The retrieved virtual responses form an ideal starting point for accurate seismic imaging, characterization and monitoring.

A new detection method for the K variant of butyrylcholinesterase based on PCR primer introduced restriction analysis (PCR-PIRA).

PubMed Central

Shibuta, K; Abe, M; Suzuki, T

1994-01-01

The K variant of human butyrylcholinesterase is caused by a G/A transition in the butyrylcholinesterase gene, which neither creates nor destroys any restriction site. In an attempt to detect the K variant both simply and rapidly, we developed a two step method of "PCR primer introduced restriction analysis" (PCR-PIRA). The first step was used to introduce a new Fun4HI site into the normal allele for a screening test, while the second step was performed to create a new MaeIII site on the variant allele for a specific test. This method thus enabled us to distinguish clearly the K variant from the normal allele, and also showed that the frequency of the K variant allele is 0.164 in the Japanese population. Images PMID:7966197

Preservice Teachers' Images of Scientists: Do Prior Science Experiences Make a Difference?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milford, Todd M.; Tippett, Christine D.

2013-06-01

This article presents the results of a mixed methods study that used the Draw-a-Scientist Test as a visual tool for exploring preservice teachers' beliefs about scientists. A questionnaire was also administered to 165 students who were enrolled in elementary (K-8) and secondary (8-12) science methods courses. Taken as a whole, the images drawn by preservice teachers reflected the stereotype of a scientist as a man with a wild hairdo who wears a lab coat and glasses while working in a laboratory setting. However, results indicated statistically significant differences in stereotypical components of representations of scientists depending on preservice teachers' program and previous science experiences. Post degree students in secondary science methods courses created images of scientists with fewer stereotypical elements than drawings created by students in the regular elementary program.

Imagination in Japanese Educational Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorner, Robert; Kowalski, Ludwik

1992-01-01

In the K. Ikatura method used in Japan, an instructor describes an experiment with a number of possible outcomes. Students record and discuss their predictions; the experiment is performed and the results analyzed. This method creates constructive cognitive conflict and provides structure for imagination. (SK)

Technology and Microcomputers for an Information Centre/Special Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daehn, Ralph M.

1984-01-01

Discusses use of microcomputer hardware and software, telecommunications methods, and advanced library methods to create a specialized information center's database of literature relating to farm machinery and food processing. Systems and services (electronic messaging, serials control, database creation, cataloging, collections, circulation,…

Development of a teen-focused exergame

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Exergames require body movement to play and may be an effective method for enhancing teen physical activity. However, results have been mixed. Innovative methods are needed to develop exergames that increase and maintain physical activity. Self-representational avatars, or avatars created from a dig...

Intersection of Screening Methods High Quantile

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This layer combines the high quantiles of the CES, CEVA, and EJSM layers so that viewers can see the overlap of 00e2??hot spots00e2?? for each method. This layer was created by James Sadd of Occidental College of Los Angeles

Novel wave generator adaptable to indoor surfboarding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heidmann, M. F.; Phillips, B. R.

1970-01-01

Method is devised for generating strong acoustic waves in confined body of water. Strong travelling acoustic waves or modes are created by rotation of radial jet of gas at center of short cylindrical chamber. Method and wave structure suggest novel facility for water sports.

Beginning Reading at All Grade Levels.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naumann, Nancy

1980-01-01

A third-grade teacher's account of her struggle to determine the most appropriate methods for teaching reading skills includes grouping techniques, methods for creating interest in reading among the students, techniques for diagnosing reading levels, and a fifth dimensional approach to teaching beginning reading. (JN)

Optogenetic light pulses generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erofeev, A. I.; Matveev, M. V.; Zakharova, O. A.; Terekhin, S. G.; Kilimnik, V. A.; Bezprozvanny, I. B.; Vlasova, O. L.

2017-11-01

To date, optogenetics is one of the most popular methods in the world in neuroscience. There are new equipment and devices created to keep the progress of this method. This article describes a light pulse generator developed at the Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, designed for optogenetic experiments.

Complex multidisciplinary system composition for aerospace vehicle conceptual design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Lex

Although, there exists a vast amount of work concerning the analysis, design, integration of aerospace vehicle systems, there is no standard for how this data and knowledge should be combined in order to create a synthesis system. Each institution creating a synthesis system has in house vehicle and hardware components they are attempting to model and proprietary methods with which to model them. This leads to the fact that synthesis systems begin as one-off creations meant to answer a specific problem. As the scope of the synthesis system grows to encompass more and more problems, so does its size and complexity; in order for a single synthesis system to answer multiple questions the number of methods and method interface must increase. As a means to curtail the requirement that the increase of an aircraft synthesis systems capability leads to an increase in its size and complexity, this research effort focuses on the idea that each problem in aerospace requires its own analysis framework. By focusing on the creation of a methodology which centers on the matching of an analysis framework towards the problem being solved, the complexity of the analysis framework is decoupled from the complexity of the system that creates it. The derived methodology allows for the composition of complex multi-disciplinary systems (CMDS) through the automatic creation and implementation of system and disciplinary method interfaces. The CMDS Composition process follows a four step methodology meant to take a problem definition and progress towards the creation of an analysis framework meant to answer said problem. The unique implementation of the CMDS Composition process take user selected disciplinary analysis methods and automatically integrates them, together in order to create a syntactically composable analysis framework. As a means of assessing the validity of the CMDS Composition process a prototype system (AVDDBMS) has been developed. AVD DBMS has been used to model the Generic Hypersonic Vehicle (GHV), an open source family of hypersonic vehicles originating from the Air Force Research Laboratory. AVDDBMS has been applied in three different ways in order to assess its validity: Verification using GHV disciplinary data, Validation using selected disciplinary analysis methods, and Application of the CMDS Composition Process to assess the design solution space for the GHV hardware. The research demonstrates the holistic effect that selection of individual disciplinary analysis methods has on the structure and integration of the analysis framework.

High density nitrogen-vacancy sensing surface created via He{sup +} ion implantation of {sup 12}C diamond

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

Kleinsasser, Ed E., E-mail: edklein@uw.edu; Stanfield, Matthew M.; Banks, Jannel K. Q.

2016-05-16

We present a promising method for creating high-density ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers with narrow spin-resonances for high-sensitivity magnetic imaging. Practically, narrow spin-resonance linewidths substantially reduce the optical and RF power requirements for ensemble-based sensing. The method combines isotope purified diamond growth, in situ nitrogen doping, and helium ion implantation to realize a 100 nm-thick sensing surface. The obtained 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} nitrogen-vacancy density is only a factor of 10 less than the highest densities reported to date, with an observed 200 kHz spin resonance linewidth over 10 times narrower.

Modeling and Analysis of Large Amplitude Flight Maneuvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Mark R.

2004-01-01

Analytical methods for stability analysis of large amplitude aircraft motion have been slow to develop because many nonlinear system stability assessment methods are restricted to a state-space dimension of less than three. The proffered approach is to create regional cell-to-cell maps for strategically located two-dimensional subspaces within the higher-dimensional model statespace. These regional solutions capture nonlinear behavior better than linearized point solutions. They also avoid the computational difficulties that emerge when attempting to create a cell map for the entire state-space. Example stability results are presented for a general aviation aircraft and a micro-aerial vehicle configuration. The analytical results are consistent with characteristics that were discovered during previous flight-testing.

Lunar Regolith Particle Shape Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiekhaefer, Rebecca; Hardy, Sandra; Rickman, Douglas; Edmunson, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Future engineering of structures and equipment on the lunar surface requires significant understanding of particle characteristics of the lunar regolith. Nearly all sediment characteristics are influenced by particle shape; therefore a method of quantifying particle shape is useful both in lunar and terrestrial applications. We have created a method to quantify particle shape, specifically for lunar regolith, using image processing. Photomicrographs of thin sections of lunar core material were obtained under reflected light. Three photomicrographs were analyzed using ImageJ and MATLAB. From the image analysis measurements for area, perimeter, Feret diameter, orthogonal Feret diameter, Heywood factor, aspect ratio, sieve diameter, and sieve number were recorded. Probability distribution functions were created from the measurements of Heywood factor and aspect ratio.

Object-Oriented Image Clustering Method Using UAS Photogrammetric Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Larson, A.; Schultz-Fellenz, E. S.; Sussman, A. J.; Swanson, E.; Coppersmith, R.

2016-12-01

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have been used widely as an imaging modality to obtain remotely sensed multi-band surface imagery, and are growing in popularity due to their efficiency, ease of use, and affordability. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has employed the use of UAS for geologic site characterization and change detection studies at a variety of field sites. The deployed UAS equipped with a standard visible band camera to collect imagery datasets. Based on the imagery collected, we use deep sparse algorithmic processing to detect and discriminate subtle topographic features created or impacted by subsurface activities. In this work, we develop an object-oriented remote sensing imagery clustering method for land cover classification. To improve the clustering and segmentation accuracy, instead of using conventional pixel-based clustering methods, we integrate the spatial information from neighboring regions to create super-pixels to avoid salt-and-pepper noise and subsequent over-segmentation. To further improve robustness of our clustering method, we also incorporate a custom digital elevation model (DEM) dataset generated using a structure-from-motion (SfM) algorithm together with the red, green, and blue (RGB) band data for clustering. In particular, we first employ an agglomerative clustering to create an initial segmentation map, from where every object is treated as a single (new) pixel. Based on the new pixels obtained, we generate new features to implement another level of clustering. We employ our clustering method to the RGB+DEM datasets collected at the field site. Through binary clustering and multi-object clustering tests, we verify that our method can accurately separate vegetation from non-vegetation regions, and are also able to differentiate object features on the surface.

What Discourages Students from Engaging with Innovative Instructional Methods: Creating a Barrier Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Donna E.

2015-01-01

When faculty members choose to implement instructional methods that are learning-centred, this may represent a change for students; and some resist engaging. In this exploratory case study research, 172 students shared what discourages them from being willing to engage with these innovative methods that aim to facilitate their learning.…

The Beginner's Guide to the Bootstrap Method of Resampling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Ginny G.

The bootstrap method of resampling can be useful in estimating the replicability of study results. The bootstrap procedure creates a mock population from a given sample of data from which multiple samples are then drawn. The method extends the usefulness of the jackknife procedure as it allows for computation of a given statistic across a maximal…

A Simple Microsoft Excel Method to Predict Antibiotic Outbreaks and Underutilization.

PubMed

Miglis, Cristina; Rhodes, Nathaniel J; Avedissian, Sean N; Zembower, Teresa R; Postelnick, Michael; Wunderink, Richard G; Sutton, Sarah H; Scheetz, Marc H

2017-07-01

Benchmarking strategies are needed to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. We have adapted a simple regressive method in Microsoft Excel that is easily implementable and creates predictive indices. This method trends consumption over time and can identify periods of over- and underuse at the hospital level. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:860-862.

Music behind Scores: Case Study of Learning Improvisation with "Playback Orchestra" Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juntunen, P.; Ruokonen, I.; Ruismäki, H.

2015-01-01

For music students in the early stages of learning, the music may seem to be hidden behind the scores. To support home practising, Juntunen has created the "Playback Orchestra" method with which the students can practise with the support of the notation program playback of the full orchestra. The results of testing the method with…

JiJi De GuanJiao FangFa (Positive Discipline). ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Champaign, IL.

This ERIC Digest suggests methods and language that can be used in handling difficult, but common, situations involving young children. Discussion focuses on: (1) 12 methods of discipline that promote self-worth; (2) the process of creating a positive climate that promotes self-discipline; (3) harmful and negative disciplinary methods; and (4)…

26 CFR 1.170-2 - Charitable deductions by individuals; limitations (before amendment by Tax Reform Act of 1969).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... from a representative number of persons; that pursuant to its organizational structure and method of... created organization, that its organizational structure and method of operation are such as to require... charter relating to its organizational structure and prescribed methods of operation, P is a “publicly...

A Mixed Methods Content Analysis of the Research Literature in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schram, Asta B.

2014-01-01

In recent years, more and more researchers in science education have been turning to the practice of combining qualitative and quantitative methods in the same study. This approach of using mixed methods creates possibilities to study the various issues that science educators encounter in more depth. In this content analysis, I evaluated 18…

Ottawa Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for Patient Education in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brosseau, Lucie; Wells, George A.; Tugwell, Peter; Egan, Mary; Dubouloz, Claire-Jehanne; Welch, Vivian A.; Trafford, Laura; Sredic, Danjiel; Pohran, Kathryn; Smoljanic, Jovana; Vukosavljevic, Ivan; De Angelis, Gino; Loew, Laurianne; McEwan, Jessica; Bell, Mary; Finestone, Hillel M.; Lineker, Sydney; King, Judy; Jelly, Wilma; Casimiro, Lynn; Haines-Wangda, Angela; Russell-Doreleyers, Marion; Laferriere, Lucie; Lambert, Kim

2012-01-01

Background and purpose: The objective of this article is to create guidelines for education interventions in the management of patients ([greater than] 18 years old) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: The Ottawa Methods Group identified and synthesized evidence from comparative controlled trials using Cochrane Collaboration methods. The…

Robust, Optimal Subsonic Airfoil Shapes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rai, Man Mohan

2014-01-01

A method has been developed to create an airfoil robust enough to operate satisfactorily in different environments. This method determines a robust, optimal, subsonic airfoil shape, beginning with an arbitrary initial airfoil shape, and imposes the necessary constraints on the design. Also, this method is flexible and extendible to a larger class of requirements and changes in constraints imposed.

Mapping Urban Environmental Noise Using Smartphones.

PubMed

Zuo, Jinbo; Xia, Hao; Liu, Shuo; Qiao, Yanyou

2016-10-13

Noise mapping is an effective method of visualizing and accessing noise pollution. In this paper, a noise-mapping method based on smartphones to effectively and easily measure environmental noise is proposed. By using this method, a noise map of an entire area can be created using limited measurement data. To achieve the measurement with certain precision, a set of methods was designed to calibrate the smartphones. Measuring noise with mobile phones is different from the traditional static observations. The users may be moving at any time. Therefore, a method of attaching an additional microphone with a windscreen is proposed to reduce the wind effect. However, covering an entire area is impossible. Therefore, an interpolation method is needed to achieve full coverage of the area. To reduce the influence of spatial heterogeneity and improve the precision of noise mapping, a region-based noise-mapping method is proposed in this paper, which is based on the distribution of noise in different region types tagged by volunteers, to interpolate and combine them to create a noise map. To validate the effect of the method, a comparison of the interpolation results was made to analyse our method and the ordinary Kriging method. The result shows that our method is more accurate in reflecting the local distribution of noise and has better interpolation precision. We believe that the proposed noise-mapping method is a feasible and low-cost noise-mapping solution.

Mapping Urban Environmental Noise Using Smartphones

PubMed Central

Zuo, Jinbo; Xia, Hao; Liu, Shuo; Qiao, Yanyou

2016-01-01

Noise mapping is an effective method of visualizing and accessing noise pollution. In this paper, a noise-mapping method based on smartphones to effectively and easily measure environmental noise is proposed. By using this method, a noise map of an entire area can be created using limited measurement data. To achieve the measurement with certain precision, a set of methods was designed to calibrate the smartphones. Measuring noise with mobile phones is different from the traditional static observations. The users may be moving at any time. Therefore, a method of attaching an additional microphone with a windscreen is proposed to reduce the wind effect. However, covering an entire area is impossible. Therefore, an interpolation method is needed to achieve full coverage of the area. To reduce the influence of spatial heterogeneity and improve the precision of noise mapping, a region-based noise-mapping method is proposed in this paper, which is based on the distribution of noise in different region types tagged by volunteers, to interpolate and combine them to create a noise map. To validate the effect of the method, a comparison of the interpolation results was made to analyse our method and the ordinary Kriging method. The result shows that our method is more accurate in reflecting the local distribution of noise and has better interpolation precision. We believe that the proposed noise-mapping method is a feasible and low-cost noise-mapping solution. PMID:27754359

[Assessment of the strength of tobacco control on creating smoke-free hospitals using principal components analysis].

PubMed

Liu, Hui-lin; Wan, Xia; Yang, Gong-huan

2013-02-01

To explore the relationship between the strength of tobacco control and the effectiveness of creating smoke-free hospital, and summarize the main factors that affect the program of creating smoke-free hospitals. A total of 210 hospitals from 7 provinces/municipalities directly under the central government were enrolled in this study using stratified random sampling method. Principle component analysis and regression analysis were conducted to analyze the strength of tobacco control and the effectiveness of creating smoke-free hospitals. Two principal components were extracted in the strength of tobacco control index, which respectively reflected the tobacco control policies and efforts, and the willingness and leadership of hospital managers regarding tobacco control. The regression analysis indicated that only the first principal component was significantly correlated with the progression in creating smoke-free hospital (P<0.001), i.e. hospitals with higher scores on the first principal component had better achievements in smoke-free environment creation. Tobacco control policies and efforts are critical in creating smoke-free hospitals. The principal component analysis provides a comprehensive and objective tool for evaluating the creation of smoke-free hospitals.

EINO the Answer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollister, James; Richie, Sam; Weeks, Arthur

2010-01-01

This study investigated the various methods involved in creating an intelligent tutor for the University of Central Florida Web Applets (UCF Web Applets), an online environment where student can perform and/or practice experiments. After conducting research into various methods, two major models emerged. These models include: 1) solving the…

Bayesian Methods for Determining the Importance of Effects

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Criticisms have plagued the frequentist null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) procedure since the day it was created from the Fisher Significance Test and Hypothesis Test of Jerzy Neyman and Egon Pearson. Alternatives to NHST exist in frequentist statistics, but competing methods are also avai...

Ranking filter methods for concentrating pathogens in lake water

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Accurately comparing filtration methods for concentrating waterborne pathogens is difficult because of two important water matrix effects on recovery measurements, the effect on PCR quantification and the effect on filter performance. Regarding the first effect, we show how to create a control water...

Two Meanings of Algorithmic Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurer, Stephen B.

1984-01-01

Two mathematical topics are interpreted from the viewpoints of traditional (performing algorithms) and contemporary (creating algorithms and thinking in terms of them for solving problems and developing theory) algorithmic mathematics. The two topics are Horner's method for evaluating polynomials and Gauss's method for solving systems of linear…

A review of the theory, methods and recent applications of high-throughput single-cell droplet microfluidics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagus, Todd P.; Edd, Jon F.

2013-03-01

Most cell biology experiments are performed in bulk cell suspensions where cell secretions become diluted and mixed in a contiguous sample. Confinement of single cells to small, picoliter-sized droplets within a continuous phase of oil provides chemical isolation of each cell, creating individual microreactors where rare cell qualities are highlighted and otherwise undetectable signals can be concentrated to measurable levels. Recent work in microfluidics has yielded methods for the encapsulation of cells in aqueous droplets and hydrogels at kilohertz rates, creating the potential for millions of parallel single-cell experiments. However, commercial applications of high-throughput microdroplet generation and downstream sensing and actuation methods are still emerging for cells. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) as a benchmark for commercially available high-throughput screening, this focused review discusses the fluid physics of droplet formation, methods for cell encapsulation in liquids and hydrogels, sensors and actuators and notable biological applications of high-throughput single-cell droplet microfluidics.

Immobilization of organic radioactive and non-radioactive liquid waste in a composite matrix

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

Galkin, Anatoliy; Gelis, Artem V.; Castiglioni, Andrew J.

A method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste is provided, the method having the steps of mixing waste with polymer to form a non-liquid waste; contacting the non-liquid waste with a solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to cause the polymer, waste, and filler to irreversibly bind in a solid phase, and compressing the solid phase into a monolith. The invention also provides a method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste containing tritium, the method having the steps of mixing liquid waste with polymer to convert the liquid waste to a non-liquid waste, contacting the non-liquid waste with amore » solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to form homogeneous, chemically stable solid phase, and compressing the chemically stable solid phase into a final waste form, wherein the polymer comprises approximately a 9:1 weight ratio mixture of styrene block co-polymers and cross linked co-polymers of acrylamides.« less

Creating the learning situation to promote student deep learning: Data analysis and application case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yuanyuan; Wu, Shaoyan

2017-05-01

How to lead students to deeper learning and cultivate engineering innovative talents need to be studied for higher engineering education. In this study, through the survey data analysis and theoretical research, we discuss the correlation of teaching methods, learning motivation, and learning methods. In this research, we find that students have different motivation orientation according to the perception of teaching methods in the process of engineering education, and this affects their choice of learning methods. As a result, creating situations is critical to lead students to deeper learning. Finally, we analyze the process of learning situational creation in the teaching process of «bidding and contract management workshops». In this creation process, teachers use the student-centered teaching to lead students to deeper study. Through the study of influence factors of deep learning process, and building the teaching situation for the purpose of promoting deep learning, this thesis provide a meaningful reference for enhancing students' learning quality, teachers' teaching quality and the quality of innovation talent.

A rapid method for creating qualitative images indicative of thick oil emulsion on the ocean's surface from imaging spectrometer data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kokaly, Raymond F.; Hoefen, Todd M.; Livo, K. Eric; Swayze, Gregg A.; Leifer, Ira; McCubbin, Ian B.; Eastwood, Michael L.; Green, Robert O.; Lundeen, Sarah R.; Sarture, Charles M.; Steele, Denis; Ryan, Thomas; Bradley, Eliza S.; Roberts, Dar A.; ,

2010-01-01

This report describes a method to create color-composite images indicative of thick oil:water emulsions on the surface of clear, deep ocean water by using normalized difference ratios derived from remotely sensed data collected by an imaging spectrometer. The spectral bands used in the normalized difference ratios are located in wavelength regions where the spectra of thick oil:water emulsions on the ocean's surface have a distinct shape compared to clear water and clouds. In contrast to quantitative analyses, which require rigorous conversion to reflectance, the method described is easily computed and can be applied rapidly to radiance data or data that have been atmospherically corrected or ground-calibrated to reflectance. Examples are shown of the method applied to Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer data collected May 17 and May 19, 2010, over the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Implications for research and practice of the biographic approach for storytelling.

PubMed

Ewens, Beverley; Hendricks, Joyce; Sundin, Deb

2017-01-23

Background Intensive care unit survivors face many physical and psychological difficulties during their recovery following discharge from hospital. These difficulties can significantly affect their quality of life. Healthcare providers and survivors' families often do not understand what recovery means in this population, which may affect the support provided. Aim To consider the potential of the biographical method in helping to create stories that illustrate recovery in intensive care survivors and other populations. Discussion This paper identifies how the biographical approach has provided survivors with a way to uncover the hidden parts of their lives through diaries and interviews, and reveal the hidden stories of intensive care survivorship and recovery. Conclusion The application of the biographical method enabled stories to be created that identified the disruption survivors encounter as they struggle to appear recovered. Implications for practice The biographical method can illuminate experiences uncaptured by other methods. This insight into recovery journeys can help healthcare practitioners and family members to understand and recognise the need for support during recovery.

Statistical lamb wave localization based on extreme value theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harley, Joel B.

2018-04-01

Guided wave localization methods based on delay-and-sum imaging, matched field processing, and other techniques have been designed and researched to create images that locate and describe structural damage. The maximum value of these images typically represent an estimated damage location. Yet, it is often unclear if this maximum value, or any other value in the image, is a statistically significant indicator of damage. Furthermore, there are currently few, if any, approaches to assess the statistical significance of guided wave localization images. As a result, we present statistical delay-and-sum and statistical matched field processing localization methods to create statistically significant images of damage. Our framework uses constant rate of false alarm statistics and extreme value theory to detect damage with little prior information. We demonstrate our methods with in situ guided wave data from an aluminum plate to detect two 0.75 cm diameter holes. Our results show an expected improvement in statistical significance as the number of sensors increase. With seventeen sensors, both methods successfully detect damage with statistical significance.

Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive

DOEpatents

Weiner, K.H.

1998-06-30

A method is disclosed for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates. 1 fig.

Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive

DOEpatents

Weiner, Kurt H.

1998-01-01

A method for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates.

A Simple Tool for Diet Evaluation in Primary Health Care: Validation of a 16-Item Food Intake Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Hemiö, Katri; Pölönen, Auli; Ahonen, Kirsti; Kosola, Mikko; Viitasalo, Katriina; Lindström, Jaana

2014-01-01

Our aim was to validate a 16-item food intake questionnaire (16-FIQ) and create an easy to use method to estimate patients’ nutrient intake in primary health care. Participants (52 men, 25 women) completed a 7-day food record and a 16-FIQ. Food and nutrient intakes were calculated and compared using Spearman correlation. Further, nutrient intakes were compared using kappa-statistics and exact and opposite agreement of intake tertiles. The results indicated that the 16-FIQ reliably categorized individuals according to their nutrient intakes. Methods to estimate nutrient intake based on the answers given in 16-FIQ were created. In linear regression models nutrient intake estimates from the food records were used as the dependent variables and sum variables derived from the 16-FIQ were used as the independent variables. Valid regression models were created for the energy proportion of fat, saturated fat, and sucrose and the amount of fibre (g), vitamin C (mg), iron (mg), and vitamin D (μg) intake. The 16-FIQ is a valid method for estimating nutrient intakes in group level. In addition, the 16-FIQ could be a useful tool to facilitate identification of people in need of dietary counselling and to monitor the effect of counselling in primary health care. PMID:24599042

Designing Free Energy Surfaces That Match Experimental Data with Metadynamics

DOE PAGES

White, Andrew D.; Dama, James F.; Voth, Gregory A.

2015-04-30

Creating models that are consistent with experimental data is essential in molecular modeling. This is often done by iteratively tuning the molecular force field of a simulation to match experimental data. An alternative method is to bias a simulation, leading to a hybrid model composed of the original force field and biasing terms. Previously we introduced such a method called experiment directed simulation (EDS). EDS minimally biases simulations to match average values. We also introduce a new method called experiment directed metadynamics (EDM) that creates minimal biases for matching entire free energy surfaces such as radial distribution functions and phi/psimore » angle free energies. It is also possible with EDM to create a tunable mixture of the experimental data and free energy of the unbiased ensemble with explicit ratios. EDM can be proven to be convergent, and we also present proof, via a maximum entropy argument, that the final bias is minimal and unique. Examples of its use are given in the construction of ensembles that follow a desired free energy. Finally, the example systems studied include a Lennard-Jones fluid made to match a radial distribution function, an atomistic model augmented with bioinformatics data, and a three-component electrolyte solution where ab initio simulation data is used to improve a classical empirical model.« less

Capturing Change: Creating a Template to Examine the Educational Experiences and Outcomes of the AONE Foundation Nurse Manager Fellowship.

PubMed

Mackoff, Barbara L; Meadows, Mary T; Nash, Alice

2017-03-01

The aim of the study is to create a mixed-methods evaluation template to examine the educational experiences and outcomes of participants in the Nurse Manager Fellowship (NMF) sponsored by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Foundation. The focus was to capture change as reported by the nurse manager (NM) fellows and the senior leaders who sponsored them and to gain access to the participants' lived experiences as leadership learners. The AONE Foundation's NMF conducts a yearlong professional development program with a cohort of 30 fellows who meet 4 times a year in face-to-face sessions and complete a capstone project. Four data collection methods were used. Participants completed 2 quantitative leadership program outcome surveys, as well as 1 qualitative measure to focus on self-perceived change outcomes. Their sponsors completed a qualitative perception of change measure. The participants' reflections, self-reports, and the sponsor observations capture impactful changes in the NM fellows' increases in knowledge and application in the spheres of self, organization, and community. The enhancement of the participants' self-identification as leaders was also demonstrated. The variety of data collection methods suggests both distinct choices in creating future evaluation templates for the fellowship and approaches that might be adapted by other organizations.

Transformational Teaching: Theoretical Underpinnings, Basic Principles, and Core Methods

PubMed Central

Slavich, George M.; Zimbardo, Philip G.

2012-01-01

Approaches to classroom instruction have evolved considerably over the past 50 years. This progress has been spurred by the development of several learning principles and methods of instruction, including active learning, student-centered learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning, and problem-based learning. In the present paper, we suggest that these seemingly different strategies share important underlying characteristics and can be viewed as complimentary components of a broader approach to classroom instruction called transformational teaching. Transformational teaching involves creating dynamic relationships between teachers, students, and a shared body of knowledge to promote student learning and personal growth. From this perspective, instructors are intellectual coaches who create teams of students who collaborate with each other and with their teacher to master bodies of information. Teachers assume the traditional role of facilitating students’ acquisition of key course concepts, but do so while enhancing students’ personal development and attitudes toward learning. They accomplish these goals by establishing a shared vision for a course, providing modeling and mastery experiences, challenging and encouraging students, personalizing attention and feedback, creating experiential lessons that transcend the boundaries of the classroom, and promoting ample opportunities for preflection and reflection. We propose that these methods are synergistically related and, when used together, maximize students’ potential for intellectual and personal growth. PMID:23162369

Designing free energy surfaces that match experimental data with metadynamics.

PubMed

White, Andrew D; Dama, James F; Voth, Gregory A

2015-06-09

Creating models that are consistent with experimental data is essential in molecular modeling. This is often done by iteratively tuning the molecular force field of a simulation to match experimental data. An alternative method is to bias a simulation, leading to a hybrid model composed of the original force field and biasing terms. We previously introduced such a method called experiment directed simulation (EDS). EDS minimally biases simulations to match average values. In this work, we introduce a new method called experiment directed metadynamics (EDM) that creates minimal biases for matching entire free energy surfaces such as radial distribution functions and phi/psi angle free energies. It is also possible with EDM to create a tunable mixture of the experimental data and free energy of the unbiased ensemble with explicit ratios. EDM can be proven to be convergent, and we also present proof, via a maximum entropy argument, that the final bias is minimal and unique. Examples of its use are given in the construction of ensembles that follow a desired free energy. The example systems studied include a Lennard-Jones fluid made to match a radial distribution function, an atomistic model augmented with bioinformatics data, and a three-component electrolyte solution where ab initio simulation data is used to improve a classical empirical model.

BMI curves for preterm infants.

PubMed

Olsen, Irene E; Lawson, M Louise; Ferguson, A Nicole; Cantrell, Rebecca; Grabich, Shannon C; Zemel, Babette S; Clark, Reese H

2015-03-01

Preterm infants experience disproportionate growth failure postnatally and may be large weight for length despite being small weight for age by hospital discharge. The objective of this study was to create and validate intrauterine weight-for-length growth curves using the contemporary, large, racially diverse US birth parameters sample used to create the Olsen weight-, length-, and head-circumference-for-age curves. Data from 391 681 US infants (Pediatrix Medical Group) born at 22 to 42 weeks' gestational age (born in 1998-2006) included birth weight, length, and head circumference, estimated gestational age, and gender. Separate subsamples were used to create and validate curves. Established methods were used to determine the weight-for-length ratio that was most highly correlated with weight and uncorrelated with length. Final smoothed percentile curves (3rd to 97th) were created by the Lambda Mu Sigma (LMS) method. The validation sample was used to confirm results. The final sample included 254 454 singleton infants (57.2% male) who survived to discharge. BMI was the best overall weight-for-length ratio for both genders and a majority of gestational ages. Gender-specific BMI-for-age curves were created (n = 127 446) and successfully validated (n = 126 988). Mean z scores for the validation sample were ∼0 (∼1 SD). BMI was different across gender and gestational age. We provide a set of validated reference curves (gender-specific) to track changes in BMI for prematurely born infants cared for in the NICU for use with weight-, length-, and head-circumference-for-age intrauterine growth curves. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Alternate energy sources for catheter ablation.

PubMed

Wang, P J; Homoud, M K; Link, M S; Estes III, N A

1999-07-01

Because of the limitations of conventional radiofrequency ablation in creating large or linear lesions, alternative energy sources have been used as possible methods of catheter ablation. Modified radiofrequency energy, cryoablation, and microwave, laser, and ultrasound technologies may be able to create longer, deeper, and more controlled lesions and may be particularly suited for the treatment of ventricular tachycardias and for linear atrial ablation. Future studies will establish the efficacy of these new and promising technologies.

Genetically Engineered Humanized Mouse Models for Preclinical Antibody Studies

PubMed Central

Proetzel, Gabriele; Wiles, Michael V.; Roopenian, Derry C.

2015-01-01

The use of genetic engineering has vastly improved our capabilities to create animal models relevant in preclinical research. With the recent advances in gene-editing technologies, it is now possible to very rapidly create highly tunable mouse models as needs arise. Here, we provide an overview of genetic engineering methods, as well as the development of humanized neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) models and their use for monoclonal antibody in vivo studies. PMID:24150980

Tools and Methods to Create Scenarios for Experimental Research in the Network Science Research Laboratory (NSRL)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

research areas in network science. 15. SUBJECT TERMS scenario creation , emulation environment, NSRL 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION...mobility aspect of the emulated environment, the development and creation of scenarios play an integral part. By creating scenarios that model certain...during the visualization phase. We examine these 3 phases in detail by describing the creation of a scenario based upon a vignette from the Multi-Level

Longitudinal Plasmoid in High-Speed Vortex Gas Flow Created by Capacity HF Discharge

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-28

interferometer with high space resolution, PIV method, FTIR spectrometer, optical spectrometer, pressure sensors with high time resolution, IR pyrometer and...of strong LP-vortex interaction. Intensive acoustic waves are created by CHFD in swirl flow in this regime. 38. Study of control of a longitudinal...quartz tube, 4- HF ball electrode, 5- Tesla’s transformer, 6- microwave interferometer, 7- video camera, 8-optical pyrometer , 9-pressure sensor, 10

Method of sustaining a radial electric field and poloidal plasma rotation over most of the cross-section of a tokamak

DOEpatents

Darrow, Douglass S.; Ono, Masayuki

1990-03-06

A radial electric field of a desired magnitude and configuration is created throughout a substantial portion of the cross-section of the plasma of a tokamak. The radial electric field is created by injection of a unidirectional electron beam. The magnitude and configuration of the radial electric field may be controlled by the strength of the toroidal magnetic field of the tokamak.

Method of sustaining a radial electric field and poloidal plasma rotation over most of the cross-section of a tokamak

DOEpatents

Darrow, Douglass S.; Ono, Masayuki

1990-01-01

A radial electric field of a desired magnitude and configuration is created hroughout a substantial portion of the cross-section of the plasma of a tokamak. The radial electric field is created by injection of a unidirectional electron beam. The magnitude and configuration of the radial electric field may be controlled by the strength of the toroidal magnetic field of the tokamak.

An Automated Method for Landmark Identification and Finite-Element Modeling of the Lumbar Spine.

PubMed

Campbell, Julius Quinn; Petrella, Anthony J

2015-11-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for the automated creation of finite-element models of the lumbar spine. Custom scripts were written to extract bone landmarks of lumbar vertebrae and assemble L1-L5 finite-element models. End-plate borders, ligament attachment points, and facet surfaces were identified. Landmarks were identified to maintain mesh correspondence between meshes for later use in statistical shape modeling. 90 lumbar vertebrae were processed creating 18 subject-specific finite-element models. Finite-element model surfaces and ligament attachment points were reproduced within 1e-5 mm of the bone surface, including the critical contact surfaces of the facets. Element quality exceeded specifications in 97% of elements for the 18 models created. The current method is capable of producing subject-specific finite-element models of the lumbar spine with good accuracy, quality, and robustness. The automated methods developed represent advancement in the state of the art of subject-specific lumbar spine modeling to a scale not possible with prior manual and semiautomated methods.

General method to find the attractors of discrete dynamic models of biological systems.

PubMed

Gan, Xiao; Albert, Réka

2018-04-01

Analyzing the long-term behaviors (attractors) of dynamic models of biological networks can provide valuable insight. We propose a general method that can find the attractors of multilevel discrete dynamical systems by extending a method that finds the attractors of a Boolean network model. The previous method is based on finding stable motifs, subgraphs whose nodes' states can stabilize on their own. We extend the framework from binary states to any finite discrete levels by creating a virtual node for each level of a multilevel node, and describing each virtual node with a quasi-Boolean function. We then create an expanded representation of the multilevel network, find multilevel stable motifs and oscillating motifs, and identify attractors by successive network reduction. In this way, we find both fixed point attractors and complex attractors. We implemented an algorithm, which we test and validate on representative synthetic networks and on published multilevel models of biological networks. Despite its primary motivation to analyze biological networks, our motif-based method is general and can be applied to any finite discrete dynamical system.

A brain MRI bias field correction method created in the Gaussian multi-scale space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Mingsheng; Qin, Mingxin

2017-07-01

A pre-processing step is needed to correct for the bias field signal before submitting corrupted MR images to such image-processing algorithms. This study presents a new bias field correction method. The method creates a Gaussian multi-scale space by the convolution of the inhomogeneous MR image with a two-dimensional Gaussian function. In the multi-Gaussian space, the method retrieves the image details from the differentiation of the original image and convolution image. Then, it obtains an image whose inhomogeneity is eliminated by the weighted sum of image details in each layer in the space. Next, the bias field-corrected MR image is retrieved after the Υ correction, which enhances the contrast and brightness of the inhomogeneity-eliminated MR image. We have tested the approach on T1 MRI and T2 MRI with varying bias field levels and have achieved satisfactory results. Comparison experiments with popular software have demonstrated superior performance of the proposed method in terms of quantitative indices, especially an improvement in subsequent image segmentation.

General method to find the attractors of discrete dynamic models of biological systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Xiao; Albert, Réka

2018-04-01

Analyzing the long-term behaviors (attractors) of dynamic models of biological networks can provide valuable insight. We propose a general method that can find the attractors of multilevel discrete dynamical systems by extending a method that finds the attractors of a Boolean network model. The previous method is based on finding stable motifs, subgraphs whose nodes' states can stabilize on their own. We extend the framework from binary states to any finite discrete levels by creating a virtual node for each level of a multilevel node, and describing each virtual node with a quasi-Boolean function. We then create an expanded representation of the multilevel network, find multilevel stable motifs and oscillating motifs, and identify attractors by successive network reduction. In this way, we find both fixed point attractors and complex attractors. We implemented an algorithm, which we test and validate on representative synthetic networks and on published multilevel models of biological networks. Despite its primary motivation to analyze biological networks, our motif-based method is general and can be applied to any finite discrete dynamical system.

Improving reticle defect disposition via fully automated lithography simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Raunak; Goodman, Eliot; Lao, Keith; Ha, Steven; Vacca, Anthony; Fiekowsky, Peter; Fiekowsky, Dan

2016-03-01

Most advanced wafer fabs have embraced complex pattern decoration, which creates numerous challenges during in-fab reticle qualification. These optical proximity correction (OPC) techniques create assist features that tend to be very close in size and shape to the main patterns as seen in Figure 1. A small defect on an assist feature will most likely have little or no impact on the fidelity of the wafer image, whereas the same defect on a main feature could significantly decrease device functionality. In order to properly disposition these defects, reticle inspection technicians need an efficient method that automatically separates main from assist features and predicts the resulting defect impact on the wafer image. Analysis System (ADAS) defect simulation system[1]. Up until now, using ADAS simulation was limited to engineers due to the complexity of the settings that need to be manually entered in order to create an accurate result. A single error in entering one of these values can cause erroneous results, therefore full automation is necessary. In this study, we propose a new method where all needed simulation parameters are automatically loaded into ADAS. This is accomplished in two parts. First we have created a scanner parameter database that is automatically identified from mask product and level names. Second, we automatically determine the appropriate simulation printability threshold by using a new reference image (provided by the inspection tool) that contains a known measured value of the reticle critical dimension (CD). This new method automatically loads the correct scanner conditions, sets the appropriate simulation threshold, and automatically measures the percentage of CD change caused by the defect. This streamlines qualification and reduces the number of reticles being put on hold, waiting for engineer review. We also present data showing the consistency and reliability of the new method, along with the impact on the efficiency of in-fab reticle qualification.

A Bridging Opportunities Work-frame to develop mobile applications for clinical decision making

PubMed Central

van Rooij, Tibor; Rix, Serena; Moore, James B; Marsh, Sharon

2015-01-01

Background: Mobile applications (apps) providing clinical decision support (CDS) may show the greatest promise when created by and for frontline clinicians. Our aim was to create a generic model enabling healthcare providers to direct the development of CDS apps. Methods: We combined Change Management with a three-tier information technology architecture to stimulate CDS app development. Results: A Bridging Opportunities Work-frame model was developed. A test case was used to successfully develop an app. Conclusion: Healthcare providers can re-use this globally applicable model to actively create and manage regional decision support applications to translate evidence-based medicine in the use of emerging medication or novel treatment regimens. PMID:28031883

fgui: A Method for Automatically Creating Graphical User Interfaces for Command-Line R Packages

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Thomas J.; Laird, Nan M.

2009-01-01

The fgui R package is designed for developers of R packages, to help rapidly, and sometimes fully automatically, create a graphical user interface for a command line R package. The interface is built upon the Tcl/Tk graphical interface included in R. The package further facilitates the developer by loading in the help files from the command line functions to provide context sensitive help to the user with no additional effort from the developer. Passing a function as the argument to the routines in the fgui package creates a graphical interface for the function, and further options are available to tweak this interface for those who want more flexibility. PMID:21625291

Best Practices for Creating an Observatory or Telescope Bibliography from the IAU Commission 5 Working Group on Libraries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagerstrom, J.

2015-04-01

Telescope bibliographies have been used for many years to illustrate the scholarly impact of a particular facility. Often, however, the methods used to create these bibliographies were developed independently and not always shared. As a result, it is often difficult to judge the relative impact among facilities. Best Practices for Creating an Observatory or Telescope Bibliography was developed following discussions at the International Astronomical Union's Commission 5 Working Group on Libraries meeting at the 2012 IAU General Assembly in Beijing. This community-driven document identifies the basic components needed to create a bibliography policy that is transparent and the results of which are intended to be reproducible and retrievable by any entity to within a 5% error rate. This paper will review the details of the document as well as its history, progress, and future.

A new approach towards image based virtual 3D city modeling by using close range photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. P.; Jain, K.; Mandla, V. R.

2014-05-01

3D city model is a digital representation of the Earth's surface and it's related objects such as building, tree, vegetation, and some manmade feature belonging to urban area. The demand of 3D city modeling is increasing day to day for various engineering and non-engineering applications. Generally three main image based approaches are using for virtual 3D city models generation. In first approach, researchers used Sketch based modeling, second method is Procedural grammar based modeling and third approach is Close range photogrammetry based modeling. Literature study shows that till date, there is no complete solution available to create complete 3D city model by using images. These image based methods also have limitations This paper gives a new approach towards image based virtual 3D city modeling by using close range photogrammetry. This approach is divided into three sections. First, data acquisition process, second is 3D data processing, and third is data combination process. In data acquisition process, a multi-camera setup developed and used for video recording of an area. Image frames created from video data. Minimum required and suitable video image frame selected for 3D processing. In second section, based on close range photogrammetric principles and computer vision techniques, 3D model of area created. In third section, this 3D model exported to adding and merging of other pieces of large area. Scaling and alignment of 3D model was done. After applying the texturing and rendering on this model, a final photo-realistic textured 3D model created. This 3D model transferred into walk-through model or in movie form. Most of the processing steps are automatic. So this method is cost effective and less laborious. Accuracy of this model is good. For this research work, study area is the campus of department of civil engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. This campus acts as a prototype for city. Aerial photography is restricted in many country and high resolution satellite images are costly. In this study, proposed method is based on only simple video recording of area. Thus this proposed method is suitable for 3D city modeling. Photo-realistic, scalable, geo-referenced virtual 3D city model is useful for various kinds of applications such as for planning in navigation, tourism, disasters management, transportations, municipality, urban and environmental managements, real-estate industry. Thus this study will provide a good roadmap for geomatics community to create photo-realistic virtual 3D city model by using close range photogrammetry.

System and method to estimate compressional to shear velocity (VP/VS) ratio in a region remote from a borehole

DOEpatents

Vu, Cung; Nihei, Kurt T; Schmitt, Denis P; Skelt, Christopher; Johnson, Paul A; Guyer, Robert; TenCate, James A; Le Bas, Pierre-Yves

2012-10-16

In some aspects of the disclosure, a method for creating three-dimensional images of non-linear properties and the compressional to shear velocity ratio in a region remote from a borehole using a conveyed logging tool is disclosed. In some aspects, the method includes arranging a first source in the borehole and generating a steered beam of elastic energy at a first frequency; arranging a second source in the borehole and generating a steerable beam of elastic energy at a second frequency, such that the steerable beam at the first frequency and the steerable beam at the second frequency intercept at a location away from the borehole; receiving at the borehole by a sensor a third elastic wave, created by a three wave mixing process, with a frequency equal to a difference between the first and second frequencies and a direction of propagation towards the borehole; determining a location of a three wave mixing region based on the arrangement of the first and second sources and on properties of the third wave signal; and creating three-dimensional images of the non-linear properties using data recorded by repeating the generating, receiving and determining at a plurality of azimuths, inclinations and longitudinal locations within the borehole. The method is additionally used to generate three dimensional images of the ratio of compressional to shear acoustic velocity of the same volume surrounding the borehole.

Tooth-borne distraction of the lower anterior subapical segment for correction of class II malocclusion, subsequent to genioplasty.

PubMed

Matsushita, Kazuhiro; Inoue, Nobuo; Yamaguchi, Hiro-o; Ooi, Kazuhiro; Totsuka, Yasunori

2011-09-01

Alveolar distraction is mainly used to increase height and width of the alveolar crest. This technique, however, is not typically used for lengthening the perimeter of the dental arch or improving teeth axes. We applied alveolar distraction in a tooth-borne manner in the second stage of our original method and obtained favorable results. We therefore present an outline of this method. Genioplasty was first performed to create an infrastructure for sequential advancement of the subapical alveolar segment. After bone union, anterior subapical alveolar osteotomy was performed. The stump of the osteotomized dentate segment was moved forward without changing the incisal edge position, and a box-type bioabsorbable plate with four holes was fixed only onto the dentate segment using two screws. After a latency period, two distraction devices were placed bilaterally to the brackets and activated at 1.0 mm/day. After reaching the desired position, the distractor was immobilized, and then replaced by resin temporary teeth to retain the created space. After the consolidation period, orthodontic treatment was restarted and teeth moved into the newly created space. Bimaxillary surgery was performed after completing pre-surgical orthodontic treatment. Finally, both desirable occlusion and functional masticatory function were obtained. This tooth-borne distraction system is one applicable method for patients with skeletal class II and crowding of lower anterior teeth, achieving good results particularly in combination with our original method.

Remote laser evaporative molecular absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Gary B.; Lubin, Philip; Cohen, Alexander; Madajian, Jonathan; Kulkarni, Neeraj; Zhang, Qicheng; Griswold, Janelle; Brashears, Travis

2016-09-01

We describe a novel method for probing bulk molecular and atomic composition of solid targets from a distant vantage. A laser is used to melt and vaporize a spot on the target. With sufficient flux, the spot temperature rises rapidly, and evaporation of surface materials occurs. The melted spot creates a high-temperature blackbody source, and ejected material creates a plume of surface materials in front of the spot. Molecular and atomic absorption occurs as the blackbody radiation passes through the ejected plume. Bulk molecular and atomic composition of the surface material is investigated by using a spectrometer to view the heated spot through the ejected plume. The proposed method is distinct from current stand-off approaches to composition analysis, such as Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), which atomizes and ionizes target material and observes emission spectra to determine bulk atomic composition. Initial simulations of absorption profiles with laser heating show great promise for Remote Laser-Evaporative Molecular Absorption (R-LEMA) spectroscopy. The method is well-suited for exploration of cold solar system targets—asteroids, comets, planets, moons—such as from a spacecraft orbiting the target. Spatial composition maps could be created by scanning the surface. Applying the beam to a single spot continuously produces a borehole or trench, and shallow subsurface composition profiling is possible. This paper describes system concepts for implementing the proposed method to probe the bulk molecular composition of an asteroid from an orbiting spacecraft, including laser array, photovoltaic power, heating and ablation, plume characteristics, absorption, spectrometry and data management.

Optimal atlas construction through hierarchical image registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grevera, George J.; Udupa, Jayaram K.; Odhner, Dewey; Torigian, Drew A.

2016-03-01

Atlases (digital or otherwise) are common in medicine. However, there is no standard framework for creating them from medical images. One traditional approach is to pick a representative subject and then proceed to label structures/regions of interest in this image. Another is to create a "mean" or average subject. Atlases may also contain more than a single representative (e.g., the Visible Human contains both a male and a female data set). Other criteria besides gender may be used as well, and the atlas may contain many examples for a given criterion. In this work, we propose that atlases be created in an optimal manner using a well-established graph theoretic approach using a min spanning tree (or more generally, a collection of them). The resulting atlases may contain many examples for a given criterion. In fact, our framework allows for the addition of new subjects to the atlas to allow it to evolve over time. Furthermore, one can apply segmentation methods to the graph (e.g., graph-cut, fuzzy connectedness, or cluster analysis) which allow it to be separated into "sub-atlases" as it evolves. We demonstrate our method by applying it to 50 3D CT data sets of the chest region, and by comparing it to a number of traditional methods using measures such as Mean Squared Difference, Mattes Mutual Information, and Correlation, and for rigid registration. Our results demonstrate that optimal atlases can be constructed in this manner and outperform other methods of construction using freely available software.

In vivo brain electrophoresis - a novel method for chemotherapy of CNS diseases.

PubMed

Ammirati, Mario; Lamki, Tariq; Chitnis, Girish; Yang, Xiangyu; Russell, Duncan; Coble, Dondrae; Kaur, Balveen; Knopp, Michael; Moore, Sarah; Ziaie, Babak

2015-05-01

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a protective mechanism that does its job superbly. So much so, that hitherto, brain chemotherapy has been limited by it. In fact, very few agents are effective against brain disease due to the inherent difficulties of penetrating the BBB. We describe a novel, extremely focused method for delivering drugs to specific diseased areas. This innovative method directly delivers putative substances to the pathological area, bypassing the BBB. Treatment of brain diseases could be improved by targeted, controlled delivery of therapeutic substances to diseased cerebral areas. Our described novel method - in vivo electrophoresis - achieves this. This technique was evaluated in beagles after craniotomy was performed and a custom-designed plate with electrodes inserted. The delivery of charged substances to selected areas with predictably guided movement was achieved via a created electrical field. Gadolinium, a compound unable to cross the BBB, was injected intracerebrally whereas an electrical field was created using the implanted electrodes surrounding the injection area. The electrical field-guided Gadolinium movement was evaluated using MRI. Gadolinium was moved predictably using the created electrical field without complications. The experiment successfully demonstrated controlled movement of the substance. This technique can significantly change treatment of brain diseases because substances: i) may be moved in a controlled, predictable way - exponentially increasing therapeutic interactions with the target; and ii) no longer need to conform to constraints dictated by the BBB (molecular mass < 500 d; lipophilic), thereby increasing potential number of usable substances.

a Framework for Low-Cost Multi-Platform VR and AR Site Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallgrün, J. O.; Huang, J.; Zhao, J.; Masrur, A.; Oprean, D.; Klippel, A.

2017-11-01

Low-cost consumer-level immersive solutions have the potential to revolutionize education and research in many fields by providing virtual experiences of sites that are either inaccessible, too dangerous, or too expensive to visit, or by augmenting in-situ experiences using augmented and mixed reality methods. We present our approach for creating low-cost multi-platform virtual and augmented reality site experiences of real world places for education and research purposes, making extensive use of Structure-from-Motion methods as well as 360° photography and videography. We discuss several example projects, for the Mayan City of Cahal Pech, Iceland's Thrihnukar volcano, the Santa Marta informal settlement in Rio, and for the Penn State Campus, and we propose a framework for creating and maintaining such applications by combining declarative content specification methods with a central linked-data based spatio-temporal information system.

Robust bidirectional links for photonic quantum networks

PubMed Central

Xu, Jin-Shi; Yung, Man-Hong; Xu, Xiao-Ye; Tang, Jian-Shun; Li, Chuan-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can

2016-01-01

Optical fibers are widely used as one of the main tools for transmitting not only classical but also quantum information. We propose and report an experimental realization of a promising method for creating robust bidirectional quantum communication links through paired optical polarization-maintaining fibers. Many limitations of existing protocols can be avoided with the proposed method. In particular, the path and polarization degrees of freedom are combined to deterministically create a photonic decoherence-free subspace without the need for any ancillary photon. This method is input state–independent, robust against dephasing noise, postselection-free, and applicable bidirectionally. To rigorously quantify the amount of quantum information transferred, the optical fibers are analyzed with the tools developed in quantum communication theory. These results not only suggest a practical means for protecting quantum information sent through optical quantum networks but also potentially provide a new physical platform for enriching the structure of the quantum communication theory. PMID:26824069

Green chemistry and nanofabrication in a levitated Leidenfrost drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelaziz, Ramzy; Disci-Zayed, Duygu; Hedayati, Mehdi Keshavarz; Pöhls, Jan-Hendrik; Zillohu, Ahnaf Usman; Erkartal, Burak; Chakravadhanula, Venkata Sai Kiran; Duppel, Viola; Kienle, Lorenz; Elbahri, Mady

2013-10-01

Green nanotechnology focuses on the development of new and sustainable methods of creating nanoparticles, their localized assembly and integration into useful systems and devices in a cost-effective, simple and eco-friendly manner. Here we present our experimental findings on the use of the Leidenfrost drop as an overheated and charged green chemical reactor. Employing a droplet of aqueous solution on hot substrates, this method is capable of fabricating nanoparticles, creating nanoscale coatings on complex objects and designing porous metal in suspension and foam form, all in a levitated Leidenfrost drop. As examples of the potential applications of the Leidenfrost drop, fabrication of nanoporous black gold as a plasmonic wideband superabsorber, and synthesis of superhydrophilic and thermal resistive metal-polymer hybrid foams are demonstrated. We believe that the presented nanofabrication method may be a promising strategy towards the sustainable production of functional nanomaterials.

Microbial-enzymatic-hybrid biological fuel cell with optimized growth conditions for Shewanella oneidensis DSP-10.

PubMed

Roy, Jared N; Luckarift, Heather R; Sizemore, Susan R; Farrington, Karen E; Lau, Carolin; Johnson, Glenn R; Atanassov, Plamen

2013-07-10

In this work we present a biological fuel cell fabricated by combining a Shewanella oneidensis microbial anode and a laccase-modified air-breathing cathode. This concept is devised as an extension to traditional biochemical methods by incorporating diverse biological catalysts with the aim of powering small devices. In preparing the biological fuel cell anode, novel hierarchical-structured architectures and biofilm configurations were investigated. A method for creating an artificial biofilm based on encapsulating microorganisms in a porous, thin film of silica was compared with S. oneidensis biofilms that were allowed to colonize naturally. Results indicate comparable current and power densities for artificial and natural biofilm formations, based on growth characteristics. As a result, this work describes methods for creating controllable and reproducible bio-anodes and demonstrates the versatility of hybrid biological fuel cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies of mist deposition for the formation of quantum dot CdSe films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, S. C.; Shanmugasundaram, K.; Ramani, S.; Zhu, T.; Zhang, F.; Xu, J.; Mohney, S. E.; Zhang, Q.; Kshirsagar, A.; Ruzyllo, J.

2009-10-01

Films of CdSe(ZnS) colloidal nanocrystalline quantum dots (NQDs) were deposited on bare silicon, glass and polymer coated silicon using mist deposition. This effort is a part of an exploratory investigation in which this deposition technique is studied for the first time as a method to form semiconductor NQD films. The process parameters, including deposition time, solution concentration and electric field, were varied to change the thickness of the deposited film. Blanket films and films deposited through a shadow mask were created to investigate the method's ability to pattern films during the deposition process. The differences between these deposition modes in terms of film morphology were observed. Overall, the results show that mist deposition of quantum dots is a viable method for creating thin, patterned quantum dot films using colloidal solution as the precursor. It is concluded that this technique shows very good promise for quantum dot (light emitting diode, LED) fabrication.

Green chemistry and nanofabrication in a levitated Leidenfrost drop

PubMed Central

Abdelaziz, Ramzy; Disci-Zayed, Duygu; Hedayati, Mehdi Keshavarz; Pöhls, Jan-Hendrik; Zillohu, Ahnaf Usman; Erkartal, Burak; Chakravadhanula, Venkata Sai Kiran; Duppel, Viola; Kienle, Lorenz; Elbahri, Mady

2013-01-01

Green nanotechnology focuses on the development of new and sustainable methods of creating nanoparticles, their localized assembly and integration into useful systems and devices in a cost-effective, simple and eco-friendly manner. Here we present our experimental findings on the use of the Leidenfrost drop as an overheated and charged green chemical reactor. Employing a droplet of aqueous solution on hot substrates, this method is capable of fabricating nanoparticles, creating nanoscale coatings on complex objects and designing porous metal in suspension and foam form, all in a levitated Leidenfrost drop. As examples of the potential applications of the Leidenfrost drop, fabrication of nanoporous black gold as a plasmonic wideband superabsorber, and synthesis of superhydrophilic and thermal resistive metal–polymer hybrid foams are demonstrated. We believe that the presented nanofabrication method may be a promising strategy towards the sustainable production of functional nanomaterials. PMID:24169567

Developing a job-exposure matrix with exposure uncertainty from expert elicitation and data modeling.

PubMed

Fischer, Heidi J; Vergara, Ximena P; Yost, Michael; Silva, Michael; Lombardi, David A; Kheifets, Leeka

2017-01-01

Job exposure matrices (JEMs) are tools used to classify exposures for job titles based on general job tasks in the absence of individual level data. However, exposure uncertainty due to variations in worker practices, job conditions, and the quality of data has never been quantified systematically in a JEM. We describe a methodology for creating a JEM which defines occupational exposures on a continuous scale and utilizes elicitation methods to quantify exposure uncertainty by assigning exposures probability distributions with parameters determined through expert involvement. Experts use their knowledge to develop mathematical models using related exposure surrogate data in the absence of available occupational level data and to adjust model output against other similar occupations. Formal expert elicitation methods provided a consistent, efficient process to incorporate expert judgment into a large, consensus-based JEM. A population-based electric shock JEM was created using these methods, allowing for transparent estimates of exposure.

Inverse metal-assisted chemical etching produces smooth high aspect ratio InP nanostructures.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Hyun; Mohseni, Parsian K; Song, Yi; Ishihara, Tatsumi; Li, Xiuling

2015-01-14

Creating high aspect ratio (AR) nanostructures by top-down fabrication without surface damage remains challenging for III-V semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate uniform, array-based InP nanostructures with lateral dimensions as small as sub-20 nm and AR > 35 using inverse metal-assisted chemical etching (I-MacEtch) in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), a purely solution-based yet anisotropic etching method. The mechanism of I-MacEtch, in contrast to regular MacEtch, is explored through surface characterization. Unique to I-MacEtch, the sidewall etching profile is remarkably smooth, independent of metal pattern edge roughness. The capability of this simple method to create various InP nanostructures, including high AR fins, can potentially enable the aggressive scaling of InP based transistors and optoelectronic devices with better performance and at lower cost than conventional etching methods.

A Synthetic Comparator Approach to Local Evaluation of School-Based Substance Use Prevention Programming.

PubMed

Hansen, William B; Derzon, James H; Reese, Eric L

2014-06-01

We propose a method for creating groups against which outcomes of local pretest-posttest evaluations of evidence-based programs can be judged. This involves assessing pretest markers for new and previously conducted evaluations to identify groups that have high pretest similarity. A database of 802 prior local evaluations provided six summary measures for analysis. The proximity of all groups using these variables is calculated as standardized proximities having values between 0 and 1. Five methods for creating standardized proximities are demonstrated. The approach allows proximity limits to be adjusted to find sufficient numbers of synthetic comparators. Several index cases are examined to assess the numbers of groups available to serve as comparators. Results show that most local evaluations would have sufficient numbers of comparators available for estimating program effects. This method holds promise as a tool for local evaluations to estimate relative effectiveness. © The Author(s) 2012.

Fibrillar films obtained from sodium soap fibers and polyelectrolyte multilayers.

PubMed

Zawko, Scott A; Schmidt, Christine E

2011-08-01

An objective of tissue engineering is to create synthetic polymer scaffolds with a fibrillar microstructure similar to the extracellular matrix. Here, we present a novel method for creating polymer fibers using the layer-by-layer method and sacrificial templates composed of sodium soap fibers. Soap fibers were prepared from neutralized fatty acids using a sodium chloride crystal dissolution method. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of polystyrene sulfonate and polyallylamine hydrochloride were deposited onto the soap fibers, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and then the soap fibers were leached with warm water and ethanol. The morphology of the resulting PEM structures was a dense network of fibers surrounded by a nonfibrillar matrix. Microscopy revealed that the PEM fibers were solid structures, presumably composed of polyelectrolytes complexed with residual fatty acids. These fibrillar PEM films were found to support the attachment of human dermal fibroblasts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Meta-Analysis of Gifted and Talented Identification Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Jaret; Tay, Juliana; Maeda, Yukiko; Gentry, Marcia

2018-01-01

Researchers consider the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students is largely due to the use of traditional methods of identification (i.e., IQ and standardized achievement tests). To address this concern, researchers created novel nontraditional identification methods (e.g., nonverbal tests, student portfolios,…

Using Purposefully Created Stories to Teach Academic Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Changnam; Roberts, Carly; Coffey, Debra

2017-01-01

Students' knowledge of vocabulary affects their reading comprehension. Despite abundant research findings in vocabulary learning, practical instructional methods for use in schools are typically underdeveloped. This article proposes a research-based method for teaching the meanings of base academic vocabulary (i.e., Tier 2) words. The method…

Lidar Based Emissions Measurement at the Whole Facility Scale: Method and Error Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Particulate emissions from agricultural sources vary from dust created by operations and animal movement to the fine secondary particulates generated from ammonia and other emitted gases. The development of reliable facility emission data using point sampling methods designed to characterize regiona...

RIVERINE ASSESSMENT USING MACROINVERTEBRATES: ALL METHODS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

EPA Science Inventory

In 1999, we compared six benthic macroinvertebrate field sampling methods for nonwadeable streams based on those developed for three major programs (EMAP-SW, NAWQA, and Ohio EPA), at each of sixty sites across four tributaries to the Ohio River. Water chemistry samples and physi...

Synchronous Online Collaborative Professional Development for Elementary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Krista; Jacobsen, Michele

2013-01-01

Math is often taught poorly emphasizing rote, procedural methods rather than creativity and problem solving. Alberta Education developed a new mathematics curriculum to transform mathematics teaching to inquiry driven methods. This revised curriculum provides a new vision for mathematics and creates opportunities and requirements for professional…

Technology Tips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathematics Teacher, 2004

2004-01-01

Some inexpensive or free ways that enable to capture and use images in work are mentioned. The first tip demonstrates the methods of using some of the built-in capabilities of the Macintosh and Windows-based PC operating systems, and the second tip describes methods to capture and create images using SnagIt.

(Un)Earthing a Vocabulary of Values: A Discourse Analysis for Ecocomposition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Paul

2010-01-01

In this article, the author aims to propose an analytic method through which composition students and others might discover and understand the ecological complexities of prevailing environmental terminology that create "wicked problems." Through this method, students engage in "discursive ecology" by exploring the connections…

Power generation method including membrane separation

DOEpatents

Lokhandwala, Kaaeid A.

2000-01-01

A method for generating electric power, such as at, or close to, natural gas fields. The method includes conditioning natural gas containing C.sub.3+ hydrocarbons and/or acid gas by means of a membrane separation step. This step creates a leaner, sweeter, drier gas, which is then used as combustion fuel to run a turbine, which is in turn used for power generation.

Student Veterans' Shared Experience Using Social Media in Higher Education: A Pilot Study with a Hybrid Phenomenological Data Analysis Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsilio, Kenneth

2017-01-01

This study emphasized understanding how student veterans experience and what they do with social media. Student veterans typically have a much different college experience than nonmilitary students. A qualitative method was used to perform this research. The researcher adapted Colaizzi's and Moustakas's phenomenological methods to create a data…

Creating Worlds, Constructing Meaning: The Scottish Storyline Method. Teacher to Teacher Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creswell, Jeff

The approach known as the Storyline Method was developed by a group of educators at Jordanhill College of Education in Glasgow (Scotland). The development of the Storyline Method took place over years, and the approach, with its simple framework of Storyline, key questions, and activities, has stood the test of time. Storyline uses the power of…

The ethical tightrope: politics of intimacy and consensual method in sexuality research.

PubMed

Zago, Luiz F; Holmes, Dave

2015-06-01

This paper seeks to analyze the construction of ethics in sexuality research in which qualitative methods are employed in the field of social sciences. Analyses are based on a bibliographic review of current discussions on research methods of queer theory and on the authors' own experiences of past research on sexuality. The article offers a theoretical perspective on the ways ethnography and in-depth interviews become methods that can rely on a consensual method and create a politics of intimacy between the researchers and research participants. The politics of intimacy may contribute to the production of a politically engaged knowledge while escaping from the moral matrix that usually governs the relationship between researchers and research participants. It is argued here that the researcher's sexed and gendered body matters for fieldwork; that the consensual method among participants may be employed in sexuality research as a fruitful tool; and that the relationships created among researchers and participants can pose a challenge to predetermined ethical guidelines in research. As a result, discussions problematize the existence of a politics of intimacy in sexuality research that is characterized by ethical relations among research participants. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sub-micrometer particles produced by a low-powered AC electric arc in liquids.

PubMed

Jaworski, Jacek A; Fleury, Eric

2012-01-01

The article presents the report of the production of composites of sub-micrometer metal particles in matrix consisted of the metal compounds by means of an AC electric arc in water and paraffin solutions using electrodes carbon-metal and metal-metal (metal: Ni, Fe, Co, Cu). The advantage of this method is the low electric power (from 5 to 10 W) needed in comparison to standard DC arc-discharge methods (0.8 to 3 kW). This method enables the production of particles from conductive material also in wide range of temperature and in solvent which could be either transparent to light or opaque. Moreover the solvent can be electrolyte or insulating liquid. The microstructure of the composite layer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray. During particles production in water metal oxides were created. Additionally using cobalt-copper, nickel-copper as couple electrodes, insoluble in water copper (II) hydroxide crystal grains were created additionally which crystals shape was depended on transition metal. For iron-copper couple electrodes system the copper (II) hydroxide was not formed. Experiments with sequence production of Ni and Fe particles with C electrode assisting in molten paraffin let to obtain both Ni and Fe particles surrounded by paraffin. After solidification the material was insulator but if locally magnetic field influenced on the liquid solution in that place after solidification a new composite was created which was electric current conductor with resistivity around 0.1 omega x m, was attracted by magnetic field and presented magneto resistance around 0.4% in changing magnetic field in a range 150 mT. After mixing the concentrated paraffin with normal paraffin resistivity of the mixture increased and it became photosensitive and created small voltage under light influence.

Synthetic river valleys: Creating prescribed topography for form-process inquiry and river rehabilitation design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, R. A.; Pasternack, G. B.; Wallender, W. W.

2014-06-01

The synthesis of artificial landforms is complementary to geomorphic analysis because it affords a reflection on both the characteristics and intrinsic formative processes of real world conditions. Moreover, the applied terminus of geomorphic theory is commonly manifested in the engineering and rehabilitation of riverine landforms where the goal is to create specific processes associated with specific morphology. To date, the synthesis of river topography has been explored outside of geomorphology through artistic renderings, computer science applications, and river rehabilitation design; while within geomorphology it has been explored using morphodynamic modeling, such as one-dimensional simulation of river reach profiles, two-dimensional simulation of river networks, and three-dimensional simulation of subreach scale river morphology. To date, no approach allows geomorphologists, engineers, or river rehabilitation practitioners to create landforms of prescribed conditions. In this paper a method for creating topography of synthetic river valleys is introduced that utilizes a theoretical framework that draws from fluvial geomorphology, computer science, and geometric modeling. Such a method would be valuable to geomorphologists in understanding form-process linkages as well as to engineers and river rehabilitation practitioners in developing design surfaces that can be rapidly iterated. The method introduced herein relies on the discretization of river valley topography into geometric elements associated with overlapping and orthogonal two-dimensional planes such as the planform, profile, and cross section that are represented by mathematical functions, termed geometric element equations. Topographic surfaces can be parameterized independently or dependently using a geomorphic covariance structure between the spatial series of geometric element equations. To illustrate the approach and overall model flexibility examples are provided that are associated with mountain, lowland, and hybrid synthetic river valleys. To conclude, recommended advances such as multithread channels are discussed along with potential applications.

Runtime Support for Type-Safe Dynamic Java Classes

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

Section 4.3. For each dynamic class C, we create a proxy class, Cproxy, and an implementation class, Cimp . In order to wrap method calls, Cproxy...wrapper method (W) and a reference to the associated method body (M). W explicitly invokes M, which points to the corresponding method body in Cimp ...When C’s implementation Cimp is switched, M is updated to point to the corresponding method object in the new C imp. Cproxy also contains a reference

Prediction of final error level in learning and repetitive control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levoci, Peter A.

Repetitive control (RC) is a field that creates controllers to eliminate the effects of periodic disturbances on a feedback control system. The methods have applications in spacecraft problems, to isolate fine pointing equipment from periodic vibration disturbances such as slight imbalances in momentum wheels or cryogenic pumps. A closely related field of control design is iterative learning control (ILC) which aims to eliminate tracking error in a task that repeats, each time starting from the same initial condition. Experiments done on a robot at NASA Langley Research Center showed that the final error levels produced by different candidate repetitive and learning controllers can be very different, even when each controller is analytically proven to converge to zero error in the deterministic case. Real world plant and measurement noise and quantization noise (from analog to digital and digital to analog converters) in these control methods are acted on as if they were error sources that will repeat and should be cancelled, which implies that the algorithms amplify such errors. Methods are developed that predict the final error levels of general first order ILC, of higher order ILC including current cycle learning, and of general RC, in the presence of noise, using frequency response methods. The method involves much less computation than the corresponding time domain approach that involves large matrices. The time domain approach was previously developed for ILC and handles a certain class of ILC methods. Here methods are created to include zero-phase filtering that is very important in creating practical designs. Also, time domain methods are developed for higher order ILC and for repetitive control. Since RC and ILC must be implemented digitally, all of these methods predict final error levels at the sample times. It is shown here that RC can easily converge to small error levels between sample times, but that ILC in most applications will have large and diverging intersample error if in fact zero error is reached at the sample times. This is independent of the ILC law used, and is purely a property of the physical system. Methods are developed to address this issue.

Characterization of microtopography and its influence on vegetation patterns in created wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moser, K.; Ahn, C.; Noe, G.

2007-01-01

Created wetlands are increasingly used to mitigate wetland loss. Thus, identifying wetland creation methods that enhance ecosystem development might increase the likelihood of mitigation success. Noting that the microtopographic variation found in natural wetland settings may not commonly be found in created wetlands, this study explores relationships between induced microtopography, hydrology, and plant species richness/ diversity in non-tidal freshwater wetlands, comparing results from two created wetland complexes with those from a mature reference wetland complex in northern Virginia. Elevation, steel rod oxidation depth, and species cover were measured along replicate multiscale (0.5 m-, 1 m-, 2 m-, and 4 m-diameter) tangentially conjoined circular transects in each wetland. Microtopography was surveyed using a total station and results used to derive three roughness indices: tortuosity, limiting slope, and limiting elevation difference. Steel rod oxidation depth was used to estimate water table depth, with data collected four times during the growing season for each study site. Plant species cover was estimated visually in 0.2 m2 plots surveyed at peak growth and used to assess species richness, diversity, and wetland prevalence index. Differences in each attribute were examined among disked and non-disked created wetlands and compared to a natural wetland as a reference. Disked and non-disked created wetlands differed in microtopography, both in terms of limiting elevation difference and tortuosity. However, both were within the range of microtopography encompassed by natural wetlands. Disked wetlands supported higher plant diversity and species richness than either natural or non-disked wetlands, as well as greater within-site species assemblage variability than non-disked wetlands. Irrespective of creation method, plant diversity in created wetlands was correlated with tortuosity and limiting elevation difference, similar to correlations observed for natural wetlands. Vegetation was more hydrophytic at disked sites than at non-disked sites, and of equivalent wetland indicator status to natural sites, even though all sites appeared comparable in terms of hydrology. Results suggest that disking may enhance vegetation community development, thus better supporting the goals of wetland mitigation. ?? 2007, The Society of Wetland Scientists.

Creating metamaterial building blocks with directed photochemical metallization of silver onto DNA origami templates.

PubMed

Hossen, Md Mir; Bendickson, Lee; Palo, Pierre E; Yao, Zhiqi; Nilsen-Hamilton, Marit; Hillier, Andrew C

2018-08-31

DNA origami can be used to create a variety of complex and geometrically unique nanostructures that can be further modified to produce building blocks for applications such as in optical metamaterials. We describe a method for creating metal-coated nanostructures using DNA origami templates and a photochemical metallization technique. Triangular DNA origami forms were fabricated and coated with a thin metal layer by photochemical silver reduction while in solution or supported on a surface. The DNA origami template serves as a localized photosensitizer to facilitate reduction of silver ions directly from solution onto the DNA surface. The metallizing process is shown to result in a conformal metal coating, which grows in height to a self-limiting value with increasing photoreduction steps. Although this coating process results in a slight decrease in the triangle dimensions, the overall template shape is retained. Notably, this coating method exhibits characteristics of self-limiting and defect-filling growth, which results in a metal nanostructure that maps the shape of the original DNA template with a continuous and uniform metal layer and stops growing once all available DNA sites are exhausted.

Using Data-Driven Model-Brain Mappings to Constrain Formal Models of Cognition

PubMed Central

Borst, Jelmer P.; Nijboer, Menno; Taatgen, Niels A.; van Rijn, Hedderik; Anderson, John R.

2015-01-01

In this paper we propose a method to create data-driven mappings from components of cognitive models to brain regions. Cognitive models are notoriously hard to evaluate, especially based on behavioral measures alone. Neuroimaging data can provide additional constraints, but this requires a mapping from model components to brain regions. Although such mappings can be based on the experience of the modeler or on a reading of the literature, a formal method is preferred to prevent researcher-based biases. In this paper we used model-based fMRI analysis to create a data-driven model-brain mapping for five modules of the ACT-R cognitive architecture. We then validated this mapping by applying it to two new datasets with associated models. The new mapping was at least as powerful as an existing mapping that was based on the literature, and indicated where the models were supported by the data and where they have to be improved. We conclude that data-driven model-brain mappings can provide strong constraints on cognitive models, and that model-based fMRI is a suitable way to create such mappings. PMID:25747601

Microfluidic neurite guidance to study structure-function relationships in topologically-complex population-based neural networks.

PubMed

Honegger, Thibault; Thielen, Moritz I; Feizi, Soheil; Sanjana, Neville E; Voldman, Joel

2016-06-22

The central nervous system is a dense, layered, 3D interconnected network of populations of neurons, and thus recapitulating that complexity for in vitro CNS models requires methods that can create defined topologically-complex neuronal networks. Several three-dimensional patterning approaches have been developed but none have demonstrated the ability to control the connections between populations of neurons. Here we report a method using AC electrokinetic forces that can guide, accelerate, slow down and push up neurites in un-modified collagen scaffolds. We present a means to create in vitro neural networks of arbitrary complexity by using such forces to create 3D intersections of primary neuronal populations that are plated in a 2D plane. We report for the first time in vitro basic brain motifs that have been previously observed in vivo and show that their functional network is highly decorrelated to their structure. This platform can provide building blocks to reproduce in vitro the complexity of neural circuits and provide a minimalistic environment to study the structure-function relationship of the brain circuitry.

Inkjet printing of Chitlac-nanosilver--a method to create functional coatings for non-metallic bone implants.

PubMed

Nganga, Sara; Moritz, Niko; Kolakovic, Ruzica; Jakobsson, Kristina; Nyman, Johan O; Borgogna, Massimiliano; Travan, Andrea; Crosera, Matteo; Donati, Ivan; Vallittu, Pekka K; Sandler, Niklas

2014-10-22

Biostable fiber-reinforced composites, based on bisphenol-A-dimethacrylate and triethyleneglycoldimethacrylate thermoset polymer matrix reinforced with E-glass fibers have been successfully used in cranial reconstructions and the material has been approved for clinical use. As a further refinement of these implants, antimicrobial, non-cytotoxic coatings on the composites were created by an immersion procedure driven by strong electrostatic interactions. Silver nanoparticles (nAg) were immobilized in lactose-modified chitosan (Chitlac) to prepare the bacteriostatic coatings. Herein, we report the use of inkjet technology (a drop-on-demand inkjet printer) to deposit functional Chitlac-nAg coatings on the thermoset substrates. Characterization methods included scanning electron microscopy, scanning white light interferometry and electro-thermal atomic absorption spectroscopy. Inkjet printing enabled the fast and flexible functionalization of the thermoset surfaces with controlled coating patterns. The coatings were not impaired by the printing process: the kinetics of silver release from the coatings created by inkjet printing and conventional immersion technique was similar. Further research is foreseen to optimize printing parameters and to tailor the characteristics of the coatings for specific clinical applications.

Development of three-axis inkjet printer for gear sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iba, Daisuke; Rodriguez Lopez, Ricardo; Kamimoto, Takahiro; Nakamura, Morimasa; Miura, Nanako; Iizuka, Takashi; Masuda, Arata; Moriwaki, Ichiro; Sone, Akira

2016-04-01

The long-term objective of our research is to develop sensor systems for detection of gear failure signs. As a very first step, this paper proposes a new method to create sensors directly printed on gears by a printer and conductive ink, and shows the printing system configuration and the procedure of sensor development. The developing printer system is a laser sintering system consisting of a laser and CNC machinery. The laser is able to synthesize micro conductive patterns, and introduced to the CNC machinery as a tool. In order to synthesize sensors on gears, we first design the micro-circuit pattern on a gear through the use of 3D-CAD, and create a program (G-code) for the CNC machinery by CAM. This paper shows initial experiments with the laser sintering process in order to obtain the optimal parameters for the laser setting. This new method proposed here may provide a new manufacturing process for mechanical parts, which have an additional functionality to detect failure, and possible improvements include creating more economical and sustainable systems.

Rapid prototyping of microchannels with surface patterns for fabrication of polymer fibers

DOE PAGES

Goodrich, Payton J.; Sharifi, Farrokh; Hashemi, Nastaran

2015-08-14

Microfluidic technology has provided innovative solutions to numerous problems, but the cost of designing and fabricating microfluidic channels is impeding its expansion. In this study, Shrinky-Dink thermoplastic sheets are used to create multilayered complex templates for microfluidic channels. We also used inkjet and laserjet printers to raise a predetermined microchannel geometry by depositing several layers of ink for each feature consecutively. We achieved feature heights over 100 μm, which were measured and compared with surface profilometry. Templates closest to the target geometry were then used to create microfluidic devices from soft-lithography with the molds as a template. These microfluidic devicesmore » were, futhermore used to fabricate polymer microfibers using the microfluidic focusing approach to demonstrate the potential that this process has for microfluidic applications. Finally, an economic analysis was conducted to compare the price of common microfluidic template manufacturing methods. We showed that multilayer microchannels can be created significantly quicker and cheaper than current methods for design prototyping and point-of-care applications in the biomedical area.« less

The Formation of the Urban Environment in the West Siberian Oil and Gas Region: Problems and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, N. V.; Speranskaya, N. I.; Shabatura, L. N.; Iatsevich, O. E.

2016-10-01

The article deals with the problems faced by the person in relation to the culture of creating a sustainable urban environment. The urban environment is seen as space of human existence, influencing its spiritual and physical health. All the experts involved in the urban environment, think about the culture of its formation, unfortunately, only from a departmental point of view. Differently organized human environment inevitably affects behavior, emotional state of a man, his perception and understanding of space. The cultural heritage of society fits in the space of an artificial environment created by a man, and determines the behavior of people.For the solution of problems of formation of the urban environment, it is necessary to apply a set of interrelated technical, social, environmental, aesthetic and other measures. In this capacity, landscape design as a set of methods has to build a sustainable urban environment to ensure harmonious living.Current trends, methods, and techniques of landscape design are to create sustainable environment for a person - creative, spiritual, comfortable, attractive, safe, harmonious.

LivePhantom: Retrieving Virtual World Light Data to Real Environments.

PubMed

Kolivand, Hoshang; Billinghurst, Mark; Sunar, Mohd Shahrizal

2016-01-01

To achieve realistic Augmented Reality (AR), shadows play an important role in creating a 3D impression of a scene. Casting virtual shadows on real and virtual objects is one of the topics of research being conducted in this area. In this paper, we propose a new method for creating complex AR indoor scenes using real time depth detection to exert virtual shadows on virtual and real environments. A Kinect camera was used to produce a depth map for the physical scene mixing into a single real-time transparent tacit surface. Once this is created, the camera's position can be tracked from the reconstructed 3D scene. Real objects are represented by virtual object phantoms in the AR scene enabling users holding a webcam and a standard Kinect camera to capture and reconstruct environments simultaneously. The tracking capability of the algorithm is shown and the findings are assessed drawing upon qualitative and quantitative methods making comparisons with previous AR phantom generation applications. The results demonstrate the robustness of the technique for realistic indoor rendering in AR systems.

LivePhantom: Retrieving Virtual World Light Data to Real Environments

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

To achieve realistic Augmented Reality (AR), shadows play an important role in creating a 3D impression of a scene. Casting virtual shadows on real and virtual objects is one of the topics of research being conducted in this area. In this paper, we propose a new method for creating complex AR indoor scenes using real time depth detection to exert virtual shadows on virtual and real environments. A Kinect camera was used to produce a depth map for the physical scene mixing into a single real-time transparent tacit surface. Once this is created, the camera’s position can be tracked from the reconstructed 3D scene. Real objects are represented by virtual object phantoms in the AR scene enabling users holding a webcam and a standard Kinect camera to capture and reconstruct environments simultaneously. The tracking capability of the algorithm is shown and the findings are assessed drawing upon qualitative and quantitative methods making comparisons with previous AR phantom generation applications. The results demonstrate the robustness of the technique for realistic indoor rendering in AR systems. PMID:27930663

Fabrication of Subnanometer-Precision Nanopores in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

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

Gilbert, S. Matt; Dunn, Gabriel; Azizi, Amin

Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of individual nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with atomically precise control of the pore shape and size. Previous methods of pore production in other 2D materials typically create pores with irregular geometry and imprecise diameters. In contrast, other studies have shown that with careful control of electron irradiation, defects in h-BN grow with pristine zig-zag edges at quantized triangular sizes, but they have failed to demonstrate production and control of isolated defects. In this work, we combine these techniques to yield a method in which we can create individual size-quantized triangular nanopores through anmore » h-BN sheet. The pores are created using the electron beam of a conventional transmission electron microscope; which can strip away multiple layers of h-BN exposing single-layer regions, introduce single vacancies, and preferentially grow vacancies only in the single-layer region. We further demonstrate how the geometry of these pores can be altered beyond triangular by changing beam conditions. Precisely size- and geometry-tuned nanopores could find application in molecular sensing, DNA sequencing, water desalination, and molecular separation.« less

Arrangement, Dopant Source, And Method For Making Solar Cells

DOEpatents

Rohatgi, Ajeet; Krygowski, Thomas W.

1999-10-26

Disclosed is an arrangement, dopant source and method used in the fabrication of photocells that minimize handling of cell wafers and involve a single furnace step. First, dopant sources are created by depositing selected dopants onto both surfaces of source wafers. The concentration of dopant that is placed on the surface is relatively low so that the sources are starved sources. These sources are stacked with photocell wafers in alternating orientation in a furnace. Next, the temperature is raised and thermal diffusion takes place whereby the dopant leaves the source wafers and becomes diffused in a cell wafer creating the junctions necessary for photocells to operate. The concentration of dopant diffused into a single side of the cell wafer is proportional to the concentration placed on the respective dopant source facing the side of the cell wafer. Then, in the same thermal cycle, a layer of oxide is created by introducing oxygen into the furnace environment after sufficient diffusion has taken place. Finally, the cell wafers receive an anti-reflective coating and electrical contacts for the purpose of gathering electrical charge.

Fabrication of Subnanometer-Precision Nanopores in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

DOE PAGES

Gilbert, S. Matt; Dunn, Gabriel; Azizi, Amin; ...

2017-11-08

Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of individual nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with atomically precise control of the pore shape and size. Previous methods of pore production in other 2D materials typically create pores with irregular geometry and imprecise diameters. In contrast, other studies have shown that with careful control of electron irradiation, defects in h-BN grow with pristine zig-zag edges at quantized triangular sizes, but they have failed to demonstrate production and control of isolated defects. In this work, we combine these techniques to yield a method in which we can create individual size-quantized triangular nanopores through anmore » h-BN sheet. The pores are created using the electron beam of a conventional transmission electron microscope; which can strip away multiple layers of h-BN exposing single-layer regions, introduce single vacancies, and preferentially grow vacancies only in the single-layer region. We further demonstrate how the geometry of these pores can be altered beyond triangular by changing beam conditions. Precisely size- and geometry-tuned nanopores could find application in molecular sensing, DNA sequencing, water desalination, and molecular separation.« less

Microfluidic neurite guidance to study structure-function relationships in topologically-complex population-based neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honegger, Thibault; Thielen, Moritz I.; Feizi, Soheil; Sanjana, Neville E.; Voldman, Joel

2016-06-01

The central nervous system is a dense, layered, 3D interconnected network of populations of neurons, and thus recapitulating that complexity for in vitro CNS models requires methods that can create defined topologically-complex neuronal networks. Several three-dimensional patterning approaches have been developed but none have demonstrated the ability to control the connections between populations of neurons. Here we report a method using AC electrokinetic forces that can guide, accelerate, slow down and push up neurites in un-modified collagen scaffolds. We present a means to create in vitro neural networks of arbitrary complexity by using such forces to create 3D intersections of primary neuronal populations that are plated in a 2D plane. We report for the first time in vitro basic brain motifs that have been previously observed in vivo and show that their functional network is highly decorrelated to their structure. This platform can provide building blocks to reproduce in vitro the complexity of neural circuits and provide a minimalistic environment to study the structure-function relationship of the brain circuitry.

Epidemiological reflections of the contribution of anthropology to public health policy and practice.

PubMed

Porter, John D H

2006-01-01

Academic disciplines like anthropology and epidemiology provide a niche for researchers to speak the same language, and to interrogate the assumptions that they use to investigate problems. How anthropological and epidemiological methods communicate and relate to each other affects the way public health policy is created but the philosophical underpinnings of each discipline makes this difficult. Anthropology is reflective, subjective and investigates complexity and the individual; epidemiology, in contrast, is objective and studies populations. Within epidemiological methods there is the utilitarian concept of potentially sacrificing the interests of the individual for the benefits of maximizing population welfare, whereas in anthropology the individual is always included. Other strengths of anthropology in the creation of public health policy include: its attention to complexity, questioning the familiar; helping with language and translation; reconfiguring boundaries to create novel frameworks; and being reflective. Public health requires research that is multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary. To do this, there is a need for each discipline to respect the 'dignity of difference' between disciplines in order to help create appropriate and effective public health policy.

Rapid prototyping of three-dimensional microstructures from multiwalled carbon nanotubes

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

Hung, W.H.; Kumar, Rajay; Bushmaker, Adam

The authors report a method for creating three-dimensional carbon nanotube structures, whereby a focused laser beam is used to selectively burn local regions of a dense forest of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to quantify the threshold for laser burnout and depth of burnout. The minimum power density for burning carbon nanotubes in air is found to be 244 {mu}W/{mu}m{sup 2}. We create various three-dimensional patterns using this method, illustrating its potential use for the rapid prototyping of carbon nanotube microstructures. Undercut profiles, changes in nanotube density, and nanoparticle formation are observed after lasermore » surface treatment and provide insight into the dynamic process of the burnout mechanism.« less

Versatile spin-polarized electron source

DOEpatents

Jozwiak, Chris; Park, Cheol -Hwan; Gotlieb, Kenneth; Louie, Steven G.; Hussain, Zahid; Lanzara, Alessandra

2015-09-22

One or more embodiments relate generally to the field of photoelectron spin and, more specifically, to a method and system for creating a controllable spin-polarized electron source. One preferred embodiment of the invention generally comprises: method for creating a controllable spin-polarized electron source comprising the following steps: providing one or more materials, the one or more materials having at least one surface and a material layer adjacent to said surface, wherein said surface comprises highly spin-polarized surface electrons, wherein the direction and spin of the surface electrons are locked together; providing at least one incident light capable of stimulating photoemission of said surface electrons; wherein the photon polarization of said incident light is tunable; and inducing photoemission of the surface electron states.

A method for using solid modeling CAD software to create an implant library for the fabrication of a custom abutment.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Rimei; Ren, Guanghui; Zhang, Xiaojie

2017-02-01

This article describes a method that incorporates the solid modeling CAD software Solidworks with a dental milling machine to fabricate individual abutments in house. This process involves creating an implant library with 3-dimensional (3D) models and manufacturing a base, scan element, abutment, and crown anatomy. The 3D models can be imported into any dental computer-aided design and computer-aided (CAD-CAM) manufacturing system. This platform increases abutment design flexibility, as the base and scan elements can be designed to fit several shapes as needed to meet clinical requirements. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methane production using resin-wafer electrodeionization

DOEpatents

Snyder, Seth W; Lin, YuPo; Urgun-Demirtas, Meltem

2014-03-25

The present invention provides an efficient method for creating natural gas including the anaerobic digestion of biomass to form biogas, and the electrodeionization of biogas to form natural gas and carbon dioxide using a resin-wafer deionization (RW-EDI) system. The method may be further modified to include a wastewater treatment system and can include a chemical conditioning/dewatering system after the anaerobic digestion system. The RW-EDI system, which includes a cathode and an anode, can either comprise at least one pair of wafers, each a basic and acidic wafer, or at least one wafer comprising of a basic portion and an acidic portion. A final embodiment of the RW-EDI system can include only one basic wafer for creating natural gas.

A practical guide to the Piccolo autopilot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mornhinweg, Anton

In support of a UAV contract the Piccolo SL and Piccolo II autopilots were installed and operated on various aircraft. Numerous problems with the autopilot setup and analysis processes were found along with numerous problems with documentation and autopilot system information. Major areas of concern are identified along with objectives to eliminate the major areas of concern. Piccolo simulator vehicle gain calculations and Piccolo generation 2 version 2.1.4 control laws are reverse engineered. A complete modeling guide is created. Methods are developed to perform and analyze doublet maneuvers. A series of flight procedures are outlined that include methods for tuning gains. A series of MATLAB graphical user interfaces were created to analyze flight data and pertinent control loop data for gain tuning.

PARTICLE ACCELERATOR AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF

DOEpatents

Neal, R.B.; Gallagher, W.J.

1960-10-11

A method and means for controlling the temperature of a particle accelerator and more particularly to the maintenance of a constant and uniform temperature throughout a particle accelerator is offered. The novel feature of the invention resides in the provision of two individual heating applications to the accelerator structure. The first heating application provided is substantially a duplication of the accelerator heat created from energization, this first application being employed only when the accelerator is de-energized thereby maintaining the accelerator temperature constant with regard to time whether the accelerator is energized or not. The second heating application provided is designed to add to either the first application or energization heat in a manner to create the same uniform temperature throughout all portions of the accelerator.

Luminescent systems based on the isolation of conjugated PI systems and edge charge compensation with polar molecules on a charged nanostructured surface

DOEpatents

Ivanov, Ilia N.; Puretzky, Alexander A.; Zhao, Bin; Geohegan, David B.; Styers-Barnett, David J.; Hu, Hui

2014-07-15

A photoluminescent or electroluminescent system and method of making a non-luminescent nanostructured material into such a luminescent system is presented. The method of preparing the luminescent system, generally, comprises the steps of modifying the surface of a nanostructured material to create isolated regions to act as luminescent centers and to create a charge imbalance on the surface; applying more than one polar molecule to the charged surface of the nanostructured material; and orienting the polar molecules to compensate for the charge imbalance on the surface of the nanostructured material. The compensation of the surface charge imbalance by the polar molecules allows the isolated regions to exhibit luminescence.

Efficient Digital Implementation of The Sigmoidal Function For Artificial Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratap, Rana; Subadra, M.

2011-10-01

An efficient piecewise linear approximation of a nonlinear function (PLAN) is proposed. This uses simulink environment design to perform a direct transformation from X to Y, where X is the input and Y is the approximated sigmoidal output. This PLAN is then used within the outputs of an artificial neural network to perform the nonlinear approximation. In This paper, is proposed a method to implement in FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) circuits different approximation of the sigmoid function.. The major benefit of the proposed method resides in the possibility to design neural networks by means of predefined block systems created in System Generator environment and the possibility to create a higher level design tools used to implement neural networks in logical circuits.

Method of patterning an aerogel

DOEpatents

Reed, Scott T [Edgewood, NM

2012-07-24

A method for producing a pattern in an aerogel disposed as a coating on a substrate comprises exposing the aerogel coating to the vapors of a hydrophobic silane compound, masking the aerogel coating with a shadow photomask and irradiating the aerogel coating with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The exposure to UV through the shadow mask creates a pattern of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions in the aerogel coating. Etching away the hydrophilic regions of the aerogel coating, preferably with a 1 molar solution of sodium hydroxide, leaves the unwetted and unetched hydrophobic regions of the aerogel layer on the substrate, replicating the pattern of the photomask. The hydrophobic aerogel pattern can be further exposed to UV irradiation if desired, to create a hydrophilic aerogel pattern.

[Local health promotion plans: intersetoralities created in the territory].

PubMed

Moysés, Simone Tetu; Franco de Sá, Ronice

2014-11-01

The article highlights the importance of considering the specificities of spaces/territories/ locations of individual and collective life in creating health promotion actions. It explores how this approach has conceptually consolidated respect for territoriality and territorial actions as a principle and an operational health promotion strategy. Based on the literature, the article also points to the need to envision the territory occupied as a locus to put intersetorialities into practice, giving a voice to people who live there, seek to and solve their complex problems, to existing and emerging social networks. It also presents a nationally and internationally validated strategy/method (Bamboo Method) for the development of local health promotion plans, which enables the prioritization of actions by listening to the people and to the managers.

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation following two-photon excitation of a gaseous medium

DOEpatents

Bischel, William K. [Menlo Park, CA; Jacobs, Ralph R. [Livermore, CA; Prosnitz, Donald [Hamden, CT; Rhodes, Charles K. [Palo Alto, CA; Kelly, Patrick J. [Fort Lewis, WA

1979-02-20

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation by two-photon optical pumping of an atomic or molecular gaseous medium and subsequent lasing action. A population inversion is created as a result of two-photon absorption of the gaseous species. Stark tuning is utilized, if necessary, in order to tune the two-photon transition into exact resonance. In particular, gaseous ammonia (NH.sub.3) or methyl fluoride (CH.sub.3 F) is optically pumped by a pair of CO.sub.2 lasers to create a population inversion resulting from simultaneous two-photon excitation of a high-lying vibrational state, and laser radiation is produced by stimulated emission of coherent radiation from the inverted level.

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation following two-photon excitation of a gaseous medium

DOEpatents

Bischel, W.K.; Jacobs, R.R.; Prosnitz, D.P.; Rhodes, C.K.; Kelly, P.J.

1979-02-20

Method and apparatus are disclosed for producing laser radiation by two-photon optical pumping of an atomic or molecular gaseous medium and subsequent lasing action. A population inversion is created as a result of two-photon absorption of the gaseous species. Stark tuning is utilized, if necessary, in order to tune the two-photon transition into exact resonance. In particular, gaseous ammonia (NH[sub 3]) or methyl fluoride (CH[sub 3]F) is optically pumped by a pair of CO[sub 2] lasers to create a population inversion resulting from simultaneous two-photon excitation of a high-lying vibrational state, and laser radiation is produced by stimulated emission of coherent radiation from the inverted level. 3 figs.

Compelling teaching with the four Cs: caring, comedy, creativity, and challenging.

PubMed

Story, Lachel; Butts, Janie B

2010-05-01

The traditional classroom, particularly in nursing, often is stifling to students and teachers. A dynamic co-learning experience creates a potential to move students from merely obtaining knowledge to practice. This article presents an exemplar of the transformative learning process within the nursing education setting. The concepts forming this compelling teaching approach are caring, comedy, creativity, and challenging (the four Cs). Through this innovative teaching method, opportunities are created for authentic co-learning to occur.

Reforzando a los Alumnos Diversos Culturalmente y Linguisticamente con Aprendizaje. Traduccion de ERIC EC Digest #E500. (Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Learning Problems). Translation of ERIC EC Digest #E500.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Jim

This digest describes ways in which professionals who work with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can create an educational climate that accepts and respects the language and culture of its students and empowers them to feel confident enough to risk getting involved in the learning process. Methods of creating such an…

Control of Wannier orbitals for generating tunable Ising interactions of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice

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

Inaba, Kensuke; Tamaki, Kiyoshi; Igeta, Kazuhiro

2014-12-04

In this study, we propose a method for generating cluster states of atoms in an optical lattice. By utilizing the quantum properties of Wannier orbitals, we create an tunable Ising interaction between atoms without inducing the spin-exchange interactions. We investigate the cause of errors that occur during entanglement generations, and then we propose an error-management scheme, which allows us to create high-fidelity cluster states in a short time.

Assessment of Classification Accuracies of SENTINEL-2 and LANDSAT-8 Data for Land Cover / Use Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hale Topaloğlu, Raziye; Sertel, Elif; Musaoğlu, Nebiye

2016-06-01

This study aims to compare classification accuracies of land cover/use maps created from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 data. Istanbul metropolitan city of Turkey, with a population of around 14 million, having different landscape characteristics was selected as study area. Water, forest, agricultural areas, grasslands, transport network, urban, airport- industrial units and barren land- mine land cover/use classes adapted from CORINE nomenclature were used as main land cover/use classes to identify. To fulfil the aims of this research, recently acquired dated 08/02/2016 Sentinel-2 and dated 22/02/2016 Landsat-8 images of Istanbul were obtained and image pre-processing steps like atmospheric and geometric correction were employed. Both Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 images were resampled to 30m pixel size after geometric correction and similar spectral bands for both satellites were selected to create a similar base for these multi-sensor data. Maximum Likelihood (MLC) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) supervised classification methods were applied to both data sets to accurately identify eight different land cover/ use classes. Error matrix was created using same reference points for Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 classifications. After the classification accuracy, results were compared to find out the best approach to create current land cover/use map of the region. The results of MLC and SVM classification methods were compared for both images.

Synthesis and characterization of inorganic materials precipitated into polymeric and novel liquid crystalline systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubeck, Christopher Ryan

The use of nanostructured, hybrid materials possesses great future potential. Many examples of nanostructured materials exist within nature, such as animal bone, animal teeth, and seashells. This research, inspired by nature, strove to mimic salient properties of natural materials, utilizing methods observed within nature to produce materials. Further, this research increased the functionality of the templates from "mere" template to functional participant. Different chemical methods to produce hybrid materials were employed within this research to achieve these goals. First, electro-osmosis was utilized to drive ions into a polymeric matrix to form hybrid inorganic polymer material, creating a material inspired by naturally occurring bone or seashell in which the inorganic component provides strength and the polymeric material decreases the brittleness of the combined hybrid material. Second, self-assembled amphiphiles, forming higher ordered structures, acted as a template for inorganic cadmium sulfide. Electronically active molecules based on ethylene oxide and aniline segments were synthesized to create interaction between the templating material and the resulting inorganic cadmium sulfide. The templating process utilized self-assembly to create the inorganic structure through the interaction of the amphiphiles with water. The use of self-assembly is itself inspired by nature. Self-assembled structures are observed within living cells as cell walls and cell membranes are created through hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Finally, the mesostructured inorganic cadmium sulfide was itself utilized as a template to form mesostructured copper sulfide.

Development of A Teen-Focused Exergame.

PubMed

Thompson, Debbe; Cantu, Dora; Rajendran, Madhur; Rajendran, Mayur; Bhargava, Tanay; Zhang, Yuting; Chen, Cheng; Liu, Yan; Deng, Zhigang

2016-09-28

Exergames require body movement to play and may be an effective method for enhancing teen physical activity (PA). However, results have been mixed. Innovative methods are needed to develop Exergames that increase and maintain PA. Self-representational avatars, or avatars created from a digital image of an individual, may increase PA (e.g., intensity, duration) during Exergame play. This article addresses this novel idea by describing the development of an Exergame played with a self-representational avatar. Twelve- to 14-year-olds, stratified by gender, body mass index, and PA, were invited to participate in two rounds of data collection. Each round consisted of an online survey, followed by a telephone interview to ensure comprehension of survey responses. After the first round, an Exergame prototype and the system for creating the self-representational avatar were created. A second round of data was collected to obtain information with which to create a fully functional Exergame and the avatar creation system. Forty-eight teens were recruited. The sample was multi-ethnic (41.7% White, 37.5% Black, 18.8% Hispanic, 2.1% Mixed/Other). Complete data were obtained on 48 teens in the first round of data collection and on 43 teens in the second round. Teens provided important information regarding preferences and expectations. Gender similarities and differences were observed. This research contributes to the body of knowledge regarding how to design an appealing Exergame for teens navigated by a self-representational avatar.

Creating photorealistic virtual model with polarization-based vision system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, Takushi; Takahashi, Toru; Miyazaki, Daisuke; Sato, Yoichi; Ikeuchi, Katsushi

2005-08-01

Recently, 3D models are used in many fields such as education, medical services, entertainment, art, digital archive, etc., because of the progress of computational time and demand for creating photorealistic virtual model is increasing for higher reality. In computer vision field, a number of techniques have been developed for creating the virtual model by observing the real object in computer vision field. In this paper, we propose the method for creating photorealistic virtual model by using laser range sensor and polarization based image capture system. We capture the range and color images of the object which is rotated on the rotary table. By using the reconstructed object shape and sequence of color images of the object, parameter of a reflection model are estimated in a robust manner. As a result, then, we can make photorealistic 3D model in consideration of surface reflection. The key point of the proposed method is that, first, the diffuse and specular reflection components are separated from the color image sequence, and then, reflectance parameters of each reflection component are estimated separately. In separation of reflection components, we use polarization filter. This approach enables estimation of reflectance properties of real objects whose surfaces show specularity as well as diffusely reflected lights. The recovered object shape and reflectance properties are then used for synthesizing object images with realistic shading effects under arbitrary illumination conditions.

CT protocol management: simplifying the process by using a master protocol concept.

PubMed

Szczykutowicz, Timothy P; Bour, Robert K; Rubert, Nicholas; Wendt, Gary; Pozniak, Myron; Ranallo, Frank N

2015-07-08

This article explains a method for creating CT protocols for a wide range of patient body sizes and clinical indications, using detailed tube current information from a small set of commonly used protocols. Analytical expressions were created relating CT technical acquisition parameters which can be used to create new CT protocols on a given scanner or customize protocols from one scanner to another. Plots of mA as a function of patient size for specific anatomical regions were generated and used to identify the tube output needs for patients as a function of size for a single master protocol. Tube output data were obtained from the DICOM header of clinical images from our PACS and patient size was measured from CT localizer radiographs under IRB approval. This master protocol was then used to create 11 additional master protocols. The 12 master protocols were further combined to create 39 single and multiphase clinical protocols. Radiologist acceptance rate of exams scanned using the clinical protocols was monitored for 12,857 patients to analyze the effectiveness of the presented protocol management methods using a two-tailed Fisher's exact test. A single routine adult abdominal protocol was used as the master protocol to create 11 additional master abdominal protocols of varying dose and beam energy. Situations in which the maximum tube current would have been exceeded are presented, and the trade-offs between increasing the effective tube output via 1) decreasing pitch, 2) increasing the scan time, or 3) increasing the kV are discussed. Out of 12 master protocols customized across three different scanners, only one had a statistically significant acceptance rate that differed from the scanner it was customized from. The difference, however, was only 1% and was judged to be negligible. All other master protocols differed in acceptance rate insignificantly between scanners. The methodology described in this paper allows a small set of master protocols to be adapted among different clinical indications on a single scanner and among different CT scanners.

Formation of enriched black tea extract loaded chitosan nanoparticles via electrospraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, Samuel James

Creating nanoparticles of beneficial nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals has had a large surge of research due to the enhancement of absorption and bioavailability by decreasing their size. One of these ways is by electrohydrodynamic atomization, also known as electrospraying. In general, this novel process is done by forcing a liquid through a capillary nozzle and which is subjected to an electrical field. While there are different ways to create nanoparticles, the novel method of electrospraying can be beneficial over other types of nanoparticle formation. Reasons include high control over particle size and distribution by altering electrospray parameters (voltage, flow rate, distance, and time), higher encapsulation efficiency than other methods, and also it is a one step process without exposure to extreme conditions (Gomez-Estaca et. al. 2012, Jaworek and Sobcyzk 2008). The current study aimed to create a chitosan encapsulated theaflavin-2 enriched black tea extract (BTE) nanoparticles via electrospraying. The first step of this process was to create the smallest chitosan nanoparticles possible by altering the electrospray parameters and the chitosan-acetic acid solution parameters. The solution properties altered include chitosan molecular weight, acetic acid concentration, and chitosan concentration. Specifically, the electrospray parameters such as voltage, flow rate and distance from syringe to collector are the most important in determining particle size. After creating the smallest chitosan particles, the TF-2 enriched black tea extract was added to the chitosan-acetic acid solution to be electrosprayed. The particles were assessed with the following procedures: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for particle morphology and size, and loading efficiency with ultraviolet--visible spectrophotometer (UV-VIS). Chitosan-BTE nanoparticles were successfully created in a one step process. Diameter of the particles on average ranged from 255 nm to 560 nm. Encapsulation efficiency was above 95% for all but one sample set. Future work includes MTT assay and cellular uptake.

Delivering "Virtual Ethnicity" Drama: A Pedagogical Design for Bridging Digital and Diversity Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, E. Vincent

2015-01-01

This study examines an original dramaturgical method for creating virtual world experience called virtual world drama. The instructional focus is improving students' aptitude for analyzing ethnic identity by instilling both conceptual and multicultural competency. An exploratory research method is used, relying on observation (disguised and…

Printing enzymatic reactions.

PubMed

Tian, Junfei; Shen, Wei

2011-02-07

We used relief and planographic printing methods to print the catalytic effect of an enzyme, but not the enzyme molecules, onto paper. Printing enzymatic reactions have applications in bioactive papers, low-cost diagnostics, anti-counterfeiting devices and advanced packaging materials. These methods can create novel printing effects on commodity surfaces for advanced applications.

Creating Alternative Methods for Educational Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Nick L.

1981-01-01

A project supported by the National Institute of Education is adapting evaluation procedures from such areas as philosophy, geography, operations research, journalism, film criticism, and other areas. The need for such methods is reviewed, as is the context in which they function, and their contributions to evaluation methodology. (Author/GK)

Connecting Depth and Balance in Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhn, Matthew S.

2008-01-01

Tremendous growth in educational technology tools, applications, and Web 2.0 resources have created a plethora of new methods to meet the learning needs of all students. Unfortunately, the potential of these methods is hardly understood before a new technological breakthrough makes its way into the classroom, through either teachers or, more…

Reliability and Validity of the Research Methods Skills Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Tamarah; Smith, Samantha

2018-01-01

The Research Methods Skills Assessment (RMSA) was created to measure psychology majors' statistics knowledge and skills. The American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major in Psychology (APA, 2007, 2013) served as a framework for development. Results from a Rasch analysis with data from n = 330 undergraduates showed…

Creating a Shared Formulary in 7 Critical Access Hospitals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wakefield, Douglas S.; Ward, Marcia M.; Loes, Jean L.; O'Brien, John; Abbas, Nancy

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper reports a case study of 7 Critical Access Hospitals' (CAH) and 1 rural referral hospital's successful collaboration to develop a shared formulary. Methods: Study methods included document reviews, interviews with key informants, and use of descriptive statistics. Findings: Through a systematic review and decision process, CAH…

Long-Term Retention after Self-Instructional Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puskas, Jane C.; And Others

1992-01-01

A study of the effectiveness of self-instructional booklets and computer software for teaching dental students endodontic diagnosis found that the self-teaching method may be as effective as traditional lectures in teaching concepts central to development of clinical decision-making skills. Sampling difficulties created problems in assessment of…

Creating Simulations for An "Introduction to Research Methods" Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adamson, Bob

2010-01-01

This paper describes the production of a software program for Master of Education students studying the "Introduction to Research Methods" course at a tertiary institution in Hong Kong. The course was originally delivered in a lecture mode, which proved unsatisfactory in providing sufficient learning support for the students. The paper…

Scaffolding Assignments and Activities for Undergraduate Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Sarah; Justwan, Florian

2018-01-01

This article details assignments and lessons created for and tested in research methods courses at two different universities, a large state school and a small liberal arts college. Each assignment or activity utilized scaffolding. Students were asked to push beyond their comfort zone while utilizing concrete and/or creative examples,…

Creating IRT-Based Parallel Test Forms Using the Genetic Algorithm Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Koun-Tem; Chen, Yu-Jen; Tsai, Shu-Yen; Cheng, Chien-Fen

2008-01-01

In educational measurement, the construction of parallel test forms is often a combinatorial optimization problem that involves the time-consuming selection of items to construct tests having approximately the same test information functions (TIFs) and constraints. This article proposes a novel method, genetic algorithm (GA), to construct parallel…

Comparison of multiple gene assembly methods for metabolic engineering

Treesearch

Chenfeng Lu; Karen Mansoorabadi; Thomas Jeffries

2007-01-01

A universal, rapid DNA assembly method for efficient multigene plasmid construction is important for biological research and for optimizing gene expression in industrial microbes. Three different approaches to achieve this goal were evaluated. These included creating long complementary extensions using a uracil-DNA glycosylase technique, overlap extension polymerase...

A bottom-up method to develop pollution abatement cost curves for coal-fired utility boilers

EPA Science Inventory

This paper illustrates a new method to create supply curves for pollution abatement using boiler-level data that explicitly accounts for technology costs and performance. The Coal Utility Environmental Cost (CUECost) model is used to estimate retrofit costs for five different NO...

Hooked on Inquiry: History Labs in the Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Linda Sargent

2012-01-01

Methods courses provide a rich opportunity to unpack what it means to "learn history by doing history." To help explain what "doing history" means, the author has created history labs to walk teacher candidates through the historical process. Each lab poses a historical problem, requires analysis of primary and secondary…

Promoting "Social and Emotional Learning" through Service-Learning Art Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Robert L.; Hutzel, Karen

2007-01-01

This article intends to encourage teachers to explore ways "social and emotional learning" (SEL) and art education can enhance each other. Service-learning art projects were presented as one example, employing collaborate-and-create, asset-based methods integrated with SEL instruction. Advantages anticipated from combining these methods result…

Ethno-Experiments: Creating Robust Inquiry and Futures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsey, Caroline

2007-01-01

This article introduces a practice-centred inquiry method called an "ethno-experiment". The method is built on a social constructionist understanding of practice as a social performance rather than as an individual's act. Additionally, it draws on Garfinkel's early ethnomethodological work and Marshall's self-reflective inquiry to construct a…

Method for replicating an array of nucleic acid probes

DOEpatents

Cantor, Charles R.; Przetakiewicz, Marek; Smith, Cassandra L.; Sano, Takeshi

1998-01-01

The invention relates to the replication of probe arrays and methods for replicating arrays of probes which are useful for the large scale manufacture of diagnostic aids used to screen biological samples for specific target sequences. Arrays created using PCR technology may comprise probes with 5'- and/or 3'-overhangs.

Integrated workflow for characterizing and modeling fracture network in unconventional reservoirs using microseismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayatollahy Tafti, Tayeb

We develop a new method for integrating information and data from different sources. We also construct a comprehensive workflow for characterizing and modeling a fracture network in unconventional reservoirs, using microseismic data. The methodology is based on combination of several mathematical and artificial intelligent techniques, including geostatistics, fractal analysis, fuzzy logic, and neural networks. The study contributes to scholarly knowledge base on the characterization and modeling fractured reservoirs in several ways; including a versatile workflow with a novel objective functions. Some the characteristics of the methods are listed below: 1. The new method is an effective fracture characterization procedure estimates different fracture properties. Unlike the existing methods, the new approach is not dependent on the location of events. It is able to integrate all multi-scaled and diverse fracture information from different methodologies. 2. It offers an improved procedure to create compressional and shear velocity models as a preamble for delineating anomalies and map structures of interest and to correlate velocity anomalies with fracture swarms and other reservoir properties of interest. 3. It offers an effective way to obtain the fractal dimension of microseismic events and identify the pattern complexity, connectivity, and mechanism of the created fracture network. 4. It offers an innovative method for monitoring the fracture movement in different stages of stimulation that can be used to optimize the process. 5. Our newly developed MDFN approach allows to create a discrete fracture network model using only microseismic data with potential cost reduction. It also imposes fractal dimension as a constraint on other fracture modeling approaches, which increases the visual similarity between the modeled networks and the real network over the simulated volume.

3D displacement field measurement with correlation based on the micro-geometrical surface texture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bubaker-Isheil, Halima; Serri, Jérôme; Fontaine, Jean-François

2011-07-01

Image correlation methods are widely used in experimental mechanics to obtain displacement field measurements. Currently, these methods are applied using digital images of the initial and deformed surfaces sprayed with black or white paint. Speckle patterns are then captured and the correlation is performed with a high degree of accuracy to an order of 0.01 pixels. In 3D, however, stereo-correlation leads to a lower degree of accuracy. Correlation techniques are based on the search for a sub-image (or pattern) displacement field. The work presented in this paper introduces a new correlation-based approach for 3D displacement field measurement that uses an additional 3D laser scanner and a CMM (Coordinate Measurement Machine). Unlike most existing methods that require the presence of markers on the observed object (such as black speckle, grids or random patterns), this approach relies solely on micro-geometrical surface textures such as waviness, roughness and aperiodic random defects. The latter are assumed to remain sufficiently small thus providing an adequate estimate of the particle displacement. The proposed approach can be used in a wide range of applications such as sheet metal forming with large strains. The method proceeds by first obtaining cloud points using the 3D laser scanner mounted on a CMM. These points are used to create 2D maps that are then correlated. In this respect, various criteria have been investigated for creating maps consisting of patterns, which facilitate the correlation procedure. Once the maps are created, the correlation between both configurations (initial and moved) is carried out using traditional methods developed for field measurements. Measurement validation was conducted using experiments in 2D and 3D with good results for rigid displacements in 2D, 3D and 2D rotations.

Creating a seamless 1 km resolution daily land surface temperature dataset for urban and surrounding areas in the conterminous United States

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

Li, Xiaoma; Zhou, Yuyu; Asrar, Ghassem R.

High spatiotemporal land surface temperature (LST) datasets are increasingly needed in a variety of fields such as ecology, hydrology, meteorology, epidemiology, and energy systems. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST is one of such high spatiotemporal datasets that are widely used. But, it has large amount of missing values primarily because of clouds. Gapfilling the missing values is an important approach to create high spatiotemporal LST datasets. However current gapfilling methods have limitations in terms of accuracy and time required to assemble the data over large areas (e.g., national and continental levels). In this study, we developed a 3-step hybridmore » method by integrating a combination of daily merging, spatiotemporal gapfilling, and temporal interpolation methods, to create a high spatiotemporal LST dataset using the four daily LST observations from the two MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua satellites. We applied this method in urban and surrounding areas for the conterminous U.S. in 2010. The evaluation of the gapfilled LST product indicates that its root mean squared error (RMSE) to be 3.3K for mid-daytime (1:30 pm) and 2.7K for mid-13 nighttime (1:30 am) observations. The method can be easily extended to other years and regions and is also applicable to other satellite products. This seamless daily (mid-daytime and mid-nighttime) LST product with 1 km spatial resolution is of great value for studying effects of urbanization (e.g., urban heat island) and the related impacts on people, ecosystems, energy systems and other infrastructure for cities.« less

Method and apparatus for lead-unity-lag electric power generation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganev, Evgeni (Inventor); Warr, William (Inventor); Salam, Mohamed (Arif) (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method employing a lead-unity-lag adjustment on a power generation system is disclosed. The method may include calculating a unity power factor point and adjusting system parameters to shift a power factor angle to substantially match an operating power angle creating a new unity power factor point. The method may then define operation parameters for a high reactance permanent magnet machine based on the adjusted power level.

DNA-based methods of geochemical prospecting

DOEpatents

Ashby, Matthew [Mill Valley, CA

2011-12-06

The present invention relates to methods for performing surveys of the genetic diversity of a population. The invention also relates to methods for performing genetic analyses of a population. The invention further relates to methods for the creation of databases comprising the survey information and the databases created by these methods. The invention also relates to methods for analyzing the information to correlate the presence of nucleic acid markers with desired parameters in a sample. These methods have application in the fields of geochemical exploration, agriculture, bioremediation, environmental analysis, clinical microbiology, forensic science and medicine.

2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of Radiology-Moreton Lecture: Forecasting the Futures of Radiology.

PubMed

Bauer, Jeffrey C

2017-12-01

The traditional forces of change in health care are no longer working as they did in the past. Political gridlock has destroyed Washington's ability to create sensible policy for reforming the medical marketplace, creating chaos for providers. Fortunately, chaos creates opportunity. The idea of creating one's future has never been more relevant and necessary. Predicting-the science of extrapolating future values from historical data-is not a valid method for looking ahead when causal relationships that explained change in the past are themselves being redefined (the current situation). Forecasting-the art of estimating probabilities of possibilities-is the appropriate method for anticipating futures when causality is being redefined. With its focus on identifying a range of possibilities, forecasting identifies many different outcomes that are simultaneously possible for radiology. Health care's new climate is being shaped by four defining trends: 1) revolution in biological science that is shifting caregivers' mission from acute care to disease management; 2) proliferation of information and communications technologies that are transforming the way care is delivered; 3) end of economic growth in the medical marketplace that is reshaping demand for care; and 4) political dysfunction that forces caregivers and their business partners to develop successful futures on their own. Radiology 3.0 is nicely aligned with the transformational trends. Staying focused on implementing Radiology 3.0 is supported as the optimal strategy for creating the profession's futures. Diagnostic convergence, establishing a unified diagnostic science with laboratory medicine, is proposed as a complementary initiative. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method to decrease loss of aluminum and magnesium melts

DOEpatents

Hryn, John N.; Pellin, Michael J.; Calaway, Jr., Wallis F.; Moore, Jerry F.; Krumdick, Gregory K.

2002-01-01

A method to minimize oxidation of metal during melting processes is provided, the method comprising placing solid phase metal into a furnace environ-ment, transforming the solid-phase metal into molten metal phase having a molten metal surface, and creating a barrier between the surface and the environment. Also provided is a method for isolating the surface of molten metal from its environment, the method comprising confining the molten metal to a controlled atmos-phere, and imposing a floating substrate between the surface and the atmosphere.

A comparison of selected parametric and non-parametric imputation methods for estimating forest biomass and basal area

Treesearch

Donald Gagliasso; Susan Hummel; Hailemariam Temesgen

2014-01-01

Various methods have been used to estimate the amount of above ground forest biomass across landscapes and to create biomass maps for specific stands or pixels across ownership or project areas. Without an accurate estimation method, land managers might end up with incorrect biomass estimate maps, which could lead them to make poorer decisions in their future...

The Scientific Method and the Creative Process: Implications for the K-6 Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Amanda J.; Stephens, April H.

2013-01-01

Science and the arts might seem very different, but the processes that both fields use are very similar. The scientific method is a way to explore a problem, form and test a hypothesis, and answer questions. The creative process creates, interprets, and expresses art. Inquiry is at the heart of both of these methods. The purpose of this article is…

Method for detecting and diagnosing disease caused by pathological protein aggregation

DOEpatents

Stevens, Fred J.; Myatt, Elizabeth A.; Solomon, Alan

2000-01-01

A method is provided for detecting pathological macromolecules in a patient, comprising obtaining body fluid from the patient, pretreating the body fluid, subjecting the pretreated body fluid to size-exclusion chromatography to create an excluded fluid, and analyzing the excluded fluid to detect macromolecules having a predetermined molecular weight. The method also allows for comparing elution spectra with reference spectra of suspect pathologic proteins.

Method for creating polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, Frances (Inventor); Volkov, Alexander (Inventor); Shao, Zhixin (Inventor)

2003-01-01

The invention provides methods for evolving a polynucleotide toward acquisition of a desired property. Such methods entail incubating a population of parental polynucleotide variants under conditions to generate annealed polynucleotides comprising heteroduplexes. The heteroduplexes are then exposed to a cellular DNA repair system to convert the heteroduplexes to parental polynucleotide variants or recombined polynucleotide variants. The resulting polynucleotides are then screened or selected for the desired property.

Quantum information processing with trapped ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaebler, John

2013-03-01

Trapped ions are one promising architecture for scalable quantum information processing. Ion qubits are held in multizone traps created from segmented arrays of electrodes and transported between trap zones using time varying electric potentials applied to the electrodes. Quantum information is stored in the ions' internal hyperfine states and quantum gates to manipulate the internal states and create entanglement are performed with laser beams and microwaves. Recently we have made progress in speeding up the ion transport and cooling processes that were the limiting tasks for the operation speed in previous experiments. We are also exploring improved two-qubit gates and new methods for creating ion entanglement. This work was supported by IARPA, ARO contract No. EAO139840, ONR and the NIST Quantum Information Program

Large-Eddy Simulation of Wind-Plant Aerodynamics: Preprint

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

Churchfield, M. J.; Lee, S.; Moriarty, P. J.

In this work, we present results of a large-eddy simulation of the 48 multi-megawatt turbines composing the Lillgrund wind plant. Turbulent inflow wind is created by performing an atmospheric boundary layer precursor simulation and turbines are modeled using a rotating, variable-speed actuator line representation. The motivation for this work is that few others have done wind plant large-eddy simulations with a substantial number of turbines, and the methods for carrying out the simulations are varied. We wish to draw upon the strengths of the existing simulations and our growing atmospheric large-eddy simulation capability to create a sound methodology for performingmore » this type of simulation. We have used the OpenFOAM CFD toolbox to create our solver.« less

Boundary Avoidance Tracking for Instigating Pilot Induced Oscillations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craun, Robert W.; Acosta, Diana M.; Beard, Steven D.; Hardy, Gordon H.; Leonard, Michael W.; Weinstein, Michael

2013-01-01

In order to advance research in the area of pilot induced oscillations, a reliable method to create PIOs in a simulated environment is necessary. Using a boundary avoidance tracking task, researchers performing an evaluation of control systems were able to create PIO events in 42% of cases using a nominal aircraft, and 91% of cases using an aircraft with reduced actuator rate limits. The simulator evaluation took place in the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator, a high-fidelity motion-based simulation facility.

Storytelling with an Audience in the Live Planetarium Program Starball

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufmann, J.

2013-04-01

Starball was conceived as a means of connecting planetarium audiences to the night sky in an imaginative, interactive way. Developed at the Smith Planetarium at Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Starball challenges each live audience to forget the “official” constellations and create original ones based on their own experiences and dreams. This paper details the philosophy behind the show and the specific planetarium and theater methods the performers employ to create an environment where such active participation is possible.

Broad beam ion implanter

DOEpatents

Leung, K.N.

1996-10-08

An ion implantation device for creating a large diameter, homogeneous, ion beam is described, as well as a method for creating same, wherein the device is characterized by extraction of a diverging ion beam and its conversion by ion beam optics to an essentially parallel ion beam. The device comprises a plasma or ion source, an anode and exit aperture, an extraction electrode, a divergence-limiting electrode and an acceleration electrode, as well as the means for connecting a voltage supply to the electrodes. 6 figs.

Broad beam ion implanter

DOEpatents

Leung, Ka-Ngo

1996-01-01

An ion implantation device for creating a large diameter, homogeneous, ion beam is described, as well as a method for creating same, wherein the device is characterized by extraction of a diverging ion beam and its conversion by ion beam optics to an essentially parallel ion beam. The device comprises a plasma or ion source, an anode and exit aperture, an extraction electrode, a divergence-limiting electrode and an acceleration electrode, as well as the means for connecting a voltage supply to the electrodes.

Pumpable/injectable phosphate-bonded ceramics

DOEpatents

Singh, Dileep; Wagh, Arun S.; Perry, Lamar; Jeong, Seung-Young

2001-01-01

A pumpable ceramic composition is provided comprising an inorganic oxide, potassium phosphate, and an oxide coating material. Also provided is a method for preparing pumpable ceramic-based waste forms comprising selecting inorganic oxides based on solubility, surface area and morphology criteria; mixing the selected oxides with phosphate solution and waste to form a first mixture; combining an additive to the first mixture to create a second mixture; adding water to the second mixture to create a reactive mixture; homogenizing the reactive mixture; and allowing the reactive mixture to cure.

Chemical warfare agents

PubMed Central

Ganesan, K.; Raza, S. K.; Vijayaraghavan, R.

2010-01-01

Among the Weapons of Mass Destruction, chemical warfare (CW) is probably one of the most brutal created by mankind in comparison with biological and nuclear warfare. Chemical weapons are inexpensive and are relatively easy to produce, even by small terrorist groups, to create mass casualties with small quantities. The characteristics of various CW agents, general information relevant to current physical as well as medical protection methods, detection equipment available and decontamination techniques are discussed in this review article. A brief note on Chemical Weapons Convention is also provided. PMID:21829312

The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 61, Number 1, June 1924

DTIC Science & Technology

1924-07-01

wbich American vessels have with it, could not but create dissatisfaction on the part of the L’nited States at any attempt by another power to take...aggressiveness created in the personnel by a demon- stration of their ability to meet an emergency. Although operated by an officer, the deflection...regardless of the elevation of the light) to obtain II good ,’iel\\". This same method has been t.ried with airplanc targets with some success, but is too

Fundamentals and Methods of High Angle-of-Attack Flying Qualities Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

the subject, Carr sites the work of Ham and Gorelick (1968) (Reference (26)) which showed that additional lift could be created by rapid pitching of...the laminar boundary layer near the leading-edge. Thicker airfoils (t/c > 0. 12), 32 NADC 88020-60 representative of figure 24b, typically create ...lift-curve can result from leading-edge flow separation as shown in figure 24a. An airplance with this type of lift-curve would exhibit little or no

IT security evaluation - “hybrid” approach and risk of its implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livshitz, I. I.; Neklyudov, A. V.; Lontsikh, P. A.

2018-05-01

It is relevant to evolve processes of evaluation of the IT security nowadays. Creating and application of the common evaluation approaches for an IT component, which are processed by the governmental and civil organizations, are still not solving problem. It is suggested to create a more precise and complex assessment tool for an IT security – the “hybrid” method of the IT security evaluation for a particular object, which is based on a range of adequate assessment tools.

Functionalized Helical Building Blocks for Nanoelectronics.

PubMed

Khokhlov, Khrystofor; Schuster, Nathaniel J; Ng, Fay; Nuckolls, Colin

2018-04-06

Molecular building blocks are designed and created for the cis- and trans-dibrominated perylenediimides. The syntheses are simple and provide these useful materials on the gram scale. To demonstrate their synthetic versatility, these building blocks were used to create new dimeric perylenediimide helixes. Two of these helical dimers are twistacenes, and one is a helicene. Crucially, each possesses regiochemically defined functionality that allows the dimer helix to be elaborated into higher oligomers. It would be very difficult to prepare these helical PDI building blocks regioselectively without the methods described.

Rapid micropatterning of cell lines and human pluripotent stem cells on elastomeric membranes.

PubMed

Paik, Isha; Scurr, David J; Morris, Bryan; Hall, Graham; Denning, Chris; Alexander, Morgan R; Shakesheff, Kevin M; Dixon, James E

2012-10-01

Tissue function during development and in regenerative medicine completely relies on correct cell organization and patterning at micro and macro scales. We describe a rapid method for patterning mammalian cells including human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) on elastomeric membranes such that micron-scale control of cell position can be achieved over centimeter-length scales. Our method employs surface engineering of hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes by plasma polymerization of allylamine. Deposition of plasma polymerized allylamine (ppAAm) using our methods may be spatially restricted using a micro-stencil leaving faithful hydrophilic ppAAm patterns. We employed airbrushing to create aerosols which deposit extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (such as fibronectin and Matrigel™) onto the same patterned ppAAm rich regions. Cell patterns were created with a variety of well characterized cell lines (e.g., NIH-3T3, C2C12, HL1, BJ6, HESC line HUES7, and HiPSC line IPS2). Individual and multiple cell line patterning were also achieved. Patterning remains faithful for several days and cells are viable and proliferate. To demonstrate the utility of our technique we have patterned cells in a variety of configurations. The ability to rapidly pattern cells at high resolution over macro scales should aid future tissue engineering efforts for regenerative medicine applications and in creating in vitro stem cell niches. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of a new academic digital library: a study of usage data of a core medical electronic journal collection

PubMed Central

Shearer, Barbara S.; Klatt, Carolyn; Nagy, Suzanne P.

2009-01-01

Objectives: The current study evaluates the results of a previously reported method for creating a core medical electronic journal collection for a new medical school library, validates the core collection created specifically to meet the needs of the new school, and identifies strategies for making cost-effective e-journal selection decisions. Methods: Usage data were extracted for four e-journal packages (Blackwell-Synergy, Cell Press, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, and ScienceDirect). Usage was correlated with weighted point values assigned to a core list of journal titles, and each package was evaluated for relevancy and cost-effectiveness to the Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU COM) population. Results: The results indicated that the development of the core list was a valid method for creating a new twenty-first century, community-based medical school library. Thirty-seven journals are identified for addition to the FSU COM core list based on use by the COM, and areas of overlapping research interests between the university and the COM are identified based on use of specific journals by each population. Conclusions: The collection development approach that evolved at the FSU COM library was useful during the initial stages of identifying and evaluating journal selections and in assessing the relative value of a particular journal package for the FSU COM after the school was established. PMID:19404499

Applications of multi-frequency single beam sonar fisheries analysis methods for seep quantification and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, V.; Weber, T.; Jerram, K.; Doucet, M.

2016-12-01

The analysis of multi-frequency, narrow-band single-beam acoustic data for fisheries applications has long been established, with methodology focusing on characterizing targets in the water column by utilizing complex algorithms and false-color time series data to create and compare frequency response curves for dissimilar biological groups. These methods were built on concepts developed for multi-frequency analysis of satellite imagery for terrestrial analysis and have been applied to a broad range of data types and applications. Single-beam systems operating at multiple frequencies are also used for the detection and identification of seeps in water column data. Here we incorporate the same analysis and visualization techniques used for fisheries applications to attempt to characterize and quantify seeps by creating and comparing frequency response curves and applying false coloration to shallow and deep multi-channel seep data. From this information, we can establish methods to differentiate bubble size in the echogram and differentiate seep composition. These techniques are also useful in differentiating plume content from biological noise (volume reverberation) created by euphausid layers and fish with gas-filled swim bladders. The combining of the multiple frequencies using false coloring and other image analysis techniques after applying established normalization and beam pattern correction algorithms is a novel approach to quantitatively describing seeps. Further, this information could be paired with geological models, backscatter, and bathymetry data to assess seep distribution.

Fabrication of PDMS architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Tijjani; Hashim, U.

2017-03-01

The study report novel, yet simple and flexible fabrication method for micro channel patterning PDMS thin mold on glass surfaces, the method allows microstructures with critical dimensions to be formed using PDMS. Micro channel production is a two-step process. First, soft photolithography methods are implemented to fabricate a reusable mold. The mold is then used to create the micro channel, which consists of SU8, PDMS and glass. The micro channel design was performed using AutoCAD and the fabrication begins by creating a replicable mold. The mold is created on a glass slide. by spin-coating speed between 500 to 1250rpm with an acceleration of 100 rpm/s for 100 and 15 second ramp up and down speed respectively. Channel flow rate based on concentration were measured by analyzing the recorded flow profiles which was collected from the high powered microscope at. 80µ, 70µm, 50µm for inlet channel 1, 2, 3 respectively the channel flow were compared for flow efficiency at different concentrations and Re. Thus, the simplicity of device structure and fabrication makes it feasible to miniaturize it for the development of point-of-care kits, facilitating its use in both clinical and non-clinical environments. With its simple geometric structure and potential for mass commercial fabrication, the device can be developed to become a portable photo detection sensor that can be use for both environmental and diagnostic application.

Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems using a PDMS/polymer tape composite.

PubMed

Kim, Jungkyu; Surapaneni, Rajesh; Gale, Bruce K

2009-05-07

Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems using a combination of double-sided tape and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) is introduced. PDMS is typically difficult to bond using adhesive tapes due to its hydrophobic nature and low surface energy. For this reason, PDMS is not compatible with the xurography method, which uses a knife plotter and various adhesive coated polymer tapes. To solve these problems, a PDMS/tape composite was developed and demonstrated in microfluidic applications. The PDMS/tape composite was created by spinning it to make a thin layer of PDMS over double-sided tape. Then the PDMS/tape composite was patterned to create channels using xurography, and bonded to a PDMS slab. After removing the backing paper from the tape, a complete microfluidic system could be created by placing the construct onto nearly any substrate; including glass, plastic or metal-coated glass/silicon substrates. The bond strength was shown to be sufficient for the pressures that occur in typical microfluidic channels used for chemical or biological analysis. This method was demonstrated in three applications: standard microfluidic channels and reactors, a microfluidic system with an integrated membrane, and an electrochemical biosensor. The PDMS/tape composite rapid prototyping technique provides a fast and cost effective fabrication method and can provide easy integration of microfluidic channels with sensors and other components without the need for a cleanroom facility.

Reusable Software Usability Specifications for mHealth Applications.

PubMed

Cruz Zapata, Belén; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; Toval, Ambrosio; Idri, Ali

2018-01-25

One of the key factors for the adoption of mobile technologies, and in particular of mobile health applications, is usability. A usable application will be easier to use and understand by users, and will improve user's interaction with it. This paper proposes a software requirements catalog for usable mobile health applications, which can be used for the development of new applications, or the evaluation of existing ones. The catalog is based on the main identified sources in literature on usability and mobile health applications. Our catalog was organized according to the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 standard and follows the SIREN methodology to create reusable catalogs. The applicability of the catalog was verified by the creation of an audit method, which was used to perform the evaluation of a real app, S Health, application created by Samsung Electronics Co. The usability requirements catalog, along with the audit method, identified several usability flaws on the evaluated app, which scored 83%. Some flaws were detected in the app related to the navigation pattern. Some more issues related to the startup experience, empty screens or writing style were also found. The way a user navigates through an application improves or deteriorates user's experience with the application. We proposed a reusable usability catalog and an audit method. This proposal was used to evaluate a mobile health application. An audit report was created with the usability issues identified on the evaluated application.