Probing neural tissue with airy light-sheet microscopy: investigation of imaging performance at depth within turbid media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nylk, Jonathan; McCluskey, Kaley; Aggarwal, Sanya; Tello, Javier A.; Dholakia, Kishan

2017-02-01

Light-sheet microscopy (LSM) has received great interest for fluorescent imaging applications in biomedicine as it facilitates three-dimensional visualisation of large sample volumes with high spatiotemporal resolution whilst minimising irradiation of, and photo-damage to the specimen. Despite these advantages, LSM can only visualize superficial layers of turbid tissues, such as mammalian neural tissue. Propagation-invariant light modes have played a key role in the development of high-resolution LSM techniques as they overcome the natural divergence of a Gaussian beam, enabling uniform and thin light-sheets over large distances. Most notably, Bessel and Airy beam-based light-sheet imaging modalities have been demonstrated. In the single-photon excitation regime and in lightly scattering specimens, Airy-LSM has given competitive performance with advanced Bessel-LSM techniques. Airy and Bessel beams share the property of self-healing, the ability of the beam to regenerate its transverse beam profile after propagation around an obstacle. Bessel-LSM techniques have been shown to increase the penetration-depth of the illumination into turbid specimens but this effect has been understudied in biologically relevant tissues, particularly for Airy beams. It is expected that Airy-LSM will give a similar enhancement over Gaussian-LSM. In this paper, we report on the comparison of Airy-LSM and Gaussian-LSM imaging modalities within cleared and non-cleared mouse brain tissue. In particular, we examine image quality versus tissue depth by quantitative spatial Fourier analysis of neural structures in virally transduced fluorescent tissue sections, showing a three-fold enhancement at 50 μm depth into non-cleared tissue with Airy-LSM. Complimentary analysis is performed by resolution measurements in bead-injected tissue sections.

One-pot synthesis of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 supported on flower-like CeO2 as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in aluminum-air batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Yejian; Huang, Heran; Miao, He; Sun, Shanshan; Wang, Qin; Li, Shihua; Liu, Zhaoping

2017-08-01

A novel La0.7Sr0.3MnO3-CeO2 (LSM-CeO2) hybrid catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been synthesized by a facile one-pot method. The flower-like CeO2 with the diameter of about 3 μm is formed by the agglomeration of nanosheets with the thickness of about 40 nm. The LSM particles with the diameter of about 150 nm are well distributed on the flower-like CeO2, thus the interaction between LSM and CeO2 is built. Therefore, the LSM-CeO2 composite catalyst exhibits the much higher catalytic activity toward ORR with the direct four-electron transfer mechanism in alkaline solution than LSM or CeO2. Furthermore, the stability of LSM-CeO2 is superior to that of Pt/C, and the current retention is 93% after 100000 s. The maximum power density of the aluminum-air battery using LSM-CeO2 as the ORRC can reach 238 mW cm-2, which is about 29% higher than that with LSM (184 mW cm-2). It indicates that LSM-CeO2 composite material is a promising cathodic electrocatalyst for metal-air batteries.

Evaluation of transient elastography in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.

PubMed

Xu, Qinyu; Sheng, Li; Bao, Han; Chen, Xiaoyu; Guo, Canjie; Li, Hai; Ma, Xiong; Qiu, Dekai; Hua, Jing

2017-03-01

Transient elastography (TE) can reliably stage liver fibrosis via liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in chronic liver disease. However, the accuracy of TE for assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is still limited. We evaluate TE in staging liver fibrosis in AIH patients and compare with other noninvasive diagnostic tools. A total of 100 patients with biopsy-proven AIH were included. The correlation between LSM and fibrosis stage was analyzed using Spearman correlation test. The optimal cut-off values of LSM were calculated for predicting individual fibrosis stages using receiver-operating characteristic curve. The diagnostic accuracy of LSM for severe fibrosis was compared with those of serum biochemical scores. Median LSM in AIH patients was higher than that of healthy controls (11.2 ± 8.2 kPa vs 4.3 ± 1.4 kPa, P < 0.01). LSM had significant correlation with fibrosis (r = 0.752, P < 0.01) and increased progressively with increasing fibrosis stages in AIH patients. AUROC values of LSM for stages F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3, and F4 were 0.878 (95%CI: 0.789-0.967), 0.883 (0.820-0.946), and 0.914 (0.852-0.976), respectively. The optimal cut-off values of LSM for fibrosis stages F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3, and F4 were 6.45, 8.75, and 12.50 kPa, respectively. LSM was superior to APRI score and FIB-4 score in detecting severe fibrosis (F ≥ 3). Serum ALT levels had minor effect on LSM values. Transient elastography is an accurate and reliable noninvasive tool in assessing liver fibrosis in AIH. Hepatic inflammatory activity had no significant effect on LSM determination. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Multilayer ceramic oxide solid electrolyte for fuel cells and electrolysis cells and method for fabrication thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, James E. (Inventor); Anderson, Harlan U. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

An unitary layered ceramic structure is disclosed which comprises co-sintered layers. The co-sintered structure comprises a sintered central layer of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which is about 8 mole percent yttria and having a density of at least about 95% of theoretical, and sintered outer layers of strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) having the approximate molecular composition La.sub.0.8 Sr.sub.0.2 MnO.sub.3, having a density from about 50 to about 60% of theoretical, and having interconnected porosity from about 40 to 50% with an interconnected pore diameter from about one micron to about five microns. The sintered central layer is sandwiched by and bonded and sintered to the outer layers and is essentially free of significant amounts of manganese. A process for making the unitary composition-of-matter is also disclosed which involves tape casting a LSM tape and then on top thereof casting a YSZ tape. The process comprises presintering LSM powder at 1250.degree. F., crushing the presintered commercially available LSM powder, forming a slurry with the crushed LSM, a binder and solvent, tape casting the slurry and allowing the slurry to air dry. A mixture of commercially available submicron size particle YSZ powder is milled with a dispersant and solvent to disperse the YSZ particles thereby forming a dispersed YSZ slurry. The YSZ slurry is then tape cast on the dried LSM tape. If desired, a third layer of LSM can be cast on top of the dried YSZ layer. After drying the composite LSM/YSZ and LSM/YSZ/LSM tapes are fired at 1300.degree. C. No migration of manganese into the YSZ layer was observed with scanning electron microscope/edax in the sintered multilayer tape.

Multilayer ceramic oxide solid electrolyte for fuel cells and electrolysis cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, James E. (Inventor); Anderson, Harlan U. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A unitary layered ceramic structure is disclosed which comprises co-sintered layers. The co-sintered structure comprises a sintered central layer of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which is about 8 mole percent yttria and having a density of at least about 95% of theoretical, and sintered outer layers of strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) having the approximate molecular composition La.sub.0.8 Sr.sub.0.2 MnO.sub.3, having a density from about 50 to about 60% of theoretical, and having interconnected porosity from about 40 to 50% with an interconnected pore diameter from about one micron to about five microns. The sintered central layer is sandwiched by and bonded and sintered to the outer layers and is essentially free of significant amounts of manganese. A process for making the unitary composition-of-matter is also disclosed which involves tape casting a LSM tape and then on top thereof casting a YSZ tape. The process comprises presintering LSM powder at 1250.degree. F., crushing the presintered commercially available LSM powder, forming a slurry with the crushed LSM, a binder and solvent, tape casting the slurry and allowing the slurry to air dry. A mixture of commercially available submicron size particle YSZ powder is milled with a dispersant and solvent to disperse the YSZ particles thereby forming a dispersed YSZ slurry. The YSZ slurry is then tape cast on the dried LSM tape. If desired, a third layer of LSM can be cast on top of the dried YSZ layer. After drying the composite LSM/YSZ and LSM/YSZ/LSM tapes are fired at 1300.degree. C. No migration of manganese into the YSZ layer was observed with scanning electron microscope/edax in the sintered multilayer tape.

Proteinase-activated receptor-2 activation evokes oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle contraction via a capsaicin-sensitive and neurokinin-2 receptor-dependent pathway.

PubMed

Liu, H; Miller, D V; Lourenssen, S; Wells, R W; Blennerhassett, M G; Paterson, W G

2010-02-01

Intraluminal acid evokes sustained oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle (LSM) contraction and oesophageal shortening, which may play a role in oesophageal pain and the aetiology of hiatus hernia. In the opossum model, this reflex has been shown to involve mast cell activation and release of neurokinins from capsaicin-sensitive neurons. The aim of this study was to determine whether proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) activation evokes reflex LSM contraction via similar mechanisms. Tension recording studies were performed using opossum oesophageal LSM strips in the presence and absence of pharmacological agents. In addition, the effect of trypsin on single isolated LSM cells was determined using videomicroscopy, and the expression of PAR-2 in oesophageal tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry. The PAR-2 agonist trypsin evoked sustained, concentration-dependent contraction of LSM muscle strips, but had no effect on isolated LSM cells. The trypsin-induced contraction was blocked by capsaicin desensitization, substance P (SP) desensitization or application of the selective neurokinin-2 (NK-2) receptor antagonist MEN 10376. Immunohistochemistry revealed co-localization of SP, calcitonin gene-related peptide and PAR-2 in axons of opossum oesophageal LSM. Longitudinal smooth muscle contraction induced by trypsin involves capsaicin-sensitive neurons and subsequent activation of NK-2, which is identical to the pathway involved in acid-induced LSM contraction and oesophageal shortening. This suggests that acid-induced LSM contraction may involve mast cell-derived mediators that activate capsaicin-sensitive neurons via PAR-2.

Spicule matrix protein LSM34 is essential for biomineralization of the sea urchin spicule.

PubMed

Peled-Kamar, Mira; Hamilton, Patricia; Wilt, Fred H

2002-01-01

Biomineralized skeletal structures are composite materials containing mineral and matrix protein(s). The cell biological mechanisms that underlie the formation, secretion, and organization of the biomineralized materials are not well understood. Although the matrix proteins influence physical properties of the structures, little is known of the role of these matrix proteins in the actual formation of the biomineralized structure. We present here results using an antisense oligonucleotide directed against a spicule matrix protein, LSM34, present in spicules of embryos of Lytechinus pictus. After injection of anti-LSM34 into the blastocoel of a sea urchin embryo, LSM34 protein in the primary mesenchyme cells decreases and biomineralization ceases, demonstrating that LSM34 function is essential for the formation of the calcareous endoskeletal spicule of the embryo. Since LSM34 is found primarily in a specialized extracellular matrix surrounding the spicule, it is probable that this matrix is important for the biomineralization process.

Effects of dehulling, steam-cooking and microwave-irradiation on digestive value of white lupin (Lupinus albus) seed meal for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

PubMed

Saez, Patricio; Borquez, Aliro; Dantagnan, Patricio; Hernández, Adrián

2015-01-01

A digestibility trial was conducted to assess the effect of dehulling, steam-cooking and microwave-irradiation on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in white lupin (Lupinus albus) seed meal when fed to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Six ingredients, whole lupin seed meal (LSM), dehulled LSM, dehulled LSM steam-cooked for 15 or 45 min (SC15 and SC45, respectively) and LSM microwave-irradiated at 375 or 750 W (MW375 and MW750, respectively), were evaluated for digestibility of dry matter, crude protein (CP), lipids, nitrogen-free extractives (NFE) and gross energy (GE). The diet-substitution approach was used (70% reference diet + 30% test ingredient). Faeces from each tank were collected using a settlement column. Dehulled LSM showed higher levels of proximate components (except for NFE and crude fibre), GE and phosphorus in comparison to whole LSM. Furthermore, SC15, SC45, MW375 and MW750 showed slight variations of chemical composition in comparison to dehulled LSM. Results from the digestibility trial indicated that dehulled LSM, SC15, SC45 and MW375 are suitable processing methods for the improvement of nutrients' apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) in whole LSM. MW750 showed a lower ADC of nutrients (except for CP and lipids for rainbow trout) in comparison with MW350 for rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, suggesting a heat damage of the ingredient when microwave-irradiation exceeded 350 W.

Deletion of the Sm1 encoding motif in the lsm gene results in distinct changes in the transcriptome and enhanced swarming activity of Haloferax cells.

PubMed

Maier, Lisa-Katharina; Benz, Juliane; Fischer, Susan; Alstetter, Martina; Jaschinski, Katharina; Hilker, Rolf; Becker, Anke; Allers, Thorsten; Soppa, Jörg; Marchfelder, Anita

2015-10-01

Members of the Sm protein family are important for the cellular RNA metabolism in all three domains of life. The family includes archaeal and eukaryotic Lsm proteins, eukaryotic Sm proteins and archaeal and bacterial Hfq proteins. While several studies concerning the bacterial and eukaryotic family members have been published, little is known about the archaeal Lsm proteins. Although structures for several archaeal Lsm proteins have been solved already more than ten years ago, we still do not know much about their biological function, however one can confidently propose that the archaeal Lsm proteins will also be involved in RNA metabolism. Therefore, we investigated this protein in the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii. The Haloferax genome encodes a single Lsm protein, the lsm gene overlaps and is co-transcribed with the gene for the ribosomal L37.eR protein. Here, we show that the reading frame of the lsm gene contains a promoter which regulates expression of the overlapping rpl37R gene. This rpl37R specific promoter ensures high expression of the rpl37R gene in exponential growth phase. To investigate the biological function of the Lsm protein we generated a lsm deletion mutant that had the coding sequence for the Sm1 motif removed but still contained the internal promoter for the downstream rpl37R gene. The transcriptome of this deletion mutant was compared to the wild type transcriptome, revealing that several genes are down-regulated and many genes are up-regulated in the deletion strain. Northern blot analyses confirmed down-regulation of two genes. In addition, the deletion strain showed a gain of function in swarming, in congruence with the up-regulation of transcripts encoding proteins required for motility. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Understanding Mesoscale Land-Atmosphere Interactions in Arctic Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, X.; Wang, S.; Nachamkin, J. E.

2017-12-01

Land-atmosphere interactions in Arctic region are examined using the U.S. Navy Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS©*) with the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM). Initial land surface variables in COAMPS are interpolated from the real-time NASA Land Information System (LIS). The model simulations are configured for three nest grids with 27-9-3 km horizontal resolutions. The simulation period is set for October 2015 with 12-h data assimilation update cycle and 24-h integration length. The results are compared with those simulated without using LSM and evaluated with observations from ONR Sea State R/V Sikuliaq cruise and the North Slope of Alaska (NSA). There are complex soil and vegetation types over the surface for simulation with LSM, compared to without LSM simulation. The results show substantial differences in surface heat fluxes between bulk surface scheme and LSM, which may have an important impact on the sea ice evolution over the Arctic region. Evaluations from station data show surface air temperature and relative humidity have smaller biases for simulation using LSM. Diurnal variation of land surface temperature, which is necessary for physical processes of land-atmosphere, is also better captured than without LSM.

Desert Express: An Analysis on Improved Customer Service

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

Nt MARQ 3,199 Of. DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C Thaiheim, Majo-,r USAF AFTT/GLM/LSM,/91S-64 ?Z; W...Astq vt.: tyc a l AFIT/GLM/,LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C. Thalheim, Major, USAF AFIT/GLM/LSM...91S-64 Approved for public release; distribution unlimited AFIT/GLM/LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS

Prediction of posthepatectomy liver failure using transient elastography in patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Lei, Jie-Wen; Ji, Xiao-Yu; Hong, Jun-Feng; Li, Wan-Bin; Chen, Yan; Pan, Yan; Guo, Jia

2017-12-29

It is essential to accurately predict Postoperative liver failure (PHLF) which is a life-threatening complication. Liver hardness measurement (LSM) is widely used in non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis. The aims of this study were to explore the application of preoperative liver stiffness measurements (LSM) by transient elastography in predicting postoperative liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma. The study included 247 consecutive patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatectomy between May 2015 and September 2015. Detailed preoperative examinations including LSM were performed before hepatectomy. The endpoint was the development of PHLF. All of the patients had chronic hepatitis B defined as the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for more than 6 months and 76 (30.8%) had cirrhosis. PHLF occurred in 37 (14.98%) patients. Preoperative LSM (odds ratio, OR, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.13-1.29; P < 0.001) and international normalized ratio (INR) (OR, 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.12; P < 0.05) were revealed to be independent risk factors for PHLF, and a new model was defined as LSM-INR index (LSM-INR index = 0.191*LSM + 6.317*INR-11.154). The optimal cutoff values of LSM and LSM-INR index for predicting PHLF were 14 kPa (AUC 0.86, 95% CI: 0.811-0.901, P < 0.001) and -1.92 (AUC 0.87, 95% CI: 0.822-0.909, P < 0.001), respectively. LSM can be helpful for surgeons to make therapeutic decisions in patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver stiffness measurement, better than APRI, Fibroindex, Fib-4, and NBI gastroscopy, predicts portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Wang, Liqiong; Wang, Lei; Li, Gang; Huang, Aoshuang; Yin, Ping; Yang, Zhenhua; Ling, Changquan; Wang, Lingtai

2015-03-01

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) is frequently used as non-invasive alternative for liver fibrosis including cirrhosis, which can lead to portal hypertension. This study was conducted to evaluate the predictive value of LSM in cirrhosis-induced portal hypertension patients. Between July 2011 and December 2013, 153 participants were enrolled into a single-center, prospective, cross-sectional study. Each subject received both gastroscopy and LSM. Baseline biochemical, APRI, Fibroindex, and Fib-4 were also performed. LSM of cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension was significantly higher compared to those without portal hypertension (P < 0.05). A LSM ≥ 13.6 kPa had a sensitivity of 83.87 % and a specificity of 72.53 % with an accuracy of 77.1 for the prediction of portal hypertension, which are higher than those of APRI, Fib-4, and Fibroscan separately. A combination of Fibroscan combined with Fib-4 achieved a maximum AUC of 0.833 and accuracy of 77.8. Discriminant and internal validation analysis showed that Fibroscan plus APRI obtained a lower false negative rate compared to Fibroscan plus Fib-4 and Fibroscan plus Fibroindex (9.68, 17.74, and 11.29 %, respectively). A good relationship was found between LSM and NBI mean optical density both by linear and polynomial correlation analysis (r = 0.5533 and r = 0.7349, both P < 0.001). There was a trend toward a better performance of LSM for assessing portal hypertension compared with NBI gastroscopy mean optical density (P = 0.028 and P = 0.05, respectively). Better than APRI, Fibroindex, Fib-4, and NBI gastroscopy, LSM can predict portal hypertension in cirrhosis patients. A LSM of 13.6 kPa can be considered to be the predictive value for portal hypertension.

Composite anode La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 impregnated with cobalt oxide for steam electrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shisong; Cheng, Jigui; Xie, Kui; Li, Peipei; Wu, Yucheng

2013-12-01

Oxygen-ion conducting solid oxide electrolyzer (SOE) has attracted a great deal of interest because it converts electrical energy into chemical energy directly. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is occurred at the anode of solid oxide electrolyzer as the O2- being oxidized and form O2 gas, which is considered as one of the major cause of overpotentials in steam electrolyzers. This paper investigates the electrolysis of steam based on cobalt oxide impregnated La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) composite anode in an oxide-ion-conducting solid oxide electrolyzer. The conductivity of LSM is studied versus temperature and oxygen partial pressure and correlated to the electrochemical properties of the composite electrodes in symmetric cells at 800 °C. Different contents of Co3O4 (wt.1%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%) were impregnated into LSM electrode and it was found that the polarization resistance (Rp) of symmetric cells gradually improved from 1.16 Ω•cm2 (LSM) to 0.24 Ω•cm2 (wt.10%Co3O4-LSM). Steam electrolysis based on LSM and wt.6%Co3O4-LSM anode electrolyzers are tested at 800°C and the AC impedance spectroscopy results indicated that the Rp of high frequency process significantly decreased from1.1 Ω•cm2 (LSM) to 0.5 Ω•cm2 (wt.6%Co3O4-LSM) under 1.8V electrolysis voltage and the Rp of low frequency process decreased from 14.9 Ω•cm2 to 5.7 Ω•cm2. Electrochemical catalyst Co3O4 can efficiently improve the electrode and enhance the performance of high temperature solid oxide electrolyzer.

Laser surface melting of 10 wt% Mo alloyed hardfacing Stellite 12 plasma transferred arc deposits: Structural evolution and high temperature wear performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilawary, Shaikh Asad Ali; Motallebzadeh, Amir; Afzal, Muhammad; Atar, Erdem; Cimenoglu, Huseyin

2018-05-01

Laser surface melting (LSM) process has been applied on the plasma transferred arc (PTA) deposited Stellite 12 and 10 wt% Mo alloyed Stellite 12 in this study. Following the LSM process, structural and mechanical property comparison of the LSM'ed surfaces has been made. Hardness of the LSM'ed surfaces was measured as 549 HV and 623 HV for the Stellite 12 and Stellite 12 + 10 wt% Mo deposits, respectively. Despite their different hardness and structural features, the LSM'ed surfaces exhibited similar tribological performance at room temperature (RT), where fatigue wear mechanism operates. However, the wear at 500 °C promotes tribo-oxide layer formation whose composition depended on the alloying with Mo. Thus, addition of 10 wt% Mo into Stellite 12 PTA deposit has remarkably enhanced the high temperature wear performance of the LSM'ed surface as a result of participation of complex oxide (CoMoO4) in tribo-oxide layer.

Electrophoretic deposition of bi-layered LSM/LSM-YSZ cathodes for solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itagaki, Yoshiteru; Watanabe, Shinji; Yamaji, Tsuyoshi; Asamoto, Makiko; Yahiro, Hidenori; Sadaoka, Yoshihiko

2012-09-01

Bi-layered cathodes with the LSM/LSM-YSZ structure for solid oxide fuel cells were successfully formed on the carbon-sputtered surface of a YSZ sheet by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The thicknesses of the first layer of LSM-YSZ (LY) and the second layer of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) could be controlled by adjusting the deposition time in the EPD process. The cathodic properties of the bi-layered structures were superior to those of the mono-layered structures, and were dependent on the thickness of each layer. Decreasing the thickness of the first layer and increasing that of the second layer tended to reduce both polarization and ohmic resistances. The optimal thickness of the first layer at the operating temperature of 600 °C was 4 μm, suggesting that an effective three-phase boundary was extended from the interface between the electrolyte and cathode film to around 4 μm thickness.

Expansion of the Real-Time SPoRT-Land Information System for NOAA/National Weather Service Situational Awareness and Local Modeling Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L; White, Kristopher D.

2014-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center in Huntsville, AL is running a real-time configuration of the Noah land surface model (LSM) within the NASA Land Information System (LIS) framework (hereafter referred to as the "SPoRT-LIS"). Output from the real-time SPoRT-LIS is used for (1) initializing land surface variables for local modeling applications, and (2) displaying in decision support systems for situational awareness and drought monitoring at select NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) partner offices. The experimental CONUS run incorporates hourly quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from the National Severe Storms Laboratory Multi- Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) which will be transitioned into operations at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in Fall 2014.This paper describes the current and experimental SPoRT-LIS configurations, and documents some of the limitations still remaining through the advent of MRMS precipitation analyses in the SPoRT-LIS land surface model (LSM) simulations.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in NWP models remains largely undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with observations during the summers of 2006/7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which enables a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. This coupling is one component of a larger project to develop a NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) system. A range of diagnostics exploring the feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture.

Laser speckle micro-rheology for biomechanical evaluation of breast tumors (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajjarian Kashany, Zeinab; Nadkarni, Seemantini K.

2016-03-01

The stiffness of the extra cellular matrix (ECM) is recognized as a key regulator of cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Therefore technologies that quantify ECM stiffness with micro-scale scale resolution will likely provide important insights into neoplastic progression. Laser Speckle Micro-Rheology (LSM) is a novel optical tool for measuring tissue viscoelastic properties with micro-scale resolution. In LSM, speckle images are collected through an objective lens by a high-speed camera. Spatio-temporal correlation analysis of speckle frames yields the intensity autocorrelation function, g2(t), for each pixel, and subsequently a 2D map of viscoelastic modulus, G*(ω) is reconstructed. Here, we investigate the utility of LSM for micro-mechanical evaluation of the ECM in human breast lesions. Specimens collected 18 women undergoing lumpectomy or mastectomy were evaluated with LSM. Because collagen is the key protein associated with ECM stiffness, G*(ω) maps obtained from LSM were compared with collagen content measured by second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. Regions of low G*(ω), identified by LSM, corresponded to low-intensity SHG signal and adipose tissue. Likewise, regions with high G*(ω) in LSM images matched high intensity SHG signal caused by desmoplastic collagen accumulation. Quantitative regression analysis demonstrated a strong, statistically significant correlation between G*(ω) and SHG signal intensity (R=0.66 p< 0.01). These findings highlight the capability of LSM for quantifying the ECM micro-mechanics, potentially providing important insights into the biomechanical regulators of breast cancer progression.

(La1-xSrx)0.98MnO3 perovskite with A-site deficiencies toward oxygen reduction reaction in aluminum-air batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Yejian; Miao, He; Sun, Shanshan; Wang, Qin; Li, Shihua; Liu, Zhaoping

2017-02-01

The strontium doped Mn-based perovskites have been proposed as one of the best oxygen reduction reaction catalysts (ORRCs) to substitute the noble metal. However, few studies have investigated the catalytic activities of LSM with the A-site deficiencies. Here, the (La1-xSrx)0.98MnO3 (LSM) perovskites with A-site deficiencies are prepared by a modified solid-liquid method. The structure, morphology, valence state and oxygen adsorption behaviors of these LSM samples are characterized, and their catalytic activities toward ORR are studied by the rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) and aluminum-air battery technologies. The results show that the appropriate doping with Sr and introducing A-site stoichiometry can effectively tailor the Mn valence and increase the oxygen adsorption capacity of LSM. Among all the LSM samples in this work, the (La0.7Sr0.3)0.98MnO3 perovskite composited with 50% carbon (50%LSM30) exhibits the best ORR catalytic activity due to the excellent oxygen adsorption capacity. Also, this catalyst has much higher durability than that of commercial 20%Pt/C. Moreover, the maximum power density of the aluminum-air battery using 50%LSM30 as the ORRC can reach 191.3 mW cm-2. Our work indicates that the LSM/C composite catalysts with A-site deficiencies can be used as a promising ORRC in the metal-air batteries.

Genome-Wide Protein Interaction Screens Reveal Functional Networks Involving Sm-Like Proteins

PubMed Central

Fromont-Racine, Micheline; Mayes, Andrew E.; Brunet-Simon, Adeline; Rain, Jean-Christophe; Colley, Alan; Dix, Ian; Decourty, Laurence; Joly, Nicolas; Ricard, Florence; Beggs, Jean D.

2000-01-01

A set of seven structurally related Sm proteins forms the core of the snRNP particles containing the spliceosomal U1, U2, U4 and U5 snRNAs. A search of the genomic sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has identified a number of open reading frames that potentially encode structurally similar proteins termed Lsm (Like Sm) proteins. With the aim of analysing all possible interactions between the Lsm proteins and any protein encoded in the yeast genome, we performed exhaustive and iterative genomic two-hybrid screens, starting with the Lsm proteins as baits. Indeed, extensive interactions amongst eight Lsm proteins were found that suggest the existence of a Lsm complex or complexes. These Lsm interactions apparently involve the conserved Sm domain that also mediates interactions between the Sm proteins. The screens also reveal functionally significant interactions with splicing factors, in particular with Prp4 and Prp24, compatible with genetic studies and with the reported association of Lsm proteins with spliceosomal U6 and U4/U6 particles. In addition, interactions with proteins involved in mRNA turnover, such as Mrt1, Dcp1, Dcp2 and Xrn1, point to roles for Lsm complexes in distinct RNA metabolic processes, that are confirmed in independent functional studies. These results provide compelling evidence that two-hybrid screens yield functionally meaningful information about protein–protein interactions and can suggest functions for uncharacterized proteins, especially when they are performed on a genome-wide scale. PMID:10900456

Molten salt synthesis of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 powders for SOFC cathode electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Sin-il; Shin, Hyo-soon; Hong, Youn-woo; Yeo, Dong-hun; Kim, Jong-hee; Nahm, Sahn; Yoon, Sang-ok

2012-08-01

For La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) perovskite, used as the cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), it is known that the formation of a triple-phase-boundary is restrained due to the formation of a second phase at the YSZ/electrode interface at high temperature. To decrease the 2nd phase, lowering the sintering temperature has been used. LSM powder was synthesized by molten salt synthesis method to control its particle size, shape, and agglomeration. We have characterized the phase formation, particle size, shape, and sintering behavior of LSM in the synthesis using the variation of KCl, LiCl, KF and its mixed salts as raw materials. In the case of KCl and KCl-KF salts, the particle size and shape of the LSM was well controlled and synthesized. However, in the case of LiCl and KCl-LiCl salts, LiMnOx as 2nd phase and LSM were synthesized simultaneously. In the case of the mixed salt of KCl-KF, the growth mechanism of the LSM particle was changed from `diffusion-controlled' to `reaction-controlled' according to the amount of mixed salt. The sintering temperature can be decreased below 1000 °C by using the synthesized LSM powder.

Potential bioactivity and association of 17β-estradiol with the dissolved and colloidal fractions of manure and soil.

PubMed

Chambers, Katrin B; Casey, Francis X M; Hakk, Heldur; DeSutter, Thomas M; Shappell, Nancy W

2014-10-01

The dissolved (DF) and colloidal fractions (CF) of soil and manure play an important role in the environmental fate and transport of steroidal estrogens. The first objective of this study was to quantify the association of 17β-estradiol (E2) with the DF and CF isolated from (i) liquid swine manure (LSM), (ii) a soil:water mixture (soil), and (iii) a LSM:soil:water mixture (Soil+LSM). The appropriate CF and DF size fractions of the Soil, Soil+LSM, and LSM media were obtained by first filtering through a 0.45 μm filter, which provided the combined DF and CF (DF/CF). The DF/CF from the three media was spiked with carbon-14 ([(14)C]) radiolabeled E2 ([(14)C]-E2), and then ultrafiltered to isolate the CF (<0.45 μm and >1 kDa) from the DF (<1 kDa). The average recoveries of the [(14)C] associated with the DF were 67%-72%, 67%-79%, and 76%-78% for the Soil, Soil+LSM and LSM, respectively. For the CF that was retained on the 1 kDa filter, organic carbon and [(14)C]-E2 were dislodged with subsequent water rinses the Soil+LSM and LSM, but not the Soil. The second objective was to evaluate whether the E2 associated with the various fractions of the different media could still bind the estrogen receptor using an E2 receptor (17β-ER) competitor assay, which allowed E2 equivalent concentrations to be determined. The estrogen receptor assay results indicated that E2 present in the DF of the Soil and Soil+LSM solutions could still bind the estrogen receptor. Results from this study indicated that E2 preferentially associated with the DF of soil and manure, which may enhance its dissolved advective transport in surface and subsurface water. Furthermore, this study indicated that E2 associated with DF solutions in the environment could potentially induce endocrine responses through its interactions with estrogen receptor. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved noninvasive prediction of liver fibrosis by liver stiffness measurement in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease accounting for controlled attenuation parameter values.

PubMed

Petta, Salvatore; Wong, Vincent Wai-Sun; Cammà, Calogero; Hiriart, Jean-Baptiste; Wong, Grace Lai-Hung; Marra, Fabio; Vergniol, Julien; Chan, Anthony Wing-Hung; Di Marco, Vito; Merrouche, Wassil; Chan, Henry Lik-Yuen; Barbara, Marco; Le-Bail, Brigitte; Arena, Umberto; Craxì, Antonio; de Ledinghen, Victor

2017-04-01

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) frequently overestimates the severity of liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a new parameter provided by the same machine used for LSM and associated with both steatosis and body mass index, the two factors mostly affecting LSM performance in NAFLD. We aimed to determine whether prediction of liver fibrosis by LSM in NAFLD patients is affected by CAP values. Patients (n = 324) were assessed by clinical and histological (Kleiner score) features. LSM and CAP were performed using the M probe. CAP values were grouped by tertiles (lower 132-298, middle 299-338, higher 339-400 dB/m). Among patients with F0-F2 fibrosis, mean LSM values, expressed in kilopascals, increased according to CAP tertiles (6.8 versus 8.6 versus 9.4, P = 0.001), and along this line the area under the curve of LSM for the diagnosis of F3-F4 fibrosis was progressively reduced from lower to middle and further to higher CAP tertiles (0.915, 0.848-0.982; 0.830, 0.753-0.908; 0.806, 0.723-0.890). As a consequence, in subjects with F0-F2 fibrosis, the rates of false-positive LSM results for F3-F4 fibrosis increased according to CAP tertiles (7.2% in lower versus 16.6% in middle versus 18.1% in higher). Consistent with this, a decisional flowchart for predicting fibrosis was suggested by combining both LSM and CAP values. In patients with NAFLD, CAP values should always be taken into account in order to avoid overestimations of liver fibrosis assessed by transient elastography. (Hepatology 2017;65:1145-1155). © 2016 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

A novel 2-step approach combining the NAFLD fibrosis score and liver stiffness measurement for predicting advanced fibrosis.

PubMed

Chan, Wah-Kheong; Nik Mustapha, Nik Raihan; Mahadeva, Sanjiv

2015-10-01

The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score (NFS) is indeterminate in a proportion of NAFLD patients. Combining the NFS with liver stiffness measurement (LSM) may improve prediction of advanced fibrosis. We aim to evaluate the NFS and LSM in predicting advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients. The NFS was calculated and LSM obtained for consecutive adult NAFLD patients scheduled for liver biopsy. The accuracy of predicting advanced fibrosis using either modality and in combination were assessed. An algorithm combining the NFS and LSM was developed from a training cohort and subsequently tested in a validation cohort. There were 101 and 46 patients in the training and validation cohort, respectively. In the training cohort, the percentages of misclassifications using the NFS alone, LSM alone, LSM alone (with grey zone), both tests for all patients and a 2-step approach using LSM only for patients with indeterminate and high NFS were 5.0, 28.7, 2.0, 2.0 and 4.0 %, respectively. The percentages of patients requiring liver biopsy were 30.7, 0, 36.6, 36.6 and 18.8 %, respectively. In the validation cohort, the percentages of misclassifications were 8.7, 28.3, 2.2, 2.2 and 8.7 %, respectively. The percentages of patients requiring liver biopsy were 28.3, 0, 41.3, 43.5 and 19.6 %, respectively. The novel 2-step approach further reduced the number of patients requiring a liver biopsy whilst maintaining the accuracy to predict advanced fibrosis. The combination of NFS and LSM for all patients provided no apparent advantage over using either of the tests alone.

The decapping activator Edc3 and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4 function together to enhance mRNA stability and alter mRNA decay pathway dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Huch, Susanne; Müller, Maren; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Gommlich, Jessie; Balagopal, Vidya; Nissan, Tracy

2016-10-15

The rate and regulation of mRNA decay are major elements in the proper control of gene expression. Edc3 and Lsm4 are two decapping activator proteins that have previously been shown to function in the assembly of RNA granules termed P bodies. Here, we show that deletion of edc3, when combined with a removal of the glutamine/asparagine rich region of Lsm4 (edc3Δ lsm4ΔC) reduces mRNA stability and alters pathways of mRNA degradation. Multiple tested mRNAs exhibited reduced stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant. The destabilization was linked to an increased dependence on Ccr4-mediated deadenylation and mRNA decapping. Unlike characterized mutations in decapping factors that either are neutral or are able to stabilize mRNA, the combined edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant reduced mRNA stability. We characterized the growth and activity of the major mRNA decay systems and translation in double mutant and wild-type yeast. In the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant, we observed alterations in the levels of specific mRNA decay factors as well as nuclear accumulation of the catalytic subunit of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. Hence, we suggest that the effects on mRNA stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant may originate from mRNA decay protein abundance or changes in mRNPs, or alternatively may imply a role for P bodies in mRNA stabilization. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The decapping activator Edc3 and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4 function together to enhance mRNA stability and alter mRNA decay pathway dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Huch, Susanne; Müller, Maren; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Gommlich, Jessie; Balagopal, Vidya; Nissan, Tracy

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The rate and regulation of mRNA decay are major elements in the proper control of gene expression. Edc3 and Lsm4 are two decapping activator proteins that have previously been shown to function in the assembly of RNA granules termed P bodies. Here, we show that deletion of edc3, when combined with a removal of the glutamine/asparagine rich region of Lsm4 (edc3Δ lsm4ΔC) reduces mRNA stability and alters pathways of mRNA degradation. Multiple tested mRNAs exhibited reduced stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant. The destabilization was linked to an increased dependence on Ccr4-mediated deadenylation and mRNA decapping. Unlike characterized mutations in decapping factors that either are neutral or are able to stabilize mRNA, the combined edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant reduced mRNA stability. We characterized the growth and activity of the major mRNA decay systems and translation in double mutant and wild-type yeast. In the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant, we observed alterations in the levels of specific mRNA decay factors as well as nuclear accumulation of the catalytic subunit of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. Hence, we suggest that the effects on mRNA stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant may originate from mRNA decay protein abundance or changes in mRNPs, or alternatively may imply a role for P bodies in mRNA stabilization. PMID:27543059

Interaction between the Opioid Receptor OPRM1 Gene and Mother-Child Language Style Matching Prospectively Predicts Children's Separation Anxiety Disorder Symptoms.

PubMed

Boparai, Sameen; Borelli, Jessica L; Partington, Lindsey; Smiley, Patricia; Jarvik, Ella; Rasmussen, Hannah F; Seaman, Lauren C; Nurmi, Erika L

2018-03-22

Recent research suggests that lower mother-child language style matching (LSM) is associated with greater physiological reactivity and insecure attachment in school-aged children, but to date no studies have explored this measure of parent-child behavioral matching for its association with children's anxiety symptoms, a well-known correlate of attachment insecurity and heightened physiological reactivity. There is also considerable evidence of genetic risk for anxiety, including possession of the OPRM1 minor allele, 118G. In the current study (N = 44), we expand upon what is known about children's genetic and environmental risk for anxiety by examining the unique and interactive effects of mother-child LSM and the OPRM1 polymorphism A118G on school-aged children's separation anxiety disorder (SAD) symptoms. SAD symptoms were measured both concurrently with LSM and OPRM1 genotype and two years later through self-report. No significant associations emerged between LSM or OPRM1 and concurrent Time 1 SAD symptoms. However, lower LSM and 118G minor allele possession were both associated with greater SAD symptoms at Time 2; further, the interaction between LSM and OPRM1 genotype significantly predicted SAD symptoms beyond the main effects of the two variables. Possession of the minor allele was only associated with greater SAD symptoms among children in low LSM dyads, whereas children with the minor allele in high LSM dyads showed non-significantly lower SAD symptoms. These findings and a proportion affected analysis provide support for a differential susceptibility model of gene by environment interactions for the OPRM1 gene. We discuss the implications for predicting children's separation anxiety across development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expansion of the Real-time Sport-land Information System for NOAA / National Weather Service Situational Awareness and Local Modeling Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; White, Kristopher D.

2014-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center in Huntsville, AL (Jedlovec 2013; Ralph et al. 2013; Merceret et al. 2013) is running a real-time configuration of the Noah land surface model (LSM) within the NASA Land Information System (LIS) framework (hereafter referred to as the "SPoRT-LIS"). Output from the real-time SPoRT-LIS is used for (1) initializing land surface variables for local modeling applications, and (2) displaying in decision support systems for situational awareness and drought monitoring at select NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) partner offices. The SPoRT-LIS is currently run over a domain covering the southeastern half of the Continental United States (CONUS), with an additional experimental real-time run over the entire CONUS and surrounding portions of southern Canada and northern Mexico. The experimental CONUS run incorporates hourly quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from the National Severe Storms Laboratory Multi- Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) product (Zhang et al. 2011, 2014), which will be transitioned into operations at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in Fall 2014. This paper describes the current and experimental SPoRT-LIS configurations, and documents some of the limitations still remaining through the advent of MRMS precipitation analyses in the SPoRT-LIS land surface model (LSM) simulations. Section 2 gives background information on the NASA LIS and describes the realtime SPoRT-LIS configurations being compared. Section 3 presents recent work done to develop a training module on situational awareness applications of real-time SPoRT-LIS output. Comparisons between output from the two SPoRT-LIS runs are shown in Section 4, including a documentation of issues encountered in using the MRMS precipitation dataset. A summary and future work in given in Section 5, followed by acknowledgements and references.

Dislocations Accelerate Oxygen Ion Diffusion in La 0.8Sr 0.2MnO 3 Epitaxial Thin Films

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

Navickas, Edvinas; Chen, Yan; Lu, Qiyang

Revealing whether dislocations accelerate oxygen ion transport is important for providing abilities in tuning the ionic conductivity of ceramic materials. In this study, we report how dislocations affect oxygen ion diffusion in Sr-doped LaMnO 3 (LSM), a model perovskite oxide that serves in energy conversion technologies. LSM epitaxial thin films with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to more than 100 nm were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on single-crystal LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 substrates. The lattice mismatch between the film and substrates induces compressive or tensile in-plane strain in the LSM layers. This lattice strain is partially reduced bymore » dislocations, especially in the LSM films on LaAlO 3. Oxygen isotope exchange measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed the existence of at least two very different diffusion coefficients in the LSM films on LaAlO 3. In conclusion, the diffusion profiles can be quantitatively explained by the existence of fast oxygen ion diffusion along threading dislocations that is faster by up to 3 orders of magnitude compared to that in LSM bulk.« less

Dislocations Accelerate Oxygen Ion Diffusion in La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 Epitaxial Thin Films

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Revealing whether dislocations accelerate oxygen ion transport is important for providing abilities in tuning the ionic conductivity of ceramic materials. In this study, we report how dislocations affect oxygen ion diffusion in Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM), a model perovskite oxide that serves in energy conversion technologies. LSM epitaxial thin films with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to more than 100 nm were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on single-crystal LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 substrates. The lattice mismatch between the film and substrates induces compressive or tensile in-plane strain in the LSM layers. This lattice strain is partially reduced by dislocations, especially in the LSM films on LaAlO3. Oxygen isotope exchange measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed the existence of at least two very different diffusion coefficients in the LSM films on LaAlO3. The diffusion profiles can be quantitatively explained by the existence of fast oxygen ion diffusion along threading dislocations that is faster by up to 3 orders of magnitude compared to that in LSM bulk. PMID:28981249

Dislocations Accelerate Oxygen Ion Diffusion in La 0.8Sr 0.2MnO 3 Epitaxial Thin Films

DOE PAGES

Navickas, Edvinas; Chen, Yan; Lu, Qiyang; ...

2017-10-05

Revealing whether dislocations accelerate oxygen ion transport is important for providing abilities in tuning the ionic conductivity of ceramic materials. In this study, we report how dislocations affect oxygen ion diffusion in Sr-doped LaMnO 3 (LSM), a model perovskite oxide that serves in energy conversion technologies. LSM epitaxial thin films with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to more than 100 nm were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on single-crystal LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 substrates. The lattice mismatch between the film and substrates induces compressive or tensile in-plane strain in the LSM layers. This lattice strain is partially reduced bymore » dislocations, especially in the LSM films on LaAlO 3. Oxygen isotope exchange measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed the existence of at least two very different diffusion coefficients in the LSM films on LaAlO 3. In conclusion, the diffusion profiles can be quantitatively explained by the existence of fast oxygen ion diffusion along threading dislocations that is faster by up to 3 orders of magnitude compared to that in LSM bulk.« less

Uncertainty in solid precipitation and snow depth prediction for Siberia using the Noah and Noah-MP land surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Kazuyoshi; Zupanski, Milija

2018-01-01

In this study, we investigate the uncertainties associated with land surface processes in an ensemble predication context. Specifically, we compare the uncertainties produced by a coupled atmosphere-land modeling system with two different land surface models, the Noah- MP land surface model (LSM) and the Noah LSM, by using the Maximum Likelihood Ensemble Filter (MLEF) data assimilation system as a platform for ensemble prediction. We carried out 24-hour prediction simulations in Siberia with 32 ensemble members beginning at 00:00 UTC on 5 March 2013. We then compared the model prediction uncertainty of snow depth and solid precipitation with observation-based research products and evaluated the standard deviation of the ensemble spread. The prediction skill and ensemble spread exhibited high positive correlation for both LSMs, indicating a realistic uncertainty estimation. The inclusion of a multiple snowlayer model in the Noah-MP LSM was beneficial for reducing the uncertainties of snow depth and snow depth change compared to the Noah LSM, but the uncertainty in daily solid precipitation showed minimal difference between the two LSMs. The impact of LSM choice in reducing temperature uncertainty was limited to surface layers of the atmosphere. In summary, we found that the more sophisticated Noah-MP LSM reduces uncertainties associated with land surface processes compared to the Noah LSM. Thus, using prediction models with improved skill implies improved predictability and greater certainty of prediction.

Preparation of Pd supported on La(Sr)-Mn-O Perovskite by microwave Irradiation Method and Its Catalytic Performances for the Methane Combustion

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei; Yuan, Fulong; Niu, Xiaoyu; Zhu, Yujun

2016-01-01

In this work, a series of palladium supported on the La0.8Sr0.2MnO3.15 perovskite catalysts (Pd/LSM-x) with different Pd loading were prepared by microwave irradiation processing plus incipient wetness impregnation method and characterized by XRD, TEM, H2-TPR and XPS. These catalysts were evaluated on the lean CH4 combustion. The results show that the Pd/LSM-x samples prepared by microwave irradiation processing possess relative higher surface areas than LSM catalyst. The addition of Pd to the LSM leads to the increase in the oxygen vacancy content and the enhancement in the mobility of lattice oxygen which play an important role on the methane combustion. The Pd/LSM-3 catalysts with 4.2wt% Pd loading exhibited the best performance for CH4 combustion that temperature for 10% and 90% of CH4 conversion is 315 and 520 °C. PMID:26781628

Novel Approach to Strengthening Ceramic Cathode Contact and Validation in a Generic Stack Test Fixture

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

Chou, Yeong-Shyung; Bonnett, Jeff F.; Stevenson, Jeffry W.

The ceramic contact material at the cathode side has been identified as the weakest mechanical link in solid oxide fuel cells, due to poor sintering at low stack fabrication temperatures. In this work, a novel approach of mechanical interlocking with an engineered surface was proposed to strengthen LSM-type contacts. The engineered cathode surface was made by depositing large LSM20 granules onto a wet cathode print, followed by sintering. Granules of three sizes were tested (mesh #35, #60, and #100). Small coupons of anode-supported YSZ electrolyte with LSM cathode were joined at 850 and 950oC for 2h with LSM contact usingmore » either the engineered surface or plain surfaces. The results of contact strength measurements showed about 14 times increase with engineered surface compared to plain surfaces. Validation with a 2”x2” LSM-based cell in a generic stack fixture showed good thermal cycle stability with minimal change in ohmic impedance over ten cycles.« less

The impact of workplace risk factors on long-term musculoskeletal sickness absence: a registry-based 5-year follow-up from the Oslo health study.

PubMed

Foss, Line; Gravseth, Hans Magne; Kristensen, Petter; Claussen, Bjørgulf; Mehlum, Ingrid Sivesind; Knardahl, Stein; Skyberg, Knut

2011-12-01

To determine the influence of work-related risk factors by gender on long-term sickness absence with musculoskeletal diagnoses (LSM). Data from the Oslo Health Study were linked to the historical event database of Statistics Norway. Eight thousand three hundred thirty-three participants were followed from 2001 through 2005. Generalized linear models were used to compute risk differences for LSM. In total, 12.6% of the women and 8.8% of the men experienced at least one LSM. Statistically, significant LSM risk increases between 0.039 and 0.086 in association with work environment were found for heavy physical work, low job control (men only), low support from superior (women only), and having shift/night work (men only). Women exhibited a higher LSM risk, but the associations with job exposures were stronger for men. This should be addressed when occupational health services give advice on preventive measures.

Feasibility study of superconducting LSM rocket launcher system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoshida, Kinjiro; Ohashi, Takaaki; Shiraishi, Katsuto; Takami, Hiroshi

1994-01-01

A feasibility study is presented concerning an application of a superconducting linear synchronous motor (LSM) to a large-scale rocket launcher, whose acceleration guide tube of LSM armature windings is constructed 1,500 meters under the ground. The rocket is released from the linear launcher just after it gets to a peak speed of about 900 kilometers per hour, and it flies out of the guide tube to obtain the speed of 700 kilometers per hour at the height of 100 meters above ground. The linear launcher is brought to a stop at the ground surface for a very short time of 5 seconds by a quick control of deceleration. Very large current variations in the single-layer windings of the LSM armature, which are produced at the higher speed region of 600 to 900 kilometers per hour, are controlled successfully by adopting the double-layer windings. The proposed control method makes the rocket launcher ascend stably in the superconducting LSM system, controlling the Coriolis force.

Intraluminal acid induces oesophageal shortening via capsaicin-sensitive neurokinin neurons.

PubMed

Paterson, William G; Miller, David V; Dilworth, Neil; Assini, Joseph B; Lourenssen, Sandra; Blennerhassett, Michael G

2007-10-01

Intraluminal acid evokes reflex contraction of oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle (LSM) and consequent oesophageal shortening. This reflex may play a role in the pathophysiology of oesophageal pain syndromes and hiatus hernia formation. The aim of the current study was to elucidate further the mechanisms of acid-induced oesophageal shortening. Intraluminal acid perfusion of the intact opossum smooth muscle oesophagus was performed in vitro in the presence and absence of neural blockade and pharmacological antagonism of the neurokinin 2 receptor, while continuously recording changes in oesophageal axial length. In addition, the effect of these antagonists on the contractile response of LSM strips to the mast cell degranulating agent 48/80 was determined. Finally, immunohistochemistry was performed to look for evidence of LSM innervation by substance P/calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-containing axons. Intraluminal acid perfusion induced longitudinal axis shortening that was completely abolished by capsaicin desensitization, substance P desensitization, or the application of the neurokinin 2 receptor antagonist MEN10376. Compound 48/80 induced sustained contraction of LSM strips in a concentration-dependent fashion and this was associated with evidence of mast cell degranulation. The 48/80-induced LSM contraction was antagonized by capsaicin desensitization, substance P desensitization and MEN10376, but not tetrodotoxin. Immunohistochemistry revealed numerous substance P/CGRP-containing neurons innervating the LSM and within the mucosa. This study suggests that luminal acid activates a reflex pathway involving mast cell degranulation, activation of capsaicin-sensitive afferent neurons and the release of substance P or a related neurokinin, which evokes sustained contraction of the oesophageal LSM. This pathway may be a target for treatment of oesophageal pain syndromes.

The yeast cytoplasmic LsmI/Pat1p complex protects mRNA 3' termini from partial degradation.

PubMed Central

He, W; Parker, R

2001-01-01

A key aspect of understanding eukaryotic gene regulation will be the identification and analysis of proteins that bind mRNAs and control their function. Recently, a complex of seven Lsm proteins and the Pat1p have been shown to interact with yeast mRNAs and promote mRNA decapping. In this study we present several observations to indicate that the LsmI/Pat1 complex has a second distinct function in protecting the 3'-UTR of mRNAs from trimming. First, mutations in the LSM1 to LSM7, as well as PAT1, genes led to the accumulation of MFA2pG and PGK1pG transcripts that had been shortened by 10-20 nucleotides at their 3' ends (referred to as trimming). Second, the trimming of these mRNAs was more severe at the high temperature, correlating with the inability of these mutant strains to grow at high temperature. In contrast, trimming did not occur in a dcp1 Delta strain, wherein the decapping enzyme is lacking. This indicates that trimming is not simply a consequence of the inhibition of mRNA decapping. Third, the temperature-sensitive growth of lsm and pat1 mutants was suppressed by mutations in the exosome or the functionally related Ski proteins, which are required for efficient 3' to 5' mRNA degradation of mRNA. Moreover, in lsm ski double mutants, higher levels of the trimmed mRNAs accumulated, indicating that exosome function is not required for mRNA trimming but that the exosome does degrade the trimmed mRNAs. These results raise the possibility that the temperature-sensitive growth of the lsm1-7 and pat1 mutants is at least partially due to mRNA trimming, which either inactivates the function of the mRNAs or makes them available for premature 3' to 5' degradation by the exosome. PMID:11514438

Theory, Investigation and Stability of Cathode Electrocatalytic Activity

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

Ding, Dong; Liu, Mingfei; Lai, Samson

2012-09-30

The main objective of this project is to systematically characterize the surface composition, morphology, and electro-catalytic properties of catalysts coated on LSCF, aiming to establish the scientific basis for rational design of high-performance cathodes by combining a porous backbone (such as LSCF) with a thin catalyst coating. The understanding gained will help us to optimize the composition and morphology of the catalyst layer and microstructure of the LSCF backbone for better performance. More specifically, the technical objectives include: (1) to characterize the surface composition, morphology, and electro-catalytic properties of catalysts coated on LSCF; (2) to characterize the microscopic details andmore » stability of the LSCF-catalyst (e.g., LSM) interfaces; (3) to establish the scientific basis for rational design of high-performance cathodes by combining a porous backbone (such as LSCF) with a thin catalyst coating; and (4) to demonstrate that the performance and stability of porous LSCF cathodes can be enhanced by the application of a thin-film coating of LSM through a solution infiltration process in small homemade button cells and in commercially available cells of larger dimension. We have successfully developed dense, conformal LSM films with desired structure, composition, morphology, and thickness on the LSCF surfaces by two different infiltration processes: a non-aqueous and a water-based sol-gel process. It is demonstrated that the activity and stability of LSCF cathodes can be improved by the introduction of a thin-film LSM coating through an infiltration process. Surface and interface of the LSM-coated LSCF cathode were systematically characterized using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. TEM observation suggests that a layer of La and Sr oxide was formed on LSCF surfaces after annealing. With LSM infiltration, in contrast, we no longer observe such La/Sr oxide layer on the LSM-coated LSCF samples after annealing under similar conditions. This was also confirmed by x-ray analyses. For example, soft x-ray XANES data reveal that Co cations displace the Mn cations as being more favored to be reduced. Variations in the Sr-O in the annealed LSCF Fourier-transformed (FT) EXAFS suggest that some Sr segregation is occurring, but is not present in the annealed LSM-infiltrated LSCF cathode materials. Further, a surface enhanced Raman technique was also developed into to probe and map LSM and LSCF phase on underlying YSZ substrate, enabling us to capture important chemical information of cathode surfaces under practical operating conditions. Electrochemical models for the design of test cells and understanding of mechanism have been developed for the exploration of fundamental properties of electrode materials. Novel catalyst coatings through particle depositions (SDC, SSC, and LCC) or continuous thin films (PSM and PSCM) were successfully developed to improve the activity and stability of LSCF cathodes. Finally, we have demonstrated enhanced activity and stability of LSCF cathodes over longer periods of time in homemade and commercially available cells by an optimized LSM infiltration process. Microstructure examination of the tested cells did not show obvious differences between blank and infiltrated cells, suggesting that the infiltrated LSM may form a coherent film on the LSCF cathodes. There was no significant change in the morphology or microstructure of the LSCF cathode due to the structural similarity of LSCF and LSM. Raman analysis of the tested cells indicated small peaks emerging on the blank cells that correspond to trace amounts of secondary phase formation during operation (e.g., CoO{sub x}). The formation of this secondary phase might be attributed to performance degradation. In contrast, there was no such secondary phase observed in the LSM infiltrated cells, indicating that the LSM modification staved off secondary phase formation and thus improved the stability.« less

Effect of Pitavastatin Treatment on ApoB-48 and Lp-PLA₂ in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: Substudy of PROspective Comparative Clinical Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of PITavastatin in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome.

PubMed

Lee, Hyo Sun; Jung, Chang Hee; Kim, Sung Rae; Jang, Hak Chul; Park, Cheol Young

2016-03-01

Apolipoprotein (Apo) B-48 is an intestinally derived lipoprotein that is expected to be a marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂) is a vascular-specific inflammatory marker and important risk predictor of CVD. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of pitavastatin treatment and life style modification (LSM) on ApoB-48 and Lp-PLA₂ levels in metabolic syndrome (MS) patients at relatively low risk for CVD, as a sub-analysis of a previous multi-center prospective study. We enrolled 75 patients with MS from the PROPIT study and randomized them into two treatment groups: 2 mg pitavastatin daily+intensive LSM or intensive LSM only. We measured the change of lipid profiles, ApoB-48 and Lp-PLA₂ for 48 weeks. Total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ApoB-100/A1 ratio were significantly improved in the pitavastatin+LSM group compared to the LSM only group (P≤0.001). Pitavastatin+LSM did not change the level of ApoB-48 in subjects overall, but the level of ApoB-48 was significantly lower in the higher mean baseline value group of ApoB-48. The change in Lp-PLA₂ was not significant after intervention in either group after treatment with pitavastatin for 1 year. Pitavastatin treatment and LSM significantly improved lipid profiles, ApoB-100/A1 ratio, and reduced ApoB-48 levels in the higher mean baseline value group of ApoB-48, but did not significantly alter the Lp-PLA₂ levels.

The relationship between liver stiffness measurement and outcome in patients with chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis: a retrospective longitudinal hospital study.

PubMed

Sultanik, P; Kramer, L; Soudan, D; Bouam, S; Meritet, J-F; Vallet-Pichard, A; Fontaine, H; Bousquet, L; Boueyre, E; Corouge, M; Sogni, P; Pol, S; Mallet, V

2016-09-01

There is a relationship between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and outcome of HCV patients. To evaluate the performance of LSM to predict outcome of HCV patients at risk of liver-related complication. We established a retrospective longitudinal cohort of 341 HCV patients with unequivocal cirrhosis. All underwent LSM and were followed from September 2006 to July 2015. Outcome measure was a composite end-point of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cox models and areas under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were used to evaluate independent risk factors of outcome. Overall, LSM was below the 12.5 kPa threshold in 129 (37.8%) patients, including three-fourth and one-third of patients with or without a sustained virological response respectively. Liver disease progressed in 136 (39.9%) patients after a median observational period of 23.5 months. Older age, male gender, alcohol use disorders, metabolic syndrome and LSM were independent risk factors of liver disease progression. Age, alcohol use disorders and LSM were independently associated with ESLD. Age, gender and metabolic syndrome, but not LSM, were associated with HCC. The AUROC curves for disease progression, ESLD and HCC were 0.67, 0.70 and 0.58 respectively. Patients with a liver stiffness >12.5 kPa were at the highest risk of liver disease progression; below 12.5 kPa, liver stiffness was not discriminant. Liver stiffness measurement is not a surrogate of disease progression of HCV patients with cirrhosis. HCV patients with cirrhosis should undergo the recommended follow-up, regardless of liver stiffness measurement. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Applicability and variability of liver stiffness measurements according to probe position

PubMed Central

Ingiliz, Patrick; Chhay, Kim Pav; Munteanu, Mona; Lebray, Pascal; Ngo, Yen; Roulot, Dominique; Benhamou, Yves; Thabut, Dominique; Ratziu, Vlad; Poynard, Thierry

2009-01-01

AIM: To investigate the liver stiffness measurement (LSM) applicability and variability with reference to three probe positions according to the region of liver biopsy. METHODS: The applicability for LSM was defined as at least 10 valid measurements with a success rate greater than 60% and an interquartile range/median LSM < 30%. The LSM variability compared the inter-position concordance and the concordance with FibroTest. RESULTS: Four hundred and forty two consecutive patients were included. The applicability of the anterior position (81%) was significantly higher than that of the reference (69%) and lower positions (68%), (both P = 0.0001). There was a significant difference (0.5 kPa, 95% CI 0.13-0.89; P < 0.0001) between mean LSM estimated at the reference position (9.3 kPa) vs the anterior position (8.8 kPa). Discordance between positions was associated with thoracic fold (P = 0.008). The discordance rate between the reference position result and FibroTest was higher when the 7.1 kPa cutoff was used to define advanced fibrosis instead of 8.8 kPa (33.6% vs 23.5%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The anterior position of the probe should be the first choice for LSM using Fibroscan, as it has a higher applicability without higher variability compared to the usual liver biopsy position. PMID:19610141

Application of Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) accelerators to the Pleim-Xiu land surface scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Melin; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.

2015-10-01

The land-surface model (LSM) is one physics process in the weather research and forecast (WRF) model. The LSM includes atmospheric information from the surface layer scheme, radiative forcing from the radiation scheme, and precipitation forcing from the microphysics and convective schemes, together with internal information on the land's state variables and land-surface properties. The LSM is to provide heat and moisture fluxes over land points and sea-ice points. The Pleim-Xiu (PX) scheme is one LSM. The PX LSM features three pathways for moisture fluxes: evapotranspiration, soil evaporation, and evaporation from wet canopies. To accelerate the computation process of this scheme, we employ Intel Xeon Phi Many Integrated Core (MIC) Architecture as it is a multiprocessor computer structure with merits of efficient parallelization and vectorization essentials. Our results show that the MIC-based optimization of this scheme running on Xeon Phi coprocessor 7120P improves the performance by 2.3x and 11.7x as compared to the original code respectively running on one CPU socket (eight cores) and on one CPU core with Intel Xeon E5-2670.

Dual-slit confocal light sheet microscopy for in vivo whole-brain imaging of zebrafish

PubMed Central

Yang, Zhe; Mei, Li; Xia, Fei; Luo, Qingming; Fu, Ling; Gong, Hui

2015-01-01

In vivo functional imaging at single-neuron resolution is an important approach to visualize biological processes in neuroscience. Light sheet microscopy (LSM) is a cutting edge in vivo imaging technique that provides micron-scale spatial resolution at high frame rate. Due to the scattering and absorption of tissue, however, conventional LSM is inadequate to resolve cells because of the attenuated signal to noise ratio (SNR). Using dual-beam illumination and confocal dual-slit detection, here a dual-slit confocal LSM is demonstrated to obtain the SNR enhanced images with frame rate twice as high as line confocal LSM method. Through theoretical calculations and experiments, the correlation between the slit’s width and SNR was determined to optimize the image quality. In vivo whole brain structural imaging stacks and the functional imaging sequences of single slice were obtained for analysis of calcium activities at single-cell resolution. A two-fold increase in imaging speed of conventional confocal LSM makes it possible to capture the sequence of the neurons’ activities and help reveal the potential functional connections in the whole zebrafish’s brain. PMID:26137381

Estimating Evapotranspiration with Land Data Assimilation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Kumar, S. V.; Mocko, D. M.; Tian, Y.

2011-01-01

Advancements in both land surface models (LSM) and land surface data assimilation, especially over the last decade, have substantially advanced the ability of land data assimilation systems (LDAS) to estimate evapotranspiration (ET). This article provides a historical perspective on international LSM intercomparison efforts and the development of LDAS systems, both of which have improved LSM ET skill. In addition, an assessment of ET estimates for current LDAS systems is provided along with current research that demonstrates improvement in LSM ET estimates due to assimilating satellite-based soil moisture products. Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter in the Land Information System, we assimilate both NASA and Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) soil moisture products into the Noah LSM Version 3.2 with the North American LDAS phase 2 (NLDAS-2) forcing to mimic the NLDAS-2 configuration. Through comparisons with two global reference ET products, one based on interpolated flux tower data and one from a new satellite ET algorithm, over the NLDAS2 domain, we demonstrate improvement in ET estimates only when assimilating the LPRM soil moisture product.

Clinical Application of Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

PubMed Central

Liang, Xie-Er; Chen, Yong-Peng

2017-01-01

Abstract Evaluation of the extent and progression of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is of critical importance in the management and prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis B. Due to the limitation of liver biopsy, non-invasive methods, especially liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration controlled transient elastography, have been developed and widely applied for liver fibrosis assessment. LSM aims to reduce, but not to substitute, the need for liver biopsy for fibrosis/cirrhosis diagnosis. While LSM may have potential utility in monitoring treatment response, its applications in prediction of liver complications in terms of portal hypertension and esophageal varices, as well as disease prognosis, have been gradually validated. Here, we review the latest clinical applications of LSM in patients with chronic hepatitis B. PMID:29226103

Impact of hepatitis C virus genotype-4 eradication following direct acting antivirals on liver stiffness measurement.

PubMed

Tag-Adeen, Mohammed; Sabra, Ahlam Mohamed; Akazawa, Yuko; Ohnita, Ken; Nakao, Kazuhiko

2017-01-01

Liver fibrosis is the most important prognostic factor in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, and Egypt shows the highest worldwide HCV prevalence with genotype-4 pre-dominance. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) improvement after successful HCV eradication. The study included 84 chronic HCV Egyptian patients, and was conducted at Qena University Hospital from November 1, 2015 till October 31, 2016. LSM was obtained by FibroScan® before starting direct acting antiviral (DAA) treatment and after achieving sustained virologic response-24 (SVR-24). Based on baseline LSM, patients were stratified into F0-F1, F2, F3 and F4 groups (METAVIR). LSM and laboratory data after achieving SVR-24 was compared with that before starting therapy in each fibrosis group (F0-F4), p -value <0.05 was statistically significant. Following DAA treatment, 80 patients achieved SVR-24; of these, 50 were males (62.5%), mean age: 54.2±7.6 years, and mean body mass index: 28.6±2.2 kg/m 2 . Mean baseline LSM dropped from 15.6±10.8 to 12.1±8.7 kPa post-SVR; the maximum change of -5.8 occurred in F4 versus -2.79, -1.28 and +0.08 in F3, F2 and F0-F1 respectively ( p <0.0001). At baseline, 41 patients were in the F4 group; only 16 (39%) regressed to non-cirrhotic range (<12.5 kPa), while 25 (61%) were still cirrhotic despite achieving SVR-24 ( p <0.0001). Patients who achieved LSM improvement (n=64) have had significantly higher baseline aspartate transferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT). Also, those patients showed significant improvement in AST, AST/platelets ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 index (Fib-4) after achieving SVR; 91% showed AST improvement ( p =0.01) and APRI improvement ( p =0.01) and 81% showed Fib-4 improvement ( p =0.04). Females, diabetics, patients with S3 steatosis and patients older than 50 years showed less LSM improvements than their counterparts. Baseline LSM ≥9 kPa, bilirubin ≥1 mg/dl, ALT ≥36 U/L and AST ≥31 U/L were significant predictors for LSM improvement. Successful HCV genotype-4 eradication results in significant LSM improvement; the best improvement occurs in F4 patients. But as the majority of cirrhotics are still at risk for liver decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma development despite achieving SVR-24, early detection and treatment are highly recommended.

A Multialgorithm Approach to Land Surface Modeling of Suspended Sediment in the Colorado Front Range

PubMed Central

Stewart, J. R.; Kasprzyk, J. R.; Rajagopalan, B.; Minear, J. T.; Raseman, W. J.

2017-01-01

Abstract A new paradigm of simulating suspended sediment load (SSL) with a Land Surface Model (LSM) is presented here. Five erosion and SSL algorithms were applied within a common LSM framework to quantify uncertainties and evaluate predictability in two steep, forested catchments (>1,000 km2). The algorithms were chosen from among widely used sediment models, including empirically based: monovariate rating curve (MRC) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE); stochastically based: the Load Estimator (LOADEST); conceptually based: the Hydrologic Simulation Program—Fortran (HSPF); and physically based: the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM). The algorithms were driven by the hydrologic fluxes and meteorological inputs generated from the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) LSM. A multiobjective calibration was applied to each algorithm and optimized parameter sets were validated over an excluded period, as well as in a transfer experiment to a nearby catchment to explore parameter robustness. Algorithm performance showed consistent decreases when parameter sets were applied to periods with greatly differing SSL variability relative to the calibration period. Of interest was a joint calibration of all sediment algorithm and streamflow parameters simultaneously, from which trade‐offs between streamflow performance and partitioning of runoff and base flow to optimize SSL timing were noted, decreasing the flexibility and robustness of the streamflow to adapt to different time periods. Parameter transferability to another catchment was most successful in more process‐oriented algorithms, the HSPF and the DHSVM. This first‐of‐its‐kind multialgorithm sediment scheme offers a unique capability to portray acute episodic loading while quantifying trade‐offs and uncertainties across a range of algorithm structures. PMID:29399268

Examination of the mechanism for the reversible aging behavior at open circuit when changing the operating temperature of (La 0.8Sr 0.2) 0.95 MnO 3 electrodes

DOE PAGES

Abernathy, Harry; Finklea, Harry O.; Mebane, David S.; ...

2015-02-17

The aging behavior of symmetrical cells, consisting of either (La 0.8Sr 0.2) 0.95 MnO 3 (LSM) or La 0.6Sr 0.4Co 0.2Fe 0.8O 3 (LSCF) electrodes screen printed on either 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) or Ce 0.8Gd 0.2O 2 (GDC) electrolyte substrates, is reported as the symmetrical cell is thermally cycled between 700 °C and 800 °C. For LSM, between 700 °C and 850 °C, the polarization resistance exhibits slow increases or decreases with time (on the order of days) after a quick change in temperature. When increasing the temperature, the polarization resistance decreases with time, and when decreasing themore » temperature, the polarization resistance slowly increases with time. In a previous work, the authors had explained these results with LSM by connecting the testing conditions to literature reports of surface analysis of LSM thin films which demonstrated a change in the amount of surface cation segregation as a function of temperature. In this work, TEM/EDS/XPS analysis of dense LSM pellets thermally cycled under the same conditions as the symmetrical cells does not indicate any significant reversible change in the surface composition of the LSM pellet between 700 °C and 800 °C. An alternative hypothesis is proposed to explain the relationship between polarization resistance and the LSM cation/anion vacancy concentrations controlled by the Schottky reaction. The timescale of aging behavior is related to the time necessary for the cations to move to or from the LSM surface to adjust to the new equilibrium at each temperature. Furthermore, the relevance in understanding the mechanism behind the aging behavior is emphasized with respect to fuel cell sample/stack modeling as well as to proper testing procedures for reaching reliable conclusions when comparing different electrode samples.« less

Assessment of Liver Fibrosis by Transient Elastography Should Be Done After Hemodialysis in End Stage Renal Disease Patients with Liver Disease.

PubMed

Taneja, Sunil; Borkakoty, Amritangsu; Rathi, Sahaj; Kumar, Vivek; Duseja, Ajay; Dhiman, Radha K; Gupta, Krishan L; Chawla, Yogesh

2017-11-01

The patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are at greater risk of acquiring chronic hepatitis B or C and subsequently development of liver disease. The aim of the study was to assess liver fibrosis by transient elastography (TE) and look for factors associated with change in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) with one session of hemodialysis (HD). Consecutive ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) with suspected liver disease were enrolled. They underwent LSM by TE before and after one session of HD. Bioelectric impedance analysis was done to evaluate the volume status at the time of TE. Sixty-eight patients with mean age of 40 ± 14 years were included. There was a significant reduction in LSM after HD (18.5 [95% CI 14.8-23.1] vs. 11.2 [95% CI 8.8-13.7] kPa, p < 0.001), with a mean LSM reduction of 7.2 [95% CI 5.25-9.19] kPa. On stratification in two groups by net ultrafiltration during HD (> or < 2.5 liters [L]), change in LSM was substantially higher in patients when total fluid removed was > 2.5 L (8.6 [95% CI 5.7-11.5] vs. 5.1 [95% CI 2.9-7.5], p = 0.05). In 18 patients who underwent liver biopsy, LSM after HD performed better at detecting significant fibrosis, with area under receiver operating characteristics curve 0.71 [95% CI 0.46-0.97], versus 0.64 [95% CI 0.38-0.90], respectively. An LSM value of 12.2 kPa after HD was 71% sensitive and 74% specific for detection of significant fibrosis (≥ F2), while values less than 9 kPa ruled out significant fibrosis with a sensitivity and specificity of 37 and 100%, respectively. LSM by TE decreases significantly after HD in patients with ESRD on long-term MHD. Hence, TE should be done after HD for accurate assessment of liver fibrosis.

Low-temperature sintering of lanthanum strontium manganite-based contact pastes for SOFCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, B. P.; Pederson, L. R.; Chou, Y. S.; Zhou, X.-D.; Surdoval, W. A.; Wilson, L. C.

Electrical contact pastes of composition (La 0.90Sr 0.10) 0.98MnO 3 + δ (LSM-10) formed strong bonds (∼3 MPa) to (Co,Mn) 3O 4 spinel-coated Crofer 22 APU ferritic steel coupons when exposed to alternating flows of air and nitrogen (10 ppm O 2) at 900 °C for 2 h or longer. When held at 900 °C in air only, bond strengths were negligible. Substantial bonds could also be created between LSM-10 contact paste and (La 0.80Sr 0.20) 0.98MnO 3 + δ (LSM-20) porous cathodes by processing in alternating air and nitrogen, without simultaneous densification of the cathode. Enhanced sintering of LSM-10 is attributed to transients in the defect structure induced by oxygen partial pressure changes.

Automated Robust Image Segmentation: Level Set Method Using Nonnegative Matrix Factorization with Application to Brain MRI.

PubMed

Dera, Dimah; Bouaynaya, Nidhal; Fathallah-Shaykh, Hassan M

2016-07-01

We address the problem of fully automated region discovery and robust image segmentation by devising a new deformable model based on the level set method (LSM) and the probabilistic nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). We describe the use of NMF to calculate the number of distinct regions in the image and to derive the local distribution of the regions, which is incorporated into the energy functional of the LSM. The results demonstrate that our NMF-LSM method is superior to other approaches when applied to synthetic binary and gray-scale images and to clinical magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the human brain with and without a malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme. In particular, the NMF-LSM method is fully automated, highly accurate, less sensitive to the initial selection of the contour(s) or initial conditions, more robust to noise and model parameters, and able to detect as small distinct regions as desired. These advantages stem from the fact that the proposed method relies on histogram information instead of intensity values and does not introduce nuisance model parameters. These properties provide a general approach for automated robust region discovery and segmentation in heterogeneous images. Compared with the retrospective radiological diagnoses of two patients with non-enhancing grade 2 and 3 oligodendroglioma, the NMF-LSM detects earlier progression times and appears suitable for monitoring tumor response. The NMF-LSM method fills an important need of automated segmentation of clinical MRI.

A Robust High-Accuracy Ultrasound Indoor Positioning System Based on a Wireless Sensor Network.

PubMed

Qi, Jun; Liu, Guo-Ping

2017-11-06

This paper describes the development and implementation of a robust high-accuracy ultrasonic indoor positioning system (UIPS). The UIPS consists of several wireless ultrasonic beacons in the indoor environment. Each of them has a fixed and known position coordinate and can collect all the transmissions from the target node or emit ultrasonic signals. Every wireless sensor network (WSN) node has two communication modules: one is WiFi, that transmits the data to the server, and the other is the radio frequency (RF) module, which is only used for time synchronization between different nodes, with accuracy up to 1 μ s. The distance between the beacon and the target node is calculated by measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) for the ultrasonic signal, and then the position of the target is computed by some distances and the coordinate of the beacons. TOF estimation is the most important technique in the UIPS. A new time domain method to extract the envelope of the ultrasonic signals is presented in order to estimate the TOF. This method, with the envelope detection filter, estimates the value with the sampled values on both sides based on the least squares method (LSM). The simulation results show that the method can achieve envelope detection with a good filtering effect by means of the LSM. The highest precision and variance can reach 0.61 mm and 0.23 mm, respectively, in pseudo-range measurements with UIPS. A maximum location error of 10.2 mm is achieved in the positioning experiments for a moving robot, when UIPS works on the line-of-sight (LOS) signal.

Consolidating strategic planning and operational frameworks for integrated vector management in Eritrea.

PubMed

Chanda, Emmanuel; Ameneshewa, Birkinesh; Mihreteab, Selam; Berhane, Araia; Zehaie, Assefash; Ghebrat, Yohannes; Usman, Abdulmumini

2015-12-02

Contemporary malaria vector control relies on the use of insecticide-based, indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). However, malaria-endemic countries, including Eritrea, have struggled to effectively deploy these tools due technical and operational challenges, including the selection of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. This manuscript outlines the processes undertaken in consolidating strategic planning and operational frameworks for vector control to expedite malaria elimination in Eritrea. The effort to strengthen strategic frameworks for vector control in Eritrea was the 'case' for this study. The integrated vector management (IVM) strategy was developed in 2010 but was not well executed, resulting in a rise in malaria transmission, prompting a process to redefine and relaunch the IVM strategy with integration of other vector borne diseases (VBDs) as the focus. The information sources for this study included all available data and accessible archived documentary records on malaria vector control in Eritrea. Structured literature searches of published, peer-reviewed sources using online, scientific, bibliographic databases, Google Scholar, PubMed and WHO, and a combination of search terms were utilized to gather data. The literature was reviewed and adapted to the local context and translated into the consolidated strategic framework. In Eritrea, communities are grappling with the challenge of VBDs posing public health concerns, including malaria. The global fund financed the scale-up of IRS and LLIN programmes in 2014. Eritrea is transitioning towards malaria elimination and strategic frameworks for vector control have been consolidated by: developing an integrated vector management (IVM) strategy (2015-2019); updating IRS and larval source management (LSM) guidelines; developing training manuals for IRS and LSM; training of national staff in malaria entomology and vector control, including insecticide resistance monitoring techniques; initiating the global plan for insecticide resistance management; conducting needs' assessments and developing standard operating procedure for insectaries; developing a guidance document on malaria vector control based on eco-epidemiological strata, a vector surveillance plan and harmonized mapping, data collection and reporting tools. Eritrea has successfully consolidated strategic frameworks for vector control. Rational decision-making remains critical to ensure that the interventions are effective and their choice is evidence-based, and to optimize the use of resources for vector control. Implementation of effective IVM requires proper collaboration and coordination, consistent technical and financial capacity and support to offer greater benefits.

Electromechanical Dynamics Simulations of Superconducting LSM Rocket Launcher System in Attractive-Mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoshida, Kinjiro; Hayashi, Kengo; Takami, Hiroshi

1996-01-01

Further feasibility study on a superconducting linear synchronous motor (LSM) rocket launcher system is presented on the basis of dynamic simulations of electric power, efficiency and power factor as well as the ascending motions of the launcher and rocket. The advantages of attractive-mode operation are found from comparison with repulsive-mode operation. It is made clear that the LSM rocket launcher system, of which the long-stator is divided optimally into 60 sections according to launcher speeds, can obtain high efficiency and power factor.

The combination of liver stiffness measurement and NAFLD fibrosis score improves the noninvasive diagnostic accuracy for severe liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

PubMed

Petta, Salvatore; Vanni, Ester; Bugianesi, Elisabetta; Di Marco, Vito; Cammà, Calogero; Cabibi, Daniela; Mezzabotta, Lavinia; Craxì, Antonio

2015-05-01

The accuracy of noninvasive tools for the diagnosis of severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in clinical practice is still limited. We aimed at assessing the diagnostic performance of combined noninvasive tools in two independent cohorts of Italian NAFLD patients. We analysed data from 321 Italian patients(179 Sicilian-training cohort, and 142 northern Italy-validation cohort) with an histological diagnosis of NAFLD. Severe fibrosis was defined as fibrosis ≥ F3 according to Kleiner classification. The APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NFS scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement(LSM) was performed by FibroScan. Cut-off points of LSM, NFS and FIB-4 for rule-in or rule-out F3-F4 fibrosis were calculated by the reported formulas. In the Sicilian cohort AUCs of LSM, NFS, FIB-4, LSM plus NFS, LSM plus FIB-4, and NFS plus FIB-4 were 0.857, 0.803, 0.790, 0.878, 0.888 and 0.807, respectively, while in the northern Italy cohort the corresponding AUCs were 0.848, 0.730, 0.703, 0.844, 0.850, and 0.733 respectively. In the training cohort, the combination of LSM plus NFS was the best performing strategy, providing false positive, false negative and uncertainty area rates of 0%,1.1% and 48% respectively. Similar results were obtained in the validation cohort with false positive, false negative and uncertainty area rates of 0%,7.3% and 40.8%. The combination of LSM with NFS, two complementary, easy-to-perform, and widely available tools, is able to accurately diagnose or exclude the presence of severe liver fibrosis, also reducing of about 50-60% the number of needed diagnostic liver biopsies. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of Land Surface Models in a High-Resolution Atmospheric Model during Indian Summer Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attada, Raju; Kumar, Prashant; Dasari, Hari Prasad

2018-04-01

Assessment of the land surface models (LSMs) on monsoon studies over the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) region is essential. In this study, we evaluate the skill of LSMs at 10 km spatial resolution in simulating the 2010 monsoon season. The thermal diffusion scheme (TDS), rapid update cycle (RUC), and Noah and Noah with multi-parameterization (Noah-MP) LSMs are chosen based on nature of complexity, that is, from simple slab model to multi-parameterization options coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Model results are compared with the available in situ observations and reanalysis fields. The sensitivity of monsoon elements, surface characteristics, and vertical structures to different LSMs is discussed. Our results reveal that the monsoon features are reproduced by WRF model with all LSMs, but with some regional discrepancies. The model simulations with selected LSMs are able to reproduce the broad rainfall patterns, orography-induced rainfall over the Himalayan region, and dry zone over the southern tip of India. The unrealistic precipitation pattern over the equatorial western Indian Ocean is simulated by WRF-LSM-based experiments. The spatial and temporal distributions of top 2-m soil characteristics (soil temperature and soil moisture) are well represented in RUC and Noah-MP LSM-based experiments during the ISM. Results show that the WRF simulations with RUC, Noah, and Noah-MP LSM-based experiments significantly improved the skill of 2-m temperature and moisture compared to TDS (chosen as a base) LSM-based experiments. Furthermore, the simulations with Noah, RUC, and Noah-MP LSMs exhibit minimum error in thermodynamics fields. In case of surface wind speed, TDS LSM performed better compared to other LSM experiments. A significant improvement is noticeable in simulating rainfall by WRF model with Noah, RUC, and Noah-MP LSMs over TDS LSM. Thus, this study emphasis the importance of choosing/improving LSMs for simulating the ISM phenomena in a regional model.

A Single Test Combining Blood Markers and Elastography is More Accurate Than Other Fibrosis Tests in the Main Causes of Chronic Liver Diseases.

PubMed

Ducancelle, Alexandra; Leroy, Vincent; Vergniol, Julien; Sturm, Nathalie; Le Bail, Brigitte; Zarski, Jean Pierre; Nguyen Khac, Eric; Salmon, Dominique; de Ledinghen, Victor; Calès, Paul

2017-08-01

International guidelines suggest combining a blood test and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) to stage liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we compared the accuracies of these tests between the main etiologies of chronic liver diseases. Overall, 1968 patients were included in 5 etiologies: CHC: 698, chronic hepatitis B: 152, human immunodeficiency virus/CHC: 628, NAFLD: 225, and alcoholic liver disease (ALD): 265. Sixteen tests [13 blood tests, LSM (Fibroscan), 2 combined: FibroMeters] were evaluated. References were Metavir staging and CHC etiology. Accuracy was evaluated mainly with the Obuchowski index (OI) and accessorily with area under the receiver operating characteristics (F≥2, F≥3, cirrhosis). OIs in CHC were: FibroMeters: 0.812, FibroMeters: 0.785 to 0.797, Fibrotest: 0.762, CirrhoMeters: 0.756 to 0.771, LSM: 0.754, Hepascore: 0.752, FibroMeter: 0.750, aspartate aminotransferase platelet ratio index: 0.742, Fib-4: 0.741. In other etiologies, most tests had nonsignificant changes in OIs. In NAFLD, CHC-specific tests were more accurate than NAFLD-specific tests. The combined FibroMeters had significantly higher accuracy than their 2 constitutive tests (FibroMeters and LSM) in at least 1 diagnostic target in all etiologies, except in ALD where LSM had the highest OI, and in 3 diagnostic targets (OIs and 2 area under the receiver operating characteristics) in CHC and NAFLD. Some tests developed in CHC outperformed other tests in their specific etiologies. Tests combining blood markers and LSM outperformed single tests, validating recent guidelines and extending them to main etiologies. Noninvasive fibrosis evaluation can thus be simplified in the main etiologies by using a unique test: either LSM alone, especially in ALD, or preferably combined to blood markers.

Similar Modes of Interaction Enable Trailer Hitch and EDC3 To Associate with DCP1 and Me31B in Distinct Protein Complexes▿ †

PubMed Central

Tritschler, Felix; Eulalio, Ana; Helms, Sigrun; Schmidt, Steffen; Coles, Murray; Weichenrieder, Oliver; Izaurralde, Elisa; Truffault, Vincent

2008-01-01

Trailer Hitch (Tral or LSm15) and enhancer of decapping-3 (EDC3 or LSm16) are conserved eukaryotic members of the (L)Sm (Sm and Like-Sm) protein family. They have a similar domain organization, characterized by an N-terminal LSm domain and a central FDF motif; however, in Tral, the FDF motif is flanked by regions rich in charged residues, whereas in EDC3 the FDF motif is followed by a YjeF_N domain. We show that in Drosophila cells, Tral and EDC3 specifically interact with the decapping activator DCP1 and the DEAD-box helicase Me31B. Nevertheless, only Tral associates with the translational repressor CUP, whereas EDC3 associates with the decapping enzyme DCP2. Like EDC3, Tral interacts with DCP1 and localizes to mRNA processing bodies (P bodies) via the LSm domain. This domain remains monomeric in solution and adopts a divergent Sm fold that lacks the characteristic N-terminal α-helix, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. Mutational analysis revealed that the structural integrity of the LSm domain is required for Tral both to interact with DCP1 and CUP and to localize to P-bodies. Furthermore, both Tral and EDC3 interact with the C-terminal RecA-like domain of Me31B through their FDF motifs. Together with previous studies, our results show that Tral and EDC3 are structurally related and use a similar mode to associate with common partners in distinct protein complexes. PMID:18765641

Similar modes of interaction enable Trailer Hitch and EDC3 to associate with DCP1 and Me31B in distinct protein complexes.

PubMed

Tritschler, Felix; Eulalio, Ana; Helms, Sigrun; Schmidt, Steffen; Coles, Murray; Weichenrieder, Oliver; Izaurralde, Elisa; Truffault, Vincent

2008-11-01

Trailer Hitch (Tral or LSm15) and enhancer of decapping-3 (EDC3 or LSm16) are conserved eukaryotic members of the (L)Sm (Sm and Like-Sm) protein family. They have a similar domain organization, characterized by an N-terminal LSm domain and a central FDF motif; however, in Tral, the FDF motif is flanked by regions rich in charged residues, whereas in EDC3 the FDF motif is followed by a YjeF_N domain. We show that in Drosophila cells, Tral and EDC3 specifically interact with the decapping activator DCP1 and the DEAD-box helicase Me31B. Nevertheless, only Tral associates with the translational repressor CUP, whereas EDC3 associates with the decapping enzyme DCP2. Like EDC3, Tral interacts with DCP1 and localizes to mRNA processing bodies (P bodies) via the LSm domain. This domain remains monomeric in solution and adopts a divergent Sm fold that lacks the characteristic N-terminal alpha-helix, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. Mutational analysis revealed that the structural integrity of the LSm domain is required for Tral both to interact with DCP1 and CUP and to localize to P-bodies. Furthermore, both Tral and EDC3 interact with the C-terminal RecA-like domain of Me31B through their FDF motifs. Together with previous studies, our results show that Tral and EDC3 are structurally related and use a similar mode to associate with common partners in distinct protein complexes.

Health-Related Quality of Life among Chronic Opioid Users, Nonchronic Opioid Users, and Nonopioid Users with Chronic Noncancer Pain.

PubMed

Hayes, Corey J; Li, Xiaocong; Li, Chenghui; Shah, Anuj; Kathe, Niranjan; Bhandari, Naleen Raj; Payakachat, Nalin

2018-02-25

Evaluate the association between opioid therapy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in participants with chronic, noncancer pain (CNCP). Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Longitudinal, Medical Conditions, and Prescription Files. Using a retrospective cohort study design, the Mental Health Component (MCS12) and Physical Health Component (PCS12) scores of the Short Form-12 Version 2 were assessed to measure mental and physical HRQoL. Chronic, noncancer pain participants were classified as chronic, nonchronic, and nonopioid users. One-to-one propensity score matching was employed to match chronic opioid users to nonchronic opioid users plus nonchronic opioid users and chronic opioid users to nonopioid users. A total of 5,876 participants were identified. After matching, PCS12 was not significantly different between nonchronic versus nonopioid users (LSM Diff = -0.98, 95% CI: -2.07, 0.10), chronic versus nonopioid users (LSM Diff = -2.24, 95% CI: -4.58, 0.10), or chronic versus nonchronic opioid users (LSM Diff = -2.23, 95% CI: -4.53, 0.05). Similarly, MCS12 was not significantly different between nonchronic versus nonopioid users (LSM Diff = 0.76, 95% CI: -0.46, 1.98), chronic versus nonopioid users (LSM Diff = 1.08, 95% CI: -1.26, 3.42), or chronic versus nonchronic opioid users (LSM Diff = -0.57, 95% CI: -2.90, 1.77). Clinicians should evaluate opioid use in participants with CNCP as opioid use is not correlated with better HRQoL. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Predictive value of liver and spleen stiffness in advanced alcoholic cirrhosis with refractory ascites.

PubMed

Lindner, Franziska; Mühlberg, Reinhard; Wiegand, Johannes; Tröltzsch, Michael; Hoffmeister, Albrecht; Keim, Volker; Karlas, Thomas

2018-06-01

 Recurrent ascitic decompensation is a frequent complication of advanced alcoholic liver disease. Ascites can be controlled by transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) implantation, but specific pre-procedural outcome predictors are not well established. Liver and spleen stiffness measurement (LSM, SSM) correlate with outcome of compensated liver disease, but data for decompensated cirrhosis disease are scarce. Therefore, the predictive value of LSM and SSM was evaluated in patients with refractory ascites treated with TIPS insertion or receiving conservative therapy.  Patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and recurrent or refractory ascites were stratified according to TIPS eligibility. LSM was prospectively assessed by transient elastography (TE, XL probe) and point shear wave elastography (pSWE). pSWE was also used for SSM. The primary study endpoint was transplant-free survival after 12 months. In addition, correlation of LSM and SSM with TIPS complications was analyzed.  43 patients (16 % female, age 55.5 [28.6 - 79.6] years) were recruited, n = 20 underwent TIPS and n = 23 were treated with repeated paracenteses only. 15 patients died and five underwent liver transplantation during follow-up. LSM and SSM at baseline did not predict the patients' outcome in the TIPS cohort and in patients with conservative therapy. SSM was increased in two cases with spontaneous TIPS occlusion and declined after revision.  LSM and SSM cannot be recommended for risk stratification in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites. SSM may be useful in monitoring TIPS function during follow-up. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A Digital Liquid State Machine With Biologically Inspired Learning and Its Application to Speech Recognition.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Li, Peng; Jin, Yingyezhe; Choe, Yoonsuck

2015-11-01

This paper presents a bioinspired digital liquid-state machine (LSM) for low-power very-large-scale-integration (VLSI)-based machine learning applications. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work that employs a bioinspired spike-based learning algorithm for the LSM. With the proposed online learning, the LSM extracts information from input patterns on the fly without needing intermediate data storage as required in offline learning methods such as ridge regression. The proposed learning rule is local such that each synaptic weight update is based only upon the firing activities of the corresponding presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons without incurring global communications across the neural network. Compared with the backpropagation-based learning, the locality of computation in the proposed approach lends itself to efficient parallel VLSI implementation. We use subsets of the TI46 speech corpus to benchmark the bioinspired digital LSM. To reduce the complexity of the spiking neural network model without performance degradation for speech recognition, we study the impacts of synaptic models on the fading memory of the reservoir and hence the network performance. Moreover, we examine the tradeoffs between synaptic weight resolution, reservoir size, and recognition performance and present techniques to further reduce the overhead of hardware implementation. Our simulation results show that in terms of isolated word recognition evaluated using the TI46 speech corpus, the proposed digital LSM rivals the state-of-the-art hidden Markov-model-based recognizer Sphinx-4 and outperforms all other reported recognizers including the ones that are based upon the LSM or neural networks.

Effect of dietary protein level and source on bone mineralization in rats.

PubMed

Gralak, M A; Piastowska, A W; Leontowicz, H; Leontowicz, M; Antczak, A; Kulasek, G W; Szara, T; Narojek, T

2004-01-01

Bone mineralization was studied in rats. Animals were divided into three feeding groups: LCP - diet with 13.5% crude protein in DM (5% of gluten, 10% of casein), HCP - diet with 21.2% CP in DM (8% of gluten, 10% of casein), and LSM - diet based on grain meals and meat-bone meal (21% CP in DM). After 28 days feeding, animals were euthanased by cervical dislocation and femur bones were collected, weighed and kept frozen until analyses. Diets with 21% protein (HCP, LSM) significantly increased weight of femur bones. Despite of the substantially higher ash level (7.1%) in the LSM diet than in the LCP diet (3.4%), rats of both groups had the similar bone concentration of Ca (15.7 +/- 1.1 vs. 17.4 +/- 1.1 g/kg) and Zn (178.7 +/- 7.9 vs. 173.0 +/- 8.5 mg/kg). However bone density in LSM rats was significantly higher than in LCP ones. Although rats fed HCP diet had intermediate bone density, the bone concentration of Ca (11.4 +/- 0.5 g/kg) and Zn (145.1 +/- 2.9 mg/kg) was significantly lower, than in animals fed LCP and LSM diets. This was related to the very wide protein/calcium (37:1 g/g) and protein/zinc (5.3:1 g/mg) ratios in HCP diet. Those ratios were narrowest in the LSM diet: 16.2:1 (CP/Ca) and 2.6:1 (CP/Zn). It can be conluded that protein/mineral ratio in a diet is a very important factor in bone development, besides dietary protein and ash contents itselves.

The role of land surface fluxes in Saudi-KAU AGCM: Temperature climatology over the Arabian Peninsula for the period 1981-2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashfaqur Rahman, M.; Almazroui, Mansour; Nazrul Islam, M.; O'Brien, Enda; Yousef, Ahmed Elsayed

2018-02-01

A new version of the Community Land Model (CLM) was introduced to the Saudi King Abdulaziz University Atmospheric Global Climate Model (Saudi-KAU AGCM) for better land surface component representation, and so to enhance climate simulation. CLM replaced the original land surface model (LSM) in Saudi-KAU AGCM, with the aim of simulating more accurate land surface fluxes globally, but especially over the Arabian Peninsula. To evaluate the performance of Saudi-KAU AGCM, simulations were completed with CLM and LSM for the period 1981-2010. In comparison with LSM, CLM generates surface air temperature values that are closer to National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) observations. The global annual averages of land surface air temperature are 9.51, 9.52, and 9.57 °C for NCEP, CLM, and LSM respectively, although the same atmospheric radiative and surface forcing from Saudi-KAU AGCM are provided to both LSM and CLM at every time step. The better temperature simulations when using CLM can be attributed to the more comprehensive plant functional type and hierarchical tile approach to the land cover type in CLM, along with better parameterization of upward land surface fluxes compared to LSM. At global scale, CLM exhibits smaller annual and seasonal mean biases of temperature with respect to NCEP data. Moreover, at regional scale, CLM demonstrates reasonable seasonal and annual mean temperature over the Arabian Peninsula as compared to the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) data. Finally, CLM generated better matches to single point-wise observations of surface air temperature and surface fluxes for some case studies.

Evaluation of Liver and Spleen Stiffness with Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Quantification Elastography for Diagnosing Clinically Significant Portal Hypertension.

PubMed

Attia, D; Schoenemeier, B; Rodt, T; Negm, A A; Lenzen, H; Lankisch, T O; Manns, M; Gebel, M; Potthoff, A

2015-12-01

Hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG) is the gold standard for diagnosing clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). The aim of this study was to investigate-in comparison to HVPG-the ability to diagnose CSPH by liver and spleen stiffness measurements obtained by acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging. A total of 78 patients (mean age: 53 ± 13 years, 62 % male) with chronic liver disease were enrolled in this study. Each patient received liver (LSM) and spleen (SSM) stiffness measurements by ARFI, an HVPG measurement and a transjugular liver biopsy on the same day. Patients were classified according to their HVPG into three different groups: HVPG < 10 mmHg, HVPG ≥ 10-< 12 mmHg and HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg. LSM, SSM were significantly higher in patients with HVPG ≥ 10 - < 12 in comparison to HVPG < 10 mmHg (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), and in patients with HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg in comparison to ≥ 10 - < 12 mmHg (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). LSM and SSM were able to diagnose HVPG ≥ 10 mmHg and HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg with high diagnostic performance (AUC LSM: 0.93 and 0.87, respectively; AUC SSM: 0.97 and 0.95, respectively). The AUC of SSM in predicting esophageal varices (EVs) plus HVPG ≥ 10 mmHg and EVs plus HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg were higher compared to LSM in both groups of patients (SSM: 0.90 and 0.93 vs. LSM: 0.84 and 0.88, respectively). No significant difference between both AUCs was detected in the different HVPG groups. In the multivariate -analysis SSM remained a factor predicting HVPG (HVPG > 10 mmHg p = 0.007; HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg p = 0.003). LSM and SSM by ARFI are noninvasive diagnostic tools that may help in diagnosing CSPH. LSM and SSM could be used as a guiding noninvasive screening tool in patients with esophageal varices requiring endoscopic evaluation. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Transient elastography compared to liver biopsy and morphometry for predicting fibrosis in pediatric chronic liver disease: Does etiology matter?

PubMed Central

Behairy, Behairy El-Sayed; Sira, Mostafa Mohamed; Zalata, Khaled Refat; Salama, El-Sayed Ebrahem; Abd-Allah, Mohamed Ahmed

2016-01-01

AIM: To evaluate transient elastography (TE) as a noninvasive tool in staging liver fibrosis compared with liver biopsy and morphometry in children with different chronic liver diseases. METHODS: A total of 90 children [50 with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), 20 with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and 20 with Wilson disease] were included in the study and underwent liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using TE. Liver biopsies were evaluated for fibrosis, qualitatively, by Ishak score and quantitatively by fibrosis area fraction (FAF) using digital image analysis (morphometry). LSM was correlated with fibrosis and other studied variables using spearman correlation. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was also performed to examine independent factors associated with LSM. Different cut-off values of LSM were calculated for predicting individual fibrosis stages using receiver-operating characteristic curve. Cut-off values with optimal clinical performance (optimal sensitivity and specificity simultaneously) were selected. RESULTS: The majority of HCV group had minimal activity (80%) and no/mild fibrosis (72%). On the other hand, the majority of AIH group had mild to moderate activity (70%) and moderate to severe fibrosis (95%) and all Wilson disease group had mild to moderate activity (100%) and moderate to severe fibrosis (100%). LSM correlated significantly with both FAF and Ishak scores and the correlation appeared better with the latter (r = 0.839 vs 0.879, P < 0.0001 for both). LSM discriminated individual stages of fibrosis with high performance. Sensitivity ranged from 81.4% to 100% and specificity ranged from 75.0% to 97.2%. When we compared LSM values for the same stage of fibrosis, they varied according to the different etiologies. Higher values were in AIH (16.15 ± 7.23 kPa) compared to Wilson disease (8.30 ± 0.84 kPa) and HCV groups (7.43 ± 1.73 kPa). Multiple regression analysis revealed that Ishak fibrosis stage was the only independent variable associated with higher LSM (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: TE appears reliable in distinguishing different stages of liver fibrosis in children. However, its values vary according to the disease type. For that, a disease-specific estimation of cut-off values for fibrosis staging is worthy. PMID:27122674

Modeling and Observational Framework for Diagnosing Local Land-Atmosphere Coupling on Diurnal Time Scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Alonge, Charles; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2009-01-01

Land-atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Further, uncoupled systems or experiments (e.g., the Project for Intercomparison of Land Parameterization Schemes, PILPS) may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during field experiments in the U. S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to the Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. Within this framework, the coupling established by each pairing of the available PBL schemes in WRF with the LSMs in LIS is evaluated in terms of the diurnal temperature and humidity evolution in the mixed layer. The co-evolution of these variables and the convective PBL is sensitive to and, in fact, integrative of the dominant processes that govern the PBL budget, which are synthesized through the use of mixing diagrams. Results show how the sensitivity of land-atmosphere interactions to the specific choice of PBL scheme and LSM varies across surface moisture regimes and can be quantified and evaluated against observations. As such, this methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which will serve as a testbed for future experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

Lunar surface magnetometer experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyal, P.; Parkin, C. W.; Colburn, D. S.; Schubert, G.

1972-01-01

The Apollo 16 lunar surface magnetometer (LSM) activation completed the network installation of magnetic observatories on the lunar surface and initiated simultaneous measurements of the global response of the moon to large-scale solar and terrestrial magnetic fields. Fossil remanent magnetic fields have been measured at nine locations on the lunar surface, including the Apollo 16 LSM site in the Descartes highlands area. This fossil record indicates the possible existence of an ancient lunar dynamo or a solar or terrestrial field much stronger than exists at present. The experimental technique and operation of the LSM are described and the results obtained are discussed.

Mapping microscopic order in plant and mammalian cells and tissues: novel differential polarization attachment for new generation confocal microscopes (DP-LSM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinbach, G.; Pawlak, K.; Pomozi, I.; Tóth, E. A.; Molnár, A.; Matkó, J.; Garab, G.

2014-03-01

Elucidation of the molecular architecture of complex, highly organized molecular macro-assemblies is an important, basic task for biology. Differential polarization (DP) measurements, such as linear (LD) and circular dichroism (CD) or the anisotropy of the fluorescence emission (r), which can be carried out in a dichrograph or spectrofluorimeter, respectively, carry unique, spatially averaged information about the molecular organization of the sample. For inhomogeneous samples—e.g. cells and tissues—measurements on macroscopic scale are not satisfactory, and in some cases not feasible, thus microscopic techniques must be applied. The microscopic DP-imaging technique, when based on confocal laser scanning microscope (LSM), allows the pixel by pixel mapping of anisotropy of a sample in 2D and 3D. The first DP-LSM configuration, which, in fluorescence mode, allowed confocal imaging of different DP quantities in real-time, without interfering with the ‘conventional’ imaging, was built on a Zeiss LSM410. It was demonstrated to be capable of determining non-confocally the linear birefringence (LB) or LD of a sample and, confocally, its FDLD (fluorescence detected LD), the degree of polarization (P) and the anisotropy of the fluorescence emission (r), following polarized and non-polarized excitation, respectively (Steinbach et al 2009 Acta Histochem.111 316-25). This DP-LSM configuration, however, cannot simply be adopted to new generation microscopes with considerably more compact structures. As shown here, for an Olympus FV500, we designed an easy-to-install DP attachment to determine LB, LD, FDLD and r, in new-generation confocal microscopes, which, in principle, can be complemented with a P-imaging unit, but specifically to the brand and type of LSM.

Real time shear wave elastography in chronic liver diseases: Accuracy for predicting liver fibrosis, in comparison with serum markers

PubMed Central

Jeong, Jae Yoon; Kim, Tae Yeob; Sohn, Joo Hyun; Kim, Yongsoo; Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Oh, Young-Ha; Yoo, Kyo-Sang

2014-01-01

AIM: To evaluate the correlation between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) and liver fibrosis stage and the accuracy of LSM for predicting significant and advanced fibrosis, in comparison with serum markers. METHODS: We consecutively analyzed 70 patients with various chronic liver diseases. Liver fibrosis was staged from F0 to F4 according to the Batts and Ludwig scoring system. Significant and advanced fibrosis was defined as stage F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3, respectively. The accuracy of prediction for fibrosis was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Seventy patients, 15 were belonged to F0-F1 stage, 20 F2, 13 F3 and 22 F4. LSM was increased with progression of fibrosis stage (F0-F1: 6.77 ± 1.72, F2: 9.98 ± 3.99, F3: 15.80 ± 7.73, and F4: 22.09 ± 10.09, P < 0.001). Diagnostic accuracies of LSM for prediction of F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3 were 0.915 (95%CI: 0.824-0.968, P < 0.001) and 0.913 (95%CI: 0.821-0.967, P < 0.001), respectively. The cut-off values of LSM for prediction of F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3 were 8.6 kPa with 78.2% sensitivity and 93.3% specificity and 10.46 kPa with 88.6% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between LSM and serum hyaluronic acid and type IV collagen in diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: SWE showed a significant correlation with the severity of liver fibrosis and was useful and accurate to predict significant and advanced fibrosis, comparable with serum markers. PMID:25320528

Real time shear wave elastography in chronic liver diseases: accuracy for predicting liver fibrosis, in comparison with serum markers.

PubMed

Jeong, Jae Yoon; Kim, Tae Yeob; Sohn, Joo Hyun; Kim, Yongsoo; Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Oh, Young-Ha; Yoo, Kyo-Sang

2014-10-14

To evaluate the correlation between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) and liver fibrosis stage and the accuracy of LSM for predicting significant and advanced fibrosis, in comparison with serum markers. We consecutively analyzed 70 patients with various chronic liver diseases. Liver fibrosis was staged from F0 to F4 according to the Batts and Ludwig scoring system. Significant and advanced fibrosis was defined as stage F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3, respectively. The accuracy of prediction for fibrosis was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Seventy patients, 15 were belonged to F0-F1 stage, 20 F2, 13 F3 and 22 F4. LSM was increased with progression of fibrosis stage (F0-F1: 6.77 ± 1.72, F2: 9.98 ± 3.99, F3: 15.80 ± 7.73, and F4: 22.09 ± 10.09, P < 0.001). Diagnostic accuracies of LSM for prediction of F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3 were 0.915 (95%CI: 0.824-0.968, P < 0.001) and 0.913 (95%CI: 0.821-0.967, P < 0.001), respectively. The cut-off values of LSM for prediction of F ≥ 2 and F ≥ 3 were 8.6 kPa with 78.2% sensitivity and 93.3% specificity and 10.46 kPa with 88.6% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between LSM and serum hyaluronic acid and type IV collagen in diagnostic accuracy. SWE showed a significant correlation with the severity of liver fibrosis and was useful and accurate to predict significant and advanced fibrosis, comparable with serum markers.

Hepatocellular carcinoma risk assessment by the measurement of liver stiffness variations in HCV cirrhotics treated with direct acting antivirals.

PubMed

Ravaioli, Federico; Conti, Fabio; Brillanti, Stefano; Andreone, Pietro; Mazzella, Giuseppe; Buonfiglioli, Federica; Serio, Ilaria; Verrucchi, Gabriella; Bacchi Reggiani, Maria Letizia; Colli, Agostino; Marasco, Giovanni; Colecchia, Antonio; Festi, Davide

2018-06-01

Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) are an effective treatment for hepatitis C virus infection. However, sustained virologic response (SVR) after DAA treatment does not seem to reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in these patients. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) may predict the risk of developing HCC in liver cirrhosis patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of LSM variation as predictor of HCC development in patients treated with DAA. In 139 HCV-related cirrhotic patients, LSM and laboratory tests were carried out at baseline (BL) and at the end of DAA treatment (EOT). Patients were followed for at least 6 months after the EOT. LSM reduction was expressed as Delta LS (∆LS). Cox regression analysis was used to identify prognostic factors for HCC development after DAA. Median LSM values were significantly reduced from BL to EOT (from 18.6 to 13.8 kPa; p < 0.001). The median ∆LS was -26.7% (IQR: -38.4% -13.6%). During a median follow-up of 15 months after DAA treatment, 20 (14.4%) patients developed HCC. Significant LSM reduction was observed both in patients who developed HCC and in those who did not, but this was significantly lower in the patients who developed HCC (-18.0% vs -28.9% p = 0.005). At multivariate analysis, ∆LS lower than -30%, Child-Turcotte-Pugh-B and history of HCC were independently associated with HCC development. Our results indicate that ∆LS is a useful non-invasive marker for predicting HCC development after DAA treatment. Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concurrent use of methotrexate and celecoxib increases risk of silent liver fibrosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients with subclinical reduced kidney function.

PubMed

Park, Jin Su; Park, Min-Chan; Park, Yong-Beom; Lee, Soo-Kon; Lee, Sang-Won

2014-01-01

We evaluated the effects of concurrent use of methotrexate and celecoxib on silent liver and kidney damages in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We enrolled 92 RA patients with normal laboratory results related to liver and kidney functions, who had received methotrexate and celecoxib concurrently over 6 months. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography and ultrasonography were performed along with blood and urine tests. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by both the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations. Initial eGFR represented kidney function at the time of the initiation of celecoxib. The cutoff for abnormal LSM values was adopted as 5.3 kPa. The optimal cutoff of each eGFR for abnormal LSM values was also calculated. The median age of patients was 55 years old (74 women). The median LSM was 4.4 kPa and the median eGFRs and median initial eGFRs ranged from 89 to 99 mL/min/1.73 m(2). The cumulative doses of methotrexate and celecoxib and their concurrent administration duration did not affect LSM values and eGFRs. Both eGFRs were significantly associated with LSM values. Patients with initial eGFR(CKD-EPI), initial eGFR(MDRD), and eGFR(CKD-EPI) below each optimal cutoff had significantly high risks for silent liver fibrosis (RR 9.4, 10.3, and 4.4, p < 0.001, respectively). Both initial eGFRs (CKD-EPI and MDRD) and eGFR (CKD-EPI) were significant predictors for the development of silent liver fibrosis in RA patients who had received methotrexate and celecoxib concurrently for at least 6 months.

Mother-child language style matching predicts children's and mothers' emotion reactivity.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Hannah F; Borelli, Jessica L; Smiley, Patricia A; Cohen, Chloe; Cheung, Ryan Cheuk Ming; Fox, Schuyler; Marvin, Matthew; Blackard, Betsy

2017-05-15

Co-regulation of behavior occurring within parent-child attachment relationships is thought to be the primary means through which children develop the capacity to regulate emotion, an ability that is protective across development. Existing research on parent-child co-regulation focuses predominantly on parent-infant dyads, and operationalizes co-regulation as the matching of facial expressions; however, matching can occur on other behaviors, including vocal tone, body movement, and language. Studies with young children find that greater matching is associated with children's lower emotion reactivity, but with unknown impacts on parents. In this study we examine a recently-developed metric of behavioral matching, language style matching (LSM), a composite measure of the similarity of function word use in spoken or written language between two or more people. We test whether LSM between mothers and their school-aged children is associated with children's and mothers' physiological and subjective emotion reactivity. Children completed a standardized stressor task while their mothers observed; children's and mother's cortisol and cardiovascular reactivity were assessed, as were their subjective reports of emotion reactivity. Following the stressor, children and mothers completed independent interviews about the experience, later assessed for LSM. Higher mother-child LSM was associated with lower emotion reactivity (lower cortisol reactivity, lower reports of negative emotion) for children, and with higher maternal cardiovascular but not cortisol or subjective reactivity. Further, higher LSM was more strongly associated with lower child cortisol reactivity when mothers were more reactive themselves. We conclude that mother-child LSM, thought to reflect a history of co-regulated interaction, confers protective benefits for children, but heightened reactivity for mothers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Techniques for Improved Retrospective Fine-scale Meteorology

EPA Science Inventory

Pleim-Xiu Land-Surface model (PX LSM) was developed for retrospective meteorological simulations to drive chemical transport models. One of the key features of the PX LSM is the indirect soil moisture and temperature nudging. The idea is to provide a three hourly 2-m temperature ...

High temperature oxidation behavior of interconnect coated with LSCF and LSM for solid oxide fuel cell by screen printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Shyong; Chu, Chun-Lin; Tsai, Ming-Jui; Lee, Jye

2010-01-01

The current study examined the effect of La 0.6Sr 0.4Co 0.2Fe 0.8O 3 (LSCF) and La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 (LSM) coatings on the electrical properties and oxidation resistance of Crofer22 APU at 800 °C hot air. LSCF and LSM were coated on Crofer22 APU by screen printing and sintered over temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1100 °C in N 2. The coated alloy was first checked for compositions, morphology and interface conditions and then treated in a simulated oxidizing environment at 800 °C for 200 h. After measuring the long-term electrical resistance, the area specific resistance (ASR) at 800 °C for the alloy coated with LSCF was less than its counterpart coated with LSM. This work used LSCF coating as a metallic interconnect to reduce working temperature for the solid oxide fuel cell.

Mimicry Is Presidential: Linguistic Style Matching in Presidential Debates and Improved Polling Numbers.

PubMed

Romero, Daniel M; Swaab, Roderick I; Uzzi, Brian; Galinsky, Adam D

2015-10-01

The current research used the contexts of U.S. presidential debates and negotiations to examine whether matching the linguistic style of an opponent in a two-party exchange affects the reactions of third-party observers. Building off communication accommodation theory (CAT), interaction alignment theory (IAT), and processing fluency, we propose that language style matching (LSM) will improve subsequent third-party evaluations because matching an opponent's linguistic style reflects greater perspective taking and will make one's arguments easier to process. In contrast, research on status inferences predicts that LSM will negatively impact third-party evaluations because LSM implies followership. We conduct two studies to test these competing hypotheses. Study 1 analyzed transcripts of U.S. presidential debates between 1976 and 2012 and found that candidates who matched their opponent's linguistic style increased their standing in the polls. Study 2 demonstrated a causal relationship between LSM and third-party observer evaluations using negotiation transcripts. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Timescales of Land Surface Evapotranspiration Response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Russell; Entekhabi, Dara; Koster, Randal; Suarez, Max

1997-01-01

Soil and vegetation exert strong control over the evapotranspiration rate, which couples the land surface water and energy balances. A method is presented to quantify the timescale of this surface control using daily general circulation model (GCM) simulation values of evapotranspiration and precipitation. By equating the time history of evaporation efficiency (ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration) to the convolution of precipitation and a unit kernel (temporal weighting function), response functions are generated that can be used to characterize the timescales of evapotranspiration response for the land surface model (LSM) component of GCMS. The technique is applied to the output of two multiyear simulations of a GCM, one using a Surface-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Transfer (SVAT) scheme and the other a Bucket LSM. The derived response functions show that the Bucket LSM's response is significantly slower than that of the SVAT across the globe. The analysis also shows how the timescales of interception reservoir evaporation, bare soil evaporation, and vegetation transpiration differ within the SVAT LSM.

Rapid liver and spleen stiffness improvement in compensated advanced chronic liver disease patients treated with oral antivirals.

PubMed

Pons, Mònica; Santos, Begoña; Simón-Talero, Macarena; Ventura-Cots, Meritxell; Riveiro-Barciela, Mar; Esteban, Rafael; Augustin, Salvador; Genescà, Joan

2017-08-01

We aimed to investigate the early changes in liver and spleen stiffness measurement (LSM, SSM) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) treated with new antivirals (DAA) to elucidate factors determining the initial change in stiffness and its implications for the long-term follow up of HCV-cured patients. A total of 41 patients with cACLD who started DAA therapy underwent LSM and SSM at baseline, week 4, end of treatment (EOT), 24 and 48 weeks of follow up using transient elastography. LSM improved rapidly during the first 4 weeks of treatment (baseline: 20.8kPa; week 4: 17.5kPa, p = 0.002), with no significant changes between week 4 and EOT (18.3kPa, p = 0.444) and between EOT and 48-week follow up (14.3kPa, p = 0.148). Likewise, SSM improved rapidly (baseline: 45.7kPa; week 4: 33.8kPa, p = 0.047), with no significant changes between week 4 and EOT (30.8kPa, p = 0.153) and between EOT and 48-week follow up (31.2kPa, p = 0.317). A higher decrease in LSM was observed in patients with baseline ALT ⩾ twofold upper limit normal (2 × ULN) than in those with ALT < 2 × ULN (-5.7kPa versus -1.6kPa). Patients who presented a decrease in LSM ⩾ 10% during treatment compared with those with LSM < 10% decrease, showed lower SSM values, higher platelet counts and lower bilirubin levels at 24-week follow up. Those with decrease in SSM ⩾ 10%, presented a higher increase in platelets than those with SSM < 10% change ( p = 0.015). LSM and SSM decrease very rapidly during DAA treatment in cACLD patients suggesting that it most probably reflects a reduction in inflammation rather than in fibrosis. cACLD patients should be maintained under surveillance independently of stiffness changes, because advanced fibrosis can still be present.

Serum S100 calcium binding protein A4 improves the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography for assessing liver fibrosis in hepatitis B.

PubMed

Yan, Li-Bo; Zhang, Qing-Bo; Zhu, Xia; He, Min; Tang, Hong

2018-02-01

The diagnostic performance of Fibroscan might be improved when combined with other serum fibrosis related markers. Previous study has demonstrated that S100A4 expression is associated with liver fibrosis in humans with hepatitis. This study aimed to clarify diagnostic accuracy of serum S100A4 levels for significant liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and develop a combined algorithm of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and S100A4 to predict significant liver fibrosis in CHB. One hundred and seventy-five CHB patients who had performed liver biopsy were consecutively included. We evaluated serum S100A4 levels, LSM values and other clinically-approved fibrosis scores. Serum S100A4 level was higher in CHB patients with significant fibrosis, compared to those without [199.58 (33.31-1971.96) vs. 107.15 (2.10-1038.94), P<0.001]. Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, the area under the curves (AUC), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of S100A4 were found to be 0.749, 62.7%, 75.9% and 0.70 for significant fibrosis (≥Stage 2), respectively. Although not superior to LSM, these results were better than the fibrosis index based on the 4 factor (FIB-4) and the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) for significant fibrosis detection. An algorithm consisting of S100A4 and LSM was derived. The AUC, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of model based on serum S100A4 level and LSM were 0.866, 86.6%, 77.8% and 0.79 for significant fibrosis detection, superior to those based on LSM alone (0.834, 76.1%, 80.7% and 0.76, P=0.041). Serum S100A4 level was identified as a fibrosis marker of liver fibrosis in patients with CHB. Combining serum S100A4 with LSM improved the accuracy of transient elastography for hepatitis B significant fibrosis detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A Robust High-Accuracy Ultrasound Indoor Positioning System Based on a Wireless Sensor Network

PubMed Central

Qi, Jun; Liu, Guo-Ping

2017-01-01

This paper describes the development and implementation of a robust high-accuracy ultrasonic indoor positioning system (UIPS). The UIPS consists of several wireless ultrasonic beacons in the indoor environment. Each of them has a fixed and known position coordinate and can collect all the transmissions from the target node or emit ultrasonic signals. Every wireless sensor network (WSN) node has two communication modules: one is WiFi, that transmits the data to the server, and the other is the radio frequency (RF) module, which is only used for time synchronization between different nodes, with accuracy up to 1 μs. The distance between the beacon and the target node is calculated by measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) for the ultrasonic signal, and then the position of the target is computed by some distances and the coordinate of the beacons. TOF estimation is the most important technique in the UIPS. A new time domain method to extract the envelope of the ultrasonic signals is presented in order to estimate the TOF. This method, with the envelope detection filter, estimates the value with the sampled values on both sides based on the least squares method (LSM). The simulation results show that the method can achieve envelope detection with a good filtering effect by means of the LSM. The highest precision and variance can reach 0.61 mm and 0.23 mm, respectively, in pseudo-range measurements with UIPS. A maximum location error of 10.2 mm is achieved in the positioning experiments for a moving robot, when UIPS works on the line-of-sight (LOS) signal. PMID:29113126

Advanced Land Surface Processes in the Coupled WRF/CMAQ with MODIS Input

EPA Science Inventory

Land surface modeling (LSM) is important in WRF/CMAQ for simulating the exchange of heat, moisture, momentum, trace atmospheric chemicals, and windblown dust between the land surface and the atmosphere.? Vegetation and soil treatments are crucial in LSM for surface energy budgets...

Application of biological simulation models in estimating feed efficiency of finishing steers.

PubMed

Williams, C B

2010-07-01

Data on individual daily feed intake, BW at 28-d intervals, and carcass composition were obtained on 1,212 crossbred steers. Within-animal regressions of cumulative feed intake and BW on linear and quadratic days on feed were used to quantify initial and ending BW, average daily observed feed intake (OFI), and ADG over a 120-d finishing period. Feed intake was predicted (PFI) with 3 biological simulation models (BSM): a) Decision Evaluator for the Cattle Industry, b) Cornell Value Discovery System, and c) NRC update 2000, using observed growth and carcass data as input. Residual feed intake (RFI) was estimated using OFI (RFI(EL)) in a linear statistical model (LSM), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was estimated as OFI/ADG (FCR(E)). Output from the BSM was used to estimate RFI by using PFI in place of OFI with the same LSM, and FCR was estimated as PFI/ADG. These estimates were evaluated against RFI(EL) and FCR(E). In a second analysis, estimates of RFI were obtained for the 3 BSM as the difference between OFI and PFI, and these estimates were evaluated against RFI(EL). The residual variation was extremely small when PFI was used in the LSM to estimate RFI, and this was mainly due to the fact that the same input variables (initial BW, days on feed, and ADG) were used in the BSM and LSM. Hence, the use of PFI obtained with BSM as a replacement for OFI in a LSM to characterize individual animals for RFI was not feasible. This conclusion was also supported by weak correlations (<0.4) between RFI(EL) and RFI obtained with PFI in the LSM, and very weak correlations (<0.13) between RFI(EL) and FCR obtained with PFI. In the second analysis, correlations (>0.89) for RFI(EL) with the other RFI estimates suggest little difference between RFI(EL) and any of these RFI estimates. In addition, results suggest that the RFI estimates calculated with PFI would be better able to identify animals with low OFI and small ADG as inefficient compared with RFI(EL). These results may be due to the fact that computer models predict performance on an individual-animal basis in contrast to a LSM, which estimates a fixed relationship for all animals; hence, the BSM may provide RFI estimates that are closer to the true biological efficiency of animals. In addition, BSM may facilitate comparisons across different data sets and provide more accurate estimates of efficiency in small data sets where errors would be greater with a LSM.

Anomaly manifestation of Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem and topological phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Gil Young; Hsieh, Chang-Tse; Ryu, Shinsei

2017-11-01

The Lieb-Schultz-Mattis (LSM) theorem dictates that emergent low-energy states from a lattice model cannot be a trivial symmetric insulator if the filling per unit cell is not integral and if the lattice translation symmetry and particle number conservation are strictly imposed. In this paper, we compare the one-dimensional gapless states enforced by the LSM theorem and the boundaries of one-higher dimensional strong symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases from the perspective of quantum anomalies. We first note that they can both be described by the same low-energy effective field theory with the same effective symmetry realizations on low-energy modes, wherein non-on-site lattice translation symmetry is encoded as if it were an internal symmetry. In spite of the identical form of the low-energy effective field theories, we show that the quantum anomalies of the theories play different roles in the two systems. In particular, we find that the chiral anomaly is equivalent to the LSM theorem, whereas there is another anomaly that is not related to the LSM theorem but is intrinsic to the SPT states. As an application, we extend the conventional LSM theorem to multiple-charge multiple-species problems and construct several exotic symmetric insulators. We also find that the (3+1)d chiral anomaly provides only the perturbative stability of the gaplessness local in the parameter space.

Extremely fine structured cathode for solid oxide fuel cells using Sr-doped LaMnO3 and Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 nano-composite powder synthesized by spray pyrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Toshiaki; Sumi, Hirofumi; Nomura, Katsuhiro; Yamaguchi, Yuki; Fujishiro, Yoshinobu

2017-02-01

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for high power density operation was developed with a microstructure-controlled cathode using a nano-composite powder of Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM) and Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) synthesized by spray pyrolysis. The individual LSM-YSZ nano-composite particles, formed by crystalline and amorphous nano-size LSM and YSZ particles, showed spherical morphology with uniform particle size. The use of this powder for cathode material led to an extremely fine microstructure, in which all the LSM and YSZ grains (approximately 100-200 nm) were highly dispersed and formed their own network structures. This microstructure was due to the two phase electrode structure control using the powder, namely, nano-order level in each particle and micro-order level between particles. An anode-supported SOFC with the LSM-YSZ cathode using humidified H2 as fuel and ambient air as oxidant exhibited high power densities, such as 1.29 W cm-2 under a voltage of 0.75 V and a maximum power density of 2.65 W cm-2 at 800 °C. Also, the SOFC could be stably operated for 250 h with no degradation, even at a high temperature of 800 °C.

Benchmarking LSM root-zone soil mositure predictions using satellite-based vegetation indices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The application of modern land surface models (LSMs) to agricultural drought monitoring is based on the premise that anomalies in LSM root-zone soil moisture estimates can accurately anticipate the subsequent impact of drought on vegetation productivity and health. In addition, the water and energy ...

A photosynthesis-based two-leaf canopy stomatal conductance model for meteorology and air quality modeling with WRF/CMAQ PX LSM

EPA Science Inventory

A coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance model with single-layer sunlit and shaded leaf canopy scaling is implemented and evaluated in a diagnostic box model with the Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) and ozone deposition model components taken directly from the meteorol...

UPDATES AND EVALUATION OF THE PX-LSM IN MM5

EPA Science Inventory

Starting with Version 3.4, there is a new land surface model known as the Pleim-Xiu LSM available in the MM5 system. Pleim and Xiu (1995) described the initial development and testing of this land surface and workshop proceedings provided a basic description of the model and s...

Why solid oxide cells can be reversibly operated in solid oxide electrolysis cell and fuel cell modes?

PubMed

Chen, Kongfa; Liu, Shu-Sheng; Ai, Na; Koyama, Michihisa; Jiang, San Ping

2015-12-14

High temperature solid oxide cells (SOCs) are attractive for storage and regeneration of renewable energy by operating reversibly in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) modes. However, the stability of SOCs, particularly the deterioration of the performance of oxygen electrodes in the SOEC operation mode, is the most critical issue in the development of high performance and durable SOCs. In this study, we investigate in detail the electrochemical activity and stability of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) oxygen electrodes in cyclic SOEC and SOFC modes. The results show that the deterioration of LSM oxygen electrodes caused by anodic polarization can be partially or completely recovered by subsequent cathodic polarization. Using in situ assembled LSM electrodes without pre-sintering, we demonstrate that the deteriorated LSM/YSZ interface can be repaired and regenerated by operating the cells under cathodic polarization conditions. This study for the first time establishes the foundation for the development of truly reversible and stable SOCs for hydrogen fuel production and electricity generation in cyclic SOEC and SOFC operation modes.

Potentiometric NO2 Sensors Based on Thin Stabilized Zirconia Electrolytes and Asymmetric (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95MnO3 Electrodes

PubMed Central

Zou, Jie; Zheng, Yangong; Li, Junliang; Zhan, Zhongliang; Jian, Jiawen

2015-01-01

Here we report on a new architecture for potentiometric NO2 sensors that features thin 8YSZ electrolytes sandwiched between two porous (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95MnO3 (LSM95) layers—one thick and the other thin—fabricated by the tape casting and co-firing techniques. Measurements of their sensing characteristics show that reducing the porosity of the supporting LSM95 reference electrodes can increase the response voltages. In the meanwhile, thin LSM95 layers perform better than Pt as the sensing electrode since the former can provide higher response voltages and better linear relationship between the sensitivities and the NO2 concentrations over 40–1000 ppm. The best linear coefficient can be as high as 0.99 with a sensitivity value of 52 mV/decade as obtained at 500 °C. Analysis of the sensing mechanism suggests that the gas phase reactions within the porous LSM95 layers are critically important in determining the response voltages. PMID:26205270

An mRNA decapping mutant deficient in P body assembly limits mRNA stabilization in response to osmotic stress.

PubMed

Huch, Susanne; Nissan, Tracy

2017-03-14

Yeast is exposed to changing environmental conditions and must adapt its genetic program to provide a homeostatic intracellular environment. An important stress for yeast in the wild is high osmolarity. A key response to this stress is increased mRNA stability primarily by the inhibition of deadenylation. We previously demonstrated that mutations in decapping activators (edc3∆ lsm4∆C), which result in defects in P body assembly, can destabilize mRNA under unstressed conditions. We wished to examine whether mRNA would be destabilized in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant as compared to the wild-type in response to osmotic stress, when P bodies are intense and numerous. Our results show that the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant limits the mRNA stability in response to osmotic stress, while the magnitude of stabilization was similar as compared to the wild-type. The reduced mRNA stability in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant was correlated with a shorter PGK1 poly(A) tail. Similarly, the MFA2 mRNA was more rapidly deadenylated as well as significantly stabilized in the ccr4∆ deadenylation mutant in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C background. These results suggest a role for these decapping factors in stabilizing mRNA and may implicate P bodies as sites of reduced mRNA degradation.

The Use of Intravital Two-Photon and Thick Section Confocal Imaging to Analyze B Lymphocyte Trafficking in Lymph Nodes and Spleen.

PubMed

Park, Chung; Hwang, Il-Young; Kehrl, John H

2018-01-01

Intravital two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TP-LSM) has allowed the direct observation of immune cells in intact organs of living animals. In the B cell biology field TP-LSM has detailed the movement of B cells in high endothelial venules and during their transmigration into lymph organs; described the movement and positioning of B cells within lymphoid organs; outlined the mechanisms by which antigen is delivered to B cells; observed B cell interacting with T cells, other cell types, and even with pathogens; and delineated the egress of B cells from the lymph node (LN) parenchyma into the efferent lymphatics. As the quality of TP-LSM improves and as new fluorescent probes become available additional insights into B cell behavior and function await new investigations. Yet intravital TP-LSM has some disadvantages including a lower resolution than standard confocal microscopy, a narrow imaging window, and a shallow depth of imaging. We have found that supplementing intravital TP-LSM with conventional confocal microscopy using thick LN sections helps to overcome some of these shortcomings. Here, we describe procedures for visualizing the behavior and trafficking of fluorescently labeled, adoptively transferred antigen-activated B cells within the inguinal LN of live mice using two-photon microscopy. Also, we introduce procedures for fixed thick section imaging using standard confocal microscopy, which allows imaging of fluorescently labeled cells deep in the LN cortex and in the spleen with high resolution.

Measuring spleen stiffness to predict varices in chronic hepatitis B cirrhotic patients with or without receiving non-selective beta-blockers.

PubMed

Wong, Grace Lai-Hung; Kwok, Raymond; Chan, Henry Lik-Yuen; Tang, Stephen Pui-Kit; Lee, Eugenia; Lam, Thomas Chi-Ho; Lau, Tiffany Wing-Yan; Ma, Teresa Man-Kee; Wong, Betsy Chi-Kuen; Wong, Vincent Wai-Sun

2016-08-01

we aimed to investigate the accuracy of liver (LSM) spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) with transient elastography (TE) to predict varices in the presence of non-selective beta-blockers (NSBB). In this cross-sectional study of consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and cirrhosis, all patients underwent TE and upper endoscopic examinations. LSM and SSM in predicting varices in patients receiving and not receiving NSBB were evaluated. Altogether 144 CHB patients (29 receiving NSBB; 35 with any varices, 31 and 11 with esophageal and gastric varices, respectively) were recruited. Their mean LSM and SSM were 13.3 ± 9.0 kPa and 32.8 ± 19.2 kPa, respectively. The correlation between LSM and SSM was better in the NSBB subgroup (r = 0.525, P = 0.003) than its counterpart (r = 0.329, P  < 0.001). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of LSM and SSM for any varices was 0.675 and 0.685 (P = 0.002 and 0.001), respectively. SSM of 18.9 kPa had a negative predictive value of 92.1% and negative likelihood ratio of 0.27 for ruling out any varices; and SSM of 54.9 kPa had a positive predictive value of 56.5% and a positive likelihood ratio of 4.05 to rule in varices. The AUROC of LSM for varices was 0.742 and 0.549 in patients with or without NSBB, respectively; the corresponding AUROC of SSM was 0.572 and 0.603, respectively. SSM only has modest accuracy to predict varices independent of NSBB use. An SSM cutoff value of 18.9 kPa may be adopted to achieve a high negative predictive value to rule out varices. © 2016 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF model using measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.-H.; Kim, S.-W.; Angevine, W. M.; Bianco, L.; McKeen, S. A.; Senff, C. J.; Trainer, M.; Tucker, S. C.; Zamora, R. J.

2011-03-01

The performance of different urban surface parameterizations in the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) in simulating urban boundary layer (UBL) was investigated using extensive measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign. The extensive field measurements collected on surface (meteorological, wind profiler, energy balance flux) sites, a research aircraft, and a research vessel characterized 3-dimensional atmospheric boundary layer structures over the Houston-Galveston Bay area, providing a unique opportunity for the evaluation of the physical parameterizations. The model simulations were performed over the Houston metropolitan area for a summertime period (12-17 August) using a bulk urban parameterization in the Noah land surface model (original LSM), a modified LSM, and a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM). The UCM simulation compared quite well with the observations over the Houston urban areas, reducing the systematic model biases in the original LSM simulation by 1-2 °C in near-surface air temperature and by 200-400 m in UBL height, on average. A more realistic turbulent (sensible and latent heat) energy partitioning contributed to the improvements in the UCM simulation. The original LSM significantly overestimated the sensible heat flux (~200 W m-2) over the urban areas, resulting in warmer and higher UBL. The modified LSM slightly reduced warm and high biases in near-surface air temperature (0.5-1 °C) and UBL height (~100 m) as a result of the effects of urban vegetation. The relatively strong thermal contrast between the Houston area and the water bodies (Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico) in the LSM simulations enhanced the sea/bay breezes, but the model performance in predicting local wind fields was similar among the simulations in terms of statistical evaluations. These results suggest that a proper surface representation (e.g. urban vegetation, surface morphology) and explicit parameterizations of urban physical processes are required for accurate urban atmospheric numerical modeling.

Serial combination of non-invasive tools improves the diagnostic accuracy of severe liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.

PubMed

Petta, S; Wong, V W-S; Cammà, C; Hiriart, J-B; Wong, G L-H; Vergniol, J; Chan, A W-H; Di Marco, V; Merrouche, W; Chan, H L-Y; Marra, F; Le-Bail, B; Arena, U; Craxì, A; de Ledinghen, V

2017-09-01

The accuracy of available non-invasive tools for staging severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still limited. To assess the diagnostic performance of paired or serial combination of non-invasive tools in NAFLD patients. We analysed data from 741 patients with a histological diagnosis of NAFLD. The GGT/PLT, APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was performed by FibroScan. LSM, NFS and FIB-4 were the best non-invasive tools for staging F3-F4 fibrosis (AUC 0.863, 0.774, and 0.792, respectively), with LSM having the highest sensitivity (90%), and the highest NPV (94%), and NFS and FIB-4 the highest specificity (97% and 93%, respectively), and the highest PPV (73% and 79%, respectively). The paired combination of LSM or NFS with FIB-4 strongly reduced the likelihood of wrongly classified patients (ranging from 2.7% to 2.6%), at the price of a high uncertainty area (ranging from 54.1% to 58.2%), and of a low overall accuracy (ranging from 43% to 39.1%). The serial combination with the second test used in patients in the grey area of the first test and in those with high LSM values (>9.6 KPa) or low NFS or FIB-4 values (<-1.455 and <1.30, respectively) overall increased the diagnostic performance generating an accuracy ranging from 69.8% to 70.1%, an uncertainty area ranging from 18.9% to 20.4% and a rate of wrong classification ranging from 9.2% to 11.3%. The serial combination of LSM with FIB-4/NFS has a good diagnostic accuracy for the non-invasive diagnosis of severe fibrosis in NAFLD. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On-treatment changes of liver stiffness at week 26 could predict 2-year clinical outcomes in HBV-related compensated cirrhosis.

PubMed

Wu, Shanshan; Kong, Yuanyuan; Piao, Hongxin; Jiang, Wei; Xie, Wen; Chen, Yongpeng; Lu, Lungen; Ma, Anlin; Xie, Shibin; Ding, Huiguo; Shang, Jia; Zhang, Xuqing; Feng, Bo; Han, Tao; Xu, Xiaoyuan; Huo, Lijuan; Cheng, Jilin; Li, Hai; Wu, Xiaoning; Zhou, Jialing; Sun, Yameng; Ou, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Hui; You, Hong; Jia, Jidong

2018-06-01

It is unclear whether liver stiffness measurement (LSM) dynamic changes after anti-HBV treatment could predict the risk of liver-related events (LREs), particularly in patients with HBV-related compensated cirrhosis. Treatment-naïve patients with HBV-related compensated cirrhosis were enrolled. All patients were under entecavir-based antiviral therapy, and followed up every 26 weeks for 2 years. The association between LSM and LREs was analysed by Cox proportional hazard model and Harrell C-index analysis. A total of 438 patients were included in the study. At the follow-up of 104 weeks, LREs developed in 33/438 (7.8%) patients, including 16 episodes of decompensation, 18 HCC and 3 deaths. The median LSM remained high from 20.9, 18.6, 20.4 to 20.3 Kpa at week 0, 26, 52 and 78 among patients with LREs, whereas the LSM decreased from 17.8, 12.3, 10.6 to 10.2 Kpa in patients without LREs respectively. Percentage changes of LSM at 26 weeks from baseline were significantly associated with LREs (excluding 11 cases occurred within the first 26 weeks), with a crude hazard ratio of 2.94 (95% CI: 1.73-5.00) and an albumin-adjusted hazard ratio of 2.47 (95% CI: 1.49-4.11). The Harrell C-index of these 2 models for predicting 2-year LREs were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.56-0.80) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65-0.85) respectively. Nomograms were developed to identify individuals at high risk for point-of-care application. Dynamic changes of LSM alone, or combined with baseline albumin, could predict LREs in patients with HBV-related compensated cirrhosis during antiviral therapy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diagnostic value of FIB-4, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and liver stiffness measurement in hepatitis B virus-infected patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase.

PubMed

Tan, You-Wen; Zhou, Xing-Bei; Ye, Yun; He, Cong; Ge, Guo-Hong

2017-08-21

To assess the diagnostic value of FIB-4, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in patients with hepatitis B virus infection who have persistently normal alanine transaminase (PNALT). We enrolled 245 patients with chronic hepatitis B: 95 in PNALT group, 86 in intermittently elevated alanine transaminase (PIALT1) group [alanine transaminase (ALT) within 1-2 × upper limit of normal value (ULN)], and 64 in PIALT2 group (ALT > 2 × ULN). All the patients received a percutaneous liver biopsy guided by ultrasonography. LSM, biochemical tests, and complete blood cell counts were performed. The pathological examination revealed moderate inflammatory necrosis ratios of 16.81% (16/95), 32.56% (28/86), and 45.31% (28/64), and moderate liver fibrosis of 24.2% (23/95), 33.72% (29/86), and 43.75% (28/64) in the PNALT, PIALT1, and PIALT2 groups, respectively. The degrees of inflammation and liver fibrosis were significantly higher in the PIALT groups than in the PNALT group ( P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the areas under the curve (AUCs) between APRI and FIB-4 in the PNALT group; however, significant differences were found between APRI and LSM, and between FIB-4 and LSM in the PNALT group ( P < 0.05 for both). In the PIALT1 and PIALT2 groups, no significant difference ( P > 0.05) was found in AUCs for all comparisons ( P > 0.05 for all). In the overall patients, a significant difference in the AUCs was found only between LSM and APRI ( P < 0.05). APRI and FIB-4 are not the ideal noninvasive hepatic fibrosis markers for PNALT patients. LSM is superior to APRI and FIB-4 in PNALT patients because of the influence of liver inflammation and necrosis.

Diagnostic value of FIB-4, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and liver stiffness measurement in hepatitis B virus-infected patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase

PubMed Central

Tan, You-Wen; Zhou, Xing-Bei; Ye, Yun; He, Cong; Ge, Guo-Hong

2017-01-01

AIM To assess the diagnostic value of FIB-4, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in patients with hepatitis B virus infection who have persistently normal alanine transaminase (PNALT). METHODS We enrolled 245 patients with chronic hepatitis B: 95 in PNALT group, 86 in intermittently elevated alanine transaminase (PIALT1) group [alanine transaminase (ALT) within 1-2 × upper limit of normal value (ULN)], and 64 in PIALT2 group (ALT > 2 × ULN). All the patients received a percutaneous liver biopsy guided by ultrasonography. LSM, biochemical tests, and complete blood cell counts were performed. RESULTS The pathological examination revealed moderate inflammatory necrosis ratios of 16.81% (16/95), 32.56% (28/86), and 45.31% (28/64), and moderate liver fibrosis of 24.2% (23/95), 33.72% (29/86), and 43.75% (28/64) in the PNALT, PIALT1, and PIALT2 groups, respectively. The degrees of inflammation and liver fibrosis were significantly higher in the PIALT groups than in the PNALT group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the areas under the curve (AUCs) between APRI and FIB-4 in the PNALT group; however, significant differences were found between APRI and LSM, and between FIB-4 and LSM in the PNALT group (P < 0.05 for both). In the PIALT1 and PIALT2 groups, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found in AUCs for all comparisons (P > 0.05 for all). In the overall patients, a significant difference in the AUCs was found only between LSM and APRI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION APRI and FIB-4 are not the ideal noninvasive hepatic fibrosis markers for PNALT patients. LSM is superior to APRI and FIB-4 in PNALT patients because of the influence of liver inflammation and necrosis. PMID:28883700

Portal pressure and liver stiffness measurements in the prediction of fibrosis regression after sustained virological response in recurrent hepatitis C.

PubMed

Mauro, Ezequiel; Crespo, Gonzalo; Montironi, Carla; Londoño, Maria-Carlota; Hernández-Gea, Virginia; Ruiz, Pablo; Sastre, Lydia; Lombardo, Julissa; Mariño, Zoe; Díaz, Alba; Colmenero, Jordi; Rimola, Antoni; Garcia-Pagán, Juan Carlos; Brunet, Mercé; Forns, Xavier; Navasa, Miquel

2018-05-01

Sustained virological response (SVR) improves survival in post-liver transplant (LT) recurrent hepatitis C. However, the impact of SVR on fibrosis regression is not well defined. In addition, the performance of noninvasive methods to evaluate the presence of fibrosis and portal hypertension (PH) post-SVR has been scarcely evaluated. We aimed to investigate the degree of fibrosis regression (decrease ≥1 METAVIR stage) after-SVR and its associated factors in recurrent hepatitis C, as well as the diagnostic capacity of noninvasive methods in the assessment of liver fibrosis and PH after viral clearance. We evaluated 112 hepatitis C virus-infected LT recipients who achieved SVR between 2001 and 2015. A liver biopsy was performed before treatment and 12 months post-SVR. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), liver stiffness measurement (LSM), and Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score were also determined at the same time points. Sixty-seven percent of the cohort presented fibrosis regression: 43% in recipients with cirrhosis and 72%-85% in the remaining stages (P = 0.002). HVPG, LSM, and ELF significantly decreased post-SVR. Liver function significantly improved, and survival was significantly better in patients achieving fibrosis regression. Baseline HVPG and LSM as well as decompensations before therapy were independent predictors of fibrosis regression. One year post-SVR, LSM had a high diagnostic accuracy to discard the presence of advanced fibrosis (AF) and clinically significant PH (AUROC, 0.902 and 0.888). In conclusion, SVR post-LT induces fibrosis regression in most patients, leading to significant clinical benefits. Pretreatment HVPG and LSM are significant determinants of the likelihood of fibrosis regression. Finally, LSM accurately predicts the presence of AF and PH 1 year after SVR and thus can be used to determine monitoring strategies. (Hepatology 2018;67:1683-1694). © 2017 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

[Correlation of liver stiffness measured by FibroTouch and FibroScan with Ishak fibrosis score in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

PubMed

Chen, G F; Ping, J; Gu, H T; Zhao, Z M; Zhou, Y; Xing, F; Tao, Y Y; Mu, Y P; Liu, P; Liu, C H

2017-02-20

Objective: To investigate the correlation of liver stiffness measured by FibroTouch (FT) and FibroScan (FS) with Ishak fibrosis score in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Methods: A total of 313 patients with chronic hepatitis B who visited Department of Liver Cirrhosis in Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2014 to May 2016 were enrolled. All the patients underwent liver biopsy, and FT and FS were used to determine liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Serum biochemical parameters were measured, and the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) in a multi-parameter model of liver fibrosis and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index were calculated. The consistency between the results of four noninvasive examinations and Ishak fibrosis score was compared. The t-test was used for comparison of LSM determined by FT and FS. Pearson correlation analysis was used investigate the correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS; Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and Knodell score with LSM determined by FT and FS; the correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS and fibrosis stage was analyzed by partial correlation analysis adjusted by Knodell score for liver inflammatory activity; Spearman correlation analysis was used for APRI, FIB-4, and fibrosis stage. Based on the Ishak fibrosis score, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the values of four noninvasive methods in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Results: There was no significant difference in LSM measured by FT and FS in all patients (15.75±9.42 kPa vs 15.42±10.52 kPa, P > 0.05) and Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between them ( r = 0.858, P < 0.01); serum ALT and AST levels and liver inflammatory activity were correlated with LSM determined by FT and FS. There was a significant positive correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS and fibrosis stage ( r = 0.501 and 0.526, both P < 0.001), and APRI and FIB-4 were also positively correlated with fibrosis stage ( r = 0.236 and 0.218, both P < 0.001). Based on the Ishak fibrosis score, in the diagnosis of fibrosis stages F3, F4, F5, and F6, the areas under the ROC curve were 0.915/0.856/0.839/0.816 for FT, 0.933/0.883/0.849/0.856 for FS, 0.618/0.630/0.608/0.638 for APRI, and 0.614/0.624/0.595/0.649 for FIB-4, and FT and FS had a significantly larger areas under the ROC curve than APRI and FIB-4. Conclusion: LSM determined by FT or FS has a good correlation with the Ishak fibrosis score, so FT and FS have a significantly better diagnostic performance for liver fibrosis than APRI and FIB-4.

Position sensor for linear synchronous motors employing halbach arrays

DOEpatents

Post, Richard Freeman

2014-12-23

A position sensor suitable for use in linear synchronous motor (LSM) drive systems employing Halbach arrays to create their magnetic fields is described. The system has several advantages over previously employed ones, especially in its simplicity and its freedom from being affected by weather conditions, accumulated dirt, or electrical interference from the LSM system itself.

Association between hepatitis B co-infection and elevated liver stiffness among HIV-infected adults in Lusaka, Zambia.

PubMed

Vinikoor, Michael J; Mulenga, Lloyd; Siyunda, Alice; Musukuma, Kalo; Chilengi, Roma; Moore, Carolyn Bolton; Chi, Benjamin H; Davies, Mary-Ann; Egger, Matthias; Wandeler, Gilles

2016-11-01

To describe liver disease epidemiology among HIV-infected individuals in Zambia. We recruited HIV-infected adults (≥18 years) at antiretroviral therapy initiation at two facilities in Lusaka. Using vibration controlled transient elastography, we assessed liver stiffness, a surrogate for fibrosis/cirrhosis, and analysed liver stiffness measurements (LSM) according to established thresholds (>7.0 kPa for significant fibrosis and >11.0 kPa for cirrhosis). All participants underwent standardised screening for potential causes of liver disease including chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus co-infection, herbal medicine, and alcohol use. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with elevated liver stiffness. Among 798 HIV-infected patients, 651 had a valid LSM (median age, 34 years; 53% female). HBV co-infection (12%) and alcohol use disorders (41%) were common and hepatitis C virus co-infection (<1%) was rare. According to LSM, 75 (12%) had significant fibrosis and 13 (2%) had cirrhosis. In multivariable analysis, HBV co-infection as well as male sex, increased age and WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 were independently associated with LSM >7.0 kPa (all P < 0.05). HBV co-infection was the only independent risk factor for LSM >11.0 kPa. Among HIV-HBV patients, those with elevated ALT and HBV viral load were more likely to have significant liver fibrosis than patients with normal markers of HBV activity. HBV co-infection was the most important risk factor for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and should be diagnosed early in HIV care to optimise treatment outcomes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Language style matching in writing: synchrony in essays, correspondence, and poetry.

PubMed

Ireland, Molly E; Pennebaker, James W

2010-09-01

Each relationship has its own personality. Almost immediately after a social interaction begins, verbal and nonverbal behaviors become synchronized. Even in asocial contexts, individuals tend to produce utterances that match the grammatical structure of sentences they have recently heard or read. Three projects explore language style matching (LSM) in everyday writing tasks and professional writing. LSM is the relative use of 9 function word categories (e.g., articles, personal pronouns) between any 2 texts. In the first project, 2 samples totaling 1,744 college students answered 4 essay questions written in very different styles. Students automatically matched the language style of the target questions. Overall, the LSM metric was internally consistent and reliable across writing tasks. Women, participants of higher socioeconomic status, and students who earned higher test grades matched with targets more than others did. In the second project, 74 participants completed cliffhanger excerpts from popular fiction. Judges' ratings of excerpt-response similarity were related to content matching but not function word matching, as indexed by LSM. Further, participants were not able to intentionally increase style or content matching. In the final project, an archival study tracked the professional writing and personal correspondence of 3 pairs of famous writers across their relationships. Language matching in poetry and letters reflected fluctuations in the relationships of 3 couples: Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, and Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Implications for using LSM as an implicit marker of social engagement and influence are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Regardless-of-Speed Superconducting LSM Controlled-Repulsive MAGLEV Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoshida, Kinjiro; Egashira, Tatsuya; Hirai, Ryuichi

1996-01-01

This paper proposes a new repulsive Maglev vehicle which a superconducting linear synchronous motor (LSM) can levitate and propel simultaneously, independently of the vehicle speeds. The combined levitation and propulsion control is carried out by controlling mechanical-load angle and armature-current. Dynamic simulations show successful operations with good ride-quality by using a compact control method proposed here.

Buried Target Imaging: A Comparative Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaderi Aram, Morteza; Dehmollaian, Mojtaba; Khaleghi, Ali

2017-12-01

A wide variety of qualitative methods have been proposed for microwave imaging. It is difficult to select only one of these methods based on a priori information and measurement equipment to achieve a reliable reconstruction. Various arrangements for antennas to be used in, for instance, have been proposed which have direct impacts on the complexity of inverse methods as well as the quality of output images. In this study, four qualitative methods of the linear sampling method (LSM), time reversal (TR), diffraction tomography (DT), and back-projection (BP) have been reviewed in a 2D scenario; the performance of the methods is compared within the same framework of a multi-static configuration. The goal is to compare their resolutions and determine their advantages and drawbacks. It is shown that LSM provides the best azimuth resolution but the worst range resolution. It is almost invariant to dielectric contrast and is appropriate for a wide range of dielectric contrasts and relatively large objects. It is also shown that at relatively low dielectric contrasts, TR images are most similar to the true object, show fewer artifacts, and offer high immunity to noise. While suffering from more artifacts due to the presence of some ghost images, DT offers the best range resolution. The results also show that BP has the worst azimuth resolution when reconstructing deeply-buried targets, although its implementation is straightforward and not computationally complex.

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-12-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having "very high susceptibility", with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having "high susceptibility".

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping

PubMed Central

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-01-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having “very high susceptibility”, with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having “high susceptibility”. PMID:26089577

The Interplay Between Transpiration and Runoff Formulations in Land Surface Schemes Used with Atmospheric Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koster, Rindal D.; Milly, P. C. D.

1997-01-01

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) has shown that different land surface models (LSMS) driven by the same meteorological forcing can produce markedly different surface energy and water budgets, even when certain critical aspects of the LSMs (vegetation cover, albedo, turbulent drag coefficient, and snow cover) are carefully controlled. To help explain these differences, the authors devised a monthly water balance model that successfully reproduces the annual and seasonal water balances of the different PILPS schemes. Analysis of this model leads to the identification of two quantities that characterize an LSM's formulation of soil water balance dynamics: (1) the efficiency of the soil's evaporation sink integrated over the active soil moisture range, and (2) the fraction of this range over which runoff is generated. Regardless of the LSM's complexity, the combination of these two derived parameters with rates of interception loss, potential evaporation, and precipitation provides a reasonable estimate for the LSM's simulated annual water balance. The two derived parameters shed light on how evaporation and runoff formulations interact in an LSM, and the analysis as a whole underscores the need for compatibility in these formulations.

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping.

PubMed

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-12-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having "very high susceptibility", with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having "high susceptibility".

The interplay between transpiration and Runoff formulations in land surface schemes used with atmospheric models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koster, R.D.; Milly, P.C.D.

1997-01-01

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) has shown that different land surface models (LSMs) driven by the same meteorological forcing can produce markedly different surface energy and water budgets, even when certain critical aspects of the LSMs (vegetation cover, albedo, turbulent drag coefficient, and snowcover) are carefully controlled. To help explain these differences, the authors devised a monthly water balance model that successfully reproduces the annual and seasonal water balances of the different PILPS schemes. Analysis of this model leads to the identification of two quantities that characterize an LSM's formulation of soil water balance dynamics: 1) the efficiency of the soil's evaporation sink integrated over the active soil moisture range, and 2) the fraction of this range over which runoff is generated. Regardless of the LSM's complexity, the combination of these two derived parameters with rates of interception loss, potential evaporation, and precipitation provides a reasonable estimate for the LSM's simulated annual water balance. The two derived parameters shed light on how evaporation and runoff formulations interact in an LSM, and the analysis as a whole underscores the need for compatibility in these formulations.

Examining the impact of larval source management and insecticide-treated nets using a spatial agent-based model of Anopheles gambiae and a landscape generator tool.

PubMed

Arifin, S M Niaz; Madey, Gregory R; Collins, Frank H

2013-08-21

Agent-based models (ABMs) have been used to estimate the effects of malaria-control interventions. Early studies have shown the efficacy of larval source management (LSM) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as vector-control interventions, applied both in isolation and in combination. However, the robustness of results can be affected by several important modelling assumptions, including the type of boundary used for landscapes, and the number of replicated simulation runs reported in results. Selection of the ITN coverage definition may also affect the predictive findings. Hence, by replication, independent verification of prior findings of published models bears special importance. A spatially-explicit entomological ABM of Anopheles gambiae is used to simulate the resource-seeking process of mosquitoes in grid-based landscapes. To explore LSM and replicate results of an earlier LSM study, the original landscapes and scenarios are replicated by using a landscape generator tool, and 1,800 replicated simulations are run using absorbing and non-absorbing boundaries. To explore ITNs and evaluate the relative impacts of the different ITN coverage schemes, the settings of an earlier ITN study are replicated, the coverage schemes are defined and simulated, and 9,000 replicated simulations for three ITN parameters (coverage, repellence and mortality) are run. To evaluate LSM and ITNs in combination, landscapes with varying densities of houses and human populations are generated, and 12,000 simulations are run. General agreement with an earlier LSM study is observed when an absorbing boundary is used. However, using a non-absorbing boundary produces significantly different results, which may be attributed to the unrealistic killing effect of an absorbing boundary. Abundance cannot be completely suppressed by removing aquatic habitats within 300 m of houses. Also, with density-dependent oviposition, removal of insufficient number of aquatic habitats may prove counter-productive. The importance of performing large number of simulation runs is also demonstrated. For ITNs, the choice of coverage scheme has important implications, and too high repellence yields detrimental effects. When LSM and ITNs are applied in combination, ITNs' mortality can play more important roles with higher densities of houses. With partial mortality, increasing ITN coverage is more effective than increasing LSM coverage, and integrating both interventions yields more synergy as the densities of houses increase. Using a non-absorbing boundary and reporting average results from sufficiently large number of simulation runs are strongly recommended for malaria ABMs. Several guidelines (code and data sharing, relevant documentation, and standardized models) for future modellers are also recommended.

Sensitivity of the weather research and forecasting model to parameterization schemes for regional climate of Nile River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tariku, Tebikachew Betru; Gan, Thian Yew

2018-06-01

Regional climate models (RCMs) have been used to simulate rainfall at relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions useful for sustainable water resources planning, design and management. In this study, the sensitivity of the RCM, weather research and forecasting (WRF), in modeling the regional climate of the Nile River Basin (NRB) was investigated using 31 combinations of different physical parameterization schemes which include cumulus (Cu), microphysics (MP), planetary boundary layer (PBL), land-surface model (LSM) and radiation (Ra) schemes. Using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis data as initial and lateral boundary conditions, WRF was configured to model the climate of NRB at a resolution of 36 km with 30 vertical levels. The 1999-2001 simulations using WRF were compared with satellite data combined with ground observation and the NCEP reanalysis data for 2 m surface air temperature (T2), rainfall, short- and longwave downward radiation at the surface (SWRAD, LWRAD). Overall, WRF simulated more accurate T2 and LWRAD (with correlation coefficients >0.8 and low root-mean-square error) than SWRAD and rainfall for the NRB. Further, the simulation of rainfall is more sensitive to PBL, Cu and MP schemes than other schemes of WRF. For example, WRF simulated less biased rainfall with Kain-Fritsch combined with MYJ than with YSU as the PBL scheme. The simulation of T2 is more sensitive to LSM and Ra than to Cu, PBL and MP schemes selected, SWRAD is more sensitive to MP and Ra than to Cu, LSM and PBL schemes, and LWRAD is more sensitive to LSM, Ra and PBL than Cu, and MP schemes. In summary, the following combination of schemes simulated the most representative regional climate of NRB: WSM3 microphysics, KF cumulus, MYJ PBL, RRTM longwave radiation and Dudhia shortwave radiation schemes, and Noah LSM. The above configuration of WRF coupled to the Noah LSM has also been shown to simulate representative regional climate of NRB over 1980-2001 which include a combination of wet and dry years of the NRB.

Application of the combined FibroMeter vibration-controlled transient elastography algorithm in Chinese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

PubMed

Loong, Thomson Chi-Wang; Wei, Jeremy Lok; Leung, Jonathan Chung-Fai; Wong, Grace Lai-Hung; Shu, Sally She-Ting; Chim, Angel Mei-Ling; Chan, Anthony Wing-Hung; Choi, Paul Cheung-Lung; Tse, Yee-Kit; Chan, Henry Lik-Yuen; Wong, Vincent Wai-Sun

2017-07-01

The FibroMeter vibration-controlled transient elastography (FM VCTE) is a new formula combining the serum test FM and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by VCTE. We tested the accuracy and utility of FM VCTE for fibrosis staging in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Two hundred fifteen NAFLD patients with LSM, FM NAFLD, FM VCTE, and other serum tests (aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, fibrosis-4 index, BARD score, NAFLD fibrosis score, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine aminotransferase ratio) performed 1 day before liver biopsy were evaluated. Sixty-nine (32.1%) and 43 (20.0%) patients had F2-4 and F3-4, respectively. LSM had higher diagnostic accuracy (area under receiver-operating characteristics curves [AUROC] 0.851 for F2-4, 0.940 for F3-4; Obuchowski index 0.937 ± 0.007) than all evaluated serum tests, while FM NAFLD was the most accurate serum test (AUROC 0.775 and 0.774; Obuchowski index 0.891 ± 0.013). FM VCTE had similar accuracy to LSM (AUROC 0.855 and 0.901; Obuchowski index 0.927 ± 0.009). LSM had excellent negative predictive values of 92.4% and 99.2% to exclude F2-4 and F3-4, but the positive predictive values (PPV) were only 71.4% and 61.0%, respectively. In patients with high LSM, the use of FM VCTE improved the PPV from 71.4% to 84.4% for F2-4 and from 61.0% to 88.9% for F3-4. Liver biopsy could be spared in around 50-65% of patients. Liver stiffness measurement alone can confidently exclude significant and advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients. Using FM VCTE in patients with high liver stiffness can increase the positive predictive value to rule in F2-4 and F3-4. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Assessment of the effect of larval source management and house improvement on malaria transmission when added to standard malaria control strategies in southern Malawi: study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

McCann, Robert S; van den Berg, Henk; Diggle, Peter J; van Vugt, Michèle; Terlouw, Dianne J; Phiri, Kamija S; Di Pasquale, Aurelio; Maire, Nicolas; Gowelo, Steven; Mburu, Monicah M; Kabaghe, Alinune N; Mzilahowa, Themba; Chipeta, Michael G; Takken, Willem

2017-09-22

Due to outdoor and residual transmission and insecticide resistance, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) will be insufficient as stand-alone malaria vector control interventions in many settings as programmes shift toward malaria elimination. Combining additional vector control interventions as part of an integrated strategy would potentially overcome these challenges. Larval source management (LSM) and structural house improvements (HI) are appealing as additional components of an integrated vector management plan because of their long histories of use, evidence on effectiveness in appropriate settings, and unique modes of action compared to LLINs and IRS. Implementation of LSM and HI through a community-based approach could provide a path for rolling-out these interventions sustainably and on a large scale. We will implement community-based LSM and HI, as additional interventions to the current national malaria control strategies, using a randomised block, 2 × 2 factorial, cluster-randomised design in rural, southern Malawi. These interventions will be continued for two years. The trial catchment area covers about 25,000 people living in 65 villages. Community participation is encouraged by training community volunteers as health animators, and supporting the organisation of village-level committees in collaboration with The Hunger Project, a non-governmental organisation. Household-level cross-sectional surveys, including parasitological and entomological sampling, will be conducted on a rolling, 2-monthly schedule to measure outcomes over two years (2016 to 2018). Coverage of LSM and HI will also be assessed throughout the trial area. Combining LSM and/or HI together with the interventions currently implemented by the Malawi National Malaria Control Programme is anticipated to reduce malaria transmission below the level reached by current interventions alone. Implementation of LSM and HI through a community-based approach provides an opportunity for optimum adaptation to the local ecological and social setting, and enhances the potential for sustainability. Registered with The Pan African Clinical Trials Registry on 3 March 2016, trial number PACTR201604001501493.

Omalizumab Improves Quality of Life and Asthma Control in Chinese Patients With Moderate to Severe Asthma: A Randomized Phase III Study

PubMed Central

Li, Jing; Kang, Jian; Wang, Changzheng; Yang, Jing; Wang, Linda; Kottakis, Ioannis; Humphries, Michael

2016-01-01

Purpose Omalizumab is the preferred add-on therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and has demonstrated efficacy and safety in various ethnicities. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. Methods This randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, phase III study assessed lung function, quality of life, asthma control, and safety of omalizumab after 24-week therapy in Chinese patients (18-75 years of age). Results A total of 616 patients were randomized (1:1) to omalizumab or placebo. The primary endpoint, least squares mean treatment difference (LSM-TD) in morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) (omalizumab vs placebo), at Weeks >20-24 was 8.85 L/min (Full analysis set; P=0.062). Per-protocol analysis set showed significant improvements with LSM-TD of 11.53 L/min in mean mPEF at Weeks >20-24 (P=0.022). The FEV1 % predicted was significantly improved with omalizumab vs placebo from 8 to 24 weeks (after 24-week treatment: LSM-TD=4.12%; P=0.001). At Week 24, a higher proportion of omalizumab-treated patients achieved clinically relevant improvements in standardized AQLQ (58.2% vs 39.3%; LSM=0.51 vs 0.10; P<0.001) and ACQ (49.5% vs 35.5%; LSM=-0.51 vs -0.34; P=0.002) scores vs placebo. Total and nighttime symptom scores reduced significantly with omalizumab vs placebo (LSM-TD=-0.21, P=0.048 and -0.12, P=0.011, respectively). Although the study was not powered to study differences in exacerbation rates (P=0.097), exacerbations in winter months were less frequent in the omalizumab vs placebo group (2 vs 21). Adverse event and severe adverse event rates were comparable between omalizumab and placebo. Conclusions Omalizumab improves lung function, quality of life, and asthma control in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and has a good safety profile. PMID:27126725

Omalizumab Improves Quality of Life and Asthma Control in Chinese Patients With Moderate to Severe Asthma: A Randomized Phase III Study.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Kang, Jian; Wang, Changzheng; Yang, Jing; Wang, Linda; Kottakis, Ioannis; Humphries, Michael; Zhong, Nanshan

2016-07-01

Omalizumab is the preferred add-on therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and has demonstrated efficacy and safety in various ethnicities. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. This randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, phase III study assessed lung function, quality of life, asthma control, and safety of omalizumab after 24-week therapy in Chinese patients (18-75 years of age). A total of 616 patients were randomized (1:1) to omalizumab or placebo. The primary endpoint, least squares mean treatment difference (LSM-TD) in morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) (omalizumab vs placebo), at Weeks >20-24 was 8.85 L/min (Full analysis set; P=0.062). Per-protocol analysis set showed significant improvements with LSM-TD of 11.53 L/min in mean mPEF at Weeks >20-24 (P=0.022). The FEV1 % predicted was significantly improved with omalizumab vs placebo from 8 to 24 weeks (after 24-week treatment: LSM-TD=4.12%; P=0.001). At Week 24, a higher proportion of omalizumab-treated patients achieved clinically relevant improvements in standardized AQLQ (58.2% vs 39.3%; LSM=0.51 vs 0.10; P<0.001) and ACQ (49.5% vs 35.5%; LSM=-0.51 vs -0.34; P=0.002) scores vs placebo. Total and nighttime symptom scores reduced significantly with omalizumab vs placebo (LSM-TD=-0.21, P=0.048 and -0.12, P=0.011, respectively). Although the study was not powered to study differences in exacerbation rates (P=0.097), exacerbations in winter months were less frequent in the omalizumab vs placebo group (2 vs 21). Adverse event and severe adverse event rates were comparable between omalizumab and placebo. Omalizumab improves lung function, quality of life, and asthma control in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and has a good safety profile.

Sensitivity of the weather research and forecasting model to parameterization schemes for regional climate of Nile River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tariku, Tebikachew Betru; Gan, Thian Yew

2017-08-01

Regional climate models (RCMs) have been used to simulate rainfall at relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions useful for sustainable water resources planning, design and management. In this study, the sensitivity of the RCM, weather research and forecasting (WRF), in modeling the regional climate of the Nile River Basin (NRB) was investigated using 31 combinations of different physical parameterization schemes which include cumulus (Cu), microphysics (MP), planetary boundary layer (PBL), land-surface model (LSM) and radiation (Ra) schemes. Using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis data as initial and lateral boundary conditions, WRF was configured to model the climate of NRB at a resolution of 36 km with 30 vertical levels. The 1999-2001 simulations using WRF were compared with satellite data combined with ground observation and the NCEP reanalysis data for 2 m surface air temperature (T2), rainfall, short- and longwave downward radiation at the surface (SWRAD, LWRAD). Overall, WRF simulated more accurate T2 and LWRAD (with correlation coefficients >0.8 and low root-mean-square error) than SWRAD and rainfall for the NRB. Further, the simulation of rainfall is more sensitive to PBL, Cu and MP schemes than other schemes of WRF. For example, WRF simulated less biased rainfall with Kain-Fritsch combined with MYJ than with YSU as the PBL scheme. The simulation of T2 is more sensitive to LSM and Ra than to Cu, PBL and MP schemes selected, SWRAD is more sensitive to MP and Ra than to Cu, LSM and PBL schemes, and LWRAD is more sensitive to LSM, Ra and PBL than Cu, and MP schemes. In summary, the following combination of schemes simulated the most representative regional climate of NRB: WSM3 microphysics, KF cumulus, MYJ PBL, RRTM longwave radiation and Dudhia shortwave radiation schemes, and Noah LSM. The above configuration of WRF coupled to the Noah LSM has also been shown to simulate representative regional climate of NRB over 1980-2001 which include a combination of wet and dry years of the NRB.

Effect of SDC-impregnated LSM cathodes on the performance of anode-supported YSZ films for SOFCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kongfa; Lü, Zhe; Ai, Na; Chen, Xiangjun; Hu, Jinyan; Huang, Xiqiang; Su, Wenhui

Sm 0.2Ce 0.8O 1.9 (SDC)-impregnated La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 (LSM) composite cathodes were fabricated on anode-supported yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films. Electrochemical performances of the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were investigated in the present study. Four single cells, i.e., Cell-1, Cell-2, Cell-3 and Cell-4 were obtained after the fabrication of four different cathodes, i.e., pure LSM and SDC/LSM composites in the weight ratios of 25/75, 36/64 and 42/58, respectively. Impedance spectra under open-circuit conditions showed that the cathode performance was gradually improved with the increasing SDC loading. Similarly, the maximum power densities (MPD) of the four cells were increased with the SDC amount below 700 °C. Whereas, the cell performance of Cell-4 was lower than that of Cell-3 at 800 °C, arising from the increased concentration polarization at high current densities. This was caused by the lowered porosity with the impregnation cycle. This disadvantage could be suppressed by lowering the operating temperature or by increasing the oxygen concentration at the cathode side. The ratio of electrode polarization loss in the total voltage drop versus current density showed that the cell performance was primarily determined by the electrode polarization. The contribution of the ohmic resistance was increased when the operating temperature was lowered. When a 100 ml min -1 oxygen flow was introduced to the cathode side, Cell-3 produced MPDs of 1905, 1587 and 1179 mW cm -2 at 800, 750 and 700 °C, respectively. The high cell outputs demonstrated the merits of the novel and effective SDC-impregnated LSM cathodes.

Potential Impacts of Future Warming and Land Use Changes on Intra-Urban Heat Exposure in Houston, Texas

PubMed Central

Conlon, Kathryn; Monaghan, Andrew; Hayden, Mary; Wilhelmi, Olga

2016-01-01

Extreme heat events in the United States are projected to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. We investigated the individual and combined effects of land use and warming on the spatial and temporal distribution of daily minimum temperature (Tmin) and daily maximum heat index (HImax) during summer in Houston, Texas. Present-day (2010) and near-future (2040) parcel-level land use scenarios were embedded within 1-km resolution land surface model (LSM) simulations. For each land use scenario, LSM simulations were conducted for climatic scenarios representative of both the present-day and near-future periods. LSM simulations assuming present-day climate but 2040 land use patterns led to spatially heterogeneous temperature changes characterized by warmer conditions over most areas, with summer average increases of up to 1.5°C (Tmin) and 7.3°C (HImax) in some newly developed suburban areas compared to simulations using 2010 land use patterns. LSM simulations assuming present-day land use but a 1°C temperature increase above the urban canopy (consistent with warming projections for 2040) yielded more spatially homogeneous metropolitan-wide average increases of about 1°C (Tmin) and 2.5°C (HImax), respectively. LSM simulations assuming both land use and warming for 2040 led to summer average increases of up to 2.5°C (Tmin) and 8.3°C (HImax), with the largest increases in areas projected to be converted to residential, industrial and mixed-use types. Our results suggest that urbanization and climate change may significantly increase the average number of summer days that exceed current threshold temperatures for initiating a heat advisory for metropolitan Houston, potentially increasing population exposure to extreme heat. PMID:26863298

Supersonic shear imaging for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension in liver diseases: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Deng, Han; Qi, Xingshun; Zhang, Tiansong; Qi, Xiaolong; Yoshida, Eric M; Guo, Xiaozhong

2018-01-01

The meta-analysis aimed to summarize the technical success rate of supersonic shear imaging (SSI) and to evaluate the diagnostic performance of liver and spleen stiffness measurement (LSM and SSM) with SSI for the detection of liver fibrosis, portal hypertension, and gastroesophageal varices in liver diseases. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Technical success rate of SSI was pooled. Area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Included studies regarding the diagnostic performance of SSI for liver fibrosis, portal hypertension, and esophageal varices numbered 28, 4, and 4 respectively. The pooled technical success rates of LSM and SSM were 95.3% and 75.5%, respectively. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of LSM/SSM for different stages of liver fibrosis were 0.85-0.94, 0.7-0.89, and 0.82-0.92, respectively. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of LSM were 0.84 (95%CI = 0.8-0.86), 0.79 (95%CI = 0.7-0.85), and 0.82 (95%CI = 0.72-0.88) for clinically significant portal hypertension, 0.85 (95%CI = 0.82-0.88), 0.8 (95%CI = 0.68-0.88), and 0.8 (95%CI = 0.6-0.92) for any varices, and 0.86 (95%CI = 0.83-0.89), 0.86 (95%CI = 0.76-0.92), and 0.61 (95%CI = 0.35-0.83) for high-risk varices, respectively. LSM with SSI had a high diagnostic accuracy for liver fibrosis, but a moderate diagnostic accuracy for portal hypertension and esophageal varices.

Application of 1 D Finite Element Method in Combination with Laminar Solution Method for Pipe Network Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudar, O. I.; Dudar, E. S.

2017-11-01

The features of application of the 1D dimensional finite element method (FEM) in combination with the laminar solutions method (LSM) for the calculation of underground ventilating networks are considered. In this case the processes of heat and mass transfer change the properties of a fluid (binary vapour-air mix). Under the action of gravitational forces it leads to such phenomena as natural draft, local circulation, etc. The FEM relations considering the action of gravity, the mass conservation law, the dependence of vapour-air mix properties on the thermodynamic parameters are derived so that it allows one to model the mentioned phenomena. The analogy of the elastic and plastic rod deformation processes to the processes of laminar and turbulent flow in a pipe is described. Owing to this analogy, the guaranteed convergence of the elastic solutions method for the materials of plastic type means the guaranteed convergence of the LSM for any regime of a turbulent flow in a rough pipe. By means of numerical experiments the convergence rate of the FEM - LSM is investigated. This convergence rate appeared much higher than the convergence rate of the Cross - Andriyashev method. Data of other authors on the convergence rate comparison for the finite element method, the Newton method and the method of gradient are provided. These data allow one to conclude that the FEM in combination with the LSM is one of the most effective methods of calculation of hydraulic and ventilating networks. The FEM - LSM has been used for creation of the research application programme package “MineClimate” allowing to calculate the microclimate parameters in the underground ventilating networks.

Optimization of a Radiative Transfer Forward Operator for Simulating SMOS Brightness Temperatures over the Upper Mississippi Basin, USA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lievens, H.; Verhoest, N. E. C.; Martens, B.; VanDenBerg, M. J.; Bitar, A. Al; Tomer, S. Kumar; Merlin, O.; Cabot, F.; Kerr, Y.; DeLannoy, G. J. M.;

Development of Self-made LSM Software using in Neuroscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doronin, Maxim; Makovkin, Sergey; Popov, Alexander

2017-07-01

One of the main and modern visualization method in neuroscience is two-photon microscopy. However, scientists need to upgrade their microscopy system so regular because they are interested to get more specific data. Self-developed microscopy system allows to modify the construction of microscope in not-complicated manner depending on specialized experimental models and scientific tasks. Earlier we reported about building of self-made laser scanning microscope (LSM) using in neuroscience both for in vivo and in vitro experiments. Here we will report how to create software AMAScan for LSM controlling in MATLAB. The work was performed with financial support of the government represented by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the unique identifier of the project is RFMEFI58115X0016, the agreement on granting a subsidy №14.581.21.0016 dated 14.10.2015.

Development of a land surface model with coupled snow and frozen soil physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Zhou, Jing; Qi, Jia; Sun, Litao; Yang, Kun; Tian, Lide; Lin, Yanluan; Liu, Wenbin; Shrestha, Maheswor; Xue, Yongkang; Koike, Toshio; Ma, Yaoming; Li, Xiuping; Chen, Yingying; Chen, Deliang; Piao, Shilong; Lu, Hui

2017-06-01

Snow and frozen soil are important factors that influence terrestrial water and energy balances through snowpack accumulation and melt and soil freeze-thaw. In this study, a new land surface model (LSM) with coupled snow and frozen soil physics was developed based on a hydrologically improved LSM (HydroSiB2). First, an energy-balance-based three-layer snow model was incorporated into HydroSiB2 (hereafter HydroSiB2-S) to provide an improved description of the internal processes of the snow pack. Second, a universal and simplified soil model was coupled with HydroSiB2-S to depict soil water freezing and thawing (hereafter HydroSiB2-SF). In order to avoid the instability caused by the uncertainty in estimating water phase changes, enthalpy was adopted as a prognostic variable instead of snow/soil temperature in the energy balance equation of the snow/frozen soil module. The newly developed models were then carefully evaluated at two typical sites of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) (one snow covered and the other snow free, both with underlying frozen soil). At the snow-covered site in northeastern TP (DY), HydroSiB2-SF demonstrated significant improvements over HydroSiB2-F (same as HydroSiB2-SF but using the original single-layer snow module of HydroSiB2), showing the importance of snow internal processes in three-layer snow parameterization. At the snow-free site in southwestern TP (Ngari), HydroSiB2-SF reasonably simulated soil water phase changes while HydroSiB2-S did not, indicating the crucial role of frozen soil parameterization in depicting the soil thermal and water dynamics. Finally, HydroSiB2-SF proved to be capable of simulating upward moisture fluxes toward the freezing front from the underlying soil layers in winter.

GPU accelerated edge-region based level set evolution constrained by 2D gray-scale histogram.

PubMed

Balla-Arabé, Souleymane; Gao, Xinbo; Wang, Bin

2013-07-01

Due to its intrinsic nature which allows to easily handle complex shapes and topological changes, the level set method (LSM) has been widely used in image segmentation. Nevertheless, LSM is computationally expensive, which limits its applications in real-time systems. For this purpose, we propose a new level set algorithm, which uses simultaneously edge, region, and 2D histogram information in order to efficiently segment objects of interest in a given scene. The computational complexity of the proposed LSM is greatly reduced by using the highly parallelizable lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a body force to solve the level set equation (LSE). The body force is the link with image data and is defined from the proposed LSE. The proposed LSM is then implemented using an NVIDIA graphics processing units to fully take advantage of the LBM local nature. The new algorithm is effective, robust against noise, independent to the initial contour, fast, and highly parallelizable. The edge and region information enable to detect objects with and without edges, and the 2D histogram information enable the effectiveness of the method in a noisy environment. Experimental results on synthetic and real images demonstrate subjectively and objectively the performance of the proposed method.

Environment-dependent regulation of spliceosome activity by the LSM2-8 complex in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Carrasco-López, Cristian; Hernández-Verdeja, Tamara; Perea-Resa, Carlos; Abia, David; Catalá, Rafael; Salinas, Julio

2017-07-07

Spliceosome activity is tightly regulated to ensure adequate splicing in response to internal and external cues. It has been suggested that core components of the spliceosome, such as the snRNPs, would participate in the control of its activity. The experimental indications supporting this proposition, however, remain scarce, and the operating mechanisms poorly understood. Here, we present genetic and molecular evidence demonstrating that the LSM2-8 complex, the protein moiety of the U6 snRNP, regulates the spliceosome activity in Arabidopsis, and that this regulation is controlled by the environmental conditions. Our results show that the complex ensures the efficiency and accuracy of constitutive and alternative splicing of selected pre-mRNAs, depending on the conditions. Moreover, miss-splicing of most targeted pre-mRNAs leads to the generation of nonsense mediated decay signatures, indicating that the LSM2-8 complex also guarantees adequate levels of the corresponding functional transcripts. Interestingly, the selective role of the complex has relevant physiological implications since it is required for adequate plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. These findings unveil an unanticipated function for the LSM2-8 complex that represents a new layer of posttranscriptional regulation in response to external stimuli in eukaryotes. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Modeling of the oxygen reduction reaction for dense LSM thin films

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

Yang, Tao; Liu, Jian; Yu, Yang

In this study, the oxygen reduction reaction mechanism is investigated using numerical methods on a dense thin (La 1-xSr x) yMnO 3±δ film deposited on a YSZ substrate. This 1-D continuum model consists of defect chemistry and elementary oxygen reduction reaction steps coupled via reaction rates. The defect chemistry model contains eight species including cation vacancies on the A- and B-sites. The oxygen vacancy is calculated by solving species transportation equations in multiphysics simulations. Due to the simple geometry of a dense thin film, the oxygen reduction reaction was reduced to three elementary steps: surface adsorption and dissociation, incorporation onmore » the surface, and charge transfer across the LSM/YSZ interface. The numerical simulations allow for calculation of the temperature- and oxygen partial pressure-dependent properties of LSM. The parameters of the model are calibrated with experimental impedance data for various oxygen partial pressures at different temperatures. The results indicate that surface adsorption and dissociation is the rate-determining step in the ORR of LSM thin films. With the fine-tuned parameters, further quantitative analysis is performed. The activation energy of the oxygen exchange reaction and the dependence of oxygen non-stoichiometry on oxygen partial pressure are also calculated and verified using the literature results.« less

Copernicus: Lunar surface mapper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redd, Frank J.; Anderson, Shaun D.

1992-01-01

The Utah State University (USU) 1991-92 Space Systems Design Team has designed a Lunar Surface Mapper (LSM) to parallel the development of the NASA Office of Exploration lunar initiatives. USU students named the LSM 'Copernicus' after the 16th century Polish astronomer, for whom the large lunar crater on the face of the moon was also named. The top level requirements for the Copernicus LSM are to produce a digital map of the lunar surface with an overall resolution of 12 meters (39.4 ft). It will also identify specified local surface features/areas to be mapped at higher resolutions by follow-on missions. The mapping operation will be conducted from a 300 km (186 mi) lunar-polar orbit. Although the entire surface should be mapped within six months, the spacecraft design lifetime will exceed one year with sufficient propellant planned for orbit maintenance in the anomalous lunar gravity field. The Copernicus LSM is a small satellite capable of reaching lunar orbit following launch on a Conestoga launch vehicle which is capable of placing 410 kg (900 lb) into translunar orbit. Upon orbital insertion, the spacecraft will weigh approximately 233 kg (513 lb). This rather severe mass constraint has insured attention to component/subsystem size and mass, and prevented 'requirements creep.' Transmission of data will be via line-of-sight to an earth-based receiving system.

Influence of Hepatic Inflammation on FibroScan Findings in Diagnosing Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

PubMed

Zeng, Xianghua; Xu, Cheng; He, Dengming; Zhang, Huiyan; Xia, Jie; Shi, Dairong; Kong, Lingjun; He, Xiaoqin; Wang, Yuming

2015-06-01

Hepatic inflammation may affect the performance of FibroScan. This prospective study investigated the influence of hepatic inflammation on liver stiffness measurement (LSM) values by assessing FibroScan and liver biopsy findings in 325 patients with chronic hepatitis B. Liver fibrosis and inflammation were classified into five stages (S0-S4) and grades (G0-G4) according to the Scheuer scoring system. LSM values were correlated with fibrosis stage and inflammation grade (r = 0.479, p < 0.001, and r = 0.522, p < 0.001, respectively). Although LSM values increased in parallel with inflammation grade, no significant differences were found between patients with significant fibrosis (S2-S4) (p > 0.05). For inflammation grades G0, G1, G2 and G3, areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of FibroScan for significant fibrosis were 0.8267 (p < 0.001), 0.6956 (p < 0.001), 0.709 (p = 0.0012) and 0.6947 (p = 0.137), respectively. Inflammation has a significant influence on LSM values in patients with chronic hepatitis B with mild fibrosis, but not in those with significant fibrosis. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Meta-analysis for the Diagnostic Performance of Transient Elastography for Clinically Significant Portal Hypertension.

PubMed

You, Myung-Won; Kim, Kyung Won; Pyo, Junhee; Huh, Jimi; Kim, Hyoung Jung; Lee, So Jung; Park, Seong Ho

2017-01-01

We aimed to evaluate the correlation between liver stiffness measurement using transient elastography (TE-LSM) and hepatic venous pressure gradient and the diagnostic performance of TE-LSM in assessing clinically significant portal hypertension through meta-analysis. Eleven studies were included from thorough literature research and selection processes. The summary correlation coefficient was 0.783 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.737-0.823). Summary sensitivity, specificity and area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 87.5% (95% CI, 75.8-93.9%), 85.3 % (95% CI, 76.9-90.9%) and 0.9, respectively. The subgroup with low cut-off values of 13.6-18 kPa had better summary estimates (sensitivity 91.2%, specificity 81.3% and partial AUC 0.921) than the subgroup with high cut-off values of 21-25 kPa (sensitivity 71.2%, specificity 90.9% and partial AUC 0.769). In summary, TE-LSM correlated well with hepatic venous pressure gradient and represented good diagnostic performance in diagnosing clinically significant portal hypertension. For use as a sensitive screening tool, we propose using low cut-off values of 13.6-18 kPa in TE-LSM. Copyright © 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling of the oxygen reduction reaction for dense LSM thin films

DOE PAGES

Yang, Tao; Liu, Jian; Yu, Yang; ...

2017-10-17

In this study, the oxygen reduction reaction mechanism is investigated using numerical methods on a dense thin (La 1-xSr x) yMnO 3±δ film deposited on a YSZ substrate. This 1-D continuum model consists of defect chemistry and elementary oxygen reduction reaction steps coupled via reaction rates. The defect chemistry model contains eight species including cation vacancies on the A- and B-sites. The oxygen vacancy is calculated by solving species transportation equations in multiphysics simulations. Due to the simple geometry of a dense thin film, the oxygen reduction reaction was reduced to three elementary steps: surface adsorption and dissociation, incorporation onmore » the surface, and charge transfer across the LSM/YSZ interface. The numerical simulations allow for calculation of the temperature- and oxygen partial pressure-dependent properties of LSM. The parameters of the model are calibrated with experimental impedance data for various oxygen partial pressures at different temperatures. The results indicate that surface adsorption and dissociation is the rate-determining step in the ORR of LSM thin films. With the fine-tuned parameters, further quantitative analysis is performed. The activation energy of the oxygen exchange reaction and the dependence of oxygen non-stoichiometry on oxygen partial pressure are also calculated and verified using the literature results.« less

Detecting geothermal anomalies and evaluating LST geothermal component by combining thermal remote sensing time series and land surface model data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Romaguera, Mireia; Vaughan, R. Greg; Ettema, J.; Izquierdo-Verdiguier, E.; Hecker, C. A.; van der Meer, F.D.

2018-01-01

This paper explores for the first time the possibilities to use two land surface temperature (LST) time series of different origins (geostationary Meteosat Second Generation satellite data and Noah land surface modelling, LSM), to detect geothermal anomalies and extract the geothermal component of LST, the LSTgt. We hypothesize that in geothermal areas the LSM time series will underestimate the LST as compared to the remote sensing data, since the former does not account for the geothermal component in its model.In order to extract LSTgt, two approaches of different nature (physical based and data mining) were developed and tested in an area of about 560 × 560 km2 centered at the Kenyan Rift. Pre-dawn data in the study area during the first 45 days of 2012 were analyzed.The results show consistent spatial and temporal LSTgt patterns between the two approaches, and systematic differences of about 2 K. A geothermal area map from surface studies was used to assess LSTgt inside and outside the geothermal boundaries. Spatial means were found to be higher inside the geothermal limits, as well as the relative frequency of occurrence of high LSTgt. Results further show that areas with strong topography can result in anomalously high LSTgt values (false positives), which suggests the need for a slope and aspect correction in the inputs to achieve realistic results in those areas. The uncertainty analysis indicates that large uncertainties of the input parameters may limit detection of LSTgt anomalies. To validate the approaches, higher spatial resolution images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data over the Olkaria geothermal field were used. An established method to estimate radiant geothermal flux was applied providing values between 9 and 24 W/m2 in the geothermal area, which coincides with the LSTgt flux rates obtained with the proposed approaches.The proposed approaches are a first step in estimating LSTgt at large spatial coverage from remote sensing and LSM data series, and provide an innovative framework for future improvements.

Comparisons between designs for single-sided linear electric motors: Homopolar synchronous and induction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nondahl, T. A.; Richter, E.

1980-09-01

A design study of two types of single sided (with a passive rail) linear electric machine designs, namely homopolar linear synchronous machines (LSM's) and linear induction machines (LIM's), is described. It is assumed the machines provide tractive effort for several types of light rail vehicles and locomotives. These vehicles are wheel supported and require tractive powers ranging from 200 kW to 3735 kW and top speeds ranging from 112 km/hr to 400 km/hr. All designs are made according to specified magnetic and thermal criteria. The LSM advantages are a higher power factor, much greater restoring forces for track misalignments, and less track heating. The LIM advantages are no need to synchronize the excitation frequency precisely to vehicle speed, simpler machine construction, and a more easily anchored track structure. The relative weights of the two machine types vary with excitation frequency and speed; low frequencies and low speeds favor the LSM.

End-on soft x ray imaging of Field-Reversed Configurations (FRCs) on the Field-Reversal-C (FRX-C)/Large Scale Modification (LSM) experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taggart, D. P.; Gribble, R. J.; Bailey, A. D., III; Sugimoto, S.

Recently, a prototype soft x ray pinhole camera was fielded on FRX-C/LSM at Los Alamos and TRX at Spectra Technology. The soft x ray FRC images obtained using this camera stand out in high contrast to their surroundings. It was particularly useful for studying the FRC during and shortly after formation when, at certain operating conditions, flute-like structures at the edge and internal structures of the FRC were observed which other diagnostics could not resolve. Building on this early experience, a new soft x ray pinhole camera was installed on FRX-C/LSM, which permits more rapid data acquisition and briefer exposures. It will be used to continue studying FRC formation and to look for internal structure later in time which could be a signature of instability. The initial operation of this camera is summarized.

Er0.4Bi1.6O3-δ - La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ nano-composite as a low-temperature firing cathode of solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sun Jae; Dayaghi, Amir Masoud; Kim, Kun Joong; Choi, Gyeong Man

2017-03-01

Er0.4Bi1.6O3-δ (ESB) composited with La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ (LSM) (2:3 or 3:2 wt:wt) with a bonding aid to decrease firing temperature TF are screen-printed on symmetric single cells composed of a Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (GDC) interlayer/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte/GDC interlayer, and their impedance spectra are compared. Addition of 5 wt % CuO to ESB-LSM (3:2 wt:wt) decreases the cathode TF to 650 °C without increasing cathodic polarization resistance (Rp ∼0.19 Ω cm2 at 650 °C). This ESB-LSM composite can be used as a cathode that can be fired at low temperature.

A fundamental study of chromium deposition on solid oxide fuel cell cathode materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Michael C.; Kurokawa, Hideto; Jacobson, Craig P.; De Jonghe, Lutgard C.; Visco, Steven J.

Chromium contamination of metal oxides and SOFC cathode catalysts is studied in the range 700-1000 °C. Samples are exposed to a moist air atmosphere saturated with volatile Cr species in the presence and absence of direct contact between the sample and ferritic stainless steel powder. Chromium contamination of the samples is observed to occur via two separate pathways: surface diffusion from the stainless steel surface and vapor deposition from the atmosphere. Surface diffusion dominates in all cases. Surface diffusion is found to be a significant source of Cr contamination for LSM and LSCF at 700, 800, and 1000 °C. Vapor deposition of Cr onto LSCF was observed at each of these temperatures, but was not observed for LSM at 700 or 800 °C. Comparison of the behavior for LSM, LSCF, and single metal oxides suggests that Mn and Co, respectively, are responsible for the Cr contamination of these catalysts.

Mechanism of chromium poisoning the conventional cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoqiang; Yu, Guangsen; Zeng, Shumao; Parbey, Joseph; Xiao, Shuhao; Li, Baihai; Li, Tingshuai; Andersson, Martin

2018-03-01

Chromium poisoning the La0.875Sr0.125MnO3 (LSM) cathode for solid oxide fuel cells is a critical issue that can strongly affect the stability. In this study, we evaluate the temperature distribution in a SOFC based on a 3D model and then combine conductivity test and material computation to reveal the effects of chromium in SUS430 stainless steels on LSM conductivities. The starch concentration in LSM pellets and the applied pressure on the contact with interconnect materials show close relationships with the chromium poisoning behavior. The density functional theory (DFT) computing results indicate that chromium atoms preferably adsorb on the MnO2-terminated and La (Sr)-O-terminated (001) surfaces. The resulting conclusions are expected to deeply understand mechanism of chromium deactivating conventional cathodes at some typical operational conditions, and offer crucial information to optimize the structure to avoid the poisoning effect.

A Catchment-Based Approach to Modeling Land Surface Processes in a GCM. Part 2; Parameter Estimation and Model Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ducharne, Agnes; Koster, Randal D.; Suarez, Max J.; Stieglitz, Marc; Kumar, Praveen

2000-01-01

The viability of a new catchment-based land surface model (LSM) developed for use with general circulation models is demonstrated. First, simple empirical functions -- tractable enough for operational use in the LSM -- are established that faithfully capture the control of topography on the subgrid variability of soil moisture and the surface water budget, as predicted by theory. Next, the full LSM is evaluated offline. Using forcing and validation datasets developed for PILPS Phase 2c, the minimally calibrated model is shown to reproduce observed evaporation and runoff fluxes successfully in the Red-Arkansas River Basin. A complementary idealized study that employs the range of topographic variability seen over North America demonstrates that the simulated surface water budget does vary strongly with topography, which can, by itself, induce variations in annual evaporation as high as 20%.

Examining the impact of larval source management and insecticide-treated nets using a spatial agent-based model of Anopheles gambiae and a landscape generator tool

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Agent-based models (ABMs) have been used to estimate the effects of malaria-control interventions. Early studies have shown the efficacy of larval source management (LSM) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as vector-control interventions, applied both in isolation and in combination. However, the robustness of results can be affected by several important modelling assumptions, including the type of boundary used for landscapes, and the number of replicated simulation runs reported in results. Selection of the ITN coverage definition may also affect the predictive findings. Hence, by replication, independent verification of prior findings of published models bears special importance. Methods A spatially-explicit entomological ABM of Anopheles gambiae is used to simulate the resource-seeking process of mosquitoes in grid-based landscapes. To explore LSM and replicate results of an earlier LSM study, the original landscapes and scenarios are replicated by using a landscape generator tool, and 1,800 replicated simulations are run using absorbing and non-absorbing boundaries. To explore ITNs and evaluate the relative impacts of the different ITN coverage schemes, the settings of an earlier ITN study are replicated, the coverage schemes are defined and simulated, and 9,000 replicated simulations for three ITN parameters (coverage, repellence and mortality) are run. To evaluate LSM and ITNs in combination, landscapes with varying densities of houses and human populations are generated, and 12,000 simulations are run. Results General agreement with an earlier LSM study is observed when an absorbing boundary is used. However, using a non-absorbing boundary produces significantly different results, which may be attributed to the unrealistic killing effect of an absorbing boundary. Abundance cannot be completely suppressed by removing aquatic habitats within 300 m of houses. Also, with density-dependent oviposition, removal of insufficient number of aquatic habitats may prove counter-productive. The importance of performing large number of simulation runs is also demonstrated. For ITNs, the choice of coverage scheme has important implications, and too high repellence yields detrimental effects. When LSM and ITNs are applied in combination, ITNs’ mortality can play more important roles with higher densities of houses. With partial mortality, increasing ITN coverage is more effective than increasing LSM coverage, and integrating both interventions yields more synergy as the densities of houses increase. Conclusions Using a non-absorbing boundary and reporting average results from sufficiently large number of simulation runs are strongly recommended for malaria ABMs. Several guidelines (code and data sharing, relevant documentation, and standardized models) for future modellers are also recommended. PMID:23965136

Community-based biological control of malaria mosquitoes using Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) in Rwanda: community awareness, acceptance and participation.

PubMed

Ingabire, Chantal Marie; Hakizimana, Emmanuel; Rulisa, Alexis; Kateera, Fredrick; Van Den Borne, Bart; Muvunyi, Claude Mambo; Mutesa, Leon; Van Vugt, Michelle; Koenraadt, Constantianus J M; Takken, Willem; Alaii, Jane

2017-10-03

Targeting the aquatic stages of malaria vectors via larval source management (LSM) in collaboration with local communities could accelerate progress towards malaria elimination when deployed in addition to existing vector control strategies. However, the precise role that communities can assume in implementing such an intervention has not been fully investigated. This study investigated community awareness, acceptance and participation in a study that incorporated the socio-economic and entomological impact of LSM using Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) in eastern Rwanda, and identified challenges and recommendations for future scale-up. The implementation of the community-based LSM intervention took place in Ruhuha, Rwanda, from February to July 2015. The intervention included three arms: control, community-based (CB) and project-supervised (PS). Mixed methods were used to collect baseline and endline socio-economic data in January and October 2015. A high perceived safety and effectiveness of Bti was reported at the start of the intervention. Being aware of malaria symptoms and perceiving Bti as safe on other living organisms increased the likelihood of community participation through investment of labour time for Bti application. On the other hand, the likelihood for community participation was lower if respondents: (1) perceived rice farming as very profitable; (2) provided more money to the cooperative as a capital; and, (3) were already involved in rice farming for more than 6 years. After 6 months of implementation, an increase in knowledge and skills regarding Bti application was reported. The community perceived a reduction in mosquito density and nuisance biting on treated arms. Main operational, seasonal and geographical challenges included manual application of Bti, long working hours, and need for transportation for reaching the fields. Recommendations were made for future scale-up, including addressing above-mentioned concerns and government adoption of LSM as part of its vector control strategies. Community awareness and support for LSM increased following Bti application. A high effectiveness of Bti in terms of reduction of mosquito abundance and nuisance biting was perceived. The study confirmed the feasibility of community-based LSM interventions and served as evidence for future scale-up of Bti application and adoption into Rwandan malaria vector control strategies.

Using low-cost drones to map malaria vector habitats.

PubMed

Hardy, Andy; Makame, Makame; Cross, Dónall; Majambere, Silas; Msellem, Mwinyi

2017-01-14

There is a growing awareness that if we are to achieve the ambitious goal of malaria elimination, we must compliment indoor-based vector control interventions (such as bednets and indoor spraying) with outdoor-based interventions such as larval source management (LSM). The effectiveness of LSM is limited by our capacity to identify and map mosquito aquatic habitats. This study provides a proof of concept for the use of a low-cost (< $1000) drone (DJI Phantom) for mapping water bodies in seven sites across Zanzibar including natural water bodies, irrigated and non-irrigated rice paddies, peri-urban and urban locations. With flying times of less than 30 min for each site, high-resolution (7 cm) georeferenced images were successfully generated for each of the seven sites, covering areas up to 30 ha. Water bodies were readily identifiable in the imagery, as well as ancillary information for planning LSM activities (access routes to water bodies by road and foot) and public health management (e.g. identification of drinking water sources, mapping individual households and the nature of their construction). The drone-based surveys carried out in this study provide a low-cost and flexible solution to mapping water bodies for operational dissemination of LSM initiatives in mosquito vector-borne disease elimination campaigns. Generated orthomosaics can also be used to provide vital information for other public health planning activities.

Biochemical markers of bone metabolism in draught and warmblood horses.

PubMed

Lepage, O M; Hartmann, D J; Eicher, R; Uebelhart, B; Tschudi, P; Uebelhart, D

1998-11-01

Concentrations of the cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) and osteocalcin (OC) have been determined in the serum of one hundred clinically healthy adult Draught or Warmblood horses. The correlation between these two markers has been evaluated and the influence of gender, age and type of horse described. No significant variations were observed between animals of different sex, but a significant inverse correlation (P < 0.0001) with age was observed for both measured parameters. After correction for age, serum levels of OC were found to be lower in Draught [adjusted least square mean (LSM) = 6.612 micrograms.L-1] than in Warmblood horses (adjusted LSM = 8.596 micrograms.L-1), whereas levels of ICTP were higher in Draughts (adjusted LSM = 8.035 micrograms.L-1) than in Warmbloods (adjusted LSM = 6.643 micrograms.L-1). A significant correlation (P < 0.0001) was observed between OC and ICTP. This correlation was stronger if the type of horse was taken into account in the statistical model. The ratio OC:ICTP was independent of gender and age. A higher OC:ICTP ratio in Warmbloods compared to the Draught horses might reflect a higher bone remodelling level of horses submitted to regular daily work. It was concluded that ICTP and OC are influenced by the type of horse, and probably reflect a physiological difference in bone remodelling between these animals.

Computer-assisted framework for machine-learning-based delineation of GTV regions on datasets of planning CT and PET/CT images.

PubMed

Ikushima, Koujiro; Arimura, Hidetaka; Jin, Ze; Yabu-Uchi, Hidetake; Kuwazuru, Jumpei; Shioyama, Yoshiyuki; Sasaki, Tomonari; Honda, Hiroshi; Sasaki, Masayuki

2017-01-01

We have proposed a computer-assisted framework for machine-learning-based delineation of gross tumor volumes (GTVs) following an optimum contour selection (OCS) method. The key idea of the proposed framework was to feed image features around GTV contours (determined based on the knowledge of radiation oncologists) into a machine-learning classifier during the training step, after which the classifier produces the 'degree of GTV' for each voxel in the testing step. Initial GTV regions were extracted using a support vector machine (SVM) that learned the image features inside and outside each tumor region (determined by radiation oncologists). The leave-one-out-by-patient test was employed for training and testing the steps of the proposed framework. The final GTV regions were determined using the OCS method that can be used to select a global optimum object contour based on multiple active delineations with a LSM around the GTV. The efficacy of the proposed framework was evaluated in 14 lung cancer cases [solid: 6, ground-glass opacity (GGO): 4, mixed GGO: 4] using the 3D Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), which denotes the degree of region similarity between the GTVs contoured by radiation oncologists and those determined using the proposed framework. The proposed framework achieved an average DSC of 0.777 for 14 cases, whereas the OCS-based framework produced an average DSC of 0.507. The average DSCs for GGO and mixed GGO were 0.763 and 0.701, respectively, obtained by the proposed framework. The proposed framework can be employed as a tool to assist radiation oncologists in delineating various GTV regions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF model using measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.-H.; Kim, S.-W.; Angevine, W. M.; Bianco, L.; McKeen, S. A.; Senff, C. J.; Trainer, M.; Tucker, S. C.; Zamora, R. J.

2010-10-01

The impact of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model on the simulation of local meteorological fields is investigated. The Noah land surface model (LSM), a modified LSM, and a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM) have been compared, focusing on urban patches. The model simulations were performed for 6 days from 12 August to 17 August during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign. Analysis was focused on the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area. The model simulated temperature, wind, and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height were compared with observations from surface meteorological stations (Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations, CAMS), wind profilers, the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft, and the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown. The UCM simulation showed better results in the comparison of ABL height and surface temperature than the LSM simulations, whereas the original LSM overestimated both the surface temperature and ABL height significantly in urban areas. The modified LSM, which activates hydrological processes associated with urban vegetation mainly through transpiration, slightly reduced warm and high biases in surface temperature and ABL height. A comparison of surface energy balance fluxes in an urban area indicated the UCM reproduces a realistic partitioning of sensible heat and latent heat fluxes, consequently improving the simulation of urban boundary layer. However, the LSMs have a higher Bowen ratio than the observation due to significant suppression of latent heat flux. The comparison results suggest that the subgrid heterogeneity by urban vegetation and urban morphological characteristics should be taken into account along with the associated physical parameterizations for accurate simulation of urban boundary layer if the region of interest has a large fraction of vegetation within the urban patch. Model showed significant discrepancies in the specific meteorological conditions when nocturnal low-level jets exist and a thermal internal boundary layer over water forms.

Prognostic durability of liver fibrosis tests and improvement in predictive performance for mortality by combining tests.

PubMed

Bertrais, Sandrine; Boursier, Jérôme; Ducancelle, Alexandra; Oberti, Frédéric; Fouchard-Hubert, Isabelle; Moal, Valérie; Calès, Paul

2017-06-01

There is currently no recommended time interval between noninvasive fibrosis measurements for monitoring chronic liver diseases. We determined how long a single liver fibrosis evaluation may accurately predict mortality, and assessed whether combining tests improves prognostic performance. We included 1559 patients with chronic liver disease and available baseline liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by Fibroscan, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), FIB-4, Hepascore, and FibroMeter V2G . Median follow-up was 2.8 years during which 262 (16.8%) patients died, with 115 liver-related deaths. All fibrosis tests were able to predict mortality, although APRI (and FIB-4 for liver-related mortality) showed lower overall discriminative ability than the other tests (differences in Harrell's C-index: P < 0.050). According to time-dependent AUROCs, the time period with optimal predictive performance was 2-3 years in patients with no/mild fibrosis, 1 year in patients with significant fibrosis, and <6 months in cirrhotic patients even in those with a model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score <15. Patients were then randomly split in training/testing sets. In the training set, blood tests and LSM were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. The best-fit multivariate model included age, sex, LSM, and FibroMeter V2G with C-index = 0.834 (95% confidence interval, 0.803-0.862). The prognostic model for liver-related mortality included the same covariates with C-index = 0.868 (0.831-0.902). In the testing set, the multivariate models had higher prognostic accuracy than FibroMeter V2G or LSM alone for all-cause mortality and FibroMeter V2G alone for liver-related mortality. The prognostic durability of a single baseline fibrosis evaluation depends on the liver fibrosis level. Combining LSM with a blood fibrosis test improves mortality risk assessment. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Attempt of correlative observation of morphological synaptic connectivity by combining confocal laser-scanning microscope and FIB-SEM for immunohistochemical staining technique.

PubMed

Sonomura, Takahiro; Furuta, Takahiro; Nakatani, Ikuko; Yamamoto, Yo; Honma, Satoru; Kaneko, Takeshi

2014-11-01

Ten years have passed since a serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) method was developed [1]. In this innovative method, samples were automatically sectioned with an ultramicrotome placed inside a scanning electron microscope column, and the block surfaces were imaged one after another by SEM to capture back-scattered electrons. The contrast-inverted images obtained by the SBF-SEM were very similar to those acquired using conventional TEM. SFB-SEM has made easy to acquire image stacks of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the mesoscale, which is taken with the confocal laser-scanning microcopy(CF-LSM).Furthermore, serial-section SEM has been combined with the focused ion beam (FIB) milling method [2]. FIB-incorporated SEM (FIB-SEM) has enabled the acquisition of three-dimensional images with a higher z-axis resolution com- pared to ultramicrotome-equipped SEM.We tried immunocytochemistry for FIB-SEM and correlated this immunoreactivity with that in CF-LSM. Dendrites of neurons in the rat neostriatum were visualized using a recombinant viral vector. Moreover, the thalamostriatal afferent terminals were immunolabeled with Cy5 fluorescence for vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2). After detection of the sites of terminals apposed to the dendrites by using CF-LSM, GFP and VGluT2 immunoreactivities were further developed for EM by using immunogold/silver enhancement and immunoperoxidase/diaminobenzidine (DAB) methods, respectively.We showed that conventional immuno-cytochemical staining for TEM was applicable to FIB-SEM. Furthermore, several synaptic contacts, which were thought to exist on the basis of CF-LSM findings, were confirmed with FIB-SEM, revealing the usefulness of the combined method of CF-LSM and FIB-SEM. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Long-term outcome of catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation patients with coexistent metabolic syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea: impact of repeat procedures versus lifestyle changes.

PubMed

Mohanty, Sanghamitra; Mohanty, Prasant; DI Biase, Luigi; Bai, Rong; Trivedi, Chintan; Santangeli, Pasquale; Santoro, Francesco; Hongo, Richard; Hao, Steven; Beheiry, Salwa; Burkhardt, David; Gallinghouse, Joseph G; Horton, Rodney; Sanchez, Javier E; Bailey, Shane; Hranitzky, Patrick M; Zagrodzky, Jason; Natale, Andrea

2014-09-01

Metabolic syndrome (MS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are well-known independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. This study evaluated ablation outcome in AF patients with coexistent MS and OSA and influence of lifestyle modifications (LSM) on arrhythmia recurrence. We included 1,257 AF patients undergoing first catheter ablation (30% paroxysmal AF). Patients having MS + OSA were classified into Group 1 (n = 126; 64 ± 8 years; 76% male). Group 2 (n = 1,131; 62 ± 11 years; 72% male) included those with either MS (n = 431) or OSA (n = 112; no CPAP users) or neither of these comorbidities (n = 588). Patients experiencing recurrence after first procedure were divided into 2 subgroups; those having sporadic events (frequency < 2 months) remained on previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) and aggressive LSM, while those with persistent arrhythmia (incessant or ≥2 months) underwent repeat ablation. After 34 ± 8 months of first procedure, 66 (52%) in Group 1 and 386 (34%) in Group 2 had recurrence (P < 0.001). Recurrence rate in only-MS, only-OSA, and without MS/OSA groups were 40%, 38%, and 29%, respectively. Patients with MS + OSA experienced substantially higher recurrence compared to those with lone MS or OSA (52% vs. 40% vs. 38%; P = 0.036). Of the 452 patients having recurrence, 250 underwent redo-ablation and 194 remained on AAD and LSM. At 20 ± 6 months, 76% of the redo group remained arrhythmia-free off AAD whereas 74% of the LSM group were free from recurrence (P = 0.71), 33% of which were off AAD. MS and OSA have additive negative effect on arrhythmia recurrence following single procedure. Repeat ablation or compliant LSM increase freedom from recurrent AF. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liver stiffness identifies two different patterns of fibrosis progression in patients with hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation.

PubMed

Carrión, José A; Torres, Ferran; Crespo, Gonzalo; Miquel, Rosa; García-Valdecasas, Juan-Carlos; Navasa, Miquel; Forns, Xavier

2010-01-01

Significant liver fibrosis (F >or= 2) and portal hypertension (hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] >or= 6 mmHg) at 1 year after liver transplantation (LT) identify patients with severe hepatitis C recurrence. We evaluated whether repeated liver stiffness measurements (LSM) following LT can discriminate between slow and rapid "fibrosers" (fibrosis stage F2-F4 at 1 year after LT). Eighty-four patients who had undergone LT and who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 19 LT controls who were not infected with HCV underwent LSM at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after LT. All HCV-infected patients underwent liver biopsy 12 months after LT (paired HVPG measurements in 74); 31 (37%) were rapid fibrosers. Median LSM (in kilopascal) at months 6, 9, and 12 were significantly higher in rapid fibrosers (9.9, 9.5, 12.1) than in slow fibrosers (6.9, 7.5, 6.6) (P < 0.01 all time points). The slope of liver stiffness progression (kPa x month) in rapid fibrosers (0.42) was significantly greater than in slow fibrosers (0.05) (P < 0.001), suggesting two different speeds of liver fibrosis progression. Figures were almost identical for patients with HVPG >or= 6 mmHg or HVPG < 6 mmHg at 1 year after LT. Multivariate analysis identified donor age, bilirubin level, and LSM as independent predictors of fibrosis progression and portal hypertension in the estimation group (n = 50) and were validated in a second group of 34 patients. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve that could identify rapid fibrosers and patients with portal hypertension as early as 6 months after LT were 0.83 and 0.87, respectively, in the estimation group and 0.75 and 0.80, respectively, in the validation group. Early and repeated LSM following hepatitis C recurrence in combination with clinical variables discriminates between rapid and slow fibrosers after LT.

The circular form of the linear superconducting machine for marine propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakels, J. H.; Mahtani, J. L.; Rhodes, R. G.

1981-01-01

The superconducting linear synchronous machine (LSM) is an efficient method of propulsion of advanced ground transport systems and can also be used in marine engineering for the propulsion of large commercial vessels, tankers, and military ships. It provides high torque at low shaft speeds and ease of reversibility; a circular LSM design is proposed as a drive motor. The equipment is compared with the superconducting homopolar motors, showing flexibility in design, built in redundancy features, and reliability.

A Feasibility Study of the Collection of Unscheduled Maintenance Data Using Statistical Sampling Techniques.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

TECHNIQUES THESIS Robert A. Heinlein Captain, USAF AFIT/GLM/LSM/855-32.- _ DTIC MU’noN ’ST.,TEMENT A A-ZELECTE Approved lt public teleo*I Al \\ Z #&N0V21...343" A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE COLLECTION OF UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE DATA USING STrATISTICAL SAMPLING TECHNIQUES THESIS L .9 Robe-t A. Heinlein...a AFIT/GLM/LSM/85S-32 A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE COLLECTION OF UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE DATA USING STATISTICAL SAMPLING TECHNIQUES THESIS

Use of the parameterised finite element method to robustly and efficiently evolve the edge of a moving cell.

PubMed

Neilson, Matthew P; Mackenzie, John A; Webb, Steven D; Insall, Robert H

2010-11-01

In this paper we present a computational tool that enables the simulation of mathematical models of cell migration and chemotaxis on an evolving cell membrane. Recent models require the numerical solution of systems of reaction-diffusion equations on the evolving cell membrane and then the solution state is used to drive the evolution of the cell edge. Previous work involved moving the cell edge using a level set method (LSM). However, the LSM is computationally very expensive, which severely limits the practical usefulness of the algorithm. To address this issue, we have employed the parameterised finite element method (PFEM) as an alternative method for evolving a cell boundary. We show that the PFEM is far more efficient and robust than the LSM. We therefore suggest that the PFEM potentially has an essential role to play in computational modelling efforts towards the understanding of many of the complex issues related to chemotaxis.

Plates and shells containing a surface crack under general loading conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joseph, Paul F.; Erdogan, Fazil

1986-01-01

The severity of the underlying assumptions of the line-spring model (LSM) are such that verification with three-dimensional solutions is necessary. Such comparisons show that the model is quite accurate, and therefore, its use in extensive parameter studies is justified. Investigations into the endpoint behavior of the line-spring model have led to important conclusions about the ability of the model to predict stresses in front of the crack tip. An important application of the LSM was to solve the contact plate bending problem. Here the flexibility of the model to allow for any crack shape is exploited. The use of displacement quantities as unknowns in the formulation of the problem leads to strongly singular integral equations, rather than singular integral equations which result from using displacement derivatives. The collocation method of solving the integral equations was found to be better and more convenient than the quadrature technique. Orthogonal polynomials should be used as fitting functions when using the LSM as opposed to simpler functions such as power series.

The Role of Surface Energy Exchange for Simulating Wind Inflow: An Evaluation of Multiple Land Surface Models in WRF for the Southern Great Plains Site Field Campaign Report

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

Wharton, Sonia; Simpson, Matthew; Osuna, Jessica

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate choice of land surface model (LSM) on the near-surface wind profile, including heights reached by multi-megawatt wind turbines. Simulations of wind profiles and surface energy fluxes were made using five LSMs of varying degrees of sophistication in dealing with soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility in Oklahoma. Surface-flux and wind-profile measurements were available for validation. The WRF model was run for three two-week periods during which varying canopy and meteorological conditions existed. Themore » LSMs predicted a wide range of energy-flux and wind-shear magnitudes even during the cool autumn period when we expected less variability. Simulations of energy fluxes varied in accuracy by model sophistication, whereby LSMs with very simple or no soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks were the least accurate; however, the most complex models did not consistently produce more accurate results. Errors in wind shear also were sensitive to LSM choice and were partially related to the accuracy of energy flux data. The variability of LSM performance was relatively high, suggesting that LSM representation of energy fluxes in the WRF model remains a significant source of uncertainty for simulating wind turbine inflow conditions.« less

Fabrication and Characterization of Functionally Graded Cathodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonet, J.; Kapelski, G.; Bouvard, D.

2008-02-01

Solid oxide fuel cells are multi-layered designed. The most prevalent structure is an anode supported cell with a thick porous layer of nickel oxide NiO and yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite acting as an anode, a thin dense layer of YSZ as an electrolyte, a composite thin porous layer of lanthanum strontium manganate LSM and YSZ and a current collector layer of porous LSM. Regular operating temperature is 1000 °C. The industrial development requires designing cathodes with acceptable electrochemical and mechanical properties at a lower temperature, typically between 700 and 800 °C. A solution consists in designing composite bulk cathodes with more numerous electro-chemical reaction sites. This requirement could be met by grading the composition of the cathode in increasing the YSZ volume fraction near the electrolyte and the LSM volume fraction near the current collector layer so that the repartition of reaction sites and the interfacial adhesion between the cathode and electrolyte layers are optimal. The fabrication of graded composite cathode has been investigated using a sedimentation process that consists of preparing a suspension containing the powder mixture and allowing the particles to fall by gravity upon a substrate. Different composite cathodes with continuous composition gradient have been obtained by sedimentation of LSM and YSZ powder mixture upon a dense YSZ substrate and subsequent firing. Their compositions and microstructures have been analysed with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS).

Prospective comparison among transient elastography, supersonic shear imaging, and ARFI imaging for predicting fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

PubMed Central

Joo, Sae Kyung; Woo, Hyunsik; Lee, Dong Hyeon; Jung, Yong Jin; Kim, Byeong Gwan; Lee, Kook Lae

2017-01-01

The diagnostic performance of supersonic shear imaging (SSI) in comparison with those of transient elastography (TE) and acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) for staging fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients has not been fully assessed, especially in Asian populations with relatively lean NAFLD compared to white populations. Thus, we focused on comparing the diagnostic performances of TE, ARFI, and SSI for staging fibrosis in a head-to-head manner, and identifying the clinical, anthropometric, biochemical, and histological features which might affect liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in our prospective biopsy-proven NAFLD cohort. In this study, ninety-four patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD were included prospectively. Liver stiffness was measured using TE, SSI, and ARFI within 1 month of liver biopsy. The diagnostic performance for staging fibrosis was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Anthropometric data were evaluated as covariates influencing LSM by regression analyses. Liver stiffness correlated with fibrosis stage (p < 0.05); the area under the ROC curve of TE (kPa), SSI (kPa), and ARFI (m/s) were as follows: 0.757, 0.759, and 0.657 for significant fibrosis and 0.870, 0.809, and 0.873 for advanced fibrosis. Anthropometric traits were significant confounders affecting SSI, while serum liver injury markers significantly confounded TE and ARFI. In conclusion, the LSM methods had similar diagnostic performance for staging fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Pre-LSM anthropometric evaluation may help predict the reliability of SSI. PMID:29176844

A simple tool for stereological assessment of digital images: the STEPanizer.

PubMed

Tschanz, S A; Burri, P H; Weibel, E R

2011-07-01

STEPanizer is an easy-to-use computer-based software tool for the stereological assessment of digitally captured images from all kinds of microscopical (LM, TEM, LSM) and macroscopical (radiology, tomography) imaging modalities. The program design focuses on providing the user a defined workflow adapted to most basic stereological tasks. The software is compact, that is user friendly without being bulky. STEPanizer comprises the creation of test systems, the appropriate display of digital images with superimposed test systems, a scaling facility, a counting module and an export function for the transfer of results to spreadsheet programs. Here we describe the major workflow of the tool illustrating the application on two examples from transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, respectively. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

Land-atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the. diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Further, uncoupled systems or experiments (e.g., the Project for Intercomparison of Land Parameterization Schemes, PILPS) may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during the summers of 200617 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes of this region, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture. As such, this methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which is serving as a testbed for LoCo experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

Immersed Boundary Methods for Optimization of Strongly Coupled Fluid-Structure Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Nicholas J.

Conventional methods for design of tightly coupled multidisciplinary systems, such as fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems, traditionally rely on manual revisions informed by a loosely coupled linearized analysis. These approaches are both inaccurate for a multitude of applications, and they require an intimate understanding of the assumptions and limitations of the procedure in order to soundly optimize the design. Computational optimization, in particular topology optimization, has been shown to yield remarkable results for problems in solid mechanics using density interpolations schemes. In the context of FSI, however, well defined boundaries play a key role in both the design problem and the mechanical model. Density methods neither accurately represent the material boundary, nor provide a suitable platform to apply appropriate interface conditions. This thesis presents a new framework for shape and topology optimization of FSI problems that uses for the design problem the Level Set method (LSM) to describe the geometry evolution in the optimization process. The Extended Finite Element method (XFEM) is combined with a fictitiously deforming fluid domain (stationary arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method) to predict the FSI response. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the fact that the XFEM explicitly captures the material boundary defined by the level set iso-surface. Moreover, the XFEM provides a means to discretize the governing equations, and weak immersed boundary conditions are applied with Nitsche's Method to couple the fields. The flow is predicted by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, and a finite-deformation solid model is developed and tested for both hyperelastic and linear elastic problems. Transient and stationary numerical examples are presented to validate the FSI model and numerical solver approach. Pertaining to the optimization of FSI problems, the parameters of the discretized level set function are defined as explicit functions of the optimization variables, and the parameteric optimization problem is solved by nonlinear programming methods. The gradients of the objective and constrains are computed by the adjoint method for the global monolithic fluid-solid system. Two types of design problems are explored for optimization of the fluid-structure response: 1) the internal structural topology is varied, preserving the fluid-solid interface geometry, and 2) the fluid-solid interface is manipulated directly, which leads to simultaneously configuring both internal structural topology and outer mold shape. The numerical results show that the LSM-XFEM approach is well suited for designing practical applications, while at the same time reducing the requirement on highly refined mesh resolution compared to traditional density methods. However, these results also emphasize the need for a more robust embedded boundary condition framework. Further, the LSM can exhibit greater dependence on initial design seeding, and can impede design convergence. In particular for the strongly coupled FSI analysis developed here, the thinning and eventual removal of structural members can cause jumps in the evolution of the optimization functions.

Is NIPARS Working as Advertised? An Analysis of NIPARS Program Customer Service

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

AD-A259 733IN I II I ll IMiiiI Gil III 11 AFIT/GLM/LSM/92S- 17 IS NIPARS WORKING AS ADVERTISED ? AN ANALYSIS OFNIPARS PROGRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS...and/or Dist Speoiai. AFIT/GLM/LSM/92S-17 IS NIPARS WORKING AS ADVERTISED ? AN ANALYSIS OF NIPARS PROGRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Presented to the...measures. x1i IS NIPARS WORKING AS ADVERTISED ? AN ANALYSIS OF NIPARS PROGRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE L Introduction 1.1 Overview Foreign policy must start with

Restoration of uneven illumination in light sheet microscopy images.

PubMed

Uddin, Mohammad Shorif; Lee, Hwee Kuan; Preibisch, Stephan; Tomancak, Pavel

2011-08-01

Light microscopy images suffer from poor contrast due to light absorption and scattering by the media. The resulting decay in contrast varies exponentially across the image along the incident light path. Classical space invariant deconvolution approaches, while very effective in deblurring, are not designed for the restoration of uneven illumination in microscopy images. In this article, we present a modified radiative transfer theory approach to solve the contrast degradation problem of light sheet microscopy (LSM) images. We confirmed the effectiveness of our approach through simulation as well as real LSM images.

Elevated liver stiffness is linked to increased biomarkers of inflammation and immune activation in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients.

PubMed

Medrano, Luz M; Garcia-Broncano, Pilar; Berenguer, Juan; González-García, Juan; Jiménez-Sousa, Ma Ángeles; Guardiola, Josep M; Crespo, Manuel; Quereda, Carmen; Sanz, José; Canorea, Isabel; Carrero, Ana; Hontañón, Victor; Muñoz-Fernández, Ma Ángeles; Resino, Salvador

2018-06-01

Immune dysregulation is a hallmark of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and biomarkers of T-cell activation, bacterial translocation, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. Cross-sectional study. We studied 238 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, 32 healthy controls, and 39 HIV-monoinfected patients. Patients were stratified according to LSM into four groups: less than 12.5, 12.5-25, 25-40, and more than 40 kPa. T-cell subsets were measured using flow cytometry and plasma biomarkers using immunoassays. HIV/HCV-coinfected patients had higher biomarker levels of immune activation in peripheral blood [T-cell activation (CD4CD38 and CD8CD38), bacterial translocation (soluble CD14), inflammation [IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, IFN-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10)] endothelial dysfunction [soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM1), soluble intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM1), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR1)], and coagulopathy (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1)] than healthy controls and HIV-monoinfected patients. Moreover, in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, a direct relationship between LSM and immune activation [T-cell activation (CD8CD38 bacterial translocation (lipopolysaccharide), inflammation (IL-8, IP-10), endothelial dysfunction (sVCAM1, sICAM1, and sTNFR1), and coagulopathy (D-dimer)] was found. Subsequently, patients were stratified into different fibrosis stages, finding that patients with cirrhosis who had LSM at least 40 kPa showed higher biomarker values of immune activation [T-cell activation (CD4CD38 and CD8CD38), bacterial translocation (lipopolysaccharide), inflammation (IL-8, IL-6, IP-10), endothelial dysfunction (sVCAM1, sICAM1, and sTNFR1), and coagulopathy (D-dimer)] than patients from the other three groups (<12.5, 12.5-25, and 25-40 kPa). T-cell activation, bacterial translocation, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy increased with the severity of liver fibrosis in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, particularly in patients who had LSM at least 40 kPa.

Understanding the Impact of Ground Water Treatment and Evapotranspiration Parameterizations in the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) on Warm Season Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ek, M. B.; Yang, R.

2016-12-01

Skillful short-term weather forecasts, which rely heavily on quality atmospheric initial conditions, have a fundamental limit of about two weeks owing to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere. Useful forecasts at sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales, on the other hand, require well-simulated large-scale atmospheric response to slowly varying lower boundary forcings from both the ocean and land surface. The critical importance of ocean has been recognized, where the ocean indices have been used in a variety of climate applications. In contrast, the impact of land surface anomalies, especially soil moisture and associated evaporation, has been proven notably difficult to demonstrate. The Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) is the land component of NCEP CFS version 2 (CFSv2) used for seasonal predictions. The Noah LSM originates from the Oregon State University (OSU) LSM. The evaporation control in the Noah LSM is based on the Penman-Monteith equation, which takes into account the solar radiation, relative humidity, air temperature, and soil moisture effects. The Noah LSM is configured with four soil layers with a fixed depth of 2 meters and free drainage at the bottom soil layer. This treatment assumes that the soil water table depth is well within the specified range, and also potentially misrepresents the soil moisture memory effects at seasonal time scales. To overcome the limitation, an unconfined aquifer is attached to the bottom of the soil to allow the water table to move freely up and down. In addition, in conjunction with the water table, an alternative Ball-Berry photosynthesis-based evaporation parameterization is examined to evaluate the impact from using a different evaporation control methodology. Focusing on the 2011 and 2012 intense summer droughts in the central US, seasonal ensemble forecast experiments with early May initial conditions are carried out for the two years using an enhanced version of CFSv2, where the atmospheric component of the CFSv2 is coupled to the Noah Multiple-Parameterization (Noah-MP) land model. The Noah-MP has different options for ground water and evaporation control parameterizations. The differences will be presented and results will be discussed.

A photosynthesis-based two-leaf canopy stomatal conductance model for meteorology and air quality modeling with WRF/CMAQ PX LSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Limei; Pleim, Jonathan; Song, Conghe; Band, Larry; Walker, John T.; Binkowski, Francis S.

2017-02-01

A coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance model with single-layer sunlit and shaded leaf canopy scaling is implemented and evaluated in a diagnostic box model with the Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) and ozone deposition model components taken directly from the meteorology and air quality modeling system - WRF/CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecast model and Community Multiscale Air Quality model). The photosynthesis-based model for PX LSM (PX PSN) is evaluated at a FLUXNET site for implementation against different parameterizations and the current PX LSM approach with a simple Jarvis function (PX Jarvis). Latent heat flux (LH) from PX PSN is further evaluated at five FLUXNET sites with different vegetation types and landscape characteristics. Simulated ozone deposition and flux from PX PSN are evaluated at one of the sites with ozone flux measurements. Overall, the PX PSN simulates LH as well as the PX Jarvis approach. The PX PSN, however, shows distinct advantages over the PX Jarvis approach for grassland that likely result from its treatment of C3 and C4 plants for CO2 assimilation. Simulations using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) rather than LAI measured at each site assess how the model would perform with grid averaged data used in WRF/CMAQ. MODIS LAI estimates degrade model performance at all sites but one site having exceptionally old and tall trees. Ozone deposition velocity and ozone flux along with LH are simulated especially well by the PX PSN compared to significant overestimation by the PX Jarvis for a grassland site.

Evaluating the Significance of Viscoelasticity in Diagnosing Early-Stage Liver Fibrosis with Transient Elastography.

PubMed

Zhao, Jingxin; Zhai, Fei; Cheng, Jun; He, Qiong; Luo, Jianwen; Yang, Xueping; Shao, Jinhua; Xing, Huichun

2017-01-01

Transient elastography quantifies the propagation of a mechanically generated shear wave within a soft tissue, which can be used to characterize the elasticity and viscosity parameters of the tissue. The aim of our study was to combine numerical simulation and clinical assessment to define a viscoelastic index of liver tissue to improve the quality of early diagnosis of liver fibrosis. This is clinically relevant, as early fibrosis is reversible. We developed an idealized two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model of the liver to evaluate the effects of different viscoelastic values on the propagation characteristics of the shear wave. The diagnostic value of the identified viscoelastic index was verified against the clinical data of 99 patients who had undergone biopsy and routine blood tests for staging of liver disease resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and the shear wave attenuation fitting coefficient (AFC) were calculated from the ultrasound data obtained by performing transient elastography. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to evaluate the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of LSM and AFC. Compared to LSM, the AFC provided a higher diagnostic accuracy to differentiate early stages of liver fibrosis, namely F1 and F2 stages, with an overall specificity of 81.48%, sensitivity of 83.33% and diagnostic accuracy of 81.82%. AFC was influenced by the level of LSM, ALT. However, there are no correlation between AFC and Age, BMI, TBIL or DBIL. Quantification of the viscoelasticity of liver tissue provides reliable measurement to identify and differentiate early stages of liver fibrosis.

Evaluating the Significance of Viscoelasticity in Diagnosing Early-Stage Liver Fibrosis with Transient Elastography

PubMed Central

Cheng, Jun; He, Qiong; Luo, Jianwen; Yang, Xueping; Shao, Jinhua; Xing, Huichun

2017-01-01

Transient elastography quantifies the propagation of a mechanically generated shear wave within a soft tissue, which can be used to characterize the elasticity and viscosity parameters of the tissue. The aim of our study was to combine numerical simulation and clinical assessment to define a viscoelastic index of liver tissue to improve the quality of early diagnosis of liver fibrosis. This is clinically relevant, as early fibrosis is reversible. We developed an idealized two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model of the liver to evaluate the effects of different viscoelastic values on the propagation characteristics of the shear wave. The diagnostic value of the identified viscoelastic index was verified against the clinical data of 99 patients who had undergone biopsy and routine blood tests for staging of liver disease resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and the shear wave attenuation fitting coefficient (AFC) were calculated from the ultrasound data obtained by performing transient elastography. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to evaluate the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of LSM and AFC. Compared to LSM, the AFC provided a higher diagnostic accuracy to differentiate early stages of liver fibrosis, namely F1 and F2 stages, with an overall specificity of 81.48%, sensitivity of 83.33% and diagnostic accuracy of 81.82%. AFC was influenced by the level of LSM, ALT. However, there are no correlation between AFC and Age, BMI, TBIL or DBIL. Quantification of the viscoelasticity of liver tissue provides reliable measurement to identify and differentiate early stages of liver fibrosis. PMID:28107385

Atomistic Modeling of Cation Diffusion in Transition Metal Perovskites La1-xSrxMnO3+/-δfor Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yueh-Lin; Duan, Yuhua; Morgan, Dane; Sorescu, Dan; Abernathy, Harry

Cation diffusion in La1-xSrxMnO3+/-δ (LSM) and in related perovskite materials play an important role in controlling long term performance and stability of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) cathodes. Due to sluggish rates of cation diffusion and complex coupling between defect chemistry and cation diffusion pathways, currently there is still lack of quantitative theoretical model predictions on cation diffusivity vs. T and P(O2) to describe experimental cation tracer diffusivities. In this work, based on ab initio modeling of LSM defect chemistry and migration barriers of the possible cation diffusion pathways, we assess the rates of A-site and B-site cation diffusion in a wide range of T and P(O2) at x =0.0 and 0.2 for SOFC applications. We demonstrate the active cation diffusion pathways in LSM involve cation defect clusters as cation transport carriers, where reduction in the cation migration barriers, which are governed by the steric effect associated with the metal-oxygen cage in the perovskite lattice, is much greater than the penalty of repulsive interaction in the A-site and B-site cation vacancy clusters, leading to higher cation diffusion rates as compared to those of single cation vacancy hopping mechanisms. The predicted Mn and La/Sr cation self-diffusion coefficients of LSM at at x =0.0 and 0.2 along with their 1/T and P(O2) dependences, are in good agreement with the experimental tracer diffusion coefficients.

Turbulent Dispersion of Pathogenic Spores Within and Above Plant Canopies: Field Experiments and Lagrangian Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleicher, S.; Chamecki, M.; Isard, S.; Katul, G. G.

2012-12-01

Plant disease epidemics caused by pathogenic spores are a common and consequential threat to agricultural crops. In most cases, pathogenic spores are produced and released deep inside plant canopies and must be transported out of the canopy region in order to infect other fields and spread the disease. The fraction of spores that "escape" the canopy is crucial in determining how fast and far these plant diseases will spread. The goal of this work is to use a field experiment, coupled with a Lagrangian Stochastic Model (LSM), to investigate how properties of canopy turbulence impact the dispersion of spores inside the canopy and the fraction of spores that escape from the canopy. An extensive field experiment was conducted to study spore dispersion inside and outside a corn canopy. The spores were released from point sources located at various depths inside the canopy. Concentration measurements were obtained inside and above the canopy by a 3-dimensional grid of spore collectors. The experimental measurements of mean spore concentration are used to validate a LSM for spore dispersion. In the LSM, flow field statistics used to drive the particle dispersion are specified by a second-order closure model for turbulence within plant canopies. The dispersion model includes spore deposition on and rebound from canopy elements. The combination of experimental and numerical simulations is used to quantify the fraction of spores that escape the canopy. Effects of release height, friction velocity, and canopy architecture on the escape fraction of spores are explored using the LSM, and implications for disease propagation are discussed.

Contribution of cation-π interactions to the stability of Sm/LSm oligomeric assemblies.

PubMed

Mucić, Ivana D; Nikolić, Milan R; Stojanović, Srđan Đ

2015-07-01

In this work, we have analyzed the influence of cation-π interactions to the stability of Sm/LSm assemblies and their environmental preferences. The number of interactions formed by arginine is higher than lysine in the cationic group, while histidine is comparatively higher than phenylalanine and tyrosine in the π group. Arg-Tyr interactions are predominant among the various pairs analyzed. The furcation level of multiple cation-π interactions is much higher than that of single cation-π interactions in Sm/LSm interfaces. We have found hot spot residues forming cation-π interactions, and hot spot composition is similar for all aromatic residues. The Arg-Phe pair has the strongest interaction energy of -8.81 kcal mol(-1) among all the possible pairs of amino acids. The extent of burial of the residue side-chain correlates with the ΔΔG of binding for residues in the core and also for hot spot residues cation-π bonded across the interface. Secondary structure of the cation-π residues shows that Arg and Lys preferred to be in strand. Among the π residues, His prefers to be in helix, Phe prefers to be in turn, and Tyr prefers to be in strand. Stabilization centers for these proteins showed that all the five residues found in cation-π interactions are important in locating one or more of such centers. More than 50 % of the cation-π interacting residues are highly conserved. It is likely that the cation-π interactions contribute significantly to the overall stability of Sm/LSm proteins.

Food shopping transition: socio-economic characteristics and motivations associated with use of supermarkets in a North African urban environment.

PubMed

Tessier, Sophie; Traissac, Pierre; Bricas, Nicolas; Maire, Bernard; Eymard-Duvernay, Sabrina; El Ati, Jalila; Delpeuch, Francis

2010-09-01

In the context of the nutrition transition and associated changes in the food retail sector, to examine the socio-economic characteristics and motivations of shoppers using different retail formats (large supermarkets (LSM), medium-sized supermarkets (MSM) or traditional outlets) in Tunisia. Cross-sectional survey (2006). Socio-economic status, type of food retailer and motivations data were collected during house visits. Associations between socio-economic factors and type of retailer were assessed by multinomial regression; correspondence analysis was used to analyse declared motivations. Peri-urban area around Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa. Clustered random sample of 724 households. One-third of the households used LSM, two-thirds used either type of supermarket, but less than 5 % used supermarkets only. Those who shopped for food at supermarkets were of higher socio-economic status; those who used LSM were much wealthier, more often had a steady income or owned a credit card, while MSM users were more urban and had a higher level of education. Most households still frequently used traditional outlets, mostly their neighbourhood grocer. Reasons given for shopping at the different retailers were most markedly leisure for LSM, while for the neighbourhood grocer the reasons were fidelity, proximity and availability of credit (the latter even more for lower-income customers). The results pertain to the transition in food shopping practices in a south Mediterranean country; they should be considered in the context of growing inequalities in health linked to the nutritional transition, as they differentiate use and motivations for the choice of supermarkets v. traditional food retailers according to socio-economic status.

Linking Initial Microstructure to ORR Related Property Degradation in SOFC Cathode: A Phase Field Simulation

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

Lei, Y.; Cheng, T. -L.; Wen, Y. H.

Microstructure evolution driven by thermal coarsening is an important factor for the loss of oxygen reduction reaction rates in SOFC cathode. In this work, the effect of an initial microstructure on the microstructure evolution in SOFC cathode is investigated using a recently developed phase field model. Specifically, we tune the phase fraction, the average grain size, the standard deviation of the grain size and the grain shape in the initial microstructure, and explore their effect on the evolution of the grain size, the density of triple phase boundary, the specific surface area and the effective conductivity in LSM-YSZ cathodes. Itmore » is found that the degradation rate of TPB density and SSA of LSM is lower with less LSM phase fraction (with constant porosity assumed) and greater average grain size, while the degradation rate of effective conductivity can also be tuned by adjusting the standard deviation of grain size distribution and grain aspect ratio. The implication of this study on the designing of an optimal initial microstructure of SOFC cathodes is discussed.« less

Linking Initial Microstructure to ORR Related Property Degradation in SOFC Cathode: A Phase Field Simulation

DOE PAGES

Lei, Y.; Cheng, T. -L.; Wen, Y. H.

2017-07-05

Microstructure evolution driven by thermal coarsening is an important factor for the loss of oxygen reduction reaction rates in SOFC cathode. In this work, the effect of an initial microstructure on the microstructure evolution in SOFC cathode is investigated using a recently developed phase field model. Specifically, we tune the phase fraction, the average grain size, the standard deviation of the grain size and the grain shape in the initial microstructure, and explore their effect on the evolution of the grain size, the density of triple phase boundary, the specific surface area and the effective conductivity in LSM-YSZ cathodes. Itmore » is found that the degradation rate of TPB density and SSA of LSM is lower with less LSM phase fraction (with constant porosity assumed) and greater average grain size, while the degradation rate of effective conductivity can also be tuned by adjusting the standard deviation of grain size distribution and grain aspect ratio. The implication of this study on the designing of an optimal initial microstructure of SOFC cathodes is discussed.« less

Program scheme using common source lines in channel stacked NAND flash memory with layer selection by multilevel operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Do-Bin; Kwon, Dae Woong; Kim, Seunghyun; Lee, Sang-Ho; Park, Byung-Gook

2018-02-01

To obtain high channel boosting potential and reduce a program disturbance in channel stacked NAND flash memory with layer selection by multilevel (LSM) operation, a new program scheme using boosted common source line (CSL) is proposed. The proposed scheme can be achieved by applying proper bias to each layer through its own CSL. Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations are performed to verify the validity of the new method in LSM. Through TCAD simulation, it is revealed that the program disturbance characteristics is effectively improved by the proposed scheme.

Coffee and herbal tea consumption is associated with lower liver stiffness in the general population: The Rotterdam study.

PubMed

Alferink, Louise J M; Fittipaldi, Juliana; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica C; Taimr, Pavel; Hansen, Bettina E; Metselaar, Herold J; Schoufour, Josje D; Ikram, M Arfan; Janssen, Harry L A; Franco, Oscar H; Darwish Murad, Sarwa

2017-08-01

Coffee and tea have been proposed to limit the progression of liver fibrosis in established liver disease, but it is unknown if this is also true for subclinical fibrosis. We therefore aimed to evaluate whether coffee and tea consumption are associated with liver stiffness in the general population. The Rotterdam Study is an ongoing prospective population-based cohort. We included participants who underwent transient elastography, ultrasound and completed a food frequency questionnaire. Coffee and tea consumption were categorized into no, moderate (>0-3), or frequent (⩾3) intake (cups/day), and tea further into green, black and herbal tea (no/any). Significant fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness measurements (LSM) ⩾8.0kPa. We performed regression analyses relating coffee and tea intake with fibrosis, steatosis and log-transformed LSM and adjusted for energy, sugar and creamer intake, age, gender, BMI, steatosis/LSM, HOMA-IR, ALT, alcohol, smoking, soda, healthy diet index and physical activity. We included 2,424 participants (age 66.5±7.4; 43% male) of whom 5.2% had LSM ⩾8.0kPa and 34.6% steatosis. Proportion of LSM ⩾8.0kPa decreased with higher coffee consumption (7.8%, 6.9% and 4.1% for no, moderate and frequent respectively; P trend =0.006). This inverse association was confirmed in multivariable regression (OR mod 0.75, 95% CI 0.33-1.67; OR freq 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.86; p=0.005). Amongst tea consumers, only herbal tea consumers (36.3%) had lower log-transformed LSM after adjustment (Beta-0.05, 95% CI-0.08;-0.02, p=0.001). Subtypes of tea were associated with steatosis in univariate but not multivariable analysis. In the general population, frequent coffee and herbal tea consumption were inversely related with liver stiffness but not steatosis. Longitudinal analyses, as well as studies validating and unravelling underlying mechanisms are needed. The Rotterdam Study is a large ongoing population study of suburban inhabitants of Rotterdam in whom data on liver stiffness, as proxy for liver fibrosis, presence of fatty liver on ultrasound and detailed information on coffee and tea consumption were obtained in 2,424 participants. The consumption of herbal tea and daily consumption of three or more cups of coffee was related to the presence of lower liver stiffness, independent of a great number of other lifestyle and environmental factors. Previous studies have found a protective effect of coffee on established liver disease and we now show for the first time that this effect is already measurable in the general population. Copyright © 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic accuracy and prognostic significance of blood fibrosis tests and liver stiffness measurement by FibroScan in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

PubMed

Boursier, Jérôme; Vergniol, Julien; Guillet, Anne; Hiriart, Jean-Baptiste; Lannes, Adrien; Le Bail, Brigitte; Michalak, Sophie; Chermak, Faiza; Bertrais, Sandrine; Foucher, Juliette; Oberti, Frédéric; Charbonnier, Maude; Fouchard-Hubert, Isabelle; Rousselet, Marie-Christine; Calès, Paul; de Lédinghen, Victor

2016-09-01

NAFLD is highly prevalent but only a small subset of patients develop advanced liver fibrosis with impaired liver-related prognosis. We aimed to compare blood fibrosis tests and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by FibroScan for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis and the evaluation of prognosis in NAFLD. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated in a cross-sectional study including 452 NAFLD patients with liver biopsy (NASH-CRN fibrosis stage), LSM, and eight blood fibrosis tests (BARD, NAFLD fibrosis score, FibroMeter(NAFLD), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), FIB4, FibroTest, Hepascore, FibroMeter(V2G)). Prognostic accuracy was evaluated in a longitudinal study including 360 NAFLD patients. LSM and FibroMeter(V2G) were the two best-performing tests in the cross-sectional study: AUROCs for advanced fibrosis (F3/4) were, respectively, 0.831±0.019 and 0.817±0.020 (p⩽0.041 vs. other tests); rates of patients with ⩾90% negative/positive predictive values for F3/4 were 56.4% and 46.7% (p<0.001 vs. other tests); Obuchowski indexes were 0.834±0.014 and 0.798±0.016 (p⩽0.036 vs. other tests). Two fibrosis classifications were developed to precisely estimate the histological fibrosis stage from LSM or FibroMeter(V2G) results without liver biopsy (diagnostic accuracy, respectively: 80.8% vs. 77.4%, p=0.190). Kaplan-Meier curves in the longitudinal study showed that both classifications categorised NAFLD patients into subgroups with significantly different prognoses (p<0.001): the higher was the class of the fibrosis classification, the worse was the prognosis. LSM and FibroMeter(V2G) were the most accurate of nine evaluated tests for the non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis in NAFLD. LSM and FibroMeter(V2G) fibrosis classifications help physicians estimate both fibrosis stage and patient prognosis in clinical practice. The amount of liver fibrosis is the main determinant of the liver-related prognosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We evaluated eight blood tests and FibroScan in a cross-sectional diagnostic study and found that FibroScan and the blood test FibroMeter(V2G) were the two most accurate tests for the non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis in NAFLD. A longitudinal prognostic study showed these two tests initially developed for the diagnosis are also prognostic markers as they allow for the stratification of NAFLD patients in several subgroups with significantly different prognosis. Copyright © 2016 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Role of FibroScan in liver fibrosis evaluation in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and related influencing factors].

PubMed

Xie, Q X; Xu, N; Jiang, X P; Zhang, Y F; Zhang, Z H; Li, J B; Hu, X Y; Li, X

2016-09-20

Objective: To investigate the role of FibroScan(FS)in liver fibrosis evaluation in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection and related influencing factors. Methods: A total of 313 patients with chronic HBV infection were enrolled, and liver tissue was obtained through ultrasound-guided"1-second fast tissue cutting". The liver stiffness measurement(LSM)was determined by FS, serum HBeAg and liver function were measured, and the patients' demographic data were recorded. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed data between groups; the Spearman or Pearson correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis; the ROC curve and AUC were used to evaluate the efficiency of FS in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis ≥S2. Results: LSM was positively correlated with liver inflammation grade and fibrosis stage( r = 0.428 and 0.402 in HBeAg-positive group and r = 0.296 and 0.283 in HBeAg-negative group, all P < 0.001). The correlation of LSM with sex, age, alanine aminotransferase(ALT)level, and total bilirubin(TBil)was affected by HBeAg status and ALT level, and LSM was only positively correlated with TBil in HBeAg-negative group( r = 0.298, P < 0.001). In patients with ALT ≥2×upper limit of normal(ULN), FS had a low efficiency in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis ≥S2(AUC < 0.75, P > 0.05), regardless of their HBeAg status. The cut-off values of FS in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis ≥S2 varied with ALT level and HBeAg status, and in the ALT <1×ULN and 1-2×ULN groups, the cut-off values of FS in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis ≥S2 in patients with positive and negative HBeAg were 5.85 kPa/7.3 kPa and 6.35 kPa/8.5 kPa, respectively. In the patients with positive HBeAg in ALT < 2×ULN group, LSM was positively correlated with age( r = 0.278, P = 0.014). FS had relatively high diagnostic efficiency in patients aged > 30 years(AUC = 0.867, P < 0.001)and low diagnostic efficiency in patients aged≤30 years(AUC = 0.632, P > 0.05). Conclusion: LSM is positively correlated with liver inflammation grade and fibrosis stage. The cut-off value of FS in the diagnosis of marked liver fibrosis is affected by age, ALT level, and HBeAg status. FS has low diagnostic efficiency in patients aged ≤30 years.

Reconciling Land-Ocean Moisture Transport Variability in Reanalyses with P-ET in Observationally-Driven Land Surface Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Franklin R.; Bosilovich, Michael G.; Roberts, Jason B.

2016-01-01

Vertically integrated atmospheric moisture transport from ocean to land [vertically integrated atmospheric moisture flux convergence (VMFC)] is a dynamic component of the global climate system but remains problematic in atmospheric reanalyses, with current estimates having significant multidecadal global trends differing even in sign. Continual evolution of the global observing system, particularly stepwise improvements in satellite observations, has introduced discrete changes in the ability of data assimilation to correct systematic model biases, manifesting as nonphysical variability. Land surface models (LSMs) forced with observed precipitation P and near-surface meteorology and radiation provide estimates of evapotranspiration (ET). Since variability of atmospheric moisture storage is small on interannual and longer time scales, VMFC equals P minus ET is a good approximation and LSMs can provide an alternative estimate. However, heterogeneous density of rain gauge coverage, especially the sparse coverage over tropical continents, remains a serious concern. Rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) with prefiltering of VMFC to isolate the artificial variability is used to investigate artifacts in five reanalysis systems. This procedure, although ad hoc, enables useful VMFC corrections over global land. The P minus ET estimates from seven different LSMs are evaluated and subsequently used to confirm the efficacy of the RPCA-based adjustments. Global VMFC trends over the period 1979-2012 ranging from 0.07 to minus 0.03 millimeters per day per decade are reduced by the adjustments to 0.016 millimeters per day per decade, much closer to the LSM P minus ET estimate (0.007 millimeters per day per decade). Neither is significant at the 90 percent level. ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation)-related modulation of VMFC and P minus ET remains the largest global interannual signal, with mean LSM and adjusted reanalysis time series correlating at 0.86.

Institutional evolution of a community-based programme for malaria control through larval source management in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.

PubMed

Chaki, Prosper P; Kannady, Khadija; Mtasiwa, Deo; Tanner, Marcel; Mshinda, Hassan; Kelly, Ann H; Killeen, Gerry F

2014-06-25

Community-based service delivery is vital to the effectiveness, affordability and sustainability of vector control generally, and to labour-intensive larval source management (LSM) programmes in particular. The institutional evolution of a city-level, community-based LSM programme over 14 years in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, illustrates how operational research projects can contribute to public health governance and to the establishment of sustainable service delivery programmes. Implementation, management and governance of this LSM programme is framed within a nested set of spatially-defined relationships between mosquitoes, residents, government and research institutions that build upward from neighbourhood to city and national scales. The clear hierarchical structure associated with vertical, centralized management of decentralized, community-based service delivery, as well as increasingly clear differentiation of partner roles and responsibilities across several spatial scales, contributed to the evolution and subsequent growth of the programme. The UMCP was based on the principle of an integrated operational research project that evolved over time as the City Council gradually took more responsibility for management. The central role of Dar es Salaam's City Council in coordinating LSM implementation enabled that flexibility; the institutionalization of management and planning in local administrative structures enhanced community-mobilization and funding possibilities at national and international levels. Ultimately, the high degree of program ownership by the City Council and three municipalities, coupled with catalytic donor funding and technical support from expert overseas partners have enabled establishment of a sustainable, internally-funded programme implemented by the National Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and supported by national research and training institutes.

Beneficial effect of lixisenatide after 76 weeks of treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis from the GetGoal programme.

PubMed

Broglio, Fabio; Mannucci, Edoardo; Napoli, Raffaele; Nicolucci, Antonio; Purrello, Francesco; Nikonova, Elena; Stager, William; Trevisan, Roberto

2017-02-01

To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of lixisenatide, a short-acting, prandial glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) as add-on therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus. A meta-analysis of 76-week results of 5 placebo-controlled clinical trials from the GetGoal programme was performed, including 3000 inadequately controlled adult diabetic patients where lixisenatide 20 µg once-daily was administered in combination with metformin (GetGoal-M and GetGoal-F1), sulphonylurea ± metformin (GetGoal-S), basal insulin ± metformin (GetGoal-L) or pioglitazone ± metformin (GetGoal-P). A significant reduction in HbA1c at 76 weeks was observed in the intervention arm compared to placebo (LSM difference: -0.41%, 95%CI: -0.51, -0.32, P < .00001). Compared to placebo, lixisenatide induced a larger decrease in fasting plasma glucose (LSM difference -0.49 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.71, -0.27, P < .0001) and postprandial glucose excursion after a standard test meal (LSM difference -3.29 mmol/L, 95% CI -4.17, -2.42, P < .00001). A bodyweight reduction was observed in the lixisenatide arm (LSM difference -0.40 kg, 95%CI: -0.8, -0.01, P = .05). The risk of hypoglycaemia was slightly higher with lixisenatide vs placebo (risk difference +0.02, 95% CI: 0, 0.04, P = .04). The most commonly observed non-severe adverse events were nausea and vomiting, which after week 16 and week 8, were steadily <4% and <1% in the lixisenatide arm, respectively. Lixisenatide, a once-daily prandial GLP-1 RA, provides long-term glycaemic control, a sustained beneficial effect on weight and with a good safety profile. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Community-based randomized controlled trial of diabetes prevention study for high-risk individuals of type 2 diabetes: lifestyle intervention using web-based system.

PubMed

Cha, Seon-Ah; Lim, Sun-Young; Kim, Kook-Rye; Lee, Eun-Young; Kang, Borami; Choi, Yoon-Hee; Yoon, Kun-Ho; Ahn, Yu-Bae; Lee, Jin-Hee; Ko, Seung-Hyun

2017-05-05

The trend of increasing numbers of patients with type 2 diabetes emphasizes the need for active screening of high-risk individuals and intensive lifestyle modification (LSM). The community-based Korean Diabetes Prevention Study (C-KDPS) is a randomized controlled clinical trial to prevent type 2 diabetes by intensive LSM using a web-based program. The two public healthcare centers in Korea are involved, and 420 subjects are being recruited for 6 months and will be followed up for 22 months. The participants are allocated randomly to intensive LSM (18 individual sessions for 24 weeks) and usual care (control group). The major goals of the C-KDPS lifestyle intervention program are: 1) a minimum of 5-7% loss of initial body weight in 6 months and maintenance of this weight loss, 2) increased physical activity (≥ 150 min/week of moderate intensity activity), 3) balanced healthy eating, and 4) quitting smoking and alcohol with stress management. The web-based program includes education contents, video files, visit schedules, and inter-communicable keeping track sites. Primary outcomes are the diagnoses of newly developed diabetes. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test with hemoglobin A1c level determination and cardiovascular risk factor assessment is scheduled at 6, 12, 18, and 22 months. Active screening of high-risk individuals and an effective LSM program are an essential prerequisite for successful diabetes prevention. We hope that our C-KDPS program can reduce the incidence of newly developed type 2 diabetes and be implemented throughout the country, merging community-based public healthcare resources and a web-based system. Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), Republic of Korea (No. KCT0001981 ). Date of registration; July 28, 2016.

An uncertainty and sensitivity analysis approach for GIS-based multicriteria landslide susceptibility mapping.

PubMed

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-03-04

GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods are increasingly being used in landslide susceptibility mapping. However, the uncertainties that are associated with MCDA techniques may significantly impact the results. This may sometimes lead to inaccurate outcomes and undesirable consequences. This article introduces a new GIS-based MCDA approach. We illustrate the consequences of applying different MCDA methods within a decision-making process through uncertainty analysis. Three GIS-MCDA methods in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) and Dempster-Shafer theory are analyzed for landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) in the Urmia lake basin in Iran, which is highly susceptible to landslide hazards. The methodology comprises three stages. First, the LSM criteria are ranked and a sensitivity analysis is implemented to simulate error propagation based on the MCS. The resulting weights are expressed through probability density functions. Accordingly, within the second stage, three MCDA methods, namely analytical hierarchy process (AHP), weighted linear combination (WLC) and ordered weighted average (OWA), are used to produce the landslide susceptibility maps. In the third stage, accuracy assessments are carried out and the uncertainties of the different results are measured. We compare the accuracies of the three MCDA methods based on (1) the Dempster-Shafer theory and (2) a validation of the results using an inventory of known landslides and their respective coverage based on object-based image analysis of IRS-ID satellite images. The results of this study reveal that through the integration of GIS and MCDA models, it is possible to identify strategies for choosing an appropriate method for LSM. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the integration of MCDA and MCS can significantly improve the accuracy of the results. In LSM, the AHP method performed best, while the OWA reveals better performance in the reliability assessment. The WLC operation yielded poor results.

Institutional evolution of a community-based programme for malaria control through larval source management in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Community-based service delivery is vital to the effectiveness, affordability and sustainability of vector control generally, and to labour-intensive larval source management (LSM) programmes in particular. Case description The institutional evolution of a city-level, community-based LSM programme over 14 years in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, illustrates how operational research projects can contribute to public health governance and to the establishment of sustainable service delivery programmes. Implementation, management and governance of this LSM programme is framed within a nested set of spatially-defined relationships between mosquitoes, residents, government and research institutions that build upward from neighbourhood to city and national scales. Discussion and evaluation The clear hierarchical structure associated with vertical, centralized management of decentralized, community-based service delivery, as well as increasingly clear differentiation of partner roles and responsibilities across several spatial scales, contributed to the evolution and subsequent growth of the programme. Conclusions The UMCP was based on the principle of an integrated operational research project that evolved over time as the City Council gradually took more responsibility for management. The central role of Dar es Salaam’s City Council in coordinating LSM implementation enabled that flexibility; the institutionalization of management and planning in local administrative structures enhanced community-mobilization and funding possibilities at national and international levels. Ultimately, the high degree of program ownership by the City Council and three municipalities, coupled with catalytic donor funding and technical support from expert overseas partners have enabled establishment of a sustainable, internally-funded programme implemented by the National Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and supported by national research and training institutes. PMID:24964790

Computational modeling of spiking neural network with learning rules from STDP and intrinsic plasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiumin; Wang, Wei; Xue, Fangzheng; Song, Yongduan

2018-02-01

Recently there has been continuously increasing interest in building up computational models of spiking neural networks (SNN), such as the Liquid State Machine (LSM). The biologically inspired self-organized neural networks with neural plasticity can enhance the capability of computational performance, with the characteristic features of dynamical memory and recurrent connection cycles which distinguish them from the more widely used feedforward neural networks. Despite a variety of computational models for brain-like learning and information processing have been proposed, the modeling of self-organized neural networks with multi-neural plasticity is still an important open challenge. The main difficulties lie in the interplay among different forms of neural plasticity rules and understanding how structures and dynamics of neural networks shape the computational performance. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to develop the models of LSM with a biologically inspired self-organizing network based on two neural plasticity learning rules. The connectivity among excitatory neurons is adapted by spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning; meanwhile, the degrees of neuronal excitability are regulated to maintain a moderate average activity level by another learning rule: intrinsic plasticity (IP). Our study shows that LSM with STDP+IP performs better than LSM with a random SNN or SNN obtained by STDP alone. The noticeable improvement with the proposed method is due to the better reflected competition among different neurons in the developed SNN model, as well as the more effectively encoded and processed relevant dynamic information with its learning and self-organizing mechanism. This result gives insights to the optimization of computational models of spiking neural networks with neural plasticity.

Soft x-ray pinhole imaging diagnostics for compact toroid plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, E. A.; Taggart, D. P.; Bailey, A. D., III

1990-10-01

Soft x-ray pinhole imaging has recently become established as a valuable diagnostic for visualization of field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas in the TRX-2, FRX-C/LSM devices. Gated MCP image converter devices with CsI cathodes and Be filters with a peak response around 11 nm wavelength are used for exposure durations ranging from a few tenths up to several microseconds. Results of experiments with single and Chevron channel plates are discussed along with estimates of linear exposure limitations with both film and CCD cameras as recording media. Plans for multiframe devices on the FRX-C/LSM and the LSX devices are also discussed.

Investigation on Prototype Superconducting Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) for 600-km/h Wheel-Type Railway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Beomyong; Lee, Changhyeong; Kim, Seokho; Lee, Changyoung; Yun, Sangwon

The existing wheel-type high-speed railway with a rotatable motor has a limit of 600 km/h speed. The normal conducting electromagnet has several disadvantages to realize 600 km/h speed. Several disadvantages are the increased space and weight, and the decreased electric efficiency to generate the required high magnetic field. In order to reduce the volume and weight, superconducting electromagnets can be considered for LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor). Prior to the fabrication of the real system, a prototype demo-coil is designed and fabricated using 2G high temperature superconducting wire. The prototype HTS coil is cooled by the conduction using a GM cryocooler. To reduce the heat penetration, thermal design was performed for the current leads, supporting structure and radiation shield considering the thermal stress. The operating temperature and current are 30∼40 K and 100 A. The coil consists of two double pancake coils (N, S pole, respectively) and it is driven on a test rail, which is installed for the test car. This paper describes the design and test results of the prototype HTS LSM system. Thermal characteristics are investigated with additional dummy thermal mass on the coil after turning off the cryocooler.

Large-scale use of mosquito larval source management for malaria control in Africa: a cost analysis.

PubMed

Worrall, Eve; Fillinger, Ulrike

2011-11-08

At present, large-scale use of two malaria vector control methods, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) is being scaled up in Africa with substantial funding from donors. A third vector control method, larval source management (LSM), has been historically very successful and is today widely used for mosquito control globally, except in Africa. With increasing risk of insecticide resistance and a shift to more exophilic vectors, LSM is now under re-evaluation for use against afro-tropical vector species. Here the costs of this intervention were evaluated. The 'ingredients approach' was used to estimate the economic and financial costs per person protected per year (pppy) for large-scale LSM using microbial larvicides in three ecologically diverse settings: (1) the coastal metropolitan area of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, (2) a highly populated Kenyan highland area (Vihiga District), and (3) a lakeside setting in rural western Kenya (Mbita Division). Two scenarios were examined to investigate the cost implications of using alternative product formulations. Sensitivity analyses on product prices were carried out. The results show that for programmes using the same granular formulation larviciding costs the least pppy in Dar es Salaam (US$0.94), approximately 60% more in Vihiga District (US$1.50) and the most in Mbita Division (US$2.50). However, these costs are reduced substantially if an alternative water-dispensable formulation is used; in Vihiga, this would reduce costs to US$0.79 and, in Mbita Division, to US$1.94. Larvicide and staff salary costs each accounted for approximately a third of the total economic costs per year. The cost pppy depends mainly on: (1) the type of formulation required for treating different aquatic habitats, (2) the human population density relative to the density of aquatic habitats and (3) the potential to target the intervention in space and/or time. Costs for LSM compare favourably with costs for IRS and LLINs, especially in areas with moderate and focal malaria transmission where mosquito larval habitats are accessible and well defined. LSM presents an attractive tool to be integrated in ongoing malaria control effort in such settings. Further data on the epidemiological health impact of larviciding is required to establish cost effectiveness.

Large-scale use of mosquito larval source management for malaria control in Africa: a cost analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background At present, large-scale use of two malaria vector control methods, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) is being scaled up in Africa with substantial funding from donors. A third vector control method, larval source management (LSM), has been historically very successful and is today widely used for mosquito control globally, except in Africa. With increasing risk of insecticide resistance and a shift to more exophilic vectors, LSM is now under re-evaluation for use against afro-tropical vector species. Here the costs of this intervention were evaluated. Methods The 'ingredients approach' was used to estimate the economic and financial costs per person protected per year (pppy) for large-scale LSM using microbial larvicides in three ecologically diverse settings: (1) the coastal metropolitan area of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, (2) a highly populated Kenyan highland area (Vihiga District), and (3) a lakeside setting in rural western Kenya (Mbita Division). Two scenarios were examined to investigate the cost implications of using alternative product formulations. Sensitivity analyses on product prices were carried out. Results The results show that for programmes using the same granular formulation larviciding costs the least pppy in Dar es Salaam (US$0.94), approximately 60% more in Vihiga District (US$1.50) and the most in Mbita Division (US$2.50). However, these costs are reduced substantially if an alternative water-dispensable formulation is used; in Vihiga, this would reduce costs to US$0.79 and, in Mbita Division, to US$1.94. Larvicide and staff salary costs each accounted for approximately a third of the total economic costs per year. The cost pppy depends mainly on: (1) the type of formulation required for treating different aquatic habitats, (2) the human population density relative to the density of aquatic habitats and (3) the potential to target the intervention in space and/or time. Conclusion Costs for LSM compare favourably with costs for IRS and LLINs, especially in areas with moderate and focal malaria transmission where mosquito larval habitats are accessible and well defined. LSM presents an attractive tool to be integrated in ongoing malaria control effort in such settings. Further data on the epidemiological health impact of larviciding is required to establish cost effectiveness. PMID:22067606

Shear wave elastography results correlate with liver fibrosis histology and liver function reserve.

PubMed

Feng, Yan-Hong; Hu, Xiang-Dong; Zhai, Lin; Liu, Ji-Bin; Qiu, Lan-Yan; Zu, Yuan; Liang, Si; Gui, Yu; Qian, Lin-Xue

2016-05-07

To evaluate the correlation of shear wave elastography (SWE) results with liver fibrosis histology and quantitative function reserve. Weekly subcutaneous injection of 60% carbon tetrachloride (1.5 mL/kg) was given to 12 canines for 24 wk to induce experimental liver fibrosis, with olive oil given to 2 control canines. At 24 wk, liver condition was evaluated using clinical biochemistry assays, SWE imaging, lidocaine metabolite monoethylglycine-xylidide (MEGX) test, and histologic fibrosis grading. Clinical biochemistry assays were performed at the institutional central laboratory for routine liver function evaluation. Liver stiffness was measured in triplicate from three different intercostal spaces and expressed as mean liver stiffness modulus (LSM). Plasma concentrations of lidocaine and its metabolite MEGX were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography repeated in duplicate. Liver biopsy samples were fixed in 10% formaldehyde, and liver fibrosis was graded using the modified histological activity index Knodell score (F0-F4). Correlations among histologic grading, LSM, and MEGX measures were analyzed with the Pearson linear correlation coefficient. At 24 wk liver fibrosis histologic grading was as follows: F0, n = 2 (control); F1, n = 0; F2, n = 3; F3, n = 7; and F4, n = 2. SWE LSM was positively correlated with histologic grading (r = 0.835, P < 0.001). Specifically, the F4 group had a significantly higher elastic modulus than the F3, F2, and F0 groups (P = 0.002, P = 0.003, and P = 0.006, respectively), and the F3 group also had a significantly higher modulus than the control F0 group (P = 0.039). LSM was negatively associated with plasma MEGX concentrations at 30 min (r = -0.642; P = 0.013) and 60 min (r = -0.651; P = 0.012), time to ½ of the maximum concentration (r = -0.538; P = 0.047), and the area under the curve (r = -0.636; P = 0.014). Multiple comparisons showed identical differences in these three measures: significantly lower with F4 (P = 0.037) and F3 (P = 0.032) as compared to F0 and significantly lower with F4 as compared to F2 (P = 0.032). SWE LSM shows a good correlation with histologic fibrosis grading and pharmacologic quantitative liver function reserve in experimental severe fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Variability of basin scale water resources indicators derived from global hydrological and land surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Micha; Blyth, Eleanor; Schellekens, Jaap

2016-04-01

Global hydrological and land-surface models are becoming increasingly available, and as the resolution of these improves, as well how hydrological processes are represented, so does their potential. These offer consistent datasets at the global scale, which can be used to establish water balances and derive policy relevant indicators in medium to large basins, including those that are poorly gauged. However, differences in model structure, model parameterisation, and model forcing may result in quite different indicator values being derived, depending on the model used. In this paper we explore indicators developed using four land surface models (LSM) and five global hydrological models (GHM). Results from these models have been made available through the Earth2Observe project, a recent research initiative funded by the European Union 7th Research Framework. All models have a resolution of 0.5 arc degrees, and are forced using the same WATCH-ERA-Interim (WFDEI) meteorological re-analysis data at a daily time step for the 32 year period from 1979 to 2012. We explore three water resources indicators; an aridity index, a simplified water exploitation index; and an indicator that calculates the frequency of occurrence of root zone stress. We compare indicators derived over selected areas/basins in Europe, Colombia, Southern Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and Australia/New Zealand. The hydrological fluxes calculated show quite significant differences between the nine models, despite the common forcing dataset, with these differences reflected in the indicators subsequently derived. The results show that the variability between models is related to the different climates types, with that variability quite logically depending largely on the availability of water. Patterns are also found in the type of models that dominate different parts of the distribution of the indicator values, with LSM models providing lower values, and GHM models providing higher values in some climates, and vice versa in others. How important this variability is in supporting a policy decision, depends largely on how a decision thresholds are set. For example in the case of the aridity index, with areas being denoted as arid with an index of 0.6 or above, we show that the variability is primarily of interest in transitional climates, such as the Mediterranean The analysis shows that while both LSM's and GHM's provide useful data, indices derived to support water resources management planning may differ substantially, depending on the model used. The analysis also identifies in which climates improvements to the models are particularly relevant to support the confidence with which decisions can be taken based on derived indicators.

SoMIR framework for designing high-NDBP photonic crystal waveguides.

PubMed

Mirjalili, Seyed Mohammad

2014-06-20

This work proposes a modularized framework for designing the structure of photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) and reducing human involvement during the design process. The proposed framework consists of three main modules: parameters module, constraints module, and optimizer module. The first module is responsible for defining the structural parameters of a given PCW. The second module defines various limitations in order to achieve desirable optimum designs. The third module is the optimizer, in which a numerical optimization method is employed to perform optimization. As case studies, two new structures called Ellipse PCW (EPCW) and Hypoellipse PCW (HPCW) with different shape of holes in each row are proposed and optimized by the framework. The calculation results show that the proposed framework is able to successfully optimize the structures of the new EPCW and HPCW. In addition, the results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework for optimizing different PCWs. The results of the comparative study show that the optimized EPCW and HPCW provide 18% and 9% significant improvements in normalized delay-bandwidth product (NDBP), respectively, compared to the ring-shape-hole PCW, which has the highest NDBP in the literature. Finally, the simulations of pulse propagation confirm the manufacturing feasibility of both optimized structures.

Effect of electrode material and design on sensitivity and selectivity for high temperature impedancemetric NOx sensors

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

Woo, L Y; Glass, R S; Novak, R F

2009-09-23

Solid-state electrochemical sensors using two different sensing electrode compositions, gold and strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM), were evaluated for gas phase sensing of NO{sub x} (NO and NO{sub 2}) using an impedance-metric technique. An asymmetric cell design utilizing porous YSZ electrolyte exposed both electrodes to the test gas (i.e., no reference gas). Sensitivity to less than 5 ppm NO and response/recovery times (10-90%) less than 10 s were demonstrated. Using an LSM sensing electrode, virtual identical sensitivity towards NO and NO{sub 2} was obtained, indicating that the equilibrium gas concentration was measured by the sensing electrode. In contrast, for cells employingmore » a gold sensing electrode the NO{sub x} sensitivity varied depending on the cell design: increasing the amount of porous YSZ electrolyte on the sensor surface produced higher NO{sub 2} sensitivity compared to NO. In order to achieve comparable sensitivity for both NO and NO{sub 2}, the cell with the LSM sensing electrode required operation at a lower temperature (575 C) than the cell with the gold sensing electrode (650 C). The role of surface reactions are proposed to explain the differences in NO and NO{sub 2} selectivity using the two different electrode materials.« less

Analysis of thin baked-on silicone layers by FTIR and 3D-Laser Scanning Microscopy.

PubMed

Funke, Stefanie; Matilainen, Julia; Nalenz, Heiko; Bechtold-Peters, Karoline; Mahler, Hanns-Christian; Friess, Wolfgang

2015-10-01

Pre-filled syringes (PFS) and auto-injection devices with cartridges are increasingly used for parenteral administration. To assure functionality, silicone oil is applied to the inner surface of the glass barrel. Silicone oil migration into the product can be minimized by applying a thin but sufficient layer of silicone oil emulsion followed by thermal bake-on versus spraying-on silicone oil. Silicone layers thicker than 100nm resulting from regular spray-on siliconization can be characterized using interferometric profilometers. However, the analysis of thin silicone layers generated by bake-on siliconization is more challenging. In this paper, we have evaluated Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy after solvent extraction and a new 3D-Laser Scanning Microscopy (3D-LSM) to overcome this challenge. A multi-step solvent extraction and subsequent FTIR spectroscopy enabled to quantify baked-on silicone levels as low as 21-325μg per 5mL cartridge. 3D-LSM was successfully established to visualize and measure baked-on silicone layers as thin as 10nm. 3D-LSM was additionally used to analyze the silicone oil distribution within cartridges at such low levels. Both methods provided new, highly valuable insights to characterize the siliconization after processing, in order to achieve functionality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tailoring the electrode-electrolyte interface of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) by laser micro-patterning to improve their electrochemical performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cebollero, J. A.; Lahoz, R.; Laguna-Bercero, M. A.; Larrea, A.

2017-08-01

Cathode activation polarisation is one of the main contributions to the losses of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. To reduce this loss we use a pulsed laser to modify the surface of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes to make a corrugated micro-patterning in the mesoscale. The beam of the laser source, 5 ns pulse width and emitting at λ = 532 nm (green region), is computer-controlled to engrave the selected micro-pattern on the electrolyte surface. Several laser scanning procedures and geometries have been tested. Finally, we engrave a square array with 28 μm of lattice parameter and 7 μm in depth on YSZ plates. With these plates we prepare LSM-YSZ/YSZ/LSM-YSZ symmetrical cells (LSM: La1-xSrxMnO3) and determine their activation polarisation by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). To get good electrode-electrolyte contact after sintering it is necessary to use pressure-assisted sintering with low loads (about 5 kPa), which do not modify the electrode microstructure. The decrease in polarisation with respect to an unprocessed cell is about 30%. EIS analysis confirms that the reason for this decrease is an improvement in the activation processes at the electrode-electrolyte interface.

Triggering of the Ms = 5.4 Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, earthquake with dynamic strains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, Joan; Bodin, Paul

1994-01-01

We have developed an approach to test the viability of dynamic strains as a triggering mechanism by quantifying the dynamic strain tensor at seismogenic depths. We focus on the dynamic strains at the hypocenter of the Ms = 5.4 Little Skull Mountain (LSM), Nevada, earthquake. This event is noteworthy because it is the largest earthquake demonstrably triggered at remote distances (∼280 km) by the Ms = 7.4 Landers, California, earthquake and because of its ambiguous association with magmatic activity. Our analysis shows that, if dynamic strains initiate remote triggering, the orientation and modes of faulting most favorable for being triggered by a given strain transient change with depth. The geometry of the most probable LSM fault plane was favorably oriented with respect to the geometry of the dynamic strain tensor. We estimate that the magnitude of the peak dynamic strains at the hypocentral depth of the LSM earthquake were ∼4 μstrain (∼.2 MPa) which are ∼50% smaller than those estimated from velocity seismograms recorded at the surface. We suggest that these strains are too small to cause Mohr-Coulomb style failure unless the fault was prestrained to near failure levels, the fault was exceptionally weak, and/or the dynamic strains trigger other processes that lead to failure.

Plant hydraulics improves and topography mediates prediction of aspen mortality in southwestern USA.

PubMed

Tai, Xiaonan; Mackay, D Scott; Anderegg, William R L; Sperry, John S; Brooks, Paul D

2017-01-01

Elevated forest mortality has been attributed to climate change-induced droughts, but prediction of spatial mortality patterns remains challenging. We evaluated whether introducing plant hydraulics and topographic convergence-induced soil moisture variation to land surface models (LSM) can help explain spatial patterns of mortality. A scheme predicting plant hydraulic safety loss from soil moisture was developed using field measurements and a plant physiology-hydraulics model, TREES. The scheme was upscaled to Populus tremuloides forests across Colorado, USA, using LSM-modeled and topography-mediated soil moisture, respectively. The spatial patterns of hydraulic safety loss were compared against aerial surveyed mortality. Incorporating hydraulic safety loss raised the explanatory power of mortality by 40% compared to LSM-modeled soil moisture. Topographic convergence was mostly influential in suppressing mortality in low and concave areas, explaining an additional 10% of the variations in mortality for those regions. Plant hydraulics integrated water stress along the soil-plant continuum and was more closely tied to plant physiological response to drought. In addition to the well-recognized topo-climate influence due to elevation and aspect, we found evidence that topographic convergence mediates tree mortality in certain parts of the landscape that are low and convergent, likely through influences on plant-available water. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

The usefulness of liver stiffness measurement using FibroScan in chronic hepatitis C in South Korea: a multicenter, prospective study.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Up; Jang, Hui Won; Cheong, Jae Youn; Kim, Ja Kyung; Lee, Myung Hee; Kim, Dong Joon; Yang, Jin Mo; Cho, Sung Won; Lee, Kwan Sik; Choi, Eun Hee; Park, Young Nyun; Han, Kwang-Hyub

2011-01-01

We investigated the accuracy of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in a multicenter, prospective study in South Korea. Between June 2005 and July 2009, 91 CHC patients without a previous history of antiviral treatment, clinical evidences of cirrhosis, coinfection with other viruses, and heavy alcohol consumption and with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤5x upper limit of normal, total bilirubin ≤1.5 mg/dL, sufficient liver biopsy quality (≥15 mm and more than six portal tracts), interquartile range to median liver stiffness (LS) value ratio ≤0.21, and more than 10 valid measurements, were recruited. The Batts and Ludwig scoring system was used for histologic assessment. Age-platelet index (API), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and age-spleen-platelet ratio index (ASPRI) were calculated. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the performance of LSM and other noninvasive models. The mean age was 47.9 years, and the mean LS value was 7.7 kPa (44 men and 47 women). LS value was highly correlated to the fibrosis stages (r=0.835, P<0.001). The AUROCs of LSM were 0.909 for ≥F2, 0.993 for ≥F3, and 0.970 for F=4 and were superior to those of API (0.72, 0.858, and 0.948, respectively), APRI (0.780, 0.887, and 0.904, respectively), and ASPRI (0.713, 0.862, and 0.957, respectively). The optimal cutoff LS values were 6.2 kPa for ≥F2, 7.7 kPa for ≥F3, and 11.0 kPa for F=4. Our data suggest that LSM can accurately assess liver fibrosis in patients with CHC and be applied in South Korea. © 2010 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Validation of Land-Surface Mosaic Heterogeneity in the GEOS DAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Molod, Andrea; Houser, Paul R.; Schubert, Siegfried

1999-01-01

The Mosaic Land-surface Model (LSM) has been included into the current GEOS Data Assimilation System (DAS). The LSM uses a more advanced representation of physical processes than previous versions of the GEOS DAS, including the representation of sub-grid heterogeneity of the land-surface through the Mosaic approach. As a first approximation, Mosaic assumes that all similar surface types within a grid-cell can be lumped together as a single'tile'. Within one GCM grid-cell, there might be 1 - 5 different tiles or surface types. All tiles are subjected to the grid-scale forcing (radiation, air temperature and specific humidity, and precipitation), and the sub-grid variability is a function of the tile characteristics. In this paper, we validate the LSM sub-grid scale variability (tiles) using a variety of surface observing stations from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. One of the primary goals of SGP ARM is to study the variability of atmospheric radiation within a G,CM grid-cell. Enough surface data has been collected by ARM to extend this goal to sub-grid variability of the land-surface energy and water budgets. The time period of this study is the Summer of 1998 (June I - September 1). The ARM site data consists of surface meteorology, energy flux (eddy correlation and bowen ratio), soil water observations spread over an area similar to the size of a G-CM grid-cell. Various ARM stations are described as wheat and alfalfa crops, pasture and range land. The LSM tiles considered at the grid-space (2 x 2.5) nearest the ARM site include, grassland, deciduous forests, bare soil and dwarf trees. Surface energy and water balances for each tile type are compared with observations. Furthermore, we will discuss the land-surface sub-grid variability of both the ARM observations and the DAS.

Impact of skin capsular distance on the performance of controlled attenuation parameter in patients with chronic liver disease.

PubMed

Shen, Feng; Zheng, Rui-Dan; Shi, Jun-Ping; Mi, Yu-Qiang; Chen, Guo-Feng; Hu, Xiqi; Liu, Yong-Gang; Wang, Xiao-Ying; Pan, Qin; Chen, Guang-Yu; Chen, Jian-Neng; Xu, Liang; Zhang, Rui-Nan; Xu, Lei-Ming; Fan, Jian-Gao

2015-11-01

Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a non-invasive method for evaluating hepatic steatosis. However, larger skin capsular distance (SCD) can affect the accuracy. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of SCD on the diagnostic performance of CAP and liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Of 101 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 280 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who underwent liver biopsy were prospectively recruited. CAP, LSM and SCD were performed using FibroScan with M probe. The areas under receiver operating characteristics curves (AUROCs) were calculated to determine the diagnostic efficacy. The optimal thresholds were defined by the maximum Youden index. SCD (B 30.34, P < 0.001) and hepatic steatosis (B 23.04, P < 0.001) were independently associated with CAP by multivariate analysis. The AUROCs were slightly higher for SCD <25 mm compared to those for SCD ≥25 mm for steatosis ≥5% (0.88 vs. 0.81), >33% (0.90 vs. 0.85) and >66% (0.84 vs. 0.72). For SCD <25 mm, the optimal CAP cut-offs for differentiating steatosis ≥5%, >33% and >66% were 255.0 dB/m, 283.5 dB/m and 293.5 dB/m. However, cut-offs were elevated by approximately 60-70 dB/m for SCD ≥25 mm. When stratified by fibrosis grade, LSM was significantly affected by SCD ≥25 mm for advanced fibrosis (≥F3) in NAFLD, but not in CHB. CAP is a promising tool for detecting and quantifying hepatic steatosis. SCD ≥25 mm may cause overestimation of steatosis. Similarly, SCD ≥25 mm affects the detection of advanced fibrosis by LSM in NAFLD patients. © 2015 The Authors. Liver International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An uncertainty and sensitivity analysis approach for GIS-based multicriteria landslide susceptibility mapping

PubMed Central

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-01-01

GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods are increasingly being used in landslide susceptibility mapping. However, the uncertainties that are associated with MCDA techniques may significantly impact the results. This may sometimes lead to inaccurate outcomes and undesirable consequences. This article introduces a new GIS-based MCDA approach. We illustrate the consequences of applying different MCDA methods within a decision-making process through uncertainty analysis. Three GIS-MCDA methods in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) and Dempster–Shafer theory are analyzed for landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) in the Urmia lake basin in Iran, which is highly susceptible to landslide hazards. The methodology comprises three stages. First, the LSM criteria are ranked and a sensitivity analysis is implemented to simulate error propagation based on the MCS. The resulting weights are expressed through probability density functions. Accordingly, within the second stage, three MCDA methods, namely analytical hierarchy process (AHP), weighted linear combination (WLC) and ordered weighted average (OWA), are used to produce the landslide susceptibility maps. In the third stage, accuracy assessments are carried out and the uncertainties of the different results are measured. We compare the accuracies of the three MCDA methods based on (1) the Dempster–Shafer theory and (2) a validation of the results using an inventory of known landslides and their respective coverage based on object-based image analysis of IRS-ID satellite images. The results of this study reveal that through the integration of GIS and MCDA models, it is possible to identify strategies for choosing an appropriate method for LSM. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the integration of MCDA and MCS can significantly improve the accuracy of the results. In LSM, the AHP method performed best, while the OWA reveals better performance in the reliability assessment. The WLC operation yielded poor results. PMID:27019609

Improving the Efficiency and Durability of Reversible Solid Oxide Cells for Energy Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Gareth Allen

This thesis presents research on the use of solid oxide cells (SOCs) as energy storage devices, and covers methods to improve their efficiency and durability for this use. It specifically covers two main topics: the durability of the oxygen electrode under forced alternating current, and the effect of pressurization on various oxygen electrode materials. Additionally, research was completed on thermodynamic modeling of a pressurized SOC energy storage system, and a new experimental testing apparatus was constructed to enable investigation of SOC samples operating under pressure. Forced alternating current using a symmetric sample structure was used to simulate the operation of a reversible SOC, effectively isolating the measurement of the performance response of the oxygen electrode. Cells consisting of La 0.8Sr0.2MnO3-delta - 8mol% Y2O 3-stabilized ZrO2 (LSM-YSZ) oxygen electrodes on YSZ electrolytes were tested. Early testing utilizing Ag current collectors showed that forced currents and the elevated operating temperature of SOCs cause silver to vaporize and deposit at the active region of the electrode. To avoid this artifact, a new test setup utilizing LSM current collectors was created. It was found that a shorter current cycling time of 1 hour helps prevent degradation compared to 12 hour cycles. Additionally, both cycling times showed improvement compared cells operated with dc current. Further study showed that operating at current densities of 0.8 A/cm2 and below can prevent degradation entirely. Pressurization of oxygen electrodes showed, as expected, that polarization resistance decreases with increasing oxygen pressure. The materials tested were LSM-YSZ and La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2 O3-d - Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.95 (LSCF-GDC), both in single-phase and composite electrode structures. Additionally, LSM-infiltrated YSZ was tested. The resistance typically decreased following power-law behavior with exponents ranging from -0.17 to -0.30, with similar trends found in all material systems and electrode structures. The electrodes showed resistance decreases of factors between 1.4 and 3.5 on going from 0.1 atm O2 to 10 atm O2. The electrodes containing LSM each showed distinct features in their frequency responses and capacitances, while the two LSCF containing electrode showed very similar features. The resistance decreases were attributed to decreased charge transfer reaction limitations and accelerated adsorption and surface migration of oxygen ions.

Larval habitats of the Anopheles farauti and Anopheles lungae complexes in the Solomon Islands.

PubMed

Russell, Tanya L; Burkot, Thomas R; Bugoro, Hugo; Apairamo, Allan; Beebe, Nigel W; Chow, Weng K; Cooper, Robert D; Collins, Frank H; Lobo, Neil F

2016-03-15

There is an urgent need for vector control tools to supplement long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying; particularly in the Solomon Islands where the primary vector, Anopheles farauti, is highly anthropophagic and feeds mainly outdoors and early in the evening. Currently, the only supplementary tool recommended by the World Health Organization is larval source management (LSM). The feasibility and potential effectiveness of LSM requires information on the distribution of anophelines, the productivity of larval habitats and the potential impacts of larval control on adult fitness. The distribution of anophelines in Central and Western Provinces in the Solomon Islands was mapped from cross-sectional larval habitat surveys. The composition and micro-distribution of larval instars within a large permanent river-mouth lagoon was examined with a longitudinal survey. Density-dependent regulation of An. farauti larvae was investigated by longitudinally following the development and survival of different densities of first instars in floating cages in a river-mouth lagoon. Five anopheline species were molecularly identified from a range of fresh and brackish water habitats: An. farauti s.s., An. hinesorum, An. lungae, An. nataliae and An. solomonis. The most common habitats used by the primary malaria vector, An. farauti, were coastal lagoons and swamps. In the detailed study of lagoon micro-productivity, An. farauti was non-uniformly distributed with highest densities found at collections sites most proximal and distal to the mouth of the lagoon. The survival of An. farauti larvae was more than twofold lower when larvae were held at the highest experimental density (1 larva per 3.8 cm(2)) when compared with the lowest density (1 larva per 38 cm(2)). The only documented major malaria vector collected in larval surveys in both Central and Western Provinces was An. farauti. Lagoons and swamps, the most common, largest and (potentially) most productive larval sites of this malaria vector, were "few, fixed and findable" and theoretically, therefore, amenable to successful LSM. However, the immense scale and complexity of these ecosystems in which An. farauti larvae are found raises questions regarding the ability to effectively control the larvae, as incomplete larviciding could trigger density dependent effects resulting in increased larval survivorship. While LSM has the potential to significantly contribute to malaria control of this early and outdoor biting vector, more information on the distribution of larvae within these extensive habitats is required to maximize the effectiveness of LSM.

Routine implementation costs of larviciding with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis against malaria vectors in a district in rural Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Dambach, Peter; Schleicher, Michael; Stahl, Hans-Christian; Traoré, Issouf; Becker, Norbert; Kaiser, Achim; Sié, Ali; Sauerborn, Rainer

2016-07-22

The key tools in malaria control are early diagnosis and treatment of cases as well as vector control. Current strategies for malaria vector control in sub-Saharan Africa are largely based on long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and to a much smaller extent on indoor residual spraying (IRS). An additional tool in the fight against malaria vectors, larval source management (LSM), has not been used in sub-Saharan Africa on a wider scale since the abandonment of environmental spraying of DDT. Increasing concerns about limitations of LLINs and IRS and encouraging results from large larvicide-based LSM trials make a strong case for using biological larviciding as a complementary tool to existing control measures. Arguments that are often quoted against such a combined approach are the alleged high implementation costs of LSM. This study makes the first step to test this argument. The implementation costs of larval source management based on Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) (strain AM65-52) spraying under different implementation scenarios were analysed in a rural health district in Burkina Faso. The analysis draws on detailed cost data gathered during a large-scale LSM intervention between 2013 and 2015. All 127 villages in the study setup were assigned to two treatment arms and one control group. Treatment either implied exhaustive spraying of all available water collections or targeted spraying of the 50 % most productive larval sources via remote-sensing derived and entomologically validated risk maps. Based on the cost reports from both intervention arms, the per capita programme costs were calculated under the assumption of covering the whole district with either intervention scenario. Cost calculations have been generalized by providing an adaptable cost formula. In addition, this study assesses the sensitivity of per capita programme costs with respect to changes in the underlying cost components. The average annual per capita costs of exhaustive larviciding with Bti during the main malaria transmission period (June-October) in the Nouna health district were calculated to be US$ 1.05. When targeted spraying of the 50 % most productive larval sources is used instead, average annual per capita costs decrease by 27 % to US$ 0.77. Additionally, a high sensitivity of per capita programme costs against changes in total surface of potential larval sources and the number of spraying repetitions was found. The per capita costs for larval source management interventions with Bti are roughly a third of the annual per capita expenditures for anti-malarial drugs and those for LLINs in Burkina Faso which are US$ 3.80 and 3.00, respectively. The average LSM costs compare to those of IRS and LLINs for sub-Saharan Africa. The authors argue that in such a setting LSM based on Bti spraying is within the range of affordable anti-malarial strategies and, consequently, should deserve more attention in practice. Future research includes a cost-benefit calculation, based on entomological and epidemiological data collected during the research project.

The Impact of AMSR-E Soil Moisture Assimilation on Evapotranspiration Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay; Mocko, David; Tian, Yudong

2012-01-01

An assessment ofETestimates for current LDAS systems is provided along with current research that demonstrates improvement in LSM ET estimates due to assimilating satellite-based soil moisture products. Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter in the Land Information System, we assimilate both NASA and Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) soil moisture products into the Noah LSM Version 3.2 with the North American LDAS phase 2 CNLDAS-2) forcing to mimic the NLDAS-2 configuration. Through comparisons with two global reference ET products, one based on interpolated flux tower data and one from a new satellite ET algorithm, over the NLDAS2 domain, we demonstrate improvement in ET estimates only when assimilating the LPRM soil moisture product.

Relationship of liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter measured by transient elastography with diabetes mellitus in patients with chronic liver disease.

PubMed

Ahn, Jem Ma; Paik, Yong-Han; Kim, So Hyun; Lee, Jun Hee; Cho, Ju Yeon; Sohn, Won; Gwak, Geum-Youn; Choi, Moon Seok; Lee, Joon Hyeok; Koh, Kwang Cheol; Paik, Seung Woon; Yoo, Byung Chul

2014-08-01

High prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients with liver cirrhosis has been reported in many studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis assessed by transient elastography with diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease. The study population consisted of 979 chronic liver disease patients. Liver fibrosis and steatosis were assessed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) on transient elastography. Diabetes was diagnosed in 165 (16.9%) of 979 patients. The prevalence of diabetes had significant difference among the etiologies of chronic liver disease. Higher degrees of liver fibrosis and steatosis, assessed by LSM and CAP score, showed higher prevalence of diabetes (F0/1 [14%], F2/3 [18%], F4 [31%], P<0.001; S0/1 [15%], S2 [17%], S3 [26%], P=0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictive risk factors for diabetes were hypertension (OR, 1.98; P=0.001), LSM F4 (OR, 1.86; P=0.010), male gender (OR, 1.60; P=0.027), and age>50 yr (OR, 1.52; P=0.046). The degree of hepatic fibrosis but not steatosis assessed by transient elastography has significant relationship with the prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease.

A photosynthesis-based two-leaf canopy stomatal ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance model with single-layer sunlit and shaded leaf canopy scaling is implemented and evaluated in a diagnostic box model with the Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) and ozone deposition model components taken directly from the meteorology and air quality modeling system—WRF/CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecast model and Community Multiscale Air Quality model). The photosynthesis-based model for PX LSM (PX PSN) is evaluated at a FLUXNET site for implementation against different parameterizations and the current PX LSM approach with a simple Jarvis function (PX Jarvis). Latent heat flux (LH) from PX PSN is further evaluated at five FLUXNET sites with different vegetation types and landscape characteristics. Simulated ozone deposition and flux from PX PSN are evaluated at one of the sites with ozone flux measurements. Overall, the PX PSN simulates LH as well as the PX Jarvis approach. The PX PSN, however, shows distinct advantages over the PX Jarvis approach for grassland that likely result from its treatment of C3 and C4 plants for CO2 assimilation. Simulations using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) rather than LAI measured at each site assess how the model would perform with grid averaged data used in WRF/CMAQ. MODIS LAI estimates degrade model performance at all sites but one site having exceptionally old and tall trees. Ozone deposition velocity and ozone flux along with LH

Triggered seismicity and deformation between the Landers, California, and Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bodin, Paul; Gomberg, Joan

1994-01-01

This article presents evidence for the channeling of strain energy released by the Ms = 7.4 Landers, California, earthquake within the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). We document an increase in seismicity levels during the 22-hr period starting with the Landers earthquake and culminating 22 hr later with the Ms = 5.4 Little Skull Mountain (LSM), Nevada, earthquake. We evaluate the completeness of regional seismicity catalogs during this period and find that the continuity of post-Landers strain release within the ECSZ is even more pronounced than is evident from the catalog data. We hypothesize that regional-scale connectivity of faults within the ECSZ and LSM region is a critical ingredient in the unprecedented scale and distribution of remotely triggered earthquakes and geodetically manifest strain changes that followed the Landers earthquake. The viability of static strain changes as triggering agents is tested using numerical models. Modeling results illustrate that regional-scale fault connectivity can increase the static strain changes by approximately an order of magnitude at distances of at least 280 km, the distance between the Landers and LSM epicenters. This is possible for models that include both a network of connected faults that slip “sympathetically” and realistic levels of tectonic prestrain. Alternatively, if dynamic strains are a more significant triggering agent than static strains, ECSZ structure may still be important in determining the distribution of triggered seismic and aseismic deformation.

Seasonal scale water deficit forecasting in Africa and the Middle East using NASA's Land Information System (LIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Shraddhanand; Arsenault, Kristi R.; Getirana, Augusto; Kumar, Sujay V.; Roningen, Jeanne; Zaitchik, Ben; McNally, Amy; Koster, Randal D.; Peters-Lidard, Christa

2017-04-01

Drought and water scarcity are among the important issues facing several regions within Africa and the Middle East. A seamless and effective monitoring and early warning system is needed by regional/national stakeholders. Such system should support a proactive drought management approach and mitigate the socio-economic losses up to the extent possible. In this presentation, we report on the ongoing development and validation of a seasonal scale water deficit forecasting system based on NASA's Land Information System (LIS) and seasonal climate forecasts. First, our presentation will focus on the implementation and validation of the LIS models used for drought and water availability monitoring in the region. The second part will focus on evaluating drought and water availability forecasts. Finally, details will be provided of our ongoing collaboration with end-user partners in the region (e.g., USAID's Famine Early Warning Systems Network, FEWS NET), on formulating meaningful early warning indicators, effective communication and seamless dissemination of the monitoring and forecasting products through NASA's web-services. The water deficit forecasting system thus far incorporates NOAA's Noah land surface model (LSM), version 3.3, the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, version 4.12, NASA GMAO's Catchment LSM, and the Noah Multi-Physics (MP) LSM (the latter two incorporate prognostic water table schemes). In addition, the LSMs' surface and subsurface runoff are routed through the Hydrological Modeling and Analysis Platform (HyMAP) to simulate surface water dynamics. The LSMs are driven by NASA/GMAO's Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), and the USGS and UCSB Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) daily rainfall dataset. The LIS software framework integrates these forcing datasets and drives the four LSMs and HyMAP. The Land Verification Toolkit (LVT) is used for the evaluation of the LSMs, as it provides model ensemble metrics and the ability to compare against a variety of remotely sensed measurements, like different evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture products, and other reanalysis datasets that are available for this region. Comparison of the models' energy and hydrological budgets will be shown for this region (and sub-basin level, e.g., Blue Nile River) and time period (1981-2015), along with evaluating ET, streamflow, groundwater storage and soil moisture, using evaluation metrics (e.g., anomaly correlation, RMSE, etc.). The system uses seasonal climate forecasts from NASA's GMAO (the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, version 5) and NCEP's Climate Forecast System, version 2, and it produces forecasts of soil moisture, ET and streamflow out to 6 months in the future. Forecasts of those variables are formulated in terms of indicators to provide forecasts of drought and water availability in the region.

Does Evapotranspiration Increase When Forests are converted to Grasslands?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varcoe, Robert; Sterling, Shannon

2017-04-01

The conversion of forests to grasslands (FGC) is a widespread land cover change (LCC) and is also among the most commonly studied changes with respect to its impact on ET; such research employs a variety of experimental approaches, including, paired catchment (PC), Budyko and land surface models (LSM), and measurement methods, including the catchment water balance (CWB), eddy covariance (EC) and remote sensing (RS). Until recently, there has been consensus in the scientific literature that rates of ET decrease when a forest is converted to grassland; however, this consensus has recently come into question. Williams (2012) applied the Budyko framework to a global network of eddy covariance measurements with the results that grasslands have a 9% greater evaporative index than forests. In addition, HadGEM2, a recent Hadley Centre LSM, produced increased ET in the northern Amazon Basin after simulating global scale tropical deforestation (Brovkin et al., 2015). Here we present an analysis of available estimates of how ET rates change with FGC to increase our understanding of the forest - grassland-ET paradigm. We used two datasets to investigate the impacts land cover change on ET. I compiled a dataset of change in ET with land cover change (ΔETLCC) using published experiments that compare forest and grassland ET under conditions controlled for meteorological and landscape influences. Using the ΔETLCC dataset, we show that, in all cases, forest ET is higher than grassland under controlled conditions. Results suggest that the eddy covariance method measures smaller changes in ET when forests are converted to grasslands, though more data are needed for this result to be statistically significant. Finally, GETA2.0, a new global dataset of annual ET, projects that forest ET is greater than grassland, except at high latitudes and areas where orography influences precipitation (P). The data included in this study represent the data available on forest and grassland ET comparison and reveal an important gap in the scientific literature: the lack of data available regarding forest to grassland LCC.

Life prediction for white OLED based on LSM under lognormal distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianping; Liu, Fang; Liu, Yu; Wu, Helen; Zhu, Wenqing; Wu, Wenli; Wu, Liang

2012-09-01

In order to acquire the reliability information of White Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED), three groups of OLED constant stress accelerated life tests (CSALTs) were carried out to obtain failure data of samples. Lognormal distribution function was applied to describe OLED life distribution, and the accelerated life equation was determined by Least square method (LSM). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to verify whether the white OLED life meets lognormal distribution or not. Author-developed software was employed to predict the average life and the median life. The numerical results indicate that the white OLED life submits to lognormal distribution, and that the accelerated life equation meets inverse power law completely. The estimated life information of the white OLED provides manufacturers and customers with important guidelines.

LEGO-NMR spectroscopy: a method to visualize individual subunits in large heteromeric complexes.

PubMed

Mund, Markus; Overbeck, Jan H; Ullmann, Janina; Sprangers, Remco

2013-10-18

Seeing the big picture: Asymmetric macromolecular complexes that are NMR active in only a subset of their subunits can be prepared, thus decreasing NMR spectral complexity. For the hetero heptameric LSm1-7 and LSm2-8 rings NMR spectra of the individual subunits of the complete complex are obtained, showing a conserved RNA binding site. This LEGO-NMR technique makes large asymmetric complexes accessible to detailed NMR spectroscopic studies. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. This is an open access article under the terms of Creative Commons the Attribution Non-Commercial NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

High-Density Liquid-State Machine Circuitry for Time-Series Forecasting.

PubMed

Rosselló, Josep L; Alomar, Miquel L; Morro, Antoni; Oliver, Antoni; Canals, Vincent

2016-08-01

Spiking neural networks (SNN) are the last neural network generation that try to mimic the real behavior of biological neurons. Although most research in this area is done through software applications, it is in hardware implementations in which the intrinsic parallelism of these computing systems are more efficiently exploited. Liquid state machines (LSM) have arisen as a strategic technique to implement recurrent designs of SNN with a simple learning methodology. In this work, we show a new low-cost methodology to implement high-density LSM by using Boolean gates. The proposed method is based on the use of probabilistic computing concepts to reduce hardware requirements, thus considerably increasing the neuron count per chip. The result is a highly functional system that is applied to high-speed time series forecasting.

Tracking the Reorganization of Module Structure in Time-Varying Weighted Brain Functional Connectivity Networks.

PubMed

Schmidt, Christoph; Piper, Diana; Pester, Britta; Mierau, Andreas; Witte, Herbert

2018-05-01

Identification of module structure in brain functional networks is a promising way to obtain novel insights into neural information processing, as modules correspond to delineated brain regions in which interactions are strongly increased. Tracking of network modules in time-varying brain functional networks is not yet commonly considered in neuroscience despite its potential for gaining an understanding of the time evolution of functional interaction patterns and associated changing degrees of functional segregation and integration. We introduce a general computational framework for extracting consensus partitions from defined time windows in sequences of weighted directed edge-complete networks and show how the temporal reorganization of the module structure can be tracked and visualized. Part of the framework is a new approach for computing edge weight thresholds for individual networks based on multiobjective optimization of module structure quality criteria as well as an approach for matching modules across time steps. By testing our framework using synthetic network sequences and applying it to brain functional networks computed from electroencephalographic recordings of healthy subjects that were exposed to a major balance perturbation, we demonstrate the framework's potential for gaining meaningful insights into dynamic brain function in the form of evolving network modules. The precise chronology of the neural processing inferred with our framework and its interpretation helps to improve the currently incomplete understanding of the cortical contribution for the compensation of such balance perturbations.

Assimilation of SMOS Soil Moisture Retrievals in the Land Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Clay; Case, Jonathan L.; Zavodsky, Brad

2014-01-01

Soil moisture is a crucial variable for weather prediction because of its influence on evaporation. It is of critical importance for drought and flood monitoring and prediction and for public health applications. The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) has implemented a new module in the NASA Land Information System (LIS) to assimilate observations from the ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite. SMOS Level 2 retrievals from the Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) instrument are assimilated into the Noah LSM within LIS via an Ensemble Kalman Filter. The retrievals have a target volumetric accuracy of 4% at a resolution of 35-50 km. Parallel runs with and without SMOS assimilation are performed with precipitation forcing from intentionally degraded observations, and then validated against a model run using the best available precipitation data, as well as against selected station observations. The goal is to demonstrate how SMOS data assimilation can improve modeled soil states in the absence of dense rain gauge and radar networks.

Topology Optimization using the Level Set and eXtended Finite Element Methods: Theory and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villanueva Perez, Carlos Hernan

Computational design optimization provides designers with automated techniques to develop novel and non-intuitive optimal designs. Topology optimization is a design optimization technique that allows for the evolution of a broad variety of geometries in the optimization process. Traditional density-based topology optimization methods often lack a sufficient resolution of the geometry and physical response, which prevents direct use of the optimized design in manufacturing and the accurate modeling of the physical response of boundary conditions. The goal of this thesis is to introduce a unified topology optimization framework that uses the Level Set Method (LSM) to describe the design geometry and the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) to solve the governing equations and measure the performance of the design. The methodology is presented as an alternative to density-based optimization approaches, and is able to accommodate a broad range of engineering design problems. The framework presents state-of-the-art methods for immersed boundary techniques to stabilize the systems of equations and enforce the boundary conditions, and is studied with applications in 2D and 3D linear elastic structures, incompressible flow, and energy and species transport problems to test the robustness and the characteristics of the method. A comparison of the framework against density-based topology optimization approaches is studied with regards to convergence, performance, and the capability to manufacture the designs. Furthermore, the ability to control the shape of the design to operate within manufacturing constraints is developed and studied. The analysis capability of the framework is validated quantitatively through comparison against previous benchmark studies, and qualitatively through its application to topology optimization problems. The design optimization problems converge to intuitive designs and resembled well the results from previous 2D or density-based studies.

Improvement of liver stiffness measurement, acoustic radiation force impulse measurements, and noninvasive fibrosis markers after direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus G4 recurrence post living donor liver transplantation: Egyptian cohort.

PubMed

Alem, Shereen Abdel; Said, Mohamed; Anwar, Ismail; Abdellatif, Zeinab; Elbaz, Tamer; Eletreby, Rasha; AbouElKhair, Mahmoud; El-Serafy, Magdy; Mogawer, Sherif; El-Amir, Mona; El-Shazly, Mostafa; Hosny, Adel; Yosry, Ayman

2018-05-02

Progression of recurrent hepatitis C is accelerated in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have recently emerged as a promising therapeutic regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. Rates of sustained virological response (SVR) have drastically improved since the introduction of DAAs. The aim is to elucidate the changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography (TE) as well as acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and fibrosis scores after DAA treatment in LT recipients with hepatitis C virus recurrence. A single-center, prospective study including 58 LT recipients with hepatitis C recurrence who received different sofosbuvir-based treatment regimens. Transient elastography and ARFI elastography values were recorded as well as fibrosis 4 score (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index were calculated at baseline and SVR at week 24 (SVR24). The outcome was improvement in LSM and at least a 20% decrease in LSM at SVR24 compared with baseline. The sustained virological response was 98.1%. There was improvement of platelet counts, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase, which in turn caused improvement in fibrosis scores at SVR24. LSM by TE and ARFI elastography decreased from the baseline median value of 6.3 kPa (interquartile range [IQR]; 4.6 to 8.8 kPa) and 1.28 m/s (IQR; 1.07 to 1.53 m/s) to an SVR24 median value of 6.2 kPa (IQR; 4.85 to 8.9 kPa) and 1.12 (IQR; 0.97 to 1.30 m/s), respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline viral load was the only significant predictor of improvement in LS after DAA therapy at SVR24. Sofosbuvir-based treatment resulted in an early improvement in parameters of liver fibrosis in post-LT patients with hepatitis C recurrence. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Turbulence and fire-spotting effects into wild-land fire simulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Inderpreet; Mentrelli, Andrea; Bosseur, Frédéric; Filippi, Jean-Baptiste; Pagnini, Gianni

2016-10-01

This paper presents a mathematical approach to model the effects and the role of phenomena with random nature such as turbulence and fire-spotting into the existing wildfire simulators. The formulation proposes that the propagation of the fire-front is the sum of a drifting component (obtained from an existing wildfire simulator without turbulence and fire-spotting) and a random fluctuating component. The modelling of the random effects is embodied in a probability density function accounting for the fluctuations around the fire perimeter which is given by the drifting component. In past, this formulation has been applied to include these random effects into a wildfire simulator based on an Eulerian moving interface method, namely the Level Set Method (LSM), but in this paper the same formulation is adapted for a wildfire simulator based on a Lagrangian front tracking technique, namely the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS). The main highlight of the present study is the comparison of the performance of a Lagrangian and an Eulerian moving interface method when applied to wild-land fire propagation. Simple idealised numerical experiments are used to investigate the potential applicability of the proposed formulation to DEVS and to compare its behaviour with respect to the LSM. The results show that DEVS based wildfire propagation model qualitatively improves its performance (e.g., reproducing flank and back fire, increase in fire spread due to pre-heating of the fuel by hot air and firebrands, fire propagation across no fuel zones, secondary fire generation, ...) when random effects are included according to the present formulation. The performance of DEVS and LSM based wildfire models is comparable and the only differences which arise among the two are due to the differences in the geometrical construction of the direction of propagation. Though the results presented here are devoid of any validation exercise and provide only a proof of concept, they show a strong inclination towards an intended operational use. The existing LSM or DEVS based operational simulators like WRF-SFIRE and ForeFire respectively can serve as an ideal basis for the same.

Expansion of the Real-time Sport-land Information System for NOAA/National Weather Service Situational Awareness and Local Modeling Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.

2014-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has been running a real-time version of the Land Information System (LIS) since summer 2010 (hereafter, SPoRTLIS). The real-time SPoRT-LIS runs the Noah land surface model (LSM) in an offline capacity apart from a numerical weather prediction model, using input atmospheric and precipitation analyses (i.e., "forcings") to drive the Noah LSM integration at 3-km resolution. Its objectives are to (1) produce local-scale information about the soil state for NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) situational awareness applications such as drought monitoring and assessing flood potential, and (2) provide land surface initialization fields for local modeling initiatives. The current domain extent has been limited by the input atmospheric analyses that drive the Noah LSM integration within SPoRT-LIS, specifically the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Stage IV precipitation analyses. Due to the nature of the geographical edges of the Stage IV precipitation grid and its limitations in the western U.S., the SPoRT-LIS was originally confined to a domain fully nested within the Stage IV grid, over the southeastern half of the Conterminous United States (CONUS). In order to expand the real-time SPoRT-LIS to a full CONUS domain, alternative precipitation forcing datasets were explored in year-long, offline comparison runs of the Noah LSM. Based on results of these comparison simulations, we chose to implement the radar/gauge-based precipitation analyses from the National Severe Storms Laboratory as a replacement to the Stage IV product. The Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS; formerly known as the National Mosaic and multi-sensor Quantitative precipitation estimate) product has full CONUS coverage at higher-resolution, thereby providing better coverage and greater detail than that of the Stage IV product. This paper will describe the expanded/upgraded SPoRT-LIS, present comparisons between the original and upgraded SPoRT-LIS, and discuss the path forward for future collaboration opportunities with SPoRT partners in the NWS.

Health-related quality of life and disease symptoms in postmenopausal women with HR(+), HER2(-) advanced breast cancer treated with everolimus plus exemestane versus exemestane monotherapy.

PubMed

Campone, Mario; Beck, J Thaddeus; Gnant, Michael; Neven, Patrick; Pritchard, Kathleen I; Bachelot, Thomas; Provencher, Louise; Rugo, Hope S; Piccart, Martine; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N; Nunzi, Martina; Heng, Daniel Y C; Baselga, José; Komorowski, Anna; Noguchi, Shinzaburo; Horiguchi, Jun; Bennett, Lee; Ziemiecki, Ryan; Zhang, Jie; Cahana, Ayelet; Taran, Tetiana; Sahmoud, Tarek; Burris, Howard A

2013-11-01

Everolimus (EVE)+exemestane (EXE; n = 485) more than doubled median progression-free survival versus placebo (PBO) + EXE (n = 239), with a manageable safety profile and no deterioration in health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)) advanced breast cancer (ABC) who recurred or progressed on/after nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) therapy. To further evaluate EVE + EXE impact on disease burden, we conducted additional post-hoc analyses of patient-reported HRQOL. HRQOL was assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires at baseline and every 6 weeks thereafter until treatment discontinuation because of disease progression, toxicity, or consent withdrawal. Endpoints included the QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (QL2) scale, the QLQ-BR23 breast symptom (BRBS), and arm symptom (BRAS) scales. Between-group differences in change from baseline were assessed using linear mixed models with selected covariates. Sensitivity analysis using pattern-mixture models determined the effect of study discontinuation on/before week 24. Treatment arms were compared using differences of least squares mean (LSM) changes from baseline and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at each timepoint and overall. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00863655. Progression-free survival, survival, response rate, safety, and HRQOL. Linear mixed models (primary model) demonstrated no statistically significant overall difference between EVE + EXE and PBO + EXE for QL2 (LSM difference = -1.91; 95% CI = -4.61, 0.78), BRBS (LSM difference = -0.18; 95% CI = -1.98, 1.62), or BRAS (LSM difference = -0.42; 95% CI = -2.94, 2.10). Based on pattern-mixture models, patients who dropped out early had worse QL2 decline on both treatments. In the expanded pattern-mixture model, EVE + EXE-treated patients who did not drop out early had stable BRBS and BRAS relative to PBO + EXE. HRQOL data were not collected after disease progression. These analyses confirm that EVE + EXE provides clinical benefit without adversely impacting HRQOL in patients with HR(+) ABC who recurred/progressed on prior NSAIs versus endocrine therapy alone.

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

Lei, Hongzhuan; Lu, Zhiming; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

These are slides from a presentation on identifying heterogeneities in subsurface environment using the level set method. The slides start with the motivation, then explain Level Set Method (LSM), the algorithms, some examples are given, and finally future work is explained.

Forward-looking Assimilation of MODIS-derived Snow Covered Area into a Land Surface Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaitchik, Benjamin F.; Rodell, Matthew

2008-01-01

Snow cover over land has a significant impact on the surface radiation budget, turbulent energy fluxes to the atmosphere, and local hydrological fluxes. For this reason, inaccuracies in the representation of snow covered area (SCA) within a land surface model (LSM) can lead to substantial errors in both offline and coupled simulations. Data assimilation algorithms have the potential to address this problem. However, the assimilation of SCA observations is complicated by an information deficit in the observation SCA indicates only the presence or absence of snow, and not snow volume and by the fact that assimilated SCA observations can introduce inconsistencies with atmospheric forcing data, leading to non-physical artifacts in the local water balance. In this paper we present a novel assimilation algorithm that introduces MODIS SCA observations to the Noah LSM in global, uncoupled simulations. The algorithm utilizes observations from up to 72 hours ahead of the model simulation in order to correct against emerging errors in the simulation of snow cover while preserving the local hydrologic balance. This is accomplished by using future snow observations to adjust air temperature and, when necessary, precipitation within the LSM. In global, offline integrations, this new assimilation algorithm provided improved simulation of SCA and snow water equivalent relative to open loop integrations and integrations that used an earlier SCA assimilation algorithm. These improvements, in turn, influenced the simulation of surface water and energy fluxes both during the snow season and, in some regions, on into the following spring.

Deconvolution of the PSF of a seismic lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jianhua; Wang, Yue; Schuster, Gerard T.

2002-12-01

We show that if seismic data d is related to the migration image by mmig = LTd. then mmig is a blurred version of the actual reflectivity distribution m, i.e., mmig = (LTL)m. Here L is the acoustic forward modeling operator under the Born approximation where d = Lm. The blurring operator (LTL), or point spread function, distorts the image because of defects in the seismic lens, i.e., small source-receiver recording aperture and irregular/coarse geophone-source spacing. These distortions can be partly suppressed by applying the deblurring operator (LTL)-1 to the migration image to get m = (LTL)-1mmig. This deblurred image is known as a least squares migration (LSM) image if (LTL)-1LT is applied to the data d using a conjugate gradient method, and is known as a migration deconvolved (MD) image if (LTL)-1 is directly applied to the migration image mmig in (kx, ky, z) space. The MD algorithm is an order-of-magnitude faster than LSM, but it employs more restrictive assumptions. We also show that deblurring can be used to filter out coherent noise in the data such as multiple reflections. The procedure is to, e.g., decompose the forward modeling operator into both primary and multiple reflection operators d = (Lprim + Lmulti)m, invert for m, and find the primary reflection data by dprim = Lprimm. This method is named least squares migration filtering (LSMF). The above three algorithms (LSM, MD and LSMF) might be useful for attacking problems in optical imaging.

Smed-SmB, a member of the LSm protein superfamily, is essential for chromatoid body organization and planarian stem cell proliferation.

PubMed

Fernandéz-Taboada, Enrique; Moritz, Sören; Zeuschner, Dagmar; Stehling, Martin; Schöler, Hans R; Saló, Emili; Gentile, Luca

2010-04-01

Planarians are an ideal model system to study in vivo the dynamics of adult pluripotent stem cells. However, our knowledge of the factors necessary for regulating the 'stemness' of the neoblasts, the adult stem cells of planarians, is sparse. Here, we report on the characterization of the first planarian member of the LSm protein superfamily, Smed-SmB, which is expressed in stem cells and neurons in Schmidtea mediterranea. LSm proteins are highly conserved key players of the splicing machinery. Our study shows that Smed-SmB protein, which is localized in the nucleus and the chromatoid body of stem cells, is required to safeguard the proliferative ability of the neoblasts. The chromatoid body, a cytoplasmatic ribonucleoprotein complex, is an essential regulator of the RNA metabolism required for the maintenance of metazoan germ cells. However, planarian neoblasts and neurons also rely on its functions. Remarkably, Smed-SmB dsRNA-mediated knockdown results in a rapid loss of organization of the chromatoid body, an impairment of the ability to post-transcriptionally process the transcripts of Smed-CycB, and a severe proliferative failure of the neoblasts. This chain of events leads to a quick depletion of the neoblast pool, resulting in a lethal phenotype for both regenerating and intact animals. In summary, our results suggest that Smed-SmB is an essential component of the chromatoid body, crucial to ensure a proper RNA metabolism and essential for stem cell proliferation.

HCI∧2 framework: a software framework for multimodal human-computer interaction systems.

PubMed

Shen, Jie; Pantic, Maja

2013-12-01

This paper presents a novel software framework for the development and research in the area of multimodal human-computer interface (MHCI) systems. The proposed software framework, which is called the HCI∧2 Framework, is built upon publish/subscribe (P/S) architecture. It implements a shared-memory-based data transport protocol for message delivery and a TCP-based system management protocol. The latter ensures that the integrity of system structure is maintained at runtime. With the inclusion of bridging modules, the HCI∧2 Framework is interoperable with other software frameworks including Psyclone and ActiveMQ. In addition to the core communication middleware, we also present the integrated development environment (IDE) of the HCI∧2 Framework. It provides a complete graphical environment to support every step in a typical MHCI system development process, including module development, debugging, packaging, and management, as well as the whole system management and testing. The quantitative evaluation indicates that our framework outperforms other similar tools in terms of average message latency and maximum data throughput under a typical single PC scenario. To demonstrate HCI∧2 Framework's capabilities in integrating heterogeneous modules, we present several example modules working with a variety of hardware and software. We also present an example of a full system developed using the proposed HCI∧2 Framework, which is called the CamGame system and represents a computer game based on hand-held marker(s) and low-cost camera(s).

Teaching Experimental Methods: A Framework for Hands-On Modules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doherty, David

2011-01-01

Experiments provide a simple and engaging framework for familiarizing students with the process of quantitative social research. In this article, I illustrate how experiments can be used in the classroom environment by describing a module that was implemented in four high school classrooms. The module familiarized students with how the scientific…

Multimedia-modeling integration development environment

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

Pelton, Mitchell A.; Hoopes, Bonnie L.

2002-09-02

There are many framework systems available; however, the purpose of the framework presented here is to capitalize on the successes of the Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES) and Multi-media Multi-pathway Multi-receptor Risk Assessment (3MRA) methodology as applied to the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule (HWIR) while focusing on the development of software tools to simplify the module developer?s effort of integrating a module into the framework.

A Prototype Land Information Sensor Web: Design, Implementation and Implication for the SMAP Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, H.; Houser, P.; Tian, Y.; Geiger, J. K.; Kumar, S. V.; Gates, L.

2009-12-01

Land Surface Model (LSM) predictions are regular in time and space, but these predictions are influenced by errors in model structure, input variables, parameters and inadequate treatment of sub-grid scale spatial variability. Consequently, LSM predictions are significantly improved through observation constraints made in a data assimilation framework. Several multi-sensor satellites are currently operating which provide multiple global observations of the land surface, and its related near-atmospheric properties. However, these observations are not optimal for addressing current and future land surface environmental problems. To meet future earth system science challenges, NASA will develop constellations of smart satellites in sensor web configurations which provide timely on-demand data and analysis to users, and can be reconfigured based on the changing needs of science and available technology. A sensor web is more than a collection of satellite sensors. That means a sensor web is a system composed of multiple platforms interconnected by a communication network for the purpose of performing specific observations and processing data required to support specific science goals. Sensor webs can eclipse the value of disparate sensor components by reducing response time and increasing scientific value, especially when the two-way interaction between the model and the sensor web is enabled. The study of a prototype Land Information Sensor Web (LISW) is sponsored by NASA, trying to integrate the Land Information System (LIS) in a sensor web framework which allows for optimal 2-way information flow that enhances land surface modeling using sensor web observations, and in turn allows sensor web reconfiguration to minimize overall system uncertainty. This prototype is based on a simulated interactive sensor web, which is then used to exercise and optimize the sensor web modeling interfaces. The Land Information Sensor Web Service-Oriented Architecture (LISW-SOA) has been developed and it is the very first sensor web framework developed especially for the land surface studies. Synthetic experiments based on the LISW-SOA and the virtual sensor web provide a controlled environment in which to examine the end-to-end performance of the prototype, the impact of various sensor web design trade-offs and the eventual value of sensor webs for a particular prediction or decision support. In this paper, the design, implementation of the LISW-SOA and the implication for the Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission is presented. Particular attention is focused on examining the relationship between the economic investment on a sensor web (space and air borne, ground based) and the accuracy of the model predicted soil moisture, which can be achieved by using such sensor observations. The Study of Virtual Land Information Sensor Web (LISW) is expected to provide some necessary a priori knowledge for designing and deploying the next generation Global Earth Observing System of systems (GEOSS).

Modules: A New Tool in the Emissions Modeling Framework

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-14

The Emissions Modeling Framework (EMF) is used by various organizations, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, to manage their emissions inventories, projections, and emissions modeling scenarios. Modules are a new tool under develo...

OpenDrift v1.0: a generic framework for trajectory modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dagestad, Knut-Frode; Röhrs, Johannes; Breivik, Øyvind; Ådlandsvik, Bjørn

2018-04-01

OpenDrift is an open-source Python-based framework for Lagrangian particle modelling under development at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute with contributions from the wider scientific community. The framework is highly generic and modular, and is designed to be used for any type of drift calculations in the ocean or atmosphere. A specific module within the OpenDrift framework corresponds to a Lagrangian particle model in the traditional sense. A number of modules have already been developed, including an oil drift module, a stochastic search-and-rescue module, a pelagic egg module, and a basic module for atmospheric drift. The framework allows for the ingestion of an unspecified number of forcing fields (scalar and vectorial) from various sources, including Eulerian ocean, atmosphere and wave models, but also measurements or a priori values for the same variables. A basic backtracking mechanism is inherent, using sign reversal of the total displacement vector and negative time stepping. OpenDrift is fast and simple to set up and use on Linux, Mac and Windows environments, and can be used with minimal or no Python experience. It is designed for flexibility, and researchers may easily adapt or write modules for their specific purpose. OpenDrift is also designed for performance, and simulations with millions of particles may be performed on a laptop. Further, OpenDrift is designed for robustness and is in daily operational use for emergency preparedness modelling (oil drift, search and rescue, and drifting ships) at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Silymarin in liposomes and ethosomes: pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution in free-moving rats by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chang, Li-Wen; Hou, Mei-Ling; Tsai, Tung-Hu

2014-12-03

The aim of this study was to prepare silymarin formulations (silymarin entrapped in liposomes and ethosomes, formulations referred to as LSM and ESM, respectively) to improve oral bioavailability of silymarin and evaluate its tissue distribution by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in free-moving rats. Silibinin is the major active constituent of silymarin, which is the main component to be analyzed. A rapid, sensitive, and repeatable LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated in terms of precision, accuracy, and extraction recovery. Furthermore, the established method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of silymarin in rats. The size, ζ potential, and drug release of the formulations were characterized. These results showed that the LSM and ESM encapsulated formulations of silymarin may provide more efficient tissue distribution and increased oral bioavailability, thus improving its therapeutic bioactive properties in the body.

Fracture and strain rate behavior of airplane fuselage materials under blast loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mediavilla Varas, J.; Soetens, F.; Kroon, E.; van Aanhold, J. E.; van der Meulen, O. R.; Sagimon, M.

2010-06-01

The dynamic behavior of three commonly used airplane fuselage materials is investigated, namely of Al2024-T3, Glare-3 and CFRP. Dynamic tensile tests using a servo-hydraulic and a light weight shock testing machine (LSM) have been performed. The results showed no strain rate effect on Al2024-T3 and an increase in the failure strain and failure strength of Glare-3, but no stiffening. The LSM results on CFRP were inconclusive. Two types of fracture tests were carried out to determine the dynamic crack propagation behavior of these materials, using prestressed plates and pressurized barrels, both with the help of explosives. The prestressed plates proved to be not suitable, whereas the barrel tests were quite reliable, allowing to measure the crack speeds. The tougher, more ductile materials, Al2024-T3 and Glare-3, showed lower crack speeds than CFRP, which failed in a brittle manner.

Experimentally observed evolution between dynamic patterns and intrinsic localized modes in a driven nonlinear electrical cyclic lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shige, S.; Miyasaka, K.; Shi, W.; Soga, Y.; Sato, M.; Sievers, A. J.

2018-02-01

Locked intrinsic localized modes (ILMs) and large amplitude lattice spatial modes (LSMs) have been experimentally measured for a driven 1-D nonlinear cyclic electric transmission line, where the nonlinear element is a saturable capacitor. Depending on the number of cells and electrical lattice damping an LSM of fixed shape can be tuned across the modal spectrum. Interestingly, by tuning the driver frequency away from this spectrum the LSM can be continuously converted into ILMs and vice versa. The differences in pattern formation between simulations and experimental findings are due to a low concentration of impurities. Through this novel nonlinear excitation and switching channel in cyclic lattices either energy balanced or unbalanced LSMs and ILMs may occur. Because of the general nature of these dynamical results for nonintegrable lattices applications are to be expected. The ultimate stability of driven aero machinery containing nonlinear periodic structures may be one example.

Space-based Doppler lidar sampling strategies: Algorithm development and simulated observation experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emmitt, G. D.; Wood, S. A.; Morris, M.

1990-01-01

Lidar Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) Simulation Models (LSM) were developed to evaluate the potential impact of global wind observations on the basic understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and on the predictive skills of current forecast models (GCM and regional scale). Fully integrated top to bottom LAWS Simulation Models for global and regional scale simulations were developed. The algorithm development incorporated the effects of aerosols, water vapor, clouds, terrain, and atmospheric turbulence into the models. Other additions include a new satellite orbiter, signal processor, line of sight uncertainty model, new Multi-Paired Algorithm and wind error analysis code. An atmospheric wind field library containing control fields, meteorological fields, phenomena fields, and new European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) data was also added. The LSM was used to address some key LAWS issues and trades such as accuracy and interpretation of LAWS information, data density, signal strength, cloud obscuration, and temporal data resolution.

Heterogeneous electrolyte (YSZ-Al 2O 3) based direct oxidation solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thokchom, J. S.; Xiao, H.; Rottmayer, M.; Reitz, T. L.; Kumar, B.

Bilayers comprised of dense and porous YSZ-Al 2O 3 (20 wt%) composite were tape cast, processed, and then fabricated into working solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The porous part of the bilayer was converted into anode for direct oxidation of fuels by infiltrating CeO 2 and Cu. The cathode side of the bilayer was coated with an interlayer [YSZ-Al 2O 3 (20 wt%)]: LSM (1:1) and LSM as cathode. Several button cells were evaluated under hydrogen/air and propane/air atmospheres in intermediate temperature range and their performance data were analyzed. For the first time the feasibility of using YSZ-Al 2O 3 material for fabricating working SOFCs with high open circuit voltage (OCV) and power density is demonstrated. AC impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to characterize the membrane and cell.

Rewards and Penalties: A Gamification Approach for Increasing Attendance and Engagement in an Undergraduate Computing Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Hope; Greenhill, Darrel

2014-01-01

This paper describes how a gamified rewards and penalties framework was used to increase attendance and engagement in a level six undergraduate computing module teaching game production. The framework was applied to the same module over two consecutive years: a control year and a trial year. In both years the tutor, assignments and assessment…

Impact of soil moisture initialization on boreal summer subseasonal forecasts: mid-latitude surface air temperature and heat wave events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Eunkyo; Lee, Myong-In; Jeong, Jee-Hoon; Koster, Randal D.; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Kim, Hye-Mi; Kim, Daehyun; Kang, Hyun-Suk; Kim, Hyun-Kyung; MacLachlan, Craig; Scaife, Adam A.

2018-05-01

This study uses a global land-atmosphere coupled model, the land-atmosphere component of the Global Seasonal Forecast System version 5, to quantify the degree to which soil moisture initialization could potentially enhance boreal summer surface air temperature forecast skill. Two sets of hindcast experiments are performed by prescribing the observed sea surface temperature as the boundary condition for a 15-year period (1996-2010). In one set of the hindcast experiments (noINIT), the initial soil moisture conditions are randomly taken from a long-term simulation. In the other set (INIT), the initial soil moisture conditions are taken from an observation-driven offline Land Surface Model (LSM) simulation. The soil moisture conditions from the offline LSM simulation are calibrated using the forecast model statistics to minimize the inconsistency between the LSM and the land-atmosphere coupled model in their mean and variability. Results show a higher boreal summer surface air temperature prediction skill in INIT than in noINIT, demonstrating the potential benefit from an accurate soil moisture initialization. The forecast skill enhancement appears especially in the areas in which the evaporative fraction—the ratio of surface latent heat flux to net surface incoming radiation—is sensitive to soil moisture amount. These areas lie in the transitional regime between humid and arid climates. Examination of the extreme 2003 European and 2010 Russian heat wave events reveal that the regionally anomalous soil moisture conditions during the events played an important role in maintaining the stationary circulation anomalies, especially those near the surface.

Comparison of iron and copper doped manganese cobalt spinel oxides as protective coatings for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talic, Belma; Molin, Sebastian; Wiik, Kjell; Hendriksen, Peter Vang; Lein, Hilde Lea

2017-12-01

MnCo2O4, MnCo1.7Cu0.3O4 and MnCo1.7Fe0.3O4 are investigated as coatings for corrosion protection of metallic interconnects in solid oxide fuel cell stacks. Electrophoretic deposition is used to deposit the coatings on Crofer 22 APU alloy. All three coating materials reduce the parabolic oxidation rate in air at 900 °C and 800 °C. At 700 °C there is no significant difference in oxidation rate between coated samples and uncoated pre-oxidized Crofer 22 APU. The cross-scale area specific resistance (ASR) is measured in air at 800 °C using La0.85Sr0.1Mn1.1O3 (LSM) contact plates to simulate the interaction with the cathode in a SOFC stack. All coated samples have three times lower ASR than uncoated Crofer 22 APU after 4370 h aging. The ASR increase with time is lowest with the MnCo2O4 coating, followed by the MnCo1.7Fe0.3O4 and MnCo1.7Cu0.3O4 coatings. LSM plates contacted to uncoated Crofer 22 APU contain significant amounts of Cr after aging, while all three coatings effectively prevent Cr diffusion into the LSM. A complex Cr-rich reaction layer develops at the coating-alloy interface during oxidation. Cu and Fe doping reduce the extent of this reaction layer at 900 °C, while at 800 °C the effect of doping is insignificant.

Degradation of (La(0.8)Sr(0.2))(0.98)MnO(3-δ)-Zr(0.84)Y(0.16)O(2-γ) composite electrodes during reversing current operation.

PubMed

Hughes, Gareth A; Railsback, Justin G; Yakal-Kremski, Kyle J; Butts, Danielle M; Barnett, Scott A

2015-01-01

Reversing-current operation of solid oxide cell (La(0.8)Sr(0.2))(0.98)MnO(3-δ)-Zr(0.84)Y(0.16)O(2-γ) (LSM-YSZ) oxygen electrodes is described. Degradation was characterized by impedance spectroscopy in symmetric cells tested at 800 °C in air with a symmetric current cycle with a period of 12 hours. No change in cell resistance could be detected, in 1000 h tests with a sensitivity of ∼1% per kh, at a current density of 0.5 A cm(-2) corresponding to an overpotential of 0.18 V. At a current density to 0.6 A cm(-2) (0.33 V overpotential) measurable resistance degradation at a rate of 3% per kh was observed, while higher current/overpotential values led to faster degradation. Degradation was observed mainly in the ohmic resistance for current densities of 0.6, 0.8 and 0.9 A cm(-2), with little change in the polarization resistance. Polarization degradation, mainly observed at higher current density, was present as an increase in an impedance response at ∼30 kHz, apparently associated with the resistance of YSZ grain boundaries within the electrode. Microstructural and chemical analysis showed significant changes in electrode structure after the current cycling, including an increase in LSM particle size and a reduction in the amount of YSZ and LSM at the electrode/electrolyte interface - the latter presumably a precursor to delamination.

Brain vascular image enhancement based on gradient adjust with split Bregman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Xiao; Dong, Di; Hui, Hui; Zhang, Liwen; Fang, Mengjie; Tian, Jie

2016-04-01

Light Sheet Microscopy is a high-resolution fluorescence microscopic technique which enables to observe the mouse brain vascular network clearly with immunostaining. However, micro-vessels are stained with few fluorescence antibodies and their signals are much weaker than large vessels, which make micro-vessels unclear in LSM images. In this work, we developed a vascular image enhancement method to enhance micro-vessel details which should be useful for vessel statistics analysis. Since gradient describes the edge information of the vessel, the main idea of our method is to increase the gradient values of the enhanced image to improve the micro-vessels contrast. Our method contained two steps: 1) calculate the gradient image of LSM image, and then amplify high gradient values of the original image to enhance the vessel edge and suppress low gradient values to remove noises. Then we formulated a new L1-norm regularization optimization problem to find an image with the expected gradient while keeping the main structure information of the original image. 2) The split Bregman iteration method was used to deal with the L1-norm regularization problem and generate the final enhanced image. The main advantage of the split Bregman method is that it has both fast convergence and low memory cost. In order to verify the effectiveness of our method, we applied our method to a series of mouse brain vascular images acquired from a commercial LSM system in our lab. The experimental results showed that our method could greatly enhance micro-vessel edges which were unclear in the original images.

Interconnects for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wenhua

Presently, one of the principal goals of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) research is to reduce the stack operating temperature to between 600 and 800°C. However, one of the principal technological barriers is the non-availability of a suitable material satisfying all of the stability requirements for the interconnect. In this work two approaches for intermediate temperature SOFC interconnects have been explored. The first approach comprises an interconnect consisting of a bi-layer structure, a p-type oxide (La0.96Sr0.08MnO 2.001/LSM) layer exposed to a cathodic environment, and an n-type oxide (Y0.08Sr0.88Ti0.95Al0.05O 3-delta/YSTA) layer exposed to anodic conditions. Theoretical analysis based on the bi-layer structure has established design criteria to implement this approach. The analysis shows that the interfacial oxygen partial pressure, which determines the interconnect stability, is independent of the electronic conductivities of both layers but dependent on the oxygen ion layer interconnects, the oxygen ion conductivities of LSM and YSTA were measured as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. Based on the measured data, it has been determined that if the thickness of YSTA layer is around 0.1cm, the thickness of LSM layer should be around 0.6 mum in order to maintain the stability of LSM. In a second approach, a less expensive stainless steel interconnect has been studied. However, one of the major concerns associated with the use of metallic interconnects is the development of a semi-conducting or insulating oxide scale and chromium volatility during extended exposure to the SOFC operating environment. Dense and well adhered Mn-Cu spinet oxide coatings were successfully deposited on stainless steel by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. It was found that the Mn-Cu-O coating significantly reduced the oxidation rate of the stainless steel and the volatility of chromium. The area specific resistance (ASR) of coated Crofer 22 APU is expected to he around 1.2x10 -2Ocm2 after exposure to air at 800°C for 50000 hours. This demonstrates that Crofer 22 APU with CuMn1.8O 4 coating deposited by EPD is suitable for application as interconnects in intermediate temperature SOFCs.

Non-growing season nitrous oxide fluxes from agricultural soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kariyapperuma Athukoralage, Kumudinie

A two-year field experiment was conducted at the Arkell Research Station, Ontario, Canada to evaluate composting as a mitigation strategy for greenhouse gases (GHGs). The objectives were to quantify and compare non-growing season nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from agricultural soils after fall manure application of composted and untreated liquid swine manure. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured using a micrometeorological method. Compared to untreated liquid swine manure (LSM), composted swine manure (CSM) resulted in 57% reduction of soil N2O emissions during February to April in 2005, but emissions during the same period in 2006 were not affected by treatments. This effect was related to fall and winter weather conditions with the significant reduction occurring in the year when soil freezing was more pronounced. The DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) model was tested against data measured during the non-growing seasons from 2000 to 2004, for farming with conventional management at the Elora Research Station, Ontario, Canada. The objective was to assess the ability of the DNDC model to simulate non-growing season N2O fluxes from soils in southwestern Ontario. Comparison between model-simulated and measured data indicated that background fluxes were relatively well predicted. The spring thaw N2O flux event was correctly timed by the DNDC model, but was smaller than the measured spring thaw event. Though there was no N2O emission event measured in early May, the DNDC model predicted a large event, simultaneous with the physical release of predicted ice-trapped N2O. Removing the large and late predicted emission peak and increasing the contribution of newly produced N2O due to denitrification to the early spring thaw event were proposed. Three data sets from studies conducted in Ontario, Canada were used to estimate and compare the overall GHG (N2O and methane) emissions from LSM and CSM. Compared to LSM storage, the composting process reduced GHG emissions by 35% (CO2-eq), mainly due to decreased methane fluxes. Land application of CSM showed a 38% reduction of total GHGs (CO 2-eq), compared to fall application of LSM. In comparison to liquid swine manure management systems, aerobic composting reduced the overall GHG emissions on a CO2-equivalent basis by 35%.

Materials system for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells based on doped lanthanum-gallate electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Wenquan

2005-07-01

The objective of this work was to identify a materials system for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Towards this goal, alternating current complex impedance spectroscopy was employed as a tool to study electrode polarization effects in symmetrical cells employing strontium and magnesium doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM) electrolyte. Several cathode materials were investigated including strontium doped lanthanum manganite (LSM), Strontium and iron doped lanthanum cobaltate (LSCF), LSM-LSGM, and LSCF-LSGM composites. Investigated Anode materials included nickel-gadolinium or lanthanum doped cerium oxide (Ni-GDC, or Ni-LDC) composites. The ohmic and the polarization resistances of the symmetrical cells were obtained as a function of temperature, time, thickness, and the composition of the electrodes. Based on these studies, the single phase LSM electrode had the highest polarization resistance among the cathode materials. The mixed-conducting LSCF electrode had polarization resistance orders of magnitude lower than that of the LSM-LSGM composite electrodes. Although incorporating LSGM in the LSCF electrode did not reduce the cell polarization resistance significantly, it could reduce the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the LSCF electrodes and LSGM electrolyte. Moreover, the polarization resistance of the LSCF electrode decreased asymptotically as the electrode thickness was increased thus suggesting that the electrode thickness needed not be thicker than this asymptotic limit. On the anode side of the IT-SOFC, Ni reacted with LSGM electrolyte, and lanthanum diffusion occurred from the LSGM electrolyte to the GDC barrier layer, which was between the LSGM electrolyte and the Ni-composite anode. However, LDC served as an effective barrier layer. Ni-LDC (70 v% Ni) anode had the largest polarization resistance, while all other anode materials, i.e. Ni-LDC (50 v% Ni), Ni-GDC (70 v% NO, and Ni-GDC (50 v% Ni), had similar polarization resistances. Ni-LDC (50 v% NO was selected to be the anode for the LSGM electrolyte with a thin LDC barrier layer. Finally, the performance of complete LSGM electrolyte-supported IT-SOFCs with the selected cathode (LSCF-LSGM) and anode (Ni-LDC) materials coupled with the LDC barrier layer was evaluated at 600--800°C. The simulated cell performance of the anode-supported cell based on LSGM electrolyte was promising.

Dynamics of liver stiffness values by means of transient elastography in patients with HCV liver cirrhosis undergoing interferon free treatment.

PubMed

Sporea, Ioan; Lupușoru, Raluca; Mare, Ruxandra; Popescu, Alina; Gheorghe, Liana; Iacob, Speranța; Șirli, Roxana

2017-06-01

Liver stiffness (LS) measurement by Transient Elastography (TE) has been widely accepted as a tool for fibrosis assessment. The aim of this study was to assess LS dynamics in a group of patients with HCV liver cirrhosis after interferon free treatment (IFT). This two-center clinical trial included 225 patients with compensated HCV cirrhosis (all genotype 1b), who received IFT for 12 weeks. All patients were evaluated by means of TE at the beginning and at the end of treatment (EOT), and a subgroup (170 patients) also 12 weeks after EOT; all of them had sustained viral response (SVR). Reliable LS measurements (LSM) were defined as a median value of 10 valid LSM, with IQR <30% and SR >/=60%. Both M and XL probes were used. For diagnosing cirrhosis we used a cut-off value of 12kPa as proposed by the Tsochatzis meta-analysis. We considered a decrease or increase of more than 10% in LSM as being significant. Out of 225 subjects, reliable measurements were obtained in 93.7%, so that the final analysis included 211 patients. The mean LS values decreased significantly after IFT: 26.4+/-11.7 vs. 23.5+/-13.3 kPa (p=0.01). Most patients, 59.2% (125/211) presented more than 10% decrease in LS values, 24.1% (51/211) had stable LS values, while in 16.4% (35/211) cases, the LS values increased. In the subgroup of 170 patients with LSM also performed 12 weeks after EOT (SVR), the mean LS values were significantly lower as compared to baseline: 21.3+/-11 kPa vs. 27.4+/-11.9 kPa (p<0.0001) and also as compared to EOT: 21.3+/-11 kPa vs. 23.7+/-13.3 kPa (p<0.0001). In our patients with HCV liver cirrhosis, the mean LS values evaluated by TE significantly decreased after antiviral treatment at EOT and also 12 weeks after EOT as compared to baseline. Overall, about 60% of patients had LS values at EOT lower than at baseline, while 12 weeks after EOT about 75% of patients had LS values lower than at baseline.

Unstructured medical image query using big data - An epilepsy case study.

PubMed

Istephan, Sarmad; Siadat, Mohammad-Reza

2016-02-01

Big data technologies are critical to the medical field which requires new frameworks to leverage them. Such frameworks would benefit medical experts to test hypotheses by querying huge volumes of unstructured medical data to provide better patient care. The objective of this work is to implement and examine the feasibility of having such a framework to provide efficient querying of unstructured data in unlimited ways. The feasibility study was conducted specifically in the epilepsy field. The proposed framework evaluates a query in two phases. In phase 1, structured data is used to filter the clinical data warehouse. In phase 2, feature extraction modules are executed on the unstructured data in a distributed manner via Hadoop to complete the query. Three modules have been created, volume comparer, surface to volume conversion and average intensity. The framework allows for user-defined modules to be imported to provide unlimited ways to process the unstructured data hence potentially extending the application of this framework beyond epilepsy field. Two types of criteria were used to validate the feasibility of the proposed framework - the ability/accuracy of fulfilling an advanced medical query and the efficiency that Hadoop provides. For the first criterion, the framework executed an advanced medical query that spanned both structured and unstructured data with accurate results. For the second criterion, different architectures were explored to evaluate the performance of various Hadoop configurations and were compared to a traditional Single Server Architecture (SSA). The surface to volume conversion module performed up to 40 times faster than the SSA (using a 20 node Hadoop cluster) and the average intensity module performed up to 85 times faster than the SSA (using a 40 node Hadoop cluster). Furthermore, the 40 node Hadoop cluster executed the average intensity module on 10,000 models in 3h which was not even practical for the SSA. The current study is limited to epilepsy field and further research and more feature extraction modules are required to show its applicability in other medical domains. The proposed framework advances data-driven medicine by unleashing the content of unstructured medical data in an efficient and unlimited way to be harnessed by medical experts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recent Upgrades to NASA SPoRT Initialization Datasets for the Environmental Modeling System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; LaFontaine, Frank J.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Zavodsky, Bradley T.; Rozumalski, Robert A.

2012-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has developed several products for its National Weather Service (NWS) partners that can initialize specific fields for local model runs within the NOAA/NWS Science and Training Resource Center (STRC) Environmental Modeling System (EMS). In last year's NWA abstract on this topic, the suite of SPoRT products supported in the STRC EMS was presented, which includes a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) composite, a Great Lakes sea-ice extent, a Green Vegetation Fraction (GVF) composite, and NASA Land Information System (LIS) gridded output. This abstract and companion presentation describes recent upgrades made to the SST and GVF composites, as well as the real-time LIS runs. The Great Lakes sea-ice product is unchanged from 2011. The SPoRT SST composite product has been expanded geographically and as a result, the resolution has been coarsened from 1 km to 2 km to accommodate the larger domain. The expanded domain covers much of the northern hemisphere from eastern Asia to western Europe (0 N to 80 N latitude and 150 E to 10 E longitude). In addition, the NESDIS POES-GOES product was added to fill in gaps caused by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) being unable to sense in cloudy regions, replacing the recently-lost Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS with negligible change to product fidelity. The SST product now runs twice per day for Terra and Aqua combined data collections from 0000 to 1200 UTC and from 1200 to 0000 UTC, with valid analysis times at 0600 and 1800 UTC. The twice-daily compositing technique reduces the overall latency of the previous version while still representing the diurnal cycle characteristics. The SST composites are available at approximately four hours after the end of each collection period (i.e. 1600 UTC for the nighttime analysis and 0400 UTC for the daytime analysis). The real-time MODIS GVF composite has only received minor updates in the past year. The domain was expanded slightly to extend further west, north, and east to improve coverage over parts of southern Canada. Minor adjustments were also made to the manner in which GVF is calculated from the distribution of maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from MODIS. The presentation will highlight some examples of the substantial inter-annual change in GVF that occurred from 2010 to 2011 in the U.S. Southern Plains as a result of the summer 2011 drought, and the early vegetation green up across the eastern U.S. due to the very warm conditions in March 2012. Finally, the SPoRT LIS runs the operational Noah land surface model (LSM) in real time over much of the eastern half of the CONUS. The Noah LSM is continually cycled in real time, uncoupled to any model, and driven by operational atmospheric analyses over a long-term, multi-year integration. The LIS-Noah provides the STRC EMS with high-resolution (3 km) LSM initialization data that are in equilibrium with the operational analysis forcing. The Noah LSM within the SPoRT LIS has been upgraded from version 2.7.1 to version 3.2, which has improved look-up table attributes for several land surface quantities. The surface albedo field is now being adjusted based on the input real-time MODIS GVF, thereby improving the net radiation. Also, the LIS-Noah now uses the newer MODIS-based land use classification scheme (i.e. the International Biosphere-Geosphere Programme [IGBP]) that has a better depiction of urban corridors in areas where urban sprawl has occurred. STRC EMS users interested in initializing their LSM fields with high-resolution SPoRT LIS data should set up their model domain with the MODIS-IGBP 20-class land use database and select Noah as the LSM.

An Evaluation Quality Framework for Analysing School-Based Learning (SBL) to Work-Based Learning (WBL) Transition Module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alseddiqi, M.; Mishra, R.; Pislaru, C.

2012-05-01

The paper presents the results from a quality framework to measure the effectiveness of a new engineering course entitled 'school-based learning (SBL) to work-based learning (WBL) transition module' in the Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) system in Bahrain. The framework is an extended version of existing information quality frameworks with respect to pedagogical and technological contexts. It incorporates specific pedagogical and technological dimensions as per the Bahrain modern industry requirements. Users' views questionnaire on the effectiveness of the new transition module was distributed to various stakeholders including TVE teachers and students. The aim was to receive critical information in diagnosing, monitoring and evaluating different views and perceptions about the effectiveness of the new module. The analysis categorised the quality dimensions by their relative importance. This was carried out using the principal component analysis available in SPSS. The analysis clearly identified the most important quality dimensions integrated in the new module for SBL-to-WBL transition. It was also apparent that the new module contains workplace proficiencies, prepares TVE students for work placement, provides effective teaching and learning methodologies, integrates innovative technology in the process of learning, meets modern industrial needs, and presents a cooperative learning environment for TVE students. From the principal component analysis finding, to calculate the percentage of relative importance of each factor and its quality dimensions, was significant. The percentage comparison would justify the most important factor as well as the most important quality dimensions. Also, the new, re-arranged quality dimensions from the finding with an extended number of factors tended to improve the extended version of the quality information framework to a revised quality framework.

Soil Moisture Data Assimilation in the NASA Land Information System for Local Modeling Applications and Improved Situational Awareness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Blakenship, Clay B.; Zavodsky, Bradley T.

2014-01-01

As part of the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Early Adopter (EA) program, the NASA Shortterm Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has implemented a data assimilation (DA) routine into the NASA Land Information System (LIS) for soil moisture retrievals from the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite. The SMAP EA program promotes application-driven research to provide a fundamental understanding of how SMAP data products will be used to improve decision-making at operational agencies. SPoRT has partnered with select NOAA/NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) that use output from a real-time regional configuration of LIS, without soil moisture DA, to initialize local numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and enhance situational awareness. Improvements to local NWP with the current LIS have been demonstrated; however, a better representation of the land surface through assimilation of SMOS (and eventually SMAP) retrievals is expected to lead to further model improvement, particularly during warm-season months. SPoRT will collaborate with select WFOs to assess the impact of soil moisture DA on operational forecast situations. Assimilation of the legacy SMOS instrument data provides an opportunity to develop expertise in preparation for using SMAP data products shortly after the scheduled launch on 5 November 2014. SMOS contains a passive L-band radiometer that is used to retrieve surface soil moisture at 35-km resolution with an accuracy of 0.04 cu cm cm (exp -3). SMAP will feature a comparable passive L-band instrument in conjunction with a 3-km resolution active radar component of slightly degraded accuracy. A combined radar-radiometer product will offer unprecedented global coverage of soil moisture at high spatial resolution (9 km) for hydrometeorological applications, balancing the resolution and accuracy of the active and passive instruments, respectively. The LIS software framework manages land surface model (LSM) simulations and includes an Ensemble Kalman Filter for conducting land surface DA. SPoRT has added a module to read, quality-control and bias-correct swaths of Level II SMOS soil moisture retrievals prior to assimilation within LIS. The impact of SMOS DA is being tested using the Noah LSM. Experiments are being conducted to examine the impacts of SMOS soil moisture DA on the resulting LISNoah fields and subsequent NWP simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model initialized with LIS-Noah output. LIS-Noah soil moisture will be validated against in situ observations from Texas A&M's North American Soil Moisture Database to reveal the impact and possible improvement in soil moisture trends through DA. WRF model NWP case studies will test the impacts of DA on the simulated near-surface and boundary-layer environments, and precipitation during both quiescent and disturbed weather scenarios. Emphasis will be placed on cases with large analysis increments, especially due to contributions from regional irrigation patterns that are not represented by precipitation input in the baseline LIS-Noah run. This poster presentation will describe the soil moisture DA methodology and highlight LIS-Noah and WRF simulation results with and without assimilation.

Land Surface Model Biases and their Impacts on the Assimilation of Snow-related Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsenault, K. R.; Kumar, S.; Hunter, S. M.; Aman, R.; Houser, P. R.; Toll, D.; Engman, T.; Nigro, J.

2007-12-01

Some recent snow modeling studies have employed a wide range of assimilation methods to incorporate snow cover or other snow-related observations into different hydrological or land surface models. These methods often include taking both model and observation biases into account throughout the model integration. This study focuses more on diagnosing the model biases and presenting their subsequent impacts on assimilating snow observations and modeled snowmelt processes. In this study, the land surface model, the Community Land Model (CLM), is used within the Land Information System (LIS) modeling framework to show how such biases impact the assimilation of MODIS snow cover observations. Alternative in-situ and satellite-based observations are used to help guide the CLM LSM in better predicting snowpack conditions and more realistic timing of snowmelt for a western US mountainous region. Also, MODIS snow cover observation biases will be discussed, and validation results will be provided. The issues faced with inserting or assimilating MODIS snow cover at moderate spatial resolutions (like 1km or less) will be addressed, and the impacts on CLM will be presented.

Mosquito larval source management for controlling malaria

PubMed Central

Tusting, Lucy S; Thwing, Julie; Sinclair, David; Fillinger, Ulrike; Gimnig, John; Bonner, Kimberly E; Bottomley, Christian; Lindsay, Steven W

2015-01-01

Background Malaria is an important cause of illness and death in people living in many parts of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) reduce malaria transmission by targeting the adult mosquito vector and are key components of malaria control programmes. However, mosquito numbers may also be reduced by larval source management (LSM), which targets mosquito larvae as they mature in aquatic habitats. This is conducted by permanently or temporarily reducing the availability of larval habitats (habitat modification and habitat manipulation), or by adding substances to standing water that either kill or inhibit the development of larvae (larviciding). Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito LSM for preventing malaria. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register; Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; CABS Abstracts; and LILACS up to 24 October 2012. We handsearched the Tropical Diseases Bulletin from 1900 to 2010, the archives of the World Health Organization (up to 11 February 2011), and the literature database of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board (up to 2 March 2011). We also contacted colleagues in the field for relevant articles. Selection criteria We included cluster randomized controlled trials (cluster-RCTs), controlled before-and-after trials with at least one year of baseline data, and randomized cross-over trials that compared LSM with no LSM for malaria control. We excluded trials that evaluated biological control of anopheline mosquitoes with larvivorous fish. Data collection and analysis At least two authors assessed each trial for eligibility. We extracted data and at least two authors independently determined the risk of bias in the included studies. We resolved all disagreements through discussion with a third author. We analyzed the data using Review Manager 5 software. Main results We included 13 studies; four cluster-RCTs, eight controlled before-and-after trials, and one randomized cross-over trial. The included studies evaluated habitat modification (one study), habitat modification with larviciding (two studies), habitat manipulation (one study), habitat manipulation plus larviciding (two studies), or larviciding alone (seven studies) in a wide variety of habitats and countries. Malaria incidence In two cluster-RCTs undertaken in Sri Lanka, larviciding of abandoned mines, streams, irrigation ditches, and rice paddies reduced malaria incidence by around three-quarters compared to the control (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.31, 20,124 participants, two trials, moderate quality evidence). In three controlled before-and-after trials in urban and rural India and rural Kenya, results were inconsistent (98,233 participants, three trials, very low quality evidence). In one trial in urban India, the removal of domestic water containers together with weekly larviciding of canals and stagnant pools reduced malaria incidence by three quarters. In one trial in rural India and one trial in rural Kenya, malaria incidence was higher at baseline in intervention areas than in controls. However dam construction in India, and larviciding of streams and swamps in Kenya, reduced malaria incidence to levels similar to the control areas. In one additional randomized cross-over trial in the flood plains of the Gambia River, where larval habitats were extensive and ill-defined, larviciding by ground teams did not result in a statistically significant reduction in malaria incidence (2039 participants, one trial). Parasite prevalence In one cluster-RCT from Sri Lanka, larviciding reduced parasite prevalence by almost 90% (RR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.22, 2963 participants, one trial, moderate quality evidence). In five controlled before-and-after trials in Greece, India, the Philippines, and Tanzania, LSM resulted in an average reduction in parasite prevalence of around two-thirds (RR 0.32, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.55, 8041 participants, five trials, moderate quality evidence). The interventions in these five trials included dam construction to reduce larval habitats, flushing of streams, removal of domestic water containers, and larviciding. In the randomized cross-over trial in the flood plains of the Gambia River, larviciding by ground teams did not significantly reduce parasite prevalence (2039 participants, one trial). Authors’ conclusions In Africa and Asia, LSM is another policy option, alongside LLINs and IRS, for reducing malaria morbidity in both urban and rural areas where a sufficient proportion of larval habitats can be targeted. Further research is needed to evaluate whether LSM is appropriate or feasible in parts of rural Africa where larval habitats are more extensive. PMID:23986463

Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture Profiles into a Crop Modeling Framework for Reliable Yield Estimations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, V.; Cruise, J.; Mecikalski, J. R.

2017-12-01

Much effort has been expended recently on the assimilation of remotely sensed soil moisture into operational land surface models (LSM). These efforts have normally been focused on the use of data derived from the microwave bands and results have often shown that improvements to model simulations have been limited due to the fact that microwave signals only penetrate the top 2-5 cm of the soil surface. It is possible that model simulations could be further improved through the introduction of geostationary satellite thermal infrared (TIR) based root zone soil moisture in addition to the microwave deduced surface estimates. In this study, root zone soil moisture estimates from the TIR based Atmospheric Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model were merged with NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) based surface estimates through the application of informational entropy. Entropy can be used to characterize the movement of moisture within the vadose zone and accounts for both advection and diffusion processes. The Principle of Maximum Entropy (POME) can be used to derive complete soil moisture profiles and, fortuitously, only requires a surface boundary condition as well as the overall mean moisture content of the soil column. A lower boundary can be considered a soil parameter or obtained from the LSM itself. In this study, SMAP provided the surface boundary while ALEXI supplied the mean and the entropy integral was used to tie the two together and produce the vertical profile. However, prior to the merging, the coarse resolution (9 km) SMAP data were downscaled to the finer resolution (4.7 km) ALEXI grid. The disaggregation scheme followed the Soil Evaporative Efficiency approach and again, all necessary inputs were available from the TIR model. The profiles were then assimilated into a standard agricultural crop model (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology, DSSAT) via the ensemble Kalman Filter. The study was conducted over the Southeastern United States for the growing seasons from 2015-2017. Soil moisture profiles compared favorably to in situ data and simulated crop yields compared well with observed yields.

Bridging the gap between modules in isolation and as part of networks: A systems framework for elucidating interaction and regulation of signalling modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Govind; Krishnan, J.

2016-07-01

While signalling and biochemical modules have been the focus of numerous studies, they are typically studied in isolation, with no examination of the effects of the ambient network. In this paper we formulate and develop a systems framework, rooted in dynamical systems, to understand such effects, by studying the interaction of signalling modules. The modules we consider are (i) basic covalent modification, (ii) monostable switches, (iii) bistable switches, (iv) adaptive modules, and (v) oscillatory modules. We systematically examine the interaction of these modules by analyzing (a) sequential interaction without shared components, (b) sequential interaction with shared components, and (c) oblique interactions. Our studies reveal that the behaviour of a module in isolation may be substantially different from that in a network, and explicitly demonstrate how the behaviour of a given module, the characteristics of the ambient network, and the possibility of shared components can result in new effects. Our global approach illuminates different aspects of the structure and functioning of modules, revealing the importance of dynamical characteristics as well as biochemical features; this provides a methodological platform for investigating the complexity of natural modules shaped by evolution, elucidating the effects of ambient networks on a module in multiple cellular contexts, and highlighting the capabilities and constraints for engineering robust synthetic modules. Overall, such a systems framework provides a platform for bridging the gap between non-linear information processing modules, in isolation and as parts of networks, and a basis for understanding new aspects of natural and engineered cellular networks.

Bridging the gap between modules in isolation and as part of networks: A systems framework for elucidating interaction and regulation of signalling modules.

PubMed

Menon, Govind; Krishnan, J

2016-07-21

While signalling and biochemical modules have been the focus of numerous studies, they are typically studied in isolation, with no examination of the effects of the ambient network. In this paper we formulate and develop a systems framework, rooted in dynamical systems, to understand such effects, by studying the interaction of signalling modules. The modules we consider are (i) basic covalent modification, (ii) monostable switches, (iii) bistable switches, (iv) adaptive modules, and (v) oscillatory modules. We systematically examine the interaction of these modules by analyzing (a) sequential interaction without shared components, (b) sequential interaction with shared components, and (c) oblique interactions. Our studies reveal that the behaviour of a module in isolation may be substantially different from that in a network, and explicitly demonstrate how the behaviour of a given module, the characteristics of the ambient network, and the possibility of shared components can result in new effects. Our global approach illuminates different aspects of the structure and functioning of modules, revealing the importance of dynamical characteristics as well as biochemical features; this provides a methodological platform for investigating the complexity of natural modules shaped by evolution, elucidating the effects of ambient networks on a module in multiple cellular contexts, and highlighting the capabilities and constraints for engineering robust synthetic modules. Overall, such a systems framework provides a platform for bridging the gap between non-linear information processing modules, in isolation and as parts of networks, and a basis for understanding new aspects of natural and engineered cellular networks.

Modeling sugar cane yield with a process-based model from site to continental scale: uncertainties arising from model structure and parameter values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valade, A.; Ciais, P.; Vuichard, N.; Viovy, N.; Huth, N.; Marin, F.; Martiné, J.-F.

2014-01-01

Agro-Land Surface Models (agro-LSM) have been developed from the integration of specific crop processes into large-scale generic land surface models that allow calculating the spatial distribution and variability of energy, water and carbon fluxes within the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum. When developing agro-LSM models, a particular attention must be given to the effects of crop phenology and management on the turbulent fluxes exchanged with the atmosphere, and the underlying water and carbon pools. A part of the uncertainty of Agro-LSM models is related to their usually large number of parameters. In this study, we quantify the parameter-values uncertainty in the simulation of sugar cane biomass production with the agro-LSM ORCHIDEE-STICS, using a multi-regional approach with data from sites in Australia, La Réunion and Brazil. In ORCHIDEE-STICS, two models are chained: STICS, an agronomy model that calculates phenology and management, and ORCHIDEE, a land surface model that calculates biomass and other ecosystem variables forced by STICS' phenology. First, the parameters that dominate the uncertainty of simulated biomass at harvest date are determined through a screening of 67 different parameters of both STICS and ORCHIDEE on a multi-site basis. Secondly, the uncertainty of harvested biomass attributable to those most sensitive parameters is quantified and specifically attributed to either STICS (phenology, management) or to ORCHIDEE (other ecosystem variables including biomass) through distinct Monte-Carlo runs. The uncertainty on parameter values is constrained using observations by calibrating the model independently at seven sites. In a third step, a sensitivity analysis is carried out by varying the most sensitive parameters to investigate their effects at continental scale. A Monte-Carlo sampling method associated with the calculation of Partial Ranked Correlation Coefficients is used to quantify the sensitivity of harvested biomass to input parameters on a continental scale across the large regions of intensive sugar cane cultivation in Australia and Brazil. Ten parameters driving most of the uncertainty in the ORCHIDEE-STICS modeled biomass at the 7 sites are identified by the screening procedure. We found that the 10 most sensitive parameters control phenology (maximum rate of increase of LAI) and root uptake of water and nitrogen (root profile and root growth rate, nitrogen stress threshold) in STICS, and photosynthesis (optimal temperature of photosynthesis, optimal carboxylation rate), radiation interception (extinction coefficient), and transpiration and respiration (stomatal conductance, growth and maintenance respiration coefficients) in ORCHIDEE. We find that the optimal carboxylation rate and photosynthesis temperature parameters contribute most to the uncertainty in harvested biomass simulations at site scale. The spatial variation of the ranked correlation between input parameters and modeled biomass at harvest is well explained by rain and temperature drivers, suggesting climate-mediated different sensitivities of modeled sugar cane yield to the model parameters, for Australia and Brazil. This study reveals the spatial and temporal patterns of uncertainty variability for a highly parameterized agro-LSM and calls for more systematic uncertainty analyses of such models.

Modeling sugarcane yield with a process-based model from site to continental scale: uncertainties arising from model structure and parameter values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valade, A.; Ciais, P.; Vuichard, N.; Viovy, N.; Caubel, A.; Huth, N.; Marin, F.; Martiné, J.-F.

2014-06-01

Agro-land surface models (agro-LSM) have been developed from the integration of specific crop processes into large-scale generic land surface models that allow calculating the spatial distribution and variability of energy, water and carbon fluxes within the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum. When developing agro-LSM models, particular attention must be given to the effects of crop phenology and management on the turbulent fluxes exchanged with the atmosphere, and the underlying water and carbon pools. A part of the uncertainty of agro-LSM models is related to their usually large number of parameters. In this study, we quantify the parameter-values uncertainty in the simulation of sugarcane biomass production with the agro-LSM ORCHIDEE-STICS, using a multi-regional approach with data from sites in Australia, La Réunion and Brazil. In ORCHIDEE-STICS, two models are chained: STICS, an agronomy model that calculates phenology and management, and ORCHIDEE, a land surface model that calculates biomass and other ecosystem variables forced by STICS phenology. First, the parameters that dominate the uncertainty of simulated biomass at harvest date are determined through a screening of 67 different parameters of both STICS and ORCHIDEE on a multi-site basis. Secondly, the uncertainty of harvested biomass attributable to those most sensitive parameters is quantified and specifically attributed to either STICS (phenology, management) or to ORCHIDEE (other ecosystem variables including biomass) through distinct Monte Carlo runs. The uncertainty on parameter values is constrained using observations by calibrating the model independently at seven sites. In a third step, a sensitivity analysis is carried out by varying the most sensitive parameters to investigate their effects at continental scale. A Monte Carlo sampling method associated with the calculation of partial ranked correlation coefficients is used to quantify the sensitivity of harvested biomass to input parameters on a continental scale across the large regions of intensive sugarcane cultivation in Australia and Brazil. The ten parameters driving most of the uncertainty in the ORCHIDEE-STICS modeled biomass at the 7 sites are identified by the screening procedure. We found that the 10 most sensitive parameters control phenology (maximum rate of increase of LAI) and root uptake of water and nitrogen (root profile and root growth rate, nitrogen stress threshold) in STICS, and photosynthesis (optimal temperature of photosynthesis, optimal carboxylation rate), radiation interception (extinction coefficient), and transpiration and respiration (stomatal conductance, growth and maintenance respiration coefficients) in ORCHIDEE. We find that the optimal carboxylation rate and photosynthesis temperature parameters contribute most to the uncertainty in harvested biomass simulations at site scale. The spatial variation of the ranked correlation between input parameters and modeled biomass at harvest is well explained by rain and temperature drivers, suggesting different climate-mediated sensitivities of modeled sugarcane yield to the model parameters, for Australia and Brazil. This study reveals the spatial and temporal patterns of uncertainty variability for a highly parameterized agro-LSM and calls for more systematic uncertainty analyses of such models.

Impact of Soil Moisture Assimilation on Land Surface Model Spin-Up and Coupled LandAtmosphere Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Lawston, P.

2016-01-01

Advances in satellite monitoring of the terrestrial water cycle have led to a concerted effort to assimilate soil moisture observations from various platforms into offline land surface models (LSMs). One principal but still open question is that of the ability of land data assimilation (LDA) to improve LSM initial conditions for coupled short-term weather prediction. In this study, the impact of assimilating Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) soil moisture retrievals on coupled WRF Model forecasts is examined during the summers of dry (2006) and wet (2007) surface conditions in the southern Great Plains. LDA is carried out using NASAs Land Information System (LIS) and the Noah LSM through an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) approach. The impacts of LDA on the 1) soil moisture and soil temperature initial conditions for WRF, 2) land-atmosphere coupling characteristics, and 3) ambient weather of the coupled LIS-WRF simulations are then assessed. Results show that impacts of soil moisture LDA during the spin-up can significantly modify LSM states and fluxes, depending on regime and season. Results also indicate that the use of seasonal cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) is more advantageous compared to the traditional annual CDF bias correction strategies. LDA performs consistently regardless of atmospheric forcing applied, with greater improvements seen when using coarser, global forcing products. Downstream impacts on coupled simulations vary according to the strength of the LDA impact at the initialization, where significant modifications to the soil moisture flux- PBL-ambient weather process chain are observed. Overall, this study demonstrates potential for future, higher-resolution soil moisture assimilation applications in weather and climate research.

Automated segmentation of chronic stroke lesions using LINDA: Lesion Identification with Neighborhood Data Analysis

PubMed Central

Pustina, Dorian; Coslett, H. Branch; Turkeltaub, Peter E.; Tustison, Nicholas; Schwartz, Myrna F.; Avants, Brian

2015-01-01

The gold standard for identifying stroke lesions is manual tracing, a method that is known to be observer dependent and time consuming, thus impractical for big data studies. We propose LINDA (Lesion Identification with Neighborhood Data Analysis), an automated segmentation algorithm capable of learning the relationship between existing manual segmentations and a single T1-weighted MRI. A dataset of 60 left hemispheric chronic stroke patients is used to build the method and test it with k-fold and leave-one-out procedures. With respect to manual tracings, predicted lesion maps showed a mean dice overlap of 0.696±0.16, Hausdorff distance of 17.9±9.8mm, and average displacement of 2.54±1.38mm. The manual and predicted lesion volumes correlated at r=0.961. An additional dataset of 45 patients was utilized to test LINDA with independent data, achieving high accuracy rates and confirming its cross-institutional applicability. To investigate the cost of moving from manual tracings to automated segmentation, we performed comparative lesion-to-symptom mapping (LSM) on five behavioral scores. Predicted and manual lesions produced similar neuro-cognitive maps, albeit with some discussed discrepancies. Of note, region-wise LSM was more robust to the prediction error than voxel-wise LSM. Our results show that, while several limitations exist, our current results compete with or exceed the state-of-the-art, producing consistent predictions, very low failure rates, and transferable knowledge between labs. This work also establishes a new viewpoint on evaluating automated methods not only with segmentation accuracy but also with brain-behavior relationships. LINDA is made available online with trained models from over 100 patients. PMID:26756101

Comparison of 3D dynamic virtual model to link segment model for estimation of net L4/L5 reaction moments during lifting.

PubMed

Abdoli-Eramaki, Mohammad; Stevenson, Joan M; Agnew, Michael J; Kamalzadeh, Amin

2009-04-01

The purpose of this study was to validate a 3D dynamic virtual model for lifting tasks against a validated link segment model (LSM). A face validation study was conducted by collecting x, y, z coordinate data and using them in both virtual and LSM models. An upper body virtual model was needed to calculate the 3D torques about human joints for use in simulated lifting styles and to estimate the effect of external mechanical devices on human body. Firstly, the model had to be validated to be sure it provided accurate estimates of 3D moments in comparison to a previously validated LSM. Three synchronised Fastrak units with nine sensors were used to record data from one male subject who completed dynamic box lifting under 27 different load conditions (box weights (3), lifting techniques (3) and rotations (3)). The external moments about three axes of L4/L5 were compared for both models. A pressure switch on the box was used to denote the start and end of the lift. An excellent agreement [image omitted] was found between the two models for dynamic lifting tasks, especially for larger moments in flexion and extension. This virtual model was considered valid for use in a complete simulation of the upper body skeletal system. This biomechanical virtual model of the musculoskeletal system can be used by researchers and practitioners to give a better tool to study the causes of LBP and the effect of intervention strategies, by permitting the researcher to see and control a virtual subject's motions.

Availability of, access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables in a peri-urban area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

PubMed

Faber, Mieke; Laubscher, Ria; Laurie, Sunette

2013-07-01

Availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables were assessed in peri-urban households in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Caregivers of 400 randomly selected grade 6 and 7 learners were interviewed using a questionnaire that included unquantified food frequency questions. Using a repeated 24-h dietary recall, dietary intake was quantified for learners, caregivers and 2- to 5-year-old children in the household. Usual household fruit and vegetable consumption was expressed over three Living Standard Measure (LSM) categories. Average per capita intake of fruit and/or vegetables was 99 g for 2- to 5-year-old children and 124 g for caregivers. For consumers, fruits and/or vegetables contributed towards total dietary intake of fibre (16-21%), calcium (13-21%), vitamin A (27-31%) and vitamin C (47-62%). For households not consuming fruits (n = 297) and vegetables (n = 178) daily, cost was the major constraint (≥75%). Of all households, 52% had fruit trees and 25% had a vegetable garden. Animals destroying vegetables was the major constraint to 59% of vegetable growers. Household consumption of fruits and vegetables increased over the LSM categories. Caregivers in the higher LSM group more likely used printed material for information on healthy eating, had fruit trees, were confident about vegetable gardening and sold some of their produce. To enable peri-urban populations of low socio-economic status to consume more frequently a bigger variety of fruits and vegetables, the cost of purchasing these food items needs to be addressed by government and business sector. Households should further receive support to overcome constraints which hamper the success of home gardens. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Confocal analysis of hepatocellular long-chain fatty acid uptake.

PubMed

Elsing, C; Winn-Börner, U; Stremmel, W

1995-12-01

Transmembrane transport and cytosolic accumulation of fatty acids were investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM). A Zeiss LSM 310 system was used to determine the uptake of the fluorescent fatty acid derivative 12-(N-methyl)-N-[(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3- diazol-4-yl)amino]octadecanoic acid (12-NBD stearate) (C18) in single rat hepatocytes. Uptake was a saturable process with a Michaelis-Menten constant value of 68 nM. Initial uptake velocity was dependent on extracellular presence of albumin and beta-lactoglobulin. Absence of albumin reduced uptake to 32 +/- 16% (P < 0.01) of control values. In the presence of unlabeled stearate, uptake of 12-NBD stearate was lowered to 49 +/- 12% (P < 0.01). Ion substitution experiments showed no sodium dependency of uptake. Increase in membrane potential led to a pronounced accumulation of the fatty acid derivative within the plasma membrane and in the adjacent cytoplasmic compartment, whereas membrane depolarization had no effect on uptake rates. In separate experiments line scans through representative hepatocytes were analyzed to generate "x-t" plots. 12-NBD stearate showed a fluorescence pattern with prominent staining of the area of the plasma membrane and the adjacent cytoplasm, dependent on the presence of extracellular albumin. For the hepatocellular cytosolic accumulation process of 12-NBD stearate a diffusion constant of 22.2 +/- 6.2 x 10(-9) cm2/s was calculated. In contrast to the long-chain fatty acid derivative 12-NBD stearate, short (C5)- and medium (C11)-chain fatty acids revealed no membrane interaction with hepatocytes. Erythrocytes also lacked a membrane interaction process for 12-NBD stearate. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that cLSM is capable of directly evaluating the cellular fatty acid uptake process at a subcellular level.

National Climate Assessment - Land Data Assimilation System (NCA-LDAS) Data and Services at NASA GES DISC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rui, Hualan; Vollmer, Bruce; Teng, Bill; Jasinski, Michael; Mocko, David; Loeser, Carlee; Kempler, Steven

2016-01-01

The National Climate Assessment-Land Data Assimilation System (NCA-LDAS) is an Integrated Terrestrial Water Analysis, and is one of NASAs contributions to the NCA of the United States. The NCA-LDAS has undergone extensive development, including multi-variate assimilation of remotely-sensed water states and anomalies as well as evaluation and verification studies, led by the Goddard Space Flight Centers Hydrological Sciences Laboratory (HSL). The resulting NCA-LDAS data have recently been released to the general public and include those from the Noah land-surface model (LSM) version 3.3 (Noah-3.3) and the Catchment LSM version Fortuna-2.5 (CLSM-F2.5). Standard LSM output variables including soil moistures temperatures, surface fluxes, snow cover depth, groundwater, and runoff are provided, as well as streamflow using a river routing system. The NCA-LDAS data are archived at and distributed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). The data can be accessed via HTTP, OPeNDAP, Mirador search and download, and NASA Earth data Search. To further facilitate access and use, the NCA-LDAS data are integrated into the NASA Giovanni, for quick visualization and analysis, and into the Data Rods system, for retrieval of time series of long time periods. The temporal and spatial resolutions of the NCA-LDAS data are, respectively, daily-averages and 0.125x0.125 degree, covering North America (25N 53N; 125W 67W) and the period January 1979 to December 2015. The data files are in self-describing, machine-independent, CF-compliant netCDF-4 format.

Plant-available and water-soluble phosphorus in soils amended with separated manure solids.

PubMed

Gasser, M-O; Chantigny, M H; Angers, D A; Bittman, S; Buckley, K E; Rochette, P; Massé, D

2012-01-01

Physical, chemical, or biological treatment of animal liquid manure generally produces a dry-matter rich fraction (DMF) that contains most of the initial phosphorus (P). Our objective was to assess the solubility and plant availability of P from various DMFs as a function of soil P status. Eight different DMFs were obtained from liquid swine (LSM) and dairy cattle (LDC) manures treated by natural decantation, anaerobic digestion, chemical flocculation, composting, or mechanical separation. The DMFs were compared with mineral P fertilizer in a pot experiment with oat ( L.) grown in four soils with varied P-fixing capacities and P saturation levels. The DMFs were added at a rate of 50 mg P kg soil and incubated 14 d before seeding. Soil water-extractable P (P) at all water:soil extraction ratios (2:1, 20:1, and 200:1) was slightly higher when DMFs were derived from LDC rather than LSM. Soil P at the 2:1 ratio was lower with anaerobically digested LSM. At the 2:1 extraction ratio, DMF P was less soluble than mineral P as P saturation in soils increased. In soils with a lower P-fixing capacity, DMF P appeared less water soluble than mineral P under 20:1 and 200:1 extraction ratios. After 72 d of plant growth, DMFs produced yields comparable to mineral P fertilizer. Although the plant availability of P from DMFs was comparable to mineral P fertilizer, P from DMFs could be less vulnerable to leaching or runoff losses in soils with a high P saturation level or low P-fixing capacity. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Can transient elastography, Fib-4, Forns Index, and Lok Score predict esophageal varices in HCV-related cirrhotic patients?

PubMed

Hassan, Eman M; Omran, Dalia A; El Beshlawey, Mohamad L; Abdo, Mahmoud; El Askary, Ahmad

2014-02-01

Gastroesophageal varices are present in approximately 50% of patients with liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate liver stiffness measurement (LSM), Fib-4, Forns Index and Lok Score as noninvasive predictors of esophageal varices (EV). This prospective study included 65 patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis. All patients underwent routine laboratory tests, transient elastograhy (TE) and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. FIB-4, Forns Index and Lok Score were calculated. The diagnostic performances of these methods were assessed using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and receiver operating characteristic curves. All predictors (LSM, FIB-4, Forns Index and Lok Score) demonstrated statistically significant correlation with the presence and the grade of EV. TE could diagnose EV at a cutoff value of 18.2kPa. Fib-4, Forns Index, and Lok Score could diagnose EV at cutoff values of 2.8, 6.61 and 0.63, respectively. For prediction of large varices (grade 2, 3), LSM showed the highest accuracy (80%) with a cutoff of 22.4kPa and AUROC of 0.801. Its sensitivity was 84%, specificity 72%, PPV 84% and NPV 72%. The diagnostic accuracies of FIB-4, Forns Index and Lok Score were 70%, 70% and76%, respectively, at cutoffs of 3.3, 6.9 and 0.7, respectively. For diagnosis of large esophageal varices, adding TE to each of the other diagnostic indices (serum fibrosis scores) increased their sensitivities with little decrease in their specificities. Moreover, this combination decreased the LR- in all tests. Noninvasive predictors can restrict endoscopic screening. This is very important as non invasiveness is now a major goal in hepatology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEEH y AEG. All rights reserved.

A tribo-mechanical analysis of PVA-based building-blocks for implementation in a 2-layered skin model.

PubMed

Morales Hurtado, M; de Vries, E G; Zeng, X; van der Heide, E

2016-09-01

Poly(vinyl) alcohol hydrogel (PVA) is a well-known polymer widely used in the medical field due to its biocompatibility properties and easy manufacturing. In this work, the tribo-mechanical properties of PVA-based blocks are studied to evaluate their suitability as a part of a structure simulating the length scale dependence of human skin. Thus, blocks of pure PVA and PVA mixed with Cellulose (PVA-Cel) were synthesised via freezing/thawing cycles and their mechanical properties were determined by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and creep tests. The dynamic tests addressed to elastic moduli between 38 and 50kPa for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. The fitting of the creep compliance tests in the SLS model confirmed the viscoelastic behaviour of the samples with retardation times of 23 and 16 seconds for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. Micro indentation tests were also achieved and the results indicated elastic moduli in the same range of the dynamic tests. Specifically, values between 45-55 and 56-81kPa were obtained for the PVA and PVA-Cel samples, respectively. The tribological results indicated values of 0.55 at low forces for the PVA decreasing to 0.13 at higher forces. The PVA-Cel blocks showed lower friction even at low forces with values between 0.2 and 0.07. The implementation of these building blocks in the design of a 2-layered skin model (2LSM) is also presented in this work. The 2LSM was stamped with four different textures and their surface properties were evaluated. The hydration of the 2LSM was also evaluated with a corneometer and the results indicated a gradient of hydration comparable to the human skin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FIB-4 INDEX AND TRANSIENT ELASTOGRAPHY AMONG PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C VIRUS INFECTION IN GEORGIA.

PubMed

Dolmazashvili, E; Karchava, M; Abutidze, A; Sharvadze, L; Tsertsvadze, T

2017-03-01

Liver biopsy remains the reference standard for fibrosis staging. However, it has several limitations, which have led to the development of non-invasive methods. We evaluated liver fibrosis severity among HCV infected patients by comparing transient elastography (TE) and FIB-4 index. Retrospective study was conducted. Clinical data for 750 patients were obtained. The mean age of the study population was 51 years; 595 (79.3%) were male and 155 (20.7%) were female. TE and tests on biological samples were performed within one-week timeframe. Additional analyses of prothrombin index, albumin concentration, splenomegaly on abdominal ultrasound and esophageal varices on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were performed among selected patients. Comparable results were observed among 534 patients (71.2%). FIB-4<1.45 had a negative predictive value of 89% to exclude significant fibrosis and FIB-4>3.25 had a positive predictive value of 100 % to confirm the existence of significant fibrosis. Inconclusive FIB-4 score was obtained in 170 (22.7%) patients. Of them 127 (74.7%) had significant fibrosis (F3-F4) by TE. Discordant results (FIB-4 <1.45 and Liver Stiffness Measurement (LSM) >9.5 kpa) were observed in 46 (6.1%) of patients. Low prothrombin index, low albumin concentration, splenomegaly and esophageal varices were significantly (p<0.001) correlated with TE results. Discrepancy showing high FIB-4 score and low LSM was not observed in our cohort. There was a good correlation between TE and FIB-4 score. FIB-4 could rapidly replace expensive methods to assess liver fibrosis severity in some scenarios. However, our study demonstrated superiority of TE. LSM correlated better with indirect markers of significant fibrosis.

A framework for development of an intelligent system for design and manufacturing of stamping dies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, H. M. A.; Kumar, S.

2014-07-01

An integration of computer aided design (CAD), computer aided process planning (CAPP) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is required for development of an intelligent system to design and manufacture stamping dies in sheet metal industries. In this paper, a framework for development of an intelligent system for design and manufacturing of stamping dies is proposed. In the proposed framework, the intelligent system is structured in form of various expert system modules for different activities of design and manufacturing of dies. All system modules are integrated with each other. The proposed system takes its input in form of a CAD file of sheet metal part, and then system modules automate all tasks related to design and manufacturing of stamping dies. Modules are coded using Visual Basic (VB) and developed on the platform of AutoCAD software.

Climatological Downscaling and Evaluation of AGRMET Precipitation Analyses Over the Continental U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Eylander, J. B.; Daly, C.; Tian, Y.; Zeng, J.

2007-05-01

The spatially distributed application of a land surface model (LSM) over a region of interest requires the application of similarly distributed precipitation fields that can be derived from various sources, including surface gauge networks, surface-based radar, and orbital platforms. The spatial variability of precipitation influences the spatial organization of soil temperature and moisture states and, consequently, the spatial variability of land- atmosphere fluxes. The accuracy of spatially-distributed precipitation fields can contribute significantly to the uncertainty of model-based hydrological states and fluxes at the land surface. Collaborations between the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), NASA, and Oregon State University have led to improvements in the processing of meteorological forcing inputs for the NASA-GSFC Land Information System (LIS; Kumar et al. 2006), a sophisticated framework for LSM operation and model coupling experiments. Efforts at AFWA toward the production of surface hydrometeorological products are currently in transition from the legacy Agricultural Meteorology modeling system (AGRMET) to use of the LIS framework and procedures. Recent enhancements to meteorological input processing for application to land surface models in LIS include the assimilation of climate-based information for the spatial interpolation and downscaling of precipitation fields. Climatological information included in the LIS-based downscaling procedure for North America is provided by a monthly high-resolution PRISM (Daly et al. 1994, 2002; Daly 2006) dataset based on a 30-year analysis period. The combination of these sources and methods attempts to address the strengths and weaknesses of available legacy products, objective interpolation methods, and the PRISM knowledge-based methodology. All of these efforts are oriented on an operational need for timely estimation of spatial precipitation fields at adequate spatial resolution for customer dissemination and near-real-time simulations in regions of interest. This work focuses on value added to the AGRMET precipitation product by the inclusion of high-quality climatological information on a monthly time scale. The AGRMET method uses microwave-based satellite precipitation estimates from various polar-orbiting platforms (NOAA POES and DMSP), infrared-based estimates from geostationary platforms (GOES, METEOSAT, etc.), related cloud analysis products, and surface gauge observations in a complex and hierarchical blending process. Results from processing of the legacy AGRMET precipitation products over the U.S. using LIS-based methods for downscaling, both with and without climatological factors, are evaluated against high-resolution monthly analyses using the PRISM knowledge- based method (Daly et al. 2002). It is demonstrated that the incorporation of climatological information in a downscaling procedure can significantly enhance the accuracy, and potential utility, of AFWA precipitation products for military and civilian customer applications.

Optimal averaging of soil moisture predictions from ensemble land surface model simulations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The correct interpretation of ensemble information obtained from the parallel implementation of multiple land surface models (LSMs) requires information concerning the LSM ensemble’s mutual error covariance. Here we propose a new technique for obtaining such information using an instrumental variabl...

An Efficient Framework for Development of Task-Oriented Dialog Systems in a Smart Home Environment.

PubMed

Park, Youngmin; Kang, Sangwoo; Seo, Jungyun

2018-05-16

In recent times, with the increasing interest in conversational agents for smart homes, task-oriented dialog systems are being actively researched. However, most of these studies are focused on the individual modules of such a system, and there is an evident lack of research on a dialog framework that can integrate and manage the entire dialog system. Therefore, in this study, we propose a framework that enables the user to effectively develop an intelligent dialog system. The proposed framework ontologically expresses the knowledge required for the task-oriented dialog system's process and can build a dialog system by editing the dialog knowledge. In addition, the framework provides a module router that can indirectly run externally developed modules. Further, it enables a more intelligent conversation by providing a hierarchical argument structure (HAS) to manage the various argument representations included in natural language sentences. To verify the practicality of the framework, an experiment was conducted in which developers without any previous experience in developing a dialog system developed task-oriented dialog systems using the proposed framework. The experimental results show that even beginner dialog system developers can develop a high-level task-oriented dialog system.

An Efficient Framework for Development of Task-Oriented Dialog Systems in a Smart Home Environment

PubMed Central

Park, Youngmin; Kang, Sangwoo; Seo, Jungyun

2018-01-01

In recent times, with the increasing interest in conversational agents for smart homes, task-oriented dialog systems are being actively researched. However, most of these studies are focused on the individual modules of such a system, and there is an evident lack of research on a dialog framework that can integrate and manage the entire dialog system. Therefore, in this study, we propose a framework that enables the user to effectively develop an intelligent dialog system. The proposed framework ontologically expresses the knowledge required for the task-oriented dialog system’s process and can build a dialog system by editing the dialog knowledge. In addition, the framework provides a module router that can indirectly run externally developed modules. Further, it enables a more intelligent conversation by providing a hierarchical argument structure (HAS) to manage the various argument representations included in natural language sentences. To verify the practicality of the framework, an experiment was conducted in which developers without any previous experience in developing a dialog system developed task-oriented dialog systems using the proposed framework. The experimental results show that even beginner dialog system developers can develop a high-level task-oriented dialog system. PMID:29772668

Investigations of 2β decay of {sup 106}Cd and {sup 58}Ni with HPGe spectrometer OBELIX

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

Rukhadze, E.; Fajt, L.; Hodák, R.

2015-08-17

Investigations of double beta decay processes to excited states of daughter nuclei were performed at the Modane underground laboratory (LSM, France, 4800 m w.e.) using the high sensitivity spectrometer OBELIX [1], which is a common activity of JINR Dubna, IEAP CTU in Prague and LSM. The spectrometer is based on the HPGe detector with the sensitive volume of 600 cm{sup 3} and relative efficiency of 160%. Investigation of resonant neutrino-less double electron capture of {sup 106}Cd was performed with ∼23.2 g of {sup 106}Cd (enrichment of 99.57%) during ∼17 days. The experiment with natural Ni (∼21.7 kg of mass) was also carried out duringmore » ∼47 days. The preliminary experimental limits for 0νEC/EC resonant decay to the excited states of {sup 106}Pd and different modes of β β decay {sup 58}Ni are presented.« less

Assimilation of SMOS Retrieved Soil Moisture into the Land Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Clay; Case, Jonathan; Zavodsky, Bradley; Jedlovec, Gary

2014-01-01

Soil moisture retrievals from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) instrument are assimilated into the Noah land surface model (LSM) within the NASA Land Information System (LIS). Before assimilation, SMOS retrievals are bias-corrected to match the model climatological distribution using a Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) matching approach. Data assimilation is done via the Ensemble Kalman Filter. The goal is to improve the representation of soil moisture within the LSM, and ultimately to improve numerical weather forecasts through better land surface initialization. We present a case study showing a large area of irrigation in the lower Mississippi River Valley, in an area with extensive rice agriculture. High soil moisture value in this region are observed by SMOS, but not captured in the forcing data. After assimilation, the model fields reflect the observed geographic patterns of soil moisture. Plans for a modeling experiment and operational use of the data are given. This work helps prepare for the assimilation of Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) retrievals in the near future.

Free vibration analysis of a cracked shear deformable beam on a two-parameter elastic foundation using a lattice spring model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attar, M.; Karrech, A.; Regenauer-Lieb, K.

2014-05-01

The free vibration of a shear deformable beam with multiple open edge cracks is studied using a lattice spring model (LSM). The beam is supported by a so-called two-parameter elastic foundation, where normal and shear foundation stiffnesses are considered. Through application of Timoshenko beam theory, the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia are taken into account. In the LSM, the beam is discretised into a one-dimensional assembly of segments interacting via rotational and shear springs. These springs represent the flexural and shear stiffnesses of the beam. The supporting action of the elastic foundation is described also by means of normal and shear springs acting on the centres of the segments. The relationship between stiffnesses of the springs and the elastic properties of the one-dimensional structure are identified by comparing the homogenised equations of motion of the discrete system and Timoshenko beam theory.

Achieving High Efficiency and Eliminating Degradation in Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells Using High Oxygen-Capacity Perovskite.

PubMed

Jun, Areum; Kim, Junyoung; Shin, Jeeyoung; Kim, Guntae

2016-09-26

Recently, there have been efforts to use clean and renewable energy because of finite fossil fuels and environmental problems. Owing to the site-specific and weather-dependent characteristics of the renewable energy supply, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) have received considerable attention to store energy as hydrogen. Conventional SOECs use Ni-YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) and LSM (strontium-doped lanthanum manganites)-YSZ as electrodes. These electrodes, however, suffer from redox-instability and coarsening of the Ni electrode along with delamination of the LSM electrode during steam electrolysis. In this study, we successfully design and fabricate highly efficient SOECs using layered perovskites, PrBaMn2 O5+δ (PBM) and PrBa0.5 Sr0.5 Co1.5 Fe0.5 O5+δ (PBSCF50), as both electrodes for the first time. The SOEC with layered perovskites as both-side electrodes shows outstanding performance, reversible cycling, and remarkable stability over 600 hours. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Generation of a high-fidelity antibody against nerve growth factor using library scanning mutagenesis and validation with structures of the initial and optimized Fab-antigen complexes

PubMed Central

La Porte, Sherry L; Eigenbrot, Charles; Ultsch, Mark; Ho, Wei-Hsien; Foletti, Davide; Forgie, Alison; Lindquist, Kevin C; Shelton, David L; Pons, Jaume

2014-01-01

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is indispensable during normal embryonic development and critical for the amplification of pain signals in adults. Intervention in NGF signaling holds promise for the alleviation of pain resulting from human diseases such as osteoarthritis, cancer and chronic lower back disorders. We developed a fast, high-fidelity method to convert a hybridoma-derived NGF-targeted mouse antibody into a clinical candidate. This method, termed Library Scanning Mutagenesis (LSM), resulted in the ultra-high affinity antibody tanezumab, a first-in-class anti-hyperalgesic specific for an NGF epitope. Functional and structural comparisons between tanezumab and the mouse 911 precursor antibody using neurotrophin-specific cell survival assays and X-ray crystal structures of both Fab-antigen complexes illustrated high fidelity retention of the NGF epitope. These results suggest the potential for wide applicability of the LSM method for optimization of well-characterized antibodies during humanization. PMID:24830649

First results from the NEWS-G direct dark matter search experiment at the LSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, Q.; Asner, D.; Bard, J.-P.; Brossard, A.; Cai, B.; Chapellier, M.; Clark, M.; Corcoran, E. C.; Dandl, T.; Dastgheibi-Fard, A.; Dering, K.; Di Stefano, P.; Durnford, D.; Gerbier, G.; Giomataris, I.; Gorel, P.; Gros, M.; Guillaudin, O.; Hoppe, E. W.; Kamaha, A.; Katsioulas, I.; Kelly, D. G.; Martin, R. D.; McDonald, J.; Muraz, J.-F.; Mols, J.-P.; Navick, X.-F.; Papaevangelou, T.; Piquemal, F.; Roth, S.; Santos, D.; Savvidis, I.; Ulrich, A.; Vazquez de Sola Fernandez, F.; Zampaolo, M.

2018-01-01

New Experiments With Spheres-Gas (NEWS-G) is a direct dark matter detection experiment using Spherical Proportional Counters (SPCs) with light noble gases to search for low-mass Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). We report the results from the first physics run taken at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) with SEDINE, a 60 cm diameter prototype SPC operated with a mixture of Ne + CH4 (0.7%) at 3.1 bars for a total exposure of 9.6 kg · days. New constraints are set on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross-section in the sub-GeV/c2 mass region. We exclude cross-sections above 4.4 ×10-37cm2 at 90% confidence level (C.L.) for a 0.5 GeV/c2 WIMP. The competitive results obtained with SEDINE are promising for the next phase of the NEWS-G experiment: a 140 cm diameter SPC to be installed at SNOLAB by summer 2018.

Polarization study on doped lanthanum gallate electrolyte using impedance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Wenquan; Gopalan, Srikanth; Pal, Uday B.

2004-06-01

Alternating current complex impedance spectroscopy studies were conducted on symmetrical cells of the type [gas, electrode/La1-x Sr x Ga1-y Mg y O3 (LSGM) electrolyte/electrode, gas]. The electrode materials were slurry-coated on both sides of the LSGM electrolyte support. The electrodes selected for this investigation are candidate materials for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes. Cathode materials include La1-x Sr x MnO3 (LSM), La1-x Sr x Co y Fe1-y O3 (LSCF), a two-phase particulate composite consisting of LSM and doped-lanthanum gallate (LSGM), and LSCF + LSGM. Pt metal electrodes were also used for the purpose of comparison. Anode material investigated was the Ni + Ce0.85Gd0.15O2 composite. The study revealed important details pertaining to the charge-transfer reactions that occur in such electrodes. The information obtained can be used to design electrodes for intermediate temperature SOFCs based on LSGM electrolytes.

An application of CART algorithm in genetics: IGFs and cGH polymorphisms in Japanese quail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, Selçuk

2017-04-01

The avian insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGFs) and avian growth hormone (cGH) genes are the most important genes that can affect bird performance traits because of its important function in growth and metabolism. Understanding the molecular genetic basis of variation in growth-related traits is of importance for continued improvement and increased rates of genetic gain. The objective of the present study was to identify polymorphisms of cGH and IGFs genes in Japanese quail using conventional least square method (LSM) and CART algorithm. Therefore, this study was aimed to demonstrate at determining the polymorphisms of two genes related growth characteristics via CART algorithm. A simulated data set was generated to analyze by adhering the results of some poultry genetic studies which it includes live weights at 5 weeks of age, 3 alleles and 6 genotypes of cGH and 2 alleles and 3 genotypes of IGFs. As a result, it has been determined that the CART algorithm has some advantages as for that LSM.

Analysis of the penetration of a caffeine containing shampoo into the hair follicles by in vivo laser scanning microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lademann, J.; Richter, H.; Schanzer, S.; Klenk, A.; Sterry, W.; Patzelt, A.

2010-02-01

In previous in vitro investigations, it was demonstrated that caffeine is able to stimulate the hair growth. Therefore, a penetration of caffeine into the hair follicle is necessary. In the present study, in vivo laser scanning microscopy (LSM) was used to investigate the penetration and storage of a caffeine containing shampoo into the hair follicles. It was shown that a 2-min contact time of the shampoo with the skin was enough to accumulate significant parts of the shampoo in the hair follicles. A penetration of the shampoo up to a depth of approx. 200 μm could be detected, which represents the detection limit of the LSM. At this depth, the close network of the blood capillaries surrounding the hair follicles commences. Even after 24 h, the substance was still detectable in the hair follicles. This demonstrates the long-term reservoir function of the hair follicles for topically applied substances such as caffeine.

Durability of symmetric-structured metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Michael C.

2017-11-01

Symmetric-structure metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFC) with YSZ electrolyte are fabricated with porous YSZ backbone electrodes, stainless steel supports, and infiltrated catalysts on both anode and cathode side. Durability towards aggressive thermal and redox cycling, and long-term operation is assessed. Many sealing material candidates are screened for compatibility with the cell materials and operating conditions, and a commercial sealing glass, GM31107, is selected. LSM/SDCN cells are then subjected to 200 very fast thermal cycles and 20 complete redox cycles, with minimal impact to cell performance. LSM/SDCN and SDCN/SDCN cells are operated for more than 1200 h at 700 °C. The seal and cell hermeticity is maintained, and cell ohmic impedance does not change significantly during operation. Electrode polarization increases during operation, leading to significant degradation of the cell performance. In-operando EIS and post-mortem SEM/EDS analysis suggest that catalyst coarsening and cathode Cr deposition are the dominant degradation modes.

Optical toolkits for in vivo deep tissue laser scanning microscopy: a primer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Woei Ming; McMenamin, Thomas; Li, Yongxiao

2018-06-01

Life at the microscale is animated and multifaceted. The impact of dynamic in vivo microscopy in small animals has opened up opportunities to peer into a multitude of biological processes at the cellular scale in their native microenvironments. Laser scanning microscopy (LSM) coupled with targeted fluorescent proteins has become an indispensable tool to enable dynamic imaging in vivo at high temporal and spatial resolutions. In the last few decades, the technique has been translated from imaging cells in thin samples to mapping cells in the thick biological tissue of living organisms. Here, we sought to provide a concise overview of the design considerations of a LSM that enables cellular and subcellular imaging in deep tissue. Individual components under review include: long working distance microscope objectives, laser scanning technologies, adaptive optics devices, beam shaping technologies and photon detectors, with an emphasis on more recent advances. The review will conclude with the latest innovations in automated optical microscopy, which would impact tracking and quantification of heterogeneous populations of cells in vivo.

ADEpedia: a scalable and standardized knowledge base of Adverse Drug Events using semantic web technology.

PubMed

Jiang, Guoqian; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

2011-01-01

A source of semantically coded Adverse Drug Event (ADE) data can be useful for identifying common phenotypes related to ADEs. We proposed a comprehensive framework for building a standardized ADE knowledge base (called ADEpedia) through combining ontology-based approach with semantic web technology. The framework comprises four primary modules: 1) an XML2RDF transformation module; 2) a data normalization module based on NCBO Open Biomedical Annotator; 3) a RDF store based persistence module; and 4) a front-end module based on a Semantic Wiki for the review and curation. A prototype is successfully implemented to demonstrate the capability of the system to integrate multiple drug data and ontology resources and open web services for the ADE data standardization. A preliminary evaluation is performed to demonstrate the usefulness of the system, including the performance of the NCBO annotator. In conclusion, the semantic web technology provides a highly scalable framework for ADE data source integration and standard query service.

FamNet: A Framework to Identify Multiplied Modules Driving Pathway Expansion in Plants1

PubMed Central

Tohge, Takayuki; Klie, Sebastian; Fernie, Alisdair R.

2016-01-01

Gene duplications generate new genes that can acquire similar but often diversified functions. Recent studies of gene coexpression networks have indicated that, not only genes, but also pathways can be multiplied and diversified to perform related functions in different parts of an organism. Identification of such diversified pathways, or modules, is needed to expand our knowledge of biological processes in plants and to understand how biological functions evolve. However, systematic explorations of modules remain scarce, and no user-friendly platform to identify them exists. We have established a statistical framework to identify modules and show that approximately one-third of the genes of a plant’s genome participate in hundreds of multiplied modules. Using this framework as a basis, we implemented a platform that can explore and visualize multiplied modules in coexpression networks of eight plant species. To validate the usefulness of the platform, we identified and functionally characterized pollen- and root-specific cell wall modules that multiplied to confer tip growth in pollen tubes and root hairs, respectively. Furthermore, we identified multiplied modules involved in secondary metabolite synthesis and corroborated them by metabolite profiling of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) tissues. The interactive platform, referred to as FamNet, is available at http://www.gene2function.de/famnet.html. PMID:26754669

Optimal averaging of soil moisture predictions from ensemble land surface model simulations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The correct interpretation of ensemble 3 soil moisture information obtained from the parallel implementation of multiple land surface models (LSMs) requires information concerning the LSM ensemble’s mutual error covariance. Here we propose a new technique for obtaining such information using an inst...

Noninvasive methods, including transient elastography, for the detection of liver disease in adults with cystic fibrosis

PubMed Central

Sadler, Matthew D; Crotty, Pam; Fatovich, Linda; Wilson, Stephanie; Rabin, Harvey R; Myers, Robert P

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Liver disease is the third leading cause of mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, detection of CF-associated liver disease (CFLD) is challenging. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of noninvasive methods for the detection of CFLD with a focus on transient elastography (TE). METHODS: Patients at the Adult CF Clinic of Calgary and Southern Alberta (n=127) underwent liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by TE using the FibroScan (FS, Ecosens, France) M probe; aspartate amino-transferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and FibroTest (FT) scores were also calculated. The diagnostic performance of these tools for the detection of CFLD (defined as two or more the following criteria: abnormal liver biochemistry, hepatomegaly or sonographic abnormalities other than steatosis) were compared using the area under ROC curves. RESULTS: Forty-seven percent of the cohort was male. The median age was 27 years (interquartile range [IQR] 22 to 37 years) and body mass index 21 kg/m2 (IQR 19 kg/m2 to 23 kg/m2); 25% of patients were on ursodeoxycholic acid and 12% had undergone lung transplantation. The prevalence of CFLD was 14% (n=18). FS was successful in all patients; one (0.8%) patient had poorly reliable results (IQR/M >30% and LSM ≥7.1kPa). Compared with patients without CFLD (n=109), individuals with CFLD had higher median LSM according to FS (3.9 kPa [IQR 3.4 to 4.9 kPa] versus 6.4 kPa [IQR 4.4 to 8.0 kPa]), APRI (0.24 [IQR 0.17 to 0.31] versus 0.50 [IQR 0.22 to 1.18]) and FT scores (0.08 [IQR 0.05 to 1.5] versus 0.18 [IQR 0.11 to 0.35]; all P<0.05). Area under ROC curve for FS, APRI and FT for the detection of CFLD were 0.78 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.92), 0.72 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.87) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.90) (P not significant). At a threshold of >5.2 kPa, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of LSM according to FS for detecting CFLD were 67%, 83%, 40% and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: FS, APRI and FT were useful noninvasive methods for detecting CFLD in adults. PMID:25855877

A FRAMEWORK TO DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE CHEMICAL FLOODING PROCESSES

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2005-07-01

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

A Framework to Design and Optimize Chemical Flooding Processes

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2006-08-31

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

A FRAMEWORK TO DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE CHEMICAL FLOODING PROCESSES

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2004-11-01

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

Groundwater withdrawals under drought: reconciling GRACE and land surface models in the United States High Plains Aquifer

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Advanced Land Surface Models (LSM) offer a powerful tool for studying hydrological variability. Highly managed systems, however, present a challenge for these models, which typically have simplified or incomplete representations of human water use. Here we examine recent groundwater declines in the ...

CUFID-query: accurate network querying through random walk based network flow estimation.

PubMed

Jeong, Hyundoo; Qian, Xiaoning; Yoon, Byung-Jun

2017-12-28

Functional modules in biological networks consist of numerous biomolecules and their complicated interactions. Recent studies have shown that biomolecules in a functional module tend to have similar interaction patterns and that such modules are often conserved across biological networks of different species. As a result, such conserved functional modules can be identified through comparative analysis of biological networks. In this work, we propose a novel network querying algorithm based on the CUFID (Comparative network analysis Using the steady-state network Flow to IDentify orthologous proteins) framework combined with an efficient seed-and-extension approach. The proposed algorithm, CUFID-query, can accurately detect conserved functional modules as small subnetworks in the target network that are expected to perform similar functions to the given query functional module. The CUFID framework was recently developed for probabilistic pairwise global comparison of biological networks, and it has been applied to pairwise global network alignment, where the framework was shown to yield accurate network alignment results. In the proposed CUFID-query algorithm, we adopt the CUFID framework and extend it for local network alignment, specifically to solve network querying problems. First, in the seed selection phase, the proposed method utilizes the CUFID framework to compare the query and the target networks and to predict the probabilistic node-to-node correspondence between the networks. Next, the algorithm selects and greedily extends the seed in the target network by iteratively adding nodes that have frequent interactions with other nodes in the seed network, in a way that the conductance of the extended network is maximally reduced. Finally, CUFID-query removes irrelevant nodes from the querying results based on the personalized PageRank vector for the induced network that includes the fully extended network and its neighboring nodes. Through extensive performance evaluation based on biological networks with known functional modules, we show that CUFID-query outperforms the existing state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of prediction accuracy and biological significance of the predictions.

Effect of pistachio nut consumption on endothelial function and arterial stiffness.

PubMed

Kasliwal, Ravi R; Bansal, Manish; Mehrotra, Rahul; Yeptho, Kajal Pandya; Trehan, Naresh

2015-05-01

Previous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of regular consumption of pistachio nuts on glycemic, lipid, and oxidative stress parameters. The aim of this study was to determine its effect on vascular health, which has not been adequately studied so far. In this open label, randomized parallel-group study, 60 adults with mild dyslipidemia were randomized to lifestyle modification (LSM) alone or LSM with consumption of 80 g (in-shell) pistachios (equivalent to 40 g or 1.5 oz shelled pistachios) daily for 3 mo. Biochemical parameters, brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (BAFMD), and carotid-femoral and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (cfPWV and baPWV, respectively) were measured before and after the intervention. At 3 mo, there was no change in any of the clinical or biochemical parameters in the LSM group. However, the patients in the pistachio group had a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 35.7 ± 8.8 mg/dL versus 37.8 ± 10.1 mg/dL; P = 0.04) and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (137.2 ± 32.6 mg/dL versus 127.6 ± 34.0 mg/dL; P = 0.02), total cholesterol (TC)-to-HDL-C ratio (5.8 ± 1.3 mg/dL versus 5.3 ± 1.1 mg/dL; P = 0.001), and fasting blood sugar (88.8 ± 7.1 mg/dL versus 86.6 ± 6.3 mg/dL; P = 0.05). Additionally, whereas LSM alone was associated with no improvement in BAFMD or PWV, individuals in the pistachio group had significant reduction in left baPWV (1261.7 ± 187.5 cm/sec versus 1192.4 ± 152.5 cm/sec; P = 0.02) and statistically nonsignificant improvement in most other parameters, including BAFMD. As a result, at 3 mo the patients in the pistachio group had lower cfPWV (770.9 ± 96.5 cm/sec versus 846.4 ± 162.0 cm/sec; P = 0.08), lower left baPWV (1192.4 ± 152.5 cm/sec versus 1326.3 ± 253.7 cm/sec; P = 0.05), and lower average baPWV (1208.2 ± 118.4 cm/sec versus 1295.8 ± 194.1 cm/sec; P = 0.08) compared with the LSM group. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant treatment effect of pistachio consumption on cfPWV, left baPWV, average baPWV, and BAFMD (P = 0.037, 0.01, 0.07, and 0.046, respectively). The present study demonstrates that regular consumption of pistachio nuts not only improves glycemic and lipid parameters, but also results in improvements in vascular stiffness and endothelial function. Importantly, these improvements were seen in apparently healthy individuals and with a diet (including pistachios) and exercise regimen that every adult individual is expected to follow. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

System and method for design and optimization of grid connected photovoltaic power plant with multiple photovoltaic module technologies

DOEpatents

Thomas, Bex George; Elasser, Ahmed; Bollapragada, Srinivas; Galbraith, Anthony William; Agamy, Mohammed; Garifullin, Maxim Valeryevich

2016-03-29

A system and method of using one or more DC-DC/DC-AC converters and/or alternative devices allows strings of multiple module technologies to coexist within the same PV power plant. A computing (optimization) framework estimates the percentage allocation of PV power plant capacity to selected PV module technologies. The framework and its supporting components considers irradiation, temperature, spectral profiles, cost and other practical constraints to achieve the lowest levelized cost of electricity, maximum output and minimum system cost. The system and method can function using any device enabling distributed maximum power point tracking at the module, string or combiner level.

Application and Evaluation of MODIS LAI, fPAR, and Albedo Products in the WRFCMAQ System

EPA Science Inventory

Leaf area index (LAI), vegetation fraction (VF), and surface albedo are important parameters in the land surface model (LSM) for meteorology and air quality modeling systems such as WRF/CMAQ. LAI and VF control not only leaf to canopy level evapotranspiration flux scaling but al...

A COUPLED LAND-SURFACE AND DRY DEPOSITION MODEL AND COMPARISON TO FIELD MEASUREMENTS OF SURFACE HEAT, MOISTURE, AND OZONE FLUXES

EPA Science Inventory

We have developed a coupled land-surface and dry deposition model for realistic treatment of surface fluxes of heat, moisture, and chemical dry deposition within a comprehensive air quality modeling system. A new land-surface model (LSM) with explicit treatment of soil moisture...

Recent Advances in Modeling of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Land Surface in the Coupled WRF-CMAQ Model

EPA Science Inventory

Advances in the land surface model (LSM) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) components of the WRF-CMAQ coupled meteorology and air quality modeling system are described. The aim of these modifications was primarily to improve the modeling of ground level concentrations of trace c...

Pressure-induced transition from a spin glass to an itinerant ferromagnet in the half-doped manganite L0.5Ba0.5MnO3 (L=Sm and Nd) with quenched disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeshita, N.; Terakura, C.; Akahoshi, D.; Tokura, Y.; Takagi, H.

2004-05-01

The effect of quenched disorder on the multiphase competition has been investigated by examining the pressure phase diagram of the half-doped manganite L0.5Ba0.5MnO3 (L=Sm and Nd) with A-site disorders. Sm0.5Ba0.5MnO3, a spin-glass insulator at ambient pressure, switches to a ferromagnetic metal through an intermediate state with increasing pressure, followed by a rapid increase of the ferromagnetic transition temperature TC. The rapid increase of TC was also confirmed for Nd0.5Ba0.5MnO3. These observations indicate that the unusual suppression of the multicritical phase boundary in the A-site disordered system, previously observed as a function of the averaged A-site ionic radius, is essentially controlled by the pressure and hence the bandwidth. The effect of quenched disorder is therefore much more enhanced with approaching the multicritical region.

An innovative intermittent-vacuum assisted thermophilic anaerobic digestion process for effective animal manure utilization and treatment.

PubMed

Zhang, Renchuan; Anderson, Erik; Addy, Min; Deng, Xiangyuan; Kabir, Fayal; Lu, Qian; Ma, Yiwei; Cheng, Yanling; Liu, Yuhuan; Chen, Paul; Ruan, Roger

2017-11-01

Intermittent-vacuum stripping (IVS) was developed as a pretreatment for thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) to improve methanogenesis and hydrolysis activity through preventing free ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) inhibition from liquid swine manure (LSM). Over 98% of ammonia and 38% organic nitrogen were removed in 60min from 55°C to 85°C with vacuum pressure (from 100.63±3.79mmHg to 360.91±7.39mmHg) at initial pH 10.0 by IVS. Thermophilic methanogenesis and hydrolysis activity of pretreated LSM increased 52.25% (from 11.56±1.75% to 17.60±0.49%) in 25days and 40% (from 10days to 6days) in bio-methane potential assay. Over 80% H 2 S and total nitrogen were removed by IVS assistance, while around 70% nitrogen was recycled as ammonium sulfate. Therefore, IVS-TAD combination could be an effective strategy to improve TAD efficiency, whose elution is more easily utilized in algae cultivation and/or hydroponic system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research project shows importance of pre-employment hearing testing.

PubMed

Karlovich, R S

1992-02-01

Forty employees received pure-tone baseline hearing tests at the time they began employment as LSM operators for the U.S. Postal Services; the workplace eight-hour average sound level (TWA) was 85 dBA. Nineteen operators from the original group had their hearing retested three years later. None of the retested subjects showed large or systematic changes in hearing sensitivity over the three-year period. For the audiometric frequencies most susceptible to noise exposure (3000, 4000, 6000 Hz), only 5 percent of the operators showed a bilateral change in threshold greater than 5 dB at any frequency, and none of them showed more than a 10 dB threshold change in both ears. None of the operators displayed a Standard Threshold Shift as described by OSHA. The data further suggested that many workers began their LSM work assignment with a pre-existing hearing loss and, based upon audiometric and history information, the impairment probably resulted from prior occupational and/or nonoccupational noise exposure. The importance of hearing-conservation programs for employees is emphasized.

Avoiding chromium transport from stainless steel interconnects into contact layers and oxygen electrodes in intermediate temperature solid oxide electrolysis stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlupp, Meike V. F.; Kim, Ji Woo; Brevet, Aude; Rado, Cyril; Couturier, Karine; Vogt, Ulrich F.; Lefebvre-Joud, Florence; Züttel, Andreas

2014-12-01

We investigated the ability of (La0.8Sr0.2)(Mn0.5Co0.5)O3-δ (LSMC) and La(Ni0.6Fe0.4)O3-δ (LNF) contact coatings to avoid the transport of Cr from steel interconnects to solid oxide electrolysis electrodes, especially to the anode. The transport of chromium from commercial Crofer 22 APU (ThyssenKrupp) and K41X (AISI441, Aperam Isbergues) steels through LSMC and LNF contact coatings into adjacent (La0.8Sr0.2)MnO3-δ (LSM) oxygen electrodes was investigated in an oxygen atmosphere at 700 °C. Chromium concentrations of up to 4 atom% were detected in the contact coatings after thermal treatments for 3000 h, which also lead to the presence of chromium in adjacent LSM electrodes. Introduction of a dense (Co,Mn)3O4 coating between steel and contact coating was necessary to prevent the diffusion of chromium into contact coatings and electrodes and should lead to extended stack performance and lifetime.

Diagnosing hydrological limitations of a Land Surface Model: application of JULES to a deep-groundwater chalk basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Vine, N.; Butler, A.; McIntyre, N.; Jackson, C.

2015-08-01

Land Surface Models (LSMs) are prospective starting points to develop a global hyper-resolution model of the terrestrial water, energy and biogeochemical cycles. However, there are some fundamental limitations of LSMs related to how meaningfully hydrological fluxes and stores are represented. A diagnostic approach to model evaluation is taken here that exploits hydrological expert knowledge to detect LSM inadequacies through consideration of the major behavioural functions of a hydrological system: overall water balance, vertical water redistribution in the unsaturated zone, temporal water redistribution and spatial water redistribution over the catchment's groundwater and surface water systems. Three types of information are utilised to improve the model's hydrology: (a) observations, (b) information about expected response from regionalised data, and (c) information from an independent physics-based model. The study considers the JULES (Joint UK Land Environmental Simulator) LSM applied to a deep-groundwater chalk catchment in the UK. The diagnosed hydrological limitations and the proposed ways to address them are indicative of the challenges faced while transitioning to a global high resolution model of the water cycle.

Diagnosing hydrological limitations of a land surface model: application of JULES to a deep-groundwater chalk basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Vine, N.; Butler, A.; McIntyre, N.; Jackson, C.

2016-01-01

Land surface models (LSMs) are prospective starting points to develop a global hyper-resolution model of the terrestrial water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. However, there are some fundamental limitations of LSMs related to how meaningfully hydrological fluxes and stores are represented. A diagnostic approach to model evaluation and improvement is taken here that exploits hydrological expert knowledge to detect LSM inadequacies through consideration of the major behavioural functions of a hydrological system: overall water balance, vertical water redistribution in the unsaturated zone, temporal water redistribution, and spatial water redistribution over the catchment's groundwater and surface-water systems. Three types of information are utilized to improve the model's hydrology: (a) observations, (b) information about expected response from regionalized data, and (c) information from an independent physics-based model. The study considers the JULES (Joint UK Land Environmental Simulator) LSM applied to a deep-groundwater chalk catchment in the UK. The diagnosed hydrological limitations and the proposed ways to address them are indicative of the challenges faced while transitioning to a global high resolution model of the water cycle.

On the predictability of land surface fluxes from meteorological variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haughton, Ned; Abramowitz, Gab; Pitman, Andy J.

2018-01-01

Previous research has shown that land surface models (LSMs) are performing poorly when compared with relatively simple empirical models over a wide range of metrics and environments. Atmospheric driving data appear to provide information about land surface fluxes that LSMs are not fully utilising. Here, we further quantify the information available in the meteorological forcing data that are used by LSMs for predicting land surface fluxes, by interrogating FLUXNET data, and extending the benchmarking methodology used in previous experiments. We show that substantial performance improvement is possible for empirical models using meteorological data alone, with no explicit vegetation or soil properties, thus setting lower bounds on a priori expectations on LSM performance. The process also identifies key meteorological variables that provide predictive power. We provide an ensemble of empirical benchmarks that are simple to reproduce and provide a range of behaviours and predictive performance, acting as a baseline benchmark set for future studies. We reanalyse previously published LSM simulations and show that there is more diversity between LSMs than previously indicated, although it remains unclear why LSMs are broadly performing so much worse than simple empirical models.

FunBlocks. A modular framework for AmI system development.

PubMed

Baquero, Rafael; Rodríguez, José; Mendoza, Sonia; Decouchant, Dominique; Papis, Alfredo Piero Mateos

2012-01-01

The last decade has seen explosive growth in the technologies required to implement Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems. Technologies such as facial and speech recognition, home networks, household cleaning robots, to name a few, have become commonplace. However, due to the multidisciplinary nature of AmI systems and the distinct requirements of different user groups, integrating these developments into full-scale systems is not an easy task. In this paper we propose FunBlocks, a minimalist modular framework for the development of AmI systems based on the function module abstraction used in the IEC 61499 standard for distributed control systems. FunBlocks provides a framework for the development of AmI systems through the integration of modules loosely joined by means of an event-driven middleware and a module and sensor/actuator catalog. The modular design of the FunBlocks framework allows the development of AmI systems which can be customized to a wide variety of usage scenarios.

FunBlocks. A Modular Framework for AmI System Development

PubMed Central

Baquero, Rafael; Rodríguez, José; Mendoza, Sonia; Decouchant, Dominique; Papis, Alfredo Piero Mateos

2012-01-01

The last decade has seen explosive growth in the technologies required to implement Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems. Technologies such as facial and speech recognition, home networks, household cleaning robots, to name a few, have become commonplace. However, due to the multidisciplinary nature of AmI systems and the distinct requirements of different user groups, integrating these developments into full-scale systems is not an easy task. In this paper we propose FunBlocks, a minimalist modular framework for the development of AmI systems based on the function module abstraction used in the IEC 61499 standard for distributed control systems. FunBlocks provides a framework for the development of AmI systems through the integration of modules loosely joined by means of an event-driven middleware and a module and sensor/actuator catalog. The modular design of the FunBlocks framework allows the development of AmI systems which can be customized to a wide variety of usage scenarios. PMID:23112599

Pharmacokinetics of neratinib during coadministration with lansoprazole in healthy subjects

PubMed Central

DiPrimeo, Daniel; Li, Ai; Obaidi, Mohammad; Swearingen, Dennis; Wong, Alvin

2016-01-01

Aims To evaluate the effect of lansoprazole, a proton‐pump inhibitor, on the absorption, pharmacokinetics, and safety of neratinib, a pan‐HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in healthy subjects. Methods This was an open‐label, two‐period, fixed‐sequence study. Fifteen healthy adult subjects received a single oral dose of neratinib 240 mg (Period 1), followed by a washout period, then oral lansoprazole 30 mg once daily for 7 days and a single dose of neratinib 240 mg on Day 5 (Period 2). Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed for 72 h following each neratinib dose. Plasma neratinib concentration–time data were analysed using noncompartmental methods. Geometric mean ratios for AUC0–t, AUC0–inf, and peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) for neratinib plus lansoprazole vs. neratinib were used to assess the magnitude of the drug–drug interaction if the 90% confidence intervals were outside 80.00–125.00%. Results Neratinib geometric least‐squares mean (LSM) Cmax was reduced from 84.5 ng ml−1 with neratinib alone to 24.5 ng ml−1 with neratinib plus lansoprazole. The extent of exposure to neratinib was also decreased: geometric LSM AUC0–t was 1478 ng ml−1 h with neratinib vs. 426 ng ml−1 h with neratinib plus lansoprazole, and geometric LSM AUC0–inf was 1557 ng ml−1 h vs. 542 ng ml−1 h, respectively. Mean t½ was similar with both treatments (approximately 14 h). Geometric mean ratios 90% confidence intervals for AUC0–t, AUC0–inf and Cmax fell outside the prespecified equivalence range (80.0–125.0%). Treatment‐emergent adverse events, all mild, were reported by five (33%) subjects. Conclusions Coadministration of lansoprazole with neratinib reduced the rate and extent of neratinib exposure in healthy subjects. PMID:27628584

Pharmacokinetics of neratinib during coadministration with lansoprazole in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Keyvanjah, Kiana; DiPrimeo, Daniel; Li, Ai; Obaidi, Mohammad; Swearingen, Dennis; Wong, Alvin

2017-03-01

To evaluate the effect of lansoprazole, a proton-pump inhibitor, on the absorption, pharmacokinetics, and safety of neratinib, a pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in healthy subjects. This was an open-label, two-period, fixed-sequence study. Fifteen healthy adult subjects received a single oral dose of neratinib 240 mg (Period 1), followed by a washout period, then oral lansoprazole 30 mg once daily for 7 days and a single dose of neratinib 240 mg on Day 5 (Period 2). Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed for 72 h following each neratinib dose. Plasma neratinib concentration-time data were analysed using noncompartmental methods. Geometric mean ratios for AUC 0-t , AUC 0-inf , and peak plasma concentrations (C max ) for neratinib plus lansoprazole vs. neratinib were used to assess the magnitude of the drug-drug interaction if the 90% confidence intervals were outside 80.00-125.00%. Neratinib geometric least-squares mean (LSM) C max was reduced from 84.5 ng ml -1 with neratinib alone to 24.5 ng ml -1 with neratinib plus lansoprazole. The extent of exposure to neratinib was also decreased: geometric LSM AUC 0-t was 1478 ng ml -1  h with neratinib vs. 426 ng ml -1  h with neratinib plus lansoprazole, and geometric LSM AUC 0-inf was 1557 ng ml -1  h vs. 542 ng ml -1  h, respectively. Mean t ½ was similar with both treatments (approximately 14 h). Geometric mean ratios 90% confidence intervals for AUC 0-t , AUC 0-inf and C max fell outside the prespecified equivalence range (80.0-125.0%). Treatment-emergent adverse events, all mild, were reported by five (33%) subjects. Coadministration of lansoprazole with neratinib reduced the rate and extent of neratinib exposure in healthy subjects. © 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and significant hepatic fibrosis defined by non-invasive assessment in patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Sobhonslidsuk, Abhasnee; Pulsombat, Akharawit; Kaewdoung, Piyaporn; Petraksa, Supanna

2015-01-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver problem in diabetes, is a risk factor for liver cancer. Diabetes, high body mass index (BMI) and old age can all contribute to NAFLD progression. Transient elastography (TE) is used for non-invasive fibrosis assessment. To identify the prevalence of NAFLD and significant hepatic fibrosis in diabetic patients and to assess associated factors. One hundred and forty-one diabetic and 60 normal subjects were screened. Fatty liver was diagnosed when increased hepatic echogenicity and vascular blunting were detected by ultrasonography. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) representing hepatic fibrosis was assessed by TE. LSM ≥7 kPa was used to define significant hepatic fibrosis. Four cases were excluded due to positive hepatitis B viral markers and failed TE. Diabetic patients had higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference and fasting glucose levels than normal subjects. Fatty liver was diagnosed in 82 (60.7%) diabetic patients but in none of the normal group. BMI (OR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.02-1.69; p=0.038) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(OR: 1.14; 95%CI: 1.05-1.23; p=0.002) were associated with NAFLD. Diabetic patients with NAFLD had higher LSM than those without [5.99 (2.4) vs 4.76 (2.7) kPa, p=0.005)]. Significant hepatic fibrosis was more common in diabetic patients than in normal subjects [22 (16.1%) vs 1 (1.7%), p=0.002]. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)(OR: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.07-1.42; p=0.003) was associated with significant hepatic fibrosis. Sixty and sixteen percent of diabetic patients were found to have NAFLD and significant hepatic fibrosis. High BMI and ALT levels are the predictors of NAFLD, and elevated AST level is associated with significant hepatic fibrosis.

Time to cranial computerised tomography for acute traumatic brain injury in paediatric patients: Effect of the shorter stays in emergency departments target in New Zealand.

PubMed

Jones, Peter G; Kool, Bridget; Dalziel, Stuart; Shepherd, Michael; Le Fevre, James; Harper, Alana; Wells, Susan; Stewart, Joanna; Curtis, Elana; Reid, Papaarangi; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2017-07-01

Timely access to computerised tomography (CT) for acute traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) facilitates rapid diagnosis and surgical intervention. In 2009, New Zealand introduced a mandatory target for emergency department (ED) stay such that 95% of patients should leave ED within 6 h of arrival. This study investigated whether this target influenced the timeliness of cranial CT scanning in children who presented to ED with acute TBI. We retrospectively reviewed a random sample of charts of children <15 years with acute TBI from 2006 to 2012. Cases were identified using International Classification of Disease 10 codes consistent with TBI. General linear models investigated changes in time to CT and other indicators before and after the shorter stays in ED target was introduced in 2009. Among the 190 cases eligible for study (n = 91 pre-target and n = 99 post-target), no significant difference was found in time to CT scan pre- and post-target: least squares mean (LSM) with 95% confidence interval = 68 (56-81) versus 65 (53-78) min, respectively, P = 0.66. Time to neurosurgery (LSM 8.7 (5-15) vs. 5.1 (2.6-9.9) h, P = 0.19, or hospital length of stay (LSM: 4.9 (3.9-6.3) vs. 5.2 (4.1-6.7) days, P = 0.69) did not change significantly. However, ED length of stay decreased by 45 min in the post-target period (LSM = 211 (187-238) vs. 166 (98-160) min, P = 0.006). Implementation of the shorter stays in ED target was not associated with a change in the time to CT for children presenting with acute TBI, but an overall reduction in the time spent in ED was apparent. © 2017 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Integrating a Linear Signal Model with Groundwater and Rainfall time-series on the Characteristic Identification of Groundwater Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yu-Wen; Wang, Yetmen; Chang, Liang-Cheng

2017-04-01

Groundwater resources play a vital role on regional supply. To avoid irreversible environmental impact such as land subsidence, the characteristic identification of groundwater system is crucial before sustainable management of groundwater resource. This study proposes a signal process approach to identify the character of groundwater systems based on long-time hydrologic observations include groundwater level and rainfall. The study process contains two steps. First, a linear signal model (LSM) is constructed and calibrated to simulate the variation of underground hydrology based on the time series of groundwater levels and rainfall. The mass balance equation of the proposed LSM contains three major terms contain net rate of horizontal exchange, rate of rainfall recharge and rate of pumpage and four parameters are required to calibrate. Because reliable records of pumpage is rare, the time-variant groundwater amplitudes of daily frequency (P ) calculated by STFT are assumed as linear indicators of puamage instead of pumpage records. Time series obtained from 39 observation wells and 50 rainfall stations in and around the study area, Pintung Plain, are paired for model construction. Second, the well-calibrated parameters of the linear signal model can be used to interpret the characteristic of groundwater system. For example, the rainfall recharge coefficient (γ) means the transform ratio between rainfall intention and groundwater level raise. The area around the observation well with higher γ means that the saturated zone here is easily affected by rainfall events and the material of unsaturated zone might be gravel or coarse sand with high infiltration ratio. Considering the spatial distribution of γ, the values of γ decrease from the upstream to the downstream of major rivers and also are correlated to the spatial distribution of grain size of surface soil. Via the time-series of groundwater levels and rainfall, the well-calibrated parameters of LSM have ability to identify the characteristic of aquifer.

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Geospatial Technology in South Eastern Part of Nilgiri District, Tamilnadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thangasamy, N.; Varathan, R.

2013-05-01

Landslides are often destructive and periodically affect the Nilgiris district. Two method viz., Frequency ratio (FR) and Weights of evidence (WofE) were used to reclassify the sub-variables and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) was calculated by weighted sum overlay analysis. The final LS Zonation map was prepared from the LSI and the area was classified into two zones. Validation of the LSM was the next step and was accomplished by excluding some landslide points in the GIS analyses and overlying the unused landslides points over the LSM. The LSMs prepared using the FR and WofE methods are reliable as more than 75% of the excluded slides fall in high and very high landslide susceptibility zones and the error of mismatch in the two maps is negligible.During the course of this study landslides devastated the Kethi, Coonoor, Barliyar and Kothagiri areas due to an extreme event with 374 to 1,171 mm rainfall received in these stations in just three days on 8th to 10th November, 2009. The rainfall event is unprecedented and such extreme rainfall has not occurred in the region since meteorological records are maintained. Over 100 landslides took place in the area of which 75 are major slides and more 43 people died and 200 houses were damaged. The event was documented and a data base containing the location, details of death, slide characteristics and photographs was prepared. Further, the probability of landslide occurrence may change over time due to changes in land use, unscientific massive developmental activities and establishing settlements without adopting proper safety measures. The study also highlights the need for maintenance of landslide database and installation of more rain gauge stations to update and improve the LSM so as to reduce the risk of landslide hazard faced by the Community. NaveenRaj.T INDIA LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY MAPPING USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY IN SOUTH EASTERN PART OF NILGIRI DISTRICT, TAMILNADU, INDIA.

Prediction of heavy rainfall over Chennai Metropolitan City, Tamil Nadu, India: Impact of microphysical parameterization schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, K. S.; Bonthu, Subbareddy; Purvaja, R.; Robin, R. S.; Kannan, B. A. M.; Ramesh, R.

2018-04-01

This study attempts to investigate the real-time prediction of a heavy rainfall event over the Chennai Metropolitan City, Tamil Nadu, India that occurred on 01 December 2015 using Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model. The study evaluates the impact of six microphysical (Lin, WSM6, Goddard, Thompson, Morrison and WDM6) parameterization schemes of the model on prediction of heavy rainfall event. In addition, model sensitivity has also been evaluated with six Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and two Land Surface Model (LSM) schemes. Model forecast was carried out using nested domain and the impact of model horizontal grid resolutions were assessed at 9 km, 6 km and 3 km. Analysis of the synoptic features using National Center for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System (NCEP-GFS) analysis data revealed strong upper-level divergence and high moisture content at lower level were favorable for the occurrence of heavy rainfall event over the northeast coast of Tamil Nadu. The study signified that forecasted rainfall was more sensitive to the microphysics and PBL schemes compared to the LSM schemes. The model provided better forecast of the heavy rainfall event using the logical combination of Goddard microphysics, YSU PBL and Noah LSM schemes, and it was mostly attributed to timely initiation and development of the convective system. The forecast with different horizontal resolutions using cumulus parameterization indicated that the rainfall prediction was not well represented at 9 km and 6 km. The forecast with 3 km horizontal resolution provided better prediction in terms of timely initiation and development of the event. The study highlights that forecast of heavy rainfall events using a high-resolution mesoscale model with suitable representations of physical parameterization schemes are useful for disaster management and planning to minimize the potential loss of life and property.

Observed and Simulated Urban Heat Island and Urban Cool Island in Las Vegas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauceda, Daniel O.

This research investigates the urban climate of Las Vegas and establishes long-term trends relative to the regional climate in an attempt to identify climate disturbances strictly related to urban growth. An experimental surface station network (DRI-UHI) of low-cost surface temperature (T2m) and relative humidity (RH) sensors were designed to cover under-sampled low-intensity residential urban areas, as well as complement the in-city and surrounding rural areas. In addition to the analysis of the surface station data, high-resolution gridded data products (GDPs) from Daymet (1km) and PRISM (800 m) and results from numerical simulations were used to further characterize the Las Vegas climate trends. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was coupled with three different models: the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) and a single- and multi-layer urban canopy model (UCM) to assess the urban related climate disturbances; as well as the model sensitivity and ability to characterize diurnal variability and rural/urban thermal contrasts. The simulations consisted of 1 km grid size for five, one month-long hindcast simulations during November of 2012: (i) using the Noah LSM without UCM treatment, (ii) same as (i) with a single-layer UCM (UCM1), (iii) same as (i) with a multi-layer UCM (UCM2), (iv) removing the City of Las Vegas (NC) and replacing it with predominant land cover (shrub), and (v) same as (ii) with increasing the albedo of rooftops from 0.20 to 0.65 as a potential adaptation scenario known as "white roofing". T2m long-term trends showed a regional warming of minimum temperatures (Tmin) and negligible trends in maximum temperatures (Tmax ). By isolating the regional temperature trends, an observed urban heat island (UHI) of ~1.63°C was identified as well as a daytime urban cool island (UCI) of ~0.15°C. GDPs agree with temperature trends but tend to underpredict UHI intensity by ~1.05°C. The WRF-UCM showed strong correlations with observed T2m (0.85 < rho < 0.95) and vapor pressure (ea ; 0.83 < rho < 0.88), and moderate-to-strong correlations for RH (0.64 < rho < 0.81) at the 95% confidence level. UCM1 shows the best skill and adequately simulates most of the UHI and UCI observed characteristics. Differences of LSM, UCM1, and UCM2 minus NC show simulated effects of warmer in-city Tmin for LSM and UCM2, and cooler in-city Tmax for UCM1 and UCM2. Finally, the white roofing scenario for Las Vegas was not found to significantly impact the UHI effect but has the potential to reduce daytime temperature by 1°-2°C.

Randomized noninferiority clinical trial evaluating 3 commercial dry cow mastitis preparations: I. Quarter-level outcomes.

PubMed

Arruda, A G; Godden, S; Rapnicki, P; Gorden, P; Timms, L; Aly, S S; Lehenbauer, T W; Champagne, J

2013-07-01

The study objective was to compare the efficacy of 3 commercial dry cow mastitis formulations regarding quarter-level prevalence of intramammary infections (IMI) postcalving, cure of preexisting infections over the dry period, prevention of new infections during the dry period, and risk for a clinical mastitis case between calving and 100d in milk (DIM). A total of 1,091 cows (4,364 quarters) from 6 commercial dairy herds in 4 different states (California, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) were enrolled and randomized to 1 of the 3 treatments at dry-off: Quartermaster (QT; 1,000,000 IU of procaine penicillin G and 1 g of dihydrostreptomycin; Pfizer Animal Health, New York, NY), Spectramast DC (SP; 500 mg of ceftiofur hydrochloride; Pfizer Animal Health), or ToMorrow Dry Cow (TM; 300mg of cephapirin benzathine; Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., St. Joseph, MO). Quarter milk samples were collected for routine bacteriological culture before dry cow therapy treatment at dry-off, 0 to 6 DIM, and 7 to 13 DIM and an on-farm record-keeping system was used to retrieve data on clinical mastitis cases. Noninferiority analysis was used to evaluate the effect of treatment on the primary outcome, risk for a bacteriological cure during the dry period. Multivariable logistic regression techniques were used to describe the effect of treatment on risk for presence of IMI postcalving and risk of a new IMI during the dry period. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to describe the effect of treatment on the risk and time for quarters to experience an episode of clinical mastitis between calving and 100 DIM. The overall crude quarter-level prevalence of infection at dry-off was 19.2%. The most common pathogen isolated from milk samples at dry-off was coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, followed by Aerococcus spp. and other Streptococcus spp. Noninferiority analysis showed no effect of treatment on risk for a cure between dry-off and calving [least squares means (LSM): QT=93.3%, SP=92.6%, and TM=94.0%] and secondary analysis showed no effect of treatment on risk for presence of an IMI at 0 to 6 DIM (LSM: QT=16.5%, SP=14.1%, and TM=16.0%), risk for development of a new IMI between dry-off and 0 to 6 DIM (LSM: QT=14.8%, SP=12.3%, and TM=14.2%), or risk of experiencing a clinical mastitis event between calving and 100 DIM (LSM: QT=5.3%, SP=3.8%, and TM=4.1%). In conclusion, no difference was observed in efficacy among the 3 products evaluated when assessing the aforementioned quarter-level outcomes. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of the Spatial Distribution and Temporal Dynamics of the Green Vegetation Fraction of Croplands in Southwest Germany Using High-Resolution RapidEye Satellite Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imukova, Kristina; Ingwersen, Joachim; Streck, Thilo

2014-05-01

The green vegetation fraction (GVF) is a key input variable to the evapotranspiration scheme applied in the widely used NOAH land surface model (LSM). In standard applications of the NOAH LSM, the GVF is taken from a global map with a 15 km×15 km resolution. The central objective of the present study was (a) to derive gridded GVF data in a high spatial and temporal resolution from RapidEye images for a region in Southwest Germany, and (b) to improve the representation of the GVF dynamics of croplands in the NOAH LSM for a better simulation of water and energy exchange between land surface and atmosphere. For the region under study we obtained monthly RapidEye satellite images with a resolution 5 m×5 m by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The images hold five spectral bands: blue, green, red, red-edge and near infrared (NIR). The GVF dynamics were determined based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from the red and near-infrared bands of the satellite images. The satellite GVF data were calibrated and validated against ground truth measurements. Digital colour photographs above the canopy were taken with a boom-mounted digital camera at fifteen permanently marked plots (1 m×1 m). Crops under study were winter wheat, winter rape and silage maize. The GVF was computed based on the red and the green band of the photographs according to Rundquist's method (2002). Based on the obtained calibration scheme GVF maps were derived in a monthly resolution for the region. Our results confirm a linear relationship between GVF and NDVI and demonstrate that it is possible to determine the GVF of croplands from RapidEye images based on a simple two end-member mixing model. Our data highlight the high variability of the GVF in time and space. At the field scale, the GVF was normally distributed with a coefficient of variation of about 32%. Variability was mainly caused by soil heterogeneities and management differences. At the regional scale the GVF showed a bimodal distribution, which could be related to the different cultivation schemes of crops. We suggest to divide croplands according their distinctly different temporal dynamics of the GVF into "early covering - maturing" crops (winter rape, winter wheat, spring barley) and "late covering - non-maturing" crops (sugar beet, silage maize). Based on the achieved results we recommend that simulations with LSM should take into account this differentiation of croplands since it is to be expected that these two crop groups have pronounced differences with regard to energy partitioning at the land surface.

The IL7RA rs6897932 polymorphism is associated with progression of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Repeated measurements design.

PubMed

Jiménez-Sousa, María Ángeles; Gómez-Moreno, Ana Zaida; Pineda-Tenor, Daniel; Medrano, Luz Maria; Sánchez-Ruano, Juan José; Fernández-Rodríguez, Amanda; Artaza-Varasa, Tomas; Saura-Montalbán, José; Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Ryan, Pablo; Resino, Salvador

2018-01-01

The polymorphisms at the α-chain of the IL-7 receptor (IL7RA) have been related to T-cell homeostasis and development and may contribute to immune system deregulation. In the present study, we analyzed the association between IL7RA polymorphisms and the progression of liver fibrosis in patients infected with HCV. We carried out a retrospective study with a design consisting of repeated measurements in 187 HCV-infected patients, to study the risk prediction of liver fibrosis progression using genetic factors. We genotyped the rs6897932, rs987106 and rs3194051 IL7RA polymorphisms using the Agena Bioscience's MassARRAY. Transient elastography was used to measure liver stiffness. The used cut-offs were: <7.1 kPa (F0-F1), 7.1-9.4 kPa (F2; significant fibrosis), 9.5-12.4 kPa (F3; advanced fibrosis), and ≥12.5 kPa (F4; cirrhosis). All HCV genotypes were analyzed. The median of follow-up time was 47.9 months. Baseline liver stiffness measurement (LSM) values did not show significant statistical differences for IL7RA genotypes (p>0.05). In univariate analysis, the rs6897932 T allele had a positive relationship with an increase in LSM (arithmetic mean ratio (AMR) = 1.21 (95%CI = 1.08; 1.36); p = 0.001), progression to advanced fibrosis (F≥3) (odds ratio (OR) = 2.51 (95%CI = 1.29; 4.88); p = 0.006) and progression to cirrhosis (F4) (OR = 2.71 (95%CI = 0.94; 5.03); p = 0.069). In multivariable analysis, the rs6897932 T allele was related to a higher increase of LSM values during follow-up (adjusted AMR = 1.27 (95%CI = 1.13; 1.42); p<0.001) and higher odds of progression to advanced fibrosis [adjusted OR = 4.46 (95%CI = 1.87; 10.62); p = 0.001], and progression to cirrhosis [adjusted OR = 3.92 (95%CI = 1.30; 11.77); p = 0.015]. Regarding IL7RA rs987106 and rs3194051 polymorphisms, we did not find significant results except for the relationship between IL7RA rs987106 and the increase in LSM values [adjusted OR = 1.12 (95%CI = 1.02; 1.23); p = 0.015]. The IL7RA rs6897932 polymorphism seems to be related to increased risk of liver fibrosis progression in HCV-infected patients. Thus, the rs6897932 polymorphism could be related to the physiopathology of CHC and might be used to successfully stratify the risk of CHC progression.

Incorporating JULES into NASA's Land Information System (LIS) and Investigations of Land-Atmosphere Coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph

2011-01-01

NASA's Land Information System (LIS; lis.gsfc.nasa.gov) is a flexible land surface modeling and data assimilation framework developed over the past decade with the goal of integrating satellite- and ground-based observational data products and advanced land surface modeling techniques to produce optimal fields of land surface states and fluxes. LIS features a high performance and flexible design, and operates on an ensemble of land surface models for extension over user-specified regional or global domains. The extensible interfaces of LIS allow the incorporation of new domains, land surface models (LSMs), land surface parameters, meteorological inputs, data assimilation and optimization algorithms. In addition, LIS has also been demonstrated for parameter estimation and uncertainty estimation, and has been coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model. A visiting fellowship is currently underway to implement JULES into LIS and to undertake some fundamental science on the feedbacks between the land surface and the atmosphere. An overview of the LIS system, features, and sample results will be presented in an effort to engage the community in the potential advantages of LIS-JULES for a range of applications. Ongoing efforts to develop a framework for diagnosing land-atmosphere coupling will also be presented using the suite of LSM and PBL schemes available in LIS and WRF along with observations from the U. S .. Southern Great Plains. This methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which will serve as a testbed for future experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

Oven wall panel construction

DOEpatents

Ellison, Kenneth; Whike, Alan S.

1980-04-22

An oven roof or wall is formed from modular panels, each of which comprises an inner fabric and an outer fabric. Each such fabric is formed with an angle iron framework and somewhat resilient tie-bars or welded at their ends to flanges of the angle irons to maintain the inner and outer frameworks in spaced disposition while minimizing heat transfer by conduction and permitting some degree of relative movement on expansion and contraction of the module components. Suitable thermal insulation is provided within the module. Panels or skins are secured to the fabric frameworks and each such skin is secured to a framework and projects laterally so as slidingly to overlie the adjacent frame member of an adjacent panel in turn to permit relative movement during expansion and contraction.

An Indirect Data Assimilation Scheme for Deep Soil Temperature in the Pleim-Xiu Land Surface Model

EPA Science Inventory

The Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) has been improved by the addition of a 2nd indirect data assimilation scheme. The first, which was described previously, is a technique where soil moisture in nudged according to the biases in 2-m air temperature and relative humidity be...

Supporting Independent Learning Environments: An Analysis of Structures and Roles of Language Learning Advisers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mozzon-McPherson, Marina

2007-01-01

This article examines the contribution of language learning advisers to the creation of synergy in specific learning spaces and considers advisers' roles in relation to the development of successful learner self-management (LSM). Starting with an historical overview of the evolution of the self-access centre at the University of Hull, the article…

Operation SANDSTONE Nuclear Explosions. Atomic Weapons Tests. Operation Sandstone. Annex 1, Part 3. Volume 1. Report to Joint Chiefs of Staff

DTIC Science & Technology

1948-03-16

necessary directives $ - for the conversion of an IBM . Shortl y thereafter the Office Lieutenent General Hull was informed that the U.8.8. LSM-250 had been...terrain be determined and that deve1o~~ent be started immediately. Itp I

Personal Characteristics That Predict South Africans' Participation in Activities of Their Children's Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mmotlane, Ronnie; Winnaar, Lolita; Kivilu, Mbithi wa

2009-01-01

We investigated the extent to which personal characteristics such as age, marital status, education level, living standard measure (LSM), environmental milieu, race, gender and employment status predict parents' participation in the activities of their children's schools. The data used for analysis were drawn from 5,734 South Africans aged 16+…

Tandem-pulsed acousto-optics: an analytical framework of modulated high-contrast speckle patterns.

PubMed

Resink, S G; Steenbergen, W

2015-06-07

Recently we presented acousto-optic (AO) probing of scattering media using addition or subtraction of speckle patterns due to tandem nanosecond pulses. Here we present a theoretical framework for ideal (polarized, noise-free) speckle patterns with unity contrast that links ultrasound-induced optical phase modulation, the fraction of light that is tagged by ultrasound, speckle contrast, mean square difference of speckle patterns and the contrast of the summation of speckle patterns acquired at different ultrasound phases. We derive the important relations from basic assumptions and definitions, and then validate them with simulations. For ultrasound-generated phase modulation angles below 0.7 rad (assuming uniform modulation), we are now able to relate speckle pattern statistics to the acousto-optic phase modulation. Hence our theory allows quantifying speckle observations in terms of ultrasonically tagged fractions of light for near-unity-contrast speckle patterns.

Naver: a PC-cluster-based VR system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, ChangHoon; Ko, HeeDong; Kim, TaiYun

2003-04-01

In this paper, we present a new framework NAVER for virtual reality application. The NAVER is based on a cluster of low-cost personal computers. The goal of NAVER is to provide flexible, extensible, scalable and re-configurable framework for the virtual environments defined as the integration of 3D virtual space and external modules. External modules are various input or output devices and applications on the remote hosts. From the view of system, personal computers are divided into three servers according to its specific functions: Render Server, Device Server and Control Server. While Device Server contains external modules requiring event-based communication for the integration, Control Server contains external modules requiring synchronous communication every frame. And, the Render Server consists of 5 managers: Scenario Manager, Event Manager, Command Manager, Interaction Manager and Sync Manager. These managers support the declaration and operation of virtual environment and the integration with external modules on remote servers.

Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems: Modeling Individual Steps of a Risk Assessment Process

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

Shah, Anuj; Castleton, Karl J.; Hoopes, Bonnie L.

2004-06-01

The study of the release and effects of chemicals in the environment and their associated risks to humans is central to public and private decision making. FRAMES 1.X, Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems, is a systems modeling software platform, developed by PNNL, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, that helps scientists study the release and effects of chemicals on a source to outcome basis, create environmental models for similar risk assessment and management problems. The unique aspect of FRAMES is to dynamically introduce software modules representing individual components of a risk assessment (e.g., source release of contaminants, fate andmore » transport in various environmental media, exposure, etc.) within a software framework, manipulate their attributes and run simulations to obtain results. This paper outlines the fundamental constituents of FRAMES 2.X, an enhanced version of FRAMES 1.X, that greatly improve the ability of the module developers to “plug” their self-developed software modules into the system. The basic design, the underlying principles and a discussion of the guidelines for module developers are presented.« less

RE-PLAN: An Extensible Software Architecture to Facilitate Disaster Response Planning

PubMed Central

O’Neill, Martin; Mikler, Armin R.; Indrakanti, Saratchandra; Tiwari, Chetan; Jimenez, Tamara

2014-01-01

Computational tools are needed to make data-driven disaster mitigation planning accessible to planners and policymakers without the need for programming or GIS expertise. To address this problem, we have created modules to facilitate quantitative analyses pertinent to a variety of different disaster scenarios. These modules, which comprise the REsponse PLan ANalyzer (RE-PLAN) framework, may be used to create tools for specific disaster scenarios that allow planners to harness large amounts of disparate data and execute computational models through a point-and-click interface. Bio-E, a user-friendly tool built using this framework, was designed to develop and analyze the feasibility of ad hoc clinics for treating populations following a biological emergency event. In this article, the design and implementation of the RE-PLAN framework are described, and the functionality of the modules used in the Bio-E biological emergency mitigation tool are demonstrated. PMID:25419503

New Parallel computing framework for radiation transport codes

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

Kostin, M.A.; /Michigan State U., NSCL; Mokhov, N.V.

A new parallel computing framework has been developed to use with general-purpose radiation transport codes. The framework was implemented as a C++ module that uses MPI for message passing. The module is significantly independent of radiation transport codes it can be used with, and is connected to the codes by means of a number of interface functions. The framework was integrated with the MARS15 code, and an effort is under way to deploy it in PHITS. Besides the parallel computing functionality, the framework offers a checkpoint facility that allows restarting calculations with a saved checkpoint file. The checkpoint facility canmore » be used in single process calculations as well as in the parallel regime. Several checkpoint files can be merged into one thus combining results of several calculations. The framework also corrects some of the known problems with the scheduling and load balancing found in the original implementations of the parallel computing functionality in MARS15 and PHITS. The framework can be used efficiently on homogeneous systems and networks of workstations, where the interference from the other users is possible.« less

A Framework for Teaching Tactical Game Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Gail E.

2002-01-01

Provides an example of a framework of generic knowledge, designed for teachers, that describes and explains the foundational tactical aspects of invasive team-game play. The framework consists of four modules: participants and their roles, objectives, action principles, and action options. Guidelines to help instructors design practical activities…

Effect of feeding flax or linseed meal on progesterone clearance rate in ovariectomized ewes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ovariectomized ewes (n = 22; 68.76 ± 2.34 kg initial body weight; 2.9 ± 0.1 initial body condition score) were individually fed one of three diets: 1) Control (phytoestrogen-free; n = 7), 2) Flax containing diet (n = 8), or 3) linseed meal (LSM) containing diet (n =7) to investigate the rate of prog...

Dynamic effects of root system architecture improve root water uptake in 1-D process-based soil-root hydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouda, Martin; Saiers, James E.

2017-12-01

Root system architecture (RSA) can significantly affect plant access to water, total transpiration, as well as its partitioning by soil depth, with implications for surface heat, water, and carbon budgets. Despite recent advances in land surface model (LSM) descriptions of plant hydraulics, descriptions of RSA have not been included because of their three-dimensional complexity, which makes them generally too computationally costly. Here we demonstrate a new, process-based 1D layered model that captures the dynamic shifts in water potential gradients of 3D RSA under different soil moisture conditions: the RSA stencil. Using root systems calibrated to the rooting profiles of four plant functional types (PFT) of the Community Land Model, we show that the RSA stencil predicts plant water potentials within 2% to the outputs of a full 3D model, under the same assumptions on soil moisture heterogeneity, despite its trivial computational cost, resulting in improved predictions of water uptake and soil moisture compared to a model without RSA in a transient simulation. Our results suggest that LSM predictions of soil moisture dynamics and dependent variables can be improved by the implementation of this model, calibrated for individual PFTs using field observations.

Determination of the thickness and structure of the skin barrier by in vivo laser scanning microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lademann, J.; Richter, H.; Astner, S.; Patzelt, A.; Knorr, F.; Sterry, W.; Antoniou, Ch

2008-04-01

Normal skin barrier function is an essential aspect of skin homeostasis and regeneration. Dynamic inflammatory, proliferative and neoplastic skin processes such as wound healing, psoriasis and contact dermatitis are associated with a significant disruption of the skin barrier. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in evaluating cosmetic and pharmacologic products for their ability to restore these protective properties. The gold standard for characterization of barrier function has been the measurement of the transepidermal water loss, however the disadvantage of this method is its interference with several endogenous and exogenous factors such as hydration, perspiration and topically applied substances. This study was aimed to test the clinical applicability of a fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscope (LSM) for a systematic morphologic analysis of the structure, integrity and thickness of the stratum corneum in 10 otherwise healthy volunteers. The influence of skin treatment with commercial moisturizing cream on skin barrier function was evaluated in serial non-invasive examinations. Our findings showed that in vivo LSM may represent a simple and efficient method for the characterization of skin barrier properties, such as the thickness and hydration of the stratum corneum.

Ty3 Retrotransposon Hijacks Mating Yeast RNA Processing Bodies to Infect New Genomes

PubMed Central

Kaake, Robyn; Dawson, Anthony R.; Matheos, Dina; Nagashima, Kunio; Sitlani, Parth; Patterson, Kurt; Chang, Ivan; Huang, Lan; Sandmeyer, Suzanne

2015-01-01

Retrotransposition of the budding yeast long terminal repeat retrotransposon Ty3 is activated during mating. In this study, proteins that associate with Ty3 Gag3 capsid protein during virus-like particle (VLP) assembly were identified by mass spectrometry and screened for roles in mating-stimulated retrotransposition. Components of RNA processing bodies including DEAD box helicases Dhh1/DDX6 and Ded1/DDX3, Sm-like protein Lsm1, decapping protein Dcp2, and 5’ to 3’ exonuclease Xrn1 were among the proteins identified. These proteins associated with Ty3 proteins and RNA, and were required for formation of Ty3 VLP retrosome assembly factories and for retrotransposition. Specifically, Dhh1/DDX6 was required for normal levels of Ty3 genomic RNA, and Lsm1 and Xrn1 were required for association of Ty3 protein and RNA into retrosomes. This role for components of RNA processing bodies in promoting VLP assembly and retrotransposition during mating in a yeast that lacks RNA interference, contrasts with roles proposed for orthologous components in animal germ cell ribonucleoprotein granules in turnover and epigenetic suppression of retrotransposon RNAs. PMID:26421679

Natural and anthropogenic land cover change and its impact on the regional climate and hydrological extremes over Sanjiangyuan region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, P.; Yuan, X.

2017-12-01

Located in the northern Tibetan Plateau, Sanjiangyuan is the headwater region of the Yellow River, Yangtze River and Mekong River. Besides climate change, natural and human-induced land cover change (e.g., Graze for Grass Project) is also influencing the regional hydro-climate and hydrological extremes significantly. To quantify their impacts, a land surface model (LSM) with consideration of soil moisture-lateral surface flow interaction and quasi-three-dimensional subsurface flow, is used to conduct long-term high resolution simulations driven by China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System forcing data and different land cover scenarios. In particular, the role of surface and subsurface lateral flows is also analyzed by comparing with typical one-dimensional models. Lateral flows help to simulate soil moisture variability caused by topography at hyper-resolution (e.g., 100m), which is also essential for simulating hydrological extremes including soil moisture dryness/wetness and high/low flows. The LSM will also be coupled with a regional climate model to simulate the effect of natural and anthropogenic land cover change on regional climate, with particular focus on the land-atmosphere coupling at different resolutions with different configurations in modeling land surface hydrology.

Light sheet theta microscopy for rapid high-resolution imaging of large biological samples.

PubMed

Migliori, Bianca; Datta, Malika S; Dupre, Christophe; Apak, Mehmet C; Asano, Shoh; Gao, Ruixuan; Boyden, Edward S; Hermanson, Ola; Yuste, Rafael; Tomer, Raju

2018-05-29

Advances in tissue clearing and molecular labeling methods are enabling unprecedented optical access to large intact biological systems. These developments fuel the need for high-speed microscopy approaches to image large samples quantitatively and at high resolution. While light sheet microscopy (LSM), with its high planar imaging speed and low photo-bleaching, can be effective, scaling up to larger imaging volumes has been hindered by the use of orthogonal light sheet illumination. To address this fundamental limitation, we have developed light sheet theta microscopy (LSTM), which uniformly illuminates samples from the same side as the detection objective, thereby eliminating limits on lateral dimensions without sacrificing the imaging resolution, depth, and speed. We present a detailed characterization of LSTM, and demonstrate its complementary advantages over LSM for rapid high-resolution quantitative imaging of large intact samples with high uniform quality. The reported LSTM approach is a significant step for the rapid high-resolution quantitative mapping of the structure and function of very large biological systems, such as a clarified thick coronal slab of human brain and uniformly expanded tissues, and also for rapid volumetric calcium imaging of highly motile animals, such as Hydra, undergoing non-isomorphic body shape changes.

Recommendations for the design and the installation of large laser scanning microscopy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helm, P. Johannes

2012-03-01

Laser Scanning Microscopy (LSM) has since the inventions of the Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope (CLSM) and the Multi Photon Laser Scanning Microscope (MPLSM) developed into an essential tool in contemporary life science and material science. The market provides an increasing number of turn-key and hands-off commercial LSM systems, un-problematic to purchase, set up and integrate even into minor research groups. However, the successful definition, financing, acquisition, installation and effective use of one or more large laser scanning microscopy systems, possibly of core facility character, often requires major efforts by senior staff members of large academic or industrial units. Here, a set of recommendations is presented, which are helpful during the process of establishing large systems for confocal or non-linear laser scanning microscopy as an effective operational resource in the scientific or industrial production process. Besides the description of technical difficulties and possible pitfalls, the article also illuminates some seemingly "less scientific" processes, i.e. the definition of specific laboratory demands, advertisement of the intention to purchase one or more large systems, evaluation of quotations, establishment of contracts and preparation of the local environment and laboratory infrastructure.

Possibilities For The LAGUNA Projects At The Fréjus Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosca, Luigi

2010-11-01

The present laboratory (LSM) at the Fréjus site and the project of a first extension of it, mainly aimed at the next generation of dark matter and double beta decay experiments, are briefly reviewed. Then the main characteristics of the LAGUNA cooperation and Design Study network are summarized. Seven underground sites in Europe are considered in LAGUNA and are under study as candidates for the installation of Megaton scale detectors using three different techniques: a liquid Argon TPC (GLACIER), a liquid scintillator detector (LENA) and a Water Cerenkov (MEMPHYS), all mainly aimed at investigation of proton decay and properties of neutrinos from SuperNovae and other astrophysical sources as well as from accelerators (Super-beams and/or Beta-beams from CERN). One of the seven sites is located at Fréjus, near the present LSM laboratory, and the results of its feasibility study are presented and discussed. Then the physics potential of a MEMPHYS detector installed in this site are emphasized both for non-accelerator and for neutrino beam based configurations. The MEMPHYNO prototype with its R&D programme is presented. Finally a possible schedule is sketched.

Software framework for the upcoming MMT Observatory primary mirror re-aluminization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, J. Duane; Clark, Dusty; Porter, Dallan

2014-07-01

Details of the software framework for the upcoming in-situ re-aluminization of the 6.5m MMT Observatory (MMTO) primary mirror are presented. This framework includes: 1) a centralized key-value store and data structure server for data exchange between software modules, 2) a newly developed hardware-software interface for faster data sampling and better hardware control, 3) automated control algorithms that are based upon empirical testing, modeling, and simulation of the aluminization process, 4) re-engineered graphical user interfaces (GUI's) that use state-of-the-art web technologies, and 5) redundant relational databases for data logging. Redesign of the software framework has several objectives: 1) automated process control to provide more consistent and uniform mirror coatings, 2) optional manual control of the aluminization process, 3) modular design to allow flexibility in process control and software implementation, 4) faster data sampling and logging rates to better characterize the approximately 100-second aluminization event, and 5) synchronized "real-time" web application GUI's to provide all users with exactly the same data. The framework has been implemented as four modules interconnected by a data store/server. The four modules are integrated into two Linux system services that start automatically at boot-time and remain running at all times. Performance of the software framework is assessed through extensive testing within 2.0 meter and smaller coating chambers at the Sunnyside Test Facility. The redesigned software framework helps ensure that a better performing and longer lasting coating will be achieved during the re-aluminization of the MMTO primary mirror.

Development of a technical assistance framework for building organizational capacity of health programs in resource-limited settings.

PubMed

Reyes, E Michael; Sharma, Anjali; Thomas, Kate K; Kuehn, Chuck; Morales, José Rafael

2014-09-17

Little information exists on the technical assistance needs of local indigenous organizations charged with managing HIV care and treatment programs funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This paper describes the methods used to adapt the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) framework, which has successfully strengthened HIV primary care services in the US, into one that could strengthen the capacity of local partners to deliver priority health programs in resource-constrained settings by identifying their specific technical assistance needs. Qualitative methods and inductive reasoning approaches were used to conceptualize and adapt the new Clinical Assessment for Systems Strengthening (ClASS) framework. Stakeholder interviews, comparisons of existing assessment tools, and a pilot test helped determine the overall ClASS framework for use in low-resource settings. The framework was further refined one year post-ClASS implementation. Stakeholder interviews, assessment of existing tools, a pilot process and the one-year post- implementation assessment informed the adaptation of the ClASS framework for assessing and strengthening technical and managerial capacities of health programs at three levels: international partner, local indigenous partner, and local partner treatment facility. The PCAT focus on organizational strengths and systems strengthening was retained and implemented in the ClASS framework and approach. A modular format was chosen to allow the use of administrative, fiscal and clinical modules in any combination and to insert new modules as needed by programs. The pilot led to refined pre-visit planning, informed review team composition, increased visit duration, and restructured modules. A web-based toolkit was developed to capture three years of experiential learning; this kit can also be used for independent implementation of the ClASS framework. A systematic adaptation process has produced a qualitative framework that can inform implementation strategies in support of country led HIV care and treatment programs. The framework, as a well-received iterative process focused on technical assistance, may have broader utility in other global programs.

Building gene expression signatures indicative of transcription factor activation to predict AOP modulation

EPA Science Inventory

Building gene expression signatures indicative of transcription factor activation to predict AOP modulation Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) are a framework for predicting quantitative relationships between molecular initiatin...

A decision support framework for characterizing and managing dermal exposures to chemicals during Emergency Management and Operations.

PubMed

Dotson, G Scott; Hudson, Naomi L; Maier, Andrew

2015-01-01

Emergency Management and Operations (EMO) personnel are in need of resources and tools to assist in understanding the health risks associated with dermal exposures during chemical incidents. This article reviews available resources and presents a conceptual framework for a decision support system (DSS) that assists in characterizing and managing risk during chemical emergencies involving dermal exposures. The framework merges principles of three decision-making techniques: 1) scenario planning, 2) risk analysis, and 3) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This DSS facilitates dynamic decision making during each of the distinct life cycle phases of an emergency incident (ie, preparedness, response, or recovery) and identifies EMO needs. A checklist tool provides key questions intended to guide users through the complexities of conducting a dermal risk assessment. The questions define the scope of the framework for resource identification and application to support decision-making needs. The framework consists of three primary modules: 1) resource compilation, 2) prioritization, and 3) decision. The modules systematically identify, organize, and rank relevant information resources relating to the hazards of dermal exposures to chemicals and risk management strategies. Each module is subdivided into critical elements designed to further delineate the resources based on relevant incident phase and type of information. The DSS framework provides a much needed structure based on contemporary decision analysis principles for 1) documenting key questions for EMO problem formulation and 2) a method for systematically organizing, screening, and prioritizing information resources on dermal hazards, exposures, risk characterization, and management.

A decision support framework for characterizing and managing dermal exposures to chemicals during Emergency Management and Operations

PubMed Central

Dotson, G. Scott; Hudson, Naomi L.; Maier, Andrew

2016-01-01

Emergency Management and Operations (EMO) personnel are in need of resources and tools to assist in understanding the health risks associated with dermal exposures during chemical incidents. This article reviews available resources and presents a conceptual framework for a decision support system (DSS) that assists in characterizing and managing risk during chemical emergencies involving dermal exposures. The framework merges principles of three decision-making techniques: 1) scenario planning, 2) risk analysis, and 3) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This DSS facilitates dynamic decision making during each of the distinct life cycle phases of an emergency incident (ie, preparedness, response, or recovery) and identifies EMO needs. A checklist tool provides key questions intended to guide users through the complexities of conducting a dermal risk assessment. The questions define the scope of the framework for resource identification and application to support decision-making needs. The framework consists of three primary modules: 1) resource compilation, 2) prioritization, and 3) decision. The modules systematically identify, organize, and rank relevant information resources relating to the hazards of dermal exposures to chemicals and risk management strategies. Each module is subdivided into critical elements designed to further delineate the resources based on relevant incident phase and type of information. The DSS framework provides a much needed structure based on contemporary decision analysis principles for 1) documenting key questions for EMO problem formulation and 2) a method for systematically organizing, screening, and prioritizing information resources on dermal hazards, exposures, risk characterization, and management. PMID:26312660

Guideway structural design and power/propulsion/braking in relation to guideways. Volume 3: Appendix B: Maglev guideway structural design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkowski, K. M.; Key, F. S.; Kuznetsov, S. B.

1993-01-01

This final report summarizes work completed in the investigation of the power, propulsion, and braking systems for five different electrodynamic (EDS) Maglev configurations. System requirements and recommendations, including a cost analysis, are determined for each configuration. The analysis considers variations in vehicle length, acceleration'/deceleration criteria, airgap clearance, and maximum propulsion thrust. Five different guideway configurations have been considered, each of which is based on air-core magnets made from low-temperature superconductors (LTSC) - (NbTi, Nb3Sn) or the newer high-T(sub c) ceramic superconductors (HTSCs). The material requirements and cost of the guideway electrical components were studied as a function of the energy conversion efficiency, the stator block length, armature current density, stator temperature rise, and other parameters. The propulsion design focused on a dual-parallel, linear synchronous motor (LSM) with thrust modulation achieved by applying a variable frequency and voltage along the guideway. Critical design parameters were estimated using a three-dimensional computer model for the inductances, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic forces. The study also addressed the conceptual design of the magnet, cryostat, and refrigeration subsystems. Magnetic fields, forces, AC losses, superconductor stability, heat loading, and refrigeration demands were analyzed; a specific design shows limits of passive shielding.

Solid oxide fuel cell short stack performance testing - Part A: Experimental analysis and μ-combined heat and power unit comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mastropasqua, L.; Campanari, S.; Brouwer, J.

2017-12-01

The need to experimentally understand the detailed performance of SOFC stacks under operating conditions typical of commercial SOFC systems has prompted this two-part study. The steady state performance of a 6-cell short stack of yttria (Y2O3) stabilised zirconia (YSZ) with Ni/YSZ anodes and composite Sr-doped lanthanum manganite (LaMnO3, LSM)/YSZ cathodes is experimentally evaluated. In Part A, the stack characterisation is carried out by means of sensitivity analyses on the fuel utilisation factor and the steam-to-carbon ratio. Electrical and environmental performances are assessed and the results are compared with a commercial full-scale micro-CHP system, which comprises the same cells. The results show that the measured temperature dynamics of the short stack in a test stand environment are on the order of many minutes; therefore, one cannot neglect temperature dynamics for a precise measurement of the steady state polarisation behaviour. The overall polarisation performance is comparable to that of the full stack employed in the micro-CHP system, confirming the good representation that short-stack analyses can give of the entire SOFC module. The environmental performance is measured verifying the negligible values of NO emissions (<10 ppb) across the whole polarisation curve.

Planning Framework for Mesolevel Optimization of Urban Runoff Control Schemes

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

Zhou, Qianqian; Blohm, Andrew; Liu, Bo

A planning framework is developed to optimize runoff control schemes at scales relevant for regional planning at an early stage. The framework employs less sophisticated modeling approaches to allow a practical application in developing regions with limited data sources and computing capability. The methodology contains three interrelated modules: (1)the geographic information system (GIS)-based hydrological module, which aims at assessing local hydrological constraints and potential for runoff control according to regional land-use descriptions; (2)the grading module, which is built upon the method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. It is used to establish a priority ranking system to assist the allocation of runoffmore » control targets at the subdivision level; and (3)the genetic algorithm-based optimization module, which is included to derive Pareto-based optimal solutions for mesolevel allocation with multiple competing objectives. The optimization approach describes the trade-off between different allocation plans and simultaneously ensures that all allocation schemes satisfy the minimum requirement on runoff control. Our results highlight the importance of considering the mesolevel allocation strategy in addition to measures at macrolevels and microlevels in urban runoff management. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.« less

Environmental Microbiology Modules. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walke, Raymond H.; Walke, Jayne G.

This publication is the result of a project to develop microbiology instructional materials for vocational college students. These materials are a series of self-paced modules. Each module includes a pre-test, an introduction and historical packet, an organizational packet to set the framework for in-depth study, one or more in-depth packets, a…

Business/Marketing Education. Business Analysis/Business Computer Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Div. of Occupational Education Programs.

This document contains 12 modules: 4 on business analysis and 8 on business computer applications. The business analysis modules are as follows: (1) the framework of business; (2) universal activities of business; (3) selected business subsystems; and (4) your place in business. Computer applications modules are on the following topics: (1)…

A Framework for Credit. Framework Guidelines 2. Learning Outcomes, Units and Modules.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Further Education Development Agency, London (England).

This document refines and develops a 1992 proposal by Great Britain's Further Education Unit (FEU) that all kinds of student achievement be documented within a common framework involving the following procedures: describing adult learners' achievements in terms of learning outcomes; grouping the learning outcomes into coherent units; defining the…

An Evaluation of the Limited Contract Warrant Experiment at March AFB.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

as booking entertainment, and contracting for food and beverages . (66:12) The only time a contracting officer was consulted was when the purchase...34-, , • % . , •, ", ’,. .. . - - "."- .- - ,- -~. .-.• - . *- *** -.- -, ~ -, v -,- .,- • ,.-, .- ,- % S% j%’..’ ,..p S-. AFIT/GLM/LSM/86S-70 AN EVALUATION OF THE LIMITED CONTRACT WARRANT EXPERIMENT AT MARCH AFB THESIS... v List of Abbreviations ........................................................... vi :% Abstract

A Comparison between LMS tools to support e-health educational activities.

PubMed

de Araújo Novaes, Magdala; Soares de Vasconcelos, Gabriel; Florencio da Silva, Jackson Raniel

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to understand how a Learning Management System (LMS) plataform is used in a telehealth center to support two virtual learning enviroments focused on the education of the healthcare professionals and the students of a medical schoool. The study outcome is expected to provide indications towards choosing a better LSM for the telehelath center to support their educacional activities.

Numerical simulations of island-scale airflow over Maui and the Maui vortex under summer trade wind conditions

Treesearch

DaNa L. Carlis; Yi-Leng Chen; Vernon R. Morris

2010-01-01

The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) coupled with the Noah land surface model (LSM) is employed to simulate island-scale airflow and circulations over Maui County, Hawaii, under summer trade wind conditions, during July–August 2005. The model forecasts are validated by surface observations with good agreement.

Phases, line tension and pattern formation in molecularly thin films at the air-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Pritam

A Langmuir film, which is a molecularly thin insoluble film on a liquid substrate, is one practical realization of a quasi-two dimensional matter. The major advantages of this system for the study of phase separation and phase co-existence are (a) it allows accurate control of the components and molecular area of the film and (b) it can be studied by various methods that require very flat films. Phase separation in molecularly thin films plays an important role in a range of systems from biomembranes to biosensors. For example, phase-separated lipid nano-domains in biomembranes are thought to play crucial roles in membrane function. I use Brewster Angel Microscopy (BAM) coupled with Fluorescence Microscopy (FM) and static Light Scattering Microscopy (LSM) to image phases and patterns within Langmuir films. The three microscopic techniques --- BAM, FM and LSM --- are complimentary to each other, providing distinct sets of information. They allow direct comparison with literature results in lipid systems. I have quantitatively validated the use of detailed hydrodynamic simulations to determine line tension in monolayers. Line tension decreases as temperature rises. This decrease gives us information on the entropy associated with the line, and thus about line structure. I carefully consider the thermodynamics of line energy and entropy to make this connection. In the longer run, LSM will be exploited to give us further information about line structure. I have also extended the technique by testing it on domains within the curved surface of a bilayer vesicle. I also note that in the same way that the presence of surface-active agents, known as surfactants, affects surface energy, the addiction of line active agents alters the inter-phase line energy. Thus my results set to stage to systematically study the influence of line active agents ---'linactants' --- on the inter-phase line energy. Hierarchal self-assembled chiral patterns were observed as a function of temperature. I found that the appearance of these domains could be explained with a simple uniaxial optical axis in the underlying structure, which is the first critical step to understanding the origin of these patterns.

A Real-Time MODIS Vegetation Composite for Land Surface Models and Short-Term Forecasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; LaFontaine, Frank J.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Jedlovec, Gary J.

2011-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center is producing real-time, 1- km resolution Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) gridded composites over a Continental U.S. domain. These composites are updated daily based on swath data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the polar orbiting NASA Aqua and Terra satellites, with a product time lag of about one day. A simple time-weighting algorithm is applied to the NDVI swath data that queries the previous 20 days of data to ensure a continuous grid of data populated at all pixels. The daily composites exhibited good continuity both spatially and temporally during June and July 2010. The composites also nicely depicted high greenness anomalies that resulted from significant rainfall over southwestern Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico during July due to early-season tropical cyclone activity. The SPoRT Center is in the process of computing greenness vegetation fraction (GVF) composites from the MODIS NDVI data at the same spatial and temporal resolution for use in the NASA Land Information System (LIS). The new daily GVF dataset would replace the monthly climatological GVF database (based on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer [AVHRR] observations from 1992-93) currently available to the Noah land surface model (LSM) in both LIS and the public version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The much higher spatial resolution (1 km versus 0.15 degree) and daily updates based on real-time satellite observations have the capability to greatly improve the simulation of the surface energy budget in the Noah LSM within LIS and WRF. Once code is developed in LIS to incorporate the daily updated GVFs, the SPoRT Center will conduct simulation sensitivity experiments to quantify the impacts and improvements realized by the MODIS real-time GVF data. This presentation will describe the methodology used to develop the 1-km MODIS NDVI composites and show sample output from summer 2010, compare the MODIS GVF data to the AVHRR monthly climatology, and illustrate the sensitivity of the Noah LSM within LIS and/or the coupled LIS/WRF system to the new MODIS GVF dataset.

Land Surface Modeling Applications for Famine Early Warning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNally, A.; Verdin, J. P.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Arsenault, K. R.; Wang, S.; Kumar, S.; Shukla, S.; Funk, C. C.; Pervez, M. S.; Fall, G. M.; Karsten, L. R.

2015-12-01

AGU 2015 Fall Meeting Session ID#: 7598 Remote Sensing Applications for Water Resources Management Land Surface Modeling Applications for Famine Early Warning James Verdin, USGS EROS Christa Peters-Lidard, NASA GSFC Amy McNally, NASA GSFC, UMD/ESSIC Kristi Arsenault, NASA GSFC, SAIC Shugong Wang, NASA GSFC, SAIC Sujay Kumar, NASA GSFC, SAIC Shrad Shukla, UCSB Chris Funk, USGS EROS Greg Fall, NOAA Logan Karsten, NOAA, UCAR Famine early warning has traditionally required close monitoring of agro-climatological conditions, putting them in historical context, and projecting them forward to anticipate end-of-season outcomes. In recent years, it has become necessary to factor in the effects of a changing climate as well. There has also been a growing appreciation of the linkage between food security and water availability. In 2009, Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) science partners began developing land surface modeling (LSM) applications to address these needs. With support from the NASA Applied Sciences Program, an instance of the Land Information System (LIS) was developed to specifically support FEWS NET. A simple crop water balance model (GeoWRSI) traditionally used by FEWS NET took its place alongside the Noah land surface model and the latest version of the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, and LIS data readers were developed for FEWS NET precipitation forcings (NOAA's RFE and USGS/UCSB's CHIRPS). The resulting system was successfully used to monitor and project soil moisture conditions in the Horn of Africa, foretelling poor crop outcomes in the OND 2013 and MAM 2014 seasons. In parallel, NOAA created another instance of LIS to monitor snow water resources in Afghanistan, which are an early indicator of water availability for irrigation and crop production. These successes have been followed by investment in LSM implementations to track and project water availability in Sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, work that is now underway. Adoption of LSM and data assimilation technology has enabled FEWS NET to take greater advantage of remote sensing observations to robustly estimate key agro-climatological states, like soil moisture and snow water equivalent, building confidence in our understanding of conditions in data sparse regions of the world.

Incommensurate Chirality Density Wave Transition in a Hybrid Molecular Framework.

PubMed

Hill, Joshua A; Christensen, Kirsten E; Goodwin, Andrew L

2017-09-15

Using single-crystal x-ray diffraction we characterize the 235 K incommensurate phase transition in the hybrid molecular framework tetraethylammonium silver(I) dicyanoargentate, [NEt_{4}]Ag_{3}(CN)_{4}. We demonstrate the transition to involve spontaneous resolution of chiral [NEt_{4}]^{+} conformations, giving rise to a state in which molecular chirality is incommensurately modulated throughout the crystal lattice. We refer to this state as an incommensurate chirality density wave (XDW) phase, which represents a fundamentally new type of chiral symmetry breaking in the solid state. Drawing on parallels to the incommensurate ferroelectric transition of NaNO_{2}, we suggest the XDW state arises through coupling between acoustic (shear) and molecular rotoinversion modes. Such coupling is symmetry forbidden at the Brillouin zone center but symmetry allowed for small but finite modulation vectors q=[0,0,q_{z}]^{*}. The importance of long-wavelength chirality modulations in the physics of this hybrid framework may have implications for the generation of mesoscale chiral textures, as required for advanced photonic materials.

Incommensurate Chirality Density Wave Transition in a Hybrid Molecular Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Joshua A.; Christensen, Kirsten E.; Goodwin, Andrew L.

2017-09-01

Using single-crystal x-ray diffraction we characterize the 235 K incommensurate phase transition in the hybrid molecular framework tetraethylammonium silver(I) dicyanoargentate, [NEt4]Ag3(CN )4 . We demonstrate the transition to involve spontaneous resolution of chiral [NEt4]+ conformations, giving rise to a state in which molecular chirality is incommensurately modulated throughout the crystal lattice. We refer to this state as an incommensurate chirality density wave (XDW) phase, which represents a fundamentally new type of chiral symmetry breaking in the solid state. Drawing on parallels to the incommensurate ferroelectric transition of NaNO2 , we suggest the XDW state arises through coupling between acoustic (shear) and molecular rotoinversion modes. Such coupling is symmetry forbidden at the Brillouin zone center but symmetry allowed for small but finite modulation vectors q =[0 ,0 ,qz]* . The importance of long-wavelength chirality modulations in the physics of this hybrid framework may have implications for the generation of mesoscale chiral textures, as required for advanced photonic materials.

Design of real-time encryption module for secure data protection of wearable healthcare devices.

PubMed

Kim, Jungchae; Lee, Byuck Jin; Yoo, Sun K

2013-01-01

Wearable devices for biomedical instrumentation could generate the medical data and transmit to a repository on cloud service through wireless networks. In this process, the private medical data will be disclosed by man in the middle attack. Thus, the archived data for healthcare services would be protected by non-standardized security policy by healthcare service provider (HSP) because HIPAA only defines the security rules. In this paper, we adopted the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for security framework on wearable devices, so healthcare applications using this framework could support the confidentiality easily. The framework developed as dynamic loadable module targeted for lightweight microcontroller such as msp430 within embedded operating system. The performance was shown that the module can support the real-time encryption using electrocardiogram and photoplethysmogram. In this regard, the processing load for enabling security is distributed to wearable devices, and the customized data protection method could be composed by HSP for a trusted healthcare service.

Towards Optimal Operation of the Reservoir System in Upper Yellow River: Incorporating Long- and Short-term Operations and Using Rolling Updated Hydrologic Forecast Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Si, Y.; Li, X.; Li, T.; Huang, Y.; Yin, D.

2016-12-01

The cascade reservoirs in Upper Yellow River (UYR), one of the largest hydropower bases in China, play a vital role in peak load and frequency regulation for Northwest China Power Grid. The joint operation of this system has been put forward for years whereas has not come into effect due to management difficulties and inflow uncertainties, and thus there is still considerable improvement room for hydropower production. This study presents a decision support framework incorporating long- and short-term operation of the reservoir system. For long-term operation, we maximize hydropower production of the reservoir system using historical hydrological data of multiple years, and derive operating rule curves for storage reservoirs. For short-term operation, we develop a program consisting of three modules, namely hydrologic forecast module, reservoir operation module and coordination module. The coordination module is responsible for calling the hydrologic forecast module to acquire predicted inflow within a short-term horizon, and transferring the information to the reservoir operation module to generate optimal release decision. With the hydrologic forecast information updated, the rolling short-term optimization is iterated until the end of operation period, where the long-term operating curves serve as the ending storage target. As an application, the Digital Yellow River Integrated Model (referred to as "DYRIM", which is specially designed for runoff-sediment simulation in the Yellow River basin by Tsinghua University) is used in the hydrologic forecast module, and the successive linear programming (SLP) in the reservoir operation module. The application in the reservoir system of UYR demonstrates that the framework can effectively support real-time decision making, and ensure both computational accuracy and speed. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the general framework can be extended to any other reservoir system with any or combination of hydrological model(s) to forecast and any solver to optimize the operation of reservoir system.

Self-contained image mapping of placental vasculature in 3D ultrasound-guided fetoscopy.

PubMed

Yang, Liangjing; Wang, Junchen; Ando, Takehiro; Kubota, Akihiro; Yamashita, Hiromasa; Sakuma, Ichiro; Chiba, Toshio; Kobayashi, Etsuko

2016-09-01

Surgical navigation technology directed at fetoscopic procedures is relatively underdeveloped compared with other forms of endoscopy. The narrow fetoscopic field of views and the vast vascular network on the placenta make examination and photocoagulation treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome challenging. Though ultrasonography is used for intraoperative guidance, its navigational ability is not fully exploited. This work aims to integrate 3D ultrasound imaging and endoscopic vision seamlessly for placental vasculature mapping through a self-contained framework without external navigational devices. This is achieved through development, integration, and experimentation of novel navigational modules. Firstly, a framework design that addresses the current limitations based on identified gaps is conceptualized. Secondly, integration of navigational modules including (1) ultrasound-based localization, (2) image alignment, and (3) vision-based tracking to update the scene texture map is implemented. This updated texture map is projected to an ultrasound-constructed 3D model for photorealistic texturing of the 3D scene creating a panoramic view of the moving fetoscope. In addition, a collaborative scheme for the integration of the modular workflow system is proposed to schedule updates in a systematic fashion. Finally, experiments are carried out to evaluate each modular variation and an integrated collaborative scheme of the framework. The modules and the collaborative scheme are evaluated through a series of phantom experiments with controlled trajectories for repeatability. The collaborative framework demonstrated the best accuracy (5.2 % RMS error) compared with all the three single-module variations during the experiment. Validation on an ex vivo monkey placenta shows visual continuity of the freehand fetoscopic panorama. The proposed developed collaborative framework and the evaluation study of the framework variations provide analytical insights for effective integration of ultrasonography and endoscopy. This contributes to the development of navigation techniques in fetoscopic procedures and can potentially be extended to other applications in intraoperative imaging.

Optimization of storage tank locations in an urban stormwater drainage system using a two-stage approach.

PubMed

Wang, Mingming; Sun, Yuanxiang; Sweetapple, Chris

2017-12-15

Storage is important for flood mitigation and non-point source pollution control. However, to seek a cost-effective design scheme for storage tanks is very complex. This paper presents a two-stage optimization framework to find an optimal scheme for storage tanks using storm water management model (SWMM). The objectives are to minimize flooding, total suspended solids (TSS) load and storage cost. The framework includes two modules: (i) the analytical module, which evaluates and ranks the flooding nodes with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) using two indicators (flood depth and flood duration), and then obtains the preliminary scheme by calculating two efficiency indicators (flood reduction efficiency and TSS reduction efficiency); (ii) the iteration module, which obtains an optimal scheme using a generalized pattern search (GPS) method based on the preliminary scheme generated by the analytical module. The proposed approach was applied to a catchment in CZ city, China, to test its capability in choosing design alternatives. Different rainfall scenarios are considered to test its robustness. The results demonstrate that the optimal framework is feasible, and the optimization is fast based on the preliminary scheme. The optimized scheme is better than the preliminary scheme for reducing runoff and pollutant loads under a given storage cost. The multi-objective optimization framework presented in this paper may be useful in finding the best scheme of storage tanks or low impact development (LID) controls. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A statistical framework for biomedical literature mining.

PubMed

Chung, Dongjun; Lawson, Andrew; Zheng, W Jim

2017-09-30

In systems biology, it is of great interest to identify new genes that were not previously reported to be associated with biological pathways related to various functions and diseases. Identification of these new pathway-modulating genes does not only promote understanding of pathway regulation mechanisms but also allow identification of novel targets for therapeutics. Recently, biomedical literature has been considered as a valuable resource to investigate pathway-modulating genes. While the majority of currently available approaches are based on the co-occurrence of genes within an abstract, it has been reported that these approaches show only sub-optimal performances because 70% of abstracts contain information only for a single gene. To overcome such limitation, we propose a novel statistical framework based on the concept of ontology fingerprint that uses gene ontology to extract information from large biomedical literature data. The proposed framework simultaneously identifies pathway-modulating genes and facilitates interpreting functions of these new genes. We also propose a computationally efficient posterior inference procedure based on Metropolis-Hastings within Gibbs sampler for parameter updates and the poor man's reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo approach for model selection. We evaluate the proposed statistical framework with simulation studies, experimental validation, and an application to studies of pathway-modulating genes in yeast. The R implementation of the proposed model is currently available at https://dongjunchung.github.io/bayesGO/. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A future-proof architecture for telemedicine using loose-coupled modules and HL7 FHIR.

PubMed

Gøeg, Kirstine Rosenbeck; Rasmussen, Rune Kongsgaard; Jensen, Lasse; Wollesen, Christian Møller; Larsen, Søren; Pape-Haugaard, Louise Bilenberg

2018-07-01

Most telemedicine solutions are proprietary and disease specific which cause a heterogeneous and silo-oriented system landscape with limited interoperability. Solving the interoperability problem would require a strong focus on data integration and standardization in telemedicine infrastructures. Our objective was to suggest a future-proof architecture, that consisted of small loose-coupled modules to allow flexible integration with new and existing services, and the use of international standards to allow high re-usability of modules, and interoperability in the health IT landscape. We identified core features of our future-proof architecture as the following (1) To provide extended functionality the system should be designed as a core with modules. Database handling and implementation of security protocols are modules, to improve flexibility compared to other frameworks. (2) To ensure loosely coupled modules the system should implement an inversion of control mechanism. (3) A focus on ease of implementation requires the system should use HL7 FHIR (Fast Interoperable Health Resources) as the primary standard because it is based on web-technologies. We evaluated the feasibility of our architecture by developing an open source implementation of the system called ORDS. ORDS is written in TypeScript, and makes use of the Express Framework and HL7 FHIR DSTU2. The code is distributed on GitHub. All modules have been tested unit wise, but end-to-end testing awaits our first clinical example implementations. Our study showed that highly adaptable and yet interoperable core frameworks for telemedicine can be designed and implemented. Future work includes implementation of a clinical use case and evaluation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SBROME: a scalable optimization and module matching framework for automated biosystems design.

PubMed

Huynh, Linh; Tsoukalas, Athanasios; Köppe, Matthias; Tagkopoulos, Ilias

2013-05-17

The development of a scalable framework for biodesign automation is a formidable challenge given the expected increase in part availability and the ever-growing complexity of synthetic circuits. To allow for (a) the use of previously constructed and characterized circuits or modules and (b) the implementation of designs that can scale up to hundreds of nodes, we here propose a divide-and-conquer Synthetic Biology Reusable Optimization Methodology (SBROME). An abstract user-defined circuit is first transformed and matched against a module database that incorporates circuits that have previously been experimentally characterized. Then the resulting circuit is decomposed to subcircuits that are populated with the set of parts that best approximate the desired function. Finally, all subcircuits are subsequently characterized and deposited back to the module database for future reuse. We successfully applied SBROME toward two alternative designs of a modular 3-input multiplexer that utilize pre-existing logic gates and characterized biological parts.

BioInt: an integrative biological object-oriented application framework and interpreter.

PubMed

Desai, Sanket; Burra, Prasad

2015-01-01

BioInt, a biological programming application framework and interpreter, is an attempt to equip the researchers with seamless integration, efficient extraction and effortless analysis of the data from various biological databases and algorithms. Based on the type of biological data, algorithms and related functionalities, a biology-specific framework was developed which has nine modules. The modules are a compilation of numerous reusable BioADTs. This software ecosystem containing more than 450 biological objects underneath the interpreter makes it flexible, integrative and comprehensive. Similar to Python, BioInt eliminates the compilation and linking steps cutting the time significantly. The researcher can write the scripts using available BioADTs (following C++ syntax) and execute them interactively or use as a command line application. It has features that enable automation, extension of the framework with new/external BioADTs/libraries and deployment of complex work flows.

Towards a neural basis of music perception.

PubMed

Koelsch, Stefan; Siebel, Walter A

2005-12-01

Music perception involves complex brain functions underlying acoustic analysis, auditory memory, auditory scene analysis, and processing of musical syntax and semantics. Moreover, music perception potentially affects emotion, influences the autonomic nervous system, the hormonal and immune systems, and activates (pre)motor representations. During the past few years, research activities on different aspects of music processing and their neural correlates have rapidly progressed. This article provides an overview of recent developments and a framework for the perceptual side of music processing. This framework lays out a model of the cognitive modules involved in music perception, and incorporates information about the time course of activity of some of these modules, as well as research findings about where in the brain these modules might be located.

CyberMedVPS: visual programming for development of simulators.

PubMed

Morais, Aline M; Machado, Liliane S

2011-01-01

Computer applications based on Virtual Reality (VR) has been outstanding in training and teaching in the medical filed due to their ability to simulate realistic in which users can practice skills and decision making in different situations. But was realized in these frameworks a hard interaction of non-programmers users. Based on this problematic will be shown the CyberMedVPS, a graphical module which implement Visual Programming concepts to solve an interaction trouble. Frameworks to develop such simulators are available but their use demands knowledge of programming. Based on this problematic will be shown the CyberMedVPS, a graphical module for the CyberMed framework, which implements Visual Programming concepts to allow the development of simulators by non-programmers professionals of the medical field.

Power system security enhancement through direct non-disruptive load control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanathan, Badri Narayanan

The transition to a competitive market structure raises significant concerns regarding reliability of the power grid. A need to build tools for security assessment that produce operating limit boundaries for both static and dynamic contingencies is recognized. Besides, an increase in overall uncertainty in operating conditions makes corrective actions at times ineffective leaving the system vulnerable to instability. The tools that are in place for stability enhancement are mostly corrective and suffer from lack of robustness to operating condition changes. They often pose serious coordination challenges. With deregulation, there have also been ownership and responsibility issues associated with stability controls. However, the changing utility business model and the developments in enabling technologies such as two-way communication, metering, and control open up several new possibilities for power system security enhancement. This research proposes preventive modulation of selected loads through direct control for power system security enhancement. Two main contributions of this research are the following: development of an analysis framework and two conceptually different analysis approaches for load modulation to enhance oscillatory stability, and the development and study of algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads. The underlying analysis framework is based on the Structured Singular Value (SSV or mu) theory. Based on the above framework, two fundamentally different approaches towards analysis of the amount of load modulation for desired stability performance have been developed. Both the approaches have been tested on two different test systems: CIGRE Nordic test system and an equivalent of the Western Electric Coordinating Council test system. This research also develops algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads that use the results of the analysis. In line with some recent load management programs executed by utilities, two different algorithms based on dynamic programming are proposed for air-conditioner loads, while a decision-tree based algorithm is proposed for water-heater loads. An optimization framework has been developed employing the above algorithms. Monte Carlo simulations have been performed using this framework with the objective of studying the impact of different parameters and constraints on the effectiveness as well as the effect of control. The conclusions drawn from this research strongly advocate direct load control for stability enhancement from the perspectives of robustness and coordination, as well as economic viability and the developments towards availability of the institutional framework for load participation in providing system reliability services.

Evaluation of Goal Programming for the Optimal Assignment of Inspectors to Construction Projects

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

Inputs ..... .............. 90 Equation Coefficients . ....... .. 90 Weights, Priorities and the AHP . . 91 Right-Hand Side Values ........ .. 91...the AHP Hierarchy with k Levels . . 36 3. Sample Matrix for Pairwise Comparison ........ .. 37 4. Assignment of I and p for Example Problem...Weights for Example Problem ... 61 3. AHP Weights and Coefficient ci, Values. ........ 63 vii AFIT/GEM/LSM/88S-16 Abstract The purpose of this study was

Library Research Handbook for Faculty and Graduate Students at the College of Engineering. A Selective Guide to Engineering Reference Materials at the Library of Science & Medicine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Connie

This handbook identifies the major reference sources for various engineering fields at the Library of Science and Medicine (LSM) at Rutgers University. The resources are divided into 15 categories and provide full call numbers and locations for every title. These categories include: (1) Card Catalog and Online Catalog; (2) Guide to the Literature…

Improving the Accuracy and Scalability of Discriminative Learning Methods for Markov Logic Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

9 2.2 Inductive Logic Programming and Aleph . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2.3 MLNs and Alchemy ...positive examples. Aleph allows users to customize each of 10 these steps, and thereby supports a variety of specific algorithms. 2.3 MLNs and Alchemy An...tural motifs. By limiting the search to each unique motif, LSM is able to find good clauses in an efficient manner. Alchemy (Kok, Singla, Richardson

Telecommuting: An Altered Work Pattern.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

TELECOMMUtTING : AN ALTERED WORK PATTERN THES IS Carole H. Smith GS -12 AFIT /GLMI/LSM/ 84S-59 Approved for public release; distribution unlimited__ , v 184...7 7.._._.._. _ ,:. . . 70-.--.- "" .._ 7." " --------- :’’ APIT/GLM/LSU/ 84s-59 TELECOMMUTING : AN ALTERED WORK PATTERN THES IS...Electronic Services Unlimited, a New York based telecommut - ing consultant company. They introduced me to telecommut - ing concepts in the private sector

Airborne Laser Systems Testing and Analysis (essals et analyse des systemes laser embarques)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

of Surface/ Paints Reflection Properties (PILASTER targets); • PILASTER Sensors Testing and Calibration; • LOAS Laser System Testing; and • Test...PILASTER targets candidate paints and materials), a Laser Scatter-meter (LSM) was built. To briefly summarise the fundamental concepts involved...Green Painted Target. 7.6.3 Laser Beam Misalignment with Respect to the Beam-Expander Support For measuring the beam misalignment, the beam expander

Density-Functional-Theory Modeling of Cation Diffusion in Bulk La 1 - x Sr x MnO 3 ± δ ( x = 0.0 – 0.25 ) for Solid-Oxide Fuel-Cell Cathodes

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

Lee, Yueh-Lin; Duan, Yuhua; Morgan, Dane

In this work, the A - and B -site cation migration pathways involving defect complexes in bulk La 1-xSr xMnO 3±δ (LSM) at x = 0.0-0.25 are investigated based on density-functional-theory modeling for solid-oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) cathode applications. We propose a dominant A -site cation migration mechanism which involves an A -site cation (e.g., Lamore » $$x\\atop{A}$$) V A"' of a V A"' -V B"' cluster, where La$$x\\atop{A}$$, V A"' and V B"' are La 3+, A-site vacancy, and B-site vacancy in bulk LSM, respectively, and V A"' -V B"' is the first nearest-neighbor V A"' and V B"' pair. This hop exhibits an approximately 1.6-eV migration barrier as compared to approximately 2.9 eV of the La$$x\\atop{A}$$ hop into a V A"'. This decrease in the cation migration barrier is attributed to the presence of the V B"' relieving the electrostatic repulsion and steric constraints to the migrating A-site cations in the transition-state image configurations.« less

Upconversion microparticles as time-resolved luminescent probes for multiphoton microscopy: desired signal extraction from the streaking effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pominova, Daria V.; Ryabova, Anastasia V.; Grachev, Pavel V.; Romanishkin, Igor D.; Kuznetsov, Sergei V.; Rozhnova, Julia A.; Yasyrkina, Daria S.; Fedorov, Pavel P.; Loschenov, Victor B.

2016-09-01

The great interest in upconversion nanoparticles exists due to their high efficiency under multiphoton excitation. However, when these particles are used in scanning microscopy, the upconversion luminescence causes a streaking effect due to the long lifetime. This article describes a method of upconversion microparticle luminescence lifetime determination with help of modified Lucy-Richardson deconvolution of laser scanning microscope (LSM) image obtained under near-IR excitation using nondescanned detectors. Determination of the upconversion luminescence intensity and the decay time of separate microparticles was done by intensity profile along the image fast scan axis approximation. We studied upconversion submicroparticles based on fluoride hosts doped with Yb3+-Er3+ and Yb3+-Tm3+ rare earth ion pairs, and the characteristic decay times were 0.1 to 1.5 ms. We also compared the results of LSM measurements with the photon counting method results; the spread of values was about 13% and was associated with the approximation error. Data obtained from live cells showed the possibility of distinguishing the position of upconversion submicroparticles inside and outside the cells by the difference of their lifetime. The proposed technique allows using the upconversion microparticles without shells as probes for the presence of OH- ions and CO2 molecules.

Air plasma spray processing and electrochemical characterization of SOFC composite cathodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, B. D.; Kesler, O.; Rose, Lars

Air plasma spraying has been used to produce porous composite cathodes containing (La 0.8Sr 0.2) 0.98MnO 3- y (LSM) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) for use in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Preliminary investigations focused on determining the range of plasma conditions under which each of the individual materials could be successfully deposited. A range of conditions was thereby determined that was suitable for the deposition of a composite cathode from pre-mixed LSM and YSZ powders. A number of composite cathodes were produced using different combinations of parameter values within the identified range according to a Uniform Design experimental grid. Coatings were then characterized for composition and microstructure using EDX and SEM. As a result of these tests, combinations of input parameter values were identified that are best suited to the production of coatings with microstructures appropriate for use in SOFC composite cathodes. A selection of coatings representative of the types of observed microstructures were then subjected to electrochemical testing to evaluate the performance of these cathodes. From these tests, it was found that, in general, the coatings that appeared to have the most suitable microstructures also had the highest electrochemical performances, provided that the deposition efficiency of both phases was sufficiently high.

Validation of the Land-Surface Energy Budget and Planetary Boundary Layer for Several Intensive field Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Schubert, Siegfried; Molod, Andrea; Houser, Paul R.

1999-01-01

Land-surface processes in a data assimilation system influence the lower troposphere and must be properly represented. With the recent incorporation of the Mosaic Land-surface Model (LSM) into the GEOS Data Assimilation System (DAS), the detailed land-surface processes require strict validation. While global data sources can identify large-scale systematic biases at the monthly timescale, the diurnal cycle is difficult to validate. Moreover, global data sets rarely include variables such as evaporation, sensible heat and soil water. Intensive field experiments, on the other hand, can provide high temporal resolution energy budget and vertical profile data for sufficiently long periods, without global coverage. Here, we evaluate the GEOS DAS against several intensive field experiments. The field experiments are First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE, Kansas, summer 1987), Cabauw (as used in PILPS, Netherlands, summer 1987), Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM, Southern Great Plains, winter and summer 1998) and the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA, Arctic ice sheet, winter and summer 1998). The sites provide complete surface energy budget data for periods of at least one year, and some periods of vertical profiles. This comparison provides a detailed validation of the Mosaic LSM within the GEOS DAS for a variety of climatologic and geographic conditions.

A tale of two cities: paradoxical intensity of traffic calming around Auckland schools.

PubMed

Hopgood, Timothy; Percival, Teuila; Stewart, Joanna; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2013-05-10

The school journey is a common context for child pedestrian injuries in New Zealand, with children from low socioeconomic, Maori or Pacific families being at increased risk. The extent to which evidence-based environmental strategies that can address this problem are equitably implemented is unclear. To determine if there is a difference in the distribution of traffic-calming modifications around schools in areas of high and low socioeconomic deprivation in Auckland and Manukau Cities, New Zealand. From a list of the most and least socioeconomically deprived schools in Auckland and Manukau Cities, 40 of each were randomly selected. The number of modifications within a 1 km radius of these schools was recorded in December 2009 or January 2010. The association of deprivation and region with the numbers of traffic-calming modifications was examined using a general linear model. Socioeconomically least deprived schools had more traffic-calming interventions than the most deprived schools (least square mean (LSM): 25 versus 18; p=0.05), and Auckland schools had more interventions than Manukau schools (LSM: 27 versus 16; p=0.001). Traffic-calming measures were observed more commonly in less deprived areas where the risks of child pedestrian injuries are generally lower. This apparent paradox could result in increasing socioeconomic inequities in the distribution of child pedestrian injuries.

Transfer of ultraviolet photon energy into fluorescent light in the visible path represents a new and efficient protection mechanism of sunscreens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergou, Theognosia; Patzelt, Alexa; Richter, Heike; Schanzer, Sabine; Zastrow, Leonhard; Golz, Karin; Doucet, Olivier; Antoniou, Christina; Sterry, Wolfram; Lademann, Juergen

2011-10-01

The development of sunscreens with high sun protection factor (SPF) values but low filter concentrations is the ultimate goal. The purpose of the present study was to investigate why a sunscreen spray and cream with different concentrations of the same UV-filters provided the same SPF. Therefore, the homogeneity of the distribution of both sunscreens was investigated by laser scanning microscopy (LSM) and tape stripping (TS). Additionally, the energy transfer mechanisms of the sunscreens on the skin were analyzed. The TS and LSM showed a better homogeneity of the distribution of the spray. With Wood's light, a total absorption of the irradiation was detected in the spray area. In contrast, after cream treatment, an intensive fluorescent signal was observed. It was demonstrated that this fluorescent signal was caused by nonthermal energy transferred from the UV-filters to one compound of the cream releasing its excitation energy by fluorescence. This nonthermal energy transfer seemed to be the reason for the high efficiency of the cream, which is subjected to thermal relaxation. The transfer of UV photon energy into fluorescent light represents a new approach to increase the efficiency of sunscreens and could form the basis for a new generation of sunscreens.

Modeling the interactions between compliant microcapsules and pillars in microchannels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Guangdong; Alexeev, Alexander; Kumacheva, Eugenia; Balazs, Anna C.

2007-07-01

Using a computational model, we investigate the motion of microcapsules inside a microchannel that encompasses a narrow constriction. The microcapsules are composed of a compliant, elastic shell and an encapsulated fluid; these fluid-filled shells model synthetic polymeric microcapsules or biological cells (e.g., leukocytes). Driven by an imposed flow, the capsules are propelled along the microchannel and through the constricted region, which is formed by two pillars that lie in registry, extending from the top and bottom walls of the channels. The tops of these pillars (facing into the microchannel) are modified to exhibit either a neutral or an attractive interaction with the microcapsules. The pillars (and constriction) model topological features that can be introduced into microfluidic devices or the physical and chemical heterogeneities that are inherently present in biological vessels. To simulate the behavior of this complex system, we employ a hybrid method that integrates the lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) for fluid dynamics and the lattice spring model (LSM) for the micromechanics of elastic solids. Through this LBM/LSM technique, we probe how the capsule's stiffness and interaction with the pillars affect its passage through the chambers. The results yield guidelines for regulating the movement of microcarriers in microfluidic systems and provide insight into the flow properties of biological cells in capillaries.

A warm-season comparison of WRF coupled to the CLM4.0, Noah-MP, and Bucket hydrology land surface schemes over the central USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Den Broeke, Matthew S.; Kalin, Andrew; Alavez, Jose Abraham Torres; Oglesby, Robert; Hu, Qi

2017-11-01

In climate modeling studies, there is a need to choose a suitable land surface model (LSM) while adhering to available resources. In this study, the viability of three LSM options (Community Land Model version 4.0 [CLM4.0], Noah-MP, and the five-layer thermal diffusion [Bucket] scheme) in the Weather Research and Forecasting model version 3.6 (WRF3.6) was examined for the warm season in a domain centered on the central USA. Model output was compared to Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) data, a gridded observational dataset including mean monthly temperature and total monthly precipitation. Model output temperature, precipitation, latent heat (LH) flux, sensible heat (SH) flux, and soil water content (SWC) were compared to observations from sites in the Central and Southern Great Plains region. An overall warm bias was found in CLM4.0 and Noah-MP, with a cool bias of larger magnitude in the Bucket model. These three LSMs produced similar patterns of wet and dry biases. Model output of SWC and LH/SH fluxes were compared to observations, and did not show a consistent bias. Both sophisticated LSMs appear to be viable options for simulating the effects of land use change in the central USA.

Limited-memory BFGS based least-squares pre-stack Kirchhoff depth migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shaojiang; Wang, Yibo; Zheng, Yikang; Chang, Xu

2015-08-01

Least-squares migration (LSM) is a linearized inversion technique for subsurface reflectivity estimation. Compared to conventional migration algorithms, it can improve spatial resolution significantly with a few iterative calculations. There are three key steps in LSM, (1) calculate data residuals between observed data and demigrated data using the inverted reflectivity model; (2) migrate data residuals to form reflectivity gradient and (3) update reflectivity model using optimization methods. In order to obtain an accurate and high-resolution inversion result, the good estimation of inverse Hessian matrix plays a crucial role. However, due to the large size of Hessian matrix, the inverse matrix calculation is always a tough task. The limited-memory BFGS (L-BFGS) method can evaluate the Hessian matrix indirectly using a limited amount of computer memory which only maintains a history of the past m gradients (often m < 10). We combine the L-BFGS method with least-squares pre-stack Kirchhoff depth migration. Then, we validate the introduced approach by the 2-D Marmousi synthetic data set and a 2-D marine data set. The results show that the introduced method can effectively obtain reflectivity model and has a faster convergence rate with two comparison gradient methods. It might be significant for general complex subsurface imaging.

Verification of land-atmosphere coupling in forecast models, reanalyses and land surface models using flux site observations.

PubMed

Dirmeyer, Paul A; Chen, Liang; Wu, Jiexia; Shin, Chul-Su; Huang, Bohua; Cash, Benjamin A; Bosilovich, Michael G; Mahanama, Sarith; Koster, Randal D; Santanello, Joseph A; Ek, Michael B; Balsamo, Gianpaolo; Dutra, Emanuel; Lawrence, D M

2018-02-01

We confront four model systems in three configurations (LSM, LSM+GCM, and reanalysis) with global flux tower observations to validate states, surface fluxes, and coupling indices between land and atmosphere. Models clearly under-represent the feedback of surface fluxes on boundary layer properties (the atmospheric leg of land-atmosphere coupling), and may over-represent the connection between soil moisture and surface fluxes (the terrestrial leg). Models generally under-represent spatial and temporal variability relative to observations, which is at least partially an artifact of the differences in spatial scale between model grid boxes and flux tower footprints. All models bias high in near-surface humidity and downward shortwave radiation, struggle to represent precipitation accurately, and show serious problems in reproducing surface albedos. These errors create challenges for models to partition surface energy properly and errors are traceable through the surface energy and water cycles. The spatial distribution of the amplitude and phase of annual cycles (first harmonic) are generally well reproduced, but the biases in means tend to reflect in these amplitudes. Interannual variability is also a challenge for models to reproduce. Our analysis illuminates targets for coupled land-atmosphere model development, as well as the value of long-term globally-distributed observational monitoring.

AGCM Biases in Evaporation Regime: Impacts on Soil Moisture Memory and Land-Atmosphere Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahanama, Sarith P. P.; Koster, Randal D.

2005-01-01

Because precipitation and net radiation in an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) are typically biased relative to observations, the simulated evaporative regime of a region may be biased, with consequent negative effects on the AGCM s ability to translate an initialized soil moisture anomaly into an improved seasonal prediction. These potential problems are investigated through extensive offline analyses with the Mosaic land surface model (LSM). We first forced the LSM globally with a 15-year observations-based dataset. We then repeated the simulation after imposing a representative set of GCM climate biases onto the forcings - the observational forcings were scaled so that their mean seasonal cycles matched those simulated by the NSIPP-1 (NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office) AGCM over the same period-The AGCM s climate biases do indeed lead to significant biases in evaporative regime in certain regions, with the expected impacts on soil moisture memory timescales. Furthermore, the offline simulations suggest that the biased forcing in the AGCM should contribute to overestimated feedback in certain parts of North America - parts already identified in previous studies as having excessive feedback. The present study thus supports the notion that the reduction of climate biases in the AGCM will lead to more appropriate translations of soil moisture initialization into seasonal prediction skill.

Density-Functional-Theory Modeling of Cation Diffusion in Bulk La 1 - x Sr x MnO 3 ± δ ( x = 0.0 – 0.25 ) for Solid-Oxide Fuel-Cell Cathodes

DOE PAGES

Lee, Yueh-Lin; Duan, Yuhua; Morgan, Dane; ...

2017-10-04

In this work, the A - and B -site cation migration pathways involving defect complexes in bulk La 1-xSr xMnO 3±δ (LSM) at x = 0.0-0.25 are investigated based on density-functional-theory modeling for solid-oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) cathode applications. We propose a dominant A -site cation migration mechanism which involves an A -site cation (e.g., Lamore » $$x\\atop{A}$$) V A"' of a V A"' -V B"' cluster, where La$$x\\atop{A}$$, V A"' and V B"' are La 3+, A-site vacancy, and B-site vacancy in bulk LSM, respectively, and V A"' -V B"' is the first nearest-neighbor V A"' and V B"' pair. This hop exhibits an approximately 1.6-eV migration barrier as compared to approximately 2.9 eV of the La$$x\\atop{A}$$ hop into a V A"'. This decrease in the cation migration barrier is attributed to the presence of the V B"' relieving the electrostatic repulsion and steric constraints to the migrating A-site cations in the transition-state image configurations.« less

Assessment of simulated water balance from Noah, Noah-MP, CLM, and VIC over CONUS using the NLDAS test bed

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

Cai, Xitian; Yang, Zong-Liang; Xia, Youlong

2014-12-27

This study assesses the hydrologic performance of four land surface models (LSMs) for the conterminous United States using the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) test bed. The four LSMs are the baseline community Noah LSM (Noah, version 2.8), the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC, version 4.0.5) model, the substantially augmented Noah LSM with multiparameterization options (hence Noah-MP), and the Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4). All four models are driven by the same NLDAS-2 atmospheric forcing. Modeled terrestrial water storage (TWS), streamflow, evapotranspiration (ET), and soil moisture are compared with each other and evaluated against the identical observations. Relativemore » to Noah, the other three models offer significant improvements in simulating TWS and streamflow and moderate improvements in simulating ET and soil moisture. Noah-MP provides the best performance in simulating soil moisture and is among the best in simulating TWS, CLM4 shows the best performance in simulating ET, and VIC ranks the highest in performing the streamflow simulations. Despite these improvements, CLM4, Noah-MP, and VIC exhibit deficiencies, such as the low variability of soil moisture in CLM4, the fast growth of spring ET in Noah-MP, and the constant overestimation of ET in VIC.« less

Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell based on a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panthi, Dhruba; Tsutsumi, Atsushi

2014-08-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising electrochemical energy conversion devices owing to their high power generation efficiency and environmentally benign operation. Micro-tubular SOFCs, which have diameters ranging from a few millimeters to the sub-millimeter scale, offer several advantages over competing SOFCs such as high volumetric power density, good endurance against thermal cycling, and flexible sealing between fuel and oxidant streams. Herein, we successfully realized a novel micro-tubular SOFC design based on a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) support using multi-step dip coating and co-sintering methods. The micro-tubular SOFC consisted of Ni-YSZ, YSZ, and strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM)-YSZ as the anode, electrolyte, and cathode, respectively. In addition, to facilitate current collection from the anode and cathode, Ni and LSM were applied as an anode current collector and cathode current collector, respectively. Micro-crystalline cellulose was selected as a pore former to achieve better shrinkage behavior of the YSZ support so that the electrolyte layer could be densified at a co-sintering temperature of 1300°C. The developed micro-tubular design showed a promising electrochemical performance with maximum power densities of 525, 442, and 354 mW cm-2 at 850, 800, and 750°C, respectively.

Towards a Holistic Framework for the Evaluation of Emergency Plans in Indoor Environments

PubMed Central

Serrano, Emilio; Poveda, Geovanny; Garijo, Mercedes

2014-01-01

One of the most promising fields for ambient intelligence is the implementation of intelligent emergency plans. Because the use of drills and living labs cannot reproduce social behaviors, such as panic attacks, that strongly affect these plans, the use of agent-based social simulation provides an approach to evaluate these plans more thoroughly. (1) The hypothesis presented in this paper is that there has been little interest in describing the key modules that these simulators must include, such as formally represented knowledge and a realistic simulated sensor model, and especially in providing researchers with tools to reuse, extend and interconnect modules from different works. This lack of interest hinders researchers from achieving a holistic framework for evaluating emergency plans and forces them to reconsider and to implement the same components from scratch over and over. In addition to supporting this hypothesis by considering over 150 simulators, this paper: (2) defines the main modules identified and proposes the use of semantic web technologies as a cornerstone for the aforementioned holistic framework; (3) provides a basic methodology to achieve the framework; (4) identifies the main challenges; and (5) presents an open and free software tool to hint at the potential of such a holistic view of emergency plan evaluation in indoor environments. PMID:24662453

Nursing management of sensory overload in psychiatry – Theoretical densification and modification of the framework model

PubMed

Scheydt, Stefan; Needham, Ian; Behrens, Johann

2017-01-01

Background: Within the scope of the research project on the subjects of sensory overload and stimulus regulation, a theoretical framework model of the nursing care of patients with sensory overload in psychiatry was developed. In a second step, this theoretical model should now be theoretically compressed and, if necessary, modified. Aim: Empirical verification as well as modification, enhancement and theoretical densification of the framework model of nursing care of patients with sensory overload in psychiatry. Method: Analysis of 8 expert interviews by summarizing and structuring content analysis methods based on Meuser and Nagel (2009) as well as Mayring (2010). Results: The developed framework model (Scheydt et al., 2016b) could be empirically verified, theoretically densificated and extended by one category (perception modulation). Thus, four categories of nursing care of patients with sensory overload can be described in inpatient psychiatry: removal from stimuli, modulation of environmental factors, perceptual modulation as well as help somebody to help him- or herself / coping support. Conclusions: Based on the methodological approach, a relatively well-saturated, credible conceptualization of a theoretical model for the description of the nursing care of patients with sensory overload in stationary psychiatry could be worked out. In further steps, these measures have to be further developed, implemented and evaluated regarding to their efficacy.

Standardising Assessment to Meet Student Needs in Foreign Language Modules in a University Context: Is Standardisation Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nunan, Anna

2014-01-01

The Applied Language Centre at University College Dublin offers foreign language modules to students in ten languages at CEFR [Common European Framework of Reference for Languages] levels ranging from A1 to B2. Efforts have been underway in the Centre to standardise the assessment components across languages to ensure parity between module credits…

Android platform based smartphones for a logistical remote association repair framework.

PubMed

Lien, Shao-Fan; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Su, Juhng-Perng; Chen, Hong-Ming; Wu, Chein-Hsing

2014-06-25

The maintenance of large-scale systems is an important issue for logistics support planning. In this paper, we developed a Logistical Remote Association Repair Framework (LRARF) to aid repairmen in keeping the system available. LRARF includes four subsystems: smart mobile phones, a Database Management System (DBMS), a Maintenance Support Center (MSC) and wireless networks. The repairman uses smart mobile phones to capture QR-codes and the images of faulty circuit boards. The captured QR-codes and images are transmitted to the DBMS so the invalid modules can be recognized via the proposed algorithm. In this paper, the Linear Projective Transform (LPT) is employed for fast QR-code calibration. Moreover, the ANFIS-based data mining system is used for module identification and searching automatically for the maintenance manual corresponding to the invalid modules. The inputs of the ANFIS-based data mining system are the QR-codes and image features; the output is the module ID. DBMS also transmits the maintenance manual back to the maintenance staff. If modules are not recognizable, the repairmen and center engineers can obtain the relevant information about the invalid modules through live video. The experimental results validate the applicability of the Android-based platform in the recognition of invalid modules. In addition, the live video can also be recorded synchronously on the MSC for later use.

CommWalker: correctly evaluating modules in molecular networks in light of annotation bias.

PubMed

Luecken, M D; Page, M J T; Crosby, A J; Mason, S; Reinert, G; Deane, C M

2018-03-15

Detecting novel functional modules in molecular networks is an important step in biological research. In the absence of gold standard functional modules, functional annotations are often used to verify whether detected modules/communities have biological meaning. However, as we show, the uneven distribution of functional annotations means that such evaluation methods favor communities of well-studied proteins. We propose a novel framework for the evaluation of communities as functional modules. Our proposed framework, CommWalker, takes communities as inputs and evaluates them in their local network environment by performing short random walks. We test CommWalker's ability to overcome annotation bias using input communities from four community detection methods on two protein interaction networks. We find that modules accepted by CommWalker are similarly co-expressed as those accepted by current methods. Crucially, CommWalker performs well not only in well-annotated regions, but also in regions otherwise obscured by poor annotation. CommWalker community prioritization both faithfully captures well-validated communities and identifies functional modules that may correspond to more novel biology. The CommWalker algorithm is freely available at opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/resources or as a docker image on the Docker Hub at hub.docker.com/r/lueckenmd/commwalker/. deane@stats.ox.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Integrated image data and medical record management for rare disease registries. A general framework and its instantiation to theGerman Calciphylaxis Registry.

PubMed

Deserno, Thomas M; Haak, Daniel; Brandenburg, Vincent; Deserno, Verena; Classen, Christoph; Specht, Paula

2014-12-01

Especially for investigator-initiated research at universities and academic institutions, Internet-based rare disease registries (RDR) are required that integrate electronic data capture (EDC) with automatic image analysis or manual image annotation. We propose a modular framework merging alpha-numerical and binary data capture. In concordance with the Office of Rare Diseases Research recommendations, a requirement analysis was performed based on several RDR databases currently hosted at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Germany. With respect to the study management tool that is already successfully operating at the Clinical Trial Center Aachen, the Google Web Toolkit was chosen with Hibernate and Gilead connecting a MySQL database management system. Image and signal data integration and processing is supported by Apache Commons FileUpload-Library and ImageJ-based Java code, respectively. As a proof of concept, the framework is instantiated to the German Calciphylaxis Registry. The framework is composed of five mandatory core modules: (1) Data Core, (2) EDC, (3) Access Control, (4) Audit Trail, and (5) Terminology as well as six optional modules: (6) Binary Large Object (BLOB), (7) BLOB Analysis, (8) Standard Operation Procedure, (9) Communication, (10) Pseudonymization, and (11) Biorepository. Modules 1-7 are implemented in the German Calciphylaxis Registry. The proposed RDR framework is easily instantiated and directly integrates image management and analysis. As open source software, it may assist improved data collection and analysis of rare diseases in near future.

Development of Parallel Computing Framework to Enhance Radiation Transport Code Capabilities for Rare Isotope Beam Facility Design

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

Kostin, Mikhail; Mokhov, Nikolai; Niita, Koji

A parallel computing framework has been developed to use with general-purpose radiation transport codes. The framework was implemented as a C++ module that uses MPI for message passing. It is intended to be used with older radiation transport codes implemented in Fortran77, Fortran 90 or C. The module is significantly independent of radiation transport codes it can be used with, and is connected to the codes by means of a number of interface functions. The framework was developed and tested in conjunction with the MARS15 code. It is possible to use it with other codes such as PHITS, FLUKA andmore » MCNP after certain adjustments. Besides the parallel computing functionality, the framework offers a checkpoint facility that allows restarting calculations with a saved checkpoint file. The checkpoint facility can be used in single process calculations as well as in the parallel regime. The framework corrects some of the known problems with the scheduling and load balancing found in the original implementations of the parallel computing functionality in MARS15 and PHITS. The framework can be used efficiently on homogeneous systems and networks of workstations, where the interference from the other users is possible.« less

SpecBit, DecayBit and PrecisionBit: GAMBIT modules for computing mass spectra, particle decay rates and precision observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athron, Peter; Balázs, Csaba; Dal, Lars A.; Edsjö, Joakim; Farmer, Ben; Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Kvellestad, Anders; McKay, James; Putze, Antje; Rogan, Chris; Scott, Pat; Weniger, Christoph; White, Martin

2018-01-01

We present the GAMBIT modules SpecBit, DecayBit and PrecisionBit. Together they provide a new framework for linking publicly available spectrum generators, decay codes and other precision observable calculations in a physically and statistically consistent manner. This allows users to automatically run various combinations of existing codes as if they are a single package. The modular design allows software packages fulfilling the same role to be exchanged freely at runtime, with the results presented in a common format that can easily be passed to downstream dark matter, collider and flavour codes. These modules constitute an essential part of the broader GAMBIT framework, a major new software package for performing global fits. In this paper we present the observable calculations, data, and likelihood functions implemented in the three modules, as well as the conventions and assumptions used in interfacing them with external codes. We also present 3-BIT-HIT, a command-line utility for computing mass spectra, couplings, decays and precision observables in the MSSM, which shows how the three modules can easily be used independently of GAMBIT.

High Order Modulation Protograph Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Thuy V. (Inventor); Nosratinia, Aria (Inventor); Divsalar, Dariush (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Digital communication coding methods for designing protograph-based bit-interleaved code modulation that is general and applies to any modulation. The general coding framework can support not only multiple rates but also adaptive modulation. The method is a two stage lifting approach. In the first stage, an original protograph is lifted to a slightly larger intermediate protograph. The intermediate protograph is then lifted via a circulant matrix to the expected codeword length to form a protograph-based low-density parity-check code.

Automated integration of wireless biosignal collection devices for patient-centred decision-making in point-of-care systems

PubMed Central

Menychtas, Andreas; Tsanakas, Panayiotis

2016-01-01

The proper acquisition of biosignals data from various biosensor devices and their remote accessibility are still issues that prevent the wide adoption of point-of-care systems in the routine of monitoring chronic patients. This Letter presents an advanced framework for enabling patient monitoring that utilises a cloud computing infrastructure for data management and analysis. The framework introduces also a local mechanism for uniform biosignals collection from wearables and biosignal sensors, and decision support modules, in order to enable prompt and essential decisions. A prototype smartphone application and the related cloud modules have been implemented for demonstrating the value of the proposed framework. Initial results regarding the performance of the system and the effectiveness in data management and decision-making have been quite encouraging. PMID:27222731

Automated integration of wireless biosignal collection devices for patient-centred decision-making in point-of-care systems.

PubMed

Menychtas, Andreas; Tsanakas, Panayiotis; Maglogiannis, Ilias

2016-03-01

The proper acquisition of biosignals data from various biosensor devices and their remote accessibility are still issues that prevent the wide adoption of point-of-care systems in the routine of monitoring chronic patients. This Letter presents an advanced framework for enabling patient monitoring that utilises a cloud computing infrastructure for data management and analysis. The framework introduces also a local mechanism for uniform biosignals collection from wearables and biosignal sensors, and decision support modules, in order to enable prompt and essential decisions. A prototype smartphone application and the related cloud modules have been implemented for demonstrating the value of the proposed framework. Initial results regarding the performance of the system and the effectiveness in data management and decision-making have been quite encouraging.

Project COLD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazanjian, Wendy C.

1982-01-01

Describes Project COLD (Climate, Ocean, Land, Discovery) a scientific study of the Polar Regions, a collection of 35 modules used within the framework of existing subjects: oceanography, biology, geology, meterology, geography, social science. Includes a partial list of topics and one activity (geodesic dome) from a module. (Author/SK)

Development of the interconnectivity and enhancement (ICE) module in the Virginia Department of Transportation's Geotechnical Database Management System Framework.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

An Internet-based, spatiotemporal Geotechnical Database Management System (GDBMS) Framework was implemented at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in 2002 to manage geotechnical data using a distributed Geographical Information System (G...

Technical skills assessment toolbox: a review using the unitary framework of validity.

PubMed

Ghaderi, Iman; Manji, Farouq; Park, Yoon Soo; Juul, Dorthea; Ott, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Farrell, Timothy M

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to create a technical skills assessment toolbox for 35 basic and advanced skills/procedures that comprise the American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) surgical skills curriculum and to provide a critical appraisal of the included tools, using contemporary framework of validity. Competency-based training has become the predominant model in surgical education and assessment of performance is an essential component. Assessment methods must produce valid results to accurately determine the level of competency. A search was performed, using PubMed and Google Scholar, to identify tools that have been developed for assessment of the targeted technical skills. A total of 23 assessment tools for the 35 ACS/APDS skills modules were identified. Some tools, such as Operative Performance Rating System (OSATS) and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OPRS), have been tested for more than 1 procedure. Therefore, 30 modules had at least 1 assessment tool, with some common surgical procedures being addressed by several tools. Five modules had none. Only 3 studies used Messick's framework to design their validity studies. The remaining studies used an outdated framework on the basis of "types of validity." When analyzed using the contemporary framework, few of these studies demonstrated validity for content, internal structure, and relationship to other variables. This study provides an assessment toolbox for common surgical skills/procedures. Our review shows that few authors have used the contemporary unitary concept of validity for development of their assessment tools. As we progress toward competency-based training, future studies should provide evidence for various sources of validity using the contemporary framework.

Land Application of Wastes: An Educational Program. Design Procedures for Land Application of Wastes - Module 6, Objectives, Script and Figures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, W. W.; And Others

The purpose of this module is to develop a general procedure to decide the feasibility of land application as a waste management alternative, given a specific problem situation. This information provides a framework within which to apply the information presented in all other modules in the program. An outline of the general procedure followed in…

Numerical simulations of island effects on airflow and weather during the summer over the island of Oahu

Treesearch

Hiep Van Nguyen; Yie-Leng Chen; Francis Fujioka

2010-01-01

The high-resolution (1.5 km) nonhydrostatic fifth-generation Pennsylvania StateUniversity–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) and an advanced land surface model (LSM) are used to study the island-induced airflow and weather for the island of Oahu, Hawaii, under summer trade wind conditions. Despite Oahu’s relatively small...

An Analysis and Comparative Study of Job Characteristics and Job Satisfaction in the Air Force Transportation Officer Career Field.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

dissatisfied nonrespon- dents would balance out with satisfied nonrespondents. 2. Responses from the census were assumed to be unbiased because the...Behavior . and Human Performance, 31: 201-205 (February 1983). 10. Glaser, Edward M. Productivity Gains Through Worklife Improvements. New York: Harcourt...OFFICE SYMBOL 7a. NAME OF MONITORING ORGANIZATION School of Systems and OIfapplicuble) Logistics AFIT/LSM ___________________ Sc. ADDRESS ( City . State

Theory in Teacher Education: Students' Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgs, Leonie G.

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the views of Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students' of the theoretical component in one of the modules in their teacher education programme. In this module students are exposed to the following theoretical frameworks: Empiricism, Critical Rationalism, Feminism, Critical Theory, African Philosophy and…

LIFE CYCLE DESIGN OF AMORPHOUS SILICON PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES

EPA Science Inventory

The life cycle design framework was applied to photovoltaic module design. The primary objective of this project was to develop and evaluate design metrics for assessing and guiding the Improvement of PV product systems. Two metrics were used to assess life cycle energy perform...

Surgeon-authored Virtual Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy Module is Judged Effective and Preferred over Traditional Teaching Tools

PubMed Central

Kurenov, Sergei; Cendan, Juan; Dindar, Sahel; Attwood, Kristopher; Hassett, James; Nawotniak, Ruth; Cherr, Gregory; Cance, William G.; Peters, Jörg

2018-01-01

Objective The study assesses user acceptance and effectiveness of a surgeon-authored virtual reality training module authored by surgeons using the Toolkit for Illustration Procedures in Surgery (TIPS). Methods Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was selected to test the TIPS framework on an unusual and complex procedure. No commercial simulation module exists to teach this procedure. A specialist surgeon authored the module, including force-feedback interactive simulation and designed a quiz to test knowledge of the key procedural steps. Five practicing surgeons with 15 to 24 years of experience peer-reviewed and tested the module. Fourteen residents and nine fellows trained with the module and answered the quiz, pre-use and post-use. Participants received an overview during Surgical Grand Rounds session and a 20-minute one- on-one tutorial followed by a 30 minute of instruction in addition to a force-feedback interactive simulation session. Additionally, in answering questionnaires, the trainees reflected on their learning experience and their experience with the TIPS framework. Results Correct quiz response rates on procedural steps improved significantly post-use over pre-use. In the questionnaire, 96% of the respondents stated that the TIPS module prepares them well or very well for the adrenalectomy, and 87% indicated that the module successfully teaches the steps of the procedure. All subjects indicated that they preferred the module compare to training using purely physical props, one-on-one teaching, medical atlases, and video recordings. Conclusions Improved quiz scores and endorsement by the participants of the TIPS adrenalectomy module establish the viability of surgeons authoring virtual reality training. PMID:27758896

An Instructional Module on Mokken Scale Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wind, Stefanie A.

2017-01-01

Mokken scale analysis (MSA) is a probabilistic-nonparametric approach to item response theory (IRT) that can be used to evaluate fundamental measurement properties with less strict assumptions than parametric IRT models. This instructional module provides an introduction to MSA as a probabilistic-nonparametric framework in which to explore…

FRAMES-2.0 Software System: Frames 2.0 Pest Integration (F2PEST)

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

Castleton, Karl J.; Meyer, Philip D.

2009-06-17

The implementation of the FRAMES 2.0 F2PEST module is described, including requirements, design, and specifications of the software. This module integrates the PEST parameter estimation software within the FRAMES 2.0 environmental modeling framework. A test case is presented.

Developments and Validations of Fully Coupled CFD and Practical Vortex Transport Method for High-Fidelity Wake Modeling in Fixed and Rotary Wing Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anusonti-Inthra, Phuriwat

2010-01-01

A novel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) coupling framework using a conventional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (BANS) solver to resolve the near-body flow field and a Particle-based Vorticity Transport Method (PVTM) to predict the evolution of the far field wake is developed, refined, and evaluated for fixed and rotary wing cases. For the rotary wing case, the RANS/PVTM modules are loosely coupled to a Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD) module that provides blade motion and vehicle trim information. The PVTM module is refined by the addition of vortex diffusion, stretching, and reorientation models as well as an efficient memory model. Results from the coupled framework are compared with several experimental data sets (a fixed-wing wind tunnel test and a rotary-wing hover test).

Towards Multimodal Emotion Recognition in E-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahreini, Kiavash; Nadolski, Rob; Westera, Wim

2016-01-01

This paper presents a framework (FILTWAM (Framework for Improving Learning Through Webcams And Microphones)) for real-time emotion recognition in e-learning by using webcams. FILTWAM offers timely and relevant feedback based upon learner's facial expressions and verbalizations. FILTWAM's facial expression software module has been developed and…

Coupled dam safety analysis using WinDAM

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Windows® Dam Analysis Modules (WinDAM) is a set of modular software components that can be used to analyze overtopping and internal erosion of embankment dams. Dakota is an extensive software framework for design exploration and simulation. These tools can be coupled to create a powerful framework...

Automatic classification of pathological myopia in retinal fundus images using PAMELA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiang; Wong, Damon W. K.; Tan, Ngan Meng; Zhang, Zhuo; Lu, Shijian; Lim, Joo Hwee; Li, Huiqi; Saw, Seang Mei; Tong, Louis; Wong, Tien Yin

2010-03-01

Pathological myopia is the seventh leading cause of blindness. We introduce a framework based on PAMELA (PAthological Myopia dEtection through peripapilLary Atrophy) for the detection of pathological myopia from fundus images. The framework consists of a pre-processing stage which extracts a region of interest centered on the optic disc. Subsequently, three analysis modules focus on detecting specific visual indicators. The optic disc tilt ratio module gives a measure of the axial elongation of the eye through inference from the deformation of the optic disc. In the texturebased ROI assessment module, contextual knowledge is used to demarcate the ROI into four distinct, clinically-relevant zones in which information from an entropy transform of the ROI is analyzed and metrics generated. In particular, the preferential appearance of peripapillary atrophy (PPA) in the temporal zone compared to the nasal zone is utilized by calculating ratios of the metrics. The PPA detection module obtains an outer boundary through a level-set method, and subtracts this region against the optic disc boundary. Temporal and nasal zones are obtained from the remnants to generate associated hue and color values. The outputs of the three modules are used as in a SVM model to determine the presence of pathological myopia in a retinal fundus image. Using images from the Singapore Eye Research Institute, the proposed framework reported an optimized accuracy of 90% and a sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 and 0.95 respectively, indicating promise for the use of the proposed system as a screening tool for pathological myopia.

An “ADME Module” in the Adverse Outcome Pathway ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework has generated intense interest for its utility to organize knowledge on the toxicity mechanisms, starting from a molecular initiating event (MIE) to an adverse outcome across various levels of biological organization. While the AOP framework is designed to be chemical agnostic, it is widely recognized that considering chemicals’ absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) behaviors is critical in applying the AOP framework in chemical-specific risk assessment. Currently, information being generated as part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) AOP Development Programme is being consolidated into an AOP Knowledgebase (http://aopwiki.org). To enhance the use of this Knowledgebase in risk assessment, an ADME Module has been developed to contain the ADME information needed to connect MIEs and other key events in an AOP for specific chemicals. The conceptual structure of this module characterizes the potential of a chemical to reach the target MIE based on either its structure-based features or relative rates of ADME. The key features of this module include (1) a framework for connecting biology-based AOP to biochemical-based ADME and chemical/human activity-based exposure pathways; (2) links to qualitative tools (e.g., structure-based cheminformatic model) that screen for chemicals that could potentially reach the target MIE; (3) links to quantitative tools (e.g., dose-r

A Modular Framework for EEG Web Based Binary Brain Computer Interfaces to Recover Communication Abilities in Impaired People.

PubMed

Placidi, Giuseppe; Petracca, Andrea; Spezialetti, Matteo; Iacoviello, Daniela

2016-01-01

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) allows communication for impaired people unable to express their intention with common channels. Electroencephalography (EEG) represents an effective tool to allow the implementation of a BCI. The present paper describes a modular framework for the implementation of the graphic interface for binary BCIs based on the selection of symbols in a table. The proposed system is also designed to reduce the time required for writing text. This is made by including a motivational tool, necessary to improve the quality of the collected signals, and by containing a predictive module based on the frequency of occurrence of letters in a language, and of words in a dictionary. The proposed framework is described in a top-down approach through its modules: signal acquisition, analysis, classification, communication, visualization, and predictive engine. The framework, being modular, can be easily modified to personalize the graphic interface to the needs of the subject who has to use the BCI and it can be integrated with different classification strategies, communication paradigms, and dictionaries/languages. The implementation of a scenario and some experimental results on healthy subjects are also reported and discussed: the modules of the proposed scenario can be used as a starting point for further developments, and application on severely disabled people under the guide of specialized personnel.

A complete-pelvis segmentation framework for image-free total hip arthroplasty (THA): methodology and clinical study.

PubMed

Xie, Weiguo; Franke, Jochen; Chen, Cheng; Grützner, Paul A; Schumann, Steffen; Nolte, Lutz-P; Zheng, Guoyan

2015-06-01

Complete-pelvis segmentation in antero-posterior pelvic radiographs is required to create a patient-specific three-dimensional pelvis model for surgical planning and postoperative assessment in image-free navigation of total hip arthroplasty. A fast and robust framework for accurately segmenting the complete pelvis is presented, consisting of two consecutive modules. In the first module, a three-stage method was developed to delineate the left hemi-pelvis based on statistical appearance and shape models. To handle complex pelvic structures, anatomy-specific information processing techniques were employed. As the input to the second module, the delineated left hemi-pelvis was then reflected about an estimated symmetry line of the radiograph to initialize the right hemi-pelvis segmentation. The right hemi-pelvis was segmented by the same three-stage method, Two experiments conducted on respectively 143 and 40 AP radiographs demonstrated a mean segmentation accuracy of 1.61±0.68 mm. A clinical study to investigate the postoperative assessment of acetabular cup orientations based on the proposed framework revealed an average accuracy of 1.2°±0.9° and 1.6°±1.4° for anteversion and inclination, respectively. Delineation of each radiograph costs less than one minute. Despite further validation needed, the preliminary results implied the underlying clinical applicability of the proposed framework for image-free THA. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Android Platform Based Smartphones for a Logistical Remote Association Repair Framework

PubMed Central

Lien, Shao-Fan; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Su, Juhng-Perng; Chen, Hong-Ming; Wu, Chein-Hsing

2014-01-01

The maintenance of large-scale systems is an important issue for logistics support planning. In this paper, we developed a Logistical Remote Association Repair Framework (LRARF) to aid repairmen in keeping the system available. LRARF includes four subsystems: smart mobile phones, a Database Management System (DBMS), a Maintenance Support Center (MSC) and wireless networks. The repairman uses smart mobile phones to capture QR-codes and the images of faulty circuit boards. The captured QR-codes and images are transmitted to the DBMS so the invalid modules can be recognized via the proposed algorithm. In this paper, the Linear Projective Transform (LPT) is employed for fast QR-code calibration. Moreover, the ANFIS-based data mining system is used for module identification and searching automatically for the maintenance manual corresponding to the invalid modules. The inputs of the ANFIS-based data mining system are the QR-codes and image features; the output is the module ID. DBMS also transmits the maintenance manual back to the maintenance staff. If modules are not recognizable, the repairmen and center engineers can obtain the relevant information about the invalid modules through live video. The experimental results validate the applicability of the Android-based platform in the recognition of invalid modules. In addition, the live video can also be recorded synchronously on the MSC for later use. PMID:24967603

Matrix factorization reveals aging-specific co-expression gene modules in the fat and muscle tissues in nonhuman primates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongcui; Zhao, Weiling; Zhou, Xiaobo

2016-10-01

Accurate identification of coherent transcriptional modules (subnetworks) in adipose and muscle tissues is important for revealing the related mechanisms and co-regulated pathways involved in the development of aging-related diseases. Here, we proposed a systematically computational approach, called ICEGM, to Identify the Co-Expression Gene Modules through a novel mathematical framework of Higher-Order Generalized Singular Value Decomposition (HO-GSVD). ICEGM was applied on the adipose, and heart and skeletal muscle tissues in old and young female African green vervet monkeys. The genes associated with the development of inflammation, cardiovascular and skeletal disorder diseases, and cancer were revealed by the ICEGM. Meanwhile, genes in the ICEGM modules were also enriched in the adipocytes, smooth muscle cells, cardiac myocytes, and immune cells. Comprehensive disease annotation and canonical pathway analysis indicated that immune cells, adipocytes, cardiomyocytes, and smooth muscle cells played a synergistic role in cardiac and physical functions in the aged monkeys by regulation of the biological processes associated with metabolism, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. In conclusion, the ICEGM provides an efficiently systematic framework for decoding the co-expression gene modules in multiple tissues. Analysis of genes in the ICEGM module yielded important insights on the cooperative role of multiple tissues in the development of diseases.

Morphological control of La0.7Sr0.3Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3-δ catalytic membrane using PEG-H2O additive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, R. M.; Nurherdiana, S. D.; Hartanto, D.; Othman, M. H. D.; Fansuri, H.

2018-04-01

Methane is the primary combustible component in non condensable part of natural gas. It is a promising source for syngas (CO and H2) production by partial oxidation method. The conversion of methane to syngas by partial oxidation method needs a controlled amount of oxygen. Membrane which has asymmetric structure and selectively permeates oxygen can be used to supply just enough oxygen to the reaction. One pathway to the fabricate asymmetric membrane is phase inversion method with an addition of PEG to increase pore size. La0.7Sr0.3Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF 7328) and Laa0.7Sr0.3MnO3-δ (LSM 73) powder were synthesized by solid-state method and they were characterized by XRD. The green membrane was prepared by phase inversion method. A dope solution was made by mixing LSCF 7328 or LSM 73 powder with PEG and stirred them in NMP for 24 h. PESf was then added into the dope solution and the stirring was continued to another 24 h. The resulted dope solution was degassed by immersing the solution inside and conical flask in an ultrasonic bath to remove air bubbles. The degassed mixture was then casted by spreading it on a glass surface (with a thickness of 2 mm) followed by immersion in a water bath for 24 h to coagulate the degassed mixture. Membrane morphology was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while the decomposition temperature of the polymer binder was analyzed by Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA). The XRD results show that phase of LSCF 7328 and LSM 73 are similar to LaCoO3 and LaMnO3, respectively. It indicated that the perovskite synthesis was successful. SEM micrograph of membrane cross sections show that the green membrane have finger like pores and a dense layer. Pores also appear on top and bottom surface of the membrane. Based on TGA results, the highest weight lost of green membrane at 550-600°C which represents the decomposition of PESf binder.

Scaling between reanalyses and high-resolution land-surface modelling in mountainous areas - enabling better application and testing of reanalyses in heterogeneous environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruber, S.; Fiddes, J.

2013-12-01

In mountainous topography, the difference in scale between atmospheric reanalyses (typically tens of kilometres) and relevant processes and phenomena near the Earth surface, such as permafrost or snow cover (meters to tens of meters) is most obvious. This contrast of scales is one of the major obstacles to using reanalysis data for the simulation of surface phenomena and to confronting reanalyses with independent observation. At the example of modelling permafrost in mountain areas (but simple to generalise to other phenomena and heterogeneous environments), we present and test methods against measurements for (A) scaling atmospheric data from the reanalysis to the ground level and (B) smart sampling of the heterogeneous landscape in order to set up a lumped model simulation that represents the high-resolution land surface. TopoSCALE (Part A, see http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-6-3381-2013) is a scheme, which scales coarse-grid climate fields to fine-grid topography using pressure level data. In addition, it applies necessary topographic corrections e.g. those variables required for computation of radiation fields. This provides the necessary driving fields to the LSM. Tested against independent ground data, this scheme has been shown to improve the scaling and distribution of meteorological parameters in complex terrain, as compared to conventional methods, e.g. lapse rate based approaches. TopoSUB (Part B, see http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmd-5-1245-2012) is a surface pre-processor designed to sample a fine-grid domain (defined by a digital elevation model) along important topographical (or other) dimensions through a clustering scheme. This allows constructing a lumped model representing the main sources of fine-grid variability and applying a 1D LSM efficiently over large areas. Results can processed to derive (i) summary statistics at coarse-scale re-analysis grid resolution, (ii) high-resolution data fields spatialized to e.g., the fine-scale digital elevation model grid, or (iii) validation products for locations at which measurements exist, only. The ability of TopoSUB to approximate results simulated by a 2D distributed numerical LSM at a factor of ~10,000 less computations is demonstrated by comparison of 2D and lumped simulations. Successful application of the combined scheme in the European Alps is reported and based on its results, open issues for future research are outlined.

How Accurate is Land/Ocean Moisture Transport Variability in Reanalyses?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, F. R.; Bosilovich, M. G.

2014-01-01

Quantifying the global hydrological cycle and its variability across various time scales remains a challenge to the climate community. Direct measurements of evaporation (E), evapotranspiration (ET), and precipitation (P) are not feasible on a global scale, nor is the transport of water vapor over the global oceans and sparsely populated land areas. Expanding satellite data streams have enabled development of various water (and energy) flux products, complementing reanalyses and facilitating observationally constrained modeling. But the evolution of the global observing system has produced additional complications--improvements in satellite sensor resolution and accuracy have resulted in "epochs" of observational quasi-uniformity that can adversely affect reanalysis trends. In this work we focus on vertically integrated moisture flux convergence (VMFC) variations within the period 1979 - present integrated over global land. We show that VMFC in recent reanalyses (e.g. ERA-I, NASA MERRA, NOAA CFSR and JRA55) suffers from observing system changes, though differently in each product. Land Surface Models (LSMs) forced with observations-based precipitation, radiation and near-surface meteorology share closely the interannual P-ET variations of the reanalyses associated with ENSO events. (VMFC over land and P-ET estimates are equivalent quantities since atmospheric storage changes are small on these scales.) But the long-term LSM trend over the period since 1979 is approximately one-fourth that of the reanalyses. Additional reduced observation reanalyses assimilating only surface pressure and /or specifying seasurface temperature also have a much smaller trend in P-ET like the LSMs. We explore the regional manifestation of the reanalysis P-ET / VMFC problems, particularly over land. Both principal component analysis and a simple time series changepoint analysis highlight problems associated with data poor regions such as Equatorial Africa and, for one reanalysis, the Equatorial Andes region. Onset of the availability of passive microwave Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) moisture data in July 1987 and the transition from the Microwave Sounder Unit (MSU) to an advanced version (AMSU) have significant impacts on VMFC variability. Simple accounting for these errors of leading importance results in modified reanalysis VMFC estimates that agree much better with the LSM results. Regional details of the modified reanalysis VMFC and LSM P-ET are related to changes in Pacific Decadal Variability as manifest in SST changes after the late 1990s.

The role of the antecedent soil moisture condition on the distributed hydrologic modelling of the Toce alpine basin floods.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravazzani, G.; Montaldo, N.; Mancini, M.; Rosso, R.

2003-04-01

Event-based hydrologic models need the antecedent soil moisture condition, as critical boundary initial condition for flood simulation. Land-surface models (LSMs) have been developed to simulate mass and energy transfers, and to update the soil moisture condition through time from the solution of water and energy balance equations. They are recently used in distributed hydrologic modeling for flood prediction systems. Recent developments have made LSMs more complex by inclusion of more processes and controlling variables, increasing parameter number and uncertainty of their estimates. This also led to increasing of computational burden and parameterization of the distributed hydrologic models. In this study we investigate: 1) the role of soil moisture initial conditions in the modeling of Alpine basin floods; 2) the adequate complexity level of LSMs for the distributed hydrologic modeling of Alpine basin floods. The Toce basin is the case study; it is located in the North Piedmont (Italian Alps), and it has a total drainage area of 1534 km2 at Candoglia section. Three distributed hydrologic models of different level of complexity are developed and compared: two (TDLSM and SDLSM) are continuous models, one (FEST02) is an event model based on the simplified SCS-CN method for rainfall abstractions. In the TDLSM model a two-layer LSM computes both saturation and infiltration excess runoff, and simulates the evolution of the water table spatial distribution using the topographic index; in the SDLSM model a simplified one-layer distributed LSM only computes hortonian runoff, and doesn’t simulate the water table dynamic. All the three hydrologic models simulate the surface runoff propagation through the Muskingum-Cunge method. TDLSM and SDLSM models have been applied for the two-year (1996 and 1997) simulation period, during which two major floods occurred in the November 1996 and in the June 1997. The models have been calibrated and tested comparing simulated and observed hydrographs at Candoglia. Sensitivity analysis of the models to significant LSM parameters were also performed. The performances of the three models in the simulation of the two major floods are compared. Interestingly, the results indicate that the SDLSM model is able to sufficiently well predict the major floods of this Alpine basin; indeed, this model is a good compromise between the over-parameterized and too complex TDLSM model and the over-simplified FEST02 model.

LOW TEMPERATURE CATHODE SUPPORTED ELECTROLYTES

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

Harlan U. Anderson; Fatih Dogan; Vladimir Petrovsky

2002-03-31

This project has three main goals: Thin Films Studies, Preparation of Graded Porous Substrates and Basic Electrical Characterization and testing of Planar Single Cells. This period has continued to address the problem of making dense 1/2 to 5 {micro}m thick dense layers on porous substrates (the cathode LSM). Our current status is that we are making structures of 2-5 cm{sup 2} in area, which consist of either dense YSZ or CGO infiltrated into a 2-5 {micro}m thick 50% porous layer made of either nanoncrystalline CGO or YSZ powder. This composite structure coats a macroporous cathode or anode; which serves asmore » the structural element of the bi-layer structure. These structures are being tested as SOFC elements. A number of structures have been evaluated both as symmetrical and as button cell configuration. Results of this testing indicates that the cathodes contribute the most to cell losses for temperatures below 750 C. In this investigation different cathode materials were studied using impedance spectroscopy of symmetric cells and IV characteristics of anode supported fuel cells. Cathode materials studied included La{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}Co{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} (LSCF), La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.2}MnO{sub 3} (LSM), Pr{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} (PSCF), Sm{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}Co{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} (SSCF), and Yb{sub .8}Sr{sub 0.2}Co{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} (SSCF). A new technique for filtering the Fourier transform of impedance data was used to increase the sensitivity of impedance analysis. By creating a filter specifically for impedance spectroscopy the resolution was increased. The filter was tailored to look for specific circuit elements like R//C, Warburg, or constant phase elements. As many as four peaks can be resolved using the filtering technique on symmetric cells. It may be possible to relate the different peaks to material parameters, like the oxygen exchange coefficient. The cathode grouped in order from lowest to highest ASR is LSCF < PSCF < SSCF < YSCF < LSM. The button cell results agree with this ordering indicating that this is an important tool for use in developing our understanding of electrode behavior in fuel cells.« less

Embedding Enterprise in Biosciences: Added Value for Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Carys; Wray, Katie; Kennedy, Ciara; Freeman, Paul; Trainer, Gareth

2010-01-01

Enterprise education at Newcastle University, UK, is embedded in the fabric of the curriculum via the Newcastle University Graduate Skills Framework. An example of this is the "Business for the Bioscientist" module. The authors discuss this module with regard to good practice, enterprise development and the wider arena of graduate…

Microorganisms having enhanced tolerance to inhibitors and stress

DOEpatents

Brown, Steven D.; Yang, Shihui

2014-07-29

The present invention provides genetically modified strains of microorganisms that display enhanced tolerance to stress and/or inhibitors such as sodium acetate and vanillin. The enhanced tolerance can be achieved by increasing the expression of a protein of the Sm-like superfamily such as a bacterial Hfq protein and a fungal Sm or Lsm protein. Further, the present invention provides methods of producing alcohol from biomass materials by using the genetically modified microorganisms of the present invention.

Hybrid Eulerian and Lagrangian Simulation of Steep and Breaking Waves and Surface Fluxes in High Winds

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-30

simulation provides boundary condition to the SPH simulation in a sub- domain. For the test with surface wave propagation, the free surface and the...This project aims at developing an advanced simulation tool for multi-fluids free - surface flows that can be used to study the fundamental physics...of horizontal velocity(normalized by wave phase speed c) obtained from SPH simulation and the corresponding free surface obtained from LSM

Improved meteorology from an updated WRF/CMAQ modeling ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Realistic vegetation characteristics and phenology from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products improve the simulation for the meteorology and air quality modeling system WRF/CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecasting model and Community Multiscale Air Quality model) that employs the Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM). Recently, PX LSM WRF/CMAQ has been updated in vegetation, soil, and boundary layer processes resulting in improved 2 m temperature (T) and mixing ratio (Q), 10 m wind speed, and surface ozone simulations across the domain compared to the previous version for a period around August 2006. Yearlong meteorology simulations with the updated system demonstrate that MODIS input helps reduce bias of the 2 m Q estimation during the growing season from April to September. Improvements follow the green-up in the southeast from April and move toward the west and north through August. From October to March, MODIS input does not have much influence on the system because vegetation is not as active. The greatest effects of MODIS input include more accurate phenology, better representation of leaf area index (LAI) for various forest ecosystems and agricultural areas, and realistically sparse vegetation coverage in the western drylands. Despite the improved meteorology, MODIS input causes higher bias for the surface O3 simulation in April, August, and October in areas where MODIS LAI is much less than the base LAI. Thus, improvement

High performance anode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cells fabricated by a novel slurry-casting method

PubMed Central

Duan, Nan-Qi; Yan, Dong; Chi, Bo; Pu, Jian; Jian, Li

2015-01-01

Tubular solid oxide fuel cells were fabricated and evaluated for their microstructure and electrochemical performance. The tubular substrate was prepared by casting NiO-Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) slurry on the inner wall of a plastic mold (tube). The wall thickness and uniformity were controlled by slurry viscosity and rotation speed of the tube. The cells consisted of Ni-YSZ functional anode, YSZ electrolyte and (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95MnO3-δ (LSM)-YSZ cathode prepared in sequence on the substrate by dip-coating and sintering. Their dimension was 50 mm in length, 0.8 mm in thickness and 10.5 mm in outside diameter. The peak power density of the cell at temperatures between 650 and 850°C was in the range from 85 to 522 mW cm−2 and was greatly enhanced to the range from 308 to 1220 mW cm−2 by impregnating PdO into LSM-YSZ cathode. During a cell testing at 0.7 A cm−2 and 750°C for 282 h, the impregnated PdO particles grew by coalescence, which increased the cathode polarization resistance and so that decreased the cell performance. According to the degradation tendency, the cell performance will be stabilized in a longer run. PMID:25640168

Oxidation study of coated Crofer 22 APU steel in dry oxygen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molin, Sebastian; Chen, Ming; Hendriksen, Peter Vang

2014-04-01

The effect of a dual layer coating composed of a layer of a Co3O4 and a layer of a La0.85Sr0.15MnO3/Co3O4 mixture on the high temperature corrosion of the Crofer 22 APU alloy is reported. Oxidation experiments were performed in dry oxygen at three temperatures: 800 °C, 850 °C and 900 °C for periods up to 1000 h. Additionally at 850 °C a 5000 h long oxidation test was performed to evaluate longer term suitability of the proposed coating. Corrosion kinetics were evaluated by measuring mass gain during oxidation. The corrosion kinetics for the coated samples are analyzed in terms of a parabolic rate law. Microstructural features were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The coating is effective in reducing the corrosion rate and in ensuring long lifetime of coated alloys. The calculated activation energy for the corrosion process is around 1.8 eV. A complex Co-Mn-Cr spinel is formed caused by diffusion of Cr and Mn from the alloy into the Co3O4 coating and by additional diffusion of Mn from the LSM layer. Adding a layer of LSM/Co3O4, acting as an additional Mn source, on top of the cobalt spinel is beneficial for the improved corrosion resistance.

Development of large field-of-view two photon microscopy for imaging mouse cortex (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bumstead, Jonathan; Côté, Daniel C.; Culver, Joseph P.

2017-02-01

Spontaneous neuronal activity has been measured at cellular resolution in mice, zebrafish, and C. elegans using optical sectioning microscopy techniques, such as light sheet microscopy (LSM) and two photon microscopy (TPM). Recent improvements in these modalities and genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI's) have enabled whole brain imaging of calcium dynamics in zebrafish and C. elegans. However, these whole brain microscopy studies have not been extended to mice due to the limited field of view (FOV) of TPM and the cumbersome geometry of LSM. Conventional TPM is restricted to diffraction limited imaging over this small FOV (around 500 x 500 microns) due to the use of high magnification objectives (e.g. 1.0 NA; 20X) and the aberrations introduced by relay optics used in scanning the beam across the sample. To overcome these limitations, we have redesigned the entire optical path of the two photon microscope (scanning optics and objective lens) to support a field of view of Ø7 mm with relatively high spatial resolution (<10 microns). Using optical engineering software Zemax, we designed our system with commercially available optics that minimize astigmatism, field curvature, chromatic focal shift, and vignetting. Performance of the system was also tested experimentally with fluorescent beads in agarose, fixed samples, and in vivo structural imaging. Our large-FOV TPM provides a modality capable of studying distributed brain networks in mice at cellular resolution.

Challenge from the simple: some caveats in linearization of the Boyle-van't Hoff and Arrhenius plots.

PubMed

Katkov, Igor I

2008-10-01

Some aspects of proper linearization of the Boyle-van't Hoff (BVH) relationship for calculation of the osmotically inactive volume v(b), and Arrhenius plot (AP) for the activation energy E(a) are discussed. It is shown that the commonly used determination of the slope and the intercept (v(b)), which are presumed to be independent from each other, is invalid if the initial intracellular molality m(0) is known. Instead, the linear regression with only one independent parameter (v(b)) or the Least Square Method (LSM) with v(b) as the only fitting LSM parameter must be applied. The slope can then be calculated from the BVH relationship as the function of v(b). In case of unknown m(0) (for example, if cells are preloaded with trehalose, or electroporation caused ion leakage, etc.), it is considered as the second independent statistical parameter to be found. In this (and only) scenario, all three methods give the same results for v(b) and m(0). AP can be linearized only for water hydraulic conductivity (L(p)) and solute mobility (omega(s)) while water and solute permeabilities P(w) identical withL(p)RT and P(s) identical withomega(s)RT cannot be linearized because they have pre-exponential factor (RT) that depends on the temperature T.

Landslide susceptibility modeling applying machine learning methods: A case study from Longju in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chao; Yin, Kunlong; Cao, Ying; Ahmed, Bayes; Li, Yuanyao; Catani, Filippo; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza

2018-03-01

Landslide is a common natural hazard and responsible for extensive damage and losses in mountainous areas. In this study, Longju in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China was taken as a case study for landslide susceptibility assessment in order to develop effective risk prevention and mitigation strategies. To begin, 202 landslides were identified, including 95 colluvial landslides and 107 rockfalls. Twelve landslide causal factor maps were prepared initially, and the relationship between these factors and each landslide type was analyzed using the information value model. Later, the unimportant factors were selected and eliminated using the information gain ratio technique. The landslide locations were randomly divided into two groups: 70% for training and 30% for verifying. Two machine learning models: the support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN), and a multivariate statistical model: the logistic regression (LR), were applied for landslide susceptibility modeling (LSM) for each type. The LSM index maps, obtained from combining the assessment results of the two landslide types, were classified into five levels. The performance of the LSMs was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics curve and Friedman test. Results show that the elimination of noise-generating factors and the separated modeling of each landslide type have significantly increased the prediction accuracy. The machine learning models outperformed the multivariate statistical model and SVM model was found ideal for the case study area.

Non-invasive evaluation of liver stiffness after splenectomy in rabbits with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis.

PubMed

Wang, Ming-Jun; Ling, Wen-Wu; Wang, Hong; Meng, Ling-Wei; Cai, He; Peng, Bing

2016-12-14

To investigate the diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by elastography point quantification (ElastPQ) in animal models and determine the longitudinal changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ after splenectomy at different stages of fibrosis. Liver stiffness was measured in sixty-eight rabbits with CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis at different stages and eight healthy control rabbits by ElastPQ. Liver biopsies and blood samples were obtained at scheduled time points to assess liver function and degree of fibrosis. Thirty-one rabbits with complete data that underwent splenectomy at different stages of liver fibrosis were then included for dynamic monitoring of changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ and liver function according to blood tests. LSM by ElastPQ was significantly correlated with histologic fibrosis stage ( r = 0.85, P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff values by ElastPQ were 11.27, 14.89, and 18.21 kPa for predicting minimal fibrosis, moderate fibrosis, and cirrhosis, respectively. Longitudinal monitoring of the changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ showed that early splenectomy (especially F1) may delay liver fibrosis progression. ElastPQ is an available, convenient, objective and non-invasive technique for assessing liver stiffness in rabbits with CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis. In addition, liver stiffness measurements using ElastPQ can dynamically monitor the changes in liver stiffness in rabbit models, and in patients, after splenectomy.

Interfacial microstructure and shear strength of reactive air brazed oxygen transport membrane ceramic-metal alloy joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

FR, Wahid Muhamad; Yoon, Dang-Hyok; Raju, Kati; Kim, Seyoung; Song, Kwang-sup; Yu, Ji Haeng

2018-01-01

To fabricate a multi-layered structure for maximizing oxygen production, oxygen transport membrane (OTM) ceramics need to be joined or sealed hermetically metal supports for interfacing with the peripheral components of the system. Therefore, in this study, Ag-10 wt% CuO was evaluated as an effective filler material for the reactive air brazing of dense Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-δ-La0.7Sr0.3MnO3±δ (GDC-LSM) OTM ceramics. Thermal decomposition in air and wetting behavior of the braze filler was performed. Reactive air brazing was performed at 1050 °C for 30 min in air to join GDC-LSM with four different commercially available high temperature-resistant metal alloys, such as Crofer 22 APU, Inconel 600, Fecralloy, and AISI 310S. The microstructure and elemental distribution of the ceramic-ceramic and ceramic-metal interfaces were examined from polished cross-sections. The mechanical shear strength at room temperature for the as-brazed and isothermally aged (800 °C for 24 h) joints of all the samples was compared. The results showed that the strength of the ceramic-ceramic joints was decreased marginally by aging; however, in the case of metal-ceramic joints, different decreases in strengths were observed according to the metal alloy used, which was explained based on the formation of different oxide layers at the interfaces.

Tumor-stem cells interactions by fluorescence imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meleshina, Aleksandra V.; Cherkasova, Elena I.; Sergeeva, Ekaterina; Turchin, Ilya V.; Kiseleva, Ekaterina V.; Dashinimaev, Erdem B.; Shirmanova, Marina V.; Zagaynova, Elena V.

2013-02-01

Recently, great deal of interest is investigation the function of the stem cells (SC) in tumors. In this study, we studied «recipient-tumor- fluorescent stem cells » system using the methods of in vivo imaging and laser scanning microscopy (LSM). We used adipose-derived adult stem (ADAS) cells of human lentiviral transfected with the gene of fluorescent protein Turbo FP635. ADAS cells were administrated into nude mice with transplanted tumor HeLa Kyoto (human cervical carcinoma) at different stages of tumor growth (0-8 days) intravenously or into tumor. In vivo imaging was performed on the experimental setup for epi - luminescence bioimaging (IAP RAS, Nizhny Novgorod). The results of the imaging showed localization of fluorophore tagged stem cells in the spleen on day 5-9 after injection. The sensitivity of the technique may be improved by spectral separation autofluorescence and fluorescence of stem cells. We compared the results of in vivo imaging and confocal laser scanning microscopy (LSM 510 META, Carl Zeiss, Germany). Internal organs of the animals and tumor tissue were investigated. It was shown that with i.v. injection of ADAS, bright fluorescent structures with spectral characteristics corresponding to TurboFP635 protein are locally accumulated in the marrow, lungs and tumors of animals. These findings indicate that ADAS cells integrate in the animal body with transplanted tumor and can be identified by fluorescence bioimaging techniques in vivo and ex vivo.

Global Terrestrial Water Storage Changes and Connections to ENSO Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Shengnan; Chen, Jianli; Wilson, Clark R.; Li, Jin; Hu, Xiaogong; Fu, Rong

2018-01-01

Improved data quality of extended record of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite gravity solutions enables better understanding of terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations. Connections of TWS and climate change are critical to investigate regional and global water cycles. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of global connections between interannual TWS changes and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, using multiple sources of data, including GRACE measurements, land surface model (LSM) predictions and precipitation observations. We use cross-correlation and coherence spectrum analysis to examine global connections between interannual TWS changes and the Niño 3.4 index, and select four river basins (Amazon, Orinoco, Colorado, and Lena) for more detailed analysis. The results indicate that interannual TWS changes are strongly correlated with ENSO over much of the globe, with maximum cross-correlation coefficients up to 0.70, well above the 95% significance level ( 0.29) derived by the Monte Carlo experiments. The strongest correlations are found in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata basins. While both GRACE and LSM TWS estimates show reasonably good correlations with ENSO and generally consistent spatial correlation patterns, notably higher correlations are found between GRACE TWS and ENSO. The existence of significant correlations in middle-high latitudes shows the large-scale impact of ENSO on the global water cycle.

Surface-bound phosphatase activity in living hyphae of ectomycorrhizal fungi of Nothofagus obliqua.

PubMed

Alvarez, Maricel; Godoy, Roberto; Heyser, Wolfgang; Härtel, Steffen

2004-01-01

We determined the location and the activity of surface-bound phosphomonoesterase (SBP) of five ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi of Nothofagus oblique. EM fungal mycelium of Paxillus involutus, Austropaxillus boletinoides, Descolea antartica, Cenococcum geophilum and Pisolithus tinctorius was grown in media with varying concentrations of dissolved phosphorus. SBP activity was detected at different pH values (3-7) under each growth regimen. SBP activity was assessed using a colorimetric method based on the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) to p-nitrophenol phosphate (pNP) + P. A new technique involving confocal laser-scanning microscopy (LSM) was used to locate and quantify SBP activity on the hyphal surface. EM fungi showed two fundamentally different patterns of SBP activity in relation to varying environmental conditions (P-concentrations and pH). In the cases of D. antartica, A. boletinoides and C. geophilum, changes in SBP activity were induced primarily by changes in the number of SBP-active centers on the hyphae. In the cases of P. tinctorius and P. involutus, the number of SBP-active centers per μm hyphal length changed much less than the intensity of the SBP-active centers on the hyphae. Our findings not only contribute to the discussion about the role of SBP-active centers in EM fungi but also introduce LSM as a valuable method for studying EM fungi.

Photo-induced locomotion of chemo-responsive polymer gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayal, Pratyush; Kuksenok, Olga; Balazs, Anna C.

2009-03-01

The need to translate chemical energy into a mechanical response, a characteristic of many biological processes, has motivated the study of stimuli-responsive polymer gels. Recently, it has been shown experimentally that by coupling the mechanical properties of the gel with the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction it is possible to induce self-sustained oscillations in the gel. One of the means for controlling these chemical oscillations is using light as an external stimulus. To study the effect of light on the mechanical behavior of the gel, we use our recently developed a 3D gel lattice spring model (gLSM) which couples the BZ reaction kinetics to the gel dynamics. In this model, the polymer-solvent interactions were taken into account by adding a coupling term to the Flory-Huggins free energy. By virtue of this coupling term, the swelling---de-swelling behavior of the gel was captured in 3D. In order to include the effect of the polymer on the reaction kinetics, the Oregonator model for the photo-sensitive BZ reaction was also modified. Using gLSM model, we probed the effect of non-uniform light irradiation on the gel dynamics. We were able to manipulate the direction and velocity of locomotion of the gel using light as a control parameter. This ability to control the movement of the gel can be utilized in a variety of applications, ranging from bio-actuators to controlled drug release systems.

The new forest carbon accounting framework for the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domke, G. M.; Woodall, C. W.; Coulston, J.; Wear, D. N.; Healey, S. P.; Walters, B. F.

2015-12-01

The forest carbon accounting system used in recent National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGI) was developed more than a decade ago when the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis annual inventory system was in its infancy and contemporary questions regarding the terrestrial sink (e.g., attribution) did not exist. The time has come to develop a new framework that can quickly address new questions, enables forest carbon analytics, and uses all the inventory information (e.g., disturbances and land use change) while having the flexibility to engage a wider breadth of stakeholders and partner agencies. The Forest Carbon Accounting Framework (FCAF) is comprised of a forest dynamics module and a land use dynamics module. Together these modules produce data-driven estimates of carbon stocks and stock changes in forest ecosystems that are sensitive to carbon sequestration, forest aging, and disturbance effects as well as carbon stock transfers associated with afforestation and deforestation. The new accounting system was used in the 2016 NGHGI report and research is currently underway to incorporate emerging non-live tree carbon pool data, remotely sensed information, and auxiliary data (e.g., climate information) into the FCAF.

The modulator driven polymorphism of Zr(IV) based metal-organic frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drache, Franziska; Bon, Volodymyr; Senkovska, Irena; Getzschmann, Jürgen; Kaskel, Stefan

2017-01-01

The reaction of ZrCl4 and 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (H2tdc) in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (Htfa) as modulator results in the formation of the new metal-organic framework (MOF) named DUT-126 (DUT = Dresden University of Technology). The nature and concentration of modulators are found to be decisive synthetic parameters affecting the topology of the formed product. DUT-126 (hbr) extends the series of polymorphs differing in topology, namely DUT-67 (reo), DUT-68 (bon) and DUT-69 (bct) to four, where DUT-67 and DUT-68 show the same eight-connected secondary building units as in DUT-126. In DUT-126, linker molecules have a peculiar orientation, resulting in hbr topology, which is described for the first time in this work for MOFs. DUT-126 contains three pore types, including two micropores surrounding mesoporous channels. DUT-126 is stable against hydrolysis and features permanent porosity with a specific surface area of 1297 m2 g-1 and a total pore volume of 0.48 cm3 g-1, calculated from the nitrogen physisorption isotherm measured at 77 K. This article is part of the themed issue 'Coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks: materials by design'.

Coding conventions and principles for a National Land-Change Modeling Framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donato, David I.

2017-07-14

This report establishes specific rules for writing computer source code for use with the National Land-Change Modeling Framework (NLCMF). These specific rules consist of conventions and principles for writing code primarily in the C and C++ programming languages. Collectively, these coding conventions and coding principles create an NLCMF programming style. In addition to detailed naming conventions, this report provides general coding conventions and principles intended to facilitate the development of high-performance software implemented with code that is extensible, flexible, and interoperable. Conventions for developing modular code are explained in general terms and also enabled and demonstrated through the appended templates for C++ base source-code and header files. The NLCMF limited-extern approach to module structure, code inclusion, and cross-module access to data is both explained in the text and then illustrated through the module templates. Advice on the use of global variables is provided.

Educational Modules in Tissue Engineering Based on the "How People Learn" Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birol, Gulnur; Liu, Shu Q.; Smith, H. David; Hirsch, Penny

2006-01-01

This paper describes an educational package for use in tertiary level tissue engineering education. Current learning science principles and theory were employed in the design process of these educational tools. Each module started with a challenge statement designed to motivate students and consisted of laboratory exercises centered on the "How…

A Conceptual Framework for Consumers' Education: Teacher Education Module 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee.

The document is the second in a series of four competency-based inservice teacher education modules in consumer education. The main objective of the program is to assist curriculum developers and elementary and secondary classroom teachers as they plan, develop, implement, and evaluate a multidisciplinary consumer education program. The present…

HEAVY-DUTY DIESEL VEHICLE MODAL EMISSION MODEL (HDDV-MEM): VOLUME I: MODAL EMISSION MODELING FRAMEWORK; VOLUME II: MODAL COMPONENTS AND OUTPUTS

EPA Science Inventory

This research outlines a proposed Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicle Modal Emission Modeling Framework (HDDV-MEMF) for heavy-duty diesel-powered trucks and buses. The heavy-duty vehicle modal modules being developed under this research effort, although different, should be compatible wi...

MOCASSIM - an operational forecast system for the Portuguese coastal waters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitorino, J.; Soares, C.; Almeida, S.; Rusu, E.; Pinto, J.

2003-04-01

An operational system for the forecast of oceanographic conditions off the Portuguese coast is presently being implemented at Instituto Hidrográfico (IH), in the framework of project MOCASSIM. The system is planned to use a broad range of observations provided both from IH observational networks (wave buoys, tidal gauges) and programs (hydrographic surveys, moorings) as well as from external sources. The MOCASSIM system integrates several numerical models which, combined, are intended to cover the relevant physical processes observed in the geographical areas of interest. At the present stage of development the system integrates a circulation module and a wave module. The circulation module is based on the Harvard Ocean Prediction System (HOPS), a primitive equation model formulated under the rigid lid assumption, which includes a data assimilation module. The wave module is based on the WaveWatch3 (WW3) model, which provides wave conditions in the North Atlantic basin, and on the SWAN model which is used to improve the wave forecasts on coastal or other specific areas of interest. The models use the meteorological forcing fields of a limited area model (ALADIN model) covering the Portuguese area, which are being provided in the framework of a close colaboration with Instituto de Meteorologia. Although still under devellopment, the MOCASSIM system has already been used in several operationnal contexts. These included the operational environmental assessment during both national and NATO navy exercises and, more recently, the monitoring of the oceanographic conditions in the NW Iberian area affected by the oil spill of MV "Prestige". The system is also a key component of ongoing research on the oceanography of the Portuguese continental margin, which is presently being conducted at IH in the framework of national and European funded projects.

Design and Evaluation of a Scalable and Reconfigurable Multi-Platform System for Acoustic Imaging

PubMed Central

Izquierdo, Alberto; Villacorta, Juan José; del Val Puente, Lara; Suárez, Luis

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a scalable and multi-platform framework for signal acquisition and processing, which allows for the generation of acoustic images using planar arrays of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) microphones with low development and deployment costs. Acoustic characterization of MEMS sensors was performed, and the beam pattern of a module, based on an 8 × 8 planar array and of several clusters of modules, was obtained. A flexible framework, formed by an FPGA, an embedded processor, a computer desktop, and a graphic processing unit, was defined. The processing times of the algorithms used to obtain the acoustic images, including signal processing and wideband beamforming via FFT, were evaluated in each subsystem of the framework. Based on this analysis, three frameworks are proposed, defined by the specific subsystems used and the algorithms shared. Finally, a set of acoustic images obtained from sound reflected from a person are presented as a case study in the field of biometric identification. These results reveal the feasibility of the proposed system. PMID:27727174

The GMOD Drupal bioinformatic server framework.

PubMed

Papanicolaou, Alexie; Heckel, David G

2010-12-15

Next-generation sequencing technologies have led to the widespread use of -omic applications. As a result, there is now a pronounced bioinformatic bottleneck. The general model organism database (GMOD) tool kit (http://gmod.org) has produced a number of resources aimed at addressing this issue. It lacks, however, a robust online solution that can deploy heterogeneous data and software within a Web content management system (CMS). We present a bioinformatic framework for the Drupal CMS. It consists of three modules. First, GMOD-DBSF is an application programming interface module for the Drupal CMS that simplifies the programming of bioinformatic Drupal modules. Second, the Drupal Bioinformatic Software Bench (biosoftware_bench) allows for a rapid and secure deployment of bioinformatic software. An innovative graphical user interface (GUI) guides both use and administration of the software, including the secure provision of pre-publication datasets. Third, we present genes4all_experiment, which exemplifies how our work supports the wider research community. Given the infrastructure presented here, the Drupal CMS may become a powerful new tool set for bioinformaticians. The GMOD-DBSF base module is an expandable community resource that decreases development time of Drupal modules for bioinformatics. The biosoftware_bench module can already enhance biologists' ability to mine their own data. The genes4all_experiment module has already been responsible for archiving of more than 150 studies of RNAi from Lepidoptera, which were previously unpublished. Implemented in PHP and Perl. Freely available under the GNU Public License 2 or later from http://gmod-dbsf.googlecode.com.

Theoretical Design and Experimental Evaluation of Molten Carbonate Modified LSM Cathode for Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-07

Min Lee, Kevin Huang. Mixed Oxide-Ion and Carbonate-Ion Conductors (MOCCs) as Electrolyte Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, 218th ECS Meeting... Solid Oxide Fuel Cells The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not contrued as an official...ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, Oxygen Reduction, Molten Carbonate

The R and M 2000 Process and Reliability and Maintainability Management: Attitudes of Senior Level Managers in Aeronautical Systems Division

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

I .. I . . .. . - - AFIT/GLM/LSM/88S-59 THE R& M 2000 PROCESS AND RELIABILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY...respondents provided verbal responses to this question. Although one-half of these responses spoke 65 k - ’ ’ ’ i l l I l l i favorably of R& M 2000 , there were...GROUP SUB-GROUP Attitudes, Reliability, Maintainability, R& M , R&" 2000 , 05 01 I Aeronautical Systems Division, ASD 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on

Combat Support and the Operational Commander

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

adversity" (31:64). During the 19th century , Heinrich von Treitschke wrote that: The state’s first duty was to maintain its power in its relations...beyond its own frontiers [9:271. the prevailing attitude towards combat support was still mired in the 19th century . As an example of the prevailing...Donald C. McNeeley, Jr., B.A. Lieutenant, USN AFIT/GLM/LSM/88S-48 a DTIC E’ 7CTEe DEC 2 2188 C H Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The

A Descriptive Study of the DoD-Managed Freight Forwarder Concept.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

AFLC/PMPO AMSAC-OL/ 7 AFLC ILC/ AWST MTMCEA/ ITEL AFLC ILC/EC MTMC-ITX AFLC ILC/GB USN/OP-632B AF IT! LSM USN/SUP-07C DISAM/DIC USASAC-NCAD (OL/T) SAAC...commercial insurance coverage for the protection of all purchaser-owned FMS materiel while in custody of the freight forwarder. r . Process FMS customer...export for each shipment. r . Provide export boxing and marking if required. s. Carry out freight rate negotiations as required. t. Retrieve freight from

Potential Information and Decision Support System Applications for a Civil Engineering RED HORSE Squadron.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

APPLICATIONS FOR A CIVIL ENGINEERILaG RED HORSE SQUADRON THESIS Arvil E. White III Captain, USAF AFIT/GE:4/LSM/87S-27 .... DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE...DT1TO-SJAN 0 419880 POTENTIAL INFORMATION AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM APPLICATIONS FOR A CIVIL ENGINEERILiG RED HORSE SQUADRON IAooession For THESIS NI R...INFORMATION AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTrEM APPLICATIONS FOR A CIVIL ENGINEERINGX :.. 4. RED HORSE SQUADRON - THESIS -4 Presented to the Faculty of the

Framework GRASP: routine library for optimize processing of aerosol remote sensing observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuertes, David; Torres, Benjamin; Dubovik, Oleg; Litvinov, Pavel; Lapyonok, Tatyana; Ducos, Fabrice; Aspetsberger, Michael; Federspiel, Christian

The present the development of a Framework for the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) developed by Dubovik et al., (2011). The framework is a source code project that attempts to strengthen the value of the GRASP inversion algorithm by transforming it into a library that will be used later for a group of customized application modules. The functions of the independent modules include the managing of the configuration of the code execution, as well as preparation of the input and output. The framework provides a number of advantages in utilization of the code. First, it implements loading data to the core of the scientific code directly from memory without passing through intermediary files on disk. Second, the framework allows consecutive use of the inversion code without the re-initiation of the core routine when new input is received. These features are essential for optimizing performance of the data production in processing of large observation sets, such as satellite images by the GRASP. Furthermore, the framework is a very convenient tool for further development, because this open-source platform is easily extended for implementing new features. For example, it could accommodate loading of raw data directly onto the inversion code from a specific instrument not included in default settings of the software. Finally, it will be demonstrated that from the user point of view, the framework provides a flexible, powerful and informative configuration system.

Computational framework to support integration of biomolecular and clinical data within a translational approach.

PubMed

Miyoshi, Newton Shydeo Brandão; Pinheiro, Daniel Guariz; Silva, Wilson Araújo; Felipe, Joaquim Cezar

2013-06-06

The use of the knowledge produced by sciences to promote human health is the main goal of translational medicine. To make it feasible we need computational methods to handle the large amount of information that arises from bench to bedside and to deal with its heterogeneity. A computational challenge that must be faced is to promote the integration of clinical, socio-demographic and biological data. In this effort, ontologies play an essential role as a powerful artifact for knowledge representation. Chado is a modular ontology-oriented database model that gained popularity due to its robustness and flexibility as a generic platform to store biological data; however it lacks supporting representation of clinical and socio-demographic information. We have implemented an extension of Chado - the Clinical Module - to allow the representation of this kind of information. Our approach consists of a framework for data integration through the use of a common reference ontology. The design of this framework has four levels: data level, to store the data; semantic level, to integrate and standardize the data by the use of ontologies; application level, to manage clinical databases, ontologies and data integration process; and web interface level, to allow interaction between the user and the system. The clinical module was built based on the Entity-Attribute-Value (EAV) model. We also proposed a methodology to migrate data from legacy clinical databases to the integrative framework. A Chado instance was initialized using a relational database management system. The Clinical Module was implemented and the framework was loaded using data from a factual clinical research database. Clinical and demographic data as well as biomaterial data were obtained from patients with tumors of head and neck. We implemented the IPTrans tool that is a complete environment for data migration, which comprises: the construction of a model to describe the legacy clinical data, based on an ontology; the Extraction, Transformation and Load (ETL) process to extract the data from the source clinical database and load it in the Clinical Module of Chado; the development of a web tool and a Bridge Layer to adapt the web tool to Chado, as well as other applications. Open-source computational solutions currently available for translational science does not have a model to represent biomolecular information and also are not integrated with the existing bioinformatics tools. On the other hand, existing genomic data models do not represent clinical patient data. A framework was developed to support translational research by integrating biomolecular information coming from different "omics" technologies with patient's clinical and socio-demographic data. This framework should present some features: flexibility, compression and robustness. The experiments accomplished from a use case demonstrated that the proposed system meets requirements of flexibility and robustness, leading to the desired integration. The Clinical Module can be accessed in http://dcm.ffclrp.usp.br/caib/pg=iptrans.

A mathematical model for Vertical Attitude Takeoff and Landing (VATOL) aircraft simulation. Volume 3: User's manual for VATOL simulation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortenbaugh, R. L.

1980-01-01

Instructions for using Vertical Attitude Takeoff and Landing Aircraft Simulation (VATLAS), the digital simulation program for application to vertical attitude takeoff and landing (VATOL) aircraft developed for installation on the NASA Ames CDC 7600 computer system are described. The framework for VATLAS is the Off-Line Simulation (OLSIM) routine. The OLSIM routine provides a flexible framework and standardized modules which facilitate the development of off-line aircraft simulations. OLSIM runs under the control of VTOLTH, the main program, which calls the proper modules for executing user specified options. These options include trim, stability derivative calculation, time history generation, and various input-output options.

Compression of Flow Can Reveal Overlapping-Module Organization in Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viamontes Esquivel, Alcides; Rosvall, Martin

2011-10-01

To better understand the organization of overlapping modules in large networks with respect to flow, we introduce the map equation for overlapping modules. In this information-theoretic framework, we use the correspondence between compression and regularity detection. The generalized map equation measures how well we can compress a description of flow in the network when we partition it into modules with possible overlaps. When we minimize the generalized map equation over overlapping network partitions, we detect modules that capture flow and determine which nodes at the boundaries between modules should be classified in multiple modules and to what degree. With a novel greedy-search algorithm, we find that some networks, for example, the neural network of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, are best described by modules dominated by hard boundaries, but that others, for example, the sparse European-roads network, have an organization of highly overlapping modules.

Umbral Calculus and Holonomic Modules in Positive Characteristic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochubei, Anatoly N.

2006-03-01

In the framework of analysis over local fields of positive characteristic, we develop algebraic tools for introducing and investigating various polynomial systems. In this survey paper we describe a function field version of umbral calculus developed on the basis of a relation of binomial type satisfied by the Carlitz polynomials. We consider modules over the Weyl-Carlitz ring, a function field counterpart of the Weyl algebra. It is shown that some basic objects of function field arithmetic, like the Carlitz module, Thakur's hypergeometric polynomials, and analogs of binomial coefficients arising in the positive characteristic version of umbral calculus, generate holonomic modules.

CoM(M=Fe,Cu,Ni)-embedded nitrogen-enriched porous carbon framework for efficient oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xiaogeng; Bo, Xiangjie; Guo, Liping

2018-06-01

Rational synthesis and development of earth-abundant materials with efficient electrocatalytic activity and stability for water splitting is a critical but challenging step for sustainable energy application. Herein, a family of bimetal (CoFe, CoCu, CoNi) embedded nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks is developed through a facile and simple thermal conversion strategy of metal-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. Thanks to collaborative superiorities of abundant M-N-C species, modulation action of secondary metal, cobalt-based electroactive phases, template effect of MOFs and unique porous structure, bimetal embedded nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks materials manifest good oxygen and hydrogen evolution catalytic activity. Especially, after modulating the species and molar ratio of metal sources, optimal Co0.75Fe0.25 nitrogen-doped carbon framework catalyst just requires a low overpotential of 303 mV to achieve 10 mA cm-2 with a low Tafel slope (39.49 mV dec-1) for oxygen evolution reaction, which even surpasses that of commercial RuO2. In addition, the optimal catalyst can function as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting with satisfying activity and stability. This development offers an attractive direction for the rational design and fabrication of porous carbon materials for electrochemical energy applications.

Promotion of Cultural Content Knowledge through the Use of the History and Philosophy of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galili, Igal

2012-01-01

Historical excurse was suggested as a beneficial form of using the history and philosophy of science in the modules of learning materials developed within the History and Philosophy in Science Teaching project. The paper briefly describes the theoretical framework of the produced modules, addressing ontological and epistemological aspects of…

Responsive Image Inline Filter

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

Freeman, Ian

2016-10-20

RIIF is a contributed module for the Drupal php web application framework (drupal.org). It is written as a helper or sub-module of other code which is part of version 8 "core Drupal" and is intended to extend its functionality. It allows Drupal to resize images uploaded through the user-facing text editor within the Drupal GUI (a.k.a. "inline images") for various browser widths. This resizing is already done foe other images through the parent "Responsive Image" core module. This code extends that functionality to inline images.

Astrocytes, Synapses and Brain Function: A Computational Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadkarni, Suhita

2006-03-01

Modulation of synaptic reliability is one of the leading mechanisms involved in long- term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) and therefore has implications in information processing in the brain. A recently discovered mechanism for modulating synaptic reliability critically involves recruitments of astrocytes - star- shaped cells that outnumber the neurons in most parts of the central nervous system. Astrocytes until recently were thought to be subordinate cells merely participating in supporting neuronal functions. New evidence, however, made available by advances in imaging technology has changed the way we envision the role of these cells in synaptic transmission and as modulator of neuronal excitability. We put forward a novel mathematical framework based on the biophysics of the bidirectional neuron-astrocyte interactions that quantitatively accounts for two distinct experimental manifestation of recruitment of astrocytes in synaptic transmission: a) transformation of a low fidelity synapse transforms into a high fidelity synapse and b) enhanced postsynaptic spontaneous currents when astrocytes are activated. Such a framework is not only useful for modeling neuronal dynamics in a realistic environment but also provides a conceptual basis for interpreting experiments. Based on this modeling framework, we explore the role of astrocytes for neuronal network behavior such as synchrony and correlations and compare with experimental data from cultured networks.

On the neural implementation of the speed-accuracy trade-off

PubMed Central

Standage, Dominic; Blohm, Gunnar; Dorris, Michael C.

2014-01-01

Decisions are faster and less accurate when conditions favor speed, and are slower and more accurate when they favor accuracy. This phenomenon is referred to as the speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT). Behavioral studies of the SAT have a long history, and the data from these studies are well characterized within the framework of bounded integration. According to this framework, decision makers accumulate noisy evidence until the running total for one of the alternatives reaches a bound. Lower and higher bounds favor speed and accuracy respectively, each at the expense of the other. Studies addressing the neural implementation of these computations are a recent development in neuroscience. In this review, we describe the experimental and theoretical evidence provided by these studies. We structure the review according to the framework of bounded integration, describing evidence for (1) the modulation of the encoding of evidence under conditions favoring speed or accuracy, (2) the modulation of the integration of encoded evidence, and (3) the modulation of the amount of integrated evidence sufficient to make a choice. We discuss commonalities and differences between the proposed neural mechanisms, some of their assumptions and simplifications, and open questions for future work. We close by offering a unifying hypothesis on the present state of play in this nascent research field. PMID:25165430

On the neural implementation of the speed-accuracy trade-off.

PubMed

Standage, Dominic; Blohm, Gunnar; Dorris, Michael C

2014-01-01

Decisions are faster and less accurate when conditions favor speed, and are slower and more accurate when they favor accuracy. This phenomenon is referred to as the speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT). Behavioral studies of the SAT have a long history, and the data from these studies are well characterized within the framework of bounded integration. According to this framework, decision makers accumulate noisy evidence until the running total for one of the alternatives reaches a bound. Lower and higher bounds favor speed and accuracy respectively, each at the expense of the other. Studies addressing the neural implementation of these computations are a recent development in neuroscience. In this review, we describe the experimental and theoretical evidence provided by these studies. We structure the review according to the framework of bounded integration, describing evidence for (1) the modulation of the encoding of evidence under conditions favoring speed or accuracy, (2) the modulation of the integration of encoded evidence, and (3) the modulation of the amount of integrated evidence sufficient to make a choice. We discuss commonalities and differences between the proposed neural mechanisms, some of their assumptions and simplifications, and open questions for future work. We close by offering a unifying hypothesis on the present state of play in this nascent research field.

The modulator driven polymorphism of Zr(IV) based metal–organic frameworks

PubMed Central

Drache, Franziska; Bon, Volodymyr; Getzschmann, Jürgen; Kaskel, Stefan

2017-01-01

The reaction of ZrCl4 and 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (H2tdc) in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (Htfa) as modulator results in the formation of the new metal–organic framework (MOF) named DUT-126 (DUT = Dresden University of Technology). The nature and concentration of modulators are found to be decisive synthetic parameters affecting the topology of the formed product. DUT-126 (hbr) extends the series of polymorphs differing in topology, namely DUT-67 (reo), DUT-68 (bon) and DUT-69 (bct) to four, where DUT-67 and DUT-68 show the same eight-connected secondary building units as in DUT-126. In DUT-126, linker molecules have a peculiar orientation, resulting in hbr topology, which is described for the first time in this work for MOFs. DUT-126 contains three pore types, including two micropores surrounding mesoporous channels. DUT-126 is stable against hydrolysis and features permanent porosity with a specific surface area of 1297 m2 g−1 and a total pore volume of 0.48 cm3 g−1, calculated from the nitrogen physisorption isotherm measured at 77 K. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks: materials by design’. PMID:27895257

Energy-Efficient Integration of Continuous Context Sensing and Prediction into Smartwatches.

PubMed

Rawassizadeh, Reza; Tomitsch, Martin; Nourizadeh, Manouchehr; Momeni, Elaheh; Peery, Aaron; Ulanova, Liudmila; Pazzani, Michael

2015-09-08

As the availability and use of wearables increases, they are becoming a promising platform for context sensing and context analysis. Smartwatches are a particularly interesting platform for this purpose, as they offer salient advantages, such as their proximity to the human body. However, they also have limitations associated with their small form factor, such as processing power and battery life, which makes it difficult to simply transfer smartphone-based context sensing and prediction models to smartwatches. In this paper, we introduce an energy-efficient, generic, integrated framework for continuous context sensing and prediction on smartwatches. Our work extends previous approaches for context sensing and prediction on wrist-mounted wearables that perform predictive analytics outside the device. We offer a generic sensing module and a novel energy-efficient, on-device prediction module that is based on a semantic abstraction approach to convert sensor data into meaningful information objects, similar to human perception of a behavior. Through six evaluations, we analyze the energy efficiency of our framework modules, identify the optimal file structure for data access and demonstrate an increase in accuracy of prediction through our semantic abstraction method. The proposed framework is hardware independent and can serve as a reference model for implementing context sensing and prediction on small wearable devices beyond smartwatches, such as body-mounted cameras.

Energy-Efficient Integration of Continuous Context Sensing and Prediction into Smartwatches

PubMed Central

Rawassizadeh, Reza; Tomitsch, Martin; Nourizadeh, Manouchehr; Momeni, Elaheh; Peery, Aaron; Ulanova, Liudmila; Pazzani, Michael

2015-01-01

As the availability and use of wearables increases, they are becoming a promising platform for context sensing and context analysis. Smartwatches are a particularly interesting platform for this purpose, as they offer salient advantages, such as their proximity to the human body. However, they also have limitations associated with their small form factor, such as processing power and battery life, which makes it difficult to simply transfer smartphone-based context sensing and prediction models to smartwatches. In this paper, we introduce an energy-efficient, generic, integrated framework for continuous context sensing and prediction on smartwatches. Our work extends previous approaches for context sensing and prediction on wrist-mounted wearables that perform predictive analytics outside the device. We offer a generic sensing module and a novel energy-efficient, on-device prediction module that is based on a semantic abstraction approach to convert sensor data into meaningful information objects, similar to human perception of a behavior. Through six evaluations, we analyze the energy efficiency of our framework modules, identify the optimal file structure for data access and demonstrate an increase in accuracy of prediction through our semantic abstraction method. The proposed framework is hardware independent and can serve as a reference model for implementing context sensing and prediction on small wearable devices beyond smartwatches, such as body-mounted cameras. PMID:26370997

Multimodal backside imaging of a microcontroller using confocal laser scanning and optical-beam-induced current imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkeldey, Markus; Göring, Lena; Schellenberg, Falk; Brenner, Carsten; Gerhardt, Nils C.; Hofmann, Martin

2017-02-01

Microscopy imaging with a single technology is usually restricted to a single contrast mechanism. Multimodal imaging is a promising technique to improve the structural information that could be obtained about a device under test (DUT). Due to the different contrast mechanisms of laser scanning microscopy (LSM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and optical beam induced current microscopy (OBICM), a combination could improve the detection of structures in integrated circuits (ICs) and helps to reveal their layout. While OBIC imaging is sensitive to the changes between differently doped areas and to semiconductor-metal transitions, CLSM imaging is mostly sensitive to changes in absorption and reflection. In this work we present the implementation of OBIC imaging into a CLSM. We show first results using industry standard Atmel microcontrollers (MCUs) with a feature size of about 250nm as DUTs. Analyzing these types of microcontrollers helps to improve in the field of side-channel attacks to find hardware Trojans, possible spots for laser fault attacks and for reverse engineering. For the experimental results the DUT is placed on a custom circuit board that allows us to measure the current while imaging it in our in-house built stage scanning microscope using a near infrared (NIR) laser diode as light source. The DUT is thinned and polished, allowing backside imaging through the Si-substrate. We demonstrate the possibilities using this optical setup by evaluating OBIC, LSM and CLSM images above and below the threshold of the laser source.

Using Flux Site Observations to Calibrate Root System Architecture Stencils for Water Uptake of Plant Functional Types in Land Surface Models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouda, M.

2017-12-01

Root system architecture (RSA) can significantly affect plant access to water, total transpiration, as well as its partitioning by soil depth, with implications for surface heat, water, and carbon budgets. Despite recent advances in land surface model (LSM) descriptions of plant hydraulics, RSA has not been included because of its three-dimensional complexity, which makes RSA modelling generally too computationally costly. This work builds upon the recently introduced "RSA stencil," a process-based 1D layered model that captures the dynamic shifts in water potential gradients of 3D RSA in response to heterogeneous soil moisture profiles. In validations using root systems calibrated to the rooting profiles of four plant functional types (PFT) of the Community Land Model, the RSA stencil predicts plant water potentials within 2% of the outputs of full 3D models, despite its trivial computational cost. In transient simulations, the RSA stencil yields improved predictions of water uptake and soil moisture profiles compared to a 1D model based on root fraction alone. Here I show how the RSA stencil can be calibrated to time-series observations of soil moisture and transpiration to yield a water uptake PFT definition for use in terrestrial models. This model-data integration exercise aims to improve LSM predictions of soil moisture dynamics and, under water-limiting conditions, surface fluxes. These improvements can be expected to significantly impact predictions of downstream variables, including surface fluxes, climate-vegetation feedbacks and soil nutrient cycling.

PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism is associated with liver fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C: A repeated measures study.

PubMed

Jiménez-Sousa, María Ángeles; Gómez-Moreno, Ana Zaida; Pineda-Tenor, Daniel; Sánchez-Ruano, Juan José; Fernández-Rodríguez, Amanda; Artaza-Varasa, Tomas; Gómez-Sanz, Alicia; Martín-Vicente, María; Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Resino, Salvador

2018-06-01

Host genetic background has been associated with liver fibrosis progression. To analyze the association between the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 polymorphism and liver fibrosis progression in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. In this retrospective cohort study, 187 patients with chronic HCV infection were included, who had at least two liver stiffness measurements (LSM) by transient elastography during the follow-up. Results were expressed in kilopascals (kPa). The analysis of genetic association was carried out according to additive model by using Generalized Linear Models. No patients had advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis at baseline. During a median follow-up time of 47.9 months, 15 patients developed advanced fibrosis and 17 cirrhosis. In multivariate analysis adjusted by the main clinical and epidemiological covariates, the rs738409 G allele was related to higher increase of LSM values during the follow-up (adjusted arithmetic mean ratio (aAMR) = 1.16 (95%CI = 1.04; 1.29); p = .006) and higher odds of having progression to advanced fibrosis [aOR = 2.03 (95%CI = 1.01; 4.06); p = .045], and progression to cirrhosis [aOR = 3.03 (95%CI = 1.26; 7.30); p = .014]. PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism appears to be related to the increased progression of liver fibrosis in HCV infected patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of multilayer snow scheme on the simulation of snow: Offline Noah and coupled with NCEP CFSv2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Subodh Kumar; Sujith, K.; Pokhrel, Samir; Chaudhari, Hemantkumar S.; Hazra, Anupam

2017-03-01

The Noah version 2.7.1 is a moderately complex land surface model (LSM), with a single layer snowpack, combined with vegetation and underlying soil layer. Many previous studies have pointed out biases in the simulation of snow, which may hinder the skill of a forecasting system coupled with the Noah. In order to improve the simulation of snow by the Noah, a multilayer snow scheme (up to a maximum of six layers) is introduced. As Noah is the land surface component of the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the modified Noah is also coupled with the CFSv2. The offline LSM shows large improvements in the simulation of snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), and snow cover area during snow season (October to June). CFSv2 with the modified Noah reveals a dramatic improvements in the simulation of snow depth and 2 m air temperature and moderate improvements in SWE. As suggested in the previous diagnostic and sensitivity study, improvements in the simulation of snow by CFSv2 have lead to the reduction in dry bias over the Indian subcontinent (by a maximum of 2 mm d-1). The multilayer snow scheme shows promising results in the simulation of snow as well as Indian summer monsoon rainfall and hence this development may be the part of the future version of the CFS.

Non-invasive evaluation of liver stiffness after splenectomy in rabbits with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis

PubMed Central

Wang, Ming-Jun; Ling, Wen-Wu; Wang, Hong; Meng, Ling-Wei; Cai, He; Peng, Bing

2016-01-01

AIM To investigate the diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by elastography point quantification (ElastPQ) in animal models and determine the longitudinal changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ after splenectomy at different stages of fibrosis. METHODS Liver stiffness was measured in sixty-eight rabbits with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis at different stages and eight healthy control rabbits by ElastPQ. Liver biopsies and blood samples were obtained at scheduled time points to assess liver function and degree of fibrosis. Thirty-one rabbits with complete data that underwent splenectomy at different stages of liver fibrosis were then included for dynamic monitoring of changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ and liver function according to blood tests. RESULTS LSM by ElastPQ was significantly correlated with histologic fibrosis stage (r = 0.85, P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff values by ElastPQ were 11.27, 14.89, and 18.21 kPa for predicting minimal fibrosis, moderate fibrosis, and cirrhosis, respectively. Longitudinal monitoring of the changes in liver stiffness by ElastPQ showed that early splenectomy (especially F1) may delay liver fibrosis progression. CONCLUSION ElastPQ is an available, convenient, objective and non-invasive technique for assessing liver stiffness in rabbits with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. In addition, liver stiffness measurements using ElastPQ can dynamically monitor the changes in liver stiffness in rabbit models, and in patients, after splenectomy. PMID:28028365

Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Chronic HCV Infection Results in Liver Stiffness Regression Over 12 Months Post-treatment.

PubMed

Chan, Justin; Gogela, Neliswa; Zheng, Hui; Lammert, Sara; Ajayi, Tokunbo; Fricker, Zachary; Kim, Arthur Y; Robbins, Gregory K; Chung, Raymond T

2018-02-01

Liver fibrosis stage determines risk of morbidity and mortality from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Prior data have shown long-term reversal of liver fibrosis, measured by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), in patients successfully treated with interferon-based therapies. Our study sought to determine the effect of treatment with modern HCV direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy on noninvasive liver fibrosis measurements. A total of 70 patients had VCTE-based liver stiffness measurement (LSM) taken before treatment, directly after treatment completion, and at least 12 months after completion of DAA therapy. Our primary outcome was a >30% improvement in VCTE score at the end of follow-up, relative to baseline. The sustained virologic response rate in our cohort was 95.7%. In our cohort, 34 (48.6%) met the primary outcome. Those who had baseline elevated alanine aminotransferase (OR 3.27; 95% CI 1.13-9.47) and genotype 1 (OR 14.63; 95% CI 1.70-125.83) had higher odds of meeting that outcome, and this remained significant after adjusting for age, baseline body mass index, gender, baseline elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, treatment experience, liver transplant status, smoking, and baseline liver stiffness. Treatment of chronic HCV with modern DAA therapy was associated with a significant improvement in LSM by VCTE measurement, suggesting possible early improvement in liver fibrosis along with resolution of inflammation over the first year after treatment completion.

Topology optimization analysis based on the direct coupling of the boundary element method and the level set method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitório, Paulo Cezar; Leonel, Edson Denner

2017-12-01

The structural design must ensure suitable working conditions by attending for safe and economic criteria. However, the optimal solution is not easily available, because these conditions depend on the bodies' dimensions, materials strength and structural system configuration. In this regard, topology optimization aims for achieving the optimal structural geometry, i.e. the shape that leads to the minimum requirement of material, respecting constraints related to the stress state at each material point. The present study applies an evolutionary approach for determining the optimal geometry of 2D structures using the coupling of the boundary element method (BEM) and the level set method (LSM). The proposed algorithm consists of mechanical modelling, topology optimization approach and structural reconstruction. The mechanical model is composed of singular and hyper-singular BEM algebraic equations. The topology optimization is performed through the LSM. Internal and external geometries are evolved by the LS function evaluated at its zero level. The reconstruction process concerns the remeshing. Because the structural boundary moves at each iteration, the body's geometry change and, consequently, a new mesh has to be defined. The proposed algorithm, which is based on the direct coupling of such approaches, introduces internal cavities automatically during the optimization process, according to the intensity of Von Mises stress. The developed optimization model was applied in two benchmarks available in the literature. Good agreement was observed among the results, which demonstrates its efficiency and accuracy.

Effectiveness of a Video-Versus Text-Based Computer-Tailored Intervention for Obesity Prevention after One Year: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Cheung, Kei Long; Schwabe, Inga; Walthouwer, Michel J. L.; Oenema, Anke; de Vries, Hein

2017-01-01

Computer-tailored programs may help to prevent overweight and obesity, which are worldwide public health problems. This study investigated (1) the 12-month effectiveness of a video- and text-based computer-tailored intervention on energy intake, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI), and (2) the role of educational level in intervention effects. A randomized controlled trial in The Netherlands was conducted, in which adults were allocated to a video-based condition, text-based condition, or control condition, with baseline, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up. Outcome variables were self-reported BMI, physical activity, and energy intake. Mixed-effects modelling was used to investigate intervention effects and potential interaction effects. Compared to the control group, the video intervention group was effective regarding energy intake after 6 months (least squares means (LSM) difference = −205.40, p = 0.00) and 12 months (LSM difference = −128.14, p = 0.03). Only video intervention resulted in lower average daily energy intake after one year (d = 0.12). Educational role and BMI did not seem to interact with this effect. No intervention effects on BMI and physical activity were found. The video computer-tailored intervention was effective on energy intake after one year. This effect was not dependent on educational levels or BMI categories, suggesting that video tailoring can be effective for a broad range of risk groups and may be preferred over text tailoring. PMID:29065545

Detecting falls with wearable sensors using machine learning techniques.

PubMed

Özdemir, Ahmet Turan; Barshan, Billur

2014-06-18

Falls are a serious public health problem and possibly life threatening for people in fall risk groups. We develop an automated fall detection system with wearable motion sensor units fitted to the subjects' body at six different positions. Each unit comprises three tri-axial devices (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer/compass). Fourteen volunteers perform a standardized set of movements including 20 voluntary falls and 16 activities of daily living (ADLs), resulting in a large dataset with 2520 trials. To reduce the computational complexity of training and testing the classifiers, we focus on the raw data for each sensor in a 4 s time window around the point of peak total acceleration of the waist sensor, and then perform feature extraction and reduction. Most earlier studies on fall detection employ rule-based approaches that rely on simple thresholding of the sensor outputs. We successfully distinguish falls from ADLs using six machine learning techniques (classifiers): the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier, least squares method (LSM), support vector machines (SVM), Bayesian decision making (BDM), dynamic time warping (DTW), and artificial neural networks (ANNs). We compare the performance and the computational complexity of the classifiers and achieve the best results with the k-NN classifier and LSM, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy all above 99%. These classifiers also have acceptable computational requirements for training and testing. Our approach would be applicable in real-world scenarios where data records of indeterminate length, containing multiple activities in sequence, are recorded.

Cross-correlation least-squares reverse time migration in the pseudo-time domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qingyang; Huang, Jianping; Li, Zhenchun

2017-08-01

The least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) method with higher image resolution and amplitude is becoming increasingly popular. However, the LSRTM is not widely used in field land data processing because of its sensitivity to the initial migration velocity model, large computational cost and mismatch of amplitudes between the synthetic and observed data. To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional LSRTM, we propose a cross-correlation least-squares reverse time migration algorithm in pseudo-time domain (PTCLSRTM). Our algorithm not only reduces the depth/velocity ambiguities, but also reduces the effect of velocity error on the imaging results. It relieves the accuracy requirements on the migration velocity model of least-squares migration (LSM). The pseudo-time domain algorithm eliminates the irregular wavelength sampling in the vertical direction, thus it can reduce the vertical grid points and memory requirements used during computation, which makes our method more computationally efficient than the standard implementation. Besides, for field data applications, matching the recorded amplitudes is a very difficult task because of the viscoelastic nature of the Earth and inaccuracies in the estimation of the source wavelet. To relax the requirement for strong amplitude matching of LSM, we extend the normalized cross-correlation objective function to the pseudo-time domain. Our method is only sensitive to the similarity between the predicted and the observed data. Numerical tests on synthetic and land field data confirm the effectiveness of our method and its adaptability for complex models.

Assessment of Accumulation Processes at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Density and Orientation Patterns in Spatial Datasets Derived from Excavations Conducted from the 1960s to the Present

PubMed Central

Sánchez-Romero, Laura; Benito-Calvo, Alfonso; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Santonja, Manuel

2016-01-01

The Middle Pleistocene site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain) is a major reference for European Acheulean studies. The origin of the lithic and fauna accumulations at this site was first thought to be anthropogenic, but later studies showed that it was mainly natural. The first person to conduct excavations at the Ambrona site was the Marquis of Cerralbo, in 1914; other research groups followed in more recent times (the Howell & Freeman team and the Santonja & Pérez-González team). The digs yielded a great amount of information, but until now it had never been unified. In this paper, we compile all the available published and unpublished excavation documentation from the 1960s to the present. We use these maps and sections to present our spatial study of the LSM (Lower Stratigraphic Member) at the Ambrona site, combining stratigraphic criteria with GIS density and orientation analysis. This study enabled us to define the main concentrations of the LSM, providing an initial contribution to an assessment of their accumulation processes. Most of the concentrations preserved in the ancient shore area of the site display marked orientation patterns which coincide with the direction of the main water flows into the Ambrona wetland. However, random orientation patterns were observed in the central part of the site (Alpha concentration); they may be mostly preserved without undergoing transport processes, as previous taphonomic studies also confirm. PMID:28002424

Sandstone detrital modes in the Makran accretionary wedge, southwest Pakistan: implications for tectonic setting and long-distance turbidite transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Critelli, Salvatore; De Rosa, Rosanna; Platt, John Paul

1990-10-01

Detrital modes of Early Miocene to Early Pliocene sandstones from the Makran accretionary wedge in southwest Pakistan show a mainly quartzolithic composition with an evolution from the transitional recycled to quartzose recycled. The lithic types, however, indicate two distinct petrofacies. Accreted abyssal plain turbidites have Qp 11Lvm 27Lsm 62 and Lm 39Lv 27Ls 34, showing a predominant supply from sedimentary and metasedimentary source terranes whereas slope and shelf facies sediments deposited on the accretionary wedge have Qp 7Lvm 47Lsm 47 and Lm 22Lv 48Ls 30 due to an increase of volcanic detritus. The detrital modes of the abyssal plain sediments suggest a recycled orogenic source, probably the Himalayan collision zone. The facies and longitudinal dispersal pattern suggest deposition in an Oligo-Miocene analogue of the present Indus fan. The sediment must have been transported across strike, parallel to the transform structure linking the Makran wedge to the Himalayas (Chaman-Ornach Nal fault system), and fed into the fan at the western end of the subduction zone. The detrital modes also show an increase in volcanic detritus with time (Lv/L = 0.27 for the Early Miocene abyssal plain sediments to 0.47 for the slope sequences). This may have been derived from Late Mesozoic volcanic terrains in northern Baluchistan or the Ladakh Himalayas, or more probably from the Early to middle Miocene andesitic volcanic centre in the northern Makran.

Quantitative real-time PCR-based assessment of tile drainage management influences on bacterial pathogens in tile drainage and groundwater.

PubMed

Liu, Linda; Cloutier, Michel; Craiovan, Emilia; Edwards, Mark; Frey, Steven K; Gottschall, Natalie; Lapen, David R; Sunohara, Mark; Topp, Edward; Khan, Izhar U H

2018-05-15

This study compared the impact of controlled tile drainage (CD) and freely draining (FD) systems on the prevalence and quantitative real-time PCR-based enumeration of four major pathogens including Arcobacter butzleri, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Helicobacter pylori in tile- and groundwater following a fall liquid swine manure (LSM) application on clay loam field plots. Although the prevalence of all target pathogens were detected in CD and FD systems, the loads of A. butzleri, C. jejuni, and C. coli were significantly lower in CD tile-water (p<0.05), in relation to FD tile-water. However, concentrations of A. butzleri were significantly greater in CD than FD tile-water (p<0.05). In shallow groundwater (1.2m depth), concentrations of A. butzleri, C. coli, and H. pylori showed no significant difference between CD and FD plots, while C. jejuni concentrations were significantly higher in FD plots (p<0.05). No impact of CD on the H. pylori was observed since quantitative detection in tile- and groundwater was scarce. Although speculative, H. pylori occurrence may have been related to the application of municipal biosolids four years prior to the LSM experiment. Overall, CD can be used to help minimize off-field export of pathogens into surface waters following manure applications to land, thereby reducing waterborne pathogen exposure risks to humans. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in the lower boundary condition of water fluxes in the NOAH land surface scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohmann, D.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.

2002-05-01

One problem with current land surface schemes (LSS) used in weather prediction and climate models is their inabilty to reproduce streamflow in large river basins. This can be attributed to the weak representation of their upper (infiltration) and lower (baseflow) boundary conditions in their water balance / transport equations. Operational (traditional) hydrological models, which operate on the same spatial scale as a LSS, on the other hand, are able to reproduce streamflow time series. Their infiltration and baseflow equations are often empirically based and therefore have been neglected by the LSS community. It must be argued that we need to include a better representation of long time scales (as represented by groundwater and baseflow) into the current LSS to make valuable predictions of streamflow and water resources. This talk concentrates on the lower boundary condition of water fluxes within LSS. It reviews briefly previous attempts to incorporate groundwater and more realistic lower boundary conditions into LSS and summarizes the effect on the runoff (baseflow) production time scales as compared to currently used lower boundary conditions in LSS. The NOAH - LSM in the LDAS and DMIP setting is used to introduce a simplified groundwater model, based on the linearized Boussinesq equation, and the TOPMODEL. The NOAH - LSM will be coupled to a linear routing model to investigate the effects of the new lower boundary condition on the water balance (in particular, streamflow) in small to medium sized catchments in the LDAS / DMIP domain.

A generic biogeochemical module for Earth system models: Next Generation BioGeoChemical Module (NGBGC), version 1.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Y.; Huang, M.; Liu, C.; Li, H.; Leung, L. R.

2013-11-01

Physical and biogeochemical processes regulate soil carbon dynamics and CO2 flux to and from the atmosphere, influencing global climate changes. Integration of these processes into Earth system models (e.g., community land models (CLMs)), however, currently faces three major challenges: (1) extensive efforts are required to modify modeling structures and to rewrite computer programs to incorporate new or updated processes as new knowledge is being generated, (2) computational cost is prohibitively expensive to simulate biogeochemical processes in land models due to large variations in the rates of biogeochemical processes, and (3) various mathematical representations of biogeochemical processes exist to incorporate different aspects of fundamental mechanisms, but systematic evaluation of the different mathematical representations is difficult, if not impossible. To address these challenges, we propose a new computational framework to easily incorporate physical and biogeochemical processes into land models. The new framework consists of a new biogeochemical module, Next Generation BioGeoChemical Module (NGBGC), version 1.0, with a generic algorithm and reaction database so that new and updated processes can be incorporated into land models without the need to manually set up the ordinary differential equations to be solved numerically. The reaction database consists of processes of nutrient flow through the terrestrial ecosystems in plants, litter, and soil. This framework facilitates effective comparison studies of biogeochemical cycles in an ecosystem using different conceptual models under the same land modeling framework. The approach was first implemented in CLM and benchmarked against simulations from the original CLM-CN code. A case study was then provided to demonstrate the advantages of using the new approach to incorporate a phosphorus cycle into CLM. To our knowledge, the phosphorus-incorporated CLM is a new model that can be used to simulate phosphorus limitation on the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. The method presented here could in theory be applied to simulate biogeochemical cycles in other Earth system models.

Evaluating a community-partnered cancer clinical trials pilot intervention with African American communities.

PubMed

Green, Melissa A; Michaels, Margo; Blakeney, Natasha; Odulana, Adebowale A; Isler, Malika Roman; Richmond, Alan; Long, Debra G; Robinson, William S; Taylor, Yhenneko J; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

2015-03-01

Cancer clinical trial (CCT) accrual and retention rates remain disproportionately low among African Americans. Awarenesss and access to trials are crucial facilitators of trial participation. Strategies developed within a community-based participatory framework (CBPR) are potential solutions to increase awareness and access to CCTs. In this study, we describe the pilot phase of three innovative community-centered modules to improve basic CCT knowledge, awareness of locations to access CCT information, and opportunities to participate in CCTs. Four community organizations completed Community Bridges to CCT training-of-the-trainer and recruited adult African American volunteers to participate in one of three CCT education modules: a workshop about CCTs, a role play describing one person's experience with CCTs, or a call and response session reviewing myths and facts about CCTs. Pre- and post-test surveys were collected and analyzed using McNemar agreement statistic to evaluate changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding trials. Trainers enrolled 125 participants in the call and response (n = 22), role play (n = 60), and workshop (n = 43) modules. Module participants were mostly African American, female, and with a mean age of 53 years. Comparison of pre- and post-test responses demonstrates favorable changes in awareness of CCTs and where to access CCTs across the sample. Analysis by module type indicates significant increases for participants in the call and response (p < 0.01) and role play modules (p < 0.001), but not the workshop module. Despite measures taken to increase the participation and retention rate of African Americans in clinical trials, little advancement has been made. Developing tailored community education modules on CCTs within the CBPR framework is a promising innovation to increase knowledge about CCTs and favorable attitudes about participation that are known precursors to trial enrollment.

VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts.

PubMed

Leong, Aidan; Herst, Patries; Kane, Paul

2018-06-01

The ability to understand treatment plan dosimetry and apply this understanding clinically is fundamental to the role of the radiation therapist. This study evaluates whether or not the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) contributes to teaching treatment planning concepts to a cohort of first-year radiation therapy students. We directly compared a custom-developed VERT teaching module with a standard teaching module with respect to the understanding of treatment planning concepts using a cross-over design. Students self-reported their understanding of specific concepts before and after delivery of the VERT and standard teaching modules and evaluated aspects of VERT as a learning experience. In addition, teaching staff participated in a semi-structured interview discussing the modules from an educational perspective. Both the standard teaching module and VERT teaching module enhanced conceptual understanding and level of confidence in the student cohort after both teaching periods. The proportion of students reporting a perceived increase in knowledge/confidence was similar for the VERT teaching module for all but two scenarios. We propose that an integrated approach, providing a strong theoretical conceptual framework, followed by VERT to situate this framework in the (simulated) clinical environment combines the best of both teaching approaches. This study has established for the first time a clear role for a tailored VERT teaching module in teaching RT planning concepts because of its ability to visualise conceptual information within a simulated clinical environment. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.

Task-Driven Tube Current Modulation and Regularization Design in Computed Tomography with Penalized-Likelihood Reconstruction.

PubMed

Gang, G J; Siewerdsen, J H; Stayman, J W

2016-02-01

This work applies task-driven optimization to design CT tube current modulation and directional regularization in penalized-likelihood (PL) reconstruction. The relative performance of modulation schemes commonly adopted for filtered-backprojection (FBP) reconstruction were also evaluated for PL in comparison. We adopt a task-driven imaging framework that utilizes a patient-specific anatomical model and information of the imaging task to optimize imaging performance in terms of detectability index ( d' ). This framework leverages a theoretical model based on implicit function theorem and Fourier approximations to predict local spatial resolution and noise characteristics of PL reconstruction as a function of the imaging parameters to be optimized. Tube current modulation was parameterized as a linear combination of Gaussian basis functions, and regularization was based on the design of (directional) pairwise penalty weights for the 8 in-plane neighboring voxels. Detectability was optimized using a covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy algorithm. Task-driven designs were compared to conventional tube current modulation strategies for a Gaussian detection task in an abdomen phantom. The task-driven design yielded the best performance, improving d' by ~20% over an unmodulated acquisition. Contrary to FBP, PL reconstruction using automatic exposure control and modulation based on minimum variance (in FBP) performed worse than the unmodulated case, decreasing d' by 16% and 9%, respectively. This work shows that conventional tube current modulation schemes suitable for FBP can be suboptimal for PL reconstruction. Thus, the proposed task-driven optimization provides additional opportunities for improved imaging performance and dose reduction beyond that achievable with conventional acquisition and reconstruction.