Parameters Estimation For A Patellofemoral Joint Of A Human Knee Using A Vector Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciszkiewicz, A.; Knapczyk, J.

2015-08-01

Position and displacement analysis of a spherical model of a human knee joint using the vector method was presented. Sensitivity analysis and parameter estimation were performed using the evolutionary algorithm method. Computer simulations for the mechanism with estimated parameters proved the effectiveness of the prepared software. The method itself can be useful when solving problems concerning the displacement and loads analysis in the knee joint.

Life prediction for high temperature low cycle fatigue of two kinds of titanium alloys based on exponential function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, G. Y.; Mi, X. Z.; Wang, F.

2018-01-01

The high temperature low cycle fatigue tests of TC4 titanium alloy and TC11 titanium alloy are carried out under strain controlled. The relationships between cyclic stress-life and strain-life are analyzed. The high temperature low cycle fatigue life prediction model of two kinds of titanium alloys is established by using Manson-Coffin method. The relationship between failure inverse number and plastic strain range presents nonlinear in the double logarithmic coordinates. Manson-Coffin method assumes that they have linear relation. Therefore, there is bound to be a certain prediction error by using the Manson-Coffin method. In order to solve this problem, a new method based on exponential function is proposed. The results show that the fatigue life of the two kinds of titanium alloys can be predicted accurately and effectively by using these two methods. Prediction accuracy is within ±1.83 times scatter zone. The life prediction capability of new methods based on exponential function proves more effective and accurate than Manson-Coffin method for two kinds of titanium alloys. The new method based on exponential function can give better fatigue life prediction results with the smaller standard deviation and scatter zone than Manson-Coffin method. The life prediction results of two methods for TC4 titanium alloy prove better than TC11 titanium alloy.

Effect of Performance Feedback on Perceived Knowledge and Likelihood to Pursue Continuing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eberman, Lindsey E.; Tripp, Brady L.

2011-01-01

Context: For practicing health care professionals, waiting for a teachable moment to identify a gap in knowledge could prove critical. Other methods are needed to help health care professionals identify their knowledge gaps. Objective: To assess the effect of performance feedback on Athletic Trainers' (AT) perceived knowledge (PK) and likelihood…

Geophysical experiments for the pre-reclamation assessment of industrial and municipal waste landfills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balia, R.; Littarru, B.

2010-03-01

Two examples of combined application of geophysical techniques for the pre-reclamation study of old waste landfills in Sardinia, Italy, are illustrated. The first one concerned a mine tailings basin and the second one a municipal solid waste landfill; both disposal sites date back to the 1970-80s. The gravity, shallow reflection, resistivity and induced polarization methods were employed in different combinations at the two sites, and in both cases useful information on the landfill's geometry has been obtained. The gravity method proved effective for locating the boundaries of the landfill and the shallow reflection seismic technique proved effective for the precise imaging of the landfill's bottom; conversely the electrical techniques, though widely employed for studying waste landfills, provided mainly qualitative and debatable results. The overall effectiveness of the surveys has been highly improved through the combined use of different techniques, whose individual responses, being strongly dependent on their specific basic physical characteristic and the complexity of the situation to be studied, did not show the same effectiveness at the two places.

Kaiser and Felicity effects and their application for evaluation of concrete by acoustic emission method

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

Nesvijski, E.; Nesvijski, T.

1996-12-31

Concrete as one of the main construction materials, which is used for building of industrial and civil structures, highways, bridges, etc. requires periodical evaluation of its properties by different nondestructive methods. Application of acoustic emission (AE) for these purposes occupies a modest place among other nondestructive methods. But the AE methods proved to be very effective for testing of concrete and reinforced concrete elements and structures under load. This work is devoted to an important, from methodological point of view, problem connected with two opposite effects: of Kaiser and of Felicity, and their application for evaluation of concrete by themore » AE method.« less

Error analysis for spectral approximation of the Korteweg-De Vries equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maday, Y.; recent years.

1987-01-01

The conservation and convergence properties of spectral Fourier methods for the numerical approximation of the Korteweg-de Vries equation are analyzed. It is proved that the (aliased) collocation pseudospectral method enjoys the same convergence properties as the spectral Galerkin method, which is less effective from the computational point of view. This result provides a precise mathematical answer to a question raised by several authors in recent years.

A rotor-aerodynamics-based wind estimation method using a quadrotor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yao; Luo, Bing; Meng, Qing-Hao

2018-02-01

Attempts to estimate horizontal wind by the quadrotor are reviewed. Wind estimations are realized by utilizing the quadrotor’s thrust change, which is caused by the wind’s effect on the rotors. The basis of the wind estimation method is the aerodynamic formula for the rotor’s thrust, which is verified and calibrated by experiments. A hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) system was built as a testbed; its dynamic model and control structure are demonstrated. Verification experiments on the HILS system proved that the wind estimation method was effective.

[Inductive reasoning and intelligence test performance--analysis of the manner of the effect of 2 thought training methods for children].

PubMed

Hager, W; Hasselhorn, M; Hübner, S

1995-10-01

For his training programs of inductive reasoning Klauer postulates a transfer effect to inductive thinking as well as to (performance in tests of) intelligence. As evidence for these claims, however, he uses the same data. That means the same tests are used to prove enhancement of inductive thinking and to prove transfer to performance in tests of intelligence. Moreover, Klauer's claim to train inductive thinking is criticized since better performances in at least some of the tests he administers can result due to enhancements in the area of visual perception. Finally, we ask what kind of effects the programs result in: Are they mere coaching effects or do the programs result in better performance due to enhanced competencies? The empirical evidence suggest that positive effects on inductive thinking do not last as long as perceptual competencies that are necessarily fostered when visual material is presented to children.

Accuracy and stability of measuring GABA, glutamate, and glutamine by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy: A phantom study at 4 Tesla

PubMed Central

Henry, Michael E.; Lauriat, Tara L.; Shanahan, Meghan; Renshaw, Perry F.; Jensen, J. Eric

2015-01-01

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy has the potential to provide valuable information about alterations in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu), and glutamine (Gln) in psychiatric and neurological disorders. In order to use this technique effectively, it is important to establish the accuracy and reproducibility of the methodology. In this study, phantoms with known metabolite concentrations were used to compare the accuracy of 2D J-resolved MRS, single-echo 30 ms PRESS, and GABA-edited MEGA-PRESS for measuring all three aforementioned neurochemicals simultaneously. The phantoms included metabolite concentrations above and below the physiological range and scans were performed at baseline, 1 week, and 1 month time-points. For GABA measurement, MEGA-PRESS proved optimal with a measured-to-target correlation of R2 = 0.999, with J-resolved providing R2 = 0.973 for GABA. All three methods proved effective in measuring Glu with R2 = 0.987 (30 ms PRESS), R2 = 0.996 (J-resolved) and R2 = 0.910 (MEGA-PRESS). J-resolved and MEGA-PRESS yielded good results for Gln measures with respective R2 = 0.855 (J-resolved) and R2 = 0.815 (MEGA-PRESS). The 30 ms PRESS method proved ineffective in measuring GABA and Gln. When measurement stability at in vivo concentration was assessed as a function of varying spectral quality, J-resolved proved the most stable and immune to signal-to-noise and linewidth fluctuation compared to MEGA-PRESS and 30 ms PRESS. PMID:21130670

Manufacturing Methods and Technology Project Summary Reports

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

Yuma Proving Ground in January 1985. The ARBAT system provides a unique real-time computer capability to identify all critical flight...cheaper tnaii the existing radar system. This prototype is expected to save over ^1 million per year at Yuma Proving Grounds . TECOM is planning to...purchase 4 production ballistic radar systems to be installed at Yuma Proving Grounds , Dugway Proving Grounds , and Jefferson Proving Grounds at a

Research on the raw data processing method of the hydropower construction project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhichao

2018-01-01

In this paper, based on the characteristics of the fixed data, this paper compares the various mathematical statistics analysis methods and chooses the improved Grabs criterion to analyze the data, and through the analysis of the data processing, the data processing method is not suitable. It is proved that this method can be applied to the processing of fixed raw data. This paper provides a reference for reasonably determining the effective quota analysis data.

[The interauricular laser therapy of rheumatoid arthritis].

PubMed

Sidorov, V D; Mamiliaeva, D R; Gontar', E V; Reformatskaia, S Iu

1999-01-01

Investigations have proved the ability of interauricular low-intensity infrared laser therapy (0.89 nm, 7.6 J/cm) to produce anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating action in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The method has selective, pathogenetically directed immunomodulating effect the mechanism of which is similar to that of basic antirheumatic drugs and of intravenous laser radiation of blood. This laser therapy can be used as an alternative to intravenous blood radiation being superior as a noninvasive method. Interauricular laser therapy can potentiate the effects of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, cytostatics and diminish their side effects.

Sparse radar imaging using 2D compressed sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Qingkai; Liu, Yang; Chen, Zengping; Su, Shaoying

2014-10-01

Radar imaging is an ill-posed linear inverse problem and compressed sensing (CS) has been proved to have tremendous potential in this field. This paper surveys the theory of radar imaging and a conclusion is drawn that the processing of ISAR imaging can be denoted mathematically as a problem of 2D sparse decomposition. Based on CS, we propose a novel measuring strategy for ISAR imaging radar and utilize random sub-sampling in both range and azimuth dimensions, which will reduce the amount of sampling data tremendously. In order to handle 2D reconstructing problem, the ordinary solution is converting the 2D problem into 1D by Kronecker product, which will increase the size of dictionary and computational cost sharply. In this paper, we introduce the 2D-SL0 algorithm into the reconstruction of imaging. It is proved that 2D-SL0 can achieve equivalent result as other 1D reconstructing methods, but the computational complexity and memory usage is reduced significantly. Moreover, we will state the results of simulating experiments and prove the effectiveness and feasibility of our method.

Usability Testing as a Method to Refine a Health Sciences Library Website.

PubMed

Denton, Andrea H; Moody, David A; Bennett, Jason C

2016-01-01

User testing, a method of assessing website usability, can be a cost-effective and easily administered process to collect information about a website's effectiveness. A user experience (UX) team at an academic health sciences library has employed user testing for over three years to help refine the library's home page. Test methodology used in-person testers using the "think aloud" method to complete tasks on the home page. Review of test results revealed problem areas of the design and redesign; further testing was effective in refining the page. User testing has proved to be a valuable method to engage users and provide feedback to continually improve the library's home page.

Approach jamming effectiveness evaluation for surface-type infrared decoy in network centric warship formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Mingshan

2015-10-01

The passive and photoelectrical jamming to anti-ship missile in the condition of network centric warship formation is an important research issue of fleet EW operation. An approach jamming method of shipborne surface-type infrared decoy countering the infrared image guided anti-ship missile is put forward. By analyzing the countering process the jamming effectiveness evaluation model is constructed. By simulation the method is proved t reasonable and effective. This method breaks through the traditional restrict that the passive and photoelectricity jamming measure can only be used in the end self-defence and provides a new method for network centric worship formation to support each other.

Environmental friendly method for the extraction of coir fibre and isolation of nanofibre.

PubMed

Abraham, Eldho; Deepa, B; Pothen, L A; Cintil, J; Thomas, S; John, M J; Anandjiwala, R; Narine, S S

2013-02-15

The objective of this work was to develop an environmental friendly method for the effective utilization of coir fibre by adopting steam pre-treatment. The retting of the coconut bunch makes strong environmental problems which can be avoided by this method. Chemical characterization of the fibre during each processing stages confirmed the increase of cellulose content from raw (40%) to final steam treated fibres (93%). Morphological and dynamic light scattering analyses of the fibres at different processing stages revealed that the isolation of cellulose nano fibres occur in the final step of the process as an aqueous suspension. FT-IR and XRD analysis demonstrated that the treatments lead to the gradual removal of lignin and hemicelluloses from the fibres. The existence of strong lignin-cellulose complex in the raw coir fibre is proved by its enhanced thermal stability. Steam explosion has been proved to be a green method to expand the application areas of coir fibre. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Field Application of the Micro Biological Survey Method for the Assessment of the Microbiological Safety of Different Water Sources in Horn of Africa and the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Moringa Oleifera in Drinking Water Purification

PubMed Central

Losito, Francesca; Arienzo, Alyexandra; Somma, Daniela; Murgia, Lorenza; Stalio, Ottavia; Zuppi, Paolo; Rossi, Elisabetta; Antonini, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Water monitoring requires expensive instrumentations and skilled technicians. In developing Countries as Africa, the severe economic restrictions and lack of technology make water safety monitoring approaches applied in developed Countries, still not sustainable. The need to develop new methods that are suitable, affordable, and sustainable in the African context is urgent. The simple, economic and rapid Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method does not require an equipped laboratory nor special instruments and skilled technicians, but it can be very useful for routine water analysis. The aim of this work was the application of the MBS method to evaluate the microbiological safety of different water sources and the effectiveness of different drinking water treatments in the Horn of Africa. The obtained results have proved that this method could be very helpful to monitor water safety before and after various purification treatments, with the aim to control waterborne diseases especially in developing Countries, whose population is the most exposed to these diseases. In addition, it has been proved that Moringa oleifera water treatment is ineffective in decreasing bacterial load of Eritrea water samples. PMID:28748063

Field Application of the Micro Biological Survey Method for the Assessment of the Microbiological Safety of Different Water Sources in Horn of Africa and the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Moringa Oleifera in Drinking Water Purification.

PubMed

Losito, Francesca; Arienzo, Alyexandra; Somma, Daniela; Murgia, Lorenza; Stalio, Ottavia; Zuppi, Paolo; Rossi, Elisabetta; Antonini, Giovanni

2017-06-23

Water monitoring requires expensive instrumentations and skilled technicians. In developing Countries as Africa, the severe economic restrictions and lack of technology make water safety monitoring approaches applied in developed Countries, still not sustainable. The need to develop new methods that are suitable, affordable, and sustainable in the African context is urgent. The simple, economic and rapid Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method does not require an equipped laboratory nor special instruments and skilled technicians, but it can be very useful for routine water analysis. The aim of this work was the application of the MBS method to evaluate the microbiological safety of different water sources and the effectiveness of different drinking water treatments in the Horn of Africa. The obtained results have proved that this method could be very helpful to monitor water safety before and after various purification treatments, with the aim to control waterborne diseases especially in developing Countries, whose population is the most exposed to these diseases. In addition, it has been proved that Moringa oleifera water treatment is ineffective in decreasing bacterial load of Eritrea water samples.

Sparse High Dimensional Models in Economics

PubMed Central

Fan, Jianqing; Lv, Jinchi; Qi, Lei

2010-01-01

This paper reviews the literature on sparse high dimensional models and discusses some applications in economics and finance. Recent developments of theory, methods, and implementations in penalized least squares and penalized likelihood methods are highlighted. These variable selection methods are proved to be effective in high dimensional sparse modeling. The limits of dimensionality that regularization methods can handle, the role of penalty functions, and their statistical properties are detailed. Some recent advances in ultra-high dimensional sparse modeling are also briefly discussed. PMID:22022635

Changes in Ultrasonic Velocity from Fluid Substitution, Calculated with Laboratory Methods, Digital Rock Physics, and Biot Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldfarb, E. J.; Ikeda, K.; Tisato, N.

2017-12-01

Seismic and ultrasonic velocities of rocks are function of several variables including fluid saturation and type. Understanding the effect of each variable on elastic waves can be valuable when using seismic methods for subsurface modeling. Fluid type and saturation are of specific interest to volcanology, water, and hydrocarbon exploration. Laboratory testing is often employed to understand the effects of fluids on elastic waves. However, laboratory testing is expensive and time consuming. It normally requires cutting rare samples into regular shapes. Fluid injection can also destroy specimens as removing the fluid after testing can prove difficult. Another option is theoretical modeling, which can be used to predict the effect of fluids on elastic properties, but it is often inaccurate. Alternatively, digital rock physics (DRP) can be used to investigate the effect of fluid substitution. DRP has the benefit of being non invasive, as it does not require regular sample shapes or fluid injection. Here, we compare the three methods for dry and saturated Berea sandstone to test the reliability of DRP. First, ultrasonic velocities were obtained from laboratory testing. Second, for comparison, we used a purely theoretical approach - i.e., Hashin-Shtrikman and Biot theory - to estimate the wave speeds at dry and wet conditions. Third, we used DRP. The dry sample was scanned with micro Computed Tomography (µCT), and a three dimensional (3D) array was recorded. We employed a segmentation-less method to convert each 3D array value to density, porosity, elastic moduli, and wave speeds. Wave propagation was simulated numerically at similar frequency as the laboratory. To simulate fluid substitution, we numerically substituted air values for water and repeated the simulation. The results from DRP yielded similar velocities to the laboratory, and accurately predicted the velocity change from fluid substitution. Theoretical modeling could not accurately predict velocity, and under-predicted the velocity change from fluid substitution. The mathematical approach proved to be a poor comparison for the laboratory measurement. DRP proved to be effective, and could be used in future with drill cuttings, perhaps to limit the use of expensive cores. DRP could also limit the requirement for physically testing fluid substitution.

A two-dimensional, TVD numerical scheme for inviscid, high Mach number flows in chemical equilibrium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, S.; Palmer, G.

1986-01-01

A new algorithm has been developed for hypervelocity flows in chemical equilibrium. Solutions have been achieved for Mach numbers up to 15 with no adverse effect on convergence. Two methods of coupling an equilibrium chemistry package have been tested, with the simpler method proving to be more robust. Improvements in boundary conditions are still required for a production-quality code.

Weld quality inspection using laser-EMAT ultrasonic system and C-scan method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lei; Ume, I. Charles

2014-02-01

Laser/EMAT ultrasonic technique has attracted more and more interests in weld quality inspection because of its non-destructive and non-contact characteristics. When ultrasonic techniques are used to detect welds joining relative thin plates, the dominant ultrasonic waves present in the plates are Lamb waves, which propagate all through the thickness. Traditional Time of Flight(ToF) method loses its power. The broadband nature of laser excited ultrasound plus dispersive and multi-modal characteristic of Lamb waves make the EMAT acquired signals very complicated in this situation. Challenge rises in interpreting the received signals and establishing relationship between signal feature and weld quality. In this paper, the laser/EMAT ultrasonic technique was applied in a C-scan manner to record full wave propagation field over an area close to the weld. Then the effect of weld defect on the propagation field of Lamb waves was studied visually by watching an movie resulted from the recorded signals. This method was proved to be effective to detect the presence of hidden defect in the weld. Discrete wavelet transform(DWT) was applied to characterize the acquired ultrasonic signals and ideal band-pass filter was used to isolate wave components most sensitive to the weld defect. Different interactions with the weld defect were observed for different wave components. Thus this C-Scan method, combined with DWT and ideal band-pass filter, proved to be an effective methodology to experimentally study interactions of various laser excited Lamb Wave components with weld defect. In this work, the method was demonstrated by inspecting a hidden local incomplete penetration in weld. In fact, this method can be applied to study Lamb Wave interactions with any type of structural inconsistency. This work also proposed a ideal filtered based method to effectively reduce the total experimental time.

[THE CORRECTION OF TROPHIC DISORDERS IN CHILDREN OF CHRONIC GASTRODUODENITIS WITH METHOD LOW-FREQUENCY LIGHT-MAGNETOTHERAPY].

PubMed

Kolosova, T A; Sadovnikova, I V; Belousova, T E

2015-01-01

The results of a survey of school children with chronic gastroduodenitis when applying at an early period the medical rehabilitation with method low-frequency light-magnetotherapy. During treatment of hospital was evaluated vegetative-trophic status with methods of cardiointervalography and thermovision functional tests. In normalizes clinical parameters was correction in dynamics of the vegetative status in children, it confirms the effectiveness of the therapy. It is proved, that the use of low-frequency light-magnetotherapy has a positive effect on the vegetative--trophic provision an organism and normalizes the vegetative dysfunction.

Method, Myth and Model: Analysis and the International Transfer of Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-10-01

accumulate, the risk^ associated wi h its introduction grow less, competitive pressures mount, and bandwagon effects increase. Second, the expected...product lines. Hirsch (1969) contains additional ideas that may prove relevant. 4. A case study of the "ripple effects " of technical innovations...evidence which can be marshalled In support of this position is based on the study of the effects of the presuppositions and perceived needs

1977 Kansas Field Crop Insect Control Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Leroy; Gates, Dell E.

This publication is prepared to aid producers in selecting methods of insect population management that have proved effective under Kansas conditions. Topics covered include insect control on alfalfa, soil insects attacking corn, insects attacking above-ground parts of corn, and sorghum, wheat, and soybean insect control. The insecticides…

Improving Preceptor Behavior through Formative Feedback in Preceptor Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groh, Nancy; Gill, Diane; Henning, Jolene; Stevens, Susan W.; Dondanville, Abbey

2013-01-01

Context: Clinical instructor educators (CIEs) prepare athletic trainers (ATs) to serve as preceptors. Structured performance observation and supervisory conferencing is a well-established method to improve teaching practice that may prove effective for training preceptors. Objective: To explore the impact of a systematic preceptor training program…

Effects of obesity surgery on non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Greenway, Scott E; Greenway, Frank L; Klein, Stanley

2002-10-01

Most individuals who have non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus are obese. The obese population has proved a frustrating entity regarding weight loss and diabetes control. Results of medical weight loss programs, medications, and behavior therapy have proved disappointing. Bariatric surgery is the most effective method of diabetes management and cure in the morbidly obese population. Surgical procedures to cause malabsorption provide a more dramatic effect on diabetes owing to the imparted bypass of the hormonally active foregut. Pertinent journal articles spanning the last 40 years, as well as textbooks. Bariatric surgical procedures have proven a much more successful method of weight loss and diabetes control in the obese population than conservative methods. These surgical procedures have proven safe with reported mortality rates of 0% to 1.5%. Bariatric operations may be divided based on the method of weight loss and effect on diabetes. The first category is restrictive and includes vertical banded gastroplasty and adjustable silicone gastric banding. These operations improve diabetes by decreasing food intake and body weight with a slowing of gastric emptying. The second category not only contains restrictive components but also elements of malabsorption. This category includes the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliary-pancreatic diversion, which bypass the foregut. Although all of the surgical procedures for obesity offer improved weight loss and diabetes control compared with conservative methods, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliary-pancreatic diversion offer superior weight loss and resolution of diabetes. The more dramatic effect seen in the surgical procedures to cause malabsorption is likely secondary to the bypass of the foregut resulting in increased weight loss and elevation of the enteroglucagon level.

Mosquito Control Techniques Developed for the US Military and an Update on the AMCA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scientists at the USDA Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology developed and field tested novel techniques to protect deployed military troops from diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and sand flies. Methods that proved to be very effective included (1) novel military personal prot...

Modification of the flow pass method as applied to problems of chemistry of planet atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parshev, V. A.

1980-01-01

It was shown that the modified flow pass method possesses considerable effectiveness, both in the case when the coefficient of diffusion changes severely in the examined region and in the case when diffusion is the prevalent process, as compared with chemical reactions. The case when a regular pass proves inapplicable, or applicable in a limited interval of the decisive parameters, was examined.

Determination of the transmission coefficients for quantum structures using FDTD method.

PubMed

Peng, Yangyang; Wang, Xiaoying; Sui, Wenquan

2011-12-01

The purpose of this work is to develop a simple method to incorporate quantum effect in traditional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulators. Witch could make it possible to co-simulate systems include quantum structures and traditional components. In this paper, tunneling transmission coefficient is calculated by solving time-domain Schrödinger equation with a developed FDTD technique, called FDTD-S method. To validate the feasibility of the method, a simple resonant tunneling diode (RTD) structure model has been simulated using the proposed method. The good agreement between the numerical and analytical results proves its accuracy. The effectness and accuracy of this approach makes it a potential method for analysis and design of hybrid systems includes quantum structures and traditional components.

Emotional Prosody Measurement (EPM): a voice-based evaluation method for psychological therapy effectiveness.

PubMed

van den Broek, Egon L

2004-01-01

The voice embodies three sources of information: speech, the identity, and the emotional state of the speaker (i.e., emotional prosody). The latter feature is resembled by the variability of the F0 (also named fundamental frequency of pitch) (SD F0). To extract this feature, Emotional Prosody Measurement (EPM) was developed, which consists of 1) speech recording, 2) removal of speckle noise, 3) a Fourier Transform to extract the F0-signal, and 4) the determination of SD F0. After a pilot study in which six participants mimicked emotions by their voice, the core experiment was conducted to see whether EPM is successful. Twenty-five patients suffering from a panic disorder with agoraphobia participated. Two methods (story-telling and reliving) were used to trigger anxiety and were compared with comparable but more relaxed conditions. This resulted in a unique database of speech samples that was used to compare the EPM with the Subjective Unit of Distress to validate it as measure for anxiety/stress. The experimental manipulation of anxiety proved to be successful and EPM proved to be a successful evaluation method for psychological therapy effectiveness.

Research on Product Conceptual Design Based on Integrated of TRIZ and HOQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Jianmin; Tang, Xiaowo; Shao, Yunfei

The conceptual design determines the success of the final product quality and competition of market. The determination of design parameters and the effective method to resolve parameters contradiction are the key to success. In this paper, the concept of HOQ products designed to determine the parameters, then using the TRIZ contradiction matrix and inventive principles of design parameters to solve the problem of contradictions. Facts have proved that the effective method is to obtain the product concept design parameters and to resolve contradictions line parameters.

A comparison theorem for the SOR iterative method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li-Ying

2005-09-01

In 1997, Kohno et al. have reported numerically that the improving modified Gauss-Seidel method, which was referred to as the IMGS method, is superior to the SOR iterative method. In this paper, we prove that the spectral radius of the IMGS method is smaller than that of the SOR method and Gauss-Seidel method, if the relaxation parameter [omega][set membership, variant](0,1]. As a result, we prove theoretically that this method is succeeded in improving the convergence of some classical iterative methods. Some recent results are improved.

Giardia cyst destruction: effectiveness of six small-quantity water disinfection methods.

PubMed

Jarroll, E L; Bingham, A K; Meyer, E A

1980-01-01

None of the available chemical methods for disinfecting drinking water has ever been tested for its ability to destory Giardia cysts. We tested the ability of six such methods to act against Giardia, using excystation as the criterion of viability. Two water qualities (cloudy and clear) and two temperatures (3 and 20 degrees C) were tested. At 20 degrees C, using cloudy and clear water, all of the method proved completely effective. However, at 3 degrees C, in cloudy water one method ("saturated" iodine) was less than completely effective, and in clear water four methods (bleach, Globaline, tincture of iodine and "saturated" iodine) failed to destory all of the cysts. The failure of these methods appears to be related to either an insufficient halogen residual or contact time. This study underlines the importance of considering water temperature when employing halogen disinfection methods.

Preparation of biodiesel with the help of ultrasonic and hydrodynamic cavitation.

PubMed

Ji, Jianbing; Wang, Jianli; Li, Yongchao; Yu, Yunliang; Xu, Zhichao

2006-12-22

An alkali-catalyzed biodiesel production method with power ultrasonic (19.7 kHz) has been developed that allows a short reaction time and high yield because of emulsification and cavitation of the liquid-liquid immiscible system. Orthogonality experiments were employed to evaluate the effects of synthesis parameters. Furthermore, hydrodynamic cavitation was used for biodiesel production in comparison to ultrasonic method. Both methods were proved to be efficient, and time and energy saving for the preparation of biodiesel by transesterification of soybean oil.

Long-term stability enhancement of Brillouin measurement in polymer optical fibers using amorphous fluoropolymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsutani, Natsuki; Lee, Heeyoung; Mizuno, Yosuke; Nakamura, Kentaro

2018-01-01

For Brillouin-sensing applications, we develop a method for mitigating the Fresnel reflection at the perfluorinated-polymer-optical-fiber ends by covering them with an amorphous fluoropolymer (CYTOP, fiber core material) dissolved in a volatile solvent. Unlike the conventional method using water, even after solvent evaporation, the CYTOP layer remains, resulting in long-term Fresnel reduction. In addition, the high viscosity of the CYTOP solution is a practical advantage. The effectiveness of this method is experimentally proved by Brillouin measurement.

Study on the system-level test method of digital metering in smart substation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiang; Yang, Min; Hu, Juan; Li, Fuchao; Luo, Ruixi; Li, Jinsong; Ai, Bing

2017-03-01

Nowadays, the test methods of digital metering system in smart substation are used to test and evaluate the performance of a single device, but these methods can only effectively guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the measurement results of a digital metering device in a single run, it does not completely reflect the performance when each device constitutes a complete system. This paper introduced the shortages of the existing test methods. A system-level test method of digital metering in smart substation was proposed, and the feasibility of the method was proved by the actual test.

Effects of complex interventions in 'skin cancer prevention and treatment': protocol for a mixed-method systematic review with qualitative comparative analysis.

PubMed

Beifus, Karolina; Breitbart, Eckhard; Köberlein-Neu, Juliane

2017-09-05

Occurring from ultraviolet radiation combined with impairing ozone levels, uncritical sun exposure and use of tanning beds an increasing number of people are affected by different types of skin cancer. But preventive interventions like skin cancer screening are still missing the evidence for effectiveness and therefore are criticised. Fundamental for an appropriate course of action is to approach the defined parameters as measures for effectiveness critically. A prerequisite should be the critical application of used parameter that are defined as measures for effectiveness. This research seeks to establish, through the available literature, the effects and conditions that prove the effectiveness of prevention strategies in skin cancer. A mixed-method approach is employed to combine quantitative to qualitative methods and answer what effects can display effectiveness considering time horizon, perspective and organisational level and what are essential and sufficient conditions to prove effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in skin cancer prevention strategies. A systematic review will be performed to spot studies from any design and assess the data quantitatively and qualitatively. Included studies from each key question will be summarised by characteristics like population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, study design, endpoints, effect estimator and so on. Beside statistical relevancies for a systematic review the qualitative method of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) will be performed. The estimated outcomes from this review and QCA are the accomplishment and absence of effects that are appropriate for application in effectiveness assessments and further cost-effectiveness assessment. Formal ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews number CRD42017053859. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Ensemble Deep Learning for Biomedical Time Series Classification

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Ensemble learning has been proved to improve the generalization ability effectively in both theory and practice. In this paper, we briefly outline the current status of research on it first. Then, a new deep neural network-based ensemble method that integrates filtering views, local views, distorted views, explicit training, implicit training, subview prediction, and Simple Average is proposed for biomedical time series classification. Finally, we validate its effectiveness on the Chinese Cardiovascular Disease Database containing a large number of electrocardiogram recordings. The experimental results show that the proposed method has certain advantages compared to some well-known ensemble methods, such as Bagging and AdaBoost. PMID:27725828

Bandwidth correction for LED chromaticity based on Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chan; Jin, Shiqun; Xia, Guo

2017-10-01

Light emitting diode (LED) is widely employed in industrial applications and scientific researches. With a spectrometer, the chromaticity of LED can be measured. However, chromaticity shift will occur due to the broadening effects of the spectrometer. In this paper, an approach is put forward to bandwidth correction for LED chromaticity based on Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. We compare chromaticity of simulated LED spectra by using the proposed method and differential operator method to bandwidth correction. The experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves an excellent performance in bandwidth correction which proves the effectiveness of the approach. The method has also been tested on true blue LED spectra.

A study of numerical methods for computing reentry trajectories for shuttle-type space vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The reuseable exterior insulation system (REI) is studied to determine the optimal reentry trajectory for a space shuttle, which minimizes the heat input to the fuselage. The REI is composed of titanium, covered by a surface insulation material. The method of perturbation functions was used to generate the trajectories, and proved to be an effective technique for generating families of solutions, once an initial trajectory has been obtained.

A New Method of Facial Expression Recognition Based on SPE Plus SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Zilu; Huang, Mingwei; Wang, Zhen; Wang, Zhewei

A novel method of facial expression recognition (FER) is presented, which uses stochastic proximity embedding (SPE) for data dimension reduction, and support vector machine (SVM) for expression classification. The proposed algorithm is applied to Japanese Female Facial Expression (JAFFE) database for FER, better performance is obtained compared with some traditional algorithms, such as PCA and LDA etc.. The result have further proved the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Exact controllability for a Thermodiffusion System with locally distributed controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moraes, F. G.; Schulz, R. A.; Soriano, J. A.

2018-03-01

In this work we establish a exact controllability result for a thermodiffusion system, modeled by Cattaneo's law, posed in a one-dimensional domain. In the present model the control mechanisms are effective in a small subinterval of the domain. To obtain the desired results, we prove an observability inequality for the adjoint system which, together with the multiplier methods and the Hilbert Uniqueness Method (HUM) developed by J.L. Lions, gives the controllability.

Effect of simvastatin versus low level laser therapy (LLLT) on bone regeneration in rabbit's tibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gheith, Mostafa E.; Khairy, Maggie A.

2014-02-01

Simvastatin is a cholesterol lowering drug which proved effective on promoting bone healing. Recently low level laser therapy (LLLT) proved its effect as a biostimulator promoting bone regeneration. This study aims to compare the effect of both Simvastatin versus low level laser on bone healing in surgically created bone defects in rabbit's tibia. Material and methods: The study included 12 New Zealand white rabbits. Three successive 3mm defects were created in rabbits tibia first defect was left as control, second defect was filled with Simvastatin while the third defect was acted on with Low Level Laser (optical fiber 320micrometer). Rabbits were sacrificed after 48 hours, 1 week and 2 weeks intervals. Histopathology was conducted on the three defects Results: The histopathologic studies showed that the bony defects treated with the Low Level Laser showed superior healing patterns and bone regeneration than those treated with Simvastatin. While the control defect showed the least healing pattern.

Thermal management of VECSELs by front surface direct liquid cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smyth, Conor J. C.; Mirkhanov, Shamil; Quarterman, Adrian H.; Wilcox, Keith G.

2016-03-01

Efficient thermal management is vital for VECSELs, affecting the output power and several aspects of performance of the device. Presently there exist two distinct methods of effective thermal management which both possess their merits and disadvantages. Substrate removal of the VECSEL gain chip has proved a successful method in devices emitting at a wavelength near 1μm. However for other wavelengths the substrate removal technique has proved less effective primarily due to the thermal impedance of the distributed Bragg reflectors. The second method of thermal management involves the use of crystalline heat spreaders bonded to the gain chip surface. Although this is an effective thermal management scheme, the disadvantages are additional loss and the etalon effect that filters the gain spectrum, making mode locking more difficult and normally resulting in multiple peaks in the spectrum. There are considerable disadvantages associated with both methods attributed to heatspreader cost and sample processing. It is for these reasons that a proposed alternative, front surface liquid cooling, has been investigated in this project. Direct liquid cooling involves flowing a temperature-controlled liquid over the sample's surface. In this project COMSOL was used to model surface liquid cooling of a VECSEL sample in order to investigate and compare its potential thermal management with current standard thermal management techniques. Based on modelling, experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the performance of the technique. While modelling suggests that this is potentially a mid-performance low cost alternative to existing techniques, experimental measurements to date do not reflect the performance predicted from modelling.

Chaos in the fractional order logistic delay system: Circuit realization and synchronization

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

Baskonus, Haci Mehmet; Hammouch, Zakia; Mekkaoui, Toufik

2016-06-08

In this paper, we present a numerical study and a circuit design to prove existence of chaos in the fractional order Logistic delay system. In addition, we investigate an active control synchronization scheme in this system. Numerical and cicruit simulations show the effectiveness and feasibility of this method.

Educating the Isolated Ageing: Improving the Quality of Life of the Housebound Elderly through Educational Teleconferencing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swindell, Richard; Mayhew, Claire

1996-01-01

Eighteen homebound frail elderly took part in an eight-week teleconference that provided practical information (nutrition, health, social services) as well as stimulated thinking. Quality of life improvements and further interest in education resulted. Teleconferencing proved a cost-effective method of reaching homebound persons. (SK)

Parent-child communication and psychological adjustment in children with a brain tumor.

PubMed

Adduci, Annarita; Jankovic, Momcilo; Strazzer, Sandra; Massimino, Maura; Clerici, Carlo; Poggi, Geraldina

2012-08-01

Internalizing problems, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and consequent social problems are frequently observed in children with brain tumors. The objective of this work is to describe the relationship between these psychological problems and the type of parent-child communication established about the disease. A group of 64 children surviving a brain tumor (aged 4-18 years) underwent psychological assessment by means of parent reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). A semi-structured interview with each child and their parents enabled us to classify the method of communication regarding the disease as "avoidance," "ineffective," and "effective." Demographic, clinical, and functional data relating to the disease were also collected. A significant relationship between the onset of Internalizing problems, withdrawal, anxiety-depression, and social problems and the presence of avoidance or ineffective communication about the disease was observed (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.01, respectively). These psychological problems did not prove to be associated to demographic or clinical variables; however, they were found to be related to the children's residual functional problems. By contrast, the method of communication proved to be unrelated to clinical or functional variables, but it was associated to demographic variables such as sex and age at assessment. Effective (complete, truthful, consistent, comprehensible, gradual and continuous, and tailored) communication to the child about his/her condition proved to be associated with a better psychological outcome. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Physical therapy methods in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients

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

Kucherova, T. Ya., E-mail: nii@oncology.tomsk.ru; Choinzonov, E. L., E-mail: nii@oncology.tomsk.ru; Tuzikov, S. A., E-mail: TuzikovSA@oncology.tomsk.ru

The results of the effective use of magnetic laser therapy in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients were presented. The effect of magnetic-laser therapy in the treatment of radiation-induced reactions in the patients with head and neck cancer and in the patients with breast cancer was analyzed. High efficiency of lymphedema and lymphorrhea treatment in the postoperative period in the patients with breast cancer was proved. The results of rehabilitation of the patients with gastric cancer after surgical treatment were presented. These data indicate a high effectiveness of different physical methods of treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients.

Physical therapy methods in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucherova, T. Ya.; Velikaya, V. V.; Gribova, O. V.; Startseva, Zh. A.; Choinzonov, E. L.; Tuzikov, S. A.; Vusik, M. V.; Doroshenko, A. V.

2016-08-01

The results of the effective use of magnetic laser therapy in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients were presented. The effect of magnetic-laser therapy in the treatment of radiation-induced reactions in the patients with head and neck cancer and in the patients with breast cancer was analyzed. High efficiency of lymphedema and lymphorrhea treatment in the postoperative period in the patients with breast cancer was proved. The results of rehabilitation of the patients with gastric cancer after surgical treatment were presented. These data indicate a high effectiveness of different physical methods of treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients.

Effective application of multiple locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis to tracing Staphylococcus aureus in food-processing environment.

PubMed

Rešková, Z; Koreňová, J; Kuchta, T

2014-04-01

A total of 256 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from 98 samples (34 swabs and 64 food samples) obtained from small or medium meat- and cheese-processing plants in Slovakia. The strains were genotypically characterized by multiple locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA), involving multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with subsequent separation of the amplified DNA fragments by an automated flow-through gel electrophoresis. With the panel of isolates, MLVA produced 31 profile types, which was a sufficient discrimination to facilitate the description of spatial and temporal aspects of contamination. Further data on MLVA discrimination were obtained by typing a subpanel of strains by multiple locus sequence typing (MLST). MLVA coupled to automated electrophoresis proved to be an effective, comparatively fast and inexpensive method for tracing S. aureus contamination of food-processing factories. Subspecies genotyping of microbial contaminants in food-processing factories may facilitate identification of spatial and temporal aspects of the contamination. This may help to properly manage the process hygiene. With S. aureus, multiple locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) proved to be an effective method for the purpose, being sufficiently discriminative, yet comparatively fast and inexpensive. The application of automated flow-through gel electrophoresis to separation of DNA fragments produced by multiplex PCR helped to improve the accuracy and speed of the method. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Study on model current predictive control method of PV grid- connected inverters systems with voltage sag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, N.; Yang, F.; Shang, S. Y.; Tao, T.; Liu, J. S.

2016-08-01

According to the limitations of the LVRT technology of traditional photovoltaic inverter existed, this paper proposes a low voltage ride through (LVRT) control method based on model current predictive control (MCPC). This method can effectively improve the photovoltaic inverter output characteristics and response speed. The MCPC method of photovoltaic grid-connected inverter designed, the sum of the absolute value of the predictive current and the given current error is adopted as the cost function with the model predictive control method. According to the MCPC, the optimal space voltage vector is selected. Photovoltaic inverter has achieved automatically switches of priority active or reactive power control of two control modes according to the different operating states, which effectively improve the inverter capability of LVRT. The simulation and experimental results proves that the proposed method is correct and effective.

On Everhart Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pârv, Bazil

This paper deals with the Everhart numerical integration method, a well-known method in astronomical research. This method, a single-step one, is widely used for numerical integration of motion equation of celestial bodies. For an integration step, this method uses unequally-spaced substeps, defined by the roots of the so-called generating polynomial of Everhart's method. For this polynomial, this paper proposes and proves new recurrence formulae. The Maple computer algebra system was used to find and prove these formulae. Again, Maple seems to be well suited and easy to use in mathematical research.

Cerenkov luminescence tomography based on preconditioning orthogonal matching pursuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Haixiao; Hu, Zhenhua; Wang, Kun; Tian, Jie; Yang, Xin

2015-03-01

Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) is a novel optical imaging method and has been proved to be a potential substitute of the traditional radionuclide imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This imaging method inherits the high sensitivity of nuclear medicine and low cost of optical molecular imaging. To obtain the depth information of the radioactive isotope, Cerenkov luminescence tomography (CLT) is established and the 3D distribution of the isotope is reconstructed. However, because of the strong absorption and scatter, the reconstruction of the CLT sources is always converted to an ill-posed linear system which is hard to be solved. In this work, the sparse nature of the light source was taken into account and the preconditioning orthogonal matching pursuit (POMP) method was established to effectively reduce the ill-posedness and obtain better reconstruction accuracy. To prove the accuracy and speed of this algorithm, a heterogeneous numerical phantom experiment and an in vivo mouse experiment were conducted. Both the simulation result and the mouse experiment showed that our reconstruction method can provide more accurate reconstruction result compared with the traditional Tikhonov regularization method and the ordinary orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) method. Our reconstruction method will provide technical support for the biological application for Cerenkov luminescence.

Nonlinear Constitutive Modeling of Piezoelectric Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jia; Li, Chao; Wang, Haibo; Zhu, Zhiwen

2017-12-01

Nonlinear constitutive modeling of piezoelectric ceramics is discussed in this paper. Van der Pol item is introduced to explain the simple hysteretic curve. Improved nonlinear difference items are used to interpret the hysteresis phenomena of piezoelectric ceramics. The fitting effect of the model on experimental data is proved by the partial least-square regression method. The results show that this method can describe the real curve well. The results of this paper are helpful to piezoelectric ceramics constitutive modeling.

17 CFR 229.1202 - (Item 1202) Disclosure of reserves.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Continent B TOTAL PROVED PROBABLE Developed Undeveloped POSSIBLE Developed Undeveloped (2) Disclose, in the... following categories: (i) Proved developed reserves; (ii) Proved undeveloped reserves; (iii) Total proved... that country would have the effect of disclosing reserves in particular fields. (3) Reported total...

17 CFR 229.1202 - (Item 1202) Disclosure of reserves.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Continent B TOTAL PROVED PROBABLE Developed Undeveloped POSSIBLE Developed Undeveloped (2) Disclose, in the... following categories: (i) Proved developed reserves; (ii) Proved undeveloped reserves; (iii) Total proved... that country would have the effect of disclosing reserves in particular fields. (3) Reported total...

Direct and ultrasonic measurements of macroscopic piezoelectricity in sintered hydroxyapatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofail, S. A. M.; Haverty, D.; Cox, F.; Erhart, J.; Hána, P.; Ryzhenko, V.

2009-03-01

Macroscopic piezoelectricity in hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic was measured by a direct quasistatic method and an ultrasonic interference technique. The effective symmetry of polycrystalline aggregate was established and a detailed theoretical analysis was carried out to determine by these two methods the shear piezoelectric coefficient, d14, of HA. Piezoelectric nature of HA was proved qualitatively although a specific quantitative value for the d14 coefficient could not be established. Ultrasound method was also employed to anisotropic elastic constants, which agreed well with those measured from the first principles.

Robust Smoothing: Smoothing Parameter Selection and Applications to Fluorescence Spectroscopy∂

PubMed Central

Lee, Jong Soo; Cox, Dennis D.

2009-01-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy has emerged in recent years as an effective way to detect cervical cancer. Investigation of the data preprocessing stage uncovered a need for a robust smoothing to extract the signal from the noise. Various robust smoothing methods for estimating fluorescence emission spectra are compared and data driven methods for the selection of smoothing parameter are suggested. The methods currently implemented in R for smoothing parameter selection proved to be unsatisfactory, and a computationally efficient procedure that approximates robust leave-one-out cross validation is presented. PMID:20729976

[Classification of local anesthesia methods].

PubMed

Petricas, A Zh; Medvedev, D V; Olkhovskaya, E B

The traditional classification methods of dental local anesthesia must be modified. In this paper we proved that the vascular mechanism is leading component of spongy injection. It is necessary to take into account the high effectiveness and relative safety of spongy anesthesia, as well as versatility, ease of implementation and the growing prevalence in the world. The essence of the proposed modification is to distinguish the methods in diffusive (including surface anesthesia, infiltration and conductive anesthesia) and vascular-diffusive (including intraosseous, intraligamentary, intraseptal and intrapulpal anesthesia). For the last four methods the common term «spongy (intraosseous) anesthesia» may be used.

Monotonicity based imaging method for time-domain eddy current problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Z.; Ventre, S.; Udpa, L.; Tamburrino, A.

2017-12-01

Eddy current imaging is an example of inverse problem in nondestructive evaluation for detecting anomalies in conducting materials. This paper introduces the concept of time constants and associated natural modes in eddy current imaging. The monotonicity of time constants is then described and applied to develop a non-iterative imaging method. The proposed imaging method has a low computational cost which makes it suitable for real-time operations. Full 3D numerical examples prove the effectiveness of the method in realistic scenarios. This paper is dedicated to Professor Guglielmo Rubinacci on the occasion of his 65th Birthday.

The Research on Automatic Construction of Domain Model Based on Deep Web Query Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

JianPing, Gu

The integration of services is transparent, meaning that users no longer face the millions of Web services, do not care about the required data stored, but do not need to learn how to obtain these data. In this paper, we analyze the uncertainty of schema matching, and then propose a series of similarity measures. To reduce the cost of execution, we propose the type-based optimization method and schema matching pruning method of numeric data. Based on above analysis, we propose the uncertain schema matching method. The experiments prove the effectiveness and efficiency of our method.

Iterative algorithm for reconstructing rotationally asymmetric surface deviation with pixel-level spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, Haiyang; Wu, Fan; Hou, Xi

2015-10-01

New method for reconstructing rotationally asymmetric surface deviation with pixel-level spatial resolution is proposed. It is based on basic iterative scheme and accelerates the Gauss-Seidel method by introducing an acceleration parameter. This modified Successive Over-relaxation (SOR) is effective for solving the rotationally asymmetric components with pixel-level spatial resolution, without the usage of a fitting procedure. Compared to the Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel method, the modified SOR method with an optimal relaxation factor converges much faster and saves more computational costs and memory space without reducing accuracy. It has been proved by real experimental results.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Immersive Interfaces for Combat Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-10

on pre- test and post - test improvement. Both test groups improved, but at the 95% level neither method of instruction...evenly separated into the two groups and then tested on the final day of the experiment. The results from this final assessment are used to determine... post - test on a competitive basis with two samples of ten subjects to prove effectives. This paper also uses a pre- test and post - test regimen on

Iterative methods used in overlap astrometric reduction techniques do not always converge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapaport, M.; Ducourant, C.; Colin, J.; Le Campion, J. F.

1993-04-01

In this paper we prove that the classical Gauss-Seidel type iterative methods used for the solution of the reduced normal equations occurring in overlapping reduction methods of astrometry do not always converge. We exhibit examples of divergence. We then analyze an alternative algorithm proposed by Wang (1985). We prove the consistency of this algorithm and verify that it can be convergent while the Gauss-Seidel method is divergent. We conjecture the convergence of Wang method for the solution of astrometric problems using overlap techniques.

Distance Education Teaching Methods and Student Responses in the Animal Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bing, Jada Quinome

2012-01-01

The overall objective of this dissertation is to observe whether or not an Anatomy & Physiology Distance Education (DistEd) course offered in the Animal Science Department will prove to be valuable in the learning process for students. Study 1 was conducted to determine whether gross anatomy of animals could be taught effectively at the…

Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux in Reduced Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mudawar, Issam; Zhang, Hui; Hasan, Mohammad M.

2004-01-01

This study provides systematic method for reducing power consumption in reduced gravity systems by adopting minimum velocity required to provide adequate CHF and preclude detrimental effects of reduced gravity . This study proves it is possible to use existing 1 ge flow boiling and CHF correlations and models to design reduced gravity systems provided minimum velocity criteria are met

How to collect and process large polyhedral viruses of insects

Treesearch

W. D. Rollinson; F. B. Lewis

1962-01-01

Polyhedral viruses have proved highly effective and very practical for control of certain pine sawflies; and a method of collecting and processing the small polyhedra (5 microns or less) characteristic of sawflies has been described. There is experimental evidence that the virus diseases of many Lepidopterous insects can be used similarly for direct control. The...

Public Response to "The MOOC Movement" in China: Examining the Time Series of Microblogging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jingjing; Perris, Kirk; Zheng, Qinhua; Chen, Li

2015-01-01

In China, microblogging is an extremely popular activity and is proving to be an effective mechanism to gauge perceptions about social phenomena. Between 2010 and 2015 Sina Weibo, China's largest microblogging website, generated 95,015 postings from 62,074 users referencing the term massive open online courses (MOOCs), a method of online course…

Structural stability and chaotic solutions of perturbed Benjamin-Ono equations

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

Birnir, B.; Morrison, P.J.

1986-11-01

A method for proving chaos in partial differential equations is discussed and applied to the Benjamin-Ono equation subject to perturbations. The perturbations are of two types: one that corresponds to viscous dissipation, the so-called Burger's term, and one that involves the Hilbert transform and has been used to model Landau damping. The method proves chaos in the PDE by proving temporal chaos in its pole solutions. The spatial structure of the pole solutions remains intact, but their positions are chaotic in time. Melnikov's method is invoked to show this temporal chaos. It is discovered that the pole behavior is verymore » sensitive to the Burger's perturbation, but is quite insensitive to the perturbation involving the Hilbert transform.« less

Comparasion of Password Generator between Coupled Linear Congruential Generator (CLCG) and Linear Congruential Generator (LCG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imamah; Djunaidy, A.; Rachmad, A.; Damayanti, F.

2018-01-01

Password is needed to access the computing services. Text password is a combination between characters, numbers and symbols. One of issues is users will often choose guessable passwords, e.g. date of birth, name of pet, or anniversary date. To address this issue, we proposed password generator using Coupled Congruential method (CLCG). CLCG is a method to solve the weakness of Linear Congruential generator (LCG). In this research, we want to prove that CLCG is really good to generate random password compared to LCG method. The result of this research proves that the highest password strength is obtained by CLCG with score 77.4%. Besides of those things, we had proved that term of LCG is also applicable to CLCG.

Fast determination of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y activity in milk by Cherenkov counting.

PubMed

Tsroya, S; Dolgin, B; German, U; Pelled, O; Alfassi, Z B

2013-12-01

Cherenkov counting of the ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y pure beta emitters is an attractive method for ⁹⁰Sr activity determination, but the color quenching effect may be significant, especially for strongly colored or semi-opaque media. A quench correction method based on the external source of some liquid scintillation systems (named ESAR - external source area ratio) was proposed and checked for aqueous solutions and was proved to be effective also for urine samples. In the present work, the application of the ESAR method for fast determination of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y activity in milk samples is described. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research on a Method of Geographical Information Service Load Balancing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Heyuan; Li, Yongxing; Xue, Zhiyong; Feng, Tao

2018-05-01

With the development of geographical information service technologies, how to achieve the intelligent scheduling and high concurrent access of geographical information service resources based on load balancing is a focal point of current study. This paper presents an algorithm of dynamic load balancing. In the algorithm, types of geographical information service are matched with the corresponding server group, then the RED algorithm is combined with the method of double threshold effectively to judge the load state of serve node, finally the service is scheduled based on weighted probabilistic in a certain period. At the last, an experiment system is built based on cluster server, which proves the effectiveness of the method presented in this paper.

Single Machine Scheduling and Due Date Assignment with Past-Sequence-Dependent Setup Time and Position-Dependent Processing Time

PubMed Central

Zhao, Chuan-Li; Hsu, Hua-Feng

2014-01-01

This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d). It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n 4) time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n 3) time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm. PMID:25258727

Single machine scheduling and due date assignment with past-sequence-dependent setup time and position-dependent processing time.

PubMed

Zhao, Chuan-Li; Hsu, Chou-Jung; Hsu, Hua-Feng

2014-01-01

This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d). It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(4)) time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(3)) time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm.

Moving target detection method based on improved Gaussian mixture model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, J. Y.; Jie, F. R.; Hu, Y. J.

2017-07-01

Gaussian Mixture Model is often employed to build background model in background difference methods for moving target detection. This paper puts forward an adaptive moving target detection algorithm based on improved Gaussian Mixture Model. According to the graylevel convergence for each pixel, adaptively choose the number of Gaussian distribution to learn and update background model. Morphological reconstruction method is adopted to eliminate the shadow.. Experiment proved that the proposed method not only has good robustness and detection effect, but also has good adaptability. Even for the special cases when the grayscale changes greatly and so on, the proposed method can also make outstanding performance.

Noninvasive vacuum integrity tests on fast warm-up traveling-wave tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallos, A.; Carignan, R. G.

1989-04-01

A method of tube vacuum monitoring that uses the tube's existing internal electrodes as an ion gage is discussed. This method has been refined using present-day instrumentation and has proved to be a precise, simple, and fast method of tube vacuum measurement. The method is noninvasive due to operation of the cathode at low temperature, which minimizes pumping or outgassing. Because of the low current levels to be measured, anode insulator leakage must be low, and the leads must be properly shielded to minimize charging effects. A description of the method, instrumentation used, limitations, and data showing results over a period of 600 days are presented.

A New Tool for Effective and Efficient Project Management

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

Willett, Jesse A

2011-12-01

Organizations routinely handle thousands of projects per year, and it is difficult to manage all these projects concurrently. Too often, projects do not get the attention they need when they need it. Management inattention can lead to late projects or projects with less than desirable content and/or deliverables. This paper discusses the application of Visual Project Management (VPM) as a method to track and manage projects. The VPM approach proved to be a powerful management tool without the overhead and restrictions of traditional management methods.

High-accuracy self-calibration method for dual-axis rotation-modulating RLG-INS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Guo; Gao, Chunfeng; Wang, Qi; Wang, Qun; Long, Xingwu

2017-05-01

Inertial navigation system has been the core component of both military and civil navigation systems. Dual-axis rotation modulation can completely eliminate the inertial elements constant errors of the three axes to improve the system accuracy. But the error caused by the misalignment angles and the scale factor error cannot be eliminated through dual-axis rotation modulation. And discrete calibration method cannot fulfill requirements of high-accurate calibration of the mechanically dithered ring laser gyroscope navigation system with shock absorbers. This paper has analyzed the effect of calibration error during one modulated period and presented a new systematic self-calibration method for dual-axis rotation-modulating RLG-INS. Procedure for self-calibration of dual-axis rotation-modulating RLG-INS has been designed. The results of self-calibration simulation experiment proved that: this scheme can estimate all the errors in the calibration error model, the calibration precision of the inertial sensors scale factor error is less than 1ppm and the misalignment is less than 5″. These results have validated the systematic self-calibration method and proved its importance for accuracy improvement of dual -axis rotation inertial navigation system with mechanically dithered ring laser gyroscope.

PHYSICAL-CONSTRAINT-PRESERVING CENTRAL DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN METHODS FOR SPECIAL RELATIVISTIC HYDRODYNAMICS WITH A GENERAL EQUATION OF STATE

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

Wu, Kailiang; Tang, Huazhong, E-mail: wukl@pku.edu.cn, E-mail: hztang@math.pku.edu.cn

The ideal gas equation of state (EOS) with a constant adiabatic index is a poor approximation for most relativistic astrophysical flows, although it is commonly used in relativistic hydrodynamics (RHD). This paper develops high-order accurate, physical-constraints-preserving (PCP), central, discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods for the one- and two-dimensional special RHD equations with a general EOS. It is built on our theoretical analysis of the admissible states for RHD and the PCP limiting procedure that enforce the admissibility of central DG solutions. The convexity, scaling invariance, orthogonal invariance, and Lax–Friedrichs splitting property of the admissible state set are first proved with themore » aid of its equivalent form. Then, the high-order central DG methods with the PCP limiting procedure and strong stability-preserving time discretization are proved, to preserve the positivity of the density, pressure, specific internal energy, and the bound of the fluid velocity, maintain high-order accuracy, and be L {sup 1}-stable. The accuracy, robustness, and effectiveness of the proposed methods are demonstrated by several 1D and 2D numerical examples involving large Lorentz factor, strong discontinuities, or low density/pressure, etc.« less

[Differences in effectiveness of intensive programs of treatment for neurotic and personality disorders. Is it worth to monitor the effectiveness of the therapeutic team?].

PubMed

Styła, Rafał

2014-01-01

To test whether three different intensive programs of treatment for neurotic and personality disorders are effective in decreasing neurotic symptoms and traits of neurotic personality and whether there are differences between them in clinical outcome. The sample consisted of 105 patients (83% female, mean age 35) diagnosed with neurosis and personality disorders that were treated in three therapeutic wards under routine inpatient conditions. The therapeutic programs are designed for patients with neurotic and personality disorders. They consist of 6-12 weeks of approximately 5 hours of eclectic group treatment (group psychotherapy, psychodrama, psychoeducation etc.). Participants filled in Symptoms' Questionnaire KS-II, and Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 at the beginning and at the end of the course of psychotherapy. The treatment proved to be effective in diminishing neurotic symptoms (d Cohen = 0.56). More detailed analysis revealed that there was a significant interaction between the three analysed therapeutic wards and the effectiveness (12 = 0.09). The treatments offered in two institutions were effective (d Cohen = 0.80) while one of the programs did not lead to significant improvement of the patients. None of the therapeutic wards proved to be effective in changing the neurotic personality traits. There are significant differences in effectiveness of the intensive programs of treatment for neurotic and personality disorders. In the light of the literature, one can assume that the differences are more connected with the characteristics of therapeutic teams than with the methods used. The need for standard methods of effectiveness monitoring is discussed.

Reducing unintended pregnancies: a microsimulation of contraceptive switching, discontinuation, and failure patterns in france.

PubMed

Diamond-Smith, Nadia G; Moreau, Caroline; Bishai, David M

2014-12-01

Although the rate of contraceptive use in France is high, more than one-third of pregnancies are unintended. We built a dynamic microsimulation model that applies data from the French COCON study on method switching, discontinuation, and failure rates to a hypothetical population of 20,000 women, followed for five years. We use the model to estimate the adjustment factor needed to make the survey data fit the demographic profile of France by adjusting for underreporting of contraceptive nonuse and abortion. We then test three behavior-change scenarios that could reduce unintended pregnancies: decreasing method failure, increasing time using effective methods, and increasing switching from less effective to more effective methods. Our model suggests that decreasing method failure is the most effective means of reducing unintended pregnancies, but we found that all of the scenarios reduced unintended pregnancies by at least 25 percent. Dynamic microsimulations may have great potential in reproductive health research and prove useful for policymakers. © 2014 The Population Council, Inc.

Generalized contact and improved frictional heating in the material point method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nairn, J. A.; Bardenhagen, S. G.; Smith, G. D.

2017-09-01

The material point method (MPM) has proved to be an effective particle method for computational mechanics modeling of problems involving contact, but all prior applications have been limited to Coulomb friction. This paper generalizes the MPM approach for contact to handle any friction law with examples given for friction with adhesion or with a velocity-dependent coefficient of friction. Accounting for adhesion requires an extra calculation to evaluate contact area. Implementation of velocity-dependent laws usually needs numerical methods to find contacting forces. The friction process involves work which can be converted into heat. This paper provides a new method for calculating frictional heating that accounts for interfacial acceleration during the time step. The acceleration terms is small for many problems, but temporal convergence of heating effects for problems involving vibrations and high contact forces is improved by the new method. Fortunately, the new method needs few extra calculations and therefore is recommended for all simulations.

Generalized contact and improved frictional heating in the material point method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nairn, J. A.; Bardenhagen, S. G.; Smith, G. D.

2018-07-01

The material point method (MPM) has proved to be an effective particle method for computational mechanics modeling of problems involving contact, but all prior applications have been limited to Coulomb friction. This paper generalizes the MPM approach for contact to handle any friction law with examples given for friction with adhesion or with a velocity-dependent coefficient of friction. Accounting for adhesion requires an extra calculation to evaluate contact area. Implementation of velocity-dependent laws usually needs numerical methods to find contacting forces. The friction process involves work which can be converted into heat. This paper provides a new method for calculating frictional heating that accounts for interfacial acceleration during the time step. The acceleration terms is small for many problems, but temporal convergence of heating effects for problems involving vibrations and high contact forces is improved by the new method. Fortunately, the new method needs few extra calculations and therefore is recommended for all simulations.

Security Modeling and Correctness Proof Using Specware and Isabelle

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

proving requires substantial knowledge and experience in logical calculus . 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 146 14. SUBJECT TERMS Formal Method, Theorem...although the actual proving requires substantial knowledge and experience in logical calculus . vi THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vii TABLE OF...formal language and provides tools for proving those formulas in a logical calculus ” [5]. We are demonstrating in this thesis that a specification in

Exponential approximations in optimal design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belegundu, A. D.; Rajan, S. D.; Rajgopal, J.

1990-01-01

One-point and two-point exponential functions have been developed and proved to be very effective approximations of structural response. The exponential has been compared to the linear, reciprocal and quadratic fit methods. Four test problems in structural analysis have been selected. The use of such approximations is attractive in structural optimization to reduce the numbers of exact analyses which involve computationally expensive finite element analysis.

Modeling temperature and moisture state effects on acoustic velocity in wood

Treesearch

Shan Gao; X. Wang; L. Wang; R.B. Bruce

2011-01-01

Previous research has proved the concept of acoustic wave propagation methods for evaluating wood quality of trees and logs during forest operations. As commercial acoustic equipment is implemented in field for various purposes, one has to consider the influence of operating temperature on acoustic velocity — a key parameter for wood property prediction. Our field...

Effect of post-spawning broodfish diet with high lipid content and n-3 fatty acids on reproductive performance of channel catfish

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Channel x blue hybrid catfish are exclusively produced by hormone-induced spawning protocols and this process has proved to be a reliable method to mass produce hybrid catfish in hatcheries. Strip spawning of channel catfish needs a continuous and reliable supply of mature (gravid) fish during the...

A novel sample preparation method to avoid influence of embedding medium during nano-indentation

Treesearch

Yujie Meng; Siqun Wang; Zhiyong Cai; Timothy M. Young; Guanben Du; Yanjun Li

2012-01-01

The effect of the embedding medium on the nano-indentation measurements of lignocellulosic materials was investigated experimentally using nano-indentation. Both the reduced elastic modulus and the hardness of nonembedded cell walls were found to be lower than those of the embedded samples, proving that the embedding medium used for specimen preparation on cellulosic...

The trapped-particle instability in the Boeing 1kW FEL oscillator

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

Ramos, L.; Blau, J.; Colson, W.B.

1995-12-31

The new design for the Boeing High Average Power Free Electron Laser will operate at 1KW average power (0.63 {mu}m) with a peak current of 132A. Simulations are used to investigate the trapped-particle instability and diffraction effects. Incorporating large desynchronism may prove to be a useful method of controlling the trapped-particle instability.

Material Processing Laser Systems In Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taeusch, David R.

1988-11-01

The laser processing system is now a respected, productive machine tool in the manufacturing industries. Systems in use today are proving their cost effectiveness and capabilities of processing quality parts. Several types of industrial lasers are described and their applications are discussed, with emphasis being placed on the production environment and methods of protection required for optical equipment against this normally hostile environment.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the characterization of testicular germ cell neoplasms: Effect of ROI methods on apparent diffusion coefficient values and interobserver variability.

PubMed

Tsili, Athina C; Ntorkou, Alexandra; Astrakas, Loukas; Xydis, Vasilis; Tsampalas, Stavros; Sofikitis, Nikolaos; Argyropoulou, Maria I

2017-04-01

To evaluate the difference in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements at diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging of differently shaped regions-of-interest (ROIs) in testicular germ cell neoplasms (TGCNS), the diagnostic ability of differently shaped ROIs in differentiating seminomas from nonseminomatous germ cell neoplasms (NSGCNs) and the interobserver variability. Thirty-three TGCNs were retrospectively evaluated. Patients underwent MR examinations, including DWI on a 1.5-T MR system. Two observers measured mean tumor ADCs using four distinct ROI methods: round, square, freehand and multiple small, round ROIs. The interclass correlation coefficient was analyzed to assess interobserver variability. Statistical analysis was used to compare mean ADC measurements among observers, methods and histologic types. All ROI methods showed excellent interobserver agreement, with excellent correlation (P<0.001). Multiple, small ROIs provided the lower mean ADC in TGCNs. Seminomas had lower mean ADC compared to NSGCNs for each ROI method (P<0.001). Round ROI proved the most accurate method in characterizing TGCNS. Interobserver variability in ADC measurement is excellent, irrespective of the ROI shape. Multiple, small round ROIs and round ROI proved the more accurate methods for ADC measurement in the characterization of TGCNs and in the differentiation between seminomas and NSGCNs, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Peroperative peritoneal lavage and intra-abdominal instillation of antibiotics in an experiment].

PubMed

Batalík, B; Mydlo, J

1991-03-01

The authors present the results of an experiment on dogs where lethal diffuse peritonitis was induced in the standard way and was treated only by peroperative peritoneal lavage during reoperation within 24 hours. In the first group (n = 10) this method alone reduced the mortality despite the adverse prognosis to 70%, after addition of an effective antibiotic and metronidazole into the last lot of the lavage solution in the second equally sized group to 10%. The results prove a marked therapeutic asset of this method which as part of comprehensive treatment of peritonitis improves substantially the final effect also under clinical conditions.

Application of optical interferometry in focused acoustic field measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuebing; Sun, Min; Cao, Yonggang; Zhu, Jiang

2018-07-01

Optical interferometry has been successfully applied in measuring acoustic pressures in plane-wave fields and spherical-wave fields. In this paper, the "effective" refractive index for focused acoustic fields was developed, through numerical simulation and experiments, the feasibility of the optical method in measuring acoustic fields of focused transducers was proved. Compared with the results from a membrane hydrophone, it was concluded that the optical method has good spatial resolution and is suitable for detecting focused fields with fluctuant distributions. The influences of a few factors (the generated lamb wave, laser beam directivity, etc.) were analyzed, and corresponding suggestions were proposed for effective application of this technology.

Study on load forecasting to data centers of high power density based on power usage effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, C. C.; Zhang, F.; Yuan, Z.; Zhou, L. M.; Wang, F. M.; Li, W.; Yang, J. H.

2016-08-01

There is usually considerable energy consumption in data centers. Load forecasting to data centers is in favor of formulating regional load density indexes and of great benefit to getting regional spatial load forecasting more accurately. The building structure and the other influential factors, i.e. equipment, geographic and climatic conditions, are considered for the data centers, and a method to forecast the load of the data centers based on power usage effectiveness is proposed. The cooling capacity of a data center and the index of the power usage effectiveness are used to forecast the power load of the data center in the method. The cooling capacity is obtained by calculating the heat load of the data center. The index is estimated using the group decision-making method of mixed language information. An example is given to prove the applicability and accuracy of this method.

Tilt measurement using inclinometer based on redundant configuration of MEMS accelerometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jiazhen; Liu, Xuecong; Zhang, Hao

2018-05-01

Inclinometers are widely used in tilt measurement and their required accuracy is becoming ever higher. Most existing methods can effectively work only when the tilt is less than 60°, and the accuracy still can be improved. A redundant configuration of micro-electro mechanical system accelerometers is proposed in this paper and a least squares method and data processing normalization are used. A rigorous mathematical derivation is given. Simulation and experiment are used to verify its feasibility. The results of a Monte Carlo simulation, repeated 3000 times, and turntable reference experiments have shown that the tilt measure range can be expanded to 0°–90° by this method and that the measurement accuracy of θ can be improved by more than 10 times and the measurement accuracy of γ can be also improved effectively. The proposed method is proved to be effective and significant in practical application.

Topics in structural dynamics: Nonlinear unsteady transonic flows and Monte Carlo methods in acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haviland, J. K.

1974-01-01

The results are reported of two unrelated studies. The first was an investigation of the formulation of the equations for non-uniform unsteady flows, by perturbation of an irrotational flow to obtain the linear Green's equation. The resulting integral equation was found to contain a kernel which could be expressed as the solution of the adjoint flow equation, a linear equation for small perturbations, but with non-constant coefficients determined by the steady flow conditions. It is believed that the non-uniform flow effects may prove important in transonic flutter, and that in such cases, the use of doublet type solutions of the wave equation would then prove to be erroneous. The second task covered an initial investigation into the use of the Monte Carlo method for solution of acoustical field problems. Computed results are given for a rectangular room problem, and for a problem involving a circular duct with a source located at the closed end.

A new simple technique for improving the random properties of chaos-based cryptosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Bosque, M.; Pérez-Resa, A.; Sánchez-Azqueta, C.; Celma, S.

2018-03-01

A new technique for improving the security of chaos-based stream ciphers has been proposed and tested experimentally. This technique manages to improve the randomness properties of the generated keystream by preventing the system to fall into short period cycles due to digitation. In order to test this technique, a stream cipher based on a Skew Tent Map algorithm has been implemented on a Virtex 7 FPGA. The randomness of the keystream generated by this system has been compared to the randomness of the keystream generated by the same system with the proposed randomness-enhancement technique. By subjecting both keystreams to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests, we have proved that our method can considerably improve the randomness of the generated keystreams. In order to incorporate our randomness-enhancement technique, only 41 extra slices have been needed, proving that, apart from effective, this method is also efficient in terms of area and hardware resources.

Using the Landsat 7 enhanced thematic mapper tasseled cap transformation to extract shoreline

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scott, J.W.

2003-01-01

A semiautomated method for objectively interpreting and extracting the land-water interface has been devised and used successfully to generate multiple shoreline data for the test States of Louisiana and Delaware. The method is based on the application of tasseled cap transformation coefficients derived by the EROS Data Center for Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Data, and is used in conjunction with ERDAS Imagine software. Shoreline data obtained using this method are cost effective compared with conventional mapping methods for State, regional, and national coastline applications. Attempts to attribute vector shoreline data with orthometric elevation values derived from tide observation stations, however, proved unsuccessful.

[Discussion on Quality Evaluation Method of Medical Device During Life-Cycle in Operation Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process].

PubMed

Zheng, Caixian; Zheng, Kun; Shen, Yunming; Wu, Yunyun

2016-01-01

The content related to the quality during life-cycle in operation of medical device includes daily use, repair volume, preventive maintenance, quality control and adverse event monitoring. In view of this, the article aims at discussion on the quality evaluation method of medical devices during their life cycle in operation based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The presented method is proved to be effective by evaluating patient monitors as example. The method presented in can promote and guide the device quality control work, and it can provide valuable inputs to decisions about purchase of new device.

Numerical methods of solving a system of multi-dimensional nonlinear equations of the diffusion type

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agapov, A. V.; Kolosov, B. I.

1979-01-01

The principles of conservation and stability of difference schemes achieved using the iteration control method were examined. For the schemes obtained of the predictor-corrector type, the conversion was proved for the control sequences of approximate solutions to the precise solutions in the Sobolev metrics. Algorithms were developed for reducing the differential problem to integral relationships, whose solution methods are known, were designed. The algorithms for the problem solution are classified depending on the non-linearity of the diffusion coefficients, and practical recommendations for their effective use are given.

Duplication methods for replacement of broken orthoses.

PubMed

Bradbury, R L; Gastwirth, B W; O'Connor, K J; Bloom, J

1988-04-01

The methods presented for replacement of broken orthoses have proved very effective (Fig. 9). In more than 5 years of employing such duplication techniques, we have found patient satisfaction in the product to be commensurate with that for their originally prescribed devices. The techniques presented are not the only methods by which orthoses can be duplicated. We recognize that the clinician should refabricate the same orthosis only when the cause of breakage has been determined to be material fatigue or stress. Should the patient's weight, foot structure, or activities have changed, new orthoses should be fabricated with those factors in mind.

Completely non-destructive elemental analysis of bulky samples by PGAA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oura, Y.; Nakahara, H.; Sueki, K.; Sato, W.; Saito, A.; Tomizawa, T.; Nishikawa, T.

1999-01-01

NBAA (neutron beam activation analysis), which is a combination of PGAA and INAA by a single neutron irradiation, using an internal monostandard method is proposed as a very unique and promising method for the elemental analysis of voluminous and invaluable archaeological samples which do not allow even a scrape of the surface. It was applied to chinawares, Sueki ware, and bronze mirrors, and proved to be a very effective method for nondestructive analysis of not only major elements but also some minor elements such as boron that help solve archaeological problems of ears and sites of their production.

The absolute magnitudes of RR Lyrae stars. II - DX Delphini

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skillen, I.; Fernley, J. A.; Jameson, R. F.; Lynas-Gray, A. E.; Longmore, A. J.

1989-11-01

UV, IR and visual photometry of the short-period RR Lyrae star DX Del is presented and treated by means of the Blackwell and Shallis (1977) IR Flux Method-based formulation of the Baade-Wesselink method. Upon correcting to common reddening, extinction, and radial-velocity conversion factors, as well as applying the Baade-Wesselink analysis of Burki and Meylan (1986), it proved impossible to reproduce their results. It is suggested that the present methods are inherently more stable than those of Burki and Meylan, given their reliance on optical colors and magnitudes to derive effective temperatures and radii.

[Elastic registration method to compute deformation functions for mitral valve].

PubMed

Yang, Jinyu; Zhang, Wan; Yin, Ran; Deng, Yuxiao; Wei, Yunfeng; Zeng, Junyi; Wen, Tong; Ding, Lu; Liu, Xiaojian; Li, Yipeng

2014-10-01

Mitral valve disease is one of the most popular heart valve diseases. Precise positioning and displaying of the valve characteristics is necessary for the minimally invasive mitral valve repairing procedures. This paper presents a multi-resolution elastic registration method to compute the deformation functions constructed from cubic B-splines in three dimensional ultrasound images, in which the objective functional to be optimized was generated by maximum likelihood method based on the probabilistic distribution of the ultrasound speckle noise. The algorithm was then applied to register the mitral valve voxels. Numerical results proved the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Identification method of laser gyro error model under changing physical field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qingqing; Niu, Zhenzhong

2018-04-01

In this paper, the influence mechanism of temperature, temperature changing rate and temperature gradient on the inertial devices is studied. The two-order model of zero bias and the three-order model of the calibration factor of lster gyro under temperature variation are deduced. The calibration scheme of temperature error is designed, and the experiment is carried out. Two methods of stepwise regression analysis and BP neural network are used to identify the parameters of the temperature error model, and the effectiveness of the two methods is proved by the temperature error compensation.

The analysis of tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides, lincosamides, pleuromutilins, and sulfonamides in chicken feathers using UHPLC-MS/MS in order to monitor antibiotic use in the poultry sector.

PubMed

Jansen, Larissa J M; Bolck, Yvette J C; Rademaker, Janneau; Zuidema, Tina; Berendsen, Bjorn J A

2017-08-01

In The Netherlands, all antibiotic treatments should be registered at the farm and in a central database. To enforce correct antibiotic use and registration, and to enforce prudent use of antibiotics, there is a need for methods that are able to detect antibiotic treatments. Ideally, such a method is able to detect antibiotic applications during the entire lifespan of an animal, including treatments administered during the first days of the animals' lives. Monitoring tissue, as is common practice, only provides a limited window of opportunity, as residue levels in tissue soon drop below measurable quantities. The analysis of feathers proves to be a promising tool in this respect. Furthermore, a qualitative confirmatory method was developed for the analyses of six major groups of antibiotics in ground chicken feathers, aiming for a detection limit as low as reasonably possible. The method was validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. All compounds comply with the criteria and, as a matter of fact, 58% of the compounds could also be quantified according to regulations. Additionally, we demonstrated that a less laborious method, in which whole feathers were analyzed, proved successful in the detection of applied antibiotics. Most compounds could be detected at levels of 2 μg kg -1 or below with the exception of sulfachloropyridazine, tylosin, and tylvalosin. This demonstrates the effectiveness of feather analysis to detect antibiotic use to allow effective enforcement of antibiotic use and prevent the illegal, off-label, and nonregistered use of antibiotics.

An improved TV caption image binarization method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Mengdi; Cheng, Jianghua; Chen, Minghui; Ku, Xishu

2018-04-01

TV Video caption image binarization has important influence on semantic video retrieval. An improved binarization method for caption image is proposed in this paper. In order to overcome the shortcomings of ghost and broken strokes problems of traditional Niblack method, the method has considered the global information of the images and the local information of the images. First, Tradition Otsu and Niblack thresholds are used for initial binarization. Second, we introduced the difference between maximum and minimum values in the local window as a third threshold to generate two images. Finally, with a logic AND operation of the two images, great results were obtained. The experiment results prove that the proposed method is reliable and effective.

Clinical characteristic of amoebic liver abscesses in the North of Iraq.

PubMed

Baban, F A

2000-06-01

The purpose of the study was to find out the clinical characteristic of amoebic liver abscesses in this area, the simplest method for diagnosis and to determine the effectiveness of treatment by metronidazole therapy proved by disappearance of symptoms and regression in the size of the abscesses by ultrasound. We studied prospectively all cases of suspected liver abscesses admitted to our unit over 2 years (1990 & 1991). A special case sheet was prepared. Daily follow up of patients was carried out in hospital for at least 10 days. Patients were later followed up by ultrasound after discharge. We compared the rate of infection from the hospital records over the last 9 years up to the end of 1998. We found the clinical features of the disease similar to those mentioned in essential text books of medicine, except that pain is not always epigastric while fever may be absent and hepatomegaly is not marked. Ultrasound is a simple, cheap diagnostic test, which is available. Metronidazole is an effective treatment and none of the patients required an invasive method for diagnosis or treatment. None had secondary bacterial infection. Amoebic liver abscess if untreated is a grave disorder. We concluded that recognizing the disorder clinically and proving it by ultrasound is the main method for diagnostic confirmation. Following the hospital records of the last 9 years, it seems that the rate of infection is declining in this area.

Resummation of Goldstone infrared divergences: A proof to all orders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinosa, J. R.; Konstandin, T.

2018-03-01

The perturbative effective potential calculated in Landau gauge suffers from infrared problems due to Goldstone boson loops. These divergences are spurious and can be removed by a resummation procedure that amounts to a shift of the mass of soft Goldstones. We prove this to all loops using an effective theory approach, providing a compact recipe for the shift of the Goldstone mass that relies on the use of the method of regions to split soft and hard Goldstone contributions.

Rapid, Contactless and Non-Destructive Testing of Chemical Composition of Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, O.; Vaseashta, A.; Stoychev, L.

Our results demonstrate that a new effect can be induced in each solid in a wide spectral range of electromagnetic irradiation. In the present manuscript we prove experimentally that one of the possible applications of this effect is for an express contactless control of the chemical composition of a series of samples, in this case, coins. The method has wide applicability ranging from defense and homeland security to several applications requiring rapid and nondestructive identification of chemical composition.

Assessments of astronaut effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, Robert M.; Helmreich, Robert L.; Fogg, Louis; Mcfadden, Terry J.

1993-01-01

This study examined the reliability and convergent validity of three methods of peer and supervisory ratings of the effectiveness of individual NASA astronauts and their relationships with flight assignments. These two techniques were found to be reliable and relatively convergent. Seniority and a peer-rated Performance and Competence factor proved to be most closely associated with flight assignments, while supervisor ratings and a peer-rated Group Living and Personality factor were found to be unrelated. Results have implications for the selection and training of astronauts.

Increasing the resource of high load compression springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zemlyanushnova, N. Y.; Zemlyanushnov, N. A.

2017-10-01

Valve springs of VAZ automobiles’ engines are manufactured by using a new method. The decrease of dispersion of operating load in experimental springs compared to serial ones has been proved. The springs have passed a stress cycling test. With the new method having been used, it has been proved that the resource of high load springs working at high loading speed with coils collision has increased up to 60%.

Computers and terminals as an aid to international technology transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sweeney, W. T.

1974-01-01

As technology transfer becomes more popular and proves to be an economical method for companies of all sizes to take advantage of a tremendous amount of new and available technology from sources all over the world, the introduction of computers and terminals into the international technology transfer process is proving to be a successful method for companies to take part in this beneficial approach to new business opportunities.

Study on grain quality forecasting method and indicators by using hyperspectral data in wheat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wenjiang; Wang, Jihua; Liu, Liangyun; Wang, Zhijie; Tan, Changwei; Song, Xiaoyu; Wang, Jingdi

2005-01-01

Field experiments were conducted to examine the influence factors of cultivar, nitrogen application and irrigation on grain protein content, gluten content and grain hardness in three winter wheat cultivars under four levels of nitrogen and irrigation treatments. Firstly, the influence of cultivars and environment factors on grain quality were studied, the effective factors were cultivars, irrigation, fertilization, et al. Secondly, total nitrogen content around winter wheat anthesis stage was proved to be significant correlative with grain protein content, and spectral vegetation index significantly correlated to total nitrogen content around anthesis stage were the potential indicators for grain protein content. Accumulation of total nitrogen content and its transfer to grain is the physical link to produce the final grain protein, and total nitrogen content at anthesis stage was proved to be an indicator of final grain protein content. The selected normalized photochemical reflectance index (NPRI) was proved to be able to predict of grain protein content on the close correlation between the ratio of total carotenoid to chlorophyll a and total nitrogen content. The method contributes towards developing optimal procedures for predicting wheat grain quality through analysis of their canopy reflected spectrum at anthesis stage. Regression equations were established for forecasting grain protein and dry gluten content by total nitrogen content at anthesis stage, so it is feasible for forecasting grain quality by establishing correlation equations between biochemical constitutes and canopy reflected spectrum.

Microbial degradation of an organophosphate pesticide, malathion.

PubMed

Singh, Baljinder; Kaur, Jagdeep; Singh, Kashmir

2014-05-01

Organophosphorus pesticide, malathion, is used in public health, residential, and agricultural settings worldwide to control the pest population. It is proven that exposure to malathion produce toxic effects in humans and other mammals. Due to high toxicity, studies are going on to design effective methods for removal of malathion and its associated compounds from the environment. Among various techniques available, degradation of malathion by microbes proves to be an effective and environment friendly method. Recently, research activities in this area have shown that a diverse range of microorganisms are capable of degrading malathion. Therefore, we aimed at providing an overview of research accomplishments on this subject and discussed the toxicity of malathion and its metabolites, various microorganisms involved in its biodegradation and effect of various environmental parameters on its degradation.

An empirical machine learning method for predicting potential fire control locations for pre-fire planning and operational fire management

Treesearch

Christopher D. O' Connor; David E. Calkin; Matthew P. Thompson

2017-01-01

During active fire incidents, decisions regarding where and how to safely and effectively deploy resources to meet management objectives are often made under rapidly evolving conditions, with limited time to assess management strategies or for development of backup plans if initial efforts prove unsuccessful. Under all but the most extreme fire weather conditions,...

Pre-Packaged Commercial PACE Financing Solutions

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

Wallander, Michael

The objective of this project was to demonstrate a more streamlined method for facilitating commercial property assessed clean energy (PACE) retrofits. The Recipient aimed to prove that energy efficiency performance of simple, pre-packaged technologies (e.g., lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)) can be accurately estimated without the need for a detailed energy audit. A successful project would inspire consumer confidence in undertaking cost-effective retrofits.

Control of pest species: Tree shelters help protect seedlings from nutria

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, J.A.; Boykin, R.

1991-01-01

Various methods of nutria preventative techniques were tested in attempts to curb the loss of seedlings due to nutria capturing. The results of testing possibly indicate that tree shelters have real potential for use in forest restoration projects on sites with moderate nutria populations. Tree shelters may even prove effective on sites with high nutria populations, as long as alternative food supplies are available.

Continuing Weed Control Benefits Young Planted Black Walnut

Treesearch

John E. Krajicek; Robert D. Williams

1971-01-01

Cultivation, atrazine, and simazine were used for weed control 1, 2, and 3 years following planting of black walnut in Iowa and Indiana. In Iowa, 2 or more years of weed control resulted in the best seedling growth, but in Indiana 3 years proved best. Method of weed control had no significant effect on seedling growth in Iowa, but chemical control resulted in better...

Analysis of A Virus Dynamics Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Baolin; Li, Jianquan; Li, Jia; Zhao, Xin

2018-03-01

In order to more accurately characterize the virus infection in the host, a virus dynamics model with latency and virulence is established and analyzed in this paper. The positivity and boundedness of the solution are proved. After obtaining the basic reproduction number and the existence of infected equilibrium, the Lyapunov method and the LaSalle invariance principle are used to determine the stability of the uninfected equilibrium and infected equilibrium by constructing appropriate Lyapunov functions. We prove that, when the basic reproduction number does not exceed 1, the uninfected equilibrium is globally stable, the virus can be cleared eventually; when the basic reproduction number is more than 1, the infected equilibrium is globally stable, the virus will persist in the host at a certain level. The effect of virulence and latency on infection is also discussed.

A Full-Core Resonance Self-Shielding Method Using a Continuous-Energy Quasi–One-Dimensional Slowing-Down Solution that Accounts for Temperature-Dependent Fuel Subregions and Resonance Interference

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

Liu, Yuxuan; Martin, William; Williams, Mark

In this paper, a correction-based resonance self-shielding method is developed that allows annular subdivision of the fuel rod. The method performs the conventional iteration of the embedded self-shielding method (ESSM) without subdivision of the fuel to capture the interpin shielding effect. The resultant self-shielded cross sections are modified by correction factors incorporating the intrapin effects of radial variation of the shielded cross section, radial temperature distribution, and resonance interference. A quasi–one-dimensional slowing-down equation is developed to calculate such correction factors. The method is implemented in the DeCART code and compared with the conventional ESSM and subgroup method with benchmark MCNPmore » results. The new method yields substantially improved results for both spatially dependent reaction rates and eigenvalues for typical pressurized water reactor pin cell cases with uniform and nonuniform fuel temperature profiles. Finally, the new method is also proved effective in treating assembly heterogeneity and complex material composition such as mixed oxide fuel, where resonance interference is much more intense.« less

Study of Dimple Effect on the Friction Characteristics of a Journal Bearing using Taguchi Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murthy, A. Amar; Raghunandana, Dr.

2018-02-01

The effect of producing dimples using chemically etched techniques or by machining process on the surface of a journal bearing bushing to reduce the friction using Taguchi method is investigated. The data used in the present analysis is based on the results obtained by the series of experiments conducted to study the dimples effect on the Stribeck curve. It is statistically proved that producing dimples on the bushing surface of a journal bearing has significant effect on the friction coefficient when used with light oils. Also it is seen that there is an interaction effect between speeds-load and load-dimples. Hence the interaction effect, which are usually neglected should be considered during actual experiments that significantly contributes in reducing the friction in mixed lubrication regime. The experiments, if were conducted after Taguchi method, then the number of experiments would have been reduced to half of the actual set of experiments that were essentially conducted.

Onomatopoeia characters extraction from comic images using constrained Delaunay triangulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiangping; Shoji, Kenji; Mori, Hiroshi; Toyama, Fubito

2014-02-01

A method for extracting onomatopoeia characters from comic images was developed based on stroke width feature of characters, since they nearly have a constant stroke width in a number of cases. An image was segmented with a constrained Delaunay triangulation. Connected component grouping was performed based on the triangles generated by the constrained Delaunay triangulation. Stroke width calculation of the connected components was conducted based on the altitude of the triangles generated with the constrained Delaunay triangulation. The experimental results proved the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Evaluating the efficacies of Maximum Tolerated Dose and metronomic chemotherapies: A mathematical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guiraldello, Rafael T.; Martins, Marcelo L.; Mancera, Paulo F. A.

2016-08-01

We present a mathematical model based on partial differential equations that is applied to understand tumor development and its response to chemotherapy. Our primary aim is to evaluate comparatively the efficacies of two chemotherapeutic protocols, Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) and metronomic, as well as two methods of drug delivery. Concerning therapeutic outcomes, the metronomic protocol proves more effective in prolonging the patient's life than MTD. Moreover, a uniform drug delivery method combined with the metronomic protocol is the most efficient strategy to reduce tumor density.

A novel recurrent neural network with finite-time convergence for linear programming.

PubMed

Liu, Qingshan; Cao, Jinde; Chen, Guanrong

2010-11-01

In this letter, a novel recurrent neural network based on the gradient method is proposed for solving linear programming problems. Finite-time convergence of the proposed neural network is proved by using the Lyapunov method. Compared with the existing neural networks for linear programming, the proposed neural network is globally convergent to exact optimal solutions in finite time, which is remarkable and rare in the literature of neural networks for optimization. Some numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness and excellent performance of the new recurrent neural network.

Standardization of a spinal cord lesion model and neurologic evaluation using mice

PubMed Central

Borges, Paulo Alvim; Cristante, Alexandre Fogaça; de Barros-Filho, Tarcísio Eloy Pessoa; Natalino, Renato Jose Mendonça; dos Santos, Gustavo Bispo; Marcon, Raphael Marcus

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To standardize a spinal cord lesion mouse model. METHODS: Thirty BALB/c mice were divided into five groups: four experimental groups and one control group (sham). The experimental groups were subjected to spinal cord lesion by a weight drop from different heights after laminectomy whereas the sham group only underwent laminectomy. Mice were observed for six weeks, and functional behavior scales were applied. The mice were then euthanized, and histological investigations were performed to confirm and score spinal cord lesion. The findings were evaluated to prove whether the method of administering spinal cord lesion was effective and different among the groups. Additionally, we correlated the results of the functional scales with the results from the histology evaluations to identify which scale is more reliable. RESULTS: One mouse presented autophagia, and six mice died during the experiment. Because four of the mice that died were in Group 5, Group 5 was excluded from the study. All the functional scales assessed proved to be significantly different from each other, and mice presented functional evolution during the experiment. Spinal cord lesion was confirmed by histology, and the results showed a high correlation between the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Scale and the Basso Mouse Scale. The mouse function scale showed a moderate to high correlation with the histological findings, and the horizontal ladder test had a high correlation with neurologic degeneration but no correlation with the other histological parameters evaluated. CONCLUSION: This spinal cord lesion mouse model proved to be effective and reliable with exception of lesions caused by a 10-g drop from 50 mm, which resulted in unacceptable mortality. The Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Scale and Basso Mouse Scale are the most reliable functional assessments, and but the horizontal ladder test is not recommended. PMID:29561931

Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) stimulates cAMP formation in human mononuclear cells and inhibits angiogenesis in chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane assay.

PubMed

Pacini, Stefania; Morucci, Gabriele; Punzi, Tiziana; Gulisano, Massimo; Ruggiero, Marco

2011-04-01

The effects of Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) have been studied in cancer and other conditions where angiogenesis is deregulated. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the mitogenic response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to GcMAF was associated with 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) formation. The effect was dose dependent, and maximal stimulation was achieved using 0.1 ng/ml. Heparin inhibited the stimulatory effect of GcMAF on PBMCs. In addition, we demonstrate that GcMAF (1 ng/ml) inhibited prostaglandin E(1)- and human breast cancer cell-stimulated angiogenesis in chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Finally, we tested different GcMAF preparations on CAM, and the assay proved to be a reliable, reproducible and inexpensive method to determine the relative potencies of different preparations and their stability; we observed that storage at room temperature for 15 days decreased GcMAF potency by about 50%. These data could prove useful for upcoming clinical trials on GcMAF.

Crystallizing Membrane Proteins in the Lipidic Mesophase. Experience with Human Prostaglandin E2 Synthase 1 and an Evolving Strategy.

PubMed

Li, Dianfan; Howe, Nicole; Dukkipati, Abhiram; Shah, Syed T A; Bax, Benjamin D; Edge, Colin; Bridges, Angela; Hardwicke, Phil; Singh, Onkar M P; Giblin, Ged; Pautsch, Alexander; Pfau, Roland; Schnapp, Gisela; Wang, Meitian; Olieric, Vincent; Caffrey, Martin

2014-04-02

The lipidic mesophase or in meso method for crystallizing membrane proteins has several high profile targets to its credit and is growing in popularity. Despite its success, the method is in its infancy as far as rational crystallogenesis is concerned. Consequently, significant time, effort, and resources are still required to generate structure-grade crystals, especially with a new target type. Therefore, a need exists for crystallogenesis protocols that are effective with a broad range of membrane protein types. Recently, a strategy for crystallizing a prokaryotic α-helical membrane protein, diacylglycerol kinase (DgkA), by the in meso method was reported (Cryst. Growth. Des.2013, 14, 2846-2857). Here, we describe its application to the human α-helical microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase 1 (mPGES1). While the DgkA strategy proved useful, significant modifications were needed to generate structure-quality crystals of this important therapeutic target. These included protein engineering, using an additive phospholipid in the hosting mesophase, performing multiple rounds of salt screening, and carrying out trials at 4 °C in the presence of a tight binding ligand. The crystallization strategy detailed here should prove useful for generating structures of other integral membrane proteins by the in meso method.

A novel sample preparation method to avoid influence of embedding medium during nano-indentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Yujie; Wang, Siqun; Cai, Zhiyong; Young, Timothy M.; Du, Guanben; Li, Yanjun

2013-02-01

The effect of the embedding medium on the nano-indentation measurements of lignocellulosic materials was investigated experimentally using nano-indentation. Both the reduced elastic modulus and the hardness of non-embedded cell walls were found to be lower than those of the embedded samples, proving that the embedding medium used for specimen preparation on cellulosic material during nano-indentation can modify cell-wall properties. This leads to structural and chemical changes in the cell-wall constituents, changes that may significantly alter the material properties. Further investigation was carried out to detect the influence of different vacuum times on the cell-wall mechanical properties during the embedding procedure. Interpretation of the statistical analysis revealed no linear relationships between vacuum time and the mechanical properties of cell walls. The quantitative measurements confirm that low-viscosity resin has a rapid penetration rate early in the curing process. Finally, a novel sample preparation method aimed at preventing resin diffusion into lignocellulosic cell walls was developed using a plastic film to wrap the sample before embedding. This method proved to be accessible and straightforward for many kinds of lignocellulosic material, but is especially suitable for small, soft samples.

Thermal dynamic behavior during selective laser melting of K418 superalloy: numerical simulation and experimental verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhen; Xiang, Yu; Wei, Zhengying; Wei, Pei; Lu, Bingheng; Zhang, Lijuan; Du, Jun

2018-04-01

During selective laser melting (SLM) of K418 powder, the influence of the process parameters, such as laser power P and scanning speed v, on the dynamic thermal behavior and morphology of the melted tracks was investigated numerically. A 3D finite difference method was established to predict the dynamic thermal behavior and flow mechanism of K418 powder irradiated by a Gaussian laser beam. A three-dimensional randomly packed powder bed composed of spherical particles was established by discrete element method. The powder particle information including particle size distribution and packing density were taken into account. The volume shrinkage and temperature-dependent thermophysical parameters such as thermal conductivity, specific heat, and other physical properties were also considered. The volume of fluid method was applied to reconstruct the free surface of the molten pool during SLM. The geometrical features, continuity boundaries, and irregularities of the molten pool were proved to be largely determined by the laser energy density. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experiments, which prove to be reasonable and effective. The results provide us some in-depth insight into the complex physical behavior during SLM and guide the optimization of process parameters.

Potential removal of organic loads from petroleum wastewater and its effect on the corrosion behavior of municipal networks.

PubMed

El-Shamy, A M; Abdelfattah, Ibrahim; Elshafey, Ola I; Shehata, M F

2018-05-09

A potential and cost-effective treatment method utilizing thermally activated bentonite was evaluated for the treatment of highly loaded real petroleum processing wastewater (COD = 4500 mg/L) in order to reduce its COD and improve the corrosion properties. A save discharging COD limit of the treated effluent (800 mg/L) is achieved by using 6 g/L of calcinated bentonite after reaching the steady state (1 h of shaking) at pH 5. The durability of bentonite is proved. The corrosion behavior of the treated wastewater was investigated for mild steel by using electrochemical and weight loss measurements. The results proved that the corrosion rate of the wastewater was slightly reduced after the treatment process. More improvement of the corrosion resistance was achieved by adding sodium hexa-meta-phosphate (SHMP) corrosion inhibitor to the treated water. Tri-methyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) biocide was also added before discharging into municipal networks. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Light field reconstruction robust to signal dependent noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Kun; Bian, Liheng; Suo, Jinli; Dai, Qionghai

2014-11-01

Capturing four dimensional light field data sequentially using a coded aperture camera is an effective approach but suffers from low signal noise ratio. Although multiplexing can help raise the acquisition quality, noise is still a big issue especially for fast acquisition. To address this problem, this paper proposes a noise robust light field reconstruction method. Firstly, scene dependent noise model is studied and incorporated into the light field reconstruction framework. Then, we derive an optimization algorithm for the final reconstruction. We build a prototype by hacking an off-the-shelf camera for data capturing and prove the concept. The effectiveness of this method is validated with experiments on the real captured data.

A network medicine approach to quantify distance between hereditary disease modules on the interactome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caniza, Horacio; Romero, Alfonso E.; Paccanaro, Alberto

2015-12-01

We introduce a MeSH-based method that accurately quantifies similarity between heritable diseases at molecular level. This method effectively brings together the existing information about diseases that is scattered across the vast corpus of biomedical literature. We prove that sets of MeSH terms provide a highly descriptive representation of heritable disease and that the structure of MeSH provides a natural way of combining individual MeSH vocabularies. We show that our measure can be used effectively in the prediction of candidate disease genes. We developed a web application to query more than 28.5 million relationships between 7,574 hereditary diseases (96% of OMIM) based on our similarity measure.

Engine-propeller power plant aircraft community noise reduction key methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshkov P., A.; Samokhin V., F.; Yakovlev A., A.

2018-04-01

Basic methods of aircraft-type flying vehicle engine-propeller power plant noise reduction were considered including single different-structure-and-arrangement propellers and piston engines. On the basis of a semiempirical model the expressions for blade diameter and number effect evaluation upon propeller noise tone components under thrust constancy condition were proposed. Acoustic tests performed at Moscow Aviation institute airfield on the whole qualitatively proved the obtained ratios. As an example of noise and detectability reduction provision a design-and-experimental estimation of propeller diameter effect upon unmanned aircraft audibility boundaries was performed. Future investigation ways were stated to solve a low-noise power plant design problem for light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Influence of air-jet vortex generator diameter on separation region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szwaba, Ryszard

2013-08-01

Control of shock wave and boundary layer interaction continues to attract a lot of attention. In recent decades several methods of interaction control have been investigated. The research has mostly concerned solid (vane type) vortex generators and transpiration methods of suction and blowing. This investigation concerns interaction control using air-jets to generate streamwise vortices. The effectiveness of air-jet vortex generators in controlling separation has been proved in a previous research. The present paper focuses on the influence of the vortex generator diameter on the separation region. It presents the results of experimental investigations and provides new guidelines for the design of air-jet vortex generators to obtain more effective separation control.

Evaluation of FCS self and peer-assessment approach based on Cooperative and Engineering Design learning.

PubMed

Cvetkovic, Dean

2013-01-01

The Cooperative Learning in Engineering Design curriculum can be enhanced with structured and timely self and peer assessment teaching methodologies which can easily be applied to any Biomedical Engineering curriculum. A study was designed and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this structured and timely self and peer assessment on student team-based projects. In comparing the 'peer-blind' and 'face-to-face' Fair Contribution Scoring (FCS) methods, both had advantages and disadvantages. The 'peer-blind' self and peer assessment method would cause high discrepancy between self and team ratings. But the 'face-to-face' method on the other hand did not have the discrepancy issue and had actually proved to be a more accurate and effective, indicating team cohesiveness and good cooperative learning.

Two-dimensional radiative transfer. I - Planar geometry. [in stellar atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mihalas, D.; Auer, L. H.; Mihalas, B. R.

1978-01-01

Differential-equation methods for solving the transfer equation in two-dimensional planar geometries are developed. One method, which uses a Hermitian integration formula on ray segments through grid points, proves to be extremely well suited to velocity-dependent problems. An efficient elimination scheme is developed for which the computing time scales linearly with the number of angles and frequencies; problems with large velocity amplitudes can thus be treated accurately. A very accurate and efficient method for performing a formal solution is also presented. A discussion is given of several examples of periodic media and free-standing slabs, both in static cases and with velocity fields. For the free-standing slabs, two-dimensional transport effects are significant near boundaries, but no important effects were found in any of the periodic cases studied.

Matrix Effect Evaluation and Method Validation of Azoxystrobin and Difenoconazole Residues in Red Flesh Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) Matrices Using QuEChERS Sample Preparation Methods Followed by LC-MS/MS Determination.

PubMed

Noegrohati, Sri; Hernadi, Elan; Asviastuti, Syanti

2018-06-01

Production of red flesh dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) was hampered by Colletotrichum sp. Pre-harvest application of azoxystrobin and difenoconazole mixture is recommended, therefore, a selective and sensitive multi residues analytical method is required in monitoring and evaluating the commodity's safety. LC-MS/MS is a well-established analytical technique for qualitative and quantitative determination in complex matrices. However, this method is hurdled by co-eluted coextractives interferences. This work evaluated the pH effect of acetate buffered and citrate buffered QuEChERS sample preparation in their effectiveness of matrix effect reduction. Citrate buffered QuEChERS proved to produce clean final extract with relative matrix effect 0.4%-0.7%. Method validation of the selected sample preparation followed by LC-MS/MS for whole dragon fruit, flesh and peel matrices fortified at 0.005, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 g/g showed recoveries 75%-119%, intermediate repeatability 2%-14%. The expanded uncertainties were 7%-48%. Based on the international acceptance criteria, this method is valid.

Laser-induced plasma characterization through self-absorption quantification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, JiaJia; Zhang, Lei; Zhao, Yang; Yan, Xingyu; Ma, Weiguang; Dong, Lei; Yin, Wangbao; Xiao, Liantuan; Jia, Suotang

2018-07-01

A self-absorption quantification method is proposed to quantify the self-absorption degree of spectral lines, in which plasma characteristics including electron temperature, elemental concentration ratio, and absolute species number density can be deduced directly. Since there is no spectral intensity involved in the calculation, the analysis results are independent of the self-absorption effects and the additional spectral efficiency calibration is not required. In order to evaluate the practicality, the limitation for application and the precision of this method are also discussed. Experimental results of aluminum-lithium alloy prove that the proposed method is qualified to realize semi-quantitative measurements and fast plasma characteristics diagnostics.

Adaptive back-stepping control of the harmonic drive system with LuGre model-based friction compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Sen; Gang, Tieqiang

2018-03-01

Harmonic drives are widely used in aerospace and industrial robots. Flexibility, friction and parameter uncertainty will result in transmission performance degradation. In this paper, an adaptive back-stepping method with friction compensation is proposed to improve the tracking performance of the harmonic drive system. The nonlinear friction is described by LuGre model and compensated with a friction observer, and the uncertainty of model parameters is resolved by adaptive parameter estimation method. By using Lyapunov stability theory, it is proved that all the errors of the closed-loop system are uniformly ultimately bounded. Simulations illustrate the effectiveness of our friction compensation method.

Graphic tracings of condylar paths and measurements of condylar angles.

PubMed

el-Gheriani, A S; Winstanley, R B

1989-01-01

A study was carried out to determine the accuracy of different methods of measuring condylar inclination from graphical recordings of condylar paths. Thirty subjects made protrusive mandibular movements while condylar inclination was recorded on a graph paper card. A mandibular facebow and intraoral central bearing plate facilitated the procedure. The first method proved to be too variable to be of value in measuring condylar angles. The spline curve fitting technique was shown to be accurate, but its use clinically may prove complex. The mathematical method was more practical and overcame the variability of the tangent method. Other conclusions regarding condylar inclination are outlined.

Effect of drying method to antioxidants capacity of Limnophila aromatica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Tran Thi Ngoc; Vu, Nguyen Hoang

2017-09-01

Limnophila aromatica is widely used in South East Asian countries to make spices in food and medicine in traditional medicine. The use value of vegetables is known because some of the lesser constituents in plants are called antioxidants. These active ingredients have not been fully researched and their pharmacological effects are underestimated. In this study, the drying temperature at 40 °C was showed that the antioxidant activity decreased the most. The drying temperature of 50 °C is suitable for convection drying method and drying temperature of 60 °C suitable for vacuum drying, as it retains the most antioxidant properties. Regarding the drying method, freeze drying proved to be effective when retaining high antioxidant capacity. Using The convection drying at 50 °C and the vacuum drying at 60 °C, the antioxidant activity of Limnophila aromatica was not different. Over 6 weeks of preservation, the dried product has deterioration in antioxidant properties.

The effect of a lignosulphate type additive on the lead—acid battery positive plate reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovuru, S. E.; Harrison, J. A.

The electrochemical formation of lead dioxide has been investigated at a lead electrode in a 5 M sulphuric acid solution, and in the presence of phosphoric acid and lignosulphate-type additive. The formation of lead dioxide from lead sulphate, and the reverse reaction, have been investigated by the linear potential sweep method, by an impedance method in which the impedance was measured at the end of each pulse during a potential pulse train, and by a charging curve method in which the current and charge was measured during a similar potential pulse train. The charge measurements prove that the main effect of the additive is to decrease the accompanying oxygen evolution reaction. The impedance measurements, however, show that the additive has a small but significant effect on the structure of the solid lead sulphate and lead dioxide layers.

Varicose vein therapy and nerve lesions.

PubMed

Hirsch, Tobias

2017-03-01

Treating varicose veins using endovenous thermal techniques - especially laser and radio frequency ablation - has emerged as an effective alternative to open surgery with stripping and high ligation. Even though these methods are very gentle and patient-friendly, they are nevertheless accompanied by risks and side effects. Compared to open surgical therapy, the risk of damage to peripheral and motor nerves is reduced; however, it still exists as a result of heat exposure and tumescent anaesthesia. Non-thermal methods that can be applied without tumescent anaesthesia have been introduced to the market. They pose a considerably lower risk of nerve lesions while proving to be much more effective. This paper investigates data on postoperative nerve damage and paraesthesia using internet research (PubMed). It analyses the current state of knowledge regarding non-thermal treatment methods and takes into account the latest developments in the use of cyanoacrylate to close insufficient saphenous veins.

Transcriptional Inducers of Acetylcholinesterase Expression as Novel Antidotes for Protection Against Chemical Warfare Agents

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-01

neuroblastoma cell line , P19 and a human neuroblastoma cell line SH - SY5Y (data not shown). Effect of trichostatin A on...mouse neuroblastoma P19 cell line and a human neuroblastoma cell line SH - SY5Y . More experiments are needed to prove the potential of AChE expression in...treatment of nerve agent exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Neuronal cell lines and

Helicopter Visual Aid System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baisley, R. L.

1973-01-01

The results of an evaluation of police helicopter effectiveness revealed a need for improved visual capability. A JPL program developed a method that would enhance visual observation capability for both day and night usage and demonstrated the feasibility of the adopted approach. This approach made use of remote pointable optics, a display screen, a slaved covert searchlight, and a coupled camera. The approach was proved feasible through field testing and by judgement against evaluation criteria.

Some Inspection Methods for Quality Control and In-service Inspection of GLARE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinke, J.

2003-07-01

Quality control of materials and structures is an important issue, also for GLARE. During the manufacturing stage the processes and materials should be monitored and checked frequently in order to obtain a qualified product. During the operation of the aircraft, frequent monitoring and inspections are performed to maintain the quality at a prescribed level. Therefore, in-service inspection methods are applied, and when necessary repair activities are conducted. For the quality control of the GLARE panels and components during manufacturing, the C-scan method proves to be an effective tool. For in-service inspection the Eddy Current Method is one of the suitable options. In this paper a brief overview is presented of both methods and their application on GLARE products.

Three Lectures on Theorem-proving and Program Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. S.

1983-01-01

Topics concerning theorem proving and program verification are discussed with particlar emphasis on the Boyer/Moore theorem prover, and approaches to program verification such as the functional and interpreter methods and the inductive assertion approach. A history of the discipline and specific program examples are included.

Quantitative methods for analysing cumulative effects on fish migration success: a review.

PubMed

Johnson, J E; Patterson, D A; Martins, E G; Cooke, S J; Hinch, S G

2012-07-01

It is often recognized, but seldom addressed, that a quantitative assessment of the cumulative effects, both additive and non-additive, of multiple stressors on fish survival would provide a more realistic representation of the factors that influence fish migration. This review presents a compilation of analytical methods applied to a well-studied fish migration, a more general review of quantitative multivariable methods, and a synthesis on how to apply new analytical techniques in fish migration studies. A compilation of adult migration papers from Fraser River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka revealed a limited number of multivariable methods being applied and the sub-optimal reliance on univariable methods for multivariable problems. The literature review of fisheries science, general biology and medicine identified a large number of alternative methods for dealing with cumulative effects, with a limited number of techniques being used in fish migration studies. An evaluation of the different methods revealed that certain classes of multivariable analyses will probably prove useful in future assessments of cumulative effects on fish migration. This overview and evaluation of quantitative methods gathered from the disparate fields should serve as a primer for anyone seeking to quantify cumulative effects on fish migration survival. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

An improved image non-blind image deblurring method based on FoEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qidan; Sun, Lei

2013-03-01

Traditional non-blind image deblurring algorithms always use maximum a posterior(MAP). MAP estimates involving natural image priors can reduce the ripples effectively in contrast to maximum likelihood(ML). However, they have been found lacking in terms of restoration performance. Based on this issue, we utilize MAP with KL penalty to replace traditional MAP. We develop an image reconstruction algorithm that minimizes the KL divergence between the reference distribution and the prior distribution. The approximate KL penalty can restrain over-smooth caused by MAP. We use three groups of images and Harris corner detection to prove our method. The experimental results show that our algorithm of non-blind image restoration can effectively reduce the ringing effect and exhibit the state-of-the-art deblurring results.

[Determination of cost-effective strategies in colorectal cancer screening].

PubMed

Dervaux, B; Eeckhoudt, L; Lebrun, T; Sailly, J C

1992-01-01

The object of the article is to implement particular methodologies in order to determine which strategies are cost-effective in the mass screening of colorectal cancer after a positive Hemoccult test. The first approach to be presented consists in proposing a method which enables all the admissible diagnostic strategies to be determined. The second approach enables a minimal cost function to be estimated using an adaptation of "Data Envelopment Analysis". This method proves to be particularly successful in cost-efficiency analysis, when the performance indicators are numerous and hard to aggregate. The results show that there are two cost-effective strategies after a positive Hemoccult test: coloscopy and sigmoidoscopy; they put into question the relevance of double contrast barium enema in the diagnosis of colo-rectal lesions.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different types of human papillomavirus vaccination combined with a cervical cancer screening program in mainland China.

PubMed

Mo, Xiuting; Gai Tobe, Ruoyan; Wang, Lijie; Liu, Xianchen; Wu, Bin; Luo, Huiwen; Nagata, Chie; Mori, Rintaro; Nakayama, Takeo

2017-07-18

China has a high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and a consequently high burden of disease with respect to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine has proved to be effective in preventing cervical cancer and is now a part of routine immunization programs worldwide. It has also proved to be cost effective. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of 2-, 4-, and 9-valent HPV vaccines (hereafter, HPV2, 4 or 9) combined with current screening strategies in China. A Markov model was developed for a cohort of 100,000 HPV-free girls to simulate the natural history to HPV infection. Three recommended screening methods (1. liquid-based cytology test + HPV DNA test; 2. pap smear cytology test + HPV DNA test; 3. visual inspection with acetic acid) and three types of HPV vaccination program (HPV2/4/9) were incorporated into 15 intervention options, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to determine the dominant strategies. Costs, transition probabilities and utilities were obtained from a review of the literature and national databases. One-way sensitivity analyses and threshold analyses were performed for key variables in different vaccination scenarios. HPV9 combined with screening showed the highest health impact in terms of reducing HPV-related diseases and increasing the number of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Under the current thresholds of willingness to pay (WTP, 3 times the per capita GDP or USD$ 23,880), HPV4/9 proved highly cost effective, while HPV2 combined with screening cost more and was less cost effective. Only when screening coverage increased to 60% ~ 70% did the HPV2 and screening combination strategy become economically feasible. The combination of the HPV4/9 vaccine with current screening strategies for adolescent girls was highly cost-effective and had a significant impact on reducing the HPV infection-related disease burden in Mainland China.

Effects of Conjugate Gradient Methods and Step-Length Formulas on the Multiscale Full Waveform Inversion in Time Domain: Numerical Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Youshan; Teng, Jiwen; Xu, Tao; Badal, José; Liu, Qinya; Zhou, Bing

2017-05-01

We carry out full waveform inversion (FWI) in time domain based on an alternative frequency-band selection strategy that allows us to implement the method with success. This strategy aims at decomposing the seismic data within partially overlapped frequency intervals by carrying out a concatenated treatment of the wavelet to largely avoid redundant frequency information to adapt to wavelength or wavenumber coverage. A pertinent numerical test proves the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on this strategy, we comparatively analyze the effects of update parameters for the nonlinear conjugate gradient (CG) method and step-length formulas on the multiscale FWI through several numerical tests. The investigations of up to eight versions of the nonlinear CG method with and without Gaussian white noise make clear that the HS (Hestenes and Stiefel in J Res Natl Bur Stand Sect 5:409-436, 1952), CD (Fletcher in Practical methods of optimization vol. 1: unconstrained optimization, Wiley, New York, 1987), and PRP (Polak and Ribière in Revue Francaise Informat Recherche Opertionelle, 3e Année 16:35-43, 1969; Polyak in USSR Comput Math Math Phys 9:94-112, 1969) versions are more efficient among the eight versions, while the DY (Dai and Yuan in SIAM J Optim 10:177-182, 1999) version always yields inaccurate result, because it overestimates the deeper parts of the model. The application of FWI algorithms using distinct step-length formulas, such as the direct method ( Direct), the parabolic search method ( Search), and the two-point quadratic interpolation method ( Interp), proves that the Interp is more efficient for noise-free data, while the Direct is more efficient for Gaussian white noise data. In contrast, the Search is less efficient because of its slow convergence. In general, the three step-length formulas are robust or partly insensitive to Gaussian white noise and the complexity of the model. When the initial velocity model deviates far from the real model or the data are contaminated by noise, the objective function values of the Direct and Interp are oscillating at the beginning of the inversion, whereas that of the Search decreases consistently.

Aircraft directional stability and vertical tail design: A review of semi-empirical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciliberti, Danilo; Della Vecchia, Pierluigi; Nicolosi, Fabrizio; De Marco, Agostino

2017-11-01

Aircraft directional stability and control are related to vertical tail design. The safety, performance, and flight qualities of an aircraft also depend on a correct empennage sizing. Specifically, the vertical tail is responsible for the aircraft yaw stability and control. If these characteristics are not well balanced, the entire aircraft design may fail. Stability and control are often evaluated, especially in the preliminary design phase, with semi-empirical methods, which are based on the results of experimental investigations performed in the past decades, and occasionally are merged with data provided by theoretical assumptions. This paper reviews the standard semi-empirical methods usually applied in the estimation of airplane directional stability derivatives in preliminary design, highlighting the advantages and drawbacks of these approaches that were developed from wind tunnel tests performed mainly on fighter airplane configurations of the first decades of the past century, and discussing their applicability on current transport aircraft configurations. Recent investigations made by the authors have shown the limit of these methods, proving the existence of aerodynamic interference effects in sideslip conditions which are not adequately considered in classical formulations. The article continues with a concise review of the numerical methods for aerodynamics and their applicability in aircraft design, highlighting how Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solvers are well-suited to attain reliable results in attached flow conditions, with reasonable computational times. From the results of RANS simulations on a modular model of a representative regional turboprop airplane layout, the authors have developed a modern method to evaluate the vertical tail and fuselage contributions to aircraft directional stability. The investigation on the modular model has permitted an effective analysis of the aerodynamic interference effects by moving, changing, and expanding the available airplane components. Wind tunnel tests over a wide range of airplane configurations have been used to validate the numerical approach. The comparison between the proposed method and the standard semi-empirical methods available in literature proves the reliability of the innovative approach, according to the available experimental data collected in the wind tunnel test campaign.

Neural network based chemical structure indexing.

PubMed

Rughooputh, S D; Rughooputh, H C

2001-01-01

Searches on chemical databases are presently dominated by the text-based content of a paper which can be indexed into a keyword searchable form. Such traditional searches can prove to be very time-consuming and discouraging to the less frequent scientist. We report a simple chemical indexing based on the molecular structure alone. The method used is based on a one-to-one correspondence between the chemical structure presented as an image to a neural network and the corresponding binary output. The method is direct and less cumbersome (compared with traditional methods) and proves to be robust, elegant, and very versatile.

Effect of external disturbances and data rate on the response of an automatic landing system capable of curved trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherman, W. L.

1975-01-01

The effects of steady wind, turbulence, data sample rate, and control-actuator natural frequency on the response of a possible automatic landing system were investigated in a nonstatistical study. The results indicate that the system, which interfaces with the microwave landing system, functions well in winds and turbulence as long as the guidance law contains proper compensation for wind. The system response was satisfactory down to five data samples per second, which makes the system compatible with the microwave landing system. No adverse effects were observed when actuator natural frequency was lowered. For limiting cases, those cases where the roll angle goes to zero just as the airplane touches down, the basic method for computing the turn-algorithm gains proved unsatisfactory and unacceptable landings resulted. Revised computation methods gave turn-algorithm gains that resulted in acceptable landings. The gains provided by the new method also improved the touchdown conditions for acceptable landings over those obtained when the gains were determined by the old method.

A graphic method for identification of novel glioma related genes.

PubMed

Gao, Yu-Fei; Shu, Yang; Yang, Lei; He, Yi-Chun; Li, Li-Peng; Huang, GuaHua; Li, Hai-Peng; Jiang, Yang

2014-01-01

Glioma, as the most common and lethal intracranial tumor, is a serious disease that causes many deaths every year. Good comprehension of the mechanism underlying this disease is very helpful to design effective treatments. However, up to now, the knowledge of this disease is still limited. It is an important step to understand the mechanism underlying this disease by uncovering its related genes. In this study, a graphic method was proposed to identify novel glioma related genes based on known glioma related genes. A weighted graph was constructed according to the protein-protein interaction information retrieved from STRING and the well-known shortest path algorithm was employed to discover novel genes. The following analysis suggests that some of them are related to the biological process of glioma, proving that our method was effective in identifying novel glioma related genes. We hope that the proposed method would be applied to study other diseases and provide useful information to medical workers, thereby designing effective treatments of different diseases.

Estimating the effects of harmonic voltage fluctuations on the temperature rise of squirrel-cage motors

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

Emanuel, A.E.

1991-03-01

This article presents a preliminary analysis of the effect of randomly varying harmonic voltages on the temperature rise of squirrel-cage motors. The stochastic process of random variations of harmonic voltages is defined by means of simple statistics (mean, standard deviation, type of distribution). Computational models based on a first-order approximation of the motor losses and on the Monte Carlo method yield results which prove that equipment with large thermal time-constant is capable of withstanding for a short period of time larger distortions than THD = 5%.

[Continuous subcutaneous morphine--treatment of pain in patients with terminal cancer].

PubMed

Nielsen, F B; Clemensen, S E; Olesen, A S; Hole, P

1990-06-11

Nine patients with terminal cancer were treated for pain with continuous subcutaneous injection of morphine via a portable battery-driven injection pump. Treatment was instituted on account of failure of other forms of treatment with oral or epidural morphine derivatives or on account of severe nausea and vomiting which necessitated parenteral administration. Treatment proved reasonably effective and no side effects of significance occurred. Two of the patients could be treated in their homes. The method is thus considered as suitable for treatment of pain in patients with terminal cancer.

Stability of the Effect of a Standardized Meal on QTc.

PubMed

Täubel, Jörg; Fernandes, Sara; Ferber, Georg

2017-01-01

The assessment of QTc changes after the intake of a standardized meal has been proposed as an alternative approach to prove assay sensitivity when the proarrhythimic potential of a drug is to be excluded in either TQT or intensive Phase I QT studies. In this article, an analysis of the food effect at baseline across periods in two different studies is presented to support the robustness of the method. The results show that the time-effect attributed to food is stable over different study periods demonstrating consistency of the physiological response triggered by food. Stability and reproducibility of the effect is comparable with moxifloxacin. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human Factors Analysis to Improve the Processing of Ares-1 Launch Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stambolian, Damon B.; Dippolito, Gregory M.; Nyugen, Bao; Dischinger, Charles; Tran, Donald; Henderson, Gena; Barth, Tim

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the use of Human Factors analysis in improving the ground processing procedures for the Ares-1 launch vehicle. The light vehicle engineering designers for Ares-l launch vehicle had to design the flight vehicle for effective, efficient and safe ground operations in the cramped dimensions in a rocket design. The use of a mockup of the area where the technician would be required to work proved to be a very effective method to promote the collaboration between the Ares-1 designers and the ground operations personnel.

High temperature 1 MHz capacitance-voltage method for evaluation of border traps in 4H-SiC MOS system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhao-Yang; Wang, Sheng-Kai; Bai, Yun; Tang, Yi-Dan; Chen, Xi-Ming; Li, Cheng-Zhan; Liu, Ke-An; Liu, Xin-Yu

2018-04-01

In this work, border traps located in SiO2 at different depths in 4H-SiC MOS system are evaluated by a simple and effective method based on capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. This method estimates the border traps between two adjacent depths through C-V measurement at various frequencies at room and elevated temperatures. By comparison of these two C-V characteristics, the correlation between time constant of border traps and temperatures is obtained. Then the border trap density is determined by integration of capacitance difference against gate voltage at the regions where border traps dominate. The results reveal that border trap concentration a few nanometers away from the interface increases exponentially towards the interface, which is in good agreement with previous work. It has been proved that high temperature 1 MHz C-V method is effective for border trap evaluation.

Dynamic path planning for mobile robot based on particle swarm optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Cai, Feng; Wang, Ying

2017-08-01

In the contemporary, robots are used in many fields, such as cleaning, medical treatment, space exploration, disaster relief and so on. The dynamic path planning of robot without collision is becoming more and more the focus of people's attention. A new method of path planning is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the motion space model of the robot is established by using the MAKLINK graph method. Then the A* algorithm is used to get the shortest path from the start point to the end point. Secondly, this paper proposes an effective method to detect and avoid obstacles. When an obstacle is detected on the shortest path, the robot will choose the nearest safety point to move. Moreover, calculate the next point which is nearest to the target. Finally, the particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the path. The experimental results can prove that the proposed method is more effective.

Effects of core sealing methods on the preservation of pore water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Striffler, Pete; Peters, Charles A.

1993-01-01

Five general core sealing methods (using Protecore, Lexan, wax, Protecore with wax, and Protecore with Lexan) were studied over a two year period to determine their moisture retention capabilities. Results indicate that the multibarrier methods (Protecore with wax and Protecore with Lexan) and the single barrier methods (Protecore and wax) provide successful means of retaining moisture in cores. Additional testing indicated that a tight wrap of Saran is effective in: 1) protecting the outer vapor barriers from puncture, 2) containing any condensate in close proximity to where it was condensed, and 3) retarding condensation. Tests conducted to determine the moisture adsorption potential of wax and the use of applying a positive or negative pressure to Protecore packets proved inconclusive, but warrant further investigation. The importance of proper and timely handling of core samples in the field, including refrigeration and weighing of samples, can not be overstated.

Trials and Triumphs of Expanded Extension Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leavengood, Scott; Love, Bob

1998-01-01

Oregon extension faced challenges in presenting programs in the wood products industry. Several traditional tactics, revised to suit a new audience, have proved successful: personal coaching, building partnerships, and providing a high level of service. Newer methods, such as database marketing and distance learning, are also proving to be…

43 CFR 11.64 - Injury determination phase-testing and sampling methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... In developing these objectives, the availability of information from response actions relating to the...), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code made to adapt the... computer code (if any), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code...

43 CFR 11.64 - Injury determination phase-testing and sampling methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

.... In developing these objectives, the availability of information from response actions relating to the...), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code made to adapt the... computer code (if any), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code...

43 CFR 11.64 - Injury determination phase-testing and sampling methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

.... In developing these objectives, the availability of information from response actions relating to the...), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code made to adapt the... computer code (if any), test cases proving the code works, and any alteration of previously documented code...

Issues to Be Considered in Counting Burrows as a Measure of Atlantic Ghost Crab Populations, an Important Bioindicator of Sandy Beaches

PubMed Central

Pombo, Maíra; Turra, Alexander

2013-01-01

The use of indirect estimates of ghost-crab populations to assess beach disturbance has several advantages, including non-destructiveness, ease and low cost, although this strategy may add some degree of noise to estimates of population parameters. Resolution of these shortcomings may allow wider use of these populations as an indicator of differences in quality among beaches. This study analyzed to what extent the number of crab burrows may diverge from the number of animals, considering beach morphology, burrow depth and signs of occupation as contributing factors or indicators of a higher or lower occupation rate. We estimated the occupation rate of crabs in burrows on nine low-use beaches, which were previously categorized as dissipative, intermediate or reflexive. Three random 2-m-wide transects were laid perpendicular to the shoreline, where burrows were counted and excavated to search for crabs. The depth and signs of recent activity around the burrows were also recorded. The occupation rate differed on the different beaches, but morphodynamics was not identified as a grouping factor. A considerable number of burrows that lacked signs of recent activity proved to be occupied, and the proportions of these burrows also differed among beaches. Virtually all burrows less than 10 cm deep were unoccupied; the occupation rate tended to increase gradually to a burrow depth of 20–35 cm. Other methods (water, smoke, and traps) were applied to measure the effectiveness of excavating as a method for burrow counts. Traps and excavation proved to be the best methods. These observations illustrate the possible degree of unreliability of comparisons of beaches based on indirect measures. Combining burrow depth assessment with surrounding signs of occupation proved to be a useful tool to minimize biases. PMID:24376748

Dual-threshold segmentation using Arimoto entropy based on chaotic bee colony optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Li

2018-03-01

In order to extract target from complex background more quickly and accurately, and to further improve the detection effect of defects, a method of dual-threshold segmentation using Arimoto entropy based on chaotic bee colony optimization was proposed. Firstly, the method of single-threshold selection based on Arimoto entropy was extended to dual-threshold selection in order to separate the target from the background more accurately. Then intermediate variables in formulae of Arimoto entropy dual-threshold selection was calculated by recursion to eliminate redundant computation effectively and to reduce the amount of calculation. Finally, the local search phase of artificial bee colony algorithm was improved by chaotic sequence based on tent mapping. The fast search for two optimal thresholds was achieved using the improved bee colony optimization algorithm, thus the search could be accelerated obviously. A large number of experimental results show that, compared with the existing segmentation methods such as multi-threshold segmentation method using maximum Shannon entropy, two-dimensional Shannon entropy segmentation method, two-dimensional Tsallis gray entropy segmentation method and multi-threshold segmentation method using reciprocal gray entropy, the proposed method can segment target more quickly and accurately with superior segmentation effect. It proves to be an instant and effective method for image segmentation.

A Predictive Model for Toxicity Effects Assessment of Biotransformed Hepatic Drugs Using Iterative Sampling Method.

PubMed

Tharwat, Alaa; Moemen, Yasmine S; Hassanien, Aboul Ella

2016-12-09

Measuring toxicity is one of the main steps in drug development. Hence, there is a high demand for computational models to predict the toxicity effects of the potential drugs. In this study, we used a dataset, which consists of four toxicity effects:mutagenic, tumorigenic, irritant and reproductive effects. The proposed model consists of three phases. In the first phase, rough set-based methods are used to select the most discriminative features for reducing the classification time and improving the classification performance. Due to the imbalanced class distribution, in the second phase, different sampling methods such as Random Under-Sampling, Random Over-Sampling and Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique are used to solve the problem of imbalanced datasets. ITerative Sampling (ITS) method is proposed to avoid the limitations of those methods. ITS method has two steps. The first step (sampling step) iteratively modifies the prior distribution of the minority and majority classes. In the second step, a data cleaning method is used to remove the overlapping that is produced from the first step. In the third phase, Bagging classifier is used to classify an unknown drug into toxic or non-toxic. The experimental results proved that the proposed model performed well in classifying the unknown samples according to all toxic effects in the imbalanced datasets.

Effectiveness of the online weight reduction program KiloCoach™ and comparison with other evaluated commercial direct intervention and online programs.

PubMed

Longin, Rita; Grasse, Marina; Aspalter, Rosa; Waldherr, Karin

2012-01-01

Preliminary results indicated effectiveness of the online weight reduction program KiloCoach. The current study presents a large collection of user data and compares KiloCoach with other evaluated commercial weight loss programs. Furthermore, potential factors influencing the effectiveness of internet weight loss programs should be identified. 4,310 data sets of KiloCoach users were available, 3,150 of them were suitable for further analysis. 946 program users were considered completers (at least 60 days of continuous protocol). For comparison with other programs, different subsamples were drawn that matched to the inclusion criteria of reference studies. On average, KiloCoach overweight and obese completers lost 4.5 % of initial body weight. KiloCoach was as effective as the commercial program Weight Watchers® after 1 year (6.4% vs. 5.3% weight loss; p = 0.11) and 2 years (5.1% vs. 3.2% weight loss; p = 0.15). KiloCoach proved to be more effective than other online programs (Viktklubb, eDiets.com) as well as an in-person behavioral program, but less effective than Vtrim®, an online behavioral program providing intensive support. In comparison to reference programs, KiloCoach proved to be effective for weight reduction. The effect of online weight reduction programs seems to depend on methods and features applied.

Comparison of infrared and 3D digital image correlation techniques applied for mechanical testing of materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krstulović-Opara, Lovre; Surjak, Martin; Vesenjak, Matej; Tonković, Zdenko; Kodvanj, Janoš; Domazet, Željko

2015-11-01

To investigate the applicability of infrared thermography as a tool for acquiring dynamic yielding in metals, a comparison of infrared thermography with three dimensional digital image correlation has been made. Dynamical tension tests and three point bending tests of aluminum alloys have been performed to evaluate results obtained by IR thermography in order to detect capabilities and limits for these two methods. Both approaches detect pastification zone migrations during the yielding process. The results of the tension test and three point bending test proved the validity of the IR approach as a method for evaluating the dynamic yielding process when used on complex structures such as cellular porous materials. The stability of the yielding process in the three point bending test, as contrary to the fluctuation of the plastification front in the tension test, is of great importance for the validation of numerical constitutive models. The research proved strong performance, robustness and reliability of the IR approach when used to evaluate yielding during dynamic loading processes, while the 3D DIC method proved to be superior in the low velocity loading regimes. This research based on two basic tests, proved the conclusions and suggestions presented in our previous research on porous materials where middle wave infrared thermography was applied.

Atmospheric corrosion of metals in industrial city environment.

PubMed

Kusmierek, Elzbieta; Chrzescijanska, Ewa

2015-06-01

Atmospheric corrosion is a significant problem given destruction of various materials, especially metals. The corrosion investigation in the industrial city environment was carried out during one year exposure. Corrosion potential was determined using the potentiometric method. The highest effect of corrosion processes was observed during the winter season due to increased air pollution. Corrosion of samples pre-treated in tannic acid before the exposure was more difficult compared with the samples without pretreatment. The corrosion products determined with the SEM/EDS method prove that the most corrosive pollutants present in the industrial city air are SO2, CO2, chlorides and dust.

Teaching practice of the course of Laser Principle and Application based on PBL mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongliang; Lv, Beibei; Wang, Siqi

2017-08-01

The primary task of university education is to stimulate students' autonomic learning and cultivate students' creative thinking. This paper put to use problem based learning (PBL) teaching mode, to enable students master flexible knowledge as the goal, and a detailed analysis of the implementation method and concrete measures of PBL teaching reform in the course of Laser Principle and Application, then compared with the former teaching methods. From the feedback of students and teaching experience, we get good teaching effect and prove the feasibility of PBL teaching mode in practice.

Revascularisation strategy for diabetic multivessel coronary arteriopathy.

PubMed

Raghuram, A R

2006-04-01

Multivessel diffuse coronary arteriopathy is the hallmark of chronic diabetic patients. The ideal method of revascularising this group of patients is controversial. This review examines the various modalities available in the revascularisation of coronary artery disease in diabetic patients. Various trials have been conducted to compare the effectiveness of surgical and percutaneous methods of revascularisation. Most of the important trials like BARI, CABRI, EMORY and Duke's database are critically analysed and a meaningful practical strategy to manage this difficult subgroup of patients is outlined. The recommendations may change after a few years if the new coated stents prove their worth.

LQR Control of Shell Vibrations Via Piezoceramic Actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

delRosario, R. C. H.; Smith, R. C.

1997-01-01

A model-based Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method for controlling vibrations in cylindrical shells is presented. Surface-mounted piezo-ceramic patches are employed as actuators which leads to unbounded control input operators. Modified Donnell-Mushtari shell equations incorporating strong or Kelvin-Voigt damping are used to model the system. The model is then abstractly formulated in terms of sesquilinear forms. This provides a framework amenable for proving model well-posedness and convergence of LQR gains using analytic semigroup results combined with LQR theory for unbounded input operators. Finally, numerical examples demonstrating the effectiveness of the method are presented.

INTERMINGLED SKIN GRAFTING: A VALID TRANSPLANTATION METHOD AT LOW COST

PubMed Central

Domres, B.; Kistler, D.; Rutczynska, J.

2007-01-01

Summary The almost forgotten method of intermingled skin grafting of allogeneic material with small autogeneic islets, once developed in the People's Republic of China, proves the feasibility of permanent healing of even extensive burn wounds, at low cost, and therefore an effective treatment possibility in poorer countries, as well as under conditions of a burn disaster. Intermingled skin grafting obtains a better elasticity of the reconditioned skin as elastic fibres of the allodermis survive, and this results in fewer contractures. From the cosmetic point of view the transplantation of autologous keratinocytes results in a better aesthetic homogeneous texture. PMID:21991087

High speed data transmission coaxial-cable in the space communication system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Haohang; Huang, Jing

2018-01-01

An effective method is proved based on the scattering parameter of high speed 8-core coaxial-cable measured by vector network analyzer, and the semi-physical simulation is made to receive the eye diagram at different data transmission rate. The result can be apply to analysis decay and distortion of the signal through the coaxial-cable at high frequency, and can extensively design for electromagnetic compatibility of high-speed data transmission system.

CRREL’s First 25 Years 1961-1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

complete cooper.ation to the people of CRREL. It was necessary to re- place most of the electrical facilities and wiring in the new building. And...missile defense antennas. The CRREL researchers found that electrical resistance heating was the method that proved effective under the widest variety of...crew was lost in the crash. In charge of the CRREL on-site research was Guenther Frankenstein , who calculated the weight of equipment that the sea

A coverage and slicing dependencies analysis for seeking software security defects.

PubMed

He, Hui; Zhang, Dongyan; Liu, Min; Zhang, Weizhe; Gao, Dongmin

2014-01-01

Software security defects have a serious impact on the software quality and reliability. It is a major hidden danger for the operation of a system that a software system has some security flaws. When the scale of the software increases, its vulnerability has becoming much more difficult to find out. Once these vulnerabilities are exploited, it may lead to great loss. In this situation, the concept of Software Assurance is carried out by some experts. And the automated fault localization technique is a part of the research of Software Assurance. Currently, automated fault localization method includes coverage based fault localization (CBFL) and program slicing. Both of the methods have their own location advantages and defects. In this paper, we have put forward a new method, named Reverse Data Dependence Analysis Model, which integrates the two methods by analyzing the program structure. On this basis, we finally proposed a new automated fault localization method. This method not only is automation lossless but also changes the basic location unit into single sentence, which makes the location effect more accurate. Through several experiments, we proved that our method is more effective. Furthermore, we analyzed the effectiveness among these existing methods and different faults.

The effects of GeoGebra software on pre-service mathematics teachers' attitudes and views toward proof and proving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zengin, Yılmaz

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of GeoGebra software on pre-service mathematics teachers' attitudes towards proof and proving and to determine pre-service teachers' pre- and post-views regarding proof. The study lasted nine weeks and the participants of the study consisted of 24 pre-service mathematics teachers. The study used the 'Attitude Scale Towards Proof and Proving' and an open-ended questionnaire that were administered before and after the intervention as data collection tools. Paired samples t-test analysis was used for the analysis of quantitative data and content and descriptive analyses were utilized for the analysis of qualitative data. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that GeoGebra software was an effective tool in increasing pre-service teachers' attitudes towards proof and proving.

Antibiotic Extraction as a Recent Biocontrol Method for Aspergillus Niger andAspergillus Flavus Fungi in Ancient Egyptian mural paintings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemdan, R. Elmitwalli; Fatma, Helmi M.; Rizk, Mohammed A.; Hagrassy, Abeer F.

Biodeterioration of mural paintings by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus Fungi has been proved in different mural paintings in Egypt nowadays. Several researches have studied the effect of fungi on mural paintings, the mechanism of interaction and methods of control. But none of these researches gives us the solution without causing a side effect. In this paper, for the first time, a recent treatment by antibiotic "6 penthyl α pyrone phenol" was applied as a successful technique for elimination of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. On the other hand, it is favorable for cleaning Surfaces of Murals executed by tembera technique from the fungi metabolism which caused a black pigments on surfaces.

Folate Conjugated Hybrid Nanocarrier for Targeted Letrozole Delivery in Breast Cancer Treatment.

PubMed

Hemati Azandaryani, Abbas; Kashanian, Soheila; Derakhshandeh, Katayoun

2017-12-01

Letrozole as a steroidal anticancer drug with hydrophobic nature is usually administrated by oral route for patient treatment and the injectable formulation for this drug has not still been reported. In this study, a new letrozole incorporated folate-conjugated polymer - lipid hybrid nanoparticles - is introduced for cancer treatment. Nanoparticles were fabricated via modified oil in water ionic gelation method using optimization parameters and then were coupled to folic acid using carbodiimide activation. The physicochemical characterization in vitro drug release, cytotoxicity, and then ex vivo study of obtained carrier was investigated. Both thermal and crystallography studies proved the amorphous loading of drug in the nanocarrier. The cytotoxicity investigation with an average IC 50 value of 79 ± 2.40 nM proved the efficiency of the coupled folic acid carrier for the intracellular uptake of letrozole on the breast cancer line. Ex vivo, the study proved the positive effect of the letrozole entrapment on the drug bioavailability. The obtained targeted nanocarrier could overcome the limitations associated with the LTZ as a potent non-steroidal drug. Both the entrapment and therapeutic efficiency of letrozole in the amphiphilic carrier were increased using the lipid nanoparticles and the surface modification, respectively.

Drying behaviour, effective diffusivity and energy of activation of olive leaves dried by microwave, vacuum and oven drying methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elhussein, Elaf Abdelillah Ali; Şahin, Selin

2018-07-01

Drying is the crucial food processing for bioactive components from plant materials before strating extraction in addition to preservation of raw plant materials during storage period. Olive leaves were dried by various methods such as microwave drying (MD), oven drying (OD) and vacuum drying (VD) at several temperature values in the present study. Mathematical models allow to develop, design and control the processes. 14 emprical equations were used to estimate the drying behaviour and the time required for drying. Convenience of the models were evaluated according to the correlation coefficient ( R 2 ), varience ( S 2 ) and root mean square deviation ( D RMS ). On the other hand, the effective diffusion coefficient and energy for activation were also calculated. Effects of the drying methods on the total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) and oleuropein contents and free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of the olive leaves were also investigated to take into considiration the quality of the dried product. MD has proved to be the fastest drying method having the highest effective diffusivity and the lowest activation energy with a more qualitive product.

Drying behaviour, effective diffusivity and energy of activation of olive leaves dried by microwave, vacuum and oven drying methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elhussein, Elaf Abdelillah Ali; Şahin, Selin

2018-01-01

Drying is the crucial food processing for bioactive components from plant materials before strating extraction in addition to preservation of raw plant materials during storage period. Olive leaves were dried by various methods such as microwave drying (MD), oven drying (OD) and vacuum drying (VD) at several temperature values in the present study. Mathematical models allow to develop, design and control the processes. 14 emprical equations were used to estimate the drying behaviour and the time required for drying. Convenience of the models were evaluated according to the correlation coefficient (R 2 ), varience (S 2 ) and root mean square deviation (D RMS ). On the other hand, the effective diffusion coefficient and energy for activation were also calculated. Effects of the drying methods on the total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) and oleuropein contents and free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of the olive leaves were also investigated to take into considiration the quality of the dried product. MD has proved to be the fastest drying method having the highest effective diffusivity and the lowest activation energy with a more qualitive product.

The effective local potential method: Implementation for molecules and relation to approximate optimized effective potential techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izmaylov, Artur F.; Staroverov, Viktor N.; Scuseria, Gustavo E.; Davidson, Ernest R.; Stoltz, Gabriel; Cancès, Eric

2007-02-01

We have recently formulated a new approach, named the effective local potential (ELP) method, for calculating local exchange-correlation potentials for orbital-dependent functionals based on minimizing the variance of the difference between a given nonlocal potential and its desired local counterpart [V. N. Staroverov et al., J. Chem. Phys. 125, 081104 (2006)]. Here we show that under a mildly simplifying assumption of frozen molecular orbitals, the equation defining the ELP has a unique analytic solution which is identical with the expression arising in the localized Hartree-Fock (LHF) and common energy denominator approximations (CEDA) to the optimized effective potential. The ELP procedure differs from the CEDA and LHF in that it yields the target potential as an expansion in auxiliary basis functions. We report extensive calculations of atomic and molecular properties using the frozen-orbital ELP method and its iterative generalization to prove that ELP results agree with the corresponding LHF and CEDA values, as they should. Finally, we make the case for extending the iterative frozen-orbital ELP method to full orbital relaxation.

An efficient temporal database design method based on EER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhi; Huang, Jiping; Miao, Hua

2007-12-01

Many existing methods of modeling temporal information are based on logical model, which makes relational schema optimization more difficult and more complicated. In this paper, based on the conventional EER model, the author attempts to analyse and abstract temporal information in the phase of conceptual modelling according to the concrete requirement to history information. Then a temporal data model named BTEER is presented. BTEER not only retains all designing ideas and methods of EER which makes BTEER have good upward compatibility, but also supports the modelling of valid time and transaction time effectively at the same time. In addition, BTEER can be transformed to EER easily and automatically. It proves in practice, this method can model the temporal information well.

A correction method for the axial maladjustment of transmission-type optical system based on aberration theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chunmei; Huang, Fu-yu; Yin, Jian-ling; Chen, Yu-dan; Mao, Shao-juan

2016-10-01

The influence of aberration on misalignment of optical system is considered fully, the deficiencies of Gauss optical correction method is pointed, and a correction method for transmission-type misalignment optical system is proposed based on aberration theory. The variation regularity of single lens aberration caused by axial displacement is analyzed, and the aberration effect is defined. On this basis, through calculating the size of lens adjustment induced by the image position error and the magnifying rate error, the misalignment correction formula based on the constraints of the aberration is deduced mathematically. Taking the three lens collimation system for an example, the test is carried out to validate this method, and its superiority is proved.

Detection of honeycomb cell walls from measurement data based on Harris corner detection algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yan; Dong, Zhigang; Kang, Renke; Yang, Jie; Ayinde, Babajide O.

2018-06-01

A honeycomb core is a discontinuous material with a thin-wall structure—a characteristic that makes accurate surface measurement difficult. This paper presents a cell wall detection method based on the Harris corner detection algorithm using laser measurement data. The vertexes of honeycomb cores are recognized with two different methods: one method is the reduction of data density, and the other is the optimization of the threshold of the Harris corner detection algorithm. Each cell wall is then identified in accordance with the neighboring relationships of its vertexes. Experiments were carried out for different types and surface shapes of honeycomb cores, where the proposed method was proved effective in dealing with noise due to burrs and/or deformation of cell walls.

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

Osipov, N. N., E-mail: nicknick@pdmi.ras.ru

Rubio de Francia proved a one-sided Littlewood-Paley inequality for arbitrary intervals in L{sup p}, 2≤p<∞. In this article, his methods are developed and employed to prove an analogue of this type of inequality for exponents p 'beyond the index p=∞', that is, for spaces of Hölder functions and BMO. Bibliography: 14 titles. (paper)

Partial Row-Sums of Pascal's Triangle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ollerton, Richard L.

2007-01-01

Identities for many and varied combinations of binomial coefficients abound. Indeed, because of the wide range of interrelationships it is possible that a great deal of mathematical effort has been wasted in proving essentially equivalent formulae. As well as proving identities these methods can be used to rule out closed form solutions (at least…

Reduction of interferences in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry by multiple linear regression modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grotti, Marco; Abelmoschi, Maria Luisa; Soggia, Francesco; Tiberiade, Christian; Frache, Roberto

2000-12-01

The multivariate effects of Na, K, Mg and Ca as nitrates on the electrothermal atomisation of manganese, cadmium and iron were studied by multiple linear regression modelling. Since the models proved to efficiently predict the effects of the considered matrix elements in a wide range of concentrations, they were applied to correct the interferences occurring in the determination of trace elements in seawater after pre-concentration of the analytes. In order to obtain a statistically significant number of samples, a large volume of the certified seawater reference materials CASS-3 and NASS-3 was treated with Chelex-100 resin; then, the chelating resin was separated from the solution, divided into several sub-samples, each of them was eluted with nitric acid and analysed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (for trace element determinations) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (for matrix element determinations). To minimise any other systematic error besides that due to matrix effects, accuracy of the pre-concentration step and contamination levels of the procedure were checked by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric measurements. Analytical results obtained by applying the multiple linear regression models were compared with those obtained with other calibration methods, such as external calibration using acid-based standards, external calibration using matrix-matched standards and the analyte addition technique. Empirical models proved to efficiently reduce interferences occurring in the analysis of real samples, allowing an improvement of accuracy better than for other calibration methods.

An Integrated Environment for Efficient Formal Design and Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The general goal of this project was to improve the practicality of formal methods by combining techniques from model checking and theorem proving. At the time the project was proposed, the model checking and theorem proving communities were applying different tools to similar problems, but there was not much cross-fertilization. This project involved a group from SRI that had substantial experience in the development and application of theorem-proving technology, and a group at Stanford that specialized in model checking techniques. Now, over five years after the proposal was submitted, there are many research groups working on combining theorem-proving and model checking techniques, and much more communication between the model checking and theorem proving research communities. This project contributed significantly to this research trend. The research work under this project covered a variety of topics: new theory and algorithms; prototype tools; verification methodology; and applications to problems in particular domains.

A Computer Program to Implement the Chen Method of Dimensional Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

Director: AXHE-S (m. B Corna)U.S. Army TRADOX Systems Analysis Activity ATTdN: AXrE-IS (Mr. B. Corona) ATM: ATOR-TSL Aberden Proving Ground , MD 21005-5001...Laboratory I Aberdeen Proving Ground , MD 21005-5066 ATTN: AMSMI-ROC Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5242 Direct or D U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory 1...Kokinakis) U.S. Army Missile Laboratory Aberdeen Proving Ground , MD 21005-5066 ReTN AMSMI-R C1edstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5242 Director Director 1 U.S. Army

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Qingwen; Wang, Huixin; Bai, Chunming; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Zengqi; Cheng, Xin; Dong, Qiping; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Experiments for mechanized soil fertilization for corns were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping due to different mechanized soil fertilization methods. Our study would serve as a theoretical basis further for mechanized soil fertilization improvement and soil quality improvement in brown soil area. Based on the survey of soil physical characteristics during different corn growth periods, we collected soil samples from different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis accordingly. Stalk returning to field with deep tillage proved to be the most effective on available nutrient improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone. Different mechanized soil fertilization methods were remarkably effective on total phosphorus improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone, while less effective on total nitrogen or total potassium, and not so effective on C/N ratio in soil. Stalk returning with deep tillage was more favorable to improve content of organic matter in soil, when compared with surface application, and organic granular fertilizer more favorable when compared with decomposed cow dung for such a purpose, too.

Generalized non-equilibrium vertex correction method in coherent medium theory for quantum transport simulation of disordered nanoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jiawei; Ke, Youqi

In realistic nanoelectronics, disordered impurities/defects are inevitable and play important roles in electron transport. However, due to the lack of effective quantum transport method, the important effects of disorders remain poorly understood. Here, we report a generalized non-equilibrium vertex correction (NVC) method with coherent potential approximation to treat the disorder effects in quantum transport simulation. With this generalized NVC method, any averaged product of two single-particle Green's functions can be obtained by solving a set of simple linear equations. As a result, the averaged non-equilibrium density matrix and various important transport properties, including averaged current, disordered induced current fluctuation and the averaged shot noise, can all be efficiently computed in a unified scheme. Moreover, a generalized form of conditionally averaged non-equilibrium Green's function is derived to incorporate with density functional theory to enable first-principles simulation. We prove the non-equilibrium coherent potential equals the non-equilibrium vertex correction. Our approach provides a unified, efficient and self-consistent method for simulating non-equilibrium quantum transport through disorder nanoelectronics. Shanghaitech start-up fund.

Redox-Modulated Phenomena and Radiation Therapy: The Central Role of Superoxide Dismutases

PubMed Central

Holley, Aaron K.; Miao, Lu; St. Clair, Daret K.

2014-01-01

Abstract Significance: Ionizing radiation is a vital component in the oncologist's arsenal for the treatment of cancer. Approximately 50% of all cancer patients will receive some form of radiation therapy as part of their treatment regimen. DNA is considered the major cellular target of ionizing radiation and can be damaged directly by radiation or indirectly through reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed from the radiolysis of water, enzyme-mediated ROS production, and ROS resulting from altered aerobic metabolism. Recent Advances: ROS are produced as a byproduct of oxygen metabolism, and superoxide dismutases (SODs) are the chief scavengers. ROS contribute to the radioresponsiveness of normal and tumor tissues, and SODs modulate the radioresponsiveness of tissues, thus affecting the efficacy of radiotherapy. Critical Issues: Despite its prevalent use, radiation therapy suffers from certain limitations that diminish its effectiveness, including tumor hypoxia and normal tissue damage. Oxygen is important for the stabilization of radiation-induced DNA damage, and tumor hypoxia dramatically decreases radiation efficacy. Therefore, auxiliary therapies are needed to increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy against tumor tissues while minimizing normal tissue injury. Future Directions: Because of the importance of ROS in the response of normal and cancer tissues to ionizing radiation, methods that differentially modulate the ROS scavenging ability of cells may prove to be an important method to increase the radiation response in cancer tissues and simultaneously mitigate the damaging effects of ionizing radiation on normal tissues. Altering the expression or activity of SODs may prove valuable in maximizing the overall effectiveness of ionizing radiation. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 20, 1567–1589. PMID:24094070

Electroconductive PET/SWNT Films by Solution Casting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinert, Brian W.; Dean, Derrick R.

2008-01-01

The market for electrically conductive polymers is rapidly growing, and an emerging pathway for attaining these materials is via polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites, because of the superior properties of CNTs. Due to their excellent electrical properties and anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, we expect CNTs could be easily aligned to maximize their effectiveness in imparting electrical conductivity to the polymer matrix. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were dispersed in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) matrix by solution blending then cast onto a glass substrate to create thin, flexible films. Various SWNT loading concentrations were implemented (0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 wt.%) to study the effect of additive density. The processing method was repeated to produce films in the presence of magnetic fields (3 and 9.4 Tesla). The SWNTs showed a high susceptibility to the magnetic field and were effectively aligned in the PET matrix. The alignment was characterized with Raman spectroscopy. Impedance spectroscopy was utilized to study the electrical behavior of the films. Concentration and dispersion seemed to play very important roles in improving electrical conductivity, while alignment played a secondary and less significant role. The most interesting result proved to be the effect of a magnetic field during processing. It appears that a magnetic field may improve dispersion of unmodified SWNTs, which seems to be more important than alignment. It was concluded that SWNTs offer a good option as conductive, nucleating filler for electroconductive polymer applications, and the utilization of a magnetic field may prove to be a novel method for CNT dispersion that could lead to improved nanocomposite materials.

Methods of parallel computation applied on granular simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Gustavo H. B.; Atman, Allbens P. F.

2017-06-01

Every year, parallel computing has becoming cheaper and more accessible. As consequence, applications were spreading over all research areas. Granular materials is a promising area for parallel computing. To prove this statement we study the impact of parallel computing in simulations of the BNE (Brazil Nut Effect). This property is due the remarkable arising of an intruder confined to a granular media when vertically shaken against gravity. By means of DEM (Discrete Element Methods) simulations, we study the code performance testing different methods to improve clock time. A comparison between serial and parallel algorithms, using OpenMP® is also shown. The best improvement was obtained by optimizing the function that find contacts using Verlet's cells.

Rapid high temperature field test method for evaluation of geothermal calcite scale inhibitors

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

Asperger, R.G.

1982-08-01

A test method is described which allows the rapid field testing of calcite scale inhibitors in high- temperature geothermal brines. Five commercial formulations, chosen on the basis of laboratory screening tests, were tested in brines with low total dissolved solids at ca 500 F. Four were found to be effective; of these, 2 were found to be capable of removing recently deposited scale. One chemical was tested in the full-flow brine line for 6 wks. It was shown to stop a severe surface scaling problem at the well's control valve, thus proving the viability of the rapid test method. (12more » refs.)« less

Interpolating seismic data via the POCS method based on shearlet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jicheng, Liu; Yongxin, Chou; Jianjiang, Zhu

2018-06-01

A method based on shearlet transform and the projection onto convex sets with L0-norm constraint is proposed to interpolate irregularly sampled 2D and 3D seismic data. The 2D directional filter of shearlet transform is constructed by modulating a low-pass diamond filter pair to minimize the effect of additional edges introduced by the missing traces. In order to abate the spatial aliasing and control the maximal gap between missing traces for a 3D data cube, a 2D separable jittered sampling strategy is discussed. Finally, numerical experiments on 2D and 3D synthetic and real data with different under-sampling rates prove the validity of the proposed method.

Performance evaluation of BPM system in SSRF using PCA method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhi-Chu; Leng, Yong-Bin; Yan, Ying-Bing; Yuan, Ren-Xian; Lai, Long-Wei

2014-07-01

The beam position monitor (BPM) system is of most importance in a light source. The capability of the BPM depends on the resolution of the system. The traditional standard deviation on the raw data method merely gives the upper limit of the resolution. Principal component analysis (PCA) had been introduced in the accelerator physics and it could be used to get rid of the actual signals. Beam related information was extracted before the evaluation of the BPM performance. A series of studies had been made in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and PCA was proved to be an effective and robust method in the performance evaluations of our BPM system.

The method of fundamental solutions for computing acoustic interior transmission eigenvalues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleefeld, Andreas; Pieronek, Lukas

2018-03-01

We analyze the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) in two different versions with focus on the computation of approximate acoustic interior transmission eigenvalues in 2D for homogeneous media. Our approach is mesh- and integration free, but suffers in general from the ill-conditioning effects of the discretized eigenoperator, which we could then successfully balance using an approved stabilization scheme. Our numerical examples cover many of the common scattering objects and prove to be very competitive in accuracy with the standard methods for PDE-related eigenvalue problems. We finally give an approximation analysis for our framework and provide error estimates, which bound interior transmission eigenvalue deviations in terms of some generalized MFS output.

An Adaptive Altitude Information Fusion Method for Autonomous Landing Processes of Small Unmanned Aerial Rotorcraft

PubMed Central

Lei, Xusheng; Li, Jingjing

2012-01-01

This paper presents an adaptive information fusion method to improve the accuracy and reliability of the altitude measurement information for small unmanned aerial rotorcraft during the landing process. Focusing on the low measurement performance of sensors mounted on small unmanned aerial rotorcraft, a wavelet filter is applied as a pre-filter to attenuate the high frequency noises in the sensor output. Furthermore, to improve altitude information, an adaptive extended Kalman filter based on a maximum a posteriori criterion is proposed to estimate measurement noise covariance matrix in real time. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is proved by static tests, hovering flight and autonomous landing flight tests. PMID:23201993

The Multi-Attribute Group Decision-Making Method Based on Interval Grey Trapezoid Fuzzy Linguistic Variables.

PubMed

Yin, Kedong; Wang, Pengyu; Li, Xuemei

2017-12-13

With respect to multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems, where attribute values take the form of interval grey trapezoid fuzzy linguistic variables (IGTFLVs) and the weights (including expert and attribute weight) are unknown, improved grey relational MAGDM methods are proposed. First, the concept of IGTFLV, the operational rules, the distance between IGTFLVs, and the projection formula between the two IGTFLV vectors are defined. Second, the expert weights are determined by using the maximum proximity method based on the projection values between the IGTFLV vectors. The attribute weights are determined by the maximum deviation method and the priorities of alternatives are determined by improved grey relational analysis. Finally, an example is given to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method and the flexibility of IGTFLV.

A Web service substitution method based on service cluster nets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, YuYue; Gai, JunJing; Zhou, MengChu

2017-11-01

Service substitution is an important research topic in the fields of Web services and service-oriented computing. This work presents a novel method to analyse and substitute Web services. A new concept, called a Service Cluster Net Unit, is proposed based on Web service clusters. A service cluster is converted into a Service Cluster Net Unit. Then it is used to analyse whether the services in the cluster can satisfy some service requests. Meanwhile, the substitution methods of an atomic service and a composite service are proposed. The correctness of the proposed method is proved, and the effectiveness is shown and compared with the state-of-the-art method via an experiment. It can be readily applied to e-commerce service substitution to meet the business automation needs.

Global Search Capabilities of Indirect Methods for Impulsive Transfers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Hong-Xin; Casalino, Lorenzo; Luo, Ya-Zhong

2015-09-01

An optimization method which combines an indirect method with homotopic approach is proposed and applied to impulsive trajectories. Minimum-fuel, multiple-impulse solutions, with either fixed or open time are obtained. The homotopic approach at hand is relatively straightforward to implement and does not require an initial guess of adjoints, unlike previous adjoints estimation methods. A multiple-revolution Lambert solver is used to find multiple starting solutions for the homotopic procedure; this approach can guarantee to obtain multiple local solutions without relying on the user's intuition, thus efficiently exploring the solution space to find the global optimum. The indirect/homotopic approach proves to be quite effective and efficient in finding optimal solutions, and outperforms the joint use of evolutionary algorithms and deterministic methods in the test cases.

Surface-to-surface biofilm transfer: a quick and reliable startup strategy for mixed culture microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Vogl, Andreas; Bischof, Franz; Wichern, Marc

2016-01-01

The startup of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is known to be prone to failure or result in erratic performance impeding the research. The aim of this study was to advise a quick launch strategy for laboratory-scale MFCs that ensures steady operation performance in a short period of time. Different startup strategies were investigated and compared with membraneless single chamber MFCs. A direct surface-to-surface biofilm transfer (BFT) in an operating MFC proved to be the most efficient method. It provided steady power densities of 163 ± 13 mWm(-2) 4 days after inoculation compared to 58 ± 15 mWm(-2) after 30 days following a conventional inoculation approach. The in situ BFT eliminates the need for microbial acclimation during startup and reduces performance fluctuations caused by shifts in microbial biodiversity. Anaerobic pretreatment of the substrate and addition of suspended enzymes from an operating MFC into the new MFC proved to have a beneficial effect on startup and subsequent operation. Polarization methods were applied to characterize the startup phase and the steady state operation in terms of power densities, internal resistance and power overshoot during biofilm maturation. Applying this method a well-working MFC can be multiplied into an array of identically performing MFCs.

Equivalency principle for magnetoelectroelastic multiferroics with arbitrary microstructure: The phase field approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yong; He, Linghui; Khachaturyan, Armen G.

2010-07-01

A phase field method is proposed to determine the equilibrium fields of a magnetoelectroelastic multiferroic with arbitrarily distributed constitutive constants under applied loadings. This method is based on a developed generalized Eshelby's equivalency principle, in which the elastic strain, electrostatic, and magnetostatic fields at the equilibrium in the original heterogeneous system are exactly the same as those in an equivalent homogeneous magnetoelectroelastic coupled or uncoupled system with properly chosen distributed effective eigenstrain, polarization, and magnetization fields. Finding these effective fields fully solves the equilibrium elasticity, electrostatics, and magnetostatics in the original heterogeneous multiferroic. The paper formulates a variational principle proving that the effective fields are minimizers of appropriate close-form energy functional. The proposed phase field approach produces the energy minimizing effective fields (and thus solving the general multiferroic problem) as a result of artificial relaxation process described by the Ginzburg-Landau-Khalatnikov kinetic equations.

Hardness Assurance for Low-Energy Proton-Induced Single-Event Effects: Final report for LDRD Project 173134

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

Dodds, Nathaniel Anson

2015-08-01

This report briefly summarizes three publications that resulted from a two-year LDRD. The three publications address a recently emerging reliability issue: namely, that low-energy protons (LEPs) can cause single-event effects (SEEs) in highly scaled microelectronics. These publications span from low to high technology readiness levels. In the first, novel experiments were used to prove that proton direct ionization is the dominant mechanism for LEP-induced SEEs. In the second, a simple method was developed to calculate expected on-orbit error rates for LEP effects. This simplification was enabled by creating (and characterizing) an accelerated space-like LEP environment in the laboratory. In themore » third publication, this new method was applied to many memory circuits from the 20-90 nm technology nodes to study the general importance of LEP effects, in terms of their contribution to the total on-orbit SEE rate.« less

Saccadic eye movements analysis as a measure of drug effect on central nervous system function.

PubMed

Tedeschi, G; Quattrone, A; Bonavita, V

1986-04-01

Peak velocity (PSV) and duration (SD) of horizontal saccadic eye movements are demonstrably under the control of specific brain stem structures. Experimental and clinical evidence suggest the existence of an immediate premotor system for saccade generation located in the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF). Effects on saccadic eye movements have been studied in normal volunteers with barbiturates, benzodiazepines, amphetamine and ethanol. On two occasions computer analysis of PSV, SD, saccade reaction time (SRT) and saccade accuracy (SA) was carried out in comparison with more traditional methods of assessment of human psychomotor performance like choice reaction time (CRT) and critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT). The computer system proved to be a highly sensitive and objective method for measuring drug effect on central nervous system (CNS) function. It allows almost continuous sampling of data and appears to be particularly suitable for studying rapidly changing drug effects on the CNS.

Detection of Avian Influenza Virus from Cloacal Swabs Using a Disposable Well Gate FET Sensor.

PubMed

Park, Sungwook; Choi, Jaebin; Jeun, Minhong; Kim, Yongdeok; Yuk, Seong-Su; Kim, Sang Kyung; Song, Chang-Seon; Lee, Seok; Lee, Kwan Hyi

2017-07-01

Current methods to detect avian influenza viruses (AIV) are time consuming and lo inw sensitivity, necessitating a faster and more sensitive sensor for on-site epidemic detection in poultry farms and urban population centers. This study reports a field effect transistor (FET) based AIV sensor that detects nucleoproteins (NP) within 30 minutes, down to an LOD of 10 3 EID 50 mL -1 from a live animal cloacal swab. Previously reported FET sensors for AIV detection have not targeted NPs, an internal protein shared across multiple strains, due to the difficulty of field-effect sensing in a highly ionic lysis buffer. The AIV sensor overcomes the sensitivity limit with an FET-based platform enhanced with a disposable well gate (DWG) that is readily replaceable after each measurement. In a single procedure, the virus-containing sample is immersed in a lysis buffer mixture to expose NPs to the DWG surface. In comparison with commercial AIV rapid kits, the AIV sensor is proved to be highly sensitive, fast, and compact, proving its potential effectiveness as a portable biosensor. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Mutation Breeding and Mutagenic Effect of Air Plasma on Penicillium Chrysogenum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gui, Fang; Wang, Hui; Wang, Peng; Liu, Hui; Cai, Xiaochun; Hu, Yihua; Yuan, Chengling; Zheng, Zhiming

2012-04-01

Low temperature air plasma was used as the mutation tool for penicillin-producing strain Penicillium chrysogenum. The discharge conditions were RF power of 360 W, temperature of 40°C in a sealed chamber, and pressure of 10 Pa to 30 Pa. The result showed that the kinetics of the survival rate followed a typical saddle-shaped curve. Based on a statistic analysis, at the treating duration of 10 min, the positive mutation rate was as high as 37.5% while the negative mutation rate was low. The colonial morphology changed obviously when the plasma treating duration reached or exceeded 45 min. After both primary and secondary screening, a mutant designated as aPc051310 with high productivity of penicillin was obtained, and a strong mutagenic effect on P. chrysogenum was observed in the process. It was proved that after five generations, the mutant aPc051310 still exhibits a high productivity. All the results prove that the plasma mutation method could be developed as a convenient and effective tool to breed high-yield strains in the fermentation industry, while expanding the plasm application at the same time.

Method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from graphene field-effect transistors using a physical model

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

Boscá, A., E-mail: alberto.bosca@upm.es; Dpto. de Ingeniería Electrónica, E.T.S.I. de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040; Pedrós, J.

2015-01-28

Due to its intrinsic high mobility, graphene has proved to be a suitable material for high-speed electronics, where graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) has shown excellent properties. In this work, we present a method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from GFET devices using a simple electrical characterization and a model fitting. With experimental data from the device output characteristics, the method allows to calculate parameters such as the mobility, the contact resistance, and the fixed charge. Differentiated electron and hole mobilities and direct connection with intrinsic material properties are some of the key aspects of this method. Moreover, the method outputmore » values can be correlated with several issues during key fabrication steps such as the graphene growth and transfer, the lithographic steps, or the metalization processes, providing a flexible tool for quality control in GFET fabrication, as well as a valuable feedback for improving the material-growth process.« less

The Influence of Different Processing Methods on Component Content of Sophora japonica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Y. B.; Zhu, H. J.; Xin, G. S.; Wei, C.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this experiment is to understand the effect of different processing methods on the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica, and to determine the content of rutin and quercetin in Sophora japonica under different processing methods by UV spectrophotometry of the content determination. So as to compare the effect of different processing methods on the active ingredient content of Sophora japonica. Experiments can be seen in the rutin content: Fried Sophora japonica>Vinegar sunburn Sophora> Health products Sophora japonica> Charred sophora flower, Vinegar sunburn Sophora and Fried Sophora japonica difference is not obvious; Quercetin content: Charred sophora flower> Fried Sophora japonica> Vinegar sunburn Sophora>Health products Sophora japonica. It is proved that there are some differences in the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica in different processing methods. The content of rutin increased with the increase of the processing temperature, but the content decreased after a certain temperature; Quercetin content will increase gradually with time.

Mechanoluminescence assisting agile optimization of processing design on surgical epiphysis plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terasaki, Nao; Toyomasu, Takashi; Sonohata, Motoki

2018-04-01

We propose a novel method for agile optimization of processing design by visualization of mechanoluminescence. To demonstrate the effect of the new method, epiphysis plates were processed to form dots (diameters: 1 and 1.5 mm) and the mechanical information was evaluated. As a result, the appearance of new strain concentration was successfully visualized on the basis of mechanoluminescence, and complex mechanical information was instinctively understood by surgeons as the designers. In addition, it was clarified by mechanoluminescence analysis that small dots do not have serious mechanical effects such as strength reduction. Such detail mechanical information evaluated on the basis of mechanoluminescence was successfully applied to the judgement of the validity of the processing design. This clearly proves the effectiveness of the new methodology using mechanoluminescence for assisting agile optimization of the processing design.

Wavelength selection for portable noninvasive blood component measurement system based on spectral difference coefficient and dynamic spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Ximeng; Li, Gang; Yu, Haixia; Wang, Shaohui; Yi, Xiaoqing; Lin, Ling

2018-03-01

Noninvasive blood component analysis by spectroscopy has been a hotspot in biomedical engineering in recent years. Dynamic spectrum provides an excellent idea for noninvasive blood component measurement, but studies have been limited to the application of broadband light sources and high-resolution spectroscopy instruments. In order to remove redundant information, a more effective wavelength selection method has been presented in this paper. In contrast to many common wavelength selection methods, this method is based on sensing mechanism which has a clear mechanism and can effectively avoid the noise from acquisition system. The spectral difference coefficient was theoretically proved to have a guiding significance for wavelength selection. After theoretical analysis, the multi-band spectral difference coefficient-wavelength selection method combining with the dynamic spectrum was proposed. An experimental analysis based on clinical trial data from 200 volunteers has been conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of this method. The extreme learning machine was used to develop the calibration models between the dynamic spectrum data and hemoglobin concentration. The experiment result shows that the prediction precision of hemoglobin concentration using multi-band spectral difference coefficient-wavelength selection method is higher compared with other methods.

Evaluation of direct and indirect ethanol biomarkers using a likelihood ratio approach to identify chronic alcohol abusers for forensic purposes.

PubMed

Alladio, Eugenio; Martyna, Agnieszka; Salomone, Alberto; Pirro, Valentina; Vincenti, Marco; Zadora, Grzegorz

2017-02-01

The detection of direct ethanol metabolites, such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs), in scalp hair is considered the optimal strategy to effectively recognize chronic alcohol misuses by means of specific cut-offs suggested by the Society of Hair Testing. However, several factors (e.g. hair treatments) may alter the correlation between alcohol intake and biomarkers concentrations, possibly introducing bias in the interpretative process and conclusions. 125 subjects with various drinking habits were subjected to blood and hair sampling to determine indirect (e.g. CDT) and direct alcohol biomarkers. The overall data were investigated using several multivariate statistical methods. A likelihood ratio (LR) approach was used for the first time to provide predictive models for the diagnosis of alcohol abuse, based on different combinations of direct and indirect alcohol biomarkers. LR strategies provide a more robust outcome than the plain comparison with cut-off values, where tiny changes in the analytical results can lead to dramatic divergence in the way they are interpreted. An LR model combining EtG and FAEEs hair concentrations proved to discriminate non-chronic from chronic consumers with ideal correct classification rates, whereas the contribution of indirect biomarkers proved to be negligible. Optimal results were observed using a novel approach that associates LR methods with multivariate statistics. In particular, the combination of LR approach with either Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) proved successful in discriminating chronic from non-chronic alcohol drinkers. These LR models were subsequently tested on an independent dataset of 43 individuals, which confirmed their high efficiency. These models proved to be less prone to bias than EtG and FAEEs independently considered. In conclusion, LR models may represent an efficient strategy to sustain the diagnosis of chronic alcohol consumption and provide a suitable gradation to support the judgment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical elimination of the harmful properties of asbestos from military facilities.

PubMed

Pawełczyk, Adam; Božek, František; Grabas, Kazimierz; Chęcmanowski, Jacek

2017-03-01

This work presents research on the neutralization of asbestos banned from military use and its conversion to usable products. The studies showed that asbestos can be decomposed by the use of phosphoric acid. The process proved very effective when the phosphoric acid concentration was 30%, the temperature was 90°C and the reaction time 60min. Contrary to the common asbestos treatment method that consists of landfilling, the proposed process ensures elimination of the harmful properties of this waste material and its transformation into inert substances. The obtained products include calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and silica. Chemical, microscopic and X-ray analyses proved that the products are free of harmful fibers and can be, in particular, utilized for fertilizers production. The obtained results may contribute to development of an asbestos utilization technique that fits well into the European waste policy, regulated by the EU waste management law. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A digital memories based user authentication scheme with privacy preservation.

PubMed

Liu, JunLiang; Lyu, Qiuyun; Wang, Qiuhua; Yu, Xiangxiang

2017-01-01

The traditional username/password or PIN based authentication scheme, which still remains the most popular form of authentication, has been proved insecure, unmemorable and vulnerable to guessing, dictionary attack, key-logger, shoulder-surfing and social engineering. Based on this, a large number of new alternative methods have recently been proposed. However, most of them rely on users being able to accurately recall complex and unmemorable information or using extra hardware (such as a USB Key), which makes authentication more difficult and confusing. In this paper, we propose a Digital Memories based user authentication scheme adopting homomorphic encryption and a public key encryption design which can protect users' privacy effectively, prevent tracking and provide multi-level security in an Internet & IoT environment. Also, we prove the superior reliability and security of our scheme compared to other schemes and present a performance analysis and promising evaluation results.

A digital memories based user authentication scheme with privacy preservation

PubMed Central

Liu, JunLiang; Lyu, Qiuyun; Wang, Qiuhua; Yu, Xiangxiang

2017-01-01

The traditional username/password or PIN based authentication scheme, which still remains the most popular form of authentication, has been proved insecure, unmemorable and vulnerable to guessing, dictionary attack, key-logger, shoulder-surfing and social engineering. Based on this, a large number of new alternative methods have recently been proposed. However, most of them rely on users being able to accurately recall complex and unmemorable information or using extra hardware (such as a USB Key), which makes authentication more difficult and confusing. In this paper, we propose a Digital Memories based user authentication scheme adopting homomorphic encryption and a public key encryption design which can protect users’ privacy effectively, prevent tracking and provide multi-level security in an Internet & IoT environment. Also, we prove the superior reliability and security of our scheme compared to other schemes and present a performance analysis and promising evaluation results. PMID:29190659

Reinforcement learning solution for HJB equation arising in constrained optimal control problem.

PubMed

Luo, Biao; Wu, Huai-Ning; Huang, Tingwen; Liu, Derong

2015-11-01

The constrained optimal control problem depends on the solution of the complicated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation (HJBE). In this paper, a data-based off-policy reinforcement learning (RL) method is proposed, which learns the solution of the HJBE and the optimal control policy from real system data. One important feature of the off-policy RL is that its policy evaluation can be realized with data generated by other behavior policies, not necessarily the target policy, which solves the insufficient exploration problem. The convergence of the off-policy RL is proved by demonstrating its equivalence to the successive approximation approach. Its implementation procedure is based on the actor-critic neural networks structure, where the function approximation is conducted with linearly independent basis functions. Subsequently, the convergence of the implementation procedure with function approximation is also proved. Finally, its effectiveness is verified through computer simulations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase on silane-modified ceramics and their properties: potential for oily wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Liu, W; Wang, W C; Li, H S; Zhou, X

2011-01-01

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is proved being effective in eliminating oil from aqueous solutions, but the elimination is expensive because free HRP can not be reused. In present work, HRP was successfully immobilized on cordierite porous ceramics support with a novel method of N-beta-aminoethyl-gamma-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane modification and glutaraldehyde activation. Under the optimized immobilized conditions, the actual immobilized HRP was 1.16 mg/g support, the activity of the immobilized HRP could reach as high as 1379.4 U/g support. Experiment results showed that the properties of storage stability, acid-base stability and the tolerance to the pH fluctuation of the immobilized HRP were better than those of the free HRP. The operation stability of the immobilized HRP was also good. The immobilized HRP is suitable for the oily wastewater treatment because of its reusability proved in this work.

A simple formula for the effective complex conductivity of periodic fibrous composites with interfacial impedance and applications to biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisegna, Paolo; Caselli, Federica

2008-06-01

This paper presents a simple analytical expression for the effective complex conductivity of a periodic hexagonal arrangement of conductive circular cylinders embedded in a conductive matrix, with interfaces exhibiting a capacitive impedance. This composite material may be regarded as an idealized model of a biological tissue comprising tubular cells, such as skeletal muscle. The asymptotic homogenization method is adopted, and the corresponding local problem is solved by resorting to Weierstrass elliptic functions. The effectiveness of the present analytical result is proved by convergence analysis and comparison with finite-element solutions and existing models.

Fungal Infections: The Stubborn Cases

PubMed Central

Adam, John E.

1982-01-01

Despite development of numerous antifungal preparations, mycotic infections persist, because of inaccurate diagnosis leading to inappropriate therapy, drug failure, non-compliance or resistance of the organism to antifungal medication. Direct KOH examination is the simplest method of proving the existence of a fungus. Fungal infections tend to be overdiagnosed; disorders which do not improve with three to four weeks of treatment should be reassessed before being labelled ‘stubborn’. Griseofulvin is effective treatment for all dermatophytes, but has certain side effects. Newer topical antifungals are also effective, but no single drug cures all fungal infections. ImagesFig. 1Fig. 2Fig. 3Fig. 4Fig. 5Fig. 6Fig. 7Fig. 8 PMID:20469387

Activities of Antibiotic Combinations against Resistant Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Model of Infected THP-1 Monocytes

PubMed Central

Buyck, Julien M.

2014-01-01

Antibiotic combinations are often used for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections but their efficacy toward intracellular bacteria has not been investigated so far. We have studied combinations of representatives of the main antipseudomonal classes (ciprofloxacin, meropenem, tobramycin, and colistin) against intracellular P. aeruginosa in a model of THP-1 monocytes in comparison with bacteria growing in broth, using the reference strain PAO1 and two clinical isolates (resistant to ciprofloxacin and meropenem, respectively). Interaction between drugs was assessed by checkerboard titration (extracellular model only), by kill curves, and by using the fractional maximal effect (FME) method, which allows studying the effects of combinations when dose-effect relationships are not linear. For drugs used alone, simple sigmoidal functions could be fitted to all concentration-effect relationships (extracellular and intracellular bacteria), with static concentrations close to (ciprofloxacin, colistin, and meropenem) or slightly higher than (tobramycin) the MIC and with maximal efficacy reaching the limit of detection in broth but only a 1 to 1.5 (colistin, meropenem, and tobramycin) to 2 to 3 (ciprofloxacin) log10 CFU decrease intracellularly. Extracellularly, all combinations proved additive by checkerboard titration but synergistic using the FME method and more bactericidal in kill curve assays. Intracellularly, all combinations proved additive only based on both FME and kill curve assays. Thus, although combinations appeared to modestly improve antibiotic activity against intracellular P. aeruginosa, they do not allow eradication of these persistent forms of infections. Combinations including ciprofloxacin were the most active (even against the ciprofloxacin-resistant strain), which is probably related to the fact this drug was the most effective alone intracellularly. PMID:25348528

Principles of sustainable development of the territory and priorities of architectural and urban construction activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dontsov, Dmitry; Yushkova, Natalia

2017-01-01

The paper is aimed at detecting conceptual conflicts within the architectural and urban construction activity (AUCA), defining their reasons and substantiating ways to decrease adverse effects they caused. Methods of causes and effects analyses are used, as well as evolutional and comparative analyses. They allow defining the laws to form activity model in modern environment, whose elements are ranked. Relevance of the paper is based on defining scientific and theoretical grounds of necessity to improve methodology of AUCA via its adaption to the imperatives of state management. System analyses enabled to prove practicability of considering factors of institution environment for reorganization of the model of AUCA, which provide the fullest implementation of sustainable development principles. It was proved that territorial planning is not only the leading type of AUCA, but also integrator for functioning structures of state management within planning of social and economic development. As main result of the paper consist in detection of the perspective ways for evolution of modern methodology due to increasing interdisciplinary aspect leading to the qualitative renewal of territorial management principles.

Modeling of Rolling Element Bearing Mechanics: Computer Program Updates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, S. G.

1997-01-01

The Rolling Element Bearing Analysis System (REBANS) extends the capability available with traditional quasi-static bearing analysis programs by including the effects of bearing race and support flexibility. This tool was developed under contract for NASA-MSFC. The initial version delivered at the close of the contract contained several errors and exhibited numerous convergence difficulties. The program has been modified in-house at MSFC to correct the errors and greatly improve the convergence. The modifications consist of significant changes in the problem formulation and nonlinear convergence procedures. The original approach utilized sequential convergence for nested loops to achieve final convergence. This approach proved to be seriously deficient in robustness. Convergence was more the exception than the rule. The approach was changed to iterate all variables simultaneously. This approach has the advantage of using knowledge of the effect of each variable on each other variable (via the system Jacobian) when determining the incremental changes. This method has proved to be quite robust in its convergence. This technical memorandum documents the changes required for the original Theoretical Manual and User's Manual due to the new approach.

Biochemical Monitoring of Spinal Cord Injury by FT-IR Spectroscopy—Effects of Therapeutic Alginate Implant in Rat Models

PubMed Central

Uckermann, Ortrud; Sitoci-Ficici, Kerim H.; Later, Robert; Beiermeister, Rudolf; Doberenz, Falko; Gelinsky, Michael; Leipnitz, Elke; Schackert, Gabriele; Koch, Edmund; Sablinskas, Valdas; Steiner, Gerald; Kirsch, Matthias

2015-01-01

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces complex biochemical changes, which result in inhibition of nervous tissue regeneration abilities. In this study, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was applied to assess the outcomes of implants made of a novel type of non-functionalized soft calcium alginate hydrogel in a rat model of spinal cord hemisection (n = 28). Using FT-IR spectroscopic imaging, we evaluated the stability of the implants and the effects on morphology and biochemistry of the injured tissue one and six months after injury. A semi-quantitative evaluation of the distribution of lipids and collagen showed that alginate significantly reduced injury-induced demyelination of the contralateral white matter and fibrotic scarring in the chronic state after SCI. The spectral information enabled to detect and localize the alginate hydrogel at the lesion site and proved its long-term persistence in vivo. These findings demonstrate a positive impact of alginate hydrogel on recovery after SCI and prove FT-IR spectroscopic imaging as alternative method to evaluate and optimize future SCI repair strategies. PMID:26559822

Numerical computation of orbits and rigorous verification of existence of snapback repellers.

PubMed

Peng, Chen-Chang

2007-03-01

In this paper we show how analysis from numerical computation of orbits can be applied to prove the existence of snapback repellers in discrete dynamical systems. That is, we present a computer-assisted method to prove the existence of a snapback repeller of a specific map. The existence of a snapback repeller of a dynamical system implies that it has chaotic behavior [F. R. Marotto, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 63, 199 (1978)]. The method is applied to the logistic map and the discrete predator-prey system.

Rectification of nanopores at surfaces

PubMed Central

Sa, Niya

2011-01-01

At the nanoscale, methods to measure surface charge can prove challenging. Herein we describe a general method to report surface charge through the measurement of ion current rectification of a nanopipette brought in close proximity to a charged substrate. This method is able to discriminate between charged cationic and anionic substrates when the nanopipette is brought within distances from ten to hundreds of nanometers from the surface. Further studies of the pH dependence on the observed rectification support a surface-induced mechanism and demonstrate the ability to further discriminate between cationic and nominally uncharged surfaces. This method could find application in measurement and mapping of heterogeneous surface charges and is particularly attractive for future biological measurements, where noninvasive, noncontact probing of surface charge will prove valuable. PMID:21675734

An updated ciguatoxin extraction method and silica cleanup for use with HPLC-MS/MS for the analysis of P-CTX-1, PCTX-2 and P-CTX-3.

PubMed

Meyer, Lauren; Carter, Steve; Capper, Angela

2015-12-15

Ciguatera fish poisoning is a debilitating human neuro-intoxication caused by consumption of tropical marine organisms, contaminated with bioaccumulated ciguatoxins (CTXs). The growing number of cases coupled with the high toxicity of CTXs makes their reliable detection and quantification of paramount importance. Three commonly occurring ciguatoxins, P-CTX-1, 2 and 3 from five different ciguatoxic Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson), were used to assess the effectiveness of different extraction techniques: homogenization (high powered blending vs. ultrasonication); C-18 column sizes (500 mg vs. 900 mg); and a novel HILIC SPE cleanup. Despite minor differences, blending and sonication proved equally effective. Larger 900 mg columns offered a greater extraction efficiency, increasing detected P-CTX-1 by 37% (P < 0.001). The newly adapted cleanup was highly effective at reducing co-eluting phospholipids thereby reducing matrix effects and increasing detectable CTXs by HPLC-MS/MS. Silica cleanup extraction efficiencies were also compared between the highly effective and validated ciguatoxin rapid extraction method (CREM) and current best practice extraction method employed by Queensland Health (QH). Overall, the QH protocol proved more effective, especially when paired with the newly adapted cleanup, as this increased the amount of extracted P-CTX-1 by 46% (P < 0.01), P-CTX-2 by 10% and P-CTX-3 by 71% (P = 0.001). This study suggests the QH protocol utilizing a 900 mg C-18 column and newly adapted HILIC SPE cleanup was most effective at extracting P-CTX-1, -2, -3. Specifically P-CTX-1, the primary ciguatoxin congener of concern due to its extremely high potency and an ability to cause CFP at 0.1 μg/kg following consumption of carnivorous fish flesh. Despite being more time intensive (an additional 85 min per batch of 12 samples), this will be especially effective for assessing lower toxin burdens, which may be near the limit of detection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the two-loop divergences of the 2-point hypermultiplet supergraphs for 6D, N = (1 , 1) SYM theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchbinder, I. L.; Ivanov, E. A.; Merzlikin, B. S.; Stepanyantz, K. V.

2018-03-01

We consider 6D, N = (1 , 1) supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory formulated in N = (1 , 0) harmonic superspace and analyze the structure of the two-loop divergences in the hypermultiplet sector. Using the N = (1 , 0) superfield background field method we study the two-point supergraphs with the hypermultiplet legs and prove that their total contribution to the divergent part of effective action vanishes off shell.

Insulation detection of electric vehicle batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Qiqi; Zhu, Zhongwen; Huang, Denggao; Du, Mingxing; Wei, Kexin

2018-06-01

In this paper, an electric vehicle insulation detection method with single side switching fixed resistance is designed, and the hardware and software design of the system are given. The experiment proves that the insulation detection system can detect the insulation resistance in a wide range of resistance values, and accurately report the fault level. This system can effectively monitor the insulation fault between the car body and the high voltage line and avoid the passengers from being injured.

[Endoscopic surgery in the treatment of patients with extensive odontogenic cysts].

PubMed

Sysolyatin, P G; Sysolyatin, S P; Baydik, O D

The aim of the study was the assessment of effectiveness of endoscopic techniques in the treatment of extensive odontogenic cysts. Endosurgery for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes was used in 67 patients with odontogenic cysts of the jaws: 23 follicular cysts, 19 radicular cysts, 6 residual cysts, and 19 keratokists. The results prove that the developed methods of endovideosurgery of odontogenic cysts have low invasiveness, provide an optimal healing of bone tissue and reduce postoperative complications.

[THE USE OF OZONATED SEA BUCKTHORN OIL IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF TOBACCO DEPENDENCE PERIODONTITIS IN THE EXPERIMENT].

PubMed

Zubachyk, V; Ilchyshyn, M

2014-12-01

Therapeutic and prophylactic properties ozonated of sea buckthorn oil in the experiment on the model of generalized periodontitis in Wistar rats induced by action of extracted products of incomplete combustion of tobacco smoke was investigated. It is proved that the proposed method of ozone therapy in combination with fitooil prevents and corrects metabolic disturbances in the periodontal tissues, caused a by high therapeutic effect of the drug.

Assessment of effect of Yb3+ ion pairs on a highly Yb-doped double-clad fibre laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallés, J. A.; Martín, J. C.; Berdejo, V.; Cases, R.; Álvarez, J. M.; Rebolledo, M. Á.

2018-03-01

Using a previously validated characterization method based on the careful measurement of the characteristic parameters and fluorescence emission spectra of a highly Yb-doped double-clad fibre, we evaluate the contribution of ion pair induced processes to the output power of a double-clad Yb-doped fibre ring laser. This contribution is proved to be insignificant, contrary to analysis by other authors, who overestimate the role of ion pairs.

Dimensional Analysis in Mathematical Modeling Systems: A Simple Numerical Method

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

US Army Ballistic Research Laboratories, Aberden Proving Ground , NID, August 1975. [18] Hi1irlimann, T., and .J. lKohlas "LPL: A Structured Language...such systems can prove that (a’ + ab + b2 + ba) = (a + b) 2 . With some effort, since the laws of physical algebra are a minor variant on those of

Determination of neuroprotective oxysterols in Calculus bovis, human gallstones, and traditional Chinese medicine preparations by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wang, Yalong; Jiang, Han; Huang, Huizhi; Xie, Yanqi; Zhao, Yunshi; You, Xiuhua; Tang, Lipeng; Wang, Youqiong; Yin, Wei; Qiu, Pengxin; Yan, Guangmei; Hu, Haiyan

2015-03-01

So far, the components responsible for the neuroprotective effects of Calculus bovis are unclear. Cholesterol, one of the major components in Calculus bovis, is easily oxidized into oxysterols, which possess direct or indirect neuroprotective effects proved by our and others' previous studies. Therefore, a liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry method coupled with ultrasonic extraction and solid-phase extraction was developed for the determination of neuroprotective oxysterols in Calculus bovis, human gallstones, and traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column with isocratic elution at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The established method showed good linearity (R(2) > 0.998), sensitivity with low limits of detection (0.06-0.39 μg/g), acceptable precisions (relative standard deviations ≤ 7.4%), stability (relative standard deviations ≤ 5.9%), and satisfactory accuracy (92.4-102.9%) for all analytes identified by different retention times, which could be applied for the determination of oxysterols. Five kinds of oxysterols proved to function as neuroprotectants were detected at different concentrations. Among them, 7β-hydroxycholesterol and cholestane-3β,5α,6β-triol were rather abundant in the samples. It could be concluded that the potential neuroprotective components in Calculus bovis may be these oxysterols. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The effectiveness of different methods of toilet training for bowel and bladder control.

PubMed Central

Klassen, Terry P; Kiddoo, Darcie; Lang, Mia E; Friesen, Carol; Russell, Kelly; Spooner, Carol; Vandermeer, Ben

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this report are to determine the following: (1) the effectiveness of the toilet training methods, (2) which factors modify the effectiveness of toilet training, (3) if the toilet training methods are risk factor for adverse outcomes, and (4) the optimal toilet training method for achieving bowel and bladder control among patients with special needs. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid OLDMEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, EBM Reviews, HealthSTAR, AMED, Web of Science, Biological Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, OCLC ProceedingsFirst, OCLC PapersFirst, Dissertation Abstracts, Index to Theses, National Research Register's Projects Database, and trials registers. REVIEW METHODS Two reviewers assessed the studies for inclusion. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: STUDY DESIGN RCT, CCT, prospective or retrospective cohort, case-control, cross-sectional or case-series; POPULATION infants, toddlers, or children with or without co-morbidities, neuromuscular, cognitive, or behavioral handicaps disabilities; INTERVENTION at least one toilet training method; and OUTCOME bladder and/or bowel control, successes, failures, adverse outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and a second checked for accuracy and completeness. Due to substantial heterogeneity, meta-analysis was not possible. RESULTS Twenty-six observational studies and eight controlled trials were included. Approximately half of the studies examined healthy children while the remaining studies assessed toilet training of mentally or physically handicapped children. For healthy children, the Azrin and Foxx method performed better than the Spock method, while child-oriented combined with negative term avoidance proved better than without. For mentally handicapped children, individual training was superior to group methods; relaxation techniques proved more efficacious than standard methods; operant conditioning was better than conventional treatment, and the Azrin and Foxx and a behavior modification method fared better than no training. The child-oriented approach was not assessed among mentally handicapped children. For children with Hirschsprung's disease or anal atresia, a multi-disciplinary behavior treatment was more efficacious than no treatment. CONCLUSIONS Both the Azrin and Foxx method and the child-oriented approach resulted in quick, successful toilet training, but there was limited information about the sustainability of the training. The two methods were not directly compared, thus it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions regarding the superiority of one method over the other. In general, both programs may be used to teach toilet training to healthy children. The Azrin and Foxx method and operant conditioning methods were consistently effective for toilet training mentally handicapped children. Programs that were adapted to physically handicapped children also resulted in successful toilet training. A lack of data precluded conclusions regarding the development of adverse outcomes. PMID:17764212

Comparison between amperometric and true potentiometric end-point detection in the determination of water by the Karl Fischer method.

PubMed

Cedergren, A

1974-06-01

A rapid and sensitive method using true potentiometric end-point detection has been developed and compared with the conventional amperometric method for Karl Fischer determination of water. The effect of the sulphur dioxide concentration on the shape of the titration curve is shown. By using kinetic data it was possible to calculate the course of titrations and make comparisons with those found experimentally. The results prove that the main reaction is the slow step, both in the amperometric and the potentiometric method. Results obtained in the standardization of the Karl Fischer reagent showed that the potentiometric method, including titration to a preselected potential, gave a standard deviation of 0.001(1) mg of water per ml, the amperometric method using extrapolation 0.002(4) mg of water per ml and the amperometric titration to a pre-selected diffusion current 0.004(7) mg of water per ml. Theories and results dealing with dilution effects are presented. The time of analysis was 1-1.5 min for the potentiometric and 4-5 min for the amperometric method using extrapolation.

Combination of cylindrical confinement and spark discharge for signal improvement using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.

PubMed

Hou, Zongyu; Wang, Zhe; Liu, Jianmin; Ni, Weidou; Li, Zheng

2014-06-02

Spark discharge has been proved to be an effective way to enhance the LIBS signal while moderate cylindrical confinement is able to increase the signal repeatability with limited signal enhancement effects. In the present work, these two methods were combined together not only to improve the pulse-to-pulse signal repeatability but also to simultaneously and significantly enhance the signal as well as SNR. Plasma images showed that the confinement stabilized the morphology of the plasma, especially for the discharge assisted process, which explained the improvement of the signal repeatability.

Influence of the Redundant Verification and the Non-Redundant Verification on the Hydraulic Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, T. B.; Chen, Y. L.; Lin, H. R.; Huang, S. Y.; Yeh, T. C. J.; Wen, J. C.

2016-12-01

In the groundwater study, it estimated the heterogeneous spatial distribution of hydraulic Properties, there were many scholars use to hydraulic tomography (HT) from field site pumping tests to estimate inverse of heterogeneous spatial distribution of hydraulic Properties, to prove the most of most field site aquifer was heterogeneous hydrogeological parameters spatial distribution field. Many scholars had proposed a method of hydraulic tomography to estimate heterogeneous spatial distribution of hydraulic Properties of aquifer, the Huang et al. [2011] was used the non-redundant verification analysis of pumping wells changed, observation wells fixed on the inverse and the forward, to reflect the feasibility of the heterogeneous spatial distribution of hydraulic Properties of field site aquifer of the non-redundant verification analysis on steady-state model.From post literature, finding only in steady state, non-redundant verification analysis of pumping well changed location and observation wells fixed location for inverse and forward. But the studies had not yet pumping wells fixed or changed location, and observation wells fixed location for redundant verification or observation wells change location for non-redundant verification of the various combinations may to explore of influences of hydraulic tomography method. In this study, it carried out redundant verification method and non-redundant verification method for forward to influences of hydraulic tomography method in transient. And it discuss above mentioned in NYUST campus sites the actual case, to prove the effectiveness of hydraulic tomography methods, and confirmed the feasibility on inverse and forward analysis from analysis results.Keywords: Hydraulic Tomography, Redundant Verification, Heterogeneous, Inverse, Forward

Speckle reduction in digital holography with resampling ring masks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenhui; Cao, Liangcai; Jin, Guofan

2018-01-01

One-shot digital holographic imaging has the advantages of high stability and low temporal cost. However, the reconstruction is affected by the speckle noise. Resampling ring-mask method in spectrum domain is proposed for speckle reduction. The useful spectrum of one hologram is divided into several sub-spectra by ring masks. In the reconstruction, angular spectrum transform is applied to guarantee the calculation accuracy which has no approximation. N reconstructed amplitude images are calculated from the corresponding sub-spectra. Thanks to speckle's random distribution, superimposing these N uncorrelated amplitude images would lead to a final reconstructed image with lower speckle noise. Normalized relative standard deviation values of the reconstructed image are used to evaluate the reduction of speckle. Effect of the method on the spatial resolution of the reconstructed image is also quantitatively evaluated. Experimental and simulation results prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

A multi-criteria decision analysis perspective on the health economic evaluation of medical interventions.

PubMed

Postmus, Douwe; Tervonen, Tommi; van Valkenhoef, Gert; Hillege, Hans L; Buskens, Erik

2014-09-01

A standard practice in health economic evaluation is to monetize health effects by assuming a certain societal willingness-to-pay per unit of health gain. Although the resulting net monetary benefit (NMB) is easy to compute, the use of a single willingness-to-pay threshold assumes expressibility of the health effects on a single non-monetary scale. To relax this assumption, this article proves that the NMB framework is a special case of the more general stochastic multi-criteria acceptability analysis (SMAA) method. Specifically, as SMAA does not restrict the number of criteria to two and also does not require the marginal rates of substitution to be constant, there are problem instances for which the use of this more general method may result in a better understanding of the trade-offs underlying the reimbursement decision-making problem. This is illustrated by applying both methods in a case study related to infertility treatment.

Analysis and enhancement of astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis.

PubMed

Orosa, M; Franqueira, D; Cid, A; Abalde, J

2005-02-01

The green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis was cultured with different concentrations of NaNO(3) to determine the effect on cell growth and astaxanthin accumulation. The optimum nitrate concentration to obtain astaxanthin and to avoid the cessation of cell division was 0.15 g/l NaNO(3). The ratio chlorophyll a/total carotenoids proved a good physiological indicator of nitrogen deficiency in the cell. The effect of different carbon sources, malonate and acetate, on astaxanthin accumulation was also studied; up to 13 times more carotenoids per cell were accumulated in cultures with malonate than in cultures without this compound. The pigment analysis was performed by a new low toxicity HPLC method capable of separating chlorophylls a and b, carotenes and xanthophylls in a short-period of time, using low volumes of solvents and with an economical price. With this method even echinenone was separated, which had been unsuccessful by any other method.

Weighted Global Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm Makes Gas Sensor Deployment Efficient

PubMed Central

Jiang, Ye; He, Ziqing; Li, Yanhai; Xu, Zhengyi; Wei, Jianming

2016-01-01

This paper proposes an improved artificial bee colony algorithm named Weighted Global ABC (WGABC) algorithm, which is designed to improve the convergence speed in the search stage of solution search equation. The new method not only considers the effect of global factors on the convergence speed in the search phase, but also provides the expression of global factor weights. Experiment on benchmark functions proved that the algorithm can improve the convergence speed greatly. We arrive at the gas diffusion concentration based on the theory of CFD and then simulate the gas diffusion model with the influence of buildings based on the algorithm. Simulation verified the effectiveness of the WGABC algorithm in improving the convergence speed in optimal deployment scheme of gas sensors. Finally, it is verified that the optimal deployment method based on WGABC algorithm can improve the monitoring efficiency of sensors greatly as compared with the conventional deployment methods. PMID:27322262

Shallow Reflection Method for Water-Filled Void Detection and Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahari, M. N. H.; Madun, A.; Dahlan, S. H.; Joret, A.; Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Mohammad, A. H.; Izzaty, R. A.

2018-04-01

Shallow investigation is crucial in enhancing the characteristics of subsurface void commonly encountered in civil engineering, and one such technique commonly used is seismic-reflection technique. An assessment of the effectiveness of such an approach is critical to determine whether the quality of the works meets the prescribed requirements. Conventional quality testing suffers limitations including: limited coverage (both area and depth) and problems with resolution quality. Traditionally quality assurance measurements use laboratory and in-situ invasive and destructive tests. However geophysical approaches, which are typically non-invasive and non-destructive, offer a method by which improvement of detection can be measured in a cost-effective way. Of this seismic reflection have proved useful to assess void characteristic, this paper evaluates the application of shallow seismic-reflection method in characterizing the water-filled void properties at 0.34 m depth, specifically for detection and characterization of void measurement using 2-dimensional tomography.

Epidemiologic Methods Lessons Learned from Environmental Public Health Disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina

PubMed Central

Svendsen, Erik R.; Runkle, Jennifer R.; Dhara, Venkata Ramana; Lin, Shao; Naboka, Marina; Mousseau, Timothy A.; Bennett, Charles

2012-01-01

Background: Environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants may have devastating effects. While much is known about their immediate devastation, far less is known about long-term impacts of these disasters. Extensive latent and chronic long-term public health effects may occur. Careful evaluation of contaminant exposures and long-term health outcomes within the constraints imposed by limited financial resources is essential. Methods: Here, we review epidemiologic methods lessons learned from conducting long-term evaluations of four environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants at Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville (South Carolina, USA). Findings: We found several lessons learned which have direct implications for the on-going disaster recovery work following the Fukushima radiation disaster or for future disasters. Interpretation: These lessons should prove useful in understanding and mitigating latent health effects that may result from the nuclear reactor accident in Japan or future environmental public health disasters. PMID:23066404

Computation of aerodynamic interference effects on oscillating airfoils with controls in ventilated subsonic wind tunnels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fromme, J. A.; Golberg, M. A.

1979-01-01

Lift interference effects are discussed based on Bland's (1968) integral equation. A mathematical existence theory is utilized for which convergence of the numerical method has been proved for general (square-integrable) downwashes. Airloads are computed using orthogonal airfoil polynomial pairs in conjunction with a collocation method which is numerically equivalent to Galerkin's method and complex least squares. Convergence exhibits exponentially decreasing error with the number n of collocation points for smooth downwashes, whereas errors are proportional to 1/n for discontinuous downwashes. The latter can be reduced to 1/n to the m+1 power with mth-order Richardson extrapolation (by using m = 2, hundredfold error reductions were obtained with only a 13% increase of computer time). Numerical results are presented showing acoustic resonance, as well as the effect of Mach number, ventilation, height-to-chord ratio, and mode shape on wind-tunnel interference. Excellent agreement with experiment is obtained in steady flow, and good agreement is obtained for unsteady flow.

The Convergence of Heat, Groundwater & Fracture Permeability. Innovative Play Fairway Modelling Applied to the Tularosa Basin Phase 1 Project Report

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

Bennett, Carlon R.; Nash, Gregory D.; Sorkhabi, Rasoul

This report summarizes the activities and key findings of the project team occurring during Phase 1 (August 2014-October 2015) of the Tularosa Basin Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis Project. The Tularosa Basin Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) project tested two distinct geothermal exploration methodologies covering the entire basin within South Central New Mexico and Far West Texas. Throughout the initial phase of the project, the underexplored basin proved to be a challenging, yet ideal test bed to evaluate effectiveness of the team’s data collection techniques as well as the effectiveness of our innovative PFA. Phase 1 of the effort employed a low-cost,more » pragmatic approach using two methods to identify potential geothermal plays within the study area and then compared and contrasted the results of each method to rank and evaluate potential plays. Both methods appear to be very effective and highly transferable to other areas.« less

The effectiveness of different methods of toilet training for bowel and bladder control.

PubMed

Klassen, Terry P; Kiddoo, Darcie; Lang, Mia E; Friesen, Carol; Russell, Kelly; Spooner, Carol; Vandermeer, Ben

2006-12-01

The objectives of this report are to determine the following: (1) the effectiveness of the toilet training methods, (2) which factors modify the effectiveness of toilet training, (3) if the toilet training methods are risk factor for adverse outcomes, and (4) the optimal toilet training method for achieving bowel and bladder control among patients with special needs. MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid OLDMEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, EBM Reviews, HealthSTAR, AMED, Web of Science, Biological Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, OCLC ProceedingsFirst, OCLC PapersFirst, Dissertation Abstracts, Index to Theses, National Research Register's Projects Database, and trials registers. Two reviewers assessed the studies for inclusion. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: RCT, CCT, prospective or retrospective cohort, case-control, cross-sectional or case-series; infants, toddlers, or children with or without co-morbidities, neuromuscular, cognitive, or behavioral handicaps disabilities; at least one toilet training method; and bladder and/or bowel control, successes, failures, adverse outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and a second checked for accuracy and completeness. Due to substantial heterogeneity, meta-analysis was not possible. Twenty-six observational studies and eight controlled trials were included. Approximately half of the studies examined healthy children while the remaining studies assessed toilet training of mentally or physically handicapped children. For healthy children, the Azrin and Foxx method performed better than the Spock method, while child-oriented combined with negative term avoidance proved better than without. For mentally handicapped children, individual training was superior to group methods; relaxation techniques proved more efficacious than standard methods; operant conditioning was better than conventional treatment, and the Azrin and Foxx and a behavior modification method fared better than no training. The child-oriented approach was not assessed among mentally handicapped children. For children with Hirschsprung's disease or anal atresia, a multi-disciplinary behavior treatment was more efficacious than no treatment. Both the Azrin and Foxx method and the child-oriented approach resulted in quick, successful toilet training, but there was limited information about the sustainability of the training. The two methods were not directly compared, thus it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions regarding the superiority of one method over the other. In general, both programs may be used to teach toilet training to healthy children. The Azrin and Foxx method and operant conditioning methods were consistently effective for toilet training mentally handicapped children. Programs that were adapted to physically handicapped children also resulted in successful toilet training. A lack of data precluded conclusions regarding the development of adverse outcomes.

Theoretical and experimental study on active sound transmission control based on single structural mode actuation using point force actuators.

PubMed

Sanada, Akira; Tanaka, Nobuo

2012-08-01

This study deals with the feedforward active control of sound transmission through a simply supported rectangular panel using vibration actuators. The control effect largely depends on the excitation method, including the number and locations of actuators. In order to obtain a large control effect at low frequencies over a wide frequency, an active transmission control method based on single structural mode actuation is proposed. Then, with the goal of examining the feasibility of the proposed method, the (1, 3) mode is selected as the target mode and a modal actuation method in combination with six point force actuators is considered. Assuming that a single input single output feedforward control is used, sound transmission in the case minimizing the transmitted sound power is calculated for some actuation methods. Simulation results showed that the (1, 3) modal actuation is globally effective at reducing the sound transmission by more than 10 dB in the low-frequency range for both normal and oblique incidences. Finally, experimental results also showed that a large reduction could be achieved in the low-frequency range, which proves the validity and feasibility of the proposed method.

Crack image segmentation based on improved DBC method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ting; Yang, Nan; Wang, Fengping; Gao, Ting; Wang, Weixing

2017-11-01

With the development of computer vision technology, crack detection based on digital image segmentation method arouses global attentions among researchers and transportation ministries. Since the crack always exhibits the random shape and complex texture, it is still a challenge to accomplish reliable crack detection results. Therefore, a novel crack image segmentation method based on fractal DBC (differential box counting) is introduced in this paper. The proposed method can estimate every pixel fractal feature based on neighborhood information which can consider the contribution from all possible direction in the related block. The block moves just one pixel every time so that it could cover all the pixels in the crack image. Unlike the classic DBC method which only describes fractal feature for the related region, this novel method can effectively achieve crack image segmentation according to the fractal feature of every pixel. The experiment proves the proposed method can achieve satisfactory results in crack detection.

A method to measure internal contact angle in opaque systems by magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Zhu, Weiqin; Tian, Ye; Gao, Xuefeng; Jiang, Lei

2013-07-23

Internal contact angle is an important parameter for internal wettability characterization. However, due to the limitation of optical imaging, methods available for contact angle measurement are only suitable for transparent or open systems. For most of the practical situations that require contact angle measurement in opaque or enclosed systems, the traditional methods are not effective. Based upon the requirement, a method suitable for contact angle measurement in nontransparent systems is developed by employing MRI technology. In the Article, the method is demonstrated by measuring internal contact angles in opaque cylindrical tubes. It proves that the method also shows great feasibility in transparent situations and opaque capillary systems. By using the method, contact angle in opaque systems could be measured successfully, which is significant in understanding the wetting behaviors in nontransparent systems and calculating interfacial parameters in enclosed systems.

Policy Gradient Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Data-Based Optimal Control.

PubMed

Luo, Biao; Liu, Derong; Wu, Huai-Ning; Wang, Ding; Lewis, Frank L

2017-10-01

The model-free optimal control problem of general discrete-time nonlinear systems is considered in this paper, and a data-based policy gradient adaptive dynamic programming (PGADP) algorithm is developed to design an adaptive optimal controller method. By using offline and online data rather than the mathematical system model, the PGADP algorithm improves control policy with a gradient descent scheme. The convergence of the PGADP algorithm is proved by demonstrating that the constructed Q -function sequence converges to the optimal Q -function. Based on the PGADP algorithm, the adaptive control method is developed with an actor-critic structure and the method of weighted residuals. Its convergence properties are analyzed, where the approximate Q -function converges to its optimum. Computer simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the PGADP-based adaptive control method.

Neural network approach for the calculation of potential coefficients in quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ossandón, Sebastián; Reyes, Camilo; Cumsille, Patricio; Reyes, Carlos M.

2017-05-01

A numerical method based on artificial neural networks is used to solve the inverse Schrödinger equation for a multi-parameter class of potentials. First, the finite element method was used to solve repeatedly the direct problem for different parametrizations of the chosen potential function. Then, using the attainable eigenvalues as a training set of the direct radial basis neural network a map of new eigenvalues was obtained. This relationship was later inverted and refined by training an inverse radial basis neural network, allowing the calculation of the unknown parameters and therefore estimating the potential function. Three numerical examples are presented in order to prove the effectiveness of the method. The results show that the method proposed has the advantage to use less computational resources without a significant accuracy loss.

Outcomes of Mini vs Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

PubMed

Wang, Fu-Gang; Yan, Wen-Mao; Yan, Ming; Song, Mao-Min

2018-05-10

Mini gastric bypass has been proved to be capable of achieving excellent metabolic results by numerous published studies. Compared to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass is a technically simpler and reversible procedure. However, comparative outcomes of the effectiveness between Mini gastric bypass and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass remain unclear. A systematic literature search was performed in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library from inception to February 9, 2018. For assessment of method quality, NOS (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) and Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias were used for cohort study and randomized controlled trials, respectively. The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 software. 10 cohort studies and 1 randomized controlled trial was included in our meta-analysis. The method quality of the 10 cohort studies was proved as high quality according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The randomized controlled trial was proved to have a low risk of bias according to Cochrane Collaboration's assessment. Patients receiving mini-gastric bypass had multiple advantageous indexes as compared with patients receiving Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Examples include: a higher 1-year EWL% (P < 0.05), higher 2-year EWL% (P < 0.05), higher type 2 diabetes mellitus remission rate, as well as a shorter operation time (P < 0.05). No significant statistical difference was observed in hypertension remission rate, mortality, leakage rate, GERD rate, or hospital stay between mini gastric bypass and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Mini gastric bypass seems to be a simpler procedure with a better weight reduction effect. This seems to also be the case regarding remission rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus when using Mini gastric bypass in comparison to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. A small sample size and biased data may have influenced the stability of our results. In light of this, surgeons should treat our results in a conservative way. Larger sample size and multi-center randomized control trials are needed to compare the effectiveness and safety between mini-gastric bypass and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The effect of reading assignments in guided inquiry learning on students’ critical thinking skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syarkowi, A.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of reading assignment in guided inquiry learning on senior high school students’ critical thinking skills. The research method which was used in this research was quasi-experiment research method with reading task as the treatment. Topic of inquiry process was Kirchhoff law. The instrument was used for this research was 25 multiple choice interpretive exercises with justification. The multiple choice test was divided on 3 categories such as involve basic clarification, the bases for a decision and inference skills. The result of significance test proved the improvement of students’ critical thinking skills of experiment class was significantly higher when compared with the control class, so it could be concluded that reading assignment can improve students’ critical thinking skills.

On thermal conditions and properties of thallium bromide single crystals grown by the Electro Dynamic Gradient method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zhiping; Yu, Yongtao; Gong, Shuping; Fu, Qiuyun; Zhou, Dongxiang

2013-05-01

The Electro Dynamic Gradient (EDG) method has been proved to be a feasible way to grow TlBr crystals in our previous work. In this research, the influence of thermal conditions such as cooling rate during growth process on the crystal performance was investigated. Crystals of approximately 12 mm diameter were obtained by the EDG method at different cooling rates during the growth process, and the quality of the crystals was routinely evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) transmission, I-V measurement and energy response spectrum. The results proved that thermal conditions during growth had a profound influence on the characteristics of the crystals.

A Two-Layer Least Squares Support Vector Machine Approach to Credit Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jingli; Li, Jianping; Xu, Weixuan; Shi, Yong

Least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) is a revised version of support vector machine (SVM) and has been proved to be a useful tool for pattern recognition. LS-SVM had excellent generalization performance and low computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new method called two-layer least squares support vector machine which combines kernel principle component analysis (KPCA) and linear programming form of least square support vector machine. With this method sparseness and robustness is obtained while solving large dimensional and large scale database. A U.S. commercial credit card database is used to test the efficiency of our method and the result proved to be a satisfactory one.

Atmospheric corrosion of metals in industrial city environment

PubMed Central

Kusmierek, Elzbieta; Chrzescijanska, Ewa

2015-01-01

Atmospheric corrosion is a significant problem given destruction of various materials, especially metals. The corrosion investigation in the industrial city environment was carried out during one year exposure. Corrosion potential was determined using the potentiometric method. The highest effect of corrosion processes was observed during the winter season due to increased air pollution. Corrosion of samples pre-treated in tannic acid before the exposure was more difficult compared with the samples without pretreatment. The corrosion products determined with the SEM/EDS method prove that the most corrosive pollutants present in the industrial city air are SO2, CO2, chlorides and dust. PMID:26217736

Injection by hydrostatic pressure in conjunction with electrokinetic force on a microfluidic chip.

PubMed

Gai, Hongwei; Yu, Linfen; Dai, Zhongpeng; Ma, Yinfa; Lin, Bingcheng

2004-06-01

A simple method was developed for injecting a sample on a cross-form microfluidic chip by means of hydrostatic pressure combined with electrokinetic forces. The hydrostatic pressure was generated simply by adjusting the liquid level in different reservoirs without any additional driven equipment such as a pump. Two dispensing strategies using a floating injection and a gated injection, coupled with hydrostatic pressure loading, were tested. The fluorescence observation verified the feasibility of hydrostatic pressure loading in the separation of a mixture of fluorescein sodium salt and fluorescein isothiocyanate. This method was proved to be effective in leading cells to a separation channel for single cell analysis.

Power quality analysis based on spatial correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiangtao; Zhao, Gang; Liu, Haibo; Li, Fenghou; Liu, Xiaoli

2018-03-01

With the industrialization and urbanization, the status of electricity in the production and life is getting higher and higher. So the prediction of power quality is the more potential significance. Traditional power quality analysis methods include: power quality data compression, disturbance event pattern classification, disturbance parameter calculation. Under certain conditions, these methods can predict power quality. This paper analyses the temporal variation of power quality of one provincial power grid in China from time angle. The distribution of power quality was analyzed based on spatial autocorrelation. This paper tries to prove that the research idea of geography is effective for mining the potential information of power quality.

Research and application of knowledge resources network for product innovation.

PubMed

Li, Chuan; Li, Wen-qiang; Li, Yan; Na, Hui-zhen; Shi, Qian

2015-01-01

In order to enhance the capabilities of knowledge service in product innovation design service platform, a method of acquiring knowledge resources supporting for product innovation from the Internet and providing knowledge active push is proposed. Through knowledge modeling for product innovation based on ontology, the integrated architecture of knowledge resources network is put forward. The technology for the acquisition of network knowledge resources based on focused crawler and web services is studied. Knowledge active push is provided for users by user behavior analysis and knowledge evaluation in order to improve users' enthusiasm for participation in platform. Finally, an application example is illustrated to prove the effectiveness of the method.

Linear regression analysis of survival data with missing censoring indicators.

PubMed

Wang, Qihua; Dinse, Gregg E

2011-04-01

Linear regression analysis has been studied extensively in a random censorship setting, but typically all of the censoring indicators are assumed to be observed. In this paper, we develop synthetic data methods for estimating regression parameters in a linear model when some censoring indicators are missing. We define estimators based on regression calibration, imputation, and inverse probability weighting techniques, and we prove all three estimators are asymptotically normal. The finite-sample performance of each estimator is evaluated via simulation. We illustrate our methods by assessing the effects of sex and age on the time to non-ambulatory progression for patients in a brain cancer clinical trial.

Modified ADALINE algorithm for harmonic estimation and selective harmonic elimination in inverters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasumathi, B.; Moorthi, S.

2011-11-01

In digital signal processing, algorithms are very well developed for the estimation of harmonic components. In power electronic applications, an objective like fast response of a system is of primary importance. An effective method for the estimation of instantaneous harmonic components, along with conventional harmonic elimination technique, is presented in this article. The primary function is to eliminate undesirable higher harmonic components from the selected signal (current or voltage) and it requires only the knowledge of the frequency of the component to be eliminated. A signal processing technique using modified ADALINE algorithm has been proposed for harmonic estimation. The proposed method stays effective as it converges to a minimum error and brings out a finer estimation. A conventional control based on pulse width modulation for selective harmonic elimination is used to eliminate harmonic components after its estimation. This method can be applied to a wide range of equipment. The validity of the proposed method to estimate and eliminate voltage harmonics is proved with a dc/ac inverter as a simulation example. Then, the results are compared with existing ADALINE algorithm for illustrating its effectiveness.

An application of Chan-Vese method used to determine the ROI area in CT lung screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prokop, Paweł; Surtel, Wojciech

2016-09-01

The article presents two approaches of determining the ROI area in CT lung screening. First approach is based on a classic method of framing the image in order to determine the ROI by using a MaZda tool. Second approach is based on segmentation of CT images of the lungs and reducing the redundant information from the image. Of the two approaches of an Active Contour, it was decided to choose the Chan-Vese method. In order to determine the effectiveness of the approach, it was performed an analysis of received ROI texture and extraction of textural features. In order to determine the effectiveness of the method, it was performed an analysis of the received ROI textures and extraction of the texture features, by using a Mazda tool. The results were compared and presented in the form of the radar graphs. The second approach proved to be effective and appropriate and consequently it is used for further analysis of CT images, in the computer-aided diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

Apoptosis induced by low-intensity ultrasound in vitro: Alteration of protein profile and potential molecular mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yi; Wan, Mingxi

2017-03-01

To analyze the potential mechanism related to the apoptosis induced by low intensity focused ultrasound, comparative proteomic method was introduced in the study. After ultrasound irradiation (3.0 W/cm2, 1 minute, 6 hours incubation post-irradiation), the human SMMC-7721 hepatocarcinoma cells were stained by trypan blue to detect the morphologic changes, and then the percentage of early apoptosis were tested by the flow cytometry with double staining of FITC-labelled Annexin V/Propidium iodide. Two-dimensional SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to get the protein profile and some proteins differently expressed after ultrasound irradiation were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. It's proved early apoptosis of cells were induced by low intentisy focused ultrasound. After ultrasound irradiation, the expressing characteristics of several proteins changed, in which protein p53 and heat shock proteins are associated with apoptosis initiation. It is suggested that the low-intensity ultrasound-induced apoptotic cancer therapy has the potential application via understanding its relevant molecular signaling and key proteins. Moreover, the comparative proteomic method is proved to be useful to supply information about the protein expression to analyze the metabolic processes related to bio-effects of biomedical ultrasound.

TLE uncertainty estimation using robust weighted differencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geul, Jacco; Mooij, Erwin; Noomen, Ron

2017-05-01

Accurate knowledge of satellite orbit errors is essential for many types of analyses. Unfortunately, for two-line elements (TLEs) this is not available. This paper presents a weighted differencing method using robust least-squares regression for estimating many important error characteristics. The method is applied to both classic and enhanced TLEs, compared to previous implementations, and validated using Global Positioning System (GPS) solutions for the GOCE satellite in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), prior to its re-entry. The method is found to be more accurate than previous TLE differencing efforts in estimating initial uncertainty, as well as error growth. The method also proves more reliable and requires no data filtering (such as outlier removal). Sensitivity analysis shows a strong relationship between argument of latitude and covariance (standard deviations and correlations), which the method is able to approximate. Overall, the method proves accurate, computationally fast, and robust, and is applicable to any object in the satellite catalogue (SATCAT).

Telephone-based continuing care counseling in substance abuse treatment: economic analysis of a randomized trial

PubMed Central

Daley, Marilyn C.; Neuman, Matthew J.; Blaakman, Aaron P.; McKay, James R.

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate whether telephone-based continuing care (TEL) is a promising alternative to traditional face-to-face counseling for clients in treatment for substance abuse. Methods Patients with alcohol and/or cocaine dependence who had completed a 4-week intensive outpatient program were randomly assigned through urn randomization into one of three 12-week interventions: standard continuing care (STD), in-person relapse prevention (RP), or telephone-based continuing care (TEL). This study performed cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit analyses of TEL and RP compared to STD, using results from the randomized clinical trial with two years of follow up (359 participants). In addition, the study examined the potential moderating effect of baseline patient costs on economic outcomes. Results The study found that TEL was less expensive per client from the societal perspective ($569) than STD ($870) or RP ($1,684). TEL also was also significantly more effective, with an abstinence rate of 57.1% compared to 46.7% for STD (p<0.05). Thus TEL dominated STD, with a highly favorable negative incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (−$1,400 per abstinent year). TEL also proved favorable under a benefit-cost perspective. Conclusions TEL proved to be a cost-effective and cost-beneficial contributor to long-term recovery over two years. Because TEL dominated STD care interventions, wider adoption should be considered. PMID:26718395

A Method of Dynamic Extended Reactive Power Optimization in Distribution Network Containing Photovoltaic-Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wu; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Yongjun

2018-03-01

The grid-integration of Photovoltaic-Storage System brings some undefined factors to the network. In order to make full use of the adjusting ability of Photovoltaic-Storage System (PSS), this paper puts forward a reactive power optimization model, which are used to construct the objective function based on power loss and the device adjusting cost, including energy storage adjusting cost. By using Cataclysmic Genetic Algorithm to solve this optimization problem, and comparing with other optimization method, the result proved that: the method of dynamic extended reactive power optimization this article puts forward, can enhance the effect of reactive power optimization, including reducing power loss and device adjusting cost, meanwhile, it gives consideration to the safety of voltage.

Micro-Doppler Ambiguity Resolution for Wideband Terahertz Radar Using Intra-Pulse Interference

PubMed Central

Yang, Qi; Qin, Yuliang; Deng, Bin; Wang, Hongqiang; You, Peng

2017-01-01

Micro-Doppler, induced by micro-motion of targets, is an important characteristic of target recognition once extracted via parameter estimation methods. However, micro-Doppler is usually too significant to result in ambiguity in the terahertz band because of its relatively high carrier frequency. Thus, a micro-Doppler ambiguity resolution method for wideband terahertz radar using intra-pulse interference is proposed in this paper. The micro-Doppler can be reduced several dozen times its true value to avoid ambiguity through intra-pulse interference processing. The effectiveness of this method is proved by experiments based on a 0.22 THz wideband radar system, and its high estimation precision and excellent noise immunity are verified by Monte Carlo simulation. PMID:28468257

Management of enterocutaneous fistulas and problem stomas with silicone casting of the abdominal wall defect.

PubMed

Streza, G A; Laing, B J; Gilsdorf, R B

1977-12-01

Silicone casting of abdominal wall defects around enteric fistulas in six patients and problem stomas in three patients proved to be an effective means of controlling the output of the fistulas, reducing wound care time, and reducing or eliminating parenteral nutrition needs. Outpatient management was possible in seven of the nine patients. It is observed that the wounds healed rapidly with this method of fistula control. Epithelialization occurred more rapidly than expected. This method of management may tend to make the fistulas remain open longer than by other means of care, but the significant increase in patient comfort, the financial savings, and the relative safety warrant continued utilization and observation of this method of management.

A thesis on the Development of an Automated SWIFT Edge Detection Algorithm

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

Trujillo, Christopher J.

Throughout the world, scientists and engineers such as those at Los Alamos National Laboratory, perform research and testing unique only to applications aimed towards advancing technology, and understanding the nature of materials. With this testing, comes a need for advanced methods of data acquisition and most importantly, a means of analyzing and extracting the necessary information from such acquired data. In this thesis, I aim to produce an automated method implementing advanced image processing techniques and tools to analyze SWIFT image datasets for Detonator Technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Such an effective method for edge detection and point extractionmore » can prove to be advantageous in analyzing such unique datasets and provide for consistency in producing results.« less

Research on LQR optimal control method of active engine mount

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huan, Xie; Yu, Duan

2018-04-01

In this paper, the LQR control method is applied to the active mount of the engine, and a six-cylinder engine excitation model is established. Through the joint simulation of AMESim and MATLAB, the vibration isolation performance of the active mount system and the passive mount system is analyzed. Excited by the multi-engine operation, the simulation results of the vertical displacement, acceleration and dynamic deflection of the vehicle body show that the vibration isolation capability of the active mount system is superior to that of the passive mount system. It shows that compared with the passive mount, LQR active mount can greatly improve the vibration isolation performance, which proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the LQR control method.

A method of real-time detection for distant moving obstacles by monocular vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Bao-zhi; Zhu, Ming

2013-12-01

In this paper, we propose an approach for detection of distant moving obstacles like cars and bicycles by a monocular camera to cooperate with ultrasonic sensors in low-cost condition. We are aiming at detecting distant obstacles that move toward our autonomous navigation car in order to give alarm and keep away from them. Method of frame differencing is applied to find obstacles after compensation of camera's ego-motion. Meanwhile, each obstacle is separated from others in an independent area and given a confidence level to indicate whether it is coming closer. The results on an open dataset and our own autonomous navigation car have proved that the method is effective for detection of distant moving obstacles in real-time.

Model of medicines sales forecasting taking into account factors of influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravets, A. G.; Al-Gunaid, M. A.; Loshmanov, V. I.; Rasulov, S. S.; Lempert, L. B.

2018-05-01

The article describes a method for forecasting sales of medicines in conditions of data sampling, which is insufficient for building a model based on historical data alone. The developed method is applicable mainly to new drugs that are already licensed and released for sale but do not yet have stable sales performance in the market. The purpose of this study is to prove the effectiveness of the suggested method forecasting drug sales, taking into account the selected factors of influence, revealed during the review of existing solutions and analysis of the specificity of the area under study. Three experiments were performed on samples of different volumes, which showed an improvement in the accuracy of forecasting sales in small samples.

Medical image security using modified chaos-based cryptography approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talib Gatta, Methaq; Al-latief, Shahad Thamear Abd

2018-05-01

The progressive development in telecommunication and networking technologies have led to the increased popularity of telemedicine usage which involve storage and transfer of medical images and related information so security concern is emerged. This paper presents a method to provide the security to the medical images since its play a major role in people healthcare organizations. The main idea in this work based on the chaotic sequence in order to provide efficient encryption method that allows reconstructing the original image from the encrypted image with high quality and minimum distortion in its content and doesn’t effect in human treatment and diagnosing. Experimental results prove the efficiency of the proposed method using some of statistical measures and robust correlation between original image and decrypted image.

Safe-trajectory optimization and tracking control in ultra-close proximity to a failed satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jingrui; Chu, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Yao; Hu, Quan; Zhai, Guang; Li, Yanyan

2018-03-01

This paper presents a trajectory-optimization method for a chaser spacecraft operating in ultra-close proximity to a failed satellite. Based on the combination of active and passive trajectory protection, the constraints in the optimization framework are formulated for collision avoidance and successful docking in the presence of any thruster failure. The constraints are then handled by an adaptive Gauss pseudospectral method, in which the dynamic residuals are used as the metric to determine the distribution of collocation points. A finite-time feedback control is further employed in tracking the optimized trajectory. In particular, the stability and convergence of the controller are proved. Numerical results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Micro-Doppler Ambiguity Resolution for Wideband Terahertz Radar Using Intra-Pulse Interference.

PubMed

Yang, Qi; Qin, Yuliang; Deng, Bin; Wang, Hongqiang; You, Peng

2017-04-29

Micro-Doppler, induced by micro-motion of targets, is an important characteristic of target recognition once extracted via parameter estimation methods. However, micro-Doppler is usually too significant to result in ambiguity in the terahertz band because of its relatively high carrier frequency. Thus, a micro-Doppler ambiguity resolution method for wideband terahertz radar using intra-pulse interference is proposed in this paper. The micro-Doppler can be reduced several dozen times its true value to avoid ambiguity through intra-pulse interference processing. The effectiveness of this method is proved by experiments based on a 0.22 THz wideband radar system, and its high estimation precision and excellent noise immunity are verified by Monte Carlo simulation.

Efficient Mutagenesis Independent of Ligation (EMILI).

PubMed

Füzik, Tibor; Ulbrich, Pavel; Ruml, Tomáš

2014-11-01

Site-directed mutagenesis is one of the most widely used techniques in life sciences. Here we describe an improved and simplified method for introducing mutations at desired sites. It consists of an inverse PCR using a plasmid template and two partially complementary primers. The synthesis step is followed by annealing of the PCR product's sticky ends, which are generated by exonuclease digestion. This method is fast, extremely efficient and cost-effective. It can be used to introduce large insertions and deletions, but also for multiple point mutations in a single step. To show the principle and to prove the efficiency of the method, we present a series of basic mutations (insertions, deletions, point mutations) on pUC19 plasmid DNA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[A new method for the preparation of potassium ferrate and spectroscopic characterization].

PubMed

Zheng, Huai-li; Deng, Lin-li; Ji, Fang-ying; Jiang, Shao-jie; Zhang, Peng

2010-10-01

Calcium hypochlorite was used as the raw material for preparation of the high purity potassium ferrate. The study includes the effects of reaction temperature, recrystallization temperature, reaction time, Ca(ClO)2 dosage, and the amount of calcium hypochlorite on the yield. It was determined that when the reaction temperature was 25 degrees C, recrystallization temperature 0 degree C and reaction time 40 min, the yield was more than 75%. The purity was detected by direct spectrophotometric method to be more than 92%. The product was characterized by infrated spectrum(IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet spectrum (UV) methods and proved to be potassium ferrate that was prepared by calcium hypochlorite as the raw material.

Assessing the size distribution of droplets in a cloud chamber from light extinction data during a transient regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vâjâiac, Sorin Nicolae; Filip, Valeriu; Štefan, Sabina; Boscornea, Andreea

2014-03-01

The paper describes a method of assessing the size distribution of fog droplets in a cloud chamber, based on measuring the time variation of the transmission of a light beam during the gravitational settling of droplets. Using a model of light extinction by floating spherical particles, the size distribution of droplets is retrieved, along with characteristic structural parameters of the fog (total droplet concentration, liquid water content and effective radius). Moreover, the time variation of the effective radius can be readily extracted from the model. The errors of the method are also estimated and fall within acceptable limits. The method proves sensitive enough to resolve various modes in the droplet distribution and to point out changes in the distribution due to diverse types of aerosol present in the chamber or to the thermal condition of the fog. It is speculated that the method can be further simplified to reach an in-situ version for real-time field measurements.

Assessing culture via the Internet: methods and techniques for psychological research.

PubMed

Barry, D T

2001-02-01

This study examines the acculturation experiences of Arabic immigrants and assesses the utility of the Internet as a data collection tool. Based on in-depth pilot interview data from 10 male Arabic immigrants and items selected from pre-existing measures, the Male Arabic Ethnic Identity Measure (MAEIM) was developed. Male Arab immigrants (115 males) were solicited through traditional methods in addition to the Internet. Satisfactory reliability and validity were reported for the MAEIM. No significant differences emerged between the Internet and Midwestern samples. The Internet proved to be an effective method for soliciting a relatively large, geographically dispersed sample of Arabic immigrants. The use of the Internet as a research tool is examined in the context of anonymity, networking, low-cost, perceived interactive control, methodological rigor, and external validity. The Internet was an effective vehicle for addressing concerns raised by prospective participants. It is suggested that the Internet may be an important method to assess culture-relevant variables in further research on Arab and other immigrant populations.

Blind Channel Equalization with Colored Source Based on Constrained Optimization Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yunhua; DeBrunner, Linda; DeBrunner, Victor; Zhou, Dayong

2008-12-01

Tsatsanis and Xu have applied the constrained minimum output variance (CMOV) principle to directly blind equalize a linear channel—a technique that has proven effective with white inputs. It is generally assumed in the literature that their CMOV method can also effectively equalize a linear channel with a colored source. In this paper, we prove that colored inputs will cause the equalizer to incorrectly converge due to inadequate constraints. We also introduce a new blind channel equalizer algorithm that is based on the CMOV principle, but with a different constraint that will correctly handle colored sources. Our proposed algorithm works for channels with either white or colored inputs and performs equivalently to the trained minimum mean-square error (MMSE) equalizer under high SNR. Thus, our proposed algorithm may be regarded as an extension of the CMOV algorithm proposed by Tsatsanis and Xu. We also introduce several methods to improve the performance of our introduced algorithm in the low SNR condition. Simulation results show the superior performance of our proposed methods.

A novel pneumatic micropipette aspiration method using a balance pressure model.

PubMed

Zhao, Qili; Wu, Ming; Cui, Maosheng; Qin, Yanding; Yu, Jin; Sun, Mingzhu; Zhao, Xin; Feng, Xizeng

2013-12-01

This paper presents a novel micropipette aspiration (MA) method based on a common pneumatic micro-injection system. This method is the first to quantify the influence of capillary effect on aspiration pressure using a balance pressure model, and in return, uses the capillary effect to quantify the aspiration pressure. Subsequently, the seal between the cell and the micropipette is detected to judge and exclude the ineffective MA attempts. The rationality of the balance pressure model is validated by the designed micropipette-filling experiments. Through applied to elasticity-determination of the cells with different sizes, the feasibility and versatility of this MA method are proved. With abilities to quantify aspiration pressures and detect the seam between the cell and the micropipette, our method is expected to advance the application of the commercial pneumatic injector in the MA of cells. Moreover, with the quantified volume of the liquid entering into the micropipette during MA process, our method also has a potential applicability to the study of the permeability of the cell membrane in the future.

Slip sliding away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combination |

Science.gov Websites

away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combination By Jared Sagoff * May 22, 2015 Tweet creating the 'superlubricity' effect," he said. "The two materials depend on each other." At the effect could be seen not merely at the nanoscale but also at the macroscale. "A scroll can be

Epidemiologic methods lessons learned from environmental public health disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina.

PubMed

Svendsen, Erik R; Runkle, Jennifer R; Dhara, Venkata Ramana; Lin, Shao; Naboka, Marina; Mousseau, Timothy A; Bennett, Charles

2012-08-01

Environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants may have devastating effects. While much is known about their immediate devastation, far less is known about long-term impacts of these disasters. Extensive latent and chronic long-term public health effects may occur. Careful evaluation of contaminant exposures and long-term health outcomes within the constraints imposed by limited financial resources is essential. Here, we review epidemiologic methods lessons learned from conducting long-term evaluations of four environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants at Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville (South Carolina, USA). We found several lessons learned which have direct implications for the on-going disaster recovery work following the Fukushima radiation disaster or for future disasters. These lessons should prove useful in understanding and mitigating latent health effects that may result from the nuclear reactor accident in Japan or future environmental public health disasters.

Cloud point extraction and determination of trace trichlorfon by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-detection based on its catalytic effect on benzidine oxidizing.

PubMed

Zhu, Hai-Zhen; Liu, Wei; Mao, Jian-Wei; Yang, Ming-Min

2008-04-28

4-Amino-4'-nitrobiphenyl, which is formed by catalytic effect of trichlorfon on sodium perborate oxidizing benzidine, is extracted with a cloud point extraction method and then detected using a high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). Under the optimum experimental conditions, there was a linear relationship between trichlorfon in the concentration range of 0.01-0.2 mgL(-1) and the peak areas of 4-amino-4'-nitrobiphenyl (r=0.996). Limit of detection was 2.0 microgL(-1), recoveries of spiked water and cabbage samples ranged between 95.4-103 and 85.2-91.2%, respectively. It was proved that the cloud point extraction (CPE) method was simple, cheap, and environment friendly than extraction with organic solvents and had more effective extraction yield.

Proximity correction of high-dosed frame with PROXECCO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisenmann, Hans; Waas, Thomas; Hartmann, Hans

1994-05-01

Usefulness of electron beam lithography is strongly related to the efficiency and quality of methods used for proximity correction. This paper addresses the above issue by proposing an extension to the new proximity correction program PROXECCO. The combination of a framing step with PROXECCO produces a pattern with a very high edge accuracy and still allows usage of the fast correction procedure. Making a frame with a higher dose imitates a fine resolution correction where the coarse part is disregarded. So after handling the high resolution effect by means of framing, an additional coarse correction is still needed. Higher doses have a higher contribution to the proximity effect. This additional proximity effect is taken into account with the help of the multi-dose input of PROXECCO. The dose of the frame is variable, depending on the deposited energy coming from backscattering of the proximity. Simulation proves the very high edge accuracy of the applied method.

Application of laser in obstetrics and gynecology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ai-Hua

1998-11-01

Mainman developed the first ruby laser in 1960 and after 13 Kaplan successfully reported the use of CO2 laser in the treatment of cervicitis. Soon after, Chinese gynecologists started to use the laser for diagnosis and therapy. It had been proved that more than 30 kinds of gynecological diseases could be treated effectively by laser. The remarkable laser treatment technique partially replaced with conventional methods used in that century. However, the application of laser had shown a broad prospect along with its further investigation.

The Application of Surface Potential Test on Hand-making Insulation for Generator Stator End-winding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhu-mao; Liu, Qing; Wang, Tian-zheng; Bai, Lu; Li, Yan-peng

2017-05-01

This paper presents the advantage of surface potential test on hand-making insulation for generator stator end-winding insulation detection, compared with DC or AC withstand voltage test, also details the test principle, connection method and test notes. And through the case, surface potential test on hand-making insulation proved effective for insulation quality detection after generator stator end-winding maintenance, and the experimental data is useful and reliable for the electrical equipment operation and maintenance in the power plant.

Equivalent of a cartilage tissue for simulations of laser-induced temperature fields

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

Kondyurin, A V; Sviridov, A P

2008-07-31

The thermal and optical properties of polyacrylamide hydrogels and cartilages are studied by the method of IR laser radiometry. The thermal diffusivity, heat capacity, and the effective absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 1.56 {mu}m measured for polyacrylamide gel with 70% water content and the degree of cross-linking 1:9 and for the nasal septum cartilage proved to be close. This allows the use of polyacrylamide hydrogels as equivalents of cartilages in simulations of laser-induced temperature fields. (biophotonics)

RKKY exchange interaction within the parabolic quantum-well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baķ, Zygmunt

2001-03-01

Indirect magnetic exchange in a semimagnetic semiconductor heterostructure with the parabolic quantum-well barrier potential is considered. Within the analytical method, we provide the exact derivation of the spatial dependence of the RKKY exchange integral. Using the effective dimensionality approach, we show that the spectral dimensionality of the free electron (hole) system equals four. We prove, that the RKKY exchange integral shows conventional, sign reversal variation with the 2 kF period, however, the envelope function falls off in a manner characteristic to 4D systems.

Application of subharmonics for active sound design of electric vehicles.

PubMed

Gwak, Doo Young; Yoon, Kiseop; Seong, Yeolwan; Lee, Soogab

2014-12-01

The powertrain of electric vehicles generates an unfamiliar acoustical environment for customers. This paper seeks optimal interior sound for electric vehicles based on psychoacoustic knowledge and musical harmonic theory. The concept of inserting a virtual sound, which consists of the subharmonics of an existing high-frequency component, is suggested to improve sound quality. Subjective evaluation results indicate that the impression of interior sound can be enhanced in this manner. Increased appeal is achieved through two designed stimuli, which proves the effectiveness of the method proposed.

Comparative study of two methods of fractionation bromelain from pineapple core extract (Ananas comosus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriani, K.; Wahyuni, I.; Setiasih, S.; Hudiyono, S.

2017-07-01

The enzyme can be purified by fractional precipitation. This can be done by salt or organic solvent. In this research, purification of bromelain from pineapple core by fractional precipitation was done by 2 compounds, ammonium sulfate, and ethanol. Fractional precipitation by ammonium sulfate proved to be more effective as it yielded a higher specific activity. Specific activity by ethanol and ammonium sulfate is 4.6480 U/mg at 0-60 % saturation and 8.2243 U/mg at 50-80 % saturation.

Methodical foundations of the preparation of highly valued personnel for high-rise construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belyaeva, Svetlana; Belyantseva, Oksana; Safonova, Nataliya; Vasilyeva, Olga

2018-03-01

When carrying out design and survey and construction and installation works for such an innovative type of activity as high-rise construction, the problem of personnel qualification becomes urgent. The article poses a research problem, identifies the main reasons for the need for training highly qualified specialists in construction, and suggests areas for improving training. The expediency of development of mentoring system was proved, the corresponding model of interaction between educational institutions and construction enterprises was offered, key interaction effects were evaluated.

Blurred Palmprint Recognition Based on Stable-Feature Extraction Using a Vese–Osher Decomposition Model

PubMed Central

Hong, Danfeng; Su, Jian; Hong, Qinggen; Pan, Zhenkuan; Wang, Guodong

2014-01-01

As palmprints are captured using non-contact devices, image blur is inevitably generated because of the defocused status. This degrades the recognition performance of the system. To solve this problem, we propose a stable-feature extraction method based on a Vese–Osher (VO) decomposition model to recognize blurred palmprints effectively. A Gaussian defocus degradation model is first established to simulate image blur. With different degrees of blurring, stable features are found to exist in the image which can be investigated by analyzing the blur theoretically. Then, a VO decomposition model is used to obtain structure and texture layers of the blurred palmprint images. The structure layer is stable for different degrees of blurring (this is a theoretical conclusion that needs to be further proved via experiment). Next, an algorithm based on weighted robustness histogram of oriented gradients (WRHOG) is designed to extract the stable features from the structure layer of the blurred palmprint image. Finally, a normalized correlation coefficient is introduced to measure the similarity in the palmprint features. We also designed and performed a series of experiments to show the benefits of the proposed method. The experimental results are used to demonstrate the theoretical conclusion that the structure layer is stable for different blurring scales. The WRHOG method also proves to be an advanced and robust method of distinguishing blurred palmprints. The recognition results obtained using the proposed method and data from two palmprint databases (PolyU and Blurred–PolyU) are stable and superior in comparison to previous high-performance methods (the equal error rate is only 0.132%). In addition, the authentication time is less than 1.3 s, which is fast enough to meet real-time demands. Therefore, the proposed method is a feasible way of implementing blurred palmprint recognition. PMID:24992328

Blurred palmprint recognition based on stable-feature extraction using a Vese-Osher decomposition model.

PubMed

Hong, Danfeng; Su, Jian; Hong, Qinggen; Pan, Zhenkuan; Wang, Guodong

2014-01-01

As palmprints are captured using non-contact devices, image blur is inevitably generated because of the defocused status. This degrades the recognition performance of the system. To solve this problem, we propose a stable-feature extraction method based on a Vese-Osher (VO) decomposition model to recognize blurred palmprints effectively. A Gaussian defocus degradation model is first established to simulate image blur. With different degrees of blurring, stable features are found to exist in the image which can be investigated by analyzing the blur theoretically. Then, a VO decomposition model is used to obtain structure and texture layers of the blurred palmprint images. The structure layer is stable for different degrees of blurring (this is a theoretical conclusion that needs to be further proved via experiment). Next, an algorithm based on weighted robustness histogram of oriented gradients (WRHOG) is designed to extract the stable features from the structure layer of the blurred palmprint image. Finally, a normalized correlation coefficient is introduced to measure the similarity in the palmprint features. We also designed and performed a series of experiments to show the benefits of the proposed method. The experimental results are used to demonstrate the theoretical conclusion that the structure layer is stable for different blurring scales. The WRHOG method also proves to be an advanced and robust method of distinguishing blurred palmprints. The recognition results obtained using the proposed method and data from two palmprint databases (PolyU and Blurred-PolyU) are stable and superior in comparison to previous high-performance methods (the equal error rate is only 0.132%). In addition, the authentication time is less than 1.3 s, which is fast enough to meet real-time demands. Therefore, the proposed method is a feasible way of implementing blurred palmprint recognition.

Effect of food processing on degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers in milk

PubMed Central

Singh, Sujatha; Nelapati, Krishnaiah

2017-01-01

Aim: To study the effect of different food processing techniques on the degradation of organochlorine compounds (α, β, ɣ and δ hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCH)) residues in both natural and fortified samples of milk. Materials and Methods: Raw milk samples are collected from the local areas of Hyderabad, India. Naturally and fortified milk samples (HCH) were subjected to various food processing techniques, pasteurization (63ºC for ½ h), sterilization (121ºC for 15 min) and boiling for 5 min and analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for multiresidue analysis of pesticides in milk with slight modification. Results: The final mean residual concentration of pesticide in milk after heat processing and percentage of degradation were calculated with respective treatments. Conclusion: Heat treatments are highly effective on reduction of mean residual concentration of HCH in milk. In which Sterilization and boiling proved to be more effective in degradation of HCH isomers. PMID:28435187

The blood-brain barrier and nasal drug delivery to the central nervous system.

PubMed

Miyake, Marcel Menon; Bleier, Benjamin S

2015-01-01

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly efficient system that separates the central nervous system (CNS) from general circulation and promotes selective transport of molecules that are essential for brain function. However, it also limits the distribution of systemically administered therapeutics to the brain; therefore, there is a restricted number of drugs available for the treatment of brain disorders. Several drug-targeting strategies have been developed to attempt to bypass the BBB, but none has proved sufficiently effective in reaching the brain. The objective of this study is to generally review these strategies of drug administration to the CNS. Noninvasive methods of drug delivery, such as chemical and biologic transport systems, do not represent a feasible platform, whereas for most drugs, it is still not possible to achieve therapeutic levels within the brain tissue after intravenous or oral administration, and the use of higher potency or more concentrated doses may cause serious toxic side effects. Direct intrathecal drug delivery through a catheter into the CNS also presents several problems. Intranasal drug delivery is a potential alternative method due to the direct transport into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compartment along the olfactory pathway, but the study's conclusions are controversial. An endoscopic intranasal surgical procedure using established skull base surgery reconstruction techniques based on the use of a nasal mucosa surgical flap as the only obstacle between the nose and the subarachnoid space has appeared as a potential solution to increase the absorption of intranasal drugs to the CNS. Despite extensive efforts to develop new techniques to cross the BBB, none has proved sufficiently effective in reaching the brain, whereas minimizing adverse effects and the endoscopic mucosal grafting technique offers new potential promise.

Antimicrobial properties of Cocos nucifera (coconut) husk: An extrapolation to oral health

PubMed Central

Jose, Maji; Cyriac, Maria B; Pai, Vidya; Varghese, Ipe; Shantaram, Manjula

2014-01-01

Background and Objectives: Brushing the teeth with fibrous husk of Cocos nucifera (coconut) is a common oral hygiene practice among people of rural areas of South India. However, the probable antimicrobial properties of this plant material against common oral pathogens have not been proved scientifically. Therefore, the present study was designed. Materials and Methods: Alcoholic extract of the husk of Cocos nucifera was prepared and the antimicrobial properties against common oral pathogens like cariogenic bacteria, periodontal pathogens, and candidal organisms were performed by the Agar Well Diffusion Method. The results obtained were then subjected to statistical analysis using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD). Results: The alcoholic extract of Cocos nucifera showed a significant concentration-dependent antimicrobial activity, expressed as a zone of inhibition with respect to all tested organisms except Actinomyces species. The inhibitory effect was more significant, with a majority of cariogenic organisms and Candida, with a zone of inhibition ranging from 4.6 mm to 16.3 mm. However, the effect was lesser with Cocos nucifera compared to chlorhexidine. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 50 mg/ml to 75 mg/ml. Conclusion: Cocos nucifera has a significant inhibitory action against common oral pathogens, indicating the presence of highly effective antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, it is proved that its use can contribute to oral health to a great extent. Identification of these active compounds provides the scope for incorporating it into a modern oral care system, so as to control oral diseases. PMID:25097415

Method to improve the blade tip-timing accuracy of fiber bundle sensor under varying tip clearance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Fajie; Zhang, Jilong; Jiang, Jiajia; Guo, Haotian; Ye, Dechao

2016-01-01

Blade vibration measurement based on the blade tip-timing method has become an industry-standard procedure. Fiber bundle sensors are widely used for tip-timing measurement. However, the variation of clearance between the sensor and the blade will bring a tip-timing error to fiber bundle sensors due to the change in signal amplitude. This article presents methods based on software and hardware to reduce the error caused by the tip clearance change. The software method utilizes both the rising and falling edges of the tip-timing signal to determine the blade arrival time, and a calibration process suitable for asymmetric tip-timing signals is presented. The hardware method uses an automatic gain control circuit to stabilize the signal amplitude. Experiments are conducted and the results prove that both methods can effectively reduce the impact of tip clearance variation on the blade tip-timing and improve the accuracy of measurements.

The arbitrary order mixed mimetic finite difference method for the diffusion equation

DOE PAGES

Gyrya, Vitaliy; Lipnikov, Konstantin; Manzini, Gianmarco

2016-05-01

Here, we propose an arbitrary-order accurate mimetic finite difference (MFD) method for the approximation of diffusion problems in mixed form on unstructured polygonal and polyhedral meshes. As usual in the mimetic numerical technology, the method satisfies local consistency and stability conditions, which determines the accuracy and the well-posedness of the resulting approximation. The method also requires the definition of a high-order discrete divergence operator that is the discrete analog of the divergence operator and is acting on the degrees of freedom. The new family of mimetic methods is proved theoretically to be convergent and optimal error estimates for flux andmore » scalar variable are derived from the convergence analysis. A numerical experiment confirms the high-order accuracy of the method in solving diffusion problems with variable diffusion tensor. It is worth mentioning that the approximation of the scalar variable presents a superconvergence effect.« less

A wavelet-based Gaussian method for energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrum.

PubMed

Liu, Pan; Deng, Xiaoyan; Tang, Xin; Shen, Shijian

2017-05-01

This paper presents a wavelet-based Gaussian method (WGM) for the peak intensity estimation of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The relationship between the parameters of Gaussian curve and the wavelet coefficients of Gaussian peak point is firstly established based on the Mexican hat wavelet. It is found that the Gaussian parameters can be accurately calculated by any two wavelet coefficients at the peak point which has to be known. This fact leads to a local Gaussian estimation method for spectral peaks, which estimates the Gaussian parameters based on the detail wavelet coefficients of Gaussian peak point. The proposed method is tested via simulated and measured spectra from an energy X-ray spectrometer, and compared with some existing methods. The results prove that the proposed method can directly estimate the peak intensity of EDXRF free from the background information, and also effectively distinguish overlap peaks in EDXRF spectrum.

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

Diaz, J. I.; Henry, J.; Ramos, A. M.

We prove the approximate controllability of several nonlinear parabolic boundary-value problems by means of two different methods: the first one can be called a Cancellation method and the second one uses the Kakutani fixed-point theorem.

A novel and discriminative method of in vitro disintegration time for preparation and optimization of taste-masked orally disintegrating tablets of carbinoxamine maleate.

PubMed

Liu, Yali; Li, Peng; Qian, Rong; Sun, Tianyu; Fang, Fangzhi; Wang, Zonghua; Ke, Xue; Xu, Bohui

2018-08-01

The primary objective of this study was to mask bitter taste and decrease the disintegration time of carbinoxamine maleate (CAM) orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs). In order to screen the prescription of ODTs, a novel modified in vitro disintegration method (MIVDM) was developed to measure the in vitro disintegration time. In this method, different concentrations of ethanol served as disintegration medium in order to delay the in vitro water absorption and disintegration process of tablets. The MIVDM demonstrated good in vitro and in vivo correlation and proved more precise and discriminative than other reported methods. In this research, ion exchange resins (IERs) were used to mask bitter taste for improving mouthfeel. The drug-resin ratio and reaction temperature were investigated to obtain the optimum carbinoxamine resin complexes (CRCs). The characterization of CRCs revealed an amorphous state. ODTs were prepared by direct compression. Superdisintegrants and diluents of ODTs were screened first. Further optimization was carried out by using Box-Behnken design. The effect of (X 1 ) mannitol/microcrystalline cellulose ratio, (X 2 ) the amount of low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and (X 3 ) the hardness was investigated for achieving the lowest (Y) in vitro disintegration time. Technological characterization, wetting time, water absorption ratio, and roughness degree were evaluated. The CRCs and ODTs proved successful taste-masking efficiency. The end product improved patients' compliance. The developed MIVDM was practical for commercial use.

Studies on photodegradation process of psychotropic drugs: a review.

PubMed

Trawiński, Jakub; Skibiński, Robert

2017-01-01

Consumption of psychotropic drugs is still increasing, especially in high-income countries. One of the most crucial consequences of this fact is significant release of them to the environment. Considerable amounts of atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and their metabolites were detected in river, lake, and sea water, as well as in tissues of aquatic organisms. Their ecotoxicity was proved by numerous studies. It should be noticed that interaction between psychotropic pharmaceuticals and radiation may lead to formation of potentially more toxic intermediates. On the other hand, photo-assisted wastewater treatment methods can be used as an efficient way to eliminate them from the environment. Many methods based on photolysis and photocatalysis were proposed and developed recently; nevertheless, the problem is still unsolved. However, according to recent studies, photocatalysis could be considered as the most promising and far more effective than regular photolysis. An overview on photolytic as well as homogenous and heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation methods with the use of various catalysts is presented. The photostability and phototoxicity of pharmaceuticals were also discussed. Various analytical methods were used for the photodegradation research, and this issue was also compared and summarized. Use of high-resolution multistage mass spectrometry (Q-TOF, ion trap, Orbitrap) was suggested. The combined techniques such as LC-MS, GC-MS, and LC-NMR, which enable qualitative and quantitative analyses in one run, proved to be the most valuable in this case. Assembling of MS/MS spectra libraries of drug molecules and their phototransformation products was identified as the future challenge.

Effects of Different Heat Processing on Fucoxanthin, Antioxidant Activity and Colour of Indonesian Brown Seaweeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susanto, Eko; Suhaeli Fahmi, A.; Winarni Agustini, Tri; Rosyadi, Septian; Dita Wardani, Ayunda

2017-02-01

Fucoxanthin (Fx) is major carotenoids in brown algae. It showed many health beneficial effects for oxidative stress. Fucoxanthin is lower stability which may cause problem in the application for functional food. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various heat processing on Fx, antioxidant activity (IC50), total phenolic content, and colour stability of Sargassum ilicifolium. The various heat processing methods showed were not significantly affected to fucoxanthin and antioxidant activities however all treatments lower affected to brown seaweeds colour. Moreover, this study showed a useful proved in the design of brown seaweeds processing which minimize Fx, antioxidant activity and colour changes.

A new method for weakening the combined effect of residual errors on multibeam bathymetric data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jianhu; Yan, Jun; Zhang, Hongmei; Zhang, Yuqing; Wang, Aixue

2014-12-01

Multibeam bathymetric system (MBS) has been widely applied in the marine surveying for providing high-resolution seabed topography. However, some factors degrade the precision of bathymetry, including the sound velocity, the vessel attitude, the misalignment angle of the transducer and so on. Although these factors have been corrected strictly in bathymetric data processing, the final bathymetric result is still affected by their residual errors. In deep water, the result usually cannot meet the requirements of high-precision seabed topography. The combined effect of these residual errors is systematic, and it's difficult to separate and weaken the effect using traditional single-error correction methods. Therefore, the paper puts forward a new method for weakening the effect of residual errors based on the frequency-spectrum characteristics of seabed topography and multibeam bathymetric data. Four steps, namely the separation of the low-frequency and the high-frequency part of bathymetric data, the reconstruction of the trend of actual seabed topography, the merging of the actual trend and the extracted microtopography, and the accuracy evaluation, are involved in the method. Experiment results prove that the proposed method could weaken the combined effect of residual errors on multibeam bathymetric data and efficiently improve the accuracy of the final post-processing results. We suggest that the method should be widely applied to MBS data processing in deep water.

On the matrix Fourier filtering problem for a class of models of nonlinear optical systems with a feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razgulin, A. V.; Sazonova, S. V.

2017-09-01

A novel statement of the Fourier filtering problem based on the use of matrix Fourier filters instead of conventional multiplier filters is considered. The basic properties of the matrix Fourier filtering for the filters in the Hilbert-Schmidt class are established. It is proved that the solutions with a finite energy to the periodic initial boundary value problem for the quasi-linear functional differential diffusion equation with the matrix Fourier filtering Lipschitz continuously depend on the filter. The problem of optimal matrix Fourier filtering is formulated, and its solvability for various classes of matrix Fourier filters is proved. It is proved that the objective functional is differentiable with respect to the matrix Fourier filter, and the convergence of a version of the gradient projection method is also proved.

Learning-assisted theorem proving with millions of lemmas☆

PubMed Central

Kaliszyk, Cezary; Urban, Josef

2015-01-01

Large formal mathematical libraries consist of millions of atomic inference steps that give rise to a corresponding number of proved statements (lemmas). Analogously to the informal mathematical practice, only a tiny fraction of such statements is named and re-used in later proofs by formal mathematicians. In this work, we suggest and implement criteria defining the estimated usefulness of the HOL Light lemmas for proving further theorems. We use these criteria to mine the large inference graph of the lemmas in the HOL Light and Flyspeck libraries, adding up to millions of the best lemmas to the pool of statements that can be re-used in later proofs. We show that in combination with learning-based relevance filtering, such methods significantly strengthen automated theorem proving of new conjectures over large formal mathematical libraries such as Flyspeck. PMID:26525678

On cell entropy inequality for discontinuous Galerkin methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jiang, Guangshan; Shu, Chi-Wang

1993-01-01

We prove a cell entropy inequality for a class of high order discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods approximating conservation laws, which implies convergence for the one dimensional scalar convex case.

The application of artificial intelligence for the identification of the maceral groups and mineral components of coal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mlynarczuk, Mariusz; Skiba, Marta

2017-06-01

The correct and consistent identification of the petrographic properties of coal is an important issue for researchers in the fields of mining and geology. As part of the study described in this paper, investigations concerning the application of artificial intelligence methods for the identification of the aforementioned characteristics were carried out. The methods in question were used to identify the maceral groups of coal, i.e. vitrinite, inertinite, and liptinite. Additionally, an attempt was made to identify some non-organic minerals. The analyses were performed using pattern recognition techniques (NN, kNN), as well as artificial neural network techniques (a multilayer perceptron - MLP). The classification process was carried out using microscopy images of polished sections of coals. A multidimensional feature space was defined, which made it possible to classify the discussed structures automatically, based on the methods of pattern recognition and algorithms of the artificial neural networks. Also, from the study we assessed the impact of the parameters for which the applied methods proved effective upon the final outcome of the classification procedure. The result of the analyses was a high percentage (over 97%) of correct classifications of maceral groups and mineral components. The paper discusses also an attempt to analyze particular macerals of the inertinite group. It was demonstrated that using artificial neural networks to this end makes it possible to classify the macerals properly in over 91% of cases. Thus, it was proved that artificial intelligence methods can be successfully applied for the identification of selected petrographic features of coal.

Multiple Linear Regression for Reconstruction of Gene Regulatory Networks in Solving Cascade Error Problems

PubMed Central

Zainudin, Suhaila; Arif, Shereena M.

2017-01-01

Gene regulatory network (GRN) reconstruction is the process of identifying regulatory gene interactions from experimental data through computational analysis. One of the main reasons for the reduced performance of previous GRN methods had been inaccurate prediction of cascade motifs. Cascade error is defined as the wrong prediction of cascade motifs, where an indirect interaction is misinterpreted as a direct interaction. Despite the active research on various GRN prediction methods, the discussion on specific methods to solve problems related to cascade errors is still lacking. In fact, the experiments conducted by the past studies were not specifically geared towards proving the ability of GRN prediction methods in avoiding the occurrences of cascade errors. Hence, this research aims to propose Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) to infer GRN from gene expression data and to avoid wrongly inferring of an indirect interaction (A → B → C) as a direct interaction (A → C). Since the number of observations of the real experiment datasets was far less than the number of predictors, some predictors were eliminated by extracting the random subnetworks from global interaction networks via an established extraction method. In addition, the experiment was extended to assess the effectiveness of MLR in dealing with cascade error by using a novel experimental procedure that had been proposed in this work. The experiment revealed that the number of cascade errors had been very minimal. Apart from that, the Belsley collinearity test proved that multicollinearity did affect the datasets used in this experiment greatly. All the tested subnetworks obtained satisfactory results, with AUROC values above 0.5. PMID:28250767

Mistakes Made by Freshman Students of Science Teaching and Their Reasons during the Proving Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gökkurt, Burçin; Erdem, Emrullah; Basibüyük, Kani; Sahin, Ömer; Soylu, Yasin

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the mistakes made by freshman students of science teaching during the process of proving and the reasons for these mistakes. To this aim, the study, which was conducted via the case study method, was performed with 52 freshman students who were studying at the department of science teaching in a state…

Causes Of Low Efficiency Of Combined Ventilation System In Coal Mines In Resolving The Problem Of Air Leaks (Inflows) Between Levels And Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Valeriy; Filatov, Yuriy; Lee, Hee; Golik, Anatoliy

2017-11-01

The paper discusses the problem of the underground mining safety control. The long-term air intake to coal accumulations is reviewed as one of the reasons of endogenous fires during mining. The methods of combating air leaks (inflows) in order to prevent endogenous fires are analyzed. The calculations showing the discrepancy between the design calculations for the mine ventilation, disregarding a number of mining-andgeological and mining-engineering factors, and the actual conditions of mining are given. It is proved that the conversion of operating mines to combined (pressure and exhaust) ventilation system in order to reduce the endogenous fire hazard of underground mining is unreasonable due to impossibility of providing an optimal distribution of aerodynamic pressure in mines. The conversion does not exclude the entry of air into potentially hazardous zones of endogenous fires. The essence of the combined application of positive and negative control methods for the distribution of air pressure is revealed. It consists of air doors installation in easily ventilated airways and installation of pressure equalization chambers equipped with auxiliary fans near the stoppings, working sections and in parallel airways.The effectiveness of the combined application of negative and positive control methods for the air pressure distribution in order to reduce endogenous fire hazard of mining operations is proved.

A Constructive Mean-Field Analysis of Multi-Population Neural Networks with Random Synaptic Weights and Stochastic Inputs

PubMed Central

Faugeras, Olivier; Touboul, Jonathan; Cessac, Bruno

2008-01-01

We deal with the problem of bridging the gap between two scales in neuronal modeling. At the first (microscopic) scale, neurons are considered individually and their behavior described by stochastic differential equations that govern the time variations of their membrane potentials. They are coupled by synaptic connections acting on their resulting activity, a nonlinear function of their membrane potential. At the second (mesoscopic) scale, interacting populations of neurons are described individually by similar equations. The equations describing the dynamical and the stationary mean-field behaviors are considered as functional equations on a set of stochastic processes. Using this new point of view allows us to prove that these equations are well-posed on any finite time interval and to provide a constructive method for effectively computing their unique solution. This method is proved to converge to the unique solution and we characterize its complexity and convergence rate. We also provide partial results for the stationary problem on infinite time intervals. These results shed some new light on such neural mass models as the one of Jansen and Rit (1995): their dynamics appears as a coarse approximation of the much richer dynamics that emerges from our analysis. Our numerical experiments confirm that the framework we propose and the numerical methods we derive from it provide a new and powerful tool for the exploration of neural behaviors at different scales. PMID:19255631

Prediction of Central Nervous System Side Effects Through Drug Permeability to Blood-Brain Barrier and Recommendation Algorithm.

PubMed

Fan, Jun; Yang, Jing; Jiang, Zhenran

2018-04-01

Drug side effects are one of the public health concerns. Using powerful machine-learning methods to predict potential side effects before the drugs reach the clinical stages is of great importance to reduce time consumption and protect the security of patients. Recently, researchers have proved that the central nervous system (CNS) side effects of a drug are closely related to its permeability to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Inspired by this, we proposed an extended neighborhood-based recommendation method to predict CNS side effects using drug permeability to the BBB and other known features of drug. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to predict CNS side effects considering drug permeability to the BBB. Computational experiments demonstrated that drug permeability to the BBB is an important factor in CNS side effects prediction. Moreover, we built an ensemble recommendation model and obtained higher AUC score (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and AUPR score (area under the precision-recall curve) on the data set of CNS side effects by integrating various features of drug.

Does This Really Work? The Keys to Implementing New Technology while Providing Evidence that Technology Is Successful

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawtelle, Sara

2008-01-01

Proving that technology works is not as simple as proving that a new vendor for art supplies is more cost effective. Technology effectiveness requires both the right software and the right implementation. Just having the software is not enough. Proper planning, training, leadership, support, pedagogy, and software use--along with many other…

Diabetes mellitus and obesity.

PubMed

Roth, Alan

2002-06-01

Numerous vitamins, herbs, supplements, and other agents are readily available for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Many of these products have little evidence-based medical support to prove the efficacy of these supplements. The physician must be aware that their patients are using these products and must be knowledgeable about their side effects and drug-herb interactions. Our patients have tremendous access to medical information in the lay literature and on the internet. They are using this information to gain access to various diet therapies. Numerous fad diets consisting of various combinations of protein, carbohydrate, and fat are widely publicized but not grounded in evidence. Liquid diets and supplements are readily available and widely used by the public with little long-term beneficial effects on obese patients. Other alternative methods, such as hypnotherapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, and electrogalvanic therapy, have become widely available and seem to have little adverse reaction, but whose benefits remain to be proved. The physician must recognize the widespread use of these products and work with patients and alternative practitioners to deliver comprehensive quality care. Physicians who become comfortable with these products should consider their judicious use while monitoring for side effects and drug interaction. It is hoped that with further evidence-based study many of these products and techniques will enter mainstream medicine.

Characterisation of Fractures and Fracture Zones in a Carbonate Aquifer Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Pricking Probe Methodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szalai, Sandor; Kovacs, Attila; Kuslits, Lukács; Facsko, Gabor; Gribovszki, Katalin; Kalmar, Janos; Szarka, Laszlo

2018-04-01

Position, width and fragmentation level of fracture zones and position, significance and characteristic distance of fractures were aimed to determine in a carbonate aquifer. These are fundamental parameters, e.g. in hydrogeological modelling of aquifers, due to their role in subsurface water movements. The description of small scale fracture systems is however a challenging task. In the test area (Kádárta, Bakony Mts, Hungary), two methods proved to be applicable to get reasonable information about the fractures: Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Pricking-Probe (PriP). PriP is a simple mechanical tool which has been successfully applied in archaeological investigations. ERT results demonstrated its applicability in this small scale fracture study. PriP proved to be a good verification tool both for fracture zone mapping and detecting fractures, but in certain areas, it produced different results than the ERT. The applicability of this method has therefore to be tested yet, although its problems most probably origin from human activity which reorganises the near-surface debris distribution. In the test site, both methods displayed fracture zones including a very characteristic one and a number of individual fractures and determined their characteristic distance and significance. Both methods prove to be able to produce hydrogeologically important parameters even individually, but their simultaneous application is recommended to decrease the possible discrepancies.

The hypergraph regularity method and its applications

PubMed Central

Rödl, V.; Nagle, B.; Skokan, J.; Schacht, M.; Kohayakawa, Y.

2005-01-01

Szemerédi's regularity lemma asserts that every graph can be decomposed into relatively few random-like subgraphs. This random-like behavior enables one to find and enumerate subgraphs of a given isomorphism type, yielding the so-called counting lemma for graphs. The combined application of these two lemmas is known as the regularity method for graphs and has proved useful in graph theory, combinatorial geometry, combinatorial number theory, and theoretical computer science. Here, we report on recent advances in the regularity method for k-uniform hypergraphs, for arbitrary k ≥ 2. This method, purely combinatorial in nature, gives alternative proofs of density theorems originally due to E. Szemerédi, H. Furstenberg, and Y. Katznelson. Further results in extremal combinatorics also have been obtained with this approach. The two main components of the regularity method for k-uniform hypergraphs, the regularity lemma and the counting lemma, have been obtained recently: Rödl and Skokan (based on earlier work of Frankl and Rödl) generalized Szemerédi's regularity lemma to k-uniform hypergraphs, and Nagle, Rödl, and Schacht succeeded in proving a counting lemma accompanying the Rödl–Skokan hypergraph regularity lemma. The counting lemma is proved by reducing the counting problem to a simpler one previously investigated by Kohayakawa, Rödl, and Skokan. Similar results were obtained independently by W. T. Gowers, following a different approach. PMID:15919821

Operation TEAPOT, 1955 Continental Nuclear Weapons Test Series

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-23

Administra- tion on possible exposures to ionizing radiation among its military and civilian personnel who participated in the *The Nevada Proving Ground ...Nevada Proving Ground by the AEC in December 1950. The area is located in the southeastern part of Nevada, 100 kilometers (62 miles)+ northwest of Las...MET. APPLE 2 Center; Air Proving to survmv the wind gusts Ground produced by a nuclea detonation 52 Effects on Fighter Type To detenrwm the abrty of

A modified three-term PRP conjugate gradient algorithm for optimization models.

PubMed

Wu, Yanlin

2017-01-01

The nonlinear conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm is a very effective method for optimization, especially for large-scale problems, because of its low memory requirement and simplicity. Zhang et al. (IMA J. Numer. Anal. 26:629-649, 2006) firstly propose a three-term CG algorithm based on the well known Polak-Ribière-Polyak (PRP) formula for unconstrained optimization, where their method has the sufficient descent property without any line search technique. They proved the global convergence of the Armijo line search but this fails for the Wolfe line search technique. Inspired by their method, we will make a further study and give a modified three-term PRP CG algorithm. The presented method possesses the following features: (1) The sufficient descent property also holds without any line search technique; (2) the trust region property of the search direction is automatically satisfied; (3) the steplengh is bounded from below; (4) the global convergence will be established under the Wolfe line search. Numerical results show that the new algorithm is more effective than that of the normal method.

Research on facial expression simulation based on depth image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Sha-sha; Duan, Jin; Zhao, Yi-wu; Xiao, Bo; Wang, Hao

2017-11-01

Nowadays, face expression simulation is widely used in film and television special effects, human-computer interaction and many other fields. Facial expression is captured by the device of Kinect camera .The method of AAM algorithm based on statistical information is employed to detect and track faces. The 2D regression algorithm is applied to align the feature points. Among them, facial feature points are detected automatically and 3D cartoon model feature points are signed artificially. The aligned feature points are mapped by keyframe techniques. In order to improve the animation effect, Non-feature points are interpolated based on empirical models. Under the constraint of Bézier curves we finish the mapping and interpolation. Thus the feature points on the cartoon face model can be driven if the facial expression varies. In this way the purpose of cartoon face expression simulation in real-time is came ture. The experiment result shows that the method proposed in this text can accurately simulate the facial expression. Finally, our method is compared with the previous method. Actual data prove that the implementation efficiency is greatly improved by our method.

Robust finger vein ROI localization based on flexible segmentation.

PubMed

Lu, Yu; Xie, Shan Juan; Yoon, Sook; Yang, Jucheng; Park, Dong Sun

2013-10-24

Finger veins have been proved to be an effective biometric for personal identification in the recent years. However, finger vein images are easily affected by influences such as image translation, orientation, scale, scattering, finger structure, complicated background, uneven illumination, and collection posture. All these factors may contribute to inaccurate region of interest (ROI) definition, and so degrade the performance of finger vein identification system. To improve this problem, in this paper, we propose a finger vein ROI localization method that has high effectiveness and robustness against the above factors. The proposed method consists of a set of steps to localize ROIs accurately, namely segmentation, orientation correction, and ROI detection. Accurate finger region segmentation and correct calculated orientation can support each other to produce higher accuracy in localizing ROIs. Extensive experiments have been performed on the finger vein image database, MMCBNU_6000, to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows the segmentation accuracy of 100%. Furthermore, the average processing time of the proposed method is 22 ms for an acquired image, which satisfies the criterion of a real-time finger vein identification system.

Robust Finger Vein ROI Localization Based on Flexible Segmentation

PubMed Central

Lu, Yu; Xie, Shan Juan; Yoon, Sook; Yang, Jucheng; Park, Dong Sun

2013-01-01

Finger veins have been proved to be an effective biometric for personal identification in the recent years. However, finger vein images are easily affected by influences such as image translation, orientation, scale, scattering, finger structure, complicated background, uneven illumination, and collection posture. All these factors may contribute to inaccurate region of interest (ROI) definition, and so degrade the performance of finger vein identification system. To improve this problem, in this paper, we propose a finger vein ROI localization method that has high effectiveness and robustness against the above factors. The proposed method consists of a set of steps to localize ROIs accurately, namely segmentation, orientation correction, and ROI detection. Accurate finger region segmentation and correct calculated orientation can support each other to produce higher accuracy in localizing ROIs. Extensive experiments have been performed on the finger vein image database, MMCBNU_6000, to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows the segmentation accuracy of 100%. Furthermore, the average processing time of the proposed method is 22 ms for an acquired image, which satisfies the criterion of a real-time finger vein identification system. PMID:24284769

Development of new generation of perovskite based noble metal/semiconductor photocatalysts for visible-light-driven hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Peichuan

In recent decades, semiconductor photocatalysis has attracted a growing attention as a possible alternative to existing methods of hydrogen production, hydrocarbon conversion and organic compound oxidation. Many types of photocatalysts have been developed and tested for photocatalytic applications. However, most of them do not have notable activity in visible light region, which limits their practical applications. Development of photocatalysts, which can be activated by visible light provides a promising way forward to utilize both UV and visible portions of solar spectrum. In this thesis, two main methods to advance visible light driven photocatalysis, such as bandgap modification through doping and co-catalyst development, are investigated. The photocatalysts studied in this thesis included CdS and SrTiO3, which were extensively investigated and characterized. Rhodium doped strontium titanate was synthesized through different preparation methods. The synthesized samples have been investigated by various characterization techniques including XRD, TEM, STEM, XPS and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The effect of preparation conditions, such as doping concentration, calcination temperature and pH have been investigated and optimized. In addition, the photocatalytic activities for hydrogen production of the samples synthesized by different preparation methods were also studied. Among the preparation methods, polymerizable complex (PC) method was found to be the most effective synthesis method for SrTiO3: Rh. The samples prepared by PC method had higher photocatalytic activity as compared to that of samples synthesized by solid state reaction method and hydrothermal method. The reasons might be attributed to more effective doping and higher surface area. The results of this work suggest that PC method can also be applied to develop other perovskite materials for photocatalytic applications. Co-catalyst development for enhancement of photocatalytic hydrogen production is also described in this dissertation. Noble metal nanoparticles have been proved to be effective co-catalysts due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Au and Pt nanoparticles with different sizes were synthesized and deposited on CdS. Sub-nanometer Au and Pt were found to be promising co-catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction. Specifically, sub-nm Au and sub-nm Pt nanoparticles were found to enhance the photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production of CdS by 35 and 15 times respectively. Other noble metal co-catalysts, such as Ru, Pd and Rh were also deposited on CdS and their photocatalytic activities were investigated. Additionally, a novel chamber for photocatalytic reactions was developed as a part of this dissertation. The reaction chamber has several unique features allowing different reactions and measurements. The reactor was proved to be suitable for future projects in photocatalysis such as photocatalytic CO2 conversion into hydrocarbons.

Single Point vs. Mapping Approach for Spectral Cytopathology (SCP)

PubMed Central

Schubert, Jennifer M.; Mazur, Antonella I.; Bird, Benjamin; Miljković, Miloš; Diem, Max

2011-01-01

In this paper we describe the advantages of collecting infrared microspectral data in imaging mode opposed to point mode. Imaging data are processed using the PapMap algorithm, which co-adds pixel spectra that have been scrutinized for R-Mie scattering effects as well as other constraints. The signal-to-noise quality of PapMap spectra will be compared to point spectra for oral mucosa cells deposited onto low-e slides. Also the effects of software atmospheric correction will be discussed. Combined with the PapMap algorithm, data collection in imaging mode proves to be a superior method for spectral cytopathology. PMID:20449833

Observation and elimination of broken symmetry in L1{sub 0} FePt nanostructures

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

Quarterman, P.; Wang, Hao; Qiu, Jiao-Ming

2015-12-07

An unexplained surface anisotropy effect was observed and confirmed in the magnetization reversal process of both L1{sub 0} phase FePt nanoparticles with octahedral shape and (001) textured L1{sub 0} FePt thin films with island nanostructures. We suggest that the nature of the observed surface effect is caused by broken symmetry on the FePt surface, which results in weakened exchange coupling for surface atoms. Furthermore, we propose, and experimentally demonstrate, a method to repair the broken symmetry by capping the FePt islands with a Pt layer, which could prove invaluable in understanding fundamental limitations of magnetic nanostructures.

Improved multistage wide band laser frequency stabilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamura, Seiji; Abramovici, Alex; Zucker, Michael E.

1997-01-01

Suppression of laser frequency fluctuations is an essential technology for planned interferometric detectors for astrophysical gravitational waves. Because of the low degree of residual frequency noise which is ultimately required, control topologies comprising two or more cascaded loops are favored. One such topology, used in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory 40 m interferometer, relied on electro-optic Pockels cell phase correction as a fast actuator for the final stage. This actuation method proved susceptible to spurious amplitude modulation effects, which provided an unintended parasitic feedback path. An alternate arrangement, which achieves comparably effective frequency stabilization without using a phase correcting Pockels cell, was introduced and successfully tested.

E.M.I Effects of Cathodic Protection on Electromagnetic Flowmeters

PubMed Central

Gundogdu, Serdar; Sahin, Ozge

2007-01-01

Electromagnetic flowmeters are used to measure the speed of water flow in water distribution systems. Corrosion problem in metal pipelines can be solved by cathodic protection methods. This paper presents a research on corruptive effects of the cathodic protection system on electromagnetic flowmeter depending on its measuring principle. Experimental measurements are realized on the water distribution pipelines of the Izmir Municipality, Department of Water and Drainage Administration (IZSU) in Turkey and measurement results are given. Experimental results proved that the values measured by the electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) are affected by cathodic protection system current. Comments on the measurement results are made and precautions to be taken are proposed.

Patch-based frame interpolation for old films via the guidance of motion paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Tianran; Ding, Youdong; Yu, Bing; Huang, Xi

2018-04-01

Due to improper preservation, traditional films will appear frame loss after digital. To deal with this problem, this paper presents a new adaptive patch-based method of frame interpolation via the guidance of motion paths. Our method is divided into three steps. Firstly, we compute motion paths between two reference frames using optical flow estimation. Then, the adaptive bidirectional interpolation with holes filled is applied to generate pre-intermediate frames. Finally, using patch match to interpolate intermediate frames with the most similar patches. Since the patch match is based on the pre-intermediate frames that contain the motion paths constraint, we show a natural and inartificial frame interpolation. We test different types of old film sequences and compare with other methods, the results prove that our method has a desired performance without hole or ghost effects.

Metering error quantification under voltage and current waveform distortion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tao; Wang, Jia; Xie, Zhi; Zhang, Ran

2017-09-01

With integration of more and more renewable energies and distortion loads into power grid, the voltage and current waveform distortion results in metering error in the smart meters. Because of the negative effects on the metering accuracy and fairness, it is an important subject to study energy metering combined error. In this paper, after the comparing between metering theoretical value and real recorded value under different meter modes for linear and nonlinear loads, a quantification method of metering mode error is proposed under waveform distortion. Based on the metering and time-division multiplier principles, a quantification method of metering accuracy error is proposed also. Analyzing the mode error and accuracy error, a comprehensive error analysis method is presented which is suitable for new energy and nonlinear loads. The proposed method has been proved by simulation.

Effective PCR detection of animal species in highly processed animal byproducts and compound feeds.

PubMed

Fumière, Olivier; Dubois, Marc; Baeten, Vincent; von Holst, Christoph; Berben, Gilbert

2006-07-01

In this paper we present a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method for detecting meat and bone meal (MBM) in compound feedingstuffs. By choosing adequate DNA targets from an appropriate localisation in the genome, the real-time PCR method developed here proved to be robust to severe heat treatment of the MBM, showing high sensitivity in the detection of MBM. The method developed here permits the specific detection of processed pig and cattle materials treated at 134 degrees C in various feed matrices down to a limit of detection of about 0.1%. This technique has also been successfully applied to well-characterised MBM samples heated to as high as 141 degrees C, as well as to various blind feed samples with very low MBM contents. Finally, the method also passed several official European ring trials.

A Coding Method for Efficient Subgraph Querying on Vertex- and Edge-Labeled Graphs

PubMed Central

Zhu, Lei; Song, Qinbao; Guo, Yuchen; Du, Lei; Zhu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Guangtao

2014-01-01

Labeled graphs are widely used to model complex data in many domains, so subgraph querying has been attracting more and more attention from researchers around the world. Unfortunately, subgraph querying is very time consuming since it involves subgraph isomorphism testing that is known to be an NP-complete problem. In this paper, we propose a novel coding method for subgraph querying that is based on Laplacian spectrum and the number of walks. Our method follows the filtering-and-verification framework and works well on graph databases with frequent updates. We also propose novel two-step filtering conditions that can filter out most false positives and prove that the two-step filtering conditions satisfy the no-false-negative requirement (no dismissal in answers). Extensive experiments on both real and synthetic graphs show that, compared with six existing counterpart methods, our method can effectively improve the efficiency of subgraph querying. PMID:24853266

An innovative method for offshore wind farm site selection based on the interval number with probability distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yunna; Chen, Kaifeng; Xu, Hu; Xu, Chuanbo; Zhang, Haobo; Yang, Meng

2017-12-01

There is insufficient research relating to offshore wind farm site selection in China. The current methods for site selection have some defects. First, information loss is caused by two aspects: the implicit assumption that the probability distribution on the interval number is uniform; and ignoring the value of decision makers' (DMs') common opinion on the criteria information evaluation. Secondly, the difference in DMs' utility function has failed to receive attention. An innovative method is proposed in this article to solve these drawbacks. First, a new form of interval number and its weighted operator are proposed to reflect the uncertainty and reduce information loss. Secondly, a new stochastic dominance degree is proposed to quantify the interval number with a probability distribution. Thirdly, a two-stage method integrating the weighted operator with stochastic dominance degree is proposed to evaluate the alternatives. Finally, a case from China proves the effectiveness of this method.

Application of FT-IR Classification Method in Silica-Plant Extracts Composites Quality Testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicu, A.; Drumea, V.; Mihaiescu, D. E.; Purcareanu, B.; Florea, M. A.; Trică, B.; Vasilievici, G.; Draga, S.; Buse, E.; Olariu, L.

2018-06-01

Our present work is concerned with the validation and quality testing efforts of mesoporous silica - plant extracts composites, in order to sustain the standardization process of plant-based pharmaceutical products. The synthesis of the silica support were performed by using a TEOS based synthetic route and CTAB as a template, at room temperature and normal pressure. The silica support was analyzed by advanced characterization methods (SEM, TEM, BET, DLS and FT-IR), and loaded with Calendula officinalis and Salvia officinalis standardized extracts. Further desorption studies were performed in order to prove the sustained release properties of the final materials. Intermediate and final product identification was performed by a FT-IR classification method, using the MID-range of the IR spectra, and statistical representative samples from repetitive synthetic stages. The obtained results recommend this analytical method as a fast and cost effective alternative to the classic identification methods.

[Haptic tracking control for minimally invasive robotic surgery].

PubMed

Xu, Zhaohong; Song, Chengli; Wu, Wenwu

2012-06-01

Haptic feedback plays a significant role in minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS). A major deficiency of the current MIRS is the lack of haptic perception for the surgeon, including the commercially available robot da Vinci surgical system. In this paper, a dynamics model of a haptic robot is established based on Newton-Euler method. Because it took some period of time in exact dynamics solution, we used a digital PID arithmetic dependent on robot dynamics to ensure real-time bilateral control, and it could improve tracking precision and real-time control efficiency. To prove the proposed method, an experimental system in which two Novint Falcon haptic devices acting as master-slave system has been developed. Simulations and experiments showed proposed methods could give instrument force feedbacks to operator, and bilateral control strategy is an effective method to master-slave MIRS. The proposed methods could be used to tele-robotic system.

The Research on Tunnel Surrounding Rock Classification Based on Geological Radar and Probability Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao Yong, Zhao; Xin, Ji Yong; Shuang Ying, Zuo

2018-03-01

In order to effectively classify the surrounding rock types of tunnels, a multi-factor tunnel surrounding rock classification method based on GPR and probability theory is proposed. Geological radar was used to identify the geology of the surrounding rock in front of the face and to evaluate the quality of the rock face. According to the previous survey data, the rock uniaxial compressive strength, integrity index, fissure and groundwater were selected for classification. The related theories combine them into a multi-factor classification method, and divide the surrounding rocks according to the great probability. Using this method to classify the surrounding rock of the Ma’anshan tunnel, the surrounding rock types obtained are basically the same as those of the actual surrounding rock, which proves that this method is a simple, efficient and practical rock classification method, which can be used for tunnel construction.

Price elasticity matrix of demand in power system considering demand response programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Xinyao; Hui, Hongxun; Yang, Shengchun; Li, Yaping; Ding, Yi

2018-02-01

The increasing renewable energy power generations have brought more intermittency and volatility to the electric power system. Demand-side resources can improve the consumption of renewable energy by demand response (DR), which becomes one of the important means to improve the reliability of power system. In price-based DR, the sensitivity analysis of customer’s power demand to the changing electricity prices is pivotal for setting reasonable prices and forecasting loads of power system. This paper studies the price elasticity matrix of demand (PEMD). An improved PEMD model is proposed based on elasticity effect weight, which can unify the rigid loads and flexible loads. Moreover, the structure of PEMD, which is decided by price policies and load types, and the calculation method of PEMD are also proposed. Several cases are studied to prove the effectiveness of this method.

Understanding of the naive Bayes classifier in spam filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qijia

2018-05-01

Along with the development of the Internet, the information stream is experiencing an unprecedented burst. The methods of information transmission become more and more important and people receiving effective information is a hot topic in the both research and industry field. As one of the most common methods of information communication, email has its own advantages. However, spams always flood the inbox and automatic filtering is needed. This paper is going to discuss this issue from the perspective of Naive Bayes Classifier, which is one of the applications of Bayes Theorem. Concepts and process of Naive Bayes Classifier will be introduced, followed by two examples. Discussion with Machine Learning is made in the last section. Naive Bayes Classifier has been proved to be surprisingly effective, with the limitation of the interdependence among attributes which are usually email words or phrases.

Trading strategy based on dynamic mode decomposition: Tested in Chinese stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Ling-xiao; Long, Wen

2016-11-01

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is an effective method to capture the intrinsic dynamical modes of complex system. In this work, we adopt DMD method to discover the evolutionary patterns in stock market and apply it to Chinese A-share stock market. We design two strategies based on DMD algorithm. The strategy which considers only timing problem can make reliable profits in a choppy market with no prominent trend while fails to beat the benchmark moving-average strategy in bull market. After considering the spatial information from spatial-temporal coherent structure of DMD modes, we improved the trading strategy remarkably. Then the DMD strategies profitability is quantitatively evaluated by performing SPA test to correct the data-snooping effect. The results further prove that DMD algorithm can model the market patterns well in sideways market.

In situ precision electrospinning as an effective delivery technique for cyanoacrylate medical glue with high efficiency and low toxicity.

PubMed

Dong, R H; Qin, C C; Qiu, X; Yan, X; Yu, M; Cui, L; Zhou, Y; Zhang, H D; Jiang, X Y; Long, Y Z

2015-12-14

The side effects or toxicity of cyanoacrylate used in vivo have been argued since its first application in wound closure. We propose an airflow-assisted in situ precision electrospinning apparatus as an applicator and make a detailed comparison with traditional spraying via in vitro and in vivo experiments. This novel method can not only improve operational performance and safety by precisely depositing cyanoacrylate fibers onto a wound, but significantly reduce the dosage of cyanoacrylate by almost 80%. A white blood cell count, liver function test and histological analysis prove that the in situ precision electrospinning applicator produces a better postoperative outcome, e.g., minor hepatocyte injury, moderate inflammation and the significant ability for liver regeneration. This in situ precision electrospinning method may thus dramatically broaden both civilian and military applications of cyanoacrylates.

Fixation strength analysis of cup to bone material using finite element simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anwar, Iwan Budiwan; Saputra, Eko; Ismail, Rifky; Jamari, J.; van der Heide, Emile

2016-04-01

Fixation of acetabular cup to bone material is an important initial stability for artificial hip joint. In general, the fixation in cement less-type acetabular cup uses press-fit and screw methods. These methods can be applied alone or together. Based on literature survey, the additional screw inside of cup is effective; however, it has little effect in whole fixation. Therefore, an acetabular cup with good fixation, easy manufacture and easy installation is required. This paper is aiming at evaluating and proposing a new cup fixation design. To prove the strength of the present cup fixation design, the finite element simulation of three dimensional cup with new fixation design was performed. The present cup design was examined with twist axial and radial rotation. Results showed that the proposed cup design was better than the general version.

A long-term study on the effect of magnetite supplementation in continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy effluent - Magnetic separation and recycling of magnetite.

PubMed

Baek, Gahyun; Jung, Heejung; Kim, Jaai; Lee, Changsoo

2017-10-01

Promotion of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) between exoelectrogenic bacteria and electron-utilizing methanogens has recently been discussed as a new method for enhanced biomethanation. This study evaluated the effect of magnetite-promoted DIET in continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy effluent and tested the magnetic separation and recycling of magnetite to avoid continuous magnetite addition. The applied magnetite recycling method effectively supported enhanced DIET activity and biomethanation performance over a long period (>250days) without adding extra magnetite. DIET via magnetite particles as electrical conduits was likely the main mechanism for the enhanced biomethanation. Magnetite formed complex aggregate structures with microbes, and magnetite recycling also helped retain more biomass in the process. Methanosaeta was likely the major methanogen group responsible for DIET-based methanogenesis, in association with Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi populations as syntrophic partners. The recycling approach proved robust and effective, highlighting the potential of magnetite recycling for high-rate biomethanation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Hemostatic and analgesic effect of Gonghuan Zhixue Tablet on mice].

PubMed

Fu, Ling-Mei; You, Zhao-Ling; Lei, Lei; Wen, Le-Xi; Chen, Huan-Ming

2004-03-01

To explore the hemostatic and analgesic effect of Gonghuan Zhixue Tablet (GHZXT) on mice and to produce experimental evidence for exploiting new drug for endometrorrhagia caused by Cu-intrauterine contraceptive device (Cu-IUD). Compared with 6-aminocaproic acid and notoginseng, the effects of GHZXT on clotting and bleeding time of mice with capillary method and severed tail were investigated; and compared with aspirin, the analgesic effects of GHZXT on mice were investigated with hot plate and torsive body method. The clotting time of mice was remarkably shortened with a rising of the dosage of GHZXT and the difference between each therapeutic group and distilled water group was remarkable. As compared with distilled water group, the bleeding time of each dosage group of GHZXT was obviously shortened; and each dosage of GHZXT could prolong the time of pain reaction to hot plate and decrease the degree of torsive body of the mice. Pharmacological experiment has proved that GHZXT has evident hemostatic and analgesic function.

Electrostatic Effects in Filamentous Protein Aggregation

PubMed Central

Buell, Alexander K.; Hung, Peter; Salvatella, Xavier; Welland, Mark E.; Dobson, Christopher M.; Knowles, Tuomas P.J.

2013-01-01

Electrostatic forces play a key role in mediating interactions between proteins. However, gaining quantitative insights into the complex effects of electrostatics on protein behavior has proved challenging, due to the wide palette of scenarios through which both cations and anions can interact with polypeptide molecules in a specific manner or can result in screening in solution. In this article, we have used a variety of biophysical methods to probe the steady-state kinetics of fibrillar protein self-assembly in a highly quantitative manner to detect how it is modulated by changes in solution ionic strength. Due to the exponential modulation of the reaction rate by electrostatic forces, this reaction represents an exquisitely sensitive probe of these effects in protein-protein interactions. Our approach, which involves a combination of experimental kinetic measurements and theoretical analysis, reveals a hierarchy of electrostatic effects that control protein aggregation. Furthermore, our results provide a highly sensitive method for the estimation of the magnitude of binding of a variety of ions to protein molecules. PMID:23473495

Filamentous fungi as a source of natural antioxidants.

PubMed

Smith, Helen; Doyle, Sean; Murphy, Richard

2015-10-15

Ten species of filamentous fungi grown in submerged flask cultures were investigated for antioxidant capacity. Effective antioxidant activity was demonstrated in terms of β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching, radical scavenging, reduction of metal ions and chelating abilities against ferrous ions. Different extraction methods affected antioxidant activities through their effect on biologically active compounds produced in fungal mycelia. The methanolic extract of each fungus was typically more effective in antioxidant properties. Phenolic content was established in the range of 0.44-9.33 mg/g, flavonoid contents were in the range of 0.02-3.90 mg/g and condensed tannin contents were in the range of 1.77-18.83 mg/g. Total phenol content of each extract was attributed to overall antioxidant capacity (r ⩾ 0.883-1.000). Submerged cultivation of Grifola frondosa, Monascus purpureus, Pleurotus spp., Lentinula edodes and Trametes versicolor proved to be an effective method for the production of natural antioxidants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethnographic Methods in Academic Libraries: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsden, Bryony

2016-01-01

Research in academic libraries has recently seen an increase in the use of ethnographic-based methods to collect data. Primarily used to learn about library users and their interaction with spaces and resources, the methods are proving particularly useful to academic libraries. The data ethnographic methods retrieve is rich, context specific, and…

Emergency contraception: clinical outcomes.

PubMed

Glasier, Anna

2013-03-01

Emergency contraception (EC) is widely used to prevent unwanted pregnancy. This review considers the safety and efficacy of three commonly used methods -- levonorgestrel (LNG-EC), ulipristal acetate (UPA) and the copper intrauterine device. All are extremely safe, and side effects are minimal. Concerns about increased risks of ectopic pregnancy after EC use have proved unfounded, and possible teratogenic effects seem unlikely. Although the true effectiveness of EC is impossible to estimate, recent research suggests that LNG-EC prevents around 50% of expected pregnancies in women using the method within 72 h of intercourse, whereas UPA appeared to prevent almost two thirds of pregnancies. Emergency intrauterine device insertion probably prevents over 95% of pregnancies. However, although improved accessibility of EC has clearly led to increased use, it does not appear to have had any public health benefit in reducing unintended pregnancy rates. Most of the data on sexual behavior following improved access to EC do not show any detrimental effect on subsequent use of other more effective methods of contraception or on the incidence of unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection. However, unless these other methods of contraception are also made easily available from pharmacies, improved access to EC risks unlinking its use with use of subsequent ongoing contraception. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ASCS online fault detection and isolation based on an improved MPCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jianxin; Liu, Haiou; Hu, Yuhui; Xi, Junqiang; Chen, Huiyan

2014-09-01

Multi-way principal component analysis (MPCA) has received considerable attention and been widely used in process monitoring. A traditional MPCA algorithm unfolds multiple batches of historical data into a two-dimensional matrix and cut the matrix along the time axis to form subspaces. However, low efficiency of subspaces and difficult fault isolation are the common disadvantages for the principal component model. This paper presents a new subspace construction method based on kernel density estimation function that can effectively reduce the storage amount of the subspace information. The MPCA model and the knowledge base are built based on the new subspace. Then, fault detection and isolation with the squared prediction error (SPE) statistic and the Hotelling ( T 2) statistic are also realized in process monitoring. When a fault occurs, fault isolation based on the SPE statistic is achieved by residual contribution analysis of different variables. For fault isolation of subspace based on the T 2 statistic, the relationship between the statistic indicator and state variables is constructed, and the constraint conditions are presented to check the validity of fault isolation. Then, to improve the robustness of fault isolation to unexpected disturbances, the statistic method is adopted to set the relation between single subspace and multiple subspaces to increase the corrective rate of fault isolation. Finally fault detection and isolation based on the improved MPCA is used to monitor the automatic shift control system (ASCS) to prove the correctness and effectiveness of the algorithm. The research proposes a new subspace construction method to reduce the required storage capacity and to prove the robustness of the principal component model, and sets the relationship between the state variables and fault detection indicators for fault isolation.

Nanotechnology for sustainable wastewater treatment and use for agricultural production: A comparative long-term study.

PubMed

De La Cueva Bueno, Patricia; Gillerman, Leonid; Gehr, Ronald; Oron, Gideon

2017-03-01

Nanotechnology applications can be used for filtering low quality waters, allowing under given conditions, the removal of salts and other micropollutants from these waters. A long-term field experiment, implementing nanotechnology in the form of UltraFiltration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) for salt removal from treated wastewater, was conducted with secondary effluents, aiming to prove the sustainability of agricultural production using irrigation with treated wastewater. Six outdoor field treatments, each under four replications, were conducted for examining the salt accumulation effects on the soil and the crops. The field experiments proved that crop development is correlated with the water quality as achieved from the wastewater filtration capability of the hybrid nanotechnology system. The key goal was to maintain sustainable food production, despite the low quality of the waters. Of the six treatment methods tested, irrigation with RO-treated effluent produced the best results in terms of its effect on soil salinity and crop yield. Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that this process is not only costly, but it also removes all organic matter content from the irrigation water, requiring the addition of fertilizers to the effluent. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Research and Infrastructure Development Center for Nanomaterials Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

scale, this technique may prove highly valuable for optimizing the distance dependent energy transfer effects for maximum sensitivity to target...this technique may prove highly valuable for optimizing the distance dependent energy transfer effects for maximum sensitivity 0 20000 40000 60000... Pulsed laser deposition of carbon films on quartz and silicon simply did not work due to their poor conductivity. We found that pyrolized photoresist

Comment on "Unification of multiqubit polygamy inequalities"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Wei; Zhao, Jun-Long; Yu, Long-Bao; Zhang, Li-Hua

2017-05-01

Recently, Kim established a unified view of polygamy of multiqubit entanglement [Phys. Rev. A 85, 032335 (2012), 10.1103/PhysRevA.85.032335]. In order to prove their main results, Kim first proposed an important property which is illustrated in Lemma 2. We point out that his proofs of Lemma 2 are flawed because of some errors in his derivations. Furthermore, we present an improved method to prove the original results.

Zero cylinder coordinate system approach to image reconstruction in fan beam ICT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Yan-Chun; Xian, Wu; Hall, Ernest L.

1992-11-01

The state-of-the-art of the transform algorithms has allowed the newest versions to produce excellent and efficient reconstructed images in most applications, especially in medical CT and industrial CT etc. Based on the Zero Cylinder Coordinate system (ZCC) presented in this paper, a new transform algorithm of image reconstruction in fan beam industrial CT is suggested. It greatly reduces the amount of computation of the backprojection, which requires only two INC instructions to calculate the weighted factor and the subcoordinate. A new backprojector is designed, which simplifies its assembly-line mechanism based on the ZCC method. Finally, a simulation results on microcomputer is given out, which proves this method is effective and practical.

Oral exfoliative cytology in the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

PubMed

de Araújo, M S; Mesquita, R A; Corrêa, L; de Sousa, S O

2001-01-01

To assess the efficacy of conventional oral exfoliative cytology as a diagnostic tool in paracoccidioidomycosis. Cytologic smears and incisional biopsies were obtained from 10 patients with a clinical suspicion and oral manifestations of paracoccidioidomycosis. Cytologic smears and sections of the incisional biopsy underwent methenamine silver staining for fungi according to the Gomori-Grocott method. The dry glass slides were examined at 400 or 1,000 x magnification, and the presence and shape of yeasts of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were investigated. Yeasts of the fungus P brasiliensis were clearly identified in cytologic smears and sections from incisional biopsies in all cases analyzed (100.0%). Cytology of oral samples proved an effective diagnostic method for the detection of paracoccidioidomycosis in humans.

The application of remote sensing image sea ice monitoring method in Bohai Bay based on C4.5 decision tree algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Wei; Song, Wei

2018-02-01

In The Paper, the remote sensing monitoring of sea ice problem was turned into a classification problem in data mining. Based on the statistic of the related band data of HJ1B remote sensing images, the main bands of HJ1B images related with the reflectance of seawater and sea ice were found. On the basis, the decision tree rules for sea ice monitoring were constructed by the related bands found above, and then the rules were applied to Liaodong Bay area seriously covered by sea ice for sea ice monitoring. The result proved that the method is effective.

[Music therapy as a part of complex healing].

PubMed

Sliwka, Agnieszka; Jarosz, Anna; Nowobilski, Roman

2006-10-01

Music therapy is a method which takes the adventage of therapeutic influence of musie on psychological and somatic sphere of the human body. Its therapeutic properties are more and more used. Current scientific research have proved its modifying influence on vegetative, circulatory, respiratory and endocrine systems. Works devoted to the effects of musie on the patients' psychological sphere have also confirmed that it reduces psychopathologic symptoms (anxiety and depression), improves self-rating, influences quality and disorders of sleep, reduces pain, improves moral immunity and patients' openness, readiness, co-operation in treatment process. Music therapy is treated as a method which complements conventional treatment and makes up part of an integral whole together with physiotherapy, kinesitherapy and recuperation.

Picosecond pulse measurements using the active laser medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernardin, James P.; Lawandy, N. M.

1990-01-01

A simple method for measuring the pulse lengths of synchronously pumped dye lasers which does not require the use of an external nonlinear medium, such as a doubling crystal or two-photon fluorescence cell, to autocorrelate the pulses is discussed. The technique involves feeding the laser pulses back into the dye jet, thus correlating the output pulses with the intracavity pulses to obtain pulse length signatures in the resulting time-averaged laser power. Experimental measurements were performed using a rhodamine 6G dye laser pumped by a mode-locked frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. The results agree well with numerical computations, and the method proves effective in determining lengths of picosecond laser pulses.

Effective visibility analysis method in virtual geographic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Zhu, Qing; Gong, Jianhua

2008-10-01

Visibility analysis in virtual geographic environment has broad applications in many aspects in social life. But in practical use it is urged to improve the efficiency and accuracy, as well as to consider human vision restriction. The paper firstly introduces a high-efficient 3D data modeling method, which generates and organizes 3D data model using R-tree and LOD techniques. Then a new visibility algorithm which can realize real-time viewshed calculation considering the shelter of DEM and 3D building models and some restrictions of human eye to the viewshed generation. Finally an experiment is conducted to prove the visibility analysis calculation quickly and accurately which can meet the demand of digital city applications.

Research and Application of Knowledge Resources Network for Product Innovation

PubMed Central

Li, Chuan; Li, Wen-qiang; Li, Yan; Na, Hui-zhen; Shi, Qian

2015-01-01

In order to enhance the capabilities of knowledge service in product innovation design service platform, a method of acquiring knowledge resources supporting for product innovation from the Internet and providing knowledge active push is proposed. Through knowledge modeling for product innovation based on ontology, the integrated architecture of knowledge resources network is put forward. The technology for the acquisition of network knowledge resources based on focused crawler and web services is studied. Knowledge active push is provided for users by user behavior analysis and knowledge evaluation in order to improve users' enthusiasm for participation in platform. Finally, an application example is illustrated to prove the effectiveness of the method. PMID:25884031

Generalization Performance of Regularized Ranking With Multiscale Kernels.

PubMed

Zhou, Yicong; Chen, Hong; Lan, Rushi; Pan, Zhibin

2016-05-01

The regularized kernel method for the ranking problem has attracted increasing attentions in machine learning. The previous regularized ranking algorithms are usually based on reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces with a single kernel. In this paper, we go beyond this framework by investigating the generalization performance of the regularized ranking with multiscale kernels. A novel ranking algorithm with multiscale kernels is proposed and its representer theorem is proved. We establish the upper bound of the generalization error in terms of the complexity of hypothesis spaces. It shows that the multiscale ranking algorithm can achieve satisfactory learning rates under mild conditions. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for drug discovery and recommendation tasks.

An effective image classification method with the fusion of invariant feature and a new color descriptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansourian, Leila; Taufik Abdullah, Muhamad; Nurliyana Abdullah, Lili; Azman, Azreen; Mustaffa, Mas Rina

2017-02-01

Pyramid Histogram of Words (PHOW), combined Bag of Visual Words (BoVW) with the spatial pyramid matching (SPM) in order to add location information to extracted features. However, different PHOW extracted from various color spaces, and they did not extract color information individually, that means they discard color information, which is an important characteristic of any image that is motivated by human vision. This article, concatenated PHOW Multi-Scale Dense Scale Invariant Feature Transform (MSDSIFT) histogram and a proposed Color histogram to improve the performance of existing image classification algorithms. Performance evaluation on several datasets proves that the new approach outperforms other existing, state-of-the-art methods.

Hand-rearing, growth, and development of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Meier, Melissa S.; McColl, Laurie E.; Hines, Randy K.; Pichner, Jimmy; Johnson, Laura; Lyon, James E.; Scharold, Kellie Kroc; Meyer, Michael

2014-01-01

Common loon chicks were reared in captivity in association with studies to evaluate the effects of radiotransmitter implants and to assess the ecological risk of dietary methylmercury. Here we report on hatching and rearing methods used to successfully raise chicks to 105 days of age. We experienced a 91.5% hatch rate, and 89.6% of loon chicks survived to the end of the study at 105 days. Baseline information on observed rates of fish consumption, behavioral development, and growth patterns are provided. Husbandry techniques are provided that should prove valuable to wildlife rehabilitators caring for abandoned or injured loons, and biologists contemplating methods for restoring loons to areas within their former breeding range.

Repeated Red-Black ordering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciarlet, P.

1994-09-01

Hereafter, we describe and analyze, from both a theoretical and a numerical point of view, an iterative method for efficiently solving symmetric elliptic problems with possibly discontinuous coefficients. In the following, we use the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient method to solve the symmetric positive definite linear systems which arise from the finite element discretization of the problems. We focus our interest on sparse and efficient preconditioners. In order to define the preconditioners, we perform two steps: first we reorder the unknowns and then we carry out a (modified) incomplete factorization of the original matrix. We study numerically and theoretically two preconditioners, the second preconditioner corresponding to the one investigated by Brand and Heinemann [2]. We prove convergence results about the Poisson equation with either Dirichlet or periodic boundary conditions. For a meshsizeh, Brand proved that the condition number of the preconditioned system is bounded byO(h-1/2) for Dirichlet boundary conditions. By slightly modifying the preconditioning process, we prove that the condition number is bounded byO(h-1/3).

Differential equation based method for accurate approximations in optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.; Adelman, Howard M.

1990-01-01

This paper describes a method to efficiently and accurately approximate the effect of design changes on structural response. The key to this new method is to interpret sensitivity equations as differential equations that may be solved explicitly for closed form approximations, hence, the method is denoted the Differential Equation Based (DEB) method. Approximations were developed for vibration frequencies, mode shapes and static displacements. The DEB approximation method was applied to a cantilever beam and results compared with the commonly-used linear Taylor series approximations and exact solutions. The test calculations involved perturbing the height, width, cross-sectional area, tip mass, and bending inertia of the beam. The DEB method proved to be very accurate, and in msot cases, was more accurate than the linear Taylor series approximation. The method is applicable to simultaneous perturbation of several design variables. Also, the approximations may be used to calculate other system response quantities. For example, the approximations for displacement are used to approximate bending stresses.

Differential equation based method for accurate approximations in optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.; Adelman, Howard M.

1990-01-01

A method to efficiently and accurately approximate the effect of design changes on structural response is described. The key to this method is to interpret sensitivity equations as differential equations that may be solved explicitly for closed form approximations, hence, the method is denoted the Differential Equation Based (DEB) method. Approximations were developed for vibration frequencies, mode shapes and static displacements. The DEB approximation method was applied to a cantilever beam and results compared with the commonly-used linear Taylor series approximations and exact solutions. The test calculations involved perturbing the height, width, cross-sectional area, tip mass, and bending inertia of the beam. The DEB method proved to be very accurate, and in most cases, was more accurate than the linear Taylor series approximation. The method is applicable to simultaneous perturbation of several design variables. Also, the approximations may be used to calculate other system response quantities. For example, the approximations for displacements are used to approximate bending stresses.

Quantum Steering Inequality with Tolerance for Measurement-Setting Errors: Experimentally Feasible Signature of Unbounded Violation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutkowski, Adam; Buraczewski, Adam; Horodecki, Paweł; Stobińska, Magdalena

2017-01-01

Quantum steering is a relatively simple test for proving that the values of quantum-mechanical measurement outcomes come into being only in the act of measurement. By exploiting quantum correlations, Alice can influence—steer—Bob's physical system in a way that is impossible in classical mechanics, as shown by the violation of steering inequalities. Demonstrating this and similar quantum effects for systems of increasing size, approaching even the classical limit, is a long-standing challenging problem. Here, we prove an experimentally feasible unbounded violation of a steering inequality. We derive its universal form where tolerance for measurement-setting errors is explicitly built in by means of the Deutsch-Maassen-Uffink entropic uncertainty relation. Then, generalizing the mutual unbiasedness, we apply the inequality to the multisinglet and multiparticle bipartite Bell state. However, the method is general and opens the possibility of employing multiparticle bipartite steering for randomness certification and development of quantum technologies, e.g., random access codes.

Shot SMOKY, A Test of the PLUMBBOB Series, 31 August 1957.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-31

Nevada Test Site (NTS) was originally and until 1955 called the Nevada Proving Ground . It covers about 1,350 square miles of the Nevada desert and-is...Laboratories; Aberdeen Proving Grounds 50.8 Detection of Atomic U.S. Army Artillery and Guided 557 Burst and Radioactive Missile School; U.S. Army Air Fallout...34Effects of Rough and Sloping Terrain on Airblast Phenomena, Operation PLUMBBOB," WT-1407, Ballistic Research Laboratories, Aberdeen Proving Grounds

Mines and Demolitions

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-04-22

effectiveness of these mineb is determined by the Wound Ballistics Branch of the U. S. Army Balliatics Research ’Laboratories, Aberden Proving Ground , KI...Ia. P ROORAM EL EME~dT.PAOj ECT. TASK( * AREA & WORK UNIT NIAMOERS U. S. Array AbrenP.:oing Ground (STEaP-Htr-H) Aberdeen Proving Srouad, Ltd. 2 005...to th~a publiratioa should bp~ forwarded to Comaander. U. S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, ATTN: D RSTE-M.S, Abevdt.,en Proving Ground . Md. 21005

Some Instruments Used by Division 10, NDRC at Dugway Proving Ground for Continuous Recording of Micrometeorological Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

1945-10-01

I. INTRODUCTION One of the original objectives of the NDRC Laboratory at Dugwoy Proving Ground was to study and assess the effect of...the results of the experiment should include information from more than one looation on the target, or else a study at one location of the varia...forecasts or in other micrometeorologioal studies . In addition it has proved useful in measurements on wind profiles« temperature profiles, and

Stability of discrete time recurrent neural networks and nonlinear optimization problems.

PubMed

Singh, Jayant; Barabanov, Nikita

2016-02-01

We consider the method of Reduction of Dissipativity Domain to prove global Lyapunov stability of Discrete Time Recurrent Neural Networks. The standard and advanced criteria for Absolute Stability of these essentially nonlinear systems produce rather weak results. The method mentioned above is proved to be more powerful. It involves a multi-step procedure with maximization of special nonconvex functions over polytopes on every step. We derive conditions which guarantee an existence of at most one point of local maximum for such functions over every hyperplane. This nontrivial result is valid for wide range of neuron transfer functions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Path length entropy analysis of diastolic heart sounds.

PubMed

Griffel, Benjamin; Zia, Mohammad K; Fridman, Vladamir; Saponieri, Cesare; Semmlow, John L

2013-09-01

Early detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) using the acoustic approach, a noninvasive and cost-effective method, would greatly improve the outcome of CAD patients. To detect CAD, we analyze diastolic sounds for possible CAD murmurs. We observed diastolic sounds to exhibit 1/f structure and developed a new method, path length entropy (PLE) and a scaled version (SPLE), to characterize this structure to improve CAD detection. We compare SPLE results to Hurst exponent, Sample entropy and Multiscale entropy for distinguishing between normal and CAD patients. SPLE achieved a sensitivity-specificity of 80%-81%, the best of the tested methods. However, PLE and SPLE are not sufficient to prove nonlinearity, and evaluation using surrogate data suggests that our cardiovascular sound recordings do not contain significant nonlinear properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An improved design method based on polyphase components for digital FIR filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, A.; Kuldeep, B.; Singh, G. K.; Lee, Heung No

2017-11-01

This paper presents an efficient design of digital finite impulse response (FIR) filter, based on polyphase components and swarm optimisation techniques (SOTs). For this purpose, the design problem is formulated as mean square error between the actual response and ideal response in frequency domain using polyphase components of a prototype filter. To achieve more precise frequency response at some specified frequency, fractional derivative constraints (FDCs) have been applied, and optimal FDCs are computed using SOTs such as cuckoo search and modified cuckoo search algorithms. A comparative study of well-proved swarm optimisation, called particle swarm optimisation and artificial bee colony algorithm is made. The excellence of proposed method is evaluated using several important attributes of a filter. Comparative study evidences the excellence of proposed method for effective design of FIR filter.

A Two-Time Scale Decentralized Model Predictive Controller Based on Input and Output Model

PubMed Central

Niu, Jian; Zhao, Jun; Xu, Zuhua; Qian, Jixin

2009-01-01

A decentralized model predictive controller applicable for some systems which exhibit different dynamic characteristics in different channels was presented in this paper. These systems can be regarded as combinations of a fast model and a slow model, the response speeds of which are in two-time scale. Because most practical models used for control are obtained in the form of transfer function matrix by plant tests, a singular perturbation method was firstly used to separate the original transfer function matrix into two models in two-time scale. Then a decentralized model predictive controller was designed based on the two models derived from the original system. And the stability of the control method was proved. Simulations showed that the method was effective. PMID:19834542

Research on Visual Analysis Methods of Terrorism Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Wenyue; Liu, Haiyan; Yu, Anzhu; Li, Jing

2016-06-01

Under the situation that terrorism events occur more and more frequency throughout the world, improving the response capability of social security incidents has become an important aspect to test governments govern ability. Visual analysis has become an important method of event analysing for its advantage of intuitive and effective. To analyse events' spatio-temporal distribution characteristics, correlations among event items and the development trend, terrorism event's spatio-temporal characteristics are discussed. Suitable event data table structure based on "5W" theory is designed. Then, six types of visual analysis are purposed, and how to use thematic map and statistical charts to realize visual analysis on terrorism events is studied. Finally, experiments have been carried out by using the data provided by Global Terrorism Database, and the results of experiments proves the availability of the methods.

A Power Transformers Fault Diagnosis Model Based on Three DGA Ratios and PSO Optimization SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Hongzhe; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Rongrong; Yang, Chunyan

2018-03-01

In order to make up for the shortcomings of existing transformer fault diagnosis methods in dissolved gas-in-oil analysis (DGA) feature selection and parameter optimization, a transformer fault diagnosis model based on the three DGA ratios and particle swarm optimization (PSO) optimize support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. Using transforming support vector machine to the nonlinear and multi-classification SVM, establishing the particle swarm optimization to optimize the SVM multi classification model, and conducting transformer fault diagnosis combined with the cross validation principle. The fault diagnosis results show that the average accuracy of test method is better than the standard support vector machine and genetic algorithm support vector machine, and the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of transformer fault diagnosis is proved.

A modified low-temperature wafer bonding method using spot pressing bonding technique and water glass adhesive layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yang; Wang, Shengkai; Wang, Yinghui; Chen, Dapeng

2018-02-01

A modified low-temperature wafer bonding method using a spot pressing bonding technique and a water glass adhesive layer is proposed. The electrical properties of the water glass layer has been studied by capacitance-voltage (C-V) and electric current-voltage (I-V) measurements. It is found that the adhesive layer can be regarded as a good insulator in terms of leakage current density. The bonding mechanism and the motion of bubbles during the thermal treatment are investigated. The dominant factor for the bubble motion in the modified bonding process is the gradient of pressure introduced by the spot pressing force. It is proved that the modified method achieves low-temperature adhesive bonding, minimizes the effect of water desorption, and provides good bonding performance.

Experimental Study for Automatic Colony Counting System Based Onimage Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Junlong; Li, Wenzhe; Wang, Guoxin

Colony counting in many colony experiments is detected by manual method at present, therefore it is difficult for man to execute the method quickly and accurately .A new automatic colony counting system was developed. Making use of image-processing technology, a study was made on the feasibility of distinguishing objectively white bacterial colonies from clear plates according to the RGB color theory. An optimal chromatic value was obtained based upon a lot of experiments on the distribution of the chromatic value. It has been proved that the method greatly improves the accuracy and efficiency of the colony counting and the counting result is not affected by using inoculation, shape or size of the colony. It is revealed that automatic detection of colony quantity using image-processing technology could be an effective way.

Study on the threshold of a stochastic SIR epidemic model and its extensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Dianli

2016-09-01

This paper provides a simple but effective method for estimating the threshold of a class of the stochastic epidemic models by use of the nonnegative semimartingale convergence theorem. Firstly, the threshold R0SIR is obtained for the stochastic SIR model with a saturated incidence rate, whose value is below 1 or above 1 will completely determine the disease to go extinct or prevail for any size of the white noise. Besides, when R0SIR > 1 , the system is proved to be convergent in time mean. Then, the threshold of the stochastic SIVS models with or without saturated incidence rate are also established by the same method. Comparing with the previously-known literatures, the related results are improved, and the method is simpler than before.

Path Length Entropy Analysis of Diastolic Heart Sounds

PubMed Central

Griffel, B.; Zia, M. K.; Fridman, V.; Saponieri, C.; Semmlow, J. L.

2013-01-01

Early detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) using the acoustic approach, a noninvasive and cost-effective method, would greatly improve the outcome of CAD patients. To detect CAD, we analyze diastolic sounds for possible CAD murmurs. We observed diastolic sounds to exhibit 1/f structure and developed a new method, path length entropy (PLE) and a scaled version (SPLE), to characterize this structure to improve CAD detection. We compare SPLE results to Hurst exponent, Sample entropy and Multi-scale entropy for distinguishing between normal and CAD patients. SPLE achieved a sensitivity-specificity of 80%–81%, the best of the tested methods. However, PLE and SPLE are not sufficient to prove nonlinearity, and evaluation using surrogate data suggests that our cardiovascular sound recordings do not contain significant nonlinear properties. PMID:23930808

Analysis of Power System Low Frequency Oscillation Based on Energy Shift Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junfeng; Zhang, Chunwang; Ma, Daqing

2018-01-01

In this paper, a new method for analyzing low-frequency oscillation between analytic areas based on energy coefficient is proposed. The concept of energy coefficient is proposed by constructing the energy function, and the low-frequency oscillation is analyzed according to the energy coefficient under the current operating conditions; meanwhile, the concept of model energy is proposed to analyze the energy exchange behavior between two generators. Not only does this method provide an explanation of low-frequency oscillation from the energy point of view, but also it helps further reveal the dynamic behavior of complex power systems. The case analysis of four-machine two-area and the power system of Jilin Power Grid proves the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method in low-frequency oscillation analysis of power system.

A new multiscale noise tuning stochastic resonance for enhanced fault diagnosis in wind turbine drivetrains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Bingbing; Li, Bing

2016-02-01

It is very difficult to detect weak fault signatures due to the large amount of noise in a wind turbine system. Multiscale noise tuning stochastic resonance (MSTSR) has proved to be an effective way to extract weak signals buried in strong noise. However, the MSTSR method originally based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) has disadvantages such as shift variance and the aliasing effects in engineering application. In this paper, the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) is introduced into the MSTSR method, which makes it possible to further improve the system output signal-to-noise ratio and the accuracy of fault diagnosis by the merits of DTCWT (nearly shift invariant and reduced aliasing effects). Moreover, this method utilizes the relationship between the two dual-tree wavelet basis functions, instead of matching the single wavelet basis function to the signal being analyzed, which may speed up the signal processing and be employed in on-line engineering monitoring. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of bearing outer ring and shaft coupling vibration signals carrying fault information. The results confirm that the method performs better in extracting the fault features than the original DWT-based MSTSR, the wavelet transform with post spectral analysis, and EMD-based spectral analysis methods.

Simple and Clear Proofs of Stirling's Formula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niizeki, Shozo; Araki, Makoto

2010-01-01

The purpose of our article is to show two simpler and clearer methods of proving Stirling's formula than the traditional and conventional ones. The distinction of our method is to use the simple trapezoidal formula.

Community challenges when using large plastic bottles for Solar Energy Disinfection of Water (SODIS).

PubMed

Borde, Preeti; Elmusharaf, Khalifa; McGuigan, Kevin G; Keogh, Michael B

2016-09-05

Communities living in developing countries as well as populations affected by natural or man-made disasters can be left at great risk from water related diseases, especially those spread through the faecal-oral route. Conventional water treatments such as boiling and chlorination can be effective but may prove costly for impoverished communities. Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has been shown to be a cheap and effective way for communities to treat their water. The exposure to sunlight is typically carried out in small volume plastic beverage bottles (up to 2 l). Given the water requirements of consumption and basic personal hygiene, this may not always meet the needs of communities. Recent work has shown 19-L plastic water dispenser containers to be effective SODIS reactors, comparable in efficacy to PET bottles. In this paper we outline the need for studying SODIS in large volumes and discuss 4 main associated challenges. Apart from clean water needed for consumption, access to adequate water is essential for sanitation and hygiene. Contamination of treated water through unwashed hands or vessels contributes heavily to the spread of water borne pathogens in communities. Traditional water treatments such as boiling and chlorination can be effective but may prove financially burdensome for low income communities. SODIS in large vessels could be used as a simple method to meet water requirements in low income and disaster affected populations. However, there have been some concerns associated with the conventional SODIS method; we identify the main ones to be: (1) cold or cloudy weather; (2) the fear of leaching in plastic bottles; (3) water turbidity, and; (4) community acceptance. The application of SODIS in large bottles like WDCs has the potential to be an efficient and cost effective method of disinfecting water, either for consumption until more rigorous water treatments can be put in place, or for sanitation and hygiene to curb the spread of fecal contamination. Further research is needed that can address some of the limitations and challenges associated with the use of large bottles for SODIS.

PNF and manual therapy treatment results of patients with cervical spine osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Maicki, Tomasz; Bilski, Jan; Szczygieł, Elżbieta; Trąbka, Rafał

2017-09-22

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PNF and manual therapy methods in the treatment of patients with cervical spine osteoarthritis, especially their efficacy in reducing pain and improving functionality in everyday life. Long-term results were also compared in order to determine which method of treatment is more effective. Eighty randomly selected females aged 45-65 were included in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups of 40 persons. One group received PNF treatment and the other received manual therapy (MAN.T). To evaluate functional capabilities, the Functional Rating Index was used. To evaluate changes in pain, a shortened version of the McGill Questionnaire was used. The PNF group achieved a greater reduction in pain than the MAN.T group. The PNF group showed a greater improvement in performing daily activities such as sleeping, personal care, travelling, work, recreation, lifting, walking and standing as well as decreased intensity and frequency of pain compared to the MAN.T group. The PNF method proved to be more effective in both short (after two weeks) and long (after three months) term.

[History of "special therapeutic directions": the example of homeopathy].

PubMed

Hopff, W H

1996-04-01

As for generally accepted therapeutic methods, the "special methods" may appear to be effective due to spontaneous recovery provided by nature. A great number of sceptical physicians are aware of this fact. The pharmacologist works continuously to differentiate effects directly caused by medical treatments - mainly drugs - from effects resulting from spontaneous recovery. This is one of the most difficult problems in medical treatment. As a representative example of all "special methods", we concentrate here on the history of homeopathy. As is generally known, there is no conformity in homeopathy, for example monotherapy versus therapy with complex homeopathic products; refusing the simile-rule; treatment with high potencies versus treatment with low potencies; classic versus scholastic homeopathy. The number of homeopathies really equals the number of homeopathic physicians. For this reason, instruction in homeopathy on the academic level is impossible. In addition, we have to forget all natural laws only to prove that "potentiation" may be true. Therapeutic success due purely to chance may be explained rationally and is occasionally seen in all other "special methods". The theories of homeopaths for the action with homeopathic products are neither in accordance with our natural laws nor comply with a rational philosophy.

Continuous non-invasive blood glucose monitoring by spectral image differencing method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Hao; Liao, Ningfang; Cheng, Haobo; Liang, Jing

2018-01-01

Currently, the use of implantable enzyme electrode sensor is the main method for continuous blood glucose monitoring. But the effect of electrochemical reactions and the significant drift caused by bioelectricity in body will reduce the accuracy of the glucose measurements. So the enzyme-based glucose sensors need to be calibrated several times each day by the finger-prick blood corrections. This increases the patient's pain. In this paper, we proposed a method for continuous Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring by spectral image differencing method in the near infrared band. The method uses a high-precision CCD detector to switch the filter in a very short period of time, obtains the spectral images. And then by using the morphological method to obtain the spectral image differences, the dynamic change of blood sugar is reflected in the image difference data. Through the experiment proved that this method can be used to monitor blood glucose dynamically to a certain extent.

A Multi-level Fuzzy Evaluation Method for Smart Distribution Network Based on Entropy Weight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianfang; Song, Xiaohui; Gao, Fei; Zhang, Yu

2017-05-01

Smart distribution network is considered as the future trend of distribution network. In order to comprehensive evaluate smart distribution construction level and give guidance to the practice of smart distribution construction, a multi-level fuzzy evaluation method based on entropy weight is proposed. Firstly, focus on both the conventional characteristics of distribution network and new characteristics of smart distribution network such as self-healing and interaction, a multi-level evaluation index system which contains power supply capability, power quality, economy, reliability and interaction is established. Then, a combination weighting method based on Delphi method and entropy weight method is put forward, which take into account not only the importance of the evaluation index in the experts’ subjective view, but also the objective and different information from the index values. Thirdly, a multi-level evaluation method based on fuzzy theory is put forward. Lastly, an example is conducted based on the statistical data of some cites’ distribution network and the evaluation method is proved effective and rational.

How Does the Low-Rank Matrix Decomposition Help Internal and External Learnings for Super-Resolution.

PubMed

Wang, Shuang; Yue, Bo; Liang, Xuefeng; Jiao, Licheng

2018-03-01

Wisely utilizing the internal and external learning methods is a new challenge in super-resolution problem. To address this issue, we analyze the attributes of two methodologies and find two observations of their recovered details: 1) they are complementary in both feature space and image plane and 2) they distribute sparsely in the spatial space. These inspire us to propose a low-rank solution which effectively integrates two learning methods and then achieves a superior result. To fit this solution, the internal learning method and the external learning method are tailored to produce multiple preliminary results. Our theoretical analysis and experiment prove that the proposed low-rank solution does not require massive inputs to guarantee the performance, and thereby simplifying the design of two learning methods for the solution. Intensive experiments show the proposed solution improves the single learning method in both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Surprisingly, it shows more superior capability on noisy images and outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

A variable capacitance based modeling and power capability predicting method for ultracapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chang; Wang, Yujie; Chen, Zonghai; Ling, Qiang

2018-01-01

Methods of accurate modeling and power capability predicting for ultracapacitors are of great significance in management and application of lithium-ion battery/ultracapacitor hybrid energy storage system. To overcome the simulation error coming from constant capacitance model, an improved ultracapacitor model based on variable capacitance is proposed, where the main capacitance varies with voltage according to a piecewise linear function. A novel state-of-charge calculation approach is developed accordingly. After that, a multi-constraint power capability prediction is developed for ultracapacitor, in which a Kalman-filter-based state observer is designed for tracking ultracapacitor's real-time behavior. Finally, experimental results verify the proposed methods. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by terminal voltage simulating results under different temperatures, and the effectiveness of the designed observer is proved by various test conditions. Additionally, the power capability prediction results of different time scales and temperatures are compared, to study their effects on ultracapacitor's power capability.

[Study on Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy Data Processing Based on Chirp-Z Transformation].

PubMed

Zheng, Hai-ming; Li, Guang-jie; Wu, Hao

2015-06-01

Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) is a commonly used atmospheric pollution monitoring method. Denoising of monitoring spectral data will improve the inversion accuracy. Fourier transform filtering method is effectively capable of filtering out the noise in the spectral data. But the algorithm itself can introduce errors. In this paper, a chirp-z transform method is put forward. By means of the local thinning of Fourier transform spectrum, it can retain the denoising effect of Fourier transform and compensate the error of the algorithm, which will further improve the inversion accuracy. The paper study on the concentration retrieving of SO2 and NO2. The results show that simple division causes bigger error and is not very stable. Chirp-z transform is proved to be more accurate than Fourier transform. Results of the frequency spectrum analysis show that Fourier transform cannot solve the distortion and weakening problems of characteristic absorption spectrum. Chirp-z transform shows ability in fine refactoring of specific frequency spectrum.

Promotion of a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand by participatory methods.

PubMed

Krungkraiwong, Sudthida; Itani, Toru; Amornratanapaichit, Ratanaporn

2006-01-01

The major problems of small enterprises include unfavourable working conditions and environment that affect safety and health of workers. The WISE (Work Improvement in Small Enterprises) methodology developed by the ILO has been widely applied to improve occupational safety and health in small enterprises in Thailand. The participatory methods building on local good practices and focusing on practicable improvements have proven effective in controlling the occupational hazards in these enterprises at their sources. As a result of applying the methods in small-scale industries, the frequency of occupational accidents was reduced and the working environment actually improved in the cases studied. The results prove that the participatory approach taken by the WISE activities is a useful and effective tool to make owner/managers and workers in small enterprises voluntarily improve their own working conditions and environment. In promoting a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand, it is important to further develop and spread the approach.

Effect of alkali cations on two-dimensional networks of two new quaternary thioarsenates (III) prepared by a facile surfactant-thermal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Dongming; Hou, Peipei; Liu, Chang; Chai, Wenxiang; Zheng, Xuerong; Zhang, Luodong; Zhi, Mingjia; Zhou, Chunmei; Liu, Yi

2016-09-01

Two new quaternary thioarsenates(III) NaAg2AsS3·H2O (1) and KAg2AsS3 (2) with high yields have been successfully prepared through a facile surfactant-thermal method. It is interesting that 2 can only be obtained with the aid of ethanediamine (en), which indicates that weak basicity of solvent is beneficial to the growth of 2 compared with 1. Both 1 and 2 feature the similar two-dimensional (2D) layer structures. However, the distortion of the primary honeycomb-like nets in 2 is more severe than that of 1, which demonstrates that Na+ and K+ cations have different structure directing effects on these two thioarsenates(III). Both experimental and theoretical studies confirm 1 and 2 are semiconductors with band gaps in the visible region. Our success in preparing these two quaternary thioarsenates(III) proves that surfactant-thermal technique is a powerful yet facile synthetic method to explore new complex chalcogenides.

Finite Element Analysis of Flexural Vibrations in Hard Disk Drive Spindle Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LIM, SEUNGCHUL

2000-06-01

This paper is concerned with the flexural vibration analysis of the hard disk drive (HDD) spindle system by means of the finite element method. In contrast to previous research, every system component is here analytically modelled taking into account its structural flexibility and also the centrifugal effect particularly on the disk. To prove the effectiveness and accuracy of the formulated models, commercial HDD systems with two and three identical disks are selected as examples. Then their major natural modes are computed with only a small number of element meshes as the shaft rotational speed is varied, and subsequently compared with the existing numerical results obtained using other methods and newly acquired experimental ones. Based on such a series of studies, the proposed method can be concluded as a very promising tool for the design of HDDs and various other high-performance computer disk drives such as floppy disk drives, CD ROM drives, and their variations having spindle mechanisms similar to those of HDDs.

The Effects of GeoGebra Software on Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes and Views toward Proof and Proving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zengin, Yilmaz

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of GeoGebra software on pre-service mathematics teachers' attitudes towards proof and proving and to determine pre-service teachers' pre- and post-views regarding proof. The study lasted nine weeks and the participants of the study consisted of 24 pre-service mathematics teachers. The study used…

Bioprotective carnitinoids: lipoic acid, butyrate, and mitochondria-targeting to treat radiation injury: mitochondrial drugs come of age.

PubMed

Steliou, Kosta; Faller, Douglas V; Pinkert, Carl A; Irwin, Michael H; Moos, Walter H

2015-06-01

Preclinical Research Given nuclear-power-plant incidents such as the 2011 Japanese Fukushima-Daiichi disaster, an urgent need for effective medicines to protect against and treat the harmful biological effects of radiation is evident. To address such a challenge, we describe potential strategies herein including mitochondrial and epigenetic-driven methods using lipoic and butyric acid ester conjugates of carnitine. The antioxidant and other therapeutically beneficial properties of this class of agents may protect against ionizing radiation and resultant mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent studies of the compounds described herein reveal the potential-although further research and development is required to prove the effectiveness of this approach-to provide field-ready radiation-protective drugs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Direct Ethanol Production from Ionic Liquid-Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomass by Cellulase-Displaying Yeasts.

PubMed

Yamada, Ryosuke; Nakashima, Kazunori; Asai-Nakashima, Nanami; Tokuhara, Wataru; Ishida, Nobuhiro; Katahira, Satoshi; Kamiya, Noriho; Ogino, Chiaki; Kondo, Akihiko

2017-05-01

Among the many types of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment methods, the use of ionic liquids (ILs) is regarded as one of the most promising strategies. In this study, the effects of four kinds of ILs for pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass such as bagasse, eucalyptus, and cedar were evaluated. In direct ethanol fermentation from biomass incorporated with ILs by cellulase-displaying yeast, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Bmim][OAc]) was the most effective IL. The ethanol production and yield from [Bmim][OAc]-pretreated bagasse reached 0.81 g/L and 73.4% of the theoretical yield after fermentation for 96 h. The results prove the initial concept, in which the direct fermentation from lignocellulosic biomass effectively promoted by the pretreatment with IL.

Silver-loaded nanotubular structures enhanced bactericidal efficiency of antibiotics with synergistic effect in vitro and in vivo.

PubMed

Xu, Na; Cheng, Hao; Xu, Jiangwen; Li, Feng; Gao, Biao; Li, Zi; Gao, Chenghao; Huo, Kaifu; Fu, Jijiang; Xiong, Wei

2017-01-01

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major issue due to the long-term use and abuse of antibiotics in treatments in clinics. The combination therapy of antibiotics and silver (Ag) nanoparticles is an effective way of both enhancing the antibacterial effect and decreasing the usage of antibiotics. Although the method has been proved to be effective in vitro, no in vivo tests have been carried out at present. Herein, we described a combination therapy of local delivery of Ag and systemic antibiotics treatment in vitro in an infection model of rat. Ag nanoparticle-loaded TiO 2 nanotube (NT) arrays (Ag-NTs) were fabricated on titanium implants for a customized release of Ag ion. The antibacterial properties of silver combined with antibiotics vancomycin, rifampin, gentamicin, and levofloxacin, respectively, were tested in vitro by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, disk diffusion assay, and antibiofilm formation test. Enhanced antibacterial activity of combination therapy was observed for all the chosen bacterial strains, including gram-negative Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; ATCC 33591 and ATCC 43300). Moreover, after a relative short (3 weeks) combinational treatment, animal experiments in vivo further proved the synergistic antibacterial effect by X-ray and histological and immunohistochemical analyses. These results demonstrated that the combination of Ag nanoparticles and antibiotics significantly enhanced the antibacterial effect both in vitro and in vivo through the synergistic effect. The strategy is promising for clinical application to reduce the usage of antibiotics and shorten the administration time of implant-associated infection.

New convergence results for the scaled gradient projection method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonettini, S.; Prato, M.

2015-09-01

The aim of this paper is to deepen the convergence analysis of the scaled gradient projection (SGP) method, proposed by Bonettini et al in a recent paper for constrained smooth optimization. The main feature of SGP is the presence of a variable scaling matrix multiplying the gradient, which may change at each iteration. In the last few years, extensive numerical experimentation showed that SGP equipped with a suitable choice of the scaling matrix is a very effective tool for solving large scale variational problems arising in image and signal processing. In spite of the very reliable numerical results observed, only a weak convergence theorem is provided establishing that any limit point of the sequence generated by SGP is stationary. Here, under the only assumption that the objective function is convex and that a solution exists, we prove that the sequence generated by SGP converges to a minimum point, if the scaling matrices sequence satisfies a simple and implementable condition. Moreover, assuming that the gradient of the objective function is Lipschitz continuous, we are also able to prove the {O}(1/k) convergence rate with respect to the objective function values. Finally, we present the results of a numerical experience on some relevant image restoration problems, showing that the proposed scaling matrix selection rule performs well also from the computational point of view.

[Fibroadenoma in an accessory breast. A case of polythelia and fibroadenoma in the left breast region and a perivulvar accessory breast].

PubMed

Degrell, I

1979-08-02

The case of a 32-year-old female patient with multiple malformations (hare-lip, polythelia, fibroadenoma in an accessory mammary gland) and independent of these, another fibroadenoma in the breast is reported. The fibroadenoma developing in the accessory breast around the vulva, diagnosed by means of aspiration biopsy cytology, should be payed special attention. This case also confirms the applicability in preoperative diagnostics of aspiration biopsy cytology, a method which has proved to be effective for years.

Development of a large support surface for an air-bearing type zero-gravity simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, K. E.

1976-01-01

The methods used in producing a large, flat surface to serve as the supporting surface for an air-bearing type zero-gravity simulator using low clearance, thrust-pad type air bearings are described. Major problems encountered in the use of self-leveled epoxy coatings in this surface are discussed and techniques are recommended which proved effective in overcoming these problems. Performance requirements of the zero-gravity simulator vehicle which were pertinent to the specification of the air-bearing support surface are also discussed.

[Cotard's syndrome. Different treatment strategies according to subclassification].

PubMed

Madani, Y; Sabbe, B G C

2007-01-01

After performing an exploratory factor analysis, Berrios & Luque (1995) identified three subcategories in the Cotard's syndrome: Cotard type I, Cotard type II and Cotard type psychotic depression. The article, which is based on two case studies and an examination of the relevant literature since 1995, explores whether there are different treatment strategies for Cotard type I and the Cotard type psychotic depression. For the Cotard type psychotic depression, electroconvulsive therapy proves to be an effective method of treatment. For Cotard type I, antipsychotic therapy seems to be sufficient.

Digital mammography. Why hasn't it been approved for U.S. hospitals?

PubMed

2000-01-01

Mammography is the only major imaging technique still unavailable in the United States in digital form. This is because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been unable to devise an effective method for manufacturers to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of digital mammography systems. As a result, the agency has been unable to approve any of those systems for marketing in the United States. In this Regulatory Update, we describe FDA's recent efforts to help manufacturers obtain approval and the reasons those efforts have so far proved ineffective.

Urban and regional planning proposal no. Y-10-066-001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannah, J. W.; Thomas, G. L.; Esparza, F. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. An investigation is underway to determine the applicability of ERTS-1 data to urban and regional planning problems, using data for East Central Florida. Small scale land use mapping is feasible. Urban and commercial areas are sufficiently distinguishable that ERTS-1 appears to be a useful tool for monitoring urban and commercial growth. Development patterns of cities, growth patterns of cities, and distribution and changes in certain sectors within cities can be analyzed effectively. Digital analysis methods are proving useful.

Performance Enhancement Using Selective Reinforcement for Metallic Single- and Multi-Pin Loaded Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farley, Gary L.; Seshadri, Banavara R.

2005-01-01

An analysis based investigation of aluminum with metal matrix composite selectively reinforced single- and multi-hole specimens was performed and their results compared with results from geometrically comparable non-reinforced specimens. All reinforced specimens exhibited a significant increase in performance. Performance increase of up to 170 percent was achieved. Specimen failure modes were consistent with results from reinforced polymeric matrix composite specimens. Localized reinforcement application (circular) proved as effective as a broader area (strip) reinforcement. Also, selective reinforcement is an excellent method of increasing the performance of multi-hole specimens.

Model Predictive Flight Control System with Full State Observer using H∞ Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanwale, Jitu; Singh, Dhan Jeet

2018-03-01

This paper presents the application of the model predictive approach to design a flight control system (FCS) for longitudinal dynamics of a fixed wing aircraft. Longitudinal dynamics is derived for a conventional aircraft. Open loop aircraft response analysis is carried out. Simulation studies are illustrated to prove the efficacy of the proposed model predictive controller using H ∞ state observer. The estimation criterion used in the {H}_{∞} observer design is to minimize the worst possible effects of the modelling errors and additive noise on the parameter estimation.

The application of dummy noise adaptive Kalman filter in underwater navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Song; Zhang, Chun-Hua; Luan, Jingde

2011-10-01

The track of underwater target is easy to be affected by the various by the various factors, which will cause poor performance in Kalman filter with the error in the state and measure model. In order to solve the situation, a method is provided with dummy noise compensative technology. Dummy noise is added to state and measure model artificially, and then the question can be solved by the adaptive Kalman filter with unknown time-changed statistical character. The simulation result of underwater navigation proves the algorithm is effective.

Boundary-layer receptivity of sound with roughness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saric, William S.; Hoos, Jon A.; Radeztsky, Ronald H.

1991-01-01

An experimental study of receptivity was carried out using an acoustical disturbance in the freestream. The receptivity was enhanced by using a uniform two-dimensional roughness strip (tape). The roughness strip generated the local adjustment in the flow needed to couple the long-wavelength sound wave with the short-wavelength T-S wave. The method proved to be highly sensitive, with slight changes in the forcing frequency or in the height of the 2D roughness element having a strong effect on the amplitude of the observed T-S wave.

Mass Conservation in Modeling Moisture Diffusion in Multi-Layer Carbon Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nurge, Mark A.; Youngquist, Robert C.; Starr, Stanley O.

2009-01-01

Moisture diffusion in multi-layer carbon composite structures is difficult to model using finite difference methods due to the discontinuity in concentrations between adjacent layers of differing materials. Applying a mass conserving approach at these boundaries proved to be effective at accurately predicting moisture uptake for a sample exposed to a fixed temperature and relative humidity. Details of the model developed are presented and compared with actual moisture uptake data gathered over 130 days from a graphite epoxy composite sandwich coupon with a Rohacell foam core.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder: a therapeutic option

PubMed Central

Topczewski, Abram

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the use of a therapeutic regimen to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients. Methods A total of 140 patients initially underwent physical, neurological and laboratory evaluation. Thereafter, treatment was initiated with a compounding product consisting of a tricyclic antidepressant and an anxiolytic. Results The response was positive in 71.43% of patients in controlling hyperactivity and improving dispersion and attention deficit. Conclusion The therapeutic regimen utilized proved to be an effective therapeutic alternative, especially for patients who do not adapt to psychostimulant drugs. PMID:25295451

[PREPARATIONS OF PAMIDRONOVIC ACID IN COMPLEX TREATMENT ON OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA].

PubMed

Zyma, A M; Guk, Yu M; Magomedov, O M; Gayko, O G; Kincha-Polishchuk, T A

2015-07-01

Modern view of drug therapy in the complex treatment of orthopedic manifestations of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) was submitted. Developed and tested system of drug correction of structural and functional state of bone tissue (BT) using drugs pamidronovic acid, depending on osteoporosis severity and type of disease. Such therapy is appropriate to apply both independently and in conjunction with surgery to correct deformations of long bones of the lower extremities. Effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed methods of drug therapy was proved, most patients resume features walking and support.

Bifurcation Analysis and Chaos Control in a Modified Finance System with Delayed Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jihua; Zhang, Erli; Liu, Mei

2016-06-01

We investigate the effect of delayed feedback on the finance system, which describes the time variation of the interest rate, for establishing the fiscal policy. By local stability analysis, we theoretically prove the existences of Hopf bifurcation and Hopf-zero bifurcation. By using the normal form method and center manifold theory, we determine the stability and direction of a bifurcating periodic solution. Finally, we give some numerical solutions, which indicate that when the delay passes through certain critical values, chaotic oscillation is converted into a stable equilibrium or periodic orbit.

Working papers: applicability of Box Jenkins techniques to gasoline consumption forecasting

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

Not Available

Reliable consumption forecasts are needed, however, traditional linear time-series techniques don't adequately account for an environment so subject to change. This report evaluates the use of Box Jenkins techniques for gasoline consumption forecasting. Box Jenkins methods were applied to data obtained from the Colorado Petroleum Association and the Colorado Highway Users Fund to ''predict'' 1978 and 1979 consumption. These results prove the Box Jenkins techniques to be quite effective. Forecasts for 1980-81 are included along with suggestions for continuous use of the technique to monitor consumption.

Energy-constrained two-way assisted private and quantum capacities of quantum channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Noah; Shirokov, Maksim E.; Wilde, Mark M.

2018-06-01

With the rapid growth of quantum technologies, knowing the fundamental characteristics of quantum systems and protocols is essential for their effective implementation. A particular communication setting that has received increased focus is related to quantum key distribution and distributed quantum computation. In this setting, a quantum channel connects a sender to a receiver, and their goal is to distill either a secret key or entanglement, along with the help of arbitrary local operations and classical communication (LOCC). In this work, we establish a general theory of energy-constrained, LOCC-assisted private and quantum capacities of quantum channels, which are the maximum rates at which an LOCC-assisted quantum channel can reliably establish a secret key or entanglement, respectively, subject to an energy constraint on the channel input states. We prove that the energy-constrained squashed entanglement of a channel is an upper bound on these capacities. We also explicitly prove that a thermal state maximizes a relaxation of the squashed entanglement of all phase-insensitive, single-mode input bosonic Gaussian channels, generalizing results from prior work. After doing so, we prove that a variation of the method introduced by Goodenough et al. [New J. Phys. 18, 063005 (2016), 10.1088/1367-2630/18/6/063005] leads to improved upper bounds on the energy-constrained secret-key-agreement capacity of a bosonic thermal channel. We then consider a multipartite setting and prove that two known multipartite generalizations of the squashed entanglement are in fact equal. We finally show that the energy-constrained, multipartite squashed entanglement plays a role in bounding the energy-constrained LOCC-assisted private and quantum capacity regions of quantum broadcast channels.

A Method of Evaluating Laplace Transforms with Series of Complete or Incomplete Beta Functions,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

DEVELOPMENT COMMAND BALLISTIC RESEARCH LABORATORY ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND , MARYLAND A i ’:-Approved for public rlease; distribution unlimited. c...BLI Aberden Provin Ground 100161102.143 I. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS Q?. REPORT DATE US Army Armament Research & Development Command...December 1982 US Arm), Ballistic Research Laboratory (DRDAR-BL 13. ’NUMBER OF PAGES Aberdeen Proving Ground , NMD 21005 33 14 MC5NiTORING AGENCY NAME

Effectiveness of “Thin-Layer” and “Effective Medium” Approximations in Numerical Simulation of Dielectric Spectra of Biological Cell Suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asami, Koji

2010-12-01

There are a few concerns in dielectric modeling of biological cells by the finite-element method (FEM) to simulate their dielectric spectra. Cells possess thin plasma membranes and membrane-bound intracellular organelles, requiring extra fine meshes and considerable computational tasks in the simulation. To solve the problems, the “thin-layer” approximation (TLA) and the “effective medium” approximation (EMA) were adopted. TLA deals with the membrane as an interface of the specific membrane impedance, and therefore it is not necessary to divide the membrane region. EMA regards the composite cytoplasm as an effective homogeneous phase whose dielectric properties are calculated separately. It was proved that TLA and EMA were both useful for greatly reducing computational tasks while accurately coinciding with analytical solutions.

On Some Parabolic Type Problems from Thin Film Theory and Chemical Reaction-Diffusion Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Fatma Naser Ali

This dissertation considers some parabolic type problems from thin film theory and chemical reaction-diffusion networks. The dissertation consists of two parts: In the first part, we study the evolution of a thin film of fluid modeled by the lubrication approximation for thin viscous films. We prove an existence of (dissipative) strong solutions for the Cauchy problem when the sub-diffusive exponent ranges between 3/8 and 2; then we show that these solutions tend to zero at rates matching the decay of the source-type self-similar solutions with zero contact angle. We introduce the weaker concept of dissipative mild solutions and we show that, in this case, the surface-tension energy dissipation is the mechanism responsible for the H1-norm decay to zero of the thickness of the film at an explicit rate. Relaxed problems, with second-order nonlinear terms of porous media type, are also successfully treated by the same means. [special characters omitted]. In the second part, we are concerned with the convergence of a certain space-discretization scheme -the so-called method of lines- for mass-action reaction-diffusion systems. First, we start with a toy model, namely. [special characters omitted]. and prove convergence of method of lines for this linear case. Here weak convergence in L2(0,1) is enough to prove convergence of the method of lines. Then we adopt the framework for convergence analysis introduced in [23] and concentrate on the proof-of-concept reaction. within 1D space, while at the same time noting that our techniques are readily generalizable to other reaction-diffusion networks and to more than one space dimension. Indeed, it will be obvious how to extend our proofs to the multi-dimensional case; we only note that the proof of the comparison principle (the continuous and the discrete versions; see chapter 6) imposes a limitation on the spatial dimension (should be at most five; see [24] for details). The Method of Lines (MOL) is not a mainstream numerical tool and the specialized literature is rather scarce. The method amounts to discretizing evolutionary PDE's in space only, so it produces a semi-discrete numerical scheme which consists of a system of ODE's (in the time variable). To prove convergence of the semi-discrete MOL scheme to the original PDE one needs to perform some more or less traditional analysis: it is necessary to show that the scheme is consistent with the continuous problem and that the discretized version of the spatial differential operator retains sufficient dissipative properties in order to allow an application of Gronwall's Lemma to the error term. As shown in [23], a uniform (in time) consistency estimate is sufficient to obtain convergence; however, the consistency estimate we proved is not uniform for a small time, so we cannot directly employ the results in [23] to prove convergence in our case. Instead, we prove all the required estimates "from the scratch", then we use their exact quantitative form in order to conclude convergence.

Marker-based quantitative genetics in the wild?: the heritability and genetic correlation of chemical defenses in eucalyptus.

PubMed

Andrew, R L; Peakall, R; Wallis, I R; Wood, J T; Knight, E J; Foley, W J

2005-12-01

Marker-based methods for estimating heritability and genetic correlation in the wild have attracted interest because traditional methods may be impractical or introduce bias via G x E effects, mating system variation, and sampling effects. However, they have not been widely used, especially in plants. A regression-based approach, which uses a continuous measure of genetic relatedness, promises to be particularly appropriate for use in plants with mixed-mating systems and overlapping generations. Using this method, we found significant narrow-sense heritability of foliar defense chemicals in a natural population of Eucalyptus melliodora. We also demonstrated a genetic basis for the phenotypic correlation underlying an ecological example of conditioned flavor aversion involving different biosynthetic pathways. Our results revealed that heritability estimates depend on the spatial scale of the analysis in a way that offers insight into the distribution of genetic and environmental variance. This study is the first to successfully use a marker-based method to measure quantitative genetic parameters in a tree. We suggest that this method will prove to be a useful tool in other studies and offer some recommendations for future applications of the method.

Geometric Stitching Method for Double Cameras with Weak Convergence Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, N.; He, H.; Bao, Y.; Yue, C.; Xing, K.; Cao, S.

2017-05-01

In this paper, a new geometric stitching method is proposed which utilizes digital elevation model (DEM)-aided block adjustment to solve relative orientation parameters for dual-camera with weak convergence geometry. A rational function model (RFM) with affine transformation is chosen as the relative orientation model. To deal with the weak geometry, a reference DEM is used in this method as an additional constraint in the block adjustment, which only calculates the planimetry coordinates of tie points (TPs). After that we can use the obtained affine transform coefficients to generate virtual grid, and update rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) to complete the geometric stitching. Our proposed method was tested on GaoFen-2(GF-2) dual-camera panchromatic (PAN) images. The test results show that the proposed method can achieve an accuracy of better than 0.5 pixel in planimetry and have a seamless visual effect. For regions with small relief, when global DEM with 1 km grid, SRTM with 90 m grid and ASTER GDEM V2 with 30 m grid replaced DEM with 1m grid as elevation constraint it is almost no loss of accuracy. The test results proved the effectiveness and feasibility of the stitching method.

[Determination of heavy metals for RoHS compliance by ICP-OES spectrometry coupled with microwave extraction system].

PubMed

Hua, Li; Wu, Yi-Ping; An, Bing; Lai, Xiao-Wei

2008-11-01

The harm of heavy metals contained in electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) on environment is of high concern by human. Aiming to handle the great challenge of RoHS compliance, the determinations of trace or ultratrace chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was performed in the present paper, wherein, microwave extraction technology was used to prepare the sample solutions. In addition, the precision, recovery, repeatability and interference issues of this method were also discussed. The results exhibited that using the microwave extraction system to prepare samples is more quick, lossless, contamination-free in comparison with the conventional extraction methods such as dry ashing, wet-oven extraction etc. By analyzing the recoveries of these four heavy metals over different working time and wavelengths, the good recovery range between 85% and 115% showed that there was only tiny loss or contamination during the process of microwave extraction, sample introduction and ICP detection. Repeatability experiments proved that ICP plasma had a good stability during the working time and the matrix effect was small. Interference was a problem troublesome for atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), however, the techniques of standard additions or inter-element correction (IEC) method can effectively eliminated the interferences of Ni, As, Fe etc. with the Cd determination. By employing the multi-wavelengths and two correction point methods, the issues of background curve sloping shift and spectra overlap were successfully overcome. Besides, for the determinations of trace heavy metal elements, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 3% and the detection limits were less than 1 microg x L(-10 (3sigma, n = 5) for samples, standard solutions, and standard additions, which proved that ICP-OES has a good precision and high reliability. This provided a reliable technique support for electronic and electrical (EE) industries to comply with RoHS directive.

Fundamental study of microelectronic chip response under laser ultrasonic-interferometric inspection using C-scan method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lei; Gong, Jie; Ume, I. Charles

2014-02-01

In modern surface mount packaging technologies, such as flip chips, chip scale packages, and ball grid arrays(BGA), chips are attached to the substrates/printed wiring board (PWB) using solder bump interconnections. The quality of solder bumps between the chips and the substrate/board is difficult to inspect. Laser ultrasonic-interferometric technique was proved to be a promising approach for solder bump inspection because of its noncontact and nondestructive characteristics. Different indicators extracted from received signals have been used to predict the potential defects, such as correlation coefficient, error ratio, frequency shifting, etc. However, the fundamental understanding of the chip behavior under laser ultrasonic inspection is still missing. Specifically, it is not sure whether the laser interferometer detected out-of-plane displacements were due to wave propagation or structural vibration when the chip was excited by pulsed laser. Plus, it is found that the received signals are chip dependent. Both challenges impede the interpretation of acquired signals. In this paper, a C-scan method was proposed to study the underlying phenomenon during laser ultrasonic inspection. The full chip was inspected. The response of the chip under laser excitation was visualized in a movie resulted from acquired signals. Specifically, a BGA chip was investigated to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method. By characterizing signals using discrete wavelet transform(DWT), both ultrasonic wave propagation and vibration were observed. Separation of them was successfully achieved using ideal band-pass filter and visualized in resultant movies, too. The observed ultrasonic waves were characterized and their respective speeds were measured by applying 2-D FFT. The C-scan method, combined with different digital signal processing techniques, was proved to be an very effective methodology to learn the behavior of chips under laser excitation. This general procedure can be applied to any unknown chip before inspection. A wealth of information can be provided by this learning procedure, which greatly benefits the interpretation of inspection signals afterwards.

The Potential of Heat Collection from Solar Radiation in Asphalt Solar Collectors in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beddu, Salmia; Talib, Siti Hidayah Abdul; Itam, Zarina

2016-03-01

The implementation of asphalt solar collectors as a means of an energy source is being widely studied in recent years. Asphalt pavements are exposed to daily solar radiation, and are capable of reaching up to 70°C in temperature. The potential of harvesting energy from solar pavements as an alternative energy source in replace of non-renewable energy sources prone to depletion such as fuel is promising. In Malaysia, the sun intensity is quite high and for this reason, absorbing the heat from sun radiation, and then utilizing it in many other applications such as generating electricity could definitely be impressive. Previous researches on the different methods of studying the effect of heat absorption caused by solar radiation prove to be quite old and inaffective. More recent findings, on the otherhand, prove to be more informative. This paper focuses on determining the potential of heat collection from solar radiation in asphalt solar collectors using steel piping. The asphalt solar collector model constructed for this research was prepared in the civil engineering laboratory. The hot mixed asphalt (HMA) contains 10% bitumen mixed with 90% aggregates of the total size of asphalt. Three stainless steel pipes were embedded into the interior region of the model according to the design criteria, and then put to test. Results show that harvesting energy from asphalt solar collectors proves highly potential in Malaysia due its the hot climate.

A new efficient method to monitor precocious puberty nationwide in France.

PubMed

Rigou, Annabel; Le Moal, Joëlle; Léger, Juliane; Le Tertre, Alain; Carel, Jean-Claude

2018-02-01

Clinical precocious puberty (PP) is a disease, reputed to be on the increase and suspected to be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) exposure. Population-based epidemiological data are lacking in France and scarce elsewhere. We accessed the feasibility of monitoring PP nationwide in France in this context, using a nationwide existing database, the French National Health Insurance Information System. Here, we present the method we used with a step-by-step approach to build and select the most suitable indicator. We built three indicators reflecting the incidence of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP), the most frequent form of PP, and we compared these indicators according to their strengths and weaknesses with respect to surveillance purposes. Monitoring ICPP in France proved feasible using a Drug reimbursement indicator. Our method is cost efficient and highly relevant in public health surveillance. Our step-by-step approach proved helpful to achieve this project and could be proposed for assessing the feasibility of monitoring health outcomes of interest using existing data bases. What is known: • Precocious puberty (PP) is suspected to be related to EDC exposure and it is believed to be on the increase in France and in others countries. • Very few epidemiologic data on PP are currently available in the world at the national scale. What is new: • This is the first study describing a method to monitor the most frequent form of PP, idiopathic central PP (ICPP) nationwide in a cost-efficient way, using health insurance databases. • This cost-effective method will allow to estimate and monitor the incidence of ICPP in France and to analyze spatial variations at a very precise scale, which will be very useful to examine the role of environmental exposures, especially to EDCs.

The role of size of input box, location of input box, input method and display size in Chinese handwriting performance and preference on mobile devices.

PubMed

Chen, Zhe; Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick

2017-03-01

This study presented two experiments on Chinese handwriting performance (time, accuracy, the number of protruding strokes and number of rewritings) and subjective ratings (mental workload, satisfaction, and preference) on mobile devices. Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of size of the input box, input method and display size on Chinese handwriting performance and preference. It was indicated that the optimal input sizes were 30.8 × 30.8 mm, 46.6 × 46.6 mm, 58.9 × 58.9 mm and 84.6 × 84.6 mm for devices with 3.5-inch, 5.5-inch, 7.0-inch and 9.7-inch display sizes, respectively. Experiment 2 proved the significant effects of location of the input box, input method and display size on Chinese handwriting performance and subjective ratings. It was suggested that the optimal location was central regardless of display size and input method. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Skull optical clearing for assessing to cerebral hemodynamics with high contrast and resolution (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Dan

2017-03-01

The tissue optical clearing technique could significantly enhance the biomedical optical imaging depth, but current investigations are mainly limited to in vitro studies. In vivo tissue optical clearing method should be enough rapid, transparent and safe, which makes it more difficult, especially, for hard tissue. During the past years, we developed skull optical clearing methods for in vivo cortical imaging. This presentation will report recent progress in skull optical clearing method, including their efficacy, safety, and applications. The skull optical clearing method is proved to be effective for adult mice ages in different month and permit various imaging techniques to monitor cortical blood flow, blood oxygen, and vascular with high resolution and contrast, not only for local cortex, but also for whole cortex. The long-term and short-term observation show that there is no obvious effect on cortical vascular function when laser speckle contrast imaging and hyperspectral imaging are used to repeatedly image the cortical blood flow, blood oxygen. Finally, we will demonstrate some applications for physiological or pathological situation, including monitoring the anoxia, drug-induced cortical response, et al.

Application of a Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction sample preparation method with HPLC for soil fungal biomass determination in soils from a detrital manipulation study.

PubMed

Beni, Áron; Lajtha, Kate; Kozma, János; Fekete, István

2017-05-01

Ergosterol is a sterol found ubiquitously in cell membranes of filamentous fungi. Although concentrations in different fungal species span the range of 2.6 to 42μg/mL of dry mass, many studies have shown a strong correlation between soil ergosterol content and fungal biomass. The analysis of ergosterol in soil therefore could be an effective tool for monitoring changes in fungal biomass under different environmental conditions. Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) is a new sample preparation method to extract and concentrate organic analytes from liquid samples. SBSE was here demonstrated to be a simple, fast, and cost effective method for the quantitative analysis of ergosterol from field-collected soils. Using this method we observed that soil ergosterol as a measure of fungal biomass proved to be a sensitive indicator of soil microbial dynamics that were altered by changes in plant detrital inputs to soils in a long-term field experiment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Choice of Normalization Method on Molecular Cancer Class Discovery Using Nonnegative Matrix Factorization.

PubMed

Yang, Haixuan; Seoighe, Cathal

2016-01-01

Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) has proved to be an effective method for unsupervised clustering analysis of gene expression data. By the nonnegativity constraint, NMF provides a decomposition of the data matrix into two matrices that have been used for clustering analysis. However, the decomposition is not unique. This allows different clustering results to be obtained, resulting in different interpretations of the decomposition. To alleviate this problem, some existing methods directly enforce uniqueness to some extent by adding regularization terms in the NMF objective function. Alternatively, various normalization methods have been applied to the factor matrices; however, the effects of the choice of normalization have not been carefully investigated. Here we investigate the performance of NMF for the task of cancer class discovery, under a wide range of normalization choices. After extensive evaluations, we observe that the maximum norm showed the best performance, although the maximum norm has not previously been used for NMF. Matlab codes are freely available from: http://maths.nuigalway.ie/~haixuanyang/pNMF/pNMF.htm.

Accurate evaluation and analysis of functional genomics data and methods

PubMed Central

Greene, Casey S.; Troyanskaya, Olga G.

2016-01-01

The development of technology capable of inexpensively performing large-scale measurements of biological systems has generated a wealth of data. Integrative analysis of these data holds the promise of uncovering gene function, regulation, and, in the longer run, understanding complex disease. However, their analysis has proved very challenging, as it is difficult to quickly and effectively assess the relevance and accuracy of these data for individual biological questions. Here, we identify biases that present challenges for the assessment of functional genomics data and methods. We then discuss evaluation methods that, taken together, begin to address these issues. We also argue that the funding of systematic data-driven experiments and of high-quality curation efforts will further improve evaluation metrics so that they more-accurately assess functional genomics data and methods. Such metrics will allow researchers in the field of functional genomics to continue to answer important biological questions in a data-driven manner. PMID:22268703

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

McNamara, B.

Tandem and stellarator equilibria at high ..beta.. have proved hard to compute and the relaxation methods of Bauer et al., Chodura and Schluter, Hirshman, Strauss, and Pearlstein et al. have been slow to converge. This paper reports an extension of the low-..beta.. analytic method of Pearlstein, Kaiser, and Newcomb to arbitrary ..beta.. for tandem mirrors which converges in 10 to 20 iterations. Extensions of the method to stellarator equilibria are proposed and are very close to the analytic method of Johnson and Greene - the stellarator expansion. Most of the results of all these calculations can be adequately described bymore » low-..beta.. approximations since the MHD stability limits occur at low ..beta... The tandem mirror, having weak curvature and a long central cell, allows finite Larmor radius effects to eliminate most ballooning modes and offers the possibility of really high average ..beta... This is the interest in developing such three-dimensional numerical algorithms.« less

Fringe-projection profilometry based on two-dimensional empirical mode decomposition.

PubMed

Zheng, Suzhen; Cao, Yiping

2013-11-01

In 3D shape measurement, because deformed fringes often contain low-frequency information degraded with random noise and background intensity information, a new fringe-projection profilometry is proposed based on 2D empirical mode decomposition (2D-EMD). The fringe pattern is first decomposed into numbers of intrinsic mode functions by 2D-EMD. Because the method has partial noise reduction, the background components can be removed to obtain the fundamental components needed to perform Hilbert transformation to retrieve the phase information. The 2D-EMD can effectively extract the modulation phase of a single direction fringe and an inclined fringe pattern because it is a full 2D analysis method and considers the relationship between adjacent lines of a fringe patterns. In addition, as the method does not add noise repeatedly, as does ensemble EMD, the data processing time is shortened. Computer simulations and experiments prove the feasibility of this method.

Fast hydrological model calibration based on the heterogeneous parallel computing accelerated shuffled complex evolution method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, Guangyuan; He, Xiaoyan; Ding, Liuqian; Li, Jiren; Hong, Yang; Zuo, Depeng; Ren, Minglei; Lei, Tianjie; Liang, Ke

2018-01-01

Hydrological model calibration has been a hot issue for decades. The shuffled complex evolution method developed at the University of Arizona (SCE-UA) has been proved to be an effective and robust optimization approach. However, its computational efficiency deteriorates significantly when the amount of hydrometeorological data increases. In recent years, the rise of heterogeneous parallel computing has brought hope for the acceleration of hydrological model calibration. This study proposed a parallel SCE-UA method and applied it to the calibration of a watershed rainfall-runoff model, the Xinanjiang model. The parallel method was implemented on heterogeneous computing systems using OpenMP and CUDA. Performance testing and sensitivity analysis were carried out to verify its correctness and efficiency. Comparison results indicated that heterogeneous parallel computing-accelerated SCE-UA converged much more quickly than the original serial version and possessed satisfactory accuracy and stability for the task of fast hydrological model calibration.

Geological mapping by geobotanical and geophysical means: a case study from the Bükk Mountains (NE Hungary)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Németh, Norbert; Petho, Gabor

2009-03-01

Geological mapping of an unexposed area can be supported by indirect methods. Among these, the use of mushrooms as geobotanical indicators and the shallow-penetration electromagnetic VLF method proved to be useful in the Bükk Mountains. Mushrooms have not been applied to geological mapping before. Common species like Boletus edulis and Leccinum aurantiacum are correlated with siliciclastic and magmatic formations while Calocybe gambosa is correlated with limestone. The validity of this correlation observed in the eastern part of the Bükk Mts. was controlled on a site where there was an indicated (by the mushrooms only) but unexposed occurrence of siliciclastic rocks not mapped before. The extent and structure of this occurrence were explored with the VLF survey and a trial-and-error method was applied for the interpretation. This case study presented here demonstrates the effectiveness of the combination of these relatively simple and inexpensive methods.

Computer support for physiological cell modelling using an ontology on cell physiology.

PubMed

Takao, Shimayoshi; Kazuhiro, Komurasaki; Akira, Amano; Takeshi, Iwashita; Masanori, Kanazawa; Tetsuya, Matsuda

2006-01-01

The development of electrophysiological whole cell models to support the understanding of biological mechanisms is increasing rapidly. Due to the complexity of biological systems, comprehensive cell models, which are composed of many imported sub-models of functional elements, can get quite complicated as well, making computer modification difficult. Here, we propose a computer support to enhance structural changes of cell models, employing the markup languages CellML and our original PMSML (physiological model structure markup language), in addition to a new ontology for cell physiological modelling. In particular, a method to make references from CellML files to the ontology and a method to assist manipulation of model structures using markup languages together with the ontology are reported. Using these methods three software utilities, including a graphical model editor, are implemented. Experimental results proved that these methods are effective for the modification of electrophysiological models.

Extraction method of interfacial injected charges for SiC power MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jiaxing; Liu, Siyang; Li, Sheng; Song, Haiyang; Chen, Xin; Li, Ting; Fang, Jiong; Sun, Weifeng

2018-01-01

An improved novel extraction method which can characterize the injected charges along the gate oxide interface for silicon carbide (SiC) power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) is proposed. According to the different interface situations of the channel region and the junction FET (JFET) region, the gate capacitance versus gate voltage (Cg-Vg) curve of the device can be divided into three relatively independent parts, through which the locations and the types of the charges injected in to the oxide above the interface can be distinguished. Moreover, the densities of these charges can also be calculated by the amplitudes of the shifts in the Cg-Vg curve. The correctness of this method is proved by TCAD simulations. Moreover, experiments on devices stressed by unclamped-inductive-switching (UIS) stress and negative bias temperature stress (NBTS) are performed to verify the validity of this method.

Multiaxial Cyclic Thermoplasticity Analysis with Besseling's Subvolume Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcknight, R. L.

1983-01-01

A modification was formulated to Besseling's Subvolume Method to allow it to use multilinear stress-strain curves which are temperature dependent to perform cyclic thermoplasticity analyses. This method automotically reproduces certain aspects of real material behavior important in the analysis of Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine (AGTE) components. These include the Bauschinger effect, cross-hardening, and memory. This constitutive equation was implemented in a finite element computer program called CYANIDE. Subsequently, classical time dependent plasticity (creep) was added to the program. Since its inception, this program was assessed against laboratory and component testing and engine experience. The ability of this program to simulate AGTE material response characteristics was verified by this experience and its utility in providing data for life analyses was demonstrated. In this area of life analysis, the multiaxial thermoplasticity capabilities of the method have proved a match for the actual AGTE life experience.

[Modeling continuous scaling of NDVI based on fractal theory].

PubMed

Luan, Hai-Jun; Tian, Qing-Jiu; Yu, Tao; Hu, Xin-Li; Huang, Yan; Du, Ling-Tong; Zhao, Li-Min; Wei, Xi; Han, Jie; Zhang, Zhou-Wei; Li, Shao-Peng

2013-07-01

Scale effect was one of the very important scientific problems of remote sensing. The scale effect of quantitative remote sensing can be used to study retrievals' relationship between different-resolution images, and its research became an effective way to confront the challenges, such as validation of quantitative remote sensing products et al. Traditional up-scaling methods cannot describe scale changing features of retrievals on entire series of scales; meanwhile, they are faced with serious parameters correction issues because of imaging parameters' variation of different sensors, such as geometrical correction, spectral correction, etc. Utilizing single sensor image, fractal methodology was utilized to solve these problems. Taking NDVI (computed by land surface radiance) as example and based on Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image, a scheme was proposed to model continuous scaling of retrievals. Then the experimental results indicated that: (a) For NDVI, scale effect existed, and it could be described by fractal model of continuous scaling; (2) The fractal method was suitable for validation of NDVI. All of these proved that fractal was an effective methodology of studying scaling of quantitative remote sensing.

The shear-lag effect of thin-walled box girder under vertical earthquake excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Zhipeng; Li, Yaozhuang; Guo, Wei

2017-03-01

The variation method based on the energy variation principle is proved to be accurate and valid for analyzing the shear lag effect of box girder under static and dynamic load. Meanwhile, dynamic problems gradually become the key factors in engineering practice. Therefore, a method for calculating the shear lag effect in thin-walled box girder under vertical seismic excitation is proposed by applying Hamilton Principle in this paper. The Timoshenko shear deformation is taken into account. And a new definition of shear lag ratio for box girder is given. What's more, some conclusions are drawn by analysis of numerical example. The results show that small amplitude of earthquake ground motion can generate high stress and obvious shear lag, especially in the region of resonance. And the influence of rotary inertia cannot be ignored for analyzing the shear lag effect. With the increase of span to width ratio, shear lag effect becomes smaller and smaller. These research conclusions will be useful for the engineering practice and enrich the theoretical studies of box girders.

Robust Neural Sliding Mode Control of Robot Manipulators

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

Nguyen Tran Hiep; Pham Thuong Cat

2009-03-05

This paper proposes a robust neural sliding mode control method for robot tracking problem to overcome the noises and large uncertainties in robot dynamics. The Lyapunov direct method has been used to prove the stability of the overall system. Simulation results are given to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method.

Simplified paraboloid phase model-based phase tracker for demodulation of a single complex fringe.

PubMed

He, A; Deepan, B; Quan, C

2017-09-01

A regularized phase tracker (RPT) is an effective method for demodulation of single closed-fringe patterns. However, lengthy calculation time, specially designed scanning strategy, and sign-ambiguity problems caused by noise and saddle points reduce its effectiveness, especially for demodulating large and complex fringe patterns. In this paper, a simplified paraboloid phase model-based regularized phase tracker (SPRPT) is proposed. In SPRPT, first and second phase derivatives are pre-determined by the density-direction-combined method and discrete higher-order demodulation algorithm, respectively. Hence, cost function is effectively simplified to reduce the computation time significantly. Moreover, pre-determined phase derivatives improve the robustness of the demodulation of closed, complex fringe patterns. Thus, no specifically designed scanning strategy is needed; nevertheless, it is robust against the sign-ambiguity problem. The paraboloid phase model also assures better accuracy and robustness against noise. Both the simulated and experimental fringe patterns (obtained using electronic speckle pattern interferometry) are used to validate the proposed method, and a comparison of the proposed method with existing RPT methods is carried out. The simulation results show that the proposed method has achieved the highest accuracy with less computational time. The experimental result proves the robustness and the accuracy of the proposed method for demodulation of noisy fringe patterns and its feasibility for static and dynamic applications.

Standard addition with internal standardisation as an alternative to using stable isotope labelled internal standards to correct for matrix effects-Comparison and validation using liquid chromatography-​tandem mass spectrometric assay of vitamin D.

PubMed

Hewavitharana, Amitha K; Abu Kassim, Nur Sofiah; Shaw, Paul Nicholas

2018-06-08

With mass spectrometric detection in liquid chromatography, co-eluting impurities affect the analyte response due to ion suppression/enhancement. Internal standard calibration method, using co-eluting stable isotope labelled analogue of each analyte as the internal standard, is the most appropriate technique available to correct for these matrix effects. However, this technique is not without drawbacks, proved to be expensive because separate internal standard for each analyte is required, and the labelled compounds are expensive or require synthesising. Traditionally, standard addition method has been used to overcome the matrix effects in atomic spectroscopy and was a well-established method. This paper proposes the same for mass spectrometric detection, and demonstrates that the results are comparable to those with the internal standard method using labelled analogues, for vitamin D assay. As conventional standard addition procedure does not address procedural errors, we propose the inclusion of an additional internal standard (not co-eluting). Recoveries determined on human serum samples show that the proposed method of standard addition yields more accurate results than the internal standardisation using stable isotope labelled analogues. The precision of the proposed method of standard addition is superior to the conventional standard addition method. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Camouflage target detection via hyperspectral imaging plus information divergence measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuheng; Chen, Xinhua; Zhou, Jiankang; Ji, Yiqun; Shen, Weimin

2016-01-01

Target detection is one of most important applications in remote sensing. Nowadays accurate camouflage target distinction is often resorted to spectral imaging technique due to its high-resolution spectral/spatial information acquisition ability as well as plenty of data processing methods. In this paper, hyper-spectral imaging technique together with spectral information divergence measure method is used to solve camouflage target detection problem. A self-developed visual-band hyper-spectral imaging device is adopted to collect data cubes of certain experimental scene before spectral information divergences are worked out so as to discriminate target camouflage and anomaly. Full-band information divergences are measured to evaluate target detection effect visually and quantitatively. Information divergence measurement is proved to be a low-cost and effective tool for target detection task and can be further developed to other target detection applications beyond spectral imaging technique.

A Novel Automatic Detection System for ECG Arrhythmias Using Maximum Margin Clustering with Immune Evolutionary Algorithm

PubMed Central

Zhu, Bohui; Ding, Yongsheng; Hao, Kuangrong

2013-01-01

This paper presents a novel maximum margin clustering method with immune evolution (IEMMC) for automatic diagnosis of electrocardiogram (ECG) arrhythmias. This diagnostic system consists of signal processing, feature extraction, and the IEMMC algorithm for clustering of ECG arrhythmias. First, raw ECG signal is processed by an adaptive ECG filter based on wavelet transforms, and waveform of the ECG signal is detected; then, features are extracted from ECG signal to cluster different types of arrhythmias by the IEMMC algorithm. Three types of performance evaluation indicators are used to assess the effect of the IEMMC method for ECG arrhythmias, such as sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Compared with K-means and iterSVR algorithms, the IEMMC algorithm reflects better performance not only in clustering result but also in terms of global search ability and convergence ability, which proves its effectiveness for the detection of ECG arrhythmias. PMID:23690875

Influence of nonlinear thermal radiation and viscous dissipation on three-dimensional flow of Jeffrey nano fluid over a stretching sheet in the presence of Joule heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh Kumar, K.; Rudraswamy, N. G.; Gireesha, B. J.; Krishnamurthy, M. R.

2017-09-01

Present exploration discusses the combined effect of viscous dissipation and Joule heating on three dimensional flow and heat transfer of a Jeffrey nanofluid in the presence of nonlinear thermal radiation. Here the flow is generated over bidirectional stretching sheet in the presence of applied magnetic field by accounting thermophoresis and Brownian motion of nanoparticles. Suitable similarity transformations are employed to reduce the governing partial differential equations into coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. These nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically by using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth-fifth order method with shooting technique. Graphically results are presented and discussed for various parameters. Validation of the current method is proved by comparing our results with the existing results under limiting situations. It can be concluded that combined effect of Joule and viscous heating increases the temperature profile and thermal boundary layer thickness.

Study on the poisoning effect-of non-vanadium catalysts by potassium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Huanmu; Liu, Ying; Yu, Xiaowei; Lin, Yasi

2018-02-01

The poisoning effect of catalyst by alkali metals is one of the problems in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH3. Serious deactivation by alkali poisoning have been proved to take place in the commercial vanadium catalyst. Recently, non-vanadium catalysts such as copper oxides, manganese oxides, chromium oxides and cerium oxides have attracted special attentions in SCR application. However, their tolerance in the presence of alkali metals is still doubtful. In this paper, copper oxides, manganese oxides, chromium oxides and cerium oxides supported on TiO2 nanoparticle was prepared by impregnating method. Potassium nitrate was chosen as the precursor of poisoner. Catalytic activities of these catalysts were evaluated before and after the addition of potassium. Some characterization methods including X-ray diffraction and temperature programmed desorption was utilized to reveal the main reason of alkali deactivation.

DNA analysis of dental pulp to link incinerated remains of homicide victim to crime scene.

PubMed

Sweet, D J; Sweet, C H

1995-03-01

Teeth endure postmortem degradation and extreme changes in ambient temperature and pressure better than most human tissues. This ability to resist deterioration allows the teeth to be studied as a method of establishing the identity of a decedent. Additionally, dental hard tissues, and in some instances soft tissues, may provide investigators with other sources of forensic data. In this case, a female homicide victim was transported to a location where her remains were burned. The high temperatures of a gasoline fire effectively incinerated the body precluding deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis from conventional sites. However, most of the teeth survived the conflagration. They were used to identify the victim. Additionally, the dental pulps were found to be an excellent source of high molecular weight genomic DNA. This proved to be an effective method to link the victim's body to biological evidence recovered from the site of the murder.

A new validated method for the simultaneous determination of benzocaine, propylparaben and benzyl alcohol in a bioadhesive gel by HPLC.

PubMed

Pérez-Lozano, P; García-Montoya, E; Orriols, A; Miñarro, M; Ticó, J R; Suñé-Negre, J M

2005-10-04

A new HPLC-RP method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of benzocaine, two preservatives (propylparaben (nipasol) and benzyl alcohol) and degradation products of benzocaine in a semisolid pharmaceutical dosage form (benzocaine gel). The method uses a Nucleosil 120 C18 column and gradient elution. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of methanol and glacial acetic acid (10%, v/v) at different proportion according to a time-schedule programme, pumped at a flow rate of 2.0 ml min(-1). The DAD detector was set at 258 nm. The validation study was carried out fulfilling the ICH guidelines in order to prove that the new analytical method, meets the reliability characteristics, and these characteristics showed the capacity of analytical method to keep, throughout the time, the fundamental criteria for validation: selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and sensitivity. The method was applied during the quality control of benzocaine gel in order to quantify the drug (benzocaine), preservatives and degraded products and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control method.

Microplasma fabrication: from semiconductor technology for 2D-chips and microfluidic channels to rapid prototyping and 3D-printing of microplasma devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shatford, R.; Karanassios, Vassili

2014-05-01

Microplasmas are receiving attention in recent conferences and current scientific literature. In our laboratory, microplasmas-on-chips proved to be particularly attractive. The 2D- and 3D-chips we developed became hybrid because they were fitted with a quartz plate (quartz was used due to its transparency to UV). Fabrication of 2D- and 3D-chips for microplasma research is described. The fabrication methods described ranged from semiconductor fabrication technology, to Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining, to 3D-printing. These methods may prove to be useful for those contemplating in entering microplasma research but have no access to expensive semiconductor fabrication equipment.

PLQP & Company: Decidable Logics for Quantum Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baltag, Alexandru; Bergfeld, Jort; Kishida, Kohei; Sack, Joshua; Smets, Sonja; Zhong, Shengyang

2014-10-01

We introduce a probabilistic modal (dynamic-epistemic) quantum logic PLQP for reasoning about quantum algorithms. We illustrate its expressivity by using it to encode the correctness of the well-known quantum search algorithm, as well as of a quantum protocol known to solve one of the paradigmatic tasks from classical distributed computing (the leader election problem). We also provide a general method (extending an idea employed in the decidability proof in Dunn et al. (J. Symb. Log. 70:353-359, 2005)) for proving the decidability of a range of quantum logics, interpreted on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. We give general conditions for the applicability of this method, and in particular we apply it to prove the decidability of PLQP.

Optimization and Experimentation of Dual-Mass MEMS Gyroscope Quadrature Error Correction Methods

PubMed Central

Cao, Huiliang; Li, Hongsheng; Kou, Zhiwei; Shi, Yunbo; Tang, Jun; Ma, Zongmin; Shen, Chong; Liu, Jun

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on an optimal quadrature error correction method for the dual-mass MEMS gyroscope, in order to reduce the long term bias drift. It is known that the coupling stiffness and demodulation error are important elements causing bias drift. The coupling stiffness in dual-mass structures is analyzed. The experiment proves that the left and right masses’ quadrature errors are different, and the quadrature correction system should be arranged independently. The process leading to quadrature error is proposed, and the Charge Injecting Correction (CIC), Quadrature Force Correction (QFC) and Coupling Stiffness Correction (CSC) methods are introduced. The correction objects of these three methods are the quadrature error signal, force and the coupling stiffness, respectively. The three methods are investigated through control theory analysis, model simulation and circuit experiments, and the results support the theoretical analysis. The bias stability results based on CIC, QFC and CSC are 48 °/h, 9.9 °/h and 3.7 °/h, respectively, and this value is 38 °/h before quadrature error correction. The CSC method is proved to be the better method for quadrature correction, and it improves the Angle Random Walking (ARW) value, increasing it from 0.66 °/√h to 0.21 °/√h. The CSC system general test results show that it works well across the full temperature range, and the bias stabilities of the six groups’ output data are 3.8 °/h, 3.6 °/h, 3.4 °/h, 3.1 °/h, 3.0 °/h and 4.2 °/h, respectively, which proves the system has excellent repeatability. PMID:26751455

Optimization and Experimentation of Dual-Mass MEMS Gyroscope Quadrature Error Correction Methods.

PubMed

Cao, Huiliang; Li, Hongsheng; Kou, Zhiwei; Shi, Yunbo; Tang, Jun; Ma, Zongmin; Shen, Chong; Liu, Jun

2016-01-07

This paper focuses on an optimal quadrature error correction method for the dual-mass MEMS gyroscope, in order to reduce the long term bias drift. It is known that the coupling stiffness and demodulation error are important elements causing bias drift. The coupling stiffness in dual-mass structures is analyzed. The experiment proves that the left and right masses' quadrature errors are different, and the quadrature correction system should be arranged independently. The process leading to quadrature error is proposed, and the Charge Injecting Correction (CIC), Quadrature Force Correction (QFC) and Coupling Stiffness Correction (CSC) methods are introduced. The correction objects of these three methods are the quadrature error signal, force and the coupling stiffness, respectively. The three methods are investigated through control theory analysis, model simulation and circuit experiments, and the results support the theoretical analysis. The bias stability results based on CIC, QFC and CSC are 48 °/h, 9.9 °/h and 3.7 °/h, respectively, and this value is 38 °/h before quadrature error correction. The CSC method is proved to be the better method for quadrature correction, and it improves the Angle Random Walking (ARW) value, increasing it from 0.66 °/√h to 0.21 °/√h. The CSC system general test results show that it works well across the full temperature range, and the bias stabilities of the six groups' output data are 3.8 °/h, 3.6 °/h, 3.4 °/h, 3.1 °/h, 3.0 °/h and 4.2 °/h, respectively, which proves the system has excellent repeatability.

Rotor Position Sensorless Control and Its Parameter Sensitivity of Permanent Magnet Motor Based on Model Reference Adaptive System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohara, Masaki; Noguchi, Toshihiko

This paper describes a new method for a rotor position sensorless control of a surface permanent magnet synchronous motor based on a model reference adaptive system (MRAS). This method features the MRAS in a current control loop to estimate a rotor speed and position by using only current sensors. This method as well as almost all the conventional methods incorporates a mathematical model of the motor, which consists of parameters such as winding resistances, inductances, and an induced voltage constant. Hence, the important thing is to investigate how the deviation of these parameters affects the estimated rotor position. First, this paper proposes a structure of the sensorless control applied in the current control loop. Next, it proves the stability of the proposed method when motor parameters deviate from the nominal values, and derives the relationship between the estimated position and the deviation of the parameters in a steady state. Finally, some experimental results are presented to show performance and effectiveness of the proposed method.

[Application of numerical convolution in in vivo/in vitro correlation research].

PubMed

Yue, Peng

2009-01-01

This paper introduced the conception and principle of in vivo/in vitro correlation (IVIVC) and convolution/deconvolution methods, and elucidated in details the convolution strategy and method for calculating the in vivo absorption performance of the pharmaceutics according to the their pharmacokinetic data in Excel, then put the results forward to IVIVC research. Firstly, the pharmacokinetic data ware fitted by mathematical software to make up the lost points. Secondly, the parameters of the optimal fitted input function were defined by trail-and-error method according to the convolution principle in Excel under the hypothesis that all the input functions fit the Weibull functions. Finally, the IVIVC between in vivo input function and the in vitro dissolution was studied. In the examples, not only the application of this method was demonstrated in details but also its simplicity and effectiveness were proved by comparing with the compartment model method and deconvolution method. It showed to be a powerful tool for IVIVC research.

Analysis of beryllium and depleted uranium: An overview of detection methods in aerosols and soils

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

Camins, I.; Shinn, J.H.

We conducted a survey of commercially available methods for analysis of beryllium and depleted uranium in aerosols and soils to find a reliable, cost-effective, and sufficiently precise method for researchers involved in environmental testing at the Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona. Criteria used for evaluation include cost, method of analysis, specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility, applicability, and commercial availability. We found that atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace meets these criteria for testing samples for beryllium. We found that this method can also be used to test samples for depleted uranium. However, atomic absorption with graphite furnace is not as sensitive amore » measurement method for depleted uranium as it is for beryllium, so we recommend that quality control of depleted uranium analysis be maintained by testing 10 of every 1000 samples by neutron activation analysis. We also evaluated 45 companies and institutions that provide analyses of beryllium and depleted uranium. 5 refs., 1 tab.« less

Morphological characterization of diesel soot agglomerates based on the Beer-Lambert law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapuerta, Magín; Martos, Francisco J.; José Expósito, Juan

2013-03-01

A new method is proposed for the determination of the number of primary particles composing soot agglomerates emitted from diesel engines as well as their individual fractal dimension. The method is based on the Beer-Lambert law and it is applied to micro-photographs taken in high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Differences in the grey levels of the images lead to a more accurate estimation of the geometry of the agglomerate (in this case radius of gyration) than other methods based exclusively on the planar projections of the agglomerates. The method was validated by applying it to different images of the same agglomerate observed from different angles of incidence, and proving that the effect of the angle of incidence is minor, contrary to other methods. Finally, the comparisons with other methods showed that the size, number of primary particles and fractal dimension (the latter depending on the particle size) are usually underestimated when only planar projections of the agglomerates are considered.

[Use of comet assay for the risk assessment of oil- and chemical-industry workers].

PubMed

Megyesi, János; Biró, Anna; Wigmond, László; Major, Jenő; Tompa, Anna

2014-11-23

The comet assay is a fluorescent microscopic method that is able to detect DNA strand-breaks even in non-proliferative cells in samples with low cell counts. The aim of the authors was to measure genotoxic DNA damage and assess oxidative DNA damage caused by occupational exposure in groups exposed to benzene, polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates and styrene at the workplace in order to clarify whether the comet assay can be used as an effect marker tool in genotoxicology monitoring. In addition to the basic steps of the comet assay, one sample was treated with formamido-pirimidine-DNA-glycolase restriction-enzyme that measures oxidative DNA damage. An increase was observed in tail moments in each group of untreated and Fpg-treated samples compared to the control. It can be concluded that occupational exposure can be detected with the method. The comet assay may prove to be an excellent effect marker and a supplementary technique for monitoring the presence or absence of genotoxic effects.

Effects of supercritical carbon dioxide sterilization on polysaccharidic membranes for surgical applications.

PubMed

Scognamiglio, F; Blanchy, M; Borgogna, M; Travan, A; Donati, I; Bosmans, J W A M; Foulc, M P; Bouvy, N D; Paoletti, S; Marsich, E

2017-10-01

Sterilization methods such as ɣ-irradiation, steam sterilization and ethylene oxide gas treatment can have negative effects on molecular structure and properties of polysaccharide-based biomaterials. In this perspective, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) has been proposed as an alternative method for biomaterial sterilization. In this work, chemical, mechanical and biological properties of polysaccharidic membranes for surgical applications were investigated after sterilization by scCO 2 . Four sets of sterilizing conditions were considered and SEC analyses were performed in order to identify the one with lower impact on the polysaccharidic matrix of membranes (alginate). Mechanical tests showed that the resistance of membranes was slightly affected after sterilization. Biological analyses proved the biocompatibility of the sterilized membranes both in vitro and in a preliminary in vivo test. Overall, this study points out that this sterilization technique can be successfully employed to achieve an effective and safe sterilization of polysaccharidic membranes for surgical use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaborative Classroom Simulation (CCS): An Innovative Pedagogy Using Simulation in Nursing Education.

PubMed

Berndt, Jodi; Dinndorf-Hogenson, Georgia; Herheim, Rena; Hoover, Carrie; Lanc, Nicole; Neuwirth, Janet; Tollefson, Bethany

2015-01-01

Collaborative Classroom Simulation (CCS) is a pedagogy designed to provide a simulation learning experience for a classroom of students simultaneously through the use of unfolding case scenarios. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the effectiveness of CCS based on student perceptions. Baccalaureate nursing students (n = 98) participated in the study by completing a survey after participation in the CCS experience. Opportunities for collaboration, clinical judgment, and participation as both observer and active participant were seen as strengths of the experience. Developed as a method to overcome barriers to simulation, CCS was shown to be an effective active learning technique that may prove to be sustainable.

Diagnosis demystified: CT as diagnostic tool in endodontics

PubMed Central

Shruthi, Nagaraja; Sreenivasa Murthy, B V; Sundaresh, K J; Mallikarjuna, Rachappa

2013-01-01

Diagnosis in endodontics is usually based on clinical and radiographical presentations, which are only empirical methods. The role of healing profession is to apply knowledge and skills towards maintaining and restoring the patient's health. Recent advances in imaging technologies have added to correct interpretation and diagnosis. CT is proving to be an effective tool in solving endodontic mysteries through its three-dimensional visualisation. CT imaging offers many diagnostic advantages to produce reconstructed images in selected projection and low-contrast resolution far superior to that of all other X-ray imaging modalities. This case report is an endeavour towards effective treatment planning of cases with root fracture, root resorption using spiral CT as an adjuvant diagnostic tool. PMID:23814212

Geometrical-optics approximation of forward scattering by coated particles.

PubMed

Xu, Feng; Cai, Xiaoshu; Ren, Kuanfang

2004-03-20

By means of geometrical optics we present an approximation algorithm with which to accelerate the computation of scattering intensity distribution within a forward angular range (0 degrees-60 degrees) for coated particles illuminated by a collimated incident beam. Phases of emerging rays are exactly calculated to improve the approximation precision. This method proves effective for transparent and tiny absorbent particles with size parameters larger than 75 but fails to give good approximation results at scattering angles at which refractive rays are absent. When the absorption coefficient of a particle is greater than 0.01, the geometrical optics approximation is effective only for forward small angles, typically less than 10 degrees or so.

Dynamic biometric identification from multiple views using the GLBP-TOP method.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Shen, Xuanjing; Chen, Haipeng; Zhai, Yujie

2014-01-01

To realize effective and rapid dynamic biometric identification with low computational complexity, a video-based facial texture program that extracts local binary patterns from three orthogonal planes in the frequency domain of the Gabor transform (GLBP-TOP) was proposed. Firstly, each normalized face was transformed by Gabor wavelet to get the enhanced Gabor magnitude map, and then the LBP-TOP operator was applied to the maps to extract video texture. Finally, weighted Chi square statistics based on the Fisher Criterion were used to realize the identification. The proposed algorithm was proved effective through the biometric experiments using the Honda/UCSD database, and was robust against changes of illumination and expressions.

Test methods for estimating the efficacy of the fast-acting disinfectant peracetic acid on surfaces of personal protective equipment.

PubMed

Lemmer, K; Howaldt, S; Heinrich, R; Roder, A; Pauli, G; Dorner, B G; Pauly, D; Mielke, M; Schwebke, I; Grunow, R

2017-11-01

The work aimed at developing and evaluating practically relevant methods for testing of disinfectants on contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE). Carriers were prepared from PPE fabrics and contaminated with Bacillus subtilis spores. Peracetic acid (PAA) was applied as a suitable disinfectant. In method 1, the contaminated carrier was submerged in PAA solution; in method 2, the contaminated area was covered with PAA; and in method 3, PAA, preferentially combined with a surfactant, was dispersed as a thin layer. In each method, 0·5-1% PAA reduced the viability of spores by a factor of ≥6 log 10 within 3 min. The technique of the most realistic method 3 proved to be effective at low temperatures and also with a high organic load. Vaccinia virus and Adenovirus were inactivated with 0·05-0·1% PAA by up to ≥6 log 10 within 1 min. The cytotoxicity of ricin was considerably reduced by 2% PAA within 15 min of exposure. PAA/detergent mixture enabled to cover hydrophobic PPE surfaces with a thin and yet effective disinfectant layer. The test methods are objective tools for estimating the biocidal efficacy of disinfectants on hydrophobic flexible surfaces. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Optimising experimental design for MEG resting state functional connectivity measurement.

PubMed

Liuzzi, Lucrezia; Gascoyne, Lauren E; Tewarie, Prejaas K; Barratt, Eleanor L; Boto, Elena; Brookes, Matthew J

2017-07-15

The study of functional connectivity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an expanding area of neuroimaging, and adds an extra dimension to the more common assessments made using fMRI. The importance of such metrics is growing, with recent demonstrations of their utility in clinical research, however previous reports suggest that whilst group level resting state connectivity is robust, single session recordings lack repeatability. Such robustness is critical if MEG measures in individual subjects are to prove clinically valuable. In the present paper, we test how practical aspects of experimental design affect the intra-subject repeatability of MEG findings; specifically we assess the effect of co-registration method and data recording duration. We show that the use of a foam head-cast, which is known to improve co-registration accuracy, increased significantly the between session repeatability of both beamformer reconstruction and connectivity estimation. We also show that recording duration is a critical parameter, with large improvements in repeatability apparent when using ten minute, compared to five minute recordings. Further analyses suggest that the origin of this latter effect is not underpinned by technical aspects of source reconstruction, but rather by a genuine effect of brain state; short recordings are simply inefficient at capturing the canonical MEG network in a single subject. Our results provide important insights on experimental design and will prove valuable for future MEG connectivity studies. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Why are Dutch rheumatologists reluctant to use the COBRA treatment strategy in early rheumatoid arthritis?

PubMed Central

van Tuyl, Lilian H D; Plass, Anne Marie C; Lems, Willem F; Voskuyl, Alexandre E; Dijkmans, Ben A C; Boers, Maarten

2007-01-01

Background The Combinatietherapie Bij Reumatoide Artritis (COBRA) trial has proved that combination therapy with prednisolone, methotrexate and sulphasalazine is superior to sulphasalazine monotherapy in suppressing disease activity and radiological progression of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, 5 years of follow‐up proved that COBRA therapy results in sustained reduction of the rate of radiological progression. Despite this evidence, Dutch rheumatologists seem reluctant to prescribe COBRA therapy. Objective To explore the reasons for the reluctance in Dutch rheumatologists to prescribe COBRA therapy. Methods A short structured questionnaire based on social–psychological theories of behaviour was sent to all Dutch rheumatologists (n = 230). Results The response rate was 50%. COBRA therapy was perceived as both effective and safe, but complex to administer. Furthermore, rheumatologists expressed their concern about the large number of pills that had to be taken, the side effects of high‐dose prednisolone and the low dose of methotrexate. Although the average attitude towards the COBRA therapy was slightly positive (above the neutral point), the majority of responding rheumatologists had a negative intention (below the neutral point) to prescribe COBRA therapy in the near future. Conclusion The reluctance of Dutch rheumatologists to prescribe effective COBRA therapy may be due to perceptions of complexity of the treatment schedule and negative patient‐related consequences of the therapy. PMID:17392349

Spectral analysis for GNSS coordinate time series using chirp Fourier transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Shengtao; Bo, Wanju; Ma, Qingzun; Wang, Zifan

2017-12-01

Spectral analysis for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) coordinate time series provides a principal tool to understand the intrinsic mechanism that affects tectonic movements. Spectral analysis methods such as the fast Fourier transform, Lomb-Scargle spectrum, evolutionary power spectrum, wavelet power spectrum, etc. are used to find periodic characteristics in time series. Among spectral analysis methods, the chirp Fourier transform (CFT) with less stringent requirements is tested with synthetic and actual GNSS coordinate time series, which proves the accuracy and efficiency of the method. With the length of series only limited to even numbers, CFT provides a convenient tool for windowed spectral analysis. The results of ideal synthetic data prove CFT accurate and efficient, while the results of actual data show that CFT is usable to derive periodic information from GNSS coordinate time series.

Fiber Optic Sensor Embedment Study for Multi-Parameter Strain Sensing

PubMed Central

Drissi-Habti, Monssef; Raman, Venkadesh; Khadour, Aghiad; Timorian, Safiullah

2017-01-01

The fiber optic sensors (FOSs) are commonly used for large-scale structure monitoring systems for their small size, noise free and low electrical risk characteristics. Embedded fiber optic sensors (FOSs) lead to micro-damage in composite structures. This damage generation threshold is based on the coating material of the FOSs and their diameter. In addition, embedded FOSs are aligned parallel to reinforcement fibers to avoid micro-damage creation. This linear positioning of distributed FOS fails to provide all strain parameters. We suggest novel sinusoidal sensor positioning to overcome this issue. This method tends to provide multi-parameter strains in a large surface area. The effectiveness of sinusoidal FOS positioning over linear FOS positioning is studied under both numerical and experimental methods. This study proves the advantages of the sinusoidal positioning method for FOS in composite material’s bonding. PMID:28333117

Pixel color feature enhancement for road signs detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qieshi; Kamata, Sei-ichiro

2010-02-01

Road signs play an important role in our daily life which used to guide drivers to notice variety of road conditions and cautions. They provide important visual information that can help drivers operating their vehicles in a manner for enhancing traffic safety. The occurrence of some accidents can be reduced by using automatic road signs recognition system which can alert the drivers. This research attempts to develop a warning system to alert the drivers to notice the important road signs early enough to refrain road accidents from happening. For solving this, a non-linear weighted color enhancement method by pixels is presented. Due to the advantage of proposed method, different road signs can be detected from videos effectively. With suitably coefficients and operations, the experimental results have proved that the proposed method is robust, accurate and powerful in road signs detection.

[Research on K-means clustering segmentation method for MRI brain image based on selecting multi-peaks in gray histogram].

PubMed

Chen, Zhaoxue; Yu, Haizhong; Chen, Hao

2013-12-01

To solve the problem of traditional K-means clustering in which initial clustering centers are selected randomly, we proposed a new K-means segmentation algorithm based on robustly selecting 'peaks' standing for White Matter, Gray Matter and Cerebrospinal Fluid in multi-peaks gray histogram of MRI brain image. The new algorithm takes gray value of selected histogram 'peaks' as the initial K-means clustering center and can segment the MRI brain image into three parts of tissue more effectively, accurately, steadily and successfully. Massive experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm can overcome many shortcomings caused by traditional K-means clustering method such as low efficiency, veracity, robustness and time consuming. The histogram 'peak' selecting idea of the proposed segmentootion method is of more universal availability.

Tomography and generative training with quantum Boltzmann machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kieferová, Mária; Wiebe, Nathan

2017-12-01

The promise of quantum neural nets, which utilize quantum effects to model complex data sets, has made their development an aspirational goal for quantum machine learning and quantum computing in general. Here we provide methods of training quantum Boltzmann machines. Our work generalizes existing methods and provides additional approaches for training quantum neural networks that compare favorably to existing methods. We further demonstrate that quantum Boltzmann machines enable a form of partial quantum state tomography that further provides a generative model for the input quantum state. Classical Boltzmann machines are incapable of this. This verifies the long-conjectured connection between tomography and quantum machine learning. Finally, we prove that classical computers cannot simulate our training process in general unless BQP=BPP , provide lower bounds on the complexity of the training procedures and numerically investigate training for small nonstoquastic Hamiltonians.

A study on reliability of power customer in distribution network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Liyuan; Ouyang, Sen; Chen, Danling; Ma, Shaohua; Wang, Xin

2017-05-01

The existing power supply reliability index system is oriented to power system without considering actual electricity availability in customer side. In addition, it is unable to reflect outage or customer’s equipment shutdown caused by instantaneous interruption and power quality problem. This paper thus makes a systematic study on reliability of power customer. By comparing with power supply reliability, reliability of power customer is defined and extracted its evaluation requirements. An indexes system, consisting of seven customer indexes and two contrast indexes, are designed to describe reliability of power customer from continuity and availability. In order to comprehensively and quantitatively evaluate reliability of power customer in distribution networks, reliability evaluation method is proposed based on improved entropy method and the punishment weighting principle. Practical application has proved that reliability index system and evaluation method for power customer is reasonable and effective.

Novel method based on video tracking system for simultaneous measurement of kinematics and flow in the wake of a freely swimming fish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Guanhao; Yang, Yan; Zeng, Lijiang

2006-11-01

A novel method based on video tracking system for simultaneous measurement of kinematics and flow in the wake of a freely swimming fish is described. Spontaneous and continuous swimming behaviors of a variegated carp (Cyprinus carpio) are recorded by two cameras mounted on a translation stage which is controlled to track the fish. By processing the images recorded during tracking, the detailed kinematics based on calculated midlines and quantitative analysis of the flow in the wake during a low-speed turn and burst-and-coast swimming are revealed. We also draw the trajectory of the fish during a continuous swimming bout containing several moderate maneuvers. The results prove that our method is effective for studying maneuvers of fish both from kinematic and hydrodynamic viewpoints.

A New Pattern of Getting Nasty Number in Graphical Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumathi, P.; Indhumathi, N.

2018-04-01

This paper proposed a new technique of getting nasty numbers using graphical method in linear programming problem and it has been proved for various Linear programming problems. And also some characterisation of nasty numbers is discussed in this paper.

Optimal no-go theorem on hidden-variable predictions of effect expectations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blass, Andreas; Gurevich, Yuri

2018-03-01

No-go theorems prove that, under reasonable assumptions, classical hidden-variable theories cannot reproduce the predictions of quantum mechanics. Traditional no-go theorems proved that hidden-variable theories cannot predict correctly the values of observables. Recent expectation no-go theorems prove that hidden-variable theories cannot predict the expectations of observables. We prove the strongest expectation-focused no-go theorem to date. It is optimal in the sense that the natural weakenings of the assumptions and the natural strengthenings of the conclusion make the theorem fail. The literature on expectation no-go theorems strongly suggests that the expectation-focused approach is more general than the value-focused one. We establish that the expectation approach is not more general.

Strong converse theorems using Rényi entropies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leditzky, Felix; Wilde, Mark M.; Datta, Nilanjana

2016-08-01

We use a Rényi entropy method to prove strong converse theorems for certain information-theoretic tasks which involve local operations and quantum (or classical) communication between two parties. These include state redistribution, coherent state merging, quantum state splitting, measurement compression with quantum side information, randomness extraction against quantum side information, and data compression with quantum side information. The method we employ in proving these results extends ideas developed by Sharma [preprint arXiv:1404.5940 [quant-ph] (2014)], which he used to give a new proof of the strong converse theorem for state merging. For state redistribution, we prove the strong converse property for the boundary of the entire achievable rate region in the (e, q)-plane, where e and q denote the entanglement cost and quantum communication cost, respectively. In the case of measurement compression with quantum side information, we prove a strong converse theorem for the classical communication cost, which is a new result extending the previously known weak converse. For the remaining tasks, we provide new proofs for strong converse theorems previously established using smooth entropies. For each task, we obtain the strong converse theorem from explicit bounds on the figure of merit of the task in terms of a Rényi generalization of the optimal rate. Hence, we identify candidates for the strong converse exponents for each task discussed in this paper. To prove our results, we establish various new entropic inequalities, which might be of independent interest. These involve conditional entropies and mutual information derived from the sandwiched Rényi divergence. In particular, we obtain novel bounds relating these quantities, as well as the Rényi conditional mutual information, to the fidelity of two quantum states.

Strong converse theorems using Rényi entropies

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

Leditzky, Felix; Datta, Nilanjana; Wilde, Mark M.

We use a Rényi entropy method to prove strong converse theorems for certain information-theoretic tasks which involve local operations and quantum (or classical) communication between two parties. These include state redistribution, coherent state merging, quantum state splitting, measurement compression with quantum side information, randomness extraction against quantum side information, and data compression with quantum side information. The method we employ in proving these results extends ideas developed by Sharma [preprint http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.5940 [quant-ph] (2014)], which he used to give a new proof of the strong converse theorem for state merging. For state redistribution, we prove the strong converse property for themore » boundary of the entire achievable rate region in the (e, q)-plane, where e and q denote the entanglement cost and quantum communication cost, respectively. In the case of measurement compression with quantum side information, we prove a strong converse theorem for the classical communication cost, which is a new result extending the previously known weak converse. For the remaining tasks, we provide new proofs for strong converse theorems previously established using smooth entropies. For each task, we obtain the strong converse theorem from explicit bounds on the figure of merit of the task in terms of a Rényi generalization of the optimal rate. Hence, we identify candidates for the strong converse exponents for each task discussed in this paper. To prove our results, we establish various new entropic inequalities, which might be of independent interest. These involve conditional entropies and mutual information derived from the sandwiched Rényi divergence. In particular, we obtain novel bounds relating these quantities, as well as the Rényi conditional mutual information, to the fidelity of two quantum states.« less