Sample records for min path set

  1. How does cryotherapy effect ankle proprioception in healthy individuals?

    PubMed

    Houten, Daniel; Cooper, Darren

    2017-09-01

    Objectives To investigate how a 15-min cryotherapy intervention effects proprioception by measuring joint positional sense (JPS) and static single legged balance. Design Repeated measures design. Setting Laboratory. Participants Eighteen healthy university sports team students (11 males, 7 females) aged between 20 and 21 years old. Main outcome measures Participants were treated with 15 min of Aircast Cryo-cuff. The subject's skin temperature was measured before and immediately after 15 min of cryotherapy treatment. Ankle active joint positional sense (A-JPS) and passive joint positional sense (P-JPS) were measured at pre-test, immediately post-test, and 5 min post-test. Static balance was measured by centre of pressure (CoP) mean path length, medial-lateral (ML) CoP mean deviation, and anterior-posterior (AP) CoP mean deviation and mean time-to-boundary (TtB) minima for AP and ML directions. Results No significant differences were found for the variables of JPS and static single balance testing after 15 min of cryotherapy treatment. However, mean differences for CoP mean path length and ML mean deviation were shown to improve following cryotherapy treatment, results not previously found in the literature. Conclusion Results suggest that 15 min of Cryo-cuff treatment does not significantly affect proprioception. Although the effect of cryotherapy on proprioception depends on cooling modality used, time frame applied, and joint applied to.

  2. A vector-based representation of the chemical bond for the substituted torsion of biphenyl

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jiahui; Huang, Weijie; Xu, Tianlv; Kirk, Steven R.; Jenkins, Samantha

    2018-06-01

    We use a new interpretation of the chemical bond within QTAIM, the bond-path framework set B = {p, q, r} with associated linkages with lengths H∗, H and the familiar bond-path length is used to describe a torsion θ, 0.0° ≤ θ < 22.0° of para-substituted biphenyl, C12H9-x, x = N(CH3)2, NH2, CH3, CHO, CN, NO2. We include consideration of the H--H bonding interactions and find that the lengths H > H∗ that we explain in terms of the most and least preferred directions of charge density accumulation. We also consider the fractional eigenvector-following path with lengths Hf and Hfθmin.

  3. Phase transformation upon cooling path in Ca2SiO4: Possible geological implication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Yun-Ting; Kung, Jennifer; Hsu, Han

    2016-04-01

    At the contact metamorphism zone two different Ca2SiO4 phases can be found; calcio-olivine (γ phase) and larnite (β phase). In-situ experiments illustrated the existence of five various polymorphs in Ca2SiO4, i.e., α, α'H, α'L, β and γ. The path of phase transformation and the transformation temperatures are shown as follows. γ → α'L(700° C) → α'H(1100° C) → α (1450° C) α'L → β (680° C) → γ (500° C) Experiments showed that the phase transitions at lower temperature is not reversible and seemed to be complicated; β phase is only stable from 500° C to 680° C upon cooling. To understand the possible mechanism of the β phase being metastable at room temperature, atmosphere condition, we were motivated to investigate the route of phase transition in Ca2SiO4 in different thermal process. Powder samples were synthesized by the solid-state reaction. Pure reagent oxides CaCO3 and SiO2 were mixed in 2:1 stoichiometric mole. Two control factors were designated in the experiments; the sintering temperature of starting materials and the cooling path. The sintering temperature was set within the range of stable phase field of α'L phase (˜900° C) and α'H phase (1300° C). The cooling process was designed in three different routes: 1) the quenched procedure from sintering temperature with rate of 900° C/min and 1300° C/min, 2) the furnace cooling procedure, 3) set a slow cooling rate (0.265 ° C/min). The products were examined for the crystal structure by X-ray powder diffraction. First-principle calculation was also applied to investigate the thermodynamic properties of α'H, β and γ phases. A major finding in this study showed that the γ phase presented in the final product when the sintering temperature was set at the stable field of α'H phase; on the other hand, the β phase would present when the sintering temperature was set within the field of α'L phase. It was noted that the existing phase in the product would be modified by the cooling procedures. Our calculation indicates the enthalpy of beta phase was slightly higher than that of the gamma phase at zero pressure, verifying the metastable β phase observed in the natural. In this meeting we present the detailed experimental results and discuss the potential implication for the thermal history of geological setting using the phase transition path upon cooling of Ca2SiO4.

  4. On the partition dimension of comb product of path and complete graph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darmaji, Alfarisi, Ridho

    2017-08-01

    For a vertex v of a connected graph G(V, E) with vertex set V(G), edge set E(G) and S ⊆ V(G). Given an ordered partition Π = {S1, S2, S3, …, Sk} of the vertex set V of G, the representation of a vertex v ∈ V with respect to Π is the vector r(v|Π) = (d(v, S1), d(v, S2), …, d(v, Sk)), where d(v, Sk) represents the distance between the vertex v and the set Sk and d(v, Sk) = min{d(v, x)|x ∈ Sk}. A partition Π of V(G) is a resolving partition if different vertices of G have distinct representations, i.e., for every pair of vertices u, v ∈ V(G), r(u|Π) ≠ r(v|Π). The minimum k of Π resolving partition is a partition dimension of G, denoted by pd(G). Finding the partition dimension of G is classified to be a NP-Hard problem. In this paper, we will show that the partition dimension of comb product of path and complete graph. The results show that comb product of complete grapph Km and path Pn namely p d (Km⊳Pn)=m where m ≥ 3 and n ≥ 2 and p d (Pn⊳Km)=m where m ≥ 3, n ≥ 2 and m ≥ n.

  5. Dynamic discrete tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alpers, Andreas; Gritzmann, Peter

    2018-03-01

    We consider the problem of reconstructing the paths of a set of points over time, where, at each of a finite set of moments in time the current positions of points in space are only accessible through some small number of their x-rays. This particular particle tracking problem, with applications, e.g. in plasma physics, is the basic problem in dynamic discrete tomography. We introduce and analyze various different algorithmic models. In particular, we determine the computational complexity of the problem (and various of its relatives) and derive algorithms that can be used in practice. As a byproduct we provide new results on constrained variants of min-cost flow and matching problems.

  6. The Latent Structure of Dictionaries.

    PubMed

    Vincent-Lamarre, Philippe; Massé, Alexandre Blondin; Lopes, Marcos; Lord, Mélanie; Marcotte, Odile; Harnad, Stevan

    2016-07-01

    How many words-and which ones-are sufficient to define all other words? When dictionaries are analyzed as directed graphs with links from defining words to defined words, they reveal a latent structure. Recursively removing all words that are reachable by definition but that do not define any further words reduces the dictionary to a Kernel of about 10% of its size. This is still not the smallest number of words that can define all the rest. About 75% of the Kernel turns out to be its Core, a "Strongly Connected Subset" of words with a definitional path to and from any pair of its words and no word's definition depending on a word outside the set. But the Core cannot define all the rest of the dictionary. The 25% of the Kernel surrounding the Core consists of small strongly connected subsets of words: the Satellites. The size of the smallest set of words that can define all the rest-the graph's "minimum feedback vertex set" or MinSet-is about 1% of the dictionary, about 15% of the Kernel, and part-Core/part-Satellite. But every dictionary has a huge number of MinSets. The Core words are learned earlier, more frequent, and less concrete than the Satellites, which are in turn learned earlier, more frequent, but more concrete than the rest of the Dictionary. In principle, only one MinSet's words would need to be grounded through the sensorimotor capacity to recognize and categorize their referents. In a dual-code sensorimotor/symbolic model of the mental lexicon, the symbolic code could do all the rest through recombinatory definition. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  7. Relationships between molecular structure and kinetic and thermodynamic controls in lipid systems. Part II: Phase behavior and transformation paths of SSS, PSS and PPS saturated triacylglycerols--effect of chain length mismatch.

    PubMed

    Bouzidi, Laziz; Narine, Suresh S

    2012-01-01

    The kinetic phase behavior and phase transformation paths of purified tristearoylglycerol (SSS), 3-palmitoyl-1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycerol (PSS) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-stearoyl-sn-glycerol (PPS) were investigated in terms of polymorphism, crystallization and melting. The details of the phase transformation paths were obtained using the heating cycles of two sets of experiments: (a) cooling rate was varied and heating rate fixed and (b) cooling rate was fixed and heating rate varied. Kinetic effects were manifest in all measured properties, underscoring the complexity of the phase transformation paths for each TAG, and the intricate thermodynamics-molecular relationships. For the first time, XRD data obtained for SSS, PSS and PPS TAGs, cooled at rates higher than 0.5°C/min, suggested the formation of a transient structure similar to the so-called α(2)-phase which has been observed in mixed saturated-unsaturated TAGs quenched from the melt. The more stable phases (β' in PSS and PPS, and β in SSS) were only observed for cooling rates lower than 1.0°C/min. The kinetic and thermodynamic differences observed in the crystallization, structure and melting of SSS, PSS and PPS are proposed to be mainly due to the disturbances introduced at the "terrace" level via methyl-end group interactions, i.e., the missing of two or four CH(2) groups compared to SSS. The symmetrical SSS with a relatively flat "terrace" crystallizes preferably in the most stable β-form. Two missing CH(2) groups at the sn-1 position (PSS) introduces enough structural disturbances to promote the relative prevalence and persistence of the β'-phase, and four missing CH(2) groups at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions (PPS) is relatively too large of a disturbance and therefore favors the α-form. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Cloud Droplet Size and Liquid Water Path Retrievals From Zenith Radiance Measurements: Examples From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and the Aerosol Robotic Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chiu, J. C.; Marshak, A.; Huang, C.-H.; Varnai, T.; Hogan, R. J.; Giles, D. M.; Holben, B. N.; Knyazikhin, Y.; O'Connor, E. J.; Wiscombe, W. J.

    2012-01-01

    The ground-based Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) and NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) routinely monitor clouds using zenith radiances at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Using the transmittance calculated from such measurements, we have developed a new retrieval method for cloud effective droplet size and conducted extensive tests for non-precipitating liquid water clouds. The underlying principle is to combine a water-absorbing wavelength (i.e. 1640 nm) with a nonwater-absorbing wavelength for acquiring information on cloud droplet size and optical depth. For simulated stratocumulus clouds with liquid water path less than 300 g/sq m and horizontal resolution of 201m, the retrieval method underestimates the mean effective radius by 0.8 m, with a root-mean-squared error of 1.7 m and a relative deviation of 13 %. For actual observations with a liquid water path less than 450 gm.2 at the ARM Oklahoma site during 2007-2008, our 1.5 min-averaged retrievals are generally larger by around 1 m than those from combined ground-based cloud radar and microwave radiometer at a 5min temporal resolution. We also compared our retrievals to those from combined shortwave flux and microwave observations for relatively homogeneous clouds, showing that the bias between these two retrieval sets is negligible, but the error of 2.6 m and the relative deviation of 22% are larger than those found in our simulation case. Finally, the transmittance-based cloud effective droplet radii agree to better than 11% with satellite observations and have a negative bias of 1 m. Overall, the retrieval method provides reasonable cloud effective radius estimates, which can enhance the cloud products of both ARM and AERONET.

  9. Image-Based Modeling Reveals Dynamic Redistribution of DNA Damageinto Nuclear Sub-Domains

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

    Costes Sylvain V., Ponomarev Artem, Chen James L.; Nguyen, David; Cucinotta, Francis A.

    2007-08-03

    Several proteins involved in the response to DNA doublestrand breaks (DSB) f orm microscopically visible nuclear domains, orfoci, after exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation-induced foci (RIF)are believed to be located where DNA damage occurs. To test thisassumption, we analyzed the spatial distribution of 53BP1, phosphorylatedATM, and gammaH2AX RIF in cells irradiated with high linear energytransfer (LET) radiation and low LET. Since energy is randomly depositedalong high-LET particle paths, RIF along these paths should also berandomly distributed. The probability to induce DSB can be derived fromDNA fragment data measured experimentally by pulsed-field gelelectrophoresis. We used this probability in Monte Carlo simulationsmore » topredict DSB locations in synthetic nuclei geometrically described by acomplete set of human chromosomes, taking into account microscope opticsfrom real experiments. As expected, simulations produced DNA-weightedrandom (Poisson) distributions. In contrast, the distributions of RIFobtained as early as 5 min after exposure to high LET (1 GeV/amu Fe) werenon-random. This deviation from the expected DNA-weighted random patterncan be further characterized by "relative DNA image measurements." Thisnovel imaging approach shows that RIF were located preferentially at theinterface between high and low DNA density regions, and were morefrequent than predicted in regions with lower DNA density. The samepreferential nuclear location was also measured for RIF induced by 1 Gyof low-LET radiation. This deviation from random behavior was evidentonly 5 min after irradiation for phosphorylated ATM RIF, while gammaH2AXand 53BP1 RIF showed pronounced deviations up to 30 min after exposure.These data suggest that DNA damage induced foci are restricted to certainregions of the nucleus of human epithelial cells. It is possible that DNAlesions are collected in these nuclear sub-domains for more efficientrepair.« less

  10. Chromosome Model reveals Dynamic Redistribution of DNA Damage into Nuclear Sub-domains

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Costes, Sylvain V.; Ponomarev, Artem; Chen, James L.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Barcellos-Hoff, Helen

    2007-01-01

    Several proteins involved in the response to DNA double strand breaks (DSB) form microscopically visible nuclear domains, or foci, after exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation-induced foci (RIF) are believed to be located where DNA damage is induced. To test this assumption, we analyzed the spatial distribution of 53BP1, phosphorylated ATM and gammaH2AX RIF in cells irradiated with high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Since energy is randomly deposited along high-LET particle paths, RIF along these paths should also be randomly distributed. The probability to induce DSB can be derived from DNA fragment data measured experimentally by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. We used this probability in Monte Carlo simulations to predict DSB locations in synthetic nuclei geometrically described by a complete set of human chromosomes, taking into account microscope optics from real experiments. As expected, simulations produced DNA-weighted random (Poisson) distributions. In contrast, the distributions of RIF obtained as early as 5 min after exposure to high LET (1 GeV/amu Fe) were non-random. This deviation from the expected DNA-weighted random pattern can be further characterized by relative DNA image measurements. This novel imaging approach shows that RIF were located preferentially at the interface between high and low DNA density regions, and were more frequent in regions with lower density DNA than predicted. This deviation from random behavior was more pronounced within the first 5 min following irradiation for phosphorylated ATM RIF, while gammaH2AX and 53BP1 RIF showed very pronounced deviation up to 30 min after exposure. These data suggest the existence of repair centers in mammalian epithelial cells. These centers would be nuclear sub-domains where DNA lesions would be collected for more efficient repair.

  11. Application of Micropore Filter Technology: Exploring the Blood Flow Path in Arterial-Line Filters and Its Effect on Bubble Trapping Functions

    PubMed Central

    Herbst, Daniel P.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract: Conventional arterial-line filters commonly use a large volume circular shaped housing, a wetted micropore screen, and a purge port to trap, separate, and remove gas bubbles from extracorporeal blood flow. Focusing on the bubble trapping function, this work attempts to explore how the filter housing shape and its resulting blood flow path affect the clinical application of arterial-line filters in terms of gross air handling. A video camera was used in a wet-lab setting to record observations made during gross air-bolus injections in three different radially designed filters using a 30–70% glycerol–saline mixture flowing at 4.5 L/min. Two of the filters both had inlet ports attached near the filter-housing top with bottom oriented outlet ports at the bottom, whereas the third filter had its inlet and outlet ports both located at the bottom of the filter housing. The two filters with top-in bottom-out fluid paths were shown to direct the incoming flow downward as it passed through the filter, placing the forces of buoyancy and viscous drag in opposition to each other. This contrasted with the third filter's bottom-in bottom-out fluid path, which was shown to direct the incoming flow upward so that the forces of buoyancy and viscous drag work together. The direction of the blood flow path through a filter may be important to the application of arterial-line filter technology as it helps determine how the forces of buoyancy and flow are aligned with one another. PMID:28298665

  12. Application of Micropore Filter Technology: Exploring the Blood Flow Path in Arterial-Line Filters and Its Effect on Bubble Trapping Functions.

    PubMed

    Herbst, Daniel P

    2017-03-01

    Conventional arterial-line filters commonly use a large volume circular shaped housing, a wetted micropore screen, and a purge port to trap, separate, and remove gas bubbles from extracorporeal blood flow. Focusing on the bubble trapping function, this work attempts to explore how the filter housing shape and its resulting blood flow path affect the clinical application of arterial-line filters in terms of gross air handling. A video camera was used in a wet-lab setting to record observations made during gross air-bolus injections in three different radially designed filters using a 30-70% glycerol-saline mixture flowing at 4.5 L/min. Two of the filters both had inlet ports attached near the filter-housing top with bottom oriented outlet ports at the bottom, whereas the third filter had its inlet and outlet ports both located at the bottom of the filter housing. The two filters with top-in bottom-out fluid paths were shown to direct the incoming flow downward as it passed through the filter, placing the forces of buoyancy and viscous drag in opposition to each other. This contrasted with the third filter's bottom-in bottom-out fluid path, which was shown to direct the incoming flow upward so that the forces of buoyancy and viscous drag work together. The direction of the blood flow path through a filter may be important to the application of arterial-line filter technology as it helps determine how the forces of buoyancy and flow are aligned with one another.

  13. On the star partition dimension of comb product of cycle and path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alfarisi, Ridho; Darmaji

    2017-08-01

    Let G = (V, E) be a connected graphs with vertex set V(G), edge set E(G) and S ⊆ V(G). Given an ordered partition Π = {S1, S2, S3, …, Sk} of the vertex set V of G, the representation of a vertex v ∈ V with respect to Π is the vector r(v|Π) = (d(v, S1), d(v, S2), …, d(v, Sk)), where d(v, Sk) represents the distance between the vertex v and the set Sk and d(v, Sk) = min{d(v, x)|x ∈ Sk }. A partition Π of V(G) is a resolving partition if different vertices of G have distinct representations, i.e., for every pair of vertices u, v ∈ V(G), r(u|Π) ≠ r(v|Π). The minimum k of Π resolving partition is a partition dimension of G, denoted by pd(G). The resolving partition Π = {S1, S2, S3, …, Sk } is called a star resolving partition for G if it is a resolving partition and each subgraph induced by Si, 1 ≤ i ≤ k, is a star. The minimum k for which there exists a star resolving partition of V(G) is the star partition dimension of G, denoted by spd(G). Finding the star partition dimension of G is classified to be a NP-Hard problem. In this paper, we will show that the partition dimension of comb product of cycle and path namely Cm⊳Pn and Pn⊳Cm for n ≥ 2 and m ≥ 3.

  14. Detecting False Positives in Multielement Designs: Implications for Brief Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartlett, Sara M.; Rapp, John T.; Henrickson, Marissa L.

    2011-01-01

    The authors assessed the extent to which multielement designs produced false positives using continuous duration recording (CDR) and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min interval sizes. Specifically, they created 6,000 graphs with multielement designs that varied in the number of data paths, and the number of data points per data path, using a…

  15. Detecting false positives in multielement designs: implications for brief assessments.

    PubMed

    Bartlett, Sara M; Rapp, John T; Henrickson, Marissa L

    2011-11-01

    The authors assessed the extent to which multielement designs produced false positives using continuous duration recording (CDR) and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min interval sizes. Specifically, they created 6,000 graphs with multielement designs that varied in the number of data paths, and the number of data points per data path, using a random number generator. In Experiment 1, the authors visually analyzed the graphs for the occurrence of false positives. Results indicated that graphs depicting only two sessions for each condition (e.g., a control condition plotted with multiple test conditions) produced the highest percentage of false positives for CDR and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min intervals. Conversely, graphs with four or five sessions for each condition produced the lowest percentage of false positives for each method. In Experiment 2, they applied two new rules, which were intended to decrease false positives, to each graph that depicted a false positive in Experiment 1. Results showed that application of new rules decreased false positives to less than 5% for all of the graphs except for those with two data paths and two data points per data path. Implications for brief assessments are discussed.

  16. Airborne pipeline leak detection: UV or IR?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babin, François; Gravel, Jean-François; Allard, Martin

    2016-05-01

    This paper presents a study of different approaches to the measurement of the above ground vapor plume created by the spill caused by a small 0.1 l/min (or less) leak in an underground liquid petroleum pipeline. The scenarios are those for the measurement from an airborne platform. The usual approach is that of IR absorption, but in the case of liquid petroleum products, there are drawbacks that will be discussed, especially when using alkanes to detect a leak. The optical measurements studied include UV enhanced Raman lidar, UV fluorescence lidar and IR absorption path integrated lidars. The breadboards used for testing the different approaches will be described along with the set-ups for leak simulation. Although IR absorption would intuitively be the most sensitive, it is shown that UV-Raman could be an alternative. When using the very broad alkane signature in the IR, the varying ground spectral reflectance are a problem. It is also determined that integrated path measurements are preferred, the UV enhanced Raman measurements showing that the vapor plume stays very close to the ground.

  17. Comparison of Monthly Mean Cloud Fraction and Cloud Optical depth Determined from Surface Cloud Radar, TOVS, AVHRR, and MODIS over Barrow, Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Uttal, Taneil; Frisch, Shelby; Wang, Xuan-Ji; Key, Jeff; Schweiger, Axel; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Minnis, Patrick

    2005-01-01

    A one year comparison is made of mean monthly values of cloud fraction and cloud optical depth over Barrow, Alaska (71 deg 19.378 min North, 156 deg 36.934 min West) between 35 GHz radar-based retrievals, the TOVS Pathfinder Path-P product, the AVHRR APP-X product, and a MODIS based cloud retrieval product from the CERES-Team. The data sets represent largely disparate spatial and temporal scales, however, in this paper, the focus is to provide a preliminary analysis of how the mean monthly values derived from these different data sets compare, and determine how they can best be used separately, and in combination to provide reliable estimates of long-term trends of changing cloud properties. The radar and satellite data sets described here incorporate Arctic specific modifications that account for cloud detection challenges specific to the Arctic environment. The year 2000 was chosen for this initial comparison because the cloud radar data was particularly continuous and reliable that year, and all of the satellite retrievals of interest were also available for the year 2000. Cloud fraction was chosen as a comparison variable as accurate detection of cloud is the primary product that is necessary for any other cloud property retrievals. Cloud optical depth was additionally selected as it is likely the single cloud property that is most closely correlated to cloud influences on surface radiation budgets.

  18. Energy-optimal path planning by stochastic dynamically orthogonal level-set optimization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramani, Deepak N.; Lermusiaux, Pierre F. J.

    2016-04-01

    A stochastic optimization methodology is formulated for computing energy-optimal paths from among time-optimal paths of autonomous vehicles navigating in a dynamic flow field. Based on partial differential equations, the methodology rigorously leverages the level-set equation that governs time-optimal reachability fronts for a given relative vehicle-speed function. To set up the energy optimization, the relative vehicle-speed and headings are considered to be stochastic and new stochastic Dynamically Orthogonal (DO) level-set equations are derived. Their solution provides the distribution of time-optimal reachability fronts and corresponding distribution of time-optimal paths. An optimization is then performed on the vehicle's energy-time joint distribution to select the energy-optimal paths for each arrival time, among all stochastic time-optimal paths for that arrival time. Numerical schemes to solve the reduced stochastic DO level-set equations are obtained, and accuracy and efficiency considerations are discussed. These reduced equations are first shown to be efficient at solving the governing stochastic level-sets, in part by comparisons with direct Monte Carlo simulations. To validate the methodology and illustrate its accuracy, comparisons with semi-analytical energy-optimal path solutions are then completed. In particular, we consider the energy-optimal crossing of a canonical steady front and set up its semi-analytical solution using a energy-time nested nonlinear double-optimization scheme. We then showcase the inner workings and nuances of the energy-optimal path planning, considering different mission scenarios. Finally, we study and discuss results of energy-optimal missions in a wind-driven barotropic quasi-geostrophic double-gyre ocean circulation.

  19. Image-Based Modeling Reveals Dynamic Redistribution of DNA Damage into Nuclear Sub-Domains

    PubMed Central

    Costes, Sylvain V; Ponomarev, Artem; Chen, James L; Nguyen, David; Cucinotta, Francis A; Barcellos-Hoff, Mary Helen

    2007-01-01

    Several proteins involved in the response to DNA double strand breaks (DSB) form microscopically visible nuclear domains, or foci, after exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation-induced foci (RIF) are believed to be located where DNA damage occurs. To test this assumption, we analyzed the spatial distribution of 53BP1, phosphorylated ATM, and γH2AX RIF in cells irradiated with high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation and low LET. Since energy is randomly deposited along high-LET particle paths, RIF along these paths should also be randomly distributed. The probability to induce DSB can be derived from DNA fragment data measured experimentally by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. We used this probability in Monte Carlo simulations to predict DSB locations in synthetic nuclei geometrically described by a complete set of human chromosomes, taking into account microscope optics from real experiments. As expected, simulations produced DNA-weighted random (Poisson) distributions. In contrast, the distributions of RIF obtained as early as 5 min after exposure to high LET (1 GeV/amu Fe) were non-random. This deviation from the expected DNA-weighted random pattern can be further characterized by “relative DNA image measurements.” This novel imaging approach shows that RIF were located preferentially at the interface between high and low DNA density regions, and were more frequent than predicted in regions with lower DNA density. The same preferential nuclear location was also measured for RIF induced by 1 Gy of low-LET radiation. This deviation from random behavior was evident only 5 min after irradiation for phosphorylated ATM RIF, while γH2AX and 53BP1 RIF showed pronounced deviations up to 30 min after exposure. These data suggest that DNA damage–induced foci are restricted to certain regions of the nucleus of human epithelial cells. It is possible that DNA lesions are collected in these nuclear sub-domains for more efficient repair. PMID:17676951

  20. Time‐lapse imaging of saline‐tracer transport in fractured rock using difference‐attenuation radar tomography

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Lane, John W.; Harris, Jerry M.; Gorelick, Steven M.

    2003-01-01

    Accurate characterization of fractured‐rock aquifer heterogeneity remains one of the most challenging and important problems in groundwater hydrology. We demonstrate a promising strategy to identify preferential flow paths in fractured rock using a combination of geophysical monitoring and conventional hydrogeologic tests. Cross‐well difference‐attenuation ground‐penetrating radar was used to monitor saline‐tracer migration in an experiment at the U.S. Geological Survey Fractured Rock Hydrology Research Site in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Radar data sets were collected every 10 min in three adjoining planes for 5 hours during each of 12 tracer tests. An innovative inversion method accounts for data acquisition times and temporal changes in attenuation during data collection. The inverse algorithm minimizes a combination of two functions. The first is the sum of weighted squared data residuals. Second is a measure of solution complexity based on an a priori space‐time covariance function, subject to constraints that limit radar‐attenuation changes to regions of the tomograms traversed by high difference‐attenuation ray paths. The time series of tomograms indicate relative tracer concentrations and tracer arrival times in the image planes; from these we infer the presence and location of a preferential flow path within a previously identified zone of transmissive fractures. These results provide new insights into solute channeling and the nature of aquifer heterogeneity at the site.

  1. Use of a parallel path nebulizer for capillary-based microseparation techniques coupled with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for speciation measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanes, Enrique G.; Miller-Ihli, Nancy J.

    2004-06-01

    A low flow, parallel path Mira Mist CE nebulizer designed for capillary electrophoresis (CE) was evaluated as a function of make-up solution flow rate, composition, and concentration, as well as the nebulizer gas flow rate. This research was conducted in support of a project related to the separation and quantification of cobalamin (vitamin B-12) species using microseparation techniques combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. As such, Co signals were monitored during the nebulizer characterization process. Transient effects in the ICP were studied to evaluate the suitability of using gradients for microseparations and the benefit of using methanol for the make-up solution was demonstrated. Co signal response changed significantly as a function of changing methanol concentrations of the make-up solution and maximum signal enhancement was seen at 20% methanol with a 15 μl/min flow rate. Evaluation of the effect of changing the nebulizer gas flow rates showed that argon flows from 0.8 to 1.2 l/min were equally effective. The Mira Mist CE parallel path nebulizer was then evaluated for interfacing capillary microseparation techniques including capillary electrophoresis (CE) and micro high performance liquid chromatography (μHPLC) to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A mixture of four cobalamin species standards (cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin, and 5' deoxyadenosylcobalamin) and the corrinoid analogue cobinamide dicyanide were successfully separated using both CE-ICP-MS and μHPLC-ICP-MS using the parallel path nebulizer with a make-up solution containing 20% methanol with a flow rate of 15 μl/min.

  2. An automatic alignment system for measuring optical path of transmissometer based on light beam scanning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Shudao; Ma, Zhongliang; Wang, Min; Peng, Shuling

    2018-05-01

    This paper proposes a novel alignment system based on the measurement of optical path using a light beam scanning mode in a transmissometer. The system controls both the probe beam and the receiving field of view while scanning in two vertical directions. The system then calculates the azimuth angle of the transmitter and the receiver to determine the precise alignment of the optical path. Experiments show that this method can determine the alignment angles in less than 10 min with errors smaller than 66 μrad in the azimuth. This system also features high collimation precision, process automation and simple installation.

  3. Intercomparison of NO3 radical detection instruments in the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dorn, H.-P.; Apodaca, R. L.; Ball, S. M.; Brauers, T.; Brown, S. S.; Crowley, J. N.; Dubé, W. P.; Fuchs, H.; Häseler, R.; Heitmann, U.; Jones, R. L.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.; Labazan, I.; Langridge, J. M.; Meinen, J.; Mentel, T. F.; Platt, U.; Pöhler, D.; Rohrer, F.; Ruth, A. A.; Schlosser, E.; Schuster, G.; Shillings, A. J. L.; Simpson, W. R.; Thieser, J.; Tillmann, R.; Varma, R.; Venables, D. S.; Wahner, A.

    2013-05-01

    The detection of atmospheric NO3 radicals is still challenging owing to its low mixing ratios (≈ 1 to 300 pptv) in the troposphere. While long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) has been a well-established NO3 detection approach for over 25 yr, newly sensitive techniques have been developed in the past decade. This publication outlines the results of the first comprehensive intercomparison of seven instruments developed for the spectroscopic detection of tropospheric NO3. Four instruments were based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), two utilised open-path cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS), and one applied "classical" long-path DOAS. The intercomparison campaign "NO3Comp" was held at the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR in Jülich (Germany) in June 2007. Twelve experiments were performed in the well-mixed chamber for variable concentrations of NO3, N2O5, NO2, hydrocarbons, and water vapour, in the absence and in the presence of inorganic or organic aerosol. The overall precision of the cavity instruments varied between 0.5 and 5 pptv for integration times of 1 s to 5 min; that of the DOAS instrument was 9 pptv for an acquisition time of 1 min. The NO3 data of all instruments correlated excellently with the NOAA-CRDS instrument, which was selected as the common reference because of its superb sensitivity, high time resolution, and most comprehensive data coverage. The median of the coefficient of determination (r2) over all experiments of the campaign (60 correlations) is r2 = 0.981 (quartile 1 (Q1): 0.949; quartile 3 (Q3): 0.994; min/max: 0.540/0.999). The linear regression analysis of the campaign data set yielded very small intercepts (median: 1.1 pptv; Q1/Q3: -1.1/2.6 pptv; min/max: -14.1/28.0 pptv), and the slopes of the regression lines were close to unity (median: 1.01; Q1/Q3: 0.92/1.10; min/max: 0.72/1.36). The deviation of individual regression slopes from unity was always within the combined accuracies of each instrument pair. The very good correspondence between the NO3 measurements by all instruments for aerosol-free experiments indicates that the losses of NO3 in the inlet of the instruments were determined reliably by the participants for the corresponding conditions. In the presence of inorganic or organic aerosol, however, differences in the measured NO3 mixing ratios were detectable among the instruments. In individual experiments the discrepancies increased with time, pointing to additional NO3 radical losses by aerosol deposited onto the filters or on the inlet walls of the instruments. Instruments using DOAS analyses showed no significant effect of aerosol on the detection of NO3. No hint of a cross interference of NO2 was found. The effect of non-Lambert-Beer behaviour of water vapour absorption lines on the accuracy of the NO3 detection by broadband techniques was small and well controlled. The NO3Comp campaign demonstrated the high quality, reliability and robustness of performance of current state-of-the-art instrumentation for NO3 detection.

  4. Similar hypotensive effects of combined aerobic and resistance exercise with 1 set versus 3 sets in women with metabolic syndrome.

    PubMed

    Tibana, Ramires A; Nascimento, Dahan da C; de Sousa, Nuno M F; de Almeida, Jeeser A; Moraes, Milton R; Durigan, João Luiz Quagliotti; Collier, Scott R; Prestes, Jonato

    2015-11-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare the response of systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean blood pressure (MBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following combined training with 1 set or with 3 sets of resistance exercise (RE). Sixteen women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) were randomly assigned to perform two combined exercise protocols and a control session (CON): 1-set, 30 min of aerobic exercise (AE) at 65-70% of reserve heart rate and 1 set of 8-12 repetitions at 80% of 10-RM in six resistance exercises; 3-sets, same protocol but with 3 sets; and CON, 30 min of seated rest. The SBP, MBP and DBP were measured before and every 15 min during 90 min following the experimental sessions. The SBP displayed a decrease (P ≤ 0.05) during the 90 min following the RE session with 1-set and 3-set, while MBP was decreased (P ≤ 0.05) up to 75 min after 1-set and up to 30 min after the 3-set exercise session compared with pre-intervention values. There was a decrease in DBP only for the greatest individual decrease following 1-set (-6.1 mmHg) and 3-set (-4.9 mmHg) combined exercise sessions, without differences between them. The rate-pressure product and heart rate remained significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) 75 min and 90 min after the combined exercise session with 1- and 3-sets compared with the CON, respectively. In conclusion, a low-volume RE combined with AE resulted in similar decrease of SBP when compared with RE with 3-sets in women with MetS, which could be beneficial in situations of limited time. © 2014 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. High Resolution Near-Bed Observations in Winter Near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    Druck pressure sensors, Campbell optical backscatter, and Seatech or Wetlabs CSTAR transmission sensors. All the transmissometers were 25 cm path...14.0 m Depth Flobee Tripods Sontek hydra Acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV), thermistor 3D flow velocity, temperature 8 Hz for 17.5 min hourly Pulse...coherent acoustic Doppler profiler (PCADP), thermistor Profiles of 3D flow velocity, temperature 1 Hz for 17.5 min hourly, 6.3 cm bins Pressure

  6. Synthesis of Joint Volumes, Visualization of Paths, and Revision of Viewing Sequences in a Multi-dimensional Seismic Data Viewer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, D. M.; Clapp, R. G.; Biondi, B.

    2006-12-01

    Ricksep is a freely-available interactive viewer for multi-dimensional data sets. The viewer is very useful for simultaneous display of multiple data sets from different viewing angles, animation of movement along a path through the data space, and selection of local regions for data processing and information extraction. Several new viewing features are added to enhance the program's functionality in the following three aspects. First, two new data synthesis algorithms are created to adaptively combine information from a data set with mostly high-frequency content, such as seismic data, and another data set with mainly low-frequency content, such as velocity data. Using the algorithms, these two data sets can be synthesized into a single data set which resembles the high-frequency data set on a local scale and at the same time resembles the low- frequency data set on a larger scale. As a result, the originally separated high and low-frequency details can now be more accurately and conveniently studied together. Second, a projection algorithm is developed to display paths through the data space. Paths are geophysically important because they represent wells into the ground. Two difficulties often associated with tracking paths are that they normally cannot be seen clearly inside multi-dimensional spaces and depth information is lost along the direction of projection when ordinary projection techniques are used. The new algorithm projects samples along the path in three orthogonal directions and effectively restores important depth information by using variable projection parameters which are functions of the distance away from the path. Multiple paths in the data space can be generated using different character symbols as positional markers, and users can easily create, modify, and view paths in real time. Third, a viewing history list is implemented which enables Ricksep's users to create, edit and save a recipe for the sequence of viewing states. Then, the recipe can be loaded into an active Ricksep session, after which the user can navigate to any state in the sequence and modify the sequence from that state. Typical uses of this feature are undoing and redoing viewing commands and animating a sequence of viewing states. The theoretical discussion are carried out and several examples using real seismic data are provided to show how these new Ricksep features provide more convenient, accurate ways to manipulate multi-dimensional data sets.

  7. Using multiple calibration sets to improve the quantitative accuracy of partial least squares (PLS) regression on open-path fourier transform infrared (OP/FT-IR) spectra of ammonia over wide concentration ranges

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A technique of using multiple calibration sets in partial least squares regression (PLS) was proposed to improve the quantitative determination of ammonia from open-path Fourier transform infrared spectra. The spectra were measured near animal farms, and the path-integrated concentration of ammonia...

  8. Three-dimensional path planning software-assisted transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: a technical modification.

    PubMed

    Tsauo, Jiaywei; Luo, Xuefeng; Ye, Linchao; Li, Xiao

    2015-06-01

    This study was designed to report our results with a modified technique of three-dimensional (3D) path planning software assisted transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). 3D path planning software was recently developed to facilitate TIPS creation by using two carbon dioxide portograms acquired at least 20° apart to generate a 3D path for overlay needle guidance. However, one shortcoming is that puncturing along the overlay would be technically impossible if the angle of the liver access set and the angle of the 3D path are not the same. To solve this problem, a prototype 3D path planning software was fitted with a utility to calculate the angle of the 3D path. Using this, we modified the angle of the liver access set accordingly during the procedure in ten patients. Failure for technical reasons occurred in three patients (unsuccessful wedged hepatic venography in two cases, software technical failure in one case). The procedure was successful in the remaining seven patients, and only one needle pass was required to obtain portal vein access in each case. The course of puncture was comparable to the 3D path in all patients. No procedure-related complication occurred following the procedures. Adjusting the angle of the liver access set to match the angle of the 3D path determined by the software appears to be a favorable modification to the technique of 3D path planning software assisted TIPS.

  9. US GeoData Available Through the Internet

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    2000-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) offers certain US GeoData data sets through the Internet. They can be retrieved using the World Wide Web or anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The data bases and their directory paths are as follows: * 1:24,000-scale digital line graph data in SDTS format (/pub/data/DLG/24K) * 1:2,000,000-scale digital line graph data in SDTS format (/pub/data/DLG/2M) * 1:100,000-scale digital line graph data (/pub/data/DLG/100K) * 1:100,000-scale land use and land cover data (/pub/data/LULC/100K) * 1:250,000-scale land use and land cover data (/pub/data/LULC/250K) * 1:24,000-scale digital elevation data (/pub/data/DEM/7.5min) * 1-degree digital elevation model data (/pub/data/DEM/250)

  10. 47 CFR 74.644 - Minimum path lengths for fixed links.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... fixed link must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table below or the EIRP must be reduced in...,990-7,125 17 12,200-13,250 5 Above 17,700 n/a (b) For paths shorter than those specified in the Table... = Maximum EIRP as set forth in the Table in § 74.636 of this part. A = Minimum path length from the Table...

  11. 47 CFR 74.644 - Minimum path lengths for fixed links.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... fixed link must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table below or the EIRP must be reduced in...,990-7,125 17 12,200-13,250 5 Above 17,700 n/a (b) For paths shorter than those specified in the Table... = Maximum EIRP as set forth in the Table in § 74.636 of this part. A = Minimum path length from the Table...

  12. 47 CFR 74.644 - Minimum path lengths for fixed links.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... fixed link must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table below or the EIRP must be reduced in...,990-7,125 17 12,200-13,250 5 Above 17,700 n/a (b) For paths shorter than those specified in the Table... = Maximum EIRP as set forth in the Table in § 74.636 of this part. A = Minimum path length from the Table...

  13. 47 CFR 74.644 - Minimum path lengths for fixed links.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... fixed link must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table below or the EIRP must be reduced in...,990-7,125 17 12,200-13,250 5 Above 17,700 n/a (b) For paths shorter than those specified in the Table... = Maximum EIRP as set forth in the Table in § 74.636 of this part. A = Minimum path length from the Table...

  14. 47 CFR 74.644 - Minimum path lengths for fixed links.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... fixed link must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table below or the EIRP must be reduced in...,990-7,125 17 12,200-13,250 5 Above 17,700 n/a (b) For paths shorter than those specified in the Table... = Maximum EIRP as set forth in the Table in § 74.636 of this part. A = Minimum path length from the Table...

  15. Rheological Characterization as an Alternative Method to Indentation for Determining the Setting Time of Restorative and Endodontic Cements

    PubMed Central

    Nicholson, Timothy M.; Kahler, Bill

    2017-01-01

    This study explored an alternative approach using rheology to assess setting time. The following cements were tested: ProRoot® MTA (Dentsply, Tulsa, OK, USA), Biodentine® (Septodont, Saint Maur des Fosses, France), Fuji VII®, FujiVII® EP, and Fuji IX® (from GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), RealSeal SE™ Sealer (SybronEndo, Amersfoort, The Netherlands), AH 26® and AH Plus (both from Dentsply DeTrey, Konstanz, Germany). Freshly mixed cements were placed into a strain-controlled rheometer (1 rad·s−1 with an applied strain of 0.01%). From measurements of elastic modulus over time, the time taken to reach 90% of the plateau elastic modulus (designated as the setting time) was determined for each cement. In increasing order, the setting times were as follows: Fuji VII EP 3.3 min, Fuji VII 3.6 min, Fuji IX 3.7 min, ProRoot MTA 5.1 min, Biodentine 15.9 min, RealSeal 22.2 min, AH Plus 5933 min, and AH 26 5067 min. However, ProRoot MTA did not yield reliable results. The time to reach the 90% plateau elastic modulus correlates well with the setting time of glass ionomer cements and Biodentine. Using this approach gives much longer setting times for endodontic sealers than previously recognized. PMID:29261125

  16. Comparing laser-based open- and closed-path gas analyzers to measure methane fluxes using the eddy covariance method

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Detto, Matteo; Verfaillie, Joseph; Anderson, Frank; Xu, Liukang; Baldocchi, Dennis

    2011-01-01

    Closed- and open-path methane gas analyzers are used in eddy covariance systems to compare three potential methane emitting ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (CA, USA): a rice field, a peatland pasture and a restored wetland. The study points out similarities and differences of the systems in field experiments and data processing. The closed-path system, despite a less intrusive placement with the sonic anemometer, required more care and power. In contrast, the open-path system appears more versatile for a remote and unattended experimental site. Overall, the two systems have comparable minimum detectable limits, but synchronization between wind speed and methane data, air density corrections and spectral losses have different impacts on the computed flux covariances. For the closed-path analyzer, air density effects are less important, but the synchronization and spectral losses may represent a problem when fluxes are small or when an undersized pump is used. For the open-path analyzer air density corrections are greater, due to spectroscopy effects and the classic Webb–Pearman–Leuning correction. Comparison between the 30-min fluxes reveals good agreement in terms of magnitudes between open-path and closed-path flux systems. However, the scatter is large, as consequence of the intensive data processing which both systems require.

  17. Energy Optimal Path Planning: Integrating Coastal Ocean Modelling with Optimal Control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramani, D. N.; Haley, P. J., Jr.; Lermusiaux, P. F. J.

    2016-02-01

    A stochastic optimization methodology is formulated for computing energy-optimal paths from among time-optimal paths of autonomous vehicles navigating in a dynamic flow field. To set up the energy optimization, the relative vehicle speed and headings are considered to be stochastic, and new stochastic Dynamically Orthogonal (DO) level-set equations that govern their stochastic time-optimal reachability fronts are derived. Their solution provides the distribution of time-optimal reachability fronts and corresponding distribution of time-optimal paths. An optimization is then performed on the vehicle's energy-time joint distribution to select the energy-optimal paths for each arrival time, among all stochastic time-optimal paths for that arrival time. The accuracy and efficiency of the DO level-set equations for solving the governing stochastic level-set reachability fronts are quantitatively assessed, including comparisons with independent semi-analytical solutions. Energy-optimal missions are studied in wind-driven barotropic quasi-geostrophic double-gyre circulations, and in realistic data-assimilative re-analyses of multiscale coastal ocean flows. The latter re-analyses are obtained from multi-resolution 2-way nested primitive-equation simulations of tidal-to-mesoscale dynamics in the Middle Atlantic Bight and Shelbreak Front region. The effects of tidal currents, strong wind events, coastal jets, and shelfbreak fronts on the energy-optimal paths are illustrated and quantified. Results showcase the opportunities for longer-duration missions that intelligently utilize the ocean environment to save energy, rigorously integrating ocean forecasting with optimal control of autonomous vehicles.

  18. Three-Dimensional Path Planning Software-Assisted Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: A Technical Modification

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

    Tsauo, Jiaywei, E-mail: 80732059@qq.com; Luo, Xuefeng, E-mail: luobo-913@126.com; Ye, Linchao, E-mail: linchao.ye@siemens.com

    2015-06-15

    PurposeThis study was designed to report our results with a modified technique of three-dimensional (3D) path planning software assisted transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).Methods3D path planning software was recently developed to facilitate TIPS creation by using two carbon dioxide portograms acquired at least 20° apart to generate a 3D path for overlay needle guidance. However, one shortcoming is that puncturing along the overlay would be technically impossible if the angle of the liver access set and the angle of the 3D path are not the same. To solve this problem, a prototype 3D path planning software was fitted with a utility to calculate themore » angle of the 3D path. Using this, we modified the angle of the liver access set accordingly during the procedure in ten patients.ResultsFailure for technical reasons occurred in three patients (unsuccessful wedged hepatic venography in two cases, software technical failure in one case). The procedure was successful in the remaining seven patients, and only one needle pass was required to obtain portal vein access in each case. The course of puncture was comparable to the 3D path in all patients. No procedure-related complication occurred following the procedures.ConclusionsAdjusting the angle of the liver access set to match the angle of the 3D path determined by the software appears to be a favorable modification to the technique of 3D path planning software assisted TIPS.« less

  19. Gaining Insight Into Femtosecond-scale CMOS Effects using FPGAs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-24

    paths or detecting gross path delay faults , but for characterizing subtle aging effects, there is a need to isolate very short paths and detect very...data using COTS FPGAs and novel self-test. Hardware experiments using a 28 nm FPGA demonstrate isolation of small sets of transistors, detection of...hold the static configuration data specifying the LUT function. A set of inverters drive the SRAM contents into a pass-gate multiplexor tree; we

  20. Chained Kullback-Leibler Divergences

    PubMed Central

    Pavlichin, Dmitri S.; Weissman, Tsachy

    2017-01-01

    We define and characterize the “chained” Kullback-Leibler divergence minw D(p‖w) + D(w‖q) minimized over all intermediate distributions w and the analogous k-fold chained K-L divergence min D(p‖wk−1) + … + D(w2‖w1) + D(w1‖q) minimized over the entire path (w1,…,wk−1). This quantity arises in a large deviations analysis of a Markov chain on the set of types – the Wright-Fisher model of neutral genetic drift: a population with allele distribution q produces offspring with allele distribution w, which then produce offspring with allele distribution p, and so on. The chained divergences enjoy some of the same properties as the K-L divergence (like joint convexity in the arguments) and appear in k-step versions of some of the same settings as the K-L divergence (like information projections and a conditional limit theorem). We further characterize the optimal k-step “path” of distributions appearing in the definition and apply our findings in a large deviations analysis of the Wright-Fisher process. We make a connection to information geometry via the previously studied continuum limit, where the number of steps tends to infinity, and the limiting path is a geodesic in the Fisher information metric. Finally, we offer a thermodynamic interpretation of the chained divergence (as the rate of operation of an appropriately defined Maxwell’s demon) and we state some natural extensions and applications (a k-step mutual information and k-step maximum likelihood inference). We release code for computing the objects we study. PMID:29130024

  1. Classification of Birds and Bats Using Flight Tracks

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

    Cullinan, Valerie I.; Matzner, Shari; Duberstein, Corey A.

    Classification of birds and bats that use areas targeted for offshore wind farm development and the inference of their behavior is essential to evaluating the potential effects of development. The current approach to assessing the number and distribution of birds at sea involves transect surveys using trained individuals in boats or airplanes or using high-resolution imagery. These approaches are costly and have safety concerns. Based on a limited annotated library extracted from a single-camera thermal video, we provide a framework for building models that classify birds and bats and their associated behaviors. As an example, we developed a discriminant modelmore » for theoretical flight paths and applied it to data (N = 64 tracks) extracted from 5-min video clips. The agreement between model- and observer-classified path types was initially only 41%, but it increased to 73% when small-scale jitter was censored and path types were combined. Classification of 46 tracks of bats, swallows, gulls, and terns on average was 82% accurate, based on a jackknife cross-validation. Model classification of bats and terns (N = 4 and 2, respectively) was 94% and 91% correct, respectively; however, the variance associated with the tracks from these targets is poorly estimated. Model classification of gulls and swallows (N ≥ 18) was on average 73% and 85% correct, respectively. The models developed here should be considered preliminary because they are based on a small data set both in terms of the numbers of species and the identified flight tracks. Future classification models would be greatly improved by including a measure of distance between the camera and the target.« less

  2. [Research on the preparative method of Arctigenin].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li-Ying; Yang, Yi-Shun; Zhang, Tong; Ding, Yue; Cai, Zhen-Zhen; Tao, Jian-Sheng

    2012-03-01

    To research on the preparation of Arctigenin in vitro. Took enzyme concentration, time course and substrate concentration as investigation factors, used Box-Behnken design-response surface methodology to optimize the enzyme hydrolysis path of Arctigenin. The best operational path for Arctigenin was as follows: the temperature was 50 degrees C, pH was 4.8, enzyme concentration was 0.44 U/mL, time course was 46.81 min, substrate concentration was 0.29 mg/mL, the conversion rate was 90.94%. This research can be regarded as a referencein preparing Arctigenin in vitro.

  3. Device for adapting continuously variable transmissions to infinitely variable transmissions with forward-neutral-reverse capabilities

    DOEpatents

    Wilkes, Donald F.; Purvis, James W.; Miller, A. Keith

    1997-01-01

    An infinitely variable transmission is capable of operating between a maximum speed in one direction and a minimum speed in an opposite direction, including a zero output angular velocity, while being supplied with energy at a constant angular velocity. Input energy is divided between a first power path carrying an orbital set of elements and a second path that includes a variable speed adjustment mechanism. The second power path also connects with the orbital set of elements in such a way as to vary the rate of angular rotation thereof. The combined effects of power from the first and second power paths are combined and delivered to an output element by the orbital element set. The transmission can be designed to operate over a preselected ratio of forward to reverse output speeds.

  4. The Time Window Vehicle Routing Problem Considering Closed Route

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irsa Syahputri, Nenna; Mawengkang, Herman

    2017-12-01

    The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) determines the optimal set of routes used by a fleet of vehicles to serve a given set of customers on a predefined graph; the objective is to minimize the total travel cost (related to the travel times or distances) and operational cost (related to the number of vehicles used). In this paper we study a variant of the predefined graph: given a weighted graph G and vertices a and b, and given a set X of closed paths in G, find the minimum total travel cost of a-b path P such that no path in X is a subpath of P. Path P is allowed to repeat vertices and edges. We use integer programming model to describe the problem. A feasible neighbourhood approach is proposed to solve the model

  5. Differential-Evolution Control Parameter Optimization for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Path Planning

    PubMed Central

    Kok, Kai Yit; Rajendran, Parvathy

    2016-01-01

    The differential evolution algorithm has been widely applied on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) path planning. At present, four random tuning parameters exist for differential evolution algorithm, namely, population size, differential weight, crossover, and generation number. These tuning parameters are required, together with user setting on path and computational cost weightage. However, the optimum settings of these tuning parameters vary according to application. Instead of trial and error, this paper presents an optimization method of differential evolution algorithm for tuning the parameters of UAV path planning. The parameters that this research focuses on are population size, differential weight, crossover, and generation number. The developed algorithm enables the user to simply define the weightage desired between the path and computational cost to converge with the minimum generation required based on user requirement. In conclusion, the proposed optimization of tuning parameters in differential evolution algorithm for UAV path planning expedites and improves the final output path and computational cost. PMID:26943630

  6. On load paths and load bearing topology from finite element analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelly, D.; Reidsema, C.; Lee, M.

    2010-06-01

    Load paths can be mapped from vector plots of 'pointing stress vectors'. They define a path along which a component of load remains constant as it traverses the solution domain. In this paper the theory for the paths is first defined. Properties of the plots that enable a designer to interpret the structural behavior from the contours are then identified. Because stress is a second order tensor defined on an orthogonal set of axes, the vector plots define separate paths for load transfer in each direction of the set of axes. An algorithm is therefore presented that combines the vectors to define a topology to carry the loads. The algorithm is shown to straighten the paths reducing bending moments and removing stress concentration. Application to a bolted joint, a racing car body and a yacht hull demonstrate the usefulness of the plots.

  7. Controlling wildlife fungal disease spread: in vitro efficacy of disinfectants against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Mucor amphibiorum.

    PubMed

    Webb, Rebecca; Philips, Annie; Speare, Rick; Connolly, Joanne; Berger, Lee

    2012-06-13

    Chytridiomycosis in amphibians, and mucormycosis in the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus and amphibians, are serious fungal diseases affecting these aquatic taxa. In Tasmania, Australia, the fungi that cause these diseases overlap in range along with Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc), an invasive fungal plant pathogen. To identify disinfectants that may be useful to reduce anthropogenic spread of these fungi to uninfected wilderness areas, for example by bush walkers and forestry or fire-fighting operations, we tested 3 disinfectants and a fire-fighting foam against Mucor amphibiorum (Ma) and tested 1 disinfectant and the foam against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Combining the present study with previous work we found Bd was more susceptible to all 4 chemicals than Ma. Phytoclean, a disinfectant used at 2 to 10% for 30 s to control Pc, killed cultures of Bd at 0.075% and Ma at 5%, when also applied for 30 s. The disinfectant F10sc was not effective against Ma at standard exposures, but previous work shows Bd is killed at 0.03% with a 1 min exposure. Path-X is effective against Bd at 0.001% with a 30 s exposure and killed Ma at 1% with a 5 min exposure. Forexpan S, a foam added to water at 0.1 to 1% to control forest fires, killed Bd but not Ma when used at 1% for 2 min. Therefore, Phytoclean and Path-X have broader efficacy, although Path-X has not been trialled against Pc. Interestingly a positive mating strain of Ma (from a platypus) was more resistant to disinfectants than a negative strain (from a frog). Current protocols against Pc that involve high concentrations (10%) of Phytoclean are likely to reduce spread of pathogenic wildlife fungi, which is important for protecting biodiversity.

  8. STEPP--Search Tool for Exploration of Petri net Paths: a new tool for Petri net-based path analysis in biochemical networks.

    PubMed

    Koch, Ina; Schueler, Markus; Heiner, Monika

    2005-01-01

    To understand biochemical processes caused by, e. g., mutations or deletions in the genome, the knowledge of possible alternative paths between two arbitrary chemical compounds is of increasing interest for biotechnology, pharmacology, medicine, and drug design. With the steadily increasing amount of data from high-throughput experiments new biochemical networks can be constructed and existing ones can be extended, which results in many large metabolic, signal transduction, and gene regulatory networks. The search for alternative paths within these complex and large networks can provide a huge amount of solutions, which can not be handled manually. Moreover, not all of the alternative paths are generally of interest. Therefore, we have developed and implemented a method, which allows us to define constraints to reduce the set of all structurally possible paths to the truly interesting path set. The paper describes the search algorithm and the constraints definition language. We give examples for path searches using this dedicated special language for a Petri net model of the sucrose-to-starch breakdown in the potato tuber.

  9. STEPP - Search Tool for Exploration of Petri net Paths: A New Tool for Petri Net-Based Path Analysis in Biochemical Networks.

    PubMed

    Koch, Ina; Schüler, Markus; Heiner, Monika

    2011-01-01

    To understand biochemical processes caused by, e.g., mutations or deletions in the genome, the knowledge of possible alternative paths between two arbitrary chemical compounds is of increasing interest for biotechnology, pharmacology, medicine, and drug design. With the steadily increasing amount of data from high-throughput experiments new biochemical networks can be constructed and existing ones can be extended, which results in many large metabolic, signal transduction, and gene regulatory networks. The search for alternative paths within these complex and large networks can provide a huge amount of solutions, which can not be handled manually. Moreover, not all of the alternative paths are generally of interest. Therefore, we have developed and implemented a method, which allows us to define constraints to reduce the set of all structurally possible paths to the truly interesting path set. The paper describes the search algorithm and the constraints definition language. We give examples for path searches using this dedicated special language for a Petri net model of the sucrose-to-starch breakdown in the potato tuber. http://sanaga.tfh-berlin.de/~stepp/

  10. An Extended Trajectory Mechanics Approach for Calculating the Path of a Pressure Transient: Derivation and Illustration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasco, D. W.

    2018-04-01

    Following an approach used in quantum dynamics, an exponential representation of the hydraulic head transforms the diffusion equation governing pressure propagation into an equivalent set of ordinary differential equations. Using a reservoir simulator to determine one set of dependent variables leaves a reduced set of equations for the path of a pressure transient. Unlike the current approach for computing the path of a transient, based on a high-frequency asymptotic solution, the trajectories resulting from this new formulation are valid for arbitrary spatial variations in aquifer properties. For a medium containing interfaces and layers with sharp boundaries, the trajectory mechanics approach produces paths that are compatible with travel time fields produced by a numerical simulator, while the asymptotic solution produces paths that bend too strongly into high permeability regions. The breakdown of the conventional asymptotic solution, due to the presence of sharp boundaries, has implications for model parameter sensitivity calculations and the solution of the inverse problem. For example, near an abrupt boundary, trajectories based on the asymptotic approach deviate significantly from regions of high sensitivity observed in numerical computations. In contrast, paths based on the new trajectory mechanics approach coincide with regions of maximum sensitivity to permeability changes.

  11. Algebraic Approaches for Scalable End-to-End Monitoring and Diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yao; Chen, Yan

    The rigidity of the Internet architecture led to flourish in the research of end-to-end based systems. In this chapter, we describe a linear algebra-based end-to-end monitoring and diagnosis system. We first propose a tomography-based overlay monitoring system (TOM). Given n end hosts, TOM selectively monitors a basis set of O(nlogn) paths out of all n(n - 1) end-to-end paths. Any end-to-end path can be written as a unique linear combination of paths in the basis set. Consequently, by monitoring loss rates for the paths in the basis set, TOM infers loss rates for all end-to-end paths. Furthermore, leveraging on the scalable measurements from the TOM system, we propose the Least-biased End-to-End Network Diagnosis (in short, LEND) system. We define a minimal identifiable link sequence (MILS) as a link sequence of minimal length whose properties can be uniquely identified from end-to-end measurements. LEND applies an algebraic approach to find out the MILSes and infers the properties of the MILSes efficiently. This also means LEND system achieves the finest diagnosis granularity under the least biased statistical assumptions.

  12. Circuity analyses of HSR network and high-speed train paths in China

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Shuo; Huang, Jie; Shan, Xinghua

    2017-01-01

    Circuity, defined as the ratio of the shortest network distance to the Euclidean distance between one origin–destination (O-D) pair, can be adopted as a helpful evaluation method of indirect degrees of train paths. In this paper, the maximum circuity of the paths of operated trains is set to be the threshold value of the circuity of high-speed train paths. For the shortest paths of any node pairs, if their circuity is not higher than the threshold value, the paths can be regarded as the reasonable paths. With the consideration of a certain relative or absolute error, we cluster the reasonable paths on the basis of their inclusion relationship and the center path of each class represents a passenger transit corridor. We take the high-speed rail (HSR) network in China at the end of 2014 as an example, and obtain 51 passenger transit corridors, which are alternative sets of train paths. Furthermore, we analyze the circuity distribution of paths of all node pairs in the network. We find that the high circuity of train paths can be decreased with the construction of a high-speed railway line, which indicates that the structure of the HSR network in China tends to be more complete and the HSR network can make the Chinese railway network more efficient. PMID:28945757

  13. Online POMDP Algorithms for Very Large Observation Spaces

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-06-06

    stochastic optimization: From sets to paths." In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, pp. 1585- 1593 . 2015. • Luo, Yuanfu, Haoyu Bai...and Wee Sun Lee. "Adaptive stochastic optimization: From sets to paths." In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, pp. 1585- 1593 . 2015

  14. Effects of community-based virtual reality treadmill training on balance ability in patients with chronic stroke.

    PubMed

    Kim, Nara; Park, YuHyung; Lee, Byoung-Hee

    2015-03-01

    [Purpose] We aimed to examine the effectiveness of a community-based virtual reality treadmill training (CVRTT) program on static balance abilities in patients with stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Patients (n = 20) who suffered a stroke at least 6 months prior to the study were recruited. All subjects underwent conventional physical therapy for 60 min/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks. Additionally, the CVRTT group underwent community-based virtual reality scene exposure combined with treadmill training for 30 min/day, 3 days/week, for 4 weeks, whereas the control group underwent conventional physical therapy, including muscle strengthening, balance training, and indoor and outdoor gait training, for 30 min/day, 3 days/week, for 4 weeks. Outcome measurements included the anteroposterior, mediolateral, and total postural sway path lengths and speed, which were recorded using the Balancia Software on a Wii Fit(™) balance board. [Results] The postural sway speed and anteroposterior and total postural sway path lengths were significantly decreased in the CVRTT group. Overall, the CVRTT group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group. [Conclusions] The present study results can be used to support the use of CVRTT for effectively improving balance in stroke patients. Moreover, we determined that a CVRTT program for stroke patients is both feasible and suitable.

  15. System, apparatus and methods to implement high-speed network analyzers

    DOEpatents

    Ezick, James; Lethin, Richard; Ros-Giralt, Jordi; Szilagyi, Peter; Wohlford, David E

    2015-11-10

    Systems, apparatus and methods for the implementation of high-speed network analyzers are provided. A set of high-level specifications is used to define the behavior of the network analyzer emitted by a compiler. An optimized inline workflow to process regular expressions is presented without sacrificing the semantic capabilities of the processing engine. An optimized packet dispatcher implements a subset of the functions implemented by the network analyzer, providing a fast and slow path workflow used to accelerate specific processing units. Such dispatcher facility can also be used as a cache of policies, wherein if a policy is found, then packet manipulations associated with the policy can be quickly performed. An optimized method of generating DFA specifications for network signatures is also presented. The method accepts several optimization criteria, such as min-max allocations or optimal allocations based on the probability of occurrence of each signature input bit.

  16. Calibrating excitation light fluxes for quantitative light microscopy in cell biology

    PubMed Central

    Grünwald, David; Shenoy, Shailesh M; Burke, Sean; Singer, Robert H

    2011-01-01

    Power output of light bulbs changes over time and the total energy delivered will depend on the optical beam path of the microscope, filter sets and objectives used, thus making comparison between experiments performed on different microscopes complicated. Using a thermocoupled power meter, it is possible to measure the exact amount of light applied to a specimen in fluorescence microscopy, regardless of the light source, as the light power measured can be translated into a power density at the sample. This widely used and simple tool forms the basis of a new degree of calibration precision and comparability of results among experiments and setups. Here we describe an easy-to-follow protocol that allows researchers to precisely estimate excitation intensities in the object plane, using commercially available opto-mechanical components. The total duration of this protocol for one objective and six filter cubes is 75 min including start-up time for the lamp. PMID:18974739

  17. Sunrise effects on VLF signals propagating over a long north-south path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clilverd, Mark A.; Thomson, Neil R.; Rodger, Craig J.

    1999-07-01

    We present a detailed study of the times of amplitude minima observed on the 12-Mm path from NAA (24 kHz, 1 MW, Cutler, Maine) to Faraday, Antarctica, during the period 1990-1995. (NAA is a naval transmitter call sign.) This study represents the first account of the effect of the sunrise terminator when it is parallel to a propagation path at some times of the year. Since the NAA-Faraday path is within 3° of the north-south meridian, parallel orientation happens close to the equinoxes, while the maximum angle of incidence occurs during the solstices. During the solstices the terminator takes a significant length of time to cross the entire propagation path, so modal conversion effects are observed over a range of hours. During the equinoxes, however, the leading edge of the night-day transition region crosses the whole propagation path within 20 min. The interpretation of the timing of minima is consistent with modal conversion taking place as the sunrise terminator crosses the NAA-Faraday transmission path at specific, consistent locations. The timing of minima is remarkably consistent from year to year. Long wave propagation modeling is used to show that the location of nightside minima at an altitude of 45-75 km in the subionospheric waveguide represents the location of the sunrise terminator on the great circle path when dayside minima occur.

  18. Evaluating the risk of industrial espionage

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

    Bott, T.F.

    1998-12-31

    A methodology for estimating the relative probabilities of different compromise paths for protected information by insider and visitor intelligence collectors has been developed based on an event-tree analysis of the intelligence collection operation. The analyst identifies target information and ultimate users who might attempt to gain that information. The analyst then uses an event tree to develop a set of compromise paths. Probability models are developed for each of the compromise paths that user parameters based on expert judgment or historical data on security violations. The resulting probability estimates indicate the relative likelihood of different compromise paths and provide anmore » input for security resource allocation. Application of the methodology is demonstrated using a national security example. A set of compromise paths and probability models specifically addressing this example espionage problem are developed. The probability models for hard-copy information compromise paths are quantified as an illustration of the results using parametric values representative of historical data available in secure facilities, supplemented where necessary by expert judgment.« less

  19. Time-Critical Cooperative Path Following of Multiple UAVs: Case Studies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-10-30

    control algorithm for UAVs in 3D space. Section IV derives a strategy for time-critical cooperative path following of multiple UAVs that relies on the...UAVs in 3D space, in which a fleet of UAVs is tasked to converge to and follow a set of desired feasible paths so as to meet spatial and temporal...cooperative trajectory generation is not addressed in this paper. In fact, it is assumed that a set of desired 3D time trajectories pd,i(td) : R → R3

  20. Ionospheric irregularities over Bahir Dar, Ethiopia during selected geomagnetic storms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kassa, Tsegaye; Damtie, Baylie

    2017-07-01

    We have analyzed the effect of geomagnetic storms on the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities by considering seven case studies in the period of 2013-2014 over Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (11° N , 38° E). We inferred the irregularity indices from GPS phase fluctuation by computing the median of 1-min rate of change of total electron content (fp) along the ray paths from all satellites observed. The Fp -index was calculated as an hourly average fp -index values along the ray paths from all satellites observed during each hour. Our results revealed that the irregularity level was inhibited during post sunset hours of the main phase of the storms we considered. On average, the irregularity index has dropped from 400 (0.4 TECU/min) during quiet time to 50 (0.05 TECU/min) on disturbed time with an amount of 350 (0.35 TECU/min). However, in some of the cases, immediately after the onset of the storm, we observed the enhancement of irregularities. We found that only the observations on 01 June 2013 and 19 February 2014 exhibited a correspondence of the time of occurrence of the minimum of the Dst-index with inhibition of irregularities noted by other researchers. Our observations of the enhancement of irregularities on 17 March 2013 and 19 February 2014 can partly be explained by the orientation of the IMF BZ . Other measurements such as neutral wind, electric field are required to explain the observations on 29 June 2013, 06 July 2013, 09 November 2013 and 27 February 2014.

  1. CMPF: class-switching minimized pathfinding in metabolic networks.

    PubMed

    Lim, Kevin; Wong, Limsoon

    2012-01-01

    The metabolic network is an aggregation of enzyme catalyzed reactions that converts one compound to another. Paths in a metabolic network are a sequence of enzymes that describe how a chemical compound of interest can be produced in a biological system. As the number of such paths is quite large, many methods have been developed to score paths so that the k-shortest paths represent the set of paths that are biologically meaningful or efficient. However, these approaches do not consider whether the sequence of enzymes can be manufactured in the same pathway/species/localization. As a result, a predicted sequence might consist of groups of enzymes that operate in distinct pathway/species/localization and may not truly reflect the events occurring within cell. We propose a path weighting method CMPF (Class-switching Minimized Pathfinder) to search for routes in a metabolic network which minimizes pathway switching. In biological terms, a pathway is a series of chemical reactions which define a specific function (e.g. glycolysis). We conjecture that routes that cross many pathways are inefficient since different pathways define different metabolic functions. In addition, native routes are also well characterized within pathways, suggesting that reasonable paths should not involve too many pathway switches. Our method can be generalized when reactions participate in a class set (e.g., pathways, species or cellular localization) so that the paths predicted have minimal class crossings. We show that our method generates k-paths that involve the least number of class switching. In addition, we also show that native paths are recoverable and alternative paths deviates less from native paths compared to other methods. This suggests that paths ranked by our method could be a way to predict paths that are likely to occur in biological systems.

  2. A fast algorithm for automatic detection of ionospheric disturbances: DROT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Efendi, Emre; Arikan, Feza

    2017-06-01

    Solar, geomagnetic, gravitational and seismic activities cause disturbances in the ionospheric region of upper atmosphere that may disrupt or lower the quality of space based communication, navigation and positioning system signals. These disturbances can be categorized with respect to their amplitude, duration and frequency. Typically in the literature, ionospheric disturbances are investigated with gradient based methods on Total Electron Content (TEC) data estimated from ground based dual frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. In this study, a fast algorithm is developed for the automatic detection of the variability in Slant TEC (STEC) data. STEC is defined as the total number of electrons on the ray path between the ground based receiver and GPS satellite in the orbital height of 20,000 km. The developed method, namely, Differential Rate of TEC (DROT), is based on Rate of Tec (ROT) method. ROT is widely used in the literature and it is usually applied to Vertical TEC (VTEC) that corresponds to the projection of STEC to the vertical direction along the ray path at the Ionospheric Pierce Point (IPP) using a mapping function. The developed DROT method can be defined as the normalized metric norm between the ROT and its baseband trend structure. In this study, the performance of DROT is determined using synthetic data with variable bounds on the parameter set of amplitude, frequency and duration of disturbance. It is observed that DROT method can detect disturbances in three categories. For DROT values less than 50%, there is no significant disturbance in STEC data. For DROT values between 50% and 70%, a medium scale disturbance can be observed. For DROT values over 70%, severe disturbances such as Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (LSTIDs) can be observed. DROT method is highly sensitive to the amplitude of the wave-like oscillations. For a disturbance amplitude as low as 1.01 TECU, the disturbances that have durations longer than or equal to 20 min and frequencies higher than 1.095 mHz; or frequencies higher than 0.511 mHz and durations longer than 55 min can be detected automatically with DROT values of 50%. When DROT method is applied to midlatitude STEC values for disturbed days, it is observed that DROT method can detect the disturbances in near-real time, even if the GPS data from the station is uploaded with 15 min intervals.

  3. Variations of Solar Non-axisymmetric Activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gyenge, N.; Baranyi, T.; Ludmány, A.

    The temporal behaviour of solar active longitudes has been examined by using two sunspot catalogues, the Greenwich Photoheliographic Results (GPR) and the Debrecen Photoheliographic Data (DPD). The time-longitude diagrams of the activity distribution reveal the preferred longitudinal zones and their migration with respect to the Carrington frame. The migration paths outline a set of patterns in which the activity zone has alternating prograde/retrograde angular velocities with respect to the Carrington rotation rate. The time profiles of these variations can be described by a set of successive parabolae. Two similar migration paths have been selected from these datasets, one northern path during cycles 21 - 22 and one southern path during cycles 13 - 14, for closer examination and comparison of their dynamical behaviours. The rates of sunspot emergence exhibited in both migration paths similar periodicities, close to 1.3 years. This behaviour may imply that the active longitude is connected to the bottom of convection zone.

  4. A Path Model of Political Cognitions and Attitudes, Communication, and Voting Behavior in a Congressional Election.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimsey, William D.; Atwood, L. Erwin

    A path model was developed to assess the effects of early campaign cognitions and attitudes on media use and interpersonal communication, subsequent cognitions, attitudes, and vote. Two interpretations of possible outcomes were postulated: agenda setting, and uses and gratifications. It was argued that an agenda-setting interpretation would be…

  5. Three-dimensional Image Fusion Guidance for Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement.

    PubMed

    Tacher, Vania; Petit, Arthur; Derbel, Haytham; Novelli, Luigi; Vitellius, Manuel; Ridouani, Fourat; Luciani, Alain; Rahmouni, Alain; Duvoux, Christophe; Salloum, Chady; Chiaradia, Mélanie; Kobeiter, Hicham

    2017-11-01

    To assess the safety, feasibility and effectiveness of image fusion guidance with pre-procedural portal phase computed tomography with intraprocedural fluoroscopy for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement. All consecutive cirrhotic patients presenting at our interventional unit for TIPS creation from January 2015 to January 2016 were prospectively enrolled. Procedures were performed under general anesthesia in an interventional suite equipped with flat panel detector, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and image fusion technique. All TIPSs were placed under image fusion guidance. After hepatic vein catheterization, an unenhanced CBCT acquisition was performed and co-registered with the pre-procedural portal phase CT images. A virtual path between hepatic vein and portal branch was made using the virtual needle path trajectory software. Subsequently, the 3D virtual path was overlaid on 2D fluoroscopy for guidance during portal branch cannulation. Safety, feasibility, effectiveness and per-procedural data were evaluated. Sixteen patients (12 males; median age 56 years) were included. Procedures were technically feasible in 15 of the 16 patients (94%). One procedure was aborted due to hepatic vein catheterization failure related to severe liver distortion. No periprocedural complications occurred within 48 h of the procedure. The median dose-area product was 91 Gy cm 2 , fluoroscopy time 15 min, procedure time 40 min and contrast media consumption 65 mL. Clinical benefit of the TIPS placement was observed in nine patients (56%). This study suggests that 3D image fusion guidance for TIPS is feasible, safe and effective. By identifying virtual needle path, CBCT enables real-time multiplanar guidance and may facilitate TIPS placement.

  6. A Vision-Aided 3D Path Teaching Method before Narrow Butt Joint Welding

    PubMed Central

    Zeng, Jinle; Chang, Baohua; Du, Dong; Peng, Guodong; Chang, Shuhe; Hong, Yuxiang; Wang, Li; Shan, Jiguo

    2017-01-01

    For better welding quality, accurate path teaching for actuators must be achieved before welding. Due to machining errors, assembly errors, deformations, etc., the actual groove position may be different from the predetermined path. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the actual groove position using machine vision methods and perform an accurate path teaching process. However, during the teaching process of a narrow butt joint, the existing machine vision methods may fail because of poor adaptability, low resolution, and lack of 3D information. This paper proposes a 3D path teaching method for narrow butt joint welding. This method obtains two kinds of visual information nearly at the same time, namely 2D pixel coordinates of the groove in uniform lighting condition and 3D point cloud data of the workpiece surface in cross-line laser lighting condition. The 3D position and pose between the welding torch and groove can be calculated after information fusion. The image resolution can reach 12.5 μm. Experiments are carried out at an actuator speed of 2300 mm/min and groove width of less than 0.1 mm. The results show that this method is suitable for groove recognition before narrow butt joint welding and can be applied in path teaching fields of 3D complex components. PMID:28492481

  7. A Vision-Aided 3D Path Teaching Method before Narrow Butt Joint Welding.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Jinle; Chang, Baohua; Du, Dong; Peng, Guodong; Chang, Shuhe; Hong, Yuxiang; Wang, Li; Shan, Jiguo

    2017-05-11

    For better welding quality, accurate path teaching for actuators must be achieved before welding. Due to machining errors, assembly errors, deformations, etc., the actual groove position may be different from the predetermined path. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the actual groove position using machine vision methods and perform an accurate path teaching process. However, during the teaching process of a narrow butt joint, the existing machine vision methods may fail because of poor adaptability, low resolution, and lack of 3D information. This paper proposes a 3D path teaching method for narrow butt joint welding. This method obtains two kinds of visual information nearly at the same time, namely 2D pixel coordinates of the groove in uniform lighting condition and 3D point cloud data of the workpiece surface in cross-line laser lighting condition. The 3D position and pose between the welding torch and groove can be calculated after information fusion. The image resolution can reach 12.5 μm. Experiments are carried out at an actuator speed of 2300 mm/min and groove width of less than 0.1 mm. The results show that this method is suitable for groove recognition before narrow butt joint welding and can be applied in path teaching fields of 3D complex components.

  8. An Information-Theoretic-based Evolutionary Approach for the Dynamic Search Path Planning Problem

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-05-01

    0 12 ,min TT TT EEE EE (18) where 0E and iTE are the initial system entropy and the expected entropy...xlsp 10,| (8) c z f z zc z f z z p p p p 1 1; 0,0, zz EE (10) Posterior zone z target occupancy belief for an s-success l...heuristics (1 and 2) shown at the end of time horizon T is defined as follows: 21 0 2 0 1 0 21 21 ,min,max TT TT TT TT EEE EEEE gg gg TRIG 21

  9. Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Harvey, Judson W.; Fuller, Christopher C.

    1998-01-01

    We determined the role of the hyporheic zone (the subsurface zone where stream water and shallow groundwater mix) in enhancing microbially mediated oxidation of dissolved manganese (to form manganese precipitates) in a drainage basin contaminated by copper mining. The fate of manganese is of overall importance to water quality in Pinal Creek Basin, Arizona, because manganese reactions affect the transport of trace metals. The basin-scale role of the hyporheic zone is difficult to quantify because stream-tracer studies do not always reliably characterize the cumulative effects of the hyporheic zone. This study determined cumulative effects of hyporheic reactions in Pinal Creek basin by characterizing manganese uptake at several spatial scales (stream-reach scale, hyporheic-flow-path scale, and sediment-grain scale). At the stream-reach scale a one-dimensional stream-transport model (including storage zones to represent hyporheic flow paths) was used to determine a reach-averaged time constant for manganese uptake in hyporheic zones, 1/λs, of 1.3 hours, which was somewhat faster but still similar to manganese uptake time constants that were measured directly in centimeter-scale hyporheic flow paths (1/λh= 2.6 hours), and in laboratory batch experiments using streambed sediment (1/λ = 2.7 hours). The modeled depths of subsurface storage zones (ds = 4–17 cm) and modeled residence times of water in storage zones (ts = 3–12 min) were both consistent with direct measurements in hyporheic flow paths (dh = 0–15 cm, th = 1–25 min). There was also good agreement between reach-scale modeling and direct measurements of the percentage removal of dissolved manganese in hyporheic flow paths (fs = 8.9%, andfh = 9.3%rpar;. Manganese uptake experiments in the laboratory using sediment from Pinal Creek demonstrated (through comparison of poisoned and unpoisoned treatments) that the manganese removal process was enhanced by microbially mediated oxidation. The cumulative effect of hyporheic exchange in Pinal Creek basin was to remove approximately 20% of the dissolved manganese flowing out of the drainage basin. Our results illustrate that the cumulative significance of reactive uptake in the hyporheic zone depends on the balance between chemical reaction rates, hyporheic porewater residence time, and turnover of streamflow through hyporheic flow paths. The similarity between the hyporheic reaction timescale (1/λs ≈ 1.3 hours), and the hyporheic porewater residence timescale (ts ≈ 8 min) ensured that there was adequate time for the reaction to progress. Furthermore, it was the similarity between the turnover length for stream water flow through hyporheic flow paths (Ls = stream velocity/storage-zone exchange coefficient ≈ 1.3 km) and the length of Pinal Creek (L ≈ 7 km), which ensured that all stream water passed through hyporheic flow paths several times. As a means to generalize our findings to other sites where similar types of hydrologic and chemical information are available, we suggest a cumulative significance index for hyporheic reactions, Rs = λstsL/Ls (dimensionless); higher values indicate a greater potential for hyporheic reactions to influence geochemical mass balance. Our experience in Pinal Creek basin suggests that values of Rs > 0.2 characterize systems where hyporheic reactions are likely to influence geochemical mass balance at the drainage-basin scale.

  10. Reconstruction of incomplete cell paths through a 3D-2D level set segmentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hariri, Maia; Wan, Justin W. L.

    2012-02-01

    Segmentation of fluorescent cell images has been a popular technique for tracking live cells. One challenge of segmenting cells from fluorescence microscopy is that cells in fluorescent images frequently disappear. When the images are stacked together to form a 3D image volume, the disappearance of the cells leads to broken cell paths. In this paper, we present a segmentation method that can reconstruct incomplete cell paths. The key idea of this model is to perform 2D segmentation in a 3D framework. The 2D segmentation captures the cells that appear in the image slices while the 3D segmentation connects the broken cell paths. The formulation is similar to the Chan-Vese level set segmentation which detects edges by comparing the intensity value at each voxel with the mean intensity values inside and outside of the level set surface. Our model, however, performs the comparison on each 2D slice with the means calculated by the 2D projected contour. The resulting effect is to segment the cells on each image slice. Unlike segmentation on each image frame individually, these 2D contours together form the 3D level set function. By enforcing minimum mean curvature on the level set surface, our segmentation model is able to extend the cell contours right before (and after) the cell disappears (and reappears) into the gaps, eventually connecting the broken paths. We will present segmentation results of C2C12 cells in fluorescent images to illustrate the effectiveness of our model qualitatively and quantitatively by different numerical examples.

  11. Methodology for Augmenting Existing Paths with Additional Parallel Transects

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

    Wilson, John E.

    2013-09-30

    Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is sample planning software that is used, among other purposes, to plan transect sampling paths to detect areas that were potentially used for munition training. This module was developed for application on a large site where existing roads and trails were to be used as primary sampling paths. Gap areas between these primary paths needed to found and covered with parallel transect paths. These gap areas represent areas on the site that are more than a specified distance from a primary path. These added parallel paths needed to optionally be connected together into a single path—themore » shortest path possible. The paths also needed to optionally be attached to existing primary paths, again with the shortest possible path. Finally, the process must be repeatable and predictable so that the same inputs (primary paths, specified distance, and path options) will result in the same set of new paths every time. This methodology was developed to meet those specifications.« less

  12. Path integrals and large deviations in stochastic hybrid systems.

    PubMed

    Bressloff, Paul C; Newby, Jay M

    2014-04-01

    We construct a path-integral representation of solutions to a stochastic hybrid system, consisting of one or more continuous variables evolving according to a piecewise-deterministic dynamics. The differential equations for the continuous variables are coupled to a set of discrete variables that satisfy a continuous-time Markov process, which means that the differential equations are only valid between jumps in the discrete variables. Examples of stochastic hybrid systems arise in biophysical models of stochastic ion channels, motor-driven intracellular transport, gene networks, and stochastic neural networks. We use the path-integral representation to derive a large deviation action principle for a stochastic hybrid system. Minimizing the associated action functional with respect to the set of all trajectories emanating from a metastable state (assuming that such a minimization scheme exists) then determines the most probable paths of escape. Moreover, evaluating the action functional along a most probable path generates the so-called quasipotential used in the calculation of mean first passage times. We illustrate the theory by considering the optimal paths of escape from a metastable state in a bistable neural network.

  13. Permeability, porosity, and mineral surface area changes in basalt cores induced by reactive transport of CO2-rich brine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luhmann, Andrew J.; Tutolo, Benjamin M.; Bagley, Brian C.; Mildner, David F. R.; Seyfried, William E.; Saar, Martin O.

    2017-03-01

    Four reactive flow-through laboratory experiments (two each at 0.1 mL/min and 0.01 mL/min flow rates) at 150°C and 150 bar (15 MPa) are conducted on intact basalt cores to assess changes in porosity, permeability, and surface area caused by CO2-rich fluid-rock interaction. Permeability decreases slightly during the lower flow rate experiments and increases during the higher flow rate experiments. At the higher flow rate, core permeability increases by more than one order of magnitude in one experiment and less than a factor of two in the other due to differences in preexisting flow path structure. X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) scans of pre- and post-experiment cores identify both mineral dissolution and secondary mineralization, with a net decrease in XRCT porosity of ˜0.7%-0.8% for the larger pores in all four cores. (Ultra) small-angle neutron scattering ((U)SANS) data sets indicate an increase in both (U)SANS porosity and specific surface area (SSA) over the ˜1 nm to 10 µm scale range in post-experiment basalt samples, with differences due to flow rate and reaction time. Net porosity increases from summing porosity changes from XRCT and (U)SANS analyses are consistent with core mass decreases. (U)SANS data suggest an overall preservation of the pore structure with no change in mineral surface roughness from reaction, and the pore structure is unique in comparison to previously published basalt analyses. Together, these data sets illustrate changes in physical parameters that arise due to fluid-basalt interaction in relatively low pH environments with elevated CO2 concentration, with significant implications for flow, transport, and reaction through geologic formations.

  14. Graphs and matroids weighted in a bounded incline algebra.

    PubMed

    Lu, Ling-Xia; Zhang, Bei

    2014-01-01

    Firstly, for a graph weighted in a bounded incline algebra (or called a dioid), a longest path problem (LPP, for short) is presented, which can be considered the uniform approach to the famous shortest path problem, the widest path problem, and the most reliable path problem. The solutions for LPP and related algorithms are given. Secondly, for a matroid weighted in a linear matroid, the maximum independent set problem is studied.

  15. A path-dependent fatigue crack propagation model under non-proportional modes I and III loading conditions

    DOE PAGES

    Mei, J.; Dong, P.; Kalnaus, S.; ...

    2017-07-21

    It has been well established that fatigue damage process is load-path dependent under non-proportional multi-axial loading conditions. Most of studies to date have been focusing on interpretation of S-N based test data by constructing a path-dependent fatigue damage model. Our paper presents a two-parameter mixed-mode fatigue crack growth model which takes into account of crack growth dependency on both load path traversed and a maximum effective stress intensity attained in a stress intensity factor plane (e.g.,KI-KIII plane). Furthermore, by taking advantage of a path-dependent maximum range (PDMR) cycle definition (Dong et al., 2010; Wei and Dong, 2010), the two parametersmore » are formulated by introducing a moment of load path (MLP) based equivalent stress intensity factor range (ΔKNP) and a maximum effective stress intensity parameter KMax incorporating an interaction term KI·KIII. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed model, two sets of crack growth rate test data are considered. The first set is obtained as a part of this study using 304 stainless steel disk specimens subjected to three combined non-proportional modes I and III loading conditions (i.e., with a phase angle of 0°, 90°, and 180°). The second set was obtained by Feng et al. (2007) using 1070 steel disk specimens subjected to similar types of non-proportional mixed-mode conditions. Once the proposed two-parameter non-proportional mixed-mode crack growth model is used, it is shown that a good correlation can be achieved for both sets of the crack growth rate test data.« less

  16. A path-dependent fatigue crack propagation model under non-proportional modes I and III loading conditions

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

    Mei, J.; Dong, P.; Kalnaus, S.

    It has been well established that fatigue damage process is load-path dependent under non-proportional multi-axial loading conditions. Most of studies to date have been focusing on interpretation of S-N based test data by constructing a path-dependent fatigue damage model. Our paper presents a two-parameter mixed-mode fatigue crack growth model which takes into account of crack growth dependency on both load path traversed and a maximum effective stress intensity attained in a stress intensity factor plane (e.g.,KI-KIII plane). Furthermore, by taking advantage of a path-dependent maximum range (PDMR) cycle definition (Dong et al., 2010; Wei and Dong, 2010), the two parametersmore » are formulated by introducing a moment of load path (MLP) based equivalent stress intensity factor range (ΔKNP) and a maximum effective stress intensity parameter KMax incorporating an interaction term KI·KIII. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed model, two sets of crack growth rate test data are considered. The first set is obtained as a part of this study using 304 stainless steel disk specimens subjected to three combined non-proportional modes I and III loading conditions (i.e., with a phase angle of 0°, 90°, and 180°). The second set was obtained by Feng et al. (2007) using 1070 steel disk specimens subjected to similar types of non-proportional mixed-mode conditions. Once the proposed two-parameter non-proportional mixed-mode crack growth model is used, it is shown that a good correlation can be achieved for both sets of the crack growth rate test data.« less

  17. Image-based modeling of radiation-induced foci

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costes, Sylvain; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Ponomarev, Artem; Barcellos-Hoff, Mary Helen; Chen, James; Chou, William; Gascard, Philippe

    Several proteins involved in the response to DNA double strand breaks (DSB) form microscopically visible nuclear domains, or foci, after exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation-induced foci (RIF) are believed to be located where DNA damage occurs. To test this assumption, we used Monte Carlo simulations to predict the spatial distribution of DSB in human nuclei exposed to high or low-LET radiation. We then compared these predictions to the distribution patterns of three DNA damage sensing proteins, i.e. 53BP1, phosphorylated ATM and γH2AX in human mammary epithelial. The probability to induce DSB can be derived from DNA fragment data measured experimentally by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. We first used this probability in Monte Carlo simulations to predict DSB locations in synthetic nuclei geometrically described by a complete set of human chromosomes, taking into account microscope optics from real experiments. Simulations showed a very good agreement for high-LET, predicting 0.7 foci/µm along the path of a 1 GeV/amu Fe particle against measurement of 0.69 to 0.82 foci/µm for various RIF 5 min following exposure (LET 150 keV/µm). On the other hand, discrepancies were shown in foci frequency for low-LET, with measurements 20One drawback using a theoretical model for the nucleus is that it assumes a simplistic and static pattern for DNA densities. However DNA damage pattern is highly correlated to DNA density pattern (i.e. the more DNA, the more likely to have a break). Therefore, we generalized our Monte Carlo approach to real microscope images, assuming pixel intensity of DAPI in the nucleus was directly proportional to the amount of DNA in that pixel. With such approach we could predict DNA damage pattern in real images on a per nucleus basis. Since energy is randomly deposited along high-LET particle paths, RIF along these paths should also be randomly distributed. As expected, simulations produced DNA-weighted random (Poisson) distributions. In contrast, the distributions of RIF obtained as early as 5 min after exposure to high LET (1 GeV/amu Fe) were non-random. This deviation from the expected DNA-weighted random pattern was further characterized by "relative DNA image measurements". This novel imaging approach showed that RIF were located preferentially at the interface between high and low DNA density regions, and were more frequent than predicted in regions with lower DNA density. The same preferential nuclear location was also measured for RIF induced by 1 Gy of low-LET radiation. This deviation from random behavior was evident only 5 min after irradiation for phosphorylated ATM RIF, while γH2AX and 53BP1 RIF showed pronounced deviations up to 30 min after exposure. These data suggest that RIF within a few minutes following exposure to radiation cluster into open regions of the nucleus (i.e. euchromatin). It is possible that DNA lesions are collected in these nuclear sub-domains for more efficient repair. If so, this would imply that DSB are actively transported within the nucleus, a phenomenon that has not yet been considered in modeling DNA misrepair following exposure to radiation. These results are thus critical for more accurate risk models of radiation and we are actively working on characterizing further RIF movement in human nuclei using live cell imaging.

  18. The Use Of Videography For Three-Dimensional Motion Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hawkins, D. A.; Hawthorne, D. L.; DeLozier, G. S.; Campbell, K. R.; Grabiner, M. D.

    1988-02-01

    Special video path editing capabilities with custom hardware and software, have been developed for use in conjunction with existing video acquisition hardware and firmware. This system has simplified the task of quantifying the kinematics of human movement. A set of retro-reflective markers are secured to a subject performing a given task (i.e. walking, throwing, swinging a golf club, etc.). Multiple cameras, a video processor, and a computer work station collect video data while the task is performed. Software has been developed to edit video files, create centroid data, and identify marker paths. Multi-camera path files are combined to form a 3D path file using the DLT method of cinematography. A separate program converts the 3D path file into kinematic data by creating a set of local coordinate axes and performing a series of coordinate transformations from one local system to the next. The kinematic data is then displayed for appropriate review and/or comparison.

  19. An Introduction to Path Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolfe, Lee M.

    1977-01-01

    The analytical procedure of path analysis is described in terms of its use in nonexperimental settings in the social sciences. The description assumes a moderate statistical background on the part of the reader. (JKS)

  20. Short paths in expander graphs

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

    Kleinberg, J.; Rubinfeld, R.

    Graph expansion has proved to be a powerful general tool for analyzing the behavior of routing algorithms and the interconnection networks on which they run. We develop new routing algorithms and structural results for bounded-degree expander graphs. Our results are unified by the fact that they are all based upon, and extend, a body of work asserting that expanders are rich in short, disjoint paths. In particular, our work has consequences for the disjoint paths problem, multicommodify flow, and graph minor containment. We show: (i) A greedy algorithm for approximating the maximum disjoint paths problem achieves a polylogarithmic approximation ratiomore » in bounded-degree expanders. Although our algorithm is both deterministic and on-line, its performance guarantee is an improvement over previous bounds in expanders. (ii) For a multicommodily flow problem with arbitrary demands on a bounded-degree expander, there is a (1 + {epsilon})-optimal solution using only flow paths of polylogarithmic length. It follows that the multicommodity flow algorithm of Awerbuch and Leighton runs in nearly linear time per commodity in expanders. Our analysis is based on establishing the following: given edge weights on an expander G, one can increase some of the weights very slightly so the resulting shortest-path metric is smooth - the min-weight path between any pair of nodes uses a polylogarithmic number of edges. (iii) Every bounded-degree expander on n nodes contains every graph with O(n/log{sup O(1)} n) nodes and edges as a minor.« less

  1. An improved empirical model for diversity gain on Earth-space propagation paths

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hodge, D. B.

    1981-01-01

    An empirical model was generated to estimate diversity gain on Earth-space propagation paths as a function of Earth terminal separation distance, link frequency, elevation angle, and angle between the baseline and the path azimuth. The resulting model reproduces the entire experimental data set with an RMS error of 0.73 dB.

  2. EuPathDB: the eukaryotic pathogen genomics database resource

    PubMed Central

    Aurrecoechea, Cristina; Barreto, Ana; Basenko, Evelina Y.; Brestelli, John; Brunk, Brian P.; Cade, Shon; Crouch, Kathryn; Doherty, Ryan; Falke, Dave; Fischer, Steve; Gajria, Bindu; Harb, Omar S.; Heiges, Mark; Hertz-Fowler, Christiane; Hu, Sufen; Iodice, John; Kissinger, Jessica C.; Lawrence, Cris; Li, Wei; Pinney, Deborah F.; Pulman, Jane A.; Roos, David S.; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan; Silva-Franco, Fatima; Steinbiss, Sascha; Stoeckert, Christian J.; Spruill, Drew; Wang, Haiming; Warrenfeltz, Susanne; Zheng, Jie

    2017-01-01

    The Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomics Database Resource (EuPathDB, http://eupathdb.org) is a collection of databases covering 170+ eukaryotic pathogens (protists & fungi), along with relevant free-living and non-pathogenic species, and select pathogen hosts. To facilitate the discovery of meaningful biological relationships, the databases couple preconfigured searches with visualization and analysis tools for comprehensive data mining via intuitive graphical interfaces and APIs. All data are analyzed with the same workflows, including creation of gene orthology profiles, so data are easily compared across data sets, data types and organisms. EuPathDB is updated with numerous new analysis tools, features, data sets and data types. New tools include GO, metabolic pathway and word enrichment analyses plus an online workspace for analysis of personal, non-public, large-scale data. Expanded data content is mostly genomic and functional genomic data while new data types include protein microarray, metabolic pathways, compounds, quantitative proteomics, copy number variation, and polysomal transcriptomics. New features include consistent categorization of searches, data sets and genome browser tracks; redesigned gene pages; effective integration of alternative transcripts; and a EuPathDB Galaxy instance for private analyses of a user's data. Forthcoming upgrades include user workspaces for private integration of data with existing EuPathDB data and improved integration and presentation of host–pathogen interactions. PMID:27903906

  3. 47 CFR 101.143 - Minimum path length requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Technical Standards § 101.143 Minimum path length requirements. (a) The... carrier fixed point-to-point microwave services must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table...

  4. 47 CFR 101.143 - Minimum path length requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Technical Standards § 101.143 Minimum path length requirements. (a) The... carrier fixed point-to-point microwave services must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table...

  5. 47 CFR 101.143 - Minimum path length requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Technical Standards § 101.143 Minimum path length requirements. (a) The... carrier fixed point-to-point microwave services must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table...

  6. 47 CFR 101.143 - Minimum path length requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Technical Standards § 101.143 Minimum path length requirements. (a) The... carrier fixed point-to-point microwave services must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table...

  7. 47 CFR 101.143 - Minimum path length requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Technical Standards § 101.143 Minimum path length requirements. (a) The... carrier fixed point-to-point microwave services must equal or exceed the value set forth in the table...

  8. The partition dimension of cycle books graph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santoso, Jaya; Darmaji

    2018-03-01

    Let G be a nontrivial and connected graph with vertex set V(G), edge set E(G) and S ⊆ V(G) with v ∈ V(G), the distance between v and S is d(v,S) = min{d(v,x)|x ∈ S}. For an ordered partition ∏ = {S 1, S 2, S 3,…, Sk } of V(G), the representation of v with respect to ∏ is defined by r(v|∏) = (d(v, S 1), d(v, S 2),…, d(v, Sk )). The partition ∏ is called a resolving partition of G if all representations of vertices are distinct. The partition dimension pd(G) is the smallest integer k such that G has a resolving partition set with k members. In this research, we will determine the partition dimension of Cycle Books {B}{Cr,m}. Cycle books graph {B}{Cr,m} is a graph consisting of m copies cycle Cr with the common path P 2. It is shown that the partition dimension of cycle books graph, pd({B}{C3,m}) is 3 for m = 2, 3, and m for m ≥ 4. pd({B}{C4,m}) is 3 + 2k for m = 3k + 2, 4 + 2(k ‑ 1) for m = 3k + 1, and 3 + 2(k ‑ 1) for m = 3k. pd({B}{C5,m}) is m + 1.

  9. Minimally invasive positioning robot system of femoral neck hollow screw implants based on x-ray error correction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zou, Yunpeng; Xu, Ying; Hu, Lei; Guo, Na; Wang, Lifeng

    2017-01-01

    Aiming the high failure rate, the high radiation quantity and the poor positioning accuracy of femoral neck traditional surgery, this article develops a set of new positioning robot system of femoral neck hollow screw implants based on X-rays error correction, which bases on the study of x-rays perspective principle and the Motion Principle of 6 DOF(degree of freedom) series robot UR(Universal Robots). Compared with Computer Assisted Navigation System, this system owns better positioning accuracy and more simple operation. In addition, without extra Equipment of Visual Tracking, this system can reduce a lot of cost. During the surgery, Doctor can plan the operation path and the pose of mark needle according to the positive and lateral X-rays images of patients. Then they can calculate the pixel ratio according to the ratio of the actual length of mark line and the length on image. After that, they can calculate the amount of exercise of UR Robot according to the relative position between operation path and guide pin and the fixed relationship between guide pin and UR robot. Then, they can control UR to drive the positioning guide pin to the operation path. At this point, check the positioning guide pin and the planning path is coincident, if not, repeat the previous steps, until the positioning guide pin and the planning path coincide which will eventually complete the positioning operation. Moreover, to verify the positioning accuracy, this paper make an errors analysis aiming to thirty cases of the experimental model of bone. The result shows that the motion accuracy of the UR Robot is 0.15mm and the Integral error precision is within 0.8mm. To verify the clinical feasibility of this system, this article analysis on three cases of the clinical experiment. In the whole process of positioning, the X-rays irradiation time is 2-3s, the number of perspective is 3-5 and the whole positioning time is 7-10min. The result shows that this system can complete accurately femoral neck positioning surgery. Meanwhile, it can greatly reduce the X-rays radiation of medical staff and patients. To summarize, it has a significant value in clinical application.

  10. System for testing properties of a network

    DOEpatents

    Rawle, Michael; Bartholomew, David B.; Soares, Marshall A.

    2009-06-16

    A method for identifying properties of a downhole electromagnetic network in a downhole tool sting, including the step of providing an electromagnetic path intermediate a first location and a second location on the electromagnetic network. The method further includes the step of providing a receiver at the second location. The receiver includes a known reference. The analog signal includes a set amplitude, a set range of frequencies, and a set rate of change between the frequencies. The method further includes the steps of sending the analog signal, and passively modifying the signal. The analog signal is sent from the first location through the electromagnetic path, and the signal is modified by the properties of the electromagnetic path. The method further includes the step of receiving a modified signal at the second location and comparing the known reference to the modified signal.

  11. The Thinnest Path Problem

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-10-01

    of vertices located within the d-dimensional sphere centered at vi 1In [3], it is referred to as the forward hyperarcs. 3 replacements Fig. 1: (a...kr ← kr + 1 · Set the parent of vkr+1 to v ∗ While v can reach vkl−1 · Enqueue vkl−1 and kl ← kl − 1 · Set the parent of vkl−1 to v 3. If the Queue... parent of this vertex on this path. This allows us to take the set union operation when we update the neighbors of this vertex. Given below is the

  12. A Minimum Path Algorithm Among 3D-Polyhedral Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yeltekin, Aysin

    1989-03-01

    In this work we introduce a minimum path theorem for 3D case. We also develop an algorithm based on the theorem we prove. The algorithm will be implemented on the software package we develop using C language. The theorem we introduce states that; "Given the initial point I, final point F and S be the set of finite number of static obstacles then an optimal path P from I to F, such that PA S = 0 is composed of straight line segments which are perpendicular to the edge segments of the objects." We prove the theorem as well as we develop the following algorithm depending on the theorem to find the minimum path among 3D-polyhedral objects. The algorithm generates the point Qi on edge ei such that at Qi one can find the line which is perpendicular to the edge and the IF line. The algorithm iteratively provides a new set of initial points from Qi and exploits all possible paths. Then the algorithm chooses the minimum path among the possible ones. The flowchart of the program as well as the examination of its numerical properties are included.

  13. Road networks as collections of minimum cost paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wegner, Jan Dirk; Montoya-Zegarra, Javier Alexander; Schindler, Konrad

    2015-10-01

    We present a probabilistic representation of network structures in images. Our target application is the extraction of urban roads from aerial images. Roads appear as thin, elongated, partially curved structures forming a loopy graph, and this complex layout requires a prior that goes beyond standard smoothness and co-occurrence assumptions. In the proposed model the network is represented as a union of 1D paths connecting distant (super-)pixels. A large set of putative candidate paths is constructed in such a way that they include the true network as much as possible, by searching for minimum cost paths in the foreground (road) likelihood. Selecting the optimal subset of candidate paths is posed as MAP inference in a higher-order conditional random field. Each path forms a higher-order clique with a type of clique potential, which attracts the member nodes of cliques with high cumulative road evidence to the foreground label. That formulation induces a robust PN -Potts model, for which a global MAP solution can be found efficiently with graph cuts. Experiments with two road data sets show that the proposed model significantly improves per-pixel accuracies as well as the overall topological network quality with respect to several baselines.

  14. Inferring microbial interaction networks from metagenomic data using SgLV-EKF algorithm.

    PubMed

    Alshawaqfeh, Mustafa; Serpedin, Erchin; Younes, Ahmad Bani

    2017-03-27

    Inferring the microbial interaction networks (MINs) and modeling their dynamics are critical in understanding the mechanisms of the bacterial ecosystem and designing antibiotic and/or probiotic therapies. Recently, several approaches were proposed to infer MINs using the generalized Lotka-Volterra (gLV) model. Main drawbacks of these models include the fact that these models only consider the measurement noise without taking into consideration the uncertainties in the underlying dynamics. Furthermore, inferring the MIN is characterized by the limited number of observations and nonlinearity in the regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, novel estimation techniques are needed to address these challenges. This work proposes SgLV-EKF: a stochastic gLV model that adopts the extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm to model the MIN dynamics. In particular, SgLV-EKF employs a stochastic modeling of the MIN by adding a noise term to the dynamical model to compensate for modeling uncertainties. This stochastic modeling is more realistic than the conventional gLV model which assumes that the MIN dynamics are perfectly governed by the gLV equations. After specifying the stochastic model structure, we propose the EKF to estimate the MIN. SgLV-EKF was compared with two similarity-based algorithms, one algorithm from the integral-based family and two regression-based algorithms, in terms of the achieved performance on two synthetic data-sets and two real data-sets. The first data-set models the randomness in measurement data, whereas, the second data-set incorporates uncertainties in the underlying dynamics. The real data-sets are provided by a recent study pertaining to an antibiotic-mediated Clostridium difficile infection. The experimental results demonstrate that SgLV-EKF outperforms the alternative methods in terms of robustness to measurement noise, modeling errors, and tracking the dynamics of the MIN. Performance analysis demonstrates that the proposed SgLV-EKF algorithm represents a powerful and reliable tool to infer MINs and track their dynamics.

  15. Effects of rest interval length on Smith machine bench press performance and perceived exertion in trained men.

    PubMed

    Tibana, Ramires A; Vieira, Denis C L; Tajra, Vitor; Bottaro, Martim; de Salles, Belmiro F; Willardson, Jeffrey M; Prestes, Jonato

    2013-12-01

    This study compared two different rest intervals (RI) between sets of resistance exercise. Ten resistance-trained men (M age = 24.3, SD = 3.5 yr.; M weigh t= 80.0 kg, SD = 15.3; M height = 1.75 m, SD = 0.04) performed five sets of Smith machine bench presses at 60% of one repetition maximum, either with 1.5 min. or 3 min. RI between sets. Their repetition performance, total training volume, velocity, fatigue, rating of perceived exertion, and muscular power were measured. All of these measures indicated that performance was significantly better and fatigue was significantly lower in the 3 min. RI as compared with the 1.5 min. RI, except the rating of perceived exertion which did not show a significant difference. A longer RI between sets promotes superior performance for the bench press.

  16. Stereo Image Dense Matching by Integrating Sift and Sgm Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Y.; Song, Y.; Lu, J.

    2018-05-01

    Semi-global matching(SGM) performs the dynamic programming by treating the different path directions equally. It does not consider the impact of different path directions on cost aggregation, and with the expansion of the disparity search range, the accuracy and efficiency of the algorithm drastically decrease. This paper presents a dense matching algorithm by integrating SIFT and SGM. It takes the successful matching pairs matched by SIFT as control points to direct the path in dynamic programming with truncating error propagation. Besides, matching accuracy can be improved by using the gradient direction of the detected feature points to modify the weights of the paths in different directions. The experimental results based on Middlebury stereo data sets and CE-3 lunar data sets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively cut off the error propagation, reduce disparity search range and improve matching accuracy.

  17. Do People Use the Shortest Path? An Empirical Test of Wardrop’s First Principle

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Shanjiang; Levinson, David

    2015-01-01

    Most recent route choice models, following either the random utility maximization or rule-based paradigm, require explicit enumeration of feasible routes. The quality of model estimation and prediction is sensitive to the appropriateness of the consideration set. However, few empirical studies of revealed route characteristics have been reported in the literature. This study evaluates the widely applied shortest path assumption by evaluating routes followed by residents of the Minneapolis—St. Paul metropolitan area. Accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) data were employed to reveal routes people used over an eight to thirteen week period. Most people did not choose the shortest path. Using three weeks of that data, we find that current route choice set generation algorithms do not reveal the majority of paths that individuals took. Findings from this study may guide future efforts in building better route choice models. PMID:26267756

  18. Edge Antimagic Total Labeling on Two Copies of Path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nurdin; Abrar, A. M.; Bhayangkara, A. R. M.; Muliani; Samsir, A. U.; Nahdi, M. R. An

    2018-03-01

    A graph G = (V(G), E(G)) denotes the vertex set and the edge set, respectively. A (p,q)-graph G is a graph such that |V(G) | = p and |E(G) | = q. Graph of order p and size q is called (a,d)-edge-anti magic total if there exists a bijection f : V(G) U E(G)→ {1,2,..., p + q} such that the edge weights w(u,v) = f(u) + f(uv) + f(v) form an arithmetic sequence {a, a + d, a + 2d,...,a + (q - 1)d} with the first term a and common difference d. Two copies of path is disjoint union of two path graph with same order (Pn ∪Pn ) denoted by 2Pn . In this paper we construct the (a,d)-edge-anti magic total labeling in two copies of path for some differences d.

  19. Efficient sampling of parsimonious inversion histories with application to genome rearrangement in Yersinia.

    PubMed

    Miklós, István; Darling, Aaron E

    2009-06-22

    Inversions are among the most common mutations acting on the order and orientation of genes in a genome, and polynomial-time algorithms exist to obtain a minimal length series of inversions that transform one genome arrangement to another. However, the minimum length series of inversions (the optimal sorting path) is often not unique as many such optimal sorting paths exist. If we assume that all optimal sorting paths are equally likely, then statistical inference on genome arrangement history must account for all such sorting paths and not just a single estimate. No deterministic polynomial algorithm is known to count the number of optimal sorting paths nor sample from the uniform distribution of optimal sorting paths. Here, we propose a stochastic method that uniformly samples the set of all optimal sorting paths. Our method uses a novel formulation of parallel Markov chain Monte Carlo. In practice, our method can quickly estimate the total number of optimal sorting paths. We introduce a variant of our approach in which short inversions are modeled to be more likely, and we show how the method can be used to estimate the distribution of inversion lengths and breakpoint usage in pathogenic Yersinia pestis. The proposed method has been implemented in a program called "MC4Inversion." We draw comparison of MC4Inversion to the sampler implemented in BADGER and a previously described importance sampling (IS) technique. We find that on high-divergence data sets, MC4Inversion finds more optimal sorting paths per second than BADGER and the IS technique and simultaneously avoids bias inherent in the IS technique.

  20. A note on subtrees rooted along the primary path of a binary tree

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Troutman, B.M.; Karlinger, M.R.

    1993-01-01

    Let Fn denote the set of rooted binary plane trees with n external nodes, for given T???Fn let ui(T) be the altitude i node along the primary path of T, and let ??i(T) denote the number of external nodes in the induced subtree rooted at ui(T). We set ??i(T) = 0 if i is greater than the length of the primary path of T. We prove limn?????? ???i???x/n En{??i}/???i

  1. Short-term vs. long-term heart rate variability in ischemic cardiomyopathy risk stratification.

    PubMed

    Voss, Andreas; Schroeder, Rico; Vallverdú, Montserrat; Schulz, Steffen; Cygankiewicz, Iwona; Vázquez, Rafael; Bayés de Luna, Antoni; Caminal, Pere

    2013-01-01

    In industrialized countries with aging populations, heart failure affects 0.3-2% of the general population. The investigation of 24 h-ECG recordings revealed the potential of nonlinear indices of heart rate variability (HRV) for enhanced risk stratification in patients with ischemic heart failure (IHF). However, long-term analyses are time-consuming, expensive, and delay the initial diagnosis. The objective of this study was to investigate whether 30 min short-term HRV analysis is sufficient for comparable risk stratification in IHF in comparison to 24 h-HRV analysis. From 256 IHF patients [221 at low risk (IHFLR) and 35 at high risk (IHFHR)] (a) 24 h beat-to-beat time series (b) the first 30 min segment (c) the 30 min most stationary day segment and (d) the 30 min most stationary night segment were investigated. We calculated linear (time and frequency domain) and nonlinear HRV analysis indices. Optimal parameter sets for risk stratification in IHF were determined for 24 h and for each 30 min segment by applying discriminant analysis on significant clinical and non-clinical indices. Long- and short-term HRV indices from frequency domain and particularly from nonlinear dynamics revealed high univariate significances (p < 0.01) discriminating between IHFLR and IHFHR. For multivariate risk stratification, optimal mixed parameter sets consisting of 5 indices (clinical and nonlinear) achieved 80.4% AUC (area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics) from 24 h HRV analysis, 84.3% AUC from first 30 min, 82.2 % AUC from daytime 30 min and 81.7% AUC from nighttime 30 min. The optimal parameter set obtained from the first 30 min showed nearly the same classification power when compared to the optimal 24 h-parameter set. As results from stationary daytime and nighttime, 30 min segments indicate that short-term analyses of 30 min may provide at least a comparable risk stratification power in IHF in comparison to a 24 h analysis period.

  2. System and method for measuring residual stress

    DOEpatents

    Prime, Michael B.

    2002-01-01

    The present invention is a method and system for determining the residual stress within an elastic object. In the method, an elastic object is cut along a path having a known configuration. The cut creates a portion of the object having a new free surface. The free surface then deforms to a contour which is different from the path. Next, the contour is measured to determine how much deformation has occurred across the new free surface. Points defining the contour are collected in an empirical data set. The portion of the object is then modeled in a computer simulator. The points in the empirical data set are entered into the computer simulator. The computer simulator then calculates the residual stress along the path which caused the points within the object to move to the positions measured in the empirical data set. The calculated residual stress is then presented in a useful format to an analyst.

  3. Temperature and pressure determination of the tin melt boundary from a combination of pyrometry, spectral reflectance, and velocity measurements along release paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    La Lone, Brandon; Asimow, Paul; Fatyanov, Oleg; Hixson, Robert; Stevens, Gerald

    2017-06-01

    Plate impact experiments were conducted on tin samples backed by LiF windows to determine the tin melt curve. Thin copper flyers were used so that a release wave followed the 30-40 GPa shock wave in the tin. The release wave at the tin-LiF interface was about 300 ns long. Two sets of experiments were conducted. In one set, spectral emissivity was measured at six wavelengths using a flashlamp illuminated integrating sphere. In the other set, thermal radiance was measured at two wavelengths. The emissivity and thermal radiance measurements were combined to obtain temperature histories of the tin-LiF interface during the release. PDV was used to obtain stress histories. All measurements were combined to obtain temperature vs. stress release paths. A kink or steepening in the release paths indicate where the releases merge onto the melt boundary, and release paths originating from different shock stresses overlap on the melt boundary. Our temperature-stress release path measurements provide a continuous segment of the tin melt boundary that is in good agreement with some of the published melt curves. This work was done by National Security Technologies, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25946 with the U.S. Department of Energy, and supported by the Site-Directed Research and Development Program. DOE/NV/259463133.

  4. K(86Rb) transport heterogeneity in the low-density fraction of sickle cell anemia red blood cells.

    PubMed

    Etzion, Z; Lew, V L; Bookchin, R M

    1996-10-01

    Previous studies have suggested ion transport heterogeneity among sickle cell anemia (SS) reticulocytes that could influence their dehydration susceptibility. We examined Ca2(+)-independent K transport in the lowest density (F1), reticulocyte-rich SS cells, measuring the effects of acidification, ouabain, and bumetanide on their unidirectional K(86Rb) fluxes. Unlike those of normal red blood cells and SS discocytes, the SS-F1 K(86Rb) fluxes were highly nonlinear, with large 5-min flux components (previously unobserved) and a more gradual decline over 60 min. Analysis revealed two distinct K pools: a rapid-turnover pool in a small fraction of cells, whose major ouabain-resistant K(86Rb) transport path showed distinctive properties including inhibition by high concentrations of bumetanide (> or = 1 mM) and stimulation at pH 7.0, and another heterogeneous, relatively slow-turnover pool, in most of the F1 cells, whose main ouabain-resistant K(86Rb) path was insensitive to bumetanide but was stimulated at pH 7.0, which is consistent with heterogeneous expression of the acid-sensitive K-Cl cotransport and with both rapid and slower generation of dehydrated SS cells.

  5. Memory alloy heat engine and method of operation

    DOEpatents

    Johnson, Alfred Davis

    1977-01-01

    A heat engine and method of operation employing an alloy having a shape memory effect. A memory alloy element such as one or more wire loops are cyclically moved through a heat source, along a path toward a heat sink, through the heat sink and then along another path in counter-flow heat exchange relationship with the wire in the first path. The portion of the wire along the first path is caused to elongate to its trained length under minimum tension as it is cooled. The portion of the wire along the second path is caused to contract under maximum tension as it is heated. The resultant tension differential between the wires in the two paths is applied as a force through a distance to produce mechanical work. In one embodiment a first set of endless memory alloy wires are reeved in non-slip engagement between a pair of pulleys which are mounted for conjoint rotation within respective hot and cold reservoirs. Another set of endless memory alloy wires are reeved in non-slip engagement about another pair of pulleys which are mounted in the respective hot and cold reservoirs. The pulleys in the cold reservoir are of a larger diameter than those in the hot reservoir and the opposite reaches of the wires between the two sets of pulleys extend in closely spaced-apart relationship in counter-flow heat regenerator zones. The pulleys are turned to move the two sets of wires in opposite directions. The wires are stretched as they are cooled upon movement through the heat regenerator toward the cold reservoirs, and the wires contract as they are heated upon movement through the regenerator zones toward the hot reservoir. This contraction of wires exerts a larger torque on the greater diameter pulleys for turning the pulleys and supplying mechanical power. Means is provided for applying a variable tension to the wires. Phase change means is provided for controlling the angular phase of the pulleys of each set for purposes of start up procedure as well as for optimizing engine operation under varying conditions of load, speed and temperatures.

  6. pathChirp: Efficient Available Bandwidth Estimation for Network Paths

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

    Cottrell, Les

    2003-04-30

    This paper presents pathChirp, a new active probing tool for estimating the available bandwidth on a communication network path. Based on the concept of ''self-induced congestion,'' pathChirp features an exponential flight pattern of probes we call a chirp. Packet chips offer several significant advantages over current probing schemes based on packet pairs or packet trains. By rapidly increasing the probing rate within each chirp, pathChirp obtains a rich set of information from which to dynamically estimate the available bandwidth. Since it uses only packet interarrival times for estimation, pathChirp does not require synchronous nor highly stable clocks at the sendermore » and receiver. We test pathChirp with simulations and Internet experiments and find that it provides good estimates of the available bandwidth while using only a fraction of the number of probe bytes that current state-of-the-art techniques use.« less

  7. Chronic Effects of Different Rest Intervals Between Sets on Dynamic and Isometric Muscle Strength and Muscle Activity in Trained Older Women.

    PubMed

    Jambassi Filho, José Claudio; Gurjão, André Luiz Demantova; Ceccato, Marilia; Prado, Alexandre Konig Garcia; Gallo, Luiza Herminia; Gobbi, Sebastião

    2017-09-01

    This study investigated the chronic effects of different rest intervals (RIs) between sets on dynamic and isometric muscle strength and muscle activity. We used a repeated-measures design (pretraining and posttraining) with independent groups (different RI). Twenty-one resistance-trained older women (66.4 ± 4.4 years) were randomly assigned to either a 1-minute RI group (G-1 min; n = 10) or 3-minute RI group (G-3 min; n = 11). Both groups completed 3 supervised sessions per week during 8 weeks. In each session, participants performed 3 sets of 15 repetitions of leg press exercise, with a load that elicited muscle failure in the third set. Fifteen maximum repetitions, maximal voluntary contraction, peak rate of force development, and integrated electromyography activity of the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscles were assessed pretraining and posttraining. There was a significant increase in load of 15 maximum repetitions posttraining for G-3 min only (3.6%; P < 0.05). However, posttraining results showed no significant differences between G-1 min and G-3 min groups for all dependent variables (P > 0.05). The findings suggest that different RIs between sets did not influence dynamic and isometric muscle strength and muscle activity in resistance-trained older women.

  8. Interactive Planning for Capability Driven Air & Space Operations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-04-30

    Time, Routledge and Kegan , London, UK, 1980. [5] A. Bochman, Concerted instant–interval temporal semantics I: Temporal ontologies, Notre Dame Journal...then return true else deleteStatement (X, rj , Y ) end if end for return false Figure 8 shows the search space for instance in Table 2. The green ...nodes are those for which the set of relations cor- responding to the path from the root form a consistent set. A path from root to a green leaf node

  9. Efficient Sampling of Parsimonious Inversion Histories with Application to Genome Rearrangement in Yersinia

    PubMed Central

    Darling, Aaron E.

    2009-01-01

    Inversions are among the most common mutations acting on the order and orientation of genes in a genome, and polynomial-time algorithms exist to obtain a minimal length series of inversions that transform one genome arrangement to another. However, the minimum length series of inversions (the optimal sorting path) is often not unique as many such optimal sorting paths exist. If we assume that all optimal sorting paths are equally likely, then statistical inference on genome arrangement history must account for all such sorting paths and not just a single estimate. No deterministic polynomial algorithm is known to count the number of optimal sorting paths nor sample from the uniform distribution of optimal sorting paths. Here, we propose a stochastic method that uniformly samples the set of all optimal sorting paths. Our method uses a novel formulation of parallel Markov chain Monte Carlo. In practice, our method can quickly estimate the total number of optimal sorting paths. We introduce a variant of our approach in which short inversions are modeled to be more likely, and we show how the method can be used to estimate the distribution of inversion lengths and breakpoint usage in pathogenic Yersinia pestis. The proposed method has been implemented in a program called “MC4Inversion.” We draw comparison of MC4Inversion to the sampler implemented in BADGER and a previously described importance sampling (IS) technique. We find that on high-divergence data sets, MC4Inversion finds more optimal sorting paths per second than BADGER and the IS technique and simultaneously avoids bias inherent in the IS technique. PMID:20333186

  10. A Path Algorithm for Constrained Estimation

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Hua; Lange, Kenneth

    2013-01-01

    Many least-square problems involve affine equality and inequality constraints. Although there are a variety of methods for solving such problems, most statisticians find constrained estimation challenging. The current article proposes a new path-following algorithm for quadratic programming that replaces hard constraints by what are called exact penalties. Similar penalties arise in l1 regularization in model selection. In the regularization setting, penalties encapsulate prior knowledge, and penalized parameter estimates represent a trade-off between the observed data and the prior knowledge. Classical penalty methods of optimization, such as the quadratic penalty method, solve a sequence of unconstrained problems that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as the penalty constant tends to ∞, one recovers the constrained solution. In the exact penalty method, squared penalties!are replaced by absolute value penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty constant. The exact path-following method starts at the unconstrained solution and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various constraints. Path following in Lasso penalized regression, in contrast, starts with a large value of the penalty constant and works its way downward. In both settings, inspection of the entire solution path is revealing. Just as with the Lasso and generalized Lasso, it is possible to plot the effective degrees of freedom along the solution path. For a strictly convex quadratic program, the exact penalty algorithm can be framed entirely in terms of the sweep operator of regression analysis. A few well-chosen examples illustrate the mechanics and potential of path following. This article has supplementary materials available online. PMID:24039382

  11. Using intervention mapping to promote the receipt of clinical preventive services among women with physical disabilities.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Rie; Peterson, Jana J; Weatherby, Amanda V; Buckley, David I; Walsh, Emily S; Kailes, June Isaacson; Krahn, Gloria L

    2012-01-01

    This article describes the development of Promoting Access to Health Services (PATHS), an intervention to promote regular use of clinical preventive services by women with physical disabilities. The intervention was developed using intervention mapping (IM), a theory-based logical process that incorporates the six steps of assessment of need, preparation of matrices, selection of theoretical methods and strategies, program design, program implementation, and evaluation. The development process used methods and strategies aligned with the social cognitive theory and the health belief model. PATHS was adapted from the workbook Making Preventive Health Care Work for You, developed by a disability advocate, and was informed by participant input at five points: at inception through consultation by the workbook author, in conceptualization through a town hall meeting, in pilot testing with feedback, in revision of the curriculum through an advisory group, and in implementation by trainers with disabilities. The resulting PATHS program is a 90-min participatory small-group workshop, followed by structured telephone support for 6 months.

  12. Visualizing Transmedia Networks: Links, Paths and Peripheries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruppel, Marc Nathaniel

    2012-01-01

    'Visualizing Transmedia Networks: Links, Paths and Peripheries' examines the increasingly complex rhetorical intersections between narrative and media ("old" and "new") in the creation of transmedia fictions, loosely defined as multisensory and multimodal stories told extensively across a diverse media set. In order…

  13. Program Flow Analyzer. Volume 3

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-08-01

    metrics are defined using these basic terms. Of interest is another measure for the size of the program, called the volume: V N x log 2 n. 5 The unit of...correlated to actual data and most useful for test. The formula des - cribing difficulty may be expressed as: nl X N2D - 2 -I/L *Difficulty then, is the...linearly independent program paths through any program graph. A maximal set of these linearly independent paths, called a "basis set," can always be found

  14. Safe Maritime Autonomous Path Planning in a High Sea State

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ono, Masahiro; Quadrelli, Marco; Huntsberger, Terrance L.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a path planning method for sea surface vehicles that prevents capsizing and bow-diving in a high sea-state. A key idea is to use response amplitude operators (RAOs) or, in control terminology, the transfer functions from a sea state to a vessel's motion, in order to find a set of speeds and headings that results in excessive pitch and roll oscillations. This information is translated to arithmetic constraints on the ship's velocity, which are passed to a model predictive control (MPC)-based path planner to find a safe and optimal path that achieves specified goals. An obstacle avoidance capability is also added to the path planner. The proposed method is demonstrated by simulations.

  15. Pheromone Static Routing Strategy for Complex Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Mao-Bin; Henry, Y. K. Lau; Ling, Xiang; Jiang, Rui

    2012-12-01

    We adopt the concept of using pheromones to generate a set of static paths that can reach the performance of global dynamic routing strategy [Phys. Rev. E 81 (2010) 016113]. The path generation method consists of two stages. In the first stage, a pheromone is dropped to the nodes by packets forwarded according to the global dynamic routing strategy. In the second stage, pheromone static paths are generated according to the pheromone density. The output paths can greatly improve traffic systems' overall capacity on different network structures, including scale-free networks, small-world networks and random graphs. Because the paths are static, the system needs much less computational resources than the global dynamic routing strategy.

  16. Harmonic Fourier beads method for studying rare events on rugged energy surfaces.

    PubMed

    Khavrutskii, Ilja V; Arora, Karunesh; Brooks, Charles L

    2006-11-07

    We present a robust, distributable method for computing minimum free energy paths of large molecular systems with rugged energy landscapes. The method, which we call harmonic Fourier beads (HFB), exploits the Fourier representation of a path in an appropriate coordinate space and proceeds iteratively by evolving a discrete set of harmonically restrained path points-beads-to generate positions for the next path. The HFB method does not require explicit knowledge of the free energy to locate the path. To compute the free energy profile along the final path we employ an umbrella sampling method in two generalized dimensions. The proposed HFB method is anticipated to aid the study of rare events in biomolecular systems. Its utility is demonstrated with an application to conformational isomerization of the alanine dipeptide in gas phase.

  17. A computational approach to identify cellular heterogeneity and tissue-specific gene regulatory networks.

    PubMed

    Jambusaria, Ankit; Klomp, Jeff; Hong, Zhigang; Rafii, Shahin; Dai, Yang; Malik, Asrar B; Rehman, Jalees

    2018-06-07

    The heterogeneity of cells across tissue types represents a major challenge for studying biological mechanisms as well as for therapeutic targeting of distinct tissues. Computational prediction of tissue-specific gene regulatory networks may provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying the cellular heterogeneity of cells in distinct organs and tissues. Using three pathway analysis techniques, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), parametric analysis of gene set enrichment (PGSEA), alongside our novel model (HeteroPath), which assesses heterogeneously upregulated and downregulated genes within the context of pathways, we generated distinct tissue-specific gene regulatory networks. We analyzed gene expression data derived from freshly isolated heart, brain, and lung endothelial cells and populations of neurons in the hippocampus, cingulate cortex, and amygdala. In both datasets, we found that HeteroPath segregated the distinct cellular populations by identifying regulatory pathways that were not identified by GSEA or PGSEA. Using simulated datasets, HeteroPath demonstrated robustness that was comparable to what was seen using existing gene set enrichment methods. Furthermore, we generated tissue-specific gene regulatory networks involved in vascular heterogeneity and neuronal heterogeneity by performing motif enrichment of the heterogeneous genes identified by HeteroPath and linking the enriched motifs to regulatory transcription factors in the ENCODE database. HeteroPath assesses contextual bidirectional gene expression within pathways and thus allows for transcriptomic assessment of cellular heterogeneity. Unraveling tissue-specific heterogeneity of gene expression can lead to a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of tissue-specific phenotypes.

  18. OPEN-PATH FTIR MEASUREMENTS OF NOX AND OTHER DIESEL EMISSIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper gives results of a demonstration of the feasibility of using an open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) monitoring technique to address the across-road characterization of diesel vehicle emissions of criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants. Four sets of ...

  19. Method and apparatus for improving resolution in spectrometers processing output steps from non-ideal signal sources

    DOEpatents

    Warburton, William K.; Momayezi, Michael

    2006-06-20

    A method and apparatus for processing step-like output signals (primary signals) generated by non-ideal, for example, nominally single-pole ("N-1P ") devices. An exemplary method includes creating a set of secondary signals by directing the primary signal along a plurality of signal paths to a signal summation point, summing the secondary signals reaching the signal summation point after propagating along the signal paths to provide a summed signal, performing a filtering or delaying operation in at least one of said signal paths so that the secondary signals reaching said summing point have a defined time correlation with respect to one another, applying a set of weighting coefficients to the secondary signals propagating along said signal paths, and performing a capturing operation after any filtering or delaying operations so as to provide a weighted signal sum value as a measure of the integrated area QgT of the input signal.

  20. Direct target NOTES: prospective applications for next generation robotic platforms.

    PubMed

    Atallah, S; Hodges, A; Larach, S W

    2018-05-01

    A new era in surgical robotics has centered on alternative access to anatomic targets and next generation designs include flexible, single-port systems which follow circuitous rather than straight pathways. Such systems maintain a small footprint and could be utilized for specialized operations based on direct organ target natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), of which transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is an important derivative. During two sessions, four direct target NOTES operations were conducted on a cadaveric model using a flexible robotic system to demonstrate proof-of-concept of the application of a next generation robotic system to specific types of NOTES operations, all of which required removal of a direct target organ through natural orifice access. These four operations were (a) robotic taTME, (b) robotic transvaginal hysterectomy in conjunction with (c) robotic transvaginal salpingo-oophorectomy, and in an ex vivo model, (d) trans-cecal appendectomy. Feasibility was demonstrated in all cases using the Flex ® Robotic System with Colorectal Drive. During taTME, the platform excursion was 17 cm along a non-linear path; operative time was 57 min for the transanal portion of the dissection. Robotic transvaginal hysterectomy was successfully completed in 78 min with transvaginal extraction of the uterus, although laparoscopic assistance was required. Robotic transvaginal unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with transvaginal extraction of the ovary and fallopian tube was performed without laparoscopic assistance in 13.5 min. In an ex vivo model, a robotic trans-cecal appendectomy was also successfully performed for the purpose of demonstrating proof-of-concept only; this was completed in 24 min. A flexible robotic system has the potential to access anatomy along circuitous paths, making it a suitable platform for direct target NOTES. The conceptual operations posed could be considered suitable for next generation robotics once the technology is optimized, and after further preclinical validation.

  1. SensiPath: computer-aided design of sensing-enabling metabolic pathways.

    PubMed

    Delépine, Baudoin; Libis, Vincent; Carbonell, Pablo; Faulon, Jean-Loup

    2016-07-08

    Genetically-encoded biosensors offer a wide range of opportunities to develop advanced synthetic biology applications. Circuits with the ability of detecting and quantifying intracellular amounts of a compound of interest are central to whole-cell biosensors design for medical and environmental applications, and they also constitute essential parts for the selection and regulation of high-producer strains in metabolic engineering. However, the number of compounds that can be detected through natural mechanisms, like allosteric transcription factors, is limited; expanding the set of detectable compounds is therefore highly desirable. Here, we present the SensiPath web server, accessible at http://sensipath.micalis.fr SensiPath implements a strategy to enlarge the set of detectable compounds by screening for multi-step enzymatic transformations converting non-detectable compounds into detectable ones. The SensiPath approach is based on the encoding of reactions through signature descriptors to explore sensing-enabling metabolic pathways, which are putative biochemical transformations of the target compound leading to known effectors of transcription factors. In that way, SensiPath enlarges the design space by broadening the potential use of biosensors in synthetic biology applications. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  2. Automated flight path planning for virtual endoscopy.

    PubMed

    Paik, D S; Beaulieu, C F; Jeffrey, R B; Rubin, G D; Napel, S

    1998-05-01

    In this paper, a novel technique for rapid and automatic computation of flight paths for guiding virtual endoscopic exploration of three-dimensional medical images is described. While manually planning flight paths is a tedious and time consuming task, our algorithm is automated and fast. Our method for positioning the virtual camera is based on the medial axis transform but is much more computationally efficient. By iteratively correcting a path toward the medial axis, the necessity of evaluating simple point criteria during morphological thinning is eliminated. The virtual camera is also oriented in a stable viewing direction, avoiding sudden twists and turns. We tested our algorithm on volumetric data sets of eight colons, one aorta and one bronchial tree. The algorithm computed the flight paths in several minutes per volume on an inexpensive workstation with minimal computation time added for multiple paths through branching structures (10%-13% per extra path). The results of our algorithm are smooth, centralized paths that aid in the task of navigation in virtual endoscopic exploration of three-dimensional medical images.

  3. Small gravitationally elicited voltage transients in pea stems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pickard, B. G.

    1984-01-01

    Decapitated veritcal stem segments were observed for 45 min, noting the number of transients mu V for each 5-min interval. Results for two sets of stem segments are plotted. The average frequencies were 0.72 + or -0.05 and 0.66 + or - 0.04 per 5 min. One set of segments was swiveled gently to the horizontal position; then, recording continued for another 90 min. Transients continued in the vertical controls at a closely similar average rate 0.78 + or - 0.04 per 5 min. However, after the first 5-min interval the horizontally placed plants exhibited transients at an increased average rate of 1.08 + or - 0.04 per 5 min. The frequency of transients also increased following horizontal placement of intact shoots. However, it appears that this increase had two components: one due to gravity reception, and one due to the redistribution of indolacetic acid (IAA) believed to mediate gravitropic curvature (or, more specifically, to the increase of IAA in the lower tissue.

  4. A path-oriented matrix-based knowledge representation system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feyock, Stefan; Karamouzis, Stamos T.

    1993-01-01

    Experience has shown that designing a good representation is often the key to turning hard problems into simple ones. Most AI (Artificial Intelligence) search/representation techniques are oriented toward an infinite domain of objects and arbitrary relations among them. In reality much of what needs to be represented in AI can be expressed using a finite domain and unary or binary predicates. Well-known vector- and matrix-based representations can efficiently represent finite domains and unary/binary predicates, and allow effective extraction of path information by generalized transitive closure/path matrix computations. In order to avoid space limitations a set of abstract sparse matrix data types was developed along with a set of operations on them. This representation forms the basis of an intelligent information system for representing and manipulating relational data.

  5. User's guide to Monte Carlo methods for evaluating path integrals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Westbroek, Marise J. E.; King, Peter R.; Vvedensky, Dimitri D.; Dürr, Stephan

    2018-04-01

    We give an introduction to the calculation of path integrals on a lattice, with the quantum harmonic oscillator as an example. In addition to providing an explicit computational setup and corresponding pseudocode, we pay particular attention to the existence of autocorrelations and the calculation of reliable errors. The over-relaxation technique is presented as a way to counter strong autocorrelations. The simulation methods can be extended to compute observables for path integrals in other settings.

  6. Multi Robot Path Planning for Budgeted Active Perception with Self-Organising Maps

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-10-04

    Multi- Robot Path Planning for Budgeted Active Perception with Self-Organising Maps Graeme Best1, Jan Faigl2 and Robert Fitch1 Abstract— We propose a...optimise paths for a multi- robot team that aims to maximally observe a set of nodes in the environment. The selected nodes are observed by visiting...regions, each node has an observation reward, and the robots are constrained by travel budgets. The SOM algorithm jointly selects and allocates nodes

  7. Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity.

    PubMed

    Jing, Wentao; Ramezani, Mohsen; An, Kun; Kim, Inhi

    2018-01-01

    The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm.

  8. Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm. PMID:29543875

  9. Path Searching Based Fault Automated Recovery Scheme for Distribution Grid with DG

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xia, Lin; Qun, Wang; Hui, Xue; Simeng, Zhu

    2016-12-01

    Applying the method of path searching based on distribution network topology in setting software has a good effect, and the path searching method containing DG power source is also applicable to the automatic generation and division of planned islands after the fault. This paper applies path searching algorithm in the automatic division of planned islands after faults: starting from the switch of fault isolation, ending in each power source, and according to the line load that the searching path traverses and the load integrated by important optimized searching path, forming optimized division scheme of planned islands that uses each DG as power source and is balanced to local important load. Finally, COBASE software and distribution network automation software applied are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the realization of such automatic restoration program.

  10. Multispectral scanner system parameter study and analysis software system description, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Landgrebe, D. A. (Principal Investigator); Mobasseri, B. G.; Wiersma, D. J.; Wiswell, E. R.; Mcgillem, C. D.; Anuta, P. E.

    1978-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. The integration of the available methods provided the analyst with the unified scanner analysis package (USAP), the flexibility and versatility of which was superior to many previous integrated techniques. The USAP consisted of three main subsystems; (1) a spatial path, (2) a spectral path, and (3) a set of analytic classification accuracy estimators which evaluated the system performance. The spatial path consisted of satellite and/or aircraft data, data correlation analyzer, scanner IFOV, and random noise model. The output of the spatial path was fed into the analytic classification and accuracy predictor. The spectral path consisted of laboratory and/or field spectral data, EXOSYS data retrieval, optimum spectral function calculation, data transformation, and statistics calculation. The output of the spectral path was fended into the stratified posterior performance estimator.

  11. Laser Guidance in C-Arm Cone-Beam CT-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Osteoid Osteoma Reduces Fluoroscopy Time

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

    Kroes, Maarten W., E-mail: Maarten.Kroes@radboudumc.nl; Busser, Wendy M. H.; Hoogeveen, Yvonne L.

    PurposeTo assess whether laser guidance can reduce fluoroscopy and procedure time of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablations of osteoid osteoma compared to freehand CBCT guidance.Materials and Methods32 RF ablations were retrospectively analyzed, 17 laser-guided and 15 procedures using the freehand technique. Subgroup selection of 18 ablations in the hip–pelvic region with a similar degree of difficulty was used for a direct comparison. Data are presented as median (ranges).ResultsComparison of all 32 ablations resulted in fluoroscopy times of 365 s (193–878 s) for freehand and 186 s (75–587 s) for laser-guided procedures (p = 0.004). Corresponding procedure times were 56 min (35–97 min) and 52 min (30–85 min) (p = 0.355).more » The subgroup showed comparable target sizes, needle path lengths, and number of scans between groups. Fluoroscopy times were lower for laser-guided procedures, 215 s (75–413 s), compared to 384 s (193–878 s) for freehand (p = 0.012). Procedure times were comparable between groups, 51 min (30–72 min) for laser guidance and 58 min (35–79 min) for freehand (p = 0.172).ConclusionAdding laser guidance to CBCT-guided osteoid osteoma RF ablations significantly reduced fluoroscopy time without increasing procedure time.Level of EvidenceLevel 4, case series.« less

  12. Torsional Performance of ProTaper Gold Rotary Instruments during Shaping of Small Root Canals after 2 Different Glide Path Preparations.

    PubMed

    Arias, Ana; de Vasconcelos, Rafaela Andrade; Hernández, Alexis; Peters, Ove A

    2017-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the ex vivo torsional performance of a novel rotary system in small root canals after 2 different glide path preparations. Each independent canal of 8 mesial roots of mandibular molars was randomly assigned to achieve a reproducible glide path with a new set of either PathFile #1 (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and #2 or ProGlider (Dentsply Maillefer) after negotiation with a 10 K-file. After glide path preparation, root canals in both groups were shaped with the same sequence of ProTaper Gold (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties, Tulsa, OK) following the directions for use recommended by the manufacturer. A total of 16 new sets of each instrument of the ProTaper Gold (PTG) system were used. The tests were run in a standardized fashion in a torque-testing platform. Peak torque (Ncm) and force (N) were registered during the shaping procedure and compared with Student t tests after normal distribution of data was confirmed. No significant differences were found for any of the instruments in peak torque or force after the 2 different glide path preparations (P > .05). Data presented in this study also serve as a basis for the recommended torque for the use of PTG instruments. Under the conditions of this study, differences in the torsional performance of PTG rotary instruments after 2 different glide path preparations could not be shown. The different geometry of glide path rotary systems seemed to have no effect on peak torque and force induced by PTG rotary instruments when shaping small root canals in extracted teeth. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Humidity and Inspired Oxygen Concentration During High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in Neonatal and Infant Lung Models.

    PubMed

    Chikata, Yusuke; Ohnishi, Saki; Nishimura, Masaji

    2017-05-01

    High-flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) for neonate/infants can deliver up to 10 L/min of heated and humidified gas, and F IO 2 can be adjusted to between 0.21 and 1.0. With adults, humidification and actual F IO 2 are known to vary according to inspiratory and HFNC gas flow, tidal volume (V T ), and ambient temperature. There have been few studies focused on humidification and F IO 2 in HFNC settings for neonates/infants, so we performed a bench study to investigate the influence of gas flow, ambient temperature, and respiratory parameters on humidification and actual F IO 2 in a neonate/infant simulation. HFNC gas flow was set at 3, 5, and 7 L/min, and F IO 2 was set at 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7. Spontaneous breathing was simulated using a 2-bellows-in-a-box model of a neonate lung. Tests were conducted with V T settings of 20, 30, and 40 mL and breathing frequencies of 20 and 30 breaths/min. Inspiratory time was 0.8 s with decelerating flow waveform. The HFNC tube was placed in an incubator, which was either set at 37°C or turned off. Absolute humidity (AH) and actual F IO 2 were measured for 1 min using a hygrometer and an oxygen analyzer, and data for the final 3 breaths were extracted. At all settings, when the incubator was turned on, AH was greater than when it was turned off ( P < .001). When the incubator was turned off, as gas flow increased, AH increased ( P < .001); however, V T did not affect AH ( P = .16). As gas flow increased, actual F IO 2 more closely corresponded to set F IO 2 . When gas flow was 3 L/min, measured F IO 2 decreased proportionally more at each F IO 2 setting increment ( P < .001). AH was affected by ambient temperature and HFNC gas flow. Actual F IO 2 depended on V T when gas flow was 3 L/min. Copyright © 2017 by Daedalus Enterprises.

  14. A Modified MinMax k-Means Algorithm Based on PSO.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaoyan; Bai, Yanping

    The MinMax k -means algorithm is widely used to tackle the effect of bad initialization by minimizing the maximum intraclustering errors. Two parameters, including the exponent parameter and memory parameter, are involved in the executive process. Since different parameters have different clustering errors, it is crucial to choose appropriate parameters. In the original algorithm, a practical framework is given. Such framework extends the MinMax k -means to automatically adapt the exponent parameter to the data set. It has been believed that if the maximum exponent parameter has been set, then the programme can reach the lowest intraclustering errors. However, our experiments show that this is not always correct. In this paper, we modified the MinMax k -means algorithm by PSO to determine the proper values of parameters which can subject the algorithm to attain the lowest clustering errors. The proposed clustering method is tested on some favorite data sets in several different initial situations and is compared to the k -means algorithm and the original MinMax k -means algorithm. The experimental results indicate that our proposed algorithm can reach the lowest clustering errors automatically.

  15. Are two hands (from different people) better than one? Mode effects and differential transfer between manual coordination modes.

    PubMed

    Gorman, Jamie C; Crites, Michael J

    2013-08-01

    We report an experiment in which we investigated differential transfer between unimanual (one-handed), bimanual (two-handed), and intermanual (different peoples' hands) coordination modes. People perform some manual tasks faster than others ("mode effects"). However, little is known about transfer between coordination modes. To investigate differential transfer, we draw hypotheses from two perspectives--information based and constraint based--of bimanual and interpersonal coordination and skill acquisition. Participants drove a teleoperated rover around a circular path in sets of two 2-min trials using two of the different coordination modes. Speed and variability of the rover's path were measured. Order of coordination modes was manipulated to examine differential transfer and mode effects. Differential transfer analyses revealed patterns of positive transfer from simpler (localized spatiotemporal constraints) to more complex (distributed spatiotemporal constraints) coordination modes paired with negative transfer in the opposite direction. Mode effects indicated that intermanual performance was significantly faster than unimanual performance, and bimanual performance was intermediate. Importantly, all of these effects disappeared with practice. The observed patterns of differential transfer between coordination modes may be better accounted for by a constraint-based explanation of differential transfer than by an information-based one. Mode effects may be attributable to anticipatory movements based on dyads' access to mutual visual information. Although people may be faster using more-complex coordination modes, when operators transition between modes, they may be more effective transitioning from simpler (e.g., bimanual) to more complex (e.g., intermanual) modes than vice versa. However, this difference may be critical only for novel or rarely practiced tasks.

  16. SU-E-T-58: A Novel Monte Carlo Photon Transport Simulation Scheme and Its Application in Cone Beam CT Projection Simulation

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

    Xu, Y; Southern Medical University, Guangzhou; Tian, Z

    Purpose: Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is an important tool to solve radiotherapy and medical imaging problems. Low computational efficiency hinders its wide applications. Conventionally, MC is performed in a particle-by -particle fashion. The lack of control on particle trajectory is a main cause of low efficiency in some applications. Take cone beam CT (CBCT) projection simulation as an example, significant amount of computations were wasted on transporting photons that do not reach the detector. To solve this problem, we propose an innovative MC simulation scheme with a path-by-path sampling method. Methods: Consider a photon path starting at the x-ray source.more » After going through a set of interactions, it ends at the detector. In the proposed scheme, we sampled an entire photon path each time. Metropolis-Hasting algorithm was employed to accept/reject a sampled path based on a calculated acceptance probability, in order to maintain correct relative probabilities among different paths, which are governed by photon transport physics. We developed a package gMMC on GPU with this new scheme implemented. The performance of gMMC was tested in a sample problem of CBCT projection simulation for a homogeneous object. The results were compared to those obtained using gMCDRR, a GPU-based MC tool with the conventional particle-by-particle simulation scheme. Results: Calculated scattered photon signals in gMMC agreed with those from gMCDRR with a relative difference of 3%. It took 3.1 hr. for gMCDRR to simulate 7.8e11 photons and 246.5 sec for gMMC to simulate 1.4e10 paths. Under this setting, both results attained the same ∼2% statistical uncertainty. Hence, a speed-up factor of ∼45.3 was achieved by this new path-by-path simulation scheme, where all the computations were spent on those photons contributing to the detector signal. Conclusion: We innovatively proposed a novel path-by-path simulation scheme that enabled a significant efficiency enhancement for MC particle transport simulations.« less

  17. Design of Quiet Rotorcraft Approach Trajectories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Padula, Sharon L.; Burley, Casey L.; Boyd, D. Douglas, Jr.; Marcolini, Michael A.

    2009-01-01

    A optimization procedure for identifying quiet rotorcraft approach trajectories is proposed and demonstrated. The procedure employs a multi-objective genetic algorithm in order to reduce noise and create approach paths that will be acceptable to pilots and passengers. The concept is demonstrated by application to two different helicopters. The optimized paths are compared with one another and to a standard 6-deg approach path. The two demonstration cases validate the optimization procedure but highlight the need for improved noise prediction techniques and for additional rotorcraft acoustic data sets.

  18. Argon plasma coagulation in the right and left colon: safety-risk profile of the 60W-1.2 l/min setting.

    PubMed

    Panos, Marios Z; Koumi, Andriani

    2014-05-01

    The 40W-0.8 l/min setting is widely recommended for argon plasma coagulation (APC) in the right colon. Until March 2012, we used the 60W-1.2 l/min setting for all sites of the colon. By auditing our experience, we assessed the safety-risk profile of the 60W-1.2 l/min setting in the right and left colon. All cases treated with APC by a single endoscopist, using the 60W-1.2 l/min setting for all sites of the colon between October 2001 and December 2007 were identified retrospectively and site, type, number of lesions, and complications were recorded. Between January 2008 and March 2012, information was recorded prospectively. In the retrospective audit, 290 lesions (101 cecum/ascending, 120 sigmoid/descending, 69 transverse) were treated in 241 patient endoscopies. There were no perforations. In the prospective audit, 156 lesions (83 cecum/ascending, 47 sigmoid/descending, 26 transverse) were treated in 132 patient endoscopies. There was 1/83 (1.2%) perforation in the cecum/ascending colon and none in the transverse or sigmoid/descending (n.s.). Combined, the results yield a cecal/ascending perforation rate of 1/153 (0.6%) patient endoscopies, 1/184 (0.5%) lesions treated and overall perforation rate for all sites of the colon of 1/373 (0.3%) patient endoscopies and 1/446 (0.2%) lesions. Post-polypectomy syndrome and delayed bleeding each occurred in 3/373 (0.8%) patient endoscopies and 3/446 (0.7%) lesions. There were no deaths. In the cecum and ascending colon, the APC perforation rate at the 60W-1.2 l/min setting was no higher than in the left colon and is similar to that reported in previously published series. Therefore, it appears safe, provided the precautions we describe are strictly followed.

  19. A study of interior noise levels, noise sources and transmission paths in light aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hayden, R. E.; Murray, B. S.; Theobald, M. A.

    1983-01-01

    The interior noise levels and spectral characteristics of 18 single-and twin-engine propeller-driven light aircraft, and source-path diagnosis of a single-engine aircraft which was considered representative of a large part of the fleet were studied. The purpose of the flight surveys was to measure internal noise levels and identify principal noise sources and paths under a carefully controlled and standardized set of flight procedures. The diagnostic tests consisted of flights and ground tests in which various parts of the aircraft, such as engine mounts, the engine compartment, exhaust pipe, individual panels, and the wing strut were instrumented to determine source levels and transmission path strengths using the transfer function technique. Predominant source and path combinations are identified. Experimental techniques are described. Data, transfer function calculations to derive source-path contributions to the cabin acoustic environment, and implications of the findings for noise control design are analyzed.

  20. A two-stage path planning approach for multiple car-like robots based on PH curves and a modified harmony search algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Wenhui; Yi, Jin; Rao, Xiao; Zheng, Yun

    2017-11-01

    In this article, collision-avoidance path planning for multiple car-like robots with variable motion is formulated as a two-stage objective optimization problem minimizing both the total length of all paths and the task's completion time. Accordingly, a new approach based on Pythagorean Hodograph (PH) curves and Modified Harmony Search algorithm is proposed to solve the two-stage path-planning problem subject to kinematic constraints such as velocity, acceleration, and minimum turning radius. First, a method of path planning based on PH curves for a single robot is proposed. Second, a mathematical model of the two-stage path-planning problem for multiple car-like robots with variable motion subject to kinematic constraints is constructed that the first-stage minimizes the total length of all paths and the second-stage minimizes the task's completion time. Finally, a modified harmony search algorithm is applied to solve the two-stage optimization problem. A set of experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  1. Robot path planning using a genetic algorithm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cleghorn, Timothy F.; Baffes, Paul T.; Wang, Liu

    1988-01-01

    Robot path planning can refer either to a mobile vehicle such as a Mars Rover, or to an end effector on an arm moving through a cluttered workspace. In both instances there may exist many solutions, some of which are better than others, either in terms of distance traversed, energy expended, or joint angle or reach capabilities. A path planning program has been developed based upon a genetic algorithm. This program assumes global knowledge of the terrain or workspace, and provides a family of good paths between the initial and final points. Initially, a set of valid random paths are constructed. Successive generations of valid paths are obtained using one of several possible reproduction strategies similar to those found in biological communities. A fitness function is defined to describe the goodness of the path, in this case including length, slope, and obstacle avoidance considerations. It was found that with some reproduction strategies, the average value of the fitness function improved for successive generations, and that by saving the best paths of each generation, one could quite rapidly obtain a collection of good candidate solutions.

  2. Intelligent path loss prediction engine design using machine learning in the urban outdoor environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ruichen; Lu, Jingyang; Xu, Yiran; Shen, Dan; Chen, Genshe; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik

    2018-05-01

    Due to the progressive expansion of public mobile networks and the dramatic growth of the number of wireless users in recent years, researchers are motivated to study the radio propagation in urban environments and develop reliable and fast path loss prediction models. During last decades, different types of propagation models are developed for urban scenario path loss predictions such as the Hata model and the COST 231 model. In this paper, the path loss prediction model is thoroughly investigated using machine learning approaches. Different non-linear feature selection methods are deployed and investigated to reduce the computational complexity. The simulation results are provided to demonstratethe validity of the machine learning based path loss prediction engine, which can correctly determine the signal propagation in a wireless urban setting.

  3. Path Analysis on Educational Fiscal Decision-Making Mechanism in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, Hongbin; Sun, Baicai

    2007-01-01

    In China's current educational fiscal decision making, problems are as follows: no law to trust or not abiding by available laws, absence of equity and efficiency, as well as the standardization of decision-making procedures. It is necessary to set up effective fiscal decision-making mechanism in education and rationally devise reliable paths.

  4. Predicting Pre-Service Teachers' Opposition to Inclusion of Students with Disabilities: A Path Analytic Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowson, H. Michael; Brandes, Joyce A.

    2014-01-01

    This study addressed predictors of pre-service teachers' opposition toward the practice of educating students with disabilities in mainstream classroom settings--a practice known as inclusion. We tested a hypothesized path model that incorporated social dominance orientation (SDO) and contact as distal predictors, and intergroup anxiety,…

  5. Earth Model with Laser Beam Simulating Seismic Ray Paths.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, John Arthur; Handzus, Thomas Jay, Jr.

    1988-01-01

    Described is a simple device, that uses a laser beam to simulate P waves. It allows students to follow ray paths, reflections and refractions within the earth. Included is a set of exercises that lead students through the steps by which the presence of the outer and inner cores can be recognized. (Author/CW)

  6. Free energy of conformational transition paths in biomolecules: The string method and its application to myosin VI

    PubMed Central

    Ovchinnikov, Victor; Karplus, Martin; Vanden-Eijnden, Eric

    2011-01-01

    A set of techniques developed under the umbrella of the string method is used in combination with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the conformation change between the prepowerstroke (PPS) and rigor (R) structures of the converter domain of myosin VI. The challenges specific to the application of these techniques to such a large and complex biomolecule are addressed in detail. These challenges include (i) identifying a proper set of collective variables to apply the string method, (ii) finding a suitable initial string, (iii) obtaining converged profiles of the free energy along the transition path, (iv) validating and interpreting the free energy profiles, and (v) computing the mean first passage time of the transition. A detailed description of the PPS↔R transition in the converter domain of myosin VI is obtained, including the transition path, the free energy along the path, and the rates of interconversion. The methodology developed here is expected to be useful more generally in studies of conformational transitions in complex biomolecules. PMID:21361558

  7. Black Swans and the Effectiveness of Remediating Groundwater Contamination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siegel, D. I.; Otz, M. H.; Otz, I.

    2013-12-01

    Black swans, outliers, dominate science far more than do predictable outcomes. Predictable success constitutes the Black Swan in groundwater remediation. Even the National Research Council concluded that remediating groundwater to drinking water standards has failed in typically complex hydrogeologic settings where heterogeneities and preferential flow paths deflect flow paths obliquely to hydraulic gradients. Natural systems, be they biological or physical, build upon a combination of large-scale regularity coupled to chaos at smaller scales. We show through a review of over 25 case studies that groundwater remediation efforts are best served by coupling parsimonious site characterization to natural and induced geochemical tracer tests to at least know where contamination advects with groundwater in the subsurface. In the majority of our case studies, actual flow paths diverge tens of degrees from anticipated flow paths because of unrecognized heterogeneities in the horizontal direction of transport, let alone the vertical direction. Consequently, regulatory agencies would better serve both the public and the environment by recognizing that long-term groundwater cleanup probably is futile in most hydrogeologic settings except to relaxed standards similar to brownfielding. A Black Swan

  8. Orthodontic instrument sterilization with microwave irradiation.

    PubMed

    Yezdani, Arif; Mahalakshmi, Krishnan; Padmavathy, Kesavaram

    2015-04-01

    This study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of microwave sterilization of orthodontic instruments and molar bands immersed in plain distilled water with and without oral rinse, and to ascertain the minimum time of exposure required to sterilize. The orthodontic instruments (hinged and nonhinged), molar bands and mouth mirrorsused in the patient 's mouth were selected for the study. The instruments were divided into two groups - Group I with oral rinse-set A (0.01% chlorhexidine gluconate) and set B (0.025% betadine) and Group II (included sets C and D without oral rinse). The instruments of set A, B and C were microwaved at 2,450 MHz, 800 W for 5 min, whereas, set D was microwaved for 10 min at the same above mentioned specifications. The efficacy of sterilization was assessed by stab inoculation of the instruments onto trypticase soya agar plates. The plates were checked for bacterial growth following incubation at 37 °C for 24 h. For sterility control,Geobacillus stearothermophilus (MTCC 1518) was included. No growth was observed in the plates that were inoculated with the microwaved orthodontic instruments of sets A, B and D, whereas scanty bacterial growth was observed in the plates inoculatedwith the microwaved set C instruments. Effective sterilization was achieved when the orthodontic instruments and molar bands were immersed in distilled water without oral rinse and microwaved for 10 min as also for those that were immersed in distilled water with oral rinse and microwaved for 5 min.

  9. Orthodontic instrument sterilization with microwave irradiation

    PubMed Central

    Yezdani, Arif; Mahalakshmi, Krishnan; Padmavathy, Kesavaram

    2015-01-01

    Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of microwave sterilization of orthodontic instruments and molar bands immersed in plain distilled water with and without oral rinse, and to ascertain the minimum time of exposure required to sterilize. Materials and Methods: The orthodontic instruments (hinged and nonhinged), molar bands and mouth mirrorsused in the patient 's mouth were selected for the study. The instruments were divided into two groups – Group I with oral rinse-set A (0.01% chlorhexidine gluconate) and set B (0.025% betadine) and Group II (included sets C and D without oral rinse). The instruments of set A, B and C were microwaved at 2,450 MHz, 800 W for 5 min, whereas, set D was microwaved for 10 min at the same above mentioned specifications. The efficacy of sterilization was assessed by stab inoculation of the instruments onto trypticase soya agar plates. The plates were checked for bacterial growth following incubation at 37 °C for 24 h. For sterility control,Geobacillus stearothermophilus (MTCC 1518) was included. Results: No growth was observed in the plates that were inoculated with the microwaved orthodontic instruments of sets A, B and D, whereas scanty bacterial growth was observed in the plates inoculatedwith the microwaved set C instruments. Conclusion: Effective sterilization was achieved when the orthodontic instruments and molar bands were immersed in distilled water without oral rinse and microwaved for 10 min as also for those that were immersed in distilled water with oral rinse and microwaved for 5 min. PMID:26015686

  10. Energy-optimal path planning in the coastal ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramani, Deepak N.; Haley, Patrick J.; Lermusiaux, Pierre F. J.

    2017-05-01

    We integrate data-driven ocean modeling with the stochastic Dynamically Orthogonal (DO) level-set optimization methodology to compute and study energy-optimal paths, speeds, and headings for ocean vehicles in the Middle-Atlantic Bight (MAB) region. We hindcast the energy-optimal paths from among exact time-optimal paths for the period 28 August 2006 to 9 September 2006. To do so, we first obtain a data-assimilative multiscale reanalysis, combining ocean observations with implicit two-way nested multiresolution primitive-equation simulations of the tidal-to-mesoscale dynamics in the region. Second, we solve the reduced-order stochastic DO level-set partial differential equations (PDEs) to compute the joint probability of minimum arrival time, vehicle-speed time series, and total energy utilized. Third, for each arrival time, we select the vehicle-speed time series that minimize the total energy utilization from the marginal probability of vehicle-speed and total energy. The corresponding energy-optimal path and headings are obtained through the exact particle-backtracking equation. Theoretically, the present methodology is PDE-based and provides fundamental energy-optimal predictions without heuristics. Computationally, it is 3-4 orders of magnitude faster than direct Monte Carlo methods. For the missions considered, we analyze the effects of the regional tidal currents, strong wind events, coastal jets, shelfbreak front, and other local circulations on the energy-optimal paths. Results showcase the opportunities for vehicles that intelligently utilize the ocean environment to minimize energy usage, rigorously integrating ocean forecasting with optimal control of autonomous vehicles.

  11. cPath: open source software for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathways.

    PubMed

    Cerami, Ethan G; Bader, Gary D; Gross, Benjamin E; Sander, Chris

    2006-11-13

    Biological pathways, including metabolic pathways, protein interaction networks, signal transduction pathways, and gene regulatory networks, are currently represented in over 220 diverse databases. These data are crucial for the study of specific biological processes, including human diseases. Standard exchange formats for pathway information, such as BioPAX, CellML, SBML and PSI-MI, enable convenient collection of this data for biological research, but mechanisms for common storage and communication are required. We have developed cPath, an open source database and web application for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathway data. cPath makes it easy to aggregate custom pathway data sets available in standard exchange formats from multiple databases, present pathway data to biologists via a customizable web interface, and export pathway data via a web service to third-party software, such as Cytoscape, for visualization and analysis. cPath is software only, and does not include new pathway information. Key features include: a built-in identifier mapping service for linking identical interactors and linking to external resources; built-in support for PSI-MI and BioPAX standard pathway exchange formats; a web service interface for searching and retrieving pathway data sets; and thorough documentation. The cPath software is freely available under the LGPL open source license for academic and commercial use. cPath is a robust, scalable, modular, professional-grade software platform for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathways. It can serve as the core data handling component in information systems for pathway visualization, analysis and modeling.

  12. Direct Position Determination of Unknown Signals in the Presence of Multipath Propagation

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Hongyi

    2018-01-01

    A novel geolocation architecture, termed “Multiple Transponders and Multiple Receivers for Multiple Emitters Positioning System (MTRE)” is proposed in this paper. Existing Direct Position Determination (DPD) methods take advantage of a rather simple channel assumption (line of sight channels with complex path attenuations) and a simplified MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm cost function to avoid the high dimension searching. We point out that the simplified assumption and cost function reduce the positioning accuracy because of the singularity of the array manifold in a multi-path environment. We present a DPD model for unknown signals in the presence of Multi-path Propagation (MP-DPD) in this paper. MP-DPD adds non-negative real path attenuation constraints to avoid the mistake caused by the singularity of the array manifold. The Multi-path Propagation MUSIC (MP-MUSIC) method and the Active Set Algorithm (ASA) are designed to reduce the dimension of searching. A Multi-path Propagation Maximum Likelihood (MP-ML) method is proposed in addition to overcome the limitation of MP-MUSIC in the sense of a time-sensitive application. An iterative algorithm and an approach of initial value setting are given to make the MP-ML time consumption acceptable. Numerical results validate the performances improvement of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML. A closed form of the Cramér–Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) is derived as a benchmark to evaluate the performances of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML. PMID:29562601

  13. Direct Position Determination of Unknown Signals in the Presence of Multipath Propagation.

    PubMed

    Du, Jianping; Wang, Ding; Yu, Wanting; Yu, Hongyi

    2018-03-17

    A novel geolocation architecture, termed "Multiple Transponders and Multiple Receivers for Multiple Emitters Positioning System (MTRE)" is proposed in this paper. Existing Direct Position Determination (DPD) methods take advantage of a rather simple channel assumption (line of sight channels with complex path attenuations) and a simplified MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm cost function to avoid the high dimension searching. We point out that the simplified assumption and cost function reduce the positioning accuracy because of the singularity of the array manifold in a multi-path environment. We present a DPD model for unknown signals in the presence of Multi-path Propagation (MP-DPD) in this paper. MP-DPD adds non-negative real path attenuation constraints to avoid the mistake caused by the singularity of the array manifold. The Multi-path Propagation MUSIC (MP-MUSIC) method and the Active Set Algorithm (ASA) are designed to reduce the dimension of searching. A Multi-path Propagation Maximum Likelihood (MP-ML) method is proposed in addition to overcome the limitation of MP-MUSIC in the sense of a time-sensitive application. An iterative algorithm and an approach of initial value setting are given to make the MP-ML time consumption acceptable. Numerical results validate the performances improvement of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML. A closed form of the Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) is derived as a benchmark to evaluate the performances of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML.

  14. Programmable fast-freezing method improves the post-thaw motion dynamics, integrities of plasmalemma, mitochondrial transmembrane, DNA and, acrosome, and in vivo fertility of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) spermatozoa.

    PubMed

    Khalil Ur Rehman, H; Andrabi, S M H; Ahmed, H; Shah, S A H

    2017-10-01

    The effects of freezing methods (FR1, nonprogrammable/static, 5 cm above liquid nitrogen [LN 2 ] for 10 min, plunging in LN 2 ; FR2, programmable medium, +4°C to -15°C at 3°C min -1 , from -15 to -80°C at 10°C min -1 and final holding for 1 min at -80°C, plunging in LN 2 ; FR3, programmable fast, from initial holding at +4°C for 2 min, from +4°C to -20°C at 10°C min -1 , from -20°C to -100°C at 30°C min -1 , final holding for 1 min at -100°C and plunging in LN 2 ) were assessed on post-thaw in vitro quality and in vivo fertility of water buffalo spermatozoa. Mean sperm progressive motility (%), rapid velocity (%), average path velocity (μm s -1 ), straight line velocity (μm s -1 ), curved line velocity (μm s -1 ), integrities (%) of plasmalemma, mitochondrial transmembrane, DNA and acrosome were higher (p < .05) in samples cryopreserved with FR3 compared to FR1 and FR2. Similarly, in vivo fertility (%) of buffalo spermatozoa was higher (p < .05) with FR3 than FR1 (%; 68.0 versus 50.0). We concluded that programmable fast-freezing method (FR3) improves the post-thaw in vitro quality and in vivo fertility of water buffalo spermatozoa. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  15. Acute Effect of Interval Walking on Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Young Adults.

    PubMed

    Okamoto, Takanobu; Min, Seok-Ki; Sakamaki-Sunaga, Mikako

    2018-05-18

    The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of interval walking (IW) on arterial stiffness. The participants in this study were 14 healthy men and women (age 27.5±3.8 y). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was measured using an automatic oscillometric device at 30 min before (baseline) and at 30 and 60 min after walking. Participants repeated five sets of 3-min walks at 30% and 70% of maximum aerobic capacity for a total of 6 min per set in the IW trial. The participants also walked for 30 min at 50% (moderate intensity) of maximum aerobic capacity in a continuous walking (CW) trial. cfPWV was significantly decreased from baseline at 30 min (P=0.02) after the IW trial, and this reduction in cfPWV persisted for 60 min (P=0.01). In contrast, cfPWV was significantly decreased from baseline at 30 min (P=0.03) after the CW trial, but the reduction did not persist for 60 min. Moreover, changes in cfPWV in the IW trial after 30 and 60 min were significantly lower than in the CW trial (P<0.05). These results suggest that IW acutely reduces central arterial stiffness more than CW in healthy young adults. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  16. A Modified MinMax k-Means Algorithm Based on PSO

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    The MinMax k-means algorithm is widely used to tackle the effect of bad initialization by minimizing the maximum intraclustering errors. Two parameters, including the exponent parameter and memory parameter, are involved in the executive process. Since different parameters have different clustering errors, it is crucial to choose appropriate parameters. In the original algorithm, a practical framework is given. Such framework extends the MinMax k-means to automatically adapt the exponent parameter to the data set. It has been believed that if the maximum exponent parameter has been set, then the programme can reach the lowest intraclustering errors. However, our experiments show that this is not always correct. In this paper, we modified the MinMax k-means algorithm by PSO to determine the proper values of parameters which can subject the algorithm to attain the lowest clustering errors. The proposed clustering method is tested on some favorite data sets in several different initial situations and is compared to the k-means algorithm and the original MinMax k-means algorithm. The experimental results indicate that our proposed algorithm can reach the lowest clustering errors automatically. PMID:27656201

  17. Exogenous platelet-activating factor improves the motility of human spermatozoa evaluated with C.A.S.A.: optimal concentration and incubation time.

    PubMed

    Grassi, G; Cappello, N; Gheorghe, M F; Salton, L; Di Bisceglie, C; Manieri, C; Benedetto, C

    2010-11-01

    The objective of this study is to determine the optimal conditions for human semen incubation treated with exogenous platelet activating factor (ePAF) for intra-uterine insemination (IUI). This prospective study was carried out on 32 infertile men and each semen sample was processed with the ISolate Sperm Separation Medium, washed with sperm washing medium (SWM) and resuspended either in SWM alone (control samples), or with ePAF 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 μM. Each concentration was subsequently incubated and evaluated at 5, 15, 30, and 60 min. The motility parameters were evaluated by the computer-aided sperm analysis (C.A.S.A.) system. Curvilinear velocity, straight line velocity, average path velocity, rapid and progressive motility significantly increased compared to control samples at an ePAF concentration of 0.1 μM (with at least 15 min of incubation). The best results were obtained with ePAF concentrations of: 0.1 μM (60 min of incubation) and 0.5 μM (30-60 min of incubation). In conclusion, results are enhanced when ePAF is added to standard semen preparation for IUI. An ePAF concentration of 0.1 μM, with an incubation time of 15 min, can be used for semen samples with normal motility. Whilst, for semen samples with poor motility, the ePAF concentration is best increased to 0.5 μM and/or the incubation time prolonged to 60 min.

  18. RFID Transponders' Radio Frequency Emissions in Aircraft Communication and Navigation Radio Bands

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nguyen, Truong X.; Ely, Jay J.; Williams, Reuben A.; Koppen, Sandra V.; Salud, Maria Theresa P.

    2006-01-01

    Radiated emissions in aircraft communication and navigation bands are measured from several active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The individual tags are different in design and operations. They may also operate in different frequency bands. The process for measuring the emissions is discussed, and includes tag interrogation, reverberation chamber testing, and instrument settings selection. The measurement results are described and compared against aircraft emission limits. In addition, interference path loss for the cargo bays of passenger aircraft is measured. Cargo bay path loss is more appropriate for RFID tags than passenger cabin path loss. The path loss data are reported for several aircraft radio systems on a Boeing 747 and an Airbus A320.

  19. Influence of Welding Strength Matching Coefficient and Cold Stretching on Welding Residual Stress in Austenitic Stainless Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Yaqing; Hui, Hu; Gong, Jianguo

    2018-05-01

    Austenitic stainless steel is widely used in pressure vessels for the storage and transportation of liquid gases such as liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid hydrogen. Cryogenic pressure vessel manufacturing uses cold stretching technology, which relies heavily on welding joint performance, to construct lightweight and thin-walled vessels. Residual stress from welding is a primary factor in cases of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessel failure. In this paper, on the basis of Visual Environment 10.0 finite element simulation technology, the residual stress resulting from different welding strength matching coefficients (0.8, 1, 1.2, 1.4) for two S30408 plates welded with three-pass butt welds is calculated according to thermal elastoplastic theory. In addition, the stress field was calculated under a loading as high as 410 MPa and after the load was released. Path 1 was set to analyze stress along the welding line, and path 2 was set to analyze stress normal to the welding line. The welding strength matching coefficient strongly affected both the longitudinal residual stress (center of path 1) and the transverse residual stress (both ends of path 1) after the welding was completed. However, the coefficient had little effect on the longitudinal and transverse residual stress of path 2. Under the loading of 410 MPa, the longitudinal and transverse stress decreased and the stress distribution, with different welding strength matching coefficients, was less diverse. After the load was released, longitudinal and transverse stress distribution for both path 1 and path 2 decreased to a low level. Cold stretching could reduce the effect of residual stress to various degrees. Transverse strain along the stretching direction was also taken into consideration. The experimental results validated the reliability of the partial simulation.

  20. First experiences with ARNICA, the ARCETRI observatory imaging camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lisi, F.; Baffa, C.; Hunt, L.; Maiolino, R.; Moriondo, G.; Stanga, R.

    1994-03-01

    ARNICA (ARcetri Near Infrared CAmera) is the imaging camera for the near infrared bands between 1.0 and 2.5 micrometer that Arcetri Observatory has designed and built as a common use instrument for the TIRGO telescope (1.5 m diameter, f/20) located at Gornergrat (Switzerland). The scale is 1 sec per pixel, with sky coverage of more than 4 min x 4 min on the NICMOS 3 (256 x 256 pixels, 40 micrometer side) detector array. The optical path is compact enough to be enclosed in a 25.4 cm diameter dewar; the working temperature of detector and optics is 76 K. We give an estimate of performance, in terms of sensitivity with an assigned observing time, along with some preliminary considerations on photometric accuracy.

  1. A mower detector to judge soil sorting

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

    Bramlitt, E.T.; Johnson, N.R.

    1995-12-31

    Thermo Nuclear Services (TNS) has developed a mower detector as an inexpensive and fast means for deciding potential value of soil sorting for cleanup. It is a shielded detector box on wheels pushed over the ground (as a person mows grass) at 30 ft/min with gamma-ray counts recorded every 0.25 sec. It mirror images detection by the TNS transportable sorter system which conveys soil at 30 ft/min and toggles a gate to send soil on separate paths based on counts. The mower detector shows if contamination is variable and suitable for sorting, and by unique calibration sources, it indicates detectionmore » sensitivity. The mower detector has been used to characterize some soil at Department of Energy sites in New Jersey and South Carolina.« less

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

    Gottwald, M.; Kan, J. J.; Lee, K.

    Thermal budget, stack thickness, and dipolar offset field control are crucial for seamless integration of perpendicular magnetic junctions (pMTJ) into semiconductor integrated circuits to build scalable spin-transfer-torque magnetoresistive random access memory. This paper is concerned with materials and process tuning to deliver thermally robust (400 °C, 30 min) and thin (i.e., fewer layers and integration-friendly) pMTJ utilizing Co/Pt-based bottom pinned layers. Interlayer roughness control is identified as a key enabler to achieve high thermal budgets. The dipolar offset fields of the developed film stacks at scaled dimensions are evaluated by micromagnetic simulations. This paper shows a path towards achieving sub-15 nm-thick pMTJ withmore » tunneling magnetoresistance ratio higher than 150% after 30 min of thermal excursion at 400 °C.« less

  3. Effect of storage temperature and equilibration time on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement polymerization in joint replacement surgery.

    PubMed

    Koh, Bryan T H; Tan, J H; Ramruttun, Amit Kumarsing; Wang, Wilson

    2015-11-17

    In cemented joint arthroplasty, the handling characteristics (doughing, working, and setting times) of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is important as it determines the amount of time surgeons have to optimally position an implant. Storage conditions (temperature and humidity) and the time given for PMMA cement to equilibrate to ambient operating theater (OT) temperatures are often unregulated and may lead to inconsistencies in its handling characteristics. This has not been previously studied. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of storage temperatures on the handling characteristics of PMMA cement and the duration of equilibration time needed at each storage temperature to produce consistent and reproducible doughing, setting, and working times. SmartSet® HV cement was stored at three different controlled temperatures: 20 °C (control), 24 °C, and 28 °C for at least 24 h prior to mixing. The cement components were then brought into a room kept at 20 °C and 50 % humidity. Samples were allowed to equilibrate to ambient conditions for 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. The cement components were mixed and the dough time, temperature-versus-time curve (Lutron TM-947SD, Lutron Electronics, Inc., Coopersburg, PA), and setting time were recorded. Analysis was performed using the two-way ANOVA test (IBM SPSS Statistics V.22). At 20 °C (control) storage temperature, the mean setting time was 534 ± 17 s. At 24 °C storage temperature, the mean setting time was 414 ± 6 s (p < 0.001*) with 15 min of equilibration, 446 ± 11 s (p < 0.001*) with 30 min of equilibration, 501 ± 12 s (p < 0.001*) with 45 min of equilibration, and 528 ± 15 (p > 0.05) with 60 min of equilibration. At 28 °C storage temperature, the mean setting time was 381 ± 8 s (p < 0.001*) with 15 min of equilibration, 432 ± 30 s (p < 0.001*) with 30 min of equilibration, 487 ± 9 (p < 0.001*) with 45 min of equilibration, and 520 ± 16 s (p > 0.05) with 60 min of equilibration. This study reflects the extent to which storage temperatures and equilibration times can potentially affect the handling characteristics of PMMA cement. We recommend institutions to have a well-regulated temperature and humidity-controlled facility for storage of bone cements and a protocol to standardize the equilibration time of cements prior to use in the OT to improve consistency and reproducibility of the handling characteristics of PMMA cement.

  4. Three Case Studies in Making Fair Choices on the Path to Universal Health Coverage.

    PubMed

    Voorhoeve, Alex; Edejer, Tessa T T; Kapiriri, Lydia; Norheim, Ole F; Snowden, James; Basenya, Olivier; Bayarsaikhan, Dorjsuren; Chentaf, Ikram; Eyal, Nir; Folsom, Amanda; Tun Hussein, Rozita Halina; Morales, Cristian; Ostmann, Florian; Ottersen, Trygve; Prakongsai, Phusit; Saenz, Carla; Saleh, Karima; Sommanustweechai, Angkana; Wikler, Daniel; Zakariah, Afisah

    2016-12-01

    The goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can generally be realized only in stages. Moreover, resource, capacity, and political constraints mean governments often face difficult trade-offs on the path to UHC. In a 2014 report, Making fair choices on the path to UHC , the WHO Consultative Group on Equity and Universal Health Coverage articulated principles for making such trade-offs in an equitable manner. We present three case studies which illustrate how these principles can guide practical decision-making. These case studies show how progressive realization of the right to health can be effectively guided by priority-setting principles, including generating the greatest total health gain, priority for those who are worse off in a number of dimensions (including health, access to health services, and social and economic status), and financial risk protection. They also demonstrate the value of a fair and accountable process of priority setting.

  5. Three Case Studies in Making Fair Choices on the Path to Universal Health Coverage

    PubMed Central

    Edejer, Tessa T.T.; Kapiriri, Lydia; Norheim, Ole F.; Snowden, James; Basenya, Olivier; Bayarsaikhan, Dorjsuren; Chentaf, Ikram; Eyal, Nir; Folsom, Amanda; Tun Hussein, Rozita Halina; Morales, Cristian; Ostmann, Florian; Ottersen, Trygve; Prakongsai, Phusit; Saenz, Carla; Saleh, Karima; Sommanustweechai, Angkana; Wikler, Daniel; Zakariah, Afisah

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can generally be realized only in stages. Moreover, resource, capacity, and political constraints mean governments often face difficult trade-offs on the path to UHC. In a 2014 report, Making fair choices on the path to UHC, the WHO Consultative Group on Equity and Universal Health Coverage articulated principles for making such trade-offs in an equitable manner. We present three case studies which illustrate how these principles can guide practical decision-making. These case studies show how progressive realization of the right to health can be effectively guided by priority-setting principles, including generating the greatest total health gain, priority for those who are worse off in a number of dimensions (including health, access to health services, and social and economic status), and financial risk protection. They also demonstrate the value of a fair and accountable process of priority setting. PMID:28559673

  6. Validation of Interannual Differences of AIRS Monthly Mean Parameters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Susskind, Joel; Iredell, Lena; Keita, Fricky; Molnar, Gyula

    2005-01-01

    Monthly mean fields of select geophysical parameters derived from analysis of AIRS/AMSU data, and their interannual differences, are shown and compared with analogous fields derived from other sources. All AIRS fields are derived using the AIRS Science Team Version 4 algorithm. Monthly mean results are shown for January 2004, as are interannual differences between January 2004 and January 2003. AIRS temperature and water vapor profile fields are compared with monthly mean collocated ECMWF 3 hour forecast and monthly mean TOVS Pathfinder Path A data. AIRS Tropospheric and Stratospheric coarse climate indicators are compared with analogous MSU products derived by Spencer and christy and found in the TOVS Pathfinder Path A data set. Total ozone is compared with results produced by TOMS. OLR is compared with OLR derived using CERES data and found in the TOVS Pathfinder Path A data set. AIRS results agree well in all cases, especially in the interannual difference sense.

  7. Setting Goals and Achieving Aggressing Energy Savings

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-11-30

    Path to a Low Energy Building Typical 90.1 Compliant Building National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our...flow 1 2 The Path to a Low Energy Building National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future 0 0% 100...to a Low Energy Building National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future 0 0% 100% Source Energy

  8. Vehicle path-planning in three dimensions using optics analogs for optimizing visibility and energy cost

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rowe, Neil C.; Lewis, David H.

    1989-01-01

    Path planning is an important issue for space robotics. Finding safe and energy-efficient paths in the presence of obstacles and other constraints can be complex although important. High-level (large-scale) path planning for robotic vehicles was investigated in three-dimensional space with obstacles, accounting for: (1) energy costs proportional to path length; (2) turn costs where paths change trajectory abruptly; and (3) safety costs for the danger associated with traversing a particular path due to visibility or invisibility from a fixed set of observers. Paths optimal with respect to these cost factors are found. Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles were considered operating either in a space environment around satellites and space platforms, or aircraft, spacecraft, or smart missiles operating just above lunar and planetary surfaces. One class of applications concerns minimizing detection, as for example determining the best way to make complex modifications to a satellite without being observed by hostile sensors; another example is verifying there are no paths (holes) through a space defense system. Another class of applications concerns maximizing detection, as finding a good trajectory between mountain ranges of a planet while staying reasonably close to the surface, or finding paths for a flight between two locations that maximize the average number of triangulation points available at any time along the path.

  9. Analyses of school commuting data for exposure modeling purposes.

    PubMed

    Xue, Jianping; McCurdy, Thomas; Burke, Janet; Bhaduri, Budhendra; Liu, Cheng; Nutaro, James; Patterson, Lauren

    2010-01-01

    Human exposure models often make the simplifying assumption that school children attend school in the same census tract where they live. This paper analyzes that assumption and provides information on the temporal and spatial distributions associated with school commuting. The data were obtained using Oak Ridge National Laboratory's LandScan USA population distribution model applied to Philadelphia, PA. It is a high-resolution model used to allocate individual school-aged children to both a home and school location, and to devise a minimum-time home-to-school commuting path (called a trace) between the two locations. LandScan relies heavily on Geographic Information System (GIS) data. With respect to school children attending school in their home census tract, the vast majority does not in Philadelphia. Our analyses found that: (1) about 32% of the students walk across two or more census tracts going to school and 40% of them walk across four or more census blocks; and (2) 60% drive across four or more census tracts going to school and 50% drive across 10 or more census blocks. We also find that: (3) using a 5-min commuting time interval - as opposed to the modeled "trace" - results in misclassifying the "actual" path taken in 90% of the census blocks, 70% of the block groups, and 50% of the tracts; (4) a 1-min time interval is needed to reasonably resolve time spent in the various census unit designations; and (5) approximately 50% of both the homes and schools of Philadelphia school children are located within 160 m of highly traveled roads, and 64% of the schools are located within 200 m. These findings are very important when modeling school children's exposures, especially, when ascertaining the impacts of near-roadway concentrations on their total daily body burden. As many school children also travel along these streets and roadways to get to school, a majority of children in Philadelphia are in mobile source-dominated locations most of the day. We hypothesize that exposures of school children in Philadelphia to benzene and particulate matter will be much higher than if home and school locations and commuting paths at a 1-min time resolution are not explicitly modeled in an exposure assessment. Undertaking such an assessment will be the topic of a future paper.

  10. TU-G-BRB-01: Continuous Path Optimization for Non-Coplanar Variant SAD IMRT Delivery Using C-Arm Machines.

    PubMed

    Ruan, D; Dong, P; Low, D; Sheng, K

    2012-06-01

    To develop and investigate a continuous path optimization methodology to traverse prescribed non-coplanar IMRT beams with variant SADs, by orchestrating the couch and gantry movement with zero-collision, minimal patient motion consequence and machine travel time. We convert the given collision zone definition and the prescribed beam location/angles to a tumor-centric coordinate, and represent the traversing path as a continuous open curve. We proceed to optimize a composite objective function consisting of (1) a strong attraction energy to ensure all prescribed beams are en-route, (2) a penalty for patient-motion inducing couch motion, and (3) a penalty for travel-time inducing overall path-length. Feasibility manifold is defined as complement to collision zone and the optimization is performed with a level set representation evolved with variational flows. The proposed method has been implemented and tested on clinically derived data. In the absence of any existing solutions for the same problem, we validate by: (1) visual inspecting the generated path rendered in the 3D tumor-centric coordinates, and (2) comparing with a traveling-salesman (TSP) solution obtained from relaxing the variant SADs and continuous collision-avoidance requirement. The proposed method has generated delivery paths that are smooth and intuitively appealing. Under relaxed settings, our results outperform the generic TSP solutions and agree with specially tuned versions. We have proposed a novel systematic approach that automatically determines the continuous path to cover non-coplanar, varying SAD IMRT beams. The proposed approach accommodates patient-specific collision zone definition and ensures its avoidance continuously. The differential penalty to couch and gantry motions allows customizable tradeoff between patient geometry stability and delivery efficiency. This development paves the path to achieve safe, accurate and efficient non-coplanar IMRT delivery with the advanced robotic controls in new-generation C-arm systems, enabling practical harvesting of the dose benefit offered by non-coplanar, variant SAD IMRT treatment. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  11. Dynamic path planning for autonomous driving on various roads with avoidance of static and moving obstacles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Xuemin; Chen, Long; Tang, Bo; Cao, Dongpu; He, Haibo

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents a real-time dynamic path planning method for autonomous driving that avoids both static and moving obstacles. The proposed path planning method determines not only an optimal path, but also the appropriate acceleration and speed for a vehicle. In this method, we first construct a center line from a set of predefined waypoints, which are usually obtained from a lane-level map. A series of path candidates are generated by the arc length and offset to the center line in the s - ρ coordinate system. Then, all of these candidates are converted into Cartesian coordinates. The optimal path is selected considering the total cost of static safety, comfortability, and dynamic safety; meanwhile, the appropriate acceleration and speed for the optimal path are also identified. Various types of roads, including single-lane roads and multi-lane roads with static and moving obstacles, are designed to test the proposed method. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, and indicate its wide practical application to autonomous driving.

  12. Action-minimizing solutions of the one-dimensional N-body problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Xiang; Zhang, Shiqing

    2018-05-01

    We supplement the following result of C. Marchal on the Newtonian N-body problem: A path minimizing the Lagrangian action functional between two given configurations is always a true (collision-free) solution when the dimension d of the physical space R^d satisfies d≥2. The focus of this paper is on the fixed-ends problem for the one-dimensional Newtonian N-body problem. We prove that a path minimizing the action functional in the set of paths joining two given configurations and having all the time the same order is always a true (collision-free) solution. Considering the one-dimensional N-body problem with equal masses, we prove that (i) collision instants are isolated for a path minimizing the action functional between two given configurations, (ii) if the particles at two endpoints have the same order, then the path minimizing the action functional is always a true (collision-free) solution and (iii) when the particles at two endpoints have different order, although there must be collisions for any path, we can prove that there are at most N! - 1 collisions for any action-minimizing path.

  13. Path planning for persistent surveillance applications using fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keller, James F.

    This thesis addresses coordinated path planning for fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) engaged in persistent surveillance missions. While uniquely suited to this mission, fixed wing vehicles have maneuver constraints that can limit their performance in this role. Current technology vehicles are capable of long duration flight with a minimal acoustic footprint while carrying an array of cameras and sensors. Both military tactical and civilian safety applications can benefit from this technology. We make three main contributions: C1 A sequential path planner that generates a C 2 flight plan to persistently acquire a covering set of data over a user designated area of interest. The planner features the following innovations: • A path length abstraction that embeds kino-dynamic motion constraints to estimate feasible path length. • A Traveling Salesman-type planner to generate a covering set route based on the path length abstraction. • A smooth path generator that provides C 2 routes that satisfy user specified curvature constraints. C2 A set of algorithms to coordinate multiple UAVs, including mission commencement from arbitrary locations to the start of a coordinated mission and de-confliction of paths to avoid collisions with other vehicles and fixed obstacles. C3 A numerically robust toolbox of spline-based algorithms tailored for vehicle routing validated through flight test experiments on multiple platforms. A variety of tests and platforms are discussed. The algorithms presented are based on a technical approach with approximately equal emphasis on analysis, computation, dynamic simulation, and flight test experimentation. Our planner (C1) directly takes into account vehicle maneuverability and agility constraints that could otherwise render simple solutions infeasible. This is especially important when surveillance objectives elevate the importance of optimized paths. Researchers have developed a diverse range of solutions for persistent surveillance applications but few directly address dynamic maneuver constraints. The key feature of C1 is a two stage sequential solution that discretizes the problem so that graph search techniques can be combined with parametric polynomial curve generation. A method to abstract the kino-dynamics of the aerial platforms is then presented so that a graph search solution can be adapted for this application. An A* Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) algorithm is developed to search the discretized space using the abstract distance metric to acquire more data or avoid obstacles. Results of the graph search are then transcribed into smooth paths based on vehicle maneuver constraints. A complete solution for a single vehicle periodic tour of the area is developed using the results of the graph search algorithm. To execute the mission, we present a simultaneous arrival algorithm (C2) to coordinate execution by multiple vehicles to satisfy data refresh requirements and to ensure there are no collisions at any of the path intersections. We present a toolbox of spline-based algorithms (C3) to streamline the development of C2 continuous paths with numerical stability. These tools are applied to an aerial persistent surveillance application to illustrate their utility. Comparisons with other parametric polynomial approaches are highlighted to underscore the benefits of the B-spline framework. Performance limits with respect to feasibility constraints are documented.

  14. Effects of different modes of exercise on appetite and appetite-regulating hormones.

    PubMed

    Kawano, Hiroshi; Mineta, Mayuko; Asaka, Meiko; Miyashita, Masashi; Numao, Shigeharu; Gando, Yuko; Ando, Takafumi; Sakamoto, Shizuo; Higuchi, Mitsuru

    2013-07-01

    The present study determined the changes in appetite and appetite-regulating gut hormones during and following bouts of both rope skipping exercise (weight-bearing) and bicycle ergometer exercise (non-weight-bearing). After a 12-h fast, 15 young men (mean ± SD, age 24.4 ± 1.7 yrs, maximal oxygen uptake 47.0 ± 6.5 mL/kg/min) participated in three 160 min trials: (1) rope skipping exercise (295 ± 40 kcal, 3 sets × 10 min with 5-min interval, then rested for 120 min); (2) bicycle ergometer exercise (288 ± 36 kcal, 3 sets × 10 min with 5-min interval, then rested for 120 min); (3) control (rested for 160 min). Ratings of perceived hunger and acylated ghrelin were suppressed and total peptide YY (PYY) were increased during and immediately after exercise in both exercise trials, but glucagon liked peptide-1 was not changed. Furthermore, suppressed hunger during rope skipping exercise was greater than that during bicycle ergometer exercise, but there were no differences in acylated ghrelin and total PYY. These results indicate that weight-bearing exercise has a greater exercise-induced appetite suppressive effect compared with non-weight-bearing exercise, and both forms of exercise lowered acylated ghrelin and increased total PYY, but the changes did not differ significantly between exercise modes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Experimental characterization of seasonal variations in infrasonic traveltimes on the Korean Peninsula with implications for infrasound event location

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Che, Il-Young; Stump, Brian W.; Lee, Hee-Il

    2011-04-01

    The dependence of infrasound propagation on the season and path environment was quantified by the analysis of more than 1000 repetitive infrasonic ground-truth events at an active, open-pit mine over two years. Blast-associated infrasonic signals were analysed from two infrasound arrays (CHNAR and ULDAR) located at similar distances of 181 and 169 km, respectively, from the source but in different azimuthal directions and with different path environments. The CHNAR array is located to the NW of the source area with primarily a continental path, whereas the ULDAR is located East of the source with a path dominated by open ocean. As a result, CHNAR observations were dominated by stratospheric phases with characteristic celerities of 260-289 m s-1 and large seasonal variations in the traveltime, whereas data from ULDAR consisted primarily of tropospheric phases with larger celerities from 322 to 361 m s-1 and larger daily than seasonal variation in the traveltime. The interpretation of these observations is verified by ray tracing using atmospheric models incorporating daily weather balloon data that characterizes the shallow atmosphere for the two years of the study. Finally, experimental celerity models that included seasonal path effects were constructed from the long-term data set. These experimental celerity models were used to constrain traveltime variations in infrasonic location algorithms providing improved location estimates as illustrated with the empirical data set.

  16. Comparison of Kalman filter estimates of zenith atmospheric path delays using the global positioning system and very long baseline interferometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tralli, David M.; Lichten, Stephen M.; Herring, Thomas A.

    1992-01-01

    Kalman filter estimates of zenith nondispersive atmospheric path delays at Westford, Massachusetts, Fort Davis, Texas, and Mojave, California, were obtained from independent analyses of data collected during January and February 1988 using the GPS and VLBI. The apparent accuracy of the path delays is inferred by examining the estimates and covariances from both sets of data. The ability of the geodetic data to resolve zenith path delay fluctuations is determined by comparing further the GPS Kalman filter estimates with corresponding wet path delays derived from water vapor radiometric data available at Mojave over two 8-hour data spans within the comparison period. GPS and VLBI zenith path delay estimates agree well within one standard deviation formal uncertainties (from 10-20 mm for GPS and 3-15 mm for VLBI) in four out of the five possible comparisons, with maximum differences of 5 and 21 mm over 8- to 12-hour data spans.

  17. Reasoning on the Self-Organizing Incremental Associative Memory for Online Robot Path Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawewong, Aram; Honda, Yutaro; Tsuboyama, Manabu; Hasegawa, Osamu

    Robot path-planning is one of the important issues in robotic navigation. This paper presents a novel robot path-planning approach based on the associative memory using Self-Organizing Incremental Neural Networks (SOINN). By the proposed method, an environment is first autonomously divided into a set of path-fragments by junctions. Each fragment is represented by a sequence of preliminarily generated common patterns (CPs). In an online manner, a robot regards the current path as the associative path-fragments, each connected by junctions. The reasoning technique is additionally proposed for decision making at each junction to speed up the exploration time. Distinct from other methods, our method does not ignore the important information about the regions between junctions (path-fragments). The resultant number of path-fragments is also less than other method. Evaluation is done via Webots physical 3D-simulated and real robot experiments, where only distance sensors are available. Results show that our method can represent the environment effectively; it enables the robot to solve the goal-oriented navigation problem in only one episode, which is actually less than that necessary for most of the Reinforcement Learning (RL) based methods. The running time is proved finite and scales well with the environment. The resultant number of path-fragments matches well to the environment.

  18. SALSA3D: A Tomographic Model of Compressional Wave Slowness in the Earth’s Mantle for Improved Travel-Time Prediction and Travel-Time Prediction Uncertainty

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

    Ballard, Sanford; Hipp, James R.; Begnaud, Michael L.

    The task of monitoring the Earth for nuclear explosions relies heavily on seismic data to detect, locate, and characterize suspected nuclear tests. In this study, motivated by the need to locate suspected explosions as accurately and precisely as possible, we developed a tomographic model of the compressional wave slowness in the Earth’s mantle with primary focus on the accuracy and precision of travel-time predictions for P and Pn ray paths through the model. Path-dependent travel-time prediction uncertainties are obtained by computing the full 3D model covariance matrix and then integrating slowness variance and covariance along ray paths from source tomore » receiver. Path-dependent travel-time prediction uncertainties reflect the amount of seismic data that was used in tomography with very low values for paths represented by abundant data in the tomographic data set and very high values for paths through portions of the model that were poorly sampled by the tomography data set. The pattern of travel-time prediction uncertainty is a direct result of the off-diagonal terms of the model covariance matrix and underscores the importance of incorporating the full model covariance matrix in the determination of travel-time prediction uncertainty. In addition, the computed pattern of uncertainty differs significantly from that of 1D distance-dependent travel-time uncertainties computed using traditional methods, which are only appropriate for use with travel times computed through 1D velocity models.« less

  19. SALSA3D: A Tomographic Model of Compressional Wave Slowness in the Earth’s Mantle for Improved Travel-Time Prediction and Travel-Time Prediction Uncertainty

    DOE PAGES

    Ballard, Sanford; Hipp, James R.; Begnaud, Michael L.; ...

    2016-10-11

    The task of monitoring the Earth for nuclear explosions relies heavily on seismic data to detect, locate, and characterize suspected nuclear tests. In this study, motivated by the need to locate suspected explosions as accurately and precisely as possible, we developed a tomographic model of the compressional wave slowness in the Earth’s mantle with primary focus on the accuracy and precision of travel-time predictions for P and Pn ray paths through the model. Path-dependent travel-time prediction uncertainties are obtained by computing the full 3D model covariance matrix and then integrating slowness variance and covariance along ray paths from source tomore » receiver. Path-dependent travel-time prediction uncertainties reflect the amount of seismic data that was used in tomography with very low values for paths represented by abundant data in the tomographic data set and very high values for paths through portions of the model that were poorly sampled by the tomography data set. The pattern of travel-time prediction uncertainty is a direct result of the off-diagonal terms of the model covariance matrix and underscores the importance of incorporating the full model covariance matrix in the determination of travel-time prediction uncertainty. In addition, the computed pattern of uncertainty differs significantly from that of 1D distance-dependent travel-time uncertainties computed using traditional methods, which are only appropriate for use with travel times computed through 1D velocity models.« less

  20. cPath: open source software for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathways

    PubMed Central

    Cerami, Ethan G; Bader, Gary D; Gross, Benjamin E; Sander, Chris

    2006-01-01

    Background Biological pathways, including metabolic pathways, protein interaction networks, signal transduction pathways, and gene regulatory networks, are currently represented in over 220 diverse databases. These data are crucial for the study of specific biological processes, including human diseases. Standard exchange formats for pathway information, such as BioPAX, CellML, SBML and PSI-MI, enable convenient collection of this data for biological research, but mechanisms for common storage and communication are required. Results We have developed cPath, an open source database and web application for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathway data. cPath makes it easy to aggregate custom pathway data sets available in standard exchange formats from multiple databases, present pathway data to biologists via a customizable web interface, and export pathway data via a web service to third-party software, such as Cytoscape, for visualization and analysis. cPath is software only, and does not include new pathway information. Key features include: a built-in identifier mapping service for linking identical interactors and linking to external resources; built-in support for PSI-MI and BioPAX standard pathway exchange formats; a web service interface for searching and retrieving pathway data sets; and thorough documentation. The cPath software is freely available under the LGPL open source license for academic and commercial use. Conclusion cPath is a robust, scalable, modular, professional-grade software platform for collecting, storing, and querying biological pathways. It can serve as the core data handling component in information systems for pathway visualization, analysis and modeling. PMID:17101041

  1. Determination of statistics for any rotation of axes of a bivariate normal elliptical distribution. [of wind vector components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Falls, L. W.; Crutcher, H. L.

    1976-01-01

    Transformation of statistics from a dimensional set to another dimensional set involves linear functions of the original set of statistics. Similarly, linear functions will transform statistics within a dimensional set such that the new statistics are relevant to a new set of coordinate axes. A restricted case of the latter is the rotation of axes in a coordinate system involving any two correlated random variables. A special case is the transformation for horizontal wind distributions. Wind statistics are usually provided in terms of wind speed and direction (measured clockwise from north) or in east-west and north-south components. A direct application of this technique allows the determination of appropriate wind statistics parallel and normal to any preselected flight path of a space vehicle. Among the constraints for launching space vehicles are critical values selected from the distribution of the expected winds parallel to and normal to the flight path. These procedures are applied to space vehicle launches at Cape Kennedy, Florida.

  2. A reversible bipolar WORM device based on AlOxNy thin film with Al nano phase embedded

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, W.; Li, J.; Zhang, L.; Hu, X. C.

    2017-03-01

    An Al-rich AlOxNy thin film based reversible Write-Once-Read-Many-Times (WORM) memory device with MIS structure could transit from high resistance state (HRS, ∼1011 Ω) to low resistance state (LRS, ∼105 Ω) by sweeping voltage up to ∼20 V. The first switching could be recorded as writing process for WORM device which may relate to conductive path are formed through the thin film. The conductive path should be formed by both Al nano phase and oxygen vacancies. Among of them, Al nano phases are not easy to move, but oxygen vacancies could migrate under high E-field or at high temperature environment. Such conductive path is not sensitive to charging effect after it formed, but it could be broken by heating effect, which may relate to the migration of excess Al ions and oxygen vacancies at high temperature. After baking LRS (ON state) WORM device at 200 °C for 2 min, the conductivity will decrease to HRS which indicates conductive path is broken and device back to HRS (OFF state) again. This phenomenon could be recorded as recovery process. Both writing and recovery process related to migration of oxygen vacancies and could be repeated over 10 times in this study. It also indicates that there is no permanent breakdown occurred in MIS structured WORM device operation. We suggest that this conductive path only can be dissolved by a temperature sensitive electro-chemical action. This WORM device could maintain at LRS over 105 s with on-off ratio over 4 orders.

  3. Path Dependence and Universal Health Coverage: The Case of Egypt

    PubMed Central

    Fouda, Ayman; Paolucci, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    Universal health coverage (UHC) is the big objective in health policy which several countries are seeking to achieve. Egypt is no different and its endeavors to attain UHC have been going on since the 1960s. This article discusses the status of UHC in Egypt using theories of political science and economics by analyzing the historical transformations in the Egyptian health system and its institutional settings. This article then specifically examines the path dependence theory against the sociopolitical background of Egypt and assesses any pattern between the theory and the current UHC status in Egypt. The important finding of this analysis is that the health policies and reforms in Egypt have been significantly influenced and limited by its historical institutional structure and development. Both the health policies and the institutional settings adopted a dependent path that limited Egypt’s endeavors to achieve the universal coverage. This dependent path also yielded many of the present-day challenges as in the weaknesses of the healthcare financing system and the inability to extend health coverage to the poor and the informal sector. These challenges subsequently had a negative impact on the accessibility of the healthcare services. PMID:29276704

  4. Auditory Perception of Motor Vehicle Travel Paths

    PubMed Central

    Ashmead, Daniel H.; Grantham, D. Wesley; Maloff, Erin S.; Hornsby, Benjamin; Nakamura, Takabun; Davis, Timothy J.; Pampel, Faith; Rushing, Erin G.

    2012-01-01

    Objective These experiments address concerns that motor vehicles in electric engine mode are so quiet that they pose a risk to pedestrians, especially those with visual impairments. Background The “quiet car” issue has focused on hybrid and electric vehicles, although it also applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. Previous research has focused on detectability of vehicles, mostly in quiet settings. Instead, we focused on the functional ability to perceive vehicle motion paths. Method Participants judged whether simulated vehicles were traveling straight or turning, with emphasis on the impact of background traffic sound. Results In quiet, listeners made the straight-or-turn judgment soon enough in the vehicle’s path to be useful for deciding whether to start crossing the street. This judgment is based largely on sound level cues rather than the spatial direction of the vehicle. With even moderate background traffic sound, the ability to tell straight from turn paths is severely compromised. The signal-to-noise ratio needed for the straight-or-turn judgment is much higher than that needed to detect a vehicle. Conclusion Although a requirement for a minimum vehicle sound level might enhance detection of vehicles in quiet settings, it is unlikely that this requirement would contribute to pedestrian awareness of vehicle movements in typical traffic settings with many vehicles present. Application The findings are relevant to deliberations by government agencies and automobile manufacturers about standards for minimum automobile sounds and, more generally, for solutions to pedestrians’ needs for information about traffic, especially for pedestrians with sensory impairments. PMID:22768645

  5. Auditory perception of motor vehicle travel paths.

    PubMed

    Ashmead, Daniel H; Grantham, D Wesley; Maloff, Erin S; Hornsby, Benjamin; Nakamura, Takabun; Davis, Timothy J; Pampel, Faith; Rushing, Erin G

    2012-06-01

    These experiments address concerns that motor vehicles in electric engine mode are so quiet that they pose a risk to pedestrians, especially those with visual impairments. The "quiet car" issue has focused on hybrid and electric vehicles, although it also applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. Previous research has focused on detectability of vehicles, mostly in quiet settings. Instead, we focused on the functional ability to perceive vehicle motion paths. Participants judged whether simulated vehicles were traveling straight or turning, with emphasis on the impact of background traffic sound. In quiet, listeners made the straight-or-turn judgment soon enough in the vehicle's path to be useful for deciding whether to start crossing the street. This judgment is based largely on sound level cues rather than the spatial direction of the vehicle. With even moderate background traffic sound, the ability to tell straight from turn paths is severely compromised. The signal-to-noise ratio needed for the straight-or-turn judgment is much higher than that needed to detect a vehicle. Although a requirement for a minimum vehicle sound level might enhance detection of vehicles in quiet settings, it is unlikely that this requirement would contribute to pedestrian awareness of vehicle movements in typical traffic settings with many vehicles present. The findings are relevant to deliberations by government agencies and automobile manufacturers about standards for minimum automobile sounds and, more generally, for solutions to pedestrians' needs for information about traffic, especially for pedestrians with sensory impairments.

  6. Effective bandwidth guaranteed routing schemes for MPLS traffic engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Bin; Jain, Nidhi

    2001-07-01

    In this work, we present online algorithms for dynamic routing bandwidth guaranteed label switched paths (LSPs) where LSP set-up requests (in terms of a pair of ingress and egress routers as well as its bandwidth requirement) arrive one by one and there is no a priori knowledge regarding future LSP set-up requests. In addition, we consider rerouting of LSPs in this work. Rerouting of LSPs has not been well studied in previous work on LSP routing. The need of LSP rerouting arises in a number of ways: occurrence of faults (link and/or node failures), re-optimization of existing LSPs' routes to accommodate traffic fluctuation, requests with higher priorities, and so on. We formulate the bandwidth guaranteed LSP routing with rerouting capability as a multi-commodity flow problem. The solution to this problem is used as the benchmark for comparing other computationally less costly algorithms studied in this paper. Furthermore, to more efficiently utilize the network resources, we propose online routing algorithms which route bandwidth demands over multiple paths at the ingress router to satisfy the customer requests while providing better service survivability. Traffic splitting and distribution over the multiple paths are carefully handled using table-based hashing schemes while the order of packets within a flow is preserved. Preliminary simulations are conducted to show the performance of different design choices and the effectiveness of the rerouting and multi-path routing algorithms in terms of LSP set-up request rejection probability and bandwidth blocking probability.

  7. Calibration of neural networks using genetic algorithms, with application to optimal path planning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Terence R.; Pitney, Gilbert A.; Greenwood, Daniel

    1987-01-01

    Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to search the synaptic weight space of artificial neural systems (ANS) for weight vectors that optimize some network performance function. GAs do not suffer from some of the architectural constraints involved with other techniques and it is straightforward to incorporate terms into the performance function concerning the metastructure of the ANS. Hence GAs offer a remarkably general approach to calibrating ANS. GAs are applied to the problem of calibrating an ANS that finds optimal paths over a given surface. This problem involves training an ANS on a relatively small set of paths and then examining whether the calibrated ANS is able to find good paths between arbitrary start and end points on the surface.

  8. Fully-automated segmentation of fluid regions in exudative age-related macular degeneration subjects: Kernel graph cut in neutrosophic domain

    PubMed Central

    Rashno, Abdolreza; Nazari, Behzad; Koozekanani, Dara D.; Drayna, Paul M.; Sadri, Saeed; Rabbani, Hossein

    2017-01-01

    A fully-automated method based on graph shortest path, graph cut and neutrosophic (NS) sets is presented for fluid segmentation in OCT volumes for exudative age related macular degeneration (EAMD) subjects. The proposed method includes three main steps: 1) The inner limiting membrane (ILM) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layers are segmented using proposed methods based on graph shortest path in NS domain. A flattened RPE boundary is calculated such that all three types of fluid regions, intra-retinal, sub-retinal and sub-RPE, are located above it. 2) Seed points for fluid (object) and tissue (background) are initialized for graph cut by the proposed automated method. 3) A new cost function is proposed in kernel space, and is minimized with max-flow/min-cut algorithms, leading to a binary segmentation. Important properties of the proposed steps are proven and quantitative performance of each step is analyzed separately. The proposed method is evaluated using a publicly available dataset referred as Optima and a local dataset from the UMN clinic. For fluid segmentation in 2D individual slices, the proposed method outperforms the previously proposed methods by 18%, 21% with respect to the dice coefficient and sensitivity, respectively, on the Optima dataset, and by 16%, 11% and 12% with respect to the dice coefficient, sensitivity and precision, respectively, on the local UMN dataset. Finally, for 3D fluid volume segmentation, the proposed method achieves true positive rate (TPR) and false positive rate (FPR) of 90% and 0.74%, respectively, with a correlation of 95% between automated and expert manual segmentations using linear regression analysis. PMID:29059257

  9. Impact of dehydration on a full body resistance exercise protocol.

    PubMed

    Kraft, Justin A; Green, James M; Bishop, Phillip A; Richardson, Mark T; Neggers, Yasmin H; Leeper, James D

    2010-05-01

    This study examined effects of dehydration on a full body resistance exercise workout. Ten males completed two trials: heat exposed (with 100% fluid replacement) (HE) and dehydration (approximately 3% body mass loss with no fluid replacement) (DEHY) achieved via hot water bath (approximately 39 degrees C). Following HE and DEHY, participants performed three sets to failure (using predetermined 12 repetition maximum) of bench press, lat pull down, overhead press, barbell curl, triceps press, and leg press with a 2-min recovery between each set and 2 min between exercises. A paired t test showed total repetitions (all sets combined) were significantly lower for DEHY: (144.1 +/- 26.6 repetitions) versus HE: (169.4 +/- 29.1 repetitions). ANOVAs showed significantly lower repetitions (approximately 1-2 repetitions on average) per exercise for DEHY versus HE (all exercises). Pre-set rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and pre-set heart rate (HR) were significantly higher [approximately 0.6-1.1 units on average in triceps press, leg press, and approached significance in lat pull down (P = 0.14) and approximately 6-13 b min(-1) on average in bench press, lat pull down, triceps press, and approached significance for overhead press (P = 0.10)] in DEHY versus HE. Session RPE difference approached significance (DEHY: 8.6 +/- 1.9, HE: 7.4 +/- 2.3) (P = 0.12). Recovery HR was significantly higher for DEHY (116 +/- 15 b min(-1)) versus HE (105 +/- 13 b min(-1)). Dehydration (approximately 3%) impaired resistance exercise performance, decreased repetitions, increased perceived exertion, and hindered HR recovery. Results highlight the importance of adequate hydration during full body resistance exercise sessions.

  10. Postactivation Potentation Effects From Accommodating Resistance Combined With Heavy Back Squats on Short Sprint Performance.

    PubMed

    Wyland, Timothy P; Van Dorin, Joshua D; Reyes, G Francis Cisco

    2015-11-01

    Applying accommodating resistance combined with isoinertial resistance has been demonstrated to be effective in improving neuromuscular attributes important for sport performance. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether short sprints can be acutely enhanced after several sets of back squats with or without accommodating resistance. Twenty recreationally resistance-trained males (age: 23.3 ± 4.4 years; height: 178.9 ± 6.5 cm; weight: 88.3 ± 10.8 kg) performed pre-post testing on 9.1-m sprint time. Three different interventions were implemented in randomized order between pre-post 9.1-m sprints. On 3 separate days, subjects either sat for 5 minutes (CTRL), performed 5 sets of 3 repetitions at 85% of their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) with isoinertial load (STND), or performed 5 sets of 3 repetitions at 85% of their 1RM, with 30% of the total resistance coming from elastic band tension (BAND) between pre-post 9.1-m sprint testing. Posttesting for 9.1-m sprint time occurred immediately after the last set of squats (Post-Immediate) and on every minute for 4 minutes after the last set of squats (Post-1min, Post-2min, Post-3min, and Post-4min). Repeated-measures analysis of variance statistical analyses revealed no significant changes in sprint time across posttesting times during the CTRL and STND condition. During the BAND condition, sprint time significantly decreased from Post-Immediate to Post-4min (p = 0.002). The uniqueness of accommodating resistance could create an optimal postactivation potentiation effect to increase neuromuscular performance. Coaches and athletes can implement heavy accommodating resistance exercises to their warm-up when improving acute sprint time is desired.

  11. Two instruments based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) to measure accurate ammonia concentrations in the atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Volten, H.; Bergwerff, J. B.; Haaima, M.; Lolkema, D. E.; Berkhout, A. J. C.; van der Hoff, G. R.; Potma, C. J. M.; Wichink Kruit, R. J.; van Pul, W. A. J.; Swart, D. P. J.

    2011-08-01

    We present two Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instruments built at RIVM, the RIVM DOAS and the miniDOAS. Both instruments provide virtually interference free measurements of NH3 concentrations in the atmosphere, since they measure over an open path, without suffering from inlet problems or interference problems by ammonium aerosols dissociating on tubes or filters. They measure concentrations up to at least 200 μg m-3, have a fast response, low maintenance demands, and a high up-time. The RIVM DOAS has a high accuracy of typically 0.15 μg m-3 for ammonia over 5-min averages and over a total light path of 100 m. The miniDOAS has been developed for application in measurement networks such as the Dutch National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML). Compared to the RIVM DOAS it has a similar accuracy, but is significantly reduced in size, costs, and handling complexity. The RIVM DOAS and miniDOAS results showed excellent agreement (R2 = 0.996) during a field measurement campaign in Vredepeel, the Netherlands. This measurement site is located in an agricultural area and is characterized by highly variable, but on average high ammonia concentrations in the air. The RIVM-DOAS and miniDOAS results were compared to the results of the AMOR instrument, a continuous-flow wet denuder system, which is currently used in the LML. Averaged over longer time spans of typically a day the (mini)DOAS and AMOR results agree reasonably well, although an offset of the AMOR values compared to the (mini)DOAS results exists. On short time scales the (mini)DOAS shows a faster response and does not show the memory effects due to inlet tubing and transport of absorption fluids encountered by the AMOR. Due to its high accuracy, high uptime, low maintenance and its open path, the (mini)DOAS shows a good potential for flux measurements by using two (or more) systems in a gradient set-up and applying the aerodynamic gradient technique.

  12. Two instruments based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) to measure accurate ammonia concentrations in the atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Volten, H.; Bergwerff, J. B.; Haaima, M.; Lolkema, D. E.; Berkhout, A. J. C.; van der Hoff, G. R.; Potma, C. J. M.; Wichink Kruit, R. J.; van Pul, W. A. J.; Swart, D. P. J.

    2012-02-01

    We present two Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instruments built at RIVM: the RIVM DOAS and the miniDOAS. Both instruments provide virtually interference-free measurements of NH3 concentrations in the atmosphere, since they measure over an open path, without suffering from inlet problems or interference problems by ammonium aerosols dissociating on tubes or filters. They measure concentrations up to at least 200 μg m-3, have a fast response, low maintenance demands, and a high up-time. The RIVM DOAS has a high accuracy of typically 0.15 μg m-3 for ammonia for 5-min averages and over a total light path of 100 m. The miniDOAS has been developed for application in measurement networks such as the Dutch National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML). Compared to the RIVM DOAS it has a similar accuracy, but is significantly reduced in size, costs, and handling complexity. The RIVM DOAS and miniDOAS results showed excellent agreement (R2 = 0.996) during a field measurement campaign in Vredepeel, the Netherlands. This measurement site is located in an agricultural area and is characterized by highly variable, but on average high ammonia concentrations in the air. The RIVM-DOAS and miniDOAS results were compared to the results of the AMOR instrument, a continuous-flow wet denuder system, which is currently used in the LML. Averaged over longer time spans of typically a day, the (mini)DOAS and AMOR results agree reasonably well, although an offset of the AMOR values compared to the (mini)DOAS results exists. On short time scales, the (mini)DOAS shows a faster response and does not show the memory effects due to inlet tubing and transport of absorption fluids encountered by the AMOR. Due to its high accuracy, high uptime, low maintenance and its open path, the (mini)DOAS shows a good potential for flux measurements by using two (or more) systems in a gradient set-up and applying the aerodynamic gradient technique.

  13. Classification and global distribution of ocean precipitation types based on satellite passive microwave signatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gautam, Nitin

    The main objectives of this thesis are to develop a robust statistical method for the classification of ocean precipitation based on physical properties to which the SSM/I is sensitive and to examine how these properties vary globally and seasonally. A two step approach is adopted for the classification of oceanic precipitation classes from multispectral SSM/I data: (1)we subjectively define precipitation classes using a priori information about the precipitating system and its possible distinct signature on SSM/I data such as scattering by ice particles aloft in the precipitating cloud, emission by liquid rain water below freezing level, the difference of polarization at 19 GHz-an indirect measure of optical depth, etc.; (2)we then develop an objective classification scheme which is found to reproduce the subjective classification with high accuracy. This hybrid strategy allows us to use the characteristics of the data to define and encode classes and helps retain the physical interpretation of classes. The classification methods based on k-nearest neighbor and neural network are developed to objectively classify six precipitation classes. It is found that the classification method based neural network yields high accuracy for all precipitation classes. An inversion method based on minimum variance approach was used to retrieve gross microphysical properties of these precipitation classes such as column integrated liquid water path, column integrated ice water path, and column integrated min water path. This classification method is then applied to 2 years (1991-92) of SSM/I data to examine and document the seasonal and global distribution of precipitation frequency corresponding to each of these objectively defined six classes. The characteristics of the distribution are found to be consistent with assumptions used in defining these six precipitation classes and also with well known climatological patterns of precipitation regions. The seasonal and global distribution of these six classes is also compared with the earlier results obtained from Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Sets (COADS). It is found that the gross pattern of the distributions obtained from SSM/I and COADS data match remarkably well with each other.

  14. A method for verification of treatment delivery in HDR prostate brachytherapy using a flat panel detector for both imaging and source tracking.

    PubMed

    Smith, Ryan L; Haworth, Annette; Panettieri, Vanessa; Millar, Jeremy L; Franich, Rick D

    2016-05-01

    Verification of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment delivery is an important step, but is generally difficult to achieve. A technique is required to monitor the treatment as it is delivered, allowing comparison with the treatment plan and error detection. In this work, we demonstrate a method for monitoring the treatment as it is delivered and directly comparing the delivered treatment with the treatment plan in the clinical workspace. This treatment verification system is based on a flat panel detector (FPD) used for both pre-treatment imaging and source tracking. A phantom study was conducted to establish the resolution and precision of the system. A pretreatment radiograph of a phantom containing brachytherapy catheters is acquired and registration between the measurement and treatment planning system (TPS) is performed using implanted fiducial markers. The measured catheter paths immediately prior to treatment were then compared with the plan. During treatment delivery, the position of the (192)Ir source is determined at each dwell position by measuring the exit radiation with the FPD and directly compared to the planned source dwell positions. The registration between the two corresponding sets of fiducial markers in the TPS and radiograph yielded a registration error (residual) of 1.0 mm. The measured catheter paths agreed with the planned catheter paths on average to within 0.5 mm. The source positions measured with the FPD matched the planned source positions for all dwells on average within 0.6 mm (s.d. 0.3, min. 0.1, max. 1.4 mm). We have demonstrated a method for directly comparing the treatment plan with the delivered treatment that can be easily implemented in the clinical workspace. Pretreatment imaging was performed, enabling visualization of the implant before treatment delivery and identification of possible catheter displacement. Treatment delivery verification was performed by measuring the source position as each dwell was delivered. This approach using a FPD for imaging and source tracking provides a noninvasive method of acquiring extensive information for verification in HDR prostate brachytherapy.

  15. A method for verification of treatment delivery in HDR prostate brachytherapy using a flat panel detector for both imaging and source tracking

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

    Smith, Ryan L., E-mail: ryan.smith@wbrc.org.au; Millar, Jeremy L.; Franich, Rick D.

    Purpose: Verification of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment delivery is an important step, but is generally difficult to achieve. A technique is required to monitor the treatment as it is delivered, allowing comparison with the treatment plan and error detection. In this work, we demonstrate a method for monitoring the treatment as it is delivered and directly comparing the delivered treatment with the treatment plan in the clinical workspace. This treatment verification system is based on a flat panel detector (FPD) used for both pre-treatment imaging and source tracking. Methods: A phantom study was conducted to establish the resolutionmore » and precision of the system. A pretreatment radiograph of a phantom containing brachytherapy catheters is acquired and registration between the measurement and treatment planning system (TPS) is performed using implanted fiducial markers. The measured catheter paths immediately prior to treatment were then compared with the plan. During treatment delivery, the position of the {sup 192}Ir source is determined at each dwell position by measuring the exit radiation with the FPD and directly compared to the planned source dwell positions. Results: The registration between the two corresponding sets of fiducial markers in the TPS and radiograph yielded a registration error (residual) of 1.0 mm. The measured catheter paths agreed with the planned catheter paths on average to within 0.5 mm. The source positions measured with the FPD matched the planned source positions for all dwells on average within 0.6 mm (s.d. 0.3, min. 0.1, max. 1.4 mm). Conclusions: We have demonstrated a method for directly comparing the treatment plan with the delivered treatment that can be easily implemented in the clinical workspace. Pretreatment imaging was performed, enabling visualization of the implant before treatment delivery and identification of possible catheter displacement. Treatment delivery verification was performed by measuring the source position as each dwell was delivered. This approach using a FPD for imaging and source tracking provides a noninvasive method of acquiring extensive information for verification in HDR prostate brachytherapy.« less

  16. Effects of portable computing devices on posture, muscle activation levels and efficiency.

    PubMed

    Werth, Abigail; Babski-Reeves, Kari

    2014-11-01

    Very little research exists on ergonomic exposures when using portable computing devices. This study quantified muscle activity (forearm and neck), posture (wrist, forearm and neck), and performance (gross typing speed and error rates) differences across three portable computing devices (laptop, netbook, and slate computer) and two work settings (desk and computer) during data entry tasks. Twelve participants completed test sessions on a single computer using a test-rest-test protocol (30min of work at one work setting, 15min of rest, 30min of work at the other work setting). The slate computer resulted in significantly more non-neutral wrist, elbow and neck postures, particularly when working on the sofa. Performance on the slate computer was four times less than that of the other computers, though lower muscle activity levels were also found. Potential or injury or illness may be elevated when working on smaller, portable computers in non-traditional work settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. A Benes-like theorem for the shuffle-exchange graph

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schwabe, Eric J.

    1992-01-01

    One of the first theorems on permutation routing, proved by V. E. Beness (1965), shows that given a set of source-destination pairs in an N-node butterfly network with at most a constant number of sources or destinations in each column of the butterfly, there exists a set of paths of lengths O(log N) connecting each pair such that the total congestion is constant. An analogous theorem yielding constant-congestion paths for off-line routing in the shuffle-exchange graph is proved here. The necklaces of the shuffle-exchange graph play the same structural role as the columns of the butterfly in Beness' theorem.

  18. Utilization of a new optical sensor unit to monitor the electrochemical elimination of selected dyes in water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valica, M.; Černá, T.; Hostin, S.

    2017-10-01

    This paper presents results obtained by developed optical sensor, which consist from multi-wavelength LED light source and two photodetectors capable of measuring the change in optical signal along two different optical paths (absorbance and reflectance measurements). Arduino microcomputer was used for light source management and optical signal data measuring and recording. Analytical validation of developed optical sensor is presented in this paper. The performance of the system has been tested with varying water solution of dyes (malachite green, methyl orange, trypan red). These results show strong correlations between the optical signal response and colour change from the dyes. Sensor was used for continual in-situ monitoring of electrochemical elimination of selected dyes (current density 15.7 mA cm-2, electrolyte volume 4 L and NaCl concentration 2 g L-1). Maximum decolorization level varies with each dye. For malachite green was obtain 92,7 % decolorization (25 min); methyl orange 90,8% (8,5 min) and trypan red 84,7% decolorization after 33 min of electrochemical treatment.

  19. Effects of intrahippocampal aniracetam treatment on Y-maze avoidance learning performance and behavioral long-term potentiation in dentate gyrus in rat.

    PubMed

    Rao, Y; Xiao, P; Xu, S

    2001-02-09

    Effects of intrahippocampal treatment of aniracetam, a selective agonist for DL-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproionic acid (AMPA) receptors, on Y-maze avoidance learning task and behavioral long-term potentiation (LTP) in perforant path-dentate gyrus were studied in freely moving rats by using in vivo electrophysiology combined with behavioral tests. The results were as follows: (1) intrahippocampal treatment of aniracetam reversibly enhanced basal synaptic transmission in perforant path to dentate gyrus in a dosage dependent manner; (2) aniracetam produced improvement in Y-maze learning performance when administration occurred 5 min prior to maze learning; (3) aniracetam administration significantly facilitated behavioral LTP in dentate gyrus, while the maximal amplitude of LTP has no significant difference when compared to saline group. The present results indicate that hippocampal AMPA receptors are involved in learning and memory.

  20. Dynamic stretching and golf swing performance.

    PubMed

    Moran, K A; McGrath, T; Marshall, B M; Wallace, E S

    2009-02-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of dynamic stretching, static stretching and no stretching, as part of a general warm-up, on golf swing performance with a five-iron. Measures of performance were taken 0 min, 5 min, 15 min and 30 min after stretching. Dynamic stretching produced significantly greater club head speeds than both static stretching (Delta=1.9m.s (-1); p=0.000) and no stretching (Delta=1.7 m.s (-1); p=0.000), and greater ball speeds than both static stretching (Delta=3.5m.s (-1); p=0.003) and no stretching (Delta=3.3m.s (-1); p=0.001). Dynamic stretching produced significantly straighter swing-paths than both static stretching (Delta=-0.61 degrees , p=0.000) and no stretching (Delta=-0.72 degrees , p=0.01). Dynamic stretching also produced more central impact points than the static stretch (Delta=0.7 cm, p=0.001). For the club face angle, there was no effect of either stretch or time. For all of the variables measured, there was no significant difference between the static stretch and no stretch conditions. All of the results were unaffected by the time of measurement after stretching. The results indicate that dynamic stretching should be used as part of a general warm-up in golf.

  1. 30 CFR 7.97 - Application requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... internal parts, exhaust inlet and outlet, sensors, and the exhaust gas path through the exhaust conditioner... temperature sensor setting and exhaust gas temperature sensor setting used to meet the performance... sensors, flame arresters, exhaust conditioner, emergency intake air shutoff device, automatic fuel shutoff...

  2. 30 CFR 7.97 - Application requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... internal parts, exhaust inlet and outlet, sensors, and the exhaust gas path through the exhaust conditioner... temperature sensor setting and exhaust gas temperature sensor setting used to meet the performance... sensors, flame arresters, exhaust conditioner, emergency intake air shutoff device, automatic fuel shutoff...

  3. Self-Paced Exercise, Affective Response, and Exercise Adherence: A Preliminary Investigation Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

    PubMed

    Williams, David M; Dunsiger, Shira; Emerson, Jessica A; Gwaltney, Chad J; Monti, Peter M; Miranda, Robert

    2016-06-01

    Affective response to exercise may mediate the effects of self-paced exercise on exercise adherence. Fiftynine low-active (exercise <60 min/week), overweight (body mass index: 25.0-39.9) adults (ages 18-65) were randomly assigned to self-paced (but not to exceed 76% maximum heart rate) or prescribed moderate intensity exercise (64-76% maximum heart rate) in the context of otherwise identical 6-month print-based exercise promotion programs. Frequency and duration of exercise sessions and affective responses (good/bad) to exercise were assessed via ecological momentary assessment throughout the 6-month program. A regression-based mediation model was used to estimate (a) effects of experimental condition on affective response to exercise (path a = 0.20, SE = 0.28, f 2 = 0.02); (b) effects of affective response on duration/latency of the next exercise session (path b = 0.47, SE = 0.25, f 2 = 0.04); and (c) indirect effects of experimental condition on exercise outcomes via affective response (path ab = 0.11, SE = 0.06, f 2 = 0.10). Results provide modest preliminary support for a mediational pathway linking self-paced exercise, affective response, and exercise adherence.

  4. The Career Coach: Winning Strategies for Getting Ahead in Today's Job Market.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Gordon

    This book is intended to serve as a career coach to individuals interested in setting a career goal, formulating a career path, and identifying and using strategies to follow the path to the career goal. The book is designed to be used in conjunction with the author's career coaching Web site, which is referred to throughout the book and which…

  5. Periscopic Spine Surgery

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-03-01

    Guided Technologies, Boulder, CO; motion path built from three orthogonal sinusoidal paths is Optotrak , Northern Digital, Waterloo, ON) optical tracking...Hopkins University using an Optotrak to evaluate the simulated motions. The Optotrak (Northern Digital, Inc.) is an optical high- precision 3-D motion...verify the accuracy of the RMS, tests were carried out using the Optotrak , which was placed about 2 m from the simulator. For each test, two sets of data

  6. Career Path Suggestion using String Matching and Decision Trees

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagpal, Akshay; P. Panda, Supriya

    2015-05-01

    High school and college graduates seemingly are often battling for the courses they should major in order to achieve their target career. In this paper, we worked on suggesting a career path to a graduate to reach his/her dream career given the current educational status. Firstly, we collected the career data of professionals and academicians from various career fields and compiled the data set by using the necessary information from the data. Further, this was used as the basis to suggest the most appropriate career path for the person given his/her current educational status. Decision trees and string matching algorithms were employed to suggest the appropriate career path for a person. Finally, an analysis of the result has been done directing to further improvements in the model.

  7. Structural factoring approach for analyzing stochastic networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hayhurst, Kelly J.; Shier, Douglas R.

    1991-01-01

    The problem of finding the distribution of the shortest path length through a stochastic network is investigated. A general algorithm for determining the exact distribution of the shortest path length is developed based on the concept of conditional factoring, in which a directed, stochastic network is decomposed into an equivalent set of smaller, generally less complex subnetworks. Several network constructs are identified and exploited to reduce significantly the computational effort required to solve a network problem relative to complete enumeration. This algorithm can be applied to two important classes of stochastic path problems: determining the critical path distribution for acyclic networks and the exact two-terminal reliability for probabilistic networks. Computational experience with the algorithm was encouraging and allowed the exact solution of networks that have been previously analyzed only by approximation techniques.

  8. Heuristic approaches for energy-efficient shared restoration in WDM networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alilou, Shahab

    In recent years, there has been ongoing research on the design of energy-efficient Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks. The explosive growth of Internet traffic has led to increased power consumption of network components. Network survivability has also been a relevant research topic, as it plays a crucial role in assuring continuity of service with no disruption, regardless of network component failure. Network survivability mechanisms tend to utilize considerable resources such as spare capacity in order to protect and restore information. This thesis investigates techniques for reducing energy demand and enhancing energy efficiency in the context of network survivability. We propose two novel heuristic energy-efficient shared protection approaches for WDM networks. These approaches intend to save energy by setting on sleep mode devices that are not being used while providing shared backup paths to satisfy network survivability. The first approach exploits properties of a math series in order to assign weight to the network links. It aims at reducing power consumption at the network indirectly by aggregating traffic on a set of nodes and links with high traffic load level. Routing traffic on links and nodes that are already under utilization makes it possible for the links and nodes with no load to be set on sleep mode. The second approach is intended to dynamically route traffic through nodes and links with high traffic load level. Similar to the first approach, this approach computes a pair of paths for every newly arrived demand. It computes these paths for every new demand by comparing the power consumption of nodes and links in the network before the demand arrives with their potential power consumption if they are chosen along the paths of this demand. Simulations of two different networks were used to compare the total network power consumption obtained using the proposed techniques against a standard shared-path restoration scheme. Shared-path restoration is a network survivability method in which a link-disjoint backup path and wavelength is reserved at the time of call setup for a working path. However, in order to reduce spare capacity consumption, this reserved backup path and wavelength may be shared with other backup paths. Pool Sharing Scheme (PSS) is employed to implement shared-path restoration scheme [1]. In an optical network, the failure of a single link leads to the failure of all the lightpaths that pass through that particular link. PSS ensures that the amount of backup bandwidth required on a link to restore the failed connections will not be more than the total amount of reserved backup bandwidth on that link. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approaches lead to up to 35% power savings in WDM networks when traffic load is low. However, power saving decreases to 14% at high traffic load level. Furthermore, in terms of the total capacity consumption for working paths, PSS outperforms the two proposed approaches, as expected. In terms of total capacity consumption all the approaches behave similarly. In general, at low traffic load level, the two proposed approaches behave similar to PSS in terms of average link load, and the ratio of block demands. Nevertheless, at high traffic load, the proposed approaches result in higher ratio of blocked demands than PSS. They also lead to higher average link load than PSS for the equal number of generated demands.

  9. Expert system for neurosurgical treatment planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Andrew Y. S.; Chung, Sally S. Y.; Kwok, John C. K.

    1996-04-01

    A specially designed expert system is in development for neurosurgical treatment planning. The knowledge base contains knowledge and experiences on neurosurgical treatment planning from neurosurgeon consultants, who also determine the risks of different regions in human brains. When completed, the system can simulate the decision making process of neurosurgeons to determine the safest probing path for operation. The Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan images for each patient are grabbed as the input. The system also allows neurosurgeons to include for any particular patient the additional information, such as how the tumor affects its neighboring functional regions, which is also important for calculating the safest probing path. It can then consider all the relevant information and find the most suitable probing path on the patient's brain. A 3D brain model is constructed for each set of the CT/MRI scan images and is displayed real-time together with the possible probing paths found. The precise risk value of each path is shown as a number between 0 and 1, together with its possible damages in text. Neurosurgeons can view more than one possible path simultaneously, and make the final decision on the selected path for operation.

  10. Path optimization with limited sensing ability

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

    Kang, Sung Ha, E-mail: kang@math.gatech.edu; Kim, Seong Jun, E-mail: skim396@math.gatech.edu; Zhou, Haomin, E-mail: hmzhou@math.gatech.edu

    2015-10-15

    We propose a computational strategy to find the optimal path for a mobile sensor with limited coverage to traverse a cluttered region. The goal is to find one of the shortest feasible paths to achieve the complete scan of the environment. We pose the problem in the level set framework, and first consider a related question of placing multiple stationary sensors to obtain the full surveillance of the environment. By connecting the stationary locations using the nearest neighbor strategy, we form the initial guess for the path planning problem of the mobile sensor. Then the path is optimized by reducingmore » its length, via solving a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), while maintaining the complete scan of the environment. Furthermore, we use intermittent diffusion, which converts the ODEs into stochastic differential equations (SDEs), to find an optimal path whose length is globally minimal. To improve the computation efficiency, we introduce two techniques, one to remove redundant connecting points to reduce the dimension of the system, and the other to deal with the entangled path so the solution can escape the local traps. Numerical examples are shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.« less

  11. Design Change Model for Effective Scheduling Change Propagation Paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Hai-Zhu; Ding, Guo-Fu; Li, Rong; Qin, Sheng-Feng; Yan, Kai-Yin

    2017-09-01

    Changes in requirements may result in the increasing of product development project cost and lead time, therefore, it is important to understand how requirement changes propagate in the design of complex product systems and be able to select best options to guide design. Currently, a most approach for design change is lack of take the multi-disciplinary coupling relationships and the number of parameters into account integrally. A new design change model is presented to systematically analyze and search change propagation paths. Firstly, a PDS-Behavior-Structure-based design change model is established to describe requirement changes causing the design change propagation in behavior and structure domains. Secondly, a multi-disciplinary oriented behavior matrix is utilized to support change propagation analysis of complex product systems, and the interaction relationships of the matrix elements are used to obtain an initial set of change paths. Finally, a rough set-based propagation space reducing tool is developed to assist in narrowing change propagation paths by computing the importance of the design change parameters. The proposed new design change model and its associated tools have been demonstrated by the scheduling change propagation paths of high speed train's bogie to show its feasibility and effectiveness. This model is not only supportive to response quickly to diversified market requirements, but also helpful to satisfy customer requirements and reduce product development lead time. The proposed new design change model can be applied in a wide range of engineering systems design with improved efficiency.

  12. Traffic-engineering-aware shortest-path routing and its application in IP-over-WDM networks [Invited

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Youngseok; Mukherjee, Biswanath

    2004-03-01

    Single shortest-path routing is known to perform poorly for Internet traffic engineering (TE) where the typical optimization objective is to minimize the maximum link load. Splitting traffic uniformly over equal-cost multiple shortest paths in open shortest path first and intermediate system-intermediate system protocols does not always minimize the maximum link load when multiple paths are not carefully selected for the global traffic demand matrix. However, a TE-aware shortest path among all the equal-cost multiple shortest paths between each ingress-egress pair can be selected such that the maximum link load is significantly reduced. IP routers can use the globally optimal TE-aware shortest path without any change to existing routing protocols and without any serious configuration overhead. While calculating TE-aware shortest paths, the destination-based forwarding constraint at a node should be satisfied, because an IP router will forward a packet to the next hop toward the destination by looking up the destination prefix. We present a mathematical problem formulation for finding a set of TE-aware shortest paths for the given network as an integer linear program, and we propose a simple heuristic for solving large instances of the problem. Then we explore the usage of our proposed algorithm for the integrated TE method in IP-over-WDM networks. The proposed algorithm is evaluated through simulations in IP networks as well as in IP-over-WDM networks.

  13. Analysis of Investigational Drugs in Biological Fluids. Method Development and Routine Assay. Appendix A.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-02-13

    AMINOPROPIOPHENONE IN DOG PLASMA 0 OCH 3 CH2 CH3 OCH2CHOHCH 2 OH H2 N& p-Aminopropiophenone Guaifenesin (WR 000,302) Internal Standard APPROVALS: This Analytical...40 - 80 il VOLUME: RUN TIME: 14 min (PAPP: 10.7 min; Guaifenesin (Internal Standard): 8.5 min) DETECTOR Wavelength: 316 nm SETTINGS: Absorption Range

  14. Path Following in the Exact Penalty Method of Convex Programming.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Hua; Lange, Kenneth

    2015-07-01

    Classical penalty methods solve a sequence of unconstrained problems that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as the penalty constant tends to ∞, one recovers the constrained solution. In the exact penalty method, squared penalties are replaced by absolute value penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty constant. In practice, the kinks in the penalty and the unknown magnitude of the penalty constant prevent wide application of the exact penalty method in nonlinear programming. In this article, we examine a strategy of path following consistent with the exact penalty method. Instead of performing optimization at a single penalty constant, we trace the solution as a continuous function of the penalty constant. Thus, path following starts at the unconstrained solution and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various constraints. For quadratic programming, the solution path is piecewise linear and takes large jumps from constraint to constraint. For a general convex program, the solution path is piecewise smooth, and path following operates by numerically solving an ordinary differential equation segment by segment. Our diverse applications to a) projection onto a convex set, b) nonnegative least squares, c) quadratically constrained quadratic programming, d) geometric programming, and e) semidefinite programming illustrate the mechanics and potential of path following. The final detour to image denoising demonstrates the relevance of path following to regularized estimation in inverse problems. In regularized estimation, one follows the solution path as the penalty constant decreases from a large value.

  15. Path Following in the Exact Penalty Method of Convex Programming

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Hua; Lange, Kenneth

    2015-01-01

    Classical penalty methods solve a sequence of unconstrained problems that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as the penalty constant tends to ∞, one recovers the constrained solution. In the exact penalty method, squared penalties are replaced by absolute value penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty constant. In practice, the kinks in the penalty and the unknown magnitude of the penalty constant prevent wide application of the exact penalty method in nonlinear programming. In this article, we examine a strategy of path following consistent with the exact penalty method. Instead of performing optimization at a single penalty constant, we trace the solution as a continuous function of the penalty constant. Thus, path following starts at the unconstrained solution and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various constraints. For quadratic programming, the solution path is piecewise linear and takes large jumps from constraint to constraint. For a general convex program, the solution path is piecewise smooth, and path following operates by numerically solving an ordinary differential equation segment by segment. Our diverse applications to a) projection onto a convex set, b) nonnegative least squares, c) quadratically constrained quadratic programming, d) geometric programming, and e) semidefinite programming illustrate the mechanics and potential of path following. The final detour to image denoising demonstrates the relevance of path following to regularized estimation in inverse problems. In regularized estimation, one follows the solution path as the penalty constant decreases from a large value. PMID:26366044

  16. High-cost, high-capacity backbone for global brain communication.

    PubMed

    van den Heuvel, Martijn P; Kahn, René S; Goñi, Joaquín; Sporns, Olaf

    2012-07-10

    Network studies of human brain structural connectivity have identified a specific set of brain regions that are both highly connected and highly central. Recent analyses have shown that these putative hub regions are mutually and densely interconnected, forming a "rich club" within the human brain. Here we show that the set of pathways linking rich club regions forms a central high-cost, high-capacity backbone for global brain communication. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data of two sets of 40 healthy subjects were used to map structural brain networks. The contributions to network cost and communication capacity of global cortico-cortical connections were assessed through measures of their topology and spatial embedding. Rich club connections were found to be more costly than predicted by their density alone and accounted for 40% of the total communication cost. Furthermore, 69% of all minimally short paths between node pairs were found to travel through the rich club and a large proportion of these communication paths consisted of ordered sequences of edges ("path motifs") that first fed into, then traversed, and finally exited the rich club, while passing through nodes of increasing and then decreasing degree. The prevalence of short paths that follow such ordered degree sequences suggests that neural communication might take advantage of strategies for dynamic routing of information between brain regions, with an important role for a highly central rich club. Taken together, our results show that rich club connections make an important contribution to interregional signal traffic, forming a central high-cost, high-capacity backbone for global brain communication.

  17. Path Planning for Non-Circular, Non-Holonomic Robots in Highly Cluttered Environments.

    PubMed

    Samaniego, Ricardo; Lopez, Joaquin; Vazquez, Fernando

    2017-08-15

    This paper presents an algorithm for finding a solution to the problem of planning a feasible path for a slender autonomous mobile robot in a large and cluttered environment. The presented approach is based on performing a graph search on a kinodynamic-feasible lattice state space of high resolution; however, the technique is applicable to many search algorithms. With the purpose of allowing the algorithm to consider paths that take the robot through narrow passes and close to obstacles, high resolutions are used for the lattice space and the control set. This introduces new challenges because one of the most computationally expensive parts of path search based planning algorithms is calculating the cost of each one of the actions or steps that could potentially be part of the trajectory. The reason for this is that the evaluation of each one of these actions involves convolving the robot's footprint with a portion of a local map to evaluate the possibility of a collision, an operation that grows exponentially as the resolution is increased. The novel approach presented here reduces the need for these convolutions by using a set of offline precomputed maps that are updated, by means of a partial convolution, as new information arrives from sensors or other sources. Not only does this improve run-time performance, but it also provides support for dynamic search in changing environments. A set of alternative fast convolution methods are also proposed, depending on whether the environment is cluttered with obstacles or not. Finally, we provide both theoretical and experimental results from different experiments and applications.

  18. Development of ball surface acoustic wave trace moisture analyzer using burst waveform undersampling circuit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsuji, Toshihiro; Oizumi, Toru; Fukushi, Hideyuki; Takeda, Nobuo; Akao, Shingo; Tsukahara, Yusuke; Yamanaka, Kazushi

    2018-05-01

    The measurement and control of trace moisture, where the water concentration is lower than 1 ppmv [-76.2 °C for the frost point (°CFP)], are essential for improving the yield rate of semiconductor devices and for ensuring their reliability. A ball surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor with a sol-gel silica coating exhibited useful characteristics for a trace moisture analyzer (TMA) when the temperature drift of the delay time output was precisely compensated using two-frequency measurement (TFM), where the temperature-compensated relative delay time change (RDTC) was obtained by subtracting the RDTC at the fundamental frequency from that at the third harmonic frequency on an identical propagation path. However, the cost of the measurement circuit was a problem. In this study, a burst waveform undersampling (BUS) circuit based on the theory of undersampling measurement was developed as a practical means. The BUS circuit was useful for precise temperature compensation of the RDTC, and the ball SAW TMA was prototyped by calibrating the RDTC using a TMA based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), which is the most reliable method for trace moisture measurement. The ball SAW TMA outputted a similar concentration to that obtained by the CRDS TMA, and its response time at a set concentration in N2 with a flow rate of 1 l/min was about half that of the CRDS TMA, suggesting that moisture of -80 °CFP was measured within only 1 min. The detection limit at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was estimated to be 0.05 ppbv, comparable with that of the CRDS TMA. From these results, it was demonstrated that a practical ball SAW TMA can be realized using the developed BUS circuit.

  19. Predictive Sea State Estimation for Automated Ride Control and Handling - PSSEARCH

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huntsberger, Terrance L.; Howard, Andrew B.; Aghazarian, Hrand; Rankin, Arturo L.

    2012-01-01

    PSSEARCH provides predictive sea state estimation, coupled with closed-loop feedback control for automated ride control. It enables a manned or unmanned watercraft to determine the 3D map and sea state conditions in its vicinity in real time. Adaptive path-planning/ replanning software and a control surface management system will then use this information to choose the best settings and heading relative to the seas for the watercraft. PSSEARCH looks ahead and anticipates potential impact of waves on the boat and is used in a tight control loop to adjust trim tabs, course, and throttle settings. The software uses sensory inputs including IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), stereo, radar, etc. to determine the sea state and wave conditions (wave height, frequency, wave direction) in the vicinity of a rapidly moving boat. This information can then be used to plot a safe path through the oncoming waves. The main issues in determining a safe path for sea surface navigation are: (1) deriving a 3D map of the surrounding environment, (2) extracting hazards and sea state surface state from the imaging sensors/map, and (3) planning a path and control surface settings that avoid the hazards, accomplish the mission navigation goals, and mitigate crew injuries from excessive heave, pitch, and roll accelerations while taking into account the dynamics of the sea surface state. The first part is solved using a wide baseline stereo system, where 3D structure is determined from two calibrated pairs of visual imagers. Once the 3D map is derived, anything above the sea surface is classified as a potential hazard and a surface analysis gives a static snapshot of the waves. Dynamics of the wave features are obtained from a frequency analysis of motion vectors derived from the orientation of the waves during a sequence of inputs. Fusion of the dynamic wave patterns with the 3D maps and the IMU outputs is used for efficient safe path planning.

  20. Sex Differences in Cardiac Baroreflex Sensitivity after Isometric Handgrip Exercise.

    PubMed

    Teixeira, André L; Ritti-Dias, Raphael; Antonino, Diego; Bottaro, Martim; Millar, Philip J; Vianna, Lauro C

    2018-04-01

    This study aimed to investigate potential sex-related differences on spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) after acute isometric handgrip (IHG) exercise. Twenty men (age, 23 ± 3 yr) and 20 women (age, 24 ± 4 yr) randomly performed four sets of 2-min IHG exercise (two sets for each limb) at 30% maximal voluntary contraction (experimental) or 3% maximal voluntary contraction (sham). Beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (BP) were monitored using finger photoplethysmography before and 10, 20, and 30 min after IHG. Spontaneous cBRS was assessed via the sequence technique and cardiac autonomic modulation via time- and frequency-domain HR variability. After IHG, spontaneous cBRS increased during 10 min of recovery in men (Δ13% ± 5%, P = 0.03 vs rest) and increased further in women (Δ23% ± 4%, P < 0.01 vs rest; P = 0.04 vs men). During 20 and 30 min of recovery, cBRS returned to baseline in men but remained elevated in women. HR decreased 10 min after IHG in men (10 min: Δ-2 ± 1 bpm, P < 0.01 vs rest; 20 min: Δ-1 ± 1 bpm, P = 0.39 vs rest; 30 min: Δ1 ± 1 bpm, P = 0.31 vs rest) and throughout recovery in women (10 min: Δ-5 ± 1 bpm, P < 0.01 vs rest; 20 min: Δ-3 ± 1 bpm, P < 0.01 vs rest; 30 min: Δ-2 ± 1 bpm, P < 0.01 vs rest). Systolic BP increased 10 min after IHG and remained elevated during 20 min and 30 min in men (P < 0.05). In women, systolic BP increased during 10 min (P < 0.01) and returned to baseline during 20 and 30 min of recovery. Time-domain HR variability (root mean square of successive differences) was increased during recovery in men and women (P < 0.05). Sham had no effect on any variables. Acute IHG exercise increases cBRS and cardiac vagal activity in healthy young subjects, but the magnitude and the time course of changes in cBRS differ between men and women.

  1. Fast and automatic depth control of iterative bone ablation based on optical coherence tomography data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuchs, Alexander; Pengel, Steffen; Bergmeier, Jan; Kahrs, Lüder A.; Ortmaier, Tobias

    2015-07-01

    Laser surgery is an established clinical procedure in dental applications, soft tissue ablation, and ophthalmology. The presented experimental set-up for closed-loop control of laser bone ablation addresses a feedback system and enables safe ablation towards anatomical structures that usually would have high risk of damage. This study is based on combined working volumes of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Er:YAG cutting laser. High level of automation in fast image data processing and tissue treatment enables reproducible results and shortens the time in the operating room. For registration of the two coordinate systems a cross-like incision is ablated with the Er:YAG laser and segmented with OCT in three distances. The resulting Er:YAG coordinate system is reconstructed. A parameter list defines multiple sets of laser parameters including discrete and specific ablation rates as ablation model. The control algorithm uses this model to plan corrective laser paths for each set of laser parameters and dynamically adapts the distance of the laser focus. With this iterative control cycle consisting of image processing, path planning, ablation, and moistening of tissue the target geometry and desired depth are approximated until no further corrective laser paths can be set. The achieved depth stays within the tolerances of the parameter set with the smallest ablation rate. Specimen trials with fresh porcine bone have been conducted to prove the functionality of the developed concept. Flat bottom surfaces and sharp edges of the outline without visual signs of thermal damage verify the feasibility of automated, OCT controlled laser bone ablation with minimal process time.

  2. On the strong metric dimension of generalized butterfly graph, starbarbell graph, and {C}_{m}\\odot {P}_{n} graph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yunia Mayasari, Ratih; Atmojo Kusmayadi, Tri

    2018-04-01

    Let G be a connected graph with vertex set V(G) and edge set E(G). For every pair of vertices u,v\\in V(G), the interval I[u, v] between u and v to be the collection of all vertices that belong to some shortest u ‑ v path. A vertex s\\in V(G) strongly resolves two vertices u and v if u belongs to a shortest v ‑ s path or v belongs to a shortest u ‑ s path. A vertex set S of G is a strong resolving set of G if every two distinct vertices of G are strongly resolved by some vertex of S. The strong metric basis of G is a strong resolving set with minimal cardinality. The strong metric dimension sdim(G) of a graph G is defined as the cardinality of strong metric basis. In this paper we determine the strong metric dimension of a generalized butterfly graph, starbarbell graph, and {C}mȯ {P}n graph. We obtain the strong metric dimension of generalized butterfly graph is sdim(BFn ) = 2n ‑ 2. The strong metric dimension of starbarbell graph is sdim(S{B}{m1,{m}2,\\ldots,{m}n})={\\sum }i=1n({m}i-1)-1. The strong metric dimension of {C}mȯ {P}n graph are sdim({C}mȯ {P}n)=2m-1 for m > 3 and n = 2, and sdim({C}mȯ {P}n)=2m-2 for m > 3 and n > 2.

  3. An ex-vivo experimental study on optimization of bipolar radiofrequency liver ablation using perfusion-cooled electrodes.

    PubMed

    Lee, J M; Han, J K; Kim, S H; Lee, J Y; Shin, K S; Choi, B I

    2005-08-01

    To determine optimal parameters for bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using perfusion-cooled electrodes to create a large ablation volume in ex vivo bovine liver. Three sets of RF experiments were performed using a 200-Watt generator and two 15-gauge perfusion-cooled or internally cooled electrodes in ex vivo bovine livers. In the first set of experiments, to find the ideal inter-electrode distance for creating large coagulation necrosis, 30 ablation lesions were created by bipolar RFAs at inter-electrode spacings of 3 cm, 4 cm, and 5 cm. In the second set of experiments, to explore the ideal duration of RF application, bipolar RFAs were performed for 10 min and 20 min. In the first and second experiments, 10 lesions were made for each condition with infusion of 6% hypertonic saline (HS) at 2 ml/min. In the third set of experiments, 10 ablation lesions were created by bipolar RFAs using internally cooled electrodes without HS infusion. The mean volume of those ablation lesions was then compared to that of the lesions created by bipolar RFA using perfusion-cooled electrodes in the second experiments. Tissue impedance, dimension, and shape of the ablated areas were compared in each condition. In the first set of experiments, bipolar RFA created a homogeneous oval or spherical-shaped ablation area between the electrodes at 3-5 cm spacing, but showed a more spherical-shaped lesion at 3 cm inter-electrode spacing than at 4 cm and 5 cm spacing. In the second set of experiments, RF energy delivered for 20 min created a larger dimension of coagulation necrosis than energy delivered for 10 min: 107.6 +/- 34 cm3 versus 59.5 +/- 27 cm3 (P<0.05). In addition, the mean volume of ablation regions obtained with bipolar RFA using the internally cooled electrode was 47.5+/- 17 cm3, which was significantly less than that with bipolar RFA using perfusion-cooled electrodes (P <0.05). Bipolar RFA using perfusion-cooled electrodes achieves homogeneous areas of coagulation necrosis between two electrodes, preferably at 3 or 4 cm inter-electrode distance for 20 min, and is better in creating large coagulation necrosis than bipolar RFA using internally cooled electrodes.

  4. Quantitative estimation of Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission precipitation radar signals from ground-based polarimetric radar observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bolen, Steven M.; Chandrasekar, V.

    2003-06-01

    The Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM) is the first mission dedicated to measuring rainfall from space using radar. The precipitation radar (PR) is one of several instruments aboard the TRMM satellite that is operating in a nearly circular orbit with nominal altitude of 350 km, inclination of 35°, and period of 91.5 min. The PR is a single-frequency Ku-band instrument that is designed to yield information about the vertical storm structure so as to gain insight into the intensity and distribution of rainfall. Attenuation effects on PR measurements, however, can be significant and as high as 10-15 dB. This can seriously impair the accuracy of rain rate retrieval algorithms derived from PR signal returns. Quantitative estimation of PR attenuation is made along the PR beam via ground-based polarimetric observations to validate attenuation correction procedures used by the PR. The reflectivity (Zh) at horizontal polarization and specific differential phase (Kdp) are found along the beam from S-band ground radar measurements, and theoretical modeling is used to determine the expected specific attenuation (k) along the space-Earth path at Ku-band frequency from these measurements. A theoretical k-Kdp relationship is determined for rain when Kdp ≥ 0.5°/km, and a power law relationship, k = a Zhb, is determined for light rain and other types of hydrometers encountered along the path. After alignment and resolution volume matching is made between ground and PR measurements, the two-way path-integrated attenuation (PIA) is calculated along the PR propagation path by integrating the specific attenuation along the path. The PR reflectivity derived after removing the PIA is also compared against ground radar observations.

  5. Toward Shared Working Space of Human and Robotic Agents Through Dipole Flow Field for Dependable Path Planning.

    PubMed

    Trinh, Lan Anh; Ekström, Mikael; Cürüklü, Baran

    2018-01-01

    Recent industrial developments in autonomous systems, or agents, which assume that humans and the agents share the same space or even work in close proximity, open for new challenges in robotics, especially in motion planning and control. In these settings, the control system should be able to provide these agents a reliable path following control when they are working in a group or in collaboration with one or several humans in complex and dynamic environments. In such scenarios, these agents are not only moving to reach their goals, i.e., locations, they are also aware of the movements of other entities to find a collision-free path. Thus, this paper proposes a dependable, i.e., safe, reliable and effective, path planning algorithm for a group of agents that share their working space with humans. Firstly, the method employs the Theta * algorithm to initialize the paths from a starting point to a goal for a set of agents. As Theta * algorithm is computationally heavy, it only reruns when there is a significant change of the environment. To deal with the movements of the agents, a static flow field along the configured path is defined. This field is used by the agents to navigate and reach their goals even if the planned trajectories are changed. Secondly, a dipole field is calculated to avoid the collision of agents with other agents and human subjects. In this approach, each agent is assumed to be a source of a magnetic dipole field in which the magnetic moment is aligned with the moving direction of the agent. The magnetic dipole-dipole interactions between these agents generate repulsive forces to help them to avoid collision. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated with extensive simulations. The results show that the static flow field is able to drive agents to the goals with a small number of requirements to update the path of agents. Meanwhile, the dipole flow field plays an important role to prevent collisions. The combination of these two fields results in a safe path planning algorithm, with a deterministic outcome, to navigate agents to their desired goals.

  6. On the formation of granulites

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bohlen, S.R.

    1991-01-01

    The tectonic settings for the formation and evolution of regional granulite terranes and the lowermost continental crust can be deduced from pressure-temperature-time (P-T-time) paths and constrained by petrological and geophysical considerations. P-T conditions deduced for regional granulites require transient, average geothermal gradients of greater than 35??C km-1, implying minimum heat flow in excess of 100 mW m-2. Such high heat flow is probably caused by magmatic heating. Tectonic settings wherein such conditions are found include convergent plate margins, continental rifts, hot spots and at the margins of large, deep-seated batholiths. Cooling paths can be constrained by solid-solid and devolatilization equilibria and geophysical modelling. -from Author

  7. Geospatial analysis based on GIS integrated with LADAR.

    PubMed

    Fetterman, Matt R; Freking, Robert; Fernandez-Cull, Christy; Hinkle, Christopher W; Myne, Anu; Relyea, Steven; Winslow, Jim

    2013-10-07

    In this work, we describe multi-layered analyses of a high-resolution broad-area LADAR data set in support of expeditionary activities. High-level features are extracted from the LADAR data, such as the presence and location of buildings and cars, and then these features are used to populate a GIS (geographic information system) tool. We also apply line-of-sight (LOS) analysis to develop a path-planning module. Finally, visualization is addressed and enhanced with a gesture-based control system that allows the user to navigate through the enhanced data set in a virtual immersive experience. This work has operational applications including military, security, disaster relief, and task-based robotic path planning.

  8. Line-of-Sight Data Link Test Set

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-06-01

    spheric layer model for layer refraction or a surface reflectivity model for ground reflection paths. Measurement of the channel impulse response...the model is exercised over a path consisting of only a constant direct component. The test would consist of measuring the modem demodulator bit...direct and a fading direct component. The test typically would consist of measuring the bit error-rate over a range of average signal-to-noise

  9. Regularization Paths for Cox's Proportional Hazards Model via Coordinate Descent.

    PubMed

    Simon, Noah; Friedman, Jerome; Hastie, Trevor; Tibshirani, Rob

    2011-03-01

    We introduce a pathwise algorithm for the Cox proportional hazards model, regularized by convex combinations of ℓ 1 and ℓ 2 penalties (elastic net). Our algorithm fits via cyclical coordinate descent, and employs warm starts to find a solution along a regularization path. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm on real and simulated data sets, and find considerable speedup between our algorithm and competing methods.

  10. Quantum Adiabatic Algorithms and Large Spin Tunnelling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boulatov, A.; Smelyanskiy, V. N.

    2003-01-01

    We provide a theoretical study of the quantum adiabatic evolution algorithm with different evolution paths proposed in this paper. The algorithm is applied to a random binary optimization problem (a version of the 3-Satisfiability problem) where the n-bit cost function is symmetric with respect to the permutation of individual bits. The evolution paths are produced, using the generic control Hamiltonians H (r) that preserve the bit symmetry of the underlying optimization problem. In the case where the ground state of H(0) coincides with the totally-symmetric state of an n-qubit system the algorithm dynamics is completely described in terms of the motion of a spin-n/2. We show that different control Hamiltonians can be parameterized by a set of independent parameters that are expansion coefficients of H (r) in a certain universal set of operators. Only one of these operators can be responsible for avoiding the tunnelling in the spin-n/2 system during the quantum adiabatic algorithm. We show that it is possible to select a coefficient for this operator that guarantees a polynomial complexity of the algorithm for all problem instances. We show that a successful evolution path of the algorithm always corresponds to the trajectory of a classical spin-n/2 and provide a complete characterization of such paths.

  11. [Patient careers in the orthopedic pain treatment. Sociological studies on pain behavior].

    PubMed

    Göckenjan, G; Dreßke, S; Pfankuch, O

    2013-09-01

    Based on case histories the following study raises the question why some pain patients remain permanently on the path of specialist pain treatment after initial treatment whereas other patients with similar pain reports do not. In this study 134 qualitative interviews were conducted in order to research patient career paths. The study population included patients with back pain recruited from different orthopedic care settings and included persons with back pain from a general population not involved in specialized pain treatment. Patient career paths within medical care settings are effective in socializing and transforming the subjects. In the course of medical treatment patients learn their rights and obligations and subsequently acquire habits of typical pain behavior both in medical and domestic arrangements. Patients learn to formulate and preserve their interests and learn to align the different expectations which results in increasing identification with the career path. Conceptions of pain and pain behavior are formed in the course of patient careers while this is not necessarily a conscious or reflected process. As an unintended consequence it evolves into pain acting within the patient that integrates patients into distinct care milieus and holds them tight in the respective pain care. In these cases pain patients and their doctors fall so to say into a pain trap.

  12. Heat transfer head for a Stirling cycle machine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Emigh, Stuart G. (Inventor); Noble, Jack E. (Inventor); Lehmann, Gregory A. (Inventor)

    1991-01-01

    A common heat acceptor is provided between opposed displacers in a Stirling cycle machine. It includes two sets of open channels in separate fluid communications with the expansion spaces of the receptive cyclinders. The channels confine movement of working fluid in separate paths that extend between the expansion space of one cylinder and the compression space of the other. The method for operating the machine involves alternatively directing working fluid from the expansion space of each cylinder in a fluid path leading to the compression space of the other cylinder and from the compression space of each cylinder in a fluid path leading to the expansion space of the other cylinder.

  13. Completely automated open-path FT-IR spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Peter R; Shao, Limin; Leytem, April B

    2009-01-01

    Atmospheric analysis by open-path Fourier-transform infrared (OP/FT-IR) spectrometry has been possible for over two decades but has not been widely used because of the limitations of the software of commercial instruments. In this paper, we describe the current state-of-the-art of the hardware and software that constitutes a contemporary OP/FT-IR spectrometer. We then describe advances that have been made in our laboratory that have enabled many of the limitations of this type of instrument to be overcome. These include not having to acquire a single-beam background spectrum that compensates for absorption features in the spectra of atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide. Instead, an easily measured "short path-length" background spectrum is used for calculation of each absorbance spectrum that is measured over a long path-length. To accomplish this goal, the algorithm used to calculate the concentrations of trace atmospheric molecules was changed from classical least-squares regression (CLS) to partial least-squares regression (PLS). For calibration, OP/FT-IR spectra are measured in pristine air over a wide variety of path-lengths, temperatures, and humidities, ratioed against a short-path background, and converted to absorbance; the reference spectrum of each analyte is then multiplied by randomly selected coefficients and added to these background spectra. Automatic baseline correction for small molecules with resolved rotational fine structure, such as ammonia and methane, is effected using wavelet transforms. A novel method of correcting for the effect of the nonlinear response of mercury cadmium telluride detectors is also incorporated. Finally, target factor analysis may be used to detect the onset of a given pollutant when its concentration exceeds a certain threshold. In this way, the concentration of atmospheric species has been obtained from OP/FT-IR spectra measured at intervals of 1 min over a period of many hours with no operator intervention.

  14. Estimation of spline function in nonparametric path analysis based on penalized weighted least square (PWLS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandes, Adji Achmad Rinaldo; Solimun, Arisoesilaningsih, Endang

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this research is to estimate the spline in Path Analysis-based on Nonparametric Regression using Penalized Weighted Least Square (PWLS) approach. Approach used is Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space at sobolev space. Nonparametric path analysis model on the equation y1 i=f1.1(x1 i)+ε1 i; y2 i=f1.2(x1 i)+f2.2(y1 i)+ε2 i; i =1 ,2 ,…,n Nonparametric Path Analysis which meet the criteria of minimizing PWLS min fw .k∈W2m[aw .k,bw .k], k =1 ,2 { (2n ) -1(y˜-f ˜ ) TΣ-1(y ˜-f ˜ ) + ∑k =1 2 ∑w =1 2 λw .k ∫aw .k bw .k [fw.k (m )(xi) ] 2d xi } is f ˜^=Ay ˜ with A=T1(T1TU1-1∑-1T1)-1T1TU1-1∑-1+V1U1-1∑-1[I-T1(T1TU1-1∑-1T1)-1T1TU1-1∑-1] columnalign="left">+T2(T2TU2-1∑-1T2)-1T2TU2-1∑-1+V2U2-1∑-1[I1-T2(T2TU2-1∑-1T2) -1T2TU2-1∑-1

  15. Effect of simethicone on the accuracy of the rapid urease test.

    PubMed

    Ng, F H; Wong, S Y; Kng, C; Chow, S L; Lai, K C; Ng, W F

    1998-10-01

    Simethicone, which is a principal ingredient in the defoaming agent used during gastroscopy, can inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori (MIC, 64-128 mg/l). This prospective study was designed to evaluate the in vivo and in vitro effects of simethicone on the accuracy of the rapid urease test (RUT). In the in vivo study, three sets of gastric biopsies (two from the antrum, and one from the corpus) were taken from 75 patients. The first set was examined histologically, and the second set was used for the RUT (pre-simethicone RUT). Then, 25 ml simethicone (1200 mg/l) was introduced into the stomach for a contact time of 1 min. A third set of gastric biopsies was taken for the RUT (post-simethicone RUT). In the in vitro clinical study, 41 patients were recruited. The first set of gastric biopsies was used for the RUT (pre-incubation RUT). The second set was incubated in 1 ml of simethicone for 5 min before being used for the RUT (post-incubation RUT). In the spectrophotometric study, urease activity before and after incubation in simethicone for 5 min was quantified in 12 patients by measuring the absorbance at 560 nm. Reading at 15 min, the concordance rate between the pre-simethicone and post-simethicone RUT was 98%. In the in vitro clinical study, the concordance rate between the pre-incubation and post-incubation RUT was 97%. The spectophotometric study showed a significant reduction of 43% in urease activity after incubation in simethicone. The application of a defoaming agent containing simethicone does not affect the accuracy of the RUT. However, simethicone modestly suppresses urea hydrolysis.

  16. Effects of TEA·HCl hardening accelerator on the workability of cement-based materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Wenhao; Ding, Zhaoyang; Chen, Yanwen

    2017-03-01

    The aim of the test is to research the influence rules of TEA·HCl on the workability of cement paste and concrete. Based on the features of the new hardening accelerator, an experimental analysis system were established through different dosages of hardening accelerator, and the feasibility of such accelerator to satisfy the need of practical engineering was verified. The results show that adding of the hardening accelerator can accelerate the cement hydration, and what’s more, when the dosage was 0.04%, the setting time was the shortest while the initial setting time and final setting time were 130 min and 180 min, respectively. The initial fluidity of cement paste of adding accelerator was roughly equivalent compared with that of blank. After 30 min, fluidity loss would decrease with the dosage increasing, but fluidity may increase. The application of the hardening accelerator can make the early workability of concrete enhance, especially the slump loss of 30 min can improve more significantly. The bleeding rate of concrete significantly decreases after adding TEA·HCl. The conclusion is that the new hardening accelerator can meet the need of the workability of cement-based materials in the optimum dosage range.

  17. Effect of rest interval length on bench press performance in boys, teens, and men.

    PubMed

    Faigenbaum, Avery D; Ratamess, Nicholas A; McFarland, Jim; Kaczmarek, Jon; Coraggio, Michael J; Kang, Jie; Hoffman, Jay R

    2008-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the lifting performance of boys (N = 12; age 11.3 +/- 0.8 yr), teens (N = 13; age 13.6 +/- 0.6 yr), and men (N = 17; age 21.4 +/- 2.1 yr) to various rest interval (RI) lengths on the bench press exercise. Each subject performed 3 sets with a 10 repetition maximum load and a 1, 2, and 3 min RI between sets. Significant differences in lifting performance between age groups were observed within each RI for selected sets with boys and teens performing significantly more total repetitions than adults following protocols with 1 min (27.9 +/- 3.1, 26.9 +/- 3.9, and 18.2 +/- 4.1, respectively), 2 min (29.6 +/- 1.0, 27.8 +/- 3.5, and 21.4 +/- .1, respectively) and 3 min (30.0 +/- 0.0, 28.8 +/- 2.4, and 23.9 +/- 5.3, respectively) RIs. Significant differences in average velocity and average power between age groups were also observed. These findings indicate that boys and teens are better able to maintain muscle performance during intermittent moderate-intensity resistance exercise as compared with men.

  18. Optimization of transversal phacoemulsification settings in peristaltic mode using a new transversal ultrasound machine.

    PubMed

    Wright, Dannen D; Wright, Alex J; Boulter, Tyler D; Bernhisel, Ashlie A; Stagg, Brian C; Zaugg, Brian; Pettey, Jeff H; Ha, Larry; Ta, Brian T; Olson, Randall J

    2017-09-01

    To determine the optimum bottle height, vacuum, aspiration rate, and power settings in the peristaltic mode of the Whitestar Signature Pro machine with Ellips FX tip action (transversal). John A. Moran Eye Center Laboratories, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Experimental study. Porcine lens nuclei were hardened with formalin and cut into 2.0 mm cubes. Lens cubes were emulsified using transversal and fragment removal time (efficiency), and fragment bounces off the tip (chatter) were measured to determine optimum aspiration rate, bottle height, vacuum, and power settings in the peristaltic mode. Efficiency increased in a linear fashion with increasing bottle height and vacuum. The most efficient aspiration rate was 50 mL/min, with 60 mL/min statistically similar. Increasing power increased efficiency up to 90% with increased chatter at 100%. The most efficient values for the settings tested were bottle height at 100 cm, vacuum at 600 mm Hg, aspiration rate of 50 or 60 mL/min, and power at 90%. Copyright © 2017 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Participation of ethylene in gravitropism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harrison, M.; Pickard, B. G.

    1984-01-01

    In shoots of many plants, of which tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is an example, ethylene production is substantially increased during gravitropism. As a first step toward elucidating the role of ethylene in gravitropism, detailed time courses of ethylene production in isolated hypocotyl segments and whole plants were measured for gravistimulated and upright tomato seedlings. In the first experiment, seedlings were set upright or laid horizontal and then, at 15 min intervals, sets of hypocotyls were excised and sealed into gas tight vials. A steady long term rise in ethylene production begins after 15 min gravistimulation. It is possible that this increase is a consequence of the accumulation of indoleacetic acid (IAA) in the lower tissue of the hypocotyle. In a second kind of experiment, whole seedlings were enclosed in sealed chambers and air samples were withdrawn at 5 min intervals. Stimulated seedlings produced more ethylene than controls during the first 5 min interval, but not appreciably more during the second. This suggests the possibility that the ethylene production induced during the first 5 min occurs immediately rather than after a lag, and thus much too soon to be controlled by redistribution of IAA.

  20. On computing the global time-optimal motions of robotic manipulators in the presence of obstacles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiller, Zvi; Dubowsky, Steven

    1991-01-01

    A method for computing the time-optimal motions of robotic manipulators is presented that considers the nonlinear manipulator dynamics, actuator constraints, joint limits, and obstacles. The optimization problem is reduced to a search for the time-optimal path in the n-dimensional position space. A small set of near-optimal paths is first efficiently selected from a grid, using a branch and bound search and a series of lower bound estimates on the traveling time along a given path. These paths are further optimized with a local path optimization to yield the global optimal solution. Obstacles are considered by eliminating the collision points from the tessellated space and by adding a penalty function to the motion time in the local optimization. The computational efficiency of the method stems from the reduced dimensionality of the searched spaced and from combining the grid search with a local optimization. The method is demonstrated in several examples for two- and six-degree-of-freedom manipulators with obstacles.

  1. LWPC: Long Wavelength Propagation Capability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    U. S. Navy; Ferguson, J. A.; Hutchins, Michael

    2018-03-01

    Long Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC), written as a collection of separate programs that perform unique actions, generates geographical maps of signal availability for coverage analysis. The program makes it easy to set up these displays by automating most of the required steps. The user specifies the transmitter location and frequency, the orientation of the transmitting and receiving antennae, and the boundaries of the operating area. The program automatically selects paths along geographic bearing angles to ensure that the operating area is fully covered. The diurnal conditions and other relevant geophysical parameters are then determined along each path. After the mode parameters along each path are determined, the signal strength along each path is computed. The signal strength along the paths is then interpolated onto a grid overlying the operating area. The final grid of signal strength values is used to display the signal-strength in a geographic display. The LWPC uses character strings to control programs and to specify options. The control strings have the same meaning and use among all the programs.

  2. Development of a new integrated local trajectory planning and tracking control framework for autonomous ground vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaohui; Sun, Zhenping; Cao, Dongpu; Liu, Daxue; He, Hangen

    2017-03-01

    This study proposes a novel integrated local trajectory planning and tracking control (ILTPTC) framework for autonomous vehicles driving along a reference path with obstacles avoidance. For this ILTPTC framework, an efficient state-space sampling-based trajectory planning scheme is employed to smoothly follow the reference path. A model-based predictive path generation algorithm is applied to produce a set of smooth and kinematically-feasible paths connecting the initial state with the sampling terminal states. A velocity control law is then designed to assign a speed value at each of the points along the generated paths. An objective function considering both safety and comfort performance is carefully formulated for assessing the generated trajectories and selecting the optimal one. For accurately tracking the optimal trajectory while overcoming external disturbances and model uncertainties, a combined feedforward and feedback controller is developed. Both simulation analyses and vehicle testing are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed ILTPTC framework, and future research is also briefly discussed.

  3. The Effect of Bi Contamination on the Solidification Behavior of Sn-Pb Solders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moon, Kil-Won; Kattner, Ursula R.; Handwerker, Carol A.

    2007-06-01

    This paper presents experimental results and theoretical calculations that evaluate the effects of Bi contamination on the solidification behavior of Sn-Pb alloys. The pasty (mushy) range, the type of solidification path, and the microstructure of the solidified alloys are described. The experimental results are obtained from thermal analysis and metallography, and the solidification calculations are performed using the lever rule and Scheil assumptions. The experimental results show that the solidification behavior of the contaminated solder at cooling rates of 5°C/min and 23°C/min is closer to the predictions of the lever rule calculations than those of the Scheil calculations. Although the freezing range of Bi-contaminated Sn-Pb solders is increased, formation of a ternary eutectic reaction at 95°C is not observed for contamination levels below the Bi mass fraction of 6%.

  4. Traffic protection in MPLS networks using an off-line flow optimization model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krzesinski, Anthony E.; Muller, Karen E.

    2002-07-01

    MPLS-based recovery is intended to effect rapid and complete restoration of traffic affected by a fault in an MPLS network. Two MPLS-based recovery models have been proposed: IP re-routing which establishes recovery paths on demand, and protection switching which works with pre-established recovery paths. IP re-routing is robust and frugal since no resources are pre-committed but is inherently slower than protection switching which is intended to offer high reliability to premium services where fault recovery takes place at the 100 ms time scale. We present a model of protection switching in MPLS networks. A variant of the flow deviation method is used to find and capacitate a set of optimal label switched paths. The traffic is routed over a set of working LSPs. Global repair is implemented by reserving a set of pre-established recovery LSPs. An analytic model is used to evaluate the MPLS-based recovery mechanisms in response to bi-directional link failures. A simulation model is used to evaluate the MPLS recovery cycle in terms of the time needed to restore the traffic after a uni-directional link failure. The models are applied to evaluate the effectiveness of protection switching in networks consisting of between 20 and 100 nodes.

  5. An exact formulation of the time-ordered exponential using path-sums

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

    Giscard, P.-L., E-mail: p.giscard1@physics.ox.ac.uk; Lui, K.; Thwaite, S. J.

    2015-05-15

    We present the path-sum formulation for the time-ordered exponential of a time-dependent matrix. The path-sum formulation gives the time-ordered exponential as a branched continued fraction of finite depth and breadth. The terms of the path-sum have an elementary interpretation as self-avoiding walks and self-avoiding polygons on a graph. Our result is based on a representation of the time-ordered exponential as the inverse of an operator, the mapping of this inverse to sums of walks on a graphs, and the algebraic structure of sets of walks. We give examples demonstrating our approach. We establish a super-exponential decay bound for the magnitudemore » of the entries of the time-ordered exponential of sparse matrices. We give explicit results for matrices with commonly encountered sparse structures.« less

  6. Jarzynski equality in the context of maximum path entropy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González, Diego; Davis, Sergio

    2017-06-01

    In the global framework of finding an axiomatic derivation of nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics from fundamental principles, such as the maximum path entropy - also known as Maximum Caliber principle -, this work proposes an alternative derivation of the well-known Jarzynski equality, a nonequilibrium identity of great importance today due to its applications to irreversible processes: biological systems (protein folding), mechanical systems, among others. This equality relates the free energy differences between two equilibrium thermodynamic states with the work performed when going between those states, through an average over a path ensemble. In this work the analysis of Jarzynski's equality will be performed using the formalism of inference over path space. This derivation highlights the wide generality of Jarzynski's original result, which could even be used in non-thermodynamical settings such as social systems, financial and ecological systems.

  7. A Path Model of Effective Technology-Intensive Inquiry-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avsec, Stanislav; Kocijancic, Slavko

    2016-01-01

    Individual aptitude, attitudes, and behavior in inquiry-based learning (IBL) settings may affect work and learning performance outcomes during activities using different technologies. To encourage multifaceted learning, factors in IBL settings must be statistically significant and effective, and not cognitively or psychomotor intensive. We…

  8. Highly Reconfigurable Beamformer Stimulus Generator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vaviļina, E.; Gaigals, G.

    2018-02-01

    The present paper proposes a highly reconfigurable beamformer stimulus generator of radar antenna array, which includes three main blocks: settings of antenna array, settings of objects (signal sources) and a beamforming simulator. Following from the configuration of antenna array and object settings, different stimulus can be generated as the input signal for a beamformer. This stimulus generator is developed under a greater concept with two utterly independent paths where one is the stimulus generator and the other is the hardware beamformer. Both paths can be complemented in final and in intermediate steps as well to check and improve system performance. This way the technology development process is promoted by making each of the future hardware steps more substantive. Stimulus generator configuration capabilities and test results are presented proving the application of the stimulus generator for FPGA based beamforming unit development and tuning as an alternative to an actual antenna system.

  9. Influence of chewing rate on salivary stress hormone levels.

    PubMed

    Tasaka, Akinori; Tahara, Yasuaki; Sugiyama, Tetsuya; Sakurai, Kaoru

    2008-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of different chewing rates on salivary cortisol levels as a stress indicator. The subject group consisted of 16 healthy males. They were required to rest for 30 min, and then given arithmetic calculations to perform for 30 min as stress loading. Immediately after, the first set of saliva specimens (S1) was collected over a period of 1 min to measure cortisol levels. Next, they were asked to chew a tasteless gum base for 10 min, and the second set of saliva specimens (S2) was collected in the same manner. They were then required to rest for 10 min, after which the third set of saliva specimens (S3) was collected. Chewing rates were set to slow, habitual, and fast in time with a metronome. Salivary cortisol levels were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Changes in salivary cortisol levels comparing S1 with S2, and S1 with S3 were determined. Changes in salivary cortisol levels between S1 and S2 showed a reduction of 4.7%, 14.6%, and 16.2% with slow, habitual, and fast chewing, respectively. A significant difference was observed between slow and fast chewing. Changes in salivary cortisol levels between S1 and S3 showed a reduction of 14.4%, 22.2%, and 25.8% with slow, habitual, and fast chewing, respectively. A significant difference was observed between slow and fast chewing. This study showed that differences in chewing rate affected salivary cortisol levels as a stress indicator, and suggested that the effect on stress release with fast chewing is greater than that with slow chewing.

  10. Study of a hydraulic dicalcium phosphate dihydrate/calcium oxide-based cement for dental applications.

    PubMed

    el-Briak, Hasna; Durand, Denis; Nurit, Josiane; Munier, Sylvie; Pauvert, Bernard; Boudeville, Phillipe

    2002-01-01

    By mixing CaHPO(4) x 2H(2)O (DCPD) and CaO with water or sodium phosphate buffers as liquid phase, a calcium phosphate cement was obtained. Its physical and mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, initial and final setting times, cohesion time, dough time, swelling time, dimensional and thermal behavior, and injectability were investigated by varying different parameters such as liquid to powder (L/P) ratio (0.35-0.7 ml g(-1)), molar calcium to phosphate (Ca/P) ratio (1.67-2.5) and the pH (4, 7, and 9) and the concentration (0-1 M) of the sodium phosphate buffer. The best results were obtained with the pH 7 sodium phosphate buffer at the concentration of 0.75 M. With this liquid phase, physical and mechanical properties depended on the Ca/P and L/P ratios, varying from 3 to 11 MPa (compressive strength), 6 to 10 min (initial setting time), 11 to 15 min (final setting time), 15 to 30 min (swelling time), 7 to 20 min (time of 100% injectability). The dough or working time was over 16 min. This cement expanded during its setting (1.2-5 % according to Ca/P and L/P ratios); this would allow a tight filling. Given the mechanical and rheological properties of this new DCPD/CaO-based cement, its use as root canal sealing material can be considered as classical calcium hydroxide or ZnO/eugenol-based pastes, without or with a gutta-percha point. Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res (Appl Biomater) 63: 447-453, 2002

  11. Planning minimum-energy paths in an off-road environment with anisotropic traversal costs and motion constraints. Doctoral thesis

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

    Ross, R.S.

    1989-06-01

    For a vehicle operating across arbitrarily-contoured terrain, finding the most fuel-efficient route between two points can be viewed as a high-level global path-planning problem with traversal costs and stability dependent on the direction of travel (anisotropic). The problem assumes a two-dimensional polygonal map of homogeneous cost regions for terrain representation constructed from elevation information. The anisotropic energy cost of vehicle motion has a non-braking component dependent on horizontal distance, a braking component dependent on vertical distance, and a constant path-independent component. The behavior of minimum-energy paths is then proved to be restricted to a small, but optimal set of traversalmore » types. An optimal-path-planning algorithm, using a heuristic search technique, reduces the infinite number of paths between the start and goal points to a finite number by generating sequences of goal-feasible window lists from analyzing the polygonal map and applying pruning criteria. The pruning criteria consist of visibility analysis, heading analysis, and region-boundary constraints. Each goal-feasible window lists specifies an associated convex optimization problem, and the best of all locally-optimal paths through the goal-feasible window lists is the globally-optimal path. These ideas have been implemented in a computer program, with results showing considerably better performance than the exponential average-case behavior predicted.« less

  12. Effects of Dissipation on a Superconducting Single Electron Transistor

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

    Kycia, J. B.; Chen, J.; Therrien, R.

    2001-07-02

    We measure the effect of dissipation on the minimum zero-bias conductance, G{sup min}{sub 0} , of a superconducting single electron transistor (sSET) capacitively coupled to a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Depleting the 2DEG with a back gate voltage decreases the dissipation experienced by the sSET in situ. We find that G{sup min}{sub 0} increases as the dissipation is increased or the temperature is reduced; the functional forms of these dependences are compared with the model of Wilhelm etal.in which the leads coupled to the sSET are represented by lossy transmission lines.

  13. Integrated Robot Task and Motion Planning in the Now

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-29

    so that it can effectively achieve its goals? 1 Figure 1: Simulated apartment environment with pans, cups, sink, stove, and furniture . We propose a...s. We also use s[o].min and s[o]. max to name the left and right edges of the object (loc is the same as min). 2.3 Fluents A fluent is a condition...s) := (r.min ≤ s[o].min + δ) & (r.max ≥ s[o]. max − δ) . • ClearX (r, x): region r is clear, except for exceptions, x, which is a set of objects

  14. PathEdEx – Uncovering High-explanatory Visual Diagnostics Heuristics Using Digital Pathology and Multiscale Gaze Data

    PubMed Central

    Shin, Dmitriy; Kovalenko, Mikhail; Ersoy, Ilker; Li, Yu; Doll, Donald; Shyu, Chi-Ren; Hammer, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Background: Visual heuristics of pathology diagnosis is a largely unexplored area where reported studies only provided a qualitative insight into the subject. Uncovering and quantifying pathology visual and nonvisual diagnostic patterns have great potential to improve clinical outcomes and avoid diagnostic pitfalls. Methods: Here, we present PathEdEx, an informatics computational framework that incorporates whole-slide digital pathology imaging with multiscale gaze-tracking technology to create web-based interactive pathology educational atlases and to datamine visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics. Results: We demonstrate the capabilities of PathEdEx for mining visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics using the first PathEdEx volume of a hematopathology atlas. We conducted a quantitative study on the time dynamics of zooming and panning operations utilized by experts and novices to come to the correct diagnosis. We then performed association rule mining to determine sets of diagnostic factors that consistently result in a correct diagnosis, and studied differences in diagnostic strategies across different levels of pathology expertise using Markov chain (MC) modeling and MC Monte Carlo simulations. To perform these studies, we translated raw gaze points to high-explanatory semantic labels that represent pathology diagnostic clues. Therefore, the outcome of these studies is readily transformed into narrative descriptors for direct use in pathology education and practice. Conclusion: PathEdEx framework can be used to capture best practices of pathology visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics that can be passed over to the next generation of pathologists and have potential to streamline implementation of precision diagnostics in precision medicine settings. PMID:28828200

  15. PathEdEx - Uncovering High-explanatory Visual Diagnostics Heuristics Using Digital Pathology and Multiscale Gaze Data.

    PubMed

    Shin, Dmitriy; Kovalenko, Mikhail; Ersoy, Ilker; Li, Yu; Doll, Donald; Shyu, Chi-Ren; Hammer, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Visual heuristics of pathology diagnosis is a largely unexplored area where reported studies only provided a qualitative insight into the subject. Uncovering and quantifying pathology visual and nonvisual diagnostic patterns have great potential to improve clinical outcomes and avoid diagnostic pitfalls. Here, we present PathEdEx, an informatics computational framework that incorporates whole-slide digital pathology imaging with multiscale gaze-tracking technology to create web-based interactive pathology educational atlases and to datamine visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics. We demonstrate the capabilities of PathEdEx for mining visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics using the first PathEdEx volume of a hematopathology atlas. We conducted a quantitative study on the time dynamics of zooming and panning operations utilized by experts and novices to come to the correct diagnosis. We then performed association rule mining to determine sets of diagnostic factors that consistently result in a correct diagnosis, and studied differences in diagnostic strategies across different levels of pathology expertise using Markov chain (MC) modeling and MC Monte Carlo simulations. To perform these studies, we translated raw gaze points to high-explanatory semantic labels that represent pathology diagnostic clues. Therefore, the outcome of these studies is readily transformed into narrative descriptors for direct use in pathology education and practice. PathEdEx framework can be used to capture best practices of pathology visual and nonvisual diagnostic heuristics that can be passed over to the next generation of pathologists and have potential to streamline implementation of precision diagnostics in precision medicine settings.

  16. Hierarchical Motion Planning for Autonomous Aerial and Terrestrial Vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cowlagi, Raghvendra V.

    Autonomous mobile robots---both aerial and terrestrial vehicles---have gained immense importance due to the broad spectrum of their potential military and civilian applications. One of the indispensable requirements for the autonomy of a mobile vehicle is the vehicle's capability of planning and executing its motion, that is, finding appropriate control inputs for the vehicle such that the resulting vehicle motion satisfies the requirements of the vehicular task. The motion planning and control problem is inherently complex because it involves two disparate sub-problems: (1) satisfaction of the vehicular task requirements, which requires tools from combinatorics and/or formal methods, and (2) design of the vehicle control laws, which requires tools from dynamical systems and control theory. Accordingly, this problem is usually decomposed and solved over two levels of hierarchy. The higher level, called the geometric path planning level, finds a geometric path that satisfies the vehicular task requirements, e.g., obstacle avoidance. The lower level, called the trajectory planning level, involves sufficient smoothening of this geometric path followed by a suitable time parametrization to obtain a reference trajectory for the vehicle. Although simple and efficient, such hierarchical decomposition suffers a serious drawback: the geometric path planner has no information of the kinematical and dynamical constraints of the vehicle. Consequently, the geometric planner may produce paths that the trajectory planner cannot transform into a feasible reference trajectory. Two main ideas appear in the literature to remedy this problem: (a) randomized sampling-based planning, which eliminates the geometric planner altogether by planning in the vehicle state space, and (b) geometric planning supported by feedback control laws. The former class of methods suffer from a lack of optimality of the resultant trajectory, while the latter class of methods makes a restrictive assumption concerning the vehicle kinematical model. We propose a hierarchical motion planning framework based on a novel mode of interaction between these two levels of planning. This interaction rests on the solution of a special shortest-path problem on graphs, namely, one using costs defined on multiple edge transitions in the path instead of the usual single edge transition costs. These costs are provided by a local trajectory generation algorithm, which we implement using model predictive control and the concept of effective target sets for simplifying the non-convex constraints involved in the problem. The proposed motion planner ensures "consistency" between the two levels of planning, i.e., a guarantee that the higher level geometric path is always associated with a kinematically and dynamically feasible trajectory. The main contributions of this thesis are: 1. A motion planning framework based on history-dependent costs (H-costs) in cell decomposition graphs for incorporating vehicle dynamical constraints: this framework offers distinct advantages in comparison with the competing approaches of discretization of the state space, of randomized sampling-based motion planning, and of local feedback-based, decoupled hierarchical motion planning, 2. An efficient and flexible algorithm for finding optimal H-cost paths, 3. A precise and general formulation of a local trajectory problem (the tile motion planning problem) that allows independent development of the discrete planner and the trajectory planner, while maintaining "compatibility" between the two planners, 4. A local trajectory generation algorithm using mpc, and the application of the concept of effective target sets for a significant simplification of the local trajectory generation problem, 5. The geometric analysis of curvature-bounded traversal of rectangular channels, leading to less conservative results in comparison with a result reported in the literature, and also to the efficient construction of effective target sets for the solution of the tile motion planning problem, 6. A wavelet-based multi-resolution path planning scheme, and a proof of completeness of the proposed scheme: such proofs are altogether absent from other works on multi-resolution path planning, 7. A technique for extracting all information about cells---namely, the locations, the sizes, and the associated image intensities---directly from the set of significant detail coefficients considered for path planning at a given iteration, and 8. The extension of the multi-resolution path planning scheme to include vehicle dynamical constraints using the aforementioned history-dependent costs approach. The future work includes an implementation of the proposed framework involving a discrete planner that solves classical planning problems more general than the single-query path planning problem considered thus far, and involving trajectory generation schemes for realistic vehicle dynamical models such as the bicycle model.

  17. Acute Responses to Resistance and High-Intensity Interval Training in Early Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Harris, Nigel K; Dulson, Deborah K; Logan, Greig R M; Warbrick, Isaac B; Merien, Fabrice L R; Lubans, David R

    2017-05-01

    Harris, NK, Dulson, DK, Logan, GRM, Warbrick, IB, Merien, FLR, and Lubans, DR. Acute responses to resistance and high-intensity interval training in early adolescents. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1177-1186, 2017-The purpose of this study was to compare the acute physiological responses within and between resistance training (RT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) matched for time and with comparable effort, in a school setting. Seventeen early adolescents (12.9 ± 0.3 years) performed both RT (2-5 repetitions perceived short of failure at the end of each set) and HIIT (90% of age-predicted maximum heart rate), equated for total work set and recovery period durations comprising of 12 "sets" of 30-second work followed by 30-second recovery (total session time 12 minutes). Variables of interest included oxygen consumption, set and session heart rate (HR), and rate of perceived exertion, and change in salivary cortisol (SC), salivary alpha amylase, and blood lactate (BL) from presession to postsession. Analyses were conducted to determine responses within and between the 2 different protocols. For both RT and HIIT, there were very large increases pretrial to posttrial for SC and BL, and only BL increased greater in HIIT (9.1 ± 2.6 mmol·L) than RT (6.8 ± 3.3 mmol·L). Mean set HR for both RT (170 ± 9.1 b·min) and HIIT (179 ± 5.6 b·min) was at least 85% of HRmax. V[Combining Dot Above]O2 over all 12 sets was greater for HIIT (33.8 ± 5.21 ml·kg·min) than RT (24.9 ± 3.23 ml·kg·min). Brief, repetitive, intermittent forays into high but not supramaximal intensity exercise using RT or HIIT seemed to be a potent physiological stimulus in adolescents.

  18. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration and survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

    PubMed

    Adnet, Frederic; Triba, Mohamed N; Borron, Stephen W; Lapostolle, Frederic; Hubert, Hervé; Gueugniaud, Pierre-Yves; Escutnaire, Josephine; Guenin, Aurelien; Hoogvorst, Astrid; Marbeuf-Gueye, Carol; Reuter, Paul-Georges; Javaud, Nicolas; Vicaut, Eric; Chevret, Sylvie

    2017-02-01

    Relationship between cardiopulmonary arrest and resuscitation (CPR) durations and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remain unclear. Our primary aim was to determine the association between survival without neurologic sequelae and cardiac arrest intervals in the setting of witnessed OHCA. We analyzed 27,301 non-traumatic, witnessed OHCA patients in France included in the national registry from June 1, 2011 through December 1, 2015. We analyzed cardiac arrest intervals, designated as no-flow (NF; from collapse to start of CPR) and low-flow (LF; from start of CPR to cessation of resuscitation) in relation to 30-day survival without sequelae. We determined the influence of recognized prognostic factors (age, gender, initial rhythm, location of cardiac arrest) on this relation. For the entire cohort, the area delimited by a value of NF greater than 12min (95% confidence interval: 11-13min) and LF greater than 33min (95% confidence interval: 29-45min), yielded a probability of 30-day survival of less than 1%. These sets of values were greatly influenced by initial cardiac arrest rhythm, age, sex and location of cardiac arrest. Extended CPR duration (greater than 40min) in the setting of initial shockable cardiac rhythm is associated with greater than 1% survival with NF less than 18min. The NF interval was highly influential on the LF interval regardless of outcome, whether return of spontaneous circulation (p<0.001) or death (p<0.001). NF duration must be considered in determining CPR duration in OHCA patients. The knowledge of (NF, LF) curves as function of age, initial rhythm, location of cardiac arrest or gender may aid in decision-making vis-à-vis the termination of CPR or employment of advanced techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Design of MOEMS adjustable optical delay line to reduce link set-up time in a tera-bit/s optical interconnection network.

    PubMed

    Jing, Wencai; Zhang, Yimo; Zhou, Ge

    2002-07-15

    A new structure for bit synchronization in a tera-bit/s optical interconnection network has been designed using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technique. Link multiplexing has been adopted to reduce data packet communication latency. To eliminate link set-up time, adjustable optical delay lines (AODLs) have been adopted to shift the phases of the distributed optical clock signals for bit synchronization. By changing the optical path distance of the optical clock signal, the phase of the clock signal can be shifted at a very high resolution. A phase-shift resolution of 0.1 ps can be easily achieved with 30-microm alternation of the optical path length in vacuum.

  20. Train repathing in emergencies based on fuzzy linear programming.

    PubMed

    Meng, Xuelei; Cui, Bingmou

    2014-01-01

    Train pathing is a typical problem which is to assign the train trips on the sets of rail segments, such as rail tracks and links. This paper focuses on the train pathing problem, determining the paths of the train trips in emergencies. We analyze the influencing factors of train pathing, such as transferring cost, running cost, and social adverse effect cost. With the overall consideration of the segment and station capability constraints, we build the fuzzy linear programming model to solve the train pathing problem. We design the fuzzy membership function to describe the fuzzy coefficients. Furthermore, the contraction-expansion factors are introduced to contract or expand the value ranges of the fuzzy coefficients, coping with the uncertainty of the value range of the fuzzy coefficients. We propose a method based on triangular fuzzy coefficient and transfer the train pathing (fuzzy linear programming model) to a determinate linear model to solve the fuzzy linear programming problem. An emergency is supposed based on the real data of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. The model in this paper was solved and the computation results prove the availability of the model and efficiency of the algorithm.

  1. Generation of RGB-D data for SLAM using robotic framework V-REP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gritsenko, Pavel S.; Gritsenko, Igor S.; Seidakhmet, Askar Zh.; Abduraimov, Azizbek E.

    2017-09-01

    In this article, we will present a methodology to debug RGB-D SLAM systems as well as to generate testing data. We have created a model of a laboratory with an area of 250 m2 (25 × 10) with set of objects of different type. V-REP Microsoft Kinect sensor simulation model was used as a basis for robot vision system. Motion path of the sensor model has multiple loops. We have written a program in V-Rep native language Lua to record data array from the Microsoft Kinect sensor model. The array includes both RGB and Depth streams with full resolution (640 × 480) for every 10 cm of the path. The simulated path has absolute accuracy, since it is a simulation, and is represented by an array of transformation matrices (4 × 4). The length of the data array is 1000 steps or 100 m. The path simulates frequently occurring cases in SLAM, including loops. It is worth noting that the path was modeled for a mobile robot and it is represented by a 2D path parallel to the floor at a height of 40 cm.

  2. Girsanov reweighting for path ensembles and Markov state models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donati, L.; Hartmann, C.; Keller, B. G.

    2017-06-01

    The sensitivity of molecular dynamics on changes in the potential energy function plays an important role in understanding the dynamics and function of complex molecules. We present a method to obtain path ensemble averages of a perturbed dynamics from a set of paths generated by a reference dynamics. It is based on the concept of path probability measure and the Girsanov theorem, a result from stochastic analysis to estimate a change of measure of a path ensemble. Since Markov state models (MSMs) of the molecular dynamics can be formulated as a combined phase-space and path ensemble average, the method can be extended to reweight MSMs by combining it with a reweighting of the Boltzmann distribution. We demonstrate how to efficiently implement the Girsanov reweighting in a molecular dynamics simulation program by calculating parts of the reweighting factor "on the fly" during the simulation, and we benchmark the method on test systems ranging from a two-dimensional diffusion process and an artificial many-body system to alanine dipeptide and valine dipeptide in implicit and explicit water. The method can be used to study the sensitivity of molecular dynamics on external perturbations as well as to reweight trajectories generated by enhanced sampling schemes to the original dynamics.

  3. A Split-Path Schema-Based RFID Data Storage Model in Supply Chain Management

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Hua; Wu, Quanyuan; Lin, Yisong; Zhang, Jianfeng

    2013-01-01

    In modern supply chain management systems, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology has become an indispensable sensor technology and massive RFID data sets are expected to become commonplace. More and more space and time are needed to store and process such huge amounts of RFID data, and there is an increasing realization that the existing approaches cannot satisfy the requirements of RFID data management. In this paper, we present a split-path schema-based RFID data storage model. With a data separation mechanism, the massive RFID data produced in supply chain management systems can be stored and processed more efficiently. Then a tree structure-based path splitting approach is proposed to intelligently and automatically split the movement paths of products. Furthermore, based on the proposed new storage model, we design the relational schema to store the path information and time information of tags, and some typical query templates and SQL statements are defined. Finally, we conduct various experiments to measure the effect and performance of our model and demonstrate that it performs significantly better than the baseline approach in both the data expression and path-oriented RFID data query performance. PMID:23645112

  4. Smart monolithic integration of inkjet printed thermal flow sensors with fast prototyping polymer microfluidics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Etxebarria, Ikerne; Elizalde, Jorge; Pacios, Roberto

    2016-08-01

    There is an increasing demand for built-in flow sensors in order to effectively control microfluidic processes due to the high number of available microfluidic applications. The possible solutions should be inexpensive and easy to connect to both, the microscale features and the macro setup. In this paper, we present a novel approach to integrate a printed thermal flow sensor with polymeric microfluidic channels. This approach is focused on merging two high throughput production processes, namely inkjet printing and fast prototyping technologies, in order to produce trustworthy and low cost devices. These two technologies are brought together to obtain a sensor located outside the microfluidic device. This avoids the critical contact between the sensor material and the fluids through the microchannels that can seriously damage the conducting paths under continuous working regimes. In this way, we ensure reliable and stable operation modes. For this application, a silver nanoparticle based ink and cyclic olefin polymer were used. This flow sensor operates linearly in the range of 0-10 μl min-1 for water and 0-20 μl min-1 for ethanol in calorimetric mode. Switching to anemometric mode, the range can be expanded up to 40 μl min-1.

  5. Some aspects of large-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowman, G. G.

    1992-06-01

    On two occasions the speeds and directions of travel of large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LS-TIDs) following geomagnetic substorm onsets, have been calculated for the propagation of these disturbances in both hemispheres of the earth. N(h) analyses have been used to produce height change profiles at a fixed frequency from which time shifts between stations (used for the speed and direction-of-travel values) have been calculated. Fixed-frequency phase path measurements at Bribie Island for two events reveal wavetrains with periodicities around 17 min associated with these disturbances. Another event recorded a periodicity of 19 min. Also, for two of the events additional periodicities around 30 min were found. These wavetrains along with the macroscale height changes and electron density depletions associated with these LS-TIDs are essentially the same as the ionospheric structure changes observed during the passage of night-time medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MS-TIDs). However, unlike these MS-TIDs, the LS-TIDs are generally not associated with the recording of spread-F on ionograms. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed as well as the special conditions which probably prevail on the few occasions when spread-F is associated with LS-TIDs.

  6. Who We Are: (In)visible African American Women Setting Traditions of Excellence and Paving Paths for Transformation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Bryant, Camille

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this lecture is to provide the voice and visibility of African American women who have upheld the tradition of excellence set by Amy Morris Homans in the development of physical education in higher education for women and set pathways to transition our field to be more inclusive and diverse and have served as transformative leaders…

  7. New Opportunities--Implications and Recommendations for Business Education's Role in Non-Traditional and Organizational Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bronner, Michael; Kaliski, Burton S.

    2007-01-01

    Business educators have long been prepared for service in a wide range of settings; however, these settings have been concentrated in secondary education, teaching business subjects at the 7-12 levels with the emphasis on high school programs. Thus, for so many of those in the field of business education, their career path was quite simple: earn a…

  8. TOOTHPASTEV6.11.3

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

    Sankel, David J.; Clair, Aaron B. St.; Langsfield, Joshua D.

    2006-11-01

    Toothpaste is a graphical user interface and Computer Aided Drafting/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software package used to plan tool paths for Galil Motion Control hardware. The software is a tool for computer controlled dispensing of materials. The software may be used for solid freeform fabrication of components or the precision printing of inks. Mathematical calculations are used to produce a set of segments and arcs that when coupled together will fill space. The paths of the segments and arcs are then translated into a machine language that controls the motion of motors and translational stages to produce tool paths in three dimensions.more » As motion begins material(s) are dispensed or printed along the three-dimensional pathway.« less

  9. Flight assessment of a data-link-based navigation-guidance concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abbott, T. S.

    1983-01-01

    With the proposed introduction of a data-link provision into the Air-Traffic-control (ATC) system, the capability will exist to supplement the ground-air, voice (radio) link with digital, data-link information. Additionally, ATC computers could provide, via the data link guidance and navigation information to the pilot which could then be presented in much the same manner as conventional navigation information. The primary objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using 4-sec and 12-sec information updating to drive conventional cockpit-navigation-instrument formats for path-tracking guidance. A flight test, consisting of 19 tracking tasks, was conducted and, through the use of pilot questionnaires and performance data, the following results were obtained. From a performance standpoint, the 4-sec and 12-sec updating led to a slight degradation in path-tracking performance, relative to continuous updating. From the pilot's viewpoint, the 12-sec data interval was suitable for long path segments (greater than 2 min of flight time), but it was difficult to use on shorter segments because of higher work load and insufficient stabilization time. Overall, it was determined that the utilization of noncontinuous data for navigation was both feasible and acceptable for the prescribed task.

  10. Identifying storm flow pathways in a rainforest catchment using hydrological and geochemical modelling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kinner, D.A.; Stallard, R.F.

    2004-01-01

    The hydrological model TOPMODEL is used to assess the water balance and describe flow paths for the 9??73 ha Lutz Creek Catchment in Central Panama. Monte Carlo results are evaluated based on their fit to the observed hydrograph, catchment-averaged soil moisture and stream chemistry. TOPMODEL, with a direct-flow mechanism that is intended to route water through rapid shallow-soil flow, matched observed chemistry and discharge better than the basic version of TOPMODEL and provided a reasonable fit to observed soil moisture and wet-season discharge at both 15-min and daily time-steps. The improvement of simulations with the implementation of a direct-flow component indicates that a storm flow path not represented in the original version of TOPMODEL plays a primary role in the response of Lutz Creek Catchment. This flow path may be consistent with the active and abundant pipeflow that is observed or delayed saturation overland flow. The 'best-accepted' simulations from 1991 to 1997 indicate that around 41% of precipitation becomes direct flow and around 10% is saturation overland flow. Other field observations are needed to constrain evaporative and groundwater losses in the model and to characterize chemical end-members posited in this paper. Published in 2004 by John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

  11. The Effect of a Short-Term and Long-Term Whole-Body Vibration in Healthy Men upon the Postural Stability

    PubMed Central

    Piecha, Magdalena; Juras, Grzegorz; Król, Piotr; Sobota, Grzegorz; Polak, Anna; Bacik, Bogdan

    2014-01-01

    The study aimed to establish the short-term and long-term effects of whole-body vibration on postural stability. The sample consisted of 28 male subjects randomly allocated to four comparative groups, three of which exercised on a vibration platform with parameters set individually for the groups. The stabilographic signal was recorded before the test commenced, after a single session of whole-body vibration, immediately after the last set of exercises of the 4-week whole-body vibration training, and one week after the training ended. The subjects were exposed to vibrations 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Long-term vibration training significantly shortened the rambling and trembling paths in the frontal plane. The path lengths were significantly reduced in the frontal plane one week after the training end date. Most changes in the values of the center of pressure (COP) path lengths in the sagittal and frontal plane were statistically insignificant. We concluded that long-term vibration training improves the postural stability of young healthy individuals in the frontal plane. PMID:24520362

  12. The Integration of Geographical Information System and Remotely Sensed Data to Track and Predict the Migration Path of the Africanized Honey Bee

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ward, Charles; Bravo, Jessica; De Luna, Rosalia; Lopez, Gerardo; Pichardo, Itza; Trejo, Danny; Vargas, Gabriel

    1997-01-01

    One of the research groups at the Pan American Center for Earth and Environmental Studies (PACES) is researching the northward migration path of Africanized Honey Bees or often referred to in the popular press as killer bees. The goal of the Killer Bee Research Group (KBRG) is to set up a database in the form of a geographical information system, which will be used to track and predict the bees future migration path. Included in this paper is background information on geographical information systems, the SPANS Explorer software package which was used to implement the database, and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data and how each of these is being incorporated in the research. With an accurate means of predicting future migration paths, the negative effects of the Africanized honey bees maybe reduced.

  13. Quantifying Traversability of Terrain for a Mobile Robot

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howard, Ayanna; Seraji, Homayoun; Werger, Barry

    2005-01-01

    A document presents an updated discussion on a method of autonomous navigation for a robotic vehicle navigating across rough terrain. The method involves, among other things, the use of a measure of traversability, denoted the fuzzy traversability index, which embodies the information about the slope and roughness of terrain obtained from analysis of images acquired by cameras mounted on the robot. The improvements presented in the report focus on the use of the fuzzy traversability index to generate a traversability map and a grid map for planning the safest path for the robot. Once grid traversability values have been computed, they are utilized for rejecting unsafe path segments and for computing a traversalcost function for ranking candidate paths, selected by a search algorithm, from a specified initial position to a specified final position. The output of the algorithm is a set of waypoints designating a path having a minimal-traversal cost.

  14. Descent graphs in pedigree analysis: applications to haplotyping, location scores, and marker-sharing statistics.

    PubMed Central

    Sobel, E.; Lange, K.

    1996-01-01

    The introduction of stochastic methods in pedigree analysis has enabled geneticists to tackle computations intractable by standard deterministic methods. Until now these stochastic techniques have worked by running a Markov chain on the set of genetic descent states of a pedigree. Each descent state specifies the paths of gene flow in the pedigree and the founder alleles dropped down each path. The current paper follows up on a suggestion by Elizabeth Thompson that genetic descent graphs offer a more appropriate space for executing a Markov chain. A descent graph specifies the paths of gene flow but not the particular founder alleles traveling down the paths. This paper explores algorithms for implementing Thompson's suggestion for codominant markers in the context of automatic haplotyping, estimating location scores, and computing gene-clustering statistics for robust linkage analysis. Realistic numerical examples demonstrate the feasibility of the algorithms. PMID:8651310

  15. An open-chain imaginary-time path-integral sampling approach to the calculation of approximate symmetrized quantum time correlation functions.

    PubMed

    Cendagorta, Joseph R; Bačić, Zlatko; Tuckerman, Mark E

    2018-03-14

    We introduce a scheme for approximating quantum time correlation functions numerically within the Feynman path integral formulation. Starting with the symmetrized version of the correlation function expressed as a discretized path integral, we introduce a change of integration variables often used in the derivation of trajectory-based semiclassical methods. In particular, we transform to sum and difference variables between forward and backward complex-time propagation paths. Once the transformation is performed, the potential energy is expanded in powers of the difference variables, which allows us to perform the integrals over these variables analytically. The manner in which this procedure is carried out results in an open-chain path integral (in the remaining sum variables) with a modified potential that is evaluated using imaginary-time path-integral sampling rather than requiring the generation of a large ensemble of trajectories. Consequently, any number of path integral sampling schemes can be employed to compute the remaining path integral, including Monte Carlo, path-integral molecular dynamics, or enhanced path-integral molecular dynamics. We believe that this approach constitutes a different perspective in semiclassical-type approximations to quantum time correlation functions. Importantly, we argue that our approximation can be systematically improved within a cumulant expansion formalism. We test this approximation on a set of one-dimensional problems that are commonly used to benchmark approximate quantum dynamical schemes. We show that the method is at least as accurate as the popular ring-polymer molecular dynamics technique and linearized semiclassical initial value representation for correlation functions of linear operators in most of these examples and improves the accuracy of correlation functions of nonlinear operators.

  16. An open-chain imaginary-time path-integral sampling approach to the calculation of approximate symmetrized quantum time correlation functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cendagorta, Joseph R.; Bačić, Zlatko; Tuckerman, Mark E.

    2018-03-01

    We introduce a scheme for approximating quantum time correlation functions numerically within the Feynman path integral formulation. Starting with the symmetrized version of the correlation function expressed as a discretized path integral, we introduce a change of integration variables often used in the derivation of trajectory-based semiclassical methods. In particular, we transform to sum and difference variables between forward and backward complex-time propagation paths. Once the transformation is performed, the potential energy is expanded in powers of the difference variables, which allows us to perform the integrals over these variables analytically. The manner in which this procedure is carried out results in an open-chain path integral (in the remaining sum variables) with a modified potential that is evaluated using imaginary-time path-integral sampling rather than requiring the generation of a large ensemble of trajectories. Consequently, any number of path integral sampling schemes can be employed to compute the remaining path integral, including Monte Carlo, path-integral molecular dynamics, or enhanced path-integral molecular dynamics. We believe that this approach constitutes a different perspective in semiclassical-type approximations to quantum time correlation functions. Importantly, we argue that our approximation can be systematically improved within a cumulant expansion formalism. We test this approximation on a set of one-dimensional problems that are commonly used to benchmark approximate quantum dynamical schemes. We show that the method is at least as accurate as the popular ring-polymer molecular dynamics technique and linearized semiclassical initial value representation for correlation functions of linear operators in most of these examples and improves the accuracy of correlation functions of nonlinear operators.

  17. Mandatory Nap Times and Group Napping Patterns in Child Care: An Observational Study.

    PubMed

    Staton, Sally L; Smith, Simon S; Hurst, Cameron; Pattinson, Cassandra L; Thorpe, Karen J

    2017-01-01

    Policy provision for naps is typical in child care settings, but there is variability in the practices employed. One practice that might modify children's early sleep patterns is the allocation of a mandatory nap time in which all children are required to lie on their beds without alternate activity permitted. There is currently limited evidence of the effects of such practices on children's napping patterns. This study examined the association between duration of mandatory nap times and group-level napping patterns in child care settings. Observations were undertaken in a community sample of 113 preschool rooms with a scheduled nap time (N = 2,114 children). Results showed that 83.5% of child care settings implemented a mandatory nap time (range = 15-145 min) while 14.2% provided alternate activities for children throughout the nap time period. Overall, 31% of children napped during nap times. Compared to rooms with ≤ 30 min of mandatory nap time, rooms with 31-60 min and > 60 min of mandatory nap time had a two-and-a-half and fourfold increase, respectively, in the proportion of children napping. Nap onset latency did not significantly differ across groups. Among preschool children, exposure to longer mandatory nap times in child care may increase incidence of napping.

  18. Impact of neuromuscular fatigue on match exercise intensity and performance in elite Australian football.

    PubMed

    Mooney, Mitchell G; Cormack, Stuart; Oʼbrien, Brendan J; Morgan, William M; McGuigan, Mike

    2013-01-01

    This study aimed to quantify the influence of neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) via flight time to contraction time ratio (FT:CT) obtained from a countermovement jump (CMJ) on the relationships between yo-yo intermittent recovery (level 2) test (yo-yo IR2), match exercise intensity (high-intensity running [HIR] m·min(-1) and Load·min(-1)) and Australian football (AF) performance. Thirty-seven data sets were collected from 17 different players across 22 elite AF matches. Each data set comprised an athlete's yo-yo IR2 score before the start of the season, match exercise intensity via global positioning system and on-field performance rated by coaches' votes and number of ball disposals. Each data set was categorized as normal (>92% baseline FT:CT, n = 20) or fatigued (<92% baseline FT:CT, n = 17) from a single CMJ performed 96 hours after the previous match. Moderation-mediation analysis was completed with yo-yo IR2 (independent variable), match exercise intensity (mediator), and AF performance (dependent variable) with NMF status as the conditional variable. Isolated interactions between variables were analyzed by Pearson's correlation and effect size statistics. The Yo-yo IR2 score showed an indirect influence on the number of ball disposals via HIR m·min(-1) regardless of NMF status (normal FT:CT indirect effect = 0.019, p < 0.1, reduced FT:CT indirect effect = 0.022, p < 0.1). However, the yo-yo IR2 score only influenced coaches' votes via Load·min(-1) in the nonfatigued state (normal: FT:CT indirect effect = 0.007, p <0.1, reduced: FT:CT indirect effect = -0.001, p > 0.1). In isolation, NMF status also reduces relationships between yo-yo IR2 and load·min(-1), yo-yo IR2 and coaches votes, Load·min(-1) and coaches' votes (Δr > 0.1). Routinely testing yo-yo IR2 capacity, NMF via FT:CT and monitoring Load·min(-1) in conjunction with HIR m·min(-1) as exercise intensity measures in elite AF is recommended.

  19. Humidification performance of two high-flow nasal cannula devices: a bench study.

    PubMed

    Chikata, Yusuke; Izawa, Masayo; Okuda, Nao; Itagaki, Taiga; Nakataki, Emiko; Onodera, Mutsuo; Imanaka, Hideaki; Nishimura, Masaji

    2014-08-01

    Delivering heated and humidified medical gas at 20-60 L/min, high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) creates low levels of PEEP and ameliorates respiratory mechanics. It has become a common therapy for patients with respiratory failure. However, independent measurement of heat and humidity during HFNC and comparison of HFNC devices are lacking. We evaluated 2 HFNC (Airvo 2 and Optiflow system) devices. Each HFNC was connected to simulated external nares using the manufacturer's standard circuit. The Airvo 2 outlet-chamber temperature was set at 37°C. The Optiflow system incorporated an O2/air blender and a heated humidifier, which was set at 40°C/3. For both systems, HFNC flow was tested at 20, 40, and 50 L/min. Simulating spontaneous breathing using a mechanical ventilator and TTL test lung, we tested tidal volumes (VT) of 300, 500, and 700 mL, and breathing frequencies of 10 and 20 breaths/min. The TTL was connected to the simulated external nares with a standard ventilator circuit. To prevent condensation, the circuit was placed in an incubator maintained at 37°C. Small, medium, and large nasal prongs were tested. Absolute humidity (AH) of inspired gas was measured at the simulated external nares. At 20, 40, and 50 L/min of flow, respective AH values for the Airvo 2 were 35.3 ± 2.0, 37.1 ± 2.2, and 37.6 ± 2.1 mg/L, and for the Optiflow system, 33.1 ± 1.5, 35.9 ± 1.7, and 36.2 ± 1.8 mg/L. AH was lower at 20 L/min of HFNC flow than at 40 and 50 L/min (P < .01). While AH remained constant at 40 and 50 L/min, at 20 L/min of HFNC flow, AH decreased as VT increased for both devices. During bench use of HFNC, AH increased with increasing HFNC flow. When the inspiratory flow of spontaneous breathing exceeded the HFNC flow, AH was influenced by VT. At all experimental settings, AH remained > 30 mg/L.

  20. Effect of the Glide Path Establishment on the Torque Generation to the Files during Instrumentation: An In Vitro Measurement.

    PubMed

    Kwak, Sang Won; Ha, Jung-Hong; Cheung, Gary Shun-Pan; Kim, Hyeon-Cheol; Kim, Sung Kyo

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare in vitro torque generation during instrumentation with or without glide path establishment. Endo-training resin blocks with J-shaped canals were randomly divided into 2 groups according to glide path establishment (with or without) and subdivided into 2 subgroups with shaping instruments (WaveOne [Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland] or WaveOne Gold [Dentsply Maillefer]) (n = 15). For the glide path-established group, the glide path was prepared using ProGlider (Dentsply Maillefer). During the instrumentation with WaveOne or WaveOne Gold, in vitro torque was measured. The acquired data were analyzed with software. The maximum torque and total torque (the sum of the generated torque) were calculated. The data were statistically evaluated using 2-way analysis of variance and the Duncan post hoc comparison to examine any correlation of torque generation with glide path establishment and nickel-titanium instruments. The significance level was set at 95%. The generated total torque by WaveOne Gold was significantly reduced by glide path establishment (P < .05), whereas glide path establishment did not induce significant changes in the maximum torque for both file systems. WaveOne Gold with a glide path showed the lowest total torque generation among all groups (P < .05). WaveOne generated a higher maximum torque than WaveOne Gold regardless of the establishment of a glide path (P < .05). Under the limitations of this study, glide path establishment and the mechanical property of instruments have a significant influence on torque generation. It is recommended to create the glide path and use a flexible file to reduce torque generation and, consequently, the risk of file fracture and root dentin damage. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Preconditioning 2D Integer Data for Fast Convex Hull Computations.

    PubMed

    Cadenas, José Oswaldo; Megson, Graham M; Luengo Hendriks, Cris L

    2016-01-01

    In order to accelerate computing the convex hull on a set of n points, a heuristic procedure is often applied to reduce the number of points to a set of s points, s ≤ n, which also contains the same hull. We present an algorithm to precondition 2D data with integer coordinates bounded by a box of size p × q before building a 2D convex hull, with three distinct advantages. First, we prove that under the condition min(p, q) ≤ n the algorithm executes in time within O(n); second, no explicit sorting of data is required; and third, the reduced set of s points forms a simple polygonal chain and thus can be directly pipelined into an O(n) time convex hull algorithm. This paper empirically evaluates and quantifies the speed up gained by preconditioning a set of points by a method based on the proposed algorithm before using common convex hull algorithms to build the final hull. A speedup factor of at least four is consistently found from experiments on various datasets when the condition min(p, q) ≤ n holds; the smaller the ratio min(p, q)/n is in the dataset, the greater the speedup factor achieved.

  2. Mechanism and preparation of liquid alkali-free liquid setting accelerator for shotcrete

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qiu, Ying; Ding, Bei; Gan, Jiezhong; Guo, Zhaolai; Zheng, Chunyang; Jiang, Haidong

    2017-03-01

    A new alkali-free liquid accelerator for shotcrete was prepared through normal temperature drop process by using the nano activated alumina and the modified alcohol amine as the main raw materials. The effect of alkali-free liquid accelerator on the cement setting time and the mechanical properties of mortar, the effect of the penetration strength on the shotcrete rebound were investigated. And the accelerating mechanism of the as-prepared alkali-free liquid accelerator was also analyzed via XRD and SEM characterization methods. The experimental results indicated that the hydration of C3A was accelerated by the polyamine complexation of accelerator, resulting in forming a large number of acicular ettringite and reducing the amount of Ca(OH)2 crystal, which would not affect the later hydration of cement. When the content of alkali-free liquid accelerator was 6%, the initial setting time and final setting time were less than 3min and 8min respectively, and 1d and 28d compressive strength ratios reached 207.6% and 114.2% respectively; beside that, the shotcrete rebound was very low because of the high penetration strength within 30min.

  3. Thermal Effect of J-Plasma® Energy in a Porcine Tissue Model: Implications for Minimally Invasive Surgery.

    PubMed

    Pedroso, Jasmine D; Gutierrez, Melissa M; Volker, K Warren; Howard, David L

    2017-07-25

    To evaluate tissue effect of J-Plasma® (Bovie Medical Corporation, Clearwater, Florida) in porcine liver, kidney, muscle, ovarian, and uterine tissue blocks. Prospective study utilizing porcine tissue blocks to evaluate the thermal spread of J-Plasma® device on liver, kidney, muscle, ovarian, and uterine tissue at various power settings, gas flow, and exposure times. J-Plasma® helium was used in porcine liver, kidney, and muscle tissue at 20%, 50%, and 100% power, and 1 L/min, 3 L/min, and 5 L/min gas flow at one, five, and 10-second intervals. J-Plasma® was then used in ovarian and uterine tissue at maximum power and gas flow settings in intervals of one, five, 10, and 30 seconds. Histologic evaluation of each tissue was then performed to measure thermal spread. Regardless of tissue type, increased power setting, gas flow rate, and exposure time correlated with greater depth of thermal spread in liver, kidney, and muscle tissue. J-Plasma® did not exceed 2 mm thermal spread on liver, kidney, muscle, ovarian, and uterine tissue, even at a maximum setting of 100% power and 5 L/min gas flow after five seconds. Prolonged exposure to J-Plasma® of up to 30 seconds resulted in increased length and width of thermal spread of up to 12 mm, but did not result in significantly increased depth at 2.84 mm. The J-Plasma® helium device has minimal lateral and depth of thermal spread in a variety of tissue types and can likely be used for a multitude of gynecologic surgical procedures. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate device safety in a clinical setting.

  4. Non-isolated Resolving Sets of certain Graphs Cartesian Product with a Path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasibuan, I. M.; Salman, A. N. M.; Saputro, S. W.

    2018-04-01

    Let G be a connected, simple, and finite graph. For an ordered subset W = {w 1 , w 2 , · · ·, wk } of vertices in a graph G and a vertex v of G, the metric representation of v with respect to W is the k-vector r(v|W ) = (d(v, w 1), d(v, w 2), · · ·, d(v, wk )). The set W is called a resolving set for G if every vertex of G has a distinct representation. The minimum cardinality of W is called the metric dimension of G, denoted by dim(G). If the induced subgraph < W> has no isolated vertices, then W is called a non-isolated resolving set. The minimum cardinality of non-isolated resolving set of G is called the non-isolated resolving number of G, denoted by nr(G). In this paper, we consider H\\square {P}n that is a graph obtained from Cartesian product between a connected graph H and a path Pn . We determine nr(H\\square {P}n), for some classes of H, including cycles, complete graphs, complete bipartite graphs, and friendship graphs.

  5. 76 FR 25402 - Public Notice for Waiver of Aeronautical Land-Use Assurance; Richard Downing Airport, Coshocton, OH

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-04

    ... 39[min]22[sec], a distance of six hundred twenty-eight and seventeen hundredths (628.17) feet to a set steel pin; 2. 84 degrees 24[min]53[sec], a distance of three hundred seventeen and ninety-five...

  6. Effects of Glide Path on the Centering Ability and Preparation Time of Two Reciprocating Instruments

    PubMed Central

    Coelho, Marcelo Santos; Fontana, Carlos Eduardo; Kato, Augusto Shoji; de Martin, Alexandre Sigrist; da Silveira Bueno, Carlos Eduardo

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of establishing glide path on the centering ability and preparation time of two single-file reciprocating systems in mesial root canals of mandibular molars. Methods and Materials: Sixty extracted mandibular molars with curvatures of 25-39 degrees and separate foramina for the mesiobuccal and mesiolingual canals, were divided into four groups (n=15); WaveOne+glide path; WaveOne; Reciproc+glide path and Reciproc. Non-patent canals were excluded and only one canal in each tooth was instrumented. A manual glide path was established in first and third groups with #10, 15 and 20 hand K-files. Preparation was performed with reciprocating in-and-out motion, with a 3-4 mm amplitude and slight apical pressure. Initial and final radiographs were taken to analyze the amount of dentin removed in the instrumented canals. The radiographs were superimposed with an image editing software and examined to assess discrepancies at 3-, 6- and 9-mm distances from the apex. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Preparation in groups without glide paths was swifter than the other groups (P=0.001). However, no difference was observed regarding centering ability. Conclusion: Establishing a glide path increased the total instrumentation time for preparing curved canals with WaveOne and Reciproc instruments. Glide path had no influence on the centering ability of these systems. PMID:26843875

  7. Formulating the Fibonacci Sequence: Paths or Jumps in Mathematical Understanding.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kieren, Thomas; And Others

    In dynamical theory, mathematical understanding is considered to be that of a person (or group) of a topic (or problem) in a situation or setting. This paper compares the interactions between the situations and the mathematical understandings of two students by comparing the growth in understanding within a Fibonacci sequence setting in which…

  8. Developing a phenomenological model of the proton trajectory within a heterogeneous medium required for proton imaging.

    PubMed

    Fekete, Charles-Antoine Collins; Doolan, Paul; Dias, Marta F; Beaulieu, Luc; Seco, Joao

    2015-07-07

    To develop an accurate phenomenological model of the cubic spline path estimate of the proton path, accounting for the initial proton energy and water equivalent thickness (WET) traversed. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were used to calculate the path of protons crossing various WET (10-30 cm) of different material (LN300, water and CB2-50% CaCO3) for a range of initial energies (180-330 MeV). For each MC trajectory, cubic spline trajectories (CST) were constructed based on the entrance and exit information of the protons and compared with the MC using the root mean square (RMS) metric. The CST path is dependent on the direction vector magnitudes (|P0,1|). First, |P0,1| is set to the proton path length (with factor Λ(Norm)(0,1) = 1.0). Then, two optimal factor Λ(0,1) are introduced in |P0,1|. The factors are varied to minimize the RMS difference with MC paths for every configuration. A set of Λ(opt)(0,1) factors, function of WET/water equivalent path length (WEPL), that minimizes the RMS are presented. MTF analysis is then performed on proton radiographs of a line-pair phantom reconstructed using the CST trajectories. Λ(opt)(0,1) was fitted to the WET/WEPL ratio using a quadratic function (Y = A + BX(2) where A = 1.01,0.99, B = 0.43,-  0.46 respectively for Λ(opt)(0), Λ(opt)(1)). The RMS deviation calculated along the path, between the CST and the MC, increases with the WET. The increase is larger when using Λ(Norm)(0,1) than Λ(opt)(0,1) (difference of 5.0% with WET/WEPL = 0.66). For 230/330 MeV protons, the MTF10% was found to increase by 40/16% respectively for a thin phantom (15 cm) when using the Λ(opt)(0,1) model compared to the Λ(Norm)(0,1) model. Calculation times for Λ(opt)(0,1) are scaled down compared to MLP and RMS deviation are similar within standard deviation.B ased on the results of this study, using CST with the Λ(opt)(0,1) factors reduces the RMS deviation and increases the spatial resolution when reconstructing proton trajectories.

  9. Man-machine cooperation in advanced teleoperation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fiorini, Paolo; Das, Hari; Lee, Sukhan

    1993-01-01

    Teleoperation experiments at JPL have shown that advanced features in a telerobotic system are a necessary condition for good results, but that they are not sufficient to assure consistently good performance by the operators. Two or three operators are normally used during training and experiments to maintain the desired performance. An alternative to this multi-operator control station is a man-machine interface embedding computer programs that can perform some of the operator's functions. In this paper we present our first experiments with these concepts, in which we focused on the areas of real-time task monitoring and interactive path planning. In the first case, when performing a known task, the operator has an automatic aid for setting control parameters and camera views. In the second case, an interactive path planner will rank different path alternatives so that the operator will make the correct control decision. The monitoring function has been implemented with a neural network doing the real-time task segmentation. The interactive path planner was implemented for redundant manipulators to specify arm configurations across the desired path and satisfy geometric, task, and performance constraints.

  10. Blip decomposition of the path integral: exponential acceleration of real-time calculations on quantum dissipative systems.

    PubMed

    Makri, Nancy

    2014-10-07

    The real-time path integral representation of the reduced density matrix for a discrete system in contact with a dissipative medium is rewritten in terms of the number of blips, i.e., elementary time intervals over which the forward and backward paths are not identical. For a given set of blips, it is shown that the path sum with respect to the coordinates of all remaining time points is isomorphic to that for the wavefunction of a system subject to an external driving term and thus can be summed by an inexpensive iterative procedure. This exact decomposition reduces the number of terms by a factor that increases exponentially with propagation time. Further, under conditions (moderately high temperature and/or dissipation strength) that lead primarily to incoherent dynamics, the "fully incoherent limit" zero-blip term of the series provides a reasonable approximation to the dynamics, and the blip series converges rapidly to the exact result. Retention of only the blips required for satisfactory convergence leads to speedup of full-memory path integral calculations by many orders of magnitude.

  11. Traffic engineering and regenerator placement in GMPLS networks with restoration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yetginer, Emre; Karasan, Ezhan

    2002-07-01

    In this paper we study regenerator placement and traffic engineering of restorable paths in Generalized Multipro-tocol Label Switching (GMPLS) networks. Regenerators are necessary in optical networks due to transmission impairments. We study a network architecture where there are regenerators at selected nodes and we propose two heuristic algorithms for the regenerator placement problem. Performances of these algorithms in terms of required number of regenerators and computational complexity are evaluated. In this network architecture with sparse regeneration, offline computation of working and restoration paths is studied with bandwidth reservation and path rerouting as the restoration scheme. We study two approaches for selecting working and restoration paths from a set of candidate paths and formulate each method as an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) prob-lem. Traffic uncertainty model is developed in order to compare these methods based on their robustness with respect to changing traffic patterns. Traffic engineering methods are compared based on number of additional demands due to traffic uncertainty that can be carried. Regenerator placement algorithms are also evaluated from a traffic engineering point of view.

  12. Path attenuation statistics influenced by orientation of rain cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goldhirsh, J.

    1976-01-01

    The influence of path azimuth on fade and space diversity statistics associated with propagation along earth-satellite paths at a frequency of 18 GHz is examined. A radar rain reflectivity data base obtained during the summer of 1973 is injected into a modeling program and the attenuation along parallel earth-satellite paths are obtained for a conglomeration of azimuths. Statistics are separated into two groupings: one pertaining to earth-satellite paths oriented in the northwest-southeast and the other in the northeast-southwest quadrants using a fixed elevation angle of 45 deg. The latter case shows fading to be greater with a degraded space diversity suggesting rain cells to be elongated along this direction. Cell dimensions are analyzed for both sets of quadrants and are found to have average values larger by 2 km in the northeast-southwest quadrants; a result consistent with the fade and space diversity results. Examination of the wind direction for the 14 rain days of data analyzed shows good correlation of the average or median wind directions with the directions of maximum fading and degraded space diversity.

  13. Prediction on the Enhancement of the Impact Sound Insulation to a Floating Floor with Resilient Interlayer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Xianfeng; Meng, Yao; Huang, Riming

    2017-10-01

    This paper describes a theoretical method for predicting the improvement of the impact sound insulation to a floating floor with the resilient interlayer. Statistical energy analysis (SEA) model, which is skilful in calculating the floor impact sound, is set up for calculating the reduction in impact sound pressure level in downstairs room. The sound transmission paths which include direct path and flanking paths are analyzed to find the dominant one; the factors that affect impact sound reduction for a floating floor are explored. Then, the impact sound level in downstairs room is determined and comparisons between predicted and measured data are conducted. It is indicated that for the impact sound transmission across a floating floor, the flanking path impact sound level contribute tiny influence on overall sound level in downstairs room, and a floating floor with low stiffness interlayer exhibits favorable sound insulation on direct path. The SEA approach applies to the floating floors with resilient interlayers, which are experimentally verified, provides a guidance in sound insulation design.

  14. Comparison of path visualizations and cognitive measures relative to travel technique in a virtual environment.

    PubMed

    Zanbaka, Catherine A; Lok, Benjamin C; Babu, Sabarish V; Ulinski, Amy C; Hodges, Larry F

    2005-01-01

    We describe a between-subjects experiment that compared four different methods of travel and their effect on cognition and paths taken in an immersive virtual environment (IVE). Participants answered a set of questions based on Crook's condensation of Bloom's taxonomy that assessed their cognition of the IVE with respect to knowledge, understanding and application, and higher mental processes. Participants also drew a sketch map of the IVE and the objects within it. The users' sense of presence was measured using the Steed-Usoh-Slater Presence Questionnaire. The participants' position and head orientation were automatically logged during their exposure to the virtual environment. These logs were later used to create visualizations of the paths taken. Path analysis, such as exploring the overlaid path visualizations and dwell data information, revealed further differences among the travel techniques. Our results suggest that, for applications where problem solving and evaluation of information is important or where opportunity to train is minimal, then having a large tracked space so that the participant can walk around the virtual environment provides benefits over common virtual travel techniques.

  15. Standardized method to quantify the variation in voxel value distribution in patient-simulated CBCT data sets.

    PubMed

    Spin-Neto, R; Gotfredsen, E; Wenzel, A

    2015-01-01

    To suggest a standardized method to assess the variation in voxel value distribution in patient-simulated CBCT data sets and the effect of time between exposures (TBE). Additionally, a measurement of reproducibility, Aarhus measurement of reproducibility (AMORe), is introduced, which could be used for quality assurance purposes. Six CBCT units were tested [Cranex(®) 3D/CRAN (Soredex Oy, Tuusula, Finland); Scanora(®) 3D/SCAN (Soredex Oy); NewTom™ 5G/NEW5 (QR srl, Verona, Italy); i-CAT/ICAT (Imaging Sciences International, Hatfield, PA); 3D Accuitomo FPD80/ACCU (Morita, Kyoto, Japan); and NewTom VG/NEWV (QR srl)]. Two sets of volumetric data of a wax-imbedded dry human skull (containing a titanium implant) were acquired by each CBCT unit at two sessions on separate days. Each session consisted 21 exposures: 1 "initial" followed by a 30-min interval (initial data set), 10 acquired with 30-min TBE (data sets 1-10) and 10 acquired with 15-min TBE (data sets 11-20). CBCT data were exported as digital imaging and communications in medicine files and converted to text files containing x, y and z positions and grey shade for each voxel. Subtractions were performed voxel-by-voxel in two set-ups: (1) between two consecutive data sets and (2) between any subsequent data set and data set 1. The mean grey shade variation for each voxel was calculated for each unit/session. The largest mean grey shade variation was found in the subtraction set-up 2 (27-447 shades of grey, depending on the unit). Considering subtraction set-up 1, the highest variation was seen for NEW5, between data sets 1 and the initial. Discrepancies in voxel value distribution were found by comparing the initial examination of the day with the subsequent examinations. TBE had no predictable effect on the variation of CBCT-derived voxel values. AMORe ranged between 0 and 64.

  16. Brain-computer interface control along instructed paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadtler, P. T.; Ryu, S. I.; Tyler-Kabara, E. C.; Yu, B. M.; Batista, A. P.

    2015-02-01

    Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are being developed to assist paralyzed people and amputees by translating neural activity into movements of a computer cursor or prosthetic limb. Here we introduce a novel BCI task paradigm, intended to help accelerate improvements to BCI systems. Through this task, we can push the performance limits of BCI systems, we can quantify more accurately how well a BCI system captures the user’s intent, and we can increase the richness of the BCI movement repertoire. Approach. We have implemented an instructed path task, wherein the user must drive a cursor along a visible path. The instructed path task provides a versatile framework to increase the difficulty of the task and thereby push the limits of performance. Relative to traditional point-to-point tasks, the instructed path task allows more thorough analysis of decoding performance and greater richness of movement kinematics. Main results. We demonstrate that monkeys are able to perform the instructed path task in a closed-loop BCI setting. We further investigate how the performance under BCI control compares to native arm control, whether users can decrease their movement variability in the face of a more demanding task, and how the kinematic richness is enhanced in this task. Significance. The use of the instructed path task has the potential to accelerate the development of BCI systems and their clinical translation.

  17. Validation of paper-based assay for rapid blood typing.

    PubMed

    Al-Tamimi, Mohammad; Shen, Wei; Zeineddine, Rania; Tran, Huy; Garnier, Gil

    2012-02-07

    We developed and validated a new paper-based assay for the detection of human blood type. Our method involves spotting a 3 μL blood sample on a paper surface where grouping antibodies have already been introduced. A thin film chromatograph tank was used to chromatographically elute the blood spot with 0.9% NaCl buffer for 10 min by capillary absorption. Agglutinated red blood cells (RBCs) were fixed on the paper substrate, resulting in a high optical density of the spot, with no visual trace in the buffer wicking path. Conversely, nonagglutinated RBCs could easily be eluted by the buffer and had low optical density of the spot and clearly visible trace of RBCs in the buffer wicking path. Different paper substrates had comparable ability to fix agglutinated blood, while a more porous substrate like Kleenex paper had enhanced ability to elute nonagglutinated blood. Using optimized conditions, a rapid assay for detection of blood groups was developed by spotting blood to antibodies absorbed to paper and eluted with 200 μL of 0.9% NaCl buffer directly by pipetting. RBCs fixation on paper accurately detected blood groups (ABO and RhD) using ascending buffer for 10 min or using a rapid elution step in 100/100 blood samples including 4 weak AB and 4 weak RhD samples. The assay has excellent reproducibility where the same blood group was obtained in 26 samples assessed in 2 different days. Agglutinated blood fixation on porous paper substrate provides a new, simple, and sensitive assay for rapid detection of blood group for point-of-care applications. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  18. AG Channel Measurement and Modeling Results for Over-Sea Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matolak, David; Sun, Rouyu

    2014-01-01

    This report describes results from flight tests conducted in an over-sea environment, for the purpose of characterizing the air-to-ground (AG) channel, for future unmanned aircraft system (UAS) communication system analysis and design. These results are for the first of a set of several flight tests conducted in different ground site (GS) environments. An ultimate aim of all these tests is the development of models for the AG channel that can be used in communication system evaluation. In this report we provide measured results for propagation path loss, root-mean square delay spread (RMS-DS), and the correlation coefficient of the primary received signal components on the four antennas (two antennas for C-band, two for L-band). For path loss, the curved-earth two-ray model provides a reasonable fit to the measured data, altered by several dB at the shortest link distances by aircraft antenna pattern effects. This two-ray model also accounts for the majority of measured RMS-DS results of a few tens of nanoseconds, except for the occasional intermittent reflections from surface objects. These intermittent reflections yield RMS-DS values up to several hundred nanoseconds. For portions of the flight path that were over a harbor area highly populated with boats, the channel was found to be more "continuously dispersive," with RMS-DS reaching approximately 250 ns. A separate model will be developed for this over-harbor setting. The correlation coefficient results are still undergoing analysis; preliminary observations are that correlation between signals on the same-band antennas is generally large (>0.6) for the C-band straight flight paths, whereas for the L-band signals and for the oval-shaped flight paths the correlation is generally small (below 0.4). Inter-band correlations are typically very small, and are well modeled as zero-mean Gaussian in distribution, with a standard deviation less than 0.2. Hence the over-sea channel effects in the two bands can be considered uncorrelated, which will allow for good diversity gains in dual-band systems. We describe initial modeling approaches for the over-sea channel; complete models for this and the over-harbor setting will appear in a subsequent report.

  19. Properties and pathways of Mediterranean water eddies in the Atlantic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bashmachnikov, I.; Neves, F.; Calheiros, T.; Carton, X.

    2015-09-01

    Data from ship vertical casts (NODC data-set), ARGO profiling floats (Coriolis data-set) and RAFOS-type neutral density floats (WOCE data-set) are used to study characteristics of meddies in the Northeast Atlantic. In total 241 Mediterranean water eddies (meddies) and 236 parts of float trajectories within meddies are selected for detailed analysis. The results suggest that the meddy generation rate at the southern and southwestern Iberian Peninsula (Portimao Canyon, cap St. Vincent, Estremadura Promontory, Gorringe Bank) is 3 times that at the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (Porto-Aveiro Canyons, Cape Finisterre and Galicia Bank). Meddies generated south of Estremadura Promontory (the southern meddies), as compared to those generated north of it (the northern meddies), have smaller radii, smaller vertical extension, higher aspect ratio, higher Rossby number and higher stability (stronger potential vorticity anomaly). These latter properties result from the southern meddies higher relative vorticity and stronger buoyancy frequency anomaly. Away from the generation regions, meddy drift concentrates along four main paths: three quasi-zonal paths (Northern, Central, Southern) and a path following the African coast (Coastal). The quasi-zonal paths are aligned to the isolines of the ambient potential vorticity field. Several cross-path exchanges, identified in this work, are aligned to topographic rises. Northward translation of the northern meddies within the North Atlantic Current to the subpolar gyre is detected. Within the first 600 km from the coast, meddy merger is proved to be a common event. This explains the observed difference in radii between the newly generated meddies and those away from the Iberian margin. The decay of the southern meddies proceeds mainly via the loss of their skirts and does not affect meddy cores until the latest stages. The decay of the northern meddies goes in parallel with the decay of their cores. In average meddy decay is achieved within 1-2 years, although may take over 3 years. Collisions with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and seamounts sensibly decrease meddy lifetimes. Meddy decay also speeds up when meddies meet the Azores Current or the North Atlantic Current. A rapid drop in the number of meddies south of the Azores Current proves that it represents a dynamic barrier for weak meddies.

  20. Airway Tree Segmentation in Serial Block-Face Cryomicrotome Images of Rat Lungs

    PubMed Central

    Bauer, Christian; Krueger, Melissa A.; Lamm, Wayne J.; Smith, Brian J.; Glenny, Robb W.; Beichel, Reinhard R.

    2014-01-01

    A highly-automated method for the segmentation of airways in serial block-face cryomicrotome images of rat lungs is presented. First, a point inside of the trachea is manually specified. Then, a set of candidate airway centerline points is automatically identified. By utilizing a novel path extraction method, a centerline path between the root of the airway tree and each point in the set of candidate centerline points is obtained. Local disturbances are robustly handled by a novel path extraction approach, which avoids the shortcut problem of standard minimum cost path algorithms. The union of all centerline paths is utilized to generate an initial airway tree structure, and a pruning algorithm is applied to automatically remove erroneous subtrees or branches. Finally, a surface segmentation method is used to obtain the airway lumen. The method was validated on five image volumes of Sprague-Dawley rats. Based on an expert-generated independent standard, an assessment of airway identification and lumen segmentation performance was conducted. The average of airway detection sensitivity was 87.4% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of (84.9, 88.6)%. A plot of sensitivity as a function of airway radius is provided. The combined estimate of airway detection specificity was 100% with a 95% CI of (99.4, 100)%. The average number and diameter of terminal airway branches was 1179 and 159 μm, respectively. Segmentation results include airways up to 31 generations. The regression intercept and slope of airway radius measurements derived from final segmentations were estimated to be 7.22 μm and 1.005, respectively. The developed approach enables quantitative studies of physiology and lung diseases in rats, requiring detailed geometric airway models. PMID:23955692

  1. Tomographic reconstruction of tracer gas concentration profiles in a room with the use of a single OP-FTIR and two iterative algorithms: ART and PWLS.

    PubMed

    Park, D Y; Fessler, J A; Yost, M G; Levine, S P

    2000-03-01

    Computed tomographic (CT) reconstructions of air contaminant concentration fields were conducted in a room-sized chamber employing a single open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) instrument and a combination of 52 flat mirrors and 4 retroreflectors. A total of 56 beam path data were repeatedly collected for around 1 hr while maintaining a stable concentration gradient. The plane of the room was divided into 195 pixels (13 x 15) for reconstruction. The algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) failed to reconstruct the original concentration gradient patterns for most cases. These poor results were caused by the "highly underdetermined condition" in which the number of unknown values (156 pixels) exceeds that of known data (56 path integral concentrations) in the experimental setting. A new CT algorithm, called the penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS), was applied to remedy this condition. The peak locations were correctly positioned in the PWLS-CT reconstructions. A notable feature of the PWLS-CT reconstructions was a significant reduction of highly irregular noise peaks found in the ART-CT reconstructions. However, the peak heights were slightly reduced in the PWLS-CT reconstructions due to the nature of the PWLS algorithm. PWLS could converge on the original concentration gradient even when a fairly high error was embedded into some experimentally measured path integral concentrations. It was also found in the simulation tests that the PWLS algorithm was very robust with respect to random errors in the path integral concentrations. This beam geometry and the use of a single OP-FTIR scanning system, in combination with the PWLS algorithm, is a system applicable to both environmental and industrial settings.

  2. Tomographic Reconstruction of Tracer Gas Concentration Profiles in a Room with the Use of a Single OP-FTIR and Two Iterative Algorithms: ART and PWLS.

    PubMed

    Park, Doo Y; Fessier, Jeffrey A; Yost, Michael G; Levine, Steven P

    2000-03-01

    Computed tomographic (CT) reconstructions of air contaminant concentration fields were conducted in a room-sized chamber employing a single open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) instrument and a combination of 52 flat mirrors and 4 retroreflectors. A total of 56 beam path data were repeatedly collected for around 1 hr while maintaining a stable concentration gradient. The plane of the room was divided into 195 pixels (13 × 15) for reconstruction. The algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) failed to reconstruct the original concentration gradient patterns for most cases. These poor results were caused by the "highly underdetermined condition" in which the number of unknown values (156 pixels) exceeds that of known data (56 path integral concentrations) in the experimental setting. A new CT algorithm, called the penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS), was applied to remedy this condition. The peak locations were correctly positioned in the PWLS-CT reconstructions. A notable feature of the PWLS-CT reconstructions was a significant reduction of highly irregular noise peaks found in the ART-CT reconstructions. However, the peak heights were slightly reduced in the PWLS-CT reconstructions due to the nature of the PWLS algorithm. PWLS could converge on the original concentration gradient even when a fairly high error was embedded into some experimentally measured path integral concentrations. It was also found in the simulation tests that the PWLS algorithm was very robust with respect to random errors in the path integral concentrations. This beam geometry and the use of a single OP-FTIR scanning system, in combination with the PWLS algorithm, is a system applicable to both environmental and industrial settings.

  3. Pep2Path: automated mass spectrometry-guided genome mining of peptidic natural products.

    PubMed

    Medema, Marnix H; Paalvast, Yared; Nguyen, Don D; Melnik, Alexey; Dorrestein, Pieter C; Takano, Eriko; Breitling, Rainer

    2014-09-01

    Nonribosomally and ribosomally synthesized bioactive peptides constitute a source of molecules of great biomedical importance, including antibiotics such as penicillin, immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine, and cytostatics such as bleomycin. Recently, an innovative mass-spectrometry-based strategy, peptidogenomics, has been pioneered to effectively mine microbial strains for novel peptidic metabolites. Even though mass-spectrometric peptide detection can be performed quite fast, true high-throughput natural product discovery approaches have still been limited by the inability to rapidly match the identified tandem mass spectra to the gene clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of the corresponding compounds. With Pep2Path, we introduce a software package to fully automate the peptidogenomics approach through the rapid Bayesian probabilistic matching of mass spectra to their corresponding biosynthetic gene clusters. Detailed benchmarking of the method shows that the approach is powerful enough to correctly identify gene clusters even in data sets that consist of hundreds of genomes, which also makes it possible to match compounds from unsequenced organisms to closely related biosynthetic gene clusters in other genomes. Applying Pep2Path to a data set of compounds without known biosynthesis routes, we were able to identify candidate gene clusters for the biosynthesis of five important compounds. Notably, one of these clusters was detected in a genome from a different subphylum of Proteobacteria than that in which the molecule had first been identified. All in all, our approach paves the way towards high-throughput discovery of novel peptidic natural products. Pep2Path is freely available from http://pep2path.sourceforge.net/, implemented in Python, licensed under the GNU General Public License v3 and supported on MS Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

  4. An industrial robot singular trajectories planning based on graphs and neural networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Łęgowski, Adrian; Niezabitowski, Michał

    2016-06-01

    Singular trajectories are rarely used because of issues during realization. A method of planning trajectories for given set of points in task space with use of graphs and neural networks is presented. In every desired point the inverse kinematics problem is solved in order to derive all possible solutions. A graph of solutions is made. The shortest path is determined to define required nodes in joint space. Neural networks are used to define the path between these nodes.

  5. Optimal Recovery Trajectories for Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Systems (Auto GCAS)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-01

    the Multi-Trajectory path uses a sphere buffer (with a 350 ft radius) around each time point in the propagated path. Hence, the yellow Xs indicate the...the HUD as well as a matrix/line of Xs on the radar electro optical (REO) display. Enhanced ground clobber (EGC) mechanization was integrated on the F...reachable in the timespan t ∈ [t0, tf ], and dthreshold is a scalar user-defined terrain buffer. For the work de- veloped herein, dthreshold was set to 350

  6. Physics thematic paths: laboratorial activities and historical scientific instruments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pantano, O.; Talas, S.

    2010-03-01

    The Physics Department of Padua University keeps an important collection of historical physics instruments which alludes to the fruitful scientific activity of Padua through the centuries. This heritage led to the suggestion of setting up laboratory activities connected to the Museum collection for secondary school students. This article shows how different thematic paths have been developed, reflecting on the importance of historical perspectives in science teaching. We also show how a scientific historical museum can play a central role in improving the learning of physics concepts.

  7. Probabilistic Analysis of Combinatorial Optimization Problems on Hypergraph Matchings

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-02-01

    per dimension” ( recall that d is equal to the number of independent subsets of vertices Vk in the hypergraph Hd jn, and n denotes the number of...disjoint solutions whose costs are iid random variables. First, recalling the interpretation of feasible MAP solu- tions as paths in the index graph G, we...elements. On the other hand, recall that a (feasible) path G can be described as a set of n vectors D f.i .1/ 1 ; : : : ; i .1/ d /; : : : ; .i .n

  8. Tracing Actual Causes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-08

    actual values for variables in the SEM ), and an event e with M ,~u |= e, our definition answers the question : Which paths of the causal network G( M ...for each variable and a directed edge from vari- able X to Y if the equation for computing X uses Y . Given an SEM M , a context ~u (that supplies the...caused the event e1? Our definition answers this question as a set of causal slices, where each causal slice is a subgraph of G( M ). All paths in each

  9. Development of a visible light transmission (VLT) measurement system using an open-path optical method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nurulain, S.; Manap, H.

    2017-09-01

    This paper describes about a visible light transmission (VLT) measurement system using an optical method. VLT rate plays an important role in order to determine the visibility of a medium. Current instrument to measure visibility has a gigantic set up, costly and mostly fails to function at low light condition environment. This research focuses on the development of a VLT measurement system using a simple experimental set-up and at a low cost. An open path optical technique is used to measure a few series of known-VLT thin film that act as sample of different visibilities. This measurement system is able to measure the light intensity of these thin films within the visible light region (535-540 nm) and the response time is less than 1s.

  10. Communication: importance sampling including path correlation in semiclassical initial value representation calculations for time correlation functions.

    PubMed

    Pan, Feng; Tao, Guohua

    2013-03-07

    Full semiclassical (SC) initial value representation (IVR) for time correlation functions involves a double phase space average over a set of two phase points, each of which evolves along a classical path. Conventionally, the two initial phase points are sampled independently for all degrees of freedom (DOF) in the Monte Carlo procedure. Here, we present an efficient importance sampling scheme by including the path correlation between the two initial phase points for the bath DOF, which greatly improves the performance of the SC-IVR calculations for large molecular systems. Satisfactory convergence in the study of quantum coherence in vibrational relaxation has been achieved for a benchmark system-bath model with up to 21 DOF.

  11. Path-integral and Ornstein-Zernike study of quantum fluid structures on the crystallization line

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

    Sesé, Luis M., E-mail: msese@ccia.uned.es

    2016-03-07

    Liquid neon, liquid para-hydrogen, and the quantum hard-sphere fluid are studied with path integral Monte Carlo simulations and the Ornstein-Zernike pair equation on their respective crystallization lines. The results cover the whole sets of structures in the r-space and the k-space and, for completeness, the internal energies, pressures and isothermal compressibilities. Comparison with experiment is made wherever possible, and the possibilities of establishing k-space criteria for quantum crystallization based on the path-integral centroids are discussed. In this regard, the results show that the centroid structure factor contains two significant parameters related to its main peak features (amplitude and shape) thatmore » can be useful to characterize freezing.« less

  12. Asymmetric nanofluidic grating detector for differential refractive index measurement and biosensing.

    PubMed

    Purr, F; Bassu, M; Lowe, R D; Thürmann, B; Dietzel, A; Burg, T P

    2017-12-05

    Measuring small changes in refractive index can provide both sensitive and contactless information on molecule concentration or process conditions for a wide range of applications. However, refractive index measurements are easily perturbed by non-specific background signals, such as temperature changes or non-specific binding. Here, we present an optofluidic device for measuring refractive index with direct background subtraction within a single measurement. The device is comprised of two interdigitated arrays of nanofluidic channels designed to form an optical grating. Optical path differences between the two sets of channels can be measured directly via an intensity ratio within the diffraction pattern that forms when the grating is illuminated by a collimated laser beam. Our results show that no calibration or biasing is required if the unit cell of the grating is designed with an appropriate built-in asymmetry. In proof-of-concept experiments we attained a noise level equivalent to ∼10 -5 refractive index units (30 Hz sampling rate, 4 min measurement interval). Furthermore, we show that the accumulation of biomolecules on the surface of the nanochannels can be measured in real-time. Because of its simplicity and robustness, we expect that this inherently differential measurement concept will find many applications in ultra-low volume analytical systems, biosensors, and portable devices.

  13. Onsets of Solar Proton Events in Satellite and Ground Level Observations: A Comparison

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Jing; Rodriguez, Juan V.

    2018-03-01

    The early detection of solar proton event onsets is essential for protecting humans and electronics in space, as well as passengers and crew at aviation altitudes. Two commonly compared methods for observing solar proton events that are sufficiently large and energetic to be detected on the ground through the creation of secondary radiation—known as ground level enhancements (GLEs)—are (1) a network of ground-based neutron monitors (NMs) and (2) satellite-based particle detectors. Until recently, owing to the different time resolution of the two data sets, it has not been feasible to compare these two types of observations using the same detection algorithm. This paper presents a comparison between the two observational platforms using newly processed >100 MeV 1 min count rates and fluxes from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 8-12 satellites, and 1 min count rates from the Neutron Monitor Database. We applied the same detection algorithm to each data set (tuned to the different background noise levels of the instrument types). Seventeen SPEs with GLEs were studied: GLEs 55-70 from Solar Cycle 23 and GLE 71 from Solar Cycle 24. The median difference in the event detection times by GOES and NM data is 0 min, indicating no innate benefit in time of either system. The 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles of the onset time differences (GOES minus NMs) are -7.2 min, -1.5 min, 2.5 min, and 4.2 min, respectively. This is in contrast to previous studies in which NM detections led GOES by 8 to 52 min without accounting for different alert protocols.

  14. Life-space foam: A medium for motivational and cognitive dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ivancevic, Vladimir; Aidman, Eugene

    2007-08-01

    General stochastic dynamics, developed in a framework of Feynman path integrals, have been applied to Lewinian field-theoretic psychodynamics [K. Lewin, Field Theory in Social Science, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1951; K. Lewin, Resolving Social Conflicts, and, Field Theory in Social Science, American Psychological Association, Washington, 1997; M. Gold, A Kurt Lewin Reader, the Complete Social Scientist, American Psychological Association, Washington, 1999], resulting in the development of a new concept of life-space foam (LSF) as a natural medium for motivational and cognitive psychodynamics. According to LSF formalisms, the classic Lewinian life space can be macroscopically represented as a smooth manifold with steady force fields and behavioral paths, while at the microscopic level it is more realistically represented as a collection of wildly fluctuating force fields, (loco)motion paths and local geometries (and topologies with holes). A set of least-action principles is used to model the smoothness of global, macro-level LSF paths, fields and geometry. To model the corresponding local, micro-level LSF structures, an adaptive path integral is used, defining a multi-phase and multi-path (multi-field and multi-geometry) transition process from intention to goal-driven action. Application examples of this new approach include (but are not limited to) information processing, motivational fatigue, learning, memory and decision making.

  15. Repeatable source, site, and path effects on the standard deviation for empirical ground-motion prediction models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lin, P.-S.; Chiou, B.; Abrahamson, N.; Walling, M.; Lee, C.-T.; Cheng, C.-T.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, we quantify the reduction in the standard deviation for empirical ground-motion prediction models by removing ergodic assumption.We partition the modeling error (residual) into five components, three of which represent the repeatable source-location-specific, site-specific, and path-specific deviations from the population mean. A variance estimation procedure of these error components is developed for use with a set of recordings from earthquakes not heavily clustered in space.With most source locations and propagation paths sampled only once, we opt to exploit the spatial correlation of residuals to estimate the variances associated with the path-specific and the source-location-specific deviations. The estimation procedure is applied to ground-motion amplitudes from 64 shallow earthquakes in Taiwan recorded at 285 sites with at least 10 recordings per site. The estimated variance components are used to quantify the reduction in aleatory variability that can be used in hazard analysis for a single site and for a single path. For peak ground acceleration and spectral accelerations at periods of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 s, we find that the singlesite standard deviations are 9%-14% smaller than the total standard deviation, whereas the single-path standard deviations are 39%-47% smaller.

  16. Energy-Aware Multipath Routing Scheme Based on Particle Swarm Optimization in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, Y. Harold; Rajaram, M.

    2015-01-01

    Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of autonomous mobile nodes forming an ad hoc network without fixed infrastructure. Dynamic topology property of MANET may degrade the performance of the network. However, multipath selection is a great challenging task to improve the network lifetime. We proposed an energy-aware multipath routing scheme based on particle swarm optimization (EMPSO) that uses continuous time recurrent neural network (CTRNN) to solve optimization problems. CTRNN finds the optimal loop-free paths to solve link disjoint paths in a MANET. The CTRNN is used as an optimum path selection technique that produces a set of optimal paths between source and destination. In CTRNN, particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is primly used for training the RNN. The proposed scheme uses the reliability measures such as transmission cost, energy factor, and the optimal traffic ratio between source and destination to increase routing performance. In this scheme, optimal loop-free paths can be found using PSO to seek better link quality nodes in route discovery phase. PSO optimizes a problem by iteratively trying to get a better solution with regard to a measure of quality. The proposed scheme discovers multiple loop-free paths by using PSO technique. PMID:26819966

  17. Path spectra derived from inversion of source and site spectra for earthquakes in Southern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klimasewski, A.; Sahakian, V. J.; Baltay, A.; Boatwright, J.; Fletcher, J. B.; Baker, L. M.

    2017-12-01

    A large source of epistemic uncertainty in Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) is derived from the path term, currently represented as a simple geometric spreading and intrinsic attenuation term. Including additional physical relationships between the path properties and predicted ground motions would produce more accurate and precise, region-specific GMPEs by reclassifying some of the random, aleatory uncertainty as epistemic. This study focuses on regions of Southern California, using data from the Anza network and Southern California Seismic network to create a catalog of events magnitude 2.5 and larger from 1998 to 2016. The catalog encompasses regions of varying geology and therefore varying path and site attenuation. Within this catalog of events, we investigate several collections of event region-to-station pairs, each of which share similar origin locations and stations so that all events have similar paths. Compared with a simple regional GMPE, these paths consistently have high or low residuals. By working with events that have the same path, we can isolate source and site effects, and focus on the remaining residual as path effects. We decompose the recordings into source and site spectra for each unique event and site in our greater Southern California regional database using the inversion method of Andrews (1986). This model represents each natural log record spectra as the sum of its natural log event and site spectra, while constraining each record to a reference site or Brune source spectrum. We estimate a regional, path-specific anelastic attenuation (Q) and site attenuation (t*) from the inversion site spectra and corner frequency from the inversion event spectra. We then compute the residuals between the observed record data, and the inversion model prediction (event*site spectra). This residual is representative of path effects, likely anelastic attenuation along the path that varies from the regional median attenuation. We examine the residuals for our different sets independently to see how path terms differ between event-to-station collections. The path-specific information gained from this can inform development of terms for regional GMPEs, through understanding of these seismological phenomena.

  18. Does incineration turn infectious waste aseptic?

    PubMed

    Kanemitsu, K; Inden, K; Kunishima, H; Ueno, K; Hatta, M; Gunji, Y; Watanabe, I; Kaku, M

    2005-08-01

    Incineration of infectious waste is considered to be biologically safe. We performed basic experiments to confirm that bacillus spores are killed by incineration in a muffle furnace. Biological samples containing 10(6) spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus were placed in stainless steel Petri dishes and then into hot furnaces. The furnace temperature and duration of incineration were 300 degrees C for 15 min, 300 degrees C for 30 min, 500 degrees C for 15 min, 500 degrees C for 30 min and 1100 degrees C for 3 min. We confirmed that all spores of B. stearothermophilus were killed at each of these settings. The effect of incineration seems to be equivalent to that of sterilization, based on the satisfactory sterilization assurance level of 10(-6).

  19. Clinically relevant hypoglycemia prediction metrics for event mitigation.

    PubMed

    Harvey, Rebecca A; Dassau, Eyal; Zisser, Howard C; Bevier, Wendy; Seborg, Dale E; Jovanovič, Lois; Doyle, Francis J

    2012-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a method to compare hypoglycemia prediction algorithms and choose parameter settings for different applications, such as triggering insulin pump suspension or alerting for rescue carbohydrate treatment. Hypoglycemia prediction algorithms with different parameter settings were implemented on an ambulatory dataset containing 490 days from 30 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus using the Dexcom™ (San Diego, CA) SEVEN™ continuous glucose monitoring system. The performance was evaluated using a proposed set of metrics representing the true-positive ratio, false-positive rate, and distribution of warning times. A prospective, in silico study was performed to show the effect of using different parameter settings to prevent or rescue from hypoglycemia. The retrospective study results suggest the parameter settings for different methods of hypoglycemia mitigation. When rescue carbohydrates are used, a high true-positive ratio, a minimal false-positive rate, and alarms with short warning time are desired. These objectives were met with a 30-min prediction horizon and two successive flags required to alarm: 78% of events were detected with 3.0 false alarms/day and 66% probability of alarms occurring within 30 min of the event. This parameter setting selection was confirmed in silico: treating with rescue carbohydrates reduced the duration of hypoglycemia from 14.9% to 0.5%. However, for a different method, such as pump suspension, this parameter setting only reduced hypoglycemia to 8.7%, as can be expected by the low probability of alarming more than 30 min ahead. The proposed metrics allow direct comparison of hypoglycemia prediction algorithms and selection of parameter settings for different types of hypoglycemia mitigation, as shown in the prospective in silico study in which hypoglycemia was alerted or treated with rescue carbohydrates.

  20. Hyperosmolality in the plasma modulates behavioral thermoregulation in mice: the quantitative and multilateral assessment using a new experimental system.

    PubMed

    Lin, Cheng-Hsien; Tokizawa, Ken; Nakamura, Mayumi; Uchida, Yuki; Mori, Hisae; Nagashima, Kei

    2012-01-18

    We evaluated the effect of plasma hyperosmolality on behavioral thermoregulation in mice, using a new experimental system. The system consisted of Plexiglas box (dimensions: 50×12×19 cm) with five computer-controlled Peltier boards (dimensions: 10×10 cm) at the bottom. Experiments were conducted in two different settings of the system. An operant behavior setting: each board was first set to 39°C, and the right-end board was changed to 20°C for 1 min when a mouse moved to a specific position. A temperature mosaic setting: each board was randomly set to 15°C, 22°C, 28°C, 35°C, or 39°C with a 6-min interval, but each board temperature was different from the others at a given time point. Mice were injected subcutaneous (s.c.) isotonic or hypertonic saline (154 mM (IS group) or 2,500 mM (HS group), 10 ml/kg body wt), and exposed to either setting for 90 min. In the operant setting, the HS group showed fewer operant behavior counts than the IS group (11±5 and 25±4 counts, respectively; P<0.05) with greater increase in body temperature (1.6±0.4°C vs. 0.0±0.2°C, respectively; P<0.05). In the mosaic setting, the HS group selected the board temperature of 35°C more frequently than the other temperatures (P<0.05) with the same increase in body temperature. These results may suggest that plasma hyperosmolality modulates behavioral thermoregulatory response to heat and induce regulated hyperthermia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Robust Sensor Placements at Informative and Communication-efficient Locations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-08-01

    tree T ∗ with cost `∗, spanning a setA∗. Then PSPIEL can find a tree T with costO (r dim(V,E))×`∗, spanning a setAwith expected sensing quality F (A...V, E), s, t ∈ V and an (r, γ)-local monotone submodular function F , PSPIEL will find an s− t path P with costO (r dim(V,E))× `∗, spanning a setA with

  2. Characteristic evaluation of process parameters of friction stir welding of aluminium 2024 hybrid composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadashiva, M.; Shivanand, H. K.; Vidyasagar, H. N.

    2018-04-01

    The Current work is aimed to investigate the effect of process parameters in friction stir welding of Aluminium 2024 base alloy and Aluminium 2024 matrix alloy reinforced with E Glass and Silicon Carbide reinforcements. The process involved a set of synthesis techniques incorporating stir casting methodology resulting in fabrication of the composite material. This composite material that is synthesized is then machined to obtain a plate of dimensions 100 mm * 50 mm * 6 mm. The plate is then friction stir welded at different set of parameters viz. the spindle speed of 600 rpm, 900 rpm and 1200 rpm and feed rate of 40 mm/min, 80 mm/min and 120 mm/min for analyzing the process capability. The study of the given set of parameters is predominantly important to understand the physics of the process that may lead to better properties of the joint, which is very much important in perspective to its use in advanced engineering applications, especially in aerospace domain that uses Aluminium 2024 alloy for wing and fuselage structures under tension.

  3. a Framework for AN Automatic Seamline Engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Durgham, M.; Downey, M.; Gehrke, S.; Beshah, B. T.

    2016-06-01

    Seamline generation is a crucial last step in the ortho-image mosaicking process. In particular, it is required to convolute residual geometric and radiometric imperfections that stem from various sources. In particular, temporal differences in the acquired data will cause the scene content and illumination conditions to vary. These variations can be modelled successfully. However, one is left with micro-differences that do need to be considered in seamline generation. Another cause of discrepancies originates from the rectification surface as it will not model the actual terrain and especially human-made objects perfectly. Quality of the image orientation will also contribute to the overall differences between adjacent ortho-rectified images. Our approach takes into consideration the aforementioned differences in designing a seamline engine. We have identified the following essential behaviours of the seamline in our engine: 1) Seamlines must pass through the path of least resistance, i.e., overlap areas with low radiometric differences. 2) Seamlines must not intersect with breaklines as that will lead to visible geometric artefacts. And finally, 3), shorter seamlines are generally favourable; they also result in faster operator review and, where necessary, interactive editing cycles. The engine design also permits alteration of the above rules for special cases. Although our preliminary experiments are geared towards line imaging systems (i.e., the Leica ADS family), our seamline engine remains sensor agnostic. Hence, our design is capable of mosaicking images from various sources with minimal effort. The main idea behind this engine is using graph cuts which, in spirit, is based of the max-flow min-cut theory. The main advantage of using graph cuts theory is that the generated solution is global in the energy minimization sense. In addition, graph cuts allows for a highly scalable design where a set of rules contribute towards a cost function which, in turn, influences the path of minimum resistance for the seamlines. In this paper, the authors present an approach for achieving quality seamlines relatively quickly and with emphasis on generating truly seamless ortho-mosaics.

  4. Effects of partners together in health intervention on physical activity and healthy eating behaviors: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Yates, Bernice C; Norman, Joseph; Meza, Jane; Krogstrand, Kaye Stanek; Harrington, Susana; Shurmur, Scott; Johnson, Matthew; Schumacher, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Despite proven efficacy of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in helping patients initiate physical activity and healthy eating changes, less than 50% of CR participants maintain changes 6 months later. The objective of this feasibility study was to test the Partners Together in Health (PaTH) intervention versus usual care in improving physical activity and healthy eating behaviors in coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients and their spouses. An experimental, 2-group (n = 17 couples/group), repeated-measures design was used. Coronary artery bypass surgery patients in both groups participated in phase II outpatient CR. Spouses in the PaTH group attended CR with the patient and were asked to make the same physical activity and healthy eating changes as patients did. Spouses in the usual care attended educational classes with patients. It was theorized that "2 persons would be better than 1" at making changes and sticking with them in the long-term. Physical activity behavior was measured using the Actiheart accelerometer; the activity biomarker was an exercise tolerance test. Eating behavior was measured using 3-day food records; the biomarker was the lipid profile. Data were collected at baseline (entrance in CR), at 3 months (post-CR), and at 6 months. Changes over time were examined using Mann-Whitney U statistics and effect sizes. The PaTH intervention was successful primarily in demonstrating improved trends in healthy eating behavior for patients and spouses. No differences were found between the PaTH and usual care patients or spouses at 3 or 6 months in the number of minutes per week of physical activity. By 6 months, patients in both groups were, on average, below the national guidelines for PA recommendations (≥150 min/wk at >3 metabolic equivalents). The couple-focused PaTH intervention demonstrated promise in offsetting the decline in dietary adherence typically seen 6 months after CR.

  5. Steady state scenario development with elevated minimum safety factor on DIII-D

    DOE PAGES

    Holcomb, Christopher T.; Ferron, John R.; Luce, Timothy C.; ...

    2014-08-15

    On DIII-D, a high β scenario with minimum safety factor (q min) near 1.4 has been optimized with new tools and shown to be a favourable candidate for long pulse or steady state operation in future devices. Furthermore, the new capability to redirect up to 5 MW of neutral beam injection (NBI) from on- to off-axis improves the ability to sustain elevated q min with a less peaked pressure profile. The observed changes increase the ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) n = 1 mode β N limit thus providing a path forward for increasing the noninductive current drive fraction by operating atmore » high β N. Quasi-stationary discharges free of tearing modes have been sustained at βN = 3.5 and β T = 3.6% for two current profile diffusion timescales (about 3 s) limited by neutral beam duration. The discharge performance has normalized fusion performance expected to give fusion gain Q ≈ 5 in a device the size of ITER. Analysis of the poloidal flux evolution and current drive balance show that the loop voltage profile is almost relaxed even with 25% of the current driven inductively, and q min remains elevated near 1.4. Our observations increase confidence that the current profile will not evolve to one unstable to a tearing mode. In preliminary tests a divertor heat flux reduction technique based on producing a radiating mantle with neon injection appears compatible with this operating scenario. 0D model extrapolations suggest it may be possible to push this scenario up to 100% noninductive current drive by raising β N. Similar discharges with q min = 1.5–2 were susceptible to tearing modes and off-axis fishbones, and with q min > 2 lower normalized global energy confinement time is observed.« less

  6. An empirical typology of hospital nurses' individual learning paths.

    PubMed

    Poell, Rob F; Van der Krogt, Ferd J

    2014-03-01

    A relatively new theoretical concept is proposed in this paper, namely, the individual learning path. Learning paths are created by individual employees and comprise a set of learning-relevant activities that are both coherent as a whole and meaningful to them. To explore the empirical basis of this theoretical concept. A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews. Two academic medical centers (university hospitals) and two general hospitals in the Netherlands. A total of 89 nurses were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed qualitatively; cluster analysis was then performed on quantified data from the interviews. Four types of learning path emerged, namely, the formal-external, self-directed, social-emotional, and information-oriented learning paths. The relatively new theoretical concept of an individual learning path can be observed in practice and a number of different learning-path types can be distinguished. Nurses were found to create their own learning paths, that is, select a theme that is relevant primarily to themselves, conduct a variety of learning activities around this theme, participate in social contexts that might help them, and mobilize learning facilities provided by their organization. These activities go way beyond the notion of employees as self-directed learners merely in a didactic sense (establishing learning goals, choosing the right learning activities for these goals, evaluating to what extent their goals have been met as a result). The findings can be interpreted as evidence of employees acting strategically when it comes to their professional development. Providers of continuing professional education/development need to take this into account. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Repeated 3-minute stair climbing-descending exercise after a meal over 2 weeks increases serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol levels in people with type 2 diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Honda, Hiroto; Igaki, Makoto; Hatanaka, Yuki; Komatsu, Motoaki; Tanaka, Shin-Ichiro; Miki, Tetsuo; Matsuki, Yumika; Takaishi, Tetsuo; Hayashi, Tatsuya

    2017-01-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the hypoglycemic effect of a postprandial exercise program using brief stair climbing-descending exercise in people with type 2 diabetes. [Subjects and Methods] Seven males with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes (age 68.0 ± 3.7 years) performed two sets of stair climbing-descending exercise 60 and 120 min after each meal for the first 2 weeks but not for the following 2 weeks. Each set of exercise comprised 3-min of continuous repetition of climbing briskly to the second floor followed by slow waking down to the first floor in their home. A rest period of 1–2 min was allowed between each set. [Results] Serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol level was significantly higher by 11.5% at the end of the 2-week exercise period than at the baseline. By contrast, the 1,5-anhydroglucitol level at the end of the following 2-week period did not differ from the baseline value. Fasting blood glucose level and insulin resistance index at the end of the exercise period did not differ from the baseline value. [Conclusion] Repeated 3-min bouts of stair climbing-descending exercise after a meal may be a promising method for improving postprandial glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. PMID:28210043

  8. Path Models of Vocal Emotion Communication

    PubMed Central

    Bänziger, Tanja; Hosoya, Georg; Scherer, Klaus R.

    2015-01-01

    We propose to use a comprehensive path model of vocal emotion communication, encompassing encoding, transmission, and decoding processes, to empirically model data sets on emotion expression and recognition. The utility of the approach is demonstrated for two data sets from two different cultures and languages, based on corpora of vocal emotion enactment by professional actors and emotion inference by naïve listeners. Lens model equations, hierarchical regression, and multivariate path analysis are used to compare the relative contributions of objectively measured acoustic cues in the enacted expressions and subjective voice cues as perceived by listeners to the variance in emotion inference from vocal expressions for four emotion families (fear, anger, happiness, and sadness). While the results confirm the central role of arousal in vocal emotion communication, the utility of applying an extended path modeling framework is demonstrated by the identification of unique combinations of distal cues and proximal percepts carrying information about specific emotion families, independent of arousal. The statistical models generated show that more sophisticated acoustic parameters need to be developed to explain the distal underpinnings of subjective voice quality percepts that account for much of the variance in emotion inference, in particular voice instability and roughness. The general approach advocated here, as well as the specific results, open up new research strategies for work in psychology (specifically emotion and social perception research) and engineering and computer science (specifically research and development in the domain of affective computing, particularly on automatic emotion detection and synthetic emotion expression in avatars). PMID:26325076

  9. A Portable Ground-Based Atmospheric Monitoring System (PGAMS) for the Calibration and Validation of Atmospheric Correction Algorithms Applied to Aircraft and Satellite Images

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schiller, Stephen; Luvall, Jeffrey C.; Rickman, Doug L.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Detecting changes in the Earth's environment using satellite images of ocean and land surfaces must take into account atmospheric effects. As a result, major programs are underway to develop algorithms for image retrieval of atmospheric aerosol properties and atmospheric correction. However, because of the temporal and spatial variability of atmospheric transmittance it is very difficult to model atmospheric effects and implement models in an operational mode. For this reason, simultaneous in situ ground measurements of atmospheric optical properties are vital to the development of accurate atmospheric correction techniques. Presented in this paper is a spectroradiometer system that provides an optimized set of surface measurements for the calibration and validation of atmospheric correction algorithms. The Portable Ground-based Atmospheric Monitoring System (PGAMS) obtains a comprehensive series of in situ irradiance, radiance, and reflectance measurements for the calibration of atmospheric correction algorithms applied to multispectral. and hyperspectral images. The observations include: total downwelling irradiance, diffuse sky irradiance, direct solar irradiance, path radiance in the direction of the north celestial pole, path radiance in the direction of the overflying satellite, almucantar scans of path radiance, full sky radiance maps, and surface reflectance. Each of these parameters are recorded over a wavelength range from 350 to 1050 nm in 512 channels. The system is fast, with the potential to acquire the complete set of observations in only 8 to 10 minutes depending on the selected spatial resolution of the sky path radiance measurements

  10. Correlation based networks of equity returns sampled at different time horizons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tumminello, M.; di Matteo, T.; Aste, T.; Mantegna, R. N.

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the planar maximally filtered graphs of the portfolio of the 300 most capitalized stocks traded at the New York Stock Exchange during the time period 2001 2003. Topological properties such as the average length of shortest paths, the betweenness and the degree are computed on different planar maximally filtered graphs generated by sampling the returns at different time horizons ranging from 5 min up to one trading day. This analysis confirms that the selected stocks compose a hierarchical system progressively structuring as the sampling time horizon increases. Finally, a cluster formation, associated to economic sectors, is quantitatively investigated.

  11. Postoperative Tachycardia: Clinically Meaningful or Benign Consequence of Orthopedic Surgery?

    PubMed

    Sigmund, Alana E; Fang, Yixin; Chin, Matthew; Reynolds, Harmony R; Horwitz, Leora I; Dweck, Ezra; Iturrate, Eduardo

    2017-01-01

    To determine the clinical significance of tachycardia in the postoperative period. Individuals 18 years or older undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty were included in the study. Two data sets were collected from different time periods: development data set from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011, and validation data set from December 1, 2012, through September 1, 2014. We used the development data set to identify the optimal definition of tachycardia with the strongest association with the vascular composite outcome (pulmonary embolism and myocardial necrosis and infarction). The predictive value of this definition was assessed in the validation data set for each outcome of interest, pulmonary embolism, myocardial necrosis and infarction, and infection using multiple logistic regression to control for known risk factors. In 1755 patients in the development data set, a maximum heart rate (HR) greater than 110 beats/min was found to be the best cutoff as a correlate of the composite vascular outcome. Of the 4621 patients who underwent arthroplasty in the validation data set, 40 (0.9%) had pulmonary embolism. The maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an odds ratio (OR) of 9.39 (95% CI, 4.67-18.87; sensitivity, 72.5%; specificity, 78.0%; positive predictive value, 2.8%; negative predictive value, 99.7%) for pulmonary embolism. Ninety-seven patients (2.1%) had myocardial necrosis (elevated troponin). The maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an OR of 4.71 (95% CI, 3.06-7.24; sensitivity, 47.4%; specificity, 78.1%; positive predictive value, 4.4%; negative predictive value, 98.6%) for this outcome. Thirteen (.3%) patients had myocardial infarction according to our predetermined definition, and the maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an OR of 1.72 (95% CI, 0.47-6.27). Postoperative tachycardia within the first 4 days of surgery should not be dismissed as a postoperative variation in HR, but may precede clinically significant adverse outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Algorithms for Heterogeneous, Multiple Depot, Multiple Unmanned Vehicle Path Planning Problems

    DOE PAGES

    Sundar, Kaarthik; Rathinam, Sivakumar

    2016-12-26

    Unmanned vehicles, both aerial and ground, are being used in several monitoring applications to collect data from a set of targets. This article addresses a problem where a group of heterogeneous aerial or ground vehicles with different motion constraints located at distinct depots visit a set of targets. The vehicles also may be equipped with different sensors, and therefore, a target may not be visited by any vehicle. The objective is to find an optimal path for each vehicle starting and ending at its respective depot such that each target is visited at least once by some vehicle, the vehicle–targetmore » constraints are satisfied, and the sum of the length of the paths for all the vehicles is minimized. Two variants of this problem are formulated (one for ground vehicles and another for aerial vehicles) as mixed-integer linear programs and a branchand- cut algorithm is developed to compute an optimal solution to each of the variants. Computational results show that optimal solutions for problems involving 100 targets and 5 vehicles can be obtained within 300 seconds on average, further corroborating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.« less

  13. Curved planar reformation and optimal path tracing (CROP) method for false positive reduction in computer-aided detection of pulmonary embolism in CTPA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Chuan; Chan, Heang-Ping; Guo, Yanhui; Wei, Jun; Chughtai, Aamer; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Sundaram, Baskaran; Patel, Smita; Kuriakose, Jean W.; Kazerooni, Ella A.

    2013-03-01

    The curved planar reformation (CPR) method re-samples the vascular structures along the vessel centerline to generate longitudinal cross-section views. The CPR technique has been commonly used in coronary CTA workstation to facilitate radiologists' visual assessment of coronary diseases, but has not yet been used for pulmonary vessel analysis in CTPA due to the complicated tree structures and the vast network of pulmonary vasculature. In this study, a new curved planar reformation and optimal path tracing (CROP) method was developed to facilitate feature extraction and false positive (FP) reduction and improve our PE detection system. PE candidates are first identified in the segmented pulmonary vessels at prescreening. Based on Dijkstra's algorithm, the optimal path (OP) is traced from the pulmonary trunk bifurcation point to each PE candidate. The traced vessel is then straightened and a reformatted volume is generated using CPR. Eleven new features that characterize the intensity, gradient, and topology are extracted from the PE candidate in the CPR volume and combined with the previously developed 9 features to form a new feature space for FP classification. With IRB approval, CTPA of 59 PE cases were retrospectively collected from our patient files (UM set) and 69 PE cases from the PIOPED II data set with access permission. 595 and 800 PEs were manually marked by experienced radiologists as reference standard for the UM and PIOPED set, respectively. At a test sensitivity of 80%, the average FP rate was improved from 18.9 to 11.9 FPs/case with the new method for the PIOPED set when the UM set was used for training. The FP rate was improved from 22.6 to 14.2 FPs/case for the UM set when the PIOPED set was used for training. The improvement in the free response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curves was statistically significant (p<0.05) by JAFROC analysis, indicating that the new features extracted from the CROP method are useful for FP reduction.

  14. Preconditioning 2D Integer Data for Fast Convex Hull Computations

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    In order to accelerate computing the convex hull on a set of n points, a heuristic procedure is often applied to reduce the number of points to a set of s points, s ≤ n, which also contains the same hull. We present an algorithm to precondition 2D data with integer coordinates bounded by a box of size p × q before building a 2D convex hull, with three distinct advantages. First, we prove that under the condition min(p, q) ≤ n the algorithm executes in time within O(n); second, no explicit sorting of data is required; and third, the reduced set of s points forms a simple polygonal chain and thus can be directly pipelined into an O(n) time convex hull algorithm. This paper empirically evaluates and quantifies the speed up gained by preconditioning a set of points by a method based on the proposed algorithm before using common convex hull algorithms to build the final hull. A speedup factor of at least four is consistently found from experiments on various datasets when the condition min(p, q) ≤ n holds; the smaller the ratio min(p, q)/n is in the dataset, the greater the speedup factor achieved. PMID:26938221

  15. A mild alkali treated jute fibre controlling the hydration behaviour of greener cement paste

    PubMed Central

    Jo, Byung-Wan; Chakraborty, Sumit

    2015-01-01

    To reduce the antagonistic effect of jute fibre on the setting and hydration of jute reinforced cement, modified jute fibre reinforcement would be a unique approach. The present investigation deals with the effectiveness of mild alkali treated (0.5%) jute fibre on the setting and hydration behaviour of cement. Setting time measurement, hydration test and analytical characterizations of the hardened samples (viz., FTIR, XRD, DSC, TGA, and free lime estimation) were used to evaluate the effect of alkali treated jute fibre. From the hydration test, the time (t) required to reach maximum temperature for the hydration of control cement sample is estimated to be 860 min, whilst the time (t) is measured to be 1040 min for the hydration of a raw jute reinforced cement sample. However, the time (t) is estimated to be 1020 min for the hydration of an alkali treated jute reinforced cement sample. Additionally, from the analytical characterizations, it is determined that fibre-cement compatibility is increased and hydration delaying effect is minimized by using alkali treated jute fibre as fibre reinforcement. Based on the analyses, a model has been proposed to explain the setting and hydration behaviour of alkali treated jute fibre reinforced cement composite. PMID:25592665

  16. CRT--Cascade Routing Tool to define and visualize flow paths for grid-based watershed models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henson, Wesley R.; Medina, Rose L.; Mayers, C. Justin; Niswonger, Richard G.; Regan, R.S.

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey Cascade Routing Tool (CRT) is a computer application for watershed models that include the coupled Groundwater and Surface-water FLOW model, GSFLOW, and the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). CRT generates output to define cascading surface and shallow subsurface flow paths for grid-based model domains. CRT requires a land-surface elevation for each hydrologic response unit (HRU) of the model grid; these elevations can be derived from a Digital Elevation Model raster data set of the area containing the model domain. Additionally, a list is required of the HRUs containing streams, swales, lakes, and other cascade termination features along with indices that uniquely define these features. Cascade flow paths are determined from the altitudes of each HRU. Cascade paths can cross any of the four faces of an HRU to a stream or to a lake within or adjacent to an HRU. Cascades can terminate at a stream, lake, or HRU that has been designated as a watershed outflow location.

  17. Statistical similarity measures for link prediction in heterogeneous complex networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shakibian, Hadi; Charkari, Nasrollah Moghadam

    2018-07-01

    The majority of the link prediction measures in heterogeneous complex networks rely on the nodes connectivities while less attention has been paid to the importance of the nodes and paths. In this paper, we propose some new meta-path based statistical similarity measures to properly perform link prediction task. The main idea in the proposed measures is to drive some co-occurrence events in a number of co-occurrence matrices that are occurred between the visited nodes obeying a meta-path. The extracted co-occurrence matrices are analyzed in terms of the energy, inertia, local homogeneity, correlation, and information measure of correlation to determine various information theoretic measures. We evaluate the proposed measures, denoted as link energy, link inertia, link local homogeneity, link correlation, and link information measure of correlation, using a standard DBLP network data set. The results of the AUC score and Precision rate indicate the validity and accuracy of the proposed measures in comparison to the popular meta-path based similarity measures.

  18. Optical Circuit Switched Protocol

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Monacos, Steve P. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    The present invention is a system and method embodied in an optical circuit switched protocol for the transmission of data through a network. The optical circuit switched protocol is an all-optical circuit switched network and includes novel optical switching nodes for transmitting optical data packets within a network. Each optical switching node comprises a detector for receiving the header, header detection logic for translating the header into routing information and eliminating the header, and a controller for receiving the routing information and configuring an all optical path within the node. The all optical path located within the node is solely an optical path without having electronic storage of the data and without having optical delay of the data. Since electronic storage of the header is not necessary and the initial header is eliminated by the first detector of the first switching node. multiple identical headers are sent throughout the network so that subsequent switching nodes can receive and read the header for setting up an optical data path.

  19. Monitoring trace gases in downtown Toronto using open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Byrne, B.; Strong, K.; Colebatch, O.; Fogal, P.; Mittermeier, R. L.; Wunch, D.; Jones, D. B. A.

    2017-12-01

    Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in urban environments can be highly heterogeneous. For example, vehicles produce point source emissions which can result in heterogeneous GHG concentrations on scales <10 m. The highly localized scale of these emissions can make it difficult to measure mean GHG concentrations on scales of 100-1000 m. Open-Path Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (OP-FTIR) measurements offer spatial averaging and continuous measurements of several trace gases simultaneously in the same airmass. We have set up an open-path system in downtown Toronto to monitor trace gases in the urban boundary layer. Concentrations of CO2, CO, CH4, and N2O are derived from atmospheric absorption spectra recorded over a two-way atmospheric open path of 320 m using non-linear least squares fitting. Using a simple box model and co-located boundary layer height measurements, we estimate surface fluxes of these gases in downtown Toronto from our OP-FTIR observations.

  20. Viscosity of dysphagia-oriented cold-thickened beverages: effect of setting time at refrigeration temperature.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sung-Gun; Yoo, Byoungseung

    2015-01-01

    Although extensive literature is available on the viscosity of thickened beverages with food thickeners, no attempt has been made to study the effect of setting time on the viscosity of pudding-like cold-thickened beverages with xanthan gum (XG)-based thickeners by using a rheometer. In particular, it is of considerable practical importance to investigate the effect of setting time on their viscosity at 5°C because some cold-thickened beverages will be prepared in the kitchen in bulk and stored at 5°C before serving or consuming rather than serving immediately upon mixing with thickeners. To examine the effect of different setting times (15-120 min) on the viscosity of cold-thickened beverages prepared with various XG-based food thickeners, and also to compare the viscosity differences among the various cold beverages and XG-based food thickeners in beverage-thickener mixture systems. Four commercially available XG-based food thickeners (A-D) and three cold beverages (water, orange juice and milk) were used for the preparation of cold-thickened beverages. The thickened sample was portioned into six samples for the designated setting times and then stored at 5°C over setting time. Their apparent viscosity (η(a,50)) at 50 s(-1) was measured using a rheometer. The largest increases in η(a,50) values for thickened beverages, except for water, were observed at 15 min (p < 0.05), showing a pudding-like fluid, and at longer time periods their η(a,50) values gradually increased or were constant with an increase in setting time. The percentage increase in viscosity values at different setting times (15-120 min) as compared with the control (0 min) was less pronounced in the thickened orange juice and milk samples with thickener A over setting time, indicating that the thickened beverages with thickener A had more stable structure compared with those with other thickeners (B-D) over time. Statistical analysis showed that changes in the viscosity of cold-thickened beverages over setting time are greatly influenced by the type of beverages and thickeners. Cold-thickened beverages should be carefully prepared with instant commercial XG-based food thickeners because they produced different thickening patterns over setting time which clinicians must consider for a safe and easy swallowing. The information presented in this study will provide both clinicians and patients with additional knowledge to prepare cold-thickened beverages with the corrected viscosity for safe swallowing. © 2014 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

  1. Effect of Initiation Time of Hydrostatic Pressure Shock on Chromosome Set Doubling of Tetraploidization in Turbot Scophthalmus maximus.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Xiangping; Lin, Zhengmei; Wu, Zhihao; Li, Jiandong; You, Feng

    2017-10-01

    The objective of the study was to clarify the effects of initiation time on chromosome set doubling induced by hydrostatic pressure shock through nuclear phase fluorescent microscopy in turbot Scophthalmus maximus. The ratio of developmentally delayed embryo and chromosome counting was used to assess induction efficiency. For the embryos subjected to a pressure of 67.5 MPa for 6 min at prometaphase (A group), chromosomes recovered to the pre-treatment condition after 11-min recovering. The first nuclear division and cytokinesis proceeded normally. During the second cell cycle, chromosomes did not enter into metaphase after prometaphase, but spread around for about 13 min, then assembled together and formed a large nucleus without anaphase separation; the second nuclear division and cytokinesis was inhibited. The ratio of developmentally delayed embryo showed that the second mitosis of 78% A group embryo was inhibited. The result of chromosome counting showed that the tetraploidization rate of A group was 72%. For the embryos subjected to a pressure of 67.5 MPa for 6 min at anaphase (B group), chromosomes recovered to the pre-treatment condition after about 31-min recovering. Afterwards, one telophase nucleus formed without anaphase separation; the first nuclear division was inhibited. The time of the first cleavage furrow occurrence of B group embryos delayed 27 min compared with that of A group embryos. With the first cytokinesis proceeding normally, 81.3% B group embryos were at two-cell stage around the middle of the second cell cycle after treatment. Those embryos were one of the two blastomeres containing DNA and the other without DNA. The first nuclear division of those embryos was inhibited. During the third cell cycle after treatment, 65.2% of those abovementioned embryos were at four-cell stage, cytokinesis occurred in both blastomeres, and nuclear division only occurred in the blastomere containing DNA. Of those abovementioned embryos, 14.0% were at three-cell stage and cytokinesis only occurred in the blastomere containing DNA. The result of chromosome counting showed that the tetraploidization rate of B group was only 7%. To summarize what had been mentioned above, mechanisms on chromosome set doubling of tetraploid induction would be different with different initiation time of hydrostatic pressure treatment. Chromosome set doubling was mainly due to inhibition of the second mitosis when hydrostatic pressure treatment was performed at prometaphase. Otherwise, chromosome set doubling was mainly due to inhibition of the first nuclear division when hydrostatic pressure treatment was performed at anaphase. Induction efficiency of tetraploidization resulted from inhibition of the second cleavage was higher than which resulted from inhibition of the first nuclear division. This study was the first to reveal biological mechanisms on the two viewpoints of chromosome set doubling through effect of initiation time of hydrostatic pressure treatment on chromosome set doubling in tetraploid induction.

  2. Aircraft path planning for optimal imaging using dynamic cost functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christie, Gordon; Chaudhry, Haseeb; Kochersberger, Kevin

    2015-05-01

    Unmanned aircraft development has accelerated with recent technological improvements in sensing and communications, which has resulted in an "applications lag" for how these aircraft can best be utilized. The aircraft are becoming smaller, more maneuverable and have longer endurance to perform sensing and sampling missions, but operating them aggressively to exploit these capabilities has not been a primary focus in unmanned systems development. This paper addresses a means of aerial vehicle path planning to provide a realistic optimal path in acquiring imagery for structure from motion (SfM) reconstructions and performing radiation surveys. This method will allow SfM reconstructions to occur accurately and with minimal flight time so that the reconstructions can be executed efficiently. An assumption is made that we have 3D point cloud data available prior to the flight. A discrete set of scan lines are proposed for the given area that are scored based on visibility of the scene. Our approach finds a time-efficient path and calculates trajectories between scan lines and over obstacles encountered along those scan lines. Aircraft dynamics are incorporated into the path planning algorithm as dynamic cost functions to create optimal imaging paths in minimum time. Simulations of the path planning algorithm are shown for an urban environment. We also present our approach for image-based terrain mapping, which is able to efficiently perform a 3D reconstruction of a large area without the use of GPS data.

  3. LiveWire interactive boundary extraction algorithm based on Haar wavelet transform and control point set direction search

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Jun; Zhang, Jun; Tian, Jinwen

    2015-12-01

    Based on deep analysis of the LiveWire interactive boundary extraction algorithm, a new algorithm focusing on improving the speed of LiveWire algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the Haar wavelet transform is carried on the input image, and the boundary is extracted on the low resolution image obtained by the wavelet transform of the input image. Secondly, calculating LiveWire shortest path is based on the control point set direction search by utilizing the spatial relationship between the two control points users provide in real time. Thirdly, the search order of the adjacent points of the starting node is set in advance. An ordinary queue instead of a priority queue is taken as the storage pool of the points when optimizing their shortest path value, thus reducing the complexity of the algorithm from O[n2] to O[n]. Finally, A region iterative backward projection method based on neighborhood pixel polling has been used to convert dual-pixel boundary of the reconstructed image to single-pixel boundary after Haar wavelet inverse transform. The algorithm proposed in this paper combines the advantage of the Haar wavelet transform and the advantage of the optimal path searching method based on control point set direction search. The former has fast speed of image decomposition and reconstruction and is more consistent with the texture features of the image and the latter can reduce the time complexity of the original algorithm. So that the algorithm can improve the speed in interactive boundary extraction as well as reflect the boundary information of the image more comprehensively. All methods mentioned above have a big role in improving the execution efficiency and the robustness of the algorithm.

  4. Xtalk: a path-based approach for identifying crosstalk between signaling pathways

    PubMed Central

    Tegge, Allison N.; Sharp, Nicholas; Murali, T. M.

    2016-01-01

    Motivation: Cells communicate with their environment via signal transduction pathways. On occasion, the activation of one pathway can produce an effect downstream of another pathway, a phenomenon known as crosstalk. Existing computational methods to discover such pathway pairs rely on simple overlap statistics. Results: We present Xtalk, a path-based approach for identifying pairs of pathways that may crosstalk. Xtalk computes the statistical significance of the average length of multiple short paths that connect receptors in one pathway to the transcription factors in another. By design, Xtalk reports the precise interactions and mechanisms that support the identified crosstalk. We applied Xtalk to signaling pathways in the KEGG and NCI-PID databases. We manually curated a gold standard set of 132 crosstalking pathway pairs and a set of 140 pairs that did not crosstalk, for which Xtalk achieved an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.65, a 12% improvement over the closest competing approach. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve varied with the pathway, suggesting that crosstalk should be evaluated on a pathway-by-pathway level. We also analyzed an extended set of 658 pathway pairs in KEGG and to a set of more than 7000 pathway pairs in NCI-PID. For the top-ranking pairs, we found substantial support in the literature (81% for KEGG and 78% for NCI-PID). We provide examples of networks computed by Xtalk that accurately recovered known mechanisms of crosstalk. Availability and implementation: The XTALK software is available at http://bioinformatics.cs.vt.edu/~murali/software. Crosstalk networks are available at http://graphspace.org/graphs?tags=2015-bioinformatics-xtalk. Contact: ategge@vt.edu, murali@cs.vt.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:26400040

  5. Different proportions of C/KCu7S4 hybrid structure for high-performance supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dai, Shuge; Xi, Yi; Hu, Chenguo; Yue, Xule; Cheng, Lu; Wang, Guo

    2014-10-01

    KCu7S4 has the channel structure and minor resistance. Its double larger channels ensure that the ions can well exchange with other's, at the same time, can shorten the ionic diffusion path and improve the ionic and electronic transport. So KCu7S4 shows good electrochemical property. The paper reports a novel and high performance supercapacitor based on hybrid carbon particles and KCu7S4 (C/KCu7S4) electrode. For the hybrid structure with different proportions of C and KCu7S4, the C/KCu7S4 (1:10) hybrid supercapacitor shows preferable electrochemical performance and large specific capacitance (469 mF cm-2) at high charge-discharge rate (2 mA), still retaining ∼95% of the capacitance over 5000 cycles by charge-discharge process at a fixed current of 10 mA. Three supercapacitor units in series can light 50 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for 2.5 min, 10 LEDs for 4 min, one LED for 5.5 min. The much-increased capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability may be attributed to the superionic conductive KCu7S4 nanowires and C/KCu7S4 hybrid structure, which improve ionic and electronic transport, enhance the kinetics of redox reactions through the electrode system.

  6. Postural stability changes during large vertical diplopia induced by prism wear in normal subjects.

    PubMed

    Matsuo, Toshihiko; Yamasaki, Hanako; Yasuhara, Hirotaka; Hasebe, Kayoko

    2013-01-01

    To test the effect of double vision on postural stability, we measured postural stability by electric stabilometry before prism-wearing and immediately, 15, 30, and 60min after continuous prism-wearing with 6 prism diopters in total (a 3-prism-diopter prism placed with the base up in front of one eye and with the base down in front of the other eye) in 20 normal adult individuals with their eyes open or closed. Changes in stabilometric parameters in the time course of 60min were analyzed statistically by repeated-measure analysis of variance. When subjectsｾ eyes were closed, the total linear length (cm) and the unit-time length (cm/sec) of the sway path were significantly shortened during the 60-minute prism-wearing (p＜0.05). No significant change was noted in any stabilometric parameters obtained with the eyes open during the time course. In conclusion, postural stability did not change with the eyes open in the condition of large vertical diplopia, induced by prism-wearing for 60min, while the stability became better when measured with the eyes closed. A postural control mechanism other than that derived from visual input might be reinforced under abnormal visual input such as non-fusionable diplopia.

  7. MinePath: Mining for Phenotype Differential Sub-paths in Molecular Pathways

    PubMed Central

    Koumakis, Lefteris; Kartsaki, Evgenia; Chatzimina, Maria; Zervakis, Michalis; Vassou, Despoina; Marias, Kostas; Moustakis, Vassilis; Potamias, George

    2016-01-01

    Pathway analysis methodologies couple traditional gene expression analysis with knowledge encoded in established molecular pathway networks, offering a promising approach towards the biological interpretation of phenotype differentiating genes. Early pathway analysis methodologies, named as gene set analysis (GSA), view pathways just as plain lists of genes without taking into account either the underlying pathway network topology or the involved gene regulatory relations. These approaches, even if they achieve computational efficiency and simplicity, consider pathways that involve the same genes as equivalent in terms of their gene enrichment characteristics. Most recent pathway analysis approaches take into account the underlying gene regulatory relations by examining their consistency with gene expression profiles and computing a score for each profile. Even with this approach, assessing and scoring single-relations limits the ability to reveal key gene regulation mechanisms hidden in longer pathway sub-paths. We introduce MinePath, a pathway analysis methodology that addresses and overcomes the aforementioned problems. MinePath facilitates the decomposition of pathways into their constituent sub-paths. Decomposition leads to the transformation of single-relations to complex regulation sub-paths. Regulation sub-paths are then matched with gene expression sample profiles in order to evaluate their functional status and to assess phenotype differential power. Assessment of differential power supports the identification of the most discriminant profiles. In addition, MinePath assess the significance of the pathways as a whole, ranking them by their p-values. Comparison results with state-of-the-art pathway analysis systems are indicative for the soundness and reliability of the MinePath approach. In contrast with many pathway analysis tools, MinePath is a web-based system (www.minepath.org) offering dynamic and rich pathway visualization functionality, with the unique characteristic to color regulatory relations between genes and reveal their phenotype inclination. This unique characteristic makes MinePath a valuable tool for in silico molecular biology experimentation as it serves the biomedical researchers’ exploratory needs to reveal and interpret the regulatory mechanisms that underlie and putatively govern the expression of target phenotypes. PMID:27832067

  8. MinePath: Mining for Phenotype Differential Sub-paths in Molecular Pathways.

    PubMed

    Koumakis, Lefteris; Kanterakis, Alexandros; Kartsaki, Evgenia; Chatzimina, Maria; Zervakis, Michalis; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Vassou, Despoina; Kafetzopoulos, Dimitris; Marias, Kostas; Moustakis, Vassilis; Potamias, George

    2016-11-01

    Pathway analysis methodologies couple traditional gene expression analysis with knowledge encoded in established molecular pathway networks, offering a promising approach towards the biological interpretation of phenotype differentiating genes. Early pathway analysis methodologies, named as gene set analysis (GSA), view pathways just as plain lists of genes without taking into account either the underlying pathway network topology or the involved gene regulatory relations. These approaches, even if they achieve computational efficiency and simplicity, consider pathways that involve the same genes as equivalent in terms of their gene enrichment characteristics. Most recent pathway analysis approaches take into account the underlying gene regulatory relations by examining their consistency with gene expression profiles and computing a score for each profile. Even with this approach, assessing and scoring single-relations limits the ability to reveal key gene regulation mechanisms hidden in longer pathway sub-paths. We introduce MinePath, a pathway analysis methodology that addresses and overcomes the aforementioned problems. MinePath facilitates the decomposition of pathways into their constituent sub-paths. Decomposition leads to the transformation of single-relations to complex regulation sub-paths. Regulation sub-paths are then matched with gene expression sample profiles in order to evaluate their functional status and to assess phenotype differential power. Assessment of differential power supports the identification of the most discriminant profiles. In addition, MinePath assess the significance of the pathways as a whole, ranking them by their p-values. Comparison results with state-of-the-art pathway analysis systems are indicative for the soundness and reliability of the MinePath approach. In contrast with many pathway analysis tools, MinePath is a web-based system (www.minepath.org) offering dynamic and rich pathway visualization functionality, with the unique characteristic to color regulatory relations between genes and reveal their phenotype inclination. This unique characteristic makes MinePath a valuable tool for in silico molecular biology experimentation as it serves the biomedical researchers' exploratory needs to reveal and interpret the regulatory mechanisms that underlie and putatively govern the expression of target phenotypes.

  9. Piloting a programme tool to evaluate malaria case investigation and reactive case detection activities: results from 3 settings in the Asia Pacific.

    PubMed

    Cotter, Chris; Sudathip, Prayuth; Herdiana, Herdiana; Cao, Yuanyuan; Liu, Yaobao; Luo, Alex; Ranasinghe, Neil; Bennett, Adam; Cao, Jun; Gosling, Roly D

    2017-08-22

    Case investigation and reactive case detection (RACD) activities are widely-used in low transmission settings to determine the suspected origin of infection and identify and treat malaria infections nearby to the index patient household. Case investigation and RACD activities are time and resource intensive, include methodologies that vary across eliminating settings, and have no standardized metrics or tools available to monitor and evaluate them. In response to this gap, a simple programme tool was developed for monitoring and evaluating (M&E) RACD activities and piloted by national malaria programmes. During the development phase, four modules of the RACD M&E tool were created to assess and evaluate key case investigation and RACD activities and costs. A pilot phase was then carried out by programme implementers between 2013 and 2015, during which malaria surveillance teams in three different settings (China, Indonesia, Thailand) piloted the tool over a period of 3 months each. This study describes summary results of the pilots and feasibility and impact of the tool on programmes. All three study areas implemented the RACD M&E tool modules, and pilot users reported the tool and evaluation process were helpful to identify gaps in RACD programme activities. In the 45 health facilities evaluated, 71.8% (97/135; min 35.3-max 100.0%) of the proper notification and reporting forms and 20.0% (27/135; min 0.0-max 100.0%) of standard operating procedures (SOPs) were available to support malaria elimination activities. The tool highlighted gaps in reporting key data indicators on the completeness for malaria case reporting (98.8%; min 93.3-max 100.0%), case investigations (65.6%; min 61.8-max 78.4%) and RACD activities (70.0%; min 64.7-max 100.0%). Evaluation of the SOPs showed that knowledge and practices of malaria personnel varied within and between study areas. Average monthly costs for conducting case investigation and RACD activities showed variation between study areas (min USD $844.80-max USD $2038.00) for the malaria personnel, commodities, services and other costs required to carry out the activities. The RACD M&E tool was implemented in the three pilot areas, identifying key gaps that led to impacts on programme decision making. Study findings support the need for routine M&E of malaria case reporting, case investigation and RACD activities. Scale-up of the RACD M&E tool in malaria-eliminating settings will contribute to improved programme performance to the high level that is required to reach elimination.

  10. Connected components of irreducible maps and 1D quantum phases

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

    Szehr, Oleg, E-mail: oleg.szehr@posteo.de; Wolf, Michael M., E-mail: wolf@ma.tum.de

    We investigate elementary topological properties of sets of completely positive (CP) maps that arise in quantum Perron-Frobenius theory. We prove that the set of primitive CP maps of fixed Kraus rank is path-connected and we provide a complete classification of the connected components of irreducible CP maps at given Kraus rank and fixed peripheral spectrum in terms of a multiplicity index. These findings are then applied to analyse 1D quantum phases by studying equivalence classes of translational invariant matrix product states that correspond to the connected components of the respective CP maps. Our results extend the previously obtained picture inmore » that they do not require blocking of physical sites, they lead to analytic paths, and they allow us to decompose into ergodic components and to study the breaking of translational symmetry.« less

  11. Fast and accurate estimation of the covariance between pairwise maximum likelihood distances.

    PubMed

    Gil, Manuel

    2014-01-01

    Pairwise evolutionary distances are a model-based summary statistic for a set of molecular sequences. They represent the leaf-to-leaf path lengths of the underlying phylogenetic tree. Estimates of pairwise distances with overlapping paths covary because of shared mutation events. It is desirable to take these covariance structure into account to increase precision in any process that compares or combines distances. This paper introduces a fast estimator for the covariance of two pairwise maximum likelihood distances, estimated under general Markov models. The estimator is based on a conjecture (going back to Nei & Jin, 1989) which links the covariance to path lengths. It is proven here under a simple symmetric substitution model. A simulation shows that the estimator outperforms previously published ones in terms of the mean squared error.

  12. Fast and accurate estimation of the covariance between pairwise maximum likelihood distances

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Pairwise evolutionary distances are a model-based summary statistic for a set of molecular sequences. They represent the leaf-to-leaf path lengths of the underlying phylogenetic tree. Estimates of pairwise distances with overlapping paths covary because of shared mutation events. It is desirable to take these covariance structure into account to increase precision in any process that compares or combines distances. This paper introduces a fast estimator for the covariance of two pairwise maximum likelihood distances, estimated under general Markov models. The estimator is based on a conjecture (going back to Nei & Jin, 1989) which links the covariance to path lengths. It is proven here under a simple symmetric substitution model. A simulation shows that the estimator outperforms previously published ones in terms of the mean squared error. PMID:25279263

  13. Fifty year canon of solar eclipses: 1986 - 2035

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Espenak, Fred

    1987-01-01

    A complete catalog is presented, listing the general characteristics of every solar eclipse from 1901 through 2100. To complement this catalog, a detailed set of cylindrical projection world maps shows the umbral paths of every solar eclipse over the 200 year interval. Focusing in on the next 50 years, accurate geodetic path coordinates and local circumstances for the 71 central eclipses from 1987 through 2035 are tabulated. Finally, the geodetic paths of the umbral and penumbral shadows of all 109 solar eclipses in this period are plotted on orthographic projection maps of the Earth. Appendices are included which discuss eclipse geometry, eclipse frequency and occurrence, modern eclipse prediction and time determination. Finally, code for a simple Fortran program is given to predict the occurrence and characteristics of solar eclipses.

  14. Reaction path of energetic materials using THOR code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durães, L.; Campos, J.; Portugal, A.

    1998-07-01

    The method of predicting reaction path, using THOR code, allows for isobar and isochor adiabatic combustion and CJ detonation regimes, the calculation of the composition and thermodynamic properties of reaction products of energetic materials. THOR code assumes the thermodynamic equilibria of all possible products, for the minimum Gibbs free energy, using HL EoS. The code allows the possibility of estimating various sets of reaction products, obtained successively by the decomposition of the original reacting compound, as a function of the released energy. Two case studies of thermal decomposition procedure were selected, calculated and discussed—pure Ammonium Nitrate and its based explosive ANFO, and Nitromethane—because their equivalence ratio is respectively lower, near and greater than the stoicheiometry. Predictions of reaction path are in good correlation with experimental values, proving the validity of proposed method.

  15. Quad-rotor flight path energy optimization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kemper, Edward

    Quad-Rotor unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs) have been a popular area of research and development in the last decade, especially with the advent of affordable microcontrollers like the MSP 430 and the Raspberry Pi. Path-Energy Optimization is an area that is well developed for linear systems. In this thesis, this idea of path-energy optimization is extended to the nonlinear model of the Quad-rotor UAV. The classical optimization technique is adapted to the nonlinear model that is derived for the problem at hand, coming up with a set of partial differential equations and boundary value conditions to solve these equations. Then, different techniques to implement energy optimization algorithms are tested using simulations in Python. First, a purely nonlinear approach is used. This method is shown to be computationally intensive, with no practical solution available in a reasonable amount of time. Second, heuristic techniques to minimize the energy of the flight path are tested, using Ziegler-Nichols' proportional integral derivative (PID) controller tuning technique. Finally, a brute force look-up table based PID controller is used. Simulation results of the heuristic method show that both reliable control of the system and path-energy optimization are achieved in a reasonable amount of time.

  16. Seasonal and Interannual Variations of Top-of-Atmosphere Irradiance and Cloud Cover over Polar Regions Derived from the CERES Data Set

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kato, Seiji; Loeb, Norman G.; Minnis, Patrick; Francis, Jennifer A.; Charlock, Thomas P.; Rutan, David A.; Clothiaux, Eugene E.; Sun-Mack, Szedung

    2006-01-01

    The semi-direct effects of dust aerosols are analyzed over eastern Asia using 2 years (June 2002 to June 2004) of data from the Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) scanning radiometer and MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite, and 18 years (1984 to 2001) of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data. The results show that the water path of dust-contaminated clouds is considerably smaller than that of dust-free clouds. The mean ice water path (IWP) and liquid water path (LWP) of dusty clouds are less than their dust-free counterparts by 23.7% and 49.8%, respectively. The long-term statistical relationship derived from ISCCP also confirms that there is significant negative correlation between dust storm index and ISCCP cloud water path. These results suggest that dust aerosols warm clouds, increase the evaporation of cloud droplets and further reduce cloud water path, the so-called semi-direct effect. The semi-direct effect may play a role in cloud development over arid and semi-arid areas of East Asia and contribute to the reduction of precipitation.

  17. Assessment of Shape Changes of Mistletoe Berries: A New Software Approach to Automatize the Parameterization of Path Curve Shaped Contours

    PubMed Central

    Derbidge, Renatus; Feiten, Linus; Conradt, Oliver; Heusser, Peter; Baumgartner, Stephan

    2013-01-01

    Photographs of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) berries taken by a permanently fixed camera during their development in autumn were subjected to an outline shape analysis by fitting path curves using a mathematical algorithm from projective geometry. During growth and maturation processes the shape of mistletoe berries can be described by a set of such path curves, making it possible to extract changes of shape using one parameter called Lambda. Lambda describes the outline shape of a path curve. Here we present methods and software to capture and measure these changes of form over time. The present paper describes the software used to automatize a number of tasks including contour recognition, optimization of fitting the contour via hill-climbing, derivation of the path curves, computation of Lambda and blinding the pictures for the operator. The validity of the program is demonstrated by results from three independent measurements showing circadian rhythm in mistletoe berries. The program is available as open source and will be applied in a project to analyze the chronobiology of shape in mistletoe berries and the buds of their host trees. PMID:23565255

  18. Coarse-grained representation of the quasi adiabatic propagator path integral for the treatment of non-Markovian long-time bath memory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richter, Martin; Fingerhut, Benjamin P.

    2017-06-01

    The description of non-Markovian effects imposed by low frequency bath modes poses a persistent challenge for path integral based approaches like the iterative quasi-adiabatic propagator path integral (iQUAPI) method. We present a novel approximate method, termed mask assisted coarse graining of influence coefficients (MACGIC)-iQUAPI, that offers appealing computational savings due to substantial reduction of considered path segments for propagation. The method relies on an efficient path segment merging procedure via an intermediate coarse grained representation of Feynman-Vernon influence coefficients that exploits physical properties of system decoherence. The MACGIC-iQUAPI method allows us to access the regime of biological significant long-time bath memory on the order of hundred propagation time steps while retaining convergence to iQUAPI results. Numerical performance is demonstrated for a set of benchmark problems that cover bath assisted long range electron transfer, the transition from coherent to incoherent dynamics in a prototypical molecular dimer and excitation energy transfer in a 24-state model of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson trimer complex where in all cases excellent agreement with numerically exact reference data is obtained.

  19. MINS2: revisiting the molecular code for transmembrane-helix recognition by the Sec61 translocon.

    PubMed

    Park, Yungki; Helms, Volkhard

    2008-08-15

    To be fully functional, membrane proteins should not only fold, but also get inserted into the membrane, which is mediated by the Sec61 translocon. Recent experimental studies have attempted to elucidate how the Sec61 translocon accomplishes this delicate task by measuring the translocon-mediated membrane insertion free energies of 357 systematically designed peptides. On the basis of this data set, we have developed MINS2, a novel sequence-based computational method for predicting the membrane insertion free energies of protein sequences. A benchmark analysis of MINS2 shows that MINS2 signi.cantly outperforms previously proposed methods. Importantly, the application of MINS2 to known membrane protein structures shows that a better prediction of membrane insertion free energies does not lead to a better prediction of transmembrane segments of polytopic membrane proteins. A web server for MINS2 is publicly available at http://service.bioinformatik.uni-saarland.de/mins. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  20. Study of a hydraulic DCPA/CaO-based cement for dental applications.

    PubMed

    El Briak, Hasna; Durand, Denis; Boudeville, Philippe

    2008-02-01

    A CPC was obtained by mixing calcium hydrogenphosphate (DCPA: CaHPO(4)) and calcium oxide with either water or sodium phosphate (NaP) buffers. Physical and mechanical properties such as compressive strength (CS), initial (I) and final (F) setting times, cohesion time (T(C)), dough time (T(D)), swelling time (T(S)), dimensional and thermal behavior, injectability (t(100%)), antimicrobial properties, setting reaction kinetics, and powder stability over time were investigated by varying different parameters such as liquid-to-powder (L/P) ratio (0.35 to 0.7 mL g(-1)), molar calcium-to-phosphate (Ca/P) ratio (1.67 to 3), the pH (4, 7 or 9) and the concentration (0 to 1 M) of the NaP buffer. The best results were obtained with the pH 7 NaP buffer at a concentration of 0.75 M. With this liquid phase, physical and mechanical properties depended on the Ca/P and L/P ratios, varying from 3 to 11 MPa (CS), 6 to 10 min (I), 11 to 15 min (F), 15 to 45 min (T(S)), 3 to 12 min (t(100%)), 16 min (T(D)). This cement expanded during its setting (2.5-7%), and is thus appropriate for tight filling. Finally the cement has antimicrobial activity from Ca/P = 2 and the whole properties were conserved after 8 months storage. Given the mechanical, rheological and antimicrobial properties of this new DCPA/CaO-based cement, its use as root canal sealing or pulp capping material may be considered as similar to calcium hydroxide or ZnO/eugenol-based pastes, without or with a gutta-percha point.

  1. Path Length Fluctuations Derived from Site Testing Interferometer Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Acosta, Roberto J.; Nessel, James A.; Morse, Jacquelynne R.

    2010-01-01

    To evaluate possible sites for NASA's proposed Ka-band antenna array, the NASA Glenn Research Center has constructed atmospheric phase monitors (APM) which directly measure the tropospheric phase stability. These instruments observe an unmodulated 20.2 GHz beacon signal broadcast from a geostationary satellite (Anik F2) and measure the phase difference between the signals received by the two antennas. Two APM's have been deployed, one at the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) Tracking Complex in Goldstone, California, and the other at the NASA White Sands Complex, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Two station-years of atmospheric phase fluctuation data have been collected at Goldstone since operations commenced in May 2007 and 0.5 station-years of data have been collected at White Sands since operations began February 2009. With identical instruments operating simultaneously, we can directly compare the phase stability at the two sites. Phase stability is analyzed statistically in terms of the root-mean-square (rms) of the tropospheric path length fluctuations over 10 min blocks. Correlation between surface wind speed and relative humidity with interferometer phase are discussed. For 2 years, the path length fluctuations at the DSN site in Goldstone, California, have been better than 757 micrometer (with reference to a 300 m baseline and to Zenith) for 90 percent of the time. For the 6 months of data collected at White Sands, New Mexico, the path length fluctuations have been better than 830 micrometers (with reference to a 300 m baseline and to Zenith) for 90 percent of the time. This type of data analysis, as well as many other site quality characteristics (e.g., rain attenuation, infrastructure, etc.), will be used to determine the suitability of both sites for NASA s future communication services at Ka-band using an array of antennas.

  2. Special Olympics, Sports, and the Path to Social Inclusion for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eidelman, Steven M.

    2013-01-01

    When you speak with classroom teachers in general education settings about inclusive education, lack of training, and lack of administrative support are frequent commentaries. And when you review data from the U.S. Department of Education, it is clear that inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings has yet to be fully…

  3. Making Friends, PreK-3: A Social Skills Program for Inclusive Settings. Second Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Ruth Herron; Roberts-Pacchione, Beth

    2011-01-01

    Research shows that a child's social and behavioral skills affect the development of cognitive and physical abilities. Set students on a path to success and have fun doing it with this activity-packed second edition of "Wanna Play". The authors provide hundreds of activities that help children learn how to behave appropriately and make friends.…

  4. Site-directed protein recombination as a shortest-path problem.

    PubMed

    Endelman, Jeffrey B; Silberg, Jonathan J; Wang, Zhen-Gang; Arnold, Frances H

    2004-07-01

    Protein function can be tuned using laboratory evolution, in which one rapidly searches through a library of proteins for the properties of interest. In site-directed recombination, n crossovers are chosen in an alignment of p parents to define a set of p(n + 1) peptide fragments. These fragments are then assembled combinatorially to create a library of p(n+1) proteins. We have developed a computational algorithm to enrich these libraries in folded proteins while maintaining an appropriate level of diversity for evolution. For a given set of parents, our algorithm selects crossovers that minimize the average energy of the library, subject to constraints on the length of each fragment. This problem is equivalent to finding the shortest path between nodes in a network, for which the global minimum can be found efficiently. Our algorithm has a running time of O(N(3)p(2) + N(2)n) for a protein of length N. Adjusting the constraints on fragment length generates a set of optimized libraries with varying degrees of diversity. By comparing these optima for different sets of parents, we rapidly determine which parents yield the lowest energy libraries.

  5. Review of computer simulations of isotope effects on biochemical reactions: From the Bigeleisen equation to Feynman's path integral.

    PubMed

    Wong, Kin-Yiu; Xu, Yuqing; Xu, Liang

    2015-11-01

    Enzymatic reactions are integral components in many biological functions and malfunctions. The iconic structure of each reaction path for elucidating the reaction mechanism in details is the molecular structure of the rate-limiting transition state (RLTS). But RLTS is very hard to get caught or to get visualized by experimentalists. In spite of the lack of explicit molecular structure of the RLTS in experiment, we still can trace out the RLTS unique "fingerprints" by measuring the isotope effects on the reaction rate. This set of "fingerprints" is considered as a most direct probe of RLTS. By contrast, for computer simulations, oftentimes molecular structures of a number of TS can be precisely visualized on computer screen, however, theoreticians are not sure which TS is the actual rate-limiting one. As a result, this is an excellent stage setting for a perfect "marriage" between experiment and theory for determining the structure of RLTS, along with the reaction mechanism, i.e., experimentalists are responsible for "fingerprinting", whereas theoreticians are responsible for providing candidates that match the "fingerprints". In this Review, the origin of isotope effects on a chemical reaction is discussed from the perspectives of classical and quantum worlds, respectively (e.g., the origins of the inverse kinetic isotope effects and all the equilibrium isotope effects are purely from quantum). The conventional Bigeleisen equation for isotope effect calculations, as well as its refined version in the framework of Feynman's path integral and Kleinert's variational perturbation (KP) theory for systematically incorporating anharmonicity and (non-parabolic) quantum tunneling, are also presented. In addition, the outstanding interplay between theory and experiment for successfully deducing the RLTS structures and the reaction mechanisms is demonstrated by applications on biochemical reactions, namely models of bacterial squalene-to-hopene polycyclization and RNA 2'-O-transphosphorylation. For all these applications, we used our recently-developed path-integral method based on the KP theory, called automated integration-free path-integral (AIF-PI) method, to perform ab initio path-integral calculations of isotope effects. As opposed to the conventional path-integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) and Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations, values calculated from our AIF-PI path-integral method can be as precise as (not as accurate as) the numerical precision of the computing machine. Lastly, comments are made on the general challenges in theoretical modeling of candidates matching the experimental "fingerprints" of RLTS. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Enzyme Transition States from Theory and Experiment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Fifty year canon of solar eclipses: 1986-2035

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Espenak, Fred

    1986-01-01

    A reference of moderately detailed eclipse predictions and maps for use by the professional astronomical community is provided. The general characteristics of every solar eclipse and a detailed set of cylindrical project world maps which show the umbral paths of every solar eclipse from 1901 to 2100 are presented. The geodetic path coordinates and local circumstance on the center line, and a series of orthographic projection maps which show the regions of visibility of both partial and central phases for every eclipse from 1986 through 2035 are also provided.

  7. A Machine Learning Approach to Student Modeling.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-05-01

    machine learning , and describe ACN, a student modeling system that incorporates this approach. This system begins with a set of overly general rules, which it uses to search a problem space until it arrives at the same answer as the student. The ACM computer program then uses the solution path it has discovered to determine positive and negative instances of its initial rules, and employs a discrimination learning mechanism to place additional conditions on these rules. The revised rules will reproduce the solution path without search, and constitute a cognitive model of

  8. Group Centric Networking: A new Approach for Wireless Multi-Hop Networking to Enable the Internet of Things

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-11-11

    reliable data message delivery. The basic mechanism of link-based routing schemes is the broadcasting of a control message (called a “ hello ”) to all of its...short- est path route to a destination by using the set of ex- changed hello messages between users of the network. With sufficiently high frequency... hello messages are suc- cessfully exchanged across a high error link, and since this link is of longer distance, it gets used to build a shortest path

  9. Group Centric Networking: A new Approach for Wireless Multi-Hop Networking to Enable the Internet of Things

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-07

    reliable data message delivery. The basic mechanism of link-based routing schemes is the broadcasting of a control message (called a “ hello ”) to all of its...short- est path route to a destination by using the set of ex- changed hello messages between users of the network. With sufficiently high frequency... hello messages are suc- cessfully exchanged across a high error link, and since this link is of longer distance, it gets used to build a shortest path

  10. Automatic Control Of Length Of Welding Arc

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Iceland, William F.

    1991-01-01

    Nonlinear relationships among current, voltage, and length stored in electronic memory. Conceptual microprocessor-based control subsystem maintains constant length of welding arc in gas/tungsten arc-welding system, even when welding current varied. Uses feedback of current and voltage from welding arc. Directs motor to set position of torch according to previously measured relationships among current, voltage, and length of arc. Signal paths marked "calibration" or "welding" used during those processes only. Other signal paths used during both processes. Control subsystem added to existing manual or automatic welding system equipped with automatic voltage control.

  11. Effect of cluster set warm-up configurations on sprint performance in collegiate male soccer players.

    PubMed

    Nickerson, Brett S; Mangine, Gerald T; Williams, Tyler D; Martinez, Ismael A

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine if back squat cluster sets (CS) with varying inter-repetition rest periods would potentiate greater sprint performance compared with a traditional set parallel back squat in collegiate soccer players. Twelve collegiate male soccer players (age, 21.0 ± 2.0 years; height, 180.0 ± 9.0 cm; body mass, 79.0 ± 9.5 kg) performed a 20-m sprint prior to a potentiation complex and at 1, 4, 7, and 10 min postexercise on 3 separate, randomized occasions. On each occasion, the potentiation complex consisted of 1 set of 3 repetitions at 85% 1-repetition maximum (1RM) for the traditional parallel back squat. However, on 1 occasion the 3-repetition set was performed in a traditional manner (i.e., continuously), whereas on the other 2 occasions, 30s (CS 30 ) and 60 s (CS 60 ) of rest were allotted between each repetition. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed greater (p = 0.022) mean barbell velocity on CS 60 compared with the traditional set. However, faster (p < 0.040) 20-m sprint times were observed for CS 30 (3.15 ± 0.16 s) compared with traditional (3.20 ± 0.17 s) only at 10 min postexercise. No other differences were observed. These data suggest that a single cluster set of 3 repetitions with 30-s inter-repetition rest periods at 85% 1RM acutely improves 20-m sprinting performance. Strength and conditioning professionals and their athletes might consider its inclusion during the specific warm-up to acutely improve athletic performance during the onset (≤10 min) of training or competition.

  12. [Influence of acupuncture of Zusanli (ST 36) on connectivity of brain functional network in healthy subjects].

    PubMed

    Li, Nuo; Wang, Pang; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xi-le; Che, Yan-qiu; Jia, Chen-hui; Guo, Yi; Chao, Wang

    2011-08-01

    To observe the effect of acupuncture of Zusanli (ST 36) on electroencephalogram (EEG) so as to probe into its law in regulating the interconnectivity of brain functional network. A total of 9 healthy young volunteer students (6 male, 3 female) participated in the present study. They were asked to take a dorsal position on a test-bed. EEG signals were acquired from 22 surface scalp electrodes (Fp1, Fp2, F7, F3, F2, F4, F8, A1, T3, C3, C2, C4, T4, A2, T5, P3, P2, P4, T6, O2, O1 and O2) fixed on the subject's head. Acupuncture stimulation was applied to the right Zusanli (ST 36) by manipulating the filiform needle with uniform reducing-reinforcing method and at a frequency of about 50 cycles/min for 2 min. Then the stimulation was stopped for 10 min, and repeated once again (needle-twirling frequency: 150 and 200 cycles/min), 3 times altogether. The acquired EEG data were analyzed by using coherence estimation method, average path length, average clustering coefficient, and the average degree of the articulation points (nodes) for analyzing the synchronization of EEG signals before, during and after acupuncture. In comparison with pre-acupuncture, the coherence amplitude values of EEG-delta (1-4 Hz) and y (31-47 Hz) waves were increased significantly after acupuncture of ST 36. No significant changes were found in the amplitude values of EEG-theta (5-8 Hz), -alpha (9-13 Hz) and-beta (14-30 Hz) waves after acupuncture stimulation. During and after acupuncture, the synchronism values of EEG-delta waves of different leads and numbers of interconnectivity between every two brain functional regions in majority of the 9 volunteers were increased clearly. In all volunteers, the degree values of all nodes except A1 and A2, the average clustering coefficients along with the increase of the threshold (r), and the average path lengths of the brain functional network of EEG-delta waves during and after acupuncture were also increased evidently (the latter two items, P < 0.05), suggesting an increase of the information exchange and functional connectivity of different brain regions. Acupuncture of Zusanli (ST 36) can increase the amplitude and synchronization of EEG-delta waves of different leads, and potentiate the functional interconnectivity of brain functional network.

  13. Motor adaptation to Coriolis force perturbations of reaching movements: endpoint but not trajectory adaptation transfers to the nonexposed arm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dizio, P.; Lackner, J. R.

    1995-01-01

    1. Reaching movements made in a rotating room generate Coriolis forces that are directly proportional to the cross product of the room's angular velocity and the arm's linear velocity. Such Coriolis forces are inertial forces not involving mechanical contact with the arm. 2. We measured the trajectories of arm movements made in darkness to a visual target that was extinguished at the onset of each reach. Prerotation subjects pointed with both the right and left arms in alternating sets of eight movements. During rotation at 10 rpm, the subjects reached only with the right arm. Postrotation, the subjects pointed with the left and right arms, starting with the left, in alternating sets of eight movements. 3. The initial perrotary reaching movements of the right arm were highly deviated both in movement path and endpoint relative to the prerotation reaches of the right arm. With additional movements, subjects rapidly regained straight movement paths and accurate endpoints despite the absence of visual or tactile feedback about reaching accuracy. The initial postrotation reaches of the left arm followed straight paths to the wrong endpoint. The initial postrotation reaches of the right arm had paths with mirror image curvature to the initial perrotation reaches of the right arm but went to the correct endpoint. 4. These observations are inconsistent with current equilibrium point models of movement control. Such theories predict accurate reaches under our experimental conditions. Our observations further show independent implementation of movement and posture, as evidenced by transfer of endpoint adaptation to the nonexposed arm without transfer of path adaptation. Endpoint control may occur at a relatively central stage that represents general constraints such as gravitoinertial force background or egocentric direction relative to both arms, and control of path may occur at a more peripheral stage that represents moments of inertia and muscle dynamics unique to each limb. 5. Endpoint and path adaptation occur despite the absence both of mechanical contact cues about the perturbing force and visual or tactile cues about movement accuracy. These findings point to the importance of muscle spindle signals, monitoring of motor commands, and possibly joint and tendon receptors in a detailed trajectory monitoring process. Muscle spindle primary and secondary afferent signals may differentially influence adaptation of movement shape and endpoint, respectively.

  14. Equating accelerometer estimates among youth: the Rosetta Stone 2

    PubMed Central

    Brazendale, Keith; Beets, Michael W.; Bornstein, Daniel B.; Moore, Justin B.; Pate, Russell R.; Weaver, Robert G.; Falck, Ryan S.; Chandler, Jessica L.; Andersen, Lars B.; Anderssen, Sigmund A.; Cardon, Greet; Cooper, Ashley; Davey, Rachel; Froberg, Karsten; Hallal, Pedro C.; Janz, Kathleen F.; Kordas, Katarzyna; Kriemler, Susi; Puder, Jardena J.; Reilly, John J.; Salmon, Jo; Sardinha, Luis B.; Timperio, Anna; van Sluijs, Esther MF

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Different accelerometer cutpoints used by different researchers often yields vastly different estimates of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). This is recognized as cutpoint non-equivalence (CNE), which reduces the ability to accurately compare youth MVPA across studies. The objective of this research is to develop a cutpoint conversion system that standardizes minutes of MVPA for six different sets of published cutpoints. Design Secondary data analysis Methods Data from the International Children’s Accelerometer Database (ICAD; Spring 2014) consisting of 43,112 Actigraph accelerometer data files from 21 worldwide studies (children 3-18 years, 61.5% female) were used to develop prediction equations for six sets of published cutpoints. Linear and non-linear modeling, using a leave one out cross-validation technique, was employed to develop equations to convert MVPA from one set of cutpoints into another. Bland Altman plots illustrate the agreement between actual MVPA and predicted MVPA values. Results Across the total sample, mean MVPA ranged from 29.7 MVPA min.d-1 (Puyau) to 126.1 MVPA min.d-1 (Freedson 3 METs). Across conversion equations, median absolute percent error was 12.6% (range: 1.3 to 30.1) and the proportion of variance explained ranged from 66.7% to 99.8%. Mean difference for the best performing prediction equation (VC from EV) was -0.110 min.d-1 (limits of agreement (LOA), -2.623 to 2.402). The mean difference for the worst performing prediction equation (FR3 from PY) was 34.76 min.d-1 (LOA, -60.392 to 129.910). Conclusions For six different sets of published cutpoints, the use of this equating system can assist individuals attempting to synthesize the growing body of literature on Actigraph, accelerometry-derived MVPA. PMID:25747468

  15. Oxygen consumption and heart rate responses to isolated ballet exercise sets.

    PubMed

    Rodrigues-Krause, Josianne; Dos Santos Cunha, Giovani; Alberton, Cristine Lima; Follmer, Bruno; Krause, Mauricio; Reischak-Oliveira, Alvaro

    2014-01-01

    Ballet stage performances are associated with higher cardiorespiratory demand than rehearsals and classes. Hence, new interest is emerging to create periodized training that enhances dancers' fitness while minimizing delayed exercise-induced fatigue and possible injuries. Finding out in what zones of intensity dancers work during different ballet movements may support the use of supplemental training adjusted to the needs of the individual dancer. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to describe dancers' oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) responses during the performance of nine isolated ballet exercise sets, as correlated with their first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2). Twelve female ballet dancers volunteered for the study. Their maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), VT1, and VT2 were determined by use of an incremental treadmill test. Nine sets of ballet movements were assessed: pliés, tendus, jetés, rond de jambes, fondus, grand adage (adage), grand battements, temps levés, and sautés. The sets were randomly executed and separated by 5 minute rest periods. ANOVA for repeated measurements followed by the Bonferroni Post-hoc test were applied (p < 0.05). VO2 responses were as follows: pliés (17.6 ± 1.6 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)); tendus and adage were not significantly greater than VT1; rond de jambes (21.8 ± 3.1 ml·kg(-1) ·min(-1)); fondus and jetés were higher than VT1 and the previous exercises; grand battements (25.8 ± 2.9 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) was greater than all the other exercises and VT1; and VT2 was significantly higher than all ballet sets. This stratification followed closely, but not exactly, the variation in HR. For example, rond de jambes (156.8 ± 19 b·min(-1)) did not show any significant difference from all the other ballet sets, nor VT1 or VT2. It is concluded that the workloads of isolated ballet sets, based on VO2 responses, vary between low and moderate aerobic intensity in relation to dancers' VT1 and VT2. However, ballet set workloads may be higher when based on HR responses, due to the intermittent and isometric components of dance.

  16. The effect of CNC and manual laser machining on electrical resistance of HDPE/MWCNT composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohammadi, Fatemeh; Farshbaf Zinati, Reza; Fattahi, A. M.

    2018-05-01

    In this study, electrical conductivity of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was investigated after laser machining. To this end, produced using plastic injection process, nano-composite samples were laser machined with various combinations of input parameters such as feed rate (35, 45, and 55 mm/min), feed angle with injection flow direction (0°, 45°, and 90°), and MWCNT content (0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt%). The angle between laser feed and injected flow direction was set via either of two different methods: CNC programming and manual setting. The results showed that the parameters of angle between laser line and melt flow direction and feed rate were both found to have statistically significance and physical impacts on electrical resistance of the samples in manual setting. Also, maximum conductivity was seen when the angle between laser line and melt flow direction was set to 90° in manual setting, and maximum conductivity was seen at feed rate of 55 mm/min in both of CNC programming and manual setting.

  17. Infiltration and hydraulic connections from the Niagara River to a fractured-dolomite aquifer in Niagara Falls, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Yager, R.M.; Kappel, W.M.

    1998-01-01

    The spatial distribution of hydrogen and oxygen stable-isotope values in groundwater can be used to distinguish different sources of recharge and to trace groundwater flow directions from recharge boundaries. This method can be particularly useful in fractured-rock settings where multiple lines of evidence are required to delineate preferential flow paths that result from heterogeneity within fracture zones. Flow paths delineated with stable isotopes can be combined with hydraulic data to form a more complete picture of the groundwater flow system. In this study values of ??D and ??18O were used to delineate paths of river-water infiltration into the Lockport Group, a fractured dolomite aquifer, and to compute the percentage of fiver water in groundwater samples from shallow bedrock wells. Flow paths were correlated with areas of high hydraulic diffusivity in the shallow bedrock that were delineated from water-level fluctuations induced by diurnal stage fluctuations in man-made hydraulic structures. Flow paths delineated with the stable-isotope and hydraulic data suggest that fiver infiltration reaches an unlined storm sewer in the bedrock through a drainage system that surrounds aqueducts carrying river water to hydroelectric power plants. This finding is significant because the storm sewer is the discharge point for contaminated groundwater from several chemical waste-disposal sites and the cost of treating the storm sewer's discharge could be reduced if the volume of infiltration from the river were decreased.The spatial distribution of hydrogen and oxygen stable-isotope values in groundwater can be used to distinguish different sources of recharge and to trace groundwater flow directions from recharge boundaries. This method can be particularly useful in fractured-rock settings where multiple lines of evidence are required to delineate preferential flow paths that result from heterogeneity within fracture zones. Flow paths delineated with stable isotopes can be combined with hydraulic data to form a more complete picture of the groundwater flow system. In this study values of ??D and ??18O were used to delineate paths of river-water infiltration into the Lockport Group, a fractured dolomite aquifer, and to compute the percentage of river water in groundwater samples from shallow bedrock wells. Flow paths were correlated with areas of high hydraulic diffusivity in the shallow bedrock that were delineated from water-level fluctuations induced by diurnal stage fluctuations in man-made hydraulic structures. Flow paths delineated with the stable-isotope and hydraulic data suggest that river infiltration reaches an unlined storm sewer in the bedrock through a drainage system that surrounds aqueducts carrying river water to hydroelectric power plants. This finding is significant because the storm sewer is the discharge point for contaminated groundwater from several chemical waste-disposal sites and the cost of treating the storm sewer's discharge could be reduced if the volume of infiltration from the river were decreased.

  18. Open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion steam control and bypass system

    DOEpatents

    Wittig, J. Michael; Jennings, Stephen J.

    1980-01-01

    Two sets of hinged control doors for regulating motive steam flow from an evaporator to a condenser alternatively through a set of turbine blades in a steam bypass around the turbine blades. The evaporator has a toroidal shaped casing situated about the turbine's vertical axis of rotation and an outlet opening therein for discharging motive steam into an annular steam flow path defined between the turbine's radially inner and outer casing structures. The turbine blades extend across the steam flow path intermediate the evaporator and condenser. The first set of control doors is arranged to prevent steam access to the upstream side of the turbine blades and the second set of control doors acts as a bypass around the blades so as to maintain equilibrium between the evaporator and condenser during non-rotation of the turbine. The first set of control doors preferably extend, when closed, between the evaporator casing and the turbine's outer casing and, when open, extend away from the axis of rotation. The second set of control doors preferably constitute a portion of the turbine's outer casing downstream from the blades when closed and extend, when open, toward the axis of rotation. The first and second sets of control doors are normally held in the open and closed positions respectively by locking pins which may be retracted upon detecting an abnormal operating condition respectively to permit their closing and opening and provide steam flow from the evaporator to the condenser.

  19. Active and Inactive Leg Hemodynamics during Sequential Single-Leg Interval Cycling.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Nicole; Abbiss, Chris R; Ihsan, Mohammed; Maiorana, Andrew J; Peiffer, Jeremiah J

    2018-06-01

    Leg order during sequential single-leg cycling (i.e., exercising both legs independently within a single session) may affect local muscular responses potentially influencing adaptations. This study examined the cardiovascular and skeletal muscle hemodynamic responses during double-leg and sequential single-leg cycling. Ten young healthy adults (28 ± 6 yr) completed six 1-min double-leg intervals interspersed with 1 min of passive recovery and, on a separate occasion, 12 (six with one leg followed by six with the other leg) 1-min single-leg intervals interspersed with 1 min of passive recovery. Oxygen consumption, heart rate, blood pressure, muscle oxygenation, muscle blood volume, and power output were measured throughout each session. Oxygen consumption, heart rate, and power output were not different between sets of single-leg intervals, but the average of both sets was lower than the double-leg intervals. Mean arterial pressure was higher during double-leg compared with sequential single-leg intervals (115 ± 9 vs 104 ± 9 mm Hg, P < 0.05) and higher during the initial compared with second set of single-leg intervals (108 ± 10 vs 101 ± 10 mm Hg, P < 0.05). The increase in muscle blood volume from baseline was similar between the active single leg and the double leg (267 ± 150 vs 214 ± 169 μM·cm, P = 0.26). The pattern of change in muscle blood volume from the initial to second set of intervals was significantly different (P < 0.05) when the leg was active in the initial (-52.3% ± 111.6%) compared with second set (65.1% ± 152.9%). These data indicate that the order in which each leg performs sequential single-leg cycling influences the local hemodynamic responses, with the inactive muscle influencing the stimulus experienced by the contralateral leg.

  20. A tracer experiment to study flow paths of water in a forest soil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feyen, H.; Wunderli, H.; Wydler, H.; Papritz, A.

    1999-12-01

    This contribution discusses a tracer experiment, which was performed to study the flow paths of water in a macroporous forest soil. The experiment was performed in the framework of a study on the cycling of nitrogen in forested Prealpine catchments, in which losses of nitrate from virtually pristine areas were observed. Two soil plots with distinct micro-topography and top-soil were investigated: a well drained mor humus on a mound and a wet muck humus in a small depression. To reveal the effect of the soil horizons on the flow regime, tracers were applied both onto the soil surface and injected into the sub-soil. Tracers injected directly into the gleyic sub-soil reached the outlet (at a distance of 3.3 m) about 1000 times faster than could be expected from the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil matrix. Peak concentrations were observed after 18 (muck humus, tracer recovery 31%) to 70 min (mor humus, tracer recovery 40%). The peak concentration was 10 times smaller on the drier mor humus plot as compared to the muck humus. The mobile water content of the sub-soil varied between 0.5 (muck humus) and 1.3% (mor humus) of the total available soil water. The discrepancy in residence time, peak concentration and volume of mobile water between both sub-soils can be attributed to the differently structured sub-soil (longer travel distance and mixing volume in the drier mor humus). Tracers applied onto the soil surface resulted in a much slower breakthrough (tracer peaks after 400-700 min). Thus, in contrast to the sub-soil, flow through the matrix was the predominating transport process in the upper humus layers of both plots.

  1. Built environment and physical activity for transportation in adults from Curitiba, Brazil.

    PubMed

    Hino, Adriano A F; Reis, Rodrigo S; Sarmiento, Olga L; Parra, Diana C; Brownson, Ross C

    2014-06-01

    The goal of this study was to assess the association between features of the built environment and levels of walking and cycling as forms of transportation in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. Data collection was conducted through a telephone survey in 2008. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to identify walking or cycling as forms of transportation. The built environment characteristics were obtained through the Geographic Information System for 1,206 adults. Density indicators were computed, considering a radius of 500 m around each individual's household. For the accessibility measures, the shortest distance to selected built environment features (e.g., bus stop, bike path) was used. The association between characteristics of the environment and the practice of walking or cycling was assessed through logistic regressions. After considering individual characteristics, higher-income areas (OR = 0.56, 95 % CI = 0.41-0.76), higher density of Bus Rapid Transit stations (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI = 1.22-1.84), and the proportion of residential (OR = 1.25, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.53) and commercial (OR = 1.47, 95 % CI = 1.13-1.91) areas were associated with any walking prevalence (≥ 10 min/week). Higher access to bike paths (OR = 0.80, 95 % CI = 0.64-1.00) was inversely associated with walking at recommended levels (≥ 150 min/week). Higher-income areas (OR = 0.26, 95 % CI = 0.08-0.81), greater number of traffic lights (OR = 0.27, 95 % CI = 0.09-0.88), and higher land use mix (OR = 0.52, 95 % CI = 0.31-0.88) were inversely associated with cycling. The neighborhood built environment may affect active commuting among adults living in urban centers in middle-income countries.

  2. Mesozoic Bivalvia from Clerke and Mermaid Canyons, northwest Australian continental slope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grant-Mackie, J. A.

    Four sets of rock samples from two sites off the northwest Australian shelf in 3625-4480 m of water contain macrofaunas, mainly bivalves, of warm shallow-water origin. Mermaid Canyon (16 deg 19 min S, 118 deg 23 min E) provided many samples of oolitic calcarenite containing Pseudopecten (Pseudopecten) dugong n.sp., indicating an Early Jurassic age and Tethyan relationship. Three hand-specimens from the ridge forming the western edge of Clerke Canyon (16 deg 29 min S, 118 deg 30 min E) yielded a Norian coral-?Lima-oyster assemblage and the Norian-Rhaetian bivalve Palaeocardita aff. globiformis (Boettger). The latter shows relationship with south-east Asian (Indonesia-Vietnam-south China) forms.

  3. Calculating Path-Dependent Travel Time Prediction Variance and Covariance fro a Global Tomographic P-Velocity Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ballard, S.; Hipp, J. R.; Encarnacao, A.; Young, C. J.; Begnaud, M. L.; Phillips, W. S.

    2012-12-01

    Seismic event locations can be made more accurate and precise by computing predictions of seismic travel time through high fidelity 3D models of the wave speed in the Earth's interior. Given the variable data quality and uneven data sampling associated with this type of model, it is essential that there be a means to calculate high-quality estimates of the path-dependent variance and covariance associated with the predicted travel times of ray paths through the model. In this paper, we describe a methodology for accomplishing this by exploiting the full model covariance matrix and show examples of path-dependent travel time prediction uncertainty computed from SALSA3D, our global, seamless 3D tomographic P-velocity model. Typical global 3D models have on the order of 1/2 million nodes, so the challenge in calculating the covariance matrix is formidable: 0.9 TB storage for 1/2 of a symmetric matrix, necessitating an Out-Of-Core (OOC) blocked matrix solution technique. With our approach the tomography matrix (G which includes Tikhonov regularization terms) is multiplied by its transpose (GTG) and written in a blocked sub-matrix fashion. We employ a distributed parallel solution paradigm that solves for (GTG)-1 by assigning blocks to individual processing nodes for matrix decomposition update and scaling operations. We first find the Cholesky decomposition of GTG which is subsequently inverted. Next, we employ OOC matrix multiplication methods to calculate the model covariance matrix from (GTG)-1 and an assumed data covariance matrix. Given the model covariance matrix, we solve for the travel-time covariance associated with arbitrary ray-paths by summing the model covariance along both ray paths. Setting the paths equal and taking the square root yields the travel prediction uncertainty for the single path.

  4. Injectable calcium sulfate/mineralized collagen-based bone repair materials with regulable self-setting properties.

    PubMed

    Chen, Zonggang; Liu, Huanye; Liu, Xi; Cui, Fu-Zhai

    2011-12-15

    An injectable and self-setting bone repair materials (nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen/calcium sulfate hemihydrate, nHAC/CSH) was developed in this study. The nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen (nHAC) composite, which is the mineralized fibril by self-assembly of nano-hydrocyapatite and collagen, has the same features as natural bone in both main hierarchical microstructure and composition. It is a bioactive osteoconductor due to its high level of biocompatibility and appropriate degradation rate. However, this material lacks handling characteristics because of its particle or solid-preformed block shape. Herein, calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) was introduced into nHAC to prepare an injectable and self-setting in situ bone repair materials. The morphology of materials was observed using SEM. Most important and interesting of all, calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD), which is not only the reactant of preparing CSH but also the final solidified product of CSH, was introduced into nHAC as setting accelerator to regulate self-setting properties of injectable nHAC/CSH composite, and thus the self-setting time of nHAC/CSH composite can be regulated from more than 100 min to about 30 min and even less than 20 min by adding various amount of setting accelerator. The compressive properties of bone graft substitute after final setting are similar to those of cancellous bone. CSD as an excellent setting accelerator has no significant effect on the mechanical property and degradability of bone repair materials. In vitro biocompatibility and in vivo histology studies demonstrated that the nHAC/CSH composite could provide more adequate stimulus for cell adhesion and proliferation, embodying favorable cell biocompatibility and a strong ability to accelerate bone formation. It can offer a satisfactory biological environment for growing new bone in the implants and for stimulating bone formation. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Sucralose enhances GLP-1 release and lowers blood glucose in the presence of carbohydrate in healthy subjects but not in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Temizkan, S; Deyneli, O; Yasar, M; Arpa, M; Gunes, M; Yazici, D; Sirikci, O; Haklar, G; Imeryuz, N; Yavuz, D G

    2015-02-01

    Artificial sweeteners were thought to be metabolically inactive, but after demonstrating that the gustatory mechanism was also localized in the small intestine, suspicions about the metabolic effects of artificial sweeteners have emerged. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of artificial sweeteners (aspartame and sucralose) on blood glucose, insulin, c-peptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels. Eight newly diagnosed drug-naive type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 51.5±9.2 years; F/M: 4/4) and eight healthy subjects (mean age 45.0±4.1 years; F/M: 4/4) underwent 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During OGTT, glucose, insulin, c-peptide and GLP-1 were measured at 15- min intervals for 120 min. The OGTTs were performed at three settings on different days, where subjects were given 72 mg of aspartame and 24 mg of sucralose in 200 ml of water or 200 ml of water alone 15 min before OGTT in a single-blinded randomized order. In healthy subjects, the total area under the curve (AUC) of glucose was statistically significantly lower in the sucralose setting than in the water setting (P=0.002). There was no difference between the aspartame setting and the water setting (P=0.53). Total AUC of insulin and c-peptide was similar in aspartame, sucralose and water settings. Total AUC of GLP-1 was significantly higher in the sucralose setting than in the water setting (P=0.04). Total AUC values of glucose, insulin, c-peptide and GLP-1 were not statistically different in three settings in type 2 diabetic patients. Sucralose enhances GLP-1 release and lowers blood glucose in the presence of carbohydrate in healthy subjects but not in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients.

  6. Insulin resistance and carotid intima-media thickness mediate the association between resting-state heart rate variability and executive function: A path modelling study.

    PubMed

    Kemp, Andrew H; López, Santiago Rodríguez; Passos, Valeria M A; Bittencourt, Marcio S; Dantas, Eduardo M; Mill, José G; Ribeiro, Antonio L P; Thayer, Julian F; Bensenor, Isabela M; Lotufo, Paulo A

    2016-05-01

    Research has linked high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) to cognitive function. The present study adopts a modern path modelling approach to understand potential causal pathways that may underpin this relationship. Here we examine the association between resting-state HF-HRV and executive function in a large sample of civil servants from Brazil (N=8114) recruited for the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). HF-HRV was calculated from 10-min resting-state electrocardiograms. Executive function was assessed using the trail-making test (version B). Insulin resistance (a marker of type 2 diabetes mellitus) and carotid intima-media thickness (subclinical atherosclerosis) mediated the relationship between HRV and executive function in seriatim. A limitation of the present study is its cross-sectional design; therefore, conclusions must be confirmed in longitudinal study. Nevertheless, findings support that possibility that HRV provides a 'spark' that initiates a cascade of adverse downstream effects that subsequently leads to cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Calculating Least Risk Paths in 3d Indoor Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vanclooster, A.; De Maeyer, Ph.; Fack, V.; Van de Weghe, N.

    2013-08-01

    Over the last couple of years, research on indoor environments has gained a fresh impetus; more specifically applications that support navigation and wayfinding have become one of the booming industries. Indoor navigation research currently covers the technological aspect of indoor positioning and the modelling of indoor space. The algorithmic development to support navigation has so far been left mostly untouched, as most applications mainly rely on adapting Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to an indoor network. However, alternative algorithms for outdoor navigation have been proposed adding a more cognitive notion to the calculated paths and as such adhering to the natural wayfinding behaviour (e.g. simplest paths, least risk paths). These algorithms are currently restricted to outdoor applications. The need for indoor cognitive algorithms is highlighted by a more challenged navigation and orientation due to the specific indoor structure (e.g. fragmentation, less visibility, confined areas…). As such, the clarity and easiness of route instructions is of paramount importance when distributing indoor routes. A shortest or fastest path indoors not necessarily aligns with the cognitive mapping of the building. Therefore, the aim of this research is to extend those richer cognitive algorithms to three-dimensional indoor environments. More specifically for this paper, we will focus on the application of the least risk path algorithm of Grum (2005) to an indoor space. The algorithm as proposed by Grum (2005) is duplicated and tested in a complex multi-storey building. The results of several least risk path calculations are compared to the shortest paths in indoor environments in terms of total length, improvement in route description complexity and number of turns. Several scenarios are tested in this comparison: paths covering a single floor, paths crossing several building wings and/or floors. Adjustments to the algorithm are proposed to be more aligned to the specific structure of indoor environments (e.g. no turn restrictions, restricted usage of rooms, vertical movement) and common wayfinding strategies indoors. In a later stage, other cognitive algorithms will be implemented and tested in both an indoor and combined indoor-outdoor setting, in an effort to improve the overall user experience during navigation in indoor environments.

  8. Diet models with linear goal programming: impact of achievement functions.

    PubMed

    Gerdessen, J C; de Vries, J H M

    2015-11-01

    Diet models based on goal programming (GP) are valuable tools in designing diets that comply with nutritional, palatability and cost constraints. Results derived from GP models are usually very sensitive to the type of achievement function that is chosen.This paper aims to provide a methodological insight into several achievement functions. It describes the extended GP (EGP) achievement function, which enables the decision maker to use either a MinSum achievement function (which minimizes the sum of the unwanted deviations) or a MinMax achievement function (which minimizes the largest unwanted deviation), or a compromise between both. An additional advantage of EGP models is that from one set of data and weights multiple solutions can be obtained. We use small numerical examples to illustrate the 'mechanics' of achievement functions. Then, the EGP achievement function is demonstrated on a diet problem with 144 foods, 19 nutrients and several types of palatability constraints, in which the nutritional constraints are modeled with fuzzy sets. Choice of achievement function affects the results of diet models. MinSum achievement functions can give rise to solutions that are sensitive to weight changes, and that pile all unwanted deviations on a limited number of nutritional constraints. MinMax achievement functions spread the unwanted deviations as evenly as possible, but may create many (small) deviations. EGP comprises both types of achievement functions, as well as compromises between them. It can thus, from one data set, find a range of solutions with various properties.

  9. Performance of heated humidifiers with a heated wire according to ventilatory settings.

    PubMed

    Nishida, T; Nishimura, M; Fujino, Y; Mashimo, T

    2001-01-01

    Delivering warm, humidified gas to patients is important during mechanical ventilation. Heated humidifiers are effective and popular. The humidifying efficiency is influenced not only by performance and settings of the devices but the settings of ventilator. We compared the efficiency of humidifying devices with a heated wire and servo-controlled function under a variety of ventilator settings. A bench study was done with a TTL model lung. The study took place in the laboratory of the University Hospital, Osaka, Japan. Four devices (MR290 with MR730, MR310 with MR730; both Fisher & Paykel, ConchaTherm IV; Hudson RCI, and HummaxII; METRAN) were tested. Hummax II has been developed recently, and it consists of a heated wire and polyethylene microporous hollow fiber. Both wire and fiber were put inside of an inspiratory circuit, and water vapor is delivered throughout the circuit. The Servo 300 was connected to the TTL with a standard ventilator circuit. The ventilator settings were as follows; minute ventilation (V(E)) 5, 10, and 15 L/min, a respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min, I:E ratio 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4, and no applied PEEP. Humidifying devices were set to maintain the temperature of airway opening at 32 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The greater V(E) the lower the humidity with all devices except Hummax II. Hummax II delivered 100% relative humidity at all ventilator and humidifier settings. When airway temperature control of the devices was set at 32 degrees C, the ConchaTherm IV did not deliver 30 mg/L of vapor, which is the value recommended by American National Standards at all V(E) settings. At 10 and 15 L/min of V(E) settings MR310 with MR730 did not deliver recommended vapor, either. In conclusion, airway temperature setting of the humidifying devices influenced the humidity of inspiratory gas greatly. Ventilatory settings also influenced the humidity of inspiratory gas. The Hummax II delivered sufficient water vapor under a variety of minute ventilation.

  10. Aerosol deposition in the human lung following administration from a microprocessor controlled pressurised metered dose inhaler.

    PubMed Central

    Farr, S. J.; Rowe, A. M.; Rubsamen, R.; Taylor, G.

    1995-01-01

    BACKGROUND--Gamma scintigraphy was employed to assess the deposition of aerosols emitted from a pressurised metered dose inhaler (MDI) contained in a microprocessor controlled device (SmartMist), a system which analyses an inspiratory flow profile and automatically actuates the MDI when predefined conditions of flow rate and cumulative inspired volume coincide. METHODS--Micronised salbutamol particles contained in a commercial MDI (Ventolin) were labelled with 99m-technetium using a method validated by the determination of (1) aerosol size characteristics of the drug and radiotracer following actuation into an eight stage cascade impactor and (2) shot potencies of these non-volatile components as a function of actuation number. Using nine healthy volunteers in a randomised factorial interaction design the effect of inspiratory flow rate (slow, 30 l/min; medium, 90 l/min; fast, 270 l/min) combined with cumulative inspired volume (early, 300 ml; late, 3000 ml) was determined on total and regional aerosol lung deposition using the technique of gamma scintigraphy. RESULTS--The SmartMist firing at the medium/early setting (medium flow and early in the cumulative inspired volume) resulted in the highest lung deposition at 18.6 (1.42)%. The slow/early setting gave the second highest deposition at 14.1 (2.06)% with the fast/late setting resulting in the lowest (7.6 (1.15)%). Peripheral lung deposition obtained for the medium/early (9.1 (0.9)%) and slow/early (7.5 (1.06)%) settings were equivalent but higher than those obtained with the other treatments. This reflected the lower total lung deposition at these other settings as no difference in regional deposition, expressed as a volume corrected central zone:peripheral zone ratio, was apparent for all modes of inhalation studied. CONCLUSIONS--The SmartMist device allowed reproducible actuation of an MDI at a preprogrammed point during inspiration. The extent of aerosol deposition in the lung is affected by a change in firing point and is promoted by an inhaled flow rate of up to 90 l/min-that is, the slow and medium setting used in these studies. PMID:7638806

  11. Motion Event Similarity Judgments in One or Two Languages: An Exploration of Monolingual Speakers of English and Chinese vs. L2 Learners of English.

    PubMed

    Ji, Yinglin

    2017-01-01

    Languages differ systematically in how to encode a motion event. English characteristically expresses manner in verb root and path in verb particle; in Chinese, varied aspects of motion, such as manner, path and cause, can be simultaneously encoded in a verb compound. This study investigates whether typological differences, as such, influence how first and second language learners conceptualize motion events, as suggested by behavioral evidences. Specifically, the performance of Chinese learners of English, at three proficiencies, was compared to that of two groups of monolingual speakers in a triads matching task. The first set of analyses regarding categorisation preferences indicates that participants across groups preferred the path-matched (rather than manner-matched) screens. However, the second set of analyses regarding reaction time suggests, firstly, that English monolingual speakers reacted significantly more quickly in selecting the manner-matched scenes compared with monolingual speakers of Chinese, who tended to use an approximately equal amount of time in making manner- and path-matched decisions, a finding that can arguably be mapped onto the typological difference between the two languages. Secondly, the pattern of response latency in low-level L2 learners looked more like that of monolingual speakers of Chinese. Only at intermediate and advanced levels of acquisition did the behavioral pattern of L2 learners become target-like, thus suggesting language-specific constraints from the L1 at an early stage of acquisition. Overall, our results suggest that motion event cognition may be linked to, among other things, the linguistic structure of motion description in particular languages.

  12. A path following algorithm for the graph matching problem.

    PubMed

    Zaslavskiy, Mikhail; Bach, Francis; Vert, Jean-Philippe

    2009-12-01

    We propose a convex-concave programming approach for the labeled weighted graph matching problem. The convex-concave programming formulation is obtained by rewriting the weighted graph matching problem as a least-square problem on the set of permutation matrices and relaxing it to two different optimization problems: a quadratic convex and a quadratic concave optimization problem on the set of doubly stochastic matrices. The concave relaxation has the same global minimum as the initial graph matching problem, but the search for its global minimum is also a hard combinatorial problem. We, therefore, construct an approximation of the concave problem solution by following a solution path of a convex-concave problem obtained by linear interpolation of the convex and concave formulations, starting from the convex relaxation. This method allows to easily integrate the information on graph label similarities into the optimization problem, and therefore, perform labeled weighted graph matching. The algorithm is compared with some of the best performing graph matching methods on four data sets: simulated graphs, QAPLib, retina vessel images, and handwritten Chinese characters. In all cases, the results are competitive with the state of the art.

  13. Using multiple travel paths to estimate daily travel distance in arboreal, group-living primates.

    PubMed

    Steel, Ruth Irene

    2015-01-01

    Primate field studies often estimate daily travel distance (DTD) in order to estimate energy expenditure and/or test foraging hypotheses. In group-living species, the center of mass (CM) method is traditionally used to measure DTD; a point is marked at the group's perceived center of mass at a set time interval or upon each move, and the distance between consecutive points is measured and summed. However, for groups using multiple travel paths, the CM method potentially creates a central path that is shorter than the individual paths and/or traverses unused areas. These problems may compromise tests of foraging hypotheses, since distance and energy expenditure could be underestimated. To better understand the magnitude of these potential biases, I designed and tested the multiple travel paths (MTP) method, in which DTD was calculated by recording all travel paths taken by the group's members, weighting each path's distance based on its proportional use by the group, and summing the weighted distances. To compare the MTP and CM methods, DTD was calculated using both methods in three groups of Udzungwa red colobus monkeys (Procolobus gordonorum; group size 30-43) for a random sample of 30 days between May 2009 and March 2010. Compared to the CM method, the MTP method provided significantly longer estimates of DTD that were more representative of the actual distance traveled and the areas used by a group. The MTP method is more time-intensive and requires multiple observers compared to the CM method. However, it provides greater accuracy for testing ecological and foraging models.

  14. Impulsive noise suppression in color images based on the geodesic digital paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smolka, Bogdan; Cyganek, Boguslaw

    2015-02-01

    In the paper a novel filtering design based on the concept of exploration of the pixel neighborhood by digital paths is presented. The paths start from the boundary of a filtering window and reach its center. The cost of transitions between adjacent pixels is defined in the hybrid spatial-color space. Then, an optimal path of minimum total cost, leading from pixels of the window's boundary to its center is determined. The cost of an optimal path serves as a degree of similarity of the central pixel to the samples from the local processing window. If a pixel is an outlier, then all the paths starting from the window's boundary will have high costs and the minimum one will also be high. The filter output is calculated as a weighted mean of the central pixel and an estimate constructed using the information on the minimum cost assigned to each image pixel. So, first the costs of optimal paths are used to build a smoothed image and in the second step the minimum cost of the central pixel is utilized for construction of the weights of a soft-switching scheme. The experiments performed on a set of standard color images, revealed that the efficiency of the proposed algorithm is superior to the state-of-the-art filtering techniques in terms of the objective restoration quality measures, especially for high noise contamination ratios. The proposed filter, due to its low computational complexity, can be applied for real time image denoising and also for the enhancement of video streams.

  15. Quantum circuit dynamics via path integrals: Is there a classical action for discrete-time paths?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penney, Mark D.; Enshan Koh, Dax; Spekkens, Robert W.

    2017-07-01

    It is straightforward to compute the transition amplitudes of a quantum circuit using the sum-over-paths methodology when the gates in the circuit are balanced, where a balanced gate is one for which all non-zero transition amplitudes are of equal magnitude. Here we consider the question of whether, for such circuits, the relative phases of different discrete-time paths through the configuration space can be defined in terms of a classical action, as they are for continuous-time paths. We show how to do so for certain kinds of quantum circuits, namely, Clifford circuits where the elementary systems are continuous-variable systems or discrete systems of odd-prime dimension. These types of circuit are distinguished by having phase-space representations that serve to define their classical counterparts. For discrete systems, the phase-space coordinates are also discrete variables. We show that for each gate in the generating set, one can associate a symplectomorphism on the phase-space and to each of these one can associate a generating function, defined on two copies of the configuration space. For discrete systems, the latter association is achieved using tools from algebraic geometry. Finally, we show that if the action functional for a discrete-time path through a sequence of gates is defined using the sum of the corresponding generating functions, then it yields the correct relative phases for the path-sum expression. These results are likely to be relevant for quantizing physical theories where time is fundamentally discrete, characterizing the classical limit of discrete-time quantum dynamics, and proving complexity results for quantum circuits.

  16. Demonstration of a Strategy to Perform Two-Dimensional Diode Laser Tomography

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    training set allows interpolation between beam paths resulting in temperature and density maps. Finally, the TDLAS temperature and density maps are... TDLAS and Tomography Results .................................................................. 38 Introduction...38 vii Page TDLAS Burner Setup

  17. Towards Community Employment: A Comprehensive Data-Based Training System for Mentally Retarded Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dardig, Jill C.; Jewett, Robert J.

    1979-01-01

    The article describes the efforts of Project PATH (Progressive Approach to Training and Habilitation) to design a comprehensive training program for moderately and severely retarded adults in a sheltered workshop setting. (SBH)

  18. Complicating Culture and Difference: Situating Asian American Youth Identities in Lisa Yee's "Millicent Min," "Girl Genius" and "Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Endo, Rachel

    2009-01-01

    This review situates how culture, difference, and identity are discursively constructed in "Millicent Min, Girl Genius" and "Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time," two award-winning books written by critically acclaimed Asian American author Lisa Yee. Using contextual literacy approaches, the characters, cultural motifs, and physical settings in these…

  19. [Kinematics Modeling and Analysis of Central-driven Robot for Upper Limb Rehabilitation after Stroke].

    PubMed

    Yi, Jinhua; Yu, Hongliu; Zhang, Ying; Hu, Xin; Shi, Ping

    2015-12-01

    The present paper proposed a central-driven structure of upper limb rehabilitation robot in order to reduce the volume of the robotic arm in the structure, and also to reduce the influence of motor noise, radiation and other adverse factors on upper limb dysfunction patient. The forward and inverse kinematics equations have been obtained with using the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) parameter method. The motion simulation has been done to obtain the angle-time curve of each joint and the position-time curve of handle under setting rehabilitation path by using Solid Works software. Experimental results showed that the rationality with the central-driven structure design had been verified by the fact that the handle could move under setting rehabilitation path. The effectiveness of kinematics equations had been proved, and the error was less than 3° by comparing the angle-time curves obtained from calculation with those from motion simulation.

  20. Topics on data transmission problem in software definition network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Wei; Liang, Li; Xu, Tianwei; Gan, Jianhou

    2017-08-01

    In normal computer networks, the data transmission between two sites go through the shortest path between two corresponding vertices. However, in the setting of software definition network (SDN), it should monitor the network traffic flow in each site and channel timely, and the data transmission path between two sites in SDN should consider the congestion in current networks. Hence, the difference of available data transmission theory between normal computer network and software definition network is that we should consider the prohibit graph structures in SDN, and these forbidden subgraphs represent the sites and channels in which data can't be passed by the serious congestion. Inspired by theoretical analysis of an available data transmission in SDN, we consider some computational problems from the perspective of the graph theory. Several results determined in the paper imply the sufficient conditions of data transmission in SDN in the various graph settings.

  1. A depictive neural model for the representation of motion verbs.

    PubMed

    Rao, Sunil; Aleksander, Igor

    2011-11-01

    In this paper, we present a depictive neural model for the representation of motion verb semantics in neural models of visual awareness. The problem of modelling motion verb representation is shown to be one of function application, mapping a set of given input variables defining the moving object and the path of motion to a defined output outcome in the motion recognition context. The particular function-applicative implementation and consequent recognition model design presented are seen as arising from a noun-adjective recognition model enabling the recognition of colour adjectives as applied to a set of shapes representing objects to be recognised. The presence of such a function application scheme and a separately implemented position identification and path labelling scheme are accordingly shown to be the primitives required to enable the design and construction of a composite depictive motion verb recognition scheme. Extensions to the presented design to enable the representation of transitive verbs are also discussed.

  2. Information Extraction for System-Software Safety Analysis: Calendar Year 2007 Year-End Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, Jane T.

    2008-01-01

    This annual report describes work to integrate a set of tools to support early model-based analysis of failures and hazards due to system-software interactions. The tools perform and assist analysts in the following tasks: 1) extract model parts from text for architecture and safety/hazard models; 2) combine the parts with library information to develop the models for visualization and analysis; 3) perform graph analysis on the models to identify possible paths from hazard sources to vulnerable entities and functions, in nominal and anomalous system-software configurations; 4) perform discrete-time-based simulation on the models to investigate scenarios where these paths may play a role in failures and mishaps; and 5) identify resulting candidate scenarios for software integration testing. This paper describes new challenges in a NASA abort system case, and enhancements made to develop the integrated tool set.

  3. New measurements of the 6190-A band of methane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mickelson, M. E.; Larson, L. E.; Schubert, A.

    1991-01-01

    The present paper reports new laboratory measurements that were made of the absorption coefficient of the visible methane band at 6190 A. Data were obtained using a tunable dye laser system operating with a line width of 0.067/cm. Spectra were recorded at approximately 1-A intervals with the beam coupled to a 22-m base length White-type absorption cell adjusted for an optical path of 1584 km and filled to a density of 0.884 amagats. Errors in pressure, temperature, and path length amounted to an uncertainty in the abundance of no more than 0.4 percent. Fourteen data sets were recorded and coadded. The final signal-averaged methane data were divided by a similar set of signal-averaged empty cell scans to remove the transmittance of the White cell and system optics. The results are compared with previous low-resolution measurements in the spectral region from 6000 to 6400 A.

  4. Characterizing the propagation path in moderate to strong optical turbulence.

    PubMed

    Vetelino, Frida Strömqvist; Clare, Bradley; Corbett, Kerry; Young, Cynthia; Grant, Kenneth; Andrews, Larry

    2006-05-20

    In February 2005 a joint atmospheric propagation experiment was conducted between the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the University of Central Florida. A Gaussian beam was propagated along a horizontal 1500 m path near the ground. Scintillation was measured simultaneously at three receivers of diameters 1, 5, and 13 mm. Scintillation theory combined with a numerical scheme was used to infer the structure constant C2n, the inner scale l0, and the outer scale L0 from the optical measurements. At the same time, C2n measurements were taken by a commercial scintillometer, set up parallel to the optical path. The C2n values from the inferred scheme and the commercial scintillometer predict the same behavior, but the inferred scheme consistently gives slightly smaller C2n values.

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

    Raminosoa, Tsarafidy; Alexander, James Pellegrino; EL-Refaie, Ayman Mohamed Fawzi

    A permanent magnet electrical machine includes a stator having conductive windings wound thereon and one or more permanent magnets embedded in the stator. A magnetic keeper element is positioned on the stator so as to form a magnetic flux path with the permanent magnets, with the magnetic keeper element closing the magnetic flux path of the permanent magnets by providing a low reluctance flux path to magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnets. A vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) process is performed on the stator to increase a thermal conductivity of the windings, with the VPI process including a curing stepmore » that is performed at a selected temperature. The magnetic keeper element sets an operating point of the permanent magnets to an internal flux density level above a demagnetization threshold associated with the selected temperature at which the curing step is performed.« less

  6. Weakly Nonlinear Model with Exact Coefficients for the Fluttering and Spiraling Motion of Buoyancy-Driven Bodies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tchoufag, Joël; Fabre, David; Magnaudet, Jacques

    2015-09-01

    Gravity- or buoyancy-driven bodies moving in a slightly viscous fluid frequently follow fluttering or helical paths. Current models of such systems are largely empirical and fail to predict several of the key features of their evolution, especially close to the onset of path instability. Here, using a weakly nonlinear expansion of the full set of governing equations, we present a new generic reduced-order model based on a pair of amplitude equations with exact coefficients that drive the evolution of the first pair of unstable modes. We show that the predictions of this model for the style (e.g., fluttering or spiraling) and characteristics (e.g., frequency and maximum inclination angle) of path oscillations compare well with various recent data for both solid disks and air bubbles.

  7. A weakly nonlinear model with exact coefficients for the fluttering and spiraling motions of buoyancy-driven bodies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Magnaudet, Jacques; Tchoufag, Joel; Fabre, David

    2015-11-01

    Gravity/buoyancy-driven bodies moving in a slightly viscous fluid frequently follow fluttering or helical paths. Current models of such systems are largely empirical and fail to predict several of the key features of their evolution, especially close to the onset of path instability. Using a weakly nonlinear expansion of the full set of governing equations, we derive a new generic reduced-order model of this class of phenomena based on a pair of amplitude equations with exact coefficients that drive the evolution of the first pair of unstable modes. We show that the predictions of this model for the style (eg. fluttering or spiraling) and characteristics (eg. frequency and maximum inclination angle) of path oscillations compare well with various recent data for both solid disks and air bubbles.

  8. The potential role of magmatic gases in the genesis of Illinois- Kentucky fluorspar deposits: implications from chemical reaction path modeling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Plumlee, G.S.; Goldhaber, M.B.; Rowan, E.L.

    1995-01-01

    Presents results of reaction path calculations using the chemical speciation and reaction path program SOLVEQ and CHILLER to model possible fluorite deposition mechanisms in the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. The results indicate that the fluids responsible for Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar mineralization were most likely quite acidic (pH < 4) and rich in fluorine in order to produce the fluorite-rich, dolomite-poor mineral assemblages and extensive dissolution of host limestones. A possible source for the acid and fluorine may have been HF-rich gases which were expelled from alkalic magmas and then incorporated by migrating basinal brines. An analysis of the geologic setting of other fluorite deposits and districts worldwide suggests that involvement of magmatic gases is probable for many of these districts as well. -from Authors

  9. Acute effect of whole body vibration on postural control in congenitally blind subjects: a preliminary evidence.

    PubMed

    di Cagno, Alessandra; Giombini, Arrigo; Iuliano, Enzo; Moffa, Stefano; Caliandro, Tiziana; Parisi, Attilio; Borrione, Paolo; Calcagno, Giuseppe; Fiorilli, Giovanni

    2017-07-11

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of whole body vibration at optimal frequency, on postural control in blind subjects. Twenty-four participants, 12 congenital blind males (Experimental Group), and 12 non-disabled males with no visual impairment (Control Groups) were recruited. The area of the ellipse and the total distance of the center of pressure displacements, as postural control parameters, were evaluated at baseline (T0), immediately after the vibration (T1), after 10 min (T10) and after 20 min (T20). Whole body vibration protocol consisted into 5 sets of 1 min for each vibration, with 1 min rest between each set on a vibrating platform. The total distance of center of pressure showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) amongst groups, while the area remained constant. No significant differences were detected among times of assessments, or in the interaction group × time. No impairments in static balance were found after an acute bout of whole body vibration at optimal frequency in blind subjects and, consequently, whole body vibration may be considered as a safe application in individuals who are blind.

  10. Hydromechanical behavior of Estaillades carbonate : directional permeability, stress-path and microstructural heterogeneity effects, yield and failure envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dautriat, J.; Dimanov, A.; Gland, N.; Raphanel, J.

    2009-04-01

    The influence of stress paths representative of reservoir conditions on the mechanical behavior and the coupled permeability evolutions of a carbonate has been investigated. In order to predict the permeability evolutions under triaxial loading, we have developed a triaxial cell designed to allow the measurements of the permeability in three orthogonal directions, along and transverse to the maximum principal stress direction. A set of core specimens are mechanically loaded following different stress paths characterized by a constant ratio K between horizontal and vertical stress. Our experimental set-up allows the monitoring of the petrophysical and geomechanical parameters during loading, before and post sample damage. The tested rock is an analog reservoir carbonate, the Estaillades Limestone, characterized macroscopically by a porosity around 29% and a moderate permeability around 150mD. From our experimental results, the failure envelope of this carbonate is determined and the evolutions of the directional permeability are examined in the (p',q) diagram. According to the followed stress path, permeability reductions can be limited or drastic. In addition, we have performed microstructural analyses on deformed samples and in-situ observations during loading inside a SEM in order to identify the micromechanisms responsible for the evolutions of porosity and permeability. For instance, we show the importance of local heterogeneities on initiation of damage and of pore collapse. In the near-elastic domain, brittle damage induces limited directional permeability modifications; whereas, at higher stress, depending on the value of K, shear induced dilation or shear induced compaction mechanisms are activated. The highest permeability drop occurred for the hydrostatic compression (K=1), in the compaction regime, characterized by pore collapse mechanisms affecting preferentially the macroporosity. A failure model is proposed and the failure envelope is determined in the (p',q) plane. A new expression of the failure envelope is also discussed which includes a dependency of the deviatoric stress with the stress-path parameter.

  11. Validity and reliability of balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii balance board: usability and validation

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background A balance test provides important information such as the standard to judge an individual’s functional recovery or make the prediction of falls. The development of a tool for a balance test that is inexpensive and widely available is needed, especially in clinical settings. The Wii Balance Board (WBB) is designed to test balance, but there is little software used in balance tests, and there are few studies on reliability and validity. Thus, we developed a balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board, investigated its reliability and validity, and compared it with a laboratory-grade force platform. Methods Twenty healthy adults participated in our study. The participants participated in the test for inter-rater reliability, intra-rater reliability, and concurrent validity. The tests were performed with balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii balance board and a laboratory-grade force platform. Data such as Center of Pressure (COP) path length and COP velocity were acquired from the assessment systems. The inter-rater reliability, the intra-rater reliability, and concurrent validity were analyzed by an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value and a standard error of measurement (SEM). Results The inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.89-0.79, SEM in path length: 7.14-1.90, SEM in velocity: 0.74-0.07), intra-rater reliability (ICC: 0.92-0.70, SEM in path length: 7.59-2.04, SEM in velocity: 0.80-0.07), and concurrent validity (ICC: 0.87-0.73, SEM in path length: 5.94-0.32, SEM in velocity: 0.62-0.08) were high in terms of COP path length and COP velocity. Conclusion The balance assessment software incorporating the Nintendo Wii balance board was used in our study and was found to be a reliable assessment device. In clinical settings, the device can be remarkably inexpensive, portable, and convenient for the balance assessment. PMID:24912769

  12. Validity and reliability of balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii balance board: usability and validation.

    PubMed

    Park, Dae-Sung; Lee, GyuChang

    2014-06-10

    A balance test provides important information such as the standard to judge an individual's functional recovery or make the prediction of falls. The development of a tool for a balance test that is inexpensive and widely available is needed, especially in clinical settings. The Wii Balance Board (WBB) is designed to test balance, but there is little software used in balance tests, and there are few studies on reliability and validity. Thus, we developed a balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board, investigated its reliability and validity, and compared it with a laboratory-grade force platform. Twenty healthy adults participated in our study. The participants participated in the test for inter-rater reliability, intra-rater reliability, and concurrent validity. The tests were performed with balance assessment software using the Nintendo Wii balance board and a laboratory-grade force platform. Data such as Center of Pressure (COP) path length and COP velocity were acquired from the assessment systems. The inter-rater reliability, the intra-rater reliability, and concurrent validity were analyzed by an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value and a standard error of measurement (SEM). The inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.89-0.79, SEM in path length: 7.14-1.90, SEM in velocity: 0.74-0.07), intra-rater reliability (ICC: 0.92-0.70, SEM in path length: 7.59-2.04, SEM in velocity: 0.80-0.07), and concurrent validity (ICC: 0.87-0.73, SEM in path length: 5.94-0.32, SEM in velocity: 0.62-0.08) were high in terms of COP path length and COP velocity. The balance assessment software incorporating the Nintendo Wii balance board was used in our study and was found to be a reliable assessment device. In clinical settings, the device can be remarkably inexpensive, portable, and convenient for the balance assessment.

  13. USE OF ROUGH SETS AND SPECTRAL DATA FOR BUILDING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF REACTION RATE CONSTANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    A model for predicting the log of the rate constants for alkaline hydrolysis of organic esters has been developed with the use of gas-phase min-infrared library spectra and a rule-building software system based on the mathematical theory of rough sets. A diverse set of 41 esters ...

  14. Why Is Nature Beneficial?: The Role of Connectedness to Nature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayer, F. Stephan; Frants, Cynthia McPherson; Bruehlman-Senecal, Emma; Dolliver, Kyffin

    2009-01-01

    Three studies examine the effects of exposure to nature on positive affect and ability to reflect on a life problem. Participants spent 15 min walking in a natural setting (Studies 1, 2, & 3), an urban setting (Study 1), or watching videos of natural and urban settings (Studies 2 & 3). In all three studies, exposure to nature increased…

  15. Repeated Plyometric Exercise Attenuates Blood Glucose in Healthy Adults.

    PubMed

    Barillas, Saldiam R; Watkins, Casey M; Wong, Megan A; Dobbs, Ian J; Archer, David C; Munger, Cameron N; Galpin, Andrew J; Coburn, Jared W; Brown, Lee E

    2017-01-01

    Plyometric exercise is popular in commercial exercise programs aiming to maximize energy expenditure for weight loss. However, the effect of plyometric exercise on blood glucose is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of relatively high intensity plyometric exercise on blood glucose. Thirteen subjects (6 females age= 21.8 ± 1.0 yrs.; height= 163.7 ± 7.8 cm; mass= 60.8 ± 6.7 kg and 7 males age= 22.0 ± 2.6 yrs.; height= 182.3 ± 3.6 cm; mass= 87.4 ± 12.5 kg) volunteered to participate. Subjects completed two random conditions on two separate days, consisting of either five sets of 10 maximal effort countermovement squat jumps (SJ) with 50 seconds' rest between sets or quiet sitting (SIT) for the time equated to the SJ duration (~4min). Immediately after each condition, subjects drank 75g of anhydrous glucose (CHO) in 100ml of water. Blood glucose measurements were taken via finger prick pre and immediately post SJ or SIT, and 5, 15, 30, and 60 min post. A 2×6 (condition × time) ANOVA revealed a significant interaction where SJ blood glucose was lower at 15 (114.0 ± 14.6 mg/dl) and 30 (142.1 ± 22.5 mg/dl) min compared to SIT (15min 130.8 ± 14.0 mg/dl and 30min 159.3 ± 21.0 mg/dl). The current plyometric protocol attenuated CHO-induced blood glucose at 15 and 30 min. This may be due to increased physiological stress applied to the muscles, thus increasing muscular glucose uptake.

  16. Making cytological diagnoses on digital images using the iPath network.

    PubMed

    Dalquen, Peter; Savic Prince, Spasenija; Spieler, Peter; Kunze, Dietmar; Neumann, Heinrich; Eppenberger-Castori, Serenella; Adams, Heiner; Glatz, Katharina; Bubendorf, Lukas

    2014-01-01

    The iPath telemedicine platform Basel is mainly used for histological and cytological consultations, but also serves as a valuable learning tool. To study the level of accuracy in making diagnoses based on still images achieved by experienced cytopathologists, to identify limiting factors, and to provide a cytological image series as a learning set. Images from 167 consecutive cytological specimens of different origin were uploaded on the iPath platform and evaluated by four cytopathologists. Only wet-fixed and well-stained specimens were used. The consultants made specific diagnoses and categorized each as benign, suspicious or malignant. For all consultants, specificity and sensitivity regarding categorized diagnoses were 83-92 and 85-93%, respectively; the overall accuracy was 88-90%. The interobserver agreement was substantial (κ = 0.791). The lowest rate of concordance was achieved in urine and bladder washings and in the identification of benign lesions. Using a digital image set for diagnostic purposes implies that even under optimal conditions the accuracy rate will not exceed to 80-90%, mainly because of lacking supportive immunocytochemical or molecular tests. This limitation does not disqualify digital images for teleconsulting or as a learning aid. The series of images used for the study are open to the public at http://pathorama.wordpress.com/extragenital-cytology-2013/. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Identifying influential spreaders in complex networks through local effective spreading paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiaojie; Zhang, Xue; Yi, Dongyun; Zhao, Chengli

    2017-05-01

    How to effectively identify a set of influential spreaders in complex networks is of great theoretical and practical value, which can help to inhibit the rapid spread of epidemics, promote the sales of products by word-of-mouth advertising, and so on. A naive strategy is to select the top ranked nodes as identified by some centrality indices, and other strategies are mainly based on greedy methods and heuristic methods. However, most of those approaches did not concern the connections between nodes. Usually, the distances between the selected spreaders are very close, leading to a serious overlapping of their influence. As a consequence, the global influence of the spreaders in networks will be greatly reduced, which largely restricts the performance of those methods. In this paper, a simple and efficient method is proposed to identify a set of discrete yet influential spreaders. By analyzing the spreading paths in the network, we present the concept of effective spreading paths and measure the influence of nodes via expectation calculation. The numerical analysis in undirected and directed networks all show that our proposed method outperforms many other centrality-based and heuristic benchmarks, especially in large-scale networks. Besides, experimental results on different spreading models and parameters demonstrates the stability and wide applicability of our method.

  18. The automated system for technological process of spacecraft's waveguide paths soldering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tynchenko, V. S.; Murygin, A. V.; Emilova, O. A.; Bocharov, A. N.; Laptenok, V. D.

    2016-11-01

    The paper solves the problem of automated process control of space vehicles waveguide paths soldering by means of induction heating. The peculiarities of the induction soldering process are analyzed and necessity of information-control system automation is identified. The developed automated system makes the control of the product heating process, by varying the power supplied to the inductor, on the basis of information about the soldering zone temperature, and stabilizing the temperature in a narrow range above the melting point of the solder but below the melting point of the waveguide. This allows the soldering process automating to improve the quality of the waveguides and eliminate burn-troughs. The article shows a block diagram of a software system consisting of five modules, and describes the main algorithm of its work. Also there is a description of the waveguide paths automated soldering system operation, for explaining the basic functions and limitations of the system. The developed software allows setting of the measurement equipment, setting and changing parameters of the soldering process, as well as view graphs of temperatures recorded by the system. There is shown the results of experimental studies that prove high quality of soldering process control and the system applicability to the tasks of automation.

  19. Riemannian and Lorentzian flow-cut theorems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Headrick, Matthew; Hubeny, Veronika E.

    2018-05-01

    We prove several geometric theorems using tools from the theory of convex optimization. In the Riemannian setting, we prove the max flow-min cut (MFMC) theorem for boundary regions, applied recently to develop a ‘bit-thread’ interpretation of holographic entanglement entropies. We also prove various properties of the max flow and min cut, including respective nesting properties. In the Lorentzian setting, we prove the analogous MFMC theorem, which states that the volume of a maximal slice equals the flux of a minimal flow, where a flow is defined as a divergenceless timelike vector field with norm at least 1. This theorem includes as a special case a continuum version of Dilworth’s theorem from the theory of partially ordered sets. We include a brief review of the necessary tools from the theory of convex optimization, in particular Lagrangian duality and convex relaxation.

  20. A Path to Planetary Protection Requirements for Human Exploration: A Literature Review and Systems Engineering Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, James E.; Conley, Cassie; Siegel, Bette

    2015-01-01

    As systems, technologies, and plans for the human exploration of Mars and other destinations beyond low Earth orbit begin to coalesce, it is imperative that frequent and early consideration is given to how planetary protection practices and policy will be upheld. While the development of formal planetary protection requirements for future human space systems and operations may still be a few years from fruition, guidance to appropriately influence mission and system design will be needed soon to avoid costly design and operational changes. The path to constructing such requirements is a journey that espouses key systems engineering practices of understanding shared goals, objectives and concerns, identifying key stakeholders, and iterating a draft requirement set to gain community consensus. This paper traces through each of these practices, beginning with a literature review of nearly three decades of publications addressing planetary protection concerns with respect to human exploration. Key goals, objectives and concerns, particularly with respect to notional requirements, required studies and research, and technology development needs have been compiled and categorized to provide a current 'state of knowledge'. This information, combined with the identification of key stakeholders in upholding planetary protection concerns for human missions, has yielded a draft requirement set that might feed future iteration among space system designers, exploration scientists, and the mission operations community. Combining the information collected with a proposed forward path will hopefully yield a mutually agreeable set of timely, verifiable, and practical requirements for human space exploration that will uphold international commitment to planetary protection.

  1. On the Usage of Locally Dense Basis Sets in the Calculation of NMR Indirect Nuclear Spin-Spin Coupling Constants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanchez, Marina; Provasi, Patricio F.; Aucar, Gustavo A.; Sauer, Stephan P. A.

    Locally dense basis sets (

  2. Virtual hybrid test control of sinuous crack

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jailin, Clément; Carpiuc, Andreea; Kazymyrenko, Kyrylo; Poncelet, Martin; Leclerc, Hugo; Hild, François; Roux, Stéphane

    2017-05-01

    The present study aims at proposing a new generation of experimental protocol for analysing crack propagation in quasi brittle materials. The boundary conditions are controlled in real-time to conform to a predefined crack path. Servo-control is achieved through a full-field measurement technique to determine the pre-set fracture path and a simple predictor model based on linear elastic fracture mechanics to prescribe the boundary conditions on the fly so that the actual crack path follows at best the predefined trajectory. The final goal is to identify, for instance, non-local damage models involving internal lengths. The validation of this novel procedure is performed via a virtual test-case based on an enriched damage model with an internal length scale, a prior chosen sinusoidal crack path and a concrete sample. Notwithstanding the fact that the predictor model selected for monitoring the test is a highly simplified picture of the targeted constitutive law, the proposed protocol exhibits a much improved sensitivity to the sought parameters such as internal lengths as assessed from the comparison with other available experimental tests.

  3. Effective distance adaptation traffic dispatching in software defined IP over optical network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duan, Zhiwei; Li, Hui; Liu, Yuze; Ji, Yuefeng; Li, Hongfa; Lin, Yi

    2017-10-01

    The rapid growth of IP traffic has contributed to the wide deployment of optical devices (ROADM/OXC, etc.). Meanwhile, with the emergence and application of high-performance network services such as ultra-high video transmission, people are increasingly becoming more and more particular about the quality of service (QoS) of network. However, the pass-band shape of WSSs which is utilized in the ROADM/OXC is not ideal, causing narrowing of spectrum. Spectral narrowing can lead to signal impairment. Therefore, guard-bands need to be inserted between adjacent paths. In order to minimize the bandwidth waste due to guard bands, we propose an effective distance-adaptation traffic dispatching algorithm in IP over optical network based on SDON architecture. We use virtualization technology to set up virtual resources direct links by extracting part of the resources on paths which meet certain specific constraints. We also assign different bandwidth to each IP request based on path length. There is no need for guard-bands between the adjacent paths on the virtual link, which can effectively reduce the number of guard-bands and save the spectrum.

  4. Electro-optical propagation measurements during the MINOTAUROS experiment in the Cretan Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eisele, Christian; Sucher, Erik; Wendelstein, Norbert; Stein, Karin

    2017-09-01

    We report on propagation measurements performed during the MINOTAUROS (Maritime INvestigations On Targets and Atmosphere Under Reduction of Optical Signatures) experiment on Crete, Greece, in late summer of 2016. The field trial has been organized by NATO STO Task Group SET-211 on Naval Platform Protection in the EO/IR Domain with strong support of the Hellenic Navy. Besides meteorological measurements, the experiment included measurements of turbulence using a boundary layer scintillometer on a slant path (d = 8 km) across the entry of Souda Bay (Crete). These are compared to values obtained by a 3D sonic anemometer, which was deployed at one end of the propagation path. Refraction effects have been measured using a 17.5 km path from Drapanos to Gerani. Two meteorological buoys along the path were used to gather information about the atmospheric conditions. An overview and a first analysis of the results are presented. The refraction measurements are compared to simulations using MORTICIA (Model of Range and Transmission in Coastal Inland Atmospheres), a new software tool currently under development in a collaboration of Fraunhofer IOSB and TNO.

  5. Explore Stochastic Instabilities of Periodic Points by Transition Path Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Yu; Lin, Ling; Zhou, Xiang

    2016-06-01

    We consider the noise-induced transitions from a linearly stable periodic orbit consisting of T periodic points in randomly perturbed discrete logistic map. Traditional large deviation theory and asymptotic analysis at small noise limit cannot distinguish the quantitative difference in noise-induced stochastic instabilities among the T periodic points. To attack this problem, we generalize the transition path theory to the discrete-time continuous-space stochastic process. In our first criterion to quantify the relative instability among T periodic points, we use the distribution of the last passage location related to the transitions from the whole periodic orbit to a prescribed disjoint set. This distribution is related to individual contributions to the transition rate from each periodic points. The second criterion is based on the competency of the transition paths associated with each periodic point. Both criteria utilize the reactive probability current in the transition path theory. Our numerical results for the logistic map reveal the transition mechanism of escaping from the stable periodic orbit and identify which periodic point is more prone to lose stability so as to make successful transitions under random perturbations.

  6. Four-dimensional guidance algorithms for aircraft in an air traffic control environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pecsvaradi, T.

    1975-01-01

    Theoretical development and computer implementation of three guidance algorithms are presented. From a small set of input parameters the algorithms generate the ground track, altitude profile, and speed profile required to implement an experimental 4-D guidance system. Given a sequence of waypoints that define a nominal flight path, the first algorithm generates a realistic, flyable ground track consisting of a sequence of straight line segments and circular arcs. Each circular turn is constrained by the minimum turning radius of the aircraft. The ground track and the specified waypoint altitudes are used as inputs to the second algorithm which generates the altitude profile. The altitude profile consists of piecewise constant flight path angle segments, each segment lying within specified upper and lower bounds. The third algorithm generates a feasible speed profile subject to constraints on the rate of change in speed, permissible speed ranges, and effects of wind. Flight path parameters are then combined into a chronological sequence to form the 4-D guidance vectors. These vectors can be used to drive the autopilot/autothrottle of the aircraft so that a 4-D flight path could be tracked completely automatically; or these vectors may be used to drive the flight director and other cockpit displays, thereby enabling the pilot to track a 4-D flight path manually.

  7. A global approach to kinematic path planning to robots with holonomic and nonholonomic constraints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Divelbiss, Adam; Seereeram, Sanjeev; Wen, John T.

    1993-01-01

    Robots in applications may be subject to holonomic or nonholonomic constraints. Examples of holonomic constraints include a manipulator constrained through the contact with the environment, e.g., inserting a part, turning a crank, etc., and multiple manipulators constrained through a common payload. Examples of nonholonomic constraints include no-slip constraints on mobile robot wheels, local normal rotation constraints for soft finger and rolling contacts in grasping, and conservation of angular momentum of in-orbit space robots. The above examples all involve equality constraints; in applications, there are usually additional inequality constraints such as robot joint limits, self collision and environment collision avoidance constraints, steering angle constraints in mobile robots, etc. The problem of finding a kinematically feasible path that satisfies a given set of holonomic and nonholonomic constraints, of both equality and inequality types is addressed. The path planning problem is first posed as a finite time nonlinear control problem. This problem is subsequently transformed to a static root finding problem in an augmented space which can then be iteratively solved. The algorithm has shown promising results in planning feasible paths for redundant arms satisfying Cartesian path following and goal endpoint specifications, and mobile vehicles with multiple trailers. In contrast to local approaches, this algorithm is less prone to problems such as singularities and local minima.

  8. Evaluating the transport, health and economic impacts of new urban cycling infrastructure in Sydney, Australia – protocol paper

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background There are repeated calls to build better cycling paths in Australian cities if the proportion of people cycling is to increase. Yet the full range of transport, health, environmental and economic impacts of new cycling infrastructure and the extent to which observed changes are sustained is not well understood. The City of Sydney is currently building a new bicycle network, which includes a new bicycle path separated from road traffic in the south Sydney area. This protocol paper describes a comprehensive method to evaluate this new cycling infrastructure. Method A cohort of residents within two kilometres of the new bicycle path will be surveyed at baseline before a new section of bicycle path is built, and again 12 and 24 months later to assess changes in travel behaviour, sense of community, quality of life and health behaviours. Residents in a comparable area of Sydney that will not get a new separated bike path will act as a comparison group. At baseline a sub-set of residents who volunteer will also take a small GPS device with them for one week to assess travel behaviour. Discussion This research should contribute to the advancement in evaluation and appraisal methods for cycling projects. PMID:24131667

  9. Covariant path integrals on hyperbolic surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaefer, Joe

    1997-11-01

    DeWitt's covariant formulation of path integration [B. De Witt, "Dynamical theory in curved spaces. I. A review of the classical and quantum action principles," Rev. Mod. Phys. 29, 377-397 (1957)] has two practical advantages over the traditional methods of "lattice approximations;" there is no ordering problem, and classical symmetries are manifestly preserved at the quantum level. Applying the spectral theorem for unbounded self-adjoint operators, we provide a rigorous proof of the convergence of certain path integrals on Riemann surfaces of constant curvature -1. The Pauli-DeWitt curvature correction term arises, as in DeWitt's work. Introducing a Fuchsian group Γ of the first kind, and a continuous, bounded, Γ-automorphic potential V, we obtain a Feynman-Kac formula for the automorphic Schrödinger equation on the Riemann surface ΓH. We analyze the Wick rotation and prove the strong convergence of the so-called Feynman maps [K. D. Elworthy, Path Integration on Manifolds, Mathematical Aspects of Superspace, edited by Seifert, Clarke, and Rosenblum (Reidel, Boston, 1983), pp. 47-90] on a dense set of states. Finally, we give a new proof of some results in C. Grosche and F. Steiner, "The path integral on the Poincare upper half plane and for Liouville quantum mechanics," Phys. Lett. A 123, 319-328 (1987).

  10. Exploring Issues of Quality of Service in a Next Generation Internet Testbed: A Case Study Using PathMaster

    PubMed Central

    Shifman, Mark A.; Sayward, Frederick G.; Mattie, Mark E.; Miller, Perry L.

    2002-01-01

    This case study describes a project that explores issues of quality of service (QoS) relevant to the next-generation Internet (NGI), using the PathMaster application in a testbed environment. PathMaster is a prototype computer system that analyzes digitized cell images from cytology specimens and compares those images against an image database, returning a ranked set of “similar” cell images from the database. To perform NGI testbed evaluations, we used a cluster of nine parallel computation workstations configured as three subclusters using Cisco routers. This architecture provides a local “simulated Internet” in which we explored the following QoS strategies: (1) first-in-first-out queuing, (2) priority queuing, (3) weighted fair queuing, (4) weighted random early detection, and (5) traffic shaping. The study describes the results of using these strategies with a distributed version of the PathMaster system in the presence of different amounts of competing network traffic and discusses certain of the issues that arise. The goal of the study is to help introduce NGI QoS issues to the Medical Informatics community and to use the PathMaster NGI testbed to illustrate concretely certain of the QoS issues that arise. PMID:12223501

  11. Increasing Flexibility in Energy Code Compliance: Performance Packages

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

    Hart, Philip R.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

    Energy codes and standards have provided significant increases in building efficiency over the last 38 years, since the first national energy code was published in late 1975. The most commonly used path in energy codes, the prescriptive path, appears to be reaching a point of diminishing returns. As the code matures, the prescriptive path becomes more complicated, and also more restrictive. It is likely that an approach that considers the building as an integrated system will be necessary to achieve the next real gains in building efficiency. Performance code paths are increasing in popularity; however, there remains a significant designmore » team overhead in following the performance path, especially for smaller buildings. This paper focuses on development of one alternative format, prescriptive packages. A method to develop building-specific prescriptive packages is reviewed based on a multiple runs of prototypical building models that are used to develop parametric decision analysis to determines a set of packages with equivalent energy performance. The approach is designed to be cost-effective and flexible for the design team while achieving a desired level of energy efficiency performance. A demonstration of the approach based on mid-sized office buildings with two HVAC system types is shown along with a discussion of potential applicability in the energy code process.« less

  12. Geometric Hitting Set for Segments of Few Orientations

    DOE PAGES

    Fekete, Sandor P.; Huang, Kan; Mitchell, Joseph S. B.; ...

    2016-01-13

    Here we study several natural instances of the geometric hitting set problem for input consisting of sets of line segments (and rays, lines) having a small number of distinct slopes. These problems model path monitoring (e.g., on road networks) using the fewest sensors (the \\hitting points"). We give approximation algorithms for cases including (i) lines of 3 slopes in the plane, (ii) vertical lines and horizontal segments, (iii) pairs of horizontal/vertical segments. Lastly, we give hardness and hardness of approximation results for these problems. We prove that the hitting set problem for vertical lines and horizontal rays is polynomially solvable.

  13. 78 FR 66903 - Meeting of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-07

    ... mission sets such as security forces, civil engineering and science and technology. -- Projections and... Airmen to move from any component into another at multiple points in their career path without prejudice...

  14. Universal Health Coverage - The Critical Importance of Global Solidarity and Good Governance Comment on "Ethical Perspective: Five Unacceptable Trade-offs on the Path to Universal Health Coverage".

    PubMed

    Reis, Andreas A

    2016-06-07

    This article provides a commentary to Ole Norheim' s editorial entitled "Ethical perspective: Five unacceptable trade-offs on the path to universal health coverage." It reinforces its message that an inclusive, participatory process is essential for ethical decision-making and underlines the crucial importance of good governance in setting fair priorities in healthcare. Solidarity on both national and international levels is needed to make progress towards the goal of universal health coverage (UHC). © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  15. Design of supercritical cascades with high solidity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sanz, J. M.

    1982-01-01

    The method of complex characteristics of Garabedian and Korn was successfully used to design shockless cascades with solidities of up to one. A code was developed using this method and a new hodograph transformation of the flow onto an ellipse. This code allows the design of cascades with solidities of up to two and larger turning angles. The equations of potential flow are solved in a complex hodograph like domain by setting a characteristic initial value problem and integrating along suitable paths. The topology that the new mapping introduces permits a simpler construction of these paths of integration.

  16. Delayed memory effects after intense stress in Special Forces candidates: exploring path processes between cortisol secretion and memory recall.

    PubMed

    Taverniers, John; Taylor, Marcus K; Smeets, Tom

    2013-05-01

    The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it explores delayed effects of high endogenously evoked cortisol concentrations on visuo-spatial declarative memory. Subsequently, it applies multiple mediation (MM) analyses to reveal path processes between stress and cognitive performance in a sample of 24 male Special Forces (SF) candidates (mean age = 27.0 years, SD = 4.1). The SF candidates were randomly assigned to a control (n = 12) or an intense stress group (n = 12), and cortisol secretion for the intense stress condition was triggered by a brusque 60 min prisoner of war exercise. Stress exposure provoked robust increases in cortisol concentrations and a significant decline in immediate recall performance, measured with the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF). The relative retrieval differences in regard to the ROCF persisted even after a recovery period of 24 h, as both groups showed similar levels of memory decline over 24 h. Next, the study applied a MM design that involved distribution-independent asymptotic and resampling strategies to extend traditional bivariate analyses. MM results showed that ROCF performance was mediated by increases in cortisol concentrations. Considering the studied variables, the current analysis was the first to provide statistical support for the generally accepted thesis that cortisol secretion in itself, rather than subjective strain or the experimental treatment, affects cognitive performance. The revelation of such path processes is important because it establishes process identification and may refine existing paradigms.

  17. Photothermal deflection technique investigation of annealing temperature and time effects on optical and thermal conductivity of V/V2O5 alternating layers structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khalfaoui, A.; Ilahi, S.; Abdel-Rahman, M.; Zia, M. F.; Alduraibi, M.; Ilahi, B.; Yacoubi, N.

    2017-10-01

    The VxOy material is fabricated by alternating multilayer of V/V2O5. Two sets of VxOy are presented annealed at 300 °C and 400 °C for 20, 30 and 40 min. We have determined optical absorption spectra of the two sets by comparison between experimental and theoretical PDS amplitude signal. In fact, a variation of the bandgap energy from 2.34eV to 2.49 eV has found for both set annealed at 300 °C and 400 °C for various annealing time. The variation of bandgap energy is discussed testifying a structural and compositional change. Moreover, thermal conductivity of the set annealed at 400 °C showed a variation from 1.96 W/m K to 6.2 W/m K noting a decrease up to 2.89 W/m K for that annealed for 30 min.

  18. Nonesterified fatty acid determination for functional lipidomics: comprehensive ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantitation, qualification, and parameter prediction.

    PubMed

    Hellmuth, Christian; Weber, Martina; Koletzko, Berthold; Peissner, Wolfgang

    2012-02-07

    Despite their central importance for lipid metabolism, straightforward quantitative methods for determination of nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) species are still missing. The protocol presented here provides unbiased quantitation of plasma NEFA species by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Simple deproteination of plasma in organic solvent solution yields high accuracy, including both the unbound and initially protein-bound fractions, while avoiding interferences from hydrolysis of esterified fatty acids from other lipid classes. Sample preparation is fast and nonexpensive, hence well suited for automation and high-throughput applications. Separation of isotopologic NEFA is achieved using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS detection. In combination with automated liquid handling, total assay time per sample is less than 15 min. The analytical spectrum extends beyond readily available NEFA standard compounds by a regression model predicting all the relevant analytical parameters (retention time, ion path settings, and response factor) of NEFA species based on chain length and number of double bonds. Detection of 50 NEFA species and accurate quantification of 36 NEFA species in human plasma is described, the highest numbers ever reported for a LC-MS application. Accuracy and precision are within widely accepted limits. The use of qualifier ions supports unequivocal analyte verification. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  19. Analysis of methylglyoxal in water and biological matrices by capillary zone electrophoresis with diode array detection.

    PubMed

    do Rosário, Pedro Miguel Alvaro; Cordeiro, Carlos A Alves; Freire, Ana Ponces; Nogueira, José M Florêncio

    2005-05-01

    We describe a new method for the determination of methylglyoxal in water and biological matrices, using o-phenylenediamine as derivatizing agent and solid-phase extraction followed by capillary zone electrophoresis with diode array detection. 25 mM sodium phosphate running buffers at pH 2.2, 30 kV, and 25 degrees C allowed the best instrumental conditions for the optimum separation of methylglyoxal in a suitable analytical time (< 10 min), using an uncoated fused-silica capillary of 75 microm inner diameter and an effective length of 45.1 cm with an extended light path and the wavelength set to 200 nm. Under optimized instrumental conditions, good reproducibility of the migration time (< 1.1%), precision (< 5%), an excellent linear dynamic range from 0.1 to 3.6 mg/L (r(2) = 0.9997), and low limits of detection (7.2 microg/L) were obtained for methylglyoxal measurements, using the internal standard methodology. Assays on laboratory-spiked tap and ground water samples allowed a remarkable accuracy, presenting yields of 95.0 +/- 4.3 and 94.0 +/- 1.1%, respectively, and good performance to determine methylglyoxal in beer and yeast cells suspensions matrices was also obtained at trace level. The present methodology is a cost-effective alternative for routine quality control analysis, showing to be reliable, sensitive, and with a low sample volume requirement to monitor methylglyoxal in water and biological matrices.

  20. An evaluation of 2 new devices for nasal high-flow gas therapy.

    PubMed

    Waugh, Jonathan B; Granger, Wesley M

    2004-08-01

    The traditional nasal cannula with bubble humidifier is limited to a maximum flow of 6 L/min to minimize the risk of complications. We conducted a bench study of 2 new Food and Drug Administration-approved nasal cannula/humidifier products designed to deliver at flows> 6 L/min. Using a digital psychrometer we measured the relative humidity and temperature of delivered gas from each device, at 5 L/min increments over the specified functional high-flow range. The Salter Labs unit achieved 72.5-78.7% relative humidity (5-15 L/min range) at ambient temperature (21-23 degrees C). The Vapotherm device achieved 99.9% relative humidity at a temperature setting of 37 degrees C (5-40 L/min). Both devices meet minimum humidification standards and offer practical new treatment options. The patient-selection criteria are primarily the severity of the patient's condition and cost.

  1. Alternative Path Communication in Wide-Scale Cluster-Tree Wireless Sensor Networks Using Inactive Periods

    PubMed Central

    Leão, Erico; Montez, Carlos; Moraes, Ricardo; Portugal, Paulo; Vasques, Francisco

    2017-01-01

    The IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee cluster-tree topology is a suitable technology to deploy wide-scale Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). These networks are usually designed to support convergecast traffic, where all communication paths go through the PAN (Personal Area Network) coordinator. Nevertheless, peer-to-peer communication relationships may be also required for different types of WSN applications. That is the typical case of sensor and actuator networks, where local control loops must be closed using a reduced number of communication hops. The use of communication schemes optimised just for the support of convergecast traffic may result in higher network congestion and in a potentially higher number of communication hops. Within this context, this paper proposes an Alternative-Route Definition (ARounD) communication scheme for WSNs. The underlying idea of ARounD is to setup alternative communication paths between specific source and destination nodes, avoiding congested cluster-tree paths. These alternative paths consider shorter inter-cluster paths, using a set of intermediate nodes to relay messages during their inactive periods in the cluster-tree network. Simulation results show that the ARounD communication scheme can significantly decrease the end-to-end communication delay, when compared to the use of standard cluster-tree communication schemes. Moreover, the ARounD communication scheme is able to reduce the network congestion around the PAN coordinator, enabling the reduction of the number of message drops due to queue overflows in the cluster-tree network. PMID:28481245

  2. Alternative Path Communication in Wide-Scale Cluster-Tree Wireless Sensor Networks Using Inactive Periods.

    PubMed

    Leão, Erico; Montez, Carlos; Moraes, Ricardo; Portugal, Paulo; Vasques, Francisco

    2017-05-06

    The IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee cluster-tree topology is a suitable technology to deploy wide-scale Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). These networks are usually designed to support convergecast traffic, where all communication paths go through the PAN (Personal Area Network) coordinator. Nevertheless, peer-to-peer communication relationships may be also required for different types of WSN applications. That is the typical case of sensor and actuator networks, where local control loops must be closed using a reduced number of communication hops. The use of communication schemes optimised just for the support of convergecast traffic may result in higher network congestion and in a potentially higher number of communication hops. Within this context, this paper proposes an Alternative-Route Definition (ARounD) communication scheme for WSNs. The underlying idea of ARounD is to setup alternative communication paths between specific source and destination nodes, avoiding congested cluster-tree paths. These alternative paths consider shorter inter-cluster paths, using a set of intermediate nodes to relay messages during their inactive periods in the cluster-tree network. Simulation results show that the ARounD communication scheme can significantly decrease the end-to-end communication delay, when compared to the use of standard cluster-tree communication schemes. Moreover, the ARounD communication scheme is able to reduce the network congestion around the PAN coordinator, enabling the reduction of the number of message drops due to queue overflows in the cluster-tree network.

  3. The theory of maximally and minimally even sets, the one- dimensional antiferromagnetic Ising model, and the continued fraction compromise of musical scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Douthett, Elwood (Jack) Moser, Jr.

    1999-10-01

    Cyclic configurations of white and black sites, together with convex (concave) functions used to weight path length, are investigated. The weights of the white set and black set are the sums of the weights of the paths connecting the white sites and black sites, respectively, and the weight between sets is the sum of the weights of the paths that connect sites opposite in color. It is shown that when the weights of all configurations of a fixed number of white and a fixed number of black sites are compared, minimum (maximum) weight of a white set, minimum (maximum) weight of the a black set, and maximum (minimum) weight between sets occur simultaneously. Such configurations are called maximally even configurations. Similarly, the configurations whose weights are the opposite extremes occur simultaneously and are called minimally even configurations. Algorithms that generate these configurations are constructed and applied to the one- dimensional antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Ising model. Next the goodness of continued fractions as applied to musical intervals (frequency ratios and their base 2 logarithms) is explored. It is shown that, for the intermediate convergents between two consecutive principal convergents of an irrational number, the first half of the intermediate convergents are poorer approximations than the preceding principal convergent while the second half are better approximations; the goodness of a middle intermediate convergent can only be determined by calculation. These convergents are used to determine what equal-tempered systems have intervals that most closely approximate the musical fifth (pn/ qn = log2(3/2)). The goodness of exponentiated convergents ( 2pn/qn~3/2 ) is also investigated. It is shown that, with the exception of a middle convergent, the goodness of the exponential form agrees with that of its logarithmic Counterpart As in the case of the logarithmic form, the goodness of a middle intermediate convergent in the exponential form can only be determined by calculation. A Desirability Function is constructed that simultaneously measures how well multiple intervals fit in a given equal-tempered system. These measurements are made for octave (base 2) and tritave systems (base 3). Combinatorial properties important to music modulation are considered. These considerations lead These considerations lead to the construction of maximally even scales as partitions of an equal-tempered system.

  4. Large Crater Clustering tool

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laura, Jason; Skinner, James A.; Hunter, Marc A.

    2017-08-01

    In this paper we present the Large Crater Clustering (LCC) tool set, an ArcGIS plugin that supports the quantitative approximation of a primary impact location from user-identified locations of possible secondary impact craters or the long-axes of clustered secondary craters. The identification of primary impact craters directly supports planetary geologic mapping and topical science studies where the chronostratigraphic age of some geologic units may be known, but more distant features have questionable geologic ages. Previous works (e.g., McEwen et al., 2005; Dundas and McEwen, 2007) have shown that the source of secondary impact craters can be estimated from secondary impact craters. This work adapts those methods into a statistically robust tool set. We describe the four individual tools within the LCC tool set to support: (1) processing individually digitized point observations (craters), (2) estimating the directional distribution of a clustered set of craters, back projecting the potential flight paths (crater clusters or linearly approximated catenae or lineaments), (3) intersecting projected paths, and (4) intersecting back-projected trajectories to approximate the local of potential source primary craters. We present two case studies using secondary impact features mapped in two regions of Mars. We demonstrate that the tool is able to quantitatively identify primary impacts and supports the improved qualitative interpretation of potential secondary crater flight trajectories.

  5. How much have California winters warmed over the last century?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, K. J.; Williams, A. P.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

    2017-09-01

    Extraordinarily warm 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winter temperatures in California accompanied by drought conditions contributed to low snow accumulations and stressed water resources, giving rise to the question: how much has California's climate warmed over the last century? We examine long-term trends in maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) daily temperatures in winter estimated from five gridded data sets. Resulting trends show some consistent features, such as higher trends in Tmin than Tmax; however, substantial differences exist in the trend magnitudes and spatial patterns due mostly to the nature of spatial interpolation employed in the different data sets. Averaged across California over 1920-2015, Tmax trends vary from -0.30 to 1.2°C/century, while Tmin trends range from 1.2 to 1.9°C/century. The differences in temperature strongly impact modeled changes in snow water equivalent over the last century (from -5.0 to -7.6 km3/century).

  6. Motility and fertilizing ability of cryopreserved Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) sperm: Effect of post-thaw storage time and different sperm-to-egg ratios.

    PubMed

    Golshahi, Karim; Shabani, Nariman; Aramli, Mohammad Sadegh; Noori, Elnaz

    2015-10-01

    This study was designed to test the effect of post-thaw storage time on sperm motility parameters of Caspian brown trout (n=7). Furthermore, we investigated the effect of sperm-to-egg ratios of 100,000:1, 300,000:1 and 600,000:1 on fertility of cryopreserved Caspian brown semen. Quality was assessed by measuring sperm motility parameters and fertilization rates at the eyed and hatching stages. The percentage of post-thawed sperm motility, curvilinear velocity (VCL) and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) were not affected by 60 min of storage, whereas a decrease in straight line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP) and linearity (LIN) were found in cryopreserved semen. Thus, the cryopreserved sperm of Caspian brown trout could be stored up to 60 min without loss of the percentage of sperm motility. The fertilization rate was not affected by 60 min of post-thaw storage and was over 70% for sperm-to-egg ratios of both 300,000 and 600,000:1. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the high post-thaw fertilization ability of Caspian brown trout semen at a sperm-to-egg ratio as low as 300,000:1. This procedure after scaling up can be recommended for routine Caspian brown trout sperm cryopreservation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Optimum Strategies for Selecting Descent Flight-Path Angles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Minghong G. (Inventor); Green, Steven M. (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    An information processing system and method for adaptively selecting an aircraft descent flight path for an aircraft, are provided. The system receives flight adaptation parameters, including aircraft flight descent time period, aircraft flight descent airspace region, and aircraft flight descent flyability constraints. The system queries a plurality of flight data sources and retrieves flight information including any of winds and temperatures aloft data, airspace/navigation constraints, airspace traffic demand, and airspace arrival delay model. The system calculates a set of candidate descent profiles, each defined by at least one of a flight path angle and a descent rate, and each including an aggregated total fuel consumption value for the aircraft following a calculated trajectory, and a flyability constraints metric for the calculated trajectory. The system selects a best candidate descent profile having the least fuel consumption value while the fly ability constraints metric remains within aircraft flight descent flyability constraints.

  8. Spin foam models for quantum gravity from lattice path integrals

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

    Bonzom, Valentin

    2009-09-15

    Spin foam models for quantum gravity are derived from lattice path integrals. The setting involves variables from both lattice BF theory and Regge calculus. The action consists in a Regge action, which depends on areas, dihedral angles and includes the Immirzi parameter. In addition, a measure is inserted to ensure a consistent gluing of simplices, so that the amplitude is dominated by configurations that satisfy the parallel transport relations. We explicitly compute the path integral as a sum over spin foams for a generic measure. The Freidel-Krasnov and Engle-Pereira-Rovelli models correspond to a special choice of gluing. In this case,more » the equations of motion describe genuine geometries, where the constraints of area-angle Regge calculus are satisfied. Furthermore, the Immirzi parameter drops out of the on-shell action, and stationarity with respect to area variations requires spacetime geometry to be flat.« less

  9. Truncation Depth Rule-of-Thumb for Convolutional Codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moision, Bruce

    2009-01-01

    In this innovation, it is shown that a commonly used rule of thumb (that the truncation depth of a convolutional code should be five times the memory length, m, of the code) is accurate only for rate 1/2 codes. In fact, the truncation depth should be 2.5 m/(1 - r), where r is the code rate. The accuracy of this new rule is demonstrated by tabulating the distance properties of a large set of known codes. This new rule was derived by bounding the losses due to truncation as a function of the code rate. With regard to particular codes, a good indicator of the required truncation depth is the path length at which all paths that diverge from a particular path have accumulated the minimum distance of the code. It is shown that the new rule of thumb provides an accurate prediction of this depth for codes of varying rates.

  10. Improved Geothermometry Through Multivariate Reaction-path Modeling and Evaluation of Geomicrobiological Influences on Geochemical Temperature Indicators: Final Report

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

    Mattson, Earl; Smith, Robert; Fujita, Yoshiko

    2015-03-01

    The project was aimed at demonstrating that the geothermometric predictions can be improved through the application of multi-element reaction path modeling that accounts for lithologic and tectonic settings, while also accounting for biological influences on geochemical temperature indicators. The limited utilization of chemical signatures by individual traditional geothermometer in the development of reservoir temperature estimates may have been constraining their reliability for evaluation of potential geothermal resources. This project, however, was intended to build a geothermometry tool which can integrate multi-component reaction path modeling with process-optimization capability that can be applied to dilute, low-temperature water samples to consistently predict reservoirmore » temperature within ±30 °C. The project was also intended to evaluate the extent to which microbiological processes can modulate the geochemical signals in some thermal waters and influence the geothermometric predictions.« less

  11. Naked reverse: unexpected plays for exceptional results.

    PubMed

    O'Connor, Edward J; Fiol, C Marlena; Dewil, Gerry

    2003-01-01

    Following the herd is easy when it comes to business ventures. But if you really want to start something new, you must first carefully think it through. Learn some ways to do that before you set out on a new path.

  12. [Mobile computing systems in preclinical care of stroke. Results of the Stroke Angel initiative within the BMBF project PerCoMed].

    PubMed

    Ziegler, V; Rashid, A; Müller-Gorchs, M; Kippnich, U; Hiermann, E; Kögerl, C; Holtmann, C; Siebler, M; Griewing, B

    2008-07-01

    Telemedical networks that apply innovative mobile information technologies (IT) are an innovative approach to improve stroke care in community settings. Within the German Stroke Angel initiative and the research project PerCoMed (Pervasive Computing in Medical Care, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, http://www.percomed.de) the effects of such a solution were assessed by an interdisciplinary research approach. The main goal of the team of researchers and practitioners was to provide clear evidence of improvements in intersectional processes of the stroke chain survival, namely in the acute stroke processes between prehospital rescue services and hospital stroke units. Between October 2005 and October 2007 the paramedical staff of five rescue service transporters in a rural area of northern Bavaria was included in a network with the stroke unit of the Neurological Clinic Bad Neustadt. Telemedical support by the Stroke Angel computing system - a software running on a personal digital assistant (PDA) to transmit patient data from the rescue team to the hospital during patient transporting time - was established. As procedural guidance, the Stroke Angel system suggests a predefined path through the necessary emergency procedures according to the structure of the mandatory protocol and the implemented Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen (LAPSS). In the empirical study the authors obtained a complete data set of 226 consecutively admitted patients for analysis in Bad Neustadt and LAPSS data of 217 patients from a second scenario in Düsseldorf. Medical, economic and technical analyses were applied. The technological robustness of the Stroke Angel system could be proven and information entered was transmitted fully and correctly. Concerning medical research questions, for both scenario locations LAPSS with a sensitivity of 68.3% and a specificity of 85.1% has to be deemed insufficient. Hence, alternative algorithms will have to be used in the next steps of evaluation. The system significantly influenced the clinical process of acute stroke management more than the preclinical ones (door-to-CT: 32 min. before and 16 min. at the end of the project). Lysis treatment rose from 6.12% (2005) to 11.17% (2007) of patients with acute stroke. From the set of perspectives taken, the study illustrates that mobile computing technologies offer new and innovative approaches to improve intersectional acute stroke care. It also teaches the participants that interdisciplinary research can significantly deepen the understanding of such technologies and projects, which can lead to better decision making concerning solution implementation, management and improvements. The approach will be brought into daily practice in Bad Neustadt/Saale within the next months.

  13. Long recovery VLF perturbations associated with lightning discharges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salut, M. M.; Abdullah, M.; Graf, K. L.; Cohen, M. B.; Cotts, B. R. T.; Kumar, Sushil

    2012-08-01

    Long D-region ionospheric recovery perturbations are a recently discovered and poorly understood subcategory of early VLF events, distinguished by exceptionally long ionospheric recovery times of up to 20 min (compared to more typical ˜1 min recovery times). Characteristics and occurrence rates of long ionospheric recovery events on the NWC transmitter signal recorded at Malaysia are presented. 48 long recovery events were observed. The location of the causative lightning discharge for each event is determined from GLD360 and WWLLN data, and each discharge is categorized as being over land or sea. Results provide strong evidence that long recovery events are attributed predominately to lightning discharges occurring over the sea, despite the fact that lightning activity in the region is more prevalent over land. Of the 48 long recovery events, 42 were attributed to lightning activity over water. Analysis of the causative lightning of long recovery events in comparison to all early VLF events reveals that these long recovery events are detectable for lighting discharges at larger distances from the signal path, indicating a different scattering pattern for long recovery events.

  14. Influence of micro-oxidation on joints of C/C composites and GH3044 for large-size aerospace parts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Xiaohong; Jin, Xiuxiu; Yan, Ningning; Yang, Li

    2017-11-01

    To improve the bonding strength of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites and GH3044 nickel-based superalloy, the bonding interlayer with Ti/Ni/Cu/Ni multiple foils were prepared by a two-step technique involving micro-oxidation and partial transient liquid phase (PTLP) process. Interface characteristics and mechanical behavior of joints were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) and energy X-ray dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Results show that a porous layer on C/C composites is formed by micro-oxidation for more than 2 min at 1073 K in air, which provides a diffusion path for liquid phase to infiltrate into C/C substrate and generate a wedge interlocking interface. After micro-oxidation for 4 min, the shear strength of joints reaches 32.09 ± 1.98 MPa what is 36.73% higher than that of joints without micro-oxidation (23.47 ± 1.15 MPa). The increase of shear strength remarkably depends on physical interlocking and chemical bonding at porous interface.

  15. Comparison of Path Length and Ranges of Movement of the Center of Pressure and Reaction Time and Between Paired-Play and Solo-Play of a Virtual Reality Game.

    PubMed

    Portnoy, Sigal; Hersch, Ayelet; Sofer, Tal; Tresser, Sarit

    2017-06-01

    To test whether paired-play will induce longer path length and ranges of movement of the center of pressure (COP), which reflects on balance performance and stability, compared to solo-play and to test the difference in the path length and ranges of movement of the COP while playing the virtual reality (VR) game with the dominant hand compared to playing it with the nondominant hand. In this cross-sectional study 20 children (age 6.1 ± 0.7 years old) played an arm movement controlled VR game alone and with a peer while each of them stood on a pressure measuring pad to track the path length and ranges of movement of the COP. The total COP path was significantly higher during the paired-play (median 295.8 cm) compared to the COP path during the solo-play (median 189.2 cm). No significant differences were found in the reaction time and the mediolateral and anterior-posterior COP ranges between solo-play and paired-play. No significant differences were found between the parameters extracted during paired-play with the dominant or nondominant hand. Our findings imply that the paired-play is advantageous compared to solo-play since it induces a greater movement for the child, during which, higher COP velocities are reached that may contribute to improving the balance control of the child. Apart from the positive social benefits of paired-play, this positive effect on the COP path length is a noteworthy added value in the clinical setting when treating children with balance disorder.

  16. Globally Optimal Path Planning with Anisotropic Running Costs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    contours were generated on a 3852 Cartesian grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 A1 The N(i, j ) set shown mapped onto Ωh as large dots for the case...function NF(x) near front set as a function of x ∈ Ωh NF(i, j ) near front set as a function of (i, j ) ∈ ΩZh Υ(x) anisotropy function at x δ Cartesian...discriminant of the polynomial p, see Equation (26) argmin argument of the minimum of a function V yz(x, ζ) see Equation (28) T (i, j ) the triplet {(i, j ), V

  17. Motion Event Similarity Judgments in One or Two Languages: An Exploration of Monolingual Speakers of English and Chinese vs. L2 Learners of English

    PubMed Central

    Ji, Yinglin

    2017-01-01

    Languages differ systematically in how to encode a motion event. English characteristically expresses manner in verb root and path in verb particle; in Chinese, varied aspects of motion, such as manner, path and cause, can be simultaneously encoded in a verb compound. This study investigates whether typological differences, as such, influence how first and second language learners conceptualize motion events, as suggested by behavioral evidences. Specifically, the performance of Chinese learners of English, at three proficiencies, was compared to that of two groups of monolingual speakers in a triads matching task. The first set of analyses regarding categorisation preferences indicates that participants across groups preferred the path-matched (rather than manner-matched) screens. However, the second set of analyses regarding reaction time suggests, firstly, that English monolingual speakers reacted significantly more quickly in selecting the manner-matched scenes compared with monolingual speakers of Chinese, who tended to use an approximately equal amount of time in making manner- and path-matched decisions, a finding that can arguably be mapped onto the typological difference between the two languages. Secondly, the pattern of response latency in low-level L2 learners looked more like that of monolingual speakers of Chinese. Only at intermediate and advanced levels of acquisition did the behavioral pattern of L2 learners become target-like, thus suggesting language-specific constraints from the L1 at an early stage of acquisition. Overall, our results suggest that motion event cognition may be linked to, among other things, the linguistic structure of motion description in particular languages. PMID:28638355

  18. Stemless Ball Valve

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burgess, Robert K.; Yakos, David; Walthall, Bryan

    2012-01-01

    This invention utilizes a new method of opening and closing a ball valve. Instead of rotating the ball with a perpendicular stem (as is the case with standard ball valves), the ball is rotated around a fixed axis by two guide pins. This innovation eliminates the leak point that is present in all standard ball valves due to the penetration of an actuation stem through the valve body. The VOST (Venturi Off-Set-Technology) valve has been developed for commercial applications. The standard version of the valve consists of an off-set venturi flow path through the valve. This path is split at the narrowest portion of the venturi, allowing the section upstream from the venturi to be rotated. As this rotation takes place, the venturi becomes restricted as one face rotates with respect to the other, eventually closing off the flow path. A spring-loaded seal made of resilient material is embedded in the upstream face of the valve, making a leak-proof seal between the faces; thus a valve is formed. The spring-loaded lip seal is the only seal that can provide a class six, or bubble-tight, seal against the opposite face of the valve. Tearing action of the seal by high-velocity gas on this early design required relocation of the seal to the downstream face of the valve. In the stemless embodiment of this valve, inner and outer magnetic cartridges are employed to transfer mechanical torque from the outside of the valve to the inside without the use of a stem. This eliminates the leak path caused by the valve stems in standard valves because the stems penetrate through the bodies of these valves.

  19. Design and baseline characteristics of the Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschoolers (STEP) study.

    PubMed

    Alhassan, Sofiya; Nwaokelemeh, Ogechi; Mendoza, Albert; Shitole, Sanyog; Whitt-Glover, Melicia C; Yancey, Antronette K

    2012-08-01

    Most preschool centers provide two 30-min sessions of gross-motor/outdoor playtime per preschool day. Within this time frame, children accumulate most of their activity within the first 10 min. This paper describes the design and baseline participant characteristics of the Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschoolers (STEP) study. The STEP study is a cluster randomized controlled study designed to examine the effects of short bouts of structured physical activity (SBS-PA) implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross-motor playtime on during-school physical activity (PA) in preschoolers. Ten preschool centers serving low-income families were randomized into SBS-PA versus unstructured PA (UPA). SBS-PA schools were asked to implement age-appropriate 10 min structured PA routines within the classroom setting, twice daily, followed by 20 min of usual unstructured playtime. UPA intervention consisted of 30 min of supervised unstructured free playtime twice daily. Interventions were implemented during the morning and afternoon designated gross-motor playtime for 30 min/session, five days/week for six months. Outcome measures were between group difference in during-preschool PA (accelerometers and direct observation) over six-months. Ten preschool centers, representing 34 classrooms and 315 children, enrolled in the study. The average age and BMI percentile for the participants was 4.1 ± 0.8 years and 69th percentile, respectively. Participants spent 74% and 6% of their preschool day engaged in sedentary and MVPA, respectively. Results from the STEP intervention could provide evidence that a PA policy that exposes preschoolers to shorter bouts of structured PA throughout the preschool day could potentially increase preschoolers' PA levels.

  20. Rapid Inpatient Titration of Intravenous Treprostinil for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Safe and Tolerable.

    PubMed

    El-Kersh, Karim; Ruf, Kathryn M; Smith, J Shaun

    There is no standard protocol for intravenous treprostinil dose escalation. In most cases, slow up-titration is performed in the outpatient setting. However, rapid up-titration in an inpatient setting is an alternative that provides opportunity for aggressive treatment of common side effects experienced during dose escalation. In this study, we describe our experience with inpatient rapid up-titration of intravenous treprostinil. This was a single-center, retrospective study in which we reviewed the data of subjects with pulmonary arterial hypertension treated at our center who underwent inpatient rapid up-titration of intravenous treprostinil. Our treprostinil dose escalation protocol included initiation at 2 ng·kg·min with subsequent up-titration by 1 ng·kg·min every 6 to 8 hours as tolerated by side effects. A total of 16 subjects were identified. Thirteen subjects were treprostinil naive (naive group), and 3 subjects were receiving subcutaneous treprostinil but were hospitalized for further intravenous up-titration of treprostinil dose (nonnaive group). In the naive group, the median maximum dose achieved was 20 ng·kg·min with an interquartile range (IQR) of 20-23 ng·kg·min. The median up-titration interval was 6 days (IQR: 4-9). In the nonnaive group, the median maximum dose achieved was 20 ng·kg·min (range: 17-30). The median up-titration interval was 8.5 days (range: 1.5-11). Overall, the median maximum dose achieved was 20 ng·kg·min (IQR: 20-23.5), and the median up-titration interval was 6 days (IQR: 4.6-9.25), with no reported significant adverse hemodynamic events. In patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, rapid inpatient titration of intravenous treprostinil is safe and tolerable.

  1. Prostacyclin and milrinone by aerosolization improve pulmonary hemodynamics in newborn lambs with experimental pulmonary hypertension.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Vasanth H; Swartz, Daniel D; Rashid, Nasir; Lakshminrusimha, Satyan; Ma, Changxing; Ryan, Rita M; Morin, Frederick C

    2010-09-01

    Aerosolized prostacyclin (PGI2) produces selective pulmonary vasodilation in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The response to PGI2 may be increased by phosphodiesterase type 3 inhibitors such as milrinone. We studied the dose response effects of aerosolized PGI2 and aerosolized milrinone both alone and in combination on pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics in newborn lambs with Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced PH. We hypothesized that coaerosolization of PGI2 with milrinone would additively decrease pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), prolong the duration of action of PGI2, and selectively dilate the pulmonary vasculature. Near-term lambs were delivered by C-section and instrumented and PH was induced by L-NAME (bolus 25 mg/kg; infusion 10 mg.kg(-1).h(-1)) and indomethacin. In the first set of experiments, PGI2 was aerosolized at random doses of 2, 20, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) followed by milrinone at doses of 0.1, 1, and 10 microg.kg(-1).min(-1) over 10 min. In the second set of experiments, milrinone at 1 microg.kg(-1).min(-1) was aerosolized in combination with PGI2 at doses of 20, 100, and 200 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) over 10 min. Pulmonary arterial pressures (PAP) and PVR decreased significantly with increasing doses of aerosolized PGI2 and milrinone. The combination of PGI2 and milrinone significantly reduced PAP and PVR more than either of the drugs aerosolized alone. Addition of milrinone significantly increased the duration of action of PGI2. When aerosolized independently, PGI2 and milrinone selectively dilated the pulmonary vasculature but the combination did not. Milrinone enhances the vasodilatory effects of PGI2 on the pulmonary vasculature but caution must be exercised regarding systemic hypotension.

  2. Repeated Plyometric Exercise Attenuates Blood Glucose in Healthy Adults

    PubMed Central

    BARILLAS, SALDIAM R.; WATKINS, CASEY M.; WONG, MEGAN A.; DOBBS, IAN J.; ARCHER, DAVID C.; MUNGER, CAMERON N.; GALPIN, ANDREW J.; COBURN, JARED W.; BROWN, LEE E.

    2017-01-01

    Plyometric exercise is popular in commercial exercise programs aiming to maximize energy expenditure for weight loss. However, the effect of plyometric exercise on blood glucose is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of relatively high intensity plyometric exercise on blood glucose. Thirteen subjects (6 females age= 21.8 ± 1.0 yrs.; height= 163.7 ± 7.8 cm; mass= 60.8 ± 6.7 kg and 7 males age= 22.0 ± 2.6 yrs.; height= 182.3 ± 3.6 cm; mass= 87.4 ± 12.5 kg) volunteered to participate. Subjects completed two random conditions on two separate days, consisting of either five sets of 10 maximal effort countermovement squat jumps (SJ) with 50 seconds’ rest between sets or quiet sitting (SIT) for the time equated to the SJ duration (~4min). Immediately after each condition, subjects drank 75g of anhydrous glucose (CHO) in 100ml of water. Blood glucose measurements were taken via finger prick pre and immediately post SJ or SIT, and 5, 15, 30, and 60 min post. A 2×6 (condition × time) ANOVA revealed a significant interaction where SJ blood glucose was lower at 15 (114.0 ± 14.6 mg/dl) and 30 (142.1 ± 22.5 mg/dl) min compared to SIT (15min 130.8 ± 14.0 mg/dl and 30min 159.3 ± 21.0 mg/dl). The current plyometric protocol attenuated CHO-induced blood glucose at 15 and 30 min. This may be due to increased physiological stress applied to the muscles, thus increasing muscular glucose uptake. PMID:29170708

  3. Design and baseline characteristics of the Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschoolers (STEP) study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Most preschool centers provide two 30-min sessions of gross-motor/outdoor playtime per preschool day. Within this time frame, children accumulate most of their activity within the first 10 min. This paper describes the design and baseline participant characteristics of the Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschoolers (STEP) study. The STEP study is a cluster randomized controlled study designed to examine the effects of short bouts of structured physical activity (SBS-PA) implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross-motor playtime on during-school physical activity (PA) in preschoolers. Methods/Design Ten preschool centers serving low-income families were randomized into SBS-PA versus unstructured PA (UPA). SBS-PA schools were asked to implement age-appropriate 10 min structured PA routines within the classroom setting, twice daily, followed by 20 min of usual unstructured playtime. UPA intervention consisted of 30 min of supervised unstructured free playtime twice daily. Interventions were implemented during the morning and afternoon designated gross-motor playtime for 30 min/session, five days/week for six months. Outcome measures were between group difference in during-preschool PA (accelerometers and direct observation) over six-months. Ten preschool centers, representing 34 classrooms and 315 children, enrolled in the study. The average age and BMI percentile for the participants was 4.1 ± 0.8 years and 69th percentile, respectively. Participants spent 74% and 6% of their preschool day engaged in sedentary and MVPA, respectively. Discussion Results from the STEP intervention could provide evidence that a PA policy that exposes preschoolers to shorter bouts of structured PA throughout the preschool day could potentially increase preschoolers’ PA levels. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01588392 PMID:22853642

  4. Time devoted to pre- and post-HIV test counselling in different health services according to participants of a rapid testing program in Madrid, Spain.

    PubMed

    Hoyos Miller, Juan; Fernández-Balbuena, Sonia; Belza Egozcue, María José; García de Olalla, Patricia; Pulido Manzanero, Jose; Molist Señe, Gemma; de la Fuente de Hoz, Luis

    2014-02-01

    The role of pre- and post-test counselling in new HIV testing strategies to reduce delayed diagnosis has been debated. Data on time devoted to counselling are scarce. One approach to this problem is to explore patients' views on the time devoted to counselling by venue of their last HIV test. We analysed data from 1568 people with a previous HIV test who attended a mobile HIV testing program in Madrid between May and December 2008. The majority (71%) were men (48% had had sex with other men), 51% were <30 years, 40% were foreigners, 56% had a university degree, and 40% had the most recent HIV test within the last year. As regards pre-test counselling, 30% stated they were told only that they would receive the test; 26.3% reported <10 min; 20.4% about 10 min; and 24.2%, 15 min or more. For post-test counselling: 40.2% stated they were told only that the test was negative; 24.9% reported 2-6 min; 16.4% about 10 min; and 18.5%, 15 min or more. The percentage of participants who reported no counselling time was higher among those tested in general health services: primary care, hospital settings and private laboratories (over 40% in pre-test, over 50% in post-test counselling). Women received less counselling time than men in almost all settings. Policies to expand HIV testing in general health services should take this current medical behaviour into account. Any mention of the need for counselling can be a barrier to expansion, because HIV is becoming less of a priority in developed countries. Oral consent should be the only requirement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  5. The impact of place of enrollment and delay to reperfusion on 90-day post-infarction mortality in the ASSENT-4 PCI trial: assessment of the safety and efficacy of a new treatment strategy with percutaneous coronary intervention.

    PubMed

    Ross, Allan M; Huber, Kurt; Zeymer, Uwe; Armstrong, Paul W; Granger, Christopher B; Goldstein, Patrick; Bogaerts, Kris; Van de Werf, Frans

    2009-10-01

    We have performed a retrospective analysis of the data stratified by time to treatment and by enrollment site: percutaneous coronary intervention hospitals (PCIH), nonpercutaneous coronary intervention hospitals (NoPCIH), or in a pre-hospital setting (PreH). The ASSENT-4 PCI (Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Treatment Strategy with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) trial intended to test the hypothesis that in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients an upfront fibrinolytic bolus before PCI ("facilitated PCI") compared with primary PCI would benefit STEMI patients facing a long pre-PCI delay. Seven hundred forty-nine patients (45%) presented directly to PCIH, 578 (34%) presented to NoPCIH, and 334 (20%) were randomized and initially treated in the PreH setting. Patients in the PreH-facilitated group had the shortest delays (pain-to-fibrinolytic treatment 125 min) and the lowest 90-day mortality (3.1%). Among patients randomized to primary PCI, the shortest time from pain to first balloon was similarly in the PreH group (223 min). They had the lowest mortality of the primary PCI patient groups (4.1%). The highest mortality (8.4%) was in patients presenting to a PCIH and assigned to the facilitated strategy. Their pain-to-lysis time was 174 min and pain-to-PCI time 266 min (or 92 min after lysis). Few patients fit the target population, long delays to PCI for whom facilitated PCI was designed. Patients treated early after pain onset in the PreH setting do well after a facilitated approach. Despite limitations of post hoc subgroup analysis, these observations suggest caution in extrapolating the results of the ASSENT-4 trial to the "real world" where many patients might have potentially short pain-to-fibrinolysis time but are facing a long transport time to primary PCI.

  6. The role of resting duration in the kinematic pattern of two consecutive bench press sets to failure in elite sprint kayakers.

    PubMed

    García-López, D; Herrero, J A; Abadía, O; García-Isla, F J; Ualí, I; Izquierdo, M

    2008-09-01

    This study aimed to investigate the role of rest period duration (RP) on the time course of the acceleration portion (AP) and mean velocity of the concentric phase across two bench press sets to failure with a submaximal load (60% of the 1RM) using different RP. Ten elite junior kayakers performed, on four different days, two consecutive bench press sets to failure, allowing randomly 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-min RP between sets. AP reached a maximal value of 66% of the concentric movement time. This maximal AP was observed in repetition number 2 or 3, and then AP declined during the set, with a significant decrease when the number of repetitions was over 80% of the total number of repetitions performed. AP and lifting velocity patterns of the concentric phase were not altered during a second set to failure, regardless of RP. However, when velocity was expressed in absolute terms, 1-min RP was insufficient to maintain the average lifting velocity during the second set, compared to the first one. These results may be of use in selecting number of repetitions and resting duration in order to ensure optimal maintenance of the accelerative portion of concentric movement time with different resting-period durations.

  7. Path Similarity Analysis: A Method for Quantifying Macromolecular Pathways

    PubMed Central

    Seyler, Sean L.; Kumar, Avishek; Thorpe, M. F.; Beckstein, Oliver

    2015-01-01

    Diverse classes of proteins function through large-scale conformational changes and various sophisticated computational algorithms have been proposed to enhance sampling of these macromolecular transition paths. Because such paths are curves in a high-dimensional space, it has been difficult to quantitatively compare multiple paths, a necessary prerequisite to, for instance, assess the quality of different algorithms. We introduce a method named Path Similarity Analysis (PSA) that enables us to quantify the similarity between two arbitrary paths and extract the atomic-scale determinants responsible for their differences. PSA utilizes the full information available in 3N-dimensional configuration space trajectories by employing the Hausdorff or Fréchet metrics (adopted from computational geometry) to quantify the degree of similarity between piecewise-linear curves. It thus completely avoids relying on projections into low dimensional spaces, as used in traditional approaches. To elucidate the principles of PSA, we quantified the effect of path roughness induced by thermal fluctuations using a toy model system. Using, as an example, the closed-to-open transitions of the enzyme adenylate kinase (AdK) in its substrate-free form, we compared a range of protein transition path-generating algorithms. Molecular dynamics-based dynamic importance sampling (DIMS) MD and targeted MD (TMD) and the purely geometric FRODA (Framework Rigidity Optimized Dynamics Algorithm) were tested along with seven other methods publicly available on servers, including several based on the popular elastic network model (ENM). PSA with clustering revealed that paths produced by a given method are more similar to each other than to those from another method and, for instance, that the ENM-based methods produced relatively similar paths. PSA applied to ensembles of DIMS MD and FRODA trajectories of the conformational transition of diphtheria toxin, a particularly challenging example, showed that the geometry-based FRODA occasionally sampled the pathway space of force field-based DIMS MD. For the AdK transition, the new concept of a Hausdorff-pair map enabled us to extract the molecular structural determinants responsible for differences in pathways, namely a set of conserved salt bridges whose charge-charge interactions are fully modelled in DIMS MD but not in FRODA. PSA has the potential to enhance our understanding of transition path sampling methods, validate them, and to provide a new approach to analyzing conformational transitions. PMID:26488417

  8. Analysis of Spatial Distribution And Statistical Characteristics of Typhoon In The Western Pacific Based On Spatial Point Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jingmei; Gong, Adu; Li, Jing; Chen, Yanling

    2017-04-01

    Typhoon is a kind of strong weather system formed in tropical or subtropical oceans. China, located on the west side of the Pacific Ocean, is the country affected by the typhoon most frequently and seriously. To provide theoretical support for effectively reducing the damage caused by typhoon, the variation law of typhoon frequency is explored by analyzing the distribution of typhoon path and landing sites, sphere of influence, and the statistical characteristics of typhoon for every 5 years. In this study, the typhoon point data set was formed using the Best Path Data Set (0.1 ° × 0.1 °) compiled by China Meteorological Administration from 1950 to 2014. By using the tool of Point to Line in software ArgGIS, the typhoon paths are produced from the point data set. The influence sphere of typhoon is calculated from Euclidean distance of typhoon, whose threshold is set to 1°.The typhoon landing site was extracted by using the Chinese vector layer provided by the research group. By counting the frequency of typhoons, the landing sites, and the sphere of influence, some conclusions can be drawn as follows. In recent years, the number of typhoons generated has been reduced, typhoon intensity is relatively stable, but the impact of typhoon area has increased. Specific performance can be seen from the typhoon statistical and spatial distribution characteristics in China. In terms of frequency of typhoon landing, the number of typhoons landing in China has increased while the total number of typhoons is reduced. In terms of distribution of landing sites, the range of typhoon landing fluctuates. However, during the process of fluctuation, the range is gradually expanding. For example, in south of China, Hainan Island is affected by typhoon more frequently meanwhile China's northeast region is also gradually affected, which is extremely unusual before. Key words: spatial point model, distribution of typhoon, frequency of typhoon

  9. Occupational stress and strain in relation to personal protective equipment of Japanese firefighters assessed by a questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Son, Su-Young; Lee, Joo-Young; Tochihara, Yutaka

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to elucidate differences in actual work environments, mobility and satisfaction between firefighters wearing aluminized and non-aluminized personal protective equipment (PPE), and to suggest a proper standard test method for Japanese firefighters' PPE. A survey from two cities in Japan (City A: aluminized PPE; City B: non aluminized PPE) was undertaken. A total of 525 firefighters from City A and 757 from City B participated. Firefighters spent 22.5 min (City A) and 27.3 min (City B) on average firefighting with the full set of PPE in one incident, but the heat strain experienced among firefighters from City A was twice that of firefighters from City B (57.5% and 28.4%). Firefighters spent 65.9 min on one incident and 24.2 min for suppression of fire with the full set of PPE on average. The toughest task that caused physical strain in City A was 'stair climbing' and in City B was 'drawing up a hose filled with water'. The most restricted body region due to PPE was the knee for both groups. Evaluations revealed that the aluminized fire jacket had worse ventilation and mobility than the non-aluminized, while the non-aluminized one received with more unfavorable evaluations for water resistance and maintainability.

  10. [Determination of methyl nonyl ketone in volatile oil from herbs of Houttuynia cordata by GC-MS].

    PubMed

    Yang, Lixin; Zhang, Yongxin; Yi, Hong; Yang, Hua; Zhang, Qiwei

    2010-08-01

    To develop a GC-MS method for the determination of methyl nonyl ketone in the volatile oil from the herbs of Houttuynia cordata. The sample was split in the 240 degrees C injection port, with 20:1 split ratio, and separated on a DB-5 (30 m x 0.25 mm, 0.25 microm film thickness) fused silica column with helium as the carrier gas. The temperature program was as follows: 100 degrees C for 2 min, the 5 degrees C x min(-1) to 150 degrees C, then 15 degrees C x min(-1) to 200 degrees C, and kept for 10 min. The MS transfer line temperature was set to 250 degrees C, the MS source temperature was set to 200 degrees C. The ionization mode was electron ionization (EI) and the selective ion monitor mode was used. A good linear relationship was constructed over the injection amount range of 5.5-110 ng of methyl nonyl ketone. The average recovery was 98.9%, and RSD was 2. 2%. The developed method was sensitive, accurate, and can be used for the determination of methyl nonyl ketone in the volatile oil and for the quality control of H. cordata.

  11. Physiological responses to simulated firefighter exercise protocols in varying environments.

    PubMed

    Horn, Gavin P; Kesler, Richard M; Motl, Robert W; Hsiao-Wecksler, Elizabeth T; Klaren, Rachel E; Ensari, Ipek; Petrucci, Matthew N; Fernhall, Bo; Rosengren, Karl S

    2015-01-01

    For decades, research to quantify the effects of firefighting activities and personal protective equipment on physiology and biomechanics has been conducted in a variety of testing environments. It is unknown if these different environments provide similar information and comparable responses. A novel Firefighting Activities Station, which simulates four common fireground tasks, is presented for use with an environmental chamber in a controlled laboratory setting. Nineteen firefighters completed three different exercise protocols following common research practices. Simulated firefighting activities conducted in an environmental chamber or live-fire structures elicited similar physiological responses (max heart rate: 190.1 vs 188.0 bpm, core temperature response: 0.047°C/min vs 0.043°C/min) and accelerometry counts. However, the response to a treadmill protocol commonly used in laboratory settings resulted in significantly lower heart rate (178.4 vs 188.0 bpm), core temperature response (0.037°C/min vs 0.043°C/min) and physical activity counts compared with firefighting activities in the burn building. Practitioner Summary: We introduce a new approach for simulating realistic firefighting activities in a controlled laboratory environment for ergonomics assessment of fire service equipment and personnel. Physiological responses to this proposed protocol more closely replicate those from live-fire activities than a traditional treadmill protocol and are simple to replicate and standardise.

  12. Effect of automatic cluster removers on milking efficiency and teat condition of Manchega ewes.

    PubMed

    Bueso-Ródenas, J; Romero, G; Arias, R; Rodríguez, A M; Díaz, J R

    2015-06-01

    Milking operations represent more than 50% of the work on a dairy ewe farm. The implementation of automatic cluster removers (ACR) is gaining popularity, as it allows the operator to avoid manual cluster detachments, simplifying the milking routines. The aim of this study was to discover the effect on the milking of Manchega ewes over an entire lactation period by using this type of devices, set up with 2 different combinations of milk flow threshold (MF) and delay time (DT) and comparing them with the traditional method using manual cluster removal. During a 15-d pre-experimental period, the animals were milked without ACR and sampling was performed to select 108 ewes and distribute them into 3 groups of similar characteristics according to their parity, milk yield, milking duration, and mammary gland sanitary status. Later, each group was milked for a duration of 4 mo in 3 different conditions: 1 with manual cluster removal, the second setting the ACR at MF 150 g/min and DT 20 s, and the third setting the ACR at MF 200 g/min and DT 10 s. Samplings of milking fraction, milking duration, milk composition, mammary gland sanitary status, teat-end status, and vacuum level in the short milk tubes during milking were performed. The use of ACR limited the vacuum drops in the short milk tubes and the edema in the teat end after milking, although no reduction in the number of new cases of mastitis was observed and the milk composition did not change. Moreover, it was noted that the use of ACR set with MF 150 g/min and DT 20 s was more efficient than the manual cluster removal, as it obtained a similar amount of extracted milk but took less time. Conversely, the use of ACR set with MF 200 g/min and DT 10 s involved a higher reduction in individual milking duration and the milking duration of groups of animals but reduced milk extracted. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Enhancing Performance and Bit Rates in a Brain-Computer Interface System With Phase-to-Amplitude Cross-Frequency Coupling: Evidences From Traditional c-VEP, Fast c-VEP, and SSVEP Designs.

    PubMed

    Dimitriadis, Stavros I; Marimpis, Avraam D

    2018-01-01

    A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a channel of communication that transforms brain activity into specific commands for manipulating a personal computer or other home or electrical devices. In other words, a BCI is an alternative way of interacting with the environment by using brain activity instead of muscles and nerves. For that reason, BCI systems are of high clinical value for targeted populations suffering from neurological disorders. In this paper, we present a new processing approach in three publicly available BCI data sets: (a) a well-known multi-class ( N = 6) coded-modulated Visual Evoked potential (c-VEP)-based BCI system for able-bodied and disabled subjects; (b) a multi-class ( N = 32) c-VEP with slow and fast stimulus representation; and (c) a steady-state Visual Evoked potential (SSVEP) multi-class ( N = 5) flickering BCI system. Estimating cross-frequency coupling (CFC) and namely δ-θ [δ: (0.5-4 Hz), θ: (4-8 Hz)] phase-to-amplitude coupling (PAC) within sensor and across experimental time, we succeeded in achieving high classification accuracy and Information Transfer Rates (ITR) in the three data sets. Our approach outperformed the originally presented ITR on the three data sets. The bit rates obtained for both the disabled and able-bodied subjects reached the fastest reported level of 324 bits/min with the PAC estimator. Additionally, our approach outperformed alternative signal features such as the relative power (29.73 bits/min) and raw time series analysis (24.93 bits/min) and also the original reported bit rates of 10-25 bits/min . In the second data set, we succeeded in achieving an average ITR of 124.40 ± 11.68 for the slow 60 Hz and an average ITR of 233.99 ± 15.75 for the fast 120 Hz. In the third data set, we succeeded in achieving an average ITR of 106.44 ± 8.94. Current methodology outperforms any previous methodologies applied to each of the three free available BCI datasets.

  14. An experimental study of dependence of hydro turbine vibration parameters on pressure pulsations in the flow path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dekterev, D.; Maslennikova, A.; Abramov, A.

    2017-09-01

    The operation modes of the hydraulic power plant water turbine with the formation of a precessing vortex core were studied on the hydrodynamic set-up with the model of hydraulic unit. The dependence of low-frequency vibrations on flow pressure pulsations in the hydraulic unit was established. The results of the air injection effect on the vibrational parameters of the hydrodynamic set-up were presented.

  15. Path-Dependent Travel Time Prediction Variance and Covariance for a Global Tomographic P- and S-Velocity Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hipp, J. R.; Ballard, S.; Begnaud, M. L.; Encarnacao, A. V.; Young, C. J.; Phillips, W. S.

    2015-12-01

    Recently our combined SNL-LANL research team has succeeded in developing a global, seamless 3D tomographic P- and S-velocity model (SALSA3D) that provides superior first P and first S travel time predictions at both regional and teleseismic distances. However, given the variable data quality and uneven data sampling associated with this type of model, it is essential that there be a means to calculate high-quality estimates of the path-dependent variance and covariance associated with the predicted travel times of ray paths through the model. In this paper, we describe a methodology for accomplishing this by exploiting the full model covariance matrix and show examples of path-dependent travel time prediction uncertainty computed from our latest tomographic model. Typical global 3D SALSA3D models have on the order of 1/2 million nodes, so the challenge in calculating the covariance matrix is formidable: 0.9 TB storage for 1/2 of a symmetric matrix, necessitating an Out-Of-Core (OOC) blocked matrix solution technique. With our approach the tomography matrix (G which includes a prior model covariance constraint) is multiplied by its transpose (GTG) and written in a blocked sub-matrix fashion. We employ a distributed parallel solution paradigm that solves for (GTG)-1 by assigning blocks to individual processing nodes for matrix decomposition update and scaling operations. We first find the Cholesky decomposition of GTG which is subsequently inverted. Next, we employ OOC matrix multiplication methods to calculate the model covariance matrix from (GTG)-1 and an assumed data covariance matrix. Given the model covariance matrix, we solve for the travel-time covariance associated with arbitrary ray-paths by summing the model covariance along both ray paths. Setting the paths equal and taking the square root yields the travel prediction uncertainty for the single path.

  16. Descriptive figures for differences in parenting and infant night-time distress in the first three months of age.

    PubMed

    St James-Roberts, Ian; Roberts, Marion; Hovish, Kimberly; Owen, Charlie

    2016-11-01

    Aim To provide descriptive figures for infant distress and associated parenting at night in normal London home environments during the first three months of age. Most western infants develop long night-time sleep periods by four months of age. However, 30% of infants in many countries sleep for short periods and cry out on waking in the night: the most common type of infant sleep behaviour problem. Preventive interventions may help families and improve services. There is evidence that 'limit-setting' parenting, which is common in western cultures, supports the development of settled infant night-time behaviour. However, a recent review has challenged this and argued that this form of parenting risks distressing infants. This study describes limit-setting parenting as practiced in London, compares it with 'infant-cued' parenting and measures the associated infant distress. Longitudinal infrared video, diary and questionnaire observations comparing a General-Community (n=101) group and subgroups with a Bed-Sharing (n=19) group on measures of infant and parenting behaviours at night. Findings General-Community parents took longer to detect and respond to infant waking and signalling, and to begin feeding, compared with the highly infant-cued care provided by Bed-Sharing parents. The average latency in General-Community parents' responding to infant night-time waking was 3.5 min, during which infants fuss/cried for around 1 min. Compared with Bed-Sharing parenting, General-Community parenting was associated with increased infant distress of around 30 min/night at two weeks, reducing to 12 min/night by three months of age. However, differences in infant distress between General-Community subgroups adopting limit-setting versus infant-cued parenting were not large or statistically significant at any age. The figures provide descriptive evidence about limit-setting parenting which may counter some doubts about this form of parenting and help parents and professionals to make choices.

  17. Evaluation of a virtual-reality-based simulator using passive haptic feedback for knee arthroscopy.

    PubMed

    Fucentese, Sandro F; Rahm, Stefan; Wieser, Karl; Spillmann, Jonas; Harders, Matthias; Koch, Peter P

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this work is to determine face validity and construct validity of a new virtual-reality-based simulator for diagnostic and therapeutic knee arthroscopy. The study tests a novel arthroscopic simulator based on passive haptics. Sixty-eight participants were grouped into novices, intermediates, and experts. All participants completed two exercises. In order to establish face validity, all participants filled out a questionnaire concerning different aspects of simulator realism, training capacity, and different statements using a seven-point Likert scale (range 1-7). Construct validity was tested by comparing various simulator metric values between novices and experts. Face validity could be established: overall realism was rated with a mean value of 5.5 points. Global training capacity scored a mean value of 5.9. Participants considered the simulator as useful for procedural training of diagnostic and therapeutic arthroscopy. In the foreign body removal exercise, experts were overall significantly faster in the whole procedure (6 min 24 s vs. 8 min 24 s, p < 0.001), took less time to complete the diagnostic tour (2 min 49 s vs. 3 min 32 s, p = 0.027), and had a shorter camera path length (186 vs. 246 cm, p = 0.006). The simulator achieved high scores in terms of realism. It was regarded as a useful training tool, which is also capable of differentiating between varying levels of arthroscopic experience. Nevertheless, further improvements of the simulator especially in the field of therapeutic arthroscopy are desirable. In general, the findings support that virtual-reality-based simulation using passive haptics has the potential to complement conventional training of knee arthroscopy skills. II.

  18. Impact of Dean Vortices on the Integrity Testing of a Continuous Viral Inactivation Reactor.

    PubMed

    Amarikwa, Linus; Orozco, Raquel; Brown, Matthew; Coffman, Jon

    2018-05-26

    We propose a standard protocol for integrity testing the residence-time distribution (RTD) in a "Jig in a Box" design (JIB)-a previously described tortuous-path, tubular, low-pH, continuous viral inactivation reactor, ensuring that biopharmaceutical products will be incubated for the required minimum residence time, t min . t min is the time by which just 0.001% of the total product containing virus has exited the incubation chamber (i.e., t 0.00001 ). This t 0.00001 is selected to ensure a >4-log reduction in viral load. As current tracers and in-line analytical technologies may not be able to detect tracers at the 0.001% level, an alternative approach is required. The authors describe a method for deriving t min from t 0.005 (i.e., the time at which 0.5% of the product has emerged from the reactor outlet) and an experimentally confirmed offset value, t offset  = t 0.005 -t 0.00001 . The authors also evaluate tracer candidates-including 100-nm-diameter gold nanoparticles, dextrose, monoclonal antibody, and riboflavin-for pre-process acceptability and the effects of viscosity, molecular diffusion coefficient, and particle size. The authors show that a JIB will yield t min and RTDs that are nearly identical for multiple tracers due to Dean vortex induced mixing. Results indicate that almost any small-molecule tracer that is generally recognized as safe can be used in pre-use integrity testing of a continuous viral inactivation reactor under the Deans values (De) of 119-595. © 2018 Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont Inc. Biotechnology Journal published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Towards Automated Three-Dimensional Tracking of Nephrons through Stacked Histological Image Sets

    PubMed Central

    Bhikha, Charita; Andreasen, Arne; Christensen, Erik I.; Letts, Robyn F. R.; Pantanowitz, Adam; Rubin, David M.; Thomsen, Jesper S.; Zhai, Xiao-Yue

    2015-01-01

    An automated approach for tracking individual nephrons through three-dimensional histological image sets of mouse and rat kidneys is presented. In a previous study, the available images were tracked manually through the image sets in order to explore renal microarchitecture. The purpose of the current research is to reduce the time and effort required to manually trace nephrons by creating an automated, intelligent system as a standard tool for such datasets. The algorithm is robust enough to isolate closely packed nephrons and track their convoluted paths despite a number of nonideal, interfering conditions such as local image distortions, artefacts, and interstitial tissue interference. The system comprises image preprocessing, feature extraction, and a custom graph-based tracking algorithm, which is validated by a rule base and a machine learning algorithm. A study of a selection of automatically tracked nephrons, when compared with manual tracking, yields a 95% tracking accuracy for structures in the cortex, while those in the medulla have lower accuracy due to narrower diameter and higher density. Limited manual intervention is introduced to improve tracking, enabling full nephron paths to be obtained with an average of 17 manual corrections per mouse nephron and 58 manual corrections per rat nephron. PMID:26170896

  20. Towards Automated Three-Dimensional Tracking of Nephrons through Stacked Histological Image Sets.

    PubMed

    Bhikha, Charita; Andreasen, Arne; Christensen, Erik I; Letts, Robyn F R; Pantanowitz, Adam; Rubin, David M; Thomsen, Jesper S; Zhai, Xiao-Yue

    2015-01-01

    An automated approach for tracking individual nephrons through three-dimensional histological image sets of mouse and rat kidneys is presented. In a previous study, the available images were tracked manually through the image sets in order to explore renal microarchitecture. The purpose of the current research is to reduce the time and effort required to manually trace nephrons by creating an automated, intelligent system as a standard tool for such datasets. The algorithm is robust enough to isolate closely packed nephrons and track their convoluted paths despite a number of nonideal, interfering conditions such as local image distortions, artefacts, and interstitial tissue interference. The system comprises image preprocessing, feature extraction, and a custom graph-based tracking algorithm, which is validated by a rule base and a machine learning algorithm. A study of a selection of automatically tracked nephrons, when compared with manual tracking, yields a 95% tracking accuracy for structures in the cortex, while those in the medulla have lower accuracy due to narrower diameter and higher density. Limited manual intervention is introduced to improve tracking, enabling full nephron paths to be obtained with an average of 17 manual corrections per mouse nephron and 58 manual corrections per rat nephron.

  1. Decreased Movement Path Tortuosity Is Associated With Improved Functional Status in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury.

    PubMed

    Kearns, William D; Scott, Steven; Fozard, James L; Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Christina; Jasiewicz, Jan M

    2016-01-01

    To determine if movement path tortuosity in everyday ambulation decreases in Veterans being treated in a residential setting for traumatic brain injury. Elevated path tortuosity is observed in assisted living facility residents with cognitive impairment and at risk for falls, and tortuosity may decrease over the course of cognitive rehabilitation received by the Veterans. If observed, decreased tortuosity may be linked to improved clinical outcomes. Longitudinal observational study without random assignment. Veterans Affairs Medical Center inpatient residential polytrauma treatment facility. Twenty-two Veterans enrolled in a postacute predischarge residential polytrauma treatment facility. None, observation-only. Mayo-Portland Adaptability Index-4, and movement path tortuosity measured by Fractal Dimension (Fractal D). Fractal D was obtained continuously from an indoor movement tracking system primarily used to provide machine-generated prompts and reminders to facilitate activities of daily living. Patients were deemed "responders" (N = 10) if a significant linear decline in Fractal D occurred over the course of treatment, or nonresponders (N = 12) if no significant decline was observed. Responders had lower discharge Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory scores (mean = 32.6, SD = 9.53) than non-responders (mean = 39.5, SD = 6.02) (F = 2.07, df = 20, P = .05). Responders and nonresponders did not differ on initial injury severity or other demographic measures. Fractal D, a relatively simple measure of movement path tortuosity can be linked to functional recovery from traumatic brain injury.

  2. Robust Path Planning and Feedback Design Under Stochastic Uncertainty

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blackmore, Lars

    2008-01-01

    Autonomous vehicles require optimal path planning algorithms to achieve mission goals while avoiding obstacles and being robust to uncertainties. The uncertainties arise from exogenous disturbances, modeling errors, and sensor noise, which can be characterized via stochastic models. Previous work defined a notion of robustness in a stochastic setting by using the concept of chance constraints. This requires that mission constraint violation can occur with a probability less than a prescribed value.In this paper we describe a novel method for optimal chance constrained path planning with feedback design. The approach optimizes both the reference trajectory to be followed and the feedback controller used to reject uncertainty. Our method extends recent results in constrained control synthesis based on convex optimization to solve control problems with nonconvex constraints. This extension is essential for path planning problems, which inherently have nonconvex obstacle avoidance constraints. Unlike previous approaches to chance constrained path planning, the new approach optimizes the feedback gain as wellas the reference trajectory.The key idea is to couple a fast, nonconvex solver that does not take into account uncertainty, with existing robust approaches that apply only to convex feasible regions. By alternating between robust and nonrobust solutions, the new algorithm guarantees convergence to a global optimum. We apply the new method to an unmanned aircraft and show simulation results that demonstrate the efficacy of the approach.

  3. Scheduling Capacitated One-Way Vehicles on Paths with Deadlines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uchida, Jun; Karuno, Yoshiyuki; Nagamochi, Hiroshi

    In this paper, we deal with a scheduling problem of minimizing the number of employed vehicles on paths. Let G=(V,E) be a path with a set V={vi|i=1,2,...,n} of vertices and a set E={{vi,vi+1}|i=1,2,...,n-1} of edges. Vehicles with capacity b are initially situated at v1. There is a job i at each vertex vi∈V, which has its own handling time hi and deadline di. With each edge {vi,vi+1}∈E, a travel time wi,i+1 is associated. Each job is processed by exactly one vehicle, and the number of jobs processed by a vehicle does not exceed the capacity b. A routing of a vehicle is called one-way if the vehicle visits every edge {vi,vi+1} exactly once (i.e., it simply moves from v1 to vn on G). Any vehicle is assumed to follow the one-way routing constraint. The problem asks to find a schedule that minimizes the number of one-way vehicles, meeting the deadline and capacity constraints. A greedy heuristic is proposed, which repeats a dynamic programming procedure for a single one-way vehicle problem of maximizing the number of non-tardy jobs. We show that the greedy heuristic runs in O(n3) time, and the approximation ratio is at most ln b+1.

  4. Interoperative efficiency in minimally invasive surgery suites.

    PubMed

    van Det, M J; Meijerink, W J H J; Hoff, C; Pierie, J P E N

    2009-10-01

    Performing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in a conventional operating room (OR) requires additional specialized equipment otherwise stored outside the OR. Before the procedure, the OR team must collect, prepare, and connect the equipment, then take it away afterward. These extra tasks pose a thread to OR efficiency and may lengthen turnover times. The dedicated MIS suite has permanently installed laparoscopic equipment that is operational on demand. This study presents two experiments that quantify the superior efficiency of the MIS suite in the interoperative period. Preoperative setup and postoperative breakdown times in the conventional OR and the MIS suite in an experimental setting and in daily practice were analyzed. In the experimental setting, randomly chosen OR teams simulated the setup and breakdown for a standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and a complex laparoscopic sigmoid resection (LS). In the clinical setting, the interoperative period for 66 LCs randomly assigned to the conventional OR or the MIS suite were analyzed. In the experimental setting, the setup and breakdown times were significantly shorter in the MIS suite. The difference between the two types of OR increased for the complex procedure: 2:41 min for the LC (p < 0.001) and 10:47 min for the LS (p < 0.001). In the clinical setting, the setup and breakdown times as a whole were not reduced in the MIS suite. Laparoscopic setup and breakdown times were significantly shorter in the MIS suite (mean difference, 5:39 min; p < 0.001). Efficiency during the interoperative period is significantly improved in the MIS suite. The OR nurses' tasks are relieved, which may reduce mental and physical workload and improve job satisfaction and patient safety. Due to simultaneous tasks of other disciplines, an overall turnover time reduction could not be achieved.

  5. Improving CNN Performance Accuracies With Min-Max Objective.

    PubMed

    Shi, Weiwei; Gong, Yihong; Tao, Xiaoyu; Wang, Jinjun; Zheng, Nanning

    2017-06-09

    We propose a novel method for improving performance accuracies of convolutional neural network (CNN) without the need to increase the network complexity. We accomplish the goal by applying the proposed Min-Max objective to a layer below the output layer of a CNN model in the course of training. The Min-Max objective explicitly ensures that the feature maps learned by a CNN model have the minimum within-manifold distance for each object manifold and the maximum between-manifold distances among different object manifolds. The Min-Max objective is general and able to be applied to different CNNs with insignificant increases in computation cost. Moreover, an incremental minibatch training procedure is also proposed in conjunction with the Min-Max objective to enable the handling of large-scale training data. Comprehensive experimental evaluations on several benchmark data sets with both the image classification and face verification tasks reveal that employing the proposed Min-Max objective in the training process can remarkably improve performance accuracies of a CNN model in comparison with the same model trained without using this objective.

  6. Prioritizing investments in innovations to protect women from the leading causes of maternal death

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    PATH, an international nonprofit organization, assessed nearly 40 technologies for their potential to reduce maternal mortality from postpartum hemorrhage and preeclampsia and eclampsia in low-resource settings. The evaluation used a new Excel-based prioritization tool covering 22 criteria developed by PATH, the Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) model, and consultations with experts. It identified five innovations with especially high potential: technologies to improve use of oxytocin, a uterine balloon tamponade, simplified dosing of magnesium sulfate, an improved proteinuria test, and better blood pressure measurement devices. Investments are needed to realize the potential of these technologies to reduce mortality. PMID:24405972

  7. Prioritizing investments in innovations to protect women from the leading causes of maternal death.

    PubMed

    Herrick, Tara M; Harner-Jay, Claudia M; Levisay, Alice M; Coffey, Patricia S; Free, Michael J; LaBarre, Paul D

    2014-01-09

    PATH, an international nonprofit organization, assessed nearly 40 technologies for their potential to reduce maternal mortality from postpartum hemorrhage and preeclampsia and eclampsia in low-resource settings. The evaluation used a new Excel-based prioritization tool covering 22 criteria developed by PATH, the Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) model, and consultations with experts. It identified five innovations with especially high potential: technologies to improve use of oxytocin, a uterine balloon tamponade, simplified dosing of magnesium sulfate, an improved proteinuria test, and better blood pressure measurement devices. Investments are needed to realize the potential of these technologies to reduce mortality.

  8. Entrepreneurship for Creative Scientists

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parker, Dawood; Raghu, Surya; Brooks, Richard

    2018-05-01

    Through patenting and commercialization, scientists today can develop their work beyond a publication in a learned journal. Indeed, universities and governments are encouraging today's scientists and engineers to break their research out of the laboratory and into the commercial world. However, doing so is complicated and can be daunting for those more used to a research seminar than a board room. This book, written by experienced scientists and entrepreneurs, deals with businesses started by scientists based on innovation and sets out to clarify for scientists and engineers the steps necessary to take an idea along the path to commercialization and maximise the potential for success, regardless of the path taken.

  9. High channel density wavelength division multiplexer with defined diffracting means positioning

    DOEpatents

    Jannson, Tomasz P.; Jannson, Joanna L.; Yeung, Peter C.

    1990-01-01

    A wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer having optical path lengths between a fiber array and a Fourier transform lens, and between a dispersion grating and the lens equal to the focal length of the lens. The optical path lengths reduce losses due to angular acceptance mismatch in the multiplexer. Close orientation of the fiber array about the optical axis and the use of a holographic dispersion grating reduces other losses in the system. Multi-exposure holographic dispersion gratings enable the multiplexer/demultiplexer for extremely broad-band simultaneous transmission and reflection operation. Individual Bragg plane sets recorded in the grating are dedicated to and operate efficiently on discrete wavelength ranges.

  10. MWRRET Value-Added Product: The Retrieval of Liquid Water Path and Precipitable Water Vapor from Microwave Radiometer (MWR) Data Sets (Revision 2)

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

    Gaustad, KL; Turner, DD; McFarlane, SA

    2011-07-25

    This report provides a short description of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility microwave radiometer (MWR) Retrieval (MWRRET) value-added product (VAP) algorithm. This algorithm utilizes a complementary physical retrieval method and applies brightness temperature offsets to reduce spurious liquid water path (LWP) bias in clear skies resulting in significantly improved precipitable water vapor (PWV) and LWP retrievals. We present a general overview of the technique, input parameters, output products, and describe data quality checks. A more complete discussion of the theory and results is given in Turner et al. (2007b).

  11. Evaluating methods for estimating space-time paths of individuals in calculating long-term personal exposure to air pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitz, Oliver; Soenario, Ivan; Vaartjes, Ilonca; Strak, Maciek; Hoek, Gerard; Brunekreef, Bert; Dijst, Martin; Karssenberg, Derek

    2016-04-01

    Air pollution is one of the major concerns for human health. Associations between air pollution and health are often calculated using long-term (i.e. years to decades) information on personal exposure for each individual in a cohort. Personal exposure is the air pollution aggregated along the space-time path visited by an individual. As air pollution may vary considerably in space and time, for instance due to motorised traffic, the estimation of the spatio-temporal location of a persons' space-time path is important to identify the personal exposure. However, long term exposure is mostly calculated using the air pollution concentration at the x, y location of someone's home which does not consider that individuals are mobile (commuting, recreation, relocation). This assumption is often made as it is a major challenge to estimate space-time paths for all individuals in large cohorts, mostly because limited information on mobility of individuals is available. We address this issue by evaluating multiple approaches for the calculation of space-time paths, thereby estimating the personal exposure along these space-time paths with hyper resolution air pollution maps at national scale. This allows us to evaluate the effect of the space-time path and resulting personal exposure. Air pollution (e.g. NO2, PM10) was mapped for the entire Netherlands at a resolution of 5×5 m2 using the land use regression models developed in the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE, http://escapeproject.eu/) and the open source software PCRaster (http://www.pcraster.eu). The models use predictor variables like population density, land use, and traffic related data sets, and are able to model spatial variation and within-city variability of annual average concentration values. We approximated space-time paths for all individuals in a cohort using various aggregations, including those representing space-time paths as the outline of a persons' home or associated parcel of land, the 4 digit postal code area or neighbourhood of a persons' home, circular areas around the home, and spatial probability distributions of space-time paths during commuting. Personal exposure was estimated by averaging concentrations over these space-time paths, for each individual in a cohort. Preliminary results show considerable differences of a persons' exposure using these various approaches of space-time path aggregation, presumably because air pollution shows large variation over short distances.

  12. Reconfigurable data path processor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donohoe, Gregory (Inventor)

    2005-01-01

    A reconfigurable data path processor comprises a plurality of independent processing elements. Each of the processing elements advantageously comprising an identical architecture. Each processing element comprises a plurality of data processing means for generating a potential output. Each processor is also capable of through-putting an input as a potential output with little or no processing. Each processing element comprises a conditional multiplexer having a first conditional multiplexer input, a second conditional multiplexer input and a conditional multiplexer output. A first potential output value is transmitted to the first conditional multiplexer input, and a second potential output value is transmitted to the second conditional multiplexer output. The conditional multiplexer couples either the first conditional multiplexer input or the second conditional multiplexer input to the conditional multiplexer output, according to an output control command. The output control command is generated by processing a set of arithmetic status-bits through a logical mask. The conditional multiplexer output is coupled to a first processing element output. A first set of arithmetic bits are generated according to the processing of the first processable value. A second set of arithmetic bits may be generated from a second processing operation. The selection of the arithmetic status-bits is performed by an arithmetic-status bit multiplexer selects the desired set of arithmetic status bits from among the first and second set of arithmetic status bits. The conditional multiplexer evaluates the select arithmetic status bits according to logical mask defining an algorithm for evaluating the arithmetic status bits.

  13. Preservation of root canal anatomy using self-adjusting file instrumentation with glide path prepared by 20/0.02 hand files versus 20/0.04 rotary files

    PubMed Central

    Jain, Niharika; Pawar, Ajinkya M.; Ukey, Piyush D.; Jain, Prashant K.; Thakur, Bhagyashree; Gupta, Abhishek

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To compare the relative axis modification and canal concentricity after glide path preparation with 20/0.02 hand K-file (NITIFLEX®) and 20/0.04 rotary file (HyFlex™ CM) with subsequent instrumentation with 1.5 mm self-adjusting file (SAF). Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty ISO 15, 0.02 taper, Endo Training Blocks (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) were acquired and randomly divided into following two groups (n = 60): group 1, establishing glide path till 20/0.02 hand K-file (NITIFLEX®) followed by instrumentation with 1.5 mm SAF; and Group 2, establishing glide path till 20/0.04 rotary file (HyFlex™ CM) followed by instrumentation with 1.5 mm SAF. Pre- and post-instrumentation digital images were processed with MATLAB R 2013 software to identify the central axis, and then superimposed using digital imaging software (Picasa 3.0 software, Google Inc., California, USA) taking five landmarks as reference points. Student's t-test for pairwise comparisons was applied with the level of significance set at 0.05. Results: Training blocks instrumented with 20/0.04 rotary file and SAF were associated less deviation in canal axis (at all the five marked points), representing better canal concentricity compared to those, in which glide path was established by 20/0.02 hand K-files followed by SAF instrumentation. Conclusion: Canal geometry is better maintained after SAF instrumentation with a prior glide path established with 20/0.04 rotary file. PMID:28855752

  14. Superoutbreak tornadoes of April 3, 1974 as seen in ATS pictures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fujita, T. T.; Forbes, G. S.

    1974-01-01

    A total of 122 confirmed tornadoes during the April 3-4 superoutbreak is studied by conducting an extensive aerial survey for mapping the precise paths and characteristics of individual tornadoes. Major conclusions are that the life of a tornado varies between 1 and 125 min, that 74% of the tornadoes can be grouped together into 30 tornado families with the mean family life about 5 times the mean individual life, that the identification of family-producing thunderstorms appears to be extremely useful in issuing a tornado alert, and that a tornado-producing thunderstorm within a 50-mile radar range often shows a hook echo on PPI scope as a probable tornado indicator.

  15. A homogeneous cooling scheme investigation for high power slab laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Jianguo; Lin, Weiran; Fan, Zhongwei; Chen, Yanzhong; Ge, Wenqi; Yu, Jin; Liu, Hao; Mo, Zeqiang; Fan, Lianwen; Jia, Dan

    2017-10-01

    The forced convective heat transfer with the advantages of reliability and durability is widely used in cooling the laser gain medium. However, a flow direction induced temperature gradient always appears. In this paper, a novel cooling configuration based on longitudinal forced convective heat transfer is presented. In comparison with two different types of configurations, it shows a more efficient heat transfer and more homogeneous temperature distribution. The investigation of the flow rate reveals that the higher flow rate the better cooling performance. Furthermore, the simulation results with 20 L/min flow rate shows an adequate temperature level and temperature homogeneity which keeps a lower hydrostatic pressure in the flow path.

  16. 47 CFR 76.1500 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... consisting of a set of transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception, and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service which includes video programming and which is provided to... complies with this part. (b) Open video system operator (operator). Any person or group of persons who...

  17. 47 CFR 76.1500 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... consisting of a set of transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception, and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service which includes video programming and which is provided to... complies with this part. (b) Open video system operator (operator). Any person or group of persons who...

  18. 47 CFR 76.1500 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... consisting of a set of transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception, and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service which includes video programming and which is provided to... complies with this part. (b) Open video system operator (operator). Any person or group of persons who...

  19. MEASUREMENT OF AMMONIA EMISSIONS FROM MECHANICALLY VENTILATED POULTRY HOUSES USING MULTIPATH TUNABLE DIODE LASER SPECTROSCOPY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ammonia emissions from mechanically ventilated poultry operations are an important environmental concern. Open Path Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy has emerged as a robust real-time method for gas phase measurement of ammonia concentrations in agricultural settings. ...

  20. Flight paths of seabirds soaring over the ocean surface enable measurement of fine-scale wind speed and direction.

    PubMed

    Yonehara, Yoshinari; Goto, Yusuke; Yoda, Ken; Watanuki, Yutaka; Young, Lindsay C; Weimerskirch, Henri; Bost, Charles-André; Sato, Katsufumi

    2016-08-09

    Ocean surface winds are an essential factor in understanding the physical interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean. Surface winds measured by satellite scatterometers and buoys cover most of the global ocean; however, there are still spatial and temporal gaps and finer-scale variations of wind that may be overlooked, particularly in coastal areas. Here, we show that flight paths of soaring seabirds can be used to estimate fine-scale (every 5 min, ∼5 km) ocean surface winds. Fine-scale global positioning system (GPS) positional data revealed that soaring seabirds flew tortuously and ground speed fluctuated presumably due to tail winds and head winds. Taking advantage of the ground speed difference in relation to flight direction, we reliably estimated wind speed and direction experienced by the birds. These bird-based wind velocities were significantly correlated with wind velocities estimated by satellite-borne scatterometers. Furthermore, extensive travel distances and flight duration of the seabirds enabled a wide range of high-resolution wind observations, especially in coastal areas. Our study suggests that seabirds provide a platform from which to measure ocean surface winds, potentially complementing conventional wind measurements by covering spatial and temporal measurement gaps.

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